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Can't help but wonder if Sage "feels" weak b/c it isn't immediately clear to the player how Sage's abilities impact the outcome of rounds.
What I mean by this: When you ult as Jett or Raze or Phoenix or Breach etc., it's obvious to everyone how much value - whether high or low - that ult got you. Just count the bodies (or lack thereof).
When Sage ults, you get an additional teammate. How much value does that generate? It's going to depend:
- Did the revived teammate do any damage or otherwise have impact that was material to the round outcome? We necessarily won't know until later on in the round. The effect of the ult is immediate, but the value of the effect isn't apparent until later and even then players may very well erroneously discount the value the ult gave. For example, If Sage ults a Jett and later Jett secures a final kill clutching the round, I would imagine players focus on Jett's mechanics far more than the impact Sage's ult had on the round, even if but for the Sage ult the round would have been lost.
- What was the team's economy? Obviously winning a round with as many teammates surviving is economically desirable. Consequently, Sage's ult will often generate a minimum of $2900 for your team (assuming the revived player survives). Is that relevant? Maybe. If the res secures a full buy for your team in the subsequent round (vs what otherwise would be a partial buy) it clearly has brought a substantial amount of value. But you would not feel that value when the ult is cast, and most of us would probably not correctly identify or attribute the subsequent gain in value on the next round to the Sage res.
Her basic abilities are similar. How much value does a slow orb bring to your team? If you prevent a rush and/or allow your team more time to rotate before the enemy is on site, how much value does that bring? It's unclear to the player because it's impossible to predict the outcome of the alternative (no slow orb). It's the same with her wall in many instances.
Contrast this with other agent abilities where the utility generated is often immediate and obvious: Flashes either hit enemies or they don't, and they either result in kills or they don't. Smokes block off important angles or they don't. Recon abilities give info or they don't.
Honestly I don't think she should be changed merely b/c the majority of the player base doesn't understand her value and/or underestimates her. IMO correctly evaluating an agent's strengths/weaknesses/value is a part of player skill. It's not an issue with the agent.
I would be really curious to know what Sage's win rate looks like in rounds where she ults (vs the same stat on other agents). I would also be really curious to know what Sage's Spike Rush win rate is. It may introduce more confounding factors b/c it's a different game mode, but it would also isolate any economic value generated by her ult.