Cracking Their Defences: An Attacker's Guide

We’ve all had that game where the enemy defence seems impenetrable. Nothing can breach their wall of Bastions and Reinhardts and everytime we charge at them, they mow us down before we can even scratch them. In this guide, we will go over a variety of heroes that perform well when attacking and how to use them to get the best out of their skillset.



Image courtesy of nmarcenaro

Tanks

- Winston:

The best aggressive tank in the current state of the game. Winston is capable of diving into the enemy defense with ease thanks to his Jump Pack. His Tesla Cannon requires only minimal aiming skills and will easily take down a defending enemy in close quarters. Winston’s ultimate, Primal Rage gives him a whopping 1000hp and will turn him into a incredibly powerful disruption tool that can singlehandedly shatter an organized defense. Don’t forget about his Barrier Projector (E) as it gives him increased survivability when engaging.

Winston is best used as an engage tank to jump onto enemy high ground and take down their snipers while your team follows up behind him. Use him on maps such as Watchpoint: Gibraltar for maximum effect, as the enemy often holds high ground that you might have difficulty taking.

Tips:

- You can use his ult to clear enemies off a point in the last moments of a game. This is particularly dangerous in place like the Sanctum in Nepal (3rd capture point) as you can knock your enemies into the abyss.

- Tesla cannon will go through barriers and Genji’s deflect.

- Using Primal Rage heals Winston on activation.

- Reinhardt:

An highly durable tank, he is almost always relevant and particularly good at pushing payloads. Where Winston dives ahead to take the enemy head on, Reinhardt will tend to sit back and cover his allies from enemy fire while they kill the defenders. His shield absorbs massive damage and he is a huge threat in melee range. Use Reinhardt’s barrier to cover allies and push the payload forward. It recharges quickly, so keep an eye out for cover when it begins to shatter. A good way to use his shield is to have a Widowmaker take cover behind it and snipe out the enemy Widowmaker without any risk of return fire.

Reinhardt’s ultimate ability ‘Earthshatter’ can turn a fight on its head. It will stun anyone in front of him and give him or his team time to wipe them out. Try to hold it for pushes against clustered groups of opponents.

You will want to use him in Payload attack in particular, though he can easily fit most maps and comps.

Tips:

- After using Earthshatter, try to aim your Fire Strike to hit as many enemies as possible and finish them off with your melee.

- You can engage a fight with your Charge, however you can not turn and the enemy can easily dodge it. Try to use it at close to medium range as it is capable of one-shotting any non-tank when it hits.

Supports

- Lucio:

His excellent speed boost and AOE healing anchor him as the best offensive support, especially when playing with a team of randoms. Crossfade along with Amp it up (E) allows you to reach capture points long before the enemy and set up a strong position. Along with this, his healing will keep your team topped up from the poke they will inevitably take as you push forward. High mobility and adequate damage will keep him alive and everywhere he needs to be. Sound Barrier is one of the best ultimates to brute force an enemy defense. The massive shield it gives coupled with a speed boost will have your team tearing into the enemy defense before they can react.

You can pick Lucio into anything and he will always perform well.

Tip:

- Sometimes you will want to use speed in fights. Make sure to look at the enemy composition and act accordingly. Speed is good against champions like Widowmaker, as they will have a hard time landing headshots.

Defense

- Widowmaker:

Using Widowmaker in offense can be a situational pick. The player MUST remember to remain mobile and move with the frontline, always pressing his advantage by getting large fields of vision on the enemy lines. Offensive Widowmaker is a pick you will especially want to use against multiple snipers or turrets but you have to be confident in your ability to outsnipe them.

Remember to stay mobile and pressure the enemy, don’t wait for them to come into your sights. Move up constantly and be ready to switch champions when the map changes or the enemy composition shifts.

Offense



(Image courtesy of fear-sAs)

- Tracer/Genji:

The go to flanker, Tracer excels at darting around the map and hitting the enemy from the sides. Use her high mobility to get behind their snipers and turrets to burst them down before running away. Keep the enemies attention divided and you will have done your job. Tracers ultimate, ‘Pulse Bomb’ is excellent for taking out sniper nests or Bastions right before a push.

Use Tracer in maps with lots of side-streets and paths that allow her to flank, such as King’s Road and Illios.

Genji fills the same role as Tracer, however he is better suited for maps with high vertical play such as Watchpoint: Gibraltar and Temple of Anubis. He is capable of reaching spots behind the enemy defenses that they might never expect and insta-killing their backline. If the defenders have multiple Bastions, he is also an effective counter. However, most Bastions will know not to shoot a Genji while he is deflecting, so keep that in mind.

- Soldier: 76:

Versatility is Soldier: 76’s second name as he fits most game modes and comps easily. With his Biotic Field (E) he can replace a second healer if you need some extra damage. His sprint also allows him to return to the fight after death with very little downtime while his ultimate will always be useful as it allows for 100% precision on his attacks. When rushing down a point, popping ‘Tactical Visor’ will quickly kill your enemies unless they get to cover. You will also pull a lot of attention from your teammates by doing this.

Soldier: 76 is very strong against picks such as Pharah as he has an easy time mowing her down while she floats around.

You can pick Soldier in most situations without worrying about being irrelevant.

Conclusion

There are a lot of other champions out there that will perform well if you play them to a certain level. As you can imagine, including every single champion in a guide like this would be far to extensive and wouldn't impress upon the reader the ones that will perform the best. As a parting tip, remember to always look at your team's composition and try to pick accordingly. Be adaptable and don't always stick to one champion.

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