Ana Counter: The Best Ways To Counter Ana

Updated:

28 Feb 2019

Ana Amari is currently a rogue sniper working to protect those she loves.

As the former second-in-command of Overwatch, she is a seasoned veteran not to be underestimated. Ana’s variety of abilities allow her to support teammates and take down enemies across the battlefield. In this guide you will learn how to best take down this ranged support as well as who she plays best against.

First, here is an overview of her abilities:

Biotic Rifle: “Ana’s rifle shoots darts that can restore health to her allies or deal ongoing damage to her enemies. She can use the rifle’s scope to zoom in on targets and make highly accurate shots.”
Sleep Dart: “Ana fires a dart from her sidearm, rendering an enemy unconscious (though any damage will rouse them).”
Biotic Grenade: “Ana tosses a biotic bomb that deals damage to enemies and heals allies in a small area of effect. Affected allies briefly eceive increased healing from all sources, while enemies caught in the blast cannot be healed for a few moments.”
Nano Boost: “After Ana hits one of her allies with a combat boost, they deal more damage, and take less damage from enemies’ attacks.”

Heroes that Counter Ana

Moira’s genetic testing resulted in her abilities as well as Reaper’s incorporeal form.

3. Reaper/Moira

Who said Overwatch’s lore isn’t reflected in-game? Both Moira and Reaper can counter Ana’s entire kit thanks to the genetic testing Moira performed. Moira’s fade and Reaper’s Wraith Form can cancel Ana’s Biotic Rifle damage, dodge a Sleep Dart, and cleanse the anti-healing effect of her Biotic Grenade.
Moira and Reaper also have the upper hand over Ana in terms of mobility. Both ex-Blackwatch members have movement abilities that can put them in the back line with Ana, who has no means of escape.
Moira and Reaper can out-damage Ana in different ways; Reaper’s Hellfire Shotguns have a potential of 280 HP/sec damage up close while Moira’s Biotic Grasp and Biotic Orb require no aiming, allowing both to easily dispatch Ana.

Winston is a main member of the dive meta, making Ana one of his main targets.

2. Winston

Ana is a backline healer with no mobility which makes her an easy target for Winston’s Jump Pack. This intelligent ape excels at taking down squishy enemies 1v1, so unless Ana’s team has her back, she likely won’t last long
against Winston.

Since Ana is a sniper, her weapon performs best at range and requires careful aim. This is contrasted by Winston’s Tesla Cannon which requires no aim and works wonders up close. With Winston’s HP and damage output, no amount of protest from Ana will stop him.

The one defense Ana can use against Winston is her Sleep Dart. Except, her tiny sidearmwill do little to keep her safe. In the case that Ana lands her Sleep Dart, her only hope is to run away from Winston and get a teammate to help her. However, a skilled Winston will know this and use his Barrier Projector to block the dart in midair, or deploy it on the ground and weave in and out of its bubble to bait her sleep and block her rifle damage.

Tracer suffers from chronal disassociation due to an accident in an experimental plane called the Slipstream. Winston created her Chronal Accelerator to keep her in the present and allow her to control her passage through time.

1. Tracer

Tracer is well known for being one of the most mobile heroes in Overwatch. Combined with her rapid firing Pulse Pistols, she becomes Ana’s worst nightmare. Tracer can easily flank her enemies’ backline where she will likely find Ana. Tracer can proceed to empty a clip into Ana, Blink before she can even react, and finish the healer off.
Tracer has the unique ability to travel 3 seconds into the past, allowing her to reposition and gain back any health lost. Recall will completely negate the effects of Ana’s Biotic Grenade; Ana and Tracer players know this, creating an impasse on the Ana’s part. Ana will be forced to use her grenade to heal herself, but know that any damage Tracer took will be erased. This gives the Tracer a large advantage that will likely lead to Ana’s demise.
Since Tracer’s Blink ability is so fast and has such a short cooldown, Ana players have trouble landing a Sleep Dart. The combination of Blink and Recall make it easy for Tracer to bully her targets and Ana likely won’t be able to compete. While Tracer is very vulnerable when slept, it takes a skilled Ana player to land the dart, but an equally skilled Tracer player will be able to bait and juke this ability. Play to your ability and pay attention to the skill level of your enemies; there’s no shame in picking a new strategy when your first doesn’t work out.

Heroes Ana is Strong Against

Fareeha Amari always dreamed of being an Overwatch member, but her mother never allowed it. Pharah tried to follow in Ana’s footsteps, but Overwatch was disbanded before she was able to join.

3. Pharah

Ana’s Biotic Rifle is best used at range, exactly where her daughter is usually found. Ana’s sniper is hitscan and has no damage falloff and since Pharah is usually in the open, Ana is one of the few heroes who really succeed in taking her down. Even landing a few shots will force her to retreat for healing, or risk taking letal damage from her enemies.
Pharah’s ultimate is an easy target for Ana’s Sleep Dart since Pharah is stationary, likely in midair, and lit up like a Christmas tree. A quick Ana should be able to mitigate some damage as long as she wasn’t the direct target of the Rocket Barrage.
A highly skilled Ana player (or the rest of us in a lucky circumstance) may be able to land a Sleep Dart on an airborne Pharah. This is very helpful since it takes Pharah out of her element and could even send her off the edge of the map.

A former member of the Shambali, Zenyatta is a monk who believes the divide between humans and omnics can be repaired through interpersonal connection and engagement.

2. Zenyatta

Zenyatta is a squishy healer much like Ana, but our favorite support sniper does counter the omnic monk in a few different ways. As a support hero, Zenyatta’s healing ability is one of the most important parts of his kit. However, it is very easy for Ana to use her Biotic Grenade on Zenyatta himself or his teammates. Eliminating his healing ability cuts Zen’s effectiveness considerably.
Zenyatta’s Orb of Destruction can put out similar damage as Ana’s Biotic Rifle, both with their trade-offs. While Zen’s weapon can headshot, his orbs are also projectiles. I think Ana wins in this matchup since she will choose to fight at range where projectiles are less accurate. In the event that a Zenyatta and Ana 1v1 in close range, Ana has the option to use her grenade and Sleep Dart while Zen can only use his Orb of Discord to increase the damage Ana takes.
Zenyatta is known for his responsive ultimate, Transcendence. Zen’s ability heals 300 HP/sec in a 10 meter radius which can save an entire team from team-wipe ultimates. However, Ana can completely counter this with her Biotic Grenade, causing Zenyatta to waste his ultimate and likely confirm a team kill for her teammates.

Mako Rutledge, aka Roadhog, lives in the wreckage of the Australian omnium, surviving the apocalyptic wasteland by any means necessary.

1. Roadhog

Roadhog has one of the largest hitboxes in the game which is just one factor that makes him weak to Ana’s abilities. At range, Roadhog’s Scrap Gun is ineffective, but Ana can easily hit him with her rifle or Sleep Dart which will charge her ult and aid her team.
Roadhog’s most useful ability is his Chain Hook + Scrap Gun: a dangerous combo that can potentially one-shot many heroes. However, a responsive Ana can save a teammate with a well-timed Sleep Dart. Hog is locked in a short animation when he reels in his hook, a window of opportunity to save your ally.
Roadhog is known for his powerful healing ability, Take a Breather, which replenishes 300 HP and often puts him at full health in the middle of a fight. This is yet another ability that Ana can completely negate. It is very easy to time a Biotic Grenade when Roadhog initiates this ability and puts him at a huge disadvantage as his animation continues but does not heal. You and your teammates are likely able to finish off this one-man-apocalypse with no issue.
Lastly, Ana can counter Roadhog’s ultimate with little effort, bringing her to 3 out of 3 in Roadhog’s abilities she can counter. The “Whole Hog” locks him in a 5.5 second animation where his movement is slowed by 25%, aka, an easy target for Ana’s Sleep Dart. Causing your enemy to waste an offensive ultimate is one of the best ways Ana counters Roadhog.

How to Outsmart an Ana Player

Separate Ana from her team

While Ana is a very effective hero due to a defensive kit and reasonable damage output for a support, Ana is at her prime when she is coordinating with her team. As a backline sniper with no mobility, Ana is susceptible to flankers who she has the opportunity to counter with Sleep Dart, but can rarely finish off herself. This means if you can separate Ana from her team by using heroes like Mei or diving her frontline to distract her teammates, Ana will not be able to survive many encounters.

Prepare to counter her Nano boosted teammates

If there is an Ana on the enemy team, you know she will be using her Nano Boost at some point. Once you realize this, you should also start thinking about who she will Nano Boost. Look out for heroes like Genji, Soldier: 76, Reinhardt, Reaper, or Bastion (to name a few) and prepare to defend against their ultimates. This could mean running your own Ana for Sleep Dart, or saving another defensive ultimate from your supports.

Bait out her abilities

Ana relies heavily on her abilities like Sleep Dart and Biotic Grenade; both of which are effective at disrupting the enemy and their abilities. The best way to outsmart an Ana player is to prepare against these abilities. This means using your own abilities when Ana’s are on cooldown, most easily achieved by coordinating with your team to bait hers. For instance, a Soldier: 76 could engage Ana and put down his Biotic Field prompting her to use her Biotic Grenade. This opens your team to use ultimates like Zarya’s Graviton Surge, Mercy’s Valkyrie, or Zenyatta’s Transcendence more effectively. Another example would be for a large teammate like Reinhardt to approach Ana, likely causing her to use Sleep Dart. This opens the opportunity for McCree’s High Noon, Pharah’s Rocket Barrage, or the enemy Ana to send in a Nano Boosted teammate.

Now you should know how to play better with Ana and more effectively against her. In a game like Overwatch, the most important strategy that will help you every time is coordinating with your team. This will take your gameplay to a whole new level, and when playing against or with a difficult hero like Ana, it will get you more wins. Leave any comments or questions below, thanks!