You’re flying over the Yggsgard map, feeling like a god, and then it happens. A giant orange circle opens up out of nowhere, and suddenly your entire team is falling through a hole in reality. Honestly, if you've spent any time in the closed alpha or beta tests, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Marvel Rivals Dr Strange isn't just another Vanguard; he is a tactical nightmare that changes how the game is played the second he locks in.
NetEase Games really leaned into the "Sorcerer Supreme" vibe here. He isn't some squishy mage hiding in the backlines casting fireballs. He’s a tank. A beefy, shield-generating, portal-dropping tank that thrives on being a nuisance.
The Portal Problem and Why It Breaks the Game
Portals. They’re the coolest part of his kit and also the most broken.
In most hero shooters, like Overwatch 2 or Paladins, map geometry is a hard rule. If there is a wall, you go around it. Dr. Strange looks at a wall and decides it shouldn't exist. By using his Pentabus Portal, he can move a slow-moving team from the spawn door directly onto the objective in three seconds. It’s jarring.
I’ve seen matches where a coordinated team uses Strange to bypass the entire "choke point" phase of a map. It forces the defenders to play in a state of constant paranoia. You aren't just watching the main road; you're watching the sky, the flanks, and the literal air behind you.
The most "big brain" move involves his Eye of Agamotto ultimate. He separates the souls of everyone in a massive cone, leaving their physical bodies stunned and vulnerable. If you pair that with a portal, he can essentially "deliver" an ultimate from an angle you never saw coming. It’s the kind of play that makes people rage-quit, but it’s undeniably brilliant game design.
Standing Your Ground with the Dark Dimension
Let's talk about the Shield of the Vishanti.
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It’s not just a barrier. It’s a statement. Strange can hold this thing up to soak incredible amounts of damage, but the catch is his "Dark Eye" mechanic. As he takes hits, he builds up energy. If you’re the one shooting him, you’re basically charging his batteries.
He can vent that energy back at you using Dagger of Denak. It’s a classic "stop hitting yourself" mechanic.
- He pulls up the shield.
- You panic-fire into it because he’s standing on the payload.
- He blasts you with the accumulated energy.
- You die.
It sounds simple, but in the chaos of a 6v6 team fight, tracking his energy levels is almost impossible. You have to be disciplined. Most players aren't. They see a target and they click. Strange punishes that instinct more than any other Vanguard in the current roster, including Peni Parker or Groot.
The Flying Menace
Dr. Strange can fly. Well, it's more of a hover, but in a game with verticality like Marvel Rivals, it’s a massive advantage. He uses his Cloak of Levitation to stay above the fray.
This isn't just for looking cool.
Being airborne gives him a better vantage point to drop his Maelstrom of Madness. This is his primary area-of-effect (AoE) pressure tool. It creates a swirling vortex that deals consistent damage. When he’s hovering, he can place these more accurately, cutting off escape routes or forcing a healer out of cover.
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Team-Up Skills: The Secret Sauce
NetEase added "Team-Up" abilities to the game, and Strange has one of the best. If you have Iron Man on your team, Strange can use Gamma Ray Accumulation. Basically, he can shield Iron Man and buff his damage.
It turns Tony Stark into a flying tank.
It’s a nightmare to balance. If you ignore the Iron Man, he kills your backline. If you focus the Iron Man, Strange just shields him and soaks the damage. This synergy is why you see the Strange-Iron Man duo in almost every high-level ranked match. It’s a "must-pick" meta that some players find exhausting, but it’s the most effective way to climb the ladder right now.
What Most People Get Wrong About Playing Strange
Most beginners play him like a front-line bruiser. They charge in, pop the shield, and die when the shield wears off.
That’s wrong.
Strange is a tempo tank. He is about controlling the speed of the fight. You use the portals to speed up your team's rotation and the Eye of Agamotto to slow down the enemy's momentum. You’re a conductor, not a brawler.
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- Don't waste your portal just to get back to the fight faster if a big objective push is coming up.
- Do save your shield for when your healers are being dived by a Spider-Man or Black Panther.
- Never use your ultimate without a follow-up. The soul-rip effect is short. If your team isn't there to capitalize, you've just wasted the best CC in the game.
His secondary fire, the Shield Throw, is also criminally underused. It bounces. It hits multiple targets. It’s great for finishing off low-health enemies who think they’ve escaped around a corner.
The Counter-Play: How to Actually Win
If you're tired of losing to a good Strange, you need to change your hero.
Black Panther and Magik are his natural enemies. They are too fast for his slow, projected projectiles. A good Magik will just teleport behind his shield and start slicing. Strange has very little mobility once he’s on the ground, and his "hover" is too slow to escape a dedicated dive.
Another trick? Luna Snow. Her freeze can catch him mid-flight. If he falls into a pit or gets stuck out of position without his portal off cooldown, he’s a sitting duck.
Actionable Strategies for Your Next Match
If you want to master Marvel Rivals Dr Strange, stop focusing on your damage numbers. Tanks in this game are judged by space created, not kills.
- Prioritize Portal Placement: Learn the "blind spots" on every map. There are spots in Tokyo 2099 where you can portal through a building and end up directly behind the enemy team.
- Manage the Dark Eye: Watch the UI element for your energy. Don't just fire it off at the first person you see. Save that burst for a squishy support like Mantis or Rocket Raccoon.
- Coordinate the Ultimate: Use your microphone. "Ult in 3... 2... 1..." is the difference between a team wipe and a total whiff.
- The Hover Bait: You can sometimes bait out powerful enemy cooldowns by hovering just out of reach. If a Punisher wastes his turret mode trying to hit a flying Strange, your team has a massive window to push.
Strange is a high-skill ceiling hero. He’s clunky at first. His projectiles feel "heavy." But once you understand that he’s playing a game of chess while everyone else is playing a shooter, you’ll start winning.
Focus on the utility. The portals win games. The shields save lives. The magic is just a bonus. Keep practicing those portal angles in the training room, because a well-placed exit gate is worth more than a thousand damage points any day of the week.