Perhaps one of the more annoying heroes to play against, Bastion can easily take control of any game if he is played correctly. By simply firing indiscriminately into a crowd of enemies, he can defend checkpoints and objectives like few other heroes. On top of that, his Self-Repair allows him to regenerate any health he may have lost from a bad exchange. While he may be difficult to beat for some heroes, there are others that can deal with him much more efficiently. In order to help players better pick into this matchup, here are 3 Overwatch heroes that counter Bastion.
Bastion counter #3: Widowmaker
Widowmaker is a hero that prides herself on being able to handle immobile and squishy targets. While Bastion may have a good amount of health, he still doesn’t like to move around a lot. He much prefers to sit in a corner or behind a shield so that he can focus his rotary cannon on the enemy. Widowmaker forces Bastion to rethink how he should be playing the game and keeps him on his toes. By scaring him into not switching to Configuration: Sentry, Widowmaker can give her team enough time to win a fight or take an objective.
The key to winning as Widowmaker into this matchup is to find a spot where Bastion cannot reach. While he may have decent range, if Widowmaker stays far enough away it will be hard for Bastion to make up for the distance between them. Because of this, Widowmaker can easily use the Sniper Mode on her weapon to take shots at Bastion. Even if he is behind a shield, there are usually spots in a map that expose his weak spots.
With enough gameplay experience, most players will be able to find those spots on any given map and use it to their advantage. Once he has taken enough damage, he will eventually be forced to retreat to heal or force his team to deal with Widowmaker. However, because she will usually be protected by her team, it will be a difficult feat.
Bastion counter #2: Junkrat
Junkrat is a hero that rarely appears on any ‘best of -’ list. While he may be weak in some matchups, he can prove to be very useful against a Bastion enemy team. On a team with a hero that can use a shield, Junkrat can take shots at his opponents and stay protected. Meanwhile, Bastion is forced to first get through the obstruction before he can start dealing damage. Junkrat can also use his Concussion Mine and Steel Trap to stop Bastion in his tracks if he wants to use his Configuration: Tank. Since he is so hard to deal with in that mode, Junkrat can prove very useful to his allies by preventing Bastion from getting too out of hand.
However, Junkrat’s best feature in this matchup is his ultimate ability, Rip-Tire. The reason this is so important when facing a Bastion is because the ability can easily maneuver around terrain and enemies to blow up a Bastion that is sitting in a corne. It is also one of the few abilities that can deal with a Bastion in Configuration: Tank, making him indispensable against that particular opponent. The fact that Junkrat doesn’t need to risk himself for this game-ending attack makes it all the better. He can easily sit with his team and let the tire do all the work.
Bastion counter #1: Genji
Perhaps the best hero to pick into a Bastion is Genji. While he is certainly a difficult hero to play, those who put in the time to learn him will find that he can pay off in a big way. While he may not want to use his Shuriken on a stationary Bastion, there are certainly other ways to kill him. Genji usually wants to make quick and flashy plays, being sure not to take trades that take too long. However, when going up against a Bastion he can really do almost whatever he wants due to the fact that his enemy is rather slow-moving and isn’t always the best in close combat.
When attacking a Bastion, Genji needs to be sure that his enemy is either alone or out-numbered so that he can be sure to secure a kill. Otherwise, Genji can easily be taken out by a mob of opponents. There is also the possibility that he can sneak up behind Bastion, but that can be difficult when there is no support and little means to escape. Once he is in the clear, Genji can easily charge Bastion. By simply using his Deflect, he can get past his opponent’s initial attack. Then, when Bastion is out of ammo and is forced to reload, Genji can easily go for an all-out attack, be it with a flurry of attacks or with a final strike from his Dragonblade. Once Bastion is dead, it will be much easier for Genji’s team to secure an objective or push a payload to the final checkpoint.
