Genji’s debut in the Nexus strikes true to how he is in Overwatch: deadly in the hands of a pro, but lackluster when piloted by a novice. In order to be effective, Genji must land every one of his skillshots while simultaneously using his superior mobility (and Deflect ability) to offset his fragility. Vulnerable to stuns and enemies who can effectively trade blow-for-blow, Genji needs a specific team to offset his weaknesses and to allow him to go on Illidan-esque killing sprees.

On a recent stream, Galeforce eSports Fan remarked that, when he loses with Genji, it’s almost always due to personal misplays or a draft that wasn’t designed to support Genji specifically. That being said, Fan also explained that playing Genji requires a lot of effort that may not be worth it:

“When I player other heroes other than Genji in Hero League, Hero league feels so easy. Play Genji? Hard as @!$#, Hero league becomes so hard.”

For a second opinion, we'll introduce Rich who has been making Genji look easy in comparision. Check out this clip from ex-pro and mechanical god Rich assassinating the enemy Auriel.

Those familiar with Rich’s stream expect this level of play. In the above clip, Rich had to hit two point blank Shurikens (empowered by the Shingan talent), Swift Strike, Deflect damage, and connect with every swing of Dragon Blade to take down the enemy Auriel. It’s an impressive solo-kill that few heroes could replicate with such safety.

These highlight reel moments aren’t rare occurrences when watching Rich play Genji:

- This clip shows the undisputable kill potential of Genji in the early game.

- Genji single handedly wins a team fight with devastating Dragon Blade damage in this clip.

- What other hero could chase Chen this long and actually kill him?

More than a pub-stomper?

Srey of Team Superstars and popular tier-list curator has high hopes for Genji in competitive play and, like Fan, has been playing the hero on stream frequently. The general consensus is that Genji is a real liability when he is drafted poorly, but under the right circumstances is incredibly powerful.
 

Now that his restriction on HGC has been lifted as of May 8th, we might see him being drafted in future HGC matches and roam the Nexus like how he did in Overwatch.

In the meantime though, here is one more sweet Genji clip to keep you satiated.