With Marvel Rivals now live globally, we finally have answers to the burning question: Who are the best characters in the game? In this guide, week will break down our tier list for every character. You can't fairly compare characters to each other from different classes, so in this tier list, we are focusing on the Strategist class. If you want see more characters, check out our Vanguard Meta Tier List and Duelist Meta Tier List!
For any tier list to make sense in this style of game, you need to understand the kind of players this list is designed for. Pro players and casual players will play characters very differently, so their rankings can vastly differ. In these tier lists, we are ranking for high ranking and competitive players. This means a less experienced or new player may have a very different experience playing these higher tier characters, or lower tier might be really good for you.
Any low tier ratings for characters doesn't mean the character is outright bad. You can play any character in this game, practice them a bunch, and perform well in a match despite a tier rating.
S Tier
A Tier
B Tier
C Tier
C Tier
For the lowest tier, there really aren't any Strategists that fit this category. All of the characters are viable picks and provide unique abilities. Other classes do have characters in this tier, so I am including it here as well to highlight the strength of the Strategist class.
B Tier
For this tier, Rocket Raccon is the only contender. He has a few factors that set him back from other healers at a competitive level. First, his healing is the slowest of all the Strategist unless you get a lucky position where the orbs can bounce well. Second, his revive station is more likely to be destroyed when you have good players who know to hunt and destroy it. Third, his ultimate isn't nearly as impactful as other Strategists. Finally, his DPS isn't strong enough to warrant a reduction in healing output. All of these factors make him stand out as worse than the other characters, but definitely not bad enough to be C-Tier.
A Tier
For our A-Tier, we have Jeff, Loki, and Adam Warlock! Each of these characters have great movesets and are strong options for most team comps and maps. They aren't really lacking in any department, but they just don't have that extra strength to make them S-Tier.
Jeff is a character that borders that line of A-Tier and S-Tier, but he has one drawback over other Strategists. His healing requires you to keep constant focus on your allies. At higher ranks, players are significantly more mobile. You may only see them for brief windows, which makes it hard for Jeff to heal them effectively. You would much prefer a fast burst of healing. Despite that, he can heal quite effectively when your team is bunched together. Jeff is also great at providing DPS, especially when combo's with Luna Snow. His ultimate is notorious for its capabilities, but high ranking players will often be more spread out than the average player. This makes Jeff's Ultimate ability bit less consistent.
Loki is definitely a character that can be very strong if you know how to use him properly. At high ranks, he can be a constant annoyance to the enemy team since they have to draw their attention away from key points to remove the clones. When all of the clones are active, his damage output and healing are dangerously strong, and a good player should be able to capitalize on this consistently. The ability to teleport with a clone also let's you be incredibly evasive, which let's you continue to support the team instead of dying as often. He is definitely the trickiest Strategist to play, but he can be extremely effective when used properly.
Adam Warlock is an A-Tier character for obvious reasons. His DPS is the best in class, his soul link ability is practically a mini-ultimate, and his healing is a great burst option for those mobile teams. His ultimate can swing you matches by giving your team a second chance at a push or defense. His self revive always useful at high levels, but it can still come in handy from time to time.
S Tier
For our best S-Tier characters, we have Luna Snow, Mantis, as well as Cloak and Dagger. These characters have that extra "umph" that pushes them to that next level. You can use these characters in any match and come out with positive results.
Luna Snow is arguably the best Strategist in the game. Her abilities offer a great range of burst healing, damage output, and team support. Her ultimate ability can make your team unkillable, and it lasts for a significant amount of time. This alone can win you matches. The additional passive healing also helps you to heal allies who may be out of your line of site. The character hits all of the notes you want a Strategist to hit, making her a clear S-Tier characters.
Mantis follows a similar path as Luna Snow: Great burst healing, solid damage output, and her damage boosts can help your team lock in those kills. Her sleep ability can allow your team (or yourself) to defend against aggressive opponents, or to take down an effective Vanguard. She's simply a well rounded character.
Cloak and Dagger have been significantly better than I first imagined. The ability to swap between a healers and dps is highly advantageous for competitive players. Cloak's ability to hide the team behind his veil is especially strong. It can not only give your team an edge in firefights, but it also protects them from a large amount of ultimates! His lock-on attack can help you secure kills against mobile opponents, but without the downside of losing ranged attacks like Scarlet Witch. A coordinated team (or at least high performing players) will also utilize Dagger's health dome much more effectively than the average player. This let's you effectively heal, while also doing lots of damage simultaneously.
Wrap Up
That's all for this Strategist Meta Tier List for competitive players! As new characters are added and balance changes are made, we will release updated tier lists for these characters. If you haven't already, be sure to check out our tier lists for Vanguard and Duelist!
