The Best Heroes to Play in Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals just lately kicked off season 1, introducing Mr. Incredible and the Invisible Girl as new playable heroes together with a brand new convoy map that takes you thru the streets of a Dracula-controlled New York. It has been a powerful begin for the sport that first launched in early December. 

As in each multiplayer recreation based mostly round hero characters and their talents, including to the lineup all the time has the potential to shake up the metagame of whichever handful of heroes are thought of essentially the most optimum picks in a match. Rivals additionally made some steadiness changes in all three roles (DPS duelists, tank-like vanguards and therapeutic strategists) as the sport kicked off season 1, which additional complicates how heroes evaluate in opposition to one another. 

So all of that thought of, who’re one of the best heroes in Marvel Rivals now? It is powerful to say definitively, as a result of issues like participant ability and hero familiarity issue into every particular person’s outcomes — have you learnt the combos for melee heroes, have the intention ability required for point-and-click duelists or have the required useful resource administration to get essentially the most out of sure vanguards and strategists?

This information is predicated on a mixture of my very own in-game expertise and Rivals’ official knowledge on choose charges and win charges from season 0. Whereas issues have modified within the new season, some heroes have held onto most (or all) of their strengths from final season. (Be aware: DPS win charges pattern decrease than 50% on common whereas strategist win charges pattern above 50%, possible reflecting the distinction between groups with too many duelists versus groups that steadiness roles a little bit higher. Vanguard win charges are extra even.)

When you simply need to win, listed here are a few of Marvel Rivals’ greatest heroes. Needless to say in aggressive lobbies ranked diamond or greater, every crew can ban two heroes, so it is a good suggestion to have just a few succesful heroes in your repertoire for every function. Because the season progresses, I am going to maintain this listing up to date if (or possible when) I uncover I’ve over- or underrated heroes, particularly the 2 new heroes to start out the season — Invisible Girl and Mr. Incredible, who did not make this model of the listing. Issues will get shaken up once more when the opposite half of the Incredible 4, The Factor and Human Torch, get added in a while.

Finest Marvel Rivals vanguards

Physician Unusual: Probably the most constant, dependable frontline presence

The Sorcerer Supreme has been the largest fixture within the vanguard metagame since launch. He has essentially the most constant shielding, his final is a robust area-of-effect stun and his teleport is a helpful instrument for last-second touches on targets or skillful ambushes. The nerfs to his Maelstrom of Insanity potential and defend regeneration do not change the basically sturdy components of his equipment. Choose Physician Unusual when you suppose you’ll be able to win by managing your crew’s house and relentlessly pushing your opponents again. 

Hulk: A robust team-up anchor and efficient dive initiator

Hulk generally is a problem to play, however he is a menace when performed properly, stealing backline consideration and defending ally divers along with his bubble shields. At diamond ranks and above, Hulk’s win price was a powerful 54%. He additionally makes two already sturdy heroes — Physician Unusual and Iron Man — even stronger by rising their injury with team-up talents. Choose Hulk when you suppose you’ve Bruce Banner’s gigabrain and may outmaneuver your opponents. 

Peni Parker: A ruthless dive deterrent and stun manufacturing facility

Peni sported the best vanguard win price in season 0 and walked away and not using a single adjustment for the brand new season. Particularly highly effective on protection, Peni successfully creates a no-walk zone by establishing a nest that spawns drones who crawl throughout webs and injury anybody who steps on these webs. And you’ve got a stun potential on a three-second cooldown that can lock down dive heroes or stun some out ultimates. Choose Peni if you’ll find intelligent hiding spots in your nest and need to lock down whole areas of the map. 

Finest Marvel Rivals duelists

Hela: A damage-dealing nightmare with security nets

Hela was each the most-played duelist and the one with the best win price. She obtained a few nerfs for the brand new season, decreasing her seasonal injury bonus and lowering her well being barely — altering essential breakpoints in her potential to deal and obtain injury. What wasn’t modified was the security she has between her Astral Flock potential giving her an invincible repositioning instrument and her final potential that resets her HP to 1,000. Choose Hela when you suppose you’ll be able to out-aim your opponents — she may not be as dominant as she was final season, however she ought to nonetheless be a menace in the suitable fingers.

Psylocke: Strain from all angles

Psylocke’s potential to deal affordable injury from vary makes her a flexible risk, pressuring frontlines or assassinating backlines relying on what is out there to her. Good Psylocke gamers really feel like they’re all the time threatening the enemy crew from someplace whereas by no means being shut sufficient to really cope with — even when they sprint in to safe a kill, they’re invisible and dashing out to security earlier than you’ll be able to commerce again. Choose Psylocke when you’re assured in your potential to prowl across the map, in search of alternatives to rapidly burst somebody down earlier than they’ll get assist.

Iron Man: The flying deathray 

Marvel’s most well-known billionaire emerged as a late-season menace, particularly in higher-rank lobbies the place two of his greatest counters (Hawkeye and Hela) have been incessantly banned. Iron Man can fly freely across the map, and good gamers know find out how to discover inventive angles close to cowl that enable them to rapidly beam down unsuspecting targets. He has a robust team-up with Hulk, who naturally sows chaos and attracts consideration away. And he has an final that may kill strategists like Luna Snow out of their very own highly effective ults. Choose Iron Man when you suppose you’ll be able to outflank enemies and catch them unexpectedly whereas additionally protecting your self alive.

Storm: The most important buff beneficiary

Storm was the least-picked hero in quickplay and aggressive final season, however she obtained buffs to her injury and the pace of her (piercing) projectile, which has taken her from least-picked to must-pick. Storm creates an aura the place she will be able to enhance both the pace or injury of her allies and amplify that enhance for a number of seconds. As a result of that aura is a sphere, Storm typically desires to be degree together with her teammates to get most vary — the identical positioning that will get higher worth out of her hero-piercing projectiles — so do not wander too far out of your teammates. On high of that, her final damages enemies in a broad swath and calls for fast response from enemy strategists. Choose Storm when you really feel snug aiming projectiles and need to management the tempo of the sport from the duelist function.

Honorable mentions: Black Panther and Magik

Each these heroes have been within the high three for win charges, however with very low choose charges. These are combo-heavy melee characters that I’d guess attraction to a smaller share of the inhabitants, so I feel individuals who play these heroes usually tend to be specialists who know the ins and outs of the heroes very deeply. Maybe extra importantly, Panther’s excessive mobility and Magik’s mixture of sprint talents and producing overhealth make the 2 of them extra self-sufficient than different duelists and fewer reliant on their crew, thus lowering a few of the variance in matchmaking. If you wish to sink within the hours to grasp these heroes, there could be an even bigger payoff, however I do not suggest them except you are wanting to dedicate that type of playtime to 1 hero. 

Finest Marvel Rivals strategists

Mantis: The duelist in strategist’s garments

Mantis had the best win price of any hero in Marvel Rivals, no matter platform. Hulk and Magik overtake her at excessive ranks, however solely barely and on a lot decrease choose charges. Regardless of a motion pace nerf, Mantis has numerous the instruments you should carry a foyer: excessive injury potential, crowd management for enemy threats and a strong final that may flip crew fights. And if in case you have one other participant in your crew outperforming the foyer, Mantis is a superb selection for protecting them alive whereas additionally boosting their injury. Choose Mantis if you wish to play the backline puppetmaster of your crew, shelling out injury and therapeutic and clutching fights along with your talents. 

Luna Snow: Highly effective therapeutic and maintain

Whereas Luna’s win price is not that thrilling, she’s a frequent ban in high-ranked lobbies due to her potential to maintain allies up by main injury and rapidly farm her final, which makes close by allies nigh-unkillable for 12 seconds. (Her final obtained a nerf to the power to change rapidly between therapeutic and damage-boosting modes, however the core worth stays.) Throwing her Share the Stage potential on a low-health ally allows you to rapidly convey them again to full HP, and like Mantis, she additionally has the power to stun enemies making an attempt to leap you or forged their ultimates in your crew. Choose Luna when you suppose your crew has the firepower to win an prolonged combat and you’ve got the intention ability to maintain them healed up.

Loki: Mischievous grasp of manipulation

The god of mischief has a comparatively low choose price in contrast with different strategists, however his win price was greater than 50% in any respect ranks on each PC and console, and he obtained no adjustments for season 1. Loki’s doppelgangers enable him to deal massive bursts of therapeutic and injury when arrange accurately, and his three escape talents make him extra resilient to enemies who need to leap you. His copy-any-hero final potential additionally makes him a uniquely versatile hero. Choose Loki when you suppose can outthink your opponents, establishing intelligent doppelganger placements and use quick-thinking ultimates to catch the opposite crew off-guard.

For extra on Marvel Rivals, try our season 1 overview and information to selecting your function and heroes.