Best Heroes: Casual Vanguard & Tank Meta Tier List (Season 1.5)

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, we 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. For specific rank, we aim for bronze to platinum as more "casual" players.

If you are interested in seeing a tier list designed for competitive play, check out our Competitive Vanguard Tier List!

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

For our lowest tier, we have Captain America and Groot. These characters are the weakest of all the Vanguard in terms of strength, versatility, and tank functionality for a casual setting.

Captain America is a really fun character that gets to run around and punch people in the face! However... he doesn't really pack enough of a punch to make an impact in matches. You can easily be annoying to the enemy team, but without some team coordination, you are just stalling the game. Playing Cap will often set your team back a tank that can actually get kills while still actively tanking for them.

Groot is a top tier character for high ranking players, but he can be devastating at lover ranks. His walls are great in theory, but you will more often than not put up a barrier that prevents your team from securing their kills. Walls can benefit both teams if Groot isn't managing them properly. If you are really good with him and can manage the walls, you're probably on the fast track to a higher ranking. For most players though, Groot is too slow and detrimental to a team.

B Tier

Coming in at the B-Tier are Thor and Magneto. These characters have a lot of potential, but they simply are too weak and tricky for the average player.

Magneto is a good character, but at lower ranks, he is just a worse doctor strange. His shielding only lasts a few seconds, so you have to be skilled at knowing when to use it. Your team won't be constantly shielded either, so they will frequently be under pressure. His ultimate can be good for absorbing damage, but it is very tricky to land hits correctly. With a lot of practice, he can be a good pick, but not for casual play.

Thor is in a similar place. He can be incredibly effective as a brawling tank, but it's very difficult to master his abilities. Thor also needs a consistent healer to help him recover since he has to be constantly in the opponent's face to deal damage. A lack of healing will frequently leave you stranded out in the open with no way to quickly find cover or healing. His abilities do give you a small boost of bonus health each time you use them, but that is the part of mastering the character that makes him great at high level play.

A Tier

Climbing up the Meta Tier List brings us to Doctor Strange, Thor, and Bruce Banner (Hulk). These are your solid characters that can be fun to use, strong in combat, and easier to pilot.

Doctor Strange is Rival's most popular tank. His ease of use makes him easily accessible to players since all they have to do is shoot and raise a shield. His teleport ability is also a great way to give a bad team a way to break through an enemy setup. Since you have total control of it, that means you have the power to influence the match. His only downsides that makes him A-Tier for casual players is his combo fighting. To effectively do damage, you have to constantly raise your shield, drop it and attack, melee, raise it, attack, melee, raise it, attack, then remove your curse so you don't get anti-heal. Without mastering his combo, you will have a hard time securing kills, making you a glorified wall holding back damage (which can still be helpful).

Venom can be a terror for opponents to deal with, but you have to know how to string together his abilities. It isn't super complicated, but it does need a little practice to get the hang of web swinging once, diving in, and escaping. The reason I consider him A-Tier over other combo-centered characters is his bonus health ability. Having a way to give yourself a massive health bar makes you able to survive a lot more than a normal tank. In casual play, you aren't likely to get targeted by the entire team, so you can manage much more successful dives.

Bruce Banner (Hulk) is a brawler like Thor, but a lot simpler. You jump in, punch stuff, and jump out. Why isn't he S-Tier? Those punches don't do a lot of damage at once, so you have to be committed to the battle. Without proper healing or knowing when to bail from a fight, you will die more often than you lock in kills. He can work much better with coordination, but that isn't frequent in casual settings.

S Tier

Holding the title as the best Vanguards, we have Peni Parker and The Thing/item]. 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.

[item]Peni Parker Is the master of annoying casual players. You can throw out mines without a care where they land, opponents will always find a way to die from them. Her spider-nest is practically invisible to players at low ranks, making it a very easy to farm kills from. Her webs also let you heal yourself, making you less dependent on healers to keep you going. She is a solid character to pick on any match and make an impact with no coordination at all with your team.

The Thing is the newest Vanguard added to Rivals, and he has quickly proven to be a beast of a tank. His ability to rush in, swing hard punches, and leap or sprint out makes him very easy to play. His charged attack deals a lot more damage than Hulk which lets you be much more effective at locking in kills. Your ability to be immovable ensures you can't be knocked off ledges or pulled into danger by Invisible Woman or Winter Soldier. You do want a healer around to let you keep brawling, but unlike the other brawlers, you have multiple abilities that let you rapidly escape to find cover or health.

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!