Marvel Rivals Duelist tier list

Marvel Rivals is about to enter Season 5, with Gambit and Rogue set to join the hero roster. With two new heroes in play, now seems like the perfect time to consider which Duelist heroes in Marvel Rivals are the best choices for competitive play and which are the best to avoid. 

We’ve carefully examined the 23 Duelists currently available to play as in Marvel Rivals. We’re going to rank each one on a scale of S-Tier to D-Tier to help you figure out which hero is the most effective in the current meta. 

Marvel Rivals Duelist tier list explained

As with other online multiplayer games, such as Overwatch 2, or MOBAs like League of Legends, every patch and season will shift the meta of the game. Some characters get buffs, while others receive nerfs. These alterations can change the way that a hero is played, and it can be tricky for casual comp fans to keep track of these changes. 

Marvel Rivals has the added feature of hero team-ups, wherein certain heroes get different abilities if they are on the same team as another specific character. These team-ups change from season to season. Some are altered, new ones are added, and others are removed, shifting the meta entirely. We’ll be considering the current Season 4.5 meta with our Duelist tier list. 

How our Marvel Rivals Duelist tier list was compiled

In this Marvel Rivals tier list, we’ll be looking at which Duelists are top-level heroes and which aren’t doing as well in the game’s current meta. Here’s a quick look at the tier ranking system that our list has been organised with. 

• S-Tier: The top choices for the current meta that are able to profoundly impact gameplay. These heroes often have high win rates and pick rates, although they can also be prone to high ban rates. 
• A-Tier: Reliable characters that can work in a range of situations in the current meta, but they don’t dominate like S-Tier heroes. 
• B-Tier: Can be excellent to use in certain team compositions or on particular maps, but they are more situational than S and A-Tier heroes. 
• C-Tier: Niche heroes who can be countered easily, have been nerfed or don’t have as much power as other characters. 
• D-Tier: These heroes are not effective in the current meta. Only pros will be able to play them effectively in a comp situation. 

Our rankings are based on the most recent patch notes, pro-play trends, and community performance data. Some of the community platforms we use include Rivals Tracker, Marvel Rivals.gg, and Mobalytics. Players can also look at the stats of each hero in each role via the Hero Hot List on the official Marvel Rivals website. We’ll be compiling our list with information from that, too. 

Marvel Rivals Duelist tier list in brief

Here is our list of the 23 Marvel Rivals characters in the Duelist role, along with their corresponding tiers within the Season 4.5 meta. 

Tier	Heroes
S	• Hela • Magik
A	• Black Panther • Daredevil • Moon Knight • Namor • Psylocke • The Punisher • Star-Lord • Storm
B	• Hawkeye • Iron Fist • Iron Man  • Mister Fantastic • Scarlet Witch • Spider-Man • Winter Soldier • Wolverine
C	• Blade • Human Torch • Phoenix • Squirrel Girl
D	• Black Widow

S-Tier

Hela and Magik have both been through a similar journey in Marvel Rivals. When the game was first released, they were frequently banned due to their strength and how difficult they made life for the enemy team’s support. They then went through changes that put them back into neutral territory, but both have since regained their power and are now top-tier Duelists in the Marvel Rivals ranks. 

Magik’s combination of manoeuvrability via her Stepping Discs and her powerful melee attacks can cause chaos behind the enemy lines. She also has an impressive win rate for both consoles (53.30%) and PC (54.20%). 

Hela has had some great buffs recently to improve her survivability, making her a force to be reckoned with, thanks to thi,s along with her high damage and precision. Hela has also received a powerful team-up with Namor this season, making her all the more dangerous when paired with him. 

A-Tier

Black Panther maintains a high position thanks to how easily he can annihilate enemy Strategists when played well. T’Challa’s speed, combined with his engagement power and melee brawler tactics, can be highly effective, so it’s no surprise that he still has a high ban rate. 

Much like Hela and Magik, Storm is also seeing a resurgence following her exceptionally high ban rates when the game first released. Her ultimate remains a force to be reckoned with, both with and without team-ups. As a flyer, she can be vulnerable to shooters, but her zoning skills, manoeuvrability and that AOE-based ultimate put her in A-Tier. 

Star-Lord is a hero who fluctuates within tier lists. Depending on the skill of the person playing him, he can be easily countered or taken out with ease. However, top-level Star-Lord players can cause havoc on the battlefield with quick-fire bursts from his Elemental Guns and his ability to jump in and out of a fight with his jet boots. When you have an aggressive diver, Star-Lord, on your side who knows when to retreat, your chances of winning will skyrocket. 

B-Tier 

While initially seen in higher levels, Mister Fantastic has become a B-Tier duelist in the Marvel Rivals roster. While still a strong hero who can excel in certain team compositions, he doesn’t do as well when engaging in a 1v1 against certain heroes. 

Scarlet Witch is vulnerable due to her low health bar, but she can still perform a team wipe if her ultimate is timed well. She is also great to use against squishier enemies and support heroes thanks to her lock-on primary fire. Players will constantly have to keep an eye on her cooldown times, though, as she can be heavily reliant on them. 

Hawkeye is a hero who can be very inconsistent, but there is no doubt that in the right hands, he can be a lethal opponent and take down enemy supports with ease. This ability to become close to unstoppable when played with high-level skill prevents Hawkeye from entering the lower tiers on our list. 

C-Tier

Squirrel Girl has often been thought to be a nuisance Duelist hero due to her one-shot abilities without the need for precision. However, this has led to her becoming the target of several nerfs, with reductions to her ultimate’s health, damage and an increase to her cooldowns. She has also become easier to counter, placing her firmly in C-Tier for now. 

Human Torch has also had several nerfs in Season 4.5, with reductions to his speed, projectiles and increased cooldowns. He remains vulnerable when in the air, but he now has less of a chance to escape or deal a killing blow due to these nerfs. He is more of a situational pick with the meta as of right now. 

Blade’s anti-healing skills and sustainability seemed like they would lead him to become a top-tier Duelist when he was released. However, he is still struggling with inconsistencies in his kit and a vulnerability to divers, so as of right now, we can’t place him any higher than C-Tier. 

D-Tier

Black Widow still hasn’t managed to establish herself as a worthwhile hero in the Marvel Rivals meta. Unless you are an expert with her kit, it is best to avoid her in competitive situations.

Despite being a sniper, she deals surprisingly low damage. Her sniper rifle should be the crux of her kit, but it leaves players wanting and needing more for it to be effective. Her crowd control, melee skills and movement ability are also lacking, especially when compared to others with similar skills. Hopefully, Black Widow will see some much-needed changes in the future, but for now, she isn’t worth playing in comp unless you are a pro. 

Conclusion

That’s our Duelist tier list for Marvel Rivals as of the current meta in Season 4.5. Remember that just because a hero is placed in a lower tier, it doesn’t mean that they can’t be effective in certain situations or compositions. If your favourite hero isn’t in our higher tiers, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play them. It just means you might find it a bit trickier to be as effective in competitive matches if you are not an expert. Casual games are all about having fun, so don’t feel like you need to get good with one of the higher-tier heroes if you don’t want to, as you can enjoy any character in a quick-play game. 

When it comes to comp games, lower-tier heroes can always be effective in the right hands, too. Pro players can turn the tides of any game, no matter what hero they play as, but keep in mind which heroes are the most effective in which situations if you want to increase your chances of winning and make the most out of your chosen Marvel Rivals Duelist. 

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