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Image via Blizzard Entertainment

How to counter Sombra in OW2

Tired of being hacked? Here's how to strike back.

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 new heroes, the famed hacker can easily hold her own and can be an important part of a strong team composition.

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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. Her strong rework in Overwatch 2 has led her to be nerfed a few times, most recently in season one’s midseason patch. 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

Junkrat

Image by Popcorp via Florida Mayhem

One of Sombra’s biggest strengths, especially when she’s flanking, is her invisibility. Stealth gives her a 60 percent movement speed buff and makes her hard to see, which is a boon when she’s attempting to dive into a backline. Taking damage removes her Stealth, but it’s difficult to shoot at what you can’t see. Heroes who specialize in area of effect splash damage, including Junkrat and Pharah, are great at “accidentally” revealing Sombra with their primary fire. Revealing her unexpectedly and taking her out quickly is a great way to prevent her from ever getting close to your backline.

Ana

Ana aims down the sights of her sniper rifle.
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Ana is one of the few non-tank heroes who still has access to a crowd control ability, Ana can prevent Sombra from accomplishing much of her mischief. When detected, most good Sombra players will immediately teleport back to safety, preventing you from pursuing them unless you know where they put their Translocator. A well-placed Sleep Dart can stun Sombra long enough for your team to jump on her and deal enough damage to defeat her before she can teleport.

Sombra

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Believe it or not, Sombra counters herself. If you hack another Sombra, she won’t be able to hack your teammates or teleport back to her Translocator, effectively rendering her strategies useless. Her gun isn’t the highest DPS weapon in the game by a long shot, so shutting off her abilities really brings her down a peg. You’ll need to be quick on the draw, though, and make sure you find her before she finds you.

Roadhog

Roadhog from Overwatch posing for the camera with his Scrap Gun and Hook.
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Roadhog’s hook is great for catching unruly flankers, and Sombra is no exception. While there isn’t much this enormous tank can do if Sombra is invisible, if someone else reveals her, Roadhog can easily grab her and make short work of her with his shotgun. She’s a small, fast target, so make sure you’re skilled with Hook before you swap to Roadhog to take her down.

Ashe

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

When she’s up close and in your face, Sombra is a powerful hero, but she’s not nearly as frightening at long range. Hack’s range only extends so far, and her SMG-like Machine Pistol is designed to function best in close combat. Using a long-range “headshot hero” like Ashe, Widowmaker, or Hanzo is a great way to take her out of the fight before she even has a chance to get close to your team. We like Ashe for her ability to knock Sombra backward with her Coach Gun, but Widowmaker is also a great choice, as she can see an invisible Sombra with her Infra-Sight ultimate. Hanzo’s Sonic Arrow can also detect her.


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Author
Image of Emily Morrow
Emily Morrow
Emily is a staff writer covering Apex Legends, Overwatch, Pokemon, and general gaming for Dot Esports. Her other bylines include Digital Trends, Screen Rant, and GameSpew. She also works as a narrative designer in games. Get in touch with her on Twitter @thepokeflute.