Sombra is one of the Overwatch franchise’s most enduring characters. She made a splash when she launched after an extended ARG in 2016 and she’s still turning the tide of battle with her support-adjacent damage abilities and stealthy demeanor. Even in the face of Overwatch 2‘s powerful heroes, the famed hacker can easily hold her own and can be an important part of a strong team composition.
While Sombra can be a powerful asset to most teams, this also means she can be a pain to play against. She can be especially annoying to play against if you’re using a support character; she specializes in tracking down and taking out weak backline heroes. If you’re struggling to counter a Sombra on the enemy team or if your team is doing nothing to stop her from running rampant, it’s important to learn about who and what counters her.
Here’s everything you need to know about countering Sombra in Overwatch 2.
All Sombra counters in Overwatch 2
There are a lot of ways to counter Sombra, but some heroes are stronger than others. These are our honorable mentions to counter Sombra:
- Mei: Use Cryo-Freeze if a Sombra is targeting you. Ice Wall Sombra off from the rest of the team and limit her movement to hack teammates and health packs. Slow Sombra down to reduce her option to teleport and reposition, letting you and teammates pick her off quickly.
- Kiriko: With the ability to teleport or make teammates immortal for a brief period of time, Kiriko is the best support to counter Sombra.
- Baptiste: Shield and heal teammates that get hacked by Sombra, protecting them while they’re unable to use their abilities.
- Sombra: Hacking any opposing Sombras renders her kit useless in a fight, making it incredibly easy to take her down shortly after hacking her.
Listen out for Sombra’s voice lines as this gives away her position. Stick together at all times to stop Sombra from isolating fights and creating one-versus-one situations.
Let’s dive into are our top five Sombra counters:
5) Reaper
A natural flanker, Reapers can adaptably play across the battlefield. Posing a threat in front of a tank or sneaking into the backlines to take out the likes of Tracer, Genji, and Sombra, a Reaper likes to get up close to punish unsuspecting victims. While his teleportation takes longer than Sombra’s, his higher DPS role make him a threat to any stealthy Sombra hiding around corners. Alongside this, Reaper can make himself temporarily invulnerable to attacks, letting him reposition while keeping his eyes on Sombra’s whereabouts.
4) D.Va
The first tank in Overwatch, D.Va can quickly react to any incoming fire and changes on the battlefield. While it’s likely her Defense Matrix will disappear when a Sombra appears, she can easily follow and punish an over-extending Sombra. Her Self-Destruct can easily kill Sombra if she previously used her Translocator. Due to her high-speed chasing potentials, D.Va can pummel shots in a Sombra attempting to hide from her line of sight.
3) Winston
The best tank for high AoE (area of effect) damage, Winston can easily locate Sombra’s positioning if she tries to retreat while invisible. He can protect himself and teammates who have been hacked by Sombra with his Barrier Projector, and use his Tesla Cannon to scan the area close to him for a hidden Sombra. Finally, his Jump Pack lets him leap away from any predicament he may find himself in, making it hard for Sombra to track him down and get off a successful hack.
2) Brigitte
Brigitte can keep Sombra at bay and reduce her opportunity to hack with her Rocket Flail and Whip Shot. Working similarly to Reaper, she has a much higher damage output compared to Sombra. Her kit is capable of stunning and slowing down Sombra, making her a clear target that you and your teammates can quickly punish. Rather than playing to counter Sombra, Brigitte supports the team and makes it difficult for nuisance heroes like Genji and Tracer to isolate team members. This means Sombra will struggle to isolate a fight into a one-versus-one as Brigitte can continuously dish out damage to her, regardless of whether she is hacked.
1) Cassidy
Our top Sombra counter is Cassidy. Although he is the hardest to master on this list, Cassidy has the highest DPS to counter Sombra. While Soldier-76 is easier to control and can effectively keep Sombra at bay, Cassidy’s purpose to is to deal damage from the back, while having an adaptable kit that can react quickly to any flanking opponents. His Combat Roll makes you a harder target for Sombra to hack and shoot at, while his Magnetic Grenade can latch onto her before she teleports or vanishes.
