Marvel Rivals has become immensely popular since its release on Dec. 6, 2024. The game is phenomenally well-rounded, and each of its characters is amazingly enjoyable to play. Marvel Rivals divides its characters into three roles, each with a different purpose in a match. Duelists are focused on dealing damage to enemies as fast as possible, while Vanguards try to keep their team safe from harm by having the highest base HP of any class in the game. The third role is Strategist, and unfortunately, it is the role that is the hardest to get new players to try.

Strategists have the main goal of healing their allies to keep them alive for as long as possible. Usually, this healing is fulfilled by a Strategist’s primary fire, but most strategists have ways to heal outside of this. Rocket Raccoon uses his secondary fire to apply area-of-effect healing to his allies, while Mantis can consume stored Life Orbs to give her allies healing over time. Overall, playing the Strategist role in Marvel Rivals is a highly underappreciated job, and each strategist has powerful tools to heal their allies.

8

Jeff the Land Shark is in Sore Need of Buffs

First Appearance: West Coast Avengers Vol. 3 #6

Jeff the Land Shark might be the cutest character in the game, but he is arguably one of the most underpowered characters as well. Most strategist characters have multiple consistent ways of healing allies, but Jeff’s kit is rather situational. His healing fire does not have the range that other strategists have, and his healing bubbles can often be zoned off by enemy crowd control. Fortunately, when Jeff is near multiple allies, his healing is consistent and easy to apply, and his mobility allows him to get in the right position at any time.

Related

7 Things We Wish We Knew Before Playing Strategist in Marvel Rivals

Many different techniques go into playing Strategist, and there are key tips players need to know to play the support class in Marvel Rivals.

While Jeff the Land Shark’s healing is subpar, he does offer some other utility to his team. His damage is surprisingly decent compared to some other strategists, and his ultimate ability is great for either point control or throwing multiple enemies off the map simultaneously. Overall, Jeff the Land Shark is in sore need of some buffs, but he can still be great with the right team composition.

7

Adam Warlock Has Great Revive Utility But is Mediocre at Healing

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #66

Adam Warlock has some of the best utility of any character in Marvel Rivals. He can revive himself every time he dies by floating to a new point and hoping that enemies do not chase him down. Furthermore, his ultimate ability can revive multiple people after they are taken down in combat, making him able to keep fights going for a long duration. However, Adam Warlock’s healing is unfortunately subpar compared to his Strategist counterparts.

Adam Warlock’s primary fire does not heal allies, and he does not have a secondary fire to make up for this. His only form of healing is a beam ability that is on a lengthy cooldown, meaning that his healing is inconsistent. While Adam Warlock does fit on most teams, he is best with another healer on his team who can make up for the inconsistencies in his healing.

6

Loki’s Healing is Situational, But It Can Be Potent

First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #85

Loki is arguably the hardest Strategist to play in Marvel Rivals. His abilities make him tricky to deal with, but they also require players to have a full understanding of his kit to maximize his potential. Furthermore, he can copy enemy kits for a short period, making him able to shift into whatever character fits the current moment in a match. Loki’s utility is massive, and he is a formidable foe, but his healing is quite situational because of how it functions.

Loki’s primary fire is his main source of healing. Unfortunately, his attacks heal less than most other strategists, so players have to be inventive when trying to keep their allies in the fight. However, Loki can place clones that copy his primary fire when it is used, making him easily able to triple his healing. Furthermore, he has an area-of-effect ability that makes a healing field around him and his clones, making him able to heal allies back to full HP in an instant. Overall, Loki’s base healing is rather low, but he can easily make it much higher by properly positioning his clones.

5

Rocket Raccoon’s Healing Relies on His Allies

First Appearance: Incredible Hulk # 271

Rocket Raccoon is one of the most versatile Strategists in Marvel Rivals. His primary fire does good damage to enemies, and his mobility is unmatched by other Strategists because of his ability to run along walls. Furthermore, he can revive allies once every 40 seconds, making him phenomenal for point control and lengthy team fights. While he does provide good healing, it can be hard to apply if allies are unaware of how it functions.

Related

Marvel Rivals Player Has Reached Grandmaster Without Ever Damaging Anyone

It’s all about the support.

Rocket Raccoon has two sources of healing, and allies need to be aware of how each one works to succeed. Rocket’s main source of healing is his secondary fire, which fires a healing orb that bounces off of terrain and heals all allies it passes. His other form of healing comes from the healing gears that his revive beacon spawns, as they heal allies slightly if they pick them up. Overall, Rocket Raccoon is amazing in any team composition, but his strategy can fall apart if allies are unaware of how it works.

4

Mantis is an Amazing Multipurpose Strategist

First Appearance: The Avengers #112

Mantis is arguably the best strategist in Marvel Rivals. Her kit does not completely revolve around her healing, and she can occasionally function as another DPS when she has to because her damage is so high. What makes Mantis truly powerful is her ability to buff allied damage in a fight without having to use an ultimate ability. However, this utility does not overshadow her healing, as it has some of the most unique functionality in the game.

When Mantis hits an enemy, she gains a stack of her life orb passive. She can use these stacks to heal allies over time based on how many life orbs she had at the time she used them. Her ultimate ability is a massive area-of-effect that heals allies who stand in it while also providing Mantis with movement speed. Overall, Mantis is an amazing Strategist who will continue to dominate the meta because of her versatility in battle.

3

Invisible Woman Controls the Map While Protecting Her Allies

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #1

Invisible Woman is the newest Strategist in Marvel Rivals. Unlike some of the game’s other Strategists, Invisible Woman is phenomenal at controlling the map with amazing crowd control abilities. Her ultimate ability heals allies that are standing in it while making them invisible, and it also slows enemies that walk into it. Furthermore, she also has a knockback that can send enemies off the map, which makes enemies have to be cautious near her. Along with her crowd-control abilities, Invisible Woman has consistent healing.

To make the most of Invisible Woman’s healing, players need to position themselves properly. Her primary fire returns to her, healing all allies along the path of her attacks while also being able to damage multiple enemies. Overall, Invisible Woman’s healing comes in many forms, making her phenomenally useful to have on the player’s team in numerous situations.

2

Cloak & Dagger Has Two Sets of Tricks

First Appearance: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #64

Cloak & Dagger is the only character in Marvel Rivals with two forms. Stance characters are not uncommon in hero-shooters, and players who want to have success with the character need to utilize both stances to have success. Cloak cannot heal allies, but he does amazing damage. To heal allies, players need to use Dagger. Luckily, Dagger has multiple ways of healing her allies: four, to be exact.

Her most consistent form of healing is her primary fire, which has a larger hotbox than most other Strategists in the game. Along with her primary fire, Dagger can send out a wall that heals allies it passes through, and she can also throw out a sphere of daggers that heals allies that stand inside of it. Finally, her ultimate ability heals all allies that it dashes through and leaves an area-of-effect heal for a few seconds afterward. Cloak & Dagger is a phenomenally well-rounded character with some of the game’s best healing options.

1

Luna Snow is Marvel Rivals’ Most Consistent Healer

First Appearance: Marvel Future Fight

Luna Snow has the most reliable healing in Marvel Rivals. Not only does she heal a lot in one instance, but she can also heal multiple allies at the same time. Like other strategists, Luna Snow primarily heals her allies with her primary fire. However, she has many other ways of providing her team with healing buffs and hindering the enemy team in the process.

Related

10 Superheroines Fans Want to See Added to Marvel Rivals ASAP

Superheroines have been taking down bad guys for decades now, and some of them are the strongest heroes in all of comics.

Luna Snow has phenomenal self-healing that automatically activates whenever she casts any of her ice abilities. Her ultimate ability can be toggled between two forms, as one of them heals allies and the other one damage enemies. Overall, Luna Snow is one of the best characters in Marvel Rivals, and her numerous ways of healing allies make her an amazing addition to every team.

Third-Person Shooter

Action

Multiplayer

Released

December 6, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen // Violence

Genres