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Season 1.5 has officially begun, and with it comes the latest two new Heroes: Human Torch and The Thing! New characters can be very exciting to play, but not so fun to play against. In this guide, we will dive into different ways you can counter both of these characters.
My Credentials
I am a Grand Master player who primarily plays Invisible Woman as a main. I also main Peni Parker for a Vanguard and The Punisher for a Duelist. I also study top level streamers, tournaments, and data published by first and third party sources to help deliver the most accurate information I can.
The Thing
The Thing's passive ability to be immovable makes him quite the anchor to deal with. Characters like Wolverine aren't nearly as effective, so how do you stop this massive rock from rushing you down and bolting away? Well, you have a few good options:
Freeze him in his tracks. Characters like Peni Parker, Luna Snow, and Bruce Banner all can stop an opponent from running away with their abilities. The Thing is no exception. While you can't move him, you can keep him where he is. This pause may be short, but it can allow you and your team to focus fire to eliminate him (or the people he is protecting).
Use Peni Parker's mines to punish his rushes. You can place mines around the objective point where Thing is likely to rush through. He expects to take some damage rushing towards you, but he can't tank out that damage plus mines exploding on him. Combo that with your web snare and you can really punish any dive attempts he makes. You can even shoot mines offensively behind him where he is likely to retreat to, making his route back to the healers very difficult to survive. If you're lucky, you may even kill an unsuspecting healer with those mines.
Use all-in DPS like The Punisher or Winter Soldier. A nonstop flurry of bullets is bad news for any tank, and Thing is no exception. His lack of ranged attacks makes him forced to either retreat or rush you directly. If you can combo them with Rocket Raccoon's Team-Up ability, they can get rapid fire and unlimited ammo to melt though any health he has.
Single out Thing's healers. His aggressive play style means he relies on frequent heals. You can weaken The Thing indirectly by diving his healers. This will make him either divert attention from the point to protect them, or he will lose his healers and very quickly die afterwards. In a similar note, killing nearby enemies means The Thing has nobody he can grapple onto, making him much more vulnerable.
Flying characters are another great counter, but with a slight catch. His animation appears to be slightly bugged on his charged attack. It allows him to attack flying characters who are above his attack, despite not being anywhere close to the actual hit. If you keep a reasonable distance out though, he is completely defenseless against you.
A final strong counter to The Thing is Groot. His walls can separate Thing from his healers, as well as block off a quick return route. You can simply place a wall behind him to isolate him. If he has his back against the walls he will also take extra damage directly from the wall. If you need protection from his advances, the walls also keep him at bay.
Human Torch
Human Torch is the third flying character added to Rivals, and thanks to his crazy new Team-Up with Storm, you are very likely to see the two paired together quite often. Thankfully like the other flying characters, he has plenty of counter picks:
The most straightforward option are the snipers/hit scan. Hawkeye (and Black Widow I suppose) is a good option to punish his lack of cover and slower movement. You can out-range him and naturally want to stay back from his typical zone of play. The Punisher or Winter Soldier can also work well to simply deal rapid damage to his low health bar. Winter Soldier's ability also knocks flying characters out of the sky, so Human Torch becomes much more vulnerable.
Namor is a great way to protect an area. If he gets anywhere near your Octopus turrets, he will be tracked and constantly under fire. This should let you take him down very quickly unless he is getting constant healing. The turrets will also alert you when he flies in, which can be extremely helpful when he comes from outside of your field of view.
If you have the skill to play him, Spider-Man can make any player regret picking Torch. Isolated targets are Spider-Man's specialty, and flying characters naturally stand out from the crowd. Your ability to be airborne and fight makes you essentially a flying diver. Iron Fist has the same potential, but you will have to get much closer before you can get in range to stay in the air.
Summary
No matter how frequently you see these new characters, knowing how to properly counter them should help you farm wins. Be sure to check back soon for our breakdown of how to play these new characters, as well as their standing within the meta!
