Best heroes to counter Mauga in Overwatch 2

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

Mauga was the final addition to the Overwatch 2 roster, however, this tank turned out to be so strong, that it’s quite difficult to take down. If you’re fed up with losing matches against him, these are the best hero counters in the game to help increase your chances of winning.

Mauga is Overwatch 2‘s latest addition to the tank roster. While the community welcomed him upon launch, players have started slamming him as a boring hero to play against. This is largely due to his entire kit forcing teams to counter him hard.

His playstyle revolves around shredding enemies with his double minigun while healing himself, and burning unfortunate players who struggle to dodge his shots. If that’s not enough, his Cage Fight ultimate alone can guarantee a kill in most situations, making him quite frustrating to play against.

Even with the recent nerfs, Mauga still has the second-highest damage rate according to Overbuff, which shows how powerful he is. Fortunately, the beauty of Overwatch is that regardless of how annoying a hero is, there are always ways to counter them – though some team coordination is required to pull them off. 

Best Mauga counters in Overwatch 2

When it comes to countering Mauga, generally, 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.

Additionally, given that Mauga can’t shield like most tanks, he’s a walking ultimate battery for those who can poke him from afar. With that said, you might consider snipers, but there are better alternatives. Below, we’ve listed the best hero counters for Mauga in Overwatch 2.

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.

As a hero who came out in 2016, Ana is still relevant to this day since her abilities have so much value. An Ana who can land her sleep dart on Mauga can quickly turn the tide of a fight. To top it off, her nade will automatically cancel Mauga’s lifesteal, making it easier for the entire team to finish him off. If necessary, her Nano Boost ultimate can be used to save someone inside Mauga’s cage.

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.

Despite the orb nerf, Zenyatta is still influential in the right matchups, even more so against Mauga — since he typically outranges him. As long as you don’t lose any line of sight of your Discord Orb on him, your team should have an easier time shredding his health. As a tank, he also has a huge hitbox, which should allow you to pressure him with your right-click constantly. Furthermore, Zenyatta’s ultimate can become the ultimate lifesaver when timed right during Mauga’s ult.

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 may have a noticeably slower fire rate when he’s in the normal Recon mode, but as soon as you see this Omnic switch to Sentry mode, you know it’s time to dip out of his sight. As a hero capable of dishing a hail of bullets and bursting lower-health heroes, he can pose a massive threat against Mauga when left uncontested in a team fight. With Bastion, you’ll want to bait him out to bash your frontline and burst him in sentry mode. It’s even better if you could wait for him to waste all his abilities.

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.

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 Supports. Still, it’s worth a try if you’re desperate to win.

Despite the nerfs Mauga is still powerful, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to beat him. Ana, Zenyatta, Bastion, Sombra, and even Mauga are solid picks in the current meta. The next time you see a golden weapon Mauga in the enemy team, you’ll know what to switch to.

For more Overwatch 2 content, check some of our other guides below:

All Overwatch 2 characters | Sojourn guide | Junker Queen guide | Kiriko guide | Support tier list | DPS tier list | Tank hero tier list | Overwatch 2 server status | How to download Overwatch 2 | How to unlock every hero in Overwatch 2 | Best Overwatch 2 heroes for beginners

About The Author

Michelle is a Games Writer at Dexerto. She has previously written for Attack of the Fanboy, Pocket Gamer, and GameWatcher. As a multiplayer enthusiast, she enjoys playing FPS, Battle Royale, and MMORPG games in her free time. You can reach out to her at michelle.cornelia@dexerto.com