Marvel Rivals launched with explosive momentum and a strong IP, but nearly one year in, it faces a persistent challenge: the roster is dominated by Duelists—bruising damage dealers—while tanks (Vanguards) and supports (Strategists) remain underrepresented. Out of 41 heroes, 22 are Duelists, 10 Vanguards, and 9 Strategists. This imbalance continues to affect competitive integrity, team composition, player satisfaction, and design diversity.
In this feature, we unpack how this skew emerged, its implications, how developers are responding, and how the imbalance shapes the future of the game’s competitive ecosystem.
1. The Duelist Flood: How the Roster Rolled Out
Marvel Rivals debuted with a diverse roster but quickly tilted toward DPS-heavy design. Game data shows that Duelists outnumber tanks and supports by more than double.
Creating Duelists is simpler—a focus on damage, flashy abilities, and mobility. By contrast, Vanguards need tanks or crowd control synergies, and Strategists require healing or utility packages that are harder to balance. As Reddit users put it, “With more Duelists than Tank and Support combined, most teams run 4–5 Duelists and no support.”
2. Gameplay Distortion: Why Role Diversity Matters
When DPS characters dominate, match dynamics shift toward raw aggression. Teams lacking dedicated tanks or healers struggle with sustain and strategic depth. One high-rank player called it “a nightmare for team composition.”
This emphasis reduces strategy. Games resemble skirmishes rather than nuanced team fights. Without essentials like shielding or healing, matches become one-dimensional. Vanguards and Strategists feel underpowered, and players abandon those roles.
3. Developer Acknowledgement and Timeline Constraints
Creative director Guangyun Chen confirmed the issue is recognized and will be addressed. However, he cautioned that new heroes take time—currently planning slots fall into next year due to the monthly release cadence.
That means roster balance will evolve, but not imminently. In the meantime, Duelists remain the dominant populators, and the meta stays skewed.
4. Matchmaking Without Role Queues
Players frequently ask for a role queue system like those in other hero shooters. Lead combat designer Zhiyong disagreed, citing concerns about increased queue times and limited appeal of non-DPS roles, adding that the game values creative team compositions.
He also denied using EOMM (engagement optimized matchmaking), noting the system uses hidden skill ratings. Pre-made teams of four or more are limited in queue to curb stack dominance.
5. Community Voices: Frustration and Hope
Reddit sentiment is strong. One user demanded, “There needs to be as many Vanguard and Support characters as Duelists.” Another argued that currently there are 20 Duelists and only 8 each Vanguards and Strategists. Players say adding new DPS characters worsens imbalance and fatigue for support/tank mains.
Yet some defend the status quo, citing that DPS is simply more popular and easier to design. Others argue that allowing creative freedom is a strength and that role queues would limit experimentation.
6. Patch Efforts: Small Balances, Big Impacts
Rivals’ update cycle has included nuanced balance changes. For example, the May 22 patch nerfed Wolverine’s Team-Up with Phoenix to ease pressure on Vanguards. In March, Human Torch and Iron Man received adjustments to abilities to refine damage profiles, and some Strategist kits like Cloak & Dagger got healing buffs.
Still, these do not address the root cause: too many Duelists. Fans see these tweaks as helpful, but the fundamental question remains.
7. Hero-Specific Controversy: Thor and Jeff Incident
Ahead of Season 2.5’s launch, fans reacted strongly to planned balance changes affecting popular characters like Thor and Jeff the Land Shark. Among more targeted fixes, these adjustments underscored community expectations around beloved heroes, especially when tank and support characters are scarce and need to feel impactful.
8. Bug Fixes Reveal Deeper Design Challenges
Frequent bug patches reflect the complexity of balancing Marvel characters. Issues ranged from Peni’s Cyber-Bond traps misbehaving after ult usage to Doctor Strange’s portals or Hulk’s leap glitches. Players praised fixes, but marquee bugs affecting non-DPS heroes often persisted longer, fueling frustration in the underrepresented roles.
9. Ranked Mode Frustrations Worsen Role Imbalance
Multiple ranked mode challenges have emerged:
- Smurfing inflates rank progression speed, making new or tank/support players face overly skilled opponents.
- Lack of role selection leads to matches full of enemy Duelists. As one player noted, “Every match has three DPS insta-locks regardless of competence.”
- Swapping to Doctor Strange last minute with a portal mechanic feels unfair and can swing momentum abruptly.
These frustrations underscore how imbalanced rosters and lack of role controls hurt ranked integrity.
10. Road Ahead: Toward Sustainable Role Equity
For real change, Marvel Rivals needs coordinated initiatives:
- Add strategic hero releases for Vanguards and Supports.
- Explore limited role queues or incentivized play outside of DPS.
- Continue balance patches to make non-DPS roles feel impactful and fun.
- Improve ranked systems with penalties for smurfing or role insubordination.
If developers maintain transparent dialogue and prioritize role variety, the game can evolve into a fully realized hero shooter—one with depth, choice, and fairness.
Conclusion
Marvel Rivals is stuck in its Duelist Dilemma: a roster overweight in DPS heroes that distorts gameplay, limits strategic diversity, and strains matchmaking. Developers are aware, but solutions will take time due to pipeline constraints and design ambitions. Meanwhile, players voice frustration, patches only partially help, and ranked integrity waivers under current conditions.
The hopeful path forward lies in gradual role rebalancing, smarter matchmaking, and thoughtful hero design. Only then can Marvel Rivals achieve the balanced, creative, and competitive experience it promises.
