Marvel Rivals Tier List for Season 10.5: Heroes by Role
This Marvel Rivals tier list is for Season 10.5, which began on October 9, 2026. It’s our editorial assessment, not win rate statistics: we rank heroes by the changes in NetEase’s two latest balance posts (Season 10 on September 11 and Season 10.5 on October 9) and by what each kit does in a ranked match. The biggest winners are Phoenix, Jubilee, Jeff the Land Shark and Hulk; the clearest losers are Magneto, Gorr and Cloak & Dagger.
How we rank heroes for this tier list in Marvel Rivals
We don’t publish win rates or pick rates. They shift by platform and rank, and most numbers you see online come without a source. This list reads the official balance posts on marvelrivals.com instead and asks one thing: did the hero’s core tool get stronger or weaker?
Team-Up tweaks count for less, since you won’t always have the partner, while base health, main weapon damage and ultimate cost count for more. That’s our method, and we’ll redo it with Season 11.
Marvel Rivals tier list for Season 10.5
| Role | Rising | Steady | Falling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard | Hulk, Captain America, Emma Frost, Rogue, Peni Parker | Thor, Groot, Doctor Strange | Magneto, The Hood, The Thing, Devil Dinosaur |
| Duelist | Phoenix, Cyclops, Iron Fist, Namor, Hawkeye | Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Psylocke, Iron Man (reworked) | Gorr, Black Widow, Elsa Bloodstone, Winter Soldier |
| Strategist | Jubilee, Jeff the Land Shark, Loki, White Fox | Luna Snow, Adam Warlock, Deadpool | Cloak & Dagger, Mantis, Ultron |
Scarlet Witch and Black Cat aren’t in the table on purpose. Both got reworked mechanics in Season 10, so a simple up or down arrow would mislead you.
Best Vanguards in Season 10.5
Hulk got the most useful package. In Banner form his Gamma Ray Gun projectile speed rose from 80 to 120 m/s, and Gamma Grenade self-hits now give 100 gamma energy instead of 50, so Banner reaches Hulk form faster. Captain America gained 50 base health (300 to 350), Emma Frost went to 675, and Rogue’s Regenerative Shield holds 275 instead of 250.
Magneto is the main faller. He lost 50 base health in Season 10, going from 650 to 600. His Emma Frost Team-Up got stronger in 10.5, sure, but that only helps when someone picks Emma. The Hood drops to 550 base health, The Thing to 725 and Devil Dinosaur to 825. Small cuts, honestly. But a tank’s whole job is to soak damage.
Best Duelists in Season 10.5
Phoenix is the standout. Cosmic Flames now hit for 65 instead of 60, Spark detonations do 45 direct and 20 explosion damage, and her ultimate applies two Sparks per hit. She lost the self-heal on detonation but now gets a small bonus health shield, 5 per Spark and capped at 25.
Cyclops’s Ruby Rage ultimate costs 3400 energy instead of 3700, and Optic Blast does 23 per hit. Iron Fist and Namor hit harder, and Hawkeye’s arrows fly faster. Iron Man is a special case: his Micro-Missile Barrage now tracks targets automatically, but each missile does 10 damage instead of 20. Is that better? Easier to land, certainly; whether it’s stronger depends on how well you aimed before.
Gorr takes the clearest nerf: Shadow Scythe drops to 50 damage plus 2% of max health, Shockwave to 55, and his ultimate lasts 10 seconds instead of 12. Black Widow, Elsa Bloodstone and Winter Soldier all lost a bit of damage or charge speed in Season 10.
Best Strategists in Season 10.5
Every Strategist got a global change in Season 10: healing now converts to ultimate energy at 65% instead of 70%, and damage at 50% instead of 55%. Ultimates come a little slower across the board.
Within that, Jubilee and Jeff come out ahead. Jubilee now heals herself for 25 per second during Sparking Sprint and her ultimate field heals 180 per second instead of 150. Jeff’s Joyful Splash, Aqua Burst and post-ultimate healing pool all went up. Loki heals more with Mystical Missile and while stealthed after Deception, and White Fox’s healing grew on both direct and bounce hits. Cloak & Dagger fall: Terror Cape’s Vulnerable drops from 28% to 20% and Dagger’s area healing from 25 to 20. Mantis’s Life Orbs take 4 seconds to charge instead of 3.
For a closer look at the healers, our best Marvel Rivals healers guide goes hero by hero.
What about Scarlet Witch?
She got a brand-new ability in Season 10, Scarlet Hex, a 20 m by 8 m shockwave that deals 40 damage and applies a Chaos Mark. Then Season 10.5 trimmed Chthonian Burst’s area damage from 40 to 35. In practice, she’s still a strong pick. If she keeps beating you, see our Scarlet Witch counters.
How to use this tier list in Marvel Rivals ranked
Pick a Rising hero in the role you already play, because a buff only pays off if you already know the hero’s cooldowns and angles. A comfortable Steady pick beats an unfamiliar Rising one, though. Look, heroes get swapped mid-match all the time, so flexibility matters more than any single buff (we see it constantly in our own games).
Before you queue, check how the Marvel Rivals ranks and bans work, since a banned hero can wreck a one-trick plan. We’ll update this Marvel Rivals tier list with the next balance post.
FAQ
Who is the best hero in Marvel Rivals Season 10.5?
In our editorial assessment, Phoenix, Jubilee, Jeff the Land Shark and Hulk gained the most from the Season 10 and 10.5 balance posts. We rank by official changes and kits, not win rates.
Is this tier list for Marvel Rivals based on win rates?
No. It is our assessment of NetEase’s official balance posts and each hero’s kit. We do not publish win rates or pick rates.
When did Season 10.5 start?
Season 10.5 began on October 9, 2026, at 09:00 UTC, with the Version 20261009 update.
Was Magneto nerfed in Season 10?
Yes. Magneto’s base health dropped from 650 to 600 in Season 10. His Team-Up with Emma Frost was buffed in Season 10.5.
Did Strategists get nerfed?
In Season 10 all Strategists convert healing and damage into ultimate energy more slowly: 65% instead of 70% for healing and 50% instead of 55% for damage.
