How To Balance Your Team Composition In Marvel Rivals

Building a strong team comp in Marvel Rivals is one of the biggest keys to winning matches, but it goes way beyond just stacking roles. Sure, you want a mix of Vanguards, Duelists, and Strategists—but real success comes from thinking about how your team’s abilities, ultimates, and playstyles work together. Whether you’re brand new to hero shooters or just learning the ropes in Rivals, understanding team synergy, counters, and in-match flexibility can make all the difference. In this guide, we’ll break down how to balance your team composition and give you the tools to build squads that actually work in real matches. Let’s get into it.

How Team Compositions Work In Marvel Rivals

In Marvel Rivals, your team composition reflects the overall balance and synergy of your squad—it’s not just about who you like to play. It includes a mix of roles, hero types, and playstyles that all need to work together to be effective. A solid team usually covers all three core roles: at least one Vanguard to hold the front line, a Duelist to handle damage and skirmishes, and a Strategist to support and control the flow of fights. The goal isn’t just variety—it’s making sure your team can handle different situations and adapt on the fly.

Every Hero Type And Playstyle

When it comes to building a strong team comp in Marvel Rivals, understanding hero types and playstyles is just as important as filling roles. There are four main playstyle categories that define how certain heroes operate in a match:

Poke – Poke heroes chip away at enemies from a safe distance, wearing them down before diving into full engagements. These heroes thrive on ranged attacks and smart positioning. Peni Parker, Luna Snow, Hela, and Punisher all fall into this category.

Dive – Dive heroes are all about surprise. They target the backline, flanking or jumping in from off-angles to catch enemies off guard. Venom, Thor, Psylocke, Cloak & Dagger, Iron Fist, and Jeff the Land Shark are great examples of this playstyle.

Brawl – Brawlers are built for close-quarters combat. They’re tanky, strong, and made to hold the frontline by getting right into the fight. Heroes like Hulk, Groot, Wolverine, Mister Fantastic, and Invisible Woman bring that brawler energy.

Rush – Rush heroes push hard and fast, using speed and mobility to overwhelm enemies before they have time to react. There’s no strict list of rush heroes, but anyone with high mobility and strong burst damage fits the mold. These heroes thrive when they’re closing gaps and creating chaos.

Knowing these playstyle types helps you better read your team’s strengths—and how to build around them.

How To Optimize Your Team Composition In Marvel Rivals

To build a strong team composition in Marvel Rivals, the standard setup usually includes two Vanguards, two Duelists, and two Strategists. That setup works well in most cases—but the real key to winning is picking heroes that not only fill missing roles but also match your team’s overall playstyle. Whether your team is leaning into poke, dive, brawl, or rush, your hero pick should support that strategy and help fill any gaps in your lineup.

For example, if your team includes Magneto, Doctor Strange, Namor, Squirrel Girl, and Cloak & Dagger, you’ve got a poke-heavy lineup with only one Strategist. You’ll want to add a second Strategist like Luna Snow, Rocket Raccoon, or Loki to keep the team balanced and able to sustain fights. In a dive-heavy setup like Venom, Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, Cloak & Dagger, and Mantis, you’re a little light on front-line presence. Adding Thor or even Peni Parker (who can keep up with divers) brings more pressure and synergy. If your team’s going for a brawl comp with Hulk, Iron Fist, Luna Snow, Invisible Woman, and Cloak & Dagger, your Strategist slots are already filled, so leaning into damage with a close-range duelist like Wolverine or Magik can be the right call. And in a rush comp with Groot, Doctor Strange, Squirrel Girl, Punisher, and Cloak & Dagger, you’ve got strong push potential, but only one Strategist—so adding a mobile support like Luna Snow or Rocket helps keep that pressure going.

At the end of the day, there’s no one-size-fits-all team in Marvel Rivals. The best squads come from understanding your team’s playstyle, filling in missing roles, and picking heroes that fit the gameplan. Flexibility and awareness will always go further than just sticking to a “meta” team comp.

How To Counter Enemy Team Composition In Marvel Rivals

The final piece of mastering team composition in Marvel Rivals is learning how to counter what the enemy team is running. While there’s no perfect formula—thanks to the game’s large and flexible hero roster—there are some general patterns you can follow when trying to flip the momentum in your favor.

For starters, poke-heavy teams that rely on chipping damage from a distance are typically weak to dive comps. Dive teams can get in fast, collapse on the backline, and shut down long-range threats before they do serious damage. On the flip side, dive comps tend to struggle against brawl or rush setups, which can hold their ground and overpower them with raw strength and close-quarters dominance. Brawl and rush comps, however, are often vulnerable to poke teams that can kite them and wear them down from afar.

These matchups are basic guidelines, but they only work if your team commits to the playstyle. Picking counter heroes is one thing—but playing into that style and working as a unit is what really makes the difference in high-level play.

Conclusion

Balancing your team composition in Marvel Rivals is all about more than just picking one of each role. It’s about understanding your team’s playstyle, filling in gaps, and making sure your heroes actually work well together. Whether you’re building around poke, dive, brawl, or rush, the key is adapting your picks to support your squad while also responding to the enemy’s strategy. With a little awareness and teamwork, you can turn a good comp into a great one—and start stacking more wins along the way.