Season 2 of Marvel Rivals is in a bit of a strange state, especially its competitive scene, which is suffering from a 'Strategist Strike', a performance-based points system that seems skewed toward Duelists, and a few characters that seem completely ineffective compared to their Season 1.5 and 1 selves. NetEase has been quick to acknowledge these flaws and has some planned changes to hopefully fix the issue. Most of this comes in response to the 'Strategist Strike' and the dive-heavy meta that makes playing Strategist a lot less fun than it used to be back in Season 1 and 1.5.

Ironically, this isn't the main reason for the strike, with it beginning after a statement from Necros, a Marvel Rivals streamer known for being a Spider-Man main, stating that he hates Strategist players. In response, the Strategists effectively stopped playing the role, causing Necros to ruin the game for everyone else and giving Spider-Man an even worse reputation than J Jonah Jameson could have dreamed of. Still, NetEase isn't going to balance the game entirely around the strike, and is making changes to Doctor Strange, who is in desperate need of them, but these planned changes miss the mark.

Doctor Strange Has Seen Nerf After Nerf In Marvel Rivals

From Top Tier To Trash In Half A Season

Up until Season 2, Doctor Strange was a stalwart figure for the Vanguard class. His shield, survivability, and flying options made him hard to kill and reliable. His surprisingly high damage output made him dangerous to approach at close range, and his Maelstrom of Madness provided great AOE and burst damage to punish divers who got too close to the back lines. He didn't excel in damage compared to Groot, nor does he have Captain America's current survivability, but he was good at nearly everything, and that made him one of the most reliable characters around.

Captain America is no longer part of the Voltic Union team-up with Thor and Storm as of Season 2.

Doctor Strange was formerly part of a team-up with Hulk, which buffed his Malestrom of Madness. While it wasn't quite as effective as what Iron Man got, it made the Sorcerer Supreme even more dangerous, yet almost all of this has been taken away from him after continuous nerfs. He no longer benefits from this team-up, being replaced by Namor, and more painfully, his damage output is laughable, especially compared to other Vanguards like Groot, and the new Emma Frost. By Season 2, he's barely viable, only useful as an anchor for his team-up with Scarlet Witch.

Doctor Strange's primary fire and Maelstrom of Madness have both been nerfed significantly, and this is after a health reduction in Season 1.5, where he went from 650 HP to 600, making him non-threatening compared to other Vanguards and easier to kill. He's gone from top tier to one of the least effective options very quickly, and this isn't helped by Emma Frost being introduced as a powerful alternative. She has a shield, better damage output, burst damage for easy kills, and more survivability, making the good doctor less viable than ever, and the planned changes won't help.

NetEase Planning To Buff Strange - It Won't Be Enough

His Ultimate Isn't As Effective With His Maelstrom Of Madness Nerf

Changes are coming to address these issues, and according to an article from GamesRadar, the Sorcerer Supreme will require less energy to charge his ultimate, which is the only buff he has received. The problem with this buff is that it won't increase Strange's damage effectively, and he can no longer set up a one-shot combo with his ultimate using Maelstrom of Madness after its Dark Magic conversion nerf. He will still be one of the least dangerous tanks to fight against with his low damage, and reducing the energy for his ultimate won't change that.

Doctor Strange's ultimate ability is one of the only aspects of his character that remains as effective, along with his portal. Before the nerfs, Doctor Strange was probably a bit too powerful, and while a nerf to his primary fire and Maelstrom of Madness alone would have been fine, a blanket reduction to both has almost made him a throw pick without Scarlet Witch giving him more HP to make him a shield bot. If NetEase wanted to remove the ultimate one-shot tactic, then it should have only nerfed the Maelstrom of Madness.

The fastest way to charge up Dark Magic is to use Doctor Strange's melee between his primary fire. The more people he hits with his melee at once, the more charge he gets.

This is a sad state of affairs for Doctor Strange, with these nerfs coming in around the same time as Emma Frost's introduction. While I can't speak for anyone else, as someone who used to have Doctor Strange as his go-to tank, I can say that I avoid using him unless things get desperate and a last-minute portal is the only option. His kit was never the most fun to begin with, making him ineffective and painful to play, especially with Emma Frost offering a shield, better damage output, and a more dynamic, enjoyable kit.

Marvel Rivals Is Making The Right Changes For Other Vanguards

Nerfs To Groot And Captain America Feel Needed

With Doctor Strange spectacularly falling from his pedestal, the sheer health and damage package that is Groot made him king of the Vanguards, and a character that is almost always banned. Captain America is another tank that has been causing havoc in Competitive, diving into the backlines and making it difficult for opponents to stop him. Both are receiving nerfs to their survivability, and this could mean less HP or some cooldown increases to prevent an easy getaway, specifically in Cap's case. These feel like the right changes and might help Groot mains actually play their character without a ban.

Bans have now been added to Gold rank and above, rather than starting at Diamond.

Compare this to Doctor Strange, who got an HP reduction in Season 1.5, then a massive damage reduction in Season 2. He's less effective in both instances, while Groot and Cap keep their damage output while being less tough, something that Strange probably could have benefited from instead. He shouldn't have gotten a damage reduction as drastic to begin with, and his ultimate charge buff isn't going to change that much. It's odd because other balance changes seem like the right move, at least in theory.

Spider-Man getting a range nerf for his combos is needed, considering that he could uppercut in New York, and it would hit a Strategist hiding in Washington. Winter Soldier probably doesn't need the Tainted Voltage buff, but buffing the Captain's Spirit team-up ability will help it go from a cool trick to an actual viable strat. It isn't something I've seen much of in my time in Marvel Rivals, considering that Cap is busy diving backlines and Winter Soldier tends to sit near the front-lining Vanguard, although the idea feels right.

With potential changes coming to the performance-based points system as well, it is clear that NetEase is keeping a close ear to the ground when it comes to the Marvel Rivals community, listening to and making adjustments accordingly. The team might not always make the right decision to begin with, and some experiments are sometimes too wild, but at least the community is being listened to. The solution isn't always right, but actively listening to the community will earn NetEase a lot of grace with its mistakes.

Source: GamesRadar