Personal Analysis: Gaining 78SR On Dorado As Lucio

Personal Analysis posts critique my own replays to identify areas for improvement, while hopefully sharing learning points for fellow average players. 

If you see something you'd like to add or would like to share your own videos for future blog posts, please do so in the comments!

Match Numbers
Team Average SR: 2291
Opponents Average SR: 2344
Starting SR: 2620
Ending SR: 2698 (+78)
Eliminations: 18
K/D: 2.25
Objective Time: 4:12
Healing/min: 1028
Damage Done: 4838
Offensive Assists: 5
Defensive Assists: 26
Sound Barriers: 37

Learning Points

After weeks of reading forum posts about average SR gains of 20 to 30 on Lucio, it was a surprise to gain 78 skill rating points in my first game out of placements. Especially considering that I was placed at a significantly higher SR than the rest of my group.

Personally, it did not feel like I did particularly well compared to previous games. So I believe this above average SR gain can be attributed to two main factors:

1) I'd come off a 6-game win streak from placements, so this was my 7th win in a row.
2) I'd performed above the average for a Platinum tier Lucio on every stat except healing/min.

Getting above average stats do not necessarily equate above-average gameplay, however. Several recurring mistakes became apparent on repeated viewings of the video:

1) I still have terrible Awareness and Situational Judgement
2) I need to work on my reaction time
3) I am very inefficient with my amps.

The latter two issues will be something to work on in QP. Suggestions on how to improve on awareness would be greatly appreciated in the comments.

Match Analysis By The Minute

At 01:00 — I generally try to position Lucio on higher ground while keeping as many team mates in range of my aura as I can. However, the ledge facing the attacker's spawn tends to be where snipers try to get their initial picks. With my Reinhardt on the ground and no idea whether the enemy team has a sniper or long range DPS, I avoid the exposed area of the ledge.

Since my group has chosen to defend on the payload, I drop down to keep them in LOS and make it easier for them to defend me.

01:59 — I see our Mei trying to flank the opponents, and know she'll be in need of healing soon. But the safest way to get to her is to go around the back rather than through Reinhardt's shield, which is being fired on. I start to amp speed to try to run around quicker, but Zarya goes down to half health in almost the same instant. With Mei being a long-shot save and in a bad position, I switch to healing boost to keep Zarya alive.

02:11 — I use amp thinking the tanks were about to take more damage but it was not necessary. This sets up a chain of errors that leads to the tanks dying and the enemy gaining ground they might not otherwise have had. I switch back to speed to help the fight when Reinhardt charges into the opposing team, but I am slow to react and do not switch to healing.

Whether it could have saved him given Lucio's slow heals, we'll never know. This is a recurring problem I'm beginning to notice with the timing of my amps and how slow I am to toggle to heals from speed.

02:37 — Another unnecessary amp. The thought process was to help our Pharah escape since I wasn't sure if she could run away fast enough. As it turns out, she didn't need the help, and I should have run back to taxi respawning team mates back to the fight.

03:37 — Roadhog ults and I try to boop him away from our Reinhardt. Which accidentally helps him escape Rein's ult. Note to pay more attention to team mates' ult statuses in the future.

03:30 — Junkrat ults. I switch to speed boost in the hopes it helps team mates escape and give them extra time to kill it.

04:25 — I get trapped in Junkrat's trap twice in the same area. Pharah rains justice above us and I don't look up to try to help bring her down. It may partly be because taking down Pharahs is rarely my job and it doesn't quite register in my head. That mindset along with awareness and reaction need work.

The second time, the trap was actually in view on my screen, but I fail to notice it (or him behind us). Not looking behind me is beginning to look like a recurring issue.

05:14 — Enemy Zarya uses her ult. For some inexplicable reason, I toggle speed from healing, possibly muscle memory since speed boost is usually on when people are at full health. It may not have made a difference in this instance but it may in future games.

06:21 — Mercy gets in a multi-rez, which puts us at a disadvantage in terms of ult management. This is the first instance of a recurring issue with the team not prioritizing her as a target, and leads to the match becoming a lot harder than it needed to be.

 07:20 — Tunnel vision on the opponent in front, leading to Junkrat sneaking around and getting an easy kill on me. Looks like I need to consciously remind myself to check behind me more often.

07:41 — Major waste of Sound Barrier in an attempt to save Zenyatta. Nothing could've been done and I should've just let him die while retreating to run respawns back to the fight.

08:00 — I charge out in front of the tanks in a desperate bid to stop the payload from hitting the checkpoint. Fortunately my team's Zarya is used to my overly aggressive style and bubbles me. I survive the gambit. Still out on whether that was a bad idea.

08:13 — Enemy Mercy team rez number 2. We get pushed away from the payload in the ensuing fight and the payload reaches the checkpoint.

09:14 — I really need to work on my aim.

09:37 — I occasionally amp or ult on the activation of my team's graviton surge to help our DPS survive return fire. In this instance with a counter graviton, it is a necessity. I am rewarded for it with a ton of healing, defensive assist and objective defense scores in addition to elimination scores.

09:47 — Enemy Mercy team rez number 3. I did see Mercy run back in but not much I could've done about it with the Roadhog there. Probably should work on bettering my call outs.

Fortunately, Roadhog was on his last sliver of health when Mercy pulled the rez off, enabling me to quickly make the fight 4v6.

10:22 — At this point I know the fight's over so I point whore by spending sound barrier to register the extra ults in my performance score.

12:44 — Despite hearing Mccree shooting in the distance, I tunnel visioned, thinking he was around the corner in front shooting at the tanks. This leads to my death as he's flanked and pulls a Flashbang-FOTH combo. Again, awareness and the need to remember to look around more often.

13:11 — Another embarrassing death. Given that the team was neatly positioned in an impromptu choke created by the payload and the building on the left, I should have expected the fire strike when I rounded the corner. Doubly so when the enemy Reinhardt let down his shield, an indication that he's about to use an attack. Entirely preventable with better reading of the game and reaction.

13:54 — Junkrat ults. I can't remember exactly what I was thinking running towards the tire, but it was probably an attempt to get in LOS of our Reaper to help them. Not the best choice in retrospect.

14:25 — Genji ults so I ult to help the team survive. Except our Zenyatta also ults, which means we've just made an unfavourable ult trade (Two defensive ults in response to one Genji ult)

The thing is, we've played together since Season 1, so we've actually discussed our tendency to ult together on Dragonblade or Graviton, which leaves the team defenceless against follow up ults. Should have paid more attention to Zenyatta's ult status and trusted him to heal the team through Dragonblade, saving Sound Barrier for later in the engagement.

Fortunately, in this instance, it did not cost us the fight.

15:23 — Heard the reaper firing behind me but did not call out until he was almost on the team. Need to work on reacting and calling faster.

15:42 — Bad positioning on my part. I knew Mccree was above from audio but could not run forward since Dva was there and wouldn't have gotten to cover fast enough in any other direction. Probably should've taken my chances running in front.

16:18 — Sound Barrier as I realised several team mates would not run out in time. Desperate attempt to save them from Dva's ult burst damage.

16:43 — Again, way too aggressive considering there were only two of us on the payload vs the entire enemy team. Was likely thinking to stay on payload in the hopes of inching it forward by continually booping opponents away from it. Should have retreated to taxi people back to the fight.

This choice turned the next fight into a 4v6, which forced the team to fall back and waste time.

17:25 — Enemy Mercy team rez number 4. We really need to work on our Mercy hunting skills as a team.

18:05 — Enemy Mercy team rez number 5. Wastes both our graviton and sound barrier ults. I guess we're racking up score at least?

19:00 — Genji does a Lucio. Is he nerfed yet? (I kid) Not sure why I ulted there, might've been an attempt to pre-empt Dragonblade from hearing him get behind me.

19:24 — Bad positioning. I hear Mccree behind me but am unable to run in front of the payload for cover in time. Fortunately, he's too far back and too alone to stop its inevitable slide into the objective box, handing us the win.