Season 9 of Marvel Rivals has reshuffled the entire roster. The Team-Up overhaul alone changed how nearly every hero plays, and the damage increases across the board have made Vanguard play noticeably harder than it was last season. With 52 heroes now in the pool and only six slots per team, picking the right character matters more than ever.
This tier list ranks all 52 heroes based on their current strength, versatility, and Team-Up value in the Season 9 meta. A few important caveats before diving in: Season 9 is still fresh, most heroes remain viable in the right hands, and characters within each tier are listed alphabetically rather than by exact power ranking.
Season 9 Hero Tier List
Why are dive tanks dominating Season 9?
The biggest structural change in Season 9 is the spike in team damage output. Sustained frontline tanks that relied on holding space and absorbing hits have become harder to play effectively. Previous staples like Magneto, Emma Frost, and Doctor Strange are still viable, but the meta has shifted toward mobile Vanguards who can engage, disengage, and regenerate health on their own terms. That's why the S-tier Vanguard picks this season are almost exclusively dive-oriented.
The Season 9 buffs and nerfs reinforced this shift, with Vanguard health reworks and Duelist damage adjustments pushing the meta toward faster, more aggressive compositions.
Season 9 hero select screen
S-tier Heroes
Bruce Banner / Hulk
Hulk is the clearest example of what Season 9 rewards. His new ground-slam Team-Up adds another offensive tool to a kit that already has elite movement and regenerative health. He's the kind of tank who can create space, survive the increased damage environment, and contribute to Team-Up chains for other strong picks. Easy to pick up, genuinely hard to master, and consistently impactful.
Cloak & Dagger
Cloak & Dagger has hovered near the top of tier lists for most of Marvel Rivals' lifespan, and Season 9 pushes her firmly into S-tier. The Team-Up with Luna Snow is the reason: it gives her the ability to survive attacks that would normally be instant kills, including one-hit Ults. In a season where Black Panther has one-shot combo potential, a Strategist who can tank those moments is extremely valuable.
Gambit
Gambit is almost always banned in ranked, and Season 9 hasn't changed that. He's been buffed further despite already sitting at the top, combining elite damage output with solid healing in a way no other Duelist can match. His Ult remains one of the strongest in the game. He doesn't supercharge other heroes' Team-Ups, but his raw output carries matches regardless.
Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman has been a strong healer for a while, but her Season 9 Team-Up with Human Torch transforms her role entirely. Her shields become larger, stronger, and deal increased damage when enemies shoot through them. That shifts her from a passive healer into an active support who punishes aggression. She's one of the best Strategists in the game right now.
Magik
Magik is the most contested S-tier pick, but the case for her is real. Her portals and direct damage make her one of the best dive Duelists available, and with proper support she can hold a frontline position for short windows. Her Team-Up with The Hood has additional upside once he arrives later in Season 9, though that potential depends on his own viability at launch.
Phoenix
Phoenix has been a top-tier pick since her release, and nothing in Season 9 has changed that. She shreds tanks, moves around the map with ease, and her Ult, while often dismissed as underwhelming compared to Iron Man or Scarlet Witch wipes, provides immediate value by clearing shields and summons. The heroes who compare poorly to her Ult are outliers, not the standard.
Rocket Raccoon
Rocket Raccoon is the third Strategist in S-tier, and his value comes from what he does to the heroes around him. Alone, he mixes healing and damage output well and has good escape options. But his Team-Ups are where his S-tier status becomes obvious: pairing him with The Punisher gives Punisher endless primary fire, turning an already strong A-tier pick into a genuine threat.
Rocket's Team-Up bonuses
Thor
Thor was the hardest call for S-tier among the Vanguards. He requires more mechanical investment than picks like Magneto or Strange, but the regenerative health added in Season 9 meaningfully improves his survivability. His Team-Up with Hela, which prevents him from dying outright, is one of the strongest passive effects in the game. Pair him with a dive Duelist and he can dismantle a backline entirely.
Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier has been a reliable pick throughout Marvel Rivals' history, but Season 9 has pushed him to the top. His gameplay loop is predictable, but the damage output is consistently high and his ability kit covers most situations. The real upgrade is his Team-Up with Elsa Bloodstone: every kill participation grants a stack of Culling Instinct, reducing all ability cooldowns and adding bonus health. In the right hands, he becomes nearly unkillable.
What makes A-tier still worth playing?
A-tier in Season 9 is genuinely strong. Heroes like Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Spider-Man remain competitive picks with high skill ceilings. Black Panther in particular has one-shot combo potential that makes him a real threat at any rank. The gap between S and A is smaller than the tier labels suggest; the S-tier picks just have better Team-Up payoffs or higher floors in the current damage environment.
For the full picture of how Team-Ups work across every role, the Season 9 Vanguard Team-Up guide covers all 26 Vanguard abilities and the best combos to run.
Who should you avoid in ranked?
C-tier doesn't mean unplayable, but Adam Warlock, Hawkeye, Human Torch, Mister Fantastic, Rogue, and Squirrel Girl all have meaningful limitations in the current meta. They either lack the Team-Up value to compete with higher-tier picks or have kits that struggle against the faster, more aggressive compositions Season 9 favors. If you're climbing ranked, there are better options at every role.
Culling Instinct stack tracker
How often will this tier list change?
Season 9 is still being solved. The Team-Up overhaul introduced enough variables that the community's understanding of optimal compositions is evolving week by week. Magik's pairing with The Hood is one example of a combo that could shift the rankings once more data exists. Expect movement in the B and C tiers especially as players find niche synergies that the early meta hasn't surfaced yet.
For everything dropping through the rest of the season, the Season 9 roadmap has every update, skin, and event dated through August 7, including the Thebes map and the PvE mode. Keep an eye on balance patches, as NetEase has shown a willingness to adjust quickly when something is clearly broken. Stay across the full Marvel Rivals guides collection for tier list updates and strategy breakdowns as the season develops.