The Best Overwatch Characters For Winning in Ranked
The heroes of Overwatch were not created equal. Strong heroes have higher win rates than others. Weak heroes are picked less frequently than others. Hero usage creates a Most Effective Tactics Available gameplay style. The current Overwatch meta shows us which heroes should be mastered if we want to win our games every time in season ten.
Reinhardt
Reinhardt is the only tank that can keep up with Brigitte’s fast-paced close combat playstyle in season ten. An excellent Reinhardt is fearless and plays in front of the team. His kit is simple but effective. Mastering Reinhardt can be tricky, and many low ranked main tank players never succeed because they don’t know how to push through chokes. It’s almost as if their “W” keys are broken. You should master Reinhardt if you want to be a team leader and lead your team into fights. He is the unstoppable force of Overwatch.
- Strong Against: Torbjorn, Hanzo, Widowmaker
- Weak Against: Pharah, Bastion, Reaper
Zenyatta
Zenyatta is never used in low ranks, and that’s why those players will stay in low ranks. He’s the most slept on hero in Overwatch. Zenyatta’s ultimate, Transcendence, directly counters Genji’s Dragonblade, Soldier 76’s Tactical Visor, Hanzo’s Dragonstrike and more. He can do more damage than most DPS heroes, but that might be because no one can aim. He’s one of the most difficult characters to master because he has low mobility and his ult timing needs to be perfect. Zenyatta players have to be accurate too. You should master Zenyatta if you like climbing the Competitive mode ladder while doing a lot of damage and healing.
- Strong Against: Any hero with a DPS ultimate since Transcendence can heal through it.
- Weak Against: Winston, Tracer, Widowmaker
Zarya
Zarya is Reinhardt and Brigitte’s best partner. She could bench press both of them at the same time. She is suited for a meta where dive heroes like Winston, D.va, Tracer, and Genji aren’t as powerful. Her bubble shields protect her team from any damage and can save those useless out of position teammates. Graviton Surges set up team wipes if it’s paired with a high damage ultimate. You should master Zarya if you want to destroy entire teams with one button. It’s that easy.
- Strong Against: Junkrat, Genji, D.va
- Weak Against: Pharah, Reaper, Reinhardt
Mercy
The death of dive means Mercy can return as the queen of support and heal in the backline uncontested. Her Guardian Angel makes her mobile enough to keep up with any fight, but her Resurrect is a sad reminder of the past. Mercy’s Valkyrie and Resurrect used to be overpowered.
Mercy players have long been teased for playing an “easy” character, but nothing about playing Mercy is easy in season ten. Her resurrect is slow and makes her vulnerable. She has to constantly change positions to make sure she isn’t targeted and killed. A seasoned Mercy is always a great asset. They know how to Resurrect without being killed and how to position themselves in safe places with Guardian Angel. You should master Mercy if you like the challenge of being the last hero to die in a fight. Healing the team while flying around is surprisingly fun.
- Strong Against: Symmetra
- Weak Against: Winston, D.va, Tracer, Genji
Hanzo
Hanzo’s rework turned him into the most viable damage dealer in the game. He went from being one of the worst characters in the game to one of the best after the most recent patch. His arrow speed was increased meaning he can rely more on accuracy than prediction with his projectile fire. Hanzo was considered less useful in the past because he lacked mobility. A quiver that has no arrows is more useful than pre-patch Hanzo. His survivability increased with his new Leap ability, which lets him engage and disengage during a fight. Storm Arrows are far more consistent than Scatter Arrow ever because they require aim. Terrible Hanzo players can’t get lucky anymore with random Scatter Arrow kills.
Playing Hanzo is not easy. The team relies on him to get the first eliminations of a team fight and that’s a lot of pressure. If the Hanzo player can’t get eliminations quickly, he/she is better off not playing Hanzo at all. You should master Hanzo if you like sharpshooting and carrying the team with dragonstrikes. He gets all the eliminations and medals too.
- Strong Against: Bastion, Zenyatta, Junkrat
- Weak Against: Genji, Widowmaker, Roadhog
Brigitte
Brigitte’s kit was designed to counter the dive meta playstyle. She hard counters Winston, D.va, Tracer, and Genji. Many heroes do not do enough damage to break Brigitte’s armor, and her Whip Shot can push enemies away from their targets. Winston, Tracer, and D.va are better off jumping off of the map than trying to fight Brigitte.
Brigitte only needs Shield Bash to make her enemies completely ineffective. They don’t even stand a chance once stunned. For example, Brigitte has a 150 damage combo that instantly kills Tracer with Shield Bash, one melee swing, and Whip Shot. Brigitte can duel nearly every character in the game in a 1v1 scenario and win. You don’t want to be trapped in a corner against her. She is a simple hero that doesn’t require aim, which is enough to tilt your enemies so hard they uninstall the game. You should master Brigitte if you like ruining the enemy team’s fun. Smacking enemies around with a mace is as awesome as it sounds.
- Strong Against: Winston, Tracer, Genji
- Weak Against: Pharah, Junkrat, Bastion
Widowmaker
Widowmaker thrives against the Reinhardt and Brigitte meta. She out-ranges both of them, and she can burst through Brigitte’s armor with her high power rifle. The dive heroes aren’t being played enough to counter Widowmaker, so she can stay on high ground uncontested. Seriously, she’s untouchable. The kids in team chat are more likely to scream “Someone please kill their Widow” than they are to switch their hero to someone that can beat Widowmaker. The only meta hero that is a match for Widowmaker is another Widowmaker. It’s a sin to interrupt a Widowmaker duel, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to prove your skills. You should master Widowmaker if you like difficult challenges and want to knock the heads off of your enemies with one click. If you ever imagined yourself as an assassin, Widowmaker is the hero for you.
- Strong Against: Zenyatta, Bastion, Mercy
- Weak Against: Genji, Winston, D.va
Tracer
Tracer is no longer a tank buster, but she is still great against healers and some damage heroes. Sorry Zenyatta, you still don’t get a break from the endless torment of being bullied by Tracer players yet. Tracer can eliminate any 200 HP target with one clip of her gun if she is up close and gets headshots. She just has to be careful when trying to engage an enemy Brigitte. Flankers still have a place in the meta, especially against Reinhardt team compositions. She can distract the enemy team long enough for her own team to engage too. You should master Tracer if you enjoy being annoying and very hard to kill. Tracer players are thrill-seekers. Blinking in and out of danger will have you on your seat’s edge the entire time.
- Strong Against: Mercy, Zenyatta, Widowmaker
- Weak Against: Brigitte, McCree, Pharah
D.va
D.va is in a strange place in season ten because her fellow dive tank, Winston, isn’t played as much anymore. Even though she is missing her dive tank partner, dive isn’t the only playstyle that D.va works in. This strange gamer lady in a giant robot suit is still ridiculously difficult to beat since she can fit into any playstyle. She can peel back to protect her healers or play in the frontline like any other tank. She’s excellent against snipers and healers like Mercy and Zenyatta. When a sniper or a healer sees a D.va charging straight for them, D.va players can smell their panic and fear. D.va players are the bullies of the Overwatch community. You should master D.va if you enjoy playing a different style every game and blowing people up with her ultimate.
- Strong Against: Widowmaker, Hanzo, Mercy
- Weak Against: Reaper, Mei, Zarya
Moira
The value you get from Moira over Mercy is that Moira can output a lot of damage for a Support hero. Moira almost does too much damage. The community called for her damage to be nerfed when she was released, but she was never nerfed. She is now a hidden gem that’s overshadowed by Brigitte and Mercy. Moira is a soul-eating monster up close with her damage orb. She is notorious for being “undiveable” by Winston and D.va because she can use her Fade ability to escape. She can even escape from Zarya’s Graviton Surge. Just don’t forget to heal your team, because your teammates might yell at you for being a “DPS Moira”. You should play Moira if you secretly wish you were a vampire that steals the life of your enemies to heal yourself.
- Strong Against: Genji, Mercy, Zenyatta
- Weak Against: Reinhardt, Zarya, Roadhog
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