The Marvel Rivals Ignite Mid-Season Finals are just around the corner, and the top teams from across the regions are preparing for the game’s first LAN event.
Ten top rosters will go head to head from August 6th to 10th, 2025, fighting for the lion’s share of the $500,000 (~£376,700) prize pool and to be crowned the world champions.
From roster acquisitions, potential dark horses, meta changes and more, here are the biggest highlights going into the Marvel Rivals Ignite Mid-Season Finals.
Brr Brr Patapim: Finally Get Signed
After participating in multiple Rivals Fight Nights and clawing its way through Ignite Stage 1 as the underdog champions of EMEA, Brr Brr Patapim has finally been acquired by an organisation.
Citadel Gaming purchased the roster and its slot in the upcoming Mid-Season Finals on July 16th, 2025, forgoing the initial roster it signed up with ahead of Stage 1.
This is Citadel Gaming’s new roster:
- Aleks ‘Alx’ Suchev – Strategist
- Ken ‘Ken’ Leander Vang Aspestrand – Strategist
- Enzo ‘Nzo’ Keippe – Vanguard
- ‘Pky’ – Duelist
- Paal ‘Polly’ Arve Guno Eskildsen – Vanguard
- Roald ‘Tanuki’ Matthijs Rademakers – Duelist
- ‘Psych0’ – Duelist (Substitute)
Brr Brr Patapim enters the upcoming Ignite tournament as its dark horse following its surprise victory at EMEA, shocking fans and commentators alike. Defeating the likes of Virtus.pro — once considered to be the best team in the world — twice during Stage 1 has now put the team on everyone’s radar.
100 Thieves: The Big Comeback?
100 Thieves is no stranger to experiencing highs and lows when it comes to its Marvel Rivals journey. After starting off strong winning the NA Invitationals, it was followed by a defeat from Sentinels during the Season 1 Championships.
It then saw multiple losses at Rivals Fight Night, in addition to its defeat at the hands of ENVY at The Shroud Gauntlet. However, Stage 1 finally saw the organisation return to form. After gaining revenge against ENVY in Stage 1 lower bracket finals, it faced off against Sentinels once more in the Grand Finals. Despite losing in the end, it did so ending on a respectable 3-4 tiebreaker.
100 Thieves itself also boasts some of the best players stat-wise in the Marvel Rivals esports scene. 100 Thieves’ star duelist, Marschal ‘Terra’ Weaver, often wreaks havoc with Winter Soldier, seen with his Kraken Impact ultimate kill-streaks during the Grand Finals against Sentinels.
100 Thieves enters the Mid-Season Finals as one of the three qualified Americas teams, though its chances of victory hinge on whether it can overcome its biggest rival so far, Sentinels.
Sentinels: Current Favourites to Win?
Sentinels has always been regarded as one of the best teams in North America. It has come out on top in the Season 1 Championships (NA PC) and Ignite Stage 1, both of which were achieved by defeating 100 Thieves in the Upper Bracket Finals and Grand Finals.
Sentinels has a strong line-up of players, resulting in a team that is highly adaptable to any situation. For example, Ryan ‘Rymazing’ Bishop has proven to be a very dominant duellist who made flyers such as Human Torch and Iron Man a force to be reckoned with in the Grand Finals.
As a result, Sentinels is entering the upcoming LAN event not only as Americas champions, but one of the favourites to win the Mid-Season Finals. Though only time will tell if the team can repeat the strong performance it has displayed so far, or if it will fall short.
How the Season 3 Meta Will Impact the Mid-Season Finals
Marvel Rivals Season 3 has certainly shaken up the meta, as flyers lose their dominance and new characters take the spotlight. We are likely to see different strategies unfold during the Marvel Rivals Ignite Mid-Season Finals.
Wolverine and Black Panther have been running rampant, even after adjustments, in competitive playlists. Wolverine saw a new team-up that granted life-steal, meaning players could be much bolder with their plays as he became harder to kill. Players are also becoming more skilled with Black Panther’s kit, as they dive into the backline and remove Strategists from play.
Phoenix is the latest addition to Marvel Rivals as it enters Season 3: the Abyss Awakens. Her ultimate counters characters like Rocket Raccoon because of its ability to remove summons. Combined with her high damage at long ranges, on top of good mobility, and she has quickly become one of the best characters in the game.
Vanguards have struggled this season due to how much damage a team can dish out during games, but the best characters remain unchanged from Season 2. Groot’s walls can dish out good damage and block off sight lines, and Magneto is a reliable pick as he protects Strategists with Metal Bulwark and Meteor M ultimate.
New game plans are coming to light with support characters. In addition to keeping the team alive, there’s been a strong emphasis on damage boosting allies to secure eliminations. This includes Luna Snow’s ultimate, but also Cloak & Dagger with the Terror Cape ability, which has resulted in the character seeing a spike in popularity at higher levels of play.
Marvel Rivals Hosts Its First LAN Event
The Mid-Season Finals is the first offline tournament officially hosted by NetEase since Marvel Rivals launched. Taking place in Gangzhou, China, teams will be competing against one another on the same stage as opposed to an online lobby.
As it’s on-site, gameplay should prove to be much smoother for both players and viewers to enjoy. In addition, we may see fewer instances of pro players disconnecting or failing to join a match, demanding a coach or substitute player to fill in. For viewers, this should mean that matches begin on schedule more consistently.
Fans will have to wait to see how the new setting impacts players and their performance, especially those competing in esports for the first time; whether they showcase the same skill they’ve demonstrated so far or crack under the pressure.