Marvel Rivals Season 7 arrives on March 20, 2026, and it brings the most sweeping set of balance adjustments the game has seen — headlined by a universal 20 percent reduction to Ultimate charge rates across all roles. On top of that global change, NetEase is tuning 23 individual heroes, retiring two Team-Up abilities, and introducing two new ones tied to the incoming Strategist White Fox.
Quick answer: Every hero charges Ultimates roughly 20 percent slower in Season 7. Blade, Hulk, and Scarlet Witch receive the most meaningful buffs, while Winter Soldier, Elsa Bloodstone, Daredevil, and Vanguard Deadpool take targeted nerfs. Crowd control reductions are planned for Season 7.5.
Global Ultimate Charge Nerf
The single biggest change in Season 7 is systemic rather than hero-specific. NetEase's internal data showed that roughly 80 percent of Ultimate energy comes from damage or healing conversion, so the studio is cutting conversion rates and passive regeneration to slow down the pace of Ultimates across the board. The goal is to weaken triple-Strategist compositions and reduce the frequency of "Ult spam" team fights.
| Role | Damage/Healing-to-Energy Conversion | Passive Energy Regen |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguards & Duelists | 90% → 70% | 12/s → 11/s |
| Strategists | 90% → 75% | 12/s → 8/s |
Strategists take a heavier hit to passive regeneration, while Vanguards and Duelists see a steeper cut to their damage-to-energy pipeline. The net result is roughly a 20 percent slower charge rate for all three roles, though the exact feel will vary by hero.
Vanguard Changes
Seven Vanguards receive individual adjustments on top of the global Ultimate nerf. Several of these are mixed — combining nerfs to one part of a kit with buffs to another.
Angela
- Seraphic Soar attack charge-to-Spear of Ichors conversion reduced from 45% to 35%. Full-charge bonus damage increased from 15 to 20.
- Shielded Stance damage-to-charge conversion increased from 25% to 35%.
- Assassin's Charge cooldown doubled from 3s to 6s. Max recharge time reduced from 10s to 8s.
- Axes of Ichors Bonus Health to self increased from 40 to 50 (and from 20 to 25 for allies) after landing Divine Judgement.
- Heven's Retribution spear throw damage increased from 10 to 40. Spear health reduced from 800 to 650.
Angela is being pushed toward ground combat. Her aerial Assassin's Charge is significantly harder to spam, but her grounded Shielded Stance and Bonus Health rewards are stronger.
Captain America
- When Leading Dash is set to toggle, the last four ranged Sentinel Strike shield throws are no longer interrupted by Leading Dash.
- Freedom Charge (Ultimate) energy charge effect for allies reduced from 30% to 20%.
This is a contentious change. The toggle adjustment effectively removes the animation cancel technique that many Cap players relied on. The Ultimate nerf aligns with the global push to slow down Ult economy, but Cap mains will feel the loss of that mechanical expression.
Deadpool (Vanguard)
- Deadpool In Your Area – Vanguard (Upgraded) damage reduction reduced from 40% to 30%.
- Ultimate cooldown increased from 45s to 60s.
Doctor Strange
- Shield of the Seraphim shield value reduced from 800 to 700.
Emma Frost
- Diamond Form damage reduction reduced from 25% to 20%.
- Psionic Seduction (Ultimate) damage falloff at 30m adjusted from 50% to 70%. Gains 20% damage reduction during the ability.
Hulk
- Indestructible Guard absorbed damage-to-Ultimate charge conversion increased from 100% to 130%.
- Gamma Burst now has two charges (6s cooldown each). Single-hit damage reduced from 75 to 65. Cooldown between uses reduced from 6s to 2s.
Hulk is one of the clear winners. Double Gamma Burst charges with a 2-second gap between uses give him much better disruption uptime, and the boosted Ultimate charge conversion partially offsets the global nerf.
Magneto
- Metal Bulwark cooldown increased from 12s to 15s. Iron Bulwark cooldown reduced from 12s to 10s.
- Meteor M (Ultimate) projectile speed increased from 30m/s to 45m/s.
Duelist Changes
Twelve Duelists are adjusted. Blade receives the most comprehensive buffs, while Daredevil and Elsa Bloodstone take nerfs — though many players feel Elsa's changes are too light.
Black Panther
- Cooldown removed on the second jump of Subtle Step.
A quality-of-life mobility buff, but a modest one. Black Panther remains largely unchanged in terms of damage or survivability.
Blade
- Hunter's Shotgun projectile speed increased from 150m/s to 180m/s.
- Ancestral Sword attack range increased from 4.5m to 5m.
- Bloodline Awakening new effect: excess lifesteal now grants Bonus Health (max 75, 50% conversion rate). Lifesteal ratio increased from 65% to 70%.
- Thousand-Fold Slash (Ultimate) new effect: lifesteal works without switching to Bloodline Awakening and converts to Bonus Health. Healing reduction to enemies increased from 20% to 40%.
Blade's buffs are substantial. The new Bonus Health mechanic from excess lifesteal gives him real staying power in extended fights, and the 40% healing reduction on his Ultimate makes him a genuine anti-heal threat.
Daredevil
- Devil's Chain end damage reduced from 35 to 25.
- Devil's Chain Bonus Max Health reduced from 125 to 100.
- Sonic Pursuit damage reduction reduced from 20% to 10%.
Deadpool (Duelist)
- Base health increased from 250 to 275.
- Ultimate cooldown increased from 45s to 60s.
Elsa Bloodstone
- Instinct lost upon defeat increased from 1 stack to 2 stacks.
- Ruthless Pursuit and Helix Advance Bonus Health reduced from 40 to 30.
Elsa's nerfs target her snowball potential and survivability, but her core damage output and movement remain untouched. She will likely stay a frequent ban target.
Hawkeye
- Base health reduced from 275 to 250.
Human Torch
- All Fire Cluster ammo energy instantly recovers after not using Blaze Cluster for 1 second.
A sleeper buff that dramatically improves Human Torch's uptime. Additional tweaks are expected in Season 7.5.
Iron Man
- Armor Overdrive new effect: each KO while active extends its duration by 2 seconds.
- Armor Overdrive startup reduced from 1.8s to 1.3s.
Magik
- Umbral Incursion hitbox radius increased from 0.45m to 1m in both normal and Darkchild forms.
- Normal form Magik Slash max charged damage ratio reduced from 2 to 1.8 (max damage 90 → 81).
- Darkchild (Ultimate) startup reduced from 1s to 0.8s.
Magik's dash is now far easier to land thanks to the doubled hitbox, but her charged slash damage takes a hit. Skilled Magik players who already landed the dash consistently may view this as a net nerf, while less experienced players will find her more accessible.
Psylocke
- Psionic Crossbow cooldown reduction to other abilities on hit increased from 0.25s to 0.3s.
- Wing Shurikens damage on throw and return increased from 8 to 9.
Scarlet Witch
- Chaos Control now has damage falloff starting at 10m, dropping to 90% at max range. Base damage increased from 80/s to 85/s (76.5/s at 20m).
- Charge to Chthonian Burst from Chaos Control hits increased from 0.1 to 0.15.
Scarlet Witch deals more damage up close and charges her secondary fire faster, but loses some effectiveness at range. This pushes her toward a more aggressive, mid-range playstyle.
Winter Soldier
- Roterstern Spell Field damage on hit reduced from 65 to 55.
A straightforward damage nerf to Bucky's ranged pressure, though many players expected a heavier adjustment given his long-standing dominance.
Strategist Changes
Four Strategists receive individual changes alongside the global Ultimate charge nerf.
Deadpool (Strategist)
- Ultimate cooldown increased from 45s to 60s.
Gambit
- Ragin' Royal Flush (Ultimate) charge acceleration to allies reduced from 30% to 20%.
- Movement boost reduced from 50% to 40%.
- Additional single-target explosive damage ratio increased from 20% to 25%.
Gambit's Ultimate loses team utility but gains personal damage. Whether this is a net nerf is debatable — the Ult charge acceleration reduction aligns with the global economy changes, and the damage boost to his most impactful stat could make his Ultimate feel stronger in practice.
Invisible Woman
- Guardian Shield healing reduced from 25/s to 15/s.
- Healing over time during Covert Advance increased from 20/s to 30/s.
A significant shift in Invisible Woman's healing profile. She heals far less during active combat but recovers better when disengaging. The 40 percent cut to Guardian Shield healing is one of the hardest individual nerfs in the patch.
Luna Snow
- Idol Aura new effect: Ice Arts cooldown reduced by 2 seconds whenever a hero with Idol Aura (self or ally) participates in a KO.
Team-Up Ability Changes
Season 7 retires two Team-Up abilities and introduces two new ones tied to the incoming hero White Fox and the reshuffled Storm/Adam Warlock pairing.
Removed Team-Ups
| Team-Up | Heroes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Duality Dance | Adam Warlock + Luna Snow | Removed. Adam Warlock loses the 15% Healing Boost anchor. |
| Jeff-Nado | Storm + Jeff the Land Shark | Removed entirely. |
New Team-Ups
Blessing of the Kumiho (White Fox + Luna Snow): White Fox gains a 10% increase in healing effects as the Team-Up Anchor. Luna Snow unlocks the Spirit Fox Accord ability, which launches a spirit fox in a straight line that heals allies, damages enemies, and charms them briefly. Luna gains a movement speed boost after using it.
Cosmic Cyclone (Storm + Adam Warlock): Adam Warlock gains the Heavenly Harmony ability. After activating Soaring Surge, he leaves behind a trail of charged energy that heals and speeds up allies who pass through it. His own flight speed is also increased.
What's Coming in Season 7.5
NetEase has confirmed that crowd control reductions are planned for the mid-season 7.5 update. Additional hero tweaks for Human Torch and potentially Iron Man are also expected. The developers have signaled that Season 7's balance philosophy is intentionally conservative on individual hero changes because the global Ultimate economy shift is such a large systemic variable — they want to see how the meta settles before making further aggressive adjustments.
Season 7 launches on March 20, 2026, alongside new Strategist hero White Fox, the Lower Manhattan Convergence map, and the return of Shin-Shibuya to the competitive map pool.