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Marvel Rivals Guide

Marvel Rivals Balance Changes (Season 3.5 - Patch Notes)

News

Updated on Aug 3, 2025

Aug 3, 2025

Overview

Season 3 of Marvel Rivals launches on August 8th, and we've got you covered with all the balance changes and how they'll affect shifts in the meta.

The TLDR is Blade's healing reduction abilities are busted and are overhauling the meta away from raw healing and towards damage and invulnerability.

Blade Duelist artwork

We're also getting 6 new Team-Up Abilities and having 4 old ones removed. Halfway through the season, the new map, Kyntar-Throne of Knul, will also drop alongside the new gamemode Resource Rumble on August 22.

These additions follow the four new Team-Up Abilities that were added at the beginning of Season 3. Check out Hero guide for Phoenix if you are still looking to pick her up this season, because she remains a strong choice!

The Season 3.5 new Team-Up Abilities, balance changes, and the introduction of anti-healing are huge shake-ups to the current meta so expect significant differences to your games from Season 3.

Quick Summary of balance changes:

Balance changes icon list

Buffed	Doctor Strange, Groot, Thor, Star-Lord, Spider-Man, Adam Warlock, Luna Snow
Adjusted	Iron Fist, Mantis, Loki
Nerfed	Magneto, Black Panther, Wolverine, Cloak & Dagger

For a full breakdown of how these changes affect each individual hero's power level and place in the meta, check out our Tier List commentary.

How the Meta is Changing

The most impactful change to the Meta in Season 3.5 is the addition of Blade. Being the only hero to possess a healing reduction ability gives him a unique advantage in both solo and team plays.

All on his own, Blade can kill enemies through Rocket's healing ultimate. When his team follows up on his ult, they can kill through every Strategist ult!

He'll be a common ban pick, but if he's in a game, expect both teams to adapt their strategy specifically to deal with his anti-healing.

Roadmap for S3.5

Phoenix and her Team-Up with Wolverine have been toned down a bit but they are still a very strong Duelist duo.

Anyone who relies on Bonus Health for survival will have to learn to track Phoenix ult and try their best to play around its massive AoE. The Vanguards who already struggle with Wolverine stand no chance in the face of his Life Steal Phoenix Feral Leap.

Blade and Phoenix art

Poke Comps remain a good option because of Phoenix's and Blade's poke potential, along with the other poke heroes like Hela, Namor, Luna, Mantis, Warlock, and Magneto are all in powerful positions going into Season 3.5.

Dive is taking a backseat in Season 3.5, as there are too many CC options to counter dives. Blade himself is a powerful anti-dive hero becuase he can use his two Dashes to slow and anti-heal enemy attackers.

On top of the strong poke heroes, The Thing has also been helping to keep flier comps in check.

Competitive Mode Changes

We are seeing a lot of quality-of-life changes coming to Competitive Mode in Season 3.5. Some of the info from the devs appears very confusing, but we'll break down the most important changes and how they'll impact your competitive experience.

Group size restrictions

First off, we now have limits on group sizes depending on your rank:

Players in Bronze, Silver, and Gold can queue for Competitive in any team size except 5-player teams.
Players in Platinum, Diamond, and Grandmaster can queue for Competitive in teams of up to 3 players.
Players in Celestial, Eternity, and One Above All can queue for Competitive in teams of up to 2 players.

Point Compensation for matches with Leavers

Anytime someone on your team leaves a match early for any reason, any players who stay in the match will receive compensation points to soften the blow of losing in such a frustrating manner.

Example: You are in gold and were going to lose 20 rank points for losing. Because there was a leaver you get 12 points back. Your net loss is 8 rank points:

Point table

Ban Penalties

The devs have also increased the length of time you'll be banned from queuing from both competitive and quickplay. You'll only be banned from comp if you leave a comp game and will still be able to queue other game modes. The more times you leave, the longer the ban:

Ban times 3.5

Rank Resets and Season Lengths

The devs have settled on rank resets only occurring at the start of a season, and no longer reset at the mid-season update.

Whatever rank you end Season 3 at, you'll begin your Season 3.5 journey. Stats still reset in your player profile.

Going forward, a full season will also only last for 2 months each. That means every month we'll have a major update and a new hero added!

Bans have also been added to Gold and Platinum ranks, meaning you no longer have to rank all the way up to Diamond to get your most loathed enemy heroes out of your games!

Buffed Heroes

Season 3.5 Patch Notes for all Buffed Heroes

Doctor Strange

The Master of the Mystic Arts is getting a little oomph in his arsenal!

- Increase Daggers of Denak projectile charges from 8 to 10.

- Reduce Cloak of Levitation cooldown from 15s to 12s..

Groot

I am Groot! (Translation: Groot's got slightly more reach and a bigger effect radius.)

- Increase Vine Strike range from 20m to 22m.

- Increase Flora Colossus effect range radius from 20m to 24m

- Groot gains the new Wild Wall ability from his Team-Up with Mantis.

Thor

The God of Thunder's gameplay gets a jolt of improvement and utility!

- Gain a fixed 1 Thorforce upon exiting the Awakening Rune awakened state.

- Lightning Realm New Effect: Enemies leaving its boundary are Grounded for 2s, restricting aerial abilities.

Star-Lord

Peter Quill gets a little more staying power in the heat of battle!

- Gain 25 Bonus Health when using Stellar Shift (max 25), which lasts for 3s before decaying to 0 over 1s.

- Star-Lord connects to the network and unlocks a new Astral Jump ability through his Team-Up with Rocket Raccoon.

- (Nerf) Star-Lord loses the Leader's Soul ability previously gained from his Team-Up with Adam Warlock.

Spider-Man

Spidey's Ultimate just got stickier, and deadlier!

- Increase Damage per second of Spectacular Spin (Ultimate Ability) from 150 to 170.

- Reduced the backflip distance after activation from 12m to 7m, allowing for more reliable follow-ups with moves like Amazing Combo.

Adam Warlock

Adam gets a slight cosmic buff to his Ultimate Ability frequency and strength, plus increased healing.

- Reduce the energy cost of Karmic Revival (Ultimate Ability) from 5000 to 4700.

- Karmic Revival New Effect: Revived allies gain Bonus Health equal to 70% of Maximum Heath, which lasts for 5s before decaying to 0 over 2s.

- Cosmic Cluster New Effect: Each hit now reduces Avatar Life Stream charge times by 0.3s.

Luna Snow

- New Team-Up Ability: Duality Dance

-Luna Snow unlocks the new Light & Shadow Karma ability from her Team-Up with Adam Warlock.

Adjusted Heroes

Season 3.5 Patch Notes for all Adjusted Heroes

Mantis

- Increase healing by 10% with the new Team-Up Anchor effect.

- Reduce Healing Flower's Healing Over Time effect from 12.5/s to 10/s.

- Reduce Life Energy Blast projectile charges from 20 to 15

- Increase Soul Resurgence (Ultimate Ability) excess healing to Bonus Health conversion rate from 0.7 to 1.

- Mantis loses the Nature's Soul ability previously gained from her Team-Up with Adam Warlock.

(Reminder: The Mantis changes from the beginning of Season 3)

[- Healing Flower New Effect: Heals allies by 2.5%/s. Reduce base healing from 20/s to 12.5/s.
- Increase energy cost of Soul Resurgence (Ultimate Ability) from 3700 to 4300. Increase Bonus Max Health from 100 to 150.]

Iron Fist

With his Team-Up Anchor removed, Lin Lie's raw power gets a slight boost to even things out.

- The Team-Up Anchor effect for Iron Fist has been removed, along with the Atlas Bond Team-Up Ability.

- Iron Fist joins the assault and unlocks the new Lunar Chi ability through his Team-Up with Luna Snow.

- Increase Jeet Kune Do's fifth strike damage from 50 to 55.

- Increase Yat Jee Chung Kuen percentage damage of the enemy's Max Health per strike from 2.1% to 2.7%.

- Adjust Harmony Recovery Bonus Health decay start time from 1s to 2s.

- Increase K'un-Lun Kick's first strike damage from 30 to 35.

Loki

- Loki gains the new Deific Blessing ability from his Team-Up with Mantis.

- Loki has other plans in stall and loses the Laufeyson Reborn ability previously gained from his Team-Up with Hela.

Iron Fist

Mantis

Loki

Nerfed Heroes

Season 3.5 Patch Notes for all Nerfed Heroes

Magneto

The Master of Magnesium's shields and survivability are getting a slight tune-down.

- Reduce Metal Bulwark and Iron Bulwark Shield Value from 300 to 250.

Black Panther

After addressing hit detection, T'Challa's Spirit Rend is getting a longer cooldown.

- Increase Spirit Rend cooldown from 8s to 10s.

Wolverine

Logan's ultimate is a little bit tougher to unleash; time to earn that berserker barrage!

- Increase the energy cost of Last Stand (Ultimate Ability) from 2800 to 3400.

- Lifesteal gained from the Primal Flame - Phoenix Warrior Team-Up Ability no longer contributes to Wolverine's Ultimate Ability energy.

Cloak & Dagger

Ty and Tandy's Ultimate Ability now takes a bit more energy to unleash their Eternal Bond!

- Increase the energy cost of Eternal Bond (Ultimate Ability) from 4000 to 4300.

Magneto, Black Panther, Wolverine, Cloak & Dagger

1. Overview 2. How the Meta is Changing 3. Competitive Mode Changes 4. Buffed Heroes 5. Adjusted Heroes 6. Nerfed Heroes