You’ve probably seen the chaos. One minute you’re holding the objective, and the next, a Magneto bubble combined with a Scarlet Witch ultimate wipes your entire squad. Season 1 of Marvel Rivals isn't just about who hits their shots; it’s about who understands the shifted meta after the January 2026 balance patches. NetEase didn't hold back, and if you're still playing like it's Season 0, you're basically throwing.
Honestly, the "S-tier" tag gets thrown around a lot. But in this Marvel Rivals Season 1 tier list, we’re looking at characters that don't just have high damage—they have the utility to survive the current "dive" heavy meta.
The Top Dogs: S-Tier Dominators
If you aren't picking these heroes, you better have a damn good reason. They aren't just strong; they're meta-defining.
Magneto is currently the king of Vanguards. Period. While he took some hits to his shield energy consumption in the mid-season patch, his ability to enable teammates is unmatched. When you bubble a diving Venom or a Star-Lord mid-ult, you aren't just a tank; you're a god. Plus, his Meteor M remains one of the few reliable ways to shut down pesky projectile ultimates.
Then there is Hela. Look, if you can aim, she’s broken. 70 damage on a primary fire means two-tapping headshots on almost any squishy character from a distance. Even with her base health reduced to 250 recently, her "pick-or-ban" status hasn't budged. She’s the reason flying characters like Iron Man are struggling in high-ELO lobbies right now.
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Groot has emerged as the carry tank. It’s kinda wild. His walls don't just block damage; they isolate enemies for easy kills. If you pair a Groot ultimate with a Namor or Winter Soldier, the fight is basically over before it starts.
The Strategist Powerhouse: Rocket and Luna
- Rocket Raccoon: He’s everywhere. With the recent buff to his Repair Mode healing (up to 70 per second), he’s harder to kill and keeps his team up longer. His Battle Rebirth Beacon is still the best "get out of jail free" card in the game.
- Luna Snow: People kept saying she’d fall off after the ultimate duration nerfs, but Fate of Both Worlds is still the best support ult. The healing-to-damage boost flexibility is just too good to pass up.
A-Tier: Reliable But Not "Broken"
These are the heroes you play when the S-tiers are banned or if you have a specific strategy in mind. They are solid, balanced, and can carry if you’ve got the skill.
Doctor Strange took a 50 HP nerf and some serious damage falloff on his Maelstrom, which knocked him out of the absolute top spot. He’s still a beast for team-wide teleports, but you can’t just face-tank everything anymore. You have to actually think about your positioning.
Mister Fantastic is the new kid on the block, and he’s... obnoxious. His chest-bump (Flexible Elongation) lets him latch onto enemies and drag himself in, dealing nasty damage. He effectively turns into a Vanguard hybrid when his passive triggers, gaining 950 health. He’s the ultimate backline harasser. If you see a Reed Richards flying at your support, run.
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Venom and Hulk are the "dive" kings. Hulk’s Indestructible Guard took a small hit (down to 200 shield), but his mobility is still top-tier for jumping into the fray and causing chaos. Venom actually got a stealthy buff to his Symbiotic Resilience, making him tankier the lower his health gets.
The Duelist Shuffle
- Star-Lord: Heavily favored in 1v1s. If he catches you alone, you're dead. His Rocket Propulsion buff gave him the extra energy he needed to stay slippery.
- Psylocke: Still flashy, still high damage. However, her ultimate now checks for barriers like Magneto’s wall, so you can't just brainlessly press Q and hope for a team wipe.
- Namor: The king of anti-dive. His turrets are a nightmare for flankers. If you're struggling with a tracer-style Spider-Man, just swap to Namor and set up a "no-fly zone" around your healers.
B-Tier and C-Tier: The "Only if You're a Main" Club
This is where things get dicey. These heroes have glaring weaknesses that good players will exploit.
Captain America is in a weird spot. He got massive buffs—health increased to 675 and cooldowns reduced—but his damage is still "meh" compared to Magneto or Groot. He’s great at staying alive, but he doesn't always do enough to win the game on his own.
Iron Man and Scarlet Witch are struggling. In a world where Hela and Hawkeye are meta, being a slow-moving target in the sky (or on the ground) is a death sentence. Iron Man is particularly bad in high-rank games because everyone has the aim to swat him down.
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Black Widow and Black Panther are at the bottom for most people. They aren't "bad" characters, but they have a massive skill floor. If you aren't playing them perfectly, you’re providing zero value. Panther’s survivability took a hit in Season 1, making his "dive and reset" playstyle much riskier.
What Most People Get Wrong About Team-Ups
You can’t just look at a Marvel Rivals Season 1 tier list and ignore the Team-Up abilities. They literally change the stats of the characters.
- The Frozen Spawn (Luna + Namor): This is often a must-ban. The slowing effect on Namor's turrets was buffed to 30%. It makes the objective a literal frozen wasteland.
- Metallic Fusion (Scarlet Witch + Magneto): This makes Magneto even more dangerous. The projectile damage buff to 60 means he can actually finish kills himself instead of just shielding.
- The Ammo Invention (Rocket + Punisher/Winter Soldier): With the cooldown reduced to 40 seconds, your DPS can basically have infinite uptime on their high-damage abilities.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Session
Stop auto-locking your favorite character and look at what the enemy is doing. If they have a Hela, stop playing Iron Man. If they are diving your backline with Venom, swap to Peni Parker or Namor to peel for your supports.
The most successful team comp right now usually looks like this: Magneto (Vanguard), Groot or Thor (Secondary Tank), Hela (Main DPS), Star-Lord or Mister Fantastic (Flanker), and a support core of Rocket Raccoon and Luna Snow.
Focus on mastering one "Anchor" (like Magneto) and one "Specialist" (like Peni or Namor). If you can flex between those based on the map, you’ll climb out of Silver and into the new Celestial Rank much faster than the people complaining about "broken" heroes on Reddit. Pay attention to the patch notes; in a hero shooter, your main is only ever one update away from the bottom of the bin.
Quick Stats Reference
| Character | Role | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| Magneto | Vanguard | Meta King (S+) |
| Hela | Duelist | Best Long-range (S) |
| Rocket Raccoon | Strategist | Best Utility (S) |
| Mister Fantastic | Duelist | Best Flanker (A+) |
| Black Widow | Duelist | High Skill/Low Reward (D) |
Don't ignore the environment either. Maps like Sanctum Sanctorum have huge pits where Invisible Woman can use her Force Physics to push three people off the map at once. A "B-tier" hero on paper becomes S-tier on the right map. Play smarter, not just faster.