Excitement is building up as players gear up for the mid-season patch of Marvel Rivals, launching on February 21. With new characters like Human Torch and The Thing entering the fray, it seems a perfect time for balancing adjustments. Thanks to some diligent data mining by XOXLeak, we have an advanced look at the nerfs and buffs coming our way.
I can say that we can finally see Storm, the one you banned permanently, finally being skipped from the ban list in high-skill matches. This will probably make Wolverine the most banned character, too. Not that he’s avoided now; he’s one of the more banned characters, but still…. there will be some weird tweaks and picks after this.
This update promises to shake things up quite a bit, with several heroes seeing their powers adjusted. Let’s break down what you can expect from this exciting patch!
NERFS
-
Storm
- Wind Blade damage at 30m reduced from 70% to 60%
- Aura: Self-boost reduced from 16% to 12%
- Team boost increased from 8% to 10%
- Goddess Boost (Thunder): Self-boost damage reduced from 30% to 25%
-
Star-Lord
- Ultimate cost increased from 1200 to 1800
-
Spider-Man
- Web-Shooters recharge time decreased from 3s to 2.5s
-
Moon Knight
- Ultimate – Khonshu’s Fist:
- Speed reduced
- Corrected damage logic; removed 75 dmg for being in the middle of spell field
- Each fist now does 150 dmg (up from 75)
- Ultimate – Khonshu’s Fist:
-
Hela
- Soul Drainer: Damage falloff at 30m reduced from 70% to 80%
-
Luna Snow
- Ultimate cost increased from 4000 to 4500
-
Mantis
- Ultimate bonus HP reduced from 100 to 75
-
Invisible Woman
- Ultimate cost increased from 4000 to 4300
-
Doctor Strange
- Base HP changed from 650 to 600
BUFFS
-
Venom
- Frenzied Arrival: Changed from vertical knockback to inwards knockback at a 75° angle
- Ultimate cost reduced from 2800 to 2500
-
Captain America
- Added ability for Absolute Will Defense during jumping
- Vibranium Energy Saw:
- Projectile speed increased from 60m/s to 80m/s
- Ejection speed after hit increased from 100m/s to 150m/s
-
Thor
- Cooldown removed after Rune Awakening skill duration ends
-
Groot
- Groot walls can now be placed up to 18m (up from 15m)
-
Scarlet Witch
- Ultimate: Grants 100 bonus HP on cast, which decays at 50 HP/s after an interrupt or skill end
-
Black Widow
- Rifle capacity increased from 8 to 15
- Ultimate slowdown effect reduced from 80% to 55% (new hit effect on enemies still unknown)
-
Adam Warlock
- Primary fire damage increased from 55 to 60
- Damage falloff at 40m reduced from 50% dmg falloff
- Soul Bond healing increased from 10/s to 15/s
NERF/BUFF
-
Magneto
- Primary Damage changed from 35 to 40
- Curtain Energy Cost increased from 50 to 65
- Maximum Duration reduced from 2s to 1.5s
-
Iron Fist
- Base HP increased from 250 to 300
- Jeet Kune Do:
- 1st, 2nd, and 5th attack damage reduced from 32 to 30
- 3rd and 4th attack damage reduced from 16 to 15
- 6th attack damage reduced from 55 to 50
- Cooldown time per hit increased from 1s to 1.5s
- Damage Sun Punch reduced from 19 to 10
-
Iron Fist (2nd adjustment)
- Harmony Recovery: Bonus HP increased from 50 to 150, with HP decay at 25/s
- Dragon’s Defense: HP converted from blocking increased from 150 to 200
-
Loki
- Ultimate cost increased from 3400 to 4000
- Ammo increased from 10 to 12
-
Magik
- Eldritch Whirl (Normal): Damage reduced from 45 to 40
- Demon’s Rage (Normal): Damage reduced from 80/s to 72/s
- Ultimate cost reduced from 3700 to 3400
-
Cloak & Dagger
- Ultimate cost increased from 3400 to 4000
- Dash Lanes/Fog That Heals: Duration reduced from 10s to 8s
- Pause between dashes reduced from 1s to 0.67s
- Healing effect of dash lanes no longer stacks—only one lane works when overlapped
-
Cloak & Dagger (2nd adjustment)
- Terror Cape: Vulnerability on enemies increased from 20% to 28%
The changes are substantial! Balancing through nerfs and buffs could shift how matches play out. Players are buzzing about these adjustments on social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter, discussing strategies they might adopt.
It’s fascinating how these updates reflect ongoing player feedback and community dynamics. Adjustments like those made for Black Widow and Adam Warlock could lead many players to experiment with different builds or tactics when facing off against others in their games.
