Blizzard’s latest Overwatch hero is out, and Ana, a long-range support, brings a lot to the game. She’s great at shutting down other healers like Lucio and Mercy with Biotic Grenade and her Sleep Dart can knock out aggressive tanks like Winston long enough for her teammates to get the kill. Already concerned about facing off against Phara‘s mom? Want to know who shines alongside Ana? We’ve got you covered.
Ana Counters
If Ana is giving you trouble, try these three hero counters.
Tracer
Already a great counter to Widowmaker and Hanzo, Tracer can easily get into enemy backlines to wreak havoc on squishy long-range opponents like Ana. Also in Tracer’s favor is Ana’s lack of vertical movement abilities. While Widowmaker can Grappling Hook to high vantage points and Hanzo can wall climb, Ana is stuck on the ground, a sitting duck. Tracer’s movement speed also makes her nigh impossible to hit with Ana’s Sleep Dart.
Widowmaker/Hanzo
As a sniper, Ana may end up hanging back in battle, healing up her teammates from afar. As a result, she’ll likely stay still, looking down her scope at her teammates and not at enemy snipers like Widowmaker and Hanzo. Even if Ana does spot another sniper, both Widowmaker and Hanzo deal far more damage than the support hero. Just watch out for Ana’s Sleep Dart, which can be fired with startling distance and accuracy.
Phara
Look, no one wants to see a mother and daughter divided, but if you’re looking to harass an enemy Ana, try using Phara. The rocketeer is a pain to hit from afar and can easily duck back into cover if Ana does get off a couple of her weak shots against her. Just by drawing Ana’s fire, Phara removes the support’s attention from healing her allies during a team fight.
Ana Synergies
So you’ve got some Ana counters to shut down the healer, but what if you’ve got an Ana on your own team? Here are three characters that provide excellent synergies for the hero.
Reinhardt
Reinhardt loves to be right up front during a battle, drawing enemy fire. Ana can sit comfortably in the background, using her Biotic Rifle to snipe Reinhardt full of a healing tonic. When Ana’s ultimate is ready, she can Nano Boost Reinhardt who’s always ready to jet into a battle, swinging around with his huge hammer. The ultimate will greatly speed the tank up and give him a little more damage reduction to keep him in the fight.
Roadhog
I wouldn’t normally classify a self-healing beast like Roadhog as synergistic with a dedicated healer. However, Ana excels and securing the kill on anyone unfortunate enough to get tagged with Roadhog’s Grappling Hook. By quickly firing a Sleep Dart and tossing out a Biotic Grenade, Ana can guarantee some damage output and heal Roadhog at the same time. Also, a Nano Boosted Roadhog who’s firing off a Whole Hog ultimate is a devastating thing to see.
Reaper
It’s not uncommon for a Reaper to Shadow Step behind enemy lines and quickly find himself outnumbered. This is where Ana’s long-range heal really shines. Ana can support Reaper’s flanking antics without ever putting herself in danger. A well timed Nano Boost can also ensure Reaper doesn’t initiate his Death Blossom just to be killed after his first “DIE!” tagline.
Ana’s currently playable on the test realm, so I encourage you all to get in and give the counters and synergies a try. Be sure to check back on fandom.com for more Overwatch coverage.