Vanguards in Marvel Rivals are, essentially, the Tank class. Their role is to take the brunt of punishment from the opposing team, keeping alive and protecting allies well enough that they can do their own jobs more effectively. Different characters accomplish this in different ways, and Doctor Strange is, no pun intended, one of the strangest.
Doctor Strange’s mixture of abilities put him all over the place, but in a way that can be surprisingly effective. He’s capable of more than simply protecting his team, and the more experience you get with him, the more you’re going to understand his multitude of possibilities.
Doctor Strange Overview
Doctor Strange has a lot of strengths and few weaknesses. While he doesn’t necessarily have the highest health, he can use his abilities to keep himself alive with a bit less effort than other Vanguards, like Groot.
But Doctor Strange can also support his team in another way, with his portal ability. This is going to help his team get back into the fight with near immediacy, preventing the enemy team from making nearly as much objective progress as they would otherwise.
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Daggers Of Denak
The Daggers of Denak are Doctor Strange’s primary damage attack and work at a range that exceeds that of most other Vanguards. The damage of the attack is in-line, even a little ahead, of his Vanguard counterparts, and it’s easier to consistently hit your target with it.
Dealing damage with the Daggers of Denak does build up Dark Magic over time, represented by the bars slowly filling up in the center of the screen. We’ll get into what that Dark Magic does just below.
Price Of Magic
Price of Magic is Doctor Strange’s passive ability, and it actually is a negative passive. Every hit with Daggers of Denak on an enemy builds up Dark Magic, and if that Dark Magic builds up too high for too long, Doctor Strange isn’t going to be healed until it wears away.
This is going to severely hamper his ability to stay alive; as a Vanguard, enemies are going to focus their fire on Doctor Strange often. If he can’t be healed, he’ll only live as long as his shield ability allows him, essentially.
Worse even than that, allied Strategists are going to be wasting their healing efforts on a Doctor Strange who can’t be healed, oftentimes without realizing it, when their attention could be better spent elsewhere.
Maelstrom Of Madness
Maelstrom of Madness is how Doctor Strange avoids getting into such predicaments. This ability releases that Dark Magic in an area around him, dealing damage to everyone around.
The more Dark Magic you’ve accumulated, the more damage this ability is going to do. This creates a bit of a balance between using Dark Magic and avoiding it; you want to have enough that this attack can deal worthwhile damage to the enemy but not so much Dark Magic that you can’t be healed.
If need be, you can cast Maelstrom of Madness to rid yourself of Dark Magic, even if there’s nobody around to hit with it. It’s better than the alternative of getting too big of a buildup of Dark Magic to be healed.
Shield Of The Seraphim
Shield of the Seraphim is Doctor Strange’s main Vanguard-fitting ability, creating a shield in front of Doctor Strange that blocks all incoming attacks. This shield has 800HP overall and extends quite a bit taller and wider than Doctor Strange himself.
How To Use Shield Of The Seraphim Effectively
Shield of the Seraphim is the most valuable tool in Doctor Strange’s arsenal, but when used poorly, it can get unwitting allies killed without you even realizing it.
The biggest thing to keep in mind with Shield of the Seraphim is that, in most cases, allies are using the shield, too. This means you either need to act consistently with it or coordinate your movements while using it.
Suddenly dropping the shield can get an ally killed that thought they were in cover, as can moving in a way that exposes them to enemy fire.
But used well, this shield provides mobile cover not just for Doctor Strange but for his whole team. It can work to make an effective push against the enemy; just keep an eye on that 800HP health bar because it can drop quickly.
Cloak Of Levitation
The Cloak of Levitation keeps Doctor Strange from being as immobile as characters like Groot and Magneto. The Cloak allows Strange to lift into the air and either drop or hover for a brief period.
Much like the Shield of the Seraphim, this can be a blessing or a curse for your team.
When To Use The Cloak Of Levitation
Allies, especially Strategists, tend to hover around friendly Vanguards for protection (as well as making it easier to heal their higher-health friends). Suddenly launching into the air without warning can expose that Strategist to all the enemy fire that you had been tanking, and they can drop within an instant because of it.
Doctor Strange isn’t the only Vanguard who can struggle with this particular problem; Venom can do the same to his teammates by jumping and swinging.
But, in the right situation, the Cloak can enable you to more effectively do your job. As long as you aren’t exposing allies by doing it, jumping into the air can extend your own life, getting you into cover, or at least dodging enemy fire for a short time.
It can also allow you to creatively block enemy fire when used in combination with Shield of the Seraphim. Enemy Hawkeyes and Black Widows, in particular, like to skirt the edge of the battle, oftentimes from a high vantage point. Launch and hover right in front of them with your shield out, and their attacks are going to be rendered useless.
Pentagram Of Farallah
The Pentagram of Farallah is Doctor Strange’s flashiest ability, allowing him to easily create a portal from one location to another. This portal will allow instantaneous travel from one end to the other, but it does more than just that.
It also allows attacks to travel through the portal. This allows it to be set up in a place where friendly Duelists can attack in near-safety from massive distances.
When And Where To Place The Pentagram Of Farallah
There are a wide variety of situations where the Pentagram is going to be useful, far too many to list. But, in general, these situations are going to find easy value in it.
In a situation where an enemy team wipes your team in a short amount of time, you’ll all be respawning at about the same point. Doctor Strange can place his portal to get everybody back in the fight quicker, allowing for a smoother recovery.
It can also be used to allow friendly characters, particularly characters like Black Widow and Hawkeye, to get vantage points that would be otherwise impossible.
You can also place a portal behind the main force of the enemy, creating flanking opportunities. Just be warned: this portal goes both ways.
Gamma Maelstrom Team-Up Ability
Doctor Strange’s Team-Up ability is a small one: when paired with The Hulk, Doctor Strange’s Maelstrom of Madness will unleash Gamma Energy, alongside his usual Dark Magic. This will be a slight buff to that ability overall, increasing Doctor Strange’s damage.
