Did the latest Marvel Rivals rework make Jeff better?

Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 ushered in a lot of major changes, including a soft rework to Jeff the Landshark’s kit, which has seen a flurry of mixed responses online. Some believe the rework has made him unviable while others believe this is the best the character has ever been.

This article aims to answer one of the most divisive debates being discussed in the Marvel Rivals community in Season 2.5: did the rework make Jeff better or worse? There are plenty of pros and cons to the changes made to Marvel Rivals’ most iconic character.

Before the rework, the term ‘DPS Jeff’ was making the rounds online. This is because Jeff was particularly strong in triple support and dive compositions for three main reasons: his high survivability due to Healing Bubble, his mobility from Hide and Seek, and his decent damage from Aqua Burst.

All three of these factors were addressed in his rework, outlined by NetEase. His Aqua Burst alternate fire was transferred to an ability with three charges, his number of Healing Bubbles was halved and healed over time, Joyful Splash now dealt damage and his Hide and Seek gained energy cost.

The official balance patch notes for Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 described the rework as buffing his ‘frontal support’ while addressing his ‘survivability.’

The main downgrade that comes with the rework is his overall damage, with his Aqua Burst becoming less readily available. However, Joyful Splash’s damage does come with one new benefit; it allows Jeff to more easily deal with flying characters, who have become quite dominant in Season 2.5, such as the new Strategist Ultron.

On the other hand, his healing capabilities remain strong, both with his primary fire and his ability to provide over health with his ultimate It’s Jeff! His Healing Bubbles, in particular, can provide 120 health over 4 seconds, though some users feel his previous 85 instant healing was better.

Finally, his new Team Ups have seen mixed responses since they launched with the update. While his Guardian of the Deep with Venom has been brushed aside, there has been a lot of praise for the Jeff-Nado Team Up with Storm.

This series of changes feels like an attempt by NetEase to shift the character away from a damage playstyle and bring him back to a support role similar to other Strategists. In this regard, some feel that this is the best version of Jeff the game has seen so far.

In his YouTube video, creator ‘True Vanguard‘ said: “Some people wanted to be a DPS Jeff where they could swim into the enemy backline. Other Jeff mains wanted to play support Jeff and just stand behind their frontline and dish out healing.

“But these changes, I think, help Jeff keep this idea of walking in two worlds, but they made it so it’s a seamless unification of those two worlds instead of demanding you pick one or the other.”

There are arguments to be made on both side, however the most popular opinion so far, particularly among Jeff mains, is that the character was better before the rework.

The main reason is that despite Jeff’s strength, he has never been meta and has always struggled in comparison to other Strategists like Luna Snow and Loki. His damage was arguably his most unique trait, and the rework only pushes him into a role already dominated by other characters.

In his ranked tier list, Overwatch and Marvel Rivals content creator Flats, said: “He is much better than most people thought, myself included. I think that [Joyful Splash] does a lot more healing and it does a lot more damage over time than all of us suspected.

“That being said, they kind of nuked his survivability, the DPS playstyle is kind of gone, his bubbles feel significantly worse, and his ult, without the Storm ult, is horrendous.”

Things may improve over time; whether people learn to play Jeff in a new, more effective way, similarly to Wolverine in Season 0, or if his new kit receives some buffs further down the line. But for now, a lot of players are choosing to stay away from Jeff the Land Shark, with some even considering him a throw pick in competitive play.