Compositions must be built around a certain style of play. Onslaught is about aggressive team fights.
In previous articles, I've mentioned a few heroes I like in general situations. I've mused about defensive duos, and power pushers. While considering which heroes would be the best push a point in an assault mode, I wondered which composition could offer the most relentless pressure. This composition is built with the aim to win a team fight over an objective quickly, kill any heroes remaining, and move as quickly as possible to the next objective, all while staying somewhat healthy. This composition is about momentum and speed, and never letting the enemy team set up or coordinate a competent defense. For these reasons, I valued speed, initiation, sustain (a dead hero is a slow hero), and chase.
Lucio
At the heart of this composition is Lucio, and who doesn't like having a little music in their heart. His speed boost ability is the engine to the onslaught. His ultimate ability, Sound Barrier, shields all nearby teammates, and this composition aims to stay close together during initiations. Lucio has great burst AOE healing, and other heroes in the composition bring sustain of their own to the party.
Reinhardt
The hammer swinging warrior has everything this composition needs for its front line. Strong sustain with his shield (although directional), excellent initiation and chase with charge, and a huge AOE ultimate. In fact, AOE ultimate is almost a requirement for this group. Reinhardt's weakness in this composition is his speed, however, that is hopefully supplemented by Lucio, and his lack of omnidirectional shielding (unlike Winston's shield), has to be supplemented as well.
Soldier 76
Sustain is an important idea in this composition, we initiate a fight, and we stay in that fight, and that is exactly was Soldier 76 provides. His Biotic field supplements both Lucio's lower sustained output, as well as Reinhardt's single direction shield. More importantly than his utility, though, is his ability to put out consistent ranged damage. Reinhardt is a great initiator, and our other heroes will have good AOE Burst, but Soldier 76 provides the composition with the final damage points, and more importantly the range and chase it needs to finish fights.
Pharah
Overwatch is too vertical of a game to neglect the high-ground entirely, especially when splash from above or a single sniper could really trouble this team. Pharah's role in the composition is to roam and scout above, to deal with snipers and possible flanks. Her mobility for battlefield intelligence and positioning is her value to this composition, but having splash damage, and an AOE ultimate allows her to fit right in. She can also provide initiation if needed when combined with a particle shield from our second tank, Zarya.
Zarya
At some point, unfortunately, the enemy is going to mount a defense which needs some heavy ordinance to break through. Zarya excels at destroying turrets, and destroying enemy positions without sightlines, thanks to her Particle Cannon's alternative fire. We worried about her speed downside, but decided with Lucio boosting and considering the utility she offers, we had to embrace the double tank meta. Zarya's Particle Barrier is also useful in the instances after Reinhardt has charged in, and she is left somewhat exposed. Zarya's AOE lockdown ultimate, Graviton Surge also pairs extremely will with the other ultimate abilities on the team.
Tracer
Not much of a front-line hero, not much sustained damage, what Tracer brings to the team is chase. A defensive team rebounds by retreating at the right time, losing only two heroes in a fight gives the defense a much great chance of defending their next stronghold than does losing three. Tracer is in this composition to blink in and pick off stragglers after a fight, while using her recall ability to safely return to the team if she finds herself in trouble. She also synergizes extremely well with Zarya when it comes to dealing huge damage, as Zarya's Graviton Surge coupled with Tracer's Pulse Bomb could be devastating.
Ideally, this composition simply steamrolls the enemy team, winning a first engagement decisively, and moving quickly to the next objective before the defender's advantage can be seized. Under the speed boost of Lucio, Zarya and Rienhardt initiate fights, Soldier 76 sustains both damage and health, Pharah provides air support, and Tracer cleans up any enemy who was lucky enough to escape, momentarily. Then they heal up and dance to the next objective. Easy game.
Or, just as likely, the have difficulty dealing with a spread out team of assassins with strong AOE damage, and never capture a point. Theory is fun.
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