Following the conclusion of Marvel Rivals Ignite Mid Season Finals, the game’s first LAN international esports event, fans online have already grown concerned about the current state of the meta.
From unbalanced heroes to class disparities, many have criticised how the game’s balance is not optimal for either casual or professional play.
Esports Insider breaks down the current state of Marvel Rivals following the Ignite Mid Season Finals and what could be done to help NetEase’s esports scene.
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Meta Mishaps During Marvel Rivals Ignite
As of writing, there are currently 41 heroes in Marvel Rivals. With the addition of Blade, 22 of them are Duelists, more than half of the game’s total roster. For comparison, there are only nine Strategists in the game.
Despite NetEase sharing that it has over 85 years of inspiration to draw from, the community has long criticised how the abundance of Duellists makes it a more dominant role compared to others.
This is also important to address because of bans in both professional and casual scenes. In esports play, four characters can be banned, and two can be locked. This means that potentially over a third of the Strategists available can be removed from play, while Duellists will still have 18 options to choose from.
In a post on Reddit, one user said: “Teams will hard ban either supports or tanks, and because there are so few potential heroes, it’s really easy to force the enemy team onto a non-optimal team comp.”
Calculated Play or Last-Ditch Gamble?
During the Marvel Rivals Ignite Mid Season Finals, fans saw less popular characters take the spotlight.
Teams resorted to using characters such as Jeff the Landshark, a hero considered to be unviable after his rework, when more powerful healers like Luna Snow and Loki were removed from play. His presence was a fun surprise for those tuning in, but for the majority of the tournament, teams ultimately chose him out of desperation rather than innovation.
On the other hand, even when Duellists like Phoenix and Wolverine were removed, other characters, such as Human Torch, dominated during matches and were often the deciding factors in fights. For Duellists, there is still an abundance of meta characters that aren’t so easily addressed through bans.
Whilst it isn’t necessarily a deal breaker to see out-of-meta characters pop up in the esports scene alongside those at the top of tier-lists, there is a balance that needs to be struck. Adding more Strategists and Vanguards, hopefully, ensures that out-of-pocket picks are utilised strategically as opposed to a necessity at the highest level of competitive play.
In a video online, ‘Flats’, Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2 Content Creator, said: “The way you can tell if a character or the meta is healthy is ‘does the entire round come down to a one versus one between two players on the same character?’
“If the answer is yes, that character is broken, and the meta is unhealthy. If the answer is no, then it’s in a good spot.”
What Can Be Done?
The community has demanded that more Strategists and Vanguards be added in the coming seasons. Winning comps from Marvel Rivals Ignite often included two characters from each role, so having larger hero pools outside of Duellists will make bans more balanced.
In a post online, Siarhei ‘Bogur’ Alekau, Marvel Rivals Content Creator, said: “I think Marvel Rivals should start releasing more supports and tanks instead of Duellists. Right now, there are more Duellists than tanks and supports combined. No wonder everyone wants to play DPS, [because] that role gets all the fun characters.”
With NetEase shortening the timespan of seasons, the game is set to have a new character every single month. While casual fans will enjoy the regular flow of content, others are concerned that the game’s balance will spiral out of control.
In response, some players have also suggested that an increase in the number of bans is needed to combat the game’s rapidly growing roster. While this may only worsen the issue for now, implementing more bans in the future may prevent teams from forming oppressive comps. Outside of esports, others have also proposed bringing bans to all ranks to create a more enjoyable gaming experience for all players.
Achieving a perfect balance for the game and esports is an impossible task. However, in light of the game’s first international LAN event in Guangzhou, China, it is clear that some issues need to be addressed to create fairer competition and a more enjoyable viewer experience.
Source: https://esportsinsider.com/
