Marvel Rivals’ Season 5 is finally here, and it’s bringing in one of the most anticipated heroes in-game: Gambit. As a Strategist, he can conjure his exploding cards using kinetic energy as well as healing and buffing teammates in stylish Cajun fashion.
What people overlooked in this update, however, is that he’s not the only one bringing fresh heals into the roster. Black Widow, one of the game’s underperforming heroes, has just received a major upgrade to her arsenal, and it’s something you don’t expect.
The world’s dangerous international assassin has basically turned into a pseudo-strategist.
Black Widow’s new ability in Marvel Rivals is all thanks to her newfound team-up with Phoenix in Season 5. Called the “Phoenix Sniper,” Jean Grey can imbue her Red Room Rifle with a special Phoenix flame that can heal.
Like Ana from Blizzard’s Overwatch, Black Widow has become a hybrid of Strategist and Duelist, aiding the team from a distance while dishing out damage and healing. All she needs to do is toggle the team-up ability button and keep behind enemy lines to help her teammates with healing and damage.
The good news is that this ability has zero cooldowns. Once you toggle it, Black Widow’s rifle will constantly burn with Phoenix flames. You can do healing and damage whenever you want, but toggling it off charges it for a short 2-second refresh. The bad news? You can’t deal headshots when you’re in this state. A good Black Widow main would know how to mix and match these two abilities together.
The Marvel Rivals community has even joked about her new team-up, calling her “the 3rd best healer” in-game. Widow’s new kit is even compared to other healers like Ultron, whose healing only does 30 health per second, whereas her new team-up ability with Phoenix heals 50 per shot, and it has an explosive radius spell field when a bunch of teammates are bundled up together.
The community is obviously happy with this rework, with some even considering that she should be transferred to a Strategist spot from now on, since her toolkit has been power-crept to oblivion.
Black Widow is still one of the most underperforming heroes in Marvel Rivals. Since launch, her pick rate has never gone beyond 3%. Black Widow with Lord icons are still out there, but they only appear once in a blue moon. In a normal lobby, they are often considered “throw picks.”
With this latest addition to her kit, she might be a potential meta going forward. She still has decent anti-dive options, plus her damage can still be significant, especially when a Widow player has good aim.
It’s only a matter of time before NetEase decides to add her to the Strategist role, but for now, this new Duelist is going to be the game's first DPS-Healer hybrid, and that’s something we don’t usually see.
For more like this, stick with us here at Gfinityesports.com, the best website for gaming news and features.