A Battle of Healers: Medic VS Sona
The Medic of the Team Fortress 2 world is wildly unique, somehow bringing together entire teams to the point that you can’t win if you don’t have one and the enemy has. So what happens when you compare our Medic with the healers from other games (and universes)? Who knows, since we don’t have inter-universal technology yet. Last time, Medic got his ass kicked by the TFC Medic, but this time, things may turn out differently. Of course, there are difficulties in comparing Healers from wildly different games, so we end up comparing based on mechanics and team work.
Today’s challenger hails from Runeterra, the (sometimes rather silly) world from League of Legends. Before you start screaming, I’m working on a DotA 2 version of this and would like to know about other healers you may come across. Anyway, please welcome Sona, Maven of the Strings, to the ring.
Healing
While both Medic and Sona can heal, Sona’s healing is done in bursts, compared to Medic’s constant healing. Unlike Medic’s heals, Sona requires ammo for her healing in the form of mana and has a cooldown before she can heal someone again. On the flip side, Medic’s healing increases based on how recently his patient was last damage, but Sona can earn gold to spend on ‘ability power’ to increase the amount she heals. This is almost certainly required though as her patients gain more health as they level up but her heal does not, so she NEEDS to spend money on items.
Medic clearly has the upper hand when it comes to healing as he can heal much faster than Sona can. Sona though can buff her team with auras, side effects of her abilities that give nearby allies a small increase in various places, and she can speed up her team mates. Again though, this costs mana and has a significant cool down. While speed boosts may be useful, overheal and faster healing are generally better in the long run and neither costs the Medic anything to do.
Combat
Medic and Sona are what you’d call initiators. By popping your Ubercharge or using your Crescendo, you push the way forward so your team can wipe out the enemy. Ubercharges range from aggressive to defensive, while Crescendo is basically a 1.5 second stun and a load of damage. While both are game changers, Crescendo is much easier to screw up, since it relies on getting close to your enemies. Not only that, but Crescendo has a huge cool down that can only be lowered by item purchases or masteries. Any Medic though can get an Ubercharge in less than a minute and will still be keeping multiple allies alive in the process.
When it comes to self defense, Sona does have the upper hand with her Hymn of Valor, which strikes two enemies at once, as well as her Power Chords which have extra effects based off what her last spell was. Problem is that she can’t directly aim her Hymn of Valor and her basic attacks aren’t that much more powerful than Medic’s syringes. The Crossbow though gives Medic far more range. On top of that, Medic has more mobility if he uses the Overdose or the Quick Fix, compared to the mediocre speed boost from Sona’s Song of Celerity and the use of Flash (which has a 3 minute cool down). He also has the ability to move in three dimensions rather than two. Sona can’t jump.
Overall
Victory goes to Medic. While he lacks the damage of Sona’s basic attacks, the power he provides his team and his slightly better mobility, not to mention the power of being invulnerable, make him the clear victor.
That’s all for now. Feel free to suggest other Battles of the Healers!