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When played correctly, Doctor Strange can be one of the most formidable vanguards in Marvel Rivals. His ultimate is a genuine game changer, able to turn the tide of battle when used strategically. Between that and well-placed portals, Doctor Strange can prove quite difficult to play into.
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In addition to his more unique and special abilities, Doctor Strange is also just really good at mitigating damage thanks to his shield. So, if you’re going to compete against him, you’re going to need to find ways to get around him. Here are a few key ways you can counter Doctor Strange.
How To Counter Doctor Strange
There are a couple of general things you can do to better play into Doctor Strange. The most important thing is finding a way to get through his Shield of the Seraphim.
Shield of the Seraphim is an ability that creates an enormous shield with 800 HP.
First, you’ll want to either commit to breaking down the shield with high-damage output characters, or, running a flank to get around him and attack teammates from behind.
Whatever you choose, just make sure your team is committed as well.
Additionally, melee characters don’t typically play well into Doctor Strange as his Maelstrom of Magic ability will deal dark magic damage worth up to 100 points, depending on how much it’s charged.
Long-range duelists are ideal for playing into Strange, so long as you’ve found a way to get through his shield.
Be sure to pay attention to when his anti-heal effect is activated. If Doctor Strange holds onto his Dark Magic for too long, a purple anti-heal effect will appear around his health bar, meaning his teammates cannot heal him. Make sure you exploit this whenever you can.
How To Counter Doctor Strange As A Strategist
Luckily, because Doctor Strange is primarily using his shield to safeguard his team, strategists in the backline don’t have to worry too much about Strange diving them.
However, when it comes time for his ultimate ability, you’ll want to keep on your toes. Luckily, there are a few ways to counter Strange as a strategist.
First, Luna Snow is great for playing into Strange, as he is a pretty large target and often slow-moving. This means he’s relatively easy to hit with Absolute Zero, thus freezing him in place.
If you can land a perfect hit with Absolute Zero on Strange right as he activates his ultimate, you’ll cancel out the ultimate completely.
Adam Warlock is also not a bad option for countering Doctor Strange. Warlock’s healing output is on a cooldown, meaning he can be outputting damage in between heals for his team.
If your entire team is playing against Strange, Adam’s secondary fire Cosmic Cluster can deal a lot of damage to Strange’s shield, and it’s easy to hit.
How To Counter Doctor Strange As A Vanguard
If you’re playing a dive vanguard, you won’t have to worry about Strange too much unless he’s smart enough to turn around and peel for his teammates. But, as long as he’s also focused on the frontline, you should be fine.
However, other frontline vanguards can contest Strange in a number of ways.
Because Doctor Strange likes to do lots of melee attacks with his Maelstrom of Madness, having Peni Parker’s Bionic Spider-Nest out filled with Arachno-Mines when Strange is on the field is great for slowing him down and preventing a ton of melee damage.
Peni’s Cyber Web-Snare is also good for canceling Strange’s Ultimate.
Groot is also a great option for Doctor Strange. However, some finesse is required for this. Obviously, walling Strange off is great, but he may just be able to fly up out of the walls if his Cloak of Levitation is not on cooldown.
Luckily, even if Strange flies away, this can expose him to extra damage from long-range duelists.
But, if you’re clever and pay attention to when Strange can’t fly away, you can very easily trap him with no escape route whatsoever.
Pushing Strange away with Magneto’s Mag-Cannon to prevent his ultimate from hitting teammates or using Maelstrom of Madness is helpful too.
How To Counter Doctor Strange As A Duelist
The best thing you can do as a duelist is force Doctor Strange out of position. Heroes like the Winter Soldier and Wolverine are great at this, though Winter Soldier has the slight edge as Wolverine is primarily a melee combatant.
Use Winter Soldier’s Bionic Hook to pull Strange away from his team.
If you combine Bionic Hook with Groot Walls or other trapping abilities, your team can delete Strange in an instant.
As mentioned above, long-range duelists are ideal for Strange, so they can deal damage to his shield or run flanks to get around him. Punisher is great for tearing through Strange’s shield quickly in his turret form.
While not ideal for taking Strange on directly, dive heroes like Magik or Iron Fist can play in the backline away from Strange to get picks, thus negating any damage his shield might pick up.
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