Discover the most devastating nerfs in competitive gaming history, from Overwatch's Mercy to League of Legends' Evelynn, reshaping meta forever.

In the ever-evolving battlefield of competitive gaming, developers wield the mighty nerf hammer with calculated precision, striking fear into the hearts of mains everywhere. As we approach mid-2026, looking back at some of the most devastating character adjustments reveals a digital graveyard of once-overpowered abilities, now reduced to shadows of their former glory – like majestic lions transformed into declawed housecats through the magic of patch notes.

The Execution Chamber: Characters Who Faced the Ultimate Nerf

Overwatch's Mercy: From Resurrection Goddess to Winged Medic

Once upon a time in the original Overwatch, Mercy possessed what many considered the most powerful ability in the entire game – mass resurrection. Like a divine intervention in the midst of battle, Mercy could swoop in and instantly revive her entire fallen team, effectively nullifying the enemy's hard-earned team wipe with a single button press.

Blizzard, wielding their nerf hammer with the subtlety of a sledgehammer through fine china, completely reworked her ultimate ability. The beloved mass resurrection was replaced with Valkyrie mode, transforming Mercy from the angel of second chances to a glorified support drone with improved healing capabilities. This change left Mercy mains worldwide in various stages of grief, many still stuck in the denial phase nearly eight years later.

League of Legends' Evelynn: The Stun That Stunned Players

In the primordial soup that was League of Legends 1.0, Evelynn was a completely different beast. Before her iconic stealth mechanics defined her character, she possessed a stun ability that made her a feared predator in the jungle. That is, until Riot Games performed what can only be described as character assassination.

In what became known as "The Great Emasculation," developers transformed Evelynn's stun into a mere slow effect – like replacing a shark's teeth with dentures. This single change gutted the champion's kill potential more thoroughly than a fish at a sushi restaurant. For over a year, Evelynn languished with a pitiful 35 percent win rate, abandoned by all but the most devoted mains until her eventual stealth update rescued her from the bottom tier.

Genshin Impact's Dehya: Dead on Arrival

The Genshin Impact community witnessed one of the most peculiar nerfs in gaming history with Dehya's release. Unlike most characters who enjoy their moment in the sun before being brought down to earth, poor Dehya was nerfed before most players even got their hands on her.

During beta testing in 2023, testers already found Dehya's abilities and damage output disappointing. Then, in an act that can only be described as kicking a character while she's down, HoYoverse released a second beta patch that further reduced her damage output. The final insult came with the revelation that she would be added to the standard banner, essentially confirming her status as digital cannon fodder. Three years later, despite numerous character balancing patches, Dehya remains the cautionary tale of Genshin Impact – a five-star character with two-star performance.

Weapons of Mass Destruction: Nerfed Into Oblivion

Call of Duty Black Ops 2: The DSR-50 Controversy

The Call of Duty franchise has seen countless weapons rise and fall, but few nerfs generated as much vitriol as the DSR-50 rate of fire reduction in Black Ops 2. This sniper rifle was the darling of the quick-scope community until developers decided to significantly slow its rate of fire.

The backlash was so severe that developers reportedly received real-world threats – transforming what should have been a simple balance adjustment into gaming's equivalent of a diplomatic incident. The community's reaction spread through social media like wildfire in a drought, proving that hell hath no fury like a quick-scoper scorned.

Fortnite's Weapon Swap Delay: The End of Double Pump

In early Fortnite, shotguns were the undisputed kings of close combat. Players discovered they could circumvent the weapon's natural fire rate limitation by carrying two shotguns and rapidly switching between them – a technique known as "double pumping."

Epic Games, in their infinite wisdom, decided to address this by implementing a weapon swap delay. This change hit the battle royale community like a surprise tax audit – unwelcome but ultimately necessary. While initially met with resistance that could rival a toddler refusing vegetables, the community eventually adapted, and the game's health improved as a result.

Valorant's Raze: The Explosive Nerf Package

Beta Raze in Valorant was less of a character and more of a mobile artillery platform. Her ultimate ability required only six charges (compared to the current eight), allowing her to launch rockets with the frequency of a Fourth of July celebration. Add to this her ability to hold two grenades simultaneously and bomb packs that dealt a whopping 75 damage, and you had a character who could single-handedly hold off an entire team push.

Riot Games, recognizing that one player shouldn't have the explosive capability of a small militia, implemented a comprehensive nerf package that brought Raze in line with other agents. The adjustment was like watching a fireworks factory being converted into a sparkler shop – still fun, but considerably less likely to level a city block.

The Forgotten Victims

Super Smash Bros Ultimate: Pichu's Self-Destruction

Pichu's journey in Super Smash Bros Ultimate is perhaps one of gaming's greatest tragedies. Initially one of the strongest characters despite self-inflicting damage (a risk-reward mechanic), Pichu suffered a series of nerfs that left the tiny Pokémon virtually unplayable.

The most devastating blow came when developers increased Pichu's hitbox size, making this small mouse Pokémon easier to hit than its evolution, Pikachu. Combined with nerfs to its forward tilt attack, these changes effectively removed any reason to choose Pichu over other characters. Like a once-promising child actor who peaked too early, Pichu now sits in the character select screen, a reminder of what could have been.

Overwatch's Cassidy: Six-Shooter to Pea-Shooter

Cassidy (formerly known as McCree) built his reputation on his ability to quickly unload all six shots from his revolver, dealing massive burst damage to enemies who dared come too close. However, Blizzard decided this cowboy was a bit too quick on the draw and reduced each bullet's damage from 75 to 45.

While this nerf didn't completely destroy the character, it significantly reduced his ability to eliminate tankier opponents. The change transformed Cassidy's signature move from a deadly finishing technique to something more akin to an annoying mosquito attack against well-armored enemies. Fortunately, with Overwatch 2's character rebalancing in the years since, our favorite gunslinger has found his footing again.

The Nerf Legacy

As we look back at these infamous nerfs from our vantage point in 2026, it's clear that the delicate art of game balancing remains as controversial as ever. For every player celebrating a needed adjustment, there's another mourning their main character's fall from grace.

The most successful games have learned that balance is an ongoing conversation rather than a destination – a dance between developers and players that continues long after release. And while the nerf hammer will continue to fall, crushing overpowered abilities beneath its weight, the cycle of buffs and nerfs ensures that today's bottom-tier character might be tomorrow's meta-defining powerhouse.

Just don't tell that to Dehya mains. Some wounds never heal. 😢

Character	Game	The Nerf	Community Reaction
Mercy	Overwatch	Mass resurrection → Valkyrie mode	😡 Outrage
Evelynn	League of Legends	Stun → Slow	😱 Horror
Dehya	Genshin Impact	Already weak → Even weaker	😭 Depression
Raze	Valorant	Mobile artillery → Balanced agent	😤 Acceptance
Pichu	Smash Bros Ultimate	Top tier → Bottom tier	🥀 Abandonment

Remember, in the world of competitive gaming, everything you love is just one patch note away from destruction. Choose your mains wisely. ⚔️