Marvel Rivals Three Roles Explained: Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategist
What each of the three roles actually does in Marvel Rivals, the biggest mistakes new players make in each, and a beginner-friendly hero blacklist/whitelist for every role. Read this before picking a main.
TL;DR: Vanguard (tank) takes space and protects, Duelist (DPS) kills priority targets, Strategist (support) keeps the team alive. Pick the role you enjoy, but you should be able to play all three at a basic level. New players who refuse to play anything except Duelist are the #1 reason teams lose.
Who this guide is for
- You have read Core Mechanics and want to know what to do with those rules
- You are about to pick a “main” hero and want to know which role fits your personality
- You keep losing and don’t know if it’s your role choice or your play
- You are not yet thinking about ranked play
This is the third guide in our zero-to-competitive Marvel Rivals series.
1. The three roles at a glance
| Role | Team size (typical) | Primary job | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard (tank) | 1–2 | Take space, absorb damage, start fights | Running in alone to “be a hero” |
| Duelist (DPS) | 2 | Deal damage, secure kills, pressure objectives | Tunnel-visioning the enemy tank |
| Strategist (support) | 1–2 | Heal, buff, debuff, peel for teammates | Standing behind the tank doing nothing |
A balanced team usually runs 2 Vanguards / 2 Duelists / 2 Strategists (“2-2-2”). The exact split can flex, but going 4-2-0 or 2-0-4 is almost always a loss.
Common pitfall: “I only want to play Duelist.” Then you queue, your team has 3 Strategists, and you lose. Learn all three at a basic level, then specialize.
2. Vanguard (tank): the space-maker
What you actually do
You are not “the guy who runs in first and dies.” You are the person who:
- Claims territory by standing on the objective and refusing to leave
- Blocks the enemy team from getting easy shots on your Strategists
- Starts fights by pushing into the enemy back line or onto a key position
- Absorbs damage that would otherwise kill your teammates
A good Vanguard feels like a wall. The enemy cannot ignore you, but they also cannot easily kill you.
What a great Vanguard does that a new Vanguard doesn’t
| New player | Experienced player |
|---|---|
| Charges the enemy spawn | Walks forward, checks sightlines, then commits |
| Stands in the open “being a tank” | Positions behind cover, peeks for ability shots, retreats to heal |
| Ignores the Strategist | Constantly checks where the friendly Strategist is and positions to protect them |
| Uses their Ultimate the moment it is full | Holds the Ultimate for a coordinated team push |
Beginner-friendly Vanguard heroes (whitelist)
| Hero | Difficulty | Why it’s good for new players |
|---|---|---|
| Hulk | Easy | Big hitbox, big health, big punches. Forgiving. Strong in Season 9. |
| Captain America | Easy | Shield blocks damage. Teaches you to manage cooldowns. |
| Venom | Medium | Mobile tank, easier to survive on than most. |
Vanguard heroes new players should avoid (blacklist)
| Hero | Why not yet |
|---|---|
| Doctor Strange | Portal placement is hard. Wasted portals feed the enemy. |
| Magneto | High mechanical skill required for shield usage. |
| Groot | Walls have a delay; new players put them in the wrong place. |
The single biggest Vanguard mistake
Standing still in the open because “I’m a tank, I can take it.” You can take some of it, but you cannot take five enemies focusing you. Always have a cover plan.
3. Duelist (DPS): the damage dealer
What you actually do
Duelists are split into two sub-categories that play very differently:
| Sub-role | Job | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Sustained / skirmisher | Stay at mid-range, apply pressure, win duels | Hela, Iron Man, Punisher, Storm, Mister Fantastic |
| Flanker / diver | Get behind the enemy, assassinate, escape | Spider-Man, Magik, Black Panther, Psylocke |
A team usually runs one of each sub-role to balance pressure and pick potential. All-flanker teams cannot break a defended point. All-sustained teams cannot finish off the back line.
What a great Duelist does that a new Duelist doesn’t
| New player | Experienced player |
|---|---|
| Shoots the tank | Identifies the priority target (Strategist > flanker > tank) and switches when the tank is covered |
| Stays in the same spot | Repositions every 10–15 seconds to avoid being predictable |
| Ignores the objective | Periodically checks the objective timer and adjusts aggression |
| Uses their Ultimate on cooldown | Saves it for when 3+ enemies are grouped or when trading an enemy Ultimate |
Beginner-friendly Duelist heroes (whitelist)
| Hero | Sub-role | Difficulty | Why it’s good for new players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm | Sustained (aerial) | Medium | Flying makes you hard to hit. Beam primary is easy to land. |
| Iron Man | Sustained (aerial) | Medium | Flight, ranged damage, high value. |
| Hela | Sustained (burst) | Medium | Hitscan primary is forgiving. Strong in S9. |
| Punisher | Sustained | Easy | Hitscan, low mobility, but high damage and forgiving aim. |
Duelist heroes new players should avoid (blacklist)
| Hero | Sub-role | Why not yet |
|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man | Flanker | Combo execution is brutal. You will feed. |
| Magik | Flanker | One mistake = death. |
| Black Panther | Flanker | High mechanical ceiling, low floor. |
| Scarlet Witch | Sustained (burst) | Charge-up before damage = you die before you shoot. |
The single biggest Duelist mistake
Shooting the tank over and over because it is in front of you. The tank is the least valuable target. The Strategist behind them is the most valuable target. Always play the target priority list, not the target that is easiest to hit.
4. Strategist (support): the team’s lifeline
What you actually do
You are not “the guy who stands behind the team and presses the heal button.” You are the person who:
- Keeps the team alive through healing, shields, damage reduction, or healing-over-time
- Peels for teammates (defends them from flankers) using your damage, CC, or mobility
- Provides utility: stuns, anti-heal, speed boosts, damage boosts, rez effects
- Calls the play: a good Strategist often shot-calls because they see the whole team fight
What a great Strategist does that a new Strategist doesn’t
| New player | Experienced player |
|---|---|
| Heals whoever is low on HP | Pre-heals whoever is about to take damage |
| Hides behind the tank all game | Takes high ground, plays off angles, makes themselves hard to dive |
| Ignores enemy flankers | Tracks enemy flankers, saves CC for when they appear |
| Uses their Ultimate to save themselves | Uses their Ultimate to enable the team push |
Beginner-friendly Strategist heroes (whitelist)
| Hero | Difficulty | Why it’s good for new players |
|---|---|---|
| Luna Snow | Easy | Heal + damage in one kit. Has a self-save. Strong in S9. |
| Rocket Raccoon | Easy | Simple heal beam, plus a revive ability. |
| Adam Warlock | Medium | Strong team rez, forgiving kit. |
| Invisible Woman | Medium | S9 newcomer. Strong value if you understand positioning. |
Strategist heroes new players should avoid (blacklist)
| Hero | Why not yet |
|---|---|
| Loki | Complex kit, easy to misplay, looks tempting because of clones. |
| Mantis | Sleep dart is a high-skill ability. You will whiff it. |
| Cloak & Dagger | Two-mode kit (heal vs damage) is hard to balance for new players. |
The single biggest Strategist mistake
Healing the tank at full HP because they are right in front of you. Look at your entire team. The lowest-HP teammate who is actively in danger gets healed first. Healing priority is dynamic, not positional.
5. Choosing your main (and why you should have three)
After 20+ hours of play, you will feel drawn to one role. That’s fine. But you should still be able to play all three at a basic level because:
- Queue times: in some regions, picking a less-popular role gets you faster matches
- Team needs: if your team already has 2 Vanguards, you picking a 3rd Vanguard is grief
- Counter-picking: the enemy has a hard counter to your main? You need a backup
A practical progression:
- 0–20 hours: Try every role. Don’t commit.
- 20–60 hours: Pick a main in your favorite role, but keep playing the other two in Quick Match.
- 60+ hours: You have a main, a backup in the same role, and at least one competent pick in each of the other two roles.
6. The team comp sanity check
Before locking in your hero, look at your team. Ask:
- Do we have a Vanguard? (If no, consider switching even if you queued as Duelist. Two Vanguards + one Duelist + one Strategist can work; zero Vanguards cannot.)
- Do we have a Strategist? (Same logic. A team without heals falls apart in 3 minutes.)
- Is anyone on a hero they obviously don’t know how to play? (Don’t be the person who locks in Spider-Man, then dies 8 times in a row.)
Common pitfall: “I queued as DPS, so I’ll play DPS even if my team has 3 DPS and 0 tanks.” Flex for the team. You will win more.
7. Putting it all together: 1-minute role reminder
| Role | Before each fight ask yourself |
|---|---|
| Vanguard | ”Where is my Strategist? Where is my escape? Am I protecting my back line?” |
| Duelist | ”Who is my priority target? Where is the enemy flanker? Should I hold my Ultimate?” |
| Strategist | ”Who is the lowest HP teammate? Where is the enemy flanker? Am I in a safe position?” |
These three checklists are what separate average players from good players within the same role.
8. Next steps
You now know the three roles. The natural next read is Team-Up Skills Complete Guide — once you know what each role does, you need to know how the unique Team-Up system changes team composition.
If you are ready to specialize, jump to one of the hero guides in our Hero Mastery section (coming soon) — we will cover Hulk, Storm, Spider-Man, and more.
Version note (2026-07-15): Based on Marvel Rivals Season 9 (“Convergence”). Role definitions and the 2-2-2 default are stable. Specific hero tier rankings shift with patches — see our Season 9 Tier List for the current meta. Beginner-friendly whitelists are based on S9 data and may shift slightly with future patches.
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