Will the Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 updates change the esports meta?

Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 brings a lot of changes to NetEase’s smash hit hero shooter, from the new Strategist Ultron, key team-up changes and more.

The new update also brings a variety of buffs and nerfs across the board, but is it enough to shift the meta that dominated the first half of the season?

Ultron joins as the latest Strategist in Marvel Rivals Season 2.5, with unique abilities to set him apart from the rest. From his high damage output to his flight capabilities, Ultron’s playstyle is unlike any other Strategist we’ve seen so far.

However, before he launched, the overall sentiment on the character was that he was fairly weak. The main criticism of Ultron is that his direct healing on a singular target is laughable compared to characters like Invisible Woman and even Jeff after the rework.

But since the start of the new season, fans have slowly started to come around in light of the buffs he received. While players have found ways to make him viable, the truth is that there are currently stronger options at the moment — namely, Loki and Luna Snow.

Ultron’s team-up with Iron Man is a necessity in order for the character to provide enough healing, especially in higher ranks. Similarly to Adam Warlock, Ultron is at his best when in a triple support composition. However, it is still early days to decide whether or not Ultron has a place in the meta, as his pick rate remains very high as players eagerly try out the new character.

We can look at the recently updated hero hot list to see which were the most played heroes in the highest levels of play, namely, Celestial and above.

The top heroes played in the first half of Season 2: Hellfire Gala were Magneto (28.76%), Luna Snow (27.10%), Emma Frost (19.78%) and Rocket Raccoon (17.85%). This isn’t all too surprising as they are often popular picks in Rivals Fight Night.

According to the balance post, Magneto and Luna Snow are getting buffs, while Emma Frost and Rocket Raccoon will be getting nerfs. However, these changes are so minimal and their base kits are so effective that they are not likely to significantly impact their pick rates heading into season 2.5.

What we’ll see instead is other, more niche characters see increased play. Peni Parker, in particular, alongside her new Rocket Network Team-Up with Rocket Raccoon, is already seeing increased pick rates online. In addition, Hawkeye is gaining popularity as a Duelist thanks to his new Team-Up, Chilling Assault, with Luna Snow.

But the biggest highlight is Jeff, who received a soft rework to his kit. Sentiments online are mixed on whether Jeff is inherently better before the Season 2.5 update. His Joyful Splash is now his primary form of damage and his Aqua Burst is on a cooldown.

Since the season has only just begun, we will have to see whether or not the rework has made him a more viable pick in the meta, or has instead relegated the land shark to a more gimmicky character.

We will be able to see the effects of these buffs, nerfs, and changes as soon as Rivals Fight Night later this week, and in bigger tournaments such as Marvel Rivals Ignite.