Overwatch tactic makes Junkrat’s Riptire impossible to stop

An Overwatch tactic involving D.Va and Junkrat lets players hit reliable Riptires regardless of the enemy’s skill.

Junkrat’s ultimate ability, Riptire, is one of the most powerful explosives in the game, only second to D.Va’s own Self-Destruct. In compensation for this explosive power, the Riptire is fairly easy to destroy once identified, and so in order to make sure it actually makes an impact Junkrat players must think carefully about how and when they deploy it.

One tactic is simply to leave the enemy without much time to react to its appearance, either by taking an unusual route or by exploiting other tricks to catch opponents off guard.

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There are many scenarios, however, in which finding an opening with the Riptire will be tricky, either due to the geography of the map or the teams’ positioning, and the higher you climb in terms of rank the more likely it is that enemies will be capable of destroying the tire before it does any damage.

With a bit of coordination and some help from a friendly D.Va, however, it’s possible to ensure that almost regardless of how the enemy reacts, you’ll be able to make an impact with the Riptire.

This strategy, which Overwatch streamer PVPx dubs “walking the dog”, involves coordinating the Riptire with a friendly D.Va’s Defense Matrix. As the tire is sent towards the enemy, the D.Va flies in behind it using Defense Matrix, preventing any incoming shots from landing and thereby ensuring the tire can deal its damage.

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As PVPx demonstrates, using this strategy can allow the Riptire to have a devastating impact even against very high-skilled opponents, showing off a successful execution of the play in a top-500 ranked match.

While the tactic does require a partner in order to pull off, doing so successfully can make it almost impossible for the enemy to respond to the explosive, allowing for a far greater likelihood of a major impact from the ultimate.