Doctor Strange is an S-Tier, Vanguard class Hero in Marvel Rivals. Read on to learn how to play Doctor Strange, as well as a list of abilities, skins, and voice actors!
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Related Article
Hero Tier List (Season 1)Doctor Strange Hero Overview
| Tier | |
|---|---|
| Role | Vanguard |
| Difficulty | ★★・・・ |
| Real Name | Stephen Strange |
| VA | EN: Liam O'Brien |
Portal Supreme
Doctor Strange is the second best vanguard in the game with great utility, shielding, and an ultimate ability that can be used to set up larger AoE attacks.
Hero Tier List (Season 1)Doctor Strange Pros and Cons
| Pros | - Portal Ability is the best utility in the game |
|---|---|
| Cons | - Requires Team Communication |
Largest Shield
Doctor Strange has the largest shield in the game and can absorb up to 800 points of damage.
Infinite Portal Possibilities
From reducing travel time from respawn to objective or setting up ultimates, Doctor Strange’s portal ability is the greatest utility in the game with a wide variety of uses.
Requires Team Communication
Team communication is required to make the best out of Doctor Strange’s portal and ultimate ability.
Best Hero Companions
The Hulk
The Hulk’s team-up ability with Doctor Strange can allow him to deal bonus damage whenever he releases dark magic.
Thor
The railgun strategy works with Thor as another vanguard.
Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Hela
These heroes can benefit from the portal since Iron Man and Scarlet Witch has charge up and they can play this ultimate safely, while Hela can simply fire her Nastrond crows inside the portal.
How to Play Doctor Strange
Cycle Shooting and Blocking
There’s a bit of a lag in between Doctor Strange’s shooting animation so instead of holding down the left click button, try cycling between shooting and switching to your shield.
Release Dark Magic
As you’re cycling between shooting and blocking, close the distance to an enemy, so that you have a chance to release your dark magic. This will be your finisher in most instances.
You’ll Use Melee a lot
That’s right. While other heroes won’t even bother pressing the melee button, playing Doctor Strange means that you’ll have to play through the entire arsenal. This means that as you close the distance between shooting and blocking, you’ll also have the option to use your melee as a finisher if they survive the dark magic release.
Raise Your Shield
Doctor Strange’s Shield can protect against ultimates from Hela, Iron Man and Scarlet Witch so whenever you hear the sound cue, try to raise your shield above since these heroes activate usually activate their ultimates from above.
Portal Strategy
The best use of your portal isn’t to spoof enemies to out of bounds location since players are already used to seeing Doctor Strange and enemies won’t even dare to step in your portal anymore.
Instead communicate with your team and try to make coordinated dives to the payload or objective using your portal or set up ultimates for your teammates.
Railgun Strategy
The railgun strategy works by setting up a portal above the objective or where multiple enemies are clumping up and letting Thor jump into the portal while he activates his ultimate ability. This strategy can easily net Thor with kills from unsuspecting squishy heroes. Alternatively, you can also use this strategy on Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, and even Hela.
Eye of Agamoto
Eye of Agamoto is best used in tandem when focus firing duelists or strategist heroes and then releasing Dark Magic while enemies are still in their souls. This can guarantee quick eliminations on squishies.
Doctor Strange Hero Lore
Stephen Strange
Respected surgeon Stephen Strange was forced to seek a different path when his hands were injured in a terrible accident. Devoting himself to the mystic arts, Strange became this dimension's first line of defense against supernatural threats -- the Sorcerer Supreme.
Sensing a massive temporal disturbance, Doctor Strange performed an arcane ritual to protect his reality. The spell failed, and Strange and his Sanctum Sanctorum became trapped within the Mirror Dimension. Lost in the timestream, Strange uses his mystic mastery to free himself for short spans of time in order to join the fight.
Hero Story
Unexpected Guest| It was another sweltering summer night on the island of Manhattan. Though the sun had gone down hours earlier, the residual heat it left behind still radiated from the pavement in shimmering waves. The forecast had not called for any relief from the record temperatures in the immediate future, but the residents of Greenwich Village had come to expect the unexpected thanks to one of their more… colorful neighbors. So when a powerful blast of icy air swept down Bleecker Street, it barely drew any attention. At least from those outside. Within the confines of the building marked “177A,” however, someone had most certainly taken notice of the sudden chill. “We have a visitor,” said Doctor Stephen Strange, barely looking up from the ancient tome in front of him. The Sorcerer Supreme was sitting cross-legged, floating a few feet in the air as he studied the arcane rituals within the sacred text. He paused for a moment before speaking again, this time with a slightly more commanding tone. “Wong, do get the door, please. We mustn’t keep our guest waiting.” “Wong’s out on a supply run,” a gruff voice replied from below. “Guess we ran outta Eye of Newt or somethin’. How come you never told me we were expectin’ company, Doc?” “Because we weren’t,” Strange replied as he looked down at Bats, the ghostly basset hound that had recently become one of his most faithful companions. Strange unfolded his legs and gently landed on the floor of his study. “But invited or not, this is one visitor that it would be best not to turn away without at least hearing what he has to say. After all, he has traveled quite far to get here… haven’t you, Victor?” “Indeed I have, Stephen,” replied the unexpected guest in an authoritative voice. There, in the hallway just outside of Doctor Strange’s inner sanctum, stood the metal-clad monarch of Latveria -- the villainous Victor von Doom. “How the heck did he get in here?!” Bats said with a low growl, the green glow from his spectral form intensifying. “This place is supposed to be intruder-proof!” “It seems the good doctor’s Sanctum Sanctorum is desperately in need of some more powerful protection spells,” Doom replied snidely. “And perhaps a better watchdog as well…” “I suppose I could use to change a few mystic locks,” Strange said with a smirk, “though I scarcely have to worry about anyone getting past the front door. After all, there aren’t many other mortals as adept at sorcery as you.” “You flatter me, Stephen,” Doom replied. “Do go on.” “It’s true,” Strange continued. “I may be this dimension’s Sorcerer Supreme, but when it comes to the mastery of the Dark Arts, you may very well be my equal. Which makes the fact that you’ve come here even more concerning. If you need my help, then something must be very wrong…” “Everything is wrong, Stephen,” Doom said, “and it has been for far too long. But I believe I have discovered a way to fix it. To bend time itself to my whims.” “Time is not something to be tampered with,” Strange replied. “The cost is far too high. You know that.” “But what if the reward were even greater?” Doom continued. “I’m on the verge of something magnificent, Stephen. And you hold the key to my success.” “What’s this chrome-plated crackpot yappin’ about?!” Bats asked, clearly growing more impatient with every second. “Victor has long sought to undo some critical mistakes that led him down his current path,” Strange said. “Doom does not make mistakes,” the visitor replied sternly. “However… there were certain steps along my journey that, if retread, could lead to possibilities that currently lie beyond my grasp. Tell me, Stephen, have you not ever wished to rewind the clock?” Strange paused, looking down at his mangled hands, wondering how his life might have unfolded had he not been in the accident that had forced him to go from renowned surgeon to reclusive sorcerer. But as the Ancient One had taught him, fate was not in the hands of any mortal, even those with unparalleled mystical might. “I have become who I am supposed to be, Victor,” Strange said. “My journey would have ended in the same place, no matter the road taken.” “I wish to prove otherwise,” Doom replied. “And to do so, all I require is a single spell.” “The fact that you do not already have access to the spell you seek speaks volumes,” Strange said, raising a curious eyebrow. “There are few arcane rites unknown to a sorcerer of your esteem. Perhaps just the forbidden spells inscribed on the pages of -- ” “The Darkhold,” Doom said. Stephen Strange shuddered at the name. The Darkhold was a cursed collection of insidious incantations, said to be authored by an elder god of chaos known as Chthon. This so-called Book of Sins had a corrupting effect on those who dared to tap into its mystic malevolence. Strange had recovered the illicit text from the Dark Dimension long ago after a battle against his rival, Baron Mordo, and had stored it within his Sanctum Sanctorum for safekeeping ever since. “I’m afraid that volume is off limits, old friend,” Strange said resolutely. “Which of those Chthonic curses could possibly aid you in your endeavors anyway?” “The Vampiric Verses,” Doom whispered, almost as if speaking the spell’s name aloud was enough to unleash its terror upon the world. “Hold on…” Bats interrupted. “You want to turn yourself into a vampire? Ain’t you already spooky enough, fella?!” “I wish no such thing,” Doom said, his patience beginning to crumble away. “But Dracula and his immortal legion used this same rite centuries ago to successfully cheat time. Perhaps, with the proper amount of scrutiny, I can do the same and unlock the secrets of time's true nature.” “An interesting approach…” Strange said, “…but one far too risky for me to allow. I’m sorry, Victor, but the answer is ‘no.’” “I was afraid you would say that… ‘old friend,’” Doom responded. “But I will have what I seek, even if I must take it from you by force.” Without a moment’s notice, Doom conjured up the Veil of Khonshu, sending a massive wave of darkness cascading towards Strange. “Claws of Bast!” Strange commanded, slashing through the oncoming wall of ebony energy with brightly-glowing purple claws that were forged from spirit energy drawn directly from the Wakandan ancestral plane, Djalia. “Impressive, Stephen,” Doom replied, circling his arms in a frenzied motion. “But can you weather the Mists of Fimbulwinter?” A freezing gust of wind rushed from the magical circle Doom had conjured. But Stephen Strange was not willing to back down, even as the bitter frost stiffened his cape. “I’ve spent winters in Kamar-Taj,” Strange mused. “This is nothing.” Doom watched in surprise as Doctor Strange fought through the icy gusts to cast his next incantation. Even more shockingly, each of the Sorcerer Supreme’s hands seemed to be conjuring their own spells, entirely independent of each other. One blazed a bright red while the other glistened gold. As Strange brought his hands together, he released an enchantment that even he had never summoned before, born from the combined energy of both the Crimson Cosmos and Asgard: “Crimson Thorns of Yggdrasil!” Long, spiked vines erupted forth from Strange’s hands, glowing a deep scarlet as they whipped towards their intended target. Before Doom could even think to utter a defensive spell, he found himself completely ensnared by the thorny limbs, unable to move. “You seem to have forgotten that I am far more powerful when within my own home,” Strange said. “For a guy who doesn’t make mistakes, Doom,” Bats added, “that was a pretty big one.” “Perhaps I was too rash in my actions,” Doom responded. “Release me from these shackles, Stephen, and I assure you I will depart your home in peace.” “You ain’t really gonna trust this guy, are ya, Doc?” Bats asked with deep concern. “I am,” Strange replied, lowering his hands and releasing the spell’s grip on Doom. “Victor and I may have different goals and opinions when it comes to sorcery, but he has always been a man of his word.” “Indeed,” Doom said as he began to walk from Strange’s inner sanctum. “And you also have my word, Stephen, that I will find a way to finally break the bonds of time. With your help… or without…” “And you have my word,” Strange warned, “that, should you overstep your station, the Sorcerer Supreme will do whatever it takes to stop you.” “Now get outta here before we find out just how bite-proof that tacky armor of yours really is!” Bats yowled. “No one speaks to Doom like that, mutt!” Doom snarled back. “You should consider yourself lucky that you are already deceased.” “Guess there’s a first time for everything,” Bats responded wryly. “Before I go, Stephen…” Doom said, looking back over his shoulder at Strange, “…a warning. I have foreseen a great evil coming to this city you call home. You may be safe within your House of Truth for now, but those outside its walls will soon be Drowning in darkness.” “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Bats barked toward the darkened doorway as Doom faded into the shadows. “Easy, boy. He’s already gone,” Strange replied. “But I have an uneasy feeling that we’ll find out what Victor was talking about soon enough. So… if you’ll excuse me…” With a simple gesture of one hand, Doctor Strange opened a sparkling portal to a hidden corner of the Astral Plane, one so remote that even he barely knew where it was located. With a wave of his other hand, the Darkhold flew off his bookshelf and into the rift. The extra-dimensional gateway quickly closed as soon as the ancient tome passed safely through, as if it neither the portal nor the book had ever existed in the first place. “For safekeeping,” Strange said, almost as if reassuring himself. “Doom will never find the Darkhold there.” “I just hope he’s the only one looking for it…” said Bats. “You and I both, my friend…” Strange mused, turning his attention back to the far-less-dangerous spell book that he had been studying when his unexpected guest first arrived. As Bats curled up on the floor of Doctor Strange’s study, the chill finally faded from Bleecker Street. Soon enough, the sun would rise again and its heat would saturate the city. If only the residents of Manhattan had known how few days of light and warmth they had left… A Few Months Later. Stephen Strange sat in front of the large circular window on the upper level of his Sanctum Sanctorum, sipping on a cup of herbal tea. It had been some time since Victor Von Doom had paid him a visit, but the confrontation, while brief, had not left his thoughts. He often found himself wondering if Doom would succeed in his quest to conquer time itself. And this day, Strange would finally have his answer. Even before the blinding flash of light filled the sky, Strange could feel the massive disturbance rippling across the fabric of time and space itself. He didn’t know where it had originated, but he had a single educated guess: Latveria. “What have you done, Victor…?” Strange wondered aloud, as the disturbance spiraled wildly across the material plane. It pierced through dimensions -- including the Astral Plane -- and surged towards the Sanctum Sanctorum. Strange had only a fraction of a second to react to the oncoming wave of chronal chaos, but he knew that his next move could very well determine not only his fate, but the fate of countless universes as well. Both as a surgeon and a sorcerer, Doctor Stephen Strange had faced countless life and death choices before… but never one quite as important as this… |
| Coming Soon, Stay Tuned! |
| Coming Soon, Stay Tuned! |
