Ana Amari is arguably the most difficult but most rewarding hero in Overwatch. This sniper healer has the capabilities to disable healing, sleep enemies, burst heal her team, and keep enemies at bay. This guide is aimed to give you advanced tips on her kit, positioning, and play making.

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Ana shines at mid-range with her allies. Though she has no mobility, her abundant utility helps her and her team stay alive. If you want to be a great Ana, be prepared to heighten your awareness of not just the map but patterns in the game as well. Much of what makes a great Ana relies on good aim, priority decision making, and map positioning.

Pros:

Combos with ult very well
Burst and long range healing
Hard CC

Cons:

Low Mobility
High Cooldowns
Requires confident aim

Ana is a healer before anything else. Much like Zenyatta, she has kill potential and can take out problem defense champions like Widow and Bastion. As Ana, you have to carefully decide who gets your attention. Should you focus Sleep Darting the Bastion or heal your Reinhardt so he can safely push the team forward? This is a case by case kind of thing. One wrong decision and it could mean the death of your allies or yourself.

You have to do a lot of reading as Ana. Keep track of times that everyone has ulted and signs that the enemy is pushing. You know you can feel a skirmish happen when the enemy Ana yells out her ult or any other ult for that matter. When this happens, you must be ready to make decisions in a short amount of time.

Positioning

If this is your first time picking Ana up, note that she is a very high risk high reward hero. Make sure you have awareness and positioning. You need to be aware of not only your allies that need healing, but you also need to keep track of enemies and decide when to sleep or grenade either team. There are so many decisions packed into a few seconds!

Ana is a unique support because she shines in the middle of a skirmish rather than keeping her distance like Zenyatta or Mercy. Her Biotic Grenade and close range healing makes her a high priority target for enemies. Make sure you are in the skirmish but not in harm’s way. Always stay behind your team!

Always keep line of sight. Yes, it’s annoying when your team runs off and you can’t heal them. Just remember that if they do that it is not your fault. Do try to keep as many people in your line of sight as possible. That includes enemies!

Biotic Rifle

80 Damage
75 Healing
10 Ammo
Does not headshot

Keep in mind Ana does not have a passive. Instead, she has a rifle in which you can scope in and out. At the hip, Ana's bullets have traveling speed. When she scopes in her bullets are hitscan. When you scope in, there will be a faint triangle around your crosshair. This is the outer reticle in which allies need to be in range of in order for your healing bullets to hit. The bullet will always hit the target in front first. Staying scoped will block your peripheral vision of the surroundings around you. Keep this in mind when your team leaves you unprotected because a Tracer or Genji can take advantage of your temporary blindness.

Sleep Dart

5 Damage
5.5 Duration (undisturbed)
12 Second cooldown

Sleep Dart is her signature utility. Taking someone out of the game for 5 seconds is essentially killing an enemy. Sleep Dart is useful for many targets.You could decide to use the dart on a Bastion or Widowmaker creating an opening for your team to push. You could decide to sleep an enemy who is ulting such as Reaper, Roadhog, Soldier: 76, and so on halting the enemy team push. Even during a skirmish where both teams are fighting over a point, taking out one enemy is an immediate reward and advantage for your team.

Sleep Dart is a team effort. If you sleep someone without your team knowing, chances are they might wake that enemy up or are deciding on their move with that enemy in mind. Simply saying “Roadhog is asleep, don’t touch him” can shift the team’s fire focus and make the most out of your sleep dart.

While you are tempted to solo kill the enemy you just slept, sometimes the better decision is to let them sleep. To kill a full 200 HP hero, Ana needs to execute a successful Biotic Grenade, 1 shot from your Biotic Rifle, and 2 melee hits. You are not always guaranteed the kill. They could always escape. Keep in mind only your team can wake up a sleeping enemy.

Biotic Grenade

60 Damage
100 Healing (+100% healing from other sources)
5 Second duration
10 Second cooldown

While you are keeping eye of your team, watch them make individual plays. It’s bound to happen in almost every team. If you see a Reinhardt charge in by himself, instead of shooting him to heal, throw a grenade first. Chances are if he misses, the grenade will still put anti-healing on someone. It makes a mistake a lot less awful and you can slowly mitigate your teammate’s mistakes (and yours) by just saving the grenade and looking out for moments like this.

Nano Boost

50% Increased damage
50% Damage reduction
8 second duration

Everyone reacts to Nano Boost differently. This ult requires the communication of your team. Unfortunately, some players feel under pressure when they get Nano Boosted and choke. It’s up to you as a player to decide who the player in your team is going to receive your ult. Try not to surprise your own team.

One of the most devastating ults in the game, though it might not solo wipe 4-5 enemies at once, Nano Boost has the insane potential for pushing, combos, and overall breaking through enemy formation. The highest priority for Nano Boost are heroes with a good amount of ammo, mobility, and ults that do well with the added defense and fire power.

Here is a list of all the heroes and which heroes should get Nano priority.

High Priority

Bastion: While in turret form, Bastion hails down massive focus fire and damage. Though he is not mobile during this form, the Nano Boost makes him a hard enemy to burst down. Obviously if the enemy has an Ana, she can easily shut down the entire play. However, it is not a bad idea to boost the Bastion during turret form when the enemy is pushing towards the objective. Not to mention his tank form can be twice has horrifying with extra damage dealt and reduced damage. Tanks beware. Because of this, Bastion is a high priority to Nano Boost.

Genji: His high mobility already makes him a hard target, but imagine if he did twice as much damage as he did! And that’s not while he is ulting! Though his shurikens are hard to hit, his melee lets him get in and out of enemy lines. While he’s ulting, Genji can really do some serious damage to the back line and take out high priority enemies like Mercy. Nano boosting Genji makes him unstoppable. It’s a combo ult between Genji and Ana that can decide victory or defeat. Because of this, Genji is a high priority to Nano Boost.

Reaper: Yes, yes, yes, and yes. With or without his ult, a Reaper running towards you with Nano Boost is a nightmare. He does most of his damage close range and when he gets there, most likely, the enemy will be down in 2-3 shots. With Reaper’s Death Blossom, dropping down or sneaking up on an enemy with Nano Boost, prevents almost all escape. Because of this, Reaper is a high priority for Nano Boost.

Reinhardt: This guy is Ana’s best friend. Not only will you be spending a lot of time healing him, but you’ll be spending a lot of time comboing with him. Rein’s ult doesn’t do pure damage like Reaper does, but is the largest CC in the game along with Mei. While the enemy is prone, Nano Boost your best friend so he can kill them! Don’t underestimate his hammer! Because of this, Reinhardt is a high priority for Nano Boost.

Roadhog: This hero only has 4 shots. That already makes him a weak choice for Nano Boost without his ult. With his ult however, definitely give him Nano Boost. His ult knocks enemies back (and hopefully corner them) while dealing some pretty good damage. Nano Boost will help the damage aspect of his ult and help him get a couple of extra kills. Because of this, Roadhog is a high priority for Nano Boost.

Soldier: 76: Also one of Ana’s best friends, his ult guarantees a hit on his enemies (if Rein sheild ro D.va Matrix are not in your way of course). Just the fact that his ult is a guaranteed hit reduces the risk of ulting him immensely. Without his ult, Soldier: 76 can still make do with the Nano Boost and may kill a couple of heroes with the right support behind him. 76 is just an overall safe hero to Nano Boost if you don’t know what to do. Because of this, Soldier: 76 is a high priority for Nano Boost.

Winston: Couple of questions you should ask yourself. One, is the team squishy enough and is your Winston getting the backline and healers? Two, does he have ult and is there anything in the way? Reaper or Roadhog is enough to stop a Winston so before I even consider Winston a target for Nano Boost I have to see what the enemy composition is. With or without ult, Winston makes do of Nano Boost. Even if he does not kill over 3 enemies, the rampaging monkey is enough to push your team through. Because of this, Winston is a high priority for Nano Boost given that Reaper or Roadhog are not there.

Zarya: I love Nano Boosting a Zarya who is at maximum charge. It’s just so satisfying watching her beam melt down tanks and squishies. Her ult puts everyone in front of her and that’s even more fun to watch when she lobs projectiles into the vortex. What if she isn’t maximum charge? It isn’t difficult for her to get up to maximum charge if the Zarya times her shields properly, so I would say it’s still a safe bet to rely on. Because of this, Zarya is a high priority for Nano Boost.

Neutral/Can be a priority

D.va: Considered to be one of the offensive tanks, it isn’t surprising to see a D.va with most damage done. But should you Nano Boost her while she’s in her mech? As an Ana player, you have to consider the outcomes when you Nano a D.va. In her Mech, she can effectively rush forward and keep shooting. If she puts her matrix up or decides to fly away, the precious seconds of Nano is wasted. There’s always the mistake of D.va ulting right as she gets Nano Boosted. If you Nano boost a baby D.va after she ulted, her Self-Destruct does an additional 500 damage. And of course, baby D.va has no other abilities but her pistol. Because of this, D.va can be a priority. It’s all up to your decision making and how much you can rely on your ally D.va.

McCree: He would be a good Nano Boost target if Reaper or Soldier: 76 were not in the team with him. McCree requires accuracy to make most of his quick mid-ranged hit scan. Without ult, if you have confidence that your McCree can take at least 2 people out, he would be a good candidate. With ult, I only see Nano Boost help him survive if enemies try to hit him. Other than that, if McCree hits his ult it’s an instant kill anyway. Nano Boost might clean up the ones he missed. Because of this, McCree can be a priority for Nano Boost.

Mei: She’s on par with Ana in terms of utility. She’s more hard to kill and an overall annoyance than she is a damage threat. Her Icicle Spear, when she hits a head shot, is 150 damage. Nano Boost does not affect how fast she freezes people, but her damage when she does. I wouldn’t consider her a main priority because she’s more to assist the team than wipe people out. Because of this, Mei can be a priority for Nano Boost. I say this because she’s already hard to kill and she does do a considerable amount of damage with her Icicle Spear. You don’t want to waste your Nano Boost so she can freeze herself and heal.

Pharah: Ah, Ana’s daughter. The mother in you would want to boost your own kid, but let’s look at the pros and cons. Depending on your Pharah, you’d want to boost one that is reliable on hits. Without Pharah’s ult, she’s pretty vulnerable to Widow, Soldier: 76, and McCree. Even with the reduced damage, she’s easy to focus fire and therefore not great for Nano Boost. With ult, Pharah can last a bit longer and do twice as much damage than she normally does. This would be great if the combo wasn’t so hard to pull off. Because of this, Pharah can be a priority for Nano Boost.

Sombra: As a flanker and a person that relies on not being seen, Nano Boost on Sombra would not be ideal. The reason for this is because she needs to be up close to make the most out of her kit and her other ability is an escape. She’s just too “in-n-out” of a hero to really make use of the Nano’s increased damage. With ult, however, disabling the entire enemy team definitely gives her an advantage and doesn’t have to be as slippery. I do recommend ulting a Sombra after she’s ulted. She’s right in the middle of the enemy team! Because of this, Sombra can be a priority for Nano Boost.

Symmetra: Surprisingly, Symmetra is not a bad choice for a Nano Boost. Her ultimate is pure utility so consider a few things before you ult her. One, who are your other targets for Nano Boost and how reliable are they? Second, does the enemy composition look a little bit squishy? Are they a little bit messy in positioning? If so, go ahead and give Symmetra a Nano Boost. Her left click requires no aim and nearly triples in power with Nano Boost. Yeah. She does a lot of damage. Because of this, Symmetra can be a priority for Nano Boost.

Torbjorn: Without ult, I wouldn’t consider him a target for Nano Boost. With ult however, that’s a different story. Not only do you have his turret constantly shooting, but his primary weapon, secondary fire, fires even faster! His ult does not give him extra damage, but Torbjorn can certainly make use of his ult and extra health and armor. Because of this, Torbjorn can be a priority for Nano Boost.

Tracer: As another flanker whose kit is to go in and out, Tracer would be an okay choice for Nano Boost without her ult. The reason for this is because she shoots 40 rounds of ammo in such a short time. Up close, she can do quite a bit of damage. The Nano Boost also makes her a bit less squishy and a lot more annoying. With her ult, I wouldn’t recommend giving Nano to Tracer. It’s a risky ult that may or may not hit anyone and, in fact, could kill Tracer. Because of this, Tracer can be a priority for Nano Boost.

Not a priority

Ana: Her shots are very high risk. While at the hip, her Biotic Rifle has traveling speed whereas when she scopes in it's a hitscan shot. Once her utility abilities have been used, her cool down puts her at a great disadvantage. Because of this, Ana is not a priority to Nano Boost.

Hanzo: This is tricky. Hanzo’s arrows can already take enemies out in one shot. Even with Nano Boost, it isn’t a guaranteed one hit if you do miss a headshot. Drawing from experience, I’ve only Nano Boosted a Hanzo once. My ally Hanzo was incredibly accurate and helped us push with ease. I really wanted to keep him alive so when the enemy focus fired on him, Nano Boost helped him take a few out before dying. His ultimate is already devastating if he catches them off guard or with a Zarya, so I wouldn’t Nano Boost him with or without ult. Hanzo is a sniper after all. Because of this, Hanzo is not a priority to Nano Boost.

Junkrat: He is more useful with Nano Boost without his ult. Junkrat does random bursts of high damage and with Nano Boost and a little bit of luck, Junkrat could take out 2-3 enemies. However, with his ult Junkrat is very easy to stop. Not only is Junkrat immobile but his Rip-Tire is easy to take down. As for his ult, if Mercy’s damage amplifier works when his grenades or Rip-Tire explode, assume that’s how Nano Boost works as well. Junkrat is a bit too risky for a precious Nano Boost. Because of this, Junkrat is not a priority for Nano Boost.

Lucio: Aside from the accidental Nano Boost, Lucio can be a possibility. Lucio is a hard target to hit with his Wall Ride mobility, speed boost, and self healing. Lucio can hold down an objective, buying time for his team to back him up. This goes for objectives and payloads as well! If your team is down to overtime and Lucio is wall riding for his life, this would be a good desperate Nano Boost time. Outside of this one very specific situation, Lucio doesn’t really dish out damage and Nano Boost does not amp his healing or speed boost up. Because of this, Lucio is not a priority.

Mercy: To begin, Mercy, with or without her ult, does not do any damage. It would be a poor choice to boost her and force her to take her pistol out instead of healing. If you want to keep a Mercy alive in a desperate situation such as when she’s flying in for a Resurrect, but it’s clear she won’t live to do that, then it would be okay to give her a Nano Boost. Because of this, Mercy is not a priority.

Widowmaker: She’s a sniper plain and simple. If she’s not already hitting her shots without the Nano Boost, giving her Nano wouldn’t make a difference. There’s no scenario I can imagine where Widowmaker really makes Nano Boost shine. Because of this, Widowmaker is not a priority for Nano Boost.

Zenyatta: Ah, your fellow damage support. He’s very frail and has no mobility so that alone has already taken him out for consideration. Nano Boosting Tranquility is no help either since he can only move about. Pretty straight forward. Because of this, Zenyatta is not a priority for Nano Boost.

Advantage

Bastion is weak against Ana because one Sleep Dart is all it takes for the team to push in, kill him, and wipe out the rest of his team. Nano Boost helps anyone trying to kill Bastion a bit harder to take down. Because Bastion is so vulnerable, Ana makes use of her utility to expose him to her team.

Junkrat has no mobility and he's relatively slow and a good target to hit. Ana has precise aim so Sleep Darting a Junkrat or getting a few hits in with Biotic Rifle will win you this one-v-one. Ana is a small target and Junkrat can't aim to hit you which gives you plenty of time to take him down.

Lucio is a hard target to hit with his Wall Ride passive. Getting rid of a Lucio means you have to stop his self-healing first. Biotic Grenade does a fairly good job at this and usually spells Lucio's death sentence.

Whenever your daughter misbehaves you shoot her out of the sky. Jokes aside, keep in mind your scoped in Biotic Rifle is a hitscan. Ana can act as a supportive Widow if Pharah is giving your team a hard time. Sleep Darting a Pharah that is ulting is also equally satisfying as killing her with your Biotic Rifle.

Ana's advantage doesn't so much come from a one-v-one. Ana can sleep a turret in Molten Core. Her advantage comes by completely shutting Torbjorn down. Granted, she can shut down almost any ult, but Torbjorn is hit the hardest.

Poor Zenyatta. Snipers are his hardest counter. He has no mobility and he's slow moving. Though there is always a chance that Zenyatta can headshot you with a Discord, the chances of you scoping in and taking him out before that happens is much greater.

Neutral

These neutrals are all toss ups. Anything can happen and it's dependent on the Ana's ability to play well. Neither one can completely demolish or shut down the other.

These supports are neutral with Ana because they depend on each player's skills. Don't underestimate a Mercy's pistol. She can always glide away as well. Symmetra does a good deal of damage and does not need to aim to kill you. Ana can Sleep Dart you first or land more shots than you before you even know it.

If you are playing Ana, chances are you're not going to brawl with tanks. If your positioning is decent, you'll mostly avoid encountering them one-v-one. This is neutral because either side can shut each other down in terms of plays and team work.

Again, either side can shut down or take each other out. Ana versus Widowmaker or Hanzo still makes for a good brawl. The amount of utility that both Mei and Ana have and how each player uses them can determine the matchup. It isn't guaranteed that Ana will land her utilities and it is not guaranteed that Mei can succeed either.

Each of these offensive heroes have high potential to kill Ana. If they know what they're doing, they'll most likely go for healers. When this happens, it's a toss up. The matchup depends on the Ana's skills as a player and their skill as a DPS. Other factors come into play which is why it's neutral.

Disadvantage

The second Ana misses her Sleep Dart her fate is in Genji's hands. He has high mobility and is hard target for Ana. She's squishy so making work of Ana will not be hard for Genji. Even if Ana hits her Biotic Grenade on Genji or herself, that does not guarantee her safety.

Sombra can hack almost everything that makes Ana, Ana. Without Ana's Biotic Grenade or Sleep Dart, she's really only left with bunny hopping and trying to shoot Sombra down before Sombra kills her. Sombra can make quick work of Ana if she successfully sneaks past the enemy team.

Tracer is a flanker with three blinks. Each time she blinks she would have reloaded (assuming that Tracer does so) and unleashed her full clip on you. Because she is a small target, Sleep Dart and Biotic Grenade will have a slim chance of hitting. Encountering a Tracer usually spells disaster for the healers since that is her primary target.

Winston is such a sticky tank. Once he's in the back line and on an Ana, there's very little Ana can do. Ana generally avoids brawls with tanks, but Winston gets in her face and makes it almost impossible to get rid of him. His shield dome blocks both of Ana's abilities and Ana can't do as much damage as Winston can.

Nano Boost is much better on attack than it is on defense. If you Nano Boost while attacking, the enemy is forced to retreat whereas if you Nano Boost on defense, the enemy will simply stop attacking and wait for your ult to die down. It’s slightly different for payload maps, but the intent is still the same. Ana shines just a little bit more in payload maps because there is a wall to break through. In King of the Hill maps, the teams don't create a wall formation but rather an infiltration position. She is still great in King of the Hill maps, but do note that there will be slight changes to your attention and positioning. There are many possibilities that Ana can do in a game. Ana is highly recommended if you plan to solo queue competitive or even just quick play. Slowly build awareness of the game and how each hero can work with each other. A great Ana can make all the difference.

Korean Pro Ryujehong on Hanamura

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