Sombra became one of the most highly anticipated “Overwatch” heroes before her release. Her ARG (alternate reality game) was even the most exciting, as it conveys a very interesting plot in the game’s lore. But as soon as she arrived on the live servers, the hacker hero’s significance has yet to become evident.
According to Inven Global, the popularity of Sombra in the “Overwatch” community has been inconsistent. It either rises or plummets, depending on how players compose their team around her. Although Blizzard has not introduced any changes to her, the way players use her has somehow changed dramatically.
Her hacking skills still makes her a valuable member of a team
The hero above is unlike any other on the roster in terms of ultimate burning. The latter refers to the quickness of a hero to rearm his/her ultimate. Sombra, in particular, is off the charts. Why and how exactly? Her ability to hack health packs – preventing enemies from using them – helps in burning her ultimate. In fact, in a memorable tournament in the “Overwatch World Cup,” the hero’s last charging ability was on full display. Just seconds after dying, her ultimate percentage quickly climbed to 70 percent after hacking the map’s health packs.
It holds true that Sombra’s ultimate called EMP is quite efficient. However, there are only a few heroes in the “Overwatch” roster that can synchronize with her ultimate.
Most of these are characters that use crowd-controlling abilities such as D.Va and Reinhardt, both of which have ultimates that are perfect for Sombra’s EMP. With her ability to burn this ultimate quickly, she becomes a major game-changer in whichever position they are placed – be it offense or defense.
Is she a support or offense hero?
Based on how players – most especially on the higher tiers in Competitive Play – it is safe to say that Sombra in “Overwatch” is considered a niche character. She is not as deadly as Soldier: 76 or Tracer, let alone being an effective support such as Mercy and Ana, among others. However, her flanking and hacking abilities are unlike any other characters in the game.
She can move from one direction to another without getting noticed. She may not be as mobile as Genji or Winston, but she is still capable of getting in and out of the battlefield. At the end of the day, Sombra’s significance in the team depends on the composition and the player using her.
Some prefer to use her as a steady support in “Overwatch,” hacking health packs and providing disabilities to the enemy. There are others, however, who use her as a silent assassin. She steps into the enemy front line using her stealth skill, allowing her to either hack or kill the opponent at sight. In short, Sombra can either be a support or offense hero and for sure, she can also be both.
