Doomfist is the newest hero coming to Overwatch, ending one of the longest running memes in the game’s history. His namesake gauntlets pack a powerful punch, one that can knock you up into the air, slam you into the wall or come shooting down from the sky. He’s a hero all his own, yet he has some distinct similarities to another character in a popular MOBA, League Of Legends. You think I’d be talking about Vi, the Piltover puncher with fists that pack a mechanical wallop, but there’s another champion that fills that same niche just a little bit better: Galio.
Galio Vs. Doomfist: Who Punches Harder?
Before his rework, Galio was a gimmicky mage, who couldn’t punch his way out of a paper bag. He used spells that used up all of his mana every couple of casts and then had to get into melee range to use his clunky auto attacks to last hit minions. He was (for awhile) the worst champion in League Of Legends and I still loved him. Galio was my main for a minute, choosing to ignore his outdated kit and focusing on how much character the gargoyle had. He was a Demacian protector, a silent force that made sure his people were getting along alright. His rework kept the Demacian guardian fluff, but threw everything else out the window. He was no longer a mage, but a bruiser who could jump into the middle of the fight with strong crowd control and charisma.
Galio and Doomfist have very similar abilities and fill the same niche: initiation and retaliation. Doomfist can punch an enemy into the air, hurl them into a wall then use his shotgun hand to finish them off. Galio can punch an enemy into the air, blast them with two balls of wind and then finish them off with an AOE punch to the face. Their jobs are to start a fight off right with a pick on a squishy target and take them out. Once that's taken care of, the rest of the team can back you up and clean up the rest of the stragglers. On your own, you might be able to duel a tank or assassin, but you shine when working as a unit to take down a whole group of enemies.
The biggest (and most impactful) similarity between the two heroes is their ultimate. They jump into the sky, landing in a target location and knock up enemies in the blast zone. Becoming un-targetable while you jump into the air, either to start a teamfight or save an ally, is incredibly useful. Galio does need to target an ally before zooming to their rescue, which does make him slightly worse than Doomfist in that regard, but the fact that the stone-skinned behemoth can survive longer and taunt more enemies makes him a better initiator. Doomfist wants to slide into an unsuspecting target rather than take on a full team.
Bruisers are an important archetype in team-based strategy games. Healers keep you alive, DPS' deal the damage and tanks soak up as much as they can, but someone has to start the fights. If everyone's just waiting for a good ultimate to land, it becomes a game of poking, which is just boring to play.
Bruisers want to lead the charge, running down the lane like a bowling ball looking for pins, ready to demolish anyone stupid enough to stand in their way. Doomfist and Galio are perfect examples of this, they start fights but can't finish them on their own. A good player can only get so far in a team game like Overwatch or League Of Legends before realizing that winning is impossible without follow up.
I'm extremely excited for Doomfist and can't wait until he comes on the live servers. Bruisers are my favorite class to play, running into the thick of it like Leeroy Jenkins is how I choose to game. I might not always start fights off right, but when I do, you bet your ass I'm going to go HAM.
Are Doomfist and Galio similar or am I just talking out of my ass? Tell us in the comments.
