How To Play Gambit in Marvel Rivals: Abilities, Counters & More

Gambit has finally jumped into Marvel Rivals with the Season 5 update, and he’s already stealing the spotlight. This season follows Gambit and Rogue’s chaotic honeymoon, which quickly gets derailed by The Grandmaster, and Remy LeBeau shows up ready to cause trouble in the best way. Listed as a Strategist, but playing more like a hybrid that dishes out serious damage, Gambit feels instantly fun and extremely versatile. With his flashy animations, card-flinging style, and high pick-rate potential, he’s shaping up to be one of the most played characters this season. If you want to master him from day one, this guide breaks down everything you need—his abilities, how he plays, and which Marvel Rivals heroes counter him best.

Gambit Kit and Abilities Overview

Gambit joins Marvel Rivals as a Strategist, but calling him just a healer doesn’t really do him justice. In Season 5, he plays like a hybrid support who can burst out surprising amounts of damage whenever the fight allows it. His entire kit revolves around the cards he pulls—some cards patch up your team, while others hit like a truck and help secure kills. If you draw an Ace, you’re setting up big damage or cleansing debuffs; if you pull a Heart, you’re ready to pump out teamwide healing.

Once you get comfortable with his rhythm, Gambit feels naturally fluid—you’ll weave in heals, poke enemies with explosive cards, and stay glued to your frontline to assist in finishing targets. He’s fragile with only 275 HP, so positioning is everything, but his healing, chip damage, and regeneration help offset how squishy he is. Thanks to this season’s bonuses, he also gets a 5% Healing Boost, which definitely smooths out his support potential.

Gambit Abilities in Marvel Rivals

Kinetic Cards — Left Click (Primary Attack)
Throws three charged cards in a spread. Each card explodes on contact, damaging enemies while also providing small healing bursts to allies hit by the blast.

Ragin’ Royal Flush — Q (Ultimate)
Locks onto a selected ally and releases a wave of Ace cards that heal and cleanse them. The chosen ally enters Kinetic Transfer, giving them extra movement speed, higher jumps, buffed single-target damage, and faster ultimate charge.

Cajun Charge — Shift
A short forward dash with his bo staff, perfect for quick repositioning or dodging enemy pressure.

Healing Hearts — E
Consumes one Sleight of Hand stack to pull a Heart card, switching Gambit into his healing-focused deck and restoring HP to allies hit.

Breaking Spades — F
Consumes a Sleight of Hand stack to pull a Spade card, putting Gambit into his damage deck and granting a temporary damage increase.

Bayou Bash — Right Click (Melee)
Slams his staff into the ground to create a shockwave that deals damage to enemies and heals nearby allies. Following up with Cajun Charge triggers Big Easy Impact, causing three bonus kinetic explosions.

Ace of Aces — Passive (Team-Up)
Pairs with Magneto: Gambit energizes Magneto’s greatsword so his Iron Volley becomes Ace Greatsword, dealing explosive bonus damage and leaving delayed detonations inside targets.

Healing Hearts Deck Sub-Abilities

Bridge Boost — E + E
Sends out a full deck of bouncing cards that hop between teammates, healing them and granting a temporary healing buff.

Purifying Pick-Up — E + F
Fires a cluster of Heart cards in an arc. Their blasts heal teammates and cleanse negative effects.

Breaking Spades Deck Sub-Abilities

Explosive Trick — F + F
Launches a full spread of Spade cards that explode on hit, dealing heavy damage and applying Reduced Healing to enemies.

Bidding Barrage — F + E
Another offensive spread from the Spade deck, blasting enemies with explosive cards that damage them and reduce their incoming healing.

How To Play Gambit in Marvel Rivals

Gambit shines the most when he’s paired with a proper frontline—tanks, duelists, and aggressive divers who constantly jump into the fray. His cards give him some of the strongest long-range healing in Season 5, reaching teammates from almost 40 meters away, and his fast reload combined with a 21-card deck lets him keep the pressure going without running dry.

Even though his cards are the core of his kit, don’t underestimate his bo staff. It’s great for self-healing when things get scrappy and for knocking away enemy divers trying to collapse on you. But before you pick Gambit and lock him instantly, you need to understand how his flow works—because he’s only strong if you play around his decks, his charges, and his positioning.

Gambit’s Kinetic Cards should always be used with a “team first” mindset. Focus on healing your squad before you start poking enemies, because the single explosions from his basic attack don’t hit hard enough to matter on their own. If you want bigger damage, that’s where the Breaking Spades deck comes in.

When allies are far away or your team needs mid-fight repositioning, use Cajun Charge into Bayou Bash to trigger Big Easy Impact. It creates a burst of kinetic energy that damages enemies and heals your team in the process. Every time Gambit heals or damages with his abilities, he builds up to four kinetic charges under your crosshair. When fully charged, these stacks unlock his special sub-abilities inside the Healing Hearts or Breaking Spades decks.

If your teammates are grouped in front of you and need a quick wave of healing, switch to Healing Hearts. Once you have four full charges, use Bridge Boost—it sends a line of bouncing cards through every ally it touches, restoring a ton of HP at once. If they’re stunned by heroes like Hulk, The Thing, Emma Frost, or Doctor Strange, use Purifying Pick-Up instead. It heals in an arc and cleanses stuns instantly, bringing your team back into the fight before the enemy can secure kills.

“Purify” basically means breaking an ally out of CC and giving them a clean slate—something Gambit is exceptionally good at.

When you want to go from support to full aggression, swap to the Breaking Spades deck. This version of Gambit melts squishy flyers, enemy healers, and slow tanks. Explosive Trick fires a full spread of damaging cards that explode on impact and slap enemies with reduced healing, making them much easier for your team to finish off. Bidding Barrage, on the other hand, is more of an AoE blast—perfect for clearing control points or breaking up grouped enemy pushes.

His ultimate, Ragin’ Royal Flush, ties everything together. When activated, Gambit instantly purifies nearby teammates and pushes them into Kinetic Transfer, granting faster movement, higher jumps, and boosted explosive damage. Their ultimates also charge noticeably quicker. Meanwhile, Gambit gains increased card regeneration, allowing him to cycle his Breaking Spades attacks more often and unleash serious burst damage while still providing healing when needed.

Best Gambit Counter Picks in Marvel Rivals

A well-played Gambit can take over an entire match, but he also has some very clear weaknesses. Certain heroes can pressure him so hard that he barely gets the chance to heal, purify, or set up his card combos. If the enemy team locks in any of the heroes below, you’re better off swapping off Gambit or playing extremely safe.

Magneto
Magneto is arguably Gambit’s toughest matchup. His magnetic shields absorb a huge chunk of Gambit’s card damage, and his blades can shred through Gambit’s 275 HP before you even have time to escape. Long range, burst damage, and natural protection—it’s everything Gambit hates dealing with.

Hulk

While Gambit tries to play from mid-range, Hulk just walks straight through his cards and forces him into stun chains. With Gamma Shield backing him up, Hulk wins almost every direct duel. One mistimed Cajun Charge and Gambit ends up flattened.

Emma Frost

Emma’s mind shields and crystal traps completely disrupt Gambit’s rhythm. His cards struggle to break her defenses, and once she catches him in a psychic stun, he’s basically done. She’s one of the best anti-healer picks overall, and Gambit feels it instantly.

Daredevil

Daredevil’s mobility, tracking, and insane close-range pressure make him a nightmare for Gambit. Even if you try to outrange him, Daredevil closes the gap instantly and stays glued to you until you’re eliminated. Gambit has almost no way to shake him off.

Psylocke

Psylocke is another hyper-mobile duelist who thrives on punishing squishy supports. Her teleport dashes and rapid-fire psychic blades let her burst Gambit down before he can swap decks or get a heal off. If she jumps you, it’s usually over.

Wolverine
If Wolverine decides you’re his target, there’s very little Gambit can do. He’s fast, he ignores chip damage, and his regen keeps him alive through the card pokes. Wolverine deletes Gambit in seconds and walks away with full HP—it’s one of the most brutal counters he has.

Conclusion

Gambit is one of those heroes who feels better the more you understand his flow, and once you get comfortable swapping between his healing cards and damage decks, he becomes a real game-changer in Marvel Rivals. He’s not the tankiest support and he definitely struggles against aggressive dive heroes, but in the right hands he brings clutch purifies, huge team-wide heals, and surprising burst damage when your squad needs it most. Whether you’re keeping your frontline alive from 40 meters away or finishing fights with a perfectly-timed Breaking Spades combo, Gambit rewards smart positioning, patience, and good timing. Master his kit and he’ll easily become one of the most impactful Strategists you can pick this season.