Sombra, similar to Tracer, is a slippery hero that wants to make quick, flashy plays and escape before any of their enemies are none the wiser. However, Sombra can be a bit more annoying to play against. With her Hack ability, she can prevent a targeted opponent from using their abilities. This is a huge part of her kit and can allow her team to easily force a favorable fight over an objective. She can also use her Opportunist ability to view injured enemies through walls. Meaning that she can make calculated plays that are more likely to win her team objectives. While she is certainly an annoying hero to play against, that doesn’t mean that she can’t be beaten. With the right hero, anything is possible. So, in order to help players better pick into this matchup, here are 3 Overwatch heroes that counter Sombra.
Sombra counter #3: Mei
When trying to pick an optimal damage hero into Sombra, Mei is one of the best there is. What makes Mei so good into this matchup is because she can a little bit of everything. First, she has her Endothermic Blaster, which allows her to slow and lock down Sombra. This can prevent her from making any flashy plays and could even get her killed if she tries something too risky. Second is her Cryo-Freeze, with this ability, if Sombra tries to make an attempt to kill Mei, she can easily freeze herself to negate any damage that would be done. Last is her Ice Wall. Sombra may be a fairly mobile hero, but there is little she can do if she is walled off from her targets. Once she is away from the fight, Mei’s team has one less opponent to worry about.
One thing players should keep in mind when picking Mei into Sombra is that she can hack Mei’s abilities, preventing her from protecting herself and her allies. Because of that, Mei has to be on high alert so that she can use her blaster to slow Sombra down enough to prevent her from doing that. Since damage interrupts the hack, if Mei can keep a steady amount of damage on Sombra, she will be safe and can use all of her abilities.
Sombra counter #2: Winston
For players looking to pick a good tank into Sombra, Winston is a solid option. Since Sombra is so mobile, it only makes sense that her enemies should be able to match that, and Winston does it with flying colors. With his Jump Jet, Winston can easily chase down a Sombra on the run. While she can use her Translocator or Stealth to try and escape, the distance won’t be great enough for Winston to not be able to hunt her down.
Another reason Winston is perfect for this matchup is his Tesla Cannon. With its untargeted damage, he can be sure to keep Sombra at bay and prevent her from using her Hack on him. Once Winston is hacked, he will be fairly useless, so it is important that he keeps his attacks focused on Sombra. This way, if she ever gets too close, he can stop her mid-Hack so that he and his team can take care of her so that they can push for objectives.
Sombra counter #1: Pharah
One of the biggest issues when playing into a Sombra is the fear of being hacked. Once heroes are hacked, they lose all of their abilities, making them useless. However, heroes like Pharah can always stay out of reach of Sombra, making her near un-hackable. Because of that, she is a perfect pick against a Sombra. By using her Jump Jet to stay in the air or finding a hard-to-reach perch, Pharah can always stay far enough away to never need to worry about Sombra. However, her team will still have difficulty with Sombra, but Pharah can easily help with that.
By staying in the air, not only does Pharah stay away from Sombra, but she can get an aerial view of her opponents, allowing her to track down Sombra even after she uses her Translocator ability. Once she is spotted, Pharah can easily use her Rocket Launcher to take her out. However, if Sombra happens to get off her EMP ability, it may spell doom for Pharah’s team. But by simply using her Barrage, she can turn the tide of a fight, giving her team enough time to recover from the hack and turn around to come back and take the objective.
