Honestly, if you’re jumping into Marvel Rivals thinking it’s just another hero shooter where you can "main" a character and ignore the rest of the squad, you’re gonna have a rough time. The game feels familiar, sure. But the way Marvel Rivals character classes actually function on the field is a bit more nuanced than the standard tank, DPS, and support labels we’ve lived with since 2016.
It’s 6v6. Things get messy. You’ve got the Multiverse Entanglement causing literal buildings to crumble around you while Iron Man and Ultron trade unibeams in the sky. If you don't understand how your specific role fits into that chaos, you're basically just feeding the enemy team their Ultimates.
Vanguards Aren't Just Meat Shields
Most players see a character like Hulk or Magneto and think, "Okay, I stand on the point and soak up damage." That is a one-way ticket to getting deleted. In this game, Vanguards are space creators.
Take Doctor Strange, for example. He’s technically a Vanguard, but he isn’t just sitting there taking hits. He’s using the Pentagram of Farallah to teleport his entire team past a choke point. Or look at Peni Parker. She doesn't have the raw health of someone like The Thing, but her ability to litter an objective with Arachno Mines and Cyber-Web Snares makes her an area-denial nightmare.
Vanguards generally fall into three "vibes":
- Anchors: Think Captain America or Groot. They hold a line. They have shields or walls (like Groot’s Ironwood Wall) that force the enemy to stop and deal with a physical barrier.
- Brawlers: This is Thor and Venom territory. They want to be in your face. Venom’s "Symbiotic Resistance" lets him stay in the thick of a fight way longer than he has any right to.
- Divers: These are the ones who jump over the frontline to harass the backline Strategists.
If you're playing a Vanguard and your Duelists are dying, it’s probably because you aren't "drawing the aggro" or providing enough cover. You have the biggest health pools for a reason. Use them to make the enemy look at you so your teammates can actually do their jobs.
The Duelist Dilemma: Damage vs. Eliminations
Everyone wants to play Duelist. I get it. Who doesn't want to be Black Panther or Spider-Man? But there’s a massive difference between doing a lot of damage and actually getting the kill.
Marvel Rivals character classes place the Duelist as the primary "take-out specialist." You’ll see characters like The Punisher or Hela who can sit back and "poke" from a distance. They rack up huge damage numbers. However, if that damage isn't resulting in a "K.O.", all you're doing is giving the enemy Strategists free healing points to charge their Ultimates.
Then you have the "Flankers" like Magik or Psylocke. These characters are fragile. If a Magneto even looks at them funny, they’re in trouble. But their job is to wait for the chaos, zip in, delete a Luna Snow, and get out. It’s a high-risk, high-reward style.
- Ranged Duelists: Iron Man, Star-Lord, and Namor. They stay safe, usually behind a Vanguard's shield.
- Melee/Assassins: Black Panther and Wolverine. They need to time their entries perfectly. If you go in before your Vanguard, you're dead. Simple as that.
Strategists Are The Real Shot-Callers
If you call them "healers," you’re doing them a disservice. Yes, Luna Snow and Mantis can put out insane healing numbers—sometimes upwards of 40,000 in a long Competitive match—but their utility is what actually wins games.
Loki is the perfect example of how weird this class gets. He creates illusions. He can literally transform into any other hero on the field using his Ultimate. If you’re playing against a team with two Vanguards, Loki can transform into a third one and suddenly your team has an unbreakable frontline.
The Strategist roster is incredibly diverse:
- Pure Sustain: Characters like Jeff the Land Shark or Luna Snow who focus heavily on keeping health bars blue.
- Buff/Debuff: Rocket Raccoon isn't just a healer; he’s providing ammo and artillery support. Adam Warlock can resurrect teammates, which completely negates a successful enemy dive.
- Control: Storm and Invisible Woman use the environment and buffs to dictate where the fight happens.
Honestly, the biggest mistake teams make is not protecting their Strategists. In Marvel Rivals, if your Strategists die first, the fight is over 90% of the time. You can’t out-damage the lack of healing in a 6v6 sustained fight.
Synergies and Team-Ups
You can't talk about classes without mentioning Team-Up Abilities. This is where the class boundaries get blurry. When you have specific characters on a team, they unlock new passive or active skills.
For instance, if you have Hulk and Iron Man together, Hulk can charge Iron Man’s armor with Gamma radiation. This turns a Duelist into something much tankier for a short window. Or the classic Groot and Rocket Raccoon combo, where Rocket can literally ride on Groot’s shoulder. It turns two separate classes into a singular, devastating unit.
When you’re picking your class, look at what your teammates are hovering over. Picking a Duelist like Namor is fine, but if someone else is playing Luna Snow, you’re missing out on the Frozen Vengeance synergy if you don't coordinate.
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Actionable Strategy for Your Next Match
- Check the 2-2-2 Balance: While the game allows for weird comps, the most consistent way to win is two Vanguards, two Duelists, and two Strategists. It provides enough sustain and enough pressure to actually move the objective.
- Counter-Picking is Mandatory: If an enemy Venom is diving your backline constantly, someone needs to swap to a character with hard crowd control, like Mantis (for her sleep) or Spider-Man (for his webs).
- Focus the Strategists: If you are a Duelist, stop shooting the enemy Hulk. He has too much health and is being healed. Find their Luna Snow or Loki. Kill them. Then the Hulk becomes a lot easier to take down.
- Master One of Each: Don't just be a "Duelist main." Learn at least one Vanguard (Thor or Cap are great starts) and one Strategist (Rocket or Mantis). You'll win more games simply by being the person who fills the role the team actually needs.
The meta is always shifting, especially with new heroes like Ultron and Emma Frost changing how we think about "hybrid" roles. But the core fundamentals of the three classes remain the same: Vanguards make the space, Duelists take the lives, and Strategists keep the engine running.