The new best Marvel Rivals hero is a surprise due to stats

NetEase Games revamped the hero balance in Marvel Rivals' Season 1 (January), significantly buffing underplayed characters like Storm and Black Widow to enhance gameplay and boost their popularity.

Storm's buffs have dramatically increased her effectiveness and popularity. Rivals Meta now ranks her number one in win rate, a massive leap from her previous obscurity. In competitive mode, her win rate surpasses 56%, with a pick rate climbing to 16%, a stark contrast to her near-zero presence before the update. She's now outperforming top-tier heroes like Adam Warlock, Jeff, Spider-Man, Hela, Hulk, Magik, and Iron Man.

While Cloak and Dagger remain the most popular duo, their win rate has dipped below 49%. Black Widow, however, continues to struggle, remaining the least popular and least successful character.

Marvel Rivals is experiencing significant growth, boasting hundreds of thousands of players in its competitive mode. The Grandmaster title, achieved by only 0.1% of players, remains an elite accomplishment, even with the existence of the Celestial rank.

One player achieved an extraordinary feat during Season 1: reaching Grandmaster rank without suffering a single point of damage across 108 games! This player, utilizing Rocket Raccoon, focused solely on healing teammates, restoring over 2.9 million health points and accumulating nearly 3,500 assists while avoiding any knockouts.