Does Kiriko’s Grenade Heal? Understanding Kiriko’s Protection Suzu in Overwatch 2
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No, Kiriko’s Protection Suzu in Overwatch 2 does not directly heal. Instead, it provides temporary invulnerability and cleanses negative status effects, like anti-heal or wounds inflicted by abilities such as Ana’s Biotic Grenade or Junker Queen’s Jagged Blade. While it doesn’t restore health points, the Protection Suzu indirectly supports healing by ensuring allies can receive healing without being blocked by these detrimental effects, making it a powerful tool in a support player’s arsenal.
The Nuances of Kiriko’s Protection Suzu
Kiriko, the agile and spiritually connected support hero, brings a unique blend of healing and utility to Overwatch 2. While her Healing Ofuda directly replenish health, the Protection Suzu offers a different kind of support, focused on prevention and mitigation. Understanding the distinction is crucial to effectively playing Kiriko and maximizing her impact on the battlefield.
Invulnerability and Cleanse: A Powerful Combo
The key to understanding the Protection Suzu lies in its two primary functions:
- Temporary Invulnerability: For a brief duration (0.85 seconds), allies within the Suzu’s area of effect become completely immune to all damage. This includes ultimate abilities, burst damage, and sustained fire.
- Status Effect Cleanse: The Suzu instantly removes any negative status effects affecting allies within the area of effect. This includes:
- Anti-Heal/Wounds: Prevents affected targets from receiving healing, rendering them vulnerable.
- Sleep: Places the target in an incapacitated state.
- Discord Orb: Increases the damage the target receives.
- Other Debuffs: Such as slows, stuns, and burns.
Indirect Healing: Enabling Your Team
While the Protection Suzu doesn’t heal directly, it creates opportunities for healers to be more effective:
- Countering Anti-Heal: Removing anti-heal allows main healers like Ana, Baptiste, or even Kiriko herself to effectively top up allies who were previously unhealable.
- Preventing Burst Damage: By granting brief invulnerability, the Suzu can negate massive damage spikes that would otherwise instantly eliminate a teammate. This allows healers time to react and restore health.
- Protecting from CC: Cleansing sleep or stuns enables allies to reposition, defend themselves, and receive healing without being vulnerable.
Mastering the Protection Suzu
To make the most of Kiriko’s Protection Suzu, consider these tips:
- Timing is Key: The invulnerability duration is short, so predicting enemy attacks and deploying the Suzu just before impact is crucial.
- Prioritize Targets: Focus on using the Suzu to protect key targets like your tank or a flanking DPS hero.
- Anticipate Ultimates: Learn common ultimate abilities that can be countered by the Suzu, such as D.Va’s Self-Destruct, Genji’s Dragonblade, or Cassidy’s High Noon.
- Communicate with Your Team: Let your team know when your Suzu is available so they can play more aggressively and rely on your support.
- Consider Your Positioning: Stay close enough to your team to quickly deploy the Suzu when needed, but maintain a safe distance to avoid being targeted yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Kiriko’s Abilities
1. How much does Kiriko heal for with her Healing Ofuda?
Kiriko’s Healing Ofuda heal for approximately 55 health per second if not all talismans land. However, if she lands all of her talismans, she can heal for around 72 health per second. This makes her a potent healer capable of sustaining her team through moderate damage.
2. Can Kiriko heal through shields?
No, Kiriko cannot heal through shields. Like many other healing abilities, shields from heroes such as Reinhardt, Sigma, and Winston will block her Healing Ofuda. Similarly, absorption abilities from D.Va, Orisa, and Sigma can also prevent Kiriko’s healing.
3. How long does Kiriko’s invulnerability from Protection Suzu last?
The invulnerability provided by Kiriko’s Protection Suzu lasts for 0.85 seconds. While brief, this window is sufficient to negate significant damage or cleanse crucial debuffs when timed correctly.
4. What is Kiriko’s primary healing weapon?
Kiriko’s primary healing weapon is her Healing Ofuda. These are paper talismans that she throws to heal her teammates. She also uses kunai for damage as her secondary fire.
5. What healer pairs well with Kiriko?
Lucio can be a strong pairing with Kiriko. Kiriko’s potent healing can compensate for Lucio’s lower healing output when he isn’t using Amp It Up. Lucio’s speed boost also complements dive compositions, enhancing their mobility.
6. Does D.Va’s Defense Matrix block Kiriko’s healing?
Yes, D.Va’s Defense Matrix can block Kiriko’s healing. Similar to shields, D.Va’s matrix absorbs projectiles, preventing the Healing Ofuda from reaching their intended target.
7. What makes Kiriko a good support hero?
Kiriko excels due to her versatility. She can deliver high healing output, cleanse debuffs, provide temporary invulnerability, and deal significant damage with her kunai. Her ultimate, Kitsune Rush, empowers her team with increased speed, faster fire rate, and reduced cooldowns.
8. Is Kiriko a flex or main support?
Opinions vary, but Kiriko is generally considered a main support due to her high healing output and consistent sustain. However, her utility with Protection Suzu and Kitsune Rush also provides significant support capabilities, blurring the line between main and flex.
9. How do I optimize Kiriko’s healing settings?
Consider turning off the “Toggle Healing Ofuda” setting in Kiriko’s hero-specific options. With this setting off, you can control the number of Ofuda you release with each click, allowing for more precise and efficient healing.
10. What is Kiriko’s relationship with Genji?
Kiriko and Genji share a close, familial bond. They grew up together and were both trained under Kiriko’s mother. Genji taught her about Shimada Castle and introduced her to local arcades.
11. How old is Kiriko in Overwatch 2?
Kiriko is 21 years old in Overwatch 2. This makes her significantly younger than Genji (37) and Hanzo (40).
12. Who effectively counters Kiriko?
Characters with high area-of-effect (AoE) damage, such as Pharah, Junkrat, and Echo, can challenge Kiriko’s ability to keep up with multi-target damage. Avoid using DPS heroes that rely on status effects like Tracer or Ashe, as Kiriko can cleanse them with Protection Suzu.
13. Is Kiriko a viable pick in competitive play?
Yes, Kiriko is a very viable pick in competitive play. Her strong healing output, coupled with the utility of her Protection Suzu and impactful ultimate, make her a valuable asset to any team composition.
14. What is Kiriko based on?
Kiriko draws inspiration from Japanese mythology and folklore. Her design incorporates elements of traditional kunoichi (female ninja) and Shinto spirituality, particularly the use of ofuda and the guidance of a kitsune spirit.
15. Where can I learn more about the educational aspects of gaming?
You can explore resources and research on the educational potential of games at the Games Learning Society website: https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. GamesLearningSociety.org provides valuable insights into how games can be used for learning and development.
In conclusion, while Kiriko’s Protection Suzu doesn’t directly heal, its invulnerability and cleanse capabilities make it an indispensable tool for enabling her team to survive and thrive. Understanding its nuances and mastering its application is key to excelling as Kiriko in Overwatch 2.