Top 3 Overwatch 2 heroes that counter Junker Queen

Junker Queen is one of the newest heroes to come out of Overwatch 2. Because of that, there are still all sorts of questions for newer players as to what a good counter to her would be. With her aggressive playstyle, it may seem like players have to adopt a new playstyle rather than pick up a new hero. However, that isn’t the case, no matter the role. There is always a hero that can put in a lot of work to counter pesky opponents. To help players better understand which heroes to pick for this matchup, here are the top 3 heroes in Overwatch 2 to counter Junker Queen.

Related: Overwatch 2 Tank Guide

Lucio

When picking a support hero against Junker Queen, Lucio is a must-have. While his area of effect (AOE) healing may not out-heal the damage Queen puts out, there are other reasons why he is so good. One of the biggest reasons is his ultimate, which is a hard counter to Rampage. This is because Queen’s ultimate stops all healing for a brief time. It means that there are few ways to help opponents survive the onslaught. However, Lucio’s Sound Barrier gives bonus health, which is not a form of healing. So if he times his barrier at the same time Queen ults, his team will be able to have enough extra health to make it through the fight and come out victorious.

Another great ability for Lucio in this matchup is the speed boost on his Crossfade. Queen’s Shout ability gives a burst of movement speed to herself and her allies. This can close the gap between slow enemies. However, when Lucio uses his boost, he and his team can keep just out of reach of their enemies, wait for the buff to end, and then turn around and win a massive fight.

Of course, Kiriko is another great option here with her Suzu, which cleanses all debuffs on allies. However, it can be a hard ability to use appropriately for newer players, so she didn’t make the list this time around.

Orisa

For those tank players out there who are stuck in a matchup against Junker Queen, Orisa is a great option. First, her Fortify reduces damage done to get for a brief time on top of making her immune to movement-impairing effects. This means that Gracie cannot pull Orisa, allowing her to keep that extra distance so that she can stay with her team and not get picked out. Another great perk to playing Orisa in this matchup is her Javelin Spin. Usually, Orisa wants to keep as much distance from herself and her enemies as possible while ultimate cooldowns are up for her allies. If an enemy Junker Queen wants to force a play with her team, she will have to break past Orisa first. However, with the Spin ability up, she can push away any opponents threatening her backline. It means that Junker Queen and her team will have to fall back or risk getting beaten up. 

For a similar reason, Orisa’s Terra Surge can be an incredibly useful ability. If Queen and her team decide to make an all-in attempt on Orisa, activation of this ability would pull her enemies out of position and slow them, making them very vulnerable for that brief time. Once the ultimate is over, it should have done enough damage to force enemies back. Otherwise, they will already be dead with Orisa’s team ganging up on them in their weakened state.

Of course, Orisa’s Javelin Throw can be insanely useful when used properly. It can knock Junker Queen out of her ultimate before she can even use it. However, this ability can be harder to land for newer players. It is best to keep things simple for the time being.

Bastion

The last is Bastion, a classic that has a huge ability to counter Junker Queen in Overwatch 2. The reason this hero is so useful in this matchup is fairly simple. he can go into his assault form and wreak havoc on the enemy. Junker Queen is a melee ranged tank. It means that she has to be very close in order to be an effective teammate. However, a good Bastion will never give Queen that opportunity. By keeping his distance and paying attention to when his enemies are trying to get aggressive, he can know when to save his assault form for the right time and can launch an all-out attack once they try and make a flashy play.

However, Bastion does rely on having a strong frontline. He is fairly vulnerable at close ranges, making it potentially dangerous for him to overexert himself. It is best to play him on teams with a strong tank that wants to stay with their team, like Reinhardt or Sigma. as long as Bastion players play safe and look for ideal opportunities, it should be an easy win against a team with Junker Queen.

There are plenty more heroes that can work in a matchup against Junker Queen. Also, there can be other factors that come into play when picking in hero select. However, these 3 heroes will allow players to get a sense of the changes in Overwatch 2. New or returning players can definitely use them. From there, players can begin to learn on their own and make more dynamic decisions based on things like other ally/opponent team members and maps.