Since her release at Blizz-Con in November players of Overwatch have been trying to wrap their heads around just how Sombra works. She’s not a DPS hero that’s for sure, she’ll never match the damage output of Solider or Tracer and she doesn’t have the range to deal with far-off threats like McCree or Pharah. So where does our hacking anti-heroine fit into Overwatch?
The Overwatch team has stated in an update that the community at large – even after 4 months – has not yet nailed down how Sombra is to be used, and after Ana’s release they wanted to take Sombra a bit slower. What most people were excited for in her kit was the ability to cloak and move in and out of enemy ranks without being spotted, taking out low health enemies with her Opportunist passive skill. Even with all these abilities at her disposal Sombra just can’t rack up the damage to be an assassin behind enemy lines that people had hoped she’d be. If you come up against a Tracer, a Solider or, god forbid, a Mei it’s going to take some clever tactics to make it out alive.
And that’s what Overwatch‘s team may be trying to instill in their player base, clever tactics.
Always Leave Yourself a Back Door
Making use of Sombra’s evasive tactics – not to eliminate – but to get into position and create a scenario for your team to annihilate. Sombra has one of the most unique in and out tool in the game and as long as you stay vigilant your safety is assured. But it does take vigilance, you have 15 seconds before you’re out of luck on your translocator. If you’re way behind enemy lines and you’ve only got 2 seconds left? It might be a good idea to zap out of there. Of course, you have your invisibility but it’s not infallible – I have honest to goodness been sleep darted while sleeping – and going invisible to get out of a sticky situation will probably never work. So keep that translocator up and count down from 15 everytime!
Hack the Planet
Hacks should be a lifeline, it’s your best way to help your team. D.Va Shields? Reinhardt Shields? Hog Health Buffs? Not anymore! If used correctly she and her team can take down any tank that’s giving your team trouble. This GIF, although meant to be humorous, perfectly exemplifies the vigor you got to get those hacks with. The only hesitation is that the rest of the team won’t capitalize on your hack. If you see your Sombra hack a Hog switch off the McCree you’re fighting and hit that Hog. He has no way to defend himself other than primary fire, no heals, no hooks, no ult, that piggy will fry really quick. In the same way, a Zenyatta discord orb is a black beacon to fire upon just like the data-storm of a hack. You have a strong advantage to take out an enemy… so take it.
¡Apagando las Luces!
A major threat in Sombra’s kit is her EMP. This ultimate is going to silence the enemy team and limit everyone inside it’s bubble of effect to primary fire and moving for a short while. In addition to neutralizing abilities, it will reduce any barrier to zero bringing Symmetra, Zenyatta and Zarya’s health down substantially; it will nullify Winston, Reinhardt and Orisha shields as well. But when to use this almighty lights out? If your team can’t capitalize on your hacks then it’s almost useless. To maximize your EMP you have to make sure your team is in position and knows you’re ready to go in and take down the defenses. If there’s no follow-up? EMP is pretty pointless. It can be absolutely devastating, but your team has to coordinate and jump on the opportunity.
If you Hold the Information you Hold all the Cards
Another glaring problem people seem to get mad at Sombras for is running in again and again and getting owned to death. No one in this game is a god, not even the invisible person. So taking the time you need to strategize and coordinate is critical especially for Sombra. A part of her Ultimate and Hack is knowing who has an ult and that’s valuable information. You can plan much better knowing the deck your opponent is playing with. So take your time and plan out a route – and make sure you have a backup/escape to fall back on – you’ll avoid a lot of Roadhog Hooks and stray arrows if you know where you’re going.
Looks Like I Have Time to do Some Research
Sombra’s need practice too, to know who and when to hack to capitalize the most of it. A good Sombra will keep an eye on the other team; has a Genji has been sitting idle for a while and hasn’t used his ultimate? He probably got his ult, y’all. He’s going to try to POTG your team and you have the ability to stop that. All it takes is a little vigilance.
New heroes are always going to shift up the game, that’s what makes it so fun, learning to add new heroes to a winning team can be a challenge. The biggest thing for you and your team to remember when anyone picks Sombra is when she “Hacks the Planet” make sure you’re there to make the world burn.
