Lúcioball is a brawl exclusive to the Summer Games seasonal event. It is a fast-paced 3v3 match based on soccer. It uses three custom maps: Estádio das Rãs, Sydney Harbour Arena, and Busan Stadium.
Each match of Lúcioball lasts four minutes. The arena is set up very similar to a typical soccer field, with the addition of jump pads and speed-boosting walls. The team who has more than 5 points than the opposing team, or scored the most goals at the end of the game wins. In the event of a tie, the game goes into overtime and ends when a team scores a goal, giving them the win.
In the brawl, Lúcio’s abilities are altered: his primary fire is replaced with a melee attack, used for short-ranged actions such as dribbling or passing to a nearby teammate; his Crossfade is locked to speed boost and only affects himself (including when Amp It Up is active). Turbo Boost, his ultimate, dramatically increases his movement speed and removes the cooldown of Soundwave.
Copa Lúcioball[ | ]
A competitive version titled Copa Lúcioball was introduced in 2017's Summer Games as an Arcade mode game. Ranking and placement was identical to Competitive Play, however it was separate from the Competitive Play score and rankings. Matches lasted for 6 minutes instead of 4, and all other Competitive and Lúcioball rules applied. At the end of the season, players were awarded competitive points and a spray.
Lúcioball Remix[ | ]
For 2020's Summer Games, an additional mode of "Lúcioball Remix" was added to the umbrella of Lúcioball Arcade modes. Two teams of three players are given four minutes to score as many goals as possible, with additional balls spawning onto the field every so often. Replays of scored goals is removed, leading to streamlined gameplay. In addition, special "bonus balls" with a golden recolor will occasionally appear; these count for 3 points if successfully scored. The game ends when either the countdown timer runs out or one team has a lead of at least 10 points.
In this mode, the maps for Sydney Harbour Arena and Busan Stadium are drastically modified, with additional jump pads and obstacles placed on the map.
Strategy[ | ]
- In general, Soundwave should be used at an angle to lob the balls in an arc (to do this, aim slightly upwards) instead of directly forward. Balls traveling along the surface of the floor are much easier for the opposing team to block. At the same time, a curved flight pattern is much harder for goalies to block effectively as it's significantly more difficult to gauge.
- Soundwave should not be used recklessly, even more so if you're the team's goalie. Missing a boop will leave you unable to throw the ball over any significant distance, potentially allowing an enemy to score while the ability recharges.
- Amp It Up and Turbo Boost are best used when making pushes to seize possession of the ball or attempting to score.
- The speed boost gained from Amp It Up won't last long enough to cross most of the playing field - it's usually more effective to let the ball come to you if you're far away from it.
- Opportune times to use Amp It Up include at the start of the round (potentially allowing for an easy goal), or if you're near the opposing goal and need a boost to get around the ball and aim it into the enemy's goal.
- Turbo Boost allows you to be more reckless with your Soundwave and make multiple attempts at scoring while it lasts, but exercise control - the ability is useless if the enemy seizes possession of the ball. Consider using Turbo Boost when you're likely to score or need a significant speed boost that Amp It Up cannot provide.
- Conversely, if you're facing an enemy who's activated their Turbo Boost, get the ball as far away from them as possible. This will waste precious seconds as it forces them to wrestle back possession.
- Using simultaneous Turbo Boosts makes it much harder for the opposing team to defend as they'll have to contend with endless Soundwaves from multiple sides. It may be a good idea to synchronize ultimates with your team.
- Jump pads will provide you with the most mobility outside of Turbo Boost, allowing you to catch up with other players or the ball, make a defensive retreat, or intercept the ball in mid-air for a save. As the goalie, using the jump pad at the goal with careful aim will allow you to block any shot, but will require practice as making a high jump will leave your underside completely exposed.
- While wall running won't cover as much distance as Turbo Boost or jump pad usage, it's a great way to grab possession of the ball when it's in a corner.
- As the goalie, a rule of thumb is to never leave the goal unattended. Except for circumstances where you're the only player near your goal and you have to run forward to blast back a curved ball, it's easy for enemy players to make an offensive push by using jump pads or Turbo Boost and make an easy score.
- A common mistake for goalies is to intercept balls in the corner. This is generally a bad idea - you'll need to get in position behind the ball to throw it back outward (or end up simply tossing the ball into the other corner), and this typically exposes the goal for an easy score before you can rush back in to intercept it. It's usually a better idea to wait for the ball to dribble in towards you, leaving you with a clear shot to midfield.
- It may be necessary for another player to help defend the goal (this might be a viable tactic if the team is comfortably ahead). If this happens, don't stand too close to each other; instead divide up the goal among the defending players. Two players chasing after the ball will often leave the other half of the goal exposed, and if both players use up their Soundwaves tossing the ball outward, it becomes harder to defend the goal with the goalies on cooldown. Lastly, the ball can easily bounce off an allied player, foiling a goalie's attempt to send the ball out of the goal.
Lúcioball Remix[ | ]
- Many of the strategies above will still apply for Lúcioball Remix, but note that the presence of additional balls and a lack of positional resets after every goal will lead to constantly chaotic gameplay, which favors aggressive pushing. It's not unexpected for multiple goals to be scored at once, or by both sides.
- Prioritizing bonus balls in general is a good idea, given the significant number of points they give out when scored. It may be necessary to abandon possession of your current ball to go for pushing the golden one.
- The role of a goalie in Lúcioball Remix isn't as impregnable as it is in normal Lúcioball. You shouldn't expect to block every ball, but neither should the team neglect defenses completely - you'll just open up yourself to a barrage of free goals otherwise. You're the last defense against a free bonus ball score by the opposing team.
- The additional features on certain maps provide additional boosts and challenges for players to make use of.
- Sydney Harbour Arena features both outer and inner jump pad circles around a long, tall barrier in the middle. Curved skyward shots will be more favorable in this mode; the barrier makes it harder to see them coming.
- Busan Stadium includes several tall pillars and a large overhanging light in the middle of the arena, increasing the odds of shots ricocheting back towards you. Coordinate shots in close-knit teams to try and overwhelm the opposition as long-distance passes are much harder to pull off here. As a goalie, situational awareness and aim is even more critical on this map - it's very easy for a lobbed ball to rebound from your Soundwave and into your own goal.
Trivia[ | ]
- Prior to Summer Games 2020, scoring 10 more points than the opposing team in normal Lúcioball ends the game with the team winning with the most points.