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 8.5 Overview
This is a full Season 8.5 update to the tier list based on:
- The metagame at end of Season 8.0
- Balance adjustments for Season 8.5
- Changes to Team-Ups for Season 8.5
- New Season 8.5 Hero: Cyclops
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.
New Hero: Cyclops!
The new character added with season 8.5 is the leader of the X-Men himself, Cyclops! While it is too early to judge him fairly, early impressions are that he is yet another new character releasing really strong. As the meta plays out a bit and players learn to properly use and play against him, he will get a proper meta ranking.
C Tier
Black Widow just can't find a place in the meta. She constantly lives in the shadow of Hawkeye since he can one-shot opponents and she can't. Even Hela can do her job better. Season after season, no change has been enough to make her viable. Now in season 6.0, no changes have occurred, so she remains at the bottom yet again.
Scarlet Witch can't get any traction in the meta. She was looking up for a while, but when the buffs stopped coming, her playrate fell off. She simply lacks dps output. Locking onto enemies for slow, draining damage just doesn't compare to quick bursts of damage that most other DPS provide. While she is the top of the meta in casual, the ranked meta has no place for her.
It's nice to see Mister Fantastic got a buff with season 8.0, but his fundamentals aren't any different. This is a character who rules the casual scene, but is non-existent in the broader meta. Maybe we see an uptick in play in the future, but at this point nothing has changed.
Pay no attention to the Squirrel Girl buff with 8.0. It isn't changing her baseline issues as a meta pick, so throwing an extra acorn or jumping again is a mediocre change. Hopefully we will see an actual change in the future...
B Tier
The reign of Black Cat is officially over. Rather than take the Gambit approach and make tiny nerfs every season, she got hit with possibly the biggest set of nerfs of any character since the game launched. Less damage, shorter targeting range, less dashes, and more expensive relics have decimated the character. She's still playable, but she no longer is the constant pick. There are plenty of better picks than her now, so she's falling down into B-Tier.
Another season, another buff to Blade. Nothing changed in previous seasons when he has gotten buffs, and it's the same result this season. Perhaps one day we may finally see the buffs make enough impact to make him viable.
Deadpool has been lackluster in his DPS form, so it's not shocking to see some slight buffs with season 7.0. He still isn't great though, and definitely isn't better than his healer or tank versions. Considering you can only have 1 Deadpool on your team, you don't want to block the better versions by picking the worst one.
Human Torch got some minor buffs with season 8.5, but that doesn’t stop him from having the curse of being a flier. The buffs are good, but they don't matter when you can get killed so easily.
Speaking of fliers, Iron Man got some 7.0 buffs, but it isn't changing much for the competitive scene. While dive is coming back, poke basically went untouched, so fliers are still easy kills. These are the kinds of changes though that will rocket Iron Man to high A-Tier once poke is toned down a bit.
Spider-Man is in a very interesting position. He is arguably the hardest character in the game to play, which makes him fairly weak for the broad playerbase. This makes his meta presence basically zero. His ultimate buff with the 8.0 update makes him a bit more lethal with his easiest (and most relied on) kill method. Spidey mains are typically either amazing (putting them in the highest ranks) or in the lower ranks. This change makes those bad Spidey players have more impact, so I think its fair to say he isn't C-Tier anymore. Top players will still get way more value from him, but for the general playerbase, he's a B-Tier now.
Storm is in the same situation: solid character that can't be used with poke being too prominent. She also seems to be sitting on ready for the moment the meta welcomes fliers again. In the meantime though, shes sticking with the other fliers in B-Tier.
It might be surprising seeing Black Panther in B-Tier, but his performance has been surprisingly bad compared to other divers. Now that Black Cat has arrived with season 7.5, she takes the place of Panther in the meta. There's a chance we see Panther resurge if he finds a good comp to support him, but for now, he isn't doing any better than B-Tier.
Hawkeye has fallen back in the meta a bit with dive becoming more relevant. He is still very potent and can one-shot a large portion of the roster, but he isn't the best of the best anymore. Teams are just much more mobile now than they used to be, making it hard for Hawkeye to actually be effective.
A Tier
There was a small surprise buff for Iron Fist in the 8.0 patch. It isn't making a huge impact on the meta, but these are the kinds of changes that quietly make the character really good over time. As soon as the top divers get toned down, he will be there to step into that role as a better pick. For now though, he is still out performed by other divers, putting him in A-Tier this season.
Winter Soldier has been up and down across the meta lately, but seems to have leveled out at an A-Tier. He isn't the best, but he has proven to be much better than many others. Somehow after tons of nerfs and buffs, he's fairly well rounded now. A reliable pick I'd you're looking for a new main this season!
Psylocke joins the group of divers that are better now thanks to slight buffs and a meta shift to favor dive. Considering you want to farm her ultimate though, and they just got nerfed, she stills isn't better than other dive picks. She hits that fine line of B+ and A- for tiers, but A is a better representation right now for her.
This might be surprising, but Hela is dropping to A-Tier. Nothing about her has changed, but Phoenix has stolen her spotlight. The two characters play a very similar role, and the 8.0 patch has pushed Phoenix to a higher ceiling than Hela can go. It's a time in the meta where you will see Hela only if Phoenix has been banned, which warrants a drop to A-Tier.
With the introduction of Cyclops, Moon Knight had to be toned down a bit. They both share similarities in attacking groups of enemies, and Moon Knight bas been a bit too popular. He is still plenty usable, but he's no longer S-Tier, and it moving down to a low A-Tier position.
Namor continues to be a solid off-meta pick. You don't see him as much as other DPS, but he's still worth playing. Getting a new buff in 8.5 just further justifies his placement in A-Tier.
S Tier
Like most new characters released this year, Daredevil has gotten his seasonal nerfs in 8.5 to attempt to reign him in. It's made a little impact, but he still sees plenty of play and has solid stats to back it. For now, I wouldn't expect to see Daredevil going anywhere.
Good ole' Wolverine keeps returning back to the top of the meta. He is simply a great way for your team to deal with annoying tanks. There isn't another character that can fill his role in the same way, and this meta has a big need for tank killers.
The top character in the game, Phoenix, continues to be the top in season 8.5. She was so overtuned in 8.0 that her latest nerfs aren't making a real impact on her viability. Whether you like it or not, Phoenix is sticking around in the top of the meta.
It's no surprise seeing Star-Lord get a quick nerf following his crazy buffs in 8.0. The changes will be more impactful in the top level play, but for the majority of the playerbase, he's still a top tier pick.
The Punisher has had a surge in popularity lately thanks to dive. He makes for a good counter since he can swap between ranged fire and a shotgun to handle those more aggressive characters. Now that Winter Soldier has fallen in the meta, Punisher has stepped up and taken his place in S-Tier.
Magik seems to have gotten some slight preemptive nerfs in preparation for a dive season. With that said, she's still really good! She's one of your best dive picks for DPS, so the dive comeback is a perfect setting for her. Now that all ultimates have been toned down, she has more room to do her job and not be stopped by constant healer ults.
Elsa Bloodstone landed herself a small buff with the 8.5 update. It isn't major, but she was a great character to begin with. Thanks to Black Cat falling out of the meta, Elsa has stepped up to fill the void.
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!
