Season 1 of Marvel Rivals introduces new characters and an even more exciting competitive landscape. Discover the best heroes to play in competitive mode and earn rewards.
Table of Contents
Season 1: State of the Meta
A Storm on the Horizon
The competitive landscape of Season 1 has shifted dramatically with the latest update and hero balances. As a result, Storm has ascended to her rightful place in the S-tier, solidifying her status as a true goddess.
January 9 Patch Propelled Storm to S-tier
The January patch has significantly boosted Storm's overall damage output and enhanced her survivability whenever she unleashes her ultimate ability. Storm has previously ranked low in pick rates, but with these improvements, we're not just feeling a breeze, but a real Storm in Competitive Mode.
How to Play StormNamor and Magik
Namor and Magik were among the characters that benefited from the recent changes. Namor's turret placements now feel much smoother when thrown and stick to walls much better. Additionally, Magik's Umbral Incursion (E) has been buffed, allowing her to sustain her damage output even after unleashing her ultimate ability.
| Related Articles | |
|---|---|
| How to Play Namor | How to Play Magik |
King of Wakanda Nerfed!
Not every hero received a buff, and the most prominent hero to be nerfed this season is Black Panther. The recent balancing adjustments have reduced his survivability, so Black Panther mains will need to choose their targets more carefully.
How to Play Black PantherBiggest Loser: Black Widow
The biggest loser in back-to-back seasons is still Black Widow. Despite receiving buffs and improvements, her mechanics are awful, and her mediocre ability kit makes her a liability in most team compositions. Below is a full list of all hero balancing changes in Season 1.
List of All Character AdjustmentsThis is a full list of all hero balancing changes as of January 9, 2025.
Character Balancing Adjustments
Vanguard Characters: Latest Buffs and Nerfs
| Character | Adjustments |
|---|---|
| Captain America | - Reduce the delay time for shield restoration after releasing Living Legend from 3s to 2s. - Reduce Liberty Rush cooldown from 12s to 10s. - Increase base health from 650 to 675. - Reduce the energy cost for releasing Freedom Charge (ultimate ability) from 3400 to 3100; Reduce the additional health provided per second to self after releasing it from 110 to 100. |
| Doctor Strange | - Add damage falloff to Maelstrom of Madness and Gamma Maelstrom. Starting at 5 meters and reducing to 70% at 8 meters. - Slightly decrease the shield value recovery rate after releasing Shield of the Seraphim from 80/s to 70/s. |
| Thor | - Increase base health from 500 to 525. - Added immunity to control effects during God of Thunder (ultimate ability). |
| Hulk | - Reduce the Indestructible Guard gamma shield value for Hero Hulk from 250 to 200. - Added immunity to control effects during God of Thunder (ultimate ability). |
| Venom | - Increase the Symbiotic Resilience bonus health ratio gained per lost health point from 1 to 1.2. - Increase the base damage of Feast of the Abyss (ultimate ability) from 40 to 50. |
Duelist Characters: Latest Buffs and Nerfs
| Hero | Details of the adjustments |
|---|---|
| Black Panther | - Reduce the additional health provided to self after refreshing Vibranium Marks with Spirit Rend from 40 to 30, and the upper limit of additional health provided from 120 to 75. |
| Black Widow | - Increase the range of the first effect of Edge Dancer from a 3-meter radius to a 5-meter radius. - Reduce the time required for Fleet Foot to recover from 0 stamina to full from 12s to 4s. - Reduce the time required for Electro-Plasma Explosion (ultimate ability) to reach maximum power from 1s to 0.6s. |
| Hawkeye | - Slightly reduce the spread angle between every two Blast Arrows. - Added immunity to control effects during God of Thunder (ultimate ability). |
| Hela | - Reduce base health from 275 to 250. |
| Magik | - Increase Umbral Incursion damage in Darkchild form from 115 to 135. |
| Moon Knight | - Increase the number of talons generated by Hand of Khonshu (ultimate ability) from 10 to 14. - Increase the explosion radius of each talon from 4 meters to 5 meters. |
| Namor | - Adjust the throwing feel of Monstro Spawn and Frozen Spawn. Now, Namor can more accurately throw them to the desired location. |
| Psylocke | - Now Dance of the Butterfly (ultimate ability) will check for barriers (including Magneto's Metal Bulwark, Hulk's Indestructible Guard, etc.). |
| The Punisher | - Slightly reduce the spread of Deliverance and Adjudication |
| Scarlet Witch | - Increase Chaos Control's fixed damage from 50/s to 60/s. - Reduce the percentage damage per second from 5% to 3%. - Increase Chthonian Burst's projectile damage from 30 to 35. |
| Storm | - Increase Wind Blade projectile speed from 100m/s to 150m/s and left-click damage from 50 to 55. - Increase Bolt Rush damage from 70 to 80. - After releasing Omega Hurricane (ultimate ability), the bonus health provided for herself will be increased from 350 to 450. Moreover, following its conclusion, the extra health will no longer vanish instantly but will instead diminish at a rate of 100 per second. |
| Squirrel Girl | - Addition of a new effect to the Unbeatable Squirrel Tsunami (ultimate ability): the squirrels will rush towards the nearest enemy after bouncing instead of bouncing randomly. - Reduce the squirrel tsunami health from 600 to 300. |
| Winter Soldier | - Increase the bonus health provided by Bionic Hook and Tainted Voltage from 30 to 40. - Increase Roterstern's projectile damage from 70 to 75. - Reduce the area damage from 70 to 65 and reduce damage decay from 65% at 40 meters to 60%. - Increase base health from 250 to 275. |
| Wolverine | - Increase base health from 300 to 350. - Reduce the damage reduction ratio provided by Undying Animal from 50% to 40%. |
Strategist Characters: Latest Buffs and Nerfs
| Hero | Details of the adjustments |
|---|---|
| Cloak & Dagger | - Reduce Dagger Storm cooldown from 15s to 12s. - Increase the number of dashes in Eternal Bond (ultimate ability) from 3 to 4. |
| Jeff The Land Shark | - Adjust It's Jeff! (ultimate ability) range from a 10m sphere to a 10m radius, 5m high cylindrical spell field. - Increase the healing of Joyful Splash from 140/s to 150/s. |
| Luna Snow | - Increase the interval for switching between healing and damage in Fate of Both Worlds from 0.1s to 0.5s. |
| Mantis | - Reduce Nature's Favor (passive) movement boost from 2.5m/s to 1.5m/s. |
| Rocket Raccoon | - Increase the healing of Repair Mode from 60 per/s to 70 per/s. |
Season 1 New Characters
Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman were introduced during the first half of the season. Mister Fantastic is a hybrid duelist with tank-like abilities while Invisible Woman is a strategist with an impressive offensive kit that is useful in team play.
| Related Articles | |
|---|---|
| How to Play Mister Fantastic | How to Play Invisible Woman |
Best Heroes for Ranked Play
We've featured the best heroes for ranked play that you can build your team around. This season we see Hela as the undisputed queen of the duelists and while The Hulk recently received a nerfing, the big green remains dominant in the competitive ranks.
Hela
The strongest duelist in the game is Hela, and even if she's been nerfed to squishy this season, she remains a consistent thorn against other squishes and her ultimate ability is the best zoning ability in the game.
How to Play HelaThe Hulk
The most dominant vanguard in the game is The Hulk. Not only is The Hulk very durable, but his ability to leap in and out of combat presents a consistent threat from the front lines to diving alongside the flankers in the backlines.
How to Play The HulkLuna Snow
The best strategist in the game is Luna Snow and there's no other hero that can outheal this K-pop star. With an ultimate ability that can be used to make big pushes or save losing rounds, she's simply a game-changer.
How to Play Luna SnowAssemble Your Team with Our Tier List
Discover the heroes you need to conquer Season 1 in Marvel Rivals! Create a formidable team with your friends using our Season 1 Tier List by clicking the button below.
Season 1 Character Tier ListSeason 1 Ranked Rewards
| Conditions | Rewards |
|---|---|
Reach Gold Tier III - I | Invisible Woman - Blood Shield Costume |
Reach Platinum Tier III - I | Invisible Woman - Blood Shield Costume |
Reach Diamond Tier III - I | Invisible Woman - Blood Shield Costume |
Reach Grandmaster Tier III - I | Invisible Woman - Blood Shield CostumeSilver Crest of Honor (S1) |
Reach Celestial Tier III - I | Invisible Woman - Blood Shield CostumeSilver Crest of Honor (S1) |
Reach EternityI | Invisible Woman - Blood Shield CostumeSilver Crest of Honor (S1) |
Reach One Above All | Invisible Woman - Blood Shield CostumeGold Crest of Honor (S1) |
Players in Gold 2 and below can team up with any rank while players in Eternity or One Above All can only team up with Celestial 2 players with 200 points and above.
What is a Team-Up?
Best Heroes for Beginners
Is There Crossplay?
Getting Started on Marvel Rivals
Currency Guide
All Hitscan Heroes
All Game Modes
Chrono Shield Guide
Practice Range Guide
Hero Profile Guide
Store Guide
Hero Roles Explained
How to Change and Select Servers
How to Save Highlights
How to Change Your Name
How to Use Redeem Codes
How to Play Ranked
How to Surrender
How to Disable Easy Swing
How to Use Emotes and Sprays
How to Get MVP
How to Play With Friends
How to Change Crosshair
How to Customize Heroes
