#i was a moira slash orisa main

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misc hanzo doodles.....bc he's been living in my head

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One Ally Ana Tip for Every Hero

Hey! So, I’ve been getting into this series by a youtuber named KarQ, where he has a pro player come in as a guest to his channel, and makes a video where they talk about their main and every single matchup in the game, including the mirror match. He also has them offer one general tip for the hero.

I really love this idea and the series has taught me a lot for playing as and against several heroes in the game, so as a very un-professional Ana player, I wanted to make a list of things that I wish my allies would do when I’m on Ana. Ana is easily the most mechanically intensive support hero in the game, and there are a lot of small things that you, as her teammate, can do to help make her a lot more effective. Without further ado, click the readmore for one (several) tips to help your ally Ana as every hero!

General Tip: A significant amount of the Overwatch community is divided over the “I need healing” ping. Some, usually healer mains, think it’s always disrespectful, while others think it’s okay if not used in excess or when healers clearly can’t get to you, and then there are some who spam it when they have 195/200 HP. So, what I recommend is as follows: If you’re low on health and within an Ana’s line of sight, she knows. Healers get a big “CRITICAL” icon over your silhouette, even through walls, when you’re low. So when you’re on the point and low, Ana knows to heal you, don’t ping her. However, since Ana is a sniper hero, I actually appreciate it when my allies ping healing if they’re behind me as I spam down a choke point. In that case, the 70 HP or so you’re missing is more important than what I was doing, and I couldn’t see you because I was scoped in.

TL;DR: Ping healing when you’re behind your Ana. Don’t ping it when you’re behind a wall off the point, because usually she’s looking that way and is waiting for you to walk out from the wall.

Also, please, if you’re full HP, don’t walk or stand directly in front of your Ana. You’ll tank the shot and get healed instead of letting the shot go to its intended target, which is likely either a low hp enemy or ally, so you might have just doomed a teammate or saved an enemy.

ATTACK HEROES:

Doomfist: Realize that Ana can’t heal through walls. You have a big hitbox, and it’s even bigger for her, but when you punch away, chasing a flanker or a low target, you’ve probably left her line of sight. However, if you have a good Ana player on high ground and you ult while you have low HP, ask her for healing before you land. You’re invulnerable for a teeny bit after you land, but not to her healing, and since your landing zone is telegraphed as hell, she might be able to get a shot or two into you before you can even take damage. Use voice chat for this though, as it’s a big ask if she’s not expecting it.

Genji: PING WHEN YOU HAVE DRAGONBLADE. You are one of Ana’s best friends; treat her right and she will win games for you every time. Your blade is the second best target for Nano-Boost, after Tactical Visor, so unless you have a Soldier, always always always ping your Ana when you have your sword ready. Also, Nano-Boost is a point-and-click ability, sure, but it still requires Ana to have line of sight on you, so look for her before you pull the sword out and dash onto an enemy. In addition, with a nano-boost, if you dash-cancel a slash, that should be enough to kill a 200HP target where you’d normally need two swings, so make sure you remember that and don’t waste a swing on the empty air where an enemy used to be. This does allow you to kill most heroes through Transcendence with enough precision, so definitely keep that in mind. Also, just in case you two didn’t counter poor Zenyatta hard enough, if she doesn’t have Nano or you don’t have sword, her Biotic Grenade will prevent Zen’s allies from healing in his ult, so if you pull blade and hear Transcendence, you might still be able to kill some folks with purple health bars. Lastly, and this is very important: Nano-Boost lasts for eight seconds, and your blade only lasts for six. If she hits you before you pull your blade out, you have a whole two seconds to select the first person you’re gonna try to cut in half before any enhanced blade damage is lost. Take your time and select your target properly, don’t feel like you have to sword in right away.

McCree: In the lore, this woman taught you how to shoot, so keep that in mind. Nano High Noon isn’t the best combo in the game, but it works in a pinch. Also, her shots deal 70 damage and so do yours (before damage falloff), so if an average enemy takes three hits total from you two, they’re dead. Also, she can’t headshot, but you can, so if you see a 200HP hero surrounded by the purple aura of her shot, click on their head for an easy kill. Lastly, if your Ana is dying too much, or if you’re dying too much, stand right with her. She can keep you both alive by throwing a ‘nade at her feet, and you can peel those pesky flankers off of her with your Flashbang. Low-mobility friends have to stick together!

Pharah: Your mom is the second-best healer for you after your skywife Mercy, so keep the skies clear for her. She can still miss you as you jetpack around, so if you’re really low, try landing behind a wall where she can still see you. That’s pretty much it, other than the very niche case where you’re very low and you notice that your ally Ana just respawned. Several maps, especially control point ones, have a pretty clear line of sight from the spawn doors to the air far above the point, so if you need healing and your mom just spawned, fly straight up. I’ve found this works really well on maps like Oasis: City Center, Lijiang Tower: Night Market, Illios: Well, Eichenwalde, first point on defense, and King’s Row, first point on attack.

Reaper: Ever since the nerf to Nano-Boost that no longer increases your movement speed, the Beyblade combo is significantly worse than it used to be, but it still works in a pinch, so ping Death Blossom if she asks or if you’re the only real target on her team for it. Secondly, Biotic Grenade increases all healing that happens to you, including your passive lifesteal, so if you’re getting low and she tosses a ‘nade at your feet, consider continuing to shoot to keep yourself up instead of just Wraith Forming out, because you’ll be damn hard to kill through your passive and a ‘nade. If you do have to Wraith Form out, remember that she can still heal you, so either head in her direction if you’re really low or get out of her way for higher-priority targets if you know of a nearby mega health pack you can use instead.

Soldier: 76: You are Ana’s very best friend, better than Genji and even Reinhardt. Tactical Visor is the ultimate for Nano-Boost, so try to combo them as much as possible. If you haven’t enabled ally health bars on Soldier through the game’s settings, you really should. If you have done this and you see an allied Ana below 100 HP, use your Biotic Field on her. Her Biotic Grenade is ridiculously powerful on every hero in the game, except for her. She has no other way to heal herself other than tossing it at her feet, and it only gives her 100 health, and then no way to benefit from the increased healing after that. Your field can patch her back up to full no matter what unless she has to leave it, and in turn she can throw her grenade at you and perhaps other nearby allies as well, and continue to shoot those allies, healing them more. In contrast, if she has to ‘nade her feet and then you start taking damage on the point and throw down your field, you two have burned the same cooldowns but resulted with significantly less healing overall. Finally, if you both get caught in a Graviton Surge or are just near each other and taking lots of damage, the combo of ‘nade and Biotic Field together makes what I like to call a “Budget Transcendence,” and it will absolutely save your life.

Sombra: There isn’t much synergy that you two have, other than an EMP and a big anti-grenade being probably the most disabling combo in the game. If you hack a health pack and see her running to it, let her have it, because she can’t heal herself nearly as efficiently as she can heal you. Also, if you’re feeling very protective, you can just camp her and hack the Tracer and Genji that’re diving her all day, and from there, she’ll be able to reliably win that 1v1.

Tracer: In order for her to heal you, you have to not be blinking all over the map like a lunatic, which is really what you need to do in order to be effective, so usually the only healing you’ll get from her is when you run all the way over to her. However, all you’ll ever need is two shots to get back to full. Finally, and this is very important: If you see her land a sleep dart on an enemy Zarya or Orisa, do not, I repeat, DO NOT STICK THESE HEROES WHILE THEY ARE ASLEEP. Both have 400 max HP and will die to a bomb, but the initial contact of the bomb deals 5 damage, waking them up and giving Zarya just enough time to bubble herself and take no damage, or Orisa enough time to use Fortify and survive through her damage reduction. If you see an Ana sleep either of these heroes, just wave, maybe put down a spray, and gently drop the Pulse Bomb right next to their sleeping soon-to-be-corpse. Same goes for Moira, Reaper, and an enemy Tracer, but those heroes usually die when slept anyways, and aren’t worth a Pulse Bomb.

DEFENSE HEROES:

Bastion: Ana is the best support for keeping you alive in Turret form. You don’t move an inch, so she’ll never miss a shot, and if you’re dying, she can put 75 HP into you 1.2 times a second without ‘nade. If she does ‘nade you, your self-healing will be even more effective than before. However, if there are people in your face and she’s healing you, it might be a better idea to keep shooting instead of healing yourself, because there are very very few single heroes who can out-damage the healing of an Ana who is completely focused on you, especially with your armor. Finally, your ult is actually a decent target for Nano-Boost, especially against tank-heavy comps, so be sure to watch her ult charge and ping your own.

Hanzo: There isn’t much synergy here. If she randomly Nanos you after you toss your ult, it does actually enhance the damage, so don’t worry, she didn’t waste it. She really appreciates Sonic Arrows, because she is also a sniper. If you can Scatter enemy flankers off of her, she’ll really appreciate it, but that isn’t really your job. Just try to remember where she is and try to get to a position where you can still take shots but she can see you for healing, because you’re far more mobile than she is.

Junkrat: Tragically, she cannot heal your tire. I know, I was disappointed too. Other than controlling the area where she’s set up with your ridiculous zoning potential, there isn’t much you can do to help her. If you really want to get advanced, you can put extra priority on breaking things like Winston bubbles or Orisa shields when your allies are behind them, because that will allow her to heal those allies. In a similar vein, if you get dove by a Winston and you’re low, try to use your mine to knock yourself out of the barrier in her direction, and if she’s watching, she’ll heal you, because you’re pretty easy for her to snipe while you fly.

Mei: Be very considerate with your wall. It can completely cut her off from an ally she was healing if you aren’t careful, and unlike with an enemy Mei, she can’t even break a small section of your wall and shoot through it. Finally, she cannot heal you through your Cryofreeze, which is something unique to Ana. However, you will still benefit from Biotic Grenade’s healing increase if you freeze after it, so she might be able to let you pop out faster. Finally, the slow from your primary fire on a big tank like RoadHog or Reinhardt will usually let her land an easy sleep dart, which is often an easy kill.

Torbjorn: For once, your giant hitbox is actually a benefit to you, because you’re pretty easy for her to heal, and she’s pretty well-equipped to quickly top you off from far away. However, keep in mind that your turret will block her shots and not heal from it, so if you’re low, try not to let it be between you two. Also, if you’re both insane, Nano Molten Core is a thing that could potentially happen, so try it out if you have literally zero other options. Also, give her armor. 

Widowmaker: You’re generally a loner, and Ana isn’t as well-suited to heal you as someone like a Mercy or a Zenyatta, but she’ll certainly help you more than a Moira or a Lucio would. If you ping healing, it might take her a second to get to you, because she needs to find a line of sight to you and has no mobility. Other than that, try to save Infra-Sight for when she’s alive, because she’s a sniper too and will benefit from the ability more than some of your other allies.

TANKS:

D.Va: Sadly, you are probably the worst tank for an Ana to Nano-Boost, because it applies to your mech, and not you. As an Ana player, I’ve had my heart break because I desperately Nano’d a D.Va who threw down a Self-Destruct right after, which essentially wasted my Nano. That being said, you still do have 600 HP, so you can play even more aggressively than you normally do if you feel a Biotic Grenade splash on you. Just try not to chase anyone too far out of her line of sight.

Orisa: Nano-Boost reduces the damage that you take, just like your Fortify ability. Combine these two with her Biotic Grenade and constant healing and you can basically tank the world. The amount of damage that you can just flat-out negate with this combo is very surprising. Just be careful to not let your Ana die during it, because that 75 HP 1.2 times a second is a very key component in your ability to survive everything.

Reinhardt: All these wimpy DPS heroes need to combine their own ultimate with Nano-Boost to get value out of it. Real heroes like you can make the best of a Nano anytime, anywhere. When you hear “You’re powered up, get in there!” just charge into the enemy team and start swingin’. Just be careful if you two are the only people left, because if you charge away from her, she’ll likely die without you or another tank. However, if you get a Nano as or after you land four or more heroes in a Shatter, then it doesn’t matter at that point, they’re all dead. Lastly, while it is your job to stand in front of your team and hold up your rectangle, try not to stand or move directly in front of your Ana, because your body will block her shots, unlike every other ally of yours.

Road Hog: You thought you were unkillable before? Try having an Ana give you a Biotic Grenade. That 100 initial HP combined with the 300 from your Take A Breather, which will be increased to 450 by the grenade, will make you a very, very tanky pig. So, yes, if you have just 50 HP remaining and both you and your ally Ana press the E button, you will return to full HP. Also, Whole Hog is a really great ultimate for Nano-Boost, so ping her when you have it. Just try not to spend too much time flanking, because if she can’t see you, she can’t help you. If you do have an ally Ana, consider playing more like an anchor tank than a half-tank/half-dps, because she really can allow you to block almost as much damage as something like a Reinhardt with just your face. It’s also a great way for her to build ult charge.

Zarya: Bubble her. Bubble her often. Ana’s self-peel, unlike Moira’s Fade, Lucio’s boop, or Mercy’s Guardian Angel, requires a lot more skill from her in order to work, and also has a much longer cooldown, so a bubble will definitely save her life quite often. You probably won’t get as much charge as you would from something like a fellow tank or a less-mobile DPS hero, unless you’ve reached that stage of the game that happens to every Ana player where they have to stick so close to their team that their weapon might as well not have a scope. Finally, if you have an amazing Grav and then the enemy Zenyatta responds with a Transcendence, don’t despair: A good Ana will follow up with a Biotic Grenade and negate all healing for the Zen’s entire team, which will usually result in the monk watching his allies die around him and start sweating for when his invulnerability ends.

SUPPORTS:

Ana: No Limits is a fun game mode, for sure, but I’ve literally never seen this happen in Arcade, so I don’t have much. I guess you can really torture an enemy by chaining sleep darts...

Lucio: Her grenade and your Amp it Up on healing will allow a team to survive pretty much anything. Just try to visit her every now and again, because you can heal her better than she can heal herself. Also, while being impossible to hit as you wallride is sort of your job, remember that this also makes it difficult for her to heal you. Finally, try to use your speed boost to bring her back to the point or out of tight spots. She’s getting older and isn’t as fast as you or some of your more mobile friends.

Mercy: Tragically, your damage boost does not increase the amount that she heals with her shots. If you play a lot of Mercy, you’re probably used to staying on tanks, which is definitely your primary job, but you are far better equipped to stay with high-mobility flanker heroes than she is, especially on more cramped maps. She, however, is extremely well-suited at keeping tanks alive with her burst healing through her grenade, and she does actually heal a little bit faster than you if she doesn’t miss, until she has to reload. Finally, as this is always a suggestion, keep her topped off so she doesn’t have to throw her grenade at her feet to stay alive, and can use it on the rest of the team instead. Lastly, starting a match with your damage boost beam on her is a great way to show support player solidarity, and also a funny way to tilt your dps players.

Moira: You do short-range, she does long-range. Like every healer, keeping her up is a good idea, but you two share the trait of being able to heal others better than yourself, as she has to ‘nade her feet and you have to lifesteal something other than a shield. Thusly, you two should try to watch out for each other. Also, Ana/Moira is probably the best support combo for triple or even quad tank compositions, because her grenade and your healing both working very well for tanks. Finally, while Nano-Boost sadly doesn’t increase the team healing you do with Coalescence, it does increase the damage, and therefore the amount that you heal yourself. Biotic Grenade does the same, so Ana can press two buttons and make you into a psuedo-tank just from the obscene amount that you’ll be healing yourself.

Symmetra: You’re actually a far better Nano target than people think, just running around holding down the left mouse button with no remorse. Ana also greatly appreciates your shield generator, because it allows her to take 175 damage before she needs more than one grenade at her feet to get back to full, instead of the 100 she’s used to. Other than that, try to save her life from things like a D.Va bomb with your barrier, because she’s a slow grandma and might not be able to get behind a wall in time.

Zenyatta: You probably won’t see her on your team too often, since you two fulfill a rather similar “off-healer, off-dps” role. However, if you do end up on the same team as her, try to give her your Harmony Orb pretty often, because she can switch healing targets much faster than you can, but struggles to heal herself. She, like any sniper, also appreciates Discord Orb on her targets, so if you really trust her, you can just babysit her with your orbs and make her a very significant threat. Finally, if you see her use her Nano-Boost, especially on a high-mobility target like a Genji with Blade, give that person your Harmony Orb. It’s Ana’s job to keep her Nano target alive, but unlike her shots, your orb doesn’t miss once you select who gets it. If you’re a three-person team of a DPS main and two support mains, Ana, Zenyatta, and Genji or Soldier is a very potent composition.

And that’s all I’ve got! Hopefully I’ll remember to reblog this with more advice when new heroes come out. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe