by in
In our ongoing series “how to play” we’ve mostly covered the already-established legends. Fret not, there are still several to go, but with the recent S16 changes and META shifts, one particular legend stood out. Catalyst is the new character that is the “savior” and “destroyer{ to the good old “wall-hack meta.” Combining a Catalyst with a Seer, with either Valk or Horizon, guarantees easy positioning without being sniped.
The issue, however, is that Catalyst makes the fights a real fustercluck. With at least several of them present in a fight, you can imagine the pure chaos that erupts when shooting at a black wall (her ultimate). But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s more to Catalyst than it meets the eye (literally).
The Catalyst factor
As one of the Controllers in the game, Catalyst can scan for the final ring. Interestingly enough, this is the last thing she’s being picked by the best pro teams in the world. It doesn’t hurt but it’s nothing compared to her arsenal and overall worth in her squad.
She’s also very proficient at “controlling” (hah) a stronghold, thanks to her passive. It is called a “Barricade” and it reinforces a destroyed or healthy door, making it very hard to push. It takes 4 punches to destroy a Reinforced door and you can only have 2 sets of doors reinforced at a time. This is handy because name one place which has more than 2 doors nearby.
Anyways, if there’s not a door, using the alternative button, she creates Ferro-barricades. These are black-slime-like doors that take 2 kicks to be destroyed. They cannot be operated by enemies, but Catalyst’s squad can open/close them as they, please.
How to Control with catalyst
We’ve touched upon what makes Catalyst amazing in a squad – her ability to reinforce structures. Now, onto the second and more active part of her arsenal.
Her Q is called Piercing Spikes. The tactical lets you throw a black goo that pierces enemies and makes them slower to walk + take damage. The good thing is that it only takes 25s to recharge and can be used 2 times. The bad news is that it can be destroyed.
The area itself is actually not that small, so you can flush out enemies with an eagle-eyed throw. That split-second “daze” can leave enemies vulnerable and you can take advantage to mop them up.
Lastly, her Ultimate is called Dark Vail (yeah, everything’s Goth about this Legend). It is the ultimate counter to the Seer/Bloodhound meta, but with a caveat. Firstly, you can still “see” enemy heartbeats through the veil with Seer. Yeah, Bloodhound is just nerfed to the ground, but a good Seer won’t be slowed by this.
The great thing, however, about her Ult is the fact that it blocks FOV and you can safely cross when you’re being pinned. It is, suffices to say, the most useful new ULT apart from Seer’s and Valk’s. It is THAT game-changing.
Sticking to shadows and going the extra mile
Catalyst mains know their value in a team lies in the diversity and utility of the approach. The fact that you can deny line of sight means you can push or reach for high ground to gain a better advantage in a fight.
However, the more nuanced uses of a Catalyst have to do with her defensive capabilities, utilizing her Ult to do daring pushes or mash well with a Horizon/Valk to do some insane plays:
- Defense: it should come as no surprise that going against a Catalyst in an enclosed place can be very difficult. You need to pay attention to door health and deny entry by reinforcing any destroyed doors. You should also have at least one charge of your Q if an enemy is planning a push after a made spam. This adds yet ANOTHER layer of protection, not dissimilar to a caustic barrel. Arguably, the “big brain time” in the context of defense, comes in the form of utilizing all 3 of her capabilities. Imagine a team pushing you and you have 2 Q charges – you throw your ult, splitting them in half, spike em and then just destroy them. You are not damaged nor slowed by your Ult so going in is “da wey.”
- Offense: on the flip side, we have a push, usually complemented by a Valk or a Horizon (but it can be any squad composition for that matter). The idea is to make the enemy guess where you will be. The wall itself is straight in a given direction but since it’s 2x jumping height, you can mask your approach well. They can still shoot you (the enemy, that is) but it’s much harder. There’ve been feints, misdirection, and other insane plays already, which makes her Ultimate that much more important. In the last Ring especially, having a good rotation thanks to her Ult could win a match from an otherwise losing angle.
The Ranked and Pub Experience
As a Catalyst, striving to climb through the ranks, it’s clear where your role is – and that is to be a leader of your team. Thanks to her controller-heavy abilities, a Catalyst main must observe the battlefield. Be vigilant for ambushers or opportunities to 3rd parties. Try to outplay her opponents by creating options for her teammates to move in or limit enemy movement. By doing these things, a good Catalyst is irreplaceable, especially after Platinum.
In Pubs she’s super fun to experiment with. Just the fact that her Ultimate creates such chaos in an enclosed space, you can be sure to have some crazy encounters on either Storm Point or World’s Edge. Be smart about where you start your fight though. Having a door next to you means you can easily pop a cell or two so you can live longer.
Closing remarks and some thinking out loud
We’ve arrived at the end of our how-to play Catalyst guide. There’s a lot more to be said about her utility and how much individual play matters, even if you’re part of a cohesive team.
This is why Blazing is the perfect place to look for someone to show you how shiny she truly is, in-game. Look for Hardcore Coaching or just regular Coaching to get started. Our Pro-players have already mastered and played consistently in the comp and even ALGS so you can be brought up to speed quickly and with no delays.
Skip the crappy lobbies, get a decent coach, and start dominating the ladder today.
