The battlefield of Marvel Rivals is a canvas, and the heroes are our brushes. But if the Duelists and Vanguards are the vibrant strokes of color, then the Strategists are the very canvas itself, providing the structure and foundation upon which victory is painted. In this current meta of Season 3.5, where the emergence of Blade has turned traditional healing on its head, the role of the Strategist has never been more profound. It’s no longer just about who can restore health, but who can control space, manipulate time, and fundamentally alter the course of a match. I have spent countless hours analyzing, playing, and observing the highest levels of play, and what I’ve discovered is a fascinating hierarchy, one built on nuance and the ability to adapt. This is my definitive ranking of the Strategists, from the truly transcendent to the tragically out of place.
The New Paradigm: Beyond Healing
Before we dive into the rankings, we must first understand the new criteria. The days of simply measuring a Strategist by their healing per second are over. Blade’s introduction, with his potent healing reduction, has rendered that metric partially obsolete. Now, a Strategist is judged on a more holistic scale:
- Utility & Crowd Control: Can they control the flow of a fight, disrupt enemy plans, or set up devastating combos for their team?
- Damage Potential: Can they contribute to a team’s damage output, either through consistent pressure or burst damage?
- Survival & Self-Sufficiency: In a meta where support is so often the first target, can they stay alive without constant assistance?
- Synergy with the Meta: Do they naturally fit into the current dominant team compositions and playstyles?
With this new lens, the rankings reveal a complex and compelling story about the evolution of competitive play.
The Hierarchy of Architects: My Definitive Ranking
I have carefully curated this list based on what truly wins games in the current meta, not just what looks good on paper. This is the definitive Strategist tier list for Season 3.5 of Marvel Rivals.
1. Loki: The Master of Illusion and Chaos
Loki is not a healer, he is a game-winner. In a meta defined by Blade’s aggression and the need for utility, Loki stands alone at the top. His value lies not in a health bar, but in the chaos he sows. His illusions are a top-tier distraction and scouting tool, capable of drawing fire from a Widowmaker or confusing a charging Wolverine. The real power, however, is his ultimate, which can either provide a massive heal or a huge burst of damage, creating an unpredictable and devastating strategic advantage. He doesn’t counter Blade by out-healing him, he counters him by making the fight unreadable and giving his team the time and space to secure eliminations. He is the ultimate control character, and in this meta, control is everything.
2. Luna Snow: The Versatile Dominator
Luna Snow is the perfect embodiment of the new Strategist philosophy. She doesn’t just heal, she fights. Her primary fire, which can both heal allies and damage enemies, makes her a constant contributor to the fight. She is a Duelist and a Strategist wrapped into one powerful hero, a concept that is perfectly suited for the fast-paced, high-pressure games of Season 3.5. Her ultimate, a massive burst heal and damage ability, is a clutch play-maker. In a world where pure healers are a liability, Luna is a force of nature.
3. Invisible Woman: The Unseen Shield
The Invisible Woman is the perfect counter-point to a hyper-aggressive meta. While she can’t out-heal Blade, she can prevent the damage in the first place. Her force fields are an incredible tool for zoning, blocking projectiles, and creating safe zones for her team. Her ultimate, the Shield Dome, is one of the most powerful abilities in the game, capable of completely negating an enemy team’s push or protecting an objective. In a meta where consistent damage is king, the ability to completely block it is an invaluable strategic advantage.
4. Cloak and Dagger: The Shadowy Sentry
Cloak and Dagger are an interesting case. They offer a unique mix of utility and damage. Their ability to teleport allies to a safe location is a game-saving mechanic, and their ultimate, Darkforce Darts, is a solid burst of damage. Their playstyle, however, requires a high level of team coordination and communication to be truly effective. In a well-coordinated team, they are a fantastic asset. But in the unpredictable chaos of solo queue, they can be a bit more difficult to manage, which is why they are a step below the top three.
5. Ultron: The Swarm Commander
Ultron brings a unique kind of pressure to the field with his Ultron Drones. These drones are fantastic for applying consistent damage and harassing the enemy team. His healing, however, can feel a bit underwhelming compared to others on this list, and he struggles to keep up with the burst damage of the current meta. His ultimate, while powerful in the right hands, is often difficult to use effectively in a fast-paced team fight. He is a good choice for a team that wants to play a more sustained, poke-based game, but he lacks the versatility and clutch potential of the higher-ranked Strategists.
6. Rocket Raccoon: The Resurrecting Engineer
It pains me to put Rocket Raccoon this low, as he was once a top-tier Strategist. However, in this meta, his weaknesses are more apparent. His healing is consistent, but it is not fast enough to save a teammate from a committed dive. And while his ultimate, the Battle Rebirth Beacon, is an incredible tool for bringing a teammate back into the fight, it can be easily destroyed or simply avoided. In the current meta, where a single Blade ultimate can render a whole team’s healing useless, a Strategist who relies so heavily on a single, long-cooldown ability is at a significant disadvantage.
7. Mantis: The Passive Healer
Mantis suffers from the same problems as Rocket Raccoon, but to a greater degree. Her healing is passive and tied to her movement, which makes it incredibly difficult to use effectively in a fast-paced, high-stakes fight. She is the very definition of a “heal-bot” in a meta that has rendered “heal-bots” obsolete. While her ultimate can be a good burst of healing, it is often not enough to save a team from a coordinated attack.
8. Adam Warlock: The Tragic Underachiever
Adam Warlock is the biggest casualty of the current meta. His healing is slow and his damage is inconsistent. His ultimate is a powerful but easily countered ability that can often leave him vulnerable. In a meta where every ability needs to provide instant value and impact, Adam Warlock’s slow and methodical playstyle simply does not fit. He is in desperate need of a rework to make him a viable choice in the competitive scene.
9. Jeff the Land Shark: The Adorable Liability
Jeff the Land Shark, while incredibly lovable, is a hero that struggles to find his footing in the current meta. His healing is mediocre, and while his ultimate, It’s Jeff, can be a great tool for disorienting the enemy team, it can also leave him and his allies incredibly vulnerable. He is a hero that requires a specific team composition and a perfect execution to be effective. In the current high-stakes competitive environment, he is simply too much of a gamble to be a reliable choice.
Strategist Counters
To truly understand the new Strategist hierarchy, you have to look beyond the surface. It’s about how they interact with th1e dominant meta-defining heroes and how their kits provide value in a world where a single debuff can change everything. Here is a quick summary of what you need to know:
| Hero | Best Against (Hard Counter) | Worst Against (Soft Counter) | Key Strategic Role |
| Loki | Dive Comps (can split enemies with portals), Wolverine (illusions can exhaust his Ultimate). | Hulk (can chase Loki and destroy his clones), Venom (can track down and destroy Loki with his large hitbox). | Primary disruptor and play-maker, wins games through deception and tactical superiority. |
| Luna Snow | Aggressive Duelists (can out-heal their damage), Teams with high HP (her piercing healing/damage is very effective). | Heroes with crowd control or fast burst damage (e.g., Hela, Magneto). | Hybrid support/damage, shines when playing aggressively with her team. |
| Invisible Woman | Poke Comps (shields block projectiles), Ultimate-heavy teams (her “Shield Dome” can negate enemy Ultimates). | Wolverine (relentless pressure breaks her shields), Hulk (can easily break through her barriers and find her while invisible). | The ultimate defensive anchor, wins by denying enemy aggression and protecting objectives. |
| Cloak & Dagger | Ultron (can teleport allies away from his Ultimate), Stationary teams (can quickly reposition for an attack). | Magneto (can throw off their Ultimate), Hela (can see them through walls), Blade (their healing is easily negated). | Tactical retreat and surprise attack specialist, wins through team coordination and positioning. |
| Ultron | Stationary teams (drones continuously harass them), Heroes without mobility (can easily keep them at a distance). | Dive Comps (easily focused and burst down), Hawkeye (due to his accurate damage), Hela (her zoning and damage completely negate his). | Consistent pressure and zoning specialist, wins through a slow, methodical siege. |
| Rocket Raccoon | Ultimate-heavy teams (can resurrect teammates), Hela (can resurrect allies caught by her Ultimate). | Blade (his healing is easily negated), Dive Comps (easily focused and shut down). | Reactive support, wins by capitalizing on enemy mistakes and bringing allies back into the fight. |
| Mantis | Wolverine (her Ultimate can counter his lifesteal), Teams that rely on a single big hit (she can out-heal them). | Snipers (she is vulnerable at a distance), Heroes with consistent pressure (her passive healing is too slow). | Pure healer, wins through sheer healing output, but is very vulnerable in the current meta, which emphasizes fast burst damage. |
| Adam Warlock | Teams that have low damage (can out-heal them). | Anything with high damage, The Thing (forces him to use all his healing). | A very niche hero who requires the entire team to be built around him. |
| Jeff the Land Shark | Vulnerable and slow targets (his Ultimate can isolate and destroy enemies), Teams with limited healing. | Heroes with high ranged damage (can kill him before he gets close), Heroes with crowd control (Storm). | A unique disruptor and controller, wins by correctly using his Ultimate and high mobility. |
The Marvel Rivals landscape has changed, and with it, the role of the Strategist has been profoundly redefined. The old ways of playing are no longer enough. The top-tier Strategists of Season 3.5 are not the ones with the biggest healing numbers, but the ones with the most utility, the most adaptability, and the most control over the battlefield. Loki, Luna Snow, and Invisible Woman are proof that true strength lies not in simply restoring life, but in manipulating the very fabric of the fight itself.
I hope this analysis gives you a deeper understanding of the game. Get out there and master the new meta!
