The best Marvel Rivals characters (ranked)

Season 6.5 dropped February 13, 2026 with Elsa Bloodstone as a new Duelist, a Storm rework, Adam Warlock gaining flight, and the Fantastic Four Team-Up removed entirely. The meta is shifting fast - Gambit, Invisible Woman, Magneto, and Hela remain S-tier, while Thor and Rogue received meaningful buffs that push them up.

Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 isn’t a full season launch, but the balance changes are significant enough to shuffle the tier list. Elsa Bloodstone adds a new Duelist option, and the hero adjustments touch both meta-defining picks and underperformers. Here’s the updated tier list based on the first 24 hours of play, patch notes analysis, and community data.

If you want to climb ranked with the new meta picks, Eloking’s Marvel Rivals boosting can pair you with players who already know how to exploit the 6.5 changes.

S-Tier: Best Characters in Season 6.5

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Gambit (Duelist)

Untouched in 6.5 and still the most consistent Duelist in the game. His range, burst damage, and zone control make him the safest pick in almost any team composition. No nerfs means he stays exactly where he was - at the top.

Invisible Woman (Strategist)

Her shield and invisibility mechanics remain overtuned relative to other Strategists. She provides both protection and information that no other support can match, and her Team-Up with Mr. Fantastic (which survived the Fantastic Four removal) keeps her flexibility high.

Magneto (Vanguard)

Magneto’s barrier uptime and magnetic pull remain the gold standard for Vanguards. He controls space better than any other tank in the game, and nothing in 6.5 touched his kit.

Hela (Duelist)

Still dominant at range with excellent zone denial. Hela’s long-range damage output punishes teams that don’t pressure her directly, and her ability to fight from angles that other Duelists can’t reach makes her a constant threat.

Daredevil (Duelist)

Daredevil’s consistent melee damage and sustain keep him in S-tier. In close-quarters maps, he’s arguably the strongest Duelist pick because his lifesteal and crowd control outpace ranged alternatives.

A-Tier: Strong Picks After 6.5 Changes

Storm (Duelist) - Buffed Significantly

Storm received a substantial rework in 6.5. Her Tornado and Thunder auras now provide bonus health, Bolt Rush cooldown was reduced, and the radius was increased. The only tradeoff: the damage boost for allies under her Thunder aura was lowered by approximately 15%. Net result: Storm is significantly more survivable and mobile, pushing her from B-tier into solid A-tier territory.

Adam Warlock (Strategist) - Now Has Flight

This is a game-changer. Adam Warlock gaining flight completely transforms his viability.

Previously, his lack of mobility made him a sitting duck against dive compositions. Now he can reposition vertically, escape flanks, and heal from safer angles. He jumps from C-tier to A-tier on mobility alone.

Thor (Vanguard) - Buffed

Hammer Throw hits now grant 50 bonus health. This stacks throughout fights, making Thor significantly tankier the longer he stays in combat. It’s the kind of buff that doesn’t look massive on paper but changes how many fights he wins at the margin. If you’re looking for the best Vanguards, Thor just moved up.

Rogue (Duelist) - Buffed

Defensive Stance absorbed damage now converts to energy more efficiently, and Fatal Attraction cooldown dropped from 17 to 14 seconds. Three seconds off a key ability is a big deal - it means more frequent engage/disengage options, which makes Rogue harder to pin down and more threatening in extended fights.

Venom (Vanguard) - Buffed

Base health up from 650 to 675 and improved ultimate damage-to-bonus-health conversion. These are quality-of-life buffs rather than meta-defining changes, but they solidify Venom as a reliable Vanguard pick in compositions that want aggression over shield play.

B-Tier and Below: Nerfs and Unchanged Picks

Moon Knight (Duelist) - Nerfed

Bonus Max Health from Moon Blade reduced from 100 to 75. A 25% reduction in his sustain mechanic hurts his survivability in extended fights. Moon Knight was already borderline between A and B tier, and this pushes him firmly into B.

Phoenix (Strategist) - Nerfed

Base health dropped from 275 to 250. Phoenix was already fragile, and losing 25 base HP makes her even more reliant on positioning and team protection. She’s still viable in coordinated play, but solo queue Phoenix is riskier now.

Psylocke (Duelist) - Nerfed

Dance of the Butterfly ultimate damage per hit reduced from 170 to 160. This is a moderate nerf to her burst potential during ultimate. She’s still a strong flanker, but her kill-confirm threshold is slightly higher now, which matters against high-health Vanguards.

Elsa Bloodstone: Where Does She Fit?

Elsa Bloodstone joins as a new Duelist with a multi-weapon kit (elephant gun, traps, and her ultimate Glartox summon). Her “Instinct” meter rewards sustained aggression by reducing ability cooldowns as she lands hits.^[3]

The flexibility of swapping between weapons gives Elsa range options that most Duelists lack, but it also means a higher skill floor. You need to know when to switch between close and long-range engagements, which makes her less effective for players who want a simple kit.

Early assessment: A-tier at high ranks where players can manage the weapon swapping, B-tier at lower ranks (below Diamond) where simpler Duelists like Gambit and Hela will outperform. Her Team-Up with Deadpool and Jeff the Land Shark is situationally strong but requires coordination. For more on beginner-friendly characters, stick to single-kit heroes until you’re comfortable with the meta.

Biggest Meta Shift: Fantastic Four Team-Up Removed

The Fantastic Four Team-Up ability has been removed entirely from the game. Individual FF members still exist and have found new partnerships, but the synergy that made running all four together powerful is gone. If your ranked strategy relied on FF comps, you need to pivot immediately.

This is the single most impactful change in 6.5 for team composition. It opens up draft flexibility (you’re no longer punished for not having all four FF members) but also removes a reliable composition that many players used as a crutch. Knowing which characters work best in ranked is now more about individual hero strength and smaller Team-Up synergies.

Confirmed: Gambit, Invisible Woman, Magneto, Hela, and Daredevil remain S-tier. Storm, Adam Warlock, Thor, Rogue, and Venom are the big winners. Moon Knight, Phoenix, and Psylocke took hits.

Elsa Bloodstone is A-tier for skilled players, B-tier for everyone else. The Fantastic Four Team-Up is gone. The meta will continue evolving, but these rankings reflect the first 24 hours of 6.5 data.

For more tips, check out our guide on Best Marvel Rivals Characters For Ranked.

References

1. [3] “Elsa Bloodstone Kit”. gosugamers.net. Retrieved February 14, 2026

If you’re looking to improve, check out our guide on Strongest Marvel Rivals Characters, Best Vanguards in Marvel Rivals and Best Characters for Beginners.