Marvel Rivals: How to Use the Best Team Up Abilities To Make the Most of Your Team Comp (2025)

Marvel Rivals is the newest entrant into the hero-shooter genre, and it is already phenomenally successful, gaining 20 million+ players in its first three weeks of operation. The game calls back to the genre's earliest days with its 6v6 teams, simplistic modes and chaotic, but fun, abilities, making it a joy for new and veteran players of the genre. Each of Marvel Rivals 33 characters is a joy to play, and the game's three classes (Vanguard, Duelist and Strategist) divide them into easy-to-decipher goals and strategies. While this is not new for the genre, Marvel Rivals adds a new wrinkle to this mechanic, with specific characters getting bonuses and unique abilities when some particular allies are on their team.

Marvel Rivals leans heavily into the nature of its source material by including "Tram-Up Abilities". Characters like Spider-Man and Venom have a lengthy comic book history, so they benefit each other when they are on the same team. This mechanic only figures to become more developed as the game receives more characters, and fans are already speculating who the game's next character, Ultron, should be able to team up with in battle. While some of the game's team-ups are not as effective as others, a few of them are game-changing and should be used in battle whenever possible.

Unmatched Utility Makes These Team-Ups Trick To Use

Examples: Symbiote Bond, Lunar Force, Ammo Overload and ESU Alumnus

Utility team-up abilities are among Marvel Rivals' ​​​​​​most versatile abilities, but they can also be some of the trickiest to use in battle, so players need to be on the lookout for the right time to make the most of them. Luckily, many of these abilities cover characters' existing weaknesses and can turn some lower-tier options into amazing combatants to have on your team in a match.

When Venom is on the same team as either Spider-Man or Peni Parker, he gives up some of his Symbiotic power to allow the other two characters to send out spikes from their bodies that damage and knock the opponent away from them. Unfortunately, Venom does not receive anything from this team-up, but the ability to last longer in fights greatly benefits The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Man has a significant weakness when fighting other close-ranged duelists, so this team-up should be used against opposing teams with characters that are great at diving, like Winter Soldier and Iron Fist. Not every team-up is designed to cover a weakness, however, as some team-ups make strong characters even better.

Some characters in Marvel Rivals are frustratingly overpowered because of their base kits, but their team-up abilities make them a nightmare to take down in battle and almost impossible to deal with throughout a match. One of these characters is Moon Knight, as his ability to control space and damage multiple targets with his "Ancient Ankh" makes him one of the best characters in the game.

Moon Knight has a powerful team-up with Cloak & Dagger that allows him to turn invisible in battle, making him able to place his ankhs while stealthed and take down multiple targets before they know what hit them. This ability is phenomenal for a set-up character like Moon Knight, but the chakram thrower is not the only character in Marvel Rivals with a powerful ability to control large areas.

Rocket Raccoon might be one of the game's best strategists, but his healing is the most difficult to apply, as his allies need to follow his secondary fire around the map to get the most out of it. However, two duelists, The Punisher and Winter Soldier, have a powerful team-up with the feisty furball that allows them to be potent threats in lengthy battles. Rocket Raccoon throws out a sentry in battle, and this object provides The Punisher and Winter Soldier with infinite ammunition as long as they are standing near it.

This means that the Winter Soldier does not need to cast his abilities between his shots to reload, making it far easier to take down enemies with his tricky-to-use combo. Players should focus on placing this ability on the point so Winter Soldier and The Punisher can clear out the enemy team before they have a chance to reach the back line and tack out Rocket Raccoon. However, not all utility team-ups are as obvious to use as this one, and the most complex utility team-up belongs to Spider-Man and Squirrel Girl.

Many of the most influential Marvel Comics characters reside in New York City, and some of them even attended the same schools and became friends with each other during that time. This is true of Peter Parker (AKA Spider-Man) and Doreen Green (AKA Squirrel Girl), both of whom are ingenious characters in the Marvel Comics pantheon.

Their team-up ability is one-sided in Marvel Rivals, but it provides a great deal of utility in battle. When Spider-Man and Squirrel Girl team up, Peter gives Doreen a web bomb that she can throw to keep enemies in place, making her easily able to take down multiple enemies at once. Paired with her crowd control ability, Squirrel Girl can easily lock down a whole team to defeat with her ultimate ability, making this one of the best duelist team-ups in the game.

Melee Menaces Make the Most of Every Situation

Examples: Metallic Chaos, Fastball Special, Gamma Charge

Melee attacks are not often important in a hero-shooter, which is why some team-ups are more favorably viewed than others. However, Scarlet Witch makes Magneto's melee attacks a crucial part of his kit, as she empowers them with Chaos Energy to make them deal more damage. Scarlet Witch might not receive a buff from this team-up, but Magneto's empowered melee attacks offer him a crucial ability at close range, making him able to defend Scarlet Witch with ease.

Marvel Rivals does an amazing job of making players feel like they are playing through the iconic battles from their favorite Marvel Comics. From iconic locations to amazing abilities, every ounce of the game is filled with homages to influential Marvel Comics, and fans are thrilled with how expressive the title is. However, one team-up ability stands out from the rest in terms of how faithfully it adapts the comics.

While the ability is named differently in Marvel Rivals, there is no doubt that the "Fastball Special" is among the Marvel franchise's most iconic signature moves. In the game, The Hulk can throw Wolverine in a direction, getting him close to enemies so that he can take them down with his powerful melee abilities. Furthermore, this allows Wolverine to cover gaps faster, so his enemies do not have as much time to react before he pounces on them and attacks them with his adamantium claws. This team-up ability might only involve two characters, but the Hulk lends his power to a few other allies too.

The Hulk can empower Doctor Strange and Iron Man with his gamma energy and make their abilities deal more damage and have more utility. For example, when Doctor Strange casts "Maelstrom of Madness" with The Hulk on his team, it releases all his dark magic and game energy to deal a massive burst of damage. The team-up is more subtle with Iron Man, it can upgrade any of his abilities, making it more versatile.

Having two Vanguard characters on the team is rather unlikely, but when The Hulk and Doctor Strange team up, they create a front line that is difficult to take down and can also deal significant damage to even the game's strongest duelists. Furthermore, the Hulk increases Iron Man's damage, which allows him to take down enemies while soaring above them before long-range threats like Hawkeye and Black Widow can respond. This team-up can be difficult to use, as being close to an allied Iron Man can be difficult while he is flying, but its powerful interaction with the tech-genius billionaire makes this ability a must-have in battle.

Revives and Rewinds Allow Fights To Last Longer

Examples: Guardian Revival, Ragnarök Rebirth, Dimensional Shortcut

The ability to revive a teammate after they are taken down is powerful in any competitive game, and a few team-ups in Marvel Rivals take this trait to the max and can greatly shift the tide of battle. While Adam Warlock can revive himself every time he is taken down in a fight, his true power comes from being on a team with his fellow Guardians of the Galaxy (excluding Groot and Rocket Raccoon).

When Adam Warlock is teamed up with Star-Lord or Mantis, he can make them able to be revived after being taken down, easily giving his team the edge in a team-fight. While he is less common to see than most of the other strategists, he is phenomenal in specific team compositions that can make the most of his team-up with his allies. Players should be careful though, as Adam Warlock's revive should be used out of sight, as it does not give full HP back to the player.

The team-up abilities in Marvel Rivals usually contain only two classes when there are three characters, but there is one notable exception in the game. Hela, Loki's daughter, is one of the most overpowered duelists in the games, and they lend their powers to their Asgardian relatives with one of the game's best utility team-ups, as it allows them to keep fighting even when players slip up in battle.

When Hela is on the same team as Thor or Loki, and she takes down an enemy while either of her Asgardian allies is on a respawn timer, she can revive them, making them able to return to the battle faster than normal. Hela's revive is less situational than Adam Warlock's, but it is more reliant on the DPS, so it is not as easy to use.

Mobility is among the most important traits to have in a hero-shooter, and most Duelists in Marvel Rivals have a way of easily getting in and out of team fights. However, some characters have an amazing team-up that makes them able to avoid even the most intimidating abilities in battle and turn the tide in a second.

Magik teams up with Black Panther and Psylocke to utilize the best team-up in the game. When Magik is on the same team as Black Panther and Psylocke, she gives the latter two the ability to go back in time a few seconds and gain temporary maximum health based on the HP that they are missing. This ability is especially relevant for Black Panther, as he can defeat one enemy, then rewind so he has more HP when going for the next enemy. Overall, team-up abilities are the most interesting part of Marvel Rivals, and mastering them all can be the difference between victory and defeat.

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Marvel Rivals

Platform(s)

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC

Released

December 6, 2024

Developer(s)

NetEase Games

Publisher(s)

NetEase Games