In Overwatch, everyone who plays the game will have that one hero that just really grinds their gears. There are 21 total heroes and at some point while playing, you will stop and say, "omg…I hate you (insert hero name here)". The wide-ranging abilities of the 21-hero roster for the game are drawing all of the critical praise, but some abilities are way more annoying than others.
While your first train of thought when jumping into a game should be to play the objective, it is never a bad thing to know a go-to character who can stop someone who is trolling your entire team. However, these 5 heroes are more than likely to get the drop on you at least once per match-up.
5. Symmetra
How to Counter: Ear plugs and Reinhardt/Winston/Bastion
Nothing screams "I want to scratch a chalk board" more than walking into a room full of sentry turrets. Like the rest of the support characters, having a Symmetra on your team can prove to be quite useful. If you are playing against a Symmetra, then you will probably hate life. The sentry turrets that Symmetra can put down produce the single most annoying sound in the history of mankind. Not to mention, she has the ability to put down a portal allowing her team members to make a much shorter trip to the objective.
Some of the ways to counter Symmetra include heroes with shield abilities along with another annoying hero. Like most heroes, Symmetra can be countered by Bastion because, well, he’s Bastion. Reinhardt and Winston both have the ability to shield from the sentry turrets, which allows them to make quick work of this support hero. Stopping Symmetra is easier said than done, but done it can be.
4. Torbjörn
How to counter: Snipers, Tracer, Zarya, Winston, Reinhardt
THE most over-powered ultimate ability in the game belongs to Torbjörn. Who knew a Keebler elf would make for such a badass little hero? Torbjörn and his turrets can be a huge advantage for a defending team and a huge pain for an attacking team. If there are multiple little guys, then your life will become a whole lot more difficult. Not only does this hero have his turrets, but he can also give his team armor and possesses a pretty strong rivet gun.
If Torbjörn uses his Molten Core ultimate, then run away because he will just become a bullet sponge tank. With that said, snipers like Widowmaker and Hanzo can take down the turrets if they are sneaky enough. Tracer and her blink ability can cause Torbjörn problems. Zarya and her ability to create a damage-absorbing barrier can come in handy, and even heroes with shield abilities like Winston and Reinhardt can be a clever counter.
3. Tracer
How to counter: Symmetra, Tanks
Every game, there is a Tracer. Every. Single. Game. Maybe it is just the overwhelming need for people to be annoying, but Tracer just won’t go away. Her blink ability will cause migraines, and her stupid rewind ability will have you questioning sanity. She is such a headache that I can’t believe I am not putting her at number one most annoying.
A counter to a skillful Tracer is like seeing a lunar eclipse: it doesn’t happen often. One proven stopper to the blink ability and fast pace of Tracer is Symmetra and her ability to place sentry turrets. The turrets slow Tracer down and allows opposing players to quickly squash her. Without her ability to move, she is useless. Tanks are also good against a Tracer because she doesn’t do a whole lot of damage per second.
2. Bastion
How to counter: Widowmaker, Genji, Reaper, Pharah
Every new player who jumps into Overwatch, including me, has the same feeling about Bastion. Must be easy to just plop yourself down and mow people down as a self-healing turret. While a well-positioned Bastion is tough to stop, it is not impossible.
Widowmaker and her sniper can take down Bastion with relative ease. Genji and his ability to deflect Bastion’s bullets can cause the robot to kill himself, which is quite satisfying and hilarious at the same time. Reaper and Pharah can get around well and going through or over Bastion is a good way to catch him by surprise. When you are in the line of sight of a Bastion turret, you are likely going to die. However, he is not as OP as everyone thinks and certainly not as annoying as this next hero.
1. Mei
How to Counter: Snipers, Torbjörn, Pharah, Mei, keep your distance
When it comes to Overwatch and its most annoying hero, you need to keep your distance or else you will be turned into an icicle. Mei and her damn ice gun is easily the most annoying way to die in Overwatch and anybody who says otherwise is lying. Imagine you are on a 15-player elimination streak and your team is in the final stretch of extraction only to be ice walled by a full team of Mei. When Mei kills you, expletives are said. It’s as simple as that. On top of all of that annoying nonsense, Mei has the ability to self-heal. Yep, welcome to hell.
To counter this Eskimo wannabe, you’ll really just need to keep your distance. Mei can freeze anybody up close and that throws a wrench in most hero attack plans. A good sniper can compromise Mei or even one of Torbjörns’ turrets. Pharah and her skyward attack from above can really cause problems for the slow moving Mei. One strategy to use against Mei that most don’t think to use is to fight fire with fire. If you use Mei against Mei properly, then you will be just as annoying to the other team, and therefore, make a whole bunch of people hate your guts.
No need to feel ashamed
Nobody should feel ashamed for using these characters (unless you just troll people with constant Bastion use, then we have a problem). It requires a lot of skill and strategy to use these heroes and nobody should be shunned for using them. I’m not saying I’m going to vote for you after the game, but you should feel proud that you just froze the entire team for the entirety of a match.
Think there is another annoying hero? Have a problem with my rankings because you use one of these characters? Do you have another counter to add to any of mine? Let me know in the comments section below! Overwatch is out now for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Published: May 25, 2016 12:21 pm