Astra

Astra's kit is built on stars:

• in astral form, Astra sees the map from above and places stars wherever she wants, even far away. While she is in this form, her body stays still and vulnerable;
• Nebula: a star becomes a smoke at its location;
• Nova Pulse: a star emits a pulse that, after a moment, concusses anyone nearby;
• Gravity Well: a star becomes a well that pulls enemies towards its center and then explodes, making them vulnerable;
• Dissipate: you can recall a star to get it back, briefly leaving a cloud that misleads the enemy;
• Cosmic Divide (ultimate): from astral form you draw a line across the whole map and raise a wall that blocks bullets and dampens sound.

Astra's strength is flexibility: the same stars become smokes, concussions or wells depending on what is needed at that moment.

Pick Astra when:

• the team needs a controller who can cover the whole map: stars can be placed anywhere, and each one can become a smoke where needed;
• you want a controller who also contributes to entries: Nova Pulse and Gravity Well set up fights the way an initiator would;
• the map has several sites or a big mid, where being able to shift smokes from one spot to another matters a lot;
• the team communicates well: Astra is at her best when teammates know where the stars are and what they will become.

Cosmic Divide is one of the most useful ultimates on both defense and attack: a wall cutting the map splits the sites, blocks rotations or protects a plant.

Astra is also an interesting pick for players who want to grow as controllers: managing stars forces you to think ahead about where smokes will be needed, which is exactly the habit that separates strong controllers from those who only react.