The best counters for each Marvel Rivals hero

The Marvel universe battle is here. The free-to-play team-based shooter Marvel Rivals offers a massive roster of heroes to play as, and the toughest decision is choosing who to play when countering other heroes.

Since Marvel Rivals allows you to swap heroes at any time in the middle of a game, it’s important to use this ability as much as possible to help your team achieve victory. If one or more enemy heroes are destroying your squad, it’s time to swap to something that can take them down or mitigate their power.

With that in mind, here are the best counters for every Marvel Rivals hero.

Marvel Rivals Counters Chart: Best counters for every hero

All Vanguard counters in Marvel Rivals

Bruce Banner/Hulk

Hulk is a brawler, meaning he needs to get up close to be effective or deal any real damage. This means that any long-range character will be able to deal with him pretty well, and those with good mobility skills will be able to escape his wrath, too.

Captain America

Cap is a brawler but he also struggles to get up close with some limited mobility while on cooldown. While he can block shots with his vibranium shield, it’s not nearly as big as those from Groot, Magneto, or Doctor Strange, so long-range fighters are how to take him down.

Doctor Strange

Stephen Strange is best suited to use his shield to protect his team as it advances, so any character that’s able to get on top of him and disrupt his ability to block incoming damage by flanking him or using crowd control abilities will be a nightmare for him to deal with.

Groot

Groot is a menace up close, meaning any characters capable of dealing damage at range can handle him pretty well, along with those who can fly, staying off the ground and far away from his pesky walls.

Magneto

Like Doctor Strange, Magneto’s best utility is that he has a shield to protect teammates while also being able to deal damage at mid-range. This makes him susceptible to brawlers, as he does not have much mobility at all.

Peni Parker

Peni Parker, in her SP//dr tank, is one of the few Vanguard heroes capable of ranged damage, meaning she can hold her own at multiple ranges, especially with her spider mines that are a nightmare to deal with when placed in her immediate vicinity. She’s also able to web up and slow down any hero chasing her, making her one of the stronger Vanguards in the game.

Thor

Thor’s hammer is shockingly small, meaning he is most lethal at extremely close range, and mobile heroes should have no issue dodging his attacks.

Venom

Venom can do a bit of everything, but he’s a force to be reckoned with at close range. His mobility makes him an asset as an offensive-minded tank, but fighting anyone past mid-range is a bad idea for Eddie Brock.

All Duelist counters in Marvel Rivals

Black Panther

T’Challa is reminiscent of Genji in Overwatch, using two of his abilities to reset his dash and become a problem up close. Keep your distance or go toe-to-toe with a brawling Vanguard with some fast aiming to stay in the fight.

Black Widow

Natasha is a sniper with the potential to one-shot kill at range, so characters with high mobility and the ability to get in close will be able to shut her down, such as “dive” characters like Venom and Spider-Man.

Hawkeye

Another sniper like his pal Natasha, Clint Barton, is countered by any character that can shield off his long-range bow shots and anyone who can dive on him to prevent him from dealing damage.

Hela

As a sniper-like character in Rivals, Hela wreaks havoc from a distance. But this also makes her susceptible to ranged heroes, especially during her ultimate ability, where she remains stationary.

Iron Fist

A melee character at heart, Lin Lie evens the odds in midair with his Yat Jee Chung Kuen ability, which allows him to dash forward and pursue enemies a few meters away. It’s always best to keep your distance when you see Iron Fist on the battlefield because he’s mostly unable to deal damage outside of melee range.

Iron Man

Iron Man’s flight capability makes him a handful to deal with when piloted by a skilled player, but if you’ve got strong ranged characters using hitscan abilities against him, he’s going to have a bad time.

Magik

Magik is one of the best close-range melee fighters in Rivals, meaning that characters like Hawkeye and Punisher should be able to handle her well so long as they keep her at range. Winter Soldier’s mid-range pistol is a solid counter as well.

Moon Knight

Moon Knight’s attacks are projectile-based with some big damage fall-off at range, but he’s a nightmare to deal with up close thanks to his dive potential, and he’s able to close the gap and traverse the battlefield with multiple abilities.

Namor

Mid-range heroes work best against Namor since his Aquatic Dominion ability allows him to place down multiple squid-like turrets that can quickly chip away at the health pool of any hero that dives on him. His Blessing of the Deep also allows him to quickly nullify incoming damage, so take him by surprise.

Psylocke

Her Psionic Crossbow is lethal up close, so snipers and long-range heroes able to deal damage from a safe distance will be the best bet against Psylocke. But as a hitscan hero, she’s also countered by dive heroes who can get in her face and mess up her aim.

The Punisher

Punisher’s only true weakness is his lack of mobility. While he can use his zipline to escape enemies up close, he’s quite slow on foot. But since he wields both a mid-range AR and close-range shotgun, you’ll need to be ready for anything against him.

Scarlet Witch

Wanda’s close-range tracking primary fire is crucial against certain enemies, such as Spider-Man, but this means she’s easily dealt with at long range. Ranged heroes are also perfect for when she’s powering up her Reality Erasure ultimate (“PURE CHAOS!”) that she telegraphs from across the map.

Spider-Man

Spider-Man is one of the fastest and most maneuverable heroes in the game, so you will need to hit your shots regardless of who you pick. But long-range heroes who are able to pick him off and whittle down his HP from a distance will fare well, preventing the webhead from getting up close for melee damage.

Mantis and Luna Snow are also problematic healers for Spider-Man to dive on, because of their unique abilities to stun Spidey in place.

Squirrel Girl

Doreen is a very interesting hero in that she does massive damage with her projectiles, but there’s not much fall off and they can be launched very far. Not only that, but they bounce, and she has a stun ability, so she doesn’t have much of a weakness.

Star-Lord

Star-Lord is strong at mid-range and closer with his dual-wielded SMGs, so stay out of his range to take care of Peter Quill.

Storm

Storm surveys the battlefield from up high, meaning ranged heroes are a nightmare for her. Her Wind Blade damage projectile falls off quickly and is tough to hit shots with, so she’s best at mid-range.

Winter Soldier

Bucky presents a big problem at close range, both with his powerful handgun and his Roadhog-like arm hook that pulls you in for big damage. Combine that with the fact that his primary weapon is a projectile, and it’s best to stay as far away from him as you can.

Wolverine

Listen up, bub. Wolverine is a nightmare at close range, and his ultimate is nothing to mess around with. Keep yourself out of range of his adamantium claws to give yourself a fighting chance.

All Strategist counters in Marvel Rivals

Adam Warlock

The perfect specimen is a long-range damage dealer and a close-range revival specialist, so you’ll want to get all up in his business to prevent him from becoming a problem.

Cloak and Dagger

Whether Dagger or Cloak (or both) are giving you fits, keep the pressure on them with dive heroes to prevent them from getting comfortable. Cloak’s damage is a hitscan beam with medium range, so he is more of a threat, but the heroes’ 250 HP pool can be taken down quickly if you catch them by surprise.

Jeff the Land Shark

You’ll want to avoid Jeff’s Healing Bubbles, as they will heal him and his teammates while knocking you back. Keep an eye out for him and wait for him to be defenseless when he swims underground because he can still take damage from that point.

Cloak and Dagger have the best ability for countering Jeff’s Ultimate, which is Cloak’s Dark Teleportation that makes him and his allies invulnerable.

Loki

Loki’s ability to go invisible and run off makes him a powerful support, let alone his ability to spawn multiple clones of himself. But arguably the best part of his kit is his Regeneration Domain, which heals allies over time and converts any damage taken into healing. AoE attacks and characters who can chase him or escape while the Regeneration Domain remains active will be needed.

Luna Snow

This K-pop star is a ranged damage dealer and healer, so getting up close and disrupting her rhythm and flow (see what I did there?) will be a necessity.

Mantis

Without much close-range damage to speak of, Mantis is easily countered other than her very powerful Spore Slumber ability, which can stun foes for over three seconds. Keep that in mind and wait for it to be on cooldown before approaching.

Rocket Raccoon

Rocket does a little bit of everything with his oversized cannon, both healing and dealing damage at range. He’s able to escape with two short dashes, but any hero with consistent speed or chase-down abilities will become a nightmare for him and his small hitbox when dived on.

We will update this guide with more information whenever necessary.