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 the average player. This means not brand new to the game, but not a high ranking player either. Typically this means players from Bronze to Platinum.
If you are interested in seeing a tier list designed for competitive play, check out our Competitive Strategist Tier List!
S Tier
A Tier
B Tier
C Tier
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 low ranking. For casual players especially, you can dominate with any character if you master them. This list is designed for players looking to play the game without studying and mastering a character.
C Tier
Many players will disagree on this pick, but for the average player, Loki is the worst of your strategists. He requires quite a bit of planning and awareness that is difficult to master. He has great potential, but in most lower rank matches, you will often forget Loki is even on your team. Additionally, causal players tend to overuse his invisibility and run away when they are needed most as a healer. For these reasons, I consider Loki to be the worst character for the average player.
B Tier
Mantis is an incredible character with a lot of potential, but she has a high precision requirement to be used well. Her abilities don't have cooldowns, and instead rely on your life force recharging. You can instantly get a new charge after landing a headshot, but that is difficult to do consistently for casual players. Without those critical hits, you don't do much damage and don't get many healing opportunities. Her ultimate is what makes her stand out over Loki, granting the team massive healing without needing to be accurate.
A Tier
Holding the A-Tier spots are Luna Snow, Adam Warlock, and Invisible Woman. These are great characters with a lot of strong abilities. They just fall behind the S-Tier characters outperforming them.
Adam Warlock is an very unique character with his ability to cacoon himself and revive the entire team. He has a very strong weapon that makes him formidable in combat situations. His self-revive gives you a little wiggle room to make bold plays without risking the team losing their healer. His only drawback is that all of his healing comes from cooldown abilities. This can put your team in a bind when you are stuck waiting on a timer to let you do your job, but it's much simpler for casual players to heal with.
Luna-Snow This season Luna is dropping down a bit in tiers. With her ultimate charging a bit slower than before, and her team-up less frequent in causal/ low ranks, she often isn't as impactful as other healers. Don't get me wrong, she can still be a great healer for your team, but she isn't quite as simple and effective as the S-Tier.
Invisible Woman has had some time to settle in the meta since her release, and she remains at an A-Tier. Her attacks doing both healing and damage makes her almost an S-Tier, but she requires you to be much closer to combat. You can't always rely on your allies to protect you while you heal them, so you will often find yourself alone. You can turn invisible and run away, but now you aren't contributing. Her ultimate is still great though and can give your team a chance to recoup in the middle of a battle.
S Tier
Our final tier features Jeff the Land Shark, Cloak & Dagger, and Rocket Raccoon! These are your best of the best characters that shine above the other Strategists.
Jeff the Land Shark is the definition of a casual healer. He can focus heal very well, but he can't multitask at all. You are either shooting or healing... or swimming away. His self healing dive ability is what makes him deadly in casual/low ranks. Most players don't know how to handle this shark that can't be shot and heals himself, all while they are getting blasted with water bullets. His ultimate is super effective when you are surrounded by opponents who don't know how to evade it, which can give you easy team wipes. He can be oppressive enough that you can play him as a DPS if your team doesn’t need your healing. I wouldn't plan on maining him if you're wanting to go competitive, but for some fun, easy strategist gameplay, Jeff is perfect.
Cloak & Dagger has proven to be a premiere healer across all rankings. Her biggest appeal is her auto aim. Not having to be precise with aiming is the hallmark of a casual player. You can sit back, always be effective, and use a strong ultimate when needed. Cloak's side of things is also very appealing since you can do lots of easy, lock-on damage that protects you from divers. The recent buff to his blinding wall makes him even scarier to face one on one.
Rocket Raccoon should be no surprise to most players. The character is extremely versatile and has an amazing ability set. His revive station can be the key to keeping a push from stalling out. His rocket jumps can quickly get him (and Groot) out of bad situations and prevent your death. His healing shots don't require perfect aim, and they bounce multiple times. This makes him perfect for healing flying characters and healing the team in tight corridors. You can also make some fun bank shots off objects to bounce healing to teammates who aren't visible. His weapon is also very strong, making him a force to be reckoned with. He also boasts some of the best win/loss stats of any healer, proving his value is strong enough to compete with the other healers.
Wrap Up
That's all for this Strategist Meta Tier List! 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!
