Marvel Rivals Tier List (Season 8.5)
This Marvel Rivals tier list ranks all 51 heroes into S, A, B and C tiers by role, but more importantly it explains the reasoning behind each placement so you can adapt when the next patch lands. We are a fan-made randomizer site, not an official source, so treat everything here as informed community analysis rather than gospel. Tier lists are snapshots. A hero sitting in S tier this week can slide to B after a single damage or cooldown tweak, and a forgotten pick can rocket up the moment a synergy or map rotation favors it. The current roster splits into 13 Vanguards (tanks), 26 Duelists (damage), 11 Strategists (healers and support), and Deadpool, who flexes across roles. Because each role does a different job, we rank heroes inside their own role rather than throwing tanks and healers onto one giant ladder. Comparing a Vanguard to a Strategist is like comparing a goalkeeper to a striker: both matter, but not on the same scale. Use this page as a starting map, not a set of orders. The heroes near the top tend to be forgiving, flexible, and strong across many maps. The heroes lower down usually demand specific comps, coordinated teammates, or particular counters to shine. In the sections below we break down each role, explain why placements move between patches, and show you how to read a tier list without falling into the trap of one-tricking a single character all the way up the ranks.
How We Build This Tier List
Every placement here is a blend of three inputs: raw kit strength, how forgiving a hero is for solo-queue players, and how consistently they perform across the current map pool. A hero can have a devastating ultimate and still land in B tier if landing that ultimate requires perfect coordination that most ranked lobbies never deliver.
We weight solo-queue reliability heavily because that is where most players actually spend their time. A pick that dominates in a stacked six-stack scrim but collapses without voice comms does not deserve an S next to its name for the average reader. Conversely, self-sufficient heroes that can carry through poor teammates earn a bump.
We also lean on patch notes rather than vibes. When the developers cut a cooldown by two seconds or shave 15 damage off a projectile, that number ripples through every matchup. We read the official notes, watch how the meta reacts over the following two weeks, and only then adjust. That lag is deliberate: knee-jerk reactions to a single balance change usually age badly.
Vanguard Tier List (Tanks)
Vanguards create space, soak damage, and set up the rest of the team. With 13 to choose from, the tank pool is deep enough that most comps have a strong front line available.
The traits that push a Vanguard toward S tier are simple: reliable self-sustain, a way to threaten the backline or peel for your own healers, and an ultimate that swings a fight rather than merely stalling one. Rogue, a Vanguard in the current roster, rewards aggressive players who can dive and disrupt, which keeps her relevant whenever the meta tilts toward faster tempo.
Mid-tier Vanguards usually trade one strength for a weakness. Some have huge health pools but poor mobility, making them easy to pressure on flanking maps. Others bring strong shields but little threat, so smart enemies simply ignore them and shoot around the barrier. C-tier tanks are not unplayable; they just ask you to fight uphill on most maps this season.
Duelist Tier List (Damage)
Duelists are the biggest role at 26 heroes, and also the most volatile on any tier list. Small changes to a projectile size, a reload speed, or an ability cooldown can move a Duelist a full tier in either direction.
Cyclops, the newest hero added in Season 8.5, is a good example of why we tell readers to be patient with brand-new placements. Fresh heroes often look overtuned in their first week simply because opponents have not learned the counterplay yet. We usually park new Duelists in A tier with a note, then let real matchups settle their true position over a couple of patches.
Top-tier Duelists share a few traits: they generate value from a safe distance, they have an escape or repositioning tool, and they do not evaporate the instant a diver looks at them. Hitscan and reliable projectile heroes tend to grade higher for solo queue because you are not depending on teammates to set up your damage. Burst-combo assassins can be devastating but often sit a tier lower here because they punish mistakes harshly and reward only clean execution.
Strategist Tier List (Healers and Support)
With 11 Strategists, the support role is the smallest but arguably the most impactful on your win rate. A single strong healer often carries harder than a strong Duelist because their value compounds across the whole team.
Gambit is a Strategist in the current roster, and heroes like him illustrate what pushes a support up the rankings: healing output that keeps up with modern burst damage, a self-peel tool so divers cannot simply delete you, and utility such as anti-heal, crowd control, or a fight-ending ultimate.
Strategists that only heal, with no way to protect themselves, tend to slide down the list even if their raw numbers look great, because they need constant babysitting. The best-ranked supports let you contribute to a fight while still topping up your team, which is exactly the kind of self-sufficiency that wins games in uncoordinated lobbies.
Why Tiers Move Between Patches
If you remember one thing from this page, make it this: a tier list is a photograph, not a law of physics. Here are the forces that reshape it, roughly in order of impact.
Direct balance changes are the obvious one. A buff to a hero's damage or a nerf to a cooldown moves that hero immediately. But the ripple effects matter just as much. Buffing one Vanguard can indirectly weaken the Duelists that used to counter the old front line.
Map rotations and mode changes quietly rearrange everything. Heroes with long-range value spike on open payload maps and slump on tight, cramped control points. New heroes reset entire matchup charts, since every existing character now has one more thing to counter or be countered by. And finally, the meta learns. Sometimes nothing in the patch notes changes at all, but players simply figure out a better way to use a hero, and it climbs on player skill alone.
How to Use a Tier List Without One-Tricking
The single biggest mistake we see is players treating the S tier as a shopping list and forcing the same hero every game. That backfires the moment you hit a hard counter or a map that hates your pick.
Instead, use the tier list to build a small, flexible pool. A healthy approach looks like this: learn two or three strong heroes inside one role, plus one comfort pick in a second role so you can fill when your team needs it. That way you are almost never forced onto a bad matchup, and you keep the flexibility to swap mid-match.
Depth beats one-tricking in ranked because opponents adapt. If you only know one hero, a single counter-pick can end your night. If you know three, you answer the counter and keep the pressure on. Tier lists are most useful as a guide for which two or three heroes are worth investing your practice time in this season, not as a mandate to abandon a hero you love and play well.
Practicing New Picks With a Randomizer
Reading a tier list is passive. The fastest way to actually expand your pool is to force yourself onto heroes you would never voluntarily pick. That is exactly what our fan-made hero randomizer is built for.
Set the randomizer to your target role and let it hand you a Vanguard, Duelist, or Strategist you have neglected. You will discover matchups the tier list can only describe in the abstract, and you will build the muscle memory that turns a B-tier comfort pick into a reliable win condition. Over a season, players who rotate through their whole role pool tend to climb more steadily than players who cling to a single S-tier hero.
A tier list tells you what is strong. A randomizer helps you find out what is strong in your own hands, which is the only ranking that ultimately decides your games.
Frequently asked questions
How often does the Marvel Rivals tier list change?
Expect meaningful movement with every balance patch, and larger shifts at the start of each new season when heroes and maps are added. We revisit our placements after each patch and let the meta settle for a couple of weeks before making big changes, so knee-jerk reactions to a single tweak do not distort the rankings.
Is this the official Marvel Rivals tier list?
No. Rivals Randomizer is an unofficial, fan-made site with no affiliation to Marvel or NetEase. Everything here is community analysis based on patch notes and observed play. Always cross-check with the official patch notes for the exact numbers behind any balance change.
Why is a hero I love ranked lower than I expect?
Tier placements reflect average performance across many players and maps, not your personal results. A hero that sits in B tier can absolutely win games in the hands of someone who has mastered it. If you play a lower-tier hero well and enjoy it, keep playing it; a comfort pick you excel at usually beats an S-tier hero you barely know.
Should I only play S-tier heroes to climb?
Not necessarily. S-tier heroes are strong and forgiving, which makes them a safe starting point, but the meta shifts and hard counters exist. A flexible pool of two or three heroes you know well will carry you further than one-tricking whatever sits at the top this week.
How many heroes are ranked in this tier list?
All 51 currently playable heroes are considered: 13 Vanguards, 26 Duelists, 11 Strategists, and Deadpool as a multi-role hero. We rank heroes within their own role rather than on one combined ladder, because each role does a fundamentally different job.
Where does Cyclops rank as the newest hero?
Cyclops arrived in Season 8.5, so his placement is still settling. New heroes often look stronger than they really are in their first week before opponents learn the counterplay. We tend to place fresh additions in A tier with a note and adjust once real matchup data accumulates over a patch or two.
Do tier lists matter in lower ranks?
Less than you might think. In lower ranks, individual mechanics, positioning, and communication decide far more games than a one-tier difference between heroes. Use the tier list to pick heroes worth practicing, then focus your energy on fundamentals, which improve your results on every hero at once.
What is the difference between S tier and A tier here?
S-tier heroes are strong across nearly every map and comp with minimal setup, making them reliable defaults. A-tier heroes are excellent but usually ask for a specific condition to shine, such as a particular map, a synergy partner, or a matchup that plays into their strengths. Both are fully viable in ranked.
Sources & references
Related guides
Written & edited by Sukie Gao, who keeps the roster in sync each season. Last updated 2026-07-01. Back to the Marvel Rivals randomizer.