Marvel Rivals has a role distribution problem with its Vanguards and Strategists as 9 months since the game's launch, the roster hasn't seen a new dedicated healer.
Season 4 gave us two brand new heroes to the roster: the Vanguard Angela, capable of destabilizing threats from behind using her flying moveset, and Daredevil, a Duelist that’s set to arrive on October 10. Both are great characters, sure, but there’s one problem: They’re not healers.
Marvel Rivals has been facing issues with how NetEase prioritizes its roles each season. Obviously, there will always be room for more Duelists, as it’s the easiest role to design without having to break the game balance. Strategists are a whole different thing, as NetEase has to make sure they don’t cause a major shift to the game’s meta due to their healing potential.
The last “true” healer added into the Marvel Rivals roster is none other than Invisible Woman, and she came out in January alongside fellow Fantastic Four member Mister Fantastic.
Invisible Woman’s addition to the lineup of Marvel icons has provided the game a much needed support role that can heal effectively, causing a major meta shift. Other healers like Cloak & Dagger and Mantis have taken a back seat once Sue Storm arrived, and it took months of balancing for the healers to compete against Invisible Woman’s healing capabilities.
Ultron being the latest Strategist added 5 months ago doesn’t count as a “true” healer as his kit is intentionally designed to be a hybrid of a Duelist and Strategist. He can dish out damage and peel against divers like Black Panther, but he can also provide defenses and healing to the team.
Other dedicated healers like Luna Snow, Mantis, Cloak & Dagger and Rocket Raccoon already came out as part of the launch roster, so Invisible Woman is the only recognizable presence added into the meta. For what it’s worth, NetEase did rework Jeff the Land Shark considerably, making him more of a dedicated healer with its new burst healing capabilities and a buffed ultimate that leaves a pool of healing water.
Still, this begs the question: When is NetEase releasing a true healer into the roster? Season 4.5 will give us another Duelist with Daredevil, and to everyone’s surprise, he has a completely blind gameplay to offset his new godlike powers. But that won't solve the game's lingering balancing issues.
Marvel Rivals’ Season 5 seems to be the time where we will finally see a true healer added into the mix. However, it’s still not guaranteed as NetEase is no longer following a consistent pattern in releasing their heroes after switching to a “one hero per month” model. They are already aware of the game’s balancing problems, so adding in another Duelist in Season 5 would put a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
In a perfect world, we’d get either a Vanguard or one Strategist in Season 5. Maybe it’s going to be one of the leaked heroes like Rogue.
For more like this, stick with us here at Gfinityesports.com, the best website for gaming features and opinions.