Dr. Strange is weird. Not just "Master of the Mystic Arts" weird, but weird for a hero shooter. Usually, when you pick a mage in a game like Marvel Rivals, you expect to sit in the back, glass cannon style, praying a stray Tracer bullet doesn't end your whole career. But Doctor Strange abilities Marvel Rivals fans have been testing tell a different story. He’s bulky. He’s loud. He’s basically a magical shield with a cape that has a mind of its own.
If you’ve played the closed alpha or the beta tests, you know the feeling of seeing a Strange player hovering in the frontline and thinking, "Wait, shouldn't he be squishier?" Nope. NetEase Games decided to lean into the "Vanguard" adjacent side of his kit, even though he's technically a Strategist (support/utility) or a high-sustain DPS depending on how the meta shifts during the 2026 updates. Honestly, he’s the guy you pick when your team is dying too fast and you need a literal wall of magic to stop the bleeding.
The Core Kit: More Than Just Sparkles
Let’s talk about the Daggers of Denak. This is your primary fire. It’s not a hitscan. You’re throwing projectiles. They have a bit of travel time, which means if you’re trying to hit a flying Iron Man from across the map, you’re gonna have a bad time unless you lead your shots perfectly. It feels meaty, though. Each hit builds up "Dark Magic" or "Soul" resources in some iterations of the build, which you then dump into your more impactful spells.
The Mistery of the Mystic Arts isn't just a fancy name for a passive. It’s the engine. Strange thrives on a cycle of aggression and mitigation. You aren't just spamming buttons; you're managing a rhythm.
The Shield That Changes Everything
The Shield of Seraphim is probably the most important of all Doctor Strange abilities Marvel Rivals offers for team play. It’s a massive, circular orange barrier. You’ve seen it in the movies. In-game, it’s a lifesaver. But here’s the kicker: it isn't infinite. It has a health bar. If a Punisher decides to dump his entire turret into your face, that shield is going to shatter faster than Strange’s surgical career. The trick is placement. You don't just drop it and forget it. You dance around it.
You use it to bridge the gap.
Verticality and the Cloak of Levitation
Strange can fly. Sorta. It’s more of a sustained hover. By activating his flight ability, you gain a massive vantage point. This is crucial because his Seven Suns of Cinnibus—that huge beam of light—requires a clear line of sight to really wreck a team’s positioning. If you’re stuck on the ground behind a wall, you’re wasting the ultimate. You want to be high up, looking down like a judgmental wizard, raining golden light on anyone brave (or dumb) enough to stay on the objective.
Portals: The Skill Ceiling is Through the Roof
Look, anyone can press a button to shoot a beam. But the Pentagram Portal? That’s where the pros separate themselves from the casuals. Strange can place two portals. One near your team, one... somewhere else.
👉 See also: God of War Saga Games: Why the Greek Era is Still the Best Part of Kratos’ Story
Imagine you’re on a map with a massive environmental pit. You place a portal at the edge. Your teammate, maybe a Hulk or a Magneto, punts an enemy toward you. You don't even have to kill them; you just let the portal do the work. Or, more practically, you use it for retreats. If a Black Panther dives your backline, you pop a portal and suddenly your entire support squad is 50 meters away on a high ledge.
It’s buggy sometimes. Let’s be real. Portals in high-speed hero shooters are a coding nightmare. Sometimes you’ll clip, or the placement will be slightly off, but when it works, it feels like you have a 200 IQ. It changes the map geometry. It makes static defenses like Hela or Namir's turrets look silly because you can just bypass their entire sightline.
Why People Misunderstand the "Vanguard" Playstyle
There is a common misconception that because Strange has a shield, he should play like a Main Tank. He shouldn't. If you try to solo-tank as Strange against a coordinated team, you will get deleted. He is a "Protector." His health pool doesn't allow for the kind of punishment a Bruce Banner can take.
The Eye of Agamotto is his utility tool for dealing with flankers. It’s a stun/slow. In Marvel Rivals, CC (crowd control) is king. If a Spider-Man is zip-zooming around your head, hitting him with the Eye is basically a death sentence for him. It locks him down long enough for your team to focus fire.
- Don't use your shield to block chip damage. Save it for the ultimates.
- Do use your flight to scout. Information is just as valuable as damage.
- Don't forget your melee. It’s surprisingly fast and can finish off low-health enemies who get too close to your "wizard space."
- Do sync your portals with your mobility-impaired teammates. Helping a slow-moving tank get to the point faster is how you win games.
The Ultimate: Seven Suns of Cinnibus
This is the big one. When Strange screams about the Seven Suns, everyone on the enemy team starts sweating. It’s a massive channeled beam. It deals ticking damage, but it also applies a debuff in some patches.
The problem? You’re a sitting duck.
While you’re channeling the Suns, you aren't moving much. If the enemy team has a Hela who’s even halfway decent at aiming, she will headshot you out of the sky before you finish your incantation. You need a dive tank like Venom or Peni Parker to create a distraction while you let the light shine. It’s a "finisher" move, not an "opener." If you use it at the start of a fight, the enemy just hides behind a pillar. If you use it once they’ve committed their movement abilities, they’re toasted.
✨ Don't miss: Florida Pick 5 Midday: Why Most Players Chase the Wrong Patterns
Breaking Down the Team-Up Bonuses
NetEase added "Team-Up" abilities which are honestly a stroke of genius for flavor. When Strange is on a team with specific characters—like Iron Man—he gets unique buffs. These Doctor Strange abilities Marvel Rivals features aren't just cosmetic.
For example, the "Gamma Ray Charge" or specific mystical syncs allow Strange to infuse his teammates' attacks with magic. This usually manifests as extra "Blue Health" (shields) or a temporary damage boost to projectiles. It encourages people to actually play the lore-accurate teams. Seeing Strange and Spider-Man work together feels right, but seeing the mechanical benefit of Strange shielding Peter while he dives is even better.
Technical Nuances: The "Hidden" Stats
Let's get into the weeds. Strange's projectile speed on the Daggers of Denak is roughly medium-fast. This means at mid-range, you don't need to lead much, but at long range, you do. His hitbox is also surprisingly large because of the Cloak. The Cloak isn't just an accessory; it counts as part of your "model" for certain area-of-effect attacks.
His recovery frames after casting the Shield of Seraphim are also a bit long. You can't instantly start shooting the moment you drop the shield. There’s a micro-second of "animation lock." This is where most Strange players die. They drop the shield too late, get caught in the animation, and take a rocket to the face.
Mastery and Positioning
Positioning is 90% of the battle. Because Strange has no "instant" escape—his flight is a slow rise, not a dash—you have to predict danger. If you wait until the enemy is on top of you to react, you’re already dead. You have to be the guy who sees the flank coming ten seconds before it happens.
- Height Advantage: Always look for the high ground. Magic works better when it’s falling on people.
- Portal Buffering: Keep a portal exit in a safe "Health Pack" room. It’s your get-out-of-jail-free card.
- Shield Management: Don't let it break. If you retract the shield (if the mechanic allows in the current patch) or let it timeout, the cooldown is often shorter than if it gets destroyed by enemy fire.
Managing the Meta in 2026
The game has changed a lot since the early trailers. We're seeing more "Anti-Magic" counters now. Characters like Magik can actually disrupt Strange's flow if she gets in close. She’s his hard counter. Her mobility allows her to dance around the Shield of Seraphim, and her burst damage can outpace his self-sustain.
When playing against a Magik, you have to save your Eye of Agamotto specifically for her. Don't waste it on a tank. Wait for her to blink in, stun her, and then use your flight to get out of her sword's reach.
🔗 Read more: Finding Your True Partner: Why That Quiz to See What Pokemon You Are Actually Matters
Strange is a "Tempo" character. He dictates how fast or slow a fight goes. If he has his shield up, the fight slows down. If he opens a portal, the fight speeds up. Learning to control that rhythm is the difference between a Gold-tier player and a Grandmaster.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Match
Start the match by identifying your "Portal Priority." Who on your team needs the most help with mobility? If you have a slow, heavy-hitting Vanguard, make it your mission to get them to high-ground positions they could never reach otherwise.
During the mid-fight, focus your Daggers on the enemy healers. Strange’s damage is surprisingly consistent. You don't need to land "one-shot" kills; you just need to keep the pressure so high that the enemy supports can't keep up.
Lastly, treat your Ultimate as a zoning tool. Even if you don't kill anyone with the Seven Suns, if you force the entire enemy team off the objective for five seconds, you've done your job. In Marvel Rivals, time is the most valuable resource you have.
Next Steps for Mastering Strange:
- Go into the Practice Range and learn the exact travel time of the Daggers of Denak at 10, 20, and 30 meters.
- Practice "Snapshotting" your portals. You should be able to flick and place an entrance and exit in under two seconds.
- Test which ultimates your Shield of Seraphim can fully absorb versus which ones will pierce it. (Hint: Watch out for Iron Man’s Proton Cannon).
- Watch high-level streamers to see how they use the environment to "hide" their flight path, making it harder for snipers to track them.
Strange isn't just a wizard. He's the tactical heartbeat of a team. Master the portals, and you master the map. Master the shield, and you master the outcome.