Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 balance changes: Every meta shift explained
Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 balance update shakes up the meta with nerfs to Doctor Strange, Magneto, and Moon Knight, while boosting Venom and redefining healers like Adam Warlock.
Table of Contents
Key takeaways:
- Doctor Strange and Magneto nerf: With their defensive capabilities reduced, frontline engagements will likely become more fast-paced and less reliant on prolonged shielding.
- Moon Knight ultimate nerf: Players will now need to be more strategic with its usage, rather than relying on sheer damage output.
- Storm tweaks: This change likely aims to balance her synergy with Human Torch, preventing their Team-Up from overwhelming key matchups.
- 3 Strategist meta breakdown: With saving Ultimates becoming more expensive and Loki losing his ability to extend them, the 3-Strategist meta is effectively over.
- NetEase will be able now to make urgent tweaks during the Season, if a particular interaction will terrorize meta.
Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 balance changes bring interesting shift in the dynamic. The latest Marvel Rivals balance update is set to shake up the meta, bringing long-awaited nerfs to Doctor Strange, Magneto, and Moon Knight, while tweaking Storm’s ranged damage and overhauling the 3-Strategist composition. This will probably affect Marvel Rivals tier list in the future.
These changes aim to create a faster, more dynamic gameplay experience, reducing the dominance of defensive shields and saving Ultimates while introducing potential new strategies with Venom buffs and Adam Warlock’s healing role. Here’s a breakdown of the most impactful changes and what they mean for the future of the game.
If you wish to learn more about new Season 1.5 changes, read our Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 update overview.
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Season 1.5 balance changes: Vanguard
Captain America
- Living Legend can now be used mid-leap.
- Vibranium Energy Saw projectile speed increased from 60m/s to 80m/s, with ricochet speed increasing from 100m/s to 150m/s.
- Freedom Charge (Ultimate) energy cost reduced from 3100 to 2800.
- Sentinel Strike is now separate from melee attacks, allowing standard melee strikes while the shield is thrown or during Charged Aegis. Melee attacks in the air no longer trigger Super-Soldier Slam.
Doctor Strange
- Base health reduced from 650 to 600.
Groot
- Thornlash Wall placement range increased from 15m to 18m.
Magneto
- Iron Volley projectile damage increased from 35 to 40.
- Metallic Curtain energy consumption increased from 50/s to 65/s, maximum duration reduced from 2s to 1.5s.
Thor
- Awakening Rune no longer triggers a shared cooldown upon expiration.
Venom
- Frenzied Arrival now applies an inward knockback at a 75° angle instead of vertical displacement.
- Feast of the Abyss (Ultimate) energy cost reduced from 2800 to 2500.
Vanguard meta prediction
The recent balance update delivered a major blow to Doctor Strange and Magneto, two dominant Vanguards who shaped the meta with their powerful shields. Doctor Strange, in particular, was a force to be reckoned with—almost impossible to punish in a 3-Strategist composition, dealing heavy damage while keeping his team protected.
It remains to be seen just how much this nerf will impact Strange, but overall, it’s a welcome change—especially in light of Venom’s massive buffs. With the upcoming arrival of The Thing in Marvel Rivals and Venom’s newfound strength, we’re likely to see a shift toward faster, more dynamic matches. Backline heroes, take note — you might need to rethink your defenses.
Season 1.5 balance changes: Strategist
Adam Warlock
- Quantum Magic damage increased from 55 to 60.
- Damage falloff at 40m increased from 50% to 60%.
- Soul Bond healing to linked allies increased from 10/s to 15/s.
Cloak & Dagger
- Eternal Bond (Ultimate) energy cost increased from 3400 to 4000, healing increased from 220/s to 250/s, duration reduced from 10s to 8s.
- Pause time between healing segments reduced from 1s to 0.67s.
- Terror Cape Vulnerability effect increased from 20% to 28%.
Invisible Woman
- Invisible Boundary (Ultimate) energy cost increased from 4000 to 4300.
Loki
- God of Mischief (Ultimate) energy cost increased from 3400 to 4000.
- Mystical Missile charges increased from 10 to 12.
Luna Snow
- Fate of Both Worlds (Ultimate) energy cost increased from 4000 to 4500.
Strategist meta prediction
It’s clear that NetEase’s main goal with these balance changes was to break the dominance of the 3-Strategist meta—and by the looks of it, they might just succeed.
Almost all “saving” Ultimates (except for Mantis) have been nerfed, with increased energy costs making them harder to spam. Loki also took a hit, as his Ultimate could previously extend the duration of these defensive plays.
However, the biggest casualty of this patch is undoubtedly Cloak & Dagger, whose Ultimate duration has been significantly reduced. On the flip side, NetEase seems determined to bring Adam Warlock back into the healer role, possibly giving teams a fresh support option.
The meta shift is still unfolding, but one thing is certain—the era of 3-Strategist dominance is over.
Season 1.5 balance changes: Duelist
Black Widow
- Red Room Rifle magazine capacity increased from 8 to 15.
- Electro-Plasma Explosion (Ultimate) slow effect reduced from 80% to 55% but now applies a 15% Vulnerability effect for 4 seconds.
Hawkeye
- Base health increased from 250 to 275.
- Blast Arrow projectile damage reduced from 20 to 15, while spell field damage increased from 25 to 32.
- Crescent Slash cooldown reduced from 15s to 12s.
- Hunter’s Sight (Ultimate) bow draw speed increased, and damage multiplier raised from 1.2 to 1.35.
Hela
- Nightsword Thorn damage falloff at 30m increased from 70% to 80%.
Iron Fist
- Jeet Kune Do combo damage adjusted: strikes 1, 2, and 5 reduced from 32 to 30, strikes 3 and 4 reduced from 16 to 15, and final strike reduced from 55 to 50.
- Yat Jee Chung Kuen damage per hit reduced from 19 to 10, but now deals additional damage equal to 1.7% of the opponent’s max health.
- Harmony Recovery max bonus health increased from 50 to 150, with a new decay mechanic depleting 25 health per second after expiration.
- Dragon’s Defense max bonus health from blocked damage increased from 150 to 200.
- Base health increased from 250 to 300.
Iron Man
- Unibeam damage increased from 120/s to 140/s.
- Unibeam (Armor Overdrive) damage increased from 180/s to 190/s.
Magik
- Demon’s Rage (regular) damage reduced from 80/s to 72/s.
- Darkchild (Ultimate) energy cost reduced from 3700 to 3400.
Mister Fantastic
- Flexible Elongation spell field radius increased from 2.5m to 5m and now applies a knockback effect.
- Flexible Elongation recharge time increased from 8s to 10s.
- Brainiac Bounce (Ultimate) damage increased from 50 to 70, energy cost increased from 2800 to 3400, with a new damage decay mechanic reducing spell field damage at greater distances.
Moon Knight
- Hand of Khonshu talons fall slower.
- Hand of Khonshu center hit damage removed; all hits now deal 150 damage (up from 75).
Scarlet Witch
- Reality Erasure (Ultimate) grants an additional 100 Bonus Health during activation, decaying at 50/s after expiration.
Spider-Man
- Web-Cluster energize time reduced from 3s to 2.5s.
Star-Lord
- Rocket Propulsion max energy increased from 1200 to 1800.
Storm
- Wind Blade damage falloff at 30m reduced from 70% to 60%.
- Weather Control damage bonus reduced: personal Thunder buff from 16% to 12%, but ally bonus increased from 8% to 10%.
- Enhanced Thunder bonus reduced from 30% to 25%.
Duelist meta prediction
At last, Moon Knight’s infamous “THE MOON!” battle cry is getting toned down. His Ultimate’s devastating one-shots should be far less common after this nerf.
A more subtle but interesting shift comes with Storm’s slight DPS reduction at longer ranges. This change seems to be targeted at balancing out her newer synergy with Human Torch, especially since their Team-Up combo will be able to take down Luna Snow in her Ultimate state.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, however, is Iron Man’s unexpected buff. With Human Torch in Marvel Rivals, we might be heading toward a meta where flying DPS heroes dominate the battlefield.
Season 1.5 balance changes: Team-Up Abilities
Atlas Bond
- Frozen Chi healing increased from 50 to 75, and slow effect on enemies increased from 20% to 30%.
Dimensional Shortcut
- Psionic Disc and Wakandan Master rewind time reduced from 5s to 3s.
- Lost health conversion to blue armor increased from 0.5 to 0.8.
Gamma Charge
- Unibeam (Gamma Overdrive) damage reduced from 220/s to 200/s.
- Hulk’s Team-Up Anchor health bonus reduced from 150 to 100.
Lunar Force
- Full Moon now continuously heals Moon Knight for 25 health per second within its area.
Symbiote Bond
- Spider-Man’s Suit Expulsion duration reduced from 4s to 1s and now grants invincibility instead of 50% damage reduction.
- Peni Parker’s Armor Expulsion duration reduced from 4s to 2s and now grants invincibility instead of 50% damage reduction.
Team-Up Abilities speculation
Team-Up Abilities may not define the meta, but they still have an impact—and this patch brings an intriguing change.
The most notable tweak is the slight rework of Symbiote Bond, which will now grant invincibility. This could make Peni Parker an even stronger Vanguard, giving her more survivability in frontline engagements. However, it’s worth noting that Venom and Peni Parker have vastly different playstyles—Venom thrives on aggressive dives, while Peni excels at control. Because of this, we’re unlikely to see them paired together often. Still, this change adds an interesting layer of strategy to consider.
Conclusion
These updates refine the balance of Marvel Rivals heading into Season 1.5, focusing on better survivability, improved combat pacing, and adjustments to ability synergy. NetEase likely based these changes on Marvel Rivals Hot List game data, so be sure to review it.
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We’ll likely see more Season 1.5 balance changes in the future, and we’ll update the article as needed. What are your thoughts on the Season 1.5 balance update? Share them in the comments below!
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