Anime Last Stand Tier List (December 2025) Best Units Ranked
Welcome to the most comprehensive Anime Last Stand tier list you’ll find anywhere! I’ve spent countless hours analyzing every unit…
I’ve spent hundreds of hours analyzing Marvel Rivals’ competitive meta, and I can tell you that picking the right hero can make or break your ranked climb. With 43 unique characters spanning Vanguards, Duelists, and Strategists, knowing which heroes dominate Season 3.5 is absolutely essential for anyone serious about winning.
Marvel Rivals has exploded in popularity since launch, and the meta shifts with every balance patch. What worked last month might leave you struggling today. That’s why I’ve created this comprehensive tier list based on current Season 3.5 data, competitive tournament results, and thousands of ranked matches across all skill levels.
This guide ranks every Marvel Rivals hero from S+ tier meta defining champions to C tier situational picks. Whether you’re climbing from Bronze or pushing Diamond+, you’ll discover exactly which characters give you the best chance to win right now.
Marvel Rivals features three distinct hero roles that form the foundation of team composition. Vanguards serve as tanks with 500-800 HP, absorbing damage and controlling space. Duelists act as damage dealers, eliminating threats and pressuring objectives. Strategists provide healing, buffs, and game changing utility that can turn fights instantly.
The tier system ranks heroes based on their raw power, consistency, team synergy, and ease of use. S+ tier heroes warp the meta around themselves and provide massive advantages when picked. S tier characters deliver exceptional carry potential with solid versatility. A tier heroes offer strong, reliable performance across most situations. B tier picks work well in specific team compositions but have clear limitations. C tier characters struggle in the current meta and require significantly more effort to succeed.
What makes this tier list unique is the dual ranking system. Diamond+ rankings focus on coordinated play, optimal execution, and advanced mechanics. Below Diamond rankings account for lower coordination, individual carry potential, and easier to execute kits. This means some heroes like Scarlet Witch dominate lower ranks with auto targeting abilities but fall off at higher levels where mechanical skill matters more.
| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S+ | Emma Frost, Luna Snow, Loki, Human Torch, Magneto, Psylocke, Wolverine, Groot |
| S | Phoenix, Doctor Strange, Cloak & Dagger, Hela, The Thing, The Punisher, Star Lord, Namor, Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Invisible Woman |
| A | Mantis, Captain America, Adam Warlock, Hulk, Ultron, Peni Parker, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Venom, Rocket Raccoon, Storm |
| B | Blade, Spider Man, Thor, Magik, Moon Knight, Jeff the Land Shark, Scarlet Witch, Squirrel Girl, Mister Fantastic |
| C | Black Widow |
| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S+ | Rocket Raccoon, The Punisher, Namor, The Thing, Cloak & Dagger, Groot, Luna Snow, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch |
| S | Emma Frost, Blade, Psylocke, Magneto, Mister Fantastic, Winter Soldier, Wolverine, Mantis, Peni Parker, Loki, Invisible Woman, Star Lord, Moon Knight, Storm, Phoenix, Hela |
| A | Human Torch, Black Panther, Ultron, Iron Fist, Squirrel Girl, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk |
| B | Captain America, Spider Man, Hawkeye, Venom, Jeff the Land Shark |
| C | Adam Warlock, Magik, Black Widow |
Emma Frost transforms between regular and Diamond Form to dominate any situation. In standard mode, she functions as a mid range poke hero with reliable projectiles and deployable barriers. When fights get close, Diamond Form unleashes her true power with devastating melee capabilities and crowd control immunity.
The Carbon Crush lunge covers deceptive distance and catches enemies off guard constantly. Her main weakness is mobility limitations that prevent chasing fleeing enemies or accessing high ground independently. On the frontline, she wins most Vanguard duels through sheer damage output and control abilities.
Season 3 nerfs barely touched her overall strength. In Diamond Form, she gains complete CC immunity while wielding multiple crowd control tools herself. This makes engaging her extremely dangerous, though she struggles against long range heroes and aerial characters. Her team up with Magneto creates burst damage combos that instantly delete priority targets.
As one of mutantkind’s most powerful beings, Magneto brings everything a tank needs. His primary attack fires slow projectiles with limited range, but they hit like freight trains against DPS and support heroes. Landing all three attacks in quick succession can solo kill 250 HP heroes, though this combo proves difficult for players below Diamond ranks.
Magneto excels as the best solo Vanguard in Season 3.5. Solo tanking remains a frustrating reality for Vanguard mains when teammates instalock Duelists. His ultimate absorbs enemy damage and healing while countering most Strategist ultimates, making it one of the best abilities in the entire game.
Metal Bulwark ally bubble has become practically mandatory in the current meta. Cloak & Dagger die nearly every time they ultimate without protection, and when allies get grabbed by Emma Frost or Wolverine, Magneto’s shield keeps them alive. Against Emma specifically, he outranges her in poke battles, can bubble himself to counter her grab kick combo, and his shields completely nullify her ultimate.
Groot manipulates the environment by creating walls wherever needed. Using walls to block choke points and isolate heroes from their allies creates incredibly difficult situations for enemies to navigate at every rank. His ultimate Strangling Prison enables devastating team wiping combos when paired with allies like Blade.
The 50 percent increase to Ironwood Wall cooldown reduced his survivability and separation power significantly. Now that the meta has shifted away from flier heavy compositions, Groot has returned to full strength. Paired with Mantis and Loki in the Vibrant Vitality team up composition, hiding healing walls where enemies can’t destroy them while staying in range transforms Groot into a hard carry.
He counters The Thing and Emma Frost exceptionally well because they struggle playing around wall placements. His Strangling Prison ultimate requires careful timing but can single handedly win team fights when enemies lack escape abilities or defensive ultimates ready.
Shield of the Seraphim provides the largest shield in the entire game and can be used reactively to survive complete enemy ultimates. His shield particularly excels at countering Emma Frost’s ultimate while buying his team time to use their own ultimates or reposition to cover.
Season 3.5 buffs to primary fire Levitation uptime helped him shrink the gap between himself and meta Vanguards substantially. The top three Vanguards remain slightly more impactful and harder to counter, otherwise he’d be a meta defining pick.
Eye of Agamotto and portal remain some of the best abilities in all of Marvel Rivals. Even with the three minute cooldown, having the unique ability to reposition himself and his entire team anywhere on the map enables playmaking impossible without him. This utility alone makes him valuable in coordinated team compositions.
It’s clobberin’ time! The Thing is perfectly constructed for brawling with high melee damage, CC immunity, damage reduction, and knock up abilities. No one can afford to engage him head on in close quarters combat situations.
Season 3 introduced two all new abilities for The Thing. Haymaker now grounds flying heroes, and his Leap allows targeting both enemies and allies. These changes represent massive buffs that shot him up the tier list dramatically. He wins most Vanguard one versus ones even when both have Strategists healing them. Even if enemies escape his Slam, he can Leap to them immediately.
Against dive compositions, The Thing stands as easily one of the best counter picks available. Any mobility Duelist caught in the movement ability lockout from his slam becomes an easy kill. There isn’t much counterplay available for dive heroes if the enemy Thing saves slam specifically for their engagements.
You won’t like him when he’s angry. Hulk represents an interesting Vanguard because his value primarily comes from ability timing and careful selection of when to use Shield and who to stun. His kit finds significantly more value in Diamond+ ranks compared to below Diamond gameplay.
Even after considerable Season 2 buffs, successfully playing Hulk requires excellence in positioning, cover usage, timing, and mechanics. His massive health pool makes him hard to kill, but huge health paired with a gigantic hitbox means constantly feeding ultimate charge if not careful.
Players planning to main Hulk this season should ban Emma Frost and Wolverine because they make his life absolutely miserable. His buffs to movement speed and ability cooldowns have made him more viable, but he still requires significantly more skill investment than other Vanguards.
We are Venom! The symbiote boasts unbelievably good mobility from Venom Swing and Frenzied Arrival. Venom excels at not dying but often relies on coordinated engagements to secure eliminations consistently.
He’s exceptional at chasing down poke heroes and snipers. Against Hela specifically, Venom can swing, slam, wait for her escape, then swing slam again before her fade returns. This makes him one of few Vanguards who can pressure long range threats effectively.
Due to needing consistent critical hits with primary fire and correct management of survivability tools, Venom struggles in below Diamond ranks. Players often see Venoms get CC’d to death or become giant ultimate batteries for enemy teams. In Season 3.5, other Vanguards received more significant buffs, making Venom feel relatively weaker rather than actually bad.
Steve Rogers brings unique abilities despite being another melee based Vanguard. Raising his shield blocks damage while deflecting all projectiles, including ultimates like Iron Man’s Invincible Pulse Cannon. His gameplay loop centers around using dash, sprint, and slam to chase down enemies and maintain melee range.
The Season 2.5 rework to base health, ultimate cost, and shield frequency significantly reduced his survivability. He remains one of the best heroes at time stalling and rushing down enemy backlines in Season 3.5. Meta Vanguards simply provide more value with easier consistency.
His difficulty compared to other Vanguards holds him back in below Diamond ranks where mechanical execution matters more. Players who master his kit can find success, but easier options exist for climbing efficiently.
Wielding Mjolnir, Thor swings the mighty hammer across battlefields. Most abilities share the same Thorforce resource displayed as hammers below crosshairs. Season 2.5 rework reduced survivability while increasing Awakening Rune frequency, making dive playstyle worse but poke tank gameplay better.
Thor struggles compared to other Vanguards in not being very tanky, having no damage mitigation abilities, and possessing no CC counters. Both his rework and meta shifts caused Thor to fall off hard as situations where he’d be the ideal Vanguard pick don’t exist currently.
Thor remains efficient at eliminating Strategists when they’re unprotected. Due to burst damage and independent playstyle, he’s always viable in skilled hands despite tier list placement. Below Diamond, his damage output makes him more threatening when enemies struggle with positioning.
After struggling in Season 1, huge buffs arrived in Season 2, and Season 2.5 added the Rocket team up ability. After numerous buffs and no Season 3 nerfs, the only limitation holding Peni back is her niche kit. When played as a counter pick or on her best maps, she’s incredibly strong.
Sp//dr and Peni prove extremely annoying because her nest, mines, and stuns force enemies to play around her constantly. In high elo matches, her ultimate represents her biggest weakness as many fights are determined by ultimate economy rather than deployables.
For below Diamond ranks, she’s an absolute menace! Teams don’t typically understand how to correctly path, avoid traps, or destroy deployables. Her extra health and increased speed make her extremely difficult to eliminate. The true superpower of Peni is her three second stun that no other hero can apply remotely as frequently.
One of the best flankers in all of Marvel Rivals, Psylocke combos targets for quick eliminations. When caught, she instantly turns invisible with Psychic Stealth to escape danger. Wing Shurikens deal multiple damage instances while providing self healing for every round that connects.
Despite difficulty maxing her base kit, the auto tracking mechanic and large AoE of her ultimate make it reliable for securing fight wins in below Diamond ranks. Many players misunderstand the Season 3 patch note about Dance of the Butterfly checking for shields. Yes, shields can now block her ultimate, but only when facing her dash direction and can’t block consecutive hits.
Pair her with meta Vanguard Emma Frost, and she instantly deletes enemies with added team up illusion damage. Season 2.5 nerfs to Psychic Stealth invisibility duration and Wing Shuriken retrieval damage reduced her power slightly but she remains incredibly strong.
The effectively immortal Adamantium X-Men claws and shreds otherwise unkillable Vanguards. Savage Claw damage scales with target max HP, meaning he deals higher damage to Vanguards specifically. Sneaking behind a Vanguard to Feral Leap them into his own team remains one of the fastest ways to guarantee eliminations.
A hard counter to Doctor Strange, Groot, Venom, and Hulk, Wolverine makes every Vanguard’s life miserable. The difficulty of staging, engaging, snatching, and disengaging holds him back significantly in below Diamond ranks compared to top level play. Players in these ranks often struggle finding value and slowly feed without actually securing kills.
Anytime playing Wolverine, ask teammates to pick Phoenix because the lifesteal team up is incredibly overpowered. If Wolverine gives you trouble as a Vanguard, The Thing and Emma counter him effectively and keep Logan’s power in check.
Johnny Storm burns up frontlines and transforms choke points into walls of fire. All abilities deal high AoE damage with good burst damage from combos. After buffs in Season 1.5, Season 2, then damage adjustments in Season 3, Human Torch has been a flaming menace in the highest ranks.
His kit has high skill floor and ceiling, so viability improves the higher you climb. Players need to play safer because of longer Flaming Meteor cooldown and reduced Bonus Health, but his versatility allows easy playstyle adjustments depending on enemy composition.
Below Diamond, his difficulty executing aerial combos and positioning properly makes him less consistent. Skilled Human Torch players dominate, but average players struggle getting value compared to easier Duelist options.
Hela has the most carry potential for mechanically skilled players confident in their aim. Many top ranked Duelist players are Hela mains because her consistent ranged damage output keeps her strong regardless of meta shifts. She retains the ability to kill most heroes with two headshots from long range.
Developers continue buffing Hela despite her strength. She was buffed in both Season 2 and 2.5 patches and received a new CC team up with Venom for Season 3. The Goddess of Death ultimate gives her a get out of jail free card that instantly activates and places Hela in first person bird’s eye view with its own 1000 shield HP.
For 10 full seconds, Hela rains death on battlefields with high AoE damage. She also has great team up ability with Loki, one of the best Strategists. Reliance on aim mechanics means Hela’s viability depends heavily on individual skill, making her truly best only in the most mechanically skilled hands.
Phoenix joined the Marvel Rivals roster in Season 3 as a powerful new addition. Her fiery kit makes her excellent off angle Duelist because she has burst damage, mobility, and self sustain combined. Telekinesis Burst can easily stun targets from nearly infinite range, forcing enemies to stay constantly alert.
Once she has ultimate online, any enemy with Shield, Bonus Health, or deployable must play cautiously because Endsong Inferno destroys them all with massive AoE. Endsong Inferno has lower base damage than most Duelist ultimates, but power lies in destructive quality when used as counter ultimate.
Bonus Health and Deployable ultimates are hard countered by hers, so if enemy team has heroes like Rocket Raccoon or Venom, Phoenix completely negates their ultimate effectiveness. She can telekinetically stun to cancel channeled abilities and ultimates, making her incredibly versatile.
If one crazy strong machine gun isn’t enough, press Q while playing as The Punisher and enjoy melting enemy health bars. Punisher makes for easy wins and climbing in competitive mode because his first person shooter kit is simple to understand and powerful.
After few patches as middle of pack, Frank is back in the meta controlling skies and melting Vanguards. Even though he lost his team up with Rocket, base kit buffs more than compensate for the loss. Across all ranks, he’s consistent with high damage output and burst damage from shotgun when needed.
In Marvel Rivals Ignite 2025 pro tournament, teams showed cool tech with his Turret. One team placed Strange portal in front of spawn while Punisher sits in spawn where he can’t be hurt, then blasts enemy team through portal. His straightforward nature makes him perfect for players transitioning from traditional shooters.
Again! Again! Again! Everyone has been in games where a single use of Winter Soldier’s Kraken Impact turns into an endless barrage of team wiping slams. For some unknown reason, developers decided he needed an extra charge of Tainted Voltage in the hotfix patch.
That’s not only double the damage from the ability, but extra reload passive and 40 additional Bonus Health. Top it off with Cap team up, and you rarely find yourself without Bonus Health. During team fights, Bionic Hook is one of the best abilities available to any hero for quickly turning fight tides.
Landing hook uppercut combo to quickly displace any individual enemy in 20-meter range is crazy strong game winning interaction. If enemy doesn’t play around Hook, you’re going to win. New team up with Cap isn’t as strong as previous Ammo Overload with Rocket, but now all allies in AoE get Bonus Health and it’s great escape tool.
For players with lightning fast reflexes and incredible aim tracking, Star-Lord is a great pick. When enemy has skilled Star Lord on their team, it feels impossible to stop them. Be ready for even more resurrections with Warlock’s new buffs adding to his kit.
Stellar Shift instantly reloads guns while providing burst movement, invulnerability, and Bonus Health, making it an oppressive ability. More top teams are running Star-Lord as he harasses backlines better than anyone. If landing every bullet, he even one clips 250 HP heroes without needing any headshots.
Flying aimbot describes his ultimate Galactic Legend perfectly. His ultimate compensates for high mechanical requirement for below Diamond players. Pair him with Rocket and set up flank ultimates with Jump Pad. Sudden teleport makes his ultimate almost impossible to defend against.
Still king of Wakanda, but no longer king of melee heroes in Marvel Rivals. High risk and high reward sum up T’Challa’s playstyle perfectly. Developers finally addressed his hit detection bug during Season 3, but immediately nerfed him this patch.
His biggest Season 3.5 issue is existence and power of anti dive heroes like The Thing, Namor, Winter Soldier, and Emma Frost. He barely interacts with fliers, can’t keep up with Loki clones, and can’t kill through healing of multiple Strategists. He’s not bad, but getting value requires more effort than most other heroes.
High mobility makes him very challenging to track in non ban ranks where players haven’t learned movement patterns or mastered 180-degree flicks. For dedicated players who master Vibranium Mark dash reset mechanic, Black Panther has potential to be team wiping machine.
King of the Seas’ power resides in octopus turrets through Aquatic Dominion. Equally effective at tank busting and countering flankers, Namor keeps getting buffed regardless of how strong he already is. After having ice turret swapped for Gamma turret, Namor was secretly nerfed and lost ability to deploy all three turrets simultaneously.
With Gamma team up, he’s still one of the best heroes in Marvel Rivals. Without team up, he’s still strong but slightly less powerful. His ultimate size increased significantly in Season 2.5, and projectile speed increases to both primary and secondary in Season 3 made poke pressure more consistent and lethal.
Having auto firing turrets allows Namor to be great pick at all levels of play. He’s perfect for countering high mobility flankers. Create crossfire angles with turret placement and carefully aim secondary fire, as missing Wrath of the Seven Seas loses massive damage output if you don’t enhance projectiles.
Storm rushed into flying meta throughout 2.5 Season, but meta shifts have dropped her viability this season. She’s currently carried by Jeff Nado team up, but that requires having Jeff on your team specifically.
Heroes like Phoenix, Hela, The Punisher, and Spider Man make skies dangerous places to be, and she often dies when using ultimate in high ranked lobbies. Her new playstyle positions closer to ground, benefiting her team as more allies receive speed and damage buffs.
Inconsistent aim for players in below Diamond ranks allow her to play more aggressively and attack more safely. Plus her ultimate tends to be instant fight win as it can easily take out one or multiple Strategists if they don’t have healing ultimate ready.
Marvel Rivals’ ranger character, Hawkeye has tons of damage and utility including slows, knocks, and launches. His ultimate Hunter’s Sight is one of the best in game as afterimages generated make it impossible to dodge damage unless player piloting him needs crash course in aim training.
In Season 3.5, Cloak & Dagger feels nearly unplayable into good Hawkeye as he easily KOs her with headshot during ultimate. When paired with Luna, Ice Arrow is ridiculously easy to land and gives free headshot every 20 seconds.
Most lethality lies in ability to consistently land headshots, so lower ranks struggle bringing consistent value to teams. Save recently buffed Hypersonic Arrow for ultimate because he deletes 250 HP heroes even through healing ultimates.
Iron Man has been adjusted in every major update. Previously, Gamma team up was nerfed, then removed in exchange for becoming Anchor to Ultron’s Nano Ray. Season 3 gave another round of nerfs to help relieve prevalence of flier comps since additions of Ultron and Phoenix.
Team up is strong for Ultron, so he still works well in flyer compositions. Unfortunately, his counters are really strong and gatekeep him from being meta. Extremely loud jets make flanking impractical. Invincible Pulse Cannon shot carelessly gets easily blocked or evaded.
When used strategically and sneakily, it scores reliable eliminations and is one of only ways to eliminate enemies during defensive ultimates. If enemy team is running you over with Jeff-Nado, just pick Iron Man and save ultimate to easily kill them both.
Iron Fist has been reworked few times since Marvel Rivals launch. His viability is very matchup dependent as he hard counters some heroes but is also easy to counter. Empowered by Shou Lao, Lin Lie uses martial arts and triple jump ability to chase down foes.
Strange movement from Leap and kicks makes him difficult to track in ranks below Diamond. In Season 3.5, he’s well balanced mid tier hero. Heavy nerfs to survivability from Season 2.5, then reworks to damage and team up ability this season are slight nerfs.
At least he retains decreased cooldown for K’un-Lun Kick. Also, he’s the only melee Duelist who can deal with fliers, and we keep getting more of them! Be sure not to shoot him when parrying with Dragon’s Defense, or else he will destroy your team.
Human vampire hybrid who dedicated life to ridding world of vampires. Blade joins Marvel Rivals roster as first hero with anti healing ability! Healing is extremely strong in Rivals, often seen in long drawn out team fights where neither can secure team wipe.
Being able to apply seven seconds of 40 percent reduced healing on Vanguard all but guarantees kill even through many defensive ultimates. Each dash also knocks back target. These qualities make Blade lethal to advance on as he easily punishes overextended enemies.
Unfortunately, his lifesteal is not bugged but was always intended to effectively be limited to 36 percent lifesteal not 60 percent listed on official Marvel Rivals website. Developers addressed player concerns and confirmed his self healing reduction is supposed to reduce lifesteal. With 350 HP, he’s by no means squishy, but because kit feels like he wants to be tank buster, he currently lacks sustain to brawl on frontlines.
Players who struggle mechanically can pick Scarlet Witch and quickly do well in games. In Below Diamond ranks, her low skill floor and consistent damage make her absolute menace in Season 3.5! She previously had percentage based damage swapped for increase to base damage.
Both primary fire and secondary fire were majorly buffed and transformed her into backline assassin. Moreover, her new team up with Doctor Strange is chaotically good! With relatively short cooldown, she scores much more consistent KOs when empowered by Sorcerer Supreme.
Unfortunately, her damage over time remains too low to out duel enemies in highest ranks where players’ mechanical skill gives more value than auto tracking. Reality Erasure also got much needed buff where slowdown starts later and she retains Bonus Health from previous patch.
The girl who eats nuts and kicks butts! When taking advantage of terrain, Squirrel Girl can utilize bounce mechanic of primary fire Burst Acorn to attack enemies behind cover where they cannot target her. Squirrel Blockade traps enemy and is her best ability.
Groot being one of better Vanguards increases Squirrel Girl’s viability as her kit performs well against his. Barrage of acorns and squirrels makes quick work of Groot and his walls. For players in Diamond+ ranks, they learn to position themselves around her trajectory and minimize her value.
In below Diamond ranks, Squirrel Girls are farming ultimate crazy fast and securing KOs with virtually every use. More linear positioning in below Diamond ranks also allows her kit to shine! When used haphazardly, stampede of squirrels is easy to evade and nerfed low health of lead squirrel is easy to destroy.
Everyone’s favorite web slinger, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swings his way into action. Spider-Man has highest skill floor and ceiling out of every hero currently in Marvel Rivals. He has more abilities than average, difficult movement, and crazy amount of animation cancels and niche techniques.
At highest ranks, it’s rare to see Spidey finding consistent value, but for vast majority of players, good Spider-Man can ensnare lobby. He’s difficult to use but also difficult to track and kill when enemy is skilled with his mobility.
Contrary to most players’ expectations, he has become one of most banned heroes. Especially for Strategists, playing against good Spidey can be extremely frustrating since his job is basically to ruin their day.
Reed Richards made awkward landing in Marvel Rivals tier list, with Season 1’s more underwhelming addition failing to make splash. Serving as off tank more than straight up Duelist, Mister Fantastic’s relatively low damage numbers are offset by fantastic utility.
In Season 1.5, Mister Fantastic received changes to both Flexible Elongation and Brainiac Bounce representing net buff. In Season 2, Reed received slew of buffs to base health, Stretch Punch damage, and more. This made enough impact to bring him up and out of C tier.
For players in below Diamond ranks, he’s especially good because fights tend to be more brawly. Players in these ranks also have hard time dealing with his CC and self sustain. Don’t be surprised to see Mister Fantastics carrying their team.
After becoming avatar of Egyptian god Khonshu, Moon Knight dishes out vengeance upon foes! His kit primarily revolves around Ancient Ankh, which first pulls enemies into it, then allows primary fire to bounce off Ankh and auto lock onto any targets in AoE.
Moon Knight is one of easiest and best heroes for new players looking to quickly do well. In below Diamond ranks, players forget to shoot Ankhs, position closely together, and Moon Knight farms enemies. His only weakness is vulnerability to dive heroes like Spider-Man and Venom, and snipers like Hela.
If you see enemy Moon Knight giving your team trouble, consider swapping to one of his counter picks. In Diamond+ ranks, players understand how to destroy Ankhs and position to minimize his effectiveness significantly.
Soulsword wielder slashes through enemies she slays. For melee hero, Magik has huge hitboxes and deals high damage, but is rather difficult to use. Combo mastery is vital, and she can’t afford to miss attacks because she relies on Bonus Health for survival.
Specialists of Magik are still performing well right now, but player base is slowly getting better at understanding how to counter her. Additionally, fliers and heroes with escape abilities are becoming more common, making it difficult to find value as Magik.
Her inconsistency holds her back more than anything. Although she has great pick potential, opportunities are few and execution needs to be perfect. Anti dive is also super strong in Season 3.5 so expect to always be playing into counters.
A sniper who can’t kill with headshot!? Unfortunately for snipers, head clickers, and quick scopers, landing shots with Black Widow will feel unrewarding when you watch enemies escape with slivers of health. Although she was trained to be killer from childhood, prepare to be flamed every match just for playing her.
Duration buffs to Mantis’ damage boost and healing are soft buff to Natasha and raise power level of this duo considerably. With all 250 HP heroes in game, she has plenty of targets to one shot while damage boosted.
Additionally, meta has shifted in her favor with last balance updates. Poke comps are more popular, fliers are prominent, and shield Vanguards are back. If you are extremely mechanically gifted and can consistently land headshots in game with countless movement abilities and destructible environment, you can have success as Black Widow.
Luna Snow provides highest amount of average healing for any team composition. Even though she was already one of best Strategists, her healing and damage were buffed, and she gets instant Bonus Health when using her stun!
Two primary fire headshots eliminate 250 HP heroes, so feel free to be DPS Luna in Season 3.5. Also, never complain as Luna player about teammates not destroying enemy deployables because you quickly take them out yourself.
When she has high mobility hero on team or someone who wants to play behind enemy lines, Share the Stage healing aura allows ally to stay in fight longer and gain crucial advantage in dueling their target.
True power of her kit lies in ultimate Fate of Both Worlds, which basically makes her team immortal for 12 seconds and provides massive 40 percent damage boost to all allies in its AoE. Many ultimates like Venom and Thor become one shots when paired with Luna’s. Ice Arts piercing effect and self healing, paired with freeze stun, make Luna very dangerous target to flank or dive as she can outplay any enemy attacker.
Even if rest of Loki’s kit was weak, being able to become any hero on either team in match with instant access to their ultimate would still make Loki solid pick. Typically, Loki players use ultimates to give their team extra defensive ultimate when needed.
Regen Domain not only provides temporary immortality but converts would be damage into healing, giving Loki multiple instances of making his team unkillable. Mantis team up in Season 3.5 will even make AoE larger and grant damage boost to all affected allies!
Managing clones, Regen cooldown, knowing when to focus on dealing damage or output healing, and planning out target for ultimate have Loki struggling to keep up in below Diamond ranks. Most other Strategists provide easier and more consistent value to their team in comparison.
One of most consistent Strategists thanks to auto tracking damage and healing, Cloak & Dagger are never bad pick. In higher ranks, players have gotten really good at eliminating Cloak & Dagger whenever they ultimate. Magnetos save their ultimate, Hawkeye has multiple chances to land single headshot, and other heroes have fairly consistent means of killing them during ultimate.
Being killed while ulting will happen far less in below Diamond ranks, and this contributes to higher power level here. With relatively short cooldown, Dark Teleportation has to be named as one of absolute best defensive abilities in Rivals, as Cloak phases themselves and team into being untargetable.
Their kit is powerful combination of offensive and defensive capabilities. When it comes to max healing output, team saving abilities, and peak ultimate potential, Cloak & Dagger lag behind Luna and Loki. These hard meta Strategists are only thing lowering Cloak’s tier list placement.
You can’t see her, but you’ll definitely feel her impact. Invisible Woman appears and disappears on battlefield as seamlessly as she moves forcefield from one ally to another. She wants to keep teammates in front of her where Orb projection can pierce as many targets as possible before returning to her.
Through combination of healing, shielding, and crowd control, she simultaneously protects allies and enables easy eliminations. Limited range of primary fire and complexity of kit are holding her back bit in matches that favor long range engagements. However, in dive and brawl games, her CC can completely shut down enemy plans and keep your team alive.
Having ultimate that generates gigantic blue field of healing is particularly useful in below Diamond ranks where players benefit from having obvious visual cue to go aggressive. Force Physics pulls Wolverine and your ally out of Feral Leap, so try her out if enemy has Wolverine destroying your team.
Rocket Raccoon has been reworked few times and currently sits in good spot. At lower ranks, his consistency and ease of use make him best Strategist, but at higher ranks, he falls off. Even though Ammo Overdrive was very powerful, Rocket Network as replacement team up is still really good.
In some scenarios, it’s even better because Rocket and Peni can lock down objectives on defense. Star Lord joined team up in Season 3.5, and his Jump Pad comes in clutch for dive plays. While Jetpack Dash range and cooldown were nerfed, small hurtbox combined with still lightning fast movement from wall runs and Jetpack makes him difficult Strategist to eliminate.
B.R.B. sets up his team with over health, jump packs, and rez before fight even starts. Rocket effectively turns every team fight into six versus seven as one hero will have to be eliminated twice. Compared to other Strategists, Rocket demands extremely low resources from rest of team as he takes very little damage, plays from relatively safe positions, and is extremely self sufficient.
Mantis is resource focused hero with strong ally empowering abilities. Her ability to constantly give herself and allies damage boost is her best utility. While 12 percent boost isn’t completely overpowered on individual hero, having multiple allies and herself repeatedly given boost compounds impact of Allied Inspiration.
Ability to stack durations made Mantis’ resource management much easier. Allies have 16 full seconds to go anywhere and take her healing and damage boost with them. Incredibly strong utility to add to any team.
After Season 3 buffs to her healing and few tweaks in 3.5 update, Mantis is more viable than she’s been in while. Try to get Groot on your team as their team up is really good. Groot farms ultimate from healing, and it helps make up for her low healing per second.
Using Quantum Magic to connect souls of allies together, Adam Warlock excels at prolonging team fights. He can instantly resurrect himself once every two minutes and use ultimate to bring entire team back to life if they all die quickly.
His ultimate is finally actually usable! Season 3.5 grants temporary Bonus Health to resurrected allies, so enemy team can’t just double team wipe you like previously. Just watch out for Phoenix as her ultimate destroys Bonus Health and will kill everyone you rezzed.
Every primary fire headshot and all secondary fire hits reduce cooldown of Avatar Life Stream. Warlock players who can farm critical hits on Vanguards are dishing out crazy amounts of healing. Due to relying on critical hits, Adam is notably stronger in higher ranks. His low and infrequent healing makes him struggle in traditional 2-2-2 compositions.
Ultron is newest Strategist added to Marvel Rivals and first non Duelist with ability to fly! He’s hybrid mix of damage and healing capabilities, who is excellent choice for anyone who likes to play aggressively.
Passive AoE healing of Imperative: Patch fits into any team composition as it is useful for healing slow moving teams that play grouped up, and for healing high mobility allies who want to dive deep into enemy backline.
Where he really shines is poke damage and powerful ultimate. Encephalo Ray is hitscan beam with high damage even at range thanks to minimal falloff damage and burst explosion at end of every shot. When it’s time to ultimate, Ultron excels in grouped up scrambly fights on objective because AoE explosions will simultaneously deal damage and grant massive amounts of healing to his team.
Cute and lovable shark provides consistent healing to entire team and nice speed boost from his bubbles. Season 2.5 overhaul to his kit makes him significantly better as Strategist but completely killed solo flanker playstyle. Jeff mains have had to learn all new strategies to make most of new kit.
Jeff the Land Shark now pairs best with teams that want to play grouped together since primary fire pierces both allies and enemies for simultaneous damage and healing. Height nerf to ultimate made it very easy to avoid for all heroes who have some type of vertical mobility.
Additionally, when comparing usefulness of his ultimate to rest of Strategists, Jeff lags way behind in what he provides for team. If map has no ledges nearby, his ultimate is even worse. Strategists are very strong in Marvel Rivals, and Jeff is unanimously agreed to be weakest Strategist in higher ranks.
Understanding what makes heroes strong in Marvel Rivals requires examining multiple factors that influence match outcomes. Raw damage output matters significantly, but survivability, utility, and team synergy often determine who truly dominates games. The best heroes combine multiple strengths that cover each other’s weaknesses.
Mechanical difficulty plays enormous role in tier placement, especially when comparing Diamond+ versus Below Diamond rankings. Heroes like Hawkeye and Black Widow require exceptional aim to extract full value, making them stronger in higher ranks where players possess better mechanics. Conversely, auto targeting heroes like Scarlet Witch and Moon Knight dominate lower ranks where enemies struggle with positioning and awareness.
Team composition synergy significantly impacts individual hero strength. Emma Frost paired with Magneto creates unstoppable Vanguard duo. Luna Snow paired with Star Lord or Hawkeye enables guaranteed eliminations through damage boost and CC combinations. Understanding these synergies transforms good players into great ones.
Ultimate economy determines high level matches more than mechanical skill alone. Heroes with fight winning ultimates like Magneto, Luna Snow, and Doctor Strange provide value far beyond their basic abilities. Learning when to use ultimates versus saving them for counter play separates winning teams from losing teams.
Counter picking remains critical component of success in Marvel Rivals. The Thing hard counters dive compositions by locking down mobility with his slam. Namor’s turrets shut down flankers effortlessly. Phoenix ultimate destroys shield and bonus health compositions. Recognizing enemy team composition and adjusting your picks accordingly drastically improves win rates.
New players should focus on heroes with low mechanical requirements and high forgiveness for mistakes. These characters provide immediate value while teaching fundamental game mechanics without overwhelming complexity.
Rocket Raccoon stands as absolute best Strategist for beginners. His healing orbs require minimal aim, jetpack provides easy mobility, and B.R.B. beacon ensures teammates get second lives. His kit is straightforward, forgiving, and consistently effective at all skill levels.
The Punisher offers simplest Duelist experience with familiar first person shooter mechanics. His assault rifle and shotgun work exactly as expected, deployable turret adds easy damage, and ultimate provides massive power spike with minimal setup required. Perfect for players transitioning from traditional shooters.
Groot provides beginner friendly Vanguard option with straightforward abilities. Placing walls to block enemies is intuitive, his healing wall sustains teammates easily, and large health pool forgives positioning mistakes. His ultimate Strangling Prison is simple to use but incredibly effective.
Scarlet Witch dominates lower ranks with auto tracking primary fire that requires minimal aim. Her abilities are easy to understand, damage over time wears down enemies consistently, and Reality Erasure ultimate provides strong team fight presence without complex execution requirements.
Namor works brilliantly for new players because turrets do most of the work. Place turrets in smart locations, throw tridents at enemies, and watch turrets melt anyone who gets close. Simple to understand, difficult for enemies at lower ranks to counter, and consistently effective.
Mastering Marvel Rivals requires understanding how individual heroes combine into devastating team compositions. Meta compositions dominate high level play because they maximize synergies while covering weaknesses effectively.
Vibrant Vitality Composition combines Groot, Mantis, and Loki for incredible sustain. Groot provides walls for cover, Mantis supplies damage boost and healing over time, while Loki offers burst healing and immortality windows. This composition excels at prolonged objective fights where sustain matters most.
Flier Composition utilizes Iron Man, Storm, Ultron, and Human Torch to control aerial space completely. Enemies struggle targeting multiple flying threats simultaneously while fliers rain damage from safety. Pair with Luna Snow for healing and damage boost to maximize effectiveness.
Dive Composition features Wolverine, Spider-Man, or Black Panther paired with Winston style Vanguard like Hulk or Venom. Objective is eliminating enemy backline before they can respond. Requires coordination but devastates uncoordinated teams who can’t peel for supports.
Poke Composition leverages Hela, Hawkeye, and Punisher to control space through long range pressure. Pair with shield Vanguards like Magneto or Captain America to create safe spaces for snipers. Forces enemies into uncomfortable engagements while maintaining safe positioning.
Anti Dive Composition counters aggressive dive teams through The Thing, Namor, and Peni Parker. These heroes punish mobility through CC, turrets, and lockdown abilities. Excellent defensive composition for protecting objectives against overwhelming aggression.
Season 3.5 meta has shifted significantly from previous seasons with multiple balance changes reshaping hero viability. Understanding current meta trends helps players adapt strategies and climb ranks efficiently.
Vanguard Meta currently favors aggressive brawlers over shield tanks. Emma Frost, Magneto, and The Thing dominate through high damage output and crowd control rather than pure damage mitigation. This shift rewards aggressive positioning and fight initiation over passive defense.
Duelist Meta emphasizes versatility and self sufficiency. Winter Soldier, Psylocke, and Wolverine dominate because they combine damage, mobility, and survivability without requiring extensive team support. Pure glass cannon Duelists struggle unless piloted by mechanically exceptional players.
Strategist Meta continues favoring Luna Snow and Loki above all others. Their ultimates win fights single handedly while providing consistent value through basic abilities. Other Strategists remain viable but can’t match raw power these two provide.
Team Fight Meta rewards ultimate economy management over mechanical skill. Teams who coordinate ultimates win fights regardless of individual skill differences. Learning when to commit ultimates versus saving for next fight separates winning teams from losing teams.
Counter Pick Meta has become increasingly important as player knowledge improves. Recognizing enemy composition and swapping to counter picks mid match provides massive advantages. Flexibility across multiple heroes matters more than one tricking single character.
Luna Snow currently holds position as strongest overall character in Marvel Rivals for Season 3.5. Her combination of highest healing output, powerful ultimate that provides immortality and damage boost, and strong self defense tools make her S+ tier across all ranks. She fits into every team composition effectively and lacks significant counters.
The best team composition combines Emma Frost and Magneto as Vanguards, Winter Soldier and Psylocke as Duelists, with Luna Snow and Loki as Strategists. This composition provides excellent sustain, multiple fight winning ultimates, strong dive potential, and defensive capabilities. However, best composition varies based on map, enemy team composition, and player skill levels.
Rocket Raccoon, The Punisher, and Groot represent easiest heroes for beginners. Rocket provides straightforward healing with minimal aim requirements. The Punisher offers familiar FPS mechanics without complex abilities. Groot features simple wall placement and large health pool that forgives positioning mistakes.
Marvel Rivals tier list changes with every major balance patch, typically occurring monthly. Season updates bring larger meta shifts while mid season patches make smaller adjustments. Additionally, player skill development and strategy evolution can shift tier placements even without patches.
Below Diamond ranks, playing heroes you enjoy and practice with typically yields better results than forcing meta picks. Personal skill and comfort matter more than raw hero strength at lower levels. Above Diamond, meta knowledge becomes increasingly important as coordinated teams exploit hero weaknesses more effectively.
S+ tier heroes warp entire meta around themselves and provide advantages so significant that not playing them puts your team at substantial disadvantage. S tier heroes are exceptionally strong but have more counterplay available or require specific team compositions to maximize effectiveness. The difference lies in how much they define what strategies are viable.
Counter dive compositions through heroes with strong CC and defensive abilities. The Thing, Namor, Peni Parker, and Emma Frost all excel at punishing aggressive dive heroes. Position conservatively near teammates, save CC abilities for dive windows, and focus fire diving enemies before they can escape.
Two separate tier lists exist because hero effectiveness varies dramatically based on rank. Below Diamond, mechanical skill limitations, less coordination, and weaker positioning make easy to execute heroes much stronger. Above Diamond, superior mechanics, team coordination, and counter play knowledge shift power toward high skill ceiling heroes.
Strategist role typically provides most consistent climbing experience because good healers are always in demand and directly enable teammate success. However, exceptional Duelist players can carry games through pure damage output. Choose role matching your playstyle and commitment to improvement.
Team up abilities range from game changing to minor bonuses depending on specific combination. Emma Frost and Magneto team up provides massive burst damage that wins duels. Luna Snow and Star Lord combination enables safe resurrections. Some team ups like cosmetic effects matter less than having strong individual heroes.
Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 offers incredible hero diversity with viable options across all roles and playstyles. While meta heroes like Luna Snow, Emma Frost, and Magneto dominate highest levels of play, every hero has situations where they excel with proper execution.
Success in Marvel Rivals comes from understanding not just individual hero strength but how they fit into team compositions and counter enemy strategies. The difference between Diamond+ and Below Diamond tier lists highlights how mechanical skill, coordination, and game knowledge fundamentally change what works effectively.
I recommend focusing on mastering two or three heroes per role rather than trying to play everything. Deep knowledge of hero mechanics, matchups, and team synergies provides more value than surface level familiarity with entire roster. Use this tier list as starting point, but adjust based on your personal strengths and preferences.
The meta will continue evolving with balance patches and strategy development, so staying informed about changes helps maintain competitive edge. Practice consistently, learn from losses, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different heroes and compositions.
Remember that tier lists represent general strength levels but individual skill and teamwork ultimately determine match outcomes. Even C tier heroes can dominate games in hands of dedicated players who understand their capabilities fully. Focus on improvement, communication, and strategic thinking to climb ranks regardless of which heroes you choose.
Good luck in your ranked climb, and may your team compositions always be blessed with competent Strategists who actually heal their tanks!
