Marvel Rivals Character Tier List: Season 1.5

As Marvel Rivals Season 1 nears its final chapter, Season 2 quickly approaches, promising dozens of hero balance adjustments, new superpowered Team-Ups, and the introduction of Emma Frost and Ultron as playable characters. But as we eagerly await Season 2’s arrival, the fight between good and evil rages on with a slightly different meta. Since the publication of our Season 1 Tier list in late January, Netease Games has implemented the Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 or Mid-Season Patch Notes, which included over 20 hero balance changes, and they made even further refinements to hero balance just under a month ago.

Now, three weeks removed from the most recent hero balance adjustments, the community has had plenty of time to solve the meta and test a near infinite variety of team compositions. With the meta crystallized, standouts like Luna Snow and Hela continue to reign, some dominant characters like Mantis and Storm have lost a bit of luster, and other heroes like Groot and Winter Soldier have improved on their already stellar performance.

This Marvel Rivals Season 1 Tier list will rank all 37 Heroes in Marvel Rivals from S-Tier down to D-Tier, to help you decide which characters to pick in your end-of-season Competitive Matches. Your character selection in these final days is especially important because the arrival of Season 2 on April 11th also brings a rank reset that will drop your rank by 9 divisions, so let’s get on with our Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 Tier list:

Marvel Rivals Tier List

• S-Tier
  • Doctor Strange, Groot, Magneto, Hela, Namor, Star-Lord, Winter Soldier, Wolverine, Invisible Woman, Loki, Luna
• A-Tier
  • Hulk, The Thing, Venom, Hawkeye, Psylocke, Storm, Cloak & Dagger, Mantis
• B-Tier
  • Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Magik, Spider-Man, Squirrel Girl, The Punisher, Adam Warlock, Rocket Raccoon, Jeff the Land Shark
• C-Tier
  • Peni Parker, Black Panther, Black Widow, Human Torch, Moon Knight
• D-Tier
  • Iron Fist, Mister Fantastic, Scarlet Witch

S-Tier

Doctor Strange

Early in Season 1, Doctor Strange was arguably the best tank in Marvel Rivals because of his versatility, ease of use, and fight-winning ultimate. Strange is a strong pick across all ranks, especially when paired with the ideal composition, but the 50 HP nerf he received in the mid-season patch, along with the rise of Magneto, has shifted the meta away from the Sorcerer Supreme in high ranks. Still, Strange just barely hangs on to his S-Tier title because most players understand how to play alongside him, his ultimate remains a threat against most comps, and his well-rounded kit performs well regardless of the game mode or map.

Groot

Despite only receiving a minor buff to his Thornlash Wall placement range in the Season 1.5 balance update, Groot has emerged as the tank with the most carry potential in the game because of his game-changing ultimate and his ability to isolate targets or block incoming damage with his walls. Groot’s early Season 1 partner, Moon Knight, has since received an ultimate nerf through a bug fix, but that doesn’t make Groot’s ultimate any less lethal. Pair Groot’s ultimate with Namor or Winter Soldier to decimate the enemy team regardless of the active support ults.

Magneto

Though Magneto had already earned an S-Tier rank at the start of Season 1, he’s emerged as one of the best, if not the best, Vanguard in Marvel Rivals. In the mid-season patch, Magneto received nerfs to his shield energy consumption and maximum duration but received a slight damage buff on his primary fire as compensation. However, Magneto’s improvement has more to do with his versatility as an enabler. Whether bubbling Venom on dives, Star-Lord as he pops his ultimate, or saving his backline, Magneto is the quintessential off-tank and excels alongside Groot, The Thing, Venom, Doctor Strange, and more. Plus, Meteor M is a great counter to ultimates such as Star-Lord’s Galactic Legend, and the projectile can still be thrown to secure eliminations through many support ults.

Hela

Hela was and remains the pick-or-ban Duelist. So long as her primary fire damage sits at 70, she’ll continue to two-tap headshot most squishies from range and take over your lobbies. As if that weren’t enough, her kit has mobility and crowd control, and she can dominate regardless of the composition, game mode, or map.

Namor

While Namor was placed in A-Tier in our previous tier list because of his ability to stave off flankers, he’s been bumped up to S because of his synergy with Groot’s ultimate and his Team-Up with Luna Snow. The Frozen Spawn Team-Up is even often the target of bans, where Luna is banned not only to avoid her ultimate but to enable a dive composition by weakening Namor. Meanwhile, pairing Namor’s Horn of Proteus ult with Groot’s ultimate unleashes enough damage to cut through most support ultimates.

Star-Lord

In the mid-season patch, Star-Lord received a buff to his Rocket Propulsion’s maximum energy, and though this undoubtedly helped his survivability, we admittedly underestimated his strength in our previous tier list. Star-Lord is heavily favored in 1v1 duels, he can chunk down tanks from range, and he’s only further enabled by the rise of Magneto. Magneto can bubble Star-Lord for added protection when popping his ultimate, or Star-Lord can call for a bubble as he uses Blaster Barrage to farm ult charge off a group of enemies. Very few Heroes can effectively deal with a good Star-Lord, his ultimate is still nuts, and he thrives in just about any situation.

Winter Soldier

Since getting buffs to the base health and bonus health he receives when using his abilities at the start of Season 1, the Winter Soldier has only further established himself among the best Marvel Rivals Duelists across all ranks. Bucky shoots projectiles the size of beach balls, his Bionic Hook can mean instant death to any kidnapped character, and his ultimate synergizes perfectly with Groot’s. Pop Kraken Impact to smash enemies imprisoned by Groot, and if you don’t instantly secure a kill, a couple of follow-up shots will almost certainly reset your slam to enable your team to dismantle your foes.

Wolverine

Wolverine has received no balance changes since the start of Season 1, but his ability to cut down tanks and kidnap targets remains uniquely invaluable. Wolverine can also deal with Groot if he’s not paired with Magneto or Invisible Woman, which elevates his stock in the current meta. Unfortunately, Wolverine’s biggest weakness is making it past the ban selection screen.

Invisible Woman

Invisible Woman was an S-Tier Strategist on arrival, and little has changed since because the only balance change she’s received is a slight ultimate cost nerf. Her ultimate grants extreme healing to all teammates within its radius, her push and pull allow her to repel divers or punish bad positioning, and she provides some of the most consistent healing and damage output in the role. Invisible Woman slots in well to just about any composition or Strategist pairing, and she can grant extra shielding to her fellow Fantastic Four members.

Loki

Though Loki was placed in A-Tier at the start of Season 1, the community has further solved this hero, and his true potential places him among the best Strategists in the game. Loki’s healing and damage are amplified by his clones, his Regeneration Domain lamp can save you or your teammates from incoming ultimates, and Loki’s copy is still broken, especially when there’s a Luna in play. Finally, don’t forget that Hela’s prevalence in the meta lets them abuse the overpowered Ragnarok Rebirth Team-Up.

Luna Snow

The frequency of Luna Snow’s ultimate was reduced in the mid-season patch, but it’s done little to remove her from the top spot in the Strategist role. Luna’s ultimate continues to provide 12 seconds of near invincibility if the enemy team hasn’t built a coordinated ult combo, her healing and damage output are excellent, and her freeze and Ice Arts provide plenty of survivability. Luna is an easy S-Tier, and she’ll likely retain the title until her ultimate receives major adjustments.

A-Tier

Hulk

Hulk’s Team-Up Anchor health bonus took a hit in the Season 1.5 patch, and though this undoubtedly impacted the length and effectiveness of his engagements, Hulk has fallen to A-Tier because other tanks get more value with less effort. Venom is better in true dive comps, The Thing is more effective when brawling, and Invisible Woman and Winter Soldier can easily disrupt his disengagements. Nevertheless, Hulk continues to be an elite Vanguard that is underutilized in the current meta.

The Thing

The Thing is the best tank in A-Tier, and he may even make a convincing argument for the final spot in S. The Thing’s Earthbound CC effect can make it near impossible to play certain Duelists, he’s immune to Invisible Woman’s pushes, and he pairs beautifully alongside a Magneto that’s generous with his bubbles. Still, The Thing suffers if Groot makes it past the ban phase, so be sure to communicate with your teammates to ensure your game isn’t miserable.

Venom

Bumped up to A-Tier in this tierlist, Venom is the best dive tank in Marvel Rivals. When paired with synergistic dive characters, Venom can slaughter enemy backlines if they’ve forgone a triple Strategist comp, and he pairs incredibly well with Magneto, who can bubble engages or disengages to maximize Venom’s uptime. Venom is also helped by his ultimate cost reduction in the mid-season patch and the Frenzied Arrival adjustment that now knocks enemies inward upon landing to set up follow-up damage.

Hawkeye

In the mid-season patch, Hawkeye received several buffs despite already sitting in A-Tier on our previous tier list. His base health was bumped up to 275, the cooldown of Crescent Slash was cut by three seconds, his ultimate now increases his bow draw speed, and its damage multiplier was increased. Hawkeye was already a formidable Duelist because of his one-shot potential, but his usage has surprisingly decreased toward the end of the season, likely because he still can’t match Hela’s hitscan firepower. But with Hela as a high priority ban, more people should be picking up the bow and selecting this A-Tier Duelist.

Psylocke

Psylocke’s only balance change in the mid-season patch was a buff to her Psionic Disc Team-Up with Magik, which improved the conversion ratio of lost health to improve her sustained combat potential. Still, her pick rate has unexpectedly plummeted in the current meta. Psylocke continues to be an A-Tier Duelist, and while she thrives in dive-centric compositions, she can also play on an off-angle to chunk down tanks and secure kills on low-health targets.

Storm

After being a terror toward the start of Season 1, Storm received nerfs in the mid-season patch, including a damage falloff nerf and a reduction to her personal damage amplification, but her ally damage amplification was slightly increased. Storm is still an excellent pick in most ranks, but her usage has seen a decline in large part because of the prevalence of Hela, Winter Soldier, and The Punisher.

Cloak & Dagger

Cloak & Dagger were a definitive S-Tier pick at the start of Season 1, but their ultimate received a hefty nerf in the Season 1.5 patch. The nerf increased the ultimate cost, its duration was reduced, and most importantly, Cloak & Dagger’s ultimate no longer stacks when the trails overlap. In a game featuring busted ultimates like Loki’s and Luna’s, this nerf has left Cloak & Dagger in a bit of an awkward spot. But because their neutral game is a reliable source of healing and damage, Cloak & Dagger are still a proficient Strategist in triple support comps or when chosen due to bans. With all this in mind, Cloak & Dagger just barely hold on to an A-Tier ranking, but they’re not far off from the Strategists in B.

Mantis

In Season 0, Mantis was praised for her consistent damage and ally damage amplification, but a nerf in the Season 1 patch has similarly knocked her down a tier. The nerf noticeably reduced Mantis’s movement speed, which has made it easier for divers and flankers to eliminate her. With that said, Mantis can still excel in triple support comps where she can focus on enabling her team, and she shines when paired with Adam Warlock for the Nature’s Soul Team-Up rez.

B-Tier

Captain America

Previously ranked in C-Tier, Captain America has since received several buffs to increase his survivability, reduce the time it takes to build his ultimate, and provide improvements to his iconic shield. These buffs have made Cap a viable pick in many situations, especially when you master the ebb and flow of engagements, but he’s still more likely to thrive in lobbies below Grandmaster.

Thor

Thor is another Hero in an awkward spot in the current meta because he essentially operates as a beefy Duelist that farms insane damage and can provide disruption in both the frontlines and backlines. Unfortunately, the nature of his playstyle and ultimate have the God of Thunder sitting on the bench behind the likes of Magneto, Groot, and The Thing. But make no mistake, Thor can be near unkillable in low elo lobbies, and his Team-Up with Hela only augments his power.

Iron Man

Early in Season 1, Iron Man was often only selected when paired with the Hulk for the Gamma Overdrive Team-Up that enhanced nearly all of his abilities. Iron Man’s has since received noteworthy damage buffs that have increased his viability without his green-colored pal. However, like Storm, Iron Man’s potency is greatly reduced by the excellence of Hela, Star-Lord, and Winter Soldier, who can handily take him down. This places Iron Man in B-Tier, but he bumps up to low A-Tier on maps with advantageous architecture.

Magik

On paper, Magik would receive a higher ranking because of the lethality of her combos and her elite brawl potential when paired with a supportive cast. Yet, Magik simply doesn’t play well into the S-Tier Heroes on this tier list, which relegates her into more of a niche role than she’s been used to. She can still farm against some team comps or on specific maps, and she grants Black Panther and Psylocke a powerful recall Team-Up to enhance their dives, but there are more prolific options in the Duelist roster.

Spider-Man

Since the Season 1.5 balance patch, Spider-Man has climbed up to high B-Tier. In the mid-season patch, his Web-Cluster uptime was increased, and his Suit Expulsion Team-Up with Venom was adjusted to provide invincibility for 1 second instead of granting 4 seconds of 50% damage reduction. This change alone has drastically increased Spidey’s pick rate and viability and arguably made him the best dive Duelist in this meta, particularly on console. But if you’re up against a reliable triple support comp or lack a Venom, you may want to consider swapping to a Hero that provides more value for less effort.

Squirrel Girl

Squirrel Girl remains on the lower end of B-Tier because of her ease of use, crowd control combos, and high burst damage. She’s far from the most reliable character in the game because securing kills can be inconsistent, but her impressive burst damage and improved ultimate can be irritating in lower elo lobbies.

The Punisher

The Punisher has always been a solid pick because of his reliable damage output, but he lacks the quick lethality and utility provided by some of the better Duelists on this list. Still, he’s the perfect character for new players because of his ease of use, and his Team-Up with Rocket drastically improves his effectiveness.

Adam Warlock

You may be surprised to see Adam Warlock in B-Tier because of his presence in pro play, where his passive, Team-Up, and ultimate abilities help keep his team in the battle. Soul Bond is also among the most powerful Strategist abilities in the game since it enables his team to survive many fight-winning ultimates. Unfortunately, Adam loses some of his luster in uncoordinated play, but he can still perform well in triple support comps or when paired with Star-Lord and Mantis.

Rocket Raccoon

The slippery Rocket Raccoon is among the most beloved Strategists in Marvel Rivals, and though we still have him in B-Tier, he’s definitely raised his stock within the tier. This is largely due to his Team-Up ability that enables The Punisher and further augments an already lethal Winter Soldier. Rocket’s rez, consistent healing, and movement make him a larger asset than we gave him credit for in the previous tierlist, but we remain unconvinced of his viability outside of triple support compositions because his ultimate doesn’t compare to the likes of Luna, Loki, Invisible Woman, and Mantis.

Jeff the Land Shark

In our Season 1 tier list, we gave Jeff the honorable badge of the worst Strategist in the game, even though many Jeff connoisseurs can turn the Land Shark into a seemingly unkillable pest. This placed him in C-Tier because we were unconvinced that the flanking Jeff playstyle was a viable one. We’re happy to report that we were wrong, as Jeff has carved a niche for himself in many triple support compositions, and he even earned some playtime in the Marvel Rivals Grand Finals. Though Jeff is still arguably the worst Strategist in the game, he’s far from a throw pick and thrives when picked in a composition that enables him to distract and eliminate unsuspecting enemies.

C-Tier

Peni Parker

Despite receiving an impressive buff to her Armor Expulsion Team-Up, Peni is still the worst Vanguard in Rivals. Though she likely farms in low elo lobbies where her mines can see a massive uptick in value, her ultimate is virtually useless, and nearly all of her abilities are comfortably outclassed by the other tanks. Thankfully, the Season 2 balance patch will increase her base HP by 100, and her primary fire will drastically improve because she’ll be able to deal critical damage, and her movement reduction when firing will get cut in half.

Black Panther

Black Panther received heavy-handed nerfs to his survivability in the Season 1 Patch, and he hasn’t recovered since. Black Panther’s viability is further damaged by the continued prevalence of triple support compositions in many ranks. This makes it far more difficult to pick off supports, and other divers like Spider-Man and Psylocke simply bring more to the table.

Black Widow

Though this may just be the most controversial ranking on this tierlist, Black Widow is moving from the depths of D-Tier to a niche C-Tier. Obviously, making the most of your Black Widow pick will be determined entirely by the consistency of your aim, but her magazine size has nearly doubled, and her ultimate has been improved. So, while Black Widow remains vulnerable to all the dive characters in the game and only thrives in compositions and maps that ensure long sightlines, she’s no longer an instant throw pick in lower elo lobbies.

Human Torch

Making his debut on our tier list, Human Torch is a mediocre Hero that’s sadly outclassed by his fellow flyers, Star-Lord, Iron Man, and Storm. Johnny received some damage buffs in the most recent balance update, but they’ve proven to be insufficient fixes, especially in a meta where his soft counters like Hela are dominating lobbies.

Moon Knight

Moon Knight was ranked in A-Tier on the previous tier list because of his ease of use and insane ultimate damage that paired perfectly with Groot’s ultimate. This combo still works in many situations, but Moon Knight’s ultimate was heavily nerfed by a bug fix that makes it far easier to survive. Pair this with the fact that his ankh gets little to no value in high-tier lobbies, and Moon Knight is, at best, a situational pick.

D-Tier

Iron Fist

Since our previous tier list, Iron Fist has gone through a bit of an identity crisis as Netease aimed to position him as more of a tank buster and less of a flanker. Iron Fist now deals damage based on the enemy’s maximum health, and he got a slight HP buff to improve his survivability. Still, his telegraphed engagements are easy to fend off with attentive supports, and he lacks the frontline presence needed to reliably take on Vanguards on his own. In the end, Iron Fist’s micro-rework is seemingly a failure, and he should only be selected by specialists who fully understand the Hero’s current limitations.

Mister Fantastic

On release, Mister Fantastic was marketed as a Vanguard and Duelist hybrid, and sadly, this identity continues to be his downfall. Sure, Mister Fantastic has impressive survivability for a Duelist, but you might as well select a Vanguard with more HP and frontline presence. Similarly, Mister Fantastic lacks the lethality of even the most average of Duelists, so selecting him can be hard to justify. Mister Fantastic sat at a niche C-Tier in our last tierlist, but he’s become one of the worst characters in the game.

Scarlet Witch

In Season 2, Scarlet Witch’s primary fire is being fine-tuned, her damage is being amplified, she’s receiving a new Team-Up, and she’ll move faster during her ultimate. Unfortunately, these balance adjustments won’t arrive until next Friday, so for now, Scarlet Witch continues to be a great pick in lower elo and a difficult one when you reach Diamond or above. She simply lacks the neutral firepower provided by most of the Duelist roster, and her ultimate is incredibly easy to avoid unless she pulls out some trickery alongside Doctor Strange.

Dio Lacayo is a freelance contributor with IGN who has an unhealthy obsession with platformers, Paddington, and Overwatch. And before you say anything, no, it's not a Jojo’s reference.