How To Counter Black Widow Hero In Marvel Rivals

Black Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff, is a lethal assassin in Marvel Rivals, capable of eliminating enemies with pinpoint sniper shots before quickly repositioning with her agile movement abilities. Whether she’s picking off your teammates from a distance or lurking in the shadows waiting to strike, dealing with her can be a challenge if you don’t know how to counter her effectively.

Understanding Black Widow’s strengths and weaknesses is key to shutting her down. This guide will break down the best ways to counter Black Widow, covering the most effective hero picks for each role and providing useful strategies to keep her from dominating the battlefield.

Best Ways To Counter Black Widow

Black Widow’s biggest advantage is her ability to deal massive damage from long range while staying safe. Her sniper rifle allows her to pick off enemies with precision, and if someone manages to get close, she has a sweeping kick that stuns, setting up an easy headshot. Additionally, her sprint and jump ability gives her the mobility to relocate quickly, making her difficult to pin down.

To counter her effectively, you’ll want to pick heroes with high health, sustain, or strong mobility—characters that can close the gap quickly and keep up with her when she tries to escape. While some roles may not have the ability to chase her down, they can still play a key role in limiting her effectiveness and forcing her into bad positions. Below, we’ll go over the best hero picks for each role and how to shut down Black Widow before she takes control of the match.

Countering Black Widow as a Duelist

Duelists have an easier time dealing with Black Widow compared to other roles, but rushing at her head-on is a mistake that will likely get you eliminated. Instead, the best approach is to sneak up on her, catch her off guard, and burst her down before she has a chance to react.

Black Panther is one of the strongest counters, thanks to his high mobility and sustain. He can quickly close the distance and pressure Black Widow before she can escape. A good combo is to hit her with a Spear Toss, immediately activate Spirit Rend to reset the ability and deal massive damage while also healing. Follow up with another Spear Toss or Spinning Kick, then finish her off with one final Spirit Rend.

Iron Fist is another strong option since his kit allows him to engage quickly, sustain through fights, and block incoming damage. His Dragon’s Defense parry ability can prevent Black Widow from stunning him with her Sweeping Kick, while also granting extra health and increasing his damage output. Once inside her range, Iron Fist’s melee attacks will easily outmatch her, making him a great choice for shutting her down.

To effectively counter Black Widow as a Duelist, focus on flanking her, engaging from unexpected angles, and using sustain mechanics to outlast her damage. If you can disrupt her positioning and deny her the chance to snipe from safety, she becomes much easier to eliminate.

Countering Black Widow as a Strategist

Strategists have the hardest time dealing with Black Widow since their main role is supporting teammates rather than engaging in fights. This makes them prime targets for Widow’s precise sniping, so positioning is key to staying alive. Always stick close to cover, avoid open sightlines, and reposition frequently to make it harder for her to line up shots.

Invisible Woman is an excellent counter because her Guardian Shield can block incoming attacks, giving her and her team protection against Black Widow’s sniper fire. By staying near allies and activating Guardian Shield, she can safely support her team without constantly needing to hide. Additionally, her passive invisibility allows her to disappear from Widow’s view, making it much harder for her to be singled out.

Rocket Raccoon is also a strong pick, thanks to his small hitbox, which naturally makes him harder to hit from long range. If Black Widow locks onto him, he can quickly escape using Jetpack Dash, allowing him to reposition behind cover or get back to his team safely.

As a Strategist, your goal isn’t to fight Black Widow directly but to minimize her impact by staying out of sight, using defensive abilities, and always having an escape plan. If you can force her to waste time repositioning or looking for new angles, you’ll keep her from taking over the match.

Countering Black Widow as a Vanguard

As a Vanguard, you have two ways to deal with Black Widow—playing defensively to protect your team or going on the offensive to force her out of position. Both strategies are effective, but choosing the right one depends on your team composition and Widow’s playstyle.

If you opt for defensive play, heroes with barriers and protective abilities like Magneto, Doctor Strange, and Groot are great choices. By staying close to your team and alternating between attacking enemies and deploying barriers, you can significantly reduce Widow’s effectiveness at long range. This forces her to either relocate or move closer, where she becomes much easier to deal with.

For a more aggressive approach, Venom, Hulk, and Captain America excel at closing the gap quickly and pressuring Widow before she can escape. These heroes have high durability, strong mobility, and abilities that prevent her from instantly eliminating them. The best strategy is to coordinate with your Duelists and dive onto her position, giving her little room to breathe. If she’s forced to flee or engage in close combat, she loses her biggest advantage—range.

As a Vanguard, your job is to either shield your teammates from Widow’s attacks or take the fight directly to her. Whichever method you choose, denying her the ability to freely pick off targets is the key to shutting her down.

Conclusion

Black Widow can be a nightmare to deal with in Marvel Rivals if she’s allowed to control the battlefield with her sniper precision and high mobility. However, by understanding her weaknesses and choosing the right approach, you can limit her impact and shut her down. Whether you’re playing a Vanguard with barriers to block her shots, a Duelist who can sneak up and burst her down, or a Strategist who stays out of sight and uses escape tools, positioning and awareness are key. If you can force her to reposition, deny her clear sightlines, or pressure her into close combat, you’ll take away her biggest advantages and make her much easier to eliminate.