Whether you’re new or experienced to Marvel Rivals, learning how different heroes match up, and how to play hero counters, is one of the most useful skills in the game. It happens: You run into a poor matchup or simply opposing players who are playing well and diffing your team. They can’t all be stomps! Being able to make adjustments is just as often the difference in the final result as raw skill, and so, learning the right ones to make becomes of utmost importance – especially in the games that go to the wire.

Something I’ve wanted to do for a while is to publish a guide on hero counters in Marvel Rivals that can be an easy reference on how to play against every hero in the game, as well as their favorable and disadvantageous matchups. Of course, metas can shift, and heroes can be buffed or nerfed in ways that affect their counters, but now that we’re a year into the game’s lifecycle, it feels like a good time to offer this overview.

Some terms to remember:

• Poke: Characters that fight at range; ‘hitscan’ defines those with projectiles that connect instantly.
• Brawl: Characters designed for close-quarters combat on or near the frontline.
• Dive: Assassin-type characters that target the backline.
• Burst Damage/Healing: The ability to deal high amounts of damage or healing at once.
• Sustain Healing: The ability to offer steady, constant healing.
• CC: Crowd control abilities that can restrict an opponent’s movement, such as stun or freeze.
• Displacement: Abilities that can move other characters, such as grabs or knockbacks.

VANGUARDS

Most Vanguards fall into one of a few categories: There are shield tanks (Doctor Strange, Magneto), brawl tanks (Hulk, The Thing) and dive tanks (Venom, Captain America), with some repeatable methods to play against each. While every tank possesses traits that distinguish them from the rest, we can certainly start from there.

A note: Emma Frost, a longtime meta staple, reigns supreme here, with a multi-faceted and strong kit that allows her to play well into and even shut down much of the Vanguard class. We’ll be talking about her... a lot.

Magneto & Doctor Strange

Classification: Shield Tanks. Good against poke, bad against melee.
Counters: Iron Fist, The Thing, Hulk & Angela.

As the preeminent shield tanks in Rivals, Magneto and Strange are bound to be a common sight in your matches. Their shields, easily the most durable in the game, deny value to poke characters such as Hela or Hawkeye. However, melee bypasses their shields, so they face major pressure against brawlers such as Iron Fist or The Thing on the frontline. Angela’s displacement can also prove pesky by forcing them out of position and into a thicket of enemies.

Emma Frost

Classification: Poke/Brawl Tank. Good against dive & brawl, bad against poke.

Counters: The Punisher, Hela, Iron Man & Storm.

Consider Emma to be a bit of a hybrid tank who does many things and does them well. She has a shield of her own but can also brawl in her diamond form, which grants damage reduction, CC immunity and a chokeslam ability that shuts down divers or any other tanks that get too closer to her. Your best bet against Emma will be high-damage poke characters who can break her shield and deal damage from a safe distance – think The Punisher or fliers such as Iron Man or Storm.

Thor

Classification: Brawl Tank. Bad against CC & burst damage.

Counters: Counters include Emma Frost, Winter Soldier & Groot.

For my money, Thor is the single best 1-on-1 character in the game, with incredible damage potential for a tank. However, he has no shield and few effective ways to mitigate damage – teams should focus Thor with CC and burst damage when he pushes into the open. His primary escape tool is a straight-line dash, so a special mention goes to Groot who can wall off his attempts to retreat or Winter Soldier who can hook him right back.

Rogue

Classification: Brawl Tank. Good against shield tanks, bad against poke & burst damage.

Counters: The Punisher, Squirrel Girl, Peni Parker, Emma Frost & Groot.

The community is still learning about Rogue, but if one thing has become clear early on, it’s that she does not have the survivability tools as a brawl tank to fight in the open without regard for cover or positioning. Her grab is a useful CC tool akin to Emma’s and her ult has incredible playmaking potential to disrupt the enemy team’s own ult timing, but Rogue (and especially bad Rogue players) can be melted by poke DPS at range.

The Thing

Classification: Brawl Tank. Good against dive, bad against poke & burst damage.

Counters: The Punisher, Squirrel Girl, Peni Parker, Emma Frost & Groot.

Because of his groundbound effect, which prevents afflicted characters from using their mobility abilities, The Thing is one of the most popular picks against dive. However, high-damage poke characters can melt his health down from outside of his range, and while immune to displacement, he’s a large target susceptible to many forms of CC such as Squirrel Girl’s trap or Emma’s chokeslam. Groot’s ability to wall off Thing’s escape attempts is also worth a mention here.

Hulk

Classification: Brawl/Dive Tank. Bad against poke & CC.

Counters: Emma Frost, Peni Parker, Luna Snow, Mantis & Invisible Woman.

As a large target who has to jump into close-range fights to create value, Hulk is an easy target for CC abilities as well as anything that can cancel out his attempts to leap back to his healers – Invisible Woman’s pull ability, for example, can often be the difference between a Hulk’s successful escape or not. A team that peels effectively can also negate a Hulk in their backline, since his only damage mitigation tool is his bubble.

Venom

Classification: Dive Tank. Good for stall, bad against CC & burst damage.

Counters: Emma Frost, Peni Parker, Luna Snow & Mantis.

Venom, with his mobility and survivability, can be a supremely irritating dive tank to play against. He effectively has two health bars because of his overshield ability, but he’s a big target with no other means of damage mitigation or shield, so he falls victim to any form of CC and being focused by an enemy team. For support players, tools such as Luna’s freeze or Mantis’ sleep will be highly effective whenever Venom gets up close and personal.

Captain America

Classification: Dive Tank. Good for stall, bad against CC.

Counters: Emma Frost, Peni Parker, The Thing and Mister Fantastic.

He can do this all day. Cap might just have the most survivability of any character in the game due to his mobility as a tank, plus his shield which can deflect projectiles including even some forms of CC. He’s more of an irritant than a threat outright, but it’s good practice to peel as a team against a Captain America in order to force him off the backline. As a melee hero, he does struggle against Peni’s mines as well as abilities that cancel his movement such as Emma’s chokeslam or The Thing’s slam.

Angela

Classification: Dive/Displacement Tank. Good against frontline tanks & fliers, bad against CC.

Counters: The Thing, Emma Frost, Winter Soldier & Invisible Woman.

Angela is the ultimate displacement tank who can frustrate frontline tanks by forcing them out of position, backline characters which she can flank and harass, fliers who she can combat directly, or just about anyone else who doesn’t want to get thrown off a map. She is hard-countered by displacement-immune heroes such as Emma Frost or The Thing, who can also negate her movement, and we should also note Invisible Woman’s push/pull ability which cancels out Angela’s charge ability.

Peni Parker

Classification: Area Control Tank. Good against brawl & dive, bad against poke & fliers.

Counters: Iron Man, Hela, Psylocke & Groot.

Thanks to her mines, Peni Parker is one of the best anti-dive characters in the game, punishing any character that needs to get into melee range. First word of advice is, yes, to just shoot the mines. She’s greatly mitigated by flank/poke characters and fliers who don’t have to enter a Peni-protected area to create value and can safely clear mines for their teammates, such as Hela and Iron Man. Also, a pro-tip: Groot can destroy Peni’s mines instantly by placing his walls right upon them.

Groot

Classification: Area Control Tank. Good against frontline tanks, bad against burst damage & mobility.

Counters: Counters include Moon Knight, Squirrel Girl, The Punisher & Iron Man.

A good Groot will wall off the opposing team’s frontline from their healers, creating problems for many tanks, and Season 5 has addressed his most notable counter (Wolverine) by granting Groot immunity to displacement. Burst DPS characters such as The Punisher or Squirrel Girl who can shred his walls mitigate much of Groot’s value, as do fliers or high-mobility tanks that can navigate and/or shoot over his walls. I’m especially fond of using Moon Knight, who gains free ricochets off Groot’s walls for extra damage output, as an answer to Groot.

DUELISTS

There are many, many Duelists in Marvel Rivals, and since many of them do occupy similar niches, we’re going to be a little more concise here and account for those overlaps in role. Choosing a Duelist to play among such a diverse roster is often a matter of personal preference, but countering a Duelist can be simplified into some more or less repeatable rules.

Just about every Duelist can be categorized as a poke, brawl or dive. Some possess quirks we should touch on specifically, but to zoom out, remember this: Poke counters brawl, brawl counters dive and dive counters poke.

Hela & The Punisher

Classification: Hitscan DPS. Good against brawl & fliers, bad against dive & shield tanks.

Counters: Magneto, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Spider-Man & Hawkeye.

These are the most reliable hitscan characters in Rivals who can be a matchup answer in many situations that call for high-damage poke such as against fliers. Hela does require more precise aim, while The Punisher has greater spam potential. Shield tanks can block their projectiles and dive characters can target them, although Hela’s stun and Punisher’s shotgun should be kept in mind. They also lose the poke matchup to snipers such as Hawkeye, who has one-shot damage potential that they can’t reach.

Phoenix

Classification: Mid-Range Hitscan DPS. Good against brawl & fliers, bad against dive & shield tanks.

Counters: Magneto, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Spider-Man & Hawkeye.

At a glance, Phoenix profiles similarly to Hela and The Punisher, but we should note that her damage fall-off is more severe past mid-range and that her primary fire is weaker in general. However, she can trigger explosions that deal area-of-effect damage and will often want to farm those opportunities by spamming into crowds or shooting tanks. Like Hela and Punisher, she is susceptible to dive and can lose the poke matchup against true long-range attackers including Hawkeye.

Hawkeye & Black Widow

Classification: Sniper DPS. Good against brawl & fliers, bad against dive & shield tanks.

Counters: Magneto, Doctor Strange, Groot, Star-Lord, Black Panther, Spider-Man & Captain America.

These two function pretty similarly as snipers; Hawkeye can one-shot characters, and while Black Widow’s inability to do so has her regarded as one of the worst characters in the game, I’ve certainly seen my share of high-skill players use her to great effect. Shield tanks and Groot walls can negate their headshot potential, but to eliminate them you may need flank or dive characters who can swoop into the far reaches of the enemy backline. Highly mobile characters like Star-Lord, Black Panther or Captain America perform best, since they run the least risk of falling victim to an untimely headshot.

Moon Knight & Squirrel Girl

Classification: Burst Poke DPS. Good against brawl, bad against dive & fliers.

Counters: Black Panther, Magik, Iron Man, Storm & Ultron.

Commonly derided as two of the most ‘brain-dead’ characters in Marvel Rivals, Moon Knight and Squirrel Girl possess oppressive burst damage potential all the same, especially against teams playing close together or trying to get through a corridor. You’ll want to prioritize them as a target for dive if they’re causing problems from afar or switch to a flier, since neither character can damage flying characters well.

Iron Man, Storm & Human Torch

Classification: Flying Poke DPS. Good against brawl, bad against hitscan.

Counters: Hela, The Punisher, Luna Snow, Iron Fist & Angela.

Gone are the days of the flier meta, but they remain strong against melee-oriented teams without the tools to target them or those that just don’t look up. Hitscan heroes such as Hela are a natural answer – I’m especially fond of deleting an unsuspecting flier with Luna’s damage-boosted clap attack – as are melee heroes who can take their fight to the air such as Iron Fist and Angela. Iron Man’s ultimate is also hard-countered by Magneto’s, so that deserves a special mention.

Winter Soldier

Classification: Poke/Brawl DPS. Good against brawl & dive, bad against shield tanks & long-range poke.

Counters: Doctor Strange, Magneto, Hela & Hawkeye.

Winter Soldier’s kit is truly an embarassment of riches, with two CC abilities (his hook and his charge), another that can ground fliers, and one of the best ults in the game. He counters dive, his hook can pull tanks out of safe position, and in general he can be an answer to many problems in the game. Shield tanks can block most of his projectiles, and since he’s more of a close-to-medium range attacker, he loses to DPS that can target him from afar.

Namor

Classification: Poke/Anti-Dive DPS. Good against dive, bad against flank & mobile tanks.

Counters: Counters include Psylocke, Hulk & Thor.

Mostly regarded as a reactive character picked to counter dive, I’ve also seen some more clever players set up Namor and his squid turrets as a pesky flanker. This is going to sound like common sense, but it’s important to shoot his squids! Poke, flank or flying DPS such as Hela or Psylocke will have the easiest time removing his squids; flank can also challenge Namor directly, as can tanks that shrug off squid damage.

Psylocke

Classification: Poke/Flank DPS. Good against poke & frontline tanks, bad against 1-on-1 attackers.

Counters: Daredevil, Thor and Hulk.

Though she possesses some dive attributes, I think of Psylocke as more of an off-angle attacker who wants to poke the frontline to farm her ult charge or flank when opportune. She’s generally pretty evasive, but Daredevil tracks her through her invisibility and she generally prefers to retreat against tankier characters who may try to engage her such as Thor.

Star-Lord

Classification: Brawl/Flank DPS. Good against frontline tanks, bad against poke & auto-aim.

Counters: Namor, Scarlet Witch, Winter Soldier, Hela, The Punisher & Magneto.

Star-Lord is pretty similar to Psylocke, though he has a few more tools to safely brawl on the frontline including one that grants a brief invincibility state while firing in all directions. Generally, he wants to use his mobility to evade attention and flank, so characters with auto-aim such as Namor or Scarlet Witch can damage him effectively as can poke DPS such as Hela or Punisher. Star-Lord’s ultimate is also one that Magneto can cancel out effectively with his.

Blade

Classification: Poke/Brawl DPS. Good against frontline & brawl tanks, bad against poke & burst damage.

Counters: Emma Frost, Iron Man, Storm & The Punisher.

Blade is an interesting character, with options to deal damage from mid-range with his shotgun as well as right up close. He’s highly survivable with his life-steal and parry abilities, which allow him to stand his ground against tanks. It’s important to force out his parry, but once that’s gone, he’s susceptible to CC such as Emma’s grab. Long-range attackers can also damage Blade from afar, especially fliers who Blade can’t really target.

Mister Fantastic

Classification: Brawl Tank/DPS Hybrid. Good against dive, bad against poke & CC.

Counters: Emma Frost, Hela, The Punisher, Iron Man & Storm.

Mister Fantastic is certainly the closest thing to a tank within the Duelist category as well as one of the best anti-dive characters in the game, since he can shut down movement with his grab. Though highly survivable for a DPS, he still isn’t a true tank and doesn’t have the capacity to survive an entire team’s attention if focused. Outside of his damage absorption ability, he’s also prone to CC effects such as Emma’s chokeslam.

Scarlet Witch

Classification: Brawl/Anti-Dive DPS. Good against dive, bad against poke.

Counters: Hela, Hawkeye, Psylocke & Emma Frost.

Scarlet Witch’s auto-aim makes her a great choice for newer players as well as a pretty useful option to counter dive or high-movement characters, but she herself has many counters of her own. Since her range is limited, she can be pressured by poke characters from afar, while tanks can generally shrug off her damage in an up close fight. High-mobility characters such as Psylocke can chase her down on attempts to go invisible and retreat, and though her ultimate can be devastating, I would also argue it’s rather easy to cancel with CC tools such as Luna’s freeze or Emma’s chokeslam.

Iron Fist

Classification: High-Mobility Brawl/Dive DPS. Good against frontline tanks & flank, bad against high healing.

Counters: Emma Frost & Peni Parker.

Iron Fist has become a pretty versatile attacker, able to brawl tanks on the frontline or irritate the backline as the situation calls. His mobility, auto-aim, self-heal and parry – which can block CC – offer many tools to get in, create chaos and get out. As a diver, he doesn’t do quite enough damage to take out supports who are healing each other, and the best counters are Emma’s chokeslam to cancel his movement as well as Peni’s mines.

Black Panther & Spider-Man

Classification: High-Mobility Dive DPS. Good against poke, bad against auto-aim & movement cancelling.

Counters: Namor, Mister Fantastic, The Thing, Peni Parker, Loki, Adam Warlock & Scarlet Witch.

At various points in time, these two have been the most oppressive dive characters in the game due to being nigh-impossible to target. Namor is a time-tested counter since his squid turrets can successfully track them, while Mister Fantastic and The Thing can negate their movement abilities. Peni’s mines can be annoying, and I also like Loki and Adam Warlock for their survivability against dive. Finally, Scarlet Witch’s auto-aim can be a means of consistent damage.

Magik

Classification: Dive DPS. Good against poke, bad against CC.

Counters: Peni Parker, Namor, Winter Soldier, Emma Frost & Mantis.

Though not as mobile as Black Panther or Spider-Man, Magik is a strong dive character who is highly evasive in her own right due to her portals. I find Winter Soldier’s hook and dash, Emma’s grab and Mantis’ sleep – an area-of-effect ability that you can aim near her feet – to be most reliable forms of CC against Magik, as well as Peni’s mines or Namor’s squids for damage.

Daredevil

Classification: Flank/Dive DPS. Good against poke & flank, bad against CC & movement-canceling.

Counters: Counters include Emma Frost, Peni Parker, Namor, Mister Fantastic & Winter Soldier.

Daredevil may just have taken Black Panther’s throne as Rivals’ most oppressive dive! His tracking, mobility and survivability allow him to choose and engage in many favorable fights, while proving difficult to eliminate. Emma’s chokeslam, Peni’s mines, Namor’s turrets and Mr. Fantastic’s grabs are my preferred ways to make things more difficult for DD, and other forms of CC can work as well, though you’ll have to be conscious of his deflect ability.

Wolverine

Classification: Displacement DPS. Good against shield & frontline tanks, bad against CC.

Counters: Emma Frost, The Thing, Winter Soldier, Luna Snow, Mantis & Invisible Woman.

Before Angela, Wolverine was Rivals’ OG kidnap character and tankbuster. He still performs well in this role, although there are more tanks now such as Emma Frost and The Thing that are immune to displacement and can negate most of his value. Emma can chokeslam Wolverine in return, and in general, Wolv is highly susceptible to CC – Invisible Woman’s push/pull, notably, disrupts Wolverine’s leap animation.

STRATEGISTS

The natural enemy for Strategists are dive characters designed to infiltrate the backline and eliminate healers. Some Strategists possess more anti-dive tools than others, though that often comes with trade-offs such as lower or less consistent healing. It’s also important to consider the pros and cons of burst versus sustain healing – some situations will call for more instant healing potential, while others will want steadier or or more survivable healers.

Cloak & Dagger

Classification: All-Around Healer.

Counters: Magneto, Peni Parker & Hawkeye.

Between Dagger’s bubble which can provide strong self-healing as well as Cloak’s auto-aim and teleportation ability, Cloak & Dagger possess some pretty solid tools against divers. Tracking the timing of these cooldowns and striking when they’re no longer available is a general tip for trying to eliminate C&D. Also, C&D’s ultimate can be effectively countered by Magneto’s ult, Peni’s mines or (though a little more challenging) a Hawkeye headshot.

Invisible Woman

Classification: Mid-range Healer.

Counters: Daredevil.

After recent seasons brought significant buffs to her kit, Invisible Woman may just be the single best support in the game, but those same seasons have also introduced her single best counter: Daredevil, a top-tier dive who can track her through her invisibility. Invisible Woman does tend to fare well against other dives due to her invisibility as well as her push/pull which can disrupt many divers’ movement.

Luna Snow

Classification: Hitscan Healer. Bad against high-mobility dive.

Counters: Black Panther, Captain America & Spider-Man.

Luna Snow profiles well as a top-tier support, with high mobility, high damage potential, some self-healing and access to CC. However, her kit does require a fair degree of skill to use, especially since her freeze is a slow-moving projectile that requires careful aim. While it’s easy to freeze a large target like a Venom or a Hulk, divers with elusive movement such as Black Panther or Spider-Man match up much more favorably against Luna.

Gambit

Classification: High-Damage & Mobility Support. Good against dive DPS, bad against dive tanks & survivable DPS.

Counters: Venom, Captain America, Iron Fist & Blade.

Gambit might just have it all. Though still new to the Rivals roster, he’s emerged as one of the best Strategists in the game with strong healing, damage and mobility tools. The community – self included – is still figuring out how to play against Gambit, but so far I’ve found that forcing out (or keeping up with) his dashes and being able to outlast him in a more drawn-out fight works well. Dive tanks such as Captain American and Venom perform better than dive DPS like Black Panther or Spider-Man, as do self-sustaining DPS such as Iron Fist and Blade.

Rocket Raccoon

Classification: High-Mobility Sustain Healer. Good for survivability, bad for burst healing.

Counters: Counters include Iron Fist and Phoenix.

With such a small hitbox and some generous escape tools, Rocket’s defining trait is his great survivability as a support. Iron Fist is a great Rocket counter because of his auto-aim and own mobility, while a Phoenix player playing against Rocket should hold their ultimate to negate Rocket’s every time. In general, both his ult as well as his respawn beacon should be targeted if ever positioned poorly; flank or dive characters such as Psylocke or Spider-Man should prioritize his beacon as much as Rocket himself.

Jeff the Land Shark

Classification: High-Mobility Sustain Healer. Good for survivability, bad for burst healing.

Counters: Hawkeye, Hela, Iron Fist & Cloak & Dagger.

Jeff is designed as a high-mobility healer who can swim underground to escape pressure, but his hitbox is also one that makes it rather easy to land headshots on – many times has a Hawkeye landed a 1-shot KO against Jeff without necessarily trying. Cloak’s teleportation ability can protect all nearby team members from Jeff’s ultimate, while Iron Fist’s auto-aim can continue to track and deal damage to Jeff through his swim.

Loki

Classification: All-Around Healer. Good for anti-dive.

Counters: Moon Knight, Winter Soldier & Daredevil.

Because of his clones and his Regeneration Domain ability, Loki is often one of the more difficult supports in the game to dive, but at the same time, Moon Knight can bounce his projectile off Loki’s clones for more damage and Winter Soldier can reset his ult against clones. Similar to Invisible Woman, Daredevil can also track Loki through his invisibility as well as identify the real one among the clones.

Adam Warlock

Classification: Burst healer. Good for anti-dive, bad for sustain.

Counters: Venom, Captain America, Moon Knight & Squirrel Girl.

Adam Warlock’s cooldowns are incredibly strong and offers burst-healing across himself and his nearby backline, which makes him a resourceful option against many traditional dives such as Black Panther or Magik. However, he struggles in more drawn-out fights once his cooldowns are gone, so dive tanks such as Venom and Captain America can often outlast Adam. He also lacks the consistent sustain healing to match up against damage-heavy comps including characters such as Moon Knight or Squirrel Girl.

Mantis

Classification: Poke Support.

Counters: Magneto, Doctor Strange, Moon Knight & Squirrel Girl.

Mantis boasts high damage for a support and can CC opposing divers with her sleep ability, but offers relatively lower healing. Teams featuring Mantis may struggle to stay alive through high amounts of damage, and Mantis herself prefers to play aggressive towards the frontline so she can hit as many headshots as possible – this can be punished. Shield tanks like Magneto and Doctor Strange perform great against Mantis because they can block her primary fire, reducing her headshot opportunities and thus opportunities to refresh her heal orbs.

Ultron

Classification: Flying Support. Good against ground-based characters, bad against hitscan.

Counters: Angela, Iron Fist, Hela & The Punisher.

As a flying healer, Ultron automatically denies value to many dive characters who have few ways of dealing damage to him, such as Black Panther or Magik. However, he offers the lowest rate of healing in class, which is an inherent drawback of its own, and can also be countered by characters that can effectively target fliers such as Angela, Iron Fist or Hela.