Marvel Rivals Character Tier List: Season 1

Marvel Rivals Season 1 introduced Invisible Woman and Mister Fantastic to the rapidly growing Hero roster, debuted two new Maps alongside a new game mode, and promised to shake up the meta with a massive slate of Hero Balance Adjustments. Now that the dust has settled a little on the new season, the meta is finally beginning to solidify as players adapt to the changes and continue to learn how to min-max their favorite Marvel Heroes.

While some S-Tier Season 0 standouts like Doctor Strange, Hela, and Luna Snow have refused to give up ground to their counterparts despite receiving nerfs, other Heroes like Storm, Moon Knight, and Wolverine have seen a noticeable upgrade to their competitive viability.

Without further ado, let’s get to our Marvel Rivals Season 1 tier list:

• S-Tier
  • Hulk, Doctor Strange, Luna Snow, Cloak and Dagger, Hela, Magneto, Invisible Woman, Storm, Mantis
• A-Tier
  • Groot, Namor, Loki, Star-Lord, Psylocke, Iron Man, Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Wolverine
• B-Tier
  • Thor, The Punisher, Venom, Adam Warlock, Magik, Black Panther, Rocket Raccoon, Squirrel Girl
• C-Tier
  • Captain America, Peni Parker, Jeff the Land Shark, Mister Fantastic, Spider-Man, Iron Fist
• D-Tier
  • Black Widow, Scarlet Witch

S-Tier

Hulk

• When he makes it past the ban phase, when paired with competent Strategists Hulk can be nearly impossible to eliminate, despite his gamma shield losing 50 HP in the recent patch. His mobility allows him to create space and pressure the enemy support line, but one of Hulk’s biggest strengths is inarguably his Gamma Charge Team-Up with Doctor Strange and Iron Man. The Gamma Charge Team-Up boosts the damage and radius of Strange’s Maelstrom of Madness ability and substantially increases the damage of Iron Man’s Repulsor Blast and Unibeam.

Doctor Strange

• Despite receiving a noticeable nerf to his Maelstrom of Madness and Gamma Maelstrom, Doctor Strange is still one of the best Vanguards in Marvel Rivals. With an impressive damage output, an 800 HP shield that can block or dampen many fight-winning ultimates, and a TP that allows your team to take engagements on your terms, Doctor Strange is a jack-of-all-trades. If you can manage it without bans, pair Strange with Hulk to take advantage of the Gamma Charge Team-Up buffs.

Luna Snow

• Like Doctor Strange, Luna Snow was nerfed and can no longer spam healing and damage boost during her ultimate, but this has had little to no impact on her viability. Luna Snow remains arguably the best and most versatile Strategist in the game thanks to her high damage and healing output, easy-to-land freeze, and ultimate which all but makes your team unkillable for 12 seconds.

Cloak and Dagger

• With the recent balance updates, Cloak and Dagger received a buff to their Dagger Storm Cooldown and their ultimate ability gained an additional dash. This only further cements Cloak and Dagger in the meta, as the sustain and damage provided by this two-in-one Hero cannot be overstated. Just look out for the Magnetos that will surely look to solo ult you after you pop your own ultimate ability.

Hela

• This season, Hela’s base health was reduced by 25 HP and her season bonus was reduced from 20% to 15%. These nerfs have failed to knock her off her throne as the best Duelist in Marvel Rivals and elite Hela players continue to act as server admins when uncontested. Though she continues to dominate, Hela’s nerfs have changed several breakpoints, so you’ll need to be more precise with your hitscan aim to continue having a similar impact as you did in Season 0.

Magneto

• The only balance update Magneto received this season is a buff to the father-daughter Team-Up of Metallic Chaos. Yet, Magneto has steadily risen through the ranks to contest for the spot of top Vanguard in Season 1. Because of the impenetrable sustain provided by some of the most OP support ultimates in the game, Magneto’s ultimate has emerged as a reliable solution. The immense damage of Magneto’s ultimate can one-shot ulting Strategists such as Cloak and Dagger, Mantis, and even Luna Snow in ideal situations. Magneto’s bubble or Metal Bulwark ability also stands out because it allows you to temporarily save allies kidnapped by Wolverine or Winter Soldier, or protect a teammate using an ultimate that leaves them vulnerable.

Invisible Woman

• Marvel Rival’s newest Strategist is arguably the Hero that most resembles the support archetype because of her top-notch healing output, insane utility, and fight-saving ultimate. Because of her cleaving primary fire, Invisible Woman thrives in stacked team compositions or on maps with tight chokes. While she’s undoubtedly more of a team-based Strategist, using her pull to hinder disengaging dive tanks or knock enemies off high ground will differentiate a good Invisible Woman from a great one.

Storm

• Storm is undoubtedly the biggest winner of Season 1 after receiving four buffs. Her damage has been augmented, increasing her pick potential, and her ultimate allows Storm to briefly retain her 450 bonus health after the ability has ended. This enables the Omega-level mutant to be far more aggressive when casting her ultimate.

Mantis

• With Luna Snow and Cloak and Dagger often being subject to bans, Mantis continues to be a top-tier Strategist because of her high damage output and potent defensive ultimate that simultaneously provides healing over time and movement boosts for nearby allies. Mantis took a small hit from a movement speed nerf in this patch, but her reliable sleep and Allied Inspiration DPS boost allow her to excel when you land critical hits to generate Life Orbs instantly.

A Tier

Groot

• In Season 1, Groot’s value has increased despite receiving no balance updates. This is due to the prevalence of three support compositions, plus his sustain. Pair Groot with a Namor or Moon Knight, then combo your ultimates for a near-guaranteed fight win. Even stacking support ultimates can’t heal through the overwhelming amount of damage. Groot’s Ironwood Wall ability is another highlight of his kit because hitting enemies within 10 meters of the wall grants Bonus Health that can balloon Groot’s HP up to 1100. Of course, Groot’s walls are always a threat because of the potential to wall off supports, trap enemies out of position, or prevent your enemies from reaching the objective.

Namor

• Namor is the bane of all flanking Duelists. His primary fire can two-tap most of the squishy Heroes in the game, and his summons can rack up damage as they autofire on enemies across the map. As mentioned above, pairing Namor’s ultimate with stuns such as Groot or Doctor Strange’s ult makes for sure-fire fight wins, though Moon Knight’s ult packs more punch.

Loki

• Because Loki is one of the most complex Strategists, his full potential has yet to be unlocked. In the meantime, his Regeneration Domain immortality field is incredible and his ultimate allows him to copy supports with overpowered ultimates such as Luna Snow. Alternatively, you can copy Heroes with game-changing offensive ults such as Magneto to instakill an enemy, but remember that you do not need to cast your copied ultimate right away.

Star-Lord

• Star-Lord is a reliable Duelist whose incredible mobility enables him to function on any map or game mode. Star-Lord’s ultimate continues to be a near-guaranteed kill regardless of your rank, and the reloads provided by his Stellar Shift make him a threat in just about every 1v1 duel. Pair Star-Lord with an Adam Warlock to unlock the Leader’s Soul passive which allows you to resurrect yourself every 120 seconds.

Psylocke

• Like Star-Lord, Psylocke is a versatile Hero who can work in almost any composition, but she thrives when off-angling in line of sight of her supports. Though Psylocke is one of the greatest threats to companionless supports, she can also play wide of her team to help cut through solo Vanguards. The prevalence of triple support compositions makes all flankers slightly less viable, but Psylocke remains one of the best, especially when sharing the battlefield with Magik to unlock a recall ability.

Iron Man

• Because Iron Man’s biggest threat Hela often doesn’t make it through the ban phase, Iron Man gets to rain down damage from the skies while remaining relatively safe. Though Iron Man’s ultimate can be fairly telegraphed, its burst damage in a triple support meta heightens its value. Lastly, when paired with Hulk, Iron Man’s Repulsor Blast and Unibeam receive substantial damage increases.

Winter Soldier

• Winter Soldier was already a relatively popular pick in Season 0 and he received buffs to his base HP and the bonus health earned when using Bionic Hook and Tainted Voltage. Now tankier, Winter Soldier provides consistent mid-range damage and Bionic Hook allows him to pull enemies away from their team for a free pick. Bucky’s ultimate continues to be impactful, and combining him with Rocket’s Ammo Invention Team-Up temporarily grants the Winter Soldier infinite ammo.

Hawkeye

• After spending Season 0 as one of the best Duelists alongside Hela, the nerf to Hawkeye’s medium to long effective range has made him slightly less of a consistent threat. Still, Hawkeye remains the only Duelist with a ranged one-shot, and the pick potential alone places the archer in A-Tier.

Moon Knight

• At the launch of Season 1, Moon Knight received two ultimate buffs that have drastically increased his usage, especially when paired with Groot. When your Groot pops his ultimate to imprison your enemies, quickly use your Hand of Khonshu ult on top of them to decimate your foes. When well-timed, this ult combo is nearly impossible to survive even if your enemy stacks support ultimates.

Wolverine

• At the start of Season 0, Wolverine was seen as one of the worst Duelists in Marvel Rivals, but this communal opinion has shifted as players continue to familiarize themselves with this iconic Hero. Toward the end of Season 0, Wolverine was well-known for preying on, hunting down, and eating tanks alive. Yet, he still received buffs to his base health to further cement his place amongst the elite DPS.

B-Tier

Thor

• In Season 1, Thor’s base HP increased by 25, and his ultimate gained crowd control immunity to prevent Luna, Peni, and others from canceling it. As the rest of the Vanguards continue to get banned in high ranks, Thor players have adapted to use their Storm Surge ability to displace tanks and boop them into the waiting arms of their allies. Thor’s ultimate is also one of the few tanks with an ultimate that can reliably one-shot most non-Vanguard Heroes.

The Punisher

• The Punished is Mr. Reliable. Both of The Punisher’s primary attacks received a spread decrease buff in the Season 1 patch, and his easily understandable kit makes him a great character to select if you’re new to hero shooters. Still, he doesn’t provide as much mid-fight pressure as some of the other Duelists on this list, and his ult is difficult to get value from in higher elo because your enemy will typically kite and retreat behind natural cover.

Venom

• Venom is a solid Vanguard with high mobility that he uses to disrupt enemy backlines before disengaging with his sizeable health pool. Venom is likely in need of a minor damage buff to secure one of the top spots in this meta, but for now, he’s a perfectly acceptable pick on most Maps.

Adam Warlock

• Adam Warlock is a damage-heavy support who’s all about second chances. His Regenerative Cocoon passive lets him resurrect himself every 105 seconds, his Team-Up grants Star-Lord and Mantis the ability to rez themselves, and his ultimate can respawn all allies within range. When using his ult, remember that the resurrection range is centered on Adam, so you can cast your ultimate from a safe area, then walk out toward your fallen teammates to bring them back into the fight.

Magik

• Magik is amongst the best brawl Duelists in the game and she can singlehandedly carry your games when expertly handled. Magik’s first passive, Limbo’s Might, converts damage inflicted into Bonus Health. Meanwhile, her Team-Up ability is also fantastic, as it grants Black Panther and Psylocke the ability to rewind to return to their previous position and gain missing health like the dual-pistol-wielding mascot of another well-known hero shooter. Magik also received an ultimate buff this patch which increased Umbral Incursion damage in Darkchild form from 115 to 135.

Black Panther

• Black Panther is a menace in the backline when he stacks his dashes with his Vibranium Mark and passes back and forth through your enemies. In addition to the overwhelming sustain provided by triple support comps, Black Panther is only hindered by his recent nerfs which reduced the additional health earned when refreshing Vibranium Marks.

Rocket Raccoon

• Rocket Raccoon is a shifty Strategist with significant healing and the ability to resurrect an enemy that has fallen early in a team fight. This can be a game-changer when tanks or supports die first, because not only will your teammate quickly rejoin the fight, but your enemy likely invested lots of resources to eliminate your ally. Rocket is a perfectly capable Strategist but his ultimate is lacking compared to top-notch supports like Luna Snow and Invisible Woman.

Squirrel Girl

• In this patch, Squirrel Girl’s ultimate was adjusted and the Squirrel Tsunami now tracks enemies at the cost of 300 HP. This makes the ultimate more lethal in most ranks, and her burst damage makes her one of the few Heroes who can burst through the massive amounts of sustain provided by supports. Unfortunately, she still falls short of her fellow Duelists because she has less sure-fire kill potential than Heroes like Hela or Psylocke.

C-Tier

Captain America

• Captain America sits somewhere between B and C, but he’s been placed in C-Tier because of his lack of solo carry potential. Though he’s a great disruptor, Cap is not as much of an offensive threat as his fellow Vanguards and many players have yet to learn how to play alongside him. Captain America has the potential to rise through the ranks as the community continues to solve him, but for now, the buffs he received this patch don’t seem potent enough to grant him a seat alongside Hulk, Doctor Strange, and the other elite tanks.

Peni Parker

• Though Peni Parker is the lowest-ranked Vanguard in this tierlist, she remains a solid choice in lower elo and can control narrow chokepoints when defending on Convoy and Convergence maps. Peni’s defensive playstyle is heavily reliant on her Bionic Spider-Nest which decreases her viability in higher ranks, but her Team-Up with Venom grants her 50% damage reduction and dishes out 50 damage on release, followed by 50 damage per second for 4 seconds.

Jeff the Land Shark

• The adorable, fan-favorite Jeff the Land Shark is the worst Strategist in the game. Though you may have encountered some slippery Jeffs who are seemingly immortal because of the land shark’s best-in-class self-heal, Jeff is unfortunately nowhere near as competitive as top-tier supports like Luna, Cloak and Dagger, or Invisible Woman. While we’ve placed him in C-Tier, Jeff’s viability immediately increases on Maps where he can use his ultimate to spit enemies to their death.

Mister Fantastic

• Mister Fantastic is a Duelist and Vanguard hybrid, but unfortunately, he doesn’t excel in either category enough to justify selecting him over the first-class DPS or Tank Heroes in the cast. Mister Fantastic’s incredible survivability ensures he’s difficult to take down, but he poses little threat against mobile DPS or supports with peel, and his ultimate leaves a lot to be desired. This doesn’t mean Mister Fantastic is a throw pick since he can work well alongside two other Vanguards, but other Duelists simply provide more for your team.

Spider-Man

• Spider-Man, like Iron Fist below him, is looking to pressure and eliminate backlines, but with the prevalence of triple support compositions, they’re simply outmatched. Great Spider-Man players will be able to get value from the friendly neighborhood hero by maximizing combos and quickly disengaging after securing eliminations, but if you hope to climb out of Silver with Spidey, you may be in for a grind.

Iron Fist

• Iron Fist is arguably the worst flanking Duelist in the roster because he lacks the speed or stealth of Heroes like Psylocke, Black Panther, and Spider-Man. Even worse, the triple support meta will make killing Strategists near impossible, so it may be best to shelf Iron Fist unless you’re an expert on this Hero.

D Tier

Scarlet Witch

• Scarlet Witch may terrorize lower-tier lobbies with her auto-aim primary fire and team-wiping Ultimate, but her value will steadily decline as you climb the ranks. Her primary fire damage is unimpressive even when leeching off enemies with high Max Health, and she’s simply outclassed by the damage, versatility, or utility provided by the rest of the DPS cast.

Black Widow

• Though Black Widow can be viable on maps with long sightlines or when protected by peeling supports, it’s hard to rationalize picking her over the other Duelists in Marvel Rivals. Use Black Widow to pub stomp in Quick Match, but switch to Hela or Hawkeye in Competitive if you want to flex your aim.

As the Marvel Rivals community continues to learn and master the roster of over 30 Heroes, the meta will evolve and get shaken up by the imminent mid-season patch. Until then, who do you think are the S-Tier Heroes in Marvel Rivals Season 1? Which Heroes would you like to see nerfed or buffed? Let us know in the comments before queuing up your next comp match.