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This week in Overwatch: Welcome back Symmetra. Let the playoffs begin.

Time to build some walls. Also get ready for the first match of OWL inaugural season playoffs.

Overwatch
Esther Pang
Esther Pang
Why you can trust SCMP
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Our favorite master of teleports and photon beams is back in competitive play with her brand new toolkit!

It’s been a few weeks since Symmetra’s rework went live on all platforms. Finally, Blizzard thinks players have had enough practice, and released her into the wild to join Season 11 Competitive Play.

If you took a break from Overwatch and/or somehow never ran into a Symmetra player, well here’s a quick recap of the changes:

  • Photon Projector doesn’t lock onto enemy targets anymore, but the range has increased.
  • Alternate Fire explodes on contact.
  • Sentry Turrets are projectiles, can only have three up at a time, and hurt a lot more. (Goodbye microwave rooms of death)
  • Teleporter is a 25 meter short range portal, and the entrance won’t be at the spawn point. On the plus side, it’s not an ultimate ability anymore.
  • Photon Barrier is a gigantic, map-crossing new ult that blocks ranged attacks. It’s tall and wide, and has a TON of health.
No more spawn room teleports. (Picture: Blizzard Entertainment)

But if you’re hoping for game changing massive Photon Barriers or teleports in these last weeks of Overwatch League, sorry to disappoint. Symmetra’s sitting out the OWL playoffs and finals, so we won’t get to see if her rework actually makes her a viable option in pro-play. (She’s the only hero to never make an appearance in OWL.)

Speaking of OWL, the inaugural season is officially in its final stage. The final six teams are kicking off Week 1 of the playoffs at the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, in Burbank, California.

First up on Tuesday are Philadelphia Fusion and Boston Uprising. Those two teams, along with London Spitfire and the Los Angeles Gladiators will be battling for a chance to get to the semi-finals.

New York Excelsior and Los Angeles Valiant both have first-round byes.

Boston Uprising had a rollercoaster of a season. It had to deal with allegations of sexual misconduct against one of its players, rose from a middling start to an undefeated run in OWL’s stage 3, then struggled to cope with Brigitte’s appearance. But it pushed past all obstacles, and made it to the top six, showing an impressive resilience.
Boston Uprising pushed past an unstable OWL inaugural season to make it as the 3rd place seed. (Picture: Blizzard Entertainment)
Meanwhile Philadelphia Fusion has had less drama, but the team is known for its chaotic plays and sometimes equally chaotic mentality. And it’s not clear if they’ll be able to hold up and bring a consistent performance at this crucial stage. Although even the analysts who think Uprising will come out on top say Fusion’s DPS could end up carrying if the team can get their head on straight.

The first match starts Wednesday, July 11th 5PM PT / 8PM ET, with Spitfire and Gladiators following at 7PM PT / 10PM ET.

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