Marvel Rivals’ Season 0 Meta Explained

Marvel Rivals' Season 0 Meta Explained

Marvel Rivals Season 0 launched on December 6 with 33 playable heroes and villains. Ranked was released a few days later, though it also required players to reach level 10. Over the past few weeks, the meta has become clear as players compete to climb the ranked ladder to Marvel Rivals‘ highly coveted Top 500.

The competitive ladder in the third-person superhero shooter is relatively simple. Starting at Bronze 3, players can accumulate points to climb the tiers to Eternity. To advance to the next rank tier, players need 100 points, which usually requires winning three or four matches in a row. Understanding the current meta can make climbing the Marvel Rivals ranked system more straightforward, as players may opt to play from the solidifying pool of best-performing characters.

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Heroes With Hard Carry Potential In Marvel Rivals

Season 0’s starting roster introduced 8 Vanguard heroes, 18 Duelists, and 7 Strategists. While the high damage potential of Duelists might attract some players, Marvel Rivals prides itself on versatility. With no role queue, in order to climb, players will need to get out of their comfort zones and find characters in each category that they can play well, while also taking into consideration Team Up Abilities.

As of Season 0, the S-Tier heroes, based on heroes played in Top 500, alongside the Rivals Codex, win rates, and pick rates, are as follows:

Hero

Role

Pick Rate

Win Rate

Doctor Strange

Vanguard

4.20%

54.90%

Hela

Duelist

4.70%

59.60%

Psylocke

Duelist

3.50%

55.70%

Luna Snow

Strategist

6.40%

53.10%

Mantis

Strategist

6.60%

59.0%

The A-Tier heroes can fluctuate, but typically consist of:

Hero

Role

Pick Rate

Win Rate

Magneto

Vanguard

2.70%

55.10%

Groot

Vanguard

2.70%

54.10%

Hawkeye

Duelist

2.80%

55.60%

Moon Knight

Duelist

4.20%

51.90%

Namor

Duelist

1.50%

57.20%

The Punisher

Duelist

2.90%

52.60%

Winter Soldier

Duelist

2.70%

53.20%

Cloak and Dagger

Strategist

8.0%

49.90%

Rocket Raccoon

Strategist

3.0%

57.10%

These insights are based solely on ranked statistics. Furthermore, a player’s individual skill with a character may not always align with the trends shown in the charts.

It’s worth noting that starting at Diamond 3, if all players in the lobby are Diamond rank, hero bans are implemented. This directly affects pick rate percentages, as the most banned heroes in Marvel Rivals are often meta heroes like Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Hela, Luna Snow, Mantis, and Psylocke. For reference, an analysis by the website rivalsmeta details that Hawkeye has a 38.04% ban rate, Hela has a 37.76% ban rate, and Luna Snow has a 20.26% ban rate.

Heroes With Hard Carry Potential In Marvel Rivals

Hero bans aside, the aforementioned meta heroes below Diamond are always reliable picks. This is supported by evidence of players requesting Hawkeye nerfs, while flank and environmental kill tactics involving Doctor Strange’s portal have proven incredibly popular. Common Strategist lineups often feature Mantis and Luna Snow, who can alternate their ultimates for offense and defense while supporting each other effectively when targeted.

“Common Strategist lineups often feature Mantis and Luna Snow.”

Once players reach Diamond and above, A-tier characters begin to shine. With double-shield combinations less common due to Doctor Strange being banned, popular combinations involve Hulk and dive characters like Iron Fist and Black Panther throwing themselves into the enemy backline. Adam Warlock and Rocket Raccoon also shine in these higher ranks for their resurrection abilities and damage potential, albeit in different ways. Rocket Raccoon stands out for his sustained healing, though he lacks the burst healing needed in critical moments that Adam Warlock can compensate for.

Ultimately, the meta is still solidifying as players grow comfortable with Marvel Rivals‘ expansive roster. For instance, heroes with lower win rates may not always fare poorly when in the right hands. While there is no role queue, a standard 2-2-2 lineup, featuring 2 Vanguards, 2 Duelists, and 2 Strategists, remains a solid strategy. Some players also opt for 3-3 with 3 Vanguards and 3 Strategists, similar to the GOATS meta from Overwatch. Notably, the meta will likely shift accordingly, with new characters teased for Season 1 and potential balance changes on the way.

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