The Marvel Rivals Closed Alpha is almost over and we got to see a chunk of the roster in action. They’re all great, but some of these supes are just a cut above the rest. Here are our top 5 picks from the Marvel Rivals roster that we can’t wait to try.
Marvel Rivals Kicks Off Closed Alpha Until May 20
19 Playable Heroes Enter the Scene
Talk about a hero shooter! The Marvel Rivals Closed Alpha will be ongoing until May 20 and it's been an absolute blast so far. With 19 playable heroes—some of which nobody expected to be on the roster—it was pretty much day 1 of Overwatch all over again.
The Alpha shed some light on the hero load-outs we saw from the teasers, as well as a few additional gameplay elements like the destructible environment and team-up abilities. These load-outs aren’t made equal though, and I’ve got an eye for some of the more fun ones come the game’s full release.
A Few Honorable Mentions
While each of the 19 heroes (and villains) from the Closed Alpha had their merits, some are much more fun and intuitive than the others. Not all of them can be part of our top 5, but here are a few honorable mentions—or should I say honorable sidekicks—that didn’t make the cut but are still among the most fun to play.
Spider-Man
Your friendly neighborhood webhead’s swinging down to the bottom of this list with his signature wisecracking. Spider-Man’s kit is fun and incredibly mobile, using his spider trackers to swing, stun, and run circles around his enemies. His ultimate move’s no joke either, smacking down a moderately-sized area-of-effect stun for some serious crowd control.
That being said, a lot of brain power goes into this kit, and as you’ll see as we go down this list, some of the blasters here can make short work of Spidey if you’re caught thinking for a bit too long. His mobility’s a massive edge on the competition, though, and I can’t wait to see a high ELO Spider-Man bring the pain in ways nobody expected.
Loki
Looks like Loki’s back, and he’s come to play. Sporting a varied kit centered on utility, mobility, and healing, Loki’s sure to keep the enemy guessing. His basic attack alone already brings damage and healing to the table, and that’s not even mentioning the area healing from his runestones.
His bread and butter are his illusions, however, and being able to turn invisible and teleport among them truly makes him a pest that can’t be pinned down. His ultimate is something else completely, allowing him to copy an ally or enemy and use their abilities, including their ultimates.
Loki falls to the same difficulty as Spider-Man in that he’s a high-skill hero who needs constant attention to pull off properly. One false move and you’re in the enemy’s grasp.
Dr. Strange
Better keep your wits about you; the wizard’s here. Dr. Strange sports the standard mid-range kit of high-damage area attacks and defensive shielding with limited Anti-Heal utility to boot. What gives him the leg-up, however, is his portal ability, which does exactly what you think it does.
The sheer utility of a portal on command cannot be denied, although the FPS does drop whenever you use it. Unfortunately, his ultimate ability’s not all that and his kit’s bog-standard apart from his sling ring shenanigans.
Rocket Raccoon
Our favorite not-a-raccoon is making a grand entrance in Marvel Rivals as an offensive support character. That’s right, apart from having big guns and an even bigger mouth, Rocket comes with gadgets and gizmos that can do anything from healing allies to creating respawn points on the battlefield.
His ultimate is a team-wide damage boost that’ll certainly make the biggest plays if his teammates can make the most of it. Honestly, the only reason he isn’t in the top 5 is because the ones that made it are in a league of their own.
Top 5 Marvel Rival Heroes We Can’t Wait to Try
5. Scarlet Witch
The probability field skews ever in your favor when the witch is on your side. Wanda Maximoff is Marvel Rivals’ resident blaster and she won’t ever let you forget it. With a kit sporting some of the highest burst damage in the game, there’s no telling when the Scarlet Witch will just wipe someone off the face of the Earth.
Her basic attack is a constant barrage of damage, supplemented by massive area attacks from her alt-fire. She’s got a repeating stun to lock down mobile heroes too, so watch your head, Spidey! But nothing compares to her Reality Erasure ultimate, which deals massive damage in a large area after a brief charge-up. Oh yeah, we found POTG-maker.
4. Magneto
The mutant master of metals is here and he’s broken all to heck. Magneto is one of the few defensive heroes on the roster and he’s easily one of the better ones, sporting a kit that can completely cut off lines of fire or protect allies individually.
His Magnetic Curtain ability is particularly strong, negating all projectile damage from one direction and protecting his allies. Paired with his single-target shield, immense knockback, and area-of-effect ultimate, the master of magnetism has everything he needs to prey and protect in equal measure.
3. Hulk
You knew he was going to be here, he’s the Incredible Hulk after all. Despite being an absolute meathead, Hulk’s kit is actually quite layered, sporting a three-stage evolution from a puny Bruce Banner to a monstrous Hulk.
Every stage of the evolution depends on dealing damage to reach the next, with Banner’s ranged attacks being traded in for powerful punches and leaps. Monster Hulk is the pinnacle of this chain and his combination of stuns and leaps can lock down even the jumpiest enemy. His ultimate is also one of the highest single-target damage sources in the game, so that’s a plus.
2. Peni Parker
In a left-field roster addition that nobody expected, we have Peni Parker and her mech SP//dr. Hers is a kit that shouldn’t be taken lightly and should be approached with caution. It’s lethal, it’s powerful, and boy, is it annoying to deal with. It’s also extremely complex and a missed prediction might cost you your entire setup if you’re not careful.
SP//dr relies on its Cyber-Web ability to ensnare foes and hide its powerful Arachno-Mines in plain sight. Careful planning can entrap foes before they even realize and the Arachno-Mine spam from SP//dr’s ultimate all but guarantees that they’ll meet a webbed end.
Let’s face it though: the novelty alone’s got me excited for this hero.
1. The Punisher
What can I say? I’m a sucker for pain, and Frank Castle’s got plenty to bring. The Punisher is easily the hero I’m most excited to try for one reason only: guns. I don’t know what to say, but the fact that this guy plays like an entire COD lobby really speaks to me. The fact that everything he has on him is some variety of a gun is just icing on the cake.
You can choose between an assault rifle or a shotgun for his basic attacks; he can call down an AA turret whenever he wants; he moves using grappling guns and zip lines; and his ultimate is just two miniguns that can unleash hell on the hapless enemy. It’s a simple pick, truly, but is there anything more effective than an obscene amount of violence? Didn’t think so.
