Following confirmation that Ramattra was going to be the Overwatch 2 Season 2 hero, Blizzard has detailed what this new tank’s ability kit is going to look like – and it’s certainly going to be interesting. Concerns regarding the repetitive use of the term ‘Tempo Tank’ by lead concept artist Qiu Fang (which you can see here) aside, Ramattra is shaping up to be a viable tank pick for both attacking and defending – with abilities that can protect his teammates, debuff enemies, and deal devastating damage through shields. Thankfully, however, he isn’t going to be invincible and the Overwatch 2 community is already agreeing that both Roadhog and Zarya could be fantastic counter-picks to this new face on the roster.
Discussing ways to deal with Ramattra under an Overwatch subreddit post from ‘LessingerJones‘, there’s something of a rare general consensus that Roadhog is going to be the best counter-pick to Ramattra when the Overwatch 2 Season 2 release date rolls around – and here’s why.
Ramattra’s Annihilation ultimate ability is something that only works when he is in the centre of the enemy team. It creates an “energy swarm” around Ramattra which both damages enemies and slows their movement speed. If you want to know where this fits into the rest of his kit, you can find out more about Ramattra’s abilities here.
When you consider this already effective-sounding attack with the benefits Ramattra gains from Nemesis Form, devastating piercing damage that can go through shields and increased protection from the front, it’s clear to see why this would be tough to counter. And, that’s not even considering everything else Ramattra’s teammates will be doing alongside this.
But, what can Roadhog do more effectively than anyone else on our Overwatch 2 tier list? He move enemies around – and live to tell the tale. When it comes to this free shooting game, the Hog is always someone you should count on as a good counter-pick.
Using both Roadhog’s Chain Hook ability and his Whole Hog ultimate ability, players would – in theory – be able to keep Ramattra away from their squishier teammates when he is using Annihilation. Neutralising this area of effect attack and focusing his attention on Roadhog could also give other players a chance at hitting him from behind – he’s weaker here when in Nemesis mode.
While we can’t say for certain just how effective this counter-pick is going to be in practice, it does sound like it would be effective on paper. Of course, this strategy of isolation does lend itself quite well to other heroes with knockback abilities and attacks like Pharah, Lucio, and Wrecking Ball. However, Ramattra is going to be both damaging and slowing enemies the entire time and Roadhog’s Take A Breather ability and increased health pool is going to give him the best chance at survival.
So, where does Zarya come into this? Well, if you’re not someone who’s adept at using Roadhog to climb the ranks in Overwatch 2 competitive queues, fans are convinced that Zarya’s Particle Barrier and Projected Barrier bubbles aren’t going to count as something Ramattra can deal damage through in Nemesis Form – like Reinhardt’s Barrier Field, for example.
See where this is going? Although only available for a short period of time, these Zarya bubbles – in theory – could negate the damage and negative effects of Ramattra’s Annihilation and Ravenous Vortex while offering Zarya and bubbled players a chance at escaping his area-of-effect attacks and charging Zarya’s Energy.
It’s important to make it clear that, at the moment, this is speculation. However, Zarya’s Particle Barrier and Projected Barrier do not behave in the same way as other shield-based abilities do in Overwatch 2 – and it’s certainly not impossible to think that they would be resistant to Ramattra’s attacks.
But, we won’t know for sure until this new Overwatch 2 hero is made available. If you’re a support main, though, it seems like Zenyatta is going to be the way forward. You’re going to want to take Ramattra down as soon as you can, whether you’re on the front foot or defending a point. He’s certainly going to be one of the best Overwatch 2 tank heroes when he arrives.