Summary
- Underrated heroes in Marvel Rivals like Adam Warlock have better healing than expected and decent damage output.
- Don’t overlook heroes that have excellent utility in favor of damage or healing output, like Loki.
- Groot and Magneto offer strong utility and damage mitigation when used strategically in team compositions.
Boasting one of the largest hero rosters around, Marvel Rivals plays host to all manner of fantastic superheroes great and small. With each season, of course, there are bound to be some heroes that do better than others. Sometimes, a previously unplayable duelist will become the ultimate pick for great team compositions in the blink of an eye (of Agamotto).
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But, there are some options that almost never see that much love. Or, at the very least, some heroes in the roster that aren’t always as flashy or good for clip packages. But it’s time to stop overlooking these underrated heroes in Marvel Rivals.
10
Adam Warlock
Cosmically Gifted
Though Adam Warlock sees some decent play, he’s often overlooked in favor of strategists who do more consistent healing. Oftentimes, if you’re playing Adam, your team may even ask you to switch to a strategist like Rocket or Luna, who can constantly heal with the press of a button.
But that doesn’t mean Adam can’t do incredible heals as well. It’s all about timing and patience. Because Adam’s healing, when placed correctly, can restore multiple allies almost back to full health, waiting for the opportune moment to heal can pay off immensely. Plus, his resurrection ability has great utility coupled with a decently high damage output for a healer.
9
Namor
Glub, Glub
Namor’s kit is deceptively simple. There’s not a whole lot to it, but mastering the rhythm of his playstyle can take this character from good to great. If you can get into the habit of placing a Monstro spawn turret, securing some picks with your trident to reduce the turret cooldown, and then placing another one, you can become unstoppable.
Plus, ults that have instant-kill potential should never be overlooked. If you aim Namor’s ultimate right or combine it with other ultimates (like Groot’s, for example), you can secure multiple team wipes in one match.
8
Loki
Look Behind You
The trickster deity of Asgard is severely overlooked by the rest of the strategist roster. It’s true that, when playing Loki, you’ll often be sacrificing overall healing output. But, he more than makes up for it in terms of utility, especially if you’re familiar with the rest of the roster in Rivals.
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Truly, the most underrated part of Loki’s kit is his Regeneration Domain, which can actually counter a decent number of ultimates, like Psylocke’s, for example. If you master your cooldowns correctly and use your copy ultimate strategically, you can carry with Loki.
7
The Punisher
Enemy Team Beware
Punisher is often the safe, straightforward choice when it comes to duelists, but that doesn’t mean he’s not effective. His overall damage output is ridiculously high. And, if you have expert positioning, you can catch entire teams by surprise with your turret.
The real trick to taking Punisher from a fine choice to a great one is combining him with heroes like Rocket. The turret infinite ammo combination is absolutely lethal. Plus, if you can catch a stray support off guard with it, you can secure clutch picks in the backline consistently.
6
Wolverine
Not The Deadpool Version
Wolverine is an interesting pick in the roster. At launch, Wolverine was often thought of as the weakest hero in the roster. But, his complex and in-depth kit can be incredibly powerful when you know how to utilize it correctly.
The biggest boon Wolverine has going for him is that he’s a fast-paced duelist who can control space. He doesn’t necessarily take up that much space in the way a vanguard would, but because he has two abilities (Feral Leap and Last Stand) that can tackle enemies to the ground and push them great distances across the battlefield, Wolverine can change the tide of battle in an instant.
5
Groot
We Are Groot
Groot is definitely popular but underrated in terms of how effective he can be. In many ways, he’s reminiscent of the underrated utility Zarya in Overwatch possesses. His walls are, of course, great, but if you can time his ultimate right and combine it with other hero abilities, you’ll be able to wall off the enemy team from winning.
For example, Groot can combine his ultimate with Namor, Magneto, Iron Man, Winter Soldier, Mister Fantastic, Starlord, Punisher, and more to get complete team wipes in seconds. If you can master your game sense to track when your team has their ultimates and when the enemy team doesn’t, you’ll climb the competitive ranks at a rapid-fire pace.
4
Starlord
Actually Legendary
Another criminally overlooked Guardian of the Galaxy, Starlord is often ignored just because of his skill ceiling. Yes, overall his damage output isn’t always amazing, and playing a flanker isn’t always the right strategy on convoy maps. But if you can master the timing of his cooldowns, you can secure crucial picks at the right moment.
Plus, in lower competitive ranks, his ultimate still completely carries lobbies. Just be careful not to play him into any sharpshooters, as they’re likely to pick you off in seconds flat if you ult.
3
Mister Fantastic
Stay Flexible
Added in Season One, Mister Fantastic is a great addition to the ranks of duelist. He’s a fast and fun melee combatant, which is something that feels relatively unique to Rivals as opposed to other competitive hero shooters. However, Mister Fantastic’s greatest asset is his role versatility.
Though technically a duelist, Mister Fantastic can almost act like a second or third vanguard when he really needs to. Thanks to his Elastic Strength passive, your health pool will permit you to soak up damage for your team in a way previously only allowed to vanguards. Plus, for a melee fighter, his range is very good. Just watch out for counters.
2
Squirrel Girl
Underrated In The Comics Too
Though she does make a decent amount of appearances in team comps, Squirrel Girl often gets overlooked for her simplicity. But, for a duelist, she actually has some of the best utility in the game and great damage output. The trick here is that she really shines when combined with Spider-Man.
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If you’ve got a Spidey on your team, Squirrel Girl subsequently gets two abilities (Squirrel Blockade and Webbed Acorn) that can freeze opponents in place. If you’ve got good comms, you can couple this with Spidey or other heroes in your comp to secure quick picks.
1
Magneto
The Best Of The Mutants
Magneto dominated compositions in Early Access gameplay, but has since fallen more to the middle of the pack. However, Magneto can make for such a super solid pick in many different situations, particularly if you know how to use him correctly.
First, combining him with Scarlet Witch can make him just as formidable of a melee combatant as at range, thanks to their team-up ability. Second, his ultimate can take out opponents even in a Luna Snow ult. Finally, he has great damage mitigation in the form of three different shield abilities, making him a well-rounded pick for most game modes.
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