In Overwatch, the tank class of characters can be a bit confusing. You know you need one or 2, but which ones to choose? Whichever one you like playing the best? This can absolutely work, but a team composition can come together much better if you have one of the two "Main Tanks" on your roster. These two heroes are Reinhardt and Winston.
The first hero, Reinhardt, is the easiest to understand. He holds up a giant magic blue rectangle that makes it so that things can't hurt you when you get behind it. Easy. Winston is easier to understand as a main tank when you understand the actual benefit that both characters provide: They both provide space for your team to move into a better position.
Reinhardt is, again, the easier character to understand for this role. When Reinhardt puts up his shield, it creates a safe area for you to move around behind. It also comes creates an area that is UNSAFE for the opposing team to go into. If you alone walk behind a Reinhardt's shield and the entire team is behind it (not flank it, which is a topic for another day) then you are 1v5 and you will die. Even if you attempt to go behind the shield, the enemy Team has the opportunity to fire at you before you have a chance to hit them.
Winston can serve the same purpose as Reinhardt. He creates space. However, he has to to create space in a much more aggressive way. When Winston dives in, he creates a very large and dangerous distraction. Any character around 200 health will die in a few seconds with him around. He is very crucial to eliminate and while the focus is on Winston, this will open up the rest of the team to move in and attack. With coordination, the space created by Winston can actually be even more effective than Reinhardt in certain compositions.
D. Va can dive into the enemy too, but Winston is typically more effective because of his barrier. His barrier gives him the ability to cut off a large area with an enemy area. This barrier can't be shot through to you or your teammates, and it can cut off healing to those on the other side of it. D. Va's defense matrix effectively has more health than Winston's barrier, but it doesn't cover a wide area and D. Va can't shoot while using it.
You don't always need a main tank, but it can really glue a team composition together. They can essentially carry a team if played properly and the rest of the team comp builds accordingly. Next time you are playing QP or Ranked, consider Reinhardt or Winston.
