Best heroes to counter Mauga in Overwatch 2

Michelle Cornelia
A screenshot of Mauga taken from one of his highlights in Overwatch 2.

Ever since Mauga was added to Overwatch 2, he has been nothing but a menace to the lobbies, so if you’re fed up losing to Maugas, here are the best counters to take him down.

Mauga is Overwatch 2‘s latest addition to the tank roster. While the community welcomed him upon launch, he has become responsible for some of the most oppressive metas and team compositions in the game.

That is thanks to his large HP pool, Cardiac Arrest’s ability to heal you up despite an entire team pumping damage into you, and the fact he can dish out insane amounts of damage with his guns (which are of course tied to how much self-healing he receives).

Without a doubt, Mauga is very hard to play against, especially now after Season 11’s Midseason patch which buffed Mauga (and every single tank in the game), which now puts the Samoan at the top of the meta once again.

So if you’re looking for what the best Mauga counters are, here it is.

Best Mauga counters in Overwatch 2

When it comes to countering Mauga, you’ll want to have loads of crowd control (cc) on your team. Ana’s Biotic Grenade, Sleep Dart, Sombra’s hack, and EMP — these abilities can prevent him from walking straight into your team.

Another thing to note, Mauga’s ability to heal is tied to the amount of damage he can dish out, so heroes that can absorb his damage, like D.Va’s Defense Matrix, Sigma’s Kinetic Grasp, or any shield will help.

Additionally, given that Mauga can’t shield like most tanks, he’s a walking ultimate battery for those who can poke him from afar.

Below, we’ve listed the best hero counters for Mauga in Overwatch 2.

Supports

Ana

A screenshot of Ana sleeping an enemy in Overwatch 2.
Ana should be your go-to support when it comes to playing against Mauga.

When it comes to countering Maugas, Ana should be your first pick. Her Biotic Nade to give Mauga anti-heal is crucial to taking him down instantly, as you take away his strongest asset. So make sure you’re landing as many Biotic Nades on Mauga to get the most out of her kit.

Zenyatta

A screenshot of Zenyatta taken from one of his highlights in Overwatch 2.
Zenyatta’s Discord orb can put a lot of pressure on Mauga.

The name of the game when countering Mauga as Zenyatta is to always put your Discord Orb on him no matter what. The more squishy you can make a Mauga, the better, just as long as you don’t lose line of sight of him. Furthermore, his Transcendence can be a team fight winner if used in Mauga’s Cage.

DPS

Bastion

A screenshot of Bastion taken from one of his highlights in Overwatch 2.
Bastion’s sentry form packs a lot of punch, making him a solid Mauga counter.

Bastion is the traditional Tank buster, and when it comes to Mauga he is traditionally the go-to pick. However, in Season 11’s Midseason update, Bastion’s sentry form just isn’t enough anymore, but that doesn’t make him obsolete. Just as long you aren’t taking a direct fight against him, Bastion can dish out enough damage to kill him.

Sombra

A screenshot featuring Sombra taken from one of her highlights in Overwatch 2.
Save Sombra’s EMP for his ultimate.

Sombra’s hack is a powerful ability that you can abuse to punish Mauga’s aggressive playstyle. It’s even better if you can combine hack with other cc abilities like Ana’s sleep or Nade to guarantee his kill (assuming they don’t run a Kiriko). That aside, one thing that makes Sombra genuinely shine as a Mauga counter is that her EMP ultimate can completely negate Mauga’s cage. His entire ultimate just disappears into thin air as long as it’s in the EMP’s range.

Reaper

Cursed Captain Reaper
Reaper is one of the best Tank busters in the game

Reaper is Overwatch’s original Tank buster, and luckily, is effective against Maugas. If you don’t mind harassing Maugas up close, Reaper will do the job as he can dish out a lot of damage, which is what you need when countering Maugas. However, his map choices are limited, as it’s hard to pull him off on maps like Circuit Royale and Rialto.

Tank

Mauga

A screenshot of Mauga with his minigun taken from one of his highlights in Overwatch 2.
If all else fails, try mirroring by also picking Mauga.

Well, you know what they say. “You either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain.” If you can’t beat the enemy Mauga, join him. Mirroring the enemy is a proven strategy in Overwatch 2 when nothing else seems to work. In this arguably boring matchup, it’s just a matter of who can dish out the most damage, cage the enemy first, and have better Support. Still, it’s worth a try if you’re desperate to win.

Related Topics

About The Author

Michelle Cornelia is a Games Writer on Dexerto's Australia team, specializing in first-person shooter games, battle royale games like Fortnite, Baldur's Gate, MMORPGs, and more. She also has bylines at Attack of the Fanboy, Pocket Gamer, and GameWatcher. You can contact her at: michelle.cornelia@dexerto.com