Marvel Rivals has quickly become one of the most invigorating free-to-play games in recent memory. With ranked modes available, it’s also a game of strategy regarding who you use in your roster. All characters have a counter, so here’s a list of all the best ones for Marvel Rivals heroes.
Adam Warlock is a character in Marvel Rivals that is best suited to long-range attacks and support, as most, if not all, healers are in the game. Because of this, high-mobility characters are a player’s best bet in taking down Adam Warlock. Here are the best characters that can counter Adam Warlock, based on their attacks that let them keep their distance or who are fast and strong enough to do damage up close and pull out:
Black Panther has some powerful attacks that would make any direct confrontations risky, so long-ranged attacks are the best fit, but if your playstyle is more confrontational, there are tank characters who could withstand this hero’s attacks, and here are the best counters that have high damage attacks and even higher health, or sneakier attacks that help to slowly but surely do damage:
Black Widow is one of the more dangerous Marvel Rivals characters because of her ability to deliver large amounts of damage from a distance, making it almost hard to distinguish where she could be attacking from at any given moment. Once again, mobility is the key to the best counters against her and the ability to conceal your character’s approach to help close the distance. Spider-Man’s fast and hard damage can keep up with Widow, whose players are always known to be moving around constantly.
Captain America is a Vanguard character whose close-range attacks and low defense make him one of the easier ones to counter, with plenty of options available. Given that Cap takes quite some time to close the gap between himself and enemy players, you can’t go wrong with most other Marvel Rivals characters, but these are some that this writer considers the most effective against him:
Cloak and Dagger is technically two characters in one, and their offensive and defensive healing powers make them a bit trickier to counter. That being said, a good high-damage character or dive heroes could put the duo in an uncomfortable position. The character has 250 HP, and it’s really a Cloak that you have to watch out for when going on the offense. It’s about being fast and having the element of surprise. Moon Knight’s fast and long-range damage can keep the healer duo busy, and Venom is as reliable of a tank as always.
Doctor Strange is one of the more dangerous and tactical Marvel Rivals characters and is perhaps best known for his ability to raise defensive shields to help their team push objectives without taking damage. Because of this, aerial characters such as Iron Man or Storm would be best suited to dealing damage from above. There is also Groot’s ability to create structures to stop progression, as well as higher HP to break down Strange’s defenses.
Groot, like the bigger Vanguard characters, is a tank that can not only withstand plenty of attacks but also create walls and structures to slow the enemy team down. Unless you’re also using a Vanguard character, it’s the aerial characters, particularly Iron Man or Star-Lord, who can find different angles to attack the large character without being met with much resistance if they are careful.
In the right hands, Hawkeye is a deadly sniper character whose impressive long-range attacks can often make him a threat that you don’t even see coming. To counter this Marvel Rivals hero, you’ll either need your own long-range attacks or a good defense to help close the gap on your way to attacking him. Doctor Strange’s shields come in handy against Hawkeye, and characters like Winter Solider and Jeff also have projectile attacks that can take him out.
Hela is another deadly Duelist in Marvel Rivals, with a unique set of skills and impressive traversal that help her to avoid attacks from all sorts of attacks on any given map. A good way of countering Hela is by getting equally agile heroes such as Captain America or Iron Man, with the latter’s flight allowing him to keep up with and deal damage to the fast-moving and high-damage character.
Hulk’s HP bar is the biggest obstacle to countering the character, no matter who you use. The close-range melee character can take a ton of damage, which means the best option is to either meet him with a tank of your own like Venom or use more vulnerable but long-range characters like Invisible Woman or Hawkeye, who can quickly create distance between themselves and Hulk, making him more vulnerable while also being able to attack from afar.
Invisible Woman is one of the newer Strategist characters introduced in the game, and she’s also one of the most difficult to counter. This is not because of her HP but because of her skillset, which requires her to be at the center of or close to her team. So, the character will likely have plenty of outside support, making isolation difficult. A Vanguard character like Venom could be the player’s best bet in countering Invisible Woman, or a long-range character like Hawkeye who could hinder her team support overall.
Iron Fist is a Strategist class player’s worst nightmare and is known to close the gap and deliver deadly precise attacks, much like Hulk, albeit with less HP. That being said, Hulk is one of the best counters, as the character is also built for close-range combat but with significantly more HP. Moreover, Punisher is also a good Duelist to counter the character, though if Strategist is your playstyle, Invisible Woman is one of the best to escape his attacks easily.
If used correctly, Iron Man is a character whose flight makes him one of the more dangerous Marvel Rivals characters. Most Vanguard and Strategist defenses are of little consequence to the aerial attacks of Iron Man, meaning that long-range attackers like Hawkye, Luna Snow, or Black Widow will all work. However, Wolverine and his ability to jump in the air makes him almost a sure-hit attacker who can counter Iron Man if planned carefully.
While Jeff the Land Shark could play a pivotal role in the outcome of a match with his overpowered ultimate and nearly endless heals, his offensive capabilities are severely lacking. So, high-mobility flankers like Spider-Man or mid-range healers with a better offense like Mantis can easily take the Shark by surprise and take him down before he can do any real damage to a team.
Loki is a dangerous Strategist hero whose cunning moves allow him to tank plenty of damage (perhaps even more than most Vanguards) before you end up fighting the actual player. So, Hulk and his massive amounts of HP make for a brute force counter, while more agile and quick characters like Black Panther can get into a close-range battle with Loki before he is given a chance to use his cloning moves to try and escape.
Luna Snow’s defensive abilities and the support she can provide to her team make her one of the stronger Strategist picks. However, the character is also a lot easier to pin down and isolate when compared to the traversal of other characters in her class. That being said, Peni Parker, Iron Fist, and Mantis are all capable and faster characters that can quickly take out the character before she can be given time to respond or receive support.
Thanks to her portals, Magik is one of the fastest-moving characters, making her hard to pin down or isolate in a fight. The character is known to flank constantly, so long-range characters like Moon Knight can keep a safe distance while also ensuring she doesn’t surprise attack your team. Moreover, Peni Parker’s web traps can also ensure that even when Magik is moving around with portals, when will more likely than not hit a trap and take damage, giving your team an opening to take down the character.
What Magneto lacks in speed he makes up for with his impressive strength and HP. Venom’s equally strong health would make him a great counter in up close and personal battles, and fast characters like Spider-Man can also deal damage while avoiding Magneto’s brute attacks. Long range isn’t one of the better counters to Magneto in Marvel Rivals, so it’s not really recommended.
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Mantis’ abilities to strengthen her teammates make her one of the more cunning Strategist class characters in Marvel Rivals, but she can struggle against characters like The Punisher with deadly long-range attacks, or against Vanguards like Venom who can easily isolate her. One thing to be careful of is her sleep ability
One of the newer additions to Marvel Rivals, Mister Fantastic is in the odd middle ground of Vanguard and Duelist, as the character has mid-range attacks and lower HP, but also special abilities that can give the character several powerful buffs. A Vanguard class is better suited to taking down the character, with Magneto and his strong defense and attacks being one of the better counters against Mister Fantastic. Iron Man’s aerial attacks will also give you the edge over players using this character.
Moon Knight is a character who does his best work isolated and in the form of long-range attacks, and your counter against him in Marvel Rivals will have to do the very same thing. Hawkeye is the Duelist best capable of dealing with Moon Knight, as getting too close could be risky thanks to his stronger mid-range attacks. Because of this, fast and powerful Vanguards like Peni Parker are best suited for the job.
Namor’s spawn trap attacks and rang with his ultimate are the more dangerous aspects to this character, meaning you’ll need to use counters like Hulk for strength or Black Panther for being able to surprise attack the character. Alternatively, a long-range Strategist like Loki could also easily take down Namor, or provide healing support for characters like Hela or Black Widow to deal with him.
Peni Parker is a Vanguard that is both brains and brawn, having a good amount of health as well as a somewhat annoying spider-web ability that heals her and deals damage to you. Fast and high-damage characters like Squirrel Girl, especially with her ultimate, serve as a good counter to the character in Marvel Rivals. Getting a fast character like that, or a strategic defense one like Doctor Strange could keep Peni Parker from establishing a point on the map to hold her ground.
Psylocke is a character with surprising versatility, being able to quickly recharge her abilities and also deliver devastating blows from close and mid-range, and some small damage from long-range. Because of this, high-damage characters like Moon Knight are best suited to handle the character. Moreover, Vanguard characters like Venom can better corner her to engage in 1v1 scenarios.
When it comes to fighting other Duelists, Punisher usually has the advantage thanks to his incredibly high-damage attacks. Unless you use a Vanguard character like Doctor Strange or Magneto to get up close, it’s better to keep your distance when fighting this character. Black Widow’s long-range attacks make her the Duelist best suited to take down Punisher as well, thanks to her ultimate ability as well as a scoped gun to give greater visibility from further distance.
Rocket Raccoon is a small Strategist class character of Marvel Rivals, and his impressive speed paired with his size makes him a hard character to nab, especially as he is surrounded by teammates that he’s providing heals to. Faster characters like Captain America and Magik can keep up with his speed boosts and quickly deal the damage they need to disable his support.
Scarlet Witch does her worst damage when she’s close to her opponent, so the goal is to keep your distance. Hawkeye is the better Duelist suited to take her from afar to avoid being hit by her dangerous ultimate ability, and Vanguards like Venom and Thor can outlast her in a one-on-one fight, giving you several options to use to counter her.
Spider-Man is probably the most mobile hero in Marvel Rivals, and his speed and ability to quickly escape any situation makes him the ideal character for flanking and quickly entering the backline of a team to throw them off their guard. Your best bet is a Strategist who is mobile enough to keep up with the webhead to counter his attacks and make them less effective. Or, you can use a Vanguard like Venom who can also swing and follow the character to knock him out.
Squirrel Girl is a character that’s similar to Moon Knight with her effective and high-damage attacks, as well as her fast charge-up to her ultimate ability which can be earned from afar. Doctor Strange is a viable Vanguard to push back some of her attacks, and Duelists like Winter Solider and Iron Man can attack from a good enough distance.
Star-Lord is also another really fast character in Marvel Rivals, and while he’s not on the level of Spider-Man, he can still easily evade Duelists, meaning a Strategist like Cloak and Dagger or a Vanguard like Doctor Strange can catch up to and deal devastating damage to the hero.
Storm isn’t that big of a threat until her ultimate ability, which allows her to quickly traverse any area while also dealing devastating damage. Faster Duelists like Star-Lord can easily counter by picking her off from long-range or using a Strategist to keep your teammates alive during her ultimate ability attack.
Thor is a Vanguard whose close-range attacks and high damage make him a character that you don’t want to try to 1v1, even if you choose another Vanguard character. Peni Parker can use traps and mid-range attacks o slow him down, and Invisible Woman serves as a good Strategist who can push the character away and also slip away easily.
Venom has an interesting traversal ability and buffed defense abilities that make him one of the more frightening Vanguards, as he can just as easily tank a bunch of attacks as well as evade and get in close range faster than you think. Because of that, characters like Hawkeye are better prepared to take him down from afar, although it might take a while.
Winter Soldier can take a lot of the Strategists and similar-sized Duelists out with ease, so it’s better to use high-defense Vanguards like Doctor Strange, who can better isolate the character and not allow him to serve his purpose in the team. Iron Man’s aerial ability can also allow him to do damage from afar, though as mentioned earlier, Wolverine is one of the few characters that can reach him, making it a risky but exciting matchup.
As with most other close-range characters like Wolverine, keeping your distance is the key to attaining victory, as this intense and high-damage Duelist has no problem making things up close and personal. Loki is an excellent Strategist whose clone ability can slow Wolverine down and deal damage from farther away, making him a good counter to the character in Marvel Rivals.
And those are the best counters for all Marvel Rivals heroes.
Marvel Rivalsis available now on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S
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