As someone who’s spent countless hours battling it out in the world of mobile gaming, let me tell you that I’ve seen my fair share of Strategists, Vanguards, and Duelists. Each character brings their unique strengths to the table, but understanding how to counter them can make all the difference between victory and defeat.
Just like numerous hero-shooter games, Marvel Rivals demands tactical thinking and teamwork. It’s similar to a complex game of rock, paper, scissors, where each hero possesses unique strengths and vulnerabilities that can significantly influence the outcome of a battle based on your chosen character.
In a competitive setting, it’s common for one player to outperform another, but the roles can easily reverse. Frequently, players come across opponents who are stronger, leading them to switch to characters that naturally have an edge in those match-ups.
Because you can switch characters during Marvel Rivals whenever needed, understanding which characters counter each other becomes useful, enabling you to effectively deal with difficult opponents who might be causing trouble for you and your team.
A common guideline I’ve discovered is that characters with abilities at opposite ends of the power scale usually balance each other out. Characters whose ultimate moves cancel out the effectiveness of one another can also be seen as counterparts.
This list is based on research done online and a few hours of playing through matches and testing. As the game evolves and the roster of characters grows, so may this list.
Vanguard
In this role, you act as a shield, absorbing enemy attacks to protect your fellow players. You function both as a diversion and a tough barrier, prolonging your own life being crucial for the team’s success.
In most cases, heroes who can attack and move faster than the Vanguard heroes at a distance are typically effective counters due to their superior range abilities.
| Vanguard Counters | Duelist Counters | Strategist Counters | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulk | Doctor Strange, Peni Parker | Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher, Hela | Jeff, Loki, Luna Snow | While the Hulk can be a formidable foe and has surprising mobility with his leap, he has to rely on his fists and his face to contribute to his team. During a fight, your best chance is to deal damage to him from as far away as you can. Ranged Heroes like the Punisher can quickly melt him down (if also paired with Rocket’s Ammo Invention Team-Up ability) |
| Captain America | Doctor Strange, Peni Parker | Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher, Hela | Jeff, Loki, Luna Snow | America’s favorite Boy Scout is a brawler who can be easily taken out of range if you focus your efforts on him. He’s nothing without his shield, so any ability or attack that disables him will make short work of him. Doctor Strange’s Ultimate completely bypasses Cap’s shield, too. |
| Doctor Strange | Hulk, Venom, Groot | Black Panther, Magik, Star Lord | Luna Snow, Loki | Coming from a Doctor Strange player, he is one of the strongest characters in the game because of his burst damage and tanky shield. However, once you catch him on his own, he’s pretty defenseless. Tanky Vanguards like Venom can make his Dark Magic purge meaningless, or melee Heroes like Iron Fist can easily pummel him to pieces. |
| Groot | Peni Parker, Dr. Strange, Magneto, Venom | Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Hela, Star Lord, Storm | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow | Groot is surprisingly hard to take down but struggles with dealing meaningful damage. Tanks who can outpace his damage-dealing while matching his survivability can beat him. |
| Magneto | Venom, Hulk, Groot, Captain America | Black Panther, Magik, Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow | Not a very attractive pick because he’s one of the easiest characters to counter. You can out-tank him or pick Duelists with high mobility like Spider-Man. |
| Peni Parker | Hulk, Venom, Groot, Doctor Strange | Punisher, Hela, Moon Knight, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch | Rocket Raccoon, Loki, Luna Snow | Peni thrives when she’s set up strong fortifications with her Spider Nest and mines. Ranged Heroes (e.g. Punisher) and Heroes with flight (Iron Man) can easily destroy Peni’s most powerful tool. |
| Thor | Peni Parker, Magnet, Doctor Strange | Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Hela, Star Lord, Spiderman | Jeff, Loki, Mantis | The God of Thunder can easily be pinned down, as his only form of defense is his bonus health. Any hero who has an immobilizing or ranged attack can easily take Thor down. |
| Venom | Peni Parker, Magnet, Doctor Strange | Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Hela, Star-Lord | Jeff, Loki, Mant | One of the best characters in the game and the best tank, so countering Venom is a little tough now. Any ranged pick would be solid, and since he has his tentacles, it can be easily avoided if you also have high mobility. |
Duelist
In combat, each duelist possesses unique abilities, both in offense and defense. Agile close-range characters who can quickly maneuver tend to outperform stationary long-range ones. Conversely, a nimble ranged character typically has an advantage over a slow melee opponent.
| Vanguard Counters | Duelist Counters | Strategist Counters | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Panther | Groot, Venom, Hulk | Punisher, Winter Soldier | Jeff, Loki, Mantis | At the current state of the game, Black Panther isn’t really strong. Depending on who you play, you can engage him in melee and tank his damage with Groot or Venom, or shoot him down with a ranged Hero. |
| Black Widow | Hulk, Venom, Peni Parker | Spider-Man, Magik, Black Panther, Star-Lord, Iron Fist | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow | Black Widow’s power is highly dependent on player skill, and as a sniper, she does best at a distance. Heroes, like Spider-Man, can quickly close that gap and deal with her up close and personal. |
| Hawkeye | Magneto, Doctor Strange, Venom, Hulk | Spider-Man, Black Panther, Star-Lord, Magik | Loki, Luna Snow | Hawkeye can hold his own both at range and in melee, so you’ll need to make it tricky for him to pin you down. Loki can use his Illusions to distract him, or Vanguards with a high health pool like Venom can easily stop him. |
| Hela | Magneto, Doctor Strange, Venom, Hulk | Spider-Man, Black Panther, Star-Lord, Magik | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow | When two ranged Duelists face each other, it all comes down to skill. Countering Hela just requires you to have better aim than her with snipers or a great healer like Jeff the Land Shark. Any close-range Hero who can dive and run her down can also make short work of the Goddess of Death. |
| Iron Fist | Magneto, Venom, Peni Parker | Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow | Iron Fist has blown the community away with his insane damage output, but it’s still possible to counter him. Your best bet is to use champions with crowd-control abilities like Mantis, Hulk, or Peni so that you can pin him down. |
| Iron Man | Dr. Strange, Peni Parker, Captain America | Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow | Iron Man’s flight renders him almost untouchable for melee Heroes. Unless you have some insane plays, then your best shot is to pick a ranged Hero. Doctor Strange can easily block Iron Man’s Ultimate, and Punisher or Hawkeye can shoot him down. |
| Magik | Dr. Strange, Peni Parker | Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Black Widow | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow | She’s a melee-focused Hero, so you’ll need to take her out from range. The Punisher or Squirrel Girl can easily get her in their sights and take her out from a safe distance. |
| Moon Knight | Captain America, Magneto, Dr. Strange | Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Spider-Man | Rocket Raccoon, Loki, Luna Snow, Jeff | So far, I haven’t seen many people play Moon Knight, but from what I’ve seen, he struggles with 1v1s against other ranged duelists, so Black Widow or Hela might be a good pick. |
| Namor | Dr. Strange | Punisher, Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Hela, Black Widow | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow, Rocket Raccoon | Namor is pretty strong when he relies on his octopus turrets. If you can take them out, then you’ll rob him of a good time. |
| Psylocke | Dr. Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker, Venom | Black Widow, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Iron Fist | Rocket Raccoon, Loki, Luna Snow | Psylocke works best when she gets the drop on you, so a good counter relies on a good ranged Duelist. Luna Snow’s Ultimate can out-heal Psylocke’s Ultimate, too. |
| The Punisher | Dr. Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker, Venom | Punisher, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Psylocke | Jeff, Loki, Luna Snow | You might notice that the Punisher appears a lot on this list, and that’s because he’s easily the best-ranged option in the game. You’ll need to be very tanky (Venom) or nimble (Iron Fist) to outlast him. You might just need another Punisher to take him out. |
| Scarlet Witch | Groot, Venom, Hulk | Punisher, Hela, Moon Knight, Winter Soldier | Jeff, Loki, Mantis | Wanda is a little underwhelming because she lacks range and does chip damage as her primary attack. You’ll need a tank like Venom to withstand her attacks while also being able to outmaneuver her. |
| Spider-Man | Peni Parker, Groot, Dr. Strange | Scarlet Witch, Namor, Punisher, Star-Lord, Hawkeye | Jeff, Loki, Mantis | Spider-Man has a really high skill curve and ceiling. Your best bet is to pin him down with crowd control, so Venom, Peni, or Mantis could stun him. Tanks are also tough for any Spider-Man to chew on. |
| Squirrel Girl | Peni Parker, Groot, Dr. Strange, Captain America | Punisher, Hela, Black Widow, Hawkeye | Loki, Luna Snow, Jeff the Land Shark | Squirrel Girl has the meta in a vice grip at the beginning of the game’s release because of her ridiculously high damage output. However, while she excels in spamming the battlefield with explosive acorns, she struggles in melee range and when she’s outgunned. Once again, Punisher might be your best pick. |
| Star-Lord | Dr. Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker | Hawkeye, Winter Soldier, Hela, Star-Lord, Spider-Man | Jeff, Loki, Luna Snow | Star-Lord is a great DPS character for beginners to start with, but he’s weak against tanks and healers who can outpace or negate his damage. Doctor Strange, Peni, Luna, and Jeff can easily reduce his combat effectiveness. In fact, Loki might be an excellent counter because he can steal Star-Lord’s Ultimate and take out several squishies. |
| Storm | Dr. Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker | Hawkeye, Winter Soldier, Hela, Star-Lord, Spider-Man | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow | People are saying Storm is slept on, but I think she’s underwhelming the way she is. You can counter her by staying out of her AOE and fighting her outside of her effective range. Hawkeye is a good pick. |
| Winter Soldier | Dr. Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker | Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher, | Adam Warlock, Jeff, Luna Snow | If you have a Winter Soldier on the enemy team, things are going to hurt a lot. You’ll need to fight him with better range (Punisher) or mitigate his damage with Adam Warlock. |
| Wolverine | Dr. Strange, Peni Parker | Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Black Widow | Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow | Wolverine is, unfortunately, very weak in the current meta, as he relies on being up close and personal to do anything meaningful at all. Range is your best bet, so drop him before he even gets close. |
Strategist
In many team battles, it’s common for Strategists, who play crucial roles as healers and supporters, to be the primary focus due to their significant contributions in keeping team members alive.
As a Strategist, your highest chance of survival lies in sticking with your team, since it’s extremely challenging to emerge victorious in a one-on-one battle against a Vanguard or Duelist.
| Vanguard Counters | Duelist Counters | Strategist Counters | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Warlock | Dr. Strange, Magneto, Captain America | Black Panther, Magik, Punisher, Star-Lord, | Jeff, Loki | Fighting an enemy, Adam Warlock, means preventing him from getting any momentum at all by taking him out early. Squirrel Girl is a safe choice. |
| Cloak and Dagger | Venom, Hulk, Peni Parker, Captain America | Spider-Man, Iron Fist, Magik, Punisher | N/A | Similar to Adam Warlock, Cloak and Dagger need space to work. Get up close and personal with Iron Fist, Spider-Man, or Venom. |
| Jeff the Land Shark | Venom, Hulk, Peni Parker | Black Panther, Magik, Punisher, Spider-Man, Iron Man | Cloak and Dagger, Loki | Currently public enemy #1 for many players, Jeff is a massive threat not just for his efficient healing but also his annoying Ultimate. His damage output isn’t great, so a tank can outlast him while a melee character like Wolverine can make short work of him. |
| Loki | Venom, Peni Parker, Hulk, Doctor Strange | Black Panther, Magik, Namor, Spider-Man, Iron Fist | N/A | Because of the many tricks up his sleeve, a good Loki player is hard to kill. Heroes who get up close and personal with suppressive powers like Venom or Hulk could give his puny god a run for his money. |
| Luna Snow | Venom, Hulk, Peni Parker | Punisher, Star-Lord, Hela, Magik | Jeff | Because of her potential to sustain the entire enemy team, you’ll need to take her out as quickly as you can with range or a Hero who can dive the backline safely and quickly. Punisher and Iron Fist come to mind. |
| Mantis | Venom, Hulk, Peni Parker | Black Panther, Magik, Punisher, Spider-Man, Iron Fist | N/A | Mantis can be a pretty strong healer and damage dealer, but since her Life Orbs deal healing over time, all you need is a diving DPS or Tank to mitigate that. |
| Rocket Raccoon | Venom, Hulk, Peni Parker | Black Panther, Magik, Punisher, Spider-Man, Iron Fist | Luna, Mantis | Because of his small size, Rocket is a slippery character to pin down. You’ll need melee characters with dashes to keep up with him, so a Psylocke or a Black Panther might give him a hard time. |
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2024-12-17 17:39