Why is Winston balancing on the roof in this professional Overwatch match?

LuxuryWatch Blue tank player Song “janus” Jun-hwa, playing Winston, isn’t just monkeying around.

Using Winston’s Jump Pack ability during LW Blue’s OGN Overwatch APEX match against CONBOX Spirit, janus leaps to the slanted roof just left of the first Volskaya choke point. He lands at the peak, shifting slightly to keep the hulking gorilla balanced precariously on the edge. Because he’s landed on the roof and not the ground, Winston gets stuck in his mid-leap animation: From a bunch of angles, it looks like Winston is just chilling as he hangs on the side of the building.

Janus isn’t just being funny, however. There’s a reason he’s perched atop the Volskaya building.

Winston’s Jump Pack ability isn’t only for movement, though it’s certainly the main draw. Upon landing, Winston does 50 damage to a target within a five meter radius. Like with the mid-leap animation being paused by landing on the roof, Winston saves his 50 damage by not hitting the ground.

Janus is waiting for CONBOX Spirit’s back line to cross past the Volskaya archway. When Zenyatta is in range, he flicks forward and slides down the roof. Hitting the ground then triggers the initial 50 damage from the Jump Pack he’s been saving. Janus melees Zenyatta for another 30 damage. By that time, his Jump Pack has already reached cooldown—the cooldown period begins at the initial leap, not when he lands.

Related: Watch this pro Overwatch player test Winston’s limits to punch Mercy out of the sky

He’s then able to leap again immediately after he melees Zenyatta, doing another 50 damage to him upon landing. Hit with another melee, that’s 30 more damage. In total, that’s 160 area-of-effect damage—and enough to secure janus the kill.

Janus isn’t the first professional tank player to use this strategy, but likely the first to make it work in professional play. A few weeks ago, Lunatic-Hai star Winston player Gong “Miro” Jin-hyuk practiced the Winston exploit on stream, proving that he, too, has very good balance.

LW Blue beat CONBOX Spirit 3-1 during their group stage match of the Overwatch APEX. Meta Athena and BK Stars faced off immediately after, with Meta Athena earning a 3-1 win. The Overwatch APEX group stage continues May 5 with Rogue versus Mighty AOD and KongDoo Uncia versus X6-Gaming.