Core Problem
Tanks and divers push the backline harder in Season 9. Most Strategist deaths come from being isolated, out of cover, or not tracking the fight flow, not from lack of healing output. Stay alive first so you can actually support. Community discussions stress this over everything else.
1 Ground Yourself with Audio and Visual Checks

Constantly scan or listen. Footsteps, ability sounds, reloads, and voice lines tell you where teammates and flankers are. When moving into a fight zone, force yourself to look around instead of tunnel-visioning the frontline.

Do this every few seconds when you have a free moment. This stops overextension and lets you predict the flow before it reaches you.

2 Identify the Real Frontline and Stay 10-15m Off Your Vanguard

The main tank sets the frontline. Mirror their forward/back movements at roughly 10-15 meters. Stay in effective heal range but offset sideways (perpendicular) so you are not stacked for AOE. Use natural cover and angles so you have LOS to the tank and team but the enemy does not have easy LOS to you.

  • Solo mobile tank diving? Frontline shifts to where your Duelists cluster. Track the tank's return path for heals instead of following the dive.
  • Too close = shared damage and easy isolation. Too far = no heals and you are a free target.
3 Always Have Cover Within 1-2 Seconds

Never stand in open space. Hug walls, corners, doorframes, or high ground when available. Position so you can break LOS from expected dive paths (flank lanes especially).

If you hear or see a Spider-Man, Black Panther, or diving tank coming, immediately move behind cover to force them to commit differently. Keep all approach lanes either in view or audible.

High Ground
High ground is strong for many Strategists. Use it when your kit allows, it forces enemies to commit upward and gives you better heal angles on the team below.
4 Track Fight State and Decide Push vs Pull

Watch eliminations, scoreboard respawn timers, and health bars. If your team is down numbers or the tank is collapsing, stop pushing and fall back to the next safe regroup point (often the next choke or spawn path). If you get a pick first, you can pressure more.

After a lost fight, do not trickle in. Wait for the group or use the spawn switch if available on convoy.

Audio Cue Tip
Enable the teammate-death audio cue in options. Treat it as the signal to chill and hold. One death means the fight is now 5v6, and pushing into that is how you stagger.
5 Triage Priority: Survival First
1. Yourself - If you are dead, nobody gets healed. Reposition before healing if you are exposed.
2. Co-Strategist - Keep your partner alive so they can keep the team alive. Stagger defensive cooldowns together.
3. Critical low targets - Especially those with ults ready or no self-sustain. Better positioning often lets your heal radius cover 1-2 extra teammates without exposing you.

Key Decision Points
Enemy Dive-Heavy?

Stay tighter to the group and your co-Strategist. Prioritize cover that breaks their approach angles. Never wander alone into flank lanes.

Poke / Brawl Frontline?

You can take slightly wider safe angles for better heal LOS, but still never past the tank. Keep natural cover between you and the enemy poke line.

Fight Going Badly?

Pull back immediately even if it means a few seconds of no healing. Dying creates a stagger that loses the point. A alive Strategist regrouping is worth more than a dead one who got one more heal off.

After a Wipe?

Confirm team location before re-engaging. Cover the retreating survivor from a safe path toward the new spawn instead of overextending alone.

Common Mistakes to Avoid