Season 2 launch back in April and subsequent updates since, the game hasn't overcome its central balance problems. Characters like Magneto, Human Torch, and Luna Snow are becoming almost instant bans in Competitive play, while Black Widow barely sees any play.

Marvel Rivals, unlike other hero shooters and even MMOs, does not feature role queues, meaning that team compositions and combinations can vary drastically. I can often load into a Quick Play match as Human Torch and see five other people also pick a Duelist character. Other times, teams work together and keep their strategies fluid, with an equal spread of Vanguards, Duelists, and Strategists, or a stack of one role for a tactical reason. But after 300 hours of play and Marvel Rivals' latest update, I'm starting to feel like there is a big problem that isn't being addressed.

All The Strategists Are Starting To Feel The Same

And Ultron Doesn't Seem To Be Much Different

Unlike the Vanguards and Duelists, the Strategist characters' gameplay is starting to feel homogenized. Luna Snow, Loki, Mantis, Cloak and Dagger, and Invisible Woman can all heal by using their primary fire, leaving only Rocket Raccoon and Adam Warlock as slightly more unique Strategists. Adam and Rocket are also the only two with ultimates that are designed to do more than just keep the team alive (Loki's is often used to give two healing ultimates), though there was a lot of negative regarding Rocket Raccoon's recent changes, which saw him lose some of his individuality.

Despite the name being "Strategist," and not "Healer," the characters are currently almost exclusively being played as healers. Invisible Woman added some utility with her push/pull ability and invisibility to scout enemy team positions. Mantis has Spore Slumber, which allows her to very briefly put one person to sleep. But those strategies aren't nearly as effective as just being a "heal bot" for your team's Vanguards and Duelists, and they're seeing little use in both casual and Competitive play.

Ultron will be ing the roster soon, presumably on May 30 for the Season 2-midpoint update. Based on Ultron's revealed powers, it doesn't seem like he will add anything new to the Strategists' game plans. Most of his powers revolve around granting bonus health or commanding drones to heal allies or damage enemies. His ultimate is also designed to damage enemies or heal allies, similar to Clock and Dagger's ultimate.

Mister Fantastic Was A Good Hyrbid Experiment

Another Could Be On The Way For The Strategists

Mr. Fantastic ed the game as a Duelist at the start of Season 1, and his defensive gameplay was something of a mix between a Duelist and a Vanguard. While he might have fallen flat for some players, I enjoyed his uniqueness. I still get a little nervous when I see Mr. Fantastic on the other team, just because he can be played in multiple ways. He can Strategists and Vanguards with his Flexible Elongation move and grant shields, similar to what a Vanguard might do, but also has a bouncing ultimate attack that feels more like a Duelist.

Mr. Fantastic was generally seen as one of the weakest characters in the game due to his jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none gameplay, but he has received several buffs since then. His ultimate place in the meta is still a big point of contention.

Overall, Mr. Fantastic feels like a hybrid between a Duelist and a Vanguard, with a slight lean in the Duelist direction. I think it would be interesting to see that same hybrid concept applied to a Strategist character as well. I thought that would have been Rocket Raccoon initially, given his relatively high damage and ultimate that increases teammates' firepower. His recent changes have put him and his skills more in line with the other Strategists, however, which is a missed opportunity in my opinion.

There's an argument to be made that we've seen that same concept of a hybrid role hero applied again with Emma Frost's entrance as a Vanguard. She actually does quite a bit of damage for a Vanguard, and can build charge to do more damage the more she attacks, making her feel like a Duelist character.

Emma Frost, of course, still has shields and defensive counters to other abilities, but she is fun to play, and she's quickly becoming one of the game's most played characters. A hybrid Strategist could be next. Maybe that will be Ultron, but we'll have to wait a bit longer to see if his gameplay is different enough from other Strategists.

Marvel Rivals May Need To Expand Its Gameplay Elements In The Future

NetEase Games Has Already Dabbled With Some Depth

In theory, Marvel Rivals could end up with an ocean of depth. It can pull from thousands of characters from one of the most popular IPs in history, it has a solid and generally pro-consumer approach to its free-to-play business model, and it's setting up a consistent pace of adding skins, events, characters, and maps. Starting with Season 3, a new character will come every month. With characters being released even faster, and the game already sitting at a high 39 characters, Marvel Rivals may need to expand its core gameplay elements as well.

Mantis can put players to sleep briefly, The Thing can use his ultimate to stun multiple enemies, and Rocket can give a temporary damage boost. These are ideas that are already present in the game that could be expanded in an effort to make characters more unique, especially the Strategists. Maybe a future Strategist can build a "poison" effect on enemy teams by healing their own allies. More status aliments could be introduced, like randomizing controls or flipping the screen upside down. There's a lot of creative freedom waiting to be explored.

The game's balance is already in question, and NetEase Games has taken the approach of introducing new characters without expanding gameplay possibilities. With dozens of characters leaked and an almost endless supply of source material, I could easily see Marvel Rivals sticking around for a long time to come.

Keeping that potential longevity in mind, the game may need to evolve beyond its current offerings. For now, Vanguards tank damage, Duelists deal damage, and the Strategists heal damage. In the future, though, there's always a chance that the Strategists could grow into actual strategists and become more than healers in Marvel Rivals.