Since Marvel Rivals launched, I have noticed something that’s hard to miss. There are way too many Duelists in Marvel Rivals in almost every match, and everyone’s getting really angry about it. Players are pointing fingers at each other, and shifting blame, and it’s just creating a lot of tension in the community. Let’s talk about why so many Marvel Rivals players pick duelist characters but few tank and support heroes in Marvel Rivals and why it’s such a big deal.
Why Duelists Are Popular in Marvel Rivals While Tanks and Supports Aren’t
Let’s face it, we know that the deck has been stacked from the start. Even back in the closed beta test, people were already worried about this. Out of all the heroes currently available, 18 are Duelists, while there are only eight Vanguards and seven Strategists. And with so many heroes joining the roster right away, the imbalance was obvious from the beginning.
But it’s not just about the numbers though. Most of Marvel’s most beloved characters, from Spider-Man to Iron Man, fall into the Duelist category. And looking at this, I get why everyone picks Duelists. When we read Marvel comics or watch their movies, we all want to be Spider-Man swinging through the city or Star-Lord blasting his ultimate and wiping the enemy team. After a long day, you just want to hop in the game, play your favorite hero, and get some kills without worrying about team comps, and those heroes just happen to be damage dealers.
However, here’s where things get messy. When five players on a team all want to be the star, nobody ends up shining. Playing Duelists might be fine for casual matches, but if it’s ranked or competitive, it’s a problem. Too many players want to be the hero and matches fall apart when four Duelists leave one Strategist struggling to keep the team alive.
Players Are Blaming Each Other in Marvel Rivals
I’ve seen tons of posts from Strategist and Vanguard players venting on forums, Discord, and subreddits, and they’re not wrong. Spend five minutes in a Marvel Rivals match, and you’ll hear Duelists spamming “need healing!” while they’re way behind enemy lines, nowhere near their healer. One Mantis player said they got blamed for zero heals because their Duelist kept diving solo into 1v5 fights. It’s always “I died, so it’s the healer’s fault.”
Interestingly, many support players have tried switching to Duelists to avoid the blame, but it doesn’t really help. One player said they switched from Luna Snow to Star-Lord, protected the backline, and still got blamed for not doing enough damage because the team had no tank.
The Real Issue in Marvel Rivals Is Not Just About Roles
I think the problem isn’t really about Duelists, it’s about player mentality. Forcing people into particular roles won’t fix the current Marvel Rivals problem where there are just too many duelists. The focus should be on teamwork and mutual respect and less on the blame game. Vanguards and Strategists are crucial for victory, but they rarely get the praise when the team wins. Instead, all the credit usually goes to the Duelist who gets the final kills. This leaves support players feeling unappreciated, and fewer people want to play those roles, which only makes things worse.
Until we get there, we’re stuck with everyone wanting to be the main character. Whether you’re a Duelist main always getting blamed, or a frustrated Strategist watching teammates ignore objectives just to chase kills, it all circles back to players blaming each other. The solution? We all need to be a bit more flexible and understanding.
Also Read:
- Marvel Rivals Maps Tier List: Ranked Best to Worst
- Marvel Rivals Isn’t Easy and That’s Exactly Why It’s Awesome
- Marvel Rivals Psylocke Guide: Abilities, Combos, and Best Counters
NetEase has already said no to role queues, which makes sense. Forcing team comps would make queue times even longer. But without some structure, we’re stuck with the same “someone else should switch” problem every match. There are a few ways this could be fixed. Players are saying that an in-game “Looking for Group” system might help players form balanced teams before queuing. Additionally, NetEase needs to add more popular Marvel characters as Vanguards or Strategists to balance things up.
The truth is no matter how much we all want to be Spider-Man or Iron Man, sometimes the team needs someone to step up and play Mantis or Luna Snow instead. As we mentioned in our Support Characters tier list, Mantis can be the best hero in the game for the current meta with all her abilities. So why not give her a try? Sometimes being the hero means being one willing to switch to what the team needs. What do you think?
