Moira Synergies and Matchups

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Overview of Moira
  • 2. Moira's Strengths
  • 3. Moira's Weaknesses
  • 4. Moira Synergies
  • 5. Moira Counters
  • 6. Moira Is Strong Against
  • 7. Moira TL;DR Tips
  • 8. Reading Further for Moira
  • 9. Changelog
• +Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. Moira TL;DR Tips
  • 2. Moira's Abilities
    • 2.1. Biotic Grasp
    • 2.2. Biotic Grasp (Secondary Fire)
    • 2.3. Biotic Orb
    • 2.4. Fade
    • 2.5. Coalescence
• +Playstyle
  • 1. Introduction to Moira
  • 2. Offensive Combos for Moira
    • 2.1. Moira Combo 2
  • 3. Defensive Maneuvers for Moira
  • 4. Team Healing & Positioning as Moira
  • 5. Ultimate Usage for Moira
    • 5.1. Great Times to Use Coalescence
    • 5.2. Wrong Times to Use Coalescence
• ×Synergies and Matchups
  • 1. Synergies for Moira
    • 1.1. Brigitte & Moira
    • 1.2. Reaper & Moira
    • 1.3. Reinhardt & Moira
  • 2. Moira Counters
    • 2.1. Hanzo & Moira
    • 2.2. Mei & Moira
    • 2.3. Roadhog & Moira
  • 3. Moira Is Strong Against
    • 3.1. Genji & Moira
    • 3.2. Winston & Moira
• +Maps
  • 1. Best Maps for Moira
    • 1.1. Moira on Temple of Anubis
    • 1.2. Moira on Route 66
  • 2. Worst Map for Moira
    • 2.1. Moira on Watchpoint: Gibraltar

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

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

Brigitte and Moira are some of the later heroes added to the Overwatch universe, and their playstyle synergy is near impossible to deny. When Moira is paired with Zenyatta or Ana, it becomes apparent that Moira's positioning is nowhere near theirs. While healers typically stick together in Overwatch, Moira had a hard time making friends until Brigitte came along. Brigitte and Moira are both "frontline" healers who can deal with incoming damage in a number of ways. Their abilities feed off of one another to create a team composition that can heal tanks for days. In a vanilla fight with no ultimates, a team composition with Brigitte and Moira can typically outlast enemy damage and come out with a victory. The only downside with this pair of healers is that their ultimates are both non-defensive when compared to other supports, making fights against ultimates difficult to win.

The duo that somewhat represents Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Monster (as lore states that Moira's work on Gabriel Reyes turned him into Reaper) is a straightforward pairing. Reaper's Hellfire Shotguns deal a massive amount of damage, but Reaper does lack a solid gap-closer ability that allows him to get into viable range. Although he does have Wraith Form, if you are using this ability to get to enemies to deal damage, you are typically playing him wrong. However, Moira changes all that. Since Moira is a frontline healer, she can support Reapers who want to stay close to enemy tanks and deal damage. Between Reaper's self-sustain passive, The Reaping, and Moira's Biotic Grasp (LMB), killing Reaper is a difficult feat.

Although Moira is one of the more difficult healers to kill, she still needs protection, especially when she is on the frontline. Reinhardt's Barrier Field is the best form of protection for Moira, as she can freely move behind his shield while her and her team push forward. While Reinhardt helps Moira stay safe, Moira keeps Reinhardt alive. Reinhardt has one of the largest hitboxes in the game, and his shield is typically a conduit for damage. Therefore, Reinhardt requires burst healing when his shield breaks or when he tries to swing his Rocket Hammer. Moira's Biotic Grasp (LMB) is one of the most potent healing abilities in the game, and a huge relief for a Reinhardt who needs to recharge his Barrier Field. When you take into account the fact that Moira can preemptively throw out a defensive Biotic Orb when Reinhardt's shield breaks, she is arguably one of the best supports in keeping Reinhardt strong and in the fight.

Hanzo is an interesting pick against Moira for a number of reasons. Some of the biggest counter-abilities against Moira are instant-kill potential and range. Hanzo happens to have both of these things thanks to this Storm Bow. Additionally, Hanzo can use Storm Arrows to fight off Moira if she uses Fade to gap close on him. Lastly, Hanzo can use Dragonstrike in small corridors or on objectives to counter Moira's Coalescence. Although Dragonstrike has low kill potential against Moira, it can keep Moira's Coalescence at bay and use up a chunk of the ultimate's channel time.

Moira's healing abilities are potent, but only in certain distances and groupings. In fact, Moira works best when allies stick together and are able to move as a unit. Anytime Moira's team is split from one another, her potency is drastically reduced. However, Mei counters clumping team compositions in a variety of ways. First, Mei's Ice Wall separates enemies, causing Moira's allies to be unceremoniously cutoff from each other. Even if Mei can trap and kill one tank with her Ice Wall, Moira's viability will take a direct hit. Second, Mei's Endothermic Blaster works wonders against large clumps of enemies, as it has the ability to freeze multiple opponents simultaneously. Third, Mei's Blizzard forces enemies to scatter in different directions lest they be frozen, a reality that directly counters the power of Coalescence's area of effect potential. Speaking of Coalescence, Mei's Ice Wall can simply block Moira's ultimate for a potential 4.5 seconds, which is more than half of Coalescence's channel time.

Roadhog is not as strong against Moira as the other counters, but he is arguably the best tank to counter her abilities. Moira naturally leads her allies to choose a team composition that stick close together. Although Roadhog does not have much, he has two things to counter slow-moving and team-dependent compositions: Chain Hook and Scrap Gun. Scrap Gun deals massive single target damage, a problem for a team with low mobility. While Moira's team moves in, Roadhog sits back and breaks down enemy barriers with little to no effort. Once a barrier does give way, Roadhog uses his second favorite tool, Chain Hook. Once an enemy is exposed, Roadhog can simply pluck them from the team and pull them into his own team. No matter what Moira tries to do, she can rarely save an ally from an onslaught of bullets. Additionally, Roadhog can use his Chain Hook to pull Moira out of her Coalescence if she gets too close.

Genji may be a cyber-ninja, but Moira has unlimited biotic energy that can work wonders against Genji's kit. Genji is not known for his burst damage; in reality, he is known for harassing enemies from afar before going all in to seal a kill with Swift Strike. However, Moira's Biotic Grasp (RMB) keeps herself healed while Genji tries to deal damage from afar with his Shuriken. If Moira is injured enough to die from Swift Strike, she can use Fade at the perfect time to dodge Genji's blade. Additionally, if Genji uses his Dragonblade, Moira can use her Coalescence to heal targeted allies through the ultimate. Coalescence is so potent against Dragonblade because Moira does not have to be near the targeted ally to actually perform her healing. Other supports may have to stay close to their ally to heal them through Dragonblade, a maneuver that puts them at at risk of being targeted by Genji's fury. However, the distance on Moira's Coalescence allows her to heal her team while staying a good distance away from Genji.

Winston is a traditional dive tank, using his Jump Jet and Tesla Cannon to pounce on unsuspecting healers. However, Moira's kit allows to stay alive in the face of a Winston attack. Moira can use Fade immediately after Winston jumps in to change her positioning. If Moira does not have Fade, she can use her defensive Biotic Orb and Biotic Grasp (RMB) to keep herself healed up until allies can help her out or until she can run with Fade. Although Winston does disrupt Moira's plans, his abilities are not nearly as powerful against her as they are against some other healers.

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.