Reaper Synergies and Matchups

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Reaper (Gabriel Reyes) Guide Overview
  • 2. Reaper's Strengths
  • 3. Reaper's Weaknesses
  • 4. Reaper Synergies
  • 5. Reaper Counters
  • 6. Reaper Is Strong Against
  • 7. Reaper TL;DR Tips
  • 8. Reading Further for Reaper
  • 9. Changelog
• +Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. Reaper TL;DR Tips
  • 2. Reaper's Abilities
    • 2.1. The Reaping
    • 2.2. Hellfire Shotguns
    • 2.3. Wraith Form
    • 2.4. Shadow Step
    • 2.5. Death Blossom
• +Playstyle
  • 1. Reaper Playstyle Introduction
  • 2. Reaper's Positioning
  • 3. Reaper's Abilities
  • 4. Reaper's Targets
  • 5. How to Use Death Blossom
• ×Synergies and Matchups
  • 1. Reaper Synergies
    • 1.1. Reinhardt & Reaper
    • 1.2. McCree & Reaper
    • 1.3. Brigitte & Reaper
  • 2. Reaper Counters
    • 2.1. Widowmaker & Reaper
    • 2.2. Hanzo & Reaper
    • 2.3. Zarya & Reaper
    • 2.4. Brigitte & Reaper
    • 2.5. Pharah & Reaper
  • 3. Reaper Is Strong Against
    • 3.1. Winston & Reaper
    • 3.2. Bastion & Reaper
• +Maps
  • 1. Best Maps for Reaper
    • 1.1. Reaper on Temple of Anubis
    • 1.2. Reaper on Volskaya Industries
  • 2. Worst Map for Reaper
    • 2.1. Watchpoint: Gibraltar

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

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

Reinhardt and Reaper have great synergy for one main reason, Reinhardt has a mobile barrier in the from of Barrier Field. Although other tanks have other barrier abilities similar to that of Reinhardt's (namely Orisa's Protective Barrier), Reinhardt's barrier has one main difference from the rest, it is mobile. As Reinhardt can protect allies on the go, he is arguably one of the best picks for Reaper when Reaper wants to play on the frontline of his team. Where Reinhardt goes, Reaper will follow, which is the beginning of a powerful close-quarters team composition.

McCree does not have direct synergy with Reaper's kit, but when a damage hero wants to play Reaper, the team needs a healthy dose of hitscan dps to compensate for Reaper's lack of ranged attacks. Pharah is a direct counter to Reaper, as you cannot shoot what you cannot hit, and therefore, a McCree player allows Reaper to continue playing up close and personal without having to worry about heroes that rely on ranged attacks. Additionally, we would argue that McCree's ultimate is not as reliable as some other forms of damage, and therefore, Reaper's simple damage-dealing Death Blossom is a good objective based ultimate that can compensate for a poorly fired Deadeye.

Brigitte is an awesome support duo with Reaper for a number of reasons. First, Brigitte can hold her own against a variety of attacks, which means Reaper does not have to worry about protecting her as much as he may have to worry about protecting other healers. This allows Reaper the freedom to shoot first and worry about Brigitte later. Second, Birigtte has a variety of utility abilities that can help Reaper in a variety of ways. Whip Shot can be used to push an enemy towards or away from Reaper depending on the situation. Shield Bash can be used to stun an enemy tank, allowing Reaper to get in free shots to possibly secure a kill. Third, Brigitte can buff Reaper's hit points by giving him armor through Repair Pack and Rally. All that to say, it is hard to take out an above 300 health Reaper who is using Death Blossom.

A Reaper's biggest threat is an uncontested Widowmaker, and since Reaper takes up a damage-dealing slot in his team's composition, Widowmaker is likely to be uncontested without an enemy flanker. As Reaper's primary playstyle is to infiltrate enemy ranks or attempt to take out enemy tanks, Widowmaker can force Reaper to stay hidden from view for fear of getting one-shot by Widowmaker's Widow's Kiss. Additionally, any use of Death Blossom while an enemy Widowmaker is alive is a huge risk, as Death Blossom forces Reaper to stay in place, giving Widowmaker an easy headshot target. Lastly, Reaper may have to stay off of high ground because he cannot safely use Shadow Step without standing in Widowmaker's view.

Hanzo is another hero with a long ranged weapon (in this case Storm Bow) that can pick Reaper at unfortunate times. Although Strom Bow can be hard to land shots with, a fully charged hit can be followed up with Storm Arrows for an easy kill on Reaper. Hanzo's Wall Climb ability allows him to escape Reaper should he be in pursuit. Additionally, Wall Climb gives Hanzo the ability to contest Reaper from an area he cannot get to without forcing himself out in the open. Sonic Arrow can spot an enemy Reaper attempting to flank allies, forcing him to lose the element of surprise. Just like Widowmaker, Reaper's Death Blossom can be a poor choice when Hanzo is alive and well, as the ability's cap on Reaper's movement makes for easy prey.

Zarya is a direct counter to Reaper for a number of reasons such as

• Reaper's movements are predictable, which means Zarya can easily gain Energy from Hellfire Shotguns.
• While Zarya gains Energy from Projected Barrier, she also blocks Reaper's attempts to deal damage to an ally.
• Particle Barrier can help Zarya win a duel against Reaper should he attempt to focus Zarya.
• Graviton Surge blocks Reaper's use of Wraith Form, making him a sitting duck.
• Particle Cannon's primary fire out ranges Reaper's Hellfire Shotguns.

Although Brigitte is strong with Reaper, she is also a hard counter to Reaper's abilities. Reaper's best offense is to get up close and personal with his enemies. However, Brigitte is more than capable of handling herself against close attacks. Her Shield Bash is arguably her best weapon against Reaper, as it can stun him long enough for her and her team to take him out. If Reaper dodges with Wraith Form, Brigitte can use Whip Shot to push Reaper away from her position as she attempts to get away. If Reaper can attack Brigitte, her 250 hit points and her armor can make that a difficult prospect. If Reaper uses Death Blossom, Brigitte can use her Shield Bash to stun him mid-ultimate, she can use her Whip Shot to push him away, she can use her Barrier Shield to protect herself, and her Rally is a direct counter to damage over time area of effect ultimates. Therefore, Brigitte is a strong pick.

Pharah can use her Jump Jet and her Hover Jets to stay high above the play area. As Reaper only has shotguns to deal damage, he is often forced to run away from a Pharah who is smart enough to refrain from attacking Reaper on the ground. Therefore, Pharah's kit makes her seemingly invulnerable to Reaper's attacks.

Although Winston is neither the best protector nor the best attacker, he relies on his mobility to harass heroes on the ground. However, since Reaper can use his Hellfire Shotguns to burst down tanks, one wrong use of Jump Pack can send Winston to the spawn room.

Bastion has a lot of damage potential, but heroes with high mobility can easily slip past his Configuration: Sentry. While Reaper is a slow flanker, his Shadow Step allows him to take alternate paths to get through Bastion's set up to attack from behind. Once in position, Reaper can attempt to attack Bastion while he fires at Reaper's allies. If Bastion turns on Reaper, Reaper can use his Wraith Form to juke Bastion's attack and shoot him in the back (a headshot area for a Bastion in Configuration: Sentry).

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.