In an effort to enhance gameplay and increase the appeal of less popular characters like Storm and Black Widow, NetEase Games implemented significant balance adjustments to the heroes of Marvel Rivals as Season 1 kicked off in January. These updates have particularly boosted Storm's capabilities, catapulting her to the top of the win rate charts according to Rivals Meta. Previously lagging in hero selection rankings, Storm now enjoys a win percentage of over 56% in competitive mode, with a pick rate that has soared to 16%. This represents a significant turnaround, as she previously struggled to even reach a 1% pick rate, now surpassing well-known heroes like Adam Warlock, Jeff, Spider-Man, Hela, Hulk, Magic, Iron Man, and more.
Despite Storm's rise, the most popular character duo in Season 1 remains Cloak and Dagger, although their win percentage has dipped below 49%. On the other end of the spectrum, Black Widow continues to be the least picked and least successful character in the game.
Marvel Rivals is currently experiencing robust growth, with hundreds of thousands of players engaging with its competitive mode. The Grandmaster title, held by only 0.1% of players, remains an elusive achievement, even with the existence of the Celestial rank. Achieving such a high rank is no small feat, yet one player has accomplished something truly remarkable during the first season. This player reached the Grandmaster level without taking any damage across 108 games, solely focusing on healing teammates while playing as Rocket Raccoon. They managed to restore over 2.9 million health points and recorded nearly 3,500 assists without a single knockout, showcasing an incredible display of skill and strategy.
