Stephen Strange is easily the Vanguard who has gotten the most buzz since Marvel Rivals was in beta, largely because his portal ability led to some hilarious viral moments of tricking foes into walking off the side of the map out of spawn. But that’s a microcosm of what makes him a compelling tank, because the experimentation he allows is unmatched by almost any other character in the roster.
Baseline, Doctor Strange is one of the most effective defensive heroes because his shield is a big Reinhardt-style wall that can protect multiple heroes at once. But after you pair that with the sorcerer’s flight-based mobility, his possibilities as a shutdown character make him an excellent counter to some of the greatest threats in the game. Is your enemy’s Hela about to unleash a devastating ultimate on your team? Fly up in her face, throw up your shield, and give your team a chance to take cover before she can rain damage down on you. Is the enemy team putting too much pressure on your team to successfully get out of spawn? Throw up a portal and ambush them from behind. And yes, a well-placed portal can play incredible mind games with the enemy team, tricking them into walking off into a chasm, or forcing them into a loop by placing both ends of the portal in front of their spawn room doors.
Doctor Strange is the kind of hero you need to keep a game like Marvel Rivals interesting. Right now, NetEase hasn’t been shutting down too many of the shenanigans players have been uncovering in the game’s first month, and for the sake of its longevity, I hope Doctor Strange remains one of the most unique and experimental characters in the game.
