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 Vanguard class. If you want see more characters, check out our Strategist 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.
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.
S Tier
A Tier
B Tier
C Tier
C Tier
For our lowest tier, we have Bruce Banner (Hulk) and Peni Parker. These characters are the weakest of all the Vanguard in terms of strength, versatility, and tank functionality.
Hulk can be such a fun character. He can jump in, slap a bunch of enemies around, and absorb some damage. His issue is he is basically a worse version of Venom in every way. He has too low of health to really be a threat, and he requires you getting extremely close to do any damage. He doesn't have any great ways to deal with ranged threats, and he often becomes an easy to kill target. When he changes to Bruce Banner, it can often delay the time it takes for you to return as Hulk, since you may die right after shrinking down to Banner. For a similar playstyle that has much more versatility, just play Venom.
Peni Parker is the only Vanguard that doesn't even feel like a tank. She relies on slowing enemies down with traps to protect her team, but enemies often don't even interact with them. Her tether ability can be great for moving quickly, but she struggles to fulfill her role as a bullet sponge for the team. You often find yourself hiding from combat waiting for opponents to trigger your trap. It often makes you more of a liability than an asset for your team. That doesn't even mention her ultimate ability that often proves very lackluster.
B Tier
Coming in at the B-Tier are Magneto and Captain America. These characters have a lot of potential, but they simply are too weak and tricky for the average player.
Magneto was once a S-Tier character in the beta. He has since been nerfed, and he feels significantly worse. He definitely isn't unplayable, but he's very tricky to use well. His shield can't absorb very much damage now, making him rely more on his other abilities for protection. He does have decent damage and a great team up with Scarlet Witch, but that doesn't make him inherently a good character.
Captain America can feel like the opposite of Magneto: great at blocking damage, bad at dealing damage. His primary attack feels super weak and requires you to get super close. He does have a sprint function combined with a ground pound, but you will often find yourself surrounded with limited shield after landing. A high rank player can probably make this character look incredible. For the average player though, he just doesn't make the cut for a great character pick.
A Tier
Climbing up the Meta Tier List brings us to Groot and Thor. These are your solid characters that can be fun to use, strong in combat, and easier to pilot.
Thor can be a great bullet sponge since he can self heal a little. His attacks make him scary to fight against, especially when he dashes in. His Awakened State can let him really stand out as a serious threat. He also has a great Team-Up with Hela, which allows him to get extra health or even be revived. Since Hela is also a strong character, this team up is very viable and pushes Thor to the A-Tier.
Groot is an incredibly strong tank with a unique way to protect the team. His ability to create walls can massively shift the momentum a team has. His ultimate ability can easily win you rounds by forcing all of the opponents to bunch up together and not move. The biggest factor holding Groot back from S-Tier is his difficulty curve for the average player. While the walls can help the team, they can also hurt the team just as much. There have been countless time a Groot wall can save an opponent from death, or block a team member from retreating safely. More experienced players won't have this issue, but for a large portion of the player base, it can be a huge liability at times.
S Tier
Holding the title as the best Vanguards, we have Venom and Doctor Strange. These characters have proven to stand out from all of the other Vanguards thanks to their versatility and ability to fulfill their roles of tank the best.
Venom has one of the craziest abilities in the game that allows him to gain a massive amount of health with the press of a single button. This makes him the highest health character in the game! His web swing let's him quickly jump into and out of combat. These two factors let him waste the opponent's abilities trying to kill him, and they often can't do it. If you have a healer also protecting Venom, he can be incredibly hard to kill. This makes him perfect for protecting the team as a massive bullet sponge. His ultimate is also a great area attack that can deal massive damage.
Doctor Strange is a character that seems weak at first, but quickly becomes one of the game's strongest Vanguards. His shield barrier is very large and absorbs a ton of damage, making him extremely effective at protecting targets. His portal can single handedly let your team put immense pressure on an objective by returning from spawn significantly faster. Since you can also place the portal without moving your character, you can place it in your ideal spot every time. His ultimate ability is also incredibly strong and works perfectly with a coordinated team.
Wrap Up
That's all for our Vanguard 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 Meta Tier Lists for Strategists and Duelists!
