McCree Synergies and Matchups

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. McCree Overview
  • 2. McCree's Strengths
  • 3. McCree's Weaknesses
  • 4. McCree Synergies
  • 5. McCree Counters
  • 6. McCree Is Strong Against
  • 7. McCree TL;DR Tips
  • 8. Reading Further for McCree
  • 9. Changelog
• +Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. McCree TL;DR Tips
  • 2. McCree's Abilities
    • 2.1. Peacekeeper
    • 2.2. Fan the Hammer
    • 2.3. Flashbang
    • 2.4. Combat Roll
    • 2.5. Deadeye
      • 2.5.1. Peacekeeper and Deadeye
      • 2.5.2. McCree and Deadeye
      • 2.5.3. Enemies & Deadeye
  • 3. Changelog
• +Playstyle
  • 1. McCree Playstyle Introduction
  • 2. McCree's Mechanics
    • 2.1. Aim and Reaction
      • 2.1.1. Rule 1: Never Use Fan the Hammer When Fighting Heroes
      • 2.1.2. Rule 2: Never Take Your Finger Off the Trigger When Fighting an Opponent
      • 2.1.3. Rule 3: Secure a Headshot Before Shooting the Body
    • 2.2. Positioning
  • 3. Offensive Combos with McCree
  • 4. McCree's Ultimate Usage
• ×Synergies and Matchups
  • 1. McCree Synergies
    • 1.1. Genji and McCree
    • 1.2. Brigitte and McCree
    • 1.3. D.Va and McCree
  • 2. McCree Counters
    • 2.1. D.Va and McCree
    • 2.2. Lucio and McCree
    • 2.3. Widowmaker and McCree
  • 3. McCree Is Strong Against
    • 3.1. Genji and McCree
    • 3.2. Mercy and McCree
• +Maps
  • 1. Best Maps for McCree
    • 1.1. McCree on Dorado
    • 1.2. McCree on Hanamura
  • 2. Worst Map for McCree
    • 2.1. McCree on Temple of Anubis

On this page, we list the good and bad matchups for McCree. More specifically, we list the heroes that McCree synergizes well with, the heroes that counter McCree, and those that McCree is strong against.

The other pages of our McCree guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

While McCree is a strong medium range hero, teams that dive McCree can overwhelm him since he can only deal single-target damage. However, McCree is still a strong counter against dive compositions, and while teams try to pick McCree, Genji can go in and kill enemy supports. Essentially, McCree and Genji are two sides of the same coin, as they can split from one another and frustrate teams who are disjointed and unable to work together. Additionally, Genji's Dragonblade more than makes up for misplayed Deadeyes. Since Genji's Dragonblade can feel super powerful in the right hands, it allows McCree to focus on getting kills outside of Deadeye. Also, who can be mad with a team showcasing a ninja and a cowboy?

Similar to the reasoning behind Genji's synergy, Brigitte is a good pick because she distracts opponents and allows McCree to stay in the backline and deal damage. When McCree has one less support to babysit in the backline, it allows him to take more aggressive positioning on the map. Brigitte helps McCree's team walk onto an objective while he can stay back and look for a pick. On defense, Brigitte can make a strong stand in the frontline which allows McCree to sit a good distance away and look for easy headshots while the enemy attempts to breach a control point. Additionally, Brigitte's Rally gives McCree an extra 100 armor, which can help him secure a more daring position for Deadeye.

D.Va has a number of abilities that help McCree in a variety of ways. First of all, McCree's lack of mobility can affect a team's ability to secure kills. However, D.Va's Boosters make her one of the most mobile tanks in the game. Therefore, D.Va can fill in for McCree's lack of speed when chasing enemies. Additionally, D.Va can specifically communicate with McCree and go in on enemies who are injured from afar by Peacekeeper. D.Va has little to worry about when diving in to secure a kill on a low support, which makes her a powerful ally for McCree. As D.Va can chase enemies and secure kills, D.Va can also fly to the backline and use Defense Matrix to defend McCree from enemy fire. Last, but not least, D.Va can use Defense Matrix to protect McCree as he charges his Deadeye. In fact, D.Va does not even have to be near McCree to quickly boost to him and provide him with cover while he looks to aim the perfect shot. For all of these reasons, D.Va is a fine partner for Overwatch play.

Ironically, D.Va is a hero that works well with McCree while also countering an enemy McCree. Although D.Va's Boosters help an ally McCree stay alive, they also help D.Va rush to, and attack, an enemy McCree. If he is split from his team, he is an easy target for D.Va to take down as she can use her Defense Matrix to erase McCree's Flashbang. Additionally, D.Va can counter McCree's Peacekeeper with her Defense Matrix while simultaneously dealing damage to McCree with her Micro Missiles. Lastly, D.Va can hard counter McCree's Deadeye by standing in front of him with Defense Matrix, and body blocking his view with her mech.

Lúcio specifically does not counter McCree as much as his abilities help his team attack McCree while his mobility mixed with Wall Ride makes him a difficult target to hit, not to mention land Peacekeeper headshots on. Lucio's Crossfade increases his team's mobility, which makes McCree's job a lot harder in a number of ways. Lucio's speed can be used as a gap closer on McCree, and can also be used to assist allies in running from Deadeye. Additionally, Lucio can use his Sound Wave to push McCree after he uses Flashbang on an ally to counter an easy headshot. Lucio can also counter Deadeye with Sound Barrier and increase his team's health before McCree pulls the trigger.

What can counter a medium to close range damage dealer with low mobility? A long range damage dealer who surveys the battlefield and can pick off McCree with one well-placed headshot. Typically, Widowmaker uses high ground to see as much of the field as possible. Her positioning makes her a nightmare for McCree since he only deals 21 damage with his Peacekeeper at long range. Even with headshots, McCree would have to land 5 shots from maximum distance to kill Widowmaker, which is not a viable option against any half-decent shooter. Additionally, one of Widowmaker's Widow's Kiss shots can shutdown Deadeye before McCree can channel it enough to deal serious damage.

Genji does not have too many counters, but one of his main threats is McCree. Genji thrives on sitting mid-range, throwing Shurikens to weaken his opponent before trying to secure the kill with Swift Strike. While Genji thrives on mid-range harassment, McCree thrives in mid-range fights. McCree's Peacekeeper is more than a match for the ninja, and a well-placed headshot will have Genji thinking twice before dashing in. Additionally, Flashbang can circumvent Genji's Deflect with ease, forcing Genji to not only drop his blades, but to stand still for an easy headshot. However, players should be warned about two things. First, Deflect is a powerful tool against Deadeye, and McCree needs to read Genji's timing before taking the shot. Secondly, using Flashbang on a Genji as he uses Cyber-Agility to either wall climb or double jump can work against McCree, as Genji will fall out of the sky for most of the duration of the stun. This can make free headshots a lot more tricky to pull off, although they are still doable.

Mercy is an interesting healer, as she cannot sit in the backline and heal since her Caduceus Staff only reaches 15 meters and cannot heal allies behind walls. Therefore, Mercy is forced to typically stand in an awkward mid-lane distance in an attack or defense formation. This is perfect for an enemy McCree, as mid-range damage is one of his specialties. When flankers attempt to pick Mercy, she can easily use Guardian Angel to quickly change her position and get away. However, when trying to flee from McCree, flying through the air is actually a detriment rather than an escape, as McCree can easily follow her flight path and shoot her out of the sky. Lastly, Deadeye is arguably the best ultimate in the game to take down a Mercy as she is using Valkyrie. Valkyrie is so powerful because it heals Mercy at a fast rate and it allows her to fly above the battlefield away from harm. However, Deadeye counters both of those benefits since there is no place to hide from McCree in mid-air, and Deadeye does not concern itself with how fast a hero regenerates, as the ultimate takes heroes from full health to dead in a matter of seconds, and Mercy cannot regenerate health if she is dead.

About our Author

Mournflakes is a flex Grandmaster Overwatch player who boasts a career high SR rating of 4433. His favorite heroes are Roadhog, Soldier: 76, and Ana. He has played Overwatch since its initial release, and has put over 700 hours into competitive play. When not writing guides, you can catch Mournflakes streaming on his Twitch channel.