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How to counter Ashe in Overwatch
Overwatch’s newest hero sports a unique kit, making it difficult to predict how she’s going to slot into the meta – but we’ve sussed her best synergies and counters already.
Ashe, the newest DPS hero in Overwatch, debuted at BlizzCon 2018. With her trusty Viper rifle, Ashe is set to make waves in the Overwatch meta, which is currently in the healthiest state we’ve seen for a long time.
Although Ashe is yet to be released in Competitive, it already seems as if she will be able to hold her own at the highest levels, especially considering the degree of versatility offered by the current meta. However, her viability is largely dependent on hero selection – perhaps even more so than any other hero to date.
1. Now you know what it’s like to work with the best
Ashe lines up a shot with the Viper
© Blizzard
Ashe is a DPS hero who can be devastating if she’s given the right support. For instance, with her ADS headshots doing base 170 damage, a Nano-Boosted Ashe will be able to shred all heroes with 250 HP or under with a single shot. This is complemented by the fact that Ashe’s ADS spread is currently very forgiving, making her headshots much easier to land than those of other characters.
Even without Nano, a scoped headshot followed by a no-scoped bodyshot will delete a squishy in seconds. Ashe’s damage potential almost rivals that of Widowmaker, but her skill ceiling is a lot lower. Whereas headshots with Widow are something that only very skilled players can execute reliably, Ashe’s ADS fire is easily controlled. The headshot-into-primary combo that is so often seen in Widow play will likely become a staple in Ashe’s playstyle, too. As Terence “SoOn” Tarlier told us in an interview for RedBull.com at BlizzCon, “the most important part is that she’s hitscan, it's something people like me can play.” Ashe will fit right into the hero pool of the majority of hitscan pro players – especially those who are proficient with Widowmaker.
2. Justice rains from above
Ashe can easily take out aerial threats
© Blizzard
Recent changes to Pharah have made her a lot smoother to play, but at the cost of sacrificing her spam damage potential. As a result, Pharah often plays closer to the ground now – shooting slow slugs from just below the skybox is pointless when you’re solely rewarded for landing direct hits, or at least something very close.
McCree, Soldier: 76, and Widowmaker have traditionally been the heroes that are picked to counter an enemy Pharah. However, none of these heroes (with the exception of McCree’s Deadeye) will be able to deal with Pharah quite as well as Ashe. A Pharah within range can be killed with three body shots, which are particularly easy to land consecutively given Pharah’s slow movement while she’s airborne and Ashe’s high spread. By the same logic, the arcs of aerial abilities such as Winston’s Vertical Jump, D.Va’s Boosters, and Genji’s double jump will be incredibly easy to track, especially for players who excel on track-based heroes such as Zarya and Tracer.
While Ashe will definitely be playable for hitscan experts, you’ll likely see players sacrifice their opportunity for a Graviton Surge for Big Ol’ B.O.B. Expect an alteration of GOATs (Reinhardt, Zarya, D.Va, Lucio, Brigitte, Moira) that substitutes Zarya for Ashe, as Ashe will synergize particularly well if she’s in the middle of a bulky, sustainable composition that’s designed to cover ground quickly. Also, B.O.B. happens to be one of the most unique and powerful Ultimate abilities in the game right now, but it doesn’t really tie into Ashe’s synergies and counters – it’s kind of its own thing.
3. They are gettin’ on my nerves
Although Ashe is definitely viable right now, there are certain heroes that will give her a lot of trouble. Battles with Tracer will be similar to the notorious Tracer/Zenyatta 50/50 odds, as Ashe can kill Tracer with a single headshot, but landing that headshot on a hero as unpredictable as Tracer is easier said than done. Ashe’s best chance is to force Recall and successfully predict where Tracer will appear; aside from that, Tracer will likely win the duel.
Winston and D.Va can also be easily tracked, but if their dive is supported by complementary DPS heroes, Ashe will be left in a sticky situation. Although this may seem to guarantee Ashe’s death, Ashe has a chance if she’s managed her cooldowns well. If she tosses her Dynamite and immediately shoots it with her shotgun, Ashe will deal AoE damage to the divers while being able to create distance between her and them. Given the Dynamite’s burn damage post-explosion, Ashe will be able to delete all enemies with healthpools under 300 with a single headshot, which is easily lined up at this range. However, it could be better to use her semi-automatic primary fire in this instance, as using up all 12 slugs in her clip can easily overwhelm up to three heroes in a matter of seconds if the player is accurate.
Although less directly problematic, Zenyatta’s Orb of Discord will essentially sign a vulnerable Ashe’s deathwish. Zenyatta is easy to manage for Ashe, but if his Discord Orb is on her, his team-mates can eliminate her before she even lines up a shot on him. The same goes for Roadhog’s Chain Hook; if he misses his hook, Ashe can gladly take a free B.O.B. from piling damage onto Roadhog. However, if she’s hooked, she’s a goner unless Roadhog messes up his follow up and her shotgun blast connects perfectly.
4. “Step into my parlor,” said the spider to the fly.
Ashe’s greatest fear is Widowmaker’s Widow’s Kiss
© Blizzard
Ashe will always lose to Widow at range unless the latter is unskilled. Although Ashe’s Viper can easily land headshots at mid-range, a Widow with a high ground advantage will be able to delete Ashe with a single 80 percent charged headshot. Given Widow’s relatively small head hitbox, Ashe will likely land body shots. It’s best to not take this fight if possible, as it’s one that definitively favours the other hero.
Genji, although a hero who can be tracked easily with the Viper, will prove difficult to overcome, too. A well-timed Deflect can leave Ashe with only 30 HP, which Genji can immediately finish off with a Swift Strike. Given Ashe’s lack of mobility, the chance of Genji missing his dash is negligible. Unless Ashe is patient enough to bait Genji’s Deflect, she will almost always lose out to a seasoned Genji.
Curiously, very little has been mentioned about Doomfist in relation to Ashe. Her lack of mobility means that she’ll be eliminated by every Rocket Punch and Meteor Strike that targets her. Similarly to Hanzo, Ashe will be able to land easy headshots on Doomfist’s huge head hitbox (almost as big as Torbjorn’s, who won’t stand a chance against Ashe). However, if the Doomfist player uses their Uppercut and Seismic Slam abilities for mobility instead of damage, landing that headshot won’t be an easy feat. Doomfist can absolutely overwhelm Ashe if used correctly.
The gist of it is this: all of Ashe’s synergies and counters are defined by her headshot damage and lack of mobility. If you cater to her potential, she can be one of the most devastating heroes in the game. If not, she can easily be outplayed by heroes who are more mobile than her, as unless she lands a perfect shot every single time, she’ll be mercilessly eliminated in a matter of seconds.
