Marvel Rivals: How to Counter Every Duelist Hero

Marvel Rivals continues to have a growing roster of playable characters, with heroes or villains added in every seasonal and mid-season update. This means that there is quite a variety of different characters available on the three Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategist roles, with multiple characters falling into particular team comps or playstyles – such as poke, dive, and brawl.

However, if you are new to the free-to-play hero shooter, or learning characters that you have not yet played before, then understanding which heroes counter one another is a crucial part of the process. Knowing these advantages and disadvantages will enable you to read the team composition and make clutch character swaps, as well as even learn how to play into particular counters in order to grow even stronger on the hero of your choice. When it comes to Duelists, the guide below has you covered with the best options for countering each hero in this role.

How to Counter Black Panther in Marvel Rivals

• Thing can completely take away Black Panther’s mobility, making him a very easy kill when focused. Similarly, as Black Panther relies almost exclusively on melee range and his dashes for mobility, Peni and her nest can be a real hassle to play into, especially if nobody else is focusing on it.
• Namor and his squids can detect Black Panther the moment he enters range, which makes each and every one of his dives an uphill battle, so long as you have good positioning with them. Mister Fantastic can use his endless shields and ability absorption to protect allies from his dives, and Winter Soldier’s combos are pretty effective at taking him out, especially as he can slow BP and hook him back from his escape.
• Jeff the Land Shark can bubble and burrow to keep himself up through dives, reposition, and shoot his heal/damage stream down main to keep his team alive. Loki’s lamps and ability to position clones and teleport between them provide him with good survivability against BP. Lastly, CC from the likes of Luna or Mantis can shut him down and turn him into a free pick, if you can hit the CC consistently.

How to Counter Black Widow in Marvel Rivals

• Dive Vanguards such as Hulk, Thor, and Venom can harass Black Widow from her sniping positions, forcing her to back out and reposition, or fight a losing battle back.
• If you can out-aim on sniper, then a Black Widow Mirror, or a Hela, Phoenix, and Punisher can work well. Otherwise, dive/high-mobility picks such as Spider-Man, Star-Lord, and Black Panther can consistently harass Black Widow and make her job as difficult as possible.
• Jeff has a big head and is easy to headshot when not burrowed, but if you manage your cooldowns effectively, you should be able to bubble and burrow your way out of being in her line of sight almost every time. Loki can lamp and clone, providing annoying deployables for her to take out.

How to Counter Blade in Marvel Rivals

• Blade is pretty darn good at shredding most shield tank characters, so Vanguards such as Groot, Captain America, and Peni Parker are a more efficient choice, a lot of the time.
• Snipers who can provide distance and out- damage him from their extended range are good choices. Punisher (who also has good headshot damage if he dives in), Hela, Hakweye, and Winter Solider are all strong choices.
• Loki can teleport away and place down his lamps for burst heal enough to survive a dive from Blade. Invisible woman can displace him with push/pull on vortex and double jump away, and Gambit’s spin-dash, Anti-heal, and ability to thrive in 1v1s make him a decent option, too.

How to Counter Daredevil in Marvel Rivals

• Peni Parker and Thing are strong Vanguard choices when it comes to any anti-dive play, and Daredevil is no different. Thing can use his terrain to stop Daredevil’s mobility and peel for his dives. Peni Parker can control space with her nest and mines to make Daredevil’s dives a bit harder to perform, so long as the team sticks together.
• Namor can be handy as his squids will auto-detect him and help draw attention to his dives, Hela can stun and headshot him, Winter Soldier can hook him, and also gains shields much like Daredevil, helping him survive the 1v1.
• Luna and Mantis are good for the CC potential. Cloak and Dagger can use fade to escape him, and blinding him with the window can help turn the fight back. Loki can place down lamps and teleport away, and Gambit can bounce heals, spin-dash away, and even apply anti-heal on him when he dives and call it for his team to focus fire.

How to Counter Elsa Bloodstone in Marvel Rivals

• Vanguard Deadpool is a solid option, as he is rather efficient at chasing her down and can apply intense pressure with his sword bounces. His buffed HP and shield also come in handy, rather than the lineup of his abilities on other roles. Rogue is rather good at isolating Elsa, too, using her grabs and stuns to corner her – especially if she’s already burned cooldowns.
• A good Iron Fist is pretty strong against Elsa, too, as his lock-on enables you to track her consistently, providing constant harassment to her gameplay. He can also tank her most important cooldowns with his block, use his mobility to dance around her while she tries to shoot him, and then she becomes free pickings. Punisher, Namor, and Phoenix are also strong options who can out-damage her on the poke DPS role, if you play your positioning right and hit your shots consistently.
• Gambit is the strongest Strategist option, as you can cleanse her Glartrox, completely negating her Ultimate. Rocket and Loki also have movement and teleports that enable them to avoid Elsa whilst still focusing on their team. Though, neither of them can shut her Ultimate down like Gambit can.

How to Counter Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals

• Dive picks can be good, as they can close distance and shut Hawkeye down, so options such as Thor, Hulk, and Venom are solid. However, if Hawkeye is positioning well and getting picks through dives, then sometimes a shield tank such as Doctor Strange, Magneto, or Emma Frost is the next best bet.
• Hawkeye is best countered by DPS who can close distance, displace him, and disrupt his sniping ability. Black Panther, Magik, Spider-Man, and Star-Lord are all able to handle Hawkeye relatively easily if their dives are executed well. Alternatively, out-sniping the sniper is also an option with mirror Hawkeye, Hela, or Phoenix.
• Rocket Raccoon is hard for Hawkeye to snipe, as he has a small hitbox and can scurry around with good movement. Loki can use his clones and lamps to distract or dupe Hawkeye’s attention, and Invisible Woman can use her invisibility to play off angles, use cover and her shields, and heal from safety.

How to Counter Hela in Marvel Rivals

• Shield picks can be handy for blocking Hela’s stuns and primary, as she has pretty much infinite range for her damage. Emma Frost can be handy, as she can both shield some of this damage, as well as pivot into Diamond Form to walk on Hela and help provide pressure in brawls. Lastly, if you’re able to dive, the likes of a Venom, Captain America, or Hulk could also work in shutting her down.
• Hawkeye can out-snipe Hela efficiently with good aim, as he is the only hero who can one-tap snipe people, whereas Hela can only two-tap. Other than that, Punisher can do rapid damage, Bucky can slow and hook her, Star-Lord can blink through her stun and harass her at closer range, or even a well-executed dive from Black Panther, Daredevil, or Spider-Man can take Hela down easily.
• There’s only so much you can do on Strategist, but if Hela is particularly deadly, Rocket’s smaller hitbox and movement may assist you, or Invisible Woman’s invisibility and shield abilities may also help.

How to Counter Human Torch in Marvel Rivals

• Shield picks such as Magneto and Doctor Strange can shield some of Torch’s primary and secondary shots, helping to ensure he’s not totally free in the sky.
• Flyers such as Human Torch get absolutely shredded by almost any hitscan with consistent aim. Characters such as Hela, Psylocke, Punisher, Star-Lord, and Phoenix can melt him. A good Spider-Man can also target and take Torch out with one of several combos, especially if he has already used his dive.
• Invisible Woman’s vortex can completely ground flying characters, so if you can use this to hit a Torch, you can be a complete threat. Ultron can duel him in the sky, so if you can catch Torch while he’s focusing below, you can set it up for your DPS to pick him off.

How to Counter Iron Fist in Marvel Rivals

• Peni Parker can completely shut Iron Fist down, between her nest and mines being a nuisance for him, and her web being able to stun him before he can escape or heal. Thing is also pretty good, as he shuts down Iron Fist’s movement.
• Namor’s squids can be annoying for Iron Fist to deal with, and can chip away at his health before he even really commits to the dive. Namor has strong poke damage, too, so it’s actually pretty easy to confirm kills on him. Squirrel Girl can use her trap to stun him, and then pop free shots. Punisher can one-tap him with his shotgun when he dives in, and a good Hawkeye can do the same by holding his shot until Iron Fist dives in, then hitting the headshot.
• Cloak and Dagger can blind him, fade out of his lunge range, and keep themselves alive with her bubble. Adam Warlock’s Soul Bond can split up his single-target damage around the team, ensuring survival from his dive. Loki can lamp and swap to different clones to avoid him entirely.

How to Counter Iron Man in Marvel Rivals

• Shields are the best thing for a Vanguard playing into Iron Man. Magneto can shield and bubble from his primary and Ultimate. Doctor Strange can pop his shield at an instant to time with Iron Man’s shots, as well as block Maximum Pulse. Captain America can even deflect Maximum Pulse back at Iron Man, negating the ability with a well-timed shield.
• Hitscan DPS absolutely shreds Iron Man. Punisher, Hela, Bucky, Star-Lord, Phoenix, and Psylocke can all delete him with their primary fire or main combo. Spider-Man can also delete him with a quick combo from off angles, too.
• Invisible Woman can completely block Maximum Pulse with her shields, and she can use her vortex to ground Iron Man, ensuring an easy pick on him occurs. Luna Snow can completely DPS Iron Man down between healing if she has good aim. Cloak and Dagger’s auto-aim can be handy for securing that final hit on a low flyer fleeing a fight. Plus, fade is also handy for Maximum Pulse.

How to Counter Magik in Marvel Rivals

• Thing’s Earthbound ability is a pain for many divers, Magik included – it takes away both her dash and her portal. For this reason, he is one of the best Vanguard matchups to run against her. Other than that, Peni Parker and her mines once again provide a good matchup for dive DPS.
• Squirrel Girl’s trap, when timed right, can completely shut down Magik, providing time for you to hit follow-up damage and kill her before she is freed. Bucky can hook Magik and combo-kill her before she is able to portal out, and he can usually survive her combo if you react, thanks to the shields he gains with his abilities.
• Loki can use his clones to escape Magik’s dive and use his lamps when he is caught out in order to survive. Invisible Woman can self-shield when Magik targets her, and can also use her vortex and push/pull to buy her enough time for peel, or for getting out with her double jump and invisibility.

How to Counter Mister Fantastic in Marvel Rivals

• Truthfully, there isn’t a bunch you can do to shut down Mister Fantastic from the Vanguard role. At the very least, with Emma Frost, you can use her beam to chip him down, force him to pop his absorb or big form, and then use her choke slam as a kill chance once those cooldowns are down. Alternatively, Magneto is a sturdy pick all-around, and his shield plus bubbles is a lot for Mister Fantastic to have to break through.
• Wolverine can absolutely shred Mister Fantastic, as well as any other ‘tank-shredding’ picks. Shotgun Punisher is another strong option, burning through his forms with damage and finally working towards picking him off.
• Again, it’s more about focus fire and shredding Mister Fantastic, so there’s not a bunch you can do on Strategist. However, having mobility and being able to consistently reposition come in handy when he goes looking for those 1v1s. Characters such as Rocket, Gambit, Ultron, Loki, and White Fox are all decent picks.

How to Counter Moon Knight in Marvel Rivals

• When you’re going up against Moon Knight, you want to block as many of his primary and Ankh bounces as possible. For this reason, shield picks are a necessity, making the likes of Magneto and Doctor Strange the best play.
• Moon Knight needs pressure to stop him from spamming his primary through your team. Dive picks such as Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Iron Fist excel at flanking and singling out characters who may be playing slightly off from their team, such as Moon Knight. Lastly, flyers can be the trickiest for Moon Knight to hit, so Human Torch and Iron Man can work.
• For the same reason, Ultron can be handy. Rocket Raccoon can also scurry away and play off angles from the team to ensure he can heal them, whilst also steering clear of Moon Knight’s primary bounces.

How to Counter Namor in Marvel Rivals

• Shields are efficient against Namor, both for his poke damage and his monstro squid damage. Doctor Strange, Magneto, Emma Frost, and Groot all work quite well.
• Moon Knight can shred monstro squids in seconds, and they act as free ankhs. Long-range hitscan, such as Punisher, Phoenix, and Hela, are also good at taking them down and putting pressure on his poke playstyle. Lastly, Mister Fantastic works surprisingly well, as he’s able to absorb the heavy bursts of damage and take down squids from mid-range.
• Cloak and Dagger can help take down Namor’s squid with their auto-aim when appropriate, can blind down main for anti-poke, and can fade Namor’s Ultimate. Gambit can cleanse Namor’s Ultimate and has good range for taking down the squids.

How to Counter Phoenix in Marvel Rivals

• Venom works quite well for harassing Phoenix on the Vanguard role, and can swing in and out, using his bonus health to survive explosive damage and her stun. Magneto’s shield and bubbles can be handy with well-timed cooldown management, also.
• Simply out-sniping/out-firing her is one of the only options on DPS, unless you are able to hit a clean dive on her with certain heroes. Punisher, Hela, Phoenix mirror, Black Widow, or Elsa Bloodstone can all theoretically win a 1v1. Alternatively, if you can perfectly execute a combo on Black Panther or Spider-Man and avoid her stun, this can be useful, too.
• Avoiding Strategists that have deployables or resources that can be wiped with Phoenix Ultimate is key - characters like Loki and Rocket should be avoided in most cases. Ultron is also pretty easily farmed by a Phoenix with good aim. Gambit is a decent pick, as he can bounce his heals through his team to compensate for explosive damage. Invisible Woman can help shield some of her damage, and can even block her Ultimate, too.

How to Counter Psylocke in Marvel Rivals

• Unfortunately, against a very good Psylocke, there are very few hard counters. On Tank, you may be able to use Thing to get her in a close brawl or disrupt her with Emma Frost's choke slam.
• On Duelist, mobility can come in handy for surviving a 1v1 against her. Daredevil is very good due to his lock-on and shields, Bucky can be good due to his hook and ability to slow her, and Star-Lord's blinks come in handy, too.
• Loki is probably the strongest overall counter for her, being able to escape with his clones, use clever positioning of these clones for heals and damage, and use his lamps to survive her in fights. Invisible Woman can also use her invisibility to escape, and push her away when she dives.

How to Counter Scarlet Witch in Marvel Rivals

• Wanda has an extensive TTK compared to other Duelists, compensating for her auto-lock. Tanks that can harass her at close range and force her to burn through cooldowns are the best bet. On the other hand, a shield pick is always handy for her bomb, so Strange and Mag can also work. I’d recommend Emma for a mix of both – she can shield or choke slam stun her out of bomb, has decent poke damage, and can push on her with Diamond Form once her phase is gone.
• Bucky can hook Wanda out of her Ultimate and also use his combos to kill her pretty easily. Spider-Man can also pull her out of bomb, and if he hits a sticky on her, he can track her through her phase animation to kill her, so long as you hit combos and don’t stay long enough for her auto-lock to get you low. Hela and Phoenix can also stun her, and have stronger ranged damage, playing into her, which makes it harder for her to push back against.
• Invisible Woman can push her Ultimate away or use her Ultimate to shield it. Luna Snow can freeze Wanda to secure the pick, too. Gambit has great mobility, and a heal plus Anti-heal that enables him to survive many 1v1s, and Wanda is far from the trickiest matchup for him.

How to Counter Spider-Man in Marvel Rivals

• Spider-Man suffers most from the classic anti-dive Vanguard picks of Thing or Peni. Peni’s Mines make it hard for Spider-Man to stick around and land combos, unless it’s the tricky yo-yo. Thing can completely ground him, taking away the most important part of his kit – his swing! Once this happens, he’s almost a completely free kill.
• Namor is incredibly annoying to play into as Spider-Man, and in the right team comp, can be nearly impossible. It’s very hard for Spidey to kill the squids, and they do enough to completely disrupt his dive if he’s within range. Bucky can also hook and combo Spidey with ease, making him a threat to go up against. Mister Fantastic is horrible to play into as Spider-Man, too, as Spidey’s combos just don’t do enough damage to burst through his various forms. That, and Fantastic can pull you away/ruin your escape with his grapple. Star-Lord can use blinks to dodge Spidey’s attack, use your barrage to disrupt his dives, and gun him down when he commits.
• Invisible Woman is very hard to take out if she’s able to get the self-shield in play, and she has the ability to displace Spidey’s escape or entry into his dive with her push/pull. Gambit holds his own against Spider-Man very well, too, as his Anti-Heal can chip him down very quickly. Loki’s lamps can shut down Spidey’s dive, too, forcing him to back out. Lastly, if you can CC him with Luna’s freeze or Mantis’ sleep, he can be picked with some quick team focus fire.

How to Counter Squirrel Girl in Marvel Rivals

• Countering Squirrel Girl on Vanguard is best done through shields. Though she is technically a shield-buster, Magneto’s shield, bubble, and attack still enable him to walk on her and claim space to secure a pick. Venom can dive her, bait out her abilities, and use his E to survive. Emma Frost can also beam her, force cooldowns, then walk with Diamond Form to brawl when the opportunity arises. Angela as a flyer is good, too – just avoid being trapped.
• Squirrel Girl struggles against flying heroes, Duelist flyers in particular. Human Torch, Storm, and Iron Man are all very strong picks into her, as a moving flying target is by far the hardest thing to hit with her abilities. Alternatively, if you play a strong dive DPS with well-executed combos, you can often clear out a Squirrel Girl as Spider-Man, Daredevil, or Black Panther, before she manages to trap you.
• Ultron is a decent choice, as a flying Strategist, and he can even help deal poke damage to her, especially in a triple-Strategist comp. Gambit can cleanse her traps, which makes him useful for enabling the team to walk on her. Adam Warlock can often out-DPS her if you hit your right clicks, too, and Rocket can tuck away in a corner and play safe, healing their team and making it hard for her to hit them.

How to Counter Star-Lord in Marvel Rivals

• Thing can take away Star-Lord’s mobility, then follow up with close-range punches to secure the kill. This is particularly useful against a flanking Star-Lord. Hulk can also bubble his allies when Star-Lord pressures them, and stun a Star-Lord for focus fire when he dives.
• A good Bucky is probably the best counter to a decent Star-Lord player. He is able to slow him with his projectile charges, he is able to hook him in, and then combo him.
• Loki can use lamps to survive a Star-Lord dive or flank, Luna Snow can potentially freeze him, as well as negate his Ultimate with her own. Both Cloak and Dagger and Invisible Woman are also solid picks, as they can both also negate his Ultimate with their own, and disrupt him when he applies pressure with push/pull and vortex, and blind window.

How to Counter Storm in Marvel Rivals

• Shield Vanguards such as Magneto, Doctor Strange, and Emma Frost are all handy for blocking Storm’s attacks and helping to take space, enabling hitscans to take her out.
• Storm is absolutely shredded as a flyer by hitscan Duelists such as Hela, Phoenix, Punisher, and Star-Lord.
• Luna Snow can freeze her, DPS to pick her off, and use her Ultimate to survive Storm’s Ultimate. Gambit is pretty good at taking down flyers, too, and his Anti-heal certainly makes taking down Storm pretty easy, too.

How to Counter The Punisher in Marvel Rivals

• Punisher is great at applying heavy damage to bigger Vanguard hitboxes, as well as deployables. Thing and Peni can be shredded by Punisher, so something like a Magneto, Groot, Doctor Strange, or Emma Frost can be a better option. Or, if you’re able to dive and disrupt him from off angles, such as Angela, Thor, or Venom, that may work.
• There are not a lot of counters on Duelist, other than hitting your shots better, or simply managing to out-aim the enemy Punisher, or catch him in a dive. Hela, Phoenix, Star-Lord, Black Panther, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Magik, and similar characters can be decent options.
• Invisible Woman’s shields an double-jump invisibility passive helps her survivability against the likes of a Punisher. Gambit can help to focus fire on him as well as heal pretty seamlessly, and worst-case scenario, an Anti-heal on him can work, if nothing else.

How to Counter Winter Soldier in Marvel Rivals

• Again, Bucky has no hard counters, or so it seems. But because of the lethality of his hook, playing shields such as Emma Frost, Magneto, and Doctor Strange, so you can shield and bubble the hook can be of use.
• It’s similar to a Punisher situation, where you will often simply need to outplay the enemy Bucky. Bucky mirror or Punisher seem to be the go-to options due to their high burst damage. Other than that, Mister Fantastic can be another option, as he can grapply to bucky, absorb some of his shots and abilities, and then use his big form to push back.
• Gambit is an absolute must, as you can cleanse Bucky’s Ultimate when he marks somebody, effectively stopping him from being able to get a refresh. Your heals and mobility also come in handy for surviving his burst damage. Cloak and Dagger’s blind and fade can be equally useful, so long as your positioning is good.

How to Counter Wolverine in Marvel Rivals

• A good Angela can counter-pin Wolverine when he leaps into their team, disrupting his dive and even securing a pick, if it all goes to plan. Other than that, both Thing and Peni are nuisances to play against with the likes of Earthbound and nest/mines.
• High burst damage is key to winning against Wolverine on Duelist, so close or mid-range headshots from Star-Lord, Phoenix, and Punisher can be effective. Also, if snipers such as Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Hela are able to maintain advantageous positioning, they can snipe his chunkier hitbox with ease.
• Invisible Woman can push/pull Wolverine’s dives and leap attempts, burning through one of his most crucial abilities. Cloak and Dagger can blind him and fade allies from being pulled into his leap, and Adam Warlock’s Soul Bond comes in handy, making it hard for him to chew through a single target.