Many Overwatch players may overlook Junkrat in lieu of more meta heroes. However, he is still known as one of the more annoying characters to play against. His Steel Trap and Concussion Mine combo annoys opponents to no end. Not to mention his Rip Tire, which can chase down even the most mobile of enemies. However, even though he may be a hassle to play against, those who pick optimal heroes into this matchup will find that he can easily be beaten. In order to better help players find ideal picks into him, here are 3 Overwatch heroes that counter Junkrat.
Junkrat counter #3: Pharah
For players who want an easy matchup into Junkrat, Pharah is the perfect option. With her Jump Jet, she can stay in the air long enough to avoid any of Junkrat’s attacks, including his Rip Tire. This means that if things ever start to go south in a fight, Pharah can easily fly away and avoid the mayhem Junkrat is causing.
Another advantage to playing Pharah into this matchup is the fact that she can deal tons of damage to Junkrat while staying at a safe distance. Once she uses her Jet to fly into the air, she can perch herself on a high ledge so that she can use her Rocket Launcher to take shots at Junkrat. And since he has such a short range on his attacks, chances are he will never be able to deal damage to Pharah.
Lastly, Junkrat loves to use his Concussion Mine to fling himself into the air to get around obstacles or just to get to the objective faster. So, if he ever tries to do something funny with that ability and attempts to get an advantage on Pharah, it won’t work. She can simply use her Concussive Blast so that she can knock him away, keeping him and her other enemies at bay while her allies hold down the objective.
Junkrat counter #2: Widowmaker
Another prime counter into Junkrat is Widowmaker. By simply using the sniper mode on her weapon, she can easily take shots at Junkrat from a distance and not have to worry about the repercussions. If she manages to kill him from afar, the activation of his Total Mayhem ability means nothing, since the explosives won’t be able to touch her.
Widowmaker is also an ideal hero in this matchup because of her Grappling Hook. With it, she can easily avoid all of Junkrat’s traps. Since he loves to catch enemies off-guard and kill them when they least expect it, it can be very annoying when players step in them. However, if Widowmaker properly uses her Grappling Hook to stay in high places most of the time, the odds of her stepping in a trap drop dramatically.
Finally, Widowmaker’s Infra-Sight is, oddly enough, a huge advantage for her and her team in this matchup. Since Junkrat has such short range on his abilities, he wants to use his traps to lock down opponents so he can easily take them out. To do this, he likes to plant them around corners, then hide behind said corner. However, with Infra-Sight, Junkrat is revealed if he is trying something sneaky, meaning that it is much less likely for Widowmaker and her team to get caught out by one of these tricks.
Junkrat counter #1: Cole Cassidy
Last, but certainly not least, is Cole Cassidy. When going into a matchup against Junrkat, it is important that Cole keeps his distance so that he doesn’t get caught by any traps. Since he can so easily deal with Junkrat, his enemy will be keeping his eyes open to take out Cole so that he can wreak havoc on the enemy team. But as long as Cassidy is alive, Junkrat will be in trouble. With his Peacekeeper, Cole can easily shoot down a stray Junkrat since he has such low health. However, it is important that he keeps his distance so that he doesn’t get caught out by Total Mayhem and die after a well-earned kill.
Another advantage to picking Cassidy into this matchup is his Flashbang. Junkrat likes to use his Concussion mine for all sorts of cheeky tricks that, while a bit risky, can give him a big advantage. However, by simply using a Flashbang on a mid-air Junkrat, Cole can easily negate any mayhem his enemy tried to pull and take him out while he is stunned. However, if Cassidy misses the Flashbang, he will be in a bit of trouble since Junkrat can deal a lot of burst damage if he gets within range. Because of that, it is best that Cole either keep his distance or really hone that Flashbang ability so that it is a guaranteed hit.
