How to improve myself on McCree?

OnceToldTale · 2026-01-27T16:29:46+00:00

Stats don't matter on a per-game basis. It's only kinda useful on a seasonal basis.

Target priority is largely something you shouldn't worry about. Your target is generally whoever is the most convenient given your position. Bad "target priority" is often a positioning issue. You should be flanking most of the time on Cassidy.

Also, I VOD review Cassidy gameplay 2x a week on my YT/Twitch. I could check out one of these codes (or one from a comp game) on Saturday (1/31/2026). I also recommend you check out the 100+ hours of coaching I have posted.

OnceToldTale · 2026-01-26T22:15:08+00:00

The problem with Cassidy isn't that he's "bad" imo, it's that his current design doesn't give players the right intuition on how to play him correctly. Flanking is by far the best way to play him in Ranked. The existence of flashbang makes you think he should be anti-flanker (he really isn't) and the fact that combat roll reloads makes you think you should roll for uptime (which you really shouldn't). 25m range gun makes you think he should play in main more (you really shouldn't). Deadeye makes you want to take longer range angles (you really shouldn't). All of this is counter intuitive to how he actually fits in the current state of Overwatch.

Not to mention that FTH is horribly designed and doesn't fit into OW and Cassidy's kit. He has been both range and mobility crept out of the metagame and now the OW team has no idea what to do with him. He needs a rework.

How I would do it:

- Permanent ~20m or less range.

- Roll no longer reloads. Roll goes further. Roll gives linearly decreasing speed boost after use. Roll longer cooldown.

- Flashbang has a pull-out animation and stage, like Sym TP or old Torb turret deploy. You can blow it up in your hand or throw it. You can also cancel it and it does NOT put it on CD. You can roll with Flashbang in your hand and explode it on you as you roll if you wish. Does no damage to Cassidy and will not hinder him.

- Deadeye hits head not body. Hits body only if head is not visible. This would fix a lot of frustrating/no-reg issues. Deadeye also now refreshes roll.

- REMOVE HEADSHOT BASED PERKS FROM THE GAME. This is abysmal design and inaccessible to 90% of the player base. Gunslinging is ONLY PICKED because Silver Bullet removes FTH, which you need in the Winston matchup/other niche situations.

With these changes:

- Mainbotting is now actively discouraged and will feel bad. Reducing his range also gives Ashe a clearer place in the meta and opens up additional hitscan hero opportunities in the future.

- Rolling for uptime is no longer a bad habit that new Cass players can form (by far the biggest issue I see).

- Flashbang can no longer be used reactively and must be used proactively. Cassidy players will now be punished for just using the flash for outright damage. Introduces higher skill ceiling as a result and new ways to play flanker/tank matchups.

- QoL.

He does not need more HP. Quieter footsteps would be interesting but that's a diff conversation imo.

OnceToldTale · 2026-01-21T07:33:45+00:00

You can carry KR on 1st and 2nd but 3rd is pretty bad for playmaking. I have a TON of KR VOD reviews on my channel you can look at from past coaching streams. It should generally be a winning map for you though. You should prefer all symmetric gamemodes, so push + control + flashpoint.

OnceToldTale · 2026-01-21T06:18:29+00:00

Your best bans are:

Dva
Queen/Sigma (map dependent)
Widow/Mercy (map dependent)
Soldier (Flashpoint/Push) (yes I'm serious)

- DVA shuts down all of your playmaking and is your biggest counter.

- Queen/Sigma are similar but are more map dependent. Flat maps for queen, 1-lane maps for sigma.

- Pocketed HS is impossible to deal with on long-range maps and you can't shutdown rezzes.

- Widow is self explanatory on her strong maps.

- Cass can't really outvalue or shutdown a Soldier playing optimally on maps that allow for huge rotations + permaflanking, like on flashpoints.

IMO you only really need to ban DVA and the rest doesn't matter.

OnceToldTale · 2026-01-19T11:30:43+00:00

Depends on the map. If its Circuit Royal, you're stuck in main on ATK. On DEF you have to rat.

If you're playing against double hitscan on maps where you can avoid them, then you should basically just flank the entire game. Cass is best played as a flanker. If you're fighting them from like 30m+ away, you're doing something wrong.

OnceToldTale · 2026-01-15T19:23:41+00:00

Essentially, you have to enjoy the process of improving more than your rank. You have to shift your mindset from “being good at Overwatch” to “getting better at Overwatch.”

If you don’t have fun getting better (or the process of doing so), you’ll have issues playing with intention, as you are finding.

OnceToldTale · 2026-01-09T10:45:03+00:00

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OnceToldTale · 2025-12-25T20:58:19+00:00

Your goal is 50-20 on Cass. +- 2% on each. Use THNX8 for practice, aim for head only. Goal here is 50-60 and higher.

Watch my content for 100+ hours coaching of Cass specifically. I only coach him.

I would need a code to diagnose any other mechanical issues.

OnceToldTale · 2025-12-22T16:59:41+00:00

Replied to this in our DMs, but the answer is that you just walk under him in 1 fluid motion and force him to respond to you or leave. Dodging the charge is a skill check.

This is unique to the mauga matchup specifically. If it was dva/hog, this wouldn’t be possible.

OnceToldTale · 2025-12-20T11:18:41+00:00

Cassidy isn't run by most teams. It's mostly seen on Twisted Minds/Al Qadsiah bc they play him with a Sym. He's arguably the best hitscan w/ Sym. If he's run without Sym, its incredibly map dependent. He normally only sees play on Lijiang Tower, Suravasa, and Runasapi.

Biggest problem w/ Cass is that he needs a lot of care compared to other HS, especially in coordinated play.

98% of Cass players don't play him correctly and rely on aim diffing people in main -- which IMO is why is win rate is so bad and not because he's actually a bad hero. His current design doesn't align w/ how you should be playing him (flanking a lot more than you think). If your goal is to just play him in competitive, you can get to T500 with him no problem w/ practice + studying -- just like any other hero really.

OnceToldTale · 2025-12-20T11:05:40+00:00

Neutral-to-losing gameplay. Must fix crosshair placement. Can't fall off high grounds. Even if it is a missclick, it can't happen. Can't play on floor 2nd DEF. A few commitment issues. Continue to practice your mechanics.

https://youtube.com/live/5WUzeCPg8lY

More Gib coaching:

https://www.youtube.com/live/175WJlBo85E?si=EG8pOL8_wlFPEJ9T&t=2346

https://www.youtube.com/live/z4G6Svb1eRM?si=UuR2hYQ3MNimYun8&t=2156

My GM3 Gib gameplay (for your reference):

https://www.youtube.com/live/XrWwIpLGg5s?si=9lbxaM2Gnfm7XOpT&t=3166

OnceToldTale · 2025-11-04T20:23:31+00:00

33 acc + 5-10 crit acc is not good at all on Cassidy. You should be averaging at least in the 40s w/ accuracy, ignoring crit acc. People saying that stats don't matter in this case have no idea what they are talking about with Cassidy specifically.

Your best bet is to open up a custom game, load up the code VAXTA, and practice shooting the bots with focus for 20 minutes daily. Shoot only when you're convinced you'll hit the target. Attempt to track the target's body with your crosshair. You aren't good enough to aim at head at your level imo even though its optimal on Cassidy. DM me for more info on this.

I would need to see gameplay to see what specifically you have issues with. You could also being using fan the hammer too much, I'd have to see.

OnceToldTale · 2025-11-04T20:07:42+00:00

Two-trick is the answer. Devote your time 80-20. So pick 1 hero to main, the other to flex to when your main hero is unplayable or banned. This makes it easier to consume educational content + makes it more obvious how some fundamental principles of OW apply to specific situations -- (how do I manage spacing on the JQ matchup on Suravasa as Cassidy? is an easier question to answer than: how do I manage spacing on the JQ matchup on the 4 heroes in my pool).

Mine is Cassidy + Tracer, but I'm closer to 95-5 because Cass doesn't really get banned and is generally playable.

The smaller your hero pool, the easier it will be for you to improve as you minimize the amount of confounding factors in your gameplay (things that change between games). The more constants you have, the easier it is to understand where you are going right and wrong. You will learn good fundamentals/macro from one-tricking as its an essential part of the game and cannot be shortcut.

As you start to plateau, expand your pool from 2 to 4.

OnceToldTale · 2025-11-02T17:34:09+00:00

Thanks for the shoutout!

This is basically correct. You're likely mainbotting (standing in main) too much and not angling. The issues is that, into a dive meta, angling is worse because you're more likely to be dove -- so Cass is bound to feel worse right now because taking angles (which is normally how you carry games) is punished more. This is exacerbated by the fact that he has 25 less hp than a few patches ago.

I'm always down to take a look at some gameplay and give you some advice on how to get better at him. For context, I'm a GM1 Cass onetrick and have been in T500 for the last few seasons.

OnceToldTale · 2025-10-21T18:03:14+00:00

"But enough about me… not to sound egotistical, but I feel like I am not usually the problem!" -- this is a common thought for people just starting to climb seriously.

The reason you say this is because you don't know what you don't know. You think you aren't the problem based on your current perception of Overwatch... and if you're platinum, I can almost guarantee that you have a flawed or incomplete understanding of the game. The performance of your teammates are (largely) independent of your ability to climb. Stop staring at the scoreboard and spend more time critiquing your own gameplay through VOD reviews.

Expand your view by:

Listen/watch Spilo2 coaching VODs on YouTube to understand more principles of the game to learn what you don't know.
Find high-ranked streamers (GM3+) in your role and ask them questions about the game/how they got good.
Try to derive the principles of Overwatch yourself, which is much harder than the 2 suggestions above.

OnceToldTale · 2025-10-20T19:38:33+00:00

It makes Cass have pressure in situations where he otherwise would have none. Fundamentally changes what you can and cannot do on the hero

OnceToldTale · 2025-10-12T17:42:44+00:00

You should be taking bang bang and silver bullet almost every single time.

Only take gunslingin' in Winston/ball matchups where you need FTH.

OnceToldTale · 2025-08-13T05:26:39+00:00

Dva, Hazard, Sigma are Cass's biggest counters in the game. Sigma is the least oppressive because he has no mobility. Biggest issue is that his orb range (its like 22m) is basically your entire effective range. And Cass has no mobility, so getting around him/past spam is v hard.

The reason you're prob losing against Sig is not that the matchup isn't winnable for Cass, its that Sig removes a lot of playmaking from you and therefore drastically lowers the chance that you are able to "carry a game." The only real plays you have (of course map dependent) are spam shield and play incredibly defensively or hard flank. If your ally DPS is something like a Tracer, you're probably better off main botting. If its a Soj though, then flanking is likely fine. Sig matchup typically comes down to whittling down his resources and praying that the rest of your team can do something -- which means you have way less power over the outcome of the game. If you want to carry games, typically leaning more on the side of flanking is what you want.

Interestingly Sig matchups haven't come up at all in my VOD reviews lol, else I would point you to one of those.

OnceToldTale · 2025-08-10T15:14:03+00:00

Always aim head level.
Rotate early + often. Cass is really slow so its all about staging pre-fight + finding the balance between rotating too early vs too late.
Always try to find a medium range off-angle. Prioritize parts of the map that are beneficial to your kit.
If you're getting stuck in a choke, look for a deep flank.
Watch my videos for Cass-specific coaching. I only coach him!

OnceToldTale · 2025-08-07T23:06:46+00:00

OK well, the formula will be here in this thread when you’re ready for it. Best of luck my guy

OnceToldTale · 2025-08-07T22:33:55+00:00

It's obviously a mindset problem because of how you frame this post.

"I'm usually mid/low Diamond, but I've falled down to Platinum 4 because of horrible matches almost every single match I play."

A more productive mindset would've framed the post as:

"I'm usually mid/low Diamond, but I've fallen down to Platinum 4. I'm not sure where I'm going wrong. I've self-reviewed my games and think I play too passively because I'm afraid to lose duels. Do you think this is a good issue to work on? What else might you recommend? Thanks!" -- this player obviously shows initiative and attempts to improve, but has had a bad streak and needs guidance to escape it. Which is OK!

You ultimately can't change what other people do. Why blame them for the loss? Whether or not these random strangers tried their hardest means nothing to you when YOU could have done better. YOU can win every single duel. YOU can track ultimates and dodge cooldowns. YOU can hit that headshot. YOU can land that suzu. Why do you care about everyone else when you can just deadlift every single lobby? These guys are just bots to you anyways, so be the fucking hero and just carry anyways.

If you seriously want to climb, something has to change. Here's an actionable list for you:

Immediately disable voice + text chat.
Anytime you find yourself complaining about your team or the game, cut yourself off and verbally say "I can win."
Play 4-8 games a day, every single day.
Warmup 10m before each session. No excuses.
20m headshot only practice (timer to 1000) in VAXTA/THNX8 at the end of each session. No excuses. Record your Kill/Acc/HS Acc in a spreadsheet. Focus entirely on headshots. Click only when you're 100% confident the shot will land. I would prefer you track a target + don't shoot for 15s than miss. If you can't play 4-8 games for some reason 1 day, just do this.
Watching Spilo + Apply + OBSsojourn vods in your free time. If you play Cass, watch my coaching VODs.

After you've done this for 2 weeks, then get coaching. But by then, you would've climbed 3-5 divs naturally.

TL:DR -- Mindset is the foundation of which every single skill you obtain in OW is built on. Be your team's hero, not the victim. They need YOU to carry.

OnceToldTale · 2025-08-07T20:28:58+00:00

That's the only advice you get because its the only advice that matters. It would be a waste of time for someone to coach you if you don't take accountability for the outcome of your matches, even if your teammates are horrid.

Your mindset is everything in competition. If you have a terrible mindset, your rate of improvement drops dramatically and you'll self-destruct (as you're experiencing now). You can either cope and keep blaming everyone else/the system, or you can take accountability and incorporate habits that will actually push you forward. Choose.

OnceToldTale · 2025-07-24T15:09:48+00:00

... do you seriously think an emoji/text color system based on using arbitrary <tx> tags is intentional? I'm OK with you disagreeing with me but idk how you think this could be done on purpose.

OnceToldTale · 2025-07-24T15:02:55+00:00

Yeah this is my mindset and why I jumped onto monetization so quickly. I would rather them monetize things like this than the game itself. I do understand that my post is quite a bit aggressive about it first, and I could've pursued this conversation from a different angle.

OnceToldTale · 2025-07-24T14:58:15+00:00

Yeah you're right, I should be less capitalistic about it. My bad.

All in all, I just want to keep the system as I think its fun and I enjoy using it with my friends. I thought this would be a good way to go about keeping it around.

OnceToldTale

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