Marvel Rivals DPS Tier List – Best Duelist Heroes Ranked Season 1.5 Meta
Image Credit: NetEase Games, Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals is a fast-paced 6v6 hero shooter where Duelists take center stage. These heroes specialize in high damage output, making them the backbone of any team’s offensive strategy. With 20 Duelists in the current roster, picking the right one can be the difference between dominating the battlefield or getting sent back to spawn repeatedly.
Here’s a breakdown of every Duelist/DPS hero, ranked from worst to best, with explanations on what makes them strong, weak, or just plain frustrating to play in Season 1.5.
Bottom-Tier Duelists (Difficult to Use, Low Impact)
20. Black Widow
Widow has a sniper rifle, which sounds cool—until you realize it can’t one-shot enemies, even on headshots. That means you need perfect aim and follow-up shots, but her slow fire rate makes this frustrating. Up close, she has some defensive tools, but they don’t hit hard enough. Compared to Hela or Hawkeye, there’s little reason to pick Widow unless you just really love suffering.
19. Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch has a draining tether attack that does percentage-based damage, which is useful against tanks but weak against squishier enemies. She can go invisible and invulnerable for a bit, but her movement tech requires practice. Her ultimate is a massive explosion that’s strong—if you can survive the four-second charge time without getting obliterated.
18. Iron Man
He should be amazing, right? He’s Iron Man! But unless you have a Hulk to buff your damage, Tony struggles. His Repulsor Blasts have weak splash damage, and his Unibeam requires you to float in mid-air like a sitting duck. His Pulse Cannon ultimate can be blocked by shield tanks, making it inconsistent. Basically, he’s fine—but he should be better.
Mid-Tier Duelists (Solid, but Require Effort to Shine)
17. Starlord
A non-melee dive hero who has to get close to deal damage, but isn’t great at surviving close-range fights. He’s fantastic for disrupting enemy supports, and his auto-aim Galactic Legend ultimate is powerful, but he has to work harder than most Duelists to be effective.
16. Punisher
A no-frills shooter with a rifle and a shotgun, Punisher is reliable but not flashy. His ultimate shreds enemies but requires a clear line of sight, and his smoke grenade barely lasts long enough to be useful. If you want a traditional FPS experience, he’s your guy—but he won’t carry games.
15. Storm
Storm got buffed, making her much better than before. She moves faster, her attacks hit harder, and her synergy with Human Torch is strong. However, she still lacks strong mobility options, making her vulnerable to focused attacks.
14. Squirrel Girl
Her acorns hit hard, bouncing off walls to bypass shields. Her squirrel army ultimate is decent but not game-changing. She’s fun to play and solid at dealing damage, but her overall kit lacks the versatility of higher-tier Duelists.
13. Moon Knight
He excels at bouncing projectiles off walls and enemies, creating a chain-damage effect. However, if enemies shoot his Ankhs (which power his attacks), he becomes much weaker. Competitive players will counter him quickly, but casual matches can still see him shine.
12. Black Panther
A high-speed melee attacker with a complex combo system. When played well, he’s relentless, but missing a single ability messes up his entire damage chain. If you master him, he’s terrifying—but the learning curve is brutal.
11. Human Torch
A flying hero with fire-based abilities that punish grouped enemies. He’s amazing in the right situations but struggles in one-on-one fights. His ultimate deals great damage but requires careful placement.
10. Wolverine
Another percent-based damage hero, but Wolverine is better at it than Scarlet Witch. His rage mechanic lets him tear through tanks, and his leap attack isolates targets for easy kills. He’s strong, but needs to keep landing hits to stay alive.
9. Winter Soldier
A powerful Duelist with a shotgun-like gun that has both direct-hit and splash damage. His ability combo (slow enemies, pull them in, punch them) is devastating. His ultimate can literally wipe an entire enemy team if used correctly.
8. Namor
Namor spawns squid turrets that deal damage and soak up enemy attention. His ultimate summons Giganto, dealing heavy area damage—one of the few ultimates strong enough to counter a Luna Snow ultimate.
7. Mr. Fantastic
He’s the tankiest Duelist, with a passive ability that gives him extra health. His stretchy arms let him hit multiple enemies at once, and his disruptive ultimate makes him a great pick for aggressive teams.
Top-Tier Duelists (High Impact, Game-Changing Potential)
6. Magik
One of the strongest melee Duelists, Magik has a passive that heals her based on damage dealt. She can teleport to avoid damage or set up devastating attacks. Her ultimate turns her into a supercharged version of herself, making her nearly unstoppable.
5. Spider-Man
A nightmare for enemies who don’t see him coming. He can web-swing in, pull enemies toward him, punch them into the sky, and delete them before swinging away. A well-played Spider-Man is one of the scariest Duelists in the game.
4. Psylocke
Psylocke is all about burst damage. Her Wing Shurikens stick to enemies and can be recalled instantly for double damage. Her stealth ability makes her hard to track, and her ultimate dashes around the battlefield, slicing through multiple enemies with ease.
3. Iron Fist
The best melee Duelist in the game. He punches like a freight train, has a block that turns damage into healing, and can recover health over time. His ultimate makes him even faster and deadlier. If you love brawlers, he’s your go-to.
2. Hawkeye
Hawkeye’s precision damage is ridiculous. He can one-shot squishier heroes with a full-charged headshot. His ultimate removes cover as a factor, revealing afterimages of enemies that can be hit for damage. Unless he gets nerfed, he’s one of the best Duelists in the game.
1. Hela
Hela is the queen of Duelists. Her primary fire is easy to land, has no projectile travel time, and melts enemies with headshots. She has explosive abilities, a movement ability that makes her invulnerable, and a passive that spawns exploding crows when she gets kills. Her ultimate lets her fly and rain down massive AOE damage. Right now, she’s the Duelist to beat.
Final Blurb
Marvel Rivals has a stacked Duelist roster, with plenty of viable heroes to choose from. Some, like Hela and Hawkeye, feel a little too strong, while others (looking at you, Black Widow) struggle to justify their spot on a team. Whether you prefer precise sniping, acrobatic melee combat, or straight-up brawling, there’s a Duelist here for you.
If NetEase starts balancing the game more aggressively, expect this list to shift—but for now, these rankings should help you decide which hero to master (or avoid entirely).
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