50% of Dispatch Players Are Making the Wrong Choice with Waterboy

The choices Dispatch forces players to make can often feel excruciating, especially when it's not clear how they will pay off in the long run. Seeing the notification that a character will remember a choice is enough to have Dispatch players second-guessing their every decision. When it comes to one choice in Dispatch Episode 4, the correct option is not immediately obvious, and 50% of players likely regret their decision.
Every Dispatch episode typically features one major decision that significantly impacts the narrative's future, and these choices tend to be the most challenging to make. Dispatch offers players the chance to see how their choices stack up compared to other players, showing what percentage of players chose the same option as them. While this can be a helpful way to see where the consensus among Dispatch players lies, Dispatch Episode 4's Waterboy vs. Phenomaman choice shows a lack of agreement between players, with both options sitting at basically a 50-50 split.
After Dispatch Episode 3 makes players choose to cut either Sonar or Coupe from the Z-Team, Episode 4 follows up by offering players a choice between two potential replacements: Waterboy or Phenomaman. After Phenomaman's breakup with Blonde Blazer, the hero who once would have been the clear-cut best choice comes with enough emotional baggage that players may want to consider the well-meaning but bumbling Waterboy. Although it doesn't seem like Waterboy would be the better option at first glance, Dispatch players don't want to pass up the opportunity to add an incredibly useful member to the Z-Team by taking Phenomaman over Waterboy.
In terms of sheer numbers, Phenomaman starts off as a much more capable hero than Waterboy, with significant points in Combat, Vigor, and Mobility that make him perfect for calls that require these typical crime-fighting traits. However, looks can be deceiving, since Phenomaman's breakup with Blonde Blazer has left him with a major drawback.
Players run the risk of losing Phenomaman for 45 seconds every time he fails or misses a call, which can be crippling when the Z-Team needs all the members it can get for the optimal workday. While Waterboy's stats don't initially compete with Phenomaman, he is the better long-term investment because players don't have to worry about a potentially long downtime.
Not only can players avoid dealing with a depressed Phenomaman by choosing Waterboy, but they can potentially fill in any gaps in their team with him as well. Waterboy's stats may be low when he first joins the Z-Team, but this makes him essentially a blank slate that the player can mold to fit the Z-Team's needs. If players are lacking a hero with high Intellect after the loss of Sonar, they can focus on investing in Waterboy's Intellect stat instead. Similarly, if players choose to cut Coupe in Dispatch Episode 3 and need a hero with better Mobility, Waterboy can be the perfect replacement with a bit of investment.
Conversely, Phenomaman is already at max level and can't gain XP, meaning players are stuck with his stats as they are. While this makes for a solid hero addition right off the bat when Phenomaman joins in Dispatch Episode 4, he can become a liability if he ever fails a mission or if players are already running several Combat and Vigor-focused team members. In almost every scenario, Waterboy is the better pick of the two, but the community is still split when it comes to their actual in-game choices.