Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Discover everything you need to know about the Best Duelist Tier List in Marvel Rivals and find out which suits your preferred playstyle.

Spider-Man, The Punisher (Source: NetEase Games)
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List (Source: NetEase Games)

Marvel Rivals offers a variety of playstyles through its three different classes: Duelist, Vanguard, and Strategist. These classes dictate how your game plays out, as well as how far on the offensive or how deep into the defensive you play. The Duelist plays on the former and sees you on the frontlines in the heat of battle. In this guide, we shall go over the five best Duelists you can use in Marvel Rivals. Experimenting with different heroes will help you to discover your playstyle. In this guide, we’ll discuss every Duelist that the game has to offer including best to worst ones.

Duelist Overview in Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rival offers 33 free-to-play heroes for all the players out there it includes 18 duelists. Each duelist has different gameplay styles with unique abilities and Ultimate. Choosing the right duelist is difficult, so we bring the best duelist to help you pick the right one. Duelists deal serious damage as they are quick and deadly but fragile. Duelists excel at isolating and eliminating targets with raw damage output.  Iron Fist and Hawkeye can dominate matches but require correct strategy and accuracy to be effective. Duelist’s Ultimate abilities are the real game changer that has the capability to turn the tide of victory on your side. Mastering these duelists in Marvel Rivals is the key to dominating any enemy coming in the path.

Best Duelist Tier List in Marvel Rivals

The punisher is the best duelist in Marvel Rivals due to its capability to dominate the match. Here is the best Duelist Tier List in Marvel Rivals, making your selection a bit easier when want to play a duelist role. We’ll discuss every duelist along with their unique abilities, what makes them unique from others, and which players can run the specific duelist.

TierHeroes
S-TierThe Punisher, Moon Knight, Hawkeye
A-TierBlack Panther, Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, Iron Man, Iron Fist
B-TierWolverine, Winter Soldier, Star-Lord, Magik, Black Widow
C-TierPsylocke, Namor, Storm, Hela, Squirrel Girl
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

S-Tier

We include the Duelists in the S-tier that are the best Marvel Rivals Duelists due to their unique abilities to dominate matches.

The Punisher

Punisher (Source: NetEase Games)
Punisher (Source: NetEase Games)

The Punisher is the most straightforward duelist and he’s more often than not considered a very good starting point. Make no mistake though regardless of how simple his kit may be, he still is an incredibly efficient character. Adjudication is his automatic rifle, a hit scan weapon capable of dealing great damage at a pretty respectable range. For those that want to get a bit closer and personal though, Punisher has access to his Deliverance shotgun. This is a powerhouse capable of shredding tanks and making short work of assassins so long as you can aim it.

You can deploy a culling turret for aerial denial which will suppress enemies who don’t break line of sight from it. His Vantage Connection grants instant mobility to get from point to point in the form of a zipline while his Scourge Grenade obscures enemy vision. This synergizes with his passive warrior’s gaze very well. This reveals the outline of enemies who are recently out of sight, allowing you to acquire targets even through the smoke screen. His Ultimate Final Judgement activates an exoskeleton with dual battling guns and missile launchers, enabling unparalleled destruction but only for 10 seconds. Players with sharp aim and a preference for more traditional shooting mechanics will definitely excel on Punisher. 

The Punisher ProsThe Punisher Cons
High DPSLow Mobility
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Moon Knight

Marvel Rivals Moon Knight Guide

Moon Knight is a high-damage duelist who shines in team fights, focusing on bursting down a group of enemies. His primary attack Crescent Dart fires a triple shot that bounces between enemies, dealing multiple hits and maximizing its damage in clustered situations. With Ancient Ank, Moon Knight can fire an Ank that pulls in enemies into an area which is ideal for grouping foes together and enhancing the effectiveness of his bouncing attacks. He can also deploy two of these at a time for even greater control.

His mobility is also enhanced with a Night Glider, allowing him to glide through the air to reposition. Moonlight Hook also allows you to Grapple forwards to a surface and a rising leap will give you a double jump for navigating vertical terrain. Moon Knight also brings a mix of melee and ranged utility. With a moon blade, a high-damaging projectile that bounces between enemies. His triple eclipse melee combo ends with a strike that launches enemies back giving him space to regroup or follow up. 

For devastating area control, his Ultimate Hand of Khonshu opens a portal to rain destruction on a target zone Moon Knight is a dynamic choice for players who enjoy high mobility, crowd control, and a balance of melee and ranged combat.

Moon Knight ProsMoon Knight Cons
High BurstEnemies can learn the attack pattern easily
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Hawkeye

Hawkeye is a versatile range duelist with a unique blend of precision and utility excelling at controlling enemies and delivering precise high damage attacks. His piercing arrow is a powerful shot that can hold down to increase its distance and this ties into his passive archer’s focus which enhances piercing arrow damage while aiming at an enemy. Blast arrow will fire three explosive arrows that deal damage in a spread, though these have limited charges. If you’re caught in melee, you have a crescent slash to deliver a Katana strike that launches enemies back.

The Ronin slash uses a wakizashi to deflect projectiles and engage foes up close. For mobility, you have Skyward Leap that allows you to double jump in a direction, making repositioning much easier. He has a hypersonic arrow a two-phased attack that deals two instances of damage while also slowing targets down. It can even knock flying foes out of the sky and his Ultimate Hunter sight creates after images of enemies that when hit will damage the original target. This allows you to kill enemies if they’ve escaped to cover and it’s good to know that with after-images headshots are not possible. Hawkeye is the ideal duelist for players who value precision, adaptability, and the ability to dominate at range.

Hawkeye ProsHawkeye Cons
High damage outputLow Mobility
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

A-Tier

A-Tier duelists are strong and provide effective performance when used strategically.

Black Panther

Black Panther Marvel Rivals
Black Panther Marvel Rivals

He’s a melee assassin with a combo and stack-focused playstyle designed to burst down enemies swiftly. His effect hinges on applying vibranium marks through abilities like Spear Toss which damages and marks enemies in the area. His spinning kick will propel you in a spiral motion, striking enemies in your path and applying a vibranium mark. Marked enemies will uniquely interact with his abilities such as Sprint Rend. It allows you to dash through enemies while dealing damage. Hitting a marked enemy will reset the cooldown of this and grant you a temporary shield, making it essential to mark targets before starting your combos. Due to his limited health pool though, failing a combo will often lead to his demise but your panther’s cunning passive can make playing at low health.

It can be more rewarding, giving you a 20% damage boost when below 100 HP. Proper mark placement enables you to dash across multiple enemies, minimizing damage taken while dismantling their backline. In critical moments your Ultimate Beast Descent marks enemies in a large area deals significant damage and refreshes sprint rend. Fans of Assassin Playstyle will find Black Panther to be both challenging but also very rewarding.

Black Panther ProsBlack Panther Cons
Bonus HealthHigh risk
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Spider-Man

His strength lies in his harassment potential due to his frankly amazing mobility and flanking capability. His web swinging provides rapid mobility across the map while wall climbing and double jumps ensure safe repositioning. In combat, Spider-Man relies on combos using abilities like Get Overhead to pull enemies closer and an amazing combo to launch them in the air.

Hitting enemies with your web shooters attaches spider tracers that amplify your ability damage. His Ultimate Spectacular Spin deals massive AoE damage while stunning enemies, making it perfect for those team fights. If you love speed, agility, and outsmarting enemies, then you will thrive on Spider-Man.

Spider-Man ProsSpider-Man Cons
Hard to hitDifficult to use
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch is a very straightforward effective magic based duelist. Her core playstyle involves building chaos energy with her chaos control normal attack then you can unleash it with a Chthonian burst. This as its name suggests deals burst damage but in an area of effect. She has utility skills like Dark Seal which creates a bubble that stuns enemies periodically and mystic protection an intangibility mechanic that lets her escape sticky situations.

Her Ultimate Reality Eraser obliterates everything in a high AoE but it does require a big charge up leaving her vulnerable during its execution. For players who enjoy mastering a character with simple mechanics but with a very high skill potential, Scarlet Witch is an excellent choice.

Scarlet Witch ProsScarlet Witch Cons
Consistent damageUltimate leaves her vulnerable
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Iron Man

Iron Man dominates the skies with high damaging abilities and an ever more devastating Ultimate. His Repulsor Blasts and the Iconic Uni Beam let you deal with enemies both on the ground and in the air effectively. He has unlimited flight with the ability to shift hyper velocity mode for more rapid movement. In this mode, he can unleash a micro missile barrage on enemies below and his armor overdrive enhances his combat capabilities, boosting his normal attack damage and enabling stationary missile fire. His Ultimate Invisible Pulse Cannon charges briefly before unleashing a devastating blast that can simply one-shot enemies. For players, who enjoy aerial combat and overwhelming firepower, Iron Man is just the ideal pick.

Iron Man ProsIron Man Cons
Easy to useSlow
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Iron Fist

Iron Fist is a melee powerhouse designed to dominate in close combat with a variety of devastating strikes and incredible mobility. His Jeet Kune Do combo let him relentlessly stick to a target, reducing the cooldown of his defensive ability dragon’s defense with every hit. Dragon’s defense grants him a Parry stance that reduces the incoming damage and transforms his normal attack. Into Cat G Chunkun. This is a rapid flurry of powerful punches. With his K’un Lun Kick Iron Fist swiftly closes gaps, dealing more damage the lower the enemy’s health is making him lethal against wounded enemies.

His harmony recovery allows him to Chi to heal which also gives bonus health granted on an overkill. This allows him to stay in the fight for longer. While Crane Leap gives him a fantastic aerial mobility option, allowing you to jump up to three times ensuring that he’s very hard to pin down. His Ultimate Living Chi transforms Iron Fist into a more powerful form boosting speed damage and his attack range. It also reduces the cooldown of the dragon’s defense making him a fast resilient threat that can stay in the action for longer.

His main weakness is his ground mobility which other than his war running ability is severely lacking unless you use your K’un Lun Kick. If you’re looking for a duelist with a completely self-sufficient kit and quite frankly some of the best-looking moves in the game, the Iron Fist might be one to pick up.

Iron Fist ProsIron Fist Cons
High Burst damage and self-healing skillsNo range
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

B-Tier

Duelists in B-Tier lack sheer power but they’re solid choices in the right hands.

Wolverine

Wolverine is an unstoppable melee character that allows you to tear through enemies with relentless aggression and unmatched survivability. His primary attack is the Savage Claw which delivers cleaving slashes with his Adamantium claws. This excels at dealing damage to multiple enemies up close and as he fights his Berserker Rage passive builds. This increases his damage output with every strike until it caps at 100 which really rewards sustained aggression.

Wolverine’s Regenerative Healing Factor makes him exceptionally hard to kill. Instead of dying, he instead gains bonus health that’s then converted into regular health after a short time. This scales with his rage at the time of his defeat and the ability does have a lengthy cooldown, meaning after it’s used up you have to be much more careful. With Feral Leap, Wolverine can dive into the air, dragging the first enemy he hits with him before smashing them into the ground. This ability upgrades his normal attack into Berserker claw strike which is a rapid slashing variant that boosts his damage even further.

Undying Animal will temporarily cut incoming in half, allowing him to stay in the fray a little longer. While Vicious Rampage lets him dash forward with ferocious claw swipes, allowing him to close distances. Wolverine’s Ultimate Last Stand is an ultimate finisher that starts by knocking an enemy into the air, leaping up after them, and spiraling back down to a landing point of your choice. If you’re looking to harass the backline and dominate the battlefield with sheer tenacity and raw power, then Wolverine is your best pick.

Wolverine ProsWolverine Cons
High damageLacks Range
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Winter Soldier

Marvel Rivals Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier can execute enemies when they drop to low health. (Source: NetEase)

He is a relentless combatant combining explosive firepower and devastating abilities to dominate on the battlefield. His normal Roterstern is a three-bullet blaster that fires explosive rounds, penetrating enemies behind the target for multi-target damage. With his passive ability Ceaseless Charge, he automatically reloads his weapon after using any of his other abilities. This allows him to gain bonus health, ensuring he can stay in the fight longer and keep the pressure up on enemies.

For gap closing, Troopers Fist delivers a dash forward before upper cutting that will launch enemies into the air and set them up for follow-up damage. Tainted Voltage provides excellent crowd control at a range, launching an electric orb that deals damage, slows targets, and knocks airborne enemies out of the sky. The Bionic Hook allows Winter Soldier to pull enemies towards him with precision and you can charge this ability to extend its range, making it a versatile tool for disrupting enemies or even initiating combat.

His Ultimate Kraken Impact is a high-impact leap that slams into the ground. It deals massive damage and will mark enemies’ health bars. If a marked enemy drops below the red indicator, then they are executed. This refreshes the Ultimate for a brief time, enabling consecutive eliminations. Winter Soldier is perfect for players who thrive on high-impact, aggressive playstyle with a little mix of ranged and melee dominance.

Winter Soldier Proster Soldier Cons
Strong single-targetDepend too much on hooks
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Star-Lord

Marvel Rivals Star Lord
Star-Lord is a Duelist with high mobility. (Source: NetEase)

Star-Lord is an excellent mobile flanker who dominates in 1v1 and harasses the enemy’s backline. His rapid-fire dual elemental guns deliver high damage output but do have limited ammo. His Stellar Shift allows him to kite enemies effectively, evade attacks, and reload automatically, ensuring you can put on constant pressure. He can escape with Rocket Propulsion but you must manage the fuel reserves wisely.

In groups of enemies, his blast barrage deals significant AoE damage but can also be useful for finishing off difficult-to-hit targets. His Ultimate Galactic Legend enables you to freely fire and auto lock on for high kill potential plays but you will often be targeted quite heavily when using this. It’s important to position yourself wisely, so you don’t get shot down. Star-Lord suits the kind of player who enjoys dynamic flanking and fast-paced ranged combat.

Star-Lord ProsStar-Lord Cons
Melee heroes are out of rangeUltimate is weak
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Magik

Marvel Rivals Magik Hero

She wields her soul sword for devastating melee damage, excelling in 1v1 duels even against tanky enemies. She thrives as a flanker, targeting isolated enemies and avoiding focus fire. Her passive Limbo’s Might build a shield when dealing damage which enhances her survivability. Magik’s arsenal includes short-range teleport, AoE slashes, and umbral incursion a short-range dash that knocks enemies into the air.

She can also summon a small demon to deal damage in a focused area by using her Demon’s Rage ability. This is great for deterring enemies who are trying to chase you down. Her Ultimate Dard Child transforms her into a powerful demon form, enhancing all abilities and increasing her damage and range. If you enjoy an agile melee fighter playstyle with good survivability, then Magik is a pretty standout choice.

Magik ProsMagik Cons
Hit multiple enemies at a timeUltimate is weak
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Black Widow

Black Widow is a deadly assassin that combines high mobility precision and close-quarters lethality. She’s armed with the widow bite shot baton that delivers rapid melee combos to dispatch enemies in close combat. Her Red Room Rifle functions as a high-damage sniper weapon ideal for taking out key targets from a distance. Her mobility shines with fleet foot enabling her to sprint and execute a powerful leap to gain height and reposition quite effectively. In melee situations, Edge Dancer delivers a spinning kick that launches enemies into the air.

With a follow-up grapple hook to deliver a second kick perfect for escaping tight situations or chasing enemies down. For long-range engagements though, Straight Shooter is her aim down sights to enable sniper mode, delivering pinpoint shots with seemingly no damage drop off. Her Ultimate Electro plasma explosion deals massive AoE damage and leaves a slowing plasma field on the ground. This disrupts the enemy’s movement and creates opportunities for more follow-up attacks. Black Widow is an excellent choice for players who enjoy combining agility, precision, and versatile combat style.

Black Widow ProsBlack Widow Cons
Ultimate is powerfulLacks one-shot headshots
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

C-Tier

Duelists in our C-Tier provide decent performance but with a lot of limitations.

Psylocke

Marvel Rivals Psylocke
Psylocke can wipe out an entire team if given the chance., (Source: NetEase)

She is a nimble and tactical duelist, blending precision, stealth, and area control to dominate your enemies. Her psionic crossbow is her normal attack that deals damage in a triangle-shaped spread and hitting enemies with her other abilities while on cooldown will reduce them. This encourages you to have an active playstyle and with Pri-Blade Dash she will lunge forward, slicing through enemies with her psionic blades with a swift strike.

One of Psylocke’s standout tools is psychic stealth, allowing her to vanish from sight while gaining a burst of movement speed. This is perfect to flank enemies or make a clean escape.  Her Wing Shurikens ability launches a spread of shurikens that stick in enemies, dealing damage and granting you bonus health. These Shurikens can be recalled for even more damage letting you be creative when damaging multiple foes. Her Ultimate Dance of the Butterfly showcases her master of the blade, delivering devastating Katana slashes in a wide area that target all enemies one by one. Psylocke is an excellent pick for anyone who values agility, adaptability, and tools to outwit your enemies with a mix of stealth and precision.

Psylocke ProsPsylocke Cons
Optimistic PersonalityLimited Power Perception
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Namor

Namor is a summoner-style duelist who excels at locking down choke points and objectives. His Aquatic Dominion allows him to summon up to two Monstro creatures that automatically attack nearby enemies. Striking enemies with his Trident of Neptune reduces the recharge rate, enabling you to summon faster. His Wrath of the Seven Seas Trident throw will direct all active Monstros to do a powerful attack on the target.

In dangerous situations, Namor can use his Blessing of the Deep to enter a cocoon-like state becoming immune to damage for up to 5 seconds. His Ultimate Horn of Proteus summons Giganto a massive well-like creature that deals devastating damage in a target area. For players who enjoy controlling the battlefield summoning reinforcement, then Namor is a pretty perfect fit.

Namor ProsNamor Cons
Unique PowersLimited Versatility
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Storm

Marvel Rivals Storm
Storm cause chaos in Marvel Rivals. (Source: NetEase)

Storm is a utility-based aerial duelist in Marvel Rivals. She has potent support abilities that help your team in battle. Her Weather Control passive offers two toggled effects, tornado which will boost allies movement speed, and thunder which increase damage output. These effects can then be enhanced further with Goddess Boost. This adds a lightning strike that damages enemies and significantly increases the damage boost for thunder while granting a minor speed boost to allies.

It also slows enemies down with tornado. Her Ultimate Omega Hurricane transforms her into a destructive storm, dealing massive damage to anyone caught in its path. The storm is literally perfect for anyone who wants to balance team support with effective damage dealing.

Storm ProsStorm Cons
VersatilityDepends on weather
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Hela

Hela is a long-range DPS specialist with powerful projectiles capable of two-shotting most swishy targets on headshots. Her mobility allows her to access elevated sniping spots and escape melee engagements quite effectively. Besides her lethal night sword thorn attacks, Hela has potent crowd control abilities including a soul drainer. It is an energy orb that pulls enemies together while damaging them, and a piercing knight that rapidly fires projectiles that explode after embedding in targets.

Upon killing an enemy, her passive causes a crow to appear briefly and then explode damaging nearby enemies. Her Ultimate Goddess of Death elevates her above the battlefield to rein explosive crows upon enemies, making her a threat against priority targets. If you need to counter a specific enemy character or take out high-value backline threats, then Hela is just an excellent choice.

Hela ProsHela Cons
ImmortalityLimited Allies
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Squirrel Girl

Squirrel Girl brings chaos and creativity to the battlefield with her unique abilities and high-energy playstyle. The Squirrel Girl’s primary attack Burst Acorn fires explosive projectiles that can ricochet off walls, making it perfect for hitting enemies around corners or controlling choke points. Her vertical mobility tail bounces and launches her into the air, allowing you to escape danger or reach advantageous positions. Her Mammal Bond Ability is a real game changer, it instantly reloads her Burst Acorns and lets her bypass the cooldown on another ability.

This enables a fast-paced and aggressive approach to combat. With her Squirrel Blockade, she can hurl a giant acorn that will bounce off walls and imprison any enemy it hits. This adds a disruptive crowd control element to her kit. Her Ultimate Unbeatable Squirrel Tsunami unleashes a horde of squirrels that charge forwards ricocheting off of walls and trampling over any enemy in their path. If you play a playful yet strategic character who thrives on unpredictability and versatility, Squirrel Girl is a fantastic choice.

Squirrel Girl ProsSquirrel Girl Cons
Near-ImmortalityLimited power
Marvel Rivals: Best Duelist Tier List

Best Duelists for Beginners in Marvel Rivals

Here are all the best duelists that players can run in the beginning to learn the mechanics of the game.

Iron Man

Much like it was for Spidey, Iron Man’s selling point is also his ability to maneuver in and around the battlefield. You can fly at a distance and poke away at enemy HP, or jump right into the middle and hack away. Tony is versatile and can easily fall back and fly away should things spiral out of control.

Hela

Hela is one of the best Duelists in the game and is versatile in any range. She is best used with her Nightsword Thorn ability, which deals massive damage with headshots. She also comes packing with AOE abilities such as the Soul Drainer, which can leave your enemies stunned and vulnerable to attacks.

The Punisher

The Punisher is not just one of the best Duelists in the game, he is one of the best characters in the game, period. The character is easy to pick up and requires very little knowledge to get into. He comes packing with an abundance of firearms and tools that let him take fights both at short and long ranges. He plays more like a solo operator and requires his team to play around him. That, however, is not necessarily a bad thing.

FAQs About Best Duelist Tier List in Marvel Rivals

How many duelists are Marvel Rivals?

Marvel Rivals offers 18 free-to-play duelists and each one has its own playstyle and unique abilities. Some duelists like The Punisher, Moon Knight, and Hawkeye are the best ones to pick in the game.

Which is the best Duelist in Marvel Rivals?

The Punisher is the best duelist in Marvel Rivals due to its capability to dominate the match.  You can deploy a culling turret for aerial denial which will suppress enemies who don’t break line of sight from it. His Vantage Connection grants instant mobility to get from point to point in the form of a zipline while his Scourge Grenade obscures enemy vision.

Which is the worst Duelist in Marvel Rivals?

Squirrel Girl is the worst duelist in Marvel Rivals due to its limitation in combat. She has limited power and abilities that can make her vulnerable in many situations on the battlefield.


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