How To Play As Black Panther In Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals pits superheroes and villains against one another in an exhilarating 6v6 Hero Shooter, offering tons of characters to choose from, all of whom have unique abilities and roles to serve to help secure their team’s victory. While all Heroes are fun to play, some are much more complex than others.

Speaking of complex Heroes, Black Panther is a remarkably fun but challenging character to get the hang of, making him one of the hardest Duelists to play in Marvel Rivals. The good news is that this makes him that much more rewarding to play and perform well with!

Updated December 19, 2024, by Seth Parmer: While Black Panther saw very few changes directly from the beta to the full release of Marvel Rivals, he was substantially impacted by the overhaul of his Team-Up Ability. And, with Psylocke being added to the roster, they can dominate the match with one of the best Team-Ups in the game. A massive difference from the pretty useless one they had in the beta!

Black Panther Overview In Marvel Rivals

As we outlined briefly above, Black Panther is an extremely complex Duelist in Marvel Rivals. He is one of the few challenging DPS options in the game, which makes him tricky to play, forcing you to utilize every aspect of his toolkit to get the most out of him and thrive in the arena.

Being a Duelist, Black Panther’s main objective is to deal damage and score kills, so you must familiarize yourself with everything he’s capable of, and we cannot recommend enough using the game’s Practice Range to learn the ins and outs of his playstyle. This also means he has very little health, which is another aspect that makes him challenging to play as he must get up close and personal for some of his actions.

Black Panther Overview

Black Panther Team-Ups

Now that the beta for Marvel Rivals is over and the game is officially released, there have been many changes made that shook things up pretty significantly. One of these changes was the Dimensional Shortcut Team-Up, as it now acts completely differently than before and is substantially better as a result.

Not only is Psylocke now in the game and can take part in this Team-Up, but it now rewinds time instead of acting as a simple teleport. This is massive, as it not only repositions you to where you were a few seconds ago, but it will also restore the health you lost on top of that, making it a much-needed overhaul!

Black Panther Abilities

Hopefully, the table above outlines just how odd Black Panther’s toolkit is, as it requires lots of dashing around on your end to not only stay alive but to deal the maximum amount of damage possible. If you aren’t refreshing Sprint Rend and using it to stay mobile, you won’t be getting the most out of Black Panther’s playstyle.

He’s a remarkably fun character to play but requires you to be locked in for the entire duration of the match. One wrong move, and you’re likely dead. Movement is a crucial aspect of his playstyle, so we strongly recommend getting that down pact in the Practice Range before jumping into actual matches with him!

Recommended Teams

When it comes to crafting a team that supports Black Panther’s playstyle, we love Luna Snow, as she can provide constant heals to him, even as he’s dashing around the battlefield like a speeding bullet. Besides her, he does pair well with most other characters, but you must have his playstyle down to make him thrive.

If this were the beta, Magik wouldn’t be all that necessary, but she almost feels required now. While Black Panther is still challenging to get down, being able to warp back in time a few seconds to reposition yourself and replenish your lost health is massive and will allow you to keep your opposition on their toes.

Psylocke is also an excellent teammate to have alongside Magik, as all three of them can benefit from the Team-Up, allowing you to cause mass chaos and damage if properly implemented. It still won’t be a walk in the park to find success with Black Panther, but having these Heroes on your team will make it more manageable!

How To Play As Black Panther In Marvel Rivals

Despite having a few ranged options, Black Panther is an up-close and personal fighter who relies heavily on his ability to dash headfirst into the action and dash out instantly to apply his suffocating offense onto the opposition. If you aren’t applying Vibranium Marks on your opponent’s before diving in, you will have a bad time trying to quickly flee the scene, which will likely lead to your demise.

Black Panther Combos In Marvel Rivals

• Spear Toss > Spinning Kick > Vibranium Claws > Sprint Rend > Sprint Rend
• Spear Toss > Spinning Kick > Sprint Rend > Spear Toss > Sprint Rend > Vibranium Claws > Sprint Rend
• Spear Toss > Spinning Kick > Sprint Rend > Sprint Rend > Bast’s Descent > Spear Toss > Spinning Kick > Sprint Rend > Vibranium Claws > Sprint Rend

Spear Toss into Spinning Kick is the defacto starter for any Black Panther combo, as they will ensure you have placed Vibranium Marks on the opposition, allowing you to get in, use Sprint Rend to deal damage, and then use it again to flee the scene.

The more complex combos will have you try to mix a few slashes of his Vibranium Claws in while using a second Spear Toss to add another Vibranium Mark onto your opponent, allowing you to use the regenerated Sprint Rend to refresh another one, using the third Sprint Rend to get out of dodge. That’s a lot of movement to take in, we know. That’s what makes him so challenging to play.

If you choose Black Panther, be prepared to never stop moving and consistently apply pressure onto your opposition, as that is how his kit is designed. Hitting his actions isn’t too complicated, but how you have to use them is, so keep that in mind when picking him up for the first time!

When To Use Bast’s Descent

Bast’s Descent is Black Panther’s Ultimate Ability in Marvel Rivals, having him summon Bast, a towering panther, into the arena that deals considerable amounts of damage in a wide AoE, attaching Vibranium Marks on all targets hit and replenishing Black Panther’s Sprint Rend in the process.

Since this action also attaches Vibranium Marks on targets hit and refreshes his Sprint Rend, we recommend using this action within your combo strings, preferably after using your first refreshed Sprint Rend to create space. The third combo highlighted above is an example of what this would look like.

Use this Ultimate Ability wisely and strategically, and do not just toss it out there, as it replenishes Sprint Rend for a reason. Using this in conjunction with his other abilities and your teammate’s abilities is how you will get the most out of it and make Black Panther thrive in the arena!