Marvel Rivals has found titanic success for a number of reasons, and there’s no doubt that its roster has played a huge role. After the addition of two new characters at the beginning of Season 1, Marvel Rivals currently features 35 playable heroes. This is a sizable roster for a game that only launched two months ago, but it’s the diversity of this roster that takes the gameplay to the next level.
The Team-Up system is one of the primary mechanics that helps Marvel Rivals stand apart from other hero shooters. Team-Ups include two or more characters from the roster, with one member of the Team-Up serving as the anchor that grants buffs to the others. Team-Ups are a gameplay feature with a narrative purpose, and both of these aspects could make them the key to speculation regarding future characters.
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Marvel Rivals Has Plenty of Inspiration to Pull Team-Ups From
Marvel Rivals‘ Team-Ups aren’t solely based around the canon relationships between characters, although established dynamics do make up for more than a few of them. For example, Rocket Raccoon has a Team-Up with Groot that represents their strong friendship. Meanwhile, Rocket’s Team-Up with The Punisher and The Winter Soldier largely exists as a natural extension of their roles in-game.
Naturally, this makes Team-Ups a goldmine for speculation. If developers are looking to add more rich character interaction, it would make sense for them to find potential heroes with relationships among the existing cast. The “Fastball Special” Team-Up employed by Wolverine and Hulk references a move coined by Wolverine and Colossus, which would make the latter a natural inclusion according to this logic.
Team-Ups Could Serve as a New Source of Buffs and Nerfs in Marvel Rivals
Team-Ups don’t exist in a vacuum, and when put in the context of Marvel Rivals‘ meta overall, they certainly aren’t all created equal. Certain Team-Ups may appear more often simply because they have an anchor who already has a big impact in the meta, while other Team-Ups can serve as the foundation for entire team compositions.
Marvel Rivals Season 1 introduced buffs and nerfs to a number of characters, and this has dramatically changed the pick rates of characters like Storm. By extension, Thor’s “Voltaic Union Team-Up with Storm and Captain America has seen a similar increase in popularity. If a Team-Up starts to dominate the meta, it would make sense for developers to address it like they would any individual characters. Thankfully, developers could use Team-Ups to solve the very same issues they might create.
When a new hero is introduced, they bring new Team-Ups with them, and these could be specifically designed to counter existing Team-Ups. If something like Voltaic Union gets out of control, developers could reach for characters that can deal with electricity in the comics. This would be the perfect opportunity for iconic characters like Miles Morales to join Marvel Rivals‘ roster, or even help the game’s shortage of villains with characters like Electro. Of course, both of these characters’ existing relationships with Spider-Man makes them prime material for a Team-Up to help the webslinger deal with such a menace.
Regardless, this would make the future of Marvel Rivals‘ roster less linear than one might expect. There are plenty of opportunities for new playable heroes thanks to outside projects from the MCU, and Marvel Rivals has already teased Knull and other characters within its ongoing story. However, the potential baked into Team-Ups is too good for Marvel Rivals to pass up, so instead of simply adding the most popular characters to the game, NetEase may want to consider who would provide the best synergy.
Marvel Rivals is a Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter!
Assemble an all-star Marvel squad, devise countless strategies by combining powers to form unique Team-Up skills and fight in destructible, ever-changing battlefields across the continually evolving Marvel universe!
A Deep and Varied Marvel Roster
Choose from a vast array of fan-favorite and cult-classic Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains from across the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and many more from across the Marvel Multiverse.
Fast and Fun 6v6 Action with Ever-Changing Game Dynamics
With intricate environments, fast-paced gameplay, and ever-changing battlefields, there’s never a dull moment in Marvel Rivals! Battle as Super Heroes and Super Villains with incredible abilities and combine your powers to bring unexpected fun to the battlefield in a matter of seconds.
Dynamic Hero Synergy
Coordinate unique combinations between characters to ignite surprising Team-Up Skills! Unleash the synergy of combined superpowers and invent new tactics that can turn the tide of combat. Ride on Groot’s back as Rocket Raccoon to take on your enemies as a dangerous duo, unleash Gamma energy as Hulk to charge Iron Man’s armor for massive damage, and so much more!
Creative Environment Destruction
Tear your way through iconic Marvel worlds across destructible environments! From Asgard to the Tokyo of 2099, use superpowers to alter these environments, reshape the terrain, and craft a strategic advantage on the battlefield! Take cover to dodge attacks or use makeshift weapons to strike down enemies. Players will find countless ways to utilize the environment to claim victory!
Continually Evolving Universe and Robust Post-Launch Updates
The Marvel Multiverse brings infinite possibilities! Each seasonal drop will introduce new Super Heroes to the battlefield along with challenging and diverse maps! Unlock new content to implement across various gameplay strategies while experiencing thrilling action and endless possibilities in these adventurous team battles!
Third-Person Shooter
Action
Multiplayer
- Released
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December 6, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
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NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
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NetEase Games