Hawkeye is one of the strongest Duelists you can play against in Marvel Rivals. His ability to shoot from a distance and one-shot every character that isn’t a Vanguard makes him a terror, especially if the enemy Hawkeye has good aim.
He is usually banned in ranked games, but sometimes Hawkeye will slip out, which means you’re forced to develop counter-tactics against him. If you’re frustrated playing against Hawkeye and looking for ways to shut him down, this guide will ensure that you are prepared next time.
How To Counter Hawkeye
Haweye is a backline DPS, where he will often sit behind his allies and fire powerful arrows to one-shot his enemies. This means trying to face him from range isn’t the best idea as he will win out in the duel.
The best way to counter Hawkeye is by picking dive heroes (heroes that can drop in from above, like Spider-Man or Venom) who will fight him at close range. Once you close the gap with Hawkeye, he can’t use his charged attacks effectively, which puts him at a disadvantage. He can run away in a few instances, but heroes who can chase him are also good at countering him.
Additionally, flanking Hawkeye is also a great way to counter him, as he will often be focused on shooting enemies who are behind enemy lines. However, a well-executed flank will make him uncomfortable, as now he has to watch multiple angles instead of just one, which will make his job a lot harder.
Picking the counter heroes is necessary, but you should also be able to pilot them properly if you want to take down Hawkeye. This means remembering your basics such as your aim, positioning, and ability rotations is crucial.
How To Counter Hawkeye As A Strategist
Countering Hawkeye as a Strategist is probably the hardest task to accomplish, as you are often tied down behind your team to heal them and provide support, which puts you at a disadvantage against the sharpshooter.
However, the best way you can deal with Hawkeye as a Strategist is to pair with a DPS unit. The best heroes to do this are Mantis and Luna Snow since both of them can stun Hawkeye. Mantis can put Hawkeye to sleep, while Luna Snow can freeze him, and your ally DPS can finish him off with ease.
Additionally, Mantis’ Normal Attacks hit hard if you can land them in the head, which can also help if the Hawkeye is missing his shots.
How To Counter Hawkeye As A Vanguard
There are quite a few Vanguards who can easily deal with Hawkeye. The first one is Venom as he can dive Hawkeye with his swing ability and start fighting him in close range. If Hawkeye tries to run away, Venom can chase him as well.
Venom’s massive health pool in combination with his Symbiotic Resilience ability makes it difficult for Hawkeye to take the former down. Additionally, Doctor Strange and Magneto are also great against Hawkeye as they have shields which will stop the arrows from reaching your team.
Magneto can also deflect the damage absorbed by his shields back at Hawkeye, which makes it difficult for the latter to execute a proper game plan. Captain America is also a good counter to Hawkeye as he can dive the backline and rush the latter down, despite being a pretty average Vanguard when compared to the rest of the roster.
Groot is also a decent counter to Hawkeye since he can place his barriers which block Hawkeye’s line of sight. However, it can only work in choke points instead of maps where there are multiple open areas.
How To Counter Hawkeye As A Duelist
When playing a Duelist, you have a number of options to deal with Hawkeye. The two best units to do this are Spider-Man and Psylocke since both have immense dive potential and very high damage that can shut down Hawkeye with ease.
In fact, Spider-Man can even stun Hawkeye with his Spectacular Spin and Get Over Here abilities which makes it hard for the latter to play the game.Psylocke doesn’t have a stun, but she has multiple dashes in her kit, and using them effectively will confuse Hawkeye as he will miss all his shots. Both Spider-Man and Psylocke are extremely potent in flanking as well.
Iron Fist is also a very strong counter to Hawkeye since the former’s close-range abilities in combination with the various defensive tools like Harmony Recovery, Dragon’s Defense, and Chi Absorption, forces the latter to flee from the battlefield. Star-Lord is also pretty good since he can dive quite well and if he pairs with a Strategist, he can shut down Hawkeye pretty quickly.
If you are feeling confident, picking Hawkeye to counter him can be an option. If your aim is better, you can shoot the enemy Hawkeye’s head and shut him down, thereby asserting your dominance on the map.
