How To Counter Captain America In Marvel Rivals

Captain America in Marvel Rivals plays exactly as you’d expect—he’s a battlefield leader, initiator, and frontline disruptor. His kit is designed to start fights, absorb damage, and apply constant pressure to enemies. With his shield always in hand, he can control engagements and create openings for his team.

However, while he may be a Super Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), in Marvel Rivals, he has noticeable weaknesses. His HP is lower than other frontline heroes, and he lacks raw strength compared to other Vanguards, making him vulnerable to certain strategies and hero picks.

In this guide, we’ll break down the best ways to counter Captain America, highlighting his weaknesses and the most effective tactics to shut him down. Let’s get started!

How To Counter Captain America In Marvel Rivals

Captain America’s entire combat style revolves around his shield, making him a relentless frontline fighter who can apply constant pressure and chase down opponents. His Sentinel Strike is a fast melee attack that can be followed up with a shield throw, bouncing off multiple surfaces and keeping enemies on their toes. Additionally, Liberty Rush allows him to continuously pressure a single target, while Super-Soldier Slam knocks multiple enemies into the air, creating space for his team.

One of Captain America’s biggest strengths is his mobility—his Leading Dash lets him close gaps quickly, ensuring that enemies can’t simply run away. If opponents rely on projectiles, his Vibranium Energy Saw allows him to deflect incoming attacks, making him even more difficult to deal with in direct combat.

To effectively counter Captain America, your team should focus on three key strategies:
• Snare and Immobilize – Since Captain America relies heavily on movement and closing gaps, using heroes with crowd control abilities to root him in place will severely limit his effectiveness.
• Burst Damage – Despite being a frontline fighter, Captain America has relatively low HP compared to other Vanguards. High-damage heroes who can burst him down quickly will prevent him from sustaining in fights.
• Overwhelming Numbers – His abilities are mostly designed for 1v1 combat, meaning he struggles when multiple enemies focus him at once. Teaming up against him will force him to retreat or get eliminated quickly.

By limiting his movement, breaking through his defenses, and taking advantage of his low health pool, you can effectively shut down Captain America and prevent him from controlling the battlefield.

Countering Captain America as a Strategist

Captain America’s constant movement and agility make him a tough target to lock down, especially for strategists who rely on precision attacks or well-timed ultimates. His ability to run fast, leap high, and close gaps quickly means that snaring or stunning him is the best way to counter his mobility and prevent him from pressuring your team.
• Luna Snow is an excellent choice against Captain America. Her Absolute Zero ultimate can freeze him in place, giving her team an opportunity to set up a follow-up attack. If Luna has Fate of Both Worlds active, she can switch between boosting her teammates’ damage or healing them, providing additional utility while keeping Captain America locked down. The freeze effect lasts up to three seconds, making it an effective tool for shutting down his momentum.
• Mantis is another strong counter, offering a more aggressive close-range approach. Her Spore Slumber ability puts enemies to sleep, giving her team a 3.5-second window to land an uninterrupted attack. Unlike Luna’s freeze, attacking a sleeping target won’t break the effect, ensuring that Captain America remains vulnerable. However, teammates can wake him up by shooting the illusion behind him, so timing and positioning are crucial.

To effectively counter Captain America as a Strategist, focus on immobilizing him with snares, freezing him to stop his movement, and setting up coordinated attacks while he’s locked in place. If played correctly, you can completely disrupt his ability to engage and pressure your team.

Countering Captain America as a Vanguard

Vanguards are one of the best choices for keeping Captain America in check, as they are built for crowd control and disruption. Since Captain America thrives on mobility and close-quarters combat, using Vanguards with strong zoning tools can lock him down and prevent him from dashing through fights.
• Groot is an excellent pick against Captain America, as he can block his movement and isolate him from his team. His Thornlash Wall raises barricades to cut off Captain America’s escape routes, limiting his ability to engage or reposition. Additionally, Ironwood Wall can completely neutralize Captain America’s shield, rendering one of his most important defensive tools useless. Groot also gains bonus health when enemies take damage nearby, making him a strong frontline presence that can outlast and control fights against Captain America.
• Peni Parker and her SP//dr mech suit bring a high-tech, trap-based approach to countering Captain America. Since he excels in 1v1 combat, Peni can keep him occupied with well-placed explosives and force him to navigate a battlefield full of hazards. Her Arachno-Mine machine deploys tracking spider mines that detonate on impact, dealing heavy damage and limiting his movement. While these mines are stationary and can be destroyed, Peni can reinforce them with Bionic Spider-Nest, which spawns Spider-Drone explosives over time, making the arena a dangerous space for Captain America to engage in.

To counter Captain America as a Vanguard, focus on disrupting his mobility, zoning him away from his team, and forcing him into fights where he can’t fully utilize his agility. If played correctly, you can limit his effectiveness and shut down his ability to control engagements.

Countering Captain America as a Duelist

Duelists excel at high-damage combat, whether through close-range brawling or precise long-range attacks. While Vanguards and Strategists keep Captain America occupied, Duelists can focus on dealing massive damage from a distance to finish him off. Since Captain America’s health pool isn’t as high as other frontliners, wearing him down with consistent ranged attacks and high burst damage is the best way to secure the kill.
• Namor is an excellent choice for countering Captain America, as his Trident of Neptune deals significant damage while also buffing Monstro Spawns in the area. When combined with Peni Parker’s Arachno-Mines, the shared area damage will quickly deplete Captain America’s health. If Namor’s Ultimate is ready, he can summon Giganto, creating a powerful follow-up attack that leaves Captain America with little room to escape.
• Hawkeye is another ideal counter, as his Piercing Arrow and Blast Arrow allow him to hit Captain America from afar while dealing extra damage. His Hypersonic Arrow is especially useful, as it can slow Captain America’s movement and knock him into the air, limiting his ability to reposition or engage effectively. Additionally, Hawkeye’s Focus ability boosts the damage of Piercing Arrow, making his long-range attacks even more devastating. If needed, Crescent Slash and Ronin Slash provide solid melee options for finishing off a weakened Captain America.

Other strong ranged Duelists include Black Widow, Punisher, and Iron Man, all of whom can continuously pressure Captain America with projectiles, ensuring he’s constantly taking damage from multiple angles. The more allies attacking at once, the quicker he will fall, making coordinated fire an effective strategy against him.

To counter Captain America as a Duelist, keep your distance, focus on dealing high burst damage, and work alongside your team to overwhelm him before he can fully engage. With the right approach, you can quickly take down the Super Soldier and prevent him from leading his team to victory.

Conclusion

Captain America is a powerful frontline fighter in Marvel Rivals, capable of initiating fights, pressuring enemies, and absorbing damage with his shield. However, despite his leadership role and strong mobility, he has clear weaknesses that can be exploited. His low HP compared to other Vanguards, reliance on shield-based attacks, and focus on single-target combat make him vulnerable to crowd control, burst damage, and coordinated team attacks.

Whether you’re snaring him as a Strategist, blocking his movement as a Vanguard, or overwhelming him with long-range Duelists, there are plenty of ways to shut down Captain America before he can take control of the fight. By breaking through his shield, limiting his mobility, and focusing him down as a team, you can effectively neutralize his impact and prevent him from leading his squad to victory.