This guide contains our rankings for the DPS Heroes in Marvel Rivals and, while you can't fairly compare characters between different classes, we are focusing on the Duelist class in this tier list. If you want to see more characters, check out our Strategist Meta Tier List and Vanguard Meta Tier List, where we rank the Supports and Tanks in their own classes!
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, meaning Diamond rank and above.
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. If you are a new or more casual player, the Meta can look very different than at higher competitive levels. For a more casual take on the meta, check out our Duelist Casual Tier List!
S Tier
A Tier
B Tier
C Tier
Season 2 Overview
This is a preliminary update to the tier list based on:
- Balance adjustments for Season 2.
- Changes to Team-Ups for Season 2.
- Win Rate and Pick Rate stats at end of Season 1.5.
- New Season 2 Hero: Emma Frost.
A more full update and more in-depth report will follow shortly after the season starts.
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.
C Tier
Black Widow is another character that got even more buffs with the launch of Season 2, but they still don't make her strong. Hawkeye simply outclasses her in every way. Mantis can stack buffs on Widow now to give her one-shot potential, but Hawkeye has just as much capability and has a better ultimate. Perhaps one day Widow will have her time in the sun. But for now, she remains in C-Tier.
B Tier
The Punisher is your all-in DPS guy. While he can be effective at low ranks, he just doesn't excel at anything. He can do plenty of damage, so he's definitely useful at times. But in the higher ranks, players are favoring more risk/reward characters over raw damage. Some matchups Punisher can do quite well, but often times you will be more successful with another character.
Hawkeye is keeping his B-Tier position in Season 2, though he is getting very close to moving up a tier. His buffs, combined with Mantis buffs, have made him quite a bit stronger. The meta hasn't quite picked up on his strength yet, but I think very soon we will see a surge in his play rate.
Black Panther and Iron Fist are both divers have sunk down to B-Tier this season. They aren't inherently bad, they just get outclassed by Psylocke and Magik in most matches. There isn't much reason to pick either of them over another diver unless you just prefer their playstyle.
Storm has had several ups and downs over the course of Season 1 and 1.5. With Season 2, her play rate has dropped off quite a bit. Not only has her Team-Up with Thor been eliminated, Human Torch has failed to make their Team-Up combo worth attempting. Her ultimate is too easily countered by healer ults since the tornado gives a huge indicator before it spawns. Storm just simply isn't a good pick in the current meta.
This might be quite a shocker, but Scarlet Witch is moving up to B-Tier for the first time! She has seen numerous buffs over multiple updates, and now with Season 2, she is finally seeing some meta play outside of giving Magneto a Team-Up. She basically acts like a constant nuisance, quietly draining your health and disappearing when you try to fight her off. Her new team-up with Doctor Strange has added a very strong new tool to her kit, giving her more kill power. Her ultimate also pairs well with Strange's portal since you can hide her audio cue, then teleport onto opponents right as she explodes! Needless to say, she's not an amazing character, but she's definitely gotten much better.
A Tier
The hybrid tank Mister Fantastic has gotten an uptick on play rate after his Season 2 buffs. His added health and bonus health has made him a more viable option to tank with. He is a great pick for stalling, and he can perform very well against holding back multiple healers from their team. His ultimate ability still lacks in strength unfortunately, which really weighs him down. His Team-Up with Invisible Woman though gives him a great way to keep himself alive without anyone to help him.
Between numerous buffs between Seasons 1.5 and 2, Human Torch seems to be finally gaining popularity in the meta. Players are using him to put constant pressure on opponents, which helps your team secure kills. His new bonus health when he dives into the ground has become a great option for not only securing your own kills, but also escaping near-death situations. With much of the meta revolving around brawling characters, Human Torch isn't seeing a lot of direct counter play.
Iron Man is back to A-Tier mainly do to his counters being so prevalent. With constant walls from Groot, shields from Doctor Strange, and High damage shots from Winter Soldier, it's difficult for Iron Man to be consistently useful match to match. His Unibeam is still extremely strong though, so he is definitely good enough to compete for A-Tier. Now with his new bonus health when activating overcharge, he can be a bit more difficult to deal with.
Moon Knight continues his trend in A-Tier this season, but he may soon move to S-Tier if the meta doesn't adjust to his buffed ultimate. His greatest strength is dealing rapid splash damage to a group of opponents, especially when you can sneak an ankh into the crowd. With his self-healing Team-Up ability and his buffed Moon Blade, it's much easier to survive on your own without needing a healer constantly.
Winter Soldier has made a soft fall into A-Tier this season. I say soft fall since he's still plenty strong, but he did lose the unlimited ammo boost with the Rocket Raccoon Team-Up. He also got a 50% cooldown increase on his hook, which was a major part of his popularity. His ultimate is still very strong, but it does a little less damage with each impact now. The new team-up with Cap is keeping him a popular pick, but not nearly as strong as last season.
Psylocke continues her trend of being a ghost that constantly deals bursts of damage, then wrecking the backline with her ultimate. She has a higher skill curve since she's a combo character, so her popularity isn't as high lately. Thanks to her new Team-Up with Emma Frost though, Psylocke has gotten a new tool to lock in those kills.
S Tier
Star-Lord has skyrocketed in popularity since the start of Season 1.5, and Season 2 hasn't shown much difference. His Blaster Barrage is a great option to take down evasive characters and deal rapid damage. With his lock-on ultimate, many teams will bait out ultimates so Star-Lord can wipe out everyone without contest. With Doctor Strange taking a back seat in the meta, Star-Lord is as effective as ever, making him a solid S-Tier.
Spider-Man is a character that can solo win you the game, or solo lose you the game. It all depends on which team's Spider-Man actually good. Thanks to the buff with Venom's Team-Up, Spidey has risen to be one of the game's top ban picks. While you can't always zero to death characters, he is great for singling out weak targets and confirming the kill, no matter where they are. With Namor being a frequent ban target, Spidey frequently gets to run free without his counter around to stop him. His ultimate is devastating to any backline and will let you either team wipe, or bait out healing ults. While he has a high learning curve, the meta clearly favors Spider-Man right now.
Namor has become quite the pain to deal with. It's not always that players don't pay attention to his octopus turrets, its that they can't afford to look away to shoot them. If he gets his team-up with Luna Snow, he can feel unstoppable. He is the primary way to stop or slow down divers like Magik, Black Panther, and Iron Fist. His ability to instantly encase himself in a shield also makes him difficult to secure a kill on. He can also just throw a turret down before he shields to make you pick between dealing damage or stopping your damage. He is the premiere choice for protecting an objective or your backline.
Squirrel Girl is a character I've been up and down on since her release, but she has a clear place in the meta now. Her constant bombardment of projectiles can make healing a nightmare. Not only is your entire team constantly taking chip damage, but you are under constant fire just trying to heal them. If a shot hits any character directly, their health can quickly plummet. She is a great option for holding down evasive enemies with her squirrels, then blasting them with acorns. She really feels like the next iteration of Hawkeye in terms of dealing constant damage safely from the backline.
Hela is back on top, though her pick rate isn't nearly as high as it once was. With healer ults tamed down a bit, Hela has become much more effective at terrorizing low HP targets. Her ultimate is a bit busted, giving her immorality so she can focus on kills without worry. With Thor and Loki being popular picks right now, she also offers free revives that can quickly turn the tides of a match. She's one of those sleeper characters that are really good, but players aren't playing her (or banning her) at a high frequency.
Any high ranking player knows that Wolverine is a tank killer. He is easily the most banned character in the game since he can easily pick up your tank, throw them away from their healers, and claw them to death. His regeneration ability makes him very difficult to secure a kill on as well. With how strong he is, you are better off spending a ban to get rid of the problem than to find ways to counter him. A character like that clearly deserves to be S-Tier.
Magik has had quite the surge in popularity, which is mainly due to her teleporting. With her vanishing completely each time she teleports, she dodges lots of attacks and wastes opponent's abilities. Since landing hits gives her bonus health, she's very effective at diving without needing to constantly retreat. Her ultimate may only buff her existing move set, but her moves are so strong in this meta, those buffs make her devastating on teams who don't have someone like Peni Parker to counter her.
Wrap Up
That's all for this Duelist 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 Strategist and Vanguard!
