The new best Marvel Rivals hero is a surprise due to stats

NetEase Games revamped the hero balance in Marvel Rivals' Season 1 (January), significantly buffing underplayed characters like Storm and Black Widow to enhance gameplay and boost their popularity.

Storm's buffs have dramatically increased her effectiveness and popularity. Rivals Meta now ranks her as the top hero by win rate, a substantial climb from her previous obscurity. In competitive play, her win rate surpasses 56%, with a pick rate reaching 16%, a stark contrast to her near-zero pick rate before the update. She's now outperforming established heroes like Adam Warlock, Jeff, Spider-Man, Hela, Hulk, Magik, and Iron Man.

While Cloak and Dagger remain the most popular duo, their win rate has dipped below 49%. Black Widow continues to be the least popular and successful character.

Marvel Rivals is experiencing growth, with hundreds of thousands of players engaging in competitive play. The Grandmaster title remains highly exclusive, achieved by only 0.1% of players, despite the existence of the Celestial rank.

One player achieved a remarkable feat during Season 1: reaching Grandmaster rank without suffering any damage across 108 games! This player, using Rocket Raccoon, focused solely on healing teammates, restoring over 2.9 million health points and achieving nearly 3,500 assists without a single knockout.