Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 is All About Dive Counter Metas

Season 2’s midway update in Marvel Rivals has been anticipated for a while now with the knowledge that Ultron will be debuting alongside a new map, Arakko. Players finally have a release date for Season 2.5, launching May 30, and accompanying it is another handful of seismic balances and changes, as revealed and discussed in Marvel Rivals’ Dev Vision Vol. 06 from creative director Guangguang and lead combat designer Zhiyong.

Marvel Rivals S2.5’s biggest alterations undoubtedly revolve around Team-Ups, with “more than 50%” having been changed compared to Season 0. In S2.5 alone, six new Team-Ups are being added, four are being removed, and one will have its members adjusted. There are a number of sweeping implications that Ultron and these Team-Up changes may suggest about how the back half of Season 2 may take shape. Overall, it appears fairly clear that dive counters are going to be substantially improved by encouraging wildly creative Team-Up compositions.

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By Jackie Arias

Ultron Looks Like a Godsend for Marvel Rivals DPS/Support Mains

Marvel Rivals’ Ultron is basically a DPS in support clothing. Pushing the envelope on what a hybrid character can look like, especially following Mister Fantastic’s tank/DPS hybridity, Ultron seems like he’ll be favored by DPS mains and support mains alike.

Supports may have nothing to fear with Ultron on a backline and, as a flying strategist, it’ll be interesting to see how the meta is molded around him. For instance, Ultron seems perfectly capable of handling himself with his primary attack and flight maneuvers that allow him to flee into the sky. Still, Ultron won’t be the only thing players can rely on.

Marvel Rivals’ Upcoming Team-Ups are a Boon for Strategists

There are usually decent strategies for strategists to employ if they know they’re being dove or if the backline is suffering, but Marvel Rivals’ Team-Ups, which haven’t always been tremendously meaningful or worth restructuring a team composition for, may soon become a support player’s best ally. Indeed, strategists are having their fill with upcoming Team-Ups that could force divers to reconsider their efforts.

Jeff the Land Shark and Venom are receiving a Team-Up called Symbiote Shenanigans, enabling Jeff to extend symbiote tendrils between Venom, himself, and other allies to spread healing. Further, Jeff will also receive a Team-Up called Shark-nado with Storm as the anchor, doubling down on both Jeff and Storm’s infamous ‘It’s Jeff!’ And Omega Hurricane Ults.

Peni Parker and Rocket Raccoon are receiving a Team-Up called Rocket Network that seems to immensely benefit the duo with a ton of potential when defending a chokepoint with the Bionic Spider-Nest and BRB (Battle Rebirth Beacon) they spawn, respectively. Peni’s Team-Up-spawned Bionic Spider-Nest “can coexist with her original while also dropping armor packs,” and its applications could be endlessly fascinating. If that’s not enough for a single Team-Up, though, Rocket’s BRB will spawn Peni Parker’s Cyber-Webs, Spider-Drones, and Arachno-Mines. Even if Rocket can’t have an ordinary BRB active whilst the Team-Up one is, it’s difficult to imagine Peni and Rocket not being paired in a lobby queue for the sake of how great Rocket Network may be.

Iron Fist, Human Torch, and Psylocke—three DPS characters who are a nightmare for many strategists—are being nerfed in S2.5.

Moreover, a couple of Team-Up removals will presumably affect DPS characters’ ability to target backlines or dive effectively. The Gamma Charge Team-Up is being reworked to exclude Iron Man, meaning that Iron Man will no longer be able to rely on gamma-infused attacks while maintaining the greatest distance possible in a map’s canopy. If anything, Iron Man now supports the backline more than he dominates it as he is the anchor for a Team-Up called Stark Protocol, letting Ultron fire Uni-Beam lasers that “pierce everything in their path, damaging enemies while healing teammates.”

Marvel Rivals’ Ultron is basically a DPS in support clothing.

Similarly, Spider-Man, one of Marvel Rivals’ most notorious backline divers, isn’t being nerfed. However, Peni Parker, Spider-Man, and Venom’s Team-Up, Symbiote Bond, will be removed, discarding a strong component of Spider-Man’s playstyle.

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