The new best Marvel Rivals hero is a surprise due to stats

NetEase Games kicked off Marvel Rivals Season 1 in January with significant hero balance adjustments, aiming to revitalize underplayed characters like Storm and Black Widow. These changes have dramatically impacted gameplay.

Storm's buffs have catapulted her to the top of the win rate charts, according to Rivals Meta. Her competitive win percentage now exceeds 56%, and her pick rate has soared to 16%, a remarkable turnaround from near obscurity. She's now outperforming established favorites like Adam Warlock, Jeff, Spider-Man, Hela, Hulk, Magic, and Iron Man.

While Storm reigns supreme, Cloak and Dagger remain the most popular character pairing, albeit with a slightly diminished win percentage (below 49%). Black Widow, however, continues to struggle, remaining the least picked and least successful character.

Marvel Rivals is experiencing substantial growth, boasting hundreds of thousands of players actively engaging in competitive modes. The Grandmaster title remains exceptionally exclusive, achievable by only 0.1% of the player base, despite the existence of the Celestial rank.

This competitive landscape has witnessed an extraordinary feat. One player achieved Grandmaster rank in Season 1 without suffering a single point of damage across 108 matches! This player's strategy? Focusing exclusively on healing teammates as Rocket Raccoon, accumulating over 2.9 million health points restored and nearly 3,500 assists, all while avoiding any knockouts.