Marvel Rivals: Top picks for casual vs competitive play

When it comes to the heroes you want to play in Marvel Rivals, it amounts to personal preferences most of the time. However, the situation can change drastically depending on whether you are playing casual quick play or competitive mode. 

We’re going to look at some of the Marvel Rivals top picks for casual and competitive games so that beginners and experienced players can gain a deeper understanding of the main differences when choosing a role and a character for each mode. 

Before we get into the Marvel Rivals top picks in competitive and casual mode, let’s first discuss the differences in comp and casual gameplay. Casual games, also known as Quick Play, are exactly what the name suggests. They are quick, casual matches where the main objective is to have fun. There are always going to be those who are in it to win it, even in a casual match, but most of the time, it’s all about enjoying the game experience and playing whatever hero you want. Newcomers to the game can jump into a quick play game with ease, as they are incredibly accessible. 

Competitive play is, as is expected, much more intense and focuses on strategy, methodical gameplay, and effective communication. The general approach is very different. To put it simply, the stakes are high with competitive mode, while they are significantly lower in casual mode.

To decide our top hero choices for casual and competitive modes in Marvel Rivals, we examined data from the MarvelRivals.gg community platform, along with statistics of the most popular heroes in competitive and casual modes from the official Marvel Rivals heroes data.

Let’s get into the top picks for casual and competitive game modes in Marvel Rivals. We’ll be looking at five particularly noteworthy choices for each mode, including Strategists, Vanguards and Duelists. Before we go into further detail, take a look at the table below for a quick look at the best choices. 

Cloak & Dagger are popular picks for casual and competitive games. However, they are particularly well-suited to casual games and players that aren’t as experienced due to their auto-locking healing and damage. Dagger’s healing light automatically locks onto allies and enemies, as does Cloak’s Darkforce Cloak attack. While C&D are more complex when played in the competitive field, they are easy to get started with and can be great for casual players. 

Rocket is another Strategist who can be played in competitive and casual play thanks to his ease of use. Casual players can jump into the healing role with no difficulty at all thanks to Rocket’s Repair Mode primary fire. This, combined with his excellent manoeuvrability, makes him a fantastic choice for casual play healers. However, when it comes to competitive use, players will need to learn how to utilise his offensive fire, jetpack, and wall crawling along with his healing spheres. 

Scarlet Witch is another hero who has lock-on attacks, so she is easy to use for those who aren’t accustomed to the aiming mechanics of other heroes (or for those who simply don’t want to aim). She’s also very easy to pick up and instantly start using and getting kills, with high burst damage and great manoeuvrability. Scarlet Witch is sometimes disregarded in comp games, but there is no doubt that she is fun to play and a great quick-play hero. 

Much like Scarlet Witch, Squirrel Girl is a hero who has a bit of a bad reputation because of how easy it is to get kills with her and her low skill barrier. That might be a bad thing for certain players, but for most of us, it makes her a super fun and engaging hero to enjoy in casual matches. Squirrel Girl’s chaotic nature comes from her high damage bouncing acorns and her Squirrel Tsunami ultimate ability, all of which have simple controls and mechanics. Although she isn’t as effective in comp games due to how easily she can be countered, Squirrel Girl can be a great choice for casual Marvel Rivals games. 

The Thing is a giant, orange, rocky, punching machine who is not only easy to use, but also tons of fun. He’s another Marvel Rivals hero who can be used effectively in casual and competitive games, but he is particularly well-suited to casual players thanks to his durability and significant health bar. He punches, he charges, and he shields allies, making him pretty versatile, too. As with the other heroes well-suited to comp and casual, you’ll need to learn to play The Thing with more strategy if you want to use him competitively. Otherwise, stick to punching in casual mode. 

Black Panther is best suited for comp games and experienced players, as he is a hero who can be much less effective when used casually. He can be a nightmare for the opposing teams in competitive games due to his insane mobility and potential for huge damage. He can jump in and out of the backline with ease, causing catastrophe and chaos while taking out the enemy’s support system. Although he can be shut down when countered, he is undoubtedly a strong competitive Duelist pick. 

Although well-suited to casual games, Doctor Strange is incredibly effective as a comp tank. His skills are highly useful in a wide range of competitive scenarios, as his abilities can freeze and interrupt enemies. Because of this, he is a great choice when it comes to team ups and ultimate combos, though he can deal a lot of damage on his own as well. Strange’s versatility, combined with his utility, makes him a top competitive Marvel Rivals hero choice. 

Emma Frost is a Vanguard with excellent duality, able to go on the offensive with her telepathic damage and her Diamond form. She can also become a defensive protector thanks to her Mind’s Aegis shield. She isn’t the easiest character to pick up and start playing straight away, so even though she can be fun to use in quick play, she is better suited to the competitive field. 

Bruce Banner/ The Hulk can be a lot of fun to play around with in casual Marvel Rivals games, but he can also be a game-changing Vanguard in comp matches. Hulk is a big, beefy tank with huge health and significant damage capabilities, though it is hard to play him well due to his abilities all being melee-based. His mobility skills can also be tricky to master, but when played well, Hulk can obliterate the enemy backline, protect allies and jump in and out of combat with ease. 

Luna Snow is a strong Strategist who is often considered one of the absolute best supports in Marvel Rivals. Her kit is particularly versatile, combining healing with damage and high mobility. Although she can be fun to get to grips with in casual games, her strengths become more apparent in competitive play. Her ultimate is particularly noteworthy, as it can change up the whole game, saving allies and nullifying huge amounts of damage. She can save her team from a total wipeout with a well-timed ultimate, which could completely turn a game around. Luna isn’t the easiest Strategist to learn, as she requires precision and aiming skills to play her effectively, but once you get to grips with her, it is easy to see why there are so many Luna Snow players in the heart of the competitive Marvel Rivals scene.

It should be noted that it doesn’t matter if the heroes that you like the most or who you play best with haven’t made it onto our lists of the best casual and competitive hero picks in Marvel Rivals. Any hero can be effective in different situations and game modes. However, if you are thinking of playing certain heroes in casual and comp, then these are just a few noteworthy choices.