WithOverwatch 2making me fall back in love with the game thanks to Stadium, andMarvel Rivalsabsolutely nailing consistent content drops and free rewards, I’ve had good reason to split my time between both hero shooters. And by playing both games, it’s easy to see where NetEase took inspiration from the most acclaimed hero shooter of all time. While it does mix and match abilities so that there are no exact copies of anOverwatchhero, plenty of abilities are clearly pulled from Blizzard’s game, whether it be Squirrel Girl’s Junkrat-like attacks, Magneto’s Sigma vibes, Winter Soldier’s Roadhog-esque Hook, or Emma Frost’s Ramattra-like stance change. However, I never want to see anything resembling Sombra inMarvel Rivals, even though I used to play her frequently.
To be clear, I’ve hardly touchedSombra inOverwatch 2. Instead, I’ve mainly played Reinhardt in the free-to-play sequel, as I love the feel of landing a risky pin or a big Earthshatter (even if it means stressing out my Support-playing fiancée). Still, there was a time when I really adored playing Sombra in the first game. I had grown tired of Mei freezing and killing me as Reaper and felt like pushing back with a cheesy character of my own, so I did my best to learn the Talon hacker. I got fairly good with her, too, quickly finding satisfaction in “stealing” Play of the Games through her Hacking highlight intro. However, it didn’t take long before wreaking havoc as Sombra felt a bit cheap to me, and I went back to playing the likes of Tracer and Cassidy when I wanted to deal damage. I was well aware of how hated Sombra was becoming, and I didn’t want to be part of the problem. And now, I just hope NetEase doesn’t take inspiration from her kit.
Overwatch’s Sombra Is a Nightmare in the Right Hands, and Rivals Should Keep That in Mind
The current version of Sombra may be fairly balanced, but she was oppressive for so long (and still can be in the right hands), so she remains a frequent target ofOverwatch 2’s hero bans. As for why she’s hated, the following traits come to mind:
Though clear steps have been taken to makeOverwatch 2’s Sombra less of a nuisance, many players still find her annoying, and it’s easy to see why. Whether she is trapping unluckyOverwatch 2Supportsin their spawn room, failing to join in on team fights, or not getting enough value to justify the pick, Sombra is a character many players hate fighting alongside and against. More often than not, it can feel like a Sombra is focused more on entertaining herself than winning a match, which is a big no-no for myself and other competitive players.
This is all information thatMarvel Rivalscan and should take note of when designing its future heroes. No matter how much Blizzard has tried to alter Sombra and make her more fair, she remains hated. Her hacking ability will always be hugely frustrating no matter how it is tweaked, yet removing it would strip her of her identity, as it’s a skill that is vital to her character. With somecharacters like Anasimply lacking movement abilities, countering Sombra is a nightmare for them, yet her stealth and speed are a big part of why she’s fun to play. Ultimately, Blizzard will forever be stuck between a rock and a hard place with Sombra, as though her fans regularly argue she’s too weak, even in a bad state, many will be quick to ban her.
Marvel Rivals Has a Few Options For a Sombra-Like Hero, But It Shouldn’t Take Them
Marvel Rivalshas a few heroes it could introduce with hacking abilities, a teleporter, and other tech-based abilities, from superpowered individuals to geniuses. Options include, but aren’t limited to:
IfMarvel Rivalshad a Sombra equivalent, there would be endless debates about whether the game was healthier before or after said hero was introduced. With so many Sombra players finding joy in bullying those that can’t fight back, it’s hard to imagine aRivalshero who works like her being hated any less, as the same scenarios would likely play out. So while it’s easy to imagine the daughter ofReed Richards and Sue Stormpulling out a gadget to hack health packs or disable the abilities of her opponents, it’s something best left to the imagination.Marvel Rivalshas a toxicity problem already, after all, so adding a character resembling Sombra would just be adding fuel to the fire.
