Peni Parker sits at the top of the Marvel Rivals roster heading into Season 8.5, leading every hero with a 55.6% win rate across all ranks. The rankings below are sorted by shrunk win rate, a method that pulls each hero’s raw number toward the role baseline based on how many tracked matches feed the sample. That keeps a rarely picked hero from spiking to the top on a handful of lucky games.
Quick answer: Peni Parker (Vanguard), Magik (Duelist), and Rocket Raccoon (Strategist) are the strongest picks in their roles right now. Avoid Black Widow, Human Torch, and Hawkeye, which sit at the bottom of the ladder.
How the tier list is ranked
Every hero is graded S through F by win rate, measured across all ranks in standard play. Shrinkage blends a hero’s raw win rate with the role average, weighted by sample size. A hero with very few matches gets pulled most of the way back to the baseline, while a hero with thousands of matches barely moves. The result is a ranking that stays honest even when some characters are picked far less often than others.
Tier placement does not tell you the whole story for your own games. The aggregate signal does not know your rank, your map, or the enemy composition. A C-tier hero can perform like an S-tier on a specific map or into a specific lineup, so treat the grades as a starting point rather than a hard rule.
S-tier heroes
These six heroes beat their role baseline by a wide margin with enough matches behind them to trust the number. Devil Dinosaur stands out for combining a 54.2% win rate with a 47% pick rate, meaning it is both strong and extremely common.
| Hero | Role | Win rate | Pick rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peni Parker | Vanguard | 55.6% | 26% |
| Magik | Duelist | 55.0% | 19% |
| Rocket Raccoon | Strategist | 54.4% | 30% |
| Devil Dinosaur | Vanguard | 54.2% | 47% |
| Ultron | Strategist | 53.9% | 13% |
| Daredevil | Duelist | 53.4% | 15% |
A-tier heroes
The A-tier group is a reliable second choice across all three roles. White Fox is the most-picked hero on the entire list at a 68% pick rate while still holding a positive 51.7% win rate.
| Hero | Role | Win rate | Pick rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mantis | Strategist | 52.9% | 14% |
| Bruce Banner | Vanguard | 51.8% | 16% |
| Black Cat | Duelist | 51.8% | 21% |
| Storm | Duelist | 51.8% | 6% |
| Black Panther | Duelist | 51.7% | 11% |
| White Fox | Strategist | 51.7% | 68% |
B-tier heroes
B-tier is where the bulk of the roster’s solid picks live. These heroes sit just above the 50% line, so individual mastery matters more than the raw grade.
| Hero | Role | Win rate | Pick rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain America | Vanguard | 51.4% | 13% |
| Spider-Man | Duelist | 51.3% | 29% |
| Mister Fantastic | Duelist | 51.2% | 9% |
| Blade | Duelist | 51.1% | 10% |
| Iron Fist | Duelist | 51.0% | 12% |
| Iron Man | Duelist | 50.9% | 15% |
| Star-Lord | Duelist | 50.9% | 21% |
| Rogue | Vanguard | 50.9% | 22% |
| Hela | Duelist | 50.6% | 18% |
| Angela | Vanguard | 50.4% | 11% |
| Moon Knight | Duelist | 50.1% | 33% |
C-tier heroes
C-tier heroes dip just below an even win rate. Several remain extremely common despite the grade, including Invisible Woman and Luna Snow, both of which appear in more than 60% of matches.
| Hero | Role | Win rate | Pick rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Strange | Vanguard | 49.9% | 38% |
| Luna Snow | Strategist | 49.9% | 61% |
| Thor | Vanguard | 49.8% | 19% |
| Invisible Woman | Strategist | 49.4% | 62% |
| Deadpool (Duelist) | Duelist | 49.4% | 8% |
| Wolverine | Duelist | 49.3% | 9% |
| Venom | Vanguard | 49.2% | 19% |
| Psylocke | Duelist | 49.2% | 14% |
| Winter Soldier | Duelist | 49.1% | 24% |
| Scarlet Witch | Duelist | 49.0% | 22% |
| The Punisher | Duelist | 48.9% | 34% |
D-tier heroes
D-tier heroes underperform across the ladder, though most still see steady play. Both alternate Deadpool variants land here alongside several frequently picked Strategists.
| Hero | Role | Win rate | Pick rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gambit | Strategist | 48.4% | 36% |
| Groot | Vanguard | 48.3% | 14% |
| Emma Frost | Vanguard | 48.3% | 38% |
| Adam Warlock | Strategist | 48.2% | 9% |
| The Thing | Vanguard | 48.0% | 18% |
| Phoenix | Duelist | 47.9% | 25% |
| Squirrel Girl | Duelist | 47.9% | 22% |
| Cloak & Dagger | Strategist | 47.8% | 59% |
| Jeff The Land Shark | Strategist | 47.8% | 41% |
| Namor | Duelist | 47.7% | 25% |
| Deadpool (Vanguard) | Vanguard | 47.6% | 18% |
| Deadpool (Strategist) | Strategist | 47.5% | 20% |
| Elsa Bloodstone | Duelist | 47.4% | 15% |
| Loki | Strategist | 47.0% | 13% |
F-tier heroes to avoid
These four heroes have enough tracked games to confirm they are underperforming. Black Widow sits at the very bottom of the roster at 42.1%, and Human Torch is barely ahead at 44.6%.
| Hero | Role | Win rate | Pick rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magneto | Vanguard | 46.9% | 30% |
| Hawkeye | Duelist | 45.9% | 7% |
| Human Torch | Duelist | 44.6% | 5% |
| Black Widow | Duelist | 42.1% | 7% |
Picking the best hero for your role
If you want a single strong pick per role, Peni Parker anchors the Vanguards, Magik leads the Duelists, and Rocket Raccoon tops the Strategists. Devil Dinosaur and Ultron are close behind and make safe backups when those picks are taken or countered.
Note: the meta shifts hard between Bronze and Grandmaster, so the same hero will not feel identical at every rank. For a hero you plan to climb on, mastery and matchup knowledge often outweigh a one or two percent gap in win rate, which means a comfortable B-tier pick can outproduce an unfamiliar S-tier one in your own games.
These numbers reflect the most recent Season 8.5 snapshot, updated June 15, 2026, and they move as patches and pick rates change. Check the win rate and pick rate for any hero you main before locking in, and lean on the heroes near the top of each role when you simply want the highest baseline chance to win.
