When you heed the call of battle in the Marvel multiverse, who will lead you on the frontlines?
The Vanguard role is a great name for tanks in Marvel Rivals since the word means “the troops moving at the head of an army,” according to Merriam-Webster. And that’s exactly what a tank is in any hero shooter or similar game within the genre.
Here are our rankings for the best Vanguards (tanks) in Marvel Rivals.
Marvel Rivals: Vanguard hero tier list
S tier
Doctor Strange
The master of mystical arts, the Sorcerer Supreme reigns supreme when it comes to tanks in the closed alpha. Stephen can deal decent damage with his Daggers of Denak and Maelstrom of Madness, has good mobility with his Cloak of Levitation, and has one of the more unique abilities in the game with his Pentagram of Farallah portal.
But Doctor Strange‘s best ability as a Vanguard is the Shield of the Seraphim, a massive circular shield capable of taking 800 damage before breaking. This is excellent for advancing on the objective while your other, higher-damage teammates are on the offensive.
A tier
Groot
When played properly, Groot can be an absolute nightmare with his Thornlash Wall and Ironwood Wall. Marvel Rivals features many small chokepoints, and his walls have a low cooldown timer and a decent amount of health, making them a real pain to deal with.
The rest of his kit isn’t anything too special, but his deceptively long-range Vine Strike and AoE Spore Bomb allow him to deal some good damage, while his Strangling Prison ultimate will gather the enemy team for you to deal big damage as a squad.
Peni Parker
The young girl with a psychic bond with her spider mech, SP//dr, is one of the more interesting Vanguards in Marvel Rivals. Peni Parker‘s primary fire is her weakest asset as she’s able to control enemies with Cyber-Web Snare, deal more damage with Arachno-Mines, and fly into and out of the fight with her Cyber-Bond web shot.
B tier
Magneto
The Master of Magnetism isn’t a master of much in Marvel Rivals just yet. His biggest asset is his Metallic Curtain shield along with his Metal Bulwark, which puts a protective bubble on allies, but his damage-dealing capabilities aren’t great at all. Magneto‘s Meteor M ultimate is arguably one of the weakest in the game thus far.
C tier
Bruce Banner/Hulk
Hulk is a popular character for obvious reasons, but right now, there’s not much of a reason to play him over any of the other Vanguards in the game other than his ability to “dive” on supports with his Incredible Leap ability.
Still, he is easily outranged and doesn’t do nearly enough damage. But his best asset is his Incredible Leap-Indestructible Guard-melee combo, making him one of the only true dive/off-tanks in the game so far.
