Does Mercy Really Out-Heal Kiriko in Overwatch 2?

As an avid Overwatch player, content creator, and self-proclaimed "support main", I‘ve logged countless hours mastering the art of healing across Overwatch‘s diverse roster of supports. Naturally, I was eager to get my hands on Kiriko, Overwatch 2‘s new ninja-medic, and see how her healing output compared to my long-time favorite – Dr. Angela Ziegler, AKA Mercy. After extensively testing both healers in comp games, quickplay, and custom lobbies, I‘m here to give my take on this debate over who brings more healing to the table.

Introducing Our Combat Medics

First, let‘s take a quick look at our two contenders‘ backgrounds and abilities. Mercy is Overwatch‘s original main healer, hailing from Switzerland. Her Valkyrie suit and Caduceus staff allow her to fly around battlefields, healing allies and boosting their damage. Resurrect and her iconic "Heroes never die!" ultimate became signature, game-changing abilities.

Kiriko is the new support on the block. As a member of the Japanese Hashimoto clan, she wields various talismans and summons a mystical fox spirit to aid her healing. Her acrobatic wall climbs and Swift Step teleports make Kiriko a highly mobile healer. Her Protection Suzu and Cleansing Suzu provide utility beyond raw healing numbers.

Now let‘s dive into the data and direct hero comparisons to see who comes out on top!

Healing Abilities Head-to-Head

Mercy‘s Caduceus Staff provides a continuous 55 healing per second (HPS) on her target. While not as bursty as some supports, this reliable, uninterrupted stream can top allies up quickly and consistently. Her ultimate Valkyrie amps this up to a whopping 60 HPS per teammate, enabling huge AOE healing.

Kiriko‘s main healing comes from her Protection Suzu talismans, which each heal for 70 HP. With perfect timing and aim, she can land up to 6 of these rapidly on one hero for 420 HP/sec. Of course, consistently hitting 6 Suzu on a single target during hectic team fights is unrealistic for most players below top tiers. In most matches, Kiriko players see ~100 HPS on average.

This data shows Kiriko theoretically has a higher healing ceiling, but Mercy is more consistent and beginner friendly.

Mobility – Hard To Hit, Hard To Kill

Both of our healers are tough to pin down, with mobility skills that make them elusive targets for flankers. Mercy‘s Guardian Angel allows her to fly to allies every 2 seconds. Combine this with bunny hopping to evade enemy fire, and skilled Mercy players can dance around the battlefield healing and resurrecting.

Kiriko has even more mobility tricks up her sleeve. Her Swift Step warps her directly to teammates every 10 seconds. She can also climb walls and jump like a ninja thanks to her training with Genji. Kiriko‘s small hitbox and unpredictable movement make her hard to pin down.

Overall, Kiriko‘s wall climbs and faster cooldowns give her better escapability. Mercy is still quite slippery, but more dependent on her team‘s positioning.

Utility – Damage Boost, Cleansing, Resurrect

Healing numbers aren‘t everything. Both supports provide invaluable utility effects that give them an edge in sustain and making plays.

Mercy‘s 30% damage boost is hugely valuable for helping allies like Pharah secure kills. Her Resurrect remains one of the most powerful abilities in the game, undoing key enemy picks. Mass resurrects can completely swing a fight.

Kiriko cleanses debuffs from teammates with Protection Suzu, countering enemy plays. Her Ultimate, Kitsune Rush, rapidly casts Suzu to briefly boost ally movement, fire rate, reload, and cooldown reduction speed – enabling huge aggressive pushes.

It‘s a very close call, but Mercy‘s pure resurrection ability remains uniquely powerful. However, Kiriko‘s speed boost ultimate generates big offensive momentum.

Team Synergy – Who Do They Empower?

Now let‘s look at which heroes and team compositions each healer excels with. This can significantly impact their viability on different maps, objectives, and against various opponents.

Mercy thrives pocketing airborne damage heroes like Pharah, Echo, and Widowmaker for mass damage boosts. She also enables lumbering tanks like Reinhardt, keeping them healed up through enemy damage. Overall, Mercy fits well with slower deathball comps and defensive poke teams.

Kiriko loves assisting highly mobile dive heroes that can quickly capitalize on her rapid Suzu bursts. Flankers like Genji and Reaper benefit massively from swift healing and cleaning debuffs. Kiriko also empowers rushdown tanks like Winston. Overall, she favors aggressive dive and brawl comps.

Skill Floor and Ceiling – Beginner vs Mastery

An important consideration – how easy is each support for beginners to pick up compared to their skill ceiling? Mercy is considered one of the most accessible healers for new players thanks to consistent healing, helpful mobility, and passive self-healing. She has less reliance on aim or cooldown management. At low ranks, Mercy‘s resurrect can completely negate enemy picks over and over.

Kiriko has a higher skill floor, requiring aiming Suzu projectiles while tracking ally positions and managing swift step usage. But in the hands of experts, Kiriko‘s high mobility, burst healing, and play-making potential make her incredibly deadly. Her skill ceiling may be the highest of any support.

Overall, Mercy remains a better option for healing at lower skill tiers. But masterful Kiriko players can push her output to the limits.

The Verdict – Who Wins Out?

While the mobility, utility, and team synergy differences between Mercy and Kiriko are quite apparent, their raw healing capabilities seem evenly matched in most real-world scenarios. Mercy‘s consistent 55 HPS is simpler to deliver, while Kiriko‘s Suzu offer bursty life-saving potential in clutch moments. As their experience and skill levels grow, both heroes can pump out impressive healing numbers to sustain allies.

At the end of the day, there is no definitive "better" main healer between these two fan favorites. Their different strengths and weaknesses lend themselves better to particular team comps, player skills, and opponents faced. A skilled Mercy and Kiriko working in tandem can be an unstoppable healing force! So whether you prefer the angelic doctor or mystic fox girl, you have an exceptional healing character on your hands. Now get out there, focus on maximizing your hero‘s unique benefits, and keep your teammates alive to win matches!

Thanks for reading my in-depth comparison and please reach out with any thoughts or personal experiences with Mercy and Kiriko. Game on!