Marvel Rivals: Best Poke Characters

Within Marvel Rivals, fans can play as three different types of characters: Duelists, Vanguards, and Strategists. But, looking into the hero-shooter more in-depth, these heroes fall into even more specific roles: Poke, rush, and dive characters. Poke heroes are among the most popular heroes in the game, as they’re typically safe choices and don’t take incredible risks.

These characters in Marvel Rivals like to sit around mid-range and shoot from afar while hiding behind cover or a shield. The heroes also deal significant damage in single shots, especially critical hits. Unlike dive and rush characters, poke heroes have a wide range of kits and usefulness across the roster, meaning there’s always a good poke character to counter another hero.

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Magneto

Counters Strategist Ultimates

Magneto is an exceptional Vanguard in Marvel Rivals that focuses on damage absorption and pushing away targets from the objective. His primary fire is mid-range though he can use his alternate fire to send the metal he’s collected forward and push an enemy away from him.

This attack has a longer range and deals more damage. Magento’s ultimate is one of the best ultimates to use when playing against a Cloak and Dagger, as he can aim while charging his attack and eliminate Cloak and Dagger while they’re using their ultimate ability to heal their team.

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Hawkeye

1-Shot Eliminations

Hawkeye, unlike Black Widow, is capable of eliminating his foes in a single shot. This makes him a deadly hero to go up against, especially as a flying character or rush Duelist. Hawkeye doesn’t need to reload either, as he simply takes a second to pull another arrow from his quiver; he can fire quickly and doesn’t need to charge his attacks unless necessary.

Hawkeye’s alternate fire allows him to shoot 3 explosive arrows at once, which is good for crowd control or quick eliminations. His ultimate allows him to see enemies’ afterimages and essentially not miss any of his shots.

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Loki

Great Damage And Healing

Though a Strategist, Loki is capable of both great healing and exceptional damage. A good Loki player will never forget to heal their teammates when needed and is also capable of helping take out foes from a distance. With Loki’s two clones, he’s able to send three primary attack shots at a single time, which deals great damage and has a short explosive radius.

Loki can also hide back with other poke characters while sending his clones closer to his rush allies and healing them with his Regeneration Domain ability. Loki’s ultimate shapeshifts him into any other hero which he looks at, granting him the power of their ultimate.

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The Punisher

Vast Arsenal Of Weapons

Punisher is a massive damage dealer in Marvel Rivals when he can hit his shots. From afar, The Punisher’s rifle can melt through enemy health bars, while his shotgun can immediately erase a target from existence if they get too close. The Punisher’s turret is also a fantastic ability to utilize when taking out a group of enemies and supplying covert assistance.

The turret also has a shield that will defend The Punisher from attacks in front of him, including ultimate abilities. Teamed up with Rocket Raccoon, The Punisher periodically gains the ability to fire his weapons even faster with infinite ammo, which is devastating to anyone in his line of sight.

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Groot

Builds Walls That Provide Bonus Health And Deal Damage

Groot is a Vanguard that works with almost any team composition, making him a popular choice in Marvel Rivals. Groot’s primary attack sends a long vine forward to attack enemies from afar. Groot also has access to Spore Bomb, which practically works as an on-impact grenade. Most notable, however, are Groot’s different walls he can build: Ironwood and Thornlash Walls.

The Ironwood Wall is a large, durable wall that grants Groot and nearby allies bonus health when Groot and his teammates deal damage, while the Thornlash Walls are smaller, less durable walls that attack enemies standing near them when Groot or his allies deal damage.

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Doctor Strange

Deals Massive Damage And Stops Ranged Attacks With His Shield

Regarded as one of the best Vanguards in Marvel Rivals, Doctor Strange is capable of dealing heavy damage and defending his allies. Doctor Strange’s passive ability, Price of Magic, causes him to build up Dark Magik from 0 to 100. When 100, Doctor Strange cannot be healed, but his Maelstrom of Madness ability deals more damage the more Dark Magik Strange has built up.

At 100, Maelstrom of Madness unleashes a deadly AoE attack around Strange that can eliminate enemies very quickly. Doctor Strange’s Shield of the Seraphim has 800hp, meaning he can stop many ranged attacks from hitting him and his teammates.

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Hela

Hitscan Fire, Stun, and Escape Abilities

Hela is among the most popular Duelists in the game due to her hitscan primary fire, which deals incredible damage with a moderate rate of fire. Hela’s primary fire sends a dagger flying forward, which can eliminate a Strategist or Duelist with two shots if they’re critical hits.

Hela also has movement ability, which sends her flying in a chosen direction as a crow; this is a good way to run away from divers or groups of enemies. Hela’s other ability, Soul Drainer, sends an orb that explodes on impact. This stuns a target and pulls them toward the orb, giving Hela a chance at a fast elimination.

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Namor

Counters Diving Characters

Diving characters can be a massive problem for the team in a match of Marvel Rivals, especially without the right team composition. While poke heroes usually have a difficult time with diving heroes, Namor is a direct counter to them due to his auto-turrets and shield abilities.

Namor has the ability to throw up to two squid-like auto-turrets anywhere he chooses, which includes a third more durable and destructive auto-turret if teamed up with Luna Snow. This is usually disruptive to many divers, such as Spider-Man or Magik, forcing them to constantly run away from the back line to avoid being KO’d by Namor’s squids.

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