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.
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.
S Tier
A Tier
B Tier
C Tier
C Tier
For our lowest tier, we have Bruce Banner (Hulk) This characters is 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.
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 is a good character, but he can be quite tricky to play well with. He isn't complicated, so he's easy to pick up and learn the game with. At a casual level though, you really can't depend on your team to help you succeed. His ultimate is a damage and ultimate blocker, so he doesn't get as much value than in competitive play.
Captain America can really be a menace in casual play. He can run around you and pull up his shield every time you attack him. Next thing you know, he's in your face hitting you with his shield. His primary attack is super weak though and requires you to get a lot of hits in. He does have a sprint function combined with a ground pound, but you will often find yourself surrounded with limited shield after landing. Even after his recent buffs, Captain America just doesn't dish out enough damage.
A Tier
Climbing up the Meta Tier List brings us to Groot, Thor, and Peni Parker. 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.
Peni Parker has proven to be a strong alternative tank. Instead of blocking damage outright, she traps an area and becomes a constant annoyance. For average players, there is very little coordination. You will get a large amount of kills simply by having mines in weird spots. Even if you flood the capture point with mines, most players will mindlessly keep running into them. Her webs can be tricky to use for mobility, but, they are great at making any area seem threatening. Her ultimate is her only lackluster ability, which can still be an effective way of spreading more of those pesky mines.
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!
