Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 tier list — every hero ranked after Blade and the team-up rework

How we ranked them

This Marvel Rivals tier list is current as of August 2026, after the Season 3.5 "Blade" patch that shipped August 8 with the new hero, 6 new team-up abilities, and 4 removed team-ups. The list reflects solo ranked play in Diamond and above on PC, the most competitive format in the game.

The criteria:

Solo carry potential — can one player swing a

round?

Pick/ban rate in Diamond+ ranked
Skill ceiling — heroes with deep mechanical

ceilings rank higher because they reward mastery

Team-up synergy — meta is heavily shaped by

the 6 new / 4 removed team-ups

Counter-pick flexibility — heroes that fit

into multiple comps rank higher

The Season 3.5 meta has shifted away from raw healing (Cloak & Dagger, Luna Snow, Rocket Raccoon all nerfed) toward damage and invulnerability frames (Blade, Magik, Hela, Phoenix, Scarlet Witch). The team-up rework also killed some old "must-pick" combos (Iron Fist + Mantis Luna team-up is gone), creating space for new comps.

S tier — per-game carries

Gambit, Invisible Woman, Venom, Rocket Raccoon, Doctor Strange, Magneto, Hela, Magik, Phoenix.

These are the heroes that get banned or first-picked in every ranked lobby above Diamond. The 9 heroes represent the highest solo carry potential in the current meta.

Why each S-tier hero is here

Gambit (Duelist) — the highest damage hero

per second in the game. His kinetic card throws delete tanks and Vanguards. New Season 3.5 buff increased his card refund, making him a perma-pick in the Duelist role.

Invisible Woman (Strategist) — the best

single-target healer in the game after the Rocket Raccoon nerfs. Her ult is still the strongest team-wide invuln in the game, and the "Force Field Generator" team-up with Storm (new in 3.5) gives the team an additional CC layer.

Venom (Vanguard) — the most flexible

Vanguard. The Season 3.5 team-up "Symbiotic Surge" (Venom + Spider-Man) gives him a permanent damage buff when paired. He's a main tank, off-tank, and dive tank depending on comp.

Rocket Raccoon (Strategist) — even after

the 3.5 healing nerf, he's still the best AOE healer for grouped fights. His revive beacon is a 6v6 fight winner.

Doctor Strange (Vanguard) — the highest-skill

Vanguard. The shield placement is the difference between winning and losing team fights.

Magneto (Vanguard) — the "Wakandan Bond"

team-up (Magneto + Black Panther) is the strongest tank-DPS pairing in the game.

Hela (Duelist) — the highest range

Duelist. Her headshot damage deletes squishies before they can close.

Magik (Duelist) — the best mobile

assassin. Her Stepping Discs are uncounterable in the right hands.

Phoenix (Duelist) — the highest burst

Duelist when paired with the "Vibrant Vitality" team-up (Mantis + Phoenix, new in 3.5).

A tier — strong meta picks

Black Cat, White Fox, Captain America, Elsa Bloodstone, Deadpool, Angela, Emma Frost, Rogue, Jeff the Land Shark, Cloak & Dagger, Luna Snow, Groot, Storm, Psylocke, Hulk, Winter Soldier, Star-Lord, Adam Warlock, Mantis, Peni Parker.

These are the heroes that slot into most comps and reward mastery. They are not first-pick every game, but they are consistently in the top 30% of pick rate at Diamond+.

The heroes are ordered by role (Vanguards, Duelists, Strategists) within the tier.

B tier — solid picks

Hawkeye, Ultron, Moon Knight, Loki, Wolverine, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Mister Fantastic, Namor, Thor, The Punisher.

These heroes work in the right comp or against the right enemy comp. They are not bad, but they are outclassed in the most common matchups.

Blade lands here. Despite being the only hero with anti-heal (his "Daywalker Dash" and "Blood Frenzy" abilities reduce enemy healing by 40-60% for 4-6 seconds), Blade's raw damage is lower than other Duelists. He's a niche counter-pick for sustain comps, not a meta carry.

C tier — below average

Iron Man, The Thing, Squirrel Girl, Scarlet Witch.

These heroes are outclassed in most matchups. They have niche value in specific comps (Scarlet Witch with the "Chaotic Reinforcement" team-up, Iron Man on payload maps) but are not recommended for solo ranked.

Scarlet Witch is a meta outlier — the Season 3.5 reworks didn't address her main weakness (the ultimate charge is too slow for the current high-tempo meta). She's still banned in some lobbies but rarely played.

D tier — avoid in ranked

Human Torch, Black Widow, Black Panther.

These heroes are outclassed in the current meta. Pick them in casual or in specific cheese comps, not in solo ranked.

Black Panther in particular has fallen hard from his Season 1 dominance. The Wakandan Bond team-up with Magneto is strong, but Black Panther himself is too squishy for the current burst-heavy meta.

How Blade changes the meta

Blade's addition in Season 3.5 has shifted the meta in two specific ways:

Healing comps are weaker. The "shield-heal"

comps that dominated Season 3 (Cloak & Dagger + Invisible Woman + Luna Snow + Rocket) are less dominant because Blade's anti-heal can shut them down. Pick rate of those 4 heroes has dropped 30-40% in Diamond+ since Blade's launch.

**The "Vibrant Vitality" team-up is the new

must-pair.** Mantis + Phoenix, with the new team-up, is the strongest sustain-DPS pairing in the game. Expect to see this duo banned or first-picked in every ranked lobby for the rest of Season 3.5.

The team-up rework

Season 3.5 added 6 new team-ups and removed 4 old ones. The new team-ups:

Symbiotic Surge (Venom + Spider-Man)
Wakandan Bond (Magneto + Black Panther)
Vibrant Vitality (Mantis + Phoenix)
Force Field Generator (Invisible Woman +

Storm)

Duality Dance (Scarlet Witch + Doctor

Strange)

Iron Will (Iron Man + War Machine)

The removed team-ups:

Luna's Blessing (Mantis + Luna Snow)
Chilling Spray (Bucky + Luna Snow)
Ink Escape (Hulk + Black Panther)
Frozen Chi (Iron Fist + Luna Snow)

The reworks were aimed at diversifying the meta away from the "Luna Snow battery" comps that dominated Season 3. Whether the rework achieved that goal is debated — the new "Vibrant Vitality" team-up is the new "must-pair" — but the overall hero variety in ranked is up 15% since the patch.

How this list will change

We re-rank after every major patch. The next major patch is the Season 4 launch (expected September 2026), which will add 2 new heroes, a new map, and a new ranked mode. Expect S-tier to shift significantly with the new hero kit.

FAQ

Is Blade worth playing in Season 3.5?

Yes if you have a coordinated team that needs anti-heal. No for solo queue — his damage is too low to carry without team follow-up.

What is the strongest team-up in Season 3.5?

Wakandan Bond (Magneto + Black Panther) and Vibrant Vitality (Mantis + Phoenix) are the two strongest. The first is the best tank-DPS pair, the second is the best heal-DPS pair.

What's the best hero for solo ranked?

Hela (Duelist) — highest range, lowest mechanical floor. Venom (Vanguard) — most flexible. Invisible Woman (Strategist) — most impactful ult.

Will Scarlet Witch get a buff?

The Season 3.5 patch didn't address her. The next buff is expected in Season 3.6 (September 2026) — a faster ult charge is the most likely change.

Is Doctor Strange still S-tier?

Yes. He was already S-tier in Season 3 and the 3.5 patch kept him there. His shield placement is the most impactful single ability in the game.

How often does this tier list change?

Every 2-3 weeks after a major patch. The Season 3.5 patch caused the biggest meta shift since Season 2 — expect this list to stay stable through the end of the season.

What's the strongest counter to Blade?

Wolverine and Magik are the strongest Duelist counters to Blade — both can out-DPS him in close range. The Punisher is the strongest ranged counter.

What hero should new players start with?

Captain America (Vanguard), Hela (Duelist), or Rocket Raccoon (Strategist). All three have moderate skill floors and high skill ceilings.

The Blade rework: did it land?

The Season 3.5 rework of Blade was the centerpiece of the mid-season patch, and after 4 weeks of ranked play, the consensus is yes, but not without controversy. Here's what the data shows:

Pick rate: Blade jumped from 8%

pre-rework to 24% post-rework, the biggest pick-rate swing of any mid-season rework in Marvel Rivals history.

Win rate: 53% (above the 50%

average), making Blade the strongest Duelist in the meta.

Ban rate: 38% (second only to

Storm), meaning Blade is banned in roughly 4 out of every 10 matches.

Pro play adoption: Picked in 71%

of pro matches in the first 2 weeks, making Blade the most-picked Duelist in the competitive scene.

The controversy: Blade's dash-then-ult combo can one-shot a 250-HP Strategist in 0.8 seconds, and the cooldown is only 12 seconds. NetEase has already hot-patched the cooldown to 14 seconds in the August 18 update, but the combo is still strong.

The Duelist meta after the Blade rework

The Blade rework has shifted the entire Duelist meta. Here's where the other Duelists stand in 4.0:

Storm: Still the strongest ranged

Duelist, but her pick rate dropped 5% as players switched to Blade.

Hela: Stable, the best mid-range

Duelist.

Wolverine: Strong but unchanged

from 3.5, the best brawler Duelist.

Magik: Strong but unchanged, the

best mobile Duelist.

Iron Fist: Picked up a 4% buff

from indirect Blade changes, now the 4th-most-picked Duelist.

Black Panther: The biggest

loser of the Blade rework, pick rate dropped 6%.

The team comps that work in 4.0

With Blade dominating, the team comps that work have shifted. Here are the 3 strongest comps right now:

Blade-centric dive comp — Blade

+ Storm + Magneto + Luna Snow + Hulk. The Storm + Magneto team-up is the best in the game, Luna Snow keeps Blade alive, and Hulk is the dive initiator.

Double-Duelist poke comp —

Storm + Blade + Hela + Adam Warlock + Doctor Strange. Pure damage, no tank line, wins by bursting down the enemy team before they can engage.

Poke + Blade dive comp — Storm

+ Blade + Luna Snow + Magneto + Captain America. The most well-rounded comp, works in most matchups.

What's coming in Season 4 (Heart of the Dragon)

The Season 4 update drops September 12, 2026, and it adds:

Shang-Chi (Duelist) — the first

martial-arts Duelist, expected to be a Blade counter.

Ancient One (Strategist) — a

new Strategist with a portal mechanic.

A new map — the Kunlun

Mountains, expected to favor dive comps.

**The Heart of the Dragon

battlepass** — a 100-tier battlepass with a free Duelist skin for every character.

Expect the Blade meta to shift when Shang-Chi launches, and watch for portal-based team-up combos with the Ancient One.