Fliers in Marvel Rivals pose a unique set of problems, and seem to usually have fewer soft counters than most other characters in the game. They require characters who are capable of very specific things in order to take down, otherwise they’re going to sow havoc in your team throughout the match.
Related
Marvel Rivals: How To Counter Adam Warlock
Take down the perfect being, Adam Warlock, with these heroes in Marvel Rivals.
The Human Torch is no exception to this rule, and in fact, can be even more of a problem in certain ways than other fliers, like Iron Man and Storm. The Human Torch is capable of some impressive speed and maneuverability, putting him in a league of his own when it comes to landing meaningful damage on him.
How To Counter The Human Torch
The primary concern when it comes to countering The Human Torch is the fact that he’s a flier, but that’s not the only part of his ability set that’s important. He’s also capable of spreading around a shocking amount of area-of-effect (AoE) damage, locking down small areas with ease. It forces enemies to find new locations, or convinces them to stand still rather than advance.
But the Human Torch isn’t invincible; in fact, he’s one of the squishiest characters in the game. With a little bit of focused effort, he can be taken out of the sky the moment he shows his flaming face, rendering him more or less irrelevant to a team that’s dedicated to keeping him under wraps.
How To Counter The Human Torch As A Duelist
As with all fliers, and particularly Human Torch, you’ll need a character that’s capable of dealing damage at range. And not just any character with ranged attacks; these are going to need to be fast-moving attacks that track in a more-or-less flat arc.
This rules out Duelists like Squirrel Girl and Moon Knight. It’s not that it’s impossible to take him down with these characters, it’s just that it’s going to prove a much higher degree of difficulty to do so.
But, there are still a few Duelists who can get the job done:
- Sniper characters, like Black Widow and Hawkeye, specialize in dealing significant damage at long range. Both of them can turn a healthy Human Torch into a defeated Human Torch in no time flat, provided they have the opportunity to line up the shot. Good Human Torch’s are going to limit your angles with this, so you might need to get creative to get your shot off.
- Hela is a fantastic choice for taking down the Human Torch, because her primary attack is hitscan, meaning that it instantaneously travels to its target, rather than traveling through the air for a fraction of a second. With good aim, Hela can make life miserable for any flier, and that includes the Human Torch.
- Winter Soldier is going to have a little bit more trouble with Human Torch than some of the previous entries, but his primary attack is perfectly capable of putting the Human Torch down. Moreso than that, Winter Soldier’s Tainted Voltage ability can knock fliers out of the sky.
It can be difficult to hit fliers with the slower-moving Tainted Voltage, but any chance to knock a flier out of the sky is worth the shot.
- Star-Lord is another option for taking the Human Torch down, and a little bit more unconventional than some of the other options. Star-Lord can close the vertical gap between him and Human Torch fairly easily, and his weapons are consistent damage machines. The low health of Human Torch is going to have trouble contending with them.
How To Counter The Human Torch As A Vanguard
Countering the Human Torch with a Vanguard can be a little more complicated. In general, Vanguards can have a particular problem with fliers. Fliers generally stay at a healthy range, which is usually outside the area that a Vanguard can effectively play.
Vanguards can’t usually close this gap, or at least not for any meaningful amount of time. Both Venom and Thor can get to fliers semi-regularly, but they don’t often stay in the sky long enough to deal lethal damage.
- Doctor Strange is a notable exception to this. Doctor Strange can hover in the sky for quite a few seconds at a time; while his ability might be slow-moving enough that dealing damage at long range is tough, when he gets right up in the Human Torch’s face, Johnny Storm can be in for a difficult time.
If Human Torch tries to escape from Doctor Strange, Strange will not have the speed to keep the pressure on. Using this ability as a finishing move on a lower-health Human Torch can yield good results, or else as a way to force him to move from a good position.
- While Groot might not be able to consistently deal damage to the Human Torch, he can at least limit his options. Groot can put up multiple large walls at a time, and doing so in certain locations can force Human Torch to either find a new sightline, or spend precious time firing at the wall, as opposed to firing at you.
How To Counter The Human Torch As A Strategist
Strategists don’t necessarily have as difficult a time dealing with the Human Torch as Vanguards do, but it’s no walk in the park for them, either. For one, Strategists are going to usually have a difficult time consistently hitting the flier, just due to their weaponry and abilities.
For another, the Human Torch’s ability to create pockets of significant AoE damage means that Strategists who are often attached at the hip to a friendly Vanguard might need to reconsider. One well-placed Blazing Blast or Pyro-Prison from Human Torch, and both you and the Vanguard are going to be cooked.
But the situation isn’t hopeless. Certain Strategists can be incredibly difficult targets for the Human Torch to hit, among some interesting offensive capabilities coming from them, too.
- Rocket can be a nearly impossible target for any character to hit from range, and that’s no different for the Human Torch. Smart use of Rocket’s active and passive movement abilities can make it seem like Human Torch is fighting a ghost, and meanwhile, a good Rocket can still oftentimes fire out his healing spheres without too much trouble.
- If Invisible Woman can put herself close enough to the Human Torch to hit him with her Force Physics ability, she can pull Johnny towards her. This is either going to allow her to deal some significant damage to him before he can get away, or if she’s got allies nearby, allow everybody to pummel him into the ground.
Maneuvering Invisible Woman into position for this can be tough; making good use of her ability to turn invisible can go a long way toward making this possible, alone with forcing Johnny to come in closer with her Invisible Boundary ultimate ability.
- Mantis and Luna Snow are both capable of either bringing the Human Torch out of the sky or making him stationary in their own ways, as well. Mantis can put Johnny to sleep with one of her Spores, making him a much easier target to take care of. Luna Snow can freeze him, which is an ironically effective way of making him drop out of the sky like an icicle.
