Since Overwatch is a game that relies heavily on teamwork to win, it is important to cooperate with your team and utilize the best strategy to increase your chances of winning. Even if you are mechanically gifted, there is only so much you can accomplish on your own.

There are currently 8 tanks in Overwatch: D.Va, Roadhog, Reinhardt, Orisa, Winston, Wrecking Ball, Zarya, and Sigma. The unique abilities of each of the heroes allow different playstyles and new strategies to develop. Some tanks are suited for slow pushing the objective, while others are better at jumping in quickly. The right combination of one tank's abilities with another can be game-changing and win your team the game. Here are three tank combinations that synergize well with each other.

1. Reinhard & Zarya

Reinhardt is a high health frontline tank that is able to charge across the map; it can be used to either deal damage or reposition quickly. He has a Rocket Hammer that is able to do a massive amount of damage up close, and his Fire Strike is able to deal poke damage to the enemy team while, at the same time, staying with his own team. But his most defining characteristic is his enormous shield. Reinhardt's shield is able to block most of the incoming damage and protect his teammates. Keeping the shield up in key moments is crucial to winning team fights

Zarya is also a frontline tank that is able to output a lot of damage. What makes Zarya unique is her ability to provide shields (bubbles) for her and her teammates. The shields are able to absorb damage that, in return, provides charge for Zarya. The more damage absorbed, the more charge she gains. This charge increases the amount of damage Zarya is able to put out with her particle cannon. Thus, it is important for Zarya to be constantly shielding so she can be able to protect her teammates and allow herself to do more damage.

Pre Teamfight

While Reinhardt keeps his shield up, Zarya is able to do damage through the barrier, keeping herself protected. Whenever Reinhardt has to drop his shield (whether it's on low health or if he wants to Fire Strike), Zarya should give her shield to him because he is vulnerable in this position. Another thing that can be done is while the shield is up, Zarya can bubble Reinhardt, and the shield actually goes through the barrier and can soak up damage. This is not as effective, but still an option. Zarya should also walk in front of Reinhardt's shield (if possible) and bubble herself, gaining charge.

As your team gets closer to the enemy team, it is important to utilize abilities efficiently. Whenever Reinhardt wants to swing at the enemy team, it is crucial for Zarya to bubble him because he becomes the main target for the enemy team. Sometimes, the player playing Reinhardt has a more aggressive playstyle and wants to charge into the enemy team. This is another important time for Zarya to bubble him, as he cannot defend himself mid-charge.

Teamfight

Reinhardt and Zarya should be trying to create space for the DPS to do damage and protect their team. Reinhardt's shield should be full health before the team fight starts to ensure that the maximum amount of damage can be blocked during the team fight. Zarya should be using her bubbles solely to protect teammates that need protection and not to build up more charge.

For ultimate usage, Reinhardt and Zarya should NOT use their ultimates at the same time. This is inefficient ultimate usage and it could come back to bite you later on in the game. When Zarya uses her Graviton Surge, forcing the enemy team to be clustered together, Reinhardt should be swinging his hammer constantly. The hammer does damage to multiple targets, so it is highly effective to the enemy team while they are stuck. If Reinhardt were to use his Earthshatter in the Graviton Surge, it would CC enemies that are already CCed by the grav. Yes, it would stun them, but is it really worth being down one ult next team fight? The same thing goes for when Reinhardt shatters. It is not necessary for Zarya to grav on already CCed enemies. Instead, she should just try doing as much damage as possible to the enemies stunned.

The first minute and a half is a pretty textbook example of how the combo works before the teamfight. The Zarya is protected by the Rein shield and attacks through it, walks in front of shield once in a while to gain charge, and bubbles Rein whenever he drops his shield.

2. Orisa & Roadhog

Orisa, the omnic defender of her city, is a frontline tank that can deploy a large barrier, on the ground, shielding her team from damage coming from one side. Unlike Reinhardt, her primary form of attack is ranged, so she able to deal damage from a distance. She can Fortify herself, taking reduced damage for a short amount of time. Her Halt is her most powerful ability; Orisa sends out a graviton charge that pulls enemies together, similar to Zarya's ult. This can be used to pull enemies off the high ground and even off the map.

Roadhog is a chaotic Australian known worldwide for being a criminal. He has a lot of HP, one of the highest in the game, and has a lot of sustainability. To prevent his health from depleting, Roadhog can take a chug from a canister and restore half of his max health. While it's active, he takes reduced damage, allowing him to restore his health easier. Without a doubt, his most important ability is his hook. Roadhog sends out a hook, and if it hits an enemy, it reels them in towards Roadhog. This allows him, and his team, to damage/kill whoever he hooked.

Roadhog and Orisa work well with bunker composition. This means that the team stays in a single, fortified position with barely any movement. Both Roadhog and Orisa don't have any mobility abilities, and Orisa's shield is forced to sit in one spot, so moving positions would be hard. Due to its high health and low cooldown, Orisa's barrier is easily the best barrier in the game, better than Rein's and Winston's. In addition to the barrier, Orisa's Fusion Driver and Hog's Scrap Gun are both ranged. This allows them to be able to stand their ground without getting to close and spam high amounts of damage at the enemy team. Due to the effectiveness they have with a bunker composition, they are most effectively played when a point needs to be defended.

Because of Orisa's powerful shield, she doesn't always need a support tank, like Hog, to help her with the frontline. This gives Hog time to linger around and look for potential picks with his hook. This includes enemy heroes attacking the backline. Hog's hook is great for catching enemies out of position and punishing them for it.

Orisa's Fortify and Hog's Take a Breather are great counters against high damage heroes. The reduced damage they take while in their respective states prevents them from taking high amounts of damage all at once. So if for the short time Orisa's shield is down, the tanks are not in trouble because they can still block incoming damage. In addition to high damage heroes, the abilities, and bunker comps in general, are good counters to dive comps. They are able to stay alive, blocking damage and letting their dps kill the dive heroes.

The key characteristic of this composition is the Halt and Hook. The idea is simple: Orisa throws out her Halt, activates it, and then Hog hooks the enemy caught. The timing and positioning of this combo need to be on point, so communication is key. If the enemy team has a shield, Orisa should try throwing her Halt to the side or above the shield. This forces enemy heroes to be pulled out from the safety of the shield, exposing them to the wrath of Hog's hook. Once the enemy is hooked, Hog and his team can quickly kill whoever he hooked. When executed right, this combo is game-changing as a fight could be won before it even starts. By killing an enemy so early on, the fight automatically turns into a 5v6 and puts the enemy team at a disadvantage.

This video really exemplifies the power of the Halt and Hook. The Orisa calls out her pulls and Hog is able to hook at the right time. Notice how the Orisa also pulls enemies so that they are forced out from the cover of the shield and are able to be hooked. The pull does not always need to be used with a hook, and Orisa can use it to do damage on her own.

3. Winston & D.Va

Winston is a highly mobile main tank who can quickly close the gap between him and his enemies. He is able to accomplish this with his Jump Pack, which allows him to cover a large distance over a short amount of time. This can be used to either gain the high ground or jump onto the enemy team. His primary weapon, the Tesla Cannon, lets him deal close range damage to multiple enemies at once. To keep himself protected, Winston can deploy a temporary spherical barrier that surrounds him.

D.Va is a support tank that is also mobile like Winston. Her boosters allow her to fly in any direction she wishes for a short amount of time. Just like Winston's jump, this can be used to get on top of a ledge or dive the enemy. She can fire missiles that deal AOE damage, helping her deal extra damage in addition to her primary weapons, the Fusion Cannons. D.Va's defense matrix is one of the best defensive abilities in the game. She can "eat" up any projectile that comes her way when this ability is active. This includes ultimate abilities such as Zarya's Grav, Mei's Blizzard, and Tracer's Pulse Bomb.

Both D.Va and Winston's high mobility allow them to work well with dive comps, a comp filled with other highly mobile heroes like Tracer and Genji. By utilizing the utility of the duo, they can quickly jump onto the enemy team's backline and put pressure on the supports and DPS. To execute the dive, Winston should initiate the engage by using his jump pack. D.Va should be quick to follow him, using her Defense Matrix to protect Winston when needed. Winston should also deploy his barrier once the enemy team turns to him. Their main purpose is to create space for the DPS to do damage. To be most effective, one hero should be focused. When it's time to get out, Winston and D.Va can utilize the low cooldowns on their abilities and back out as quick as they got in.

Winston's ultimate allows him to be even more of a tank. He has 500 base hp, and Primal Rage adds an extra 1000 to that. If he is still alive at the end of his ult, he goes back to 400. As a result, he has the potential to withstand a massive amount of damage without dying. Similarly, D.Va's Self-Destruct gets rid of her current mech (no matter how much hp it has) and gives her an entirely new one with full hp. And even when her mech is destroyed, she is still alive and has the potential to get it back. By utilizing the amazing sustainability both these heroes have, staying alive while diving the enemy team is much easier.

D.Va and Winston should be staying together and working as one, which is why communication is very important throughout the entire game. When one tank is ready to dive in, the other should also be ready. If one were to go in alone, the enemy team could easily focus them down. They need the other to support them. Communicating about which hero to target is also crucial: targeting different heroes is less likely to secure a kill than targeting one hero.

Gibraltar is a map with a lot of high ground, so choosing Winston and D.Va is a smart choice because they can contest the high ground together, which is exactly what is shown in this video. Both tanks dive targets together, and when they are low, they get out quickly to their supports to get healed.

Closing Note

While, on paper, some combos are not as effective as others, experimenting and playing them on your own will be the true test as to figuring out which combo works for you the most. Maybe sitting in one place isn't your style, and you would prefer to play a more mobile comp like Winston and D.Va. However, you should not play only one comp constantly, because adapting to what the other team is playing is a fundamental part of Overwatch. Note, this article only highlighted three tank combinations out of many. So if none of these work out for you, just know there are plenty of others to choose from.

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