Team comps inMarvel Rivalscan revolve around specific characters from the Vanguard role, making it hard to choose which figures have the best synergy with the rest of a group. Some Vanguards thrive with teams who prefer to take a cautious approach to objectives. On the other hand, other Vanguards are better picks for an aggressive comp that wants to dive into enemy Strategists and cause disruption.
Even the weakestVanguard characters inMarvel Rivalshave a place on a team if the comp synergizes well with them.Team-up abilities with specific Vanguards make them far more powerful, helping players form inferred groups with specific characters. However, not every Team-Up is created equal, so you shouldn’t always rely on pre-built harmonies between Vanguards and others to dictate your team’s comp.
Best Team Comps For Every Vanguard
Build Support Around Your Team’s Bulwark
All Vanguards in the game have different needs when it comes to synergy on a team. Some Vanguards can operate as the sole tank-like figure in a group, while others in the same role struggle if put in the same position. Youhave to know which Vanguards function well together, if any other characters reinforce their strategies, and how much healing they needcompared to others in the archetype.
“Nobody Wants To Tank”: Marvel Rivals Fans Claim Vanguard Mains Are Few & Far Between, Asking NetEase To Prioritize Tanks
Fans of Marvel Rivals are noticing a trend when it comes to matches, as players seem to want to DPS or Heal rather than tank, causing a bit of chaos.
The following tables showcase all 9 Vanguards inMarvel Rivals' diverse character roster, as well as some key details regarding how they initially fit onto a team:
High
No
Every Vanguard has a purpose on a team willing to coordinate with them. The best strategies of a Vanguard should inform your team’s plans as well since Vanguards last longer on the battlefield compared to Duelists and Strategists. MostVanguards will use their abilities to create space, be the focused target of an enemy team, and force points of separationon an opposing team depending on various circumstances.
Best Team Comps For Bruce Banner (Hulk)
Bring Friends Together For Gamma Power
The Hulk, or Bruce Banner at the start of matches,works best with teams who play tightly together. This could be to gain the benefit of a shield from another Vanguard or just to be close to the Strategists for quick healing. No matter what the cause, many of Hulk’s abilities are designed to throw protection around his allies that he can jump away from or back to in a moment’s notice.
Hulk’s Indestructible Guard bubble negates all damage from incoming attacks. Hulk can spread this ability to himself and multiple allies near him, making it great to use as he leaps back to his team.
The surprising mobility of Hulk gives him far more range of the battlefield than you may expect. As a result, heneeds teammates who can keep him alive in Hulk form, as there will be situations where Hulk is singled out as a target away from his team. Here are some strong characters Hulk can synergize with on a sample comp that support his best strategies:
Best Team Comps For Captain America
Get The Right Teammates To Assemble
Captain America is considered a"Dive"tank, meaning that he likes to go into enemy backlines and target characters with smaller health. As a result,Captain America will not be around your team as much, provided less support in favor of more disruption. Despite Captain America’s defensive shieldgetting buffed inMarvel Rivalsrecently with the 1.5 Season patch, he still struggles to deal significant damage.
This makes Captain America’s Team-Up abilities crucial to any team comp, as his cooperation with Thor gives the Avenger his best damage. Thebest synergy with this Vanguard comes from strong Strategist support and fellow dive charactersgoing into battle with the Captain. Even with his additional mobility, Captain America needs a sample team comp like the one below to function at his best:
Best Team Comps For Doctor Strange
Surround The Master Of Mystic Arts With Versatile Allies
The most well-rounded Vanguard in the game right now is likely Doctor Strange, as his massive shield, aerial mobility, and unique portal mechanic make him useful on almost any team. Despite some nerfs in the recent patch, Doctor Strange stillworks well with teams who balance around him. Less aggressive teams with a more methodical approach will always benefit with a Doctor Strange shield leading the charge.
Marvel Rivals: Doctor Strange Character Guide (Abilities, Ultimate, Tips & Tricks)
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, is a Vanguard character in Marvel Rivals whose mystic abilities and Ultimate help support his team and defeat foes.
SinceDoctor Strange can work well with anyoneand solo tank if he wants, it can be tricky to form a solid team comp around him. Below is a suggestion for a team that introduces some versatility while keeping Doctor Strange at the forefront of its strategy:
Best Team Comps For Groot
Form Defensive Bulwarks With This Galaxy’s Guardian
Groot inMarvel Rivalsis an extremely straightforward character who sets up walls to control space on the battlefield. However, this Vanguardprefers to be on a team with back-up defensive abilities, such as Namor’s octopus turrets or Peni Parker’s mines. This distracts opponents away from Groot’s strongest tools, allowing him more freedom to set them up at his leisure.
Groot alsohas the highest health among Vanguards, which means he doesn’t have to take healing away from other characters. This takes pressure off Strategists, giving them time to tend to others before Groot himself. Here’s a good team you can pair with Groot to give the friendly tree the vital support he needs to be incredibly strong:
Best Team Comps For Magneto
Keep The Master Of Magnetism Active On The Battlefield
As of this time of writing,Magneto is likely the best Vanguard in the gamefor his ability to nullify powerful Strategist Ultimates that dominate the meta. With enough charge, Magneto’s Ultimate can snuff out Luna Snow or Cloak & Dagger before they can heal their allies. With this in mind, Magneto works best on a team that can both dive and stay back to create a deliberate approach or defense on objectives.
Magneto can put a defensive bubble around at least one of his allies who jumps into a enemy team to score a pick, but this technique is better saved for Magneto himself so he can create space or escape danger.
Magnetoprefers teammates who can aid in his self-preservation, as his greatest weakness is his lack of mobility. Due to his slow movement, Magneto can’t escape enemy pressure often, so he needs to be kept alive often. Thankfully, Magneto’s high damage and multiple defensive shields allow him to survive well on his own too. Here’s a sample comp that can do well with Magneto as a solo Vanguard:
Best Team Comps For Peni Parker
Find Allies Who Can Protect SP//DR’s Devices
One of the trickier Vanguards to build a team around is Peni Parker, whose entire kit lives and dies with the placement of her many mines. Penitends to work well with teammates who can protect her mines consistently. This can be done by creating additional barriers or obstacles to distract enemy teams from the mines crawling beneath their feet.
Marvel Rivals: How To Play Peni Parker (Abilities, Ultimate, Tips & Tricks)
Peni Parker is a strong Vanguard character in Marvel Rivals, whose spider-powered abilities lay traps for enemy teams that disrupt their every plan.
Peni’s abilities help her counter dive characters, so any additional teammates who specialize in doing the same thing are welcome on a team. For example, both Peni Parker and Groot on a team can create hazards that are very difficult for rival teams to get past. Try using this sample team comp to see some success with Peni Parker:
Best Team Comps For The Thing
Have Others Join You For Clobberin' Time
As the newest addition to the Vanguard role,The Thing inMarvel Rivalsis a difficult character to predict as of this time of writing. That being said, many matches involving The Thing seem tobenefit from there being another aggressive Vanguard on Ben Grimm’s team. This allows The Thing to not absorb all of an enemy team’s attention, as he is not the best as a solo tank in the game.
The Thing alsohas a better time when there are teammates behind himat all times, especially Strategists. As a close-range brawler, The Thing is oftentimes in dangerous situations where he has to use his abilities to flee a battle. Without support, The Thing has almost no chance of securing eliminations. Take advantage of this sample team comp with The Thing to roll over rival teams:
Best Team Comps For Thor
Call Upon Asgard’s Wrath With The Right Warriors
Thor’s many abilities grant him Bonus Health, giving him more survivability than most. Despite this,Thor tends to work more as an off-tank on a team, thriving in a Vanguard role when another of the same archetype is on his team. Thor struggles to protect allies, as his aggressive playstyle works better when he is up close and personal with low-health enemies who he can always win a 1v1 with.
Among all the Vanguard characters, Thor has among the highest damage from his primary attacks. For his team comp, this allows Thor to play with other high damage characters to take out high priority targets quickly.
Due to Thor’s offensive nature,his best team comps come from a stable frontline he can stay nearwithout having to directly support them. Thor can punish characters who dive into his team recklessly or be the diver who takes advantage of a rival team losing cohesion. With some of the characters below in a sample comp, Thor can move freely and play to his strengths the best:
Best Team Comps For Venom
Cause Allies To Embrace The Symbiote’s Hunger
Venom inMarvel Rivalsis, without a doubt, the most clear-cut dive Vanguard within the whole archetype. Venomis paired best with teammates who can take advantage of his diving attacksthat bounce up and disrupt enemy groups. Any character that can follow-up on Venom’s targeting of a weaker character will do well thorughout a match.
That being said, Venom’s swing and Symbiotic Resilience allows him to take more hits than most Vanguards before retreating. Unlike Hulk,Venom causes greater distractions using his survivability, so having other teammates who can follow Venom works wonderfully. With a concerted effort, team comps like the one below can work with Venom to steamroll enemy teams:
Communication is key no matter what team comp you put together for your group’s Vanguard(s). Individual player skill, familiarity with a Vanguard’s kit, and many other factors should go into whether you pick the"right"character for that role inMarvel Rivals, so do the best you can to experiment with various comps to find out what works best for you or your group.
