Every role in Marvel Rivals, their uses, fit, strengths, weaknesses, and everything else explained.
Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 hero shooter featuring iconic Marvel Characters such as Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, etc.
However, it is not just a cash grab but a deep and competitive game, one that has taken the hero shooter genre by storm.
There are 33 characters in Marvel Rivals, and each character fills one of three distinct roles, Duelist, Vanguard, and Strategist.
Knowing how to play each role to their strengths and weaknesses is key to victory in Marvel Rivals, and all three roles serve an important purpose in each team, with Duelists being damage dealers, Vanguards being Tanks, and Strategists being Supports. However, there are many more layers to Marvel Rivals’ roles.
In this article, we explain each of the three roles in Marvel Rivals, their purpose in a team, and how they lead their team to victory.
Duelist
- Role:
- DPS Class, and deals the most damage out of all three classes
- Deals focused burst damage
- Can Flank the Enemy
- Wants to take out enemy Strategists as quickly as possible to allow team to push
- Best in one-on-one situations
- Low HP and Survivability
Duelists are the damage dealers of your team. They are responsible for securing kills and usually have the ability to flank the enemy team, get to their backside, and deal large amounts of burst damage.
Duelist characters can be both ranged damage dealers, such as Black Widow, Iron Man, and Moon Knight, as well as melee characters such as Spider-Man and Iron Fist. Different duelists also deal damage in different ways. Iron Fist likes to get up close and personal, while Black Widow likes to pick off enemies from afar, and Iron Man rains down damage from the skies. Although most Duelists have a combination of ranged and melee abilities.
Moreover, Duelists can serve different purposes in a team. Some deal sustained damage, helping weaken enemy tanks, while others look to finish off enemy supports, such as healers, so that their team can make a push. Ranged Duelists usually do not have the same mobility as Melee Duelist. Thus, Melee Duelists are better suited for flanking, as they can quickly jump in and out of enemy lines.
Duelists are at their best in one-on-one combat. However, some duelists, such as Storm and Star-Lord, excel in team fights as well. With that being said, as a Duelist, you should try your best to avoid being on the frontlines, and let your tanks soak up damage instead.
In summary, good Dueslists look to pressure and chip down opponents until they find an opening to send them packing.
As Duelists have the ability to decide when their team can make a push, and can also die pretty easily, not to mention the complex abilities of characters such as Spider-Man, they are best recommended for experienced players.
List of Duelists
- Black Panther
- Black Widow
- Hawkeye
- Hela
- Iron Man
- Iron Fist
- Magik
- Moon Knight
- Namor
- Psylocke
- Scarlet Witch
- Spider-Man
- Squirrel Girl
- Star-Lord
- Storm
- The Punisher
- Winter Soldier
- Wolverine
Vanguard
- Role
- Tank Class
- Thrives in the frontlines, soaking up damage and dishing it out
- Have Crowd Control abilities
- Can deal damage in a wide area
- Can absorb a lot of damage thanks to their massive armor and large HPs
- Most Vanguards are heavily reliant on abilities, and thus, have a slight learning curve
Vanguards are the tanks of your team. They stay on the frontlines, soaking up damage and protecting their damage dealers and supports.
Each Vanguard character has an ability or trait that allows them to block or negate damage. Magneto has his Shield, Groot has his Vine Walls, Venom has an absurdly high base HP, Doctor Strange has his Barrier, etc. They can use these abilities to protect themselves and their teammates, and can keep enemies away long enough to capture objectives.
Moreover, Vanguards excel in crowd control, as each of them can either stun, knock down, or root enemies, making them vulnerable to damage, thus allowing Duelists to easily finish them off. Vanguards need not be slow characters, and mobile Vanguards like Thor and Venom can jump into enemy backlines disrupting their formation and exposing supports to Duelists.
While Duelists create openings for their team to push, Vanguards lead the push and deter enemy teams from pushing. They control space and allow teammates to make their plays.
Though Vanguards are easier to pick up than Duelists, they can have a slight learning curve due to their heavy reliance on abilities.
For newer players, we recommend trying out Groot and Magneto, who have easy to use damage blocking and crowd control abilities.
List of Vanguard Characters
- Captain America
- Doctor Strange
- Groot
- Hulk
- Magneto
- Peni Parker
- Thor
- Venom
Strategist
- Role:
- Support Class
- Keeps teammates alive by Buffing and Healing them
- Weakens enemies by Debuffing them
- Controls the battle from the backlines
Strategists are the back of the team. They keep teammates alive by healing, boosts their damage and defenses, and debuffs enemies.
Strategists deal less damage than Duelists, and are more susceptible to damage than Vanguards, but their utility can turn the tide of battle.
Each Strategist supports their teams in different ways. For example, Adam Warlock deals focused direct healing, Rocket Racoon uses his Repair Mode to heal in a wide radius, and Luna Snow heals slowly and passively.
While Duelists create openings, and Vanguards lead the push, Strategists are the glue that keep the team together. They have the ability to undo any advancement made by the enemy team through heals, revive, and damage buffs that can set up team kills. Thus, blocking enemy pushes.
As such, Duelists do their best to take out Strategists as quickly as possible, as their absence makes their team vulnerable.
All that being said, do not underestimate a good Strategists’ ability to deal damage, as characters like Adam Warlock and Mantis can dish out good damage while healing their teammates.
Strategists are the easiest class to pick up for new players, Rocket Raccoon and Mantis being the best for beginners.
List of Strategists
- Adam Warlock
- Cloak & Dagger
- Jeff The Land Shark
- Loki
- Luna Snow
- Mantis
- Rocket Raccoon
