NetEase Games kicked off Marvel Rivals Season 1 in January with significant hero balance adjustments, aiming to boost the popularity of underplayed characters like Storm and Black Widow. The changes dramatically impacted Storm's effectiveness, catapulting her to the top of the win rate charts according to Rivals Meta. This is a meteoric rise from her previous obscurity.
In competitive play, Storm boasts a win rate exceeding 56% and a pick rate of 16%, a stark contrast to her near-zero presence before the update. She's now outperforming established favorites like Adam Warlock, Jeff, Spider-Man, Hela, Hulk, Magic, and Iron Man.
While Storm's popularity soared, the dominant character pairing remains Cloak and Dagger, although their win rate dipped below 49%. Black Widow, however, continues to struggle, remaining the least popular and least successful character.
Marvel Rivals is experiencing significant growth, with hundreds of thousands of players engaging in competitive matches. The Grandmaster title remains an exclusive achievement, attainable by only 0.1% of players, despite the existence of the Celestial rank.
This competitive landscape saw one player achieve an incredible feat: reaching Grandmaster rank in Season 1 without suffering a single point of damage across 108 games. This player focused solely on supporting teammates as Rocket Raccoon, accumulating over 2.9 million health points restored and nearly 3,500 assists, all while avoiding any knockouts.
