NetEase Games kicked off Season 1 of Marvel Rivals in January with significant hero balance adjustments, aiming to revitalize underplayed characters like Storm and Black Widow. These changes have had a dramatic impact, particularly on Storm. Following the updates, Storm’s popularity and effectiveness have soared. Rivals Meta now ranks her as the number one hero by win rate, a meteoric rise from her previous obscurity.
In competitive play, Storm boasts a win percentage exceeding 56%, with a pick rate climbing to 16%. This is a remarkable turnaround from her near-zero pick rate before the update, surpassing heroes like Adam Warlock, Jeff, Spider-Man, Hela, Hulk, Magic, and Iron Man.
While Storm’s dominance is undeniable, the Cloak and Dagger pairing remains the most popular character combination in Season 1, although their win percentage has dipped below 49%. Black Widow, however, continues to struggle, remaining the least picked and least successful character.
Marvel Rivals is experiencing significant growth, with hundreds of thousands of players engaging in competitive matches. The Grandmaster title, achieved by only 0.1% of players, remains an exclusive accomplishment, even with the existence of the Celestial rank.
This competitive landscape has witnessed an extraordinary feat. One player achieved the seemingly impossible in Season 1: reaching Grandmaster rank without suffering any damage across 108 games! This player’s strategy? Focusing solely on healing teammates while playing as Rocket Raccoon. Their dedication resulted in over 2.9 million health points restored and nearly 3,500 assists, all while avoiding a single knockout.
