NetEase Games revamped the hero balance in Marvel Rivals' Season 1 (January), significantly buffing underplayed characters like Storm and Black Widow to enhance gameplay and boost their popularity.
Post-update, Storm's performance skyrocketed. Rivals Meta data shows her now boasting the highest win rate, a dramatic climb from her previous obscurity. In competitive play, her win percentage surpasses 56%, and her pick rate has surged to 16%, a remarkable increase from near zero. She's now outperforming top-tier heroes such as Adam Warlock, Jeff, Spider-Man, Hela, Hulk, Magic, and Iron Man.
While Cloak and Dagger remain the most popular duo, their win rate dipped below 49%. Black Widow, however, continues to lag, remaining the least picked and least successful character.
Marvel Rivals is experiencing considerable growth, with hundreds of thousands participating in competitive modes. The Grandmaster title remains highly exclusive, achievable by only 0.1% of players, even with the existence of the Celestial rank.
One player achieved an extraordinary feat during Season 1: reaching Grandmaster rank without suffering a single point of damage across 108 games! This player, utilizing Rocket Raccoon, focused solely on healing teammates, accumulating over 2.9 million health points restored and nearly 3,500 assists, all while avoiding any knockouts.