Reaper is probably one of my favorite characters in Overwatch, but not for the reasons you are thinking. Yes, his outfit is awesome and being the self-proclaimed angel of death helps. Yelling die, die, die doesn't hurt either, but it is more because of his function than his flavor.

Reaper is a monster, and I mean this in the most endearing manner. He is capable of making quick work of just about anyone in the game, few things truly counter him. Some of the most annoyingly mobile characters in the game, Tracer and Lucio, die in just seconds against Reaper. On top of that, Reaper is arguably one of the best Tank killers in the game right now. So if you're tired of fighting against six Winstons, two Roadhogs, or a triple tank meta, play Reaper. They are very easily crossed off his list.

Things to know when you are trying to reap Tanks:

Roadhog, for instance, is a bullet sponge and dies in what feels like seconds. His only chance is if he manages to hook you, otherwise there's no way he's surviving a couple shots from your shotguns, because he can't out-heal the damage to begin with, especially if you headshot him. Also, if you react quickly enough you can usually Wraith Form out of a hook, or immediately after, and avoid all subsequent damage. It is also fun to creep up on unsuspecting pigs in their healing animation, as you can just stand there and headshot them to death as they try to heal.

Winston is not really much of a threat at all, sure he does damage, and is mobile, but unless they are clever at playing games of peekaboo within his Barrier Projector (bubble shield), your shotguns will shred him in seconds, especially with head shots.

Reinhardt's Barrier field is the only thing that really poses an annoyance or a threat to Reaper in a sense, but this is mostly because it can block your shotgun damage and nullify damage from Death Blossom. This is why flanking Reinhardt is obviously key, but honestly against newer Reinhardt players, you can usually just walk through their barrier and shoot them to death. Most newer players will panic, or just stand there, rather than utilizing Fire Strike or Earth Shatter, or even trying to Rocket Hammer you. Although, Reinhardt's actual threat comes in the form of his charge, because if he pins you, you will die, but if you're on point, a proper Wraith Form will nullify this threat, and leave Reinhardt open to some serious punishment.

Also, it is important to make sure that you are assessing each situation with this mental checklist before jumping into the fray:

- Need to kill Tanks? Play Reaper.

- Need to get called an edgelord? Play Reaper.

- Need to get stuck in the bottom of a map? Definitely play Reaper.

Zarya can be one of the more annoying tanks to deal with, but that's only because if you are sloppy enough to shoot her a hundred times while her Particle Barrier is active, than she will melt your face with a super charged laser beam. Yet, the Particle Barrier itself is more annoying than the actual death laser, because this prolongs her immediate death if it is off of cool down, and buys time for her team to react before you kill them all. Similarly, this is also why her Projected Barrier is annoying, especially if you are going to kill someone or you just flanked them, because the extra damage or health that it provides can stop you from quickly killing an opponent and from healing from their near instant death as per usual. She is rather squishy without these and will die rather quickly, which is why it's important to pay attention to visual cues, and attack your opponent while their defensive abilities are on cool down.

D.Va on the other hand, offers one of the biggest challenges to Reaper now that her Defense Matrix lasts longer. She requires a bit more thought and strategy to eliminate than she used to. Previously, you could easily bait the Defense Matrix and make quick work of her, but the mechanic is much more forgiving now. Aside from trying to play Matrix mind games, it is often better to just flank her or attack from behind. She dies quickly if caught off-guard, but can stall forever if taken head on, allowing her teammates to blast you to pieces. Far more annoying is the fact that, if played correctly, she can negate a great deal of Death Blossom's damage, forcing Reaper to actually have to think when using his ultimate.

Most importantly, however, killing tanks is about strategy, and realizing that by bypassing their defensive mechanics, one can easily kill them. This is especially true while using Death Blossom. Watch yourself rack in the multikills by positioning yourself behind Reinhardt's shield or flanking the enemy tank, and especially while watching their defensive cooldowns, like Winston's Barrier Projector and Zarya's Barriers in general.

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