Marvel Rivals Vanguard Tier List: All Vanguards Ranked (season 0)

In Marvel Rivals, vanguards are frontline characters who excel at initiating fights and protecting their team. They’re crucial for creating space and soaking damage while your damage dealers do their work. Our tier list ranks them from S (strongest) to D (weakest) based on their current effectiveness in ranked play.

This tier list is based on performance in ranked matches and considers factors like objective control, team fight impact, and overall utility. Keep in mind that tier lists are subjective and can change as the meta evolves.

Marvel Rivals Vanguard Tier List: All Characters

Tier	Characters
S-Tier	Doctor Strange, Peni Parker, Venom
A-Tier	Groot, Thor, Magneto
B-Tier	Hulk
C-Tier	Captain America

S-Tier

Doctor Strange

Strange stands above all other vanguards in the current meta. He dominates the vanguard role through his perfect balance of protection and offense. His shield creates crucial defensive windows for your team, while his portals let you control the entire battlefield.

The primary attack provides reliable ranged damage, and his ultimate is one of the best team fight tools in the game when used right. What really sets Strange apart is his ability to create opportunities – whether it’s saving teammates with a well-placed portal or turning a fight with a perfectly timed shield.

Managing Dark Energy is crucial though – you’ll need to balance aggressive plays with the risk of anti-healing effects when maxed out. Despite this complexity, Strange has proven himself as the most impactful vanguard in almost any team composition.

Peni Parker

Peni Parker excels particularly on defensive maps. Instead of directly absorbing damage like other tanks, she controls space through her web-based abilities.

What makes Peni S-tier is her ability to create defensive zones that both protect and empower her team. The Spider-Nest spawns drones that harass enemies while creating Cyber-Webs that heal and speed up allies. Her Arachno-Mines can be hidden within these webs, creating deadly traps for enemies pushing objectives. The Spider-Sweeper ultimate enhances her control even further, letting her rapidly deploy multiple webs, mines, and drones while gaining extra durability and mobility.

While she’s incredibly strong on defense, especially when setting up around objectives, her effectiveness can drop once positions need to be changed quickly. You’ll need good map knowledge and positioning sense to maximize her defensive capabilities.

Despite being one of the more challenging vanguards to master, her unique ability to control space and support her team makes her one of the most impactful vanguards in the current meta.

Venom

Venom brings a unique approach to the vanguard role with his dive-focused playstyle and high survivability. His tendril attacks provide infinite ammo with critical damage potential, making him a constant threat to enemy backlines. What makes Venom S-tier is his ability to disrupt enemy teams without dying – you can jump into their backline, cause chaos, and usually escape safely thanks to his self-healing abilities.

He doesn’t need complex mechanics to be effective, just good timing and target selection. While Venom might not get many kills, his constant pressure on enemy supports creates space for your team to work.

A-Tier

Groot

Groot stands out through his unique approach to space control. His walls can completely change how fights play out, whether blocking enemy sightlines or creating safe zones for your team. The bonus health mechanic from his walls adds surprising sustainability – when allies damage enemies near your wall, you get bonus health.

The main challenge is smart wall placement – you need to help your team without accidentally blocking their movement or sightlines. While positioning and timing take practice to master, Groot’s ability to control space while supporting his team keeps him firmly in A-tier.

Thor

Thor excels at aggressive plays and creating opportunities for his team. His Thor Force mechanic means sustained combat increases your damage output, maxing at 40% bonus damage.

The leap ability provides good distance for initiation or escape, dealing solid damage on impact. However, Thor needs good healer support due to his relatively lower health pool compared to other vanguards. His ultimate can secure kills, but timing and team coordination are crucial. Thor works best when you can coordinate your engages with your team and manage your Thor Force effectively.

Magneto

Magneto brings impressive utility through his shield-focused kit and space control abilities. His shields are more flexible than Strange’s – you can protect allies at range with Metal Bulwark or himself with Iron Bulwark.

His damage conversion system keeps him in A-tier – blocked damage creates rings that power up his Mag-Cannon, turning defense into offense. His Iron Volley provides reliable ranged pressure, growing more effective at maximum range.

Magneto excels at protecting key positions and turning enemy pressure into counter-attack opportunities, though he needs good positioning and shield timing to be effective.

B-Tier

Hulk

Hulk has proven more effective than initial impressions suggested. His straightforward kit actually hides some clever tactical options, particularly with his constant leap ability. This makes him especially strong against dive compositions – if someone tries to attack your supports, you can instantly respond.

The main challenge with Hulk isn’t understanding his abilities but knowing when to use them. He requires good positioning sense and timing to maximize his impact. While he’s not the strongest vanguard right now, his anti-dive capabilities and reliable presence make him a solid B-tier pick.

C-Tier

Captain America

Captain America currently struggles to find his place in the meta. While his shield can block incoming damage effectively, he lacks the utility that other vanguards bring to their teams.

His basic attacks deal about 60 damage per hit, which isn’t enough to threaten most characters, and his shield throw is relatively easy to avoid. The Freedom Charge ability can create good opportunities for team pushes with its health and speed boost, but it’s not enough to make up for his other limitations.

When you can pick Strange for similar defensive capability plus utility, or Thor for better offensive presence, Cap becomes hard to justify. He can work in specific situations, especially when coordinating with a team, but generally remains in C-tier due to his limited impact on matches.

Meta Considerations

The current meta heavily favors vanguards who can:

• Maintain objective presence
• Provide utility beyond just tanking
• Deal meaningful damage
• Set up plays for their team

The ban system in Diamond rank and above affects vanguard selection. Since certain DPS characters get banned frequently, having a vanguard who can contribute damage becomes more valuable.

Remember that the meta’s still evolving. What works now might change as players figure out new strategies or when balance patches hit. Focus on mastering your preferred vanguard and understanding how they fit into different team compositions.

A well-played Captain America who knows their role can still outperform a Doctor Strange who’s out of position.