By Rory Norris
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Third Person Shooter
Here’s who you should ban in Marvel Rivals Season 2 and thanks to the new team-up abilities, the list is long
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Marvel Rivals
Phoenix’s terrifying team-up in Marvel Rivals Season 3 has me starting a campaign to get Wolverine banned in all my matches
Rory Norris
4 July 2025
My worst nightmare just got worse.
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(Image credit: NetEase)
I’ve played Marvel Rivals almost every day since launch, and while I’m far from the best, most consistent player, I’ve hovered around the Grandmaster regions in competitive, peaking at Celestial 2. At times, trying to take Rivals seriously and play competitively has been an act of self-targeted psychic damage, largely because the hero balance has historically been absolutely terrible.
With Season 3 almost here, finally seeing Phoenix and the vampiric vampire hunter Blade join the roster, I was flabbergasted when I saw a reasonable selection of buffs and nerfs in the Season 3 patch notes. Though Spider-Man’s buffs feel a little unwarranted, I’d say the right heroes are getting nerfed (yes, even my beloved Emma Frost), and weaker heroes are getting brought up. Another of my favourite tanks, The Thing, is even getting a new ability to swat flying heroes, giving Vanguard some much-needed anti-air capabilities.
Phoenix: Fire and Life Incarnate | Character Reveal | Marvel Rivals – YouTube
All of this was immediately undone when I saw the gameplay overview of Phoenix’s abilities. She looks incredibly fun and powerful in her own right, able to blast through grouped teams using chain reaction explosions. However, that’s nothing compared to her team-up ability, which gives my arch-nemesis—Wolverine—bonus damage on his Feral Leap ability and lifesteal on his attacks for a short duration. In other words, Wolverine’s ability to kidnap tank players and drop them behind enemy lines like a sheep surrounded by wolves, before ripping them to shreds, is only going to get more frustrating.
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Here’s who you should ban in Marvel Rivals Season 2 and thanks to the new team-up abilities, the list is long
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It was already hard enough to meet fellow tank mains willing to be bullied for the next 20 minutes.
Competent Wolverine players can already quickly get in and out of a fight, bringing the enemy tank (or any other unlucky victim) with them. Even if you do manage to “kill” him, chances are it’ll just trigger his passive and let him scamper away scot-free. Part of this pest’s strength comes from the raw power of healers in Marvel Rivals compared to, say, Overwatch, where it’s much harder to almost instantaneously turn someone’s health from critical to full. But I don’t think it’s a hot take to say that Wolverine is one of the strongest heroes in Rivals simply due to his unique kit.
With the dominant flyer meta in Season 2, it was already hard enough to meet fellow tank mains willing to be bullied for the next 20 minutes, both by enemy DPS dominating the sky and your own team berating you. And I don’t see this changing in Season 3, thanks to this team-up ability.
(Image credit: NetEase)
Of course, there are a few counters to Wolverine, so I recommend getting caught up to speed ASAP if you’re unsure:
Making a minefield as Peni Parker, especially with her team-up with Rocket
Being a rock, The Thing can’t be disrupted by grabs as easily
Attempt to fly away from Wolverine’s grab as Doctor Strange, and pray that he doesn’t chase you down
Choke slam and kick him into a wall as Emma Frost, though this combo was nerfed in Season 2, and her survivability is being nerfed in Season 3
Have a Moon Knight or Human Torch provide some covering fire
Ban Wolverine in every single match, no exceptions
I’ve no doubt that Wolverine, who’s already a common ban, will be banned in most Marvel Rivals ranked games in Season 3, potentially along with Phoenix, depending on her individual strength. Plus, Season 3 (and every season going forward) is only two months long, so hopefully we won’t be dealing with this powered-up pest for too long. Either way, I know who I’m banning.
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Sincerely, a tank main who just wants to play Doctor Strange in peace.
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Rory Norris
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Guides Writer
Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between. Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenges to good use over the years as a freelancer and guides editor. In his spare time, he’s also an avid video creator, often breaking down the environmental design of his favourite games. If you can’t track him down, he’s probably lost in a cave with a bunch of dwarves shouting “rock and stone” to no end.
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Here’s who you should ban in Marvel Rivals Season 2 and thanks to the new team-up abilities, the list is long
Marvel Rivals’ updated hero hot list reveals the most-played and highest win-rate characters, and it’s good news for Support players
Marvel Rivals Season 3 patch notes: All buffs and nerfs
‘Strategists face increased pressure’: Marvel Rivals devs fold under pressure from the ongoing ‘Support Strike’ to make Strategists stronger
Marvel Rivals Season 2 is fire, mostly thanks to Emma Frost’s ability to choke slam other heroes out of their ultimate abilities
Marvel Rivals tier list for Season 2: Best characters and team compositions
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