The strategist role in Marvel Rivals should be the heartbeat of a team. Instead, it is often the punching bag. Real Rivals digs into why healing can feel like the most grueling job in the lobby, how community habits make it worse, and what design changes could make strategists more fun, diverse, and desirable to play.

Why playing healer feels uniquely brutal

• You get yelled at regardless of your hero choice or performance – pick meta and you still get pinged, pick off-meta and you are blamed for throwing.
• You are everyone’s primary target – smart players and ults hunt strategists first.
• You must juggle everything – peel for yourself, heal two or three teammates, track divers, land damage, clutch cooldowns, and dodge every offensive ult in the book.
• Learning the role is punishing – new or filling players get discouraged and flamed before they can build survival habits or positioning awareness.

Why teams cannot live without healers

Tanks and duelists can win on a good day. Winning without strategists is nearly impossible unless the skill gap is massive. In most lobbies you need two strategists – sometimes three to match triple heals. That pressure makes the role feel mandatory but not rewarding.

Community fixes that would help right now

• Add a “healing received” stat – it cuts both ways. DPS can see when they were actually ignored, and healers can point to teammates who never peeled or positioned for heals.
• Encourage, do not harass – if someone is learning Jeff or Ultron, either switch and take the role yourself or work with them. You want more healer mains in your queue, not fewer.
• Teach survival, not just numbers – strategists need to practice LOS, anticipating divers, and playing corners. Those skills matter as much as raw HPS.

The big design problem – healer ultimates

Rivals locked the role into a treadmill – healer ults are expected every game. Without them, teams feel naked. With them, every match trends the same way: cloak, Luna, dagger, copy with Loki, nothing dies for 20 seconds. It is predictable and repetitive.

A better direction for strategist ults

Instead of pure “green circle or wipe,” give each strategist a unique win condition or fight manipulation tool. Think clutch not mandatory.

• Adam Warlock – resurrection is exciting and clutch when it is not just one more big green safety net.
• Invisible Woman – lean into shields, stealth, displacement, and team repositioning.
• Luna Snow – elemental control like hail or ice storms that combine with Storm for new interactions.
• Cloak & Dagger – amplify darkness or vulnerability windows rather than pure stall.
• Jeff and Ultron – keep inventive utility ults that reward timing and positioning instead of defaulting to heal beams.

If healer ults were never added, Adam’s res would feel incredible and unique. The ship has sailed – but future strategists can still be designed around impactful utility instead of more stall.

Strategist roster – who could expand the role and make it fun

Rivals needs fan favorites and villains as strategists so people actually want to queue the role. Real Rivals’ short list:

• MODOK – psychic disables, shielding, tech synergy with Ultron or Iron Man.
• Mysterio – illusion tools and misdirection, an offensive strategist in the Ultron mold.
• Sentinel – tankier healer with anti-dive tools, natural X-Men team ups.
• Wasp – shrink, fly, stinger shots – high survival strategist who counters dive.
• Ant-Man (Hank Pym) – tank who grows for HP, shrinks for damage – natural Wasp synergy.
• Vision – phasing shields, beam control – team up with Strange, Wanda, Ultron.
• The Leader – gamma boosts and damage amps, Hulk/Namor synergy.
• Professor X – telepathy, suppressions, mass callouts – the ultimate strategist.
• Rogue – kit that borrows tools from missing X-Men for unpredictable utility.
• Jubilee – AoE control and setup for the X-squad.
• Shuri – Wakandan tech support – a fresh Black Panther team up.
• Agatha Harkness – hybrid Scarlet Witch x Cloak style control.
• Mephisto – dark bargains and tradeoffs – risky, high impact strategist.
• Green Goblin – could be DPS, but a glider based support-strat with burst windows would be novel.
• Howard the Duck – niche utility pick that fits Rivals’ playful side.

The point is variety – not more of the same two healers with different coats of paint.

A few truths to sit with

• The strategist role is the most important and the most abused.
• You cannot win consistently without it – so stop gatekeeping teammates who are trying to learn it.
• Healer ults made the role feel mandatory instead of expressive. The game is better when fight wins come from unique tools and good timing, not only from layered green buttons.
• Add more strategists and vanguards – and make them characters people love. That is how you refill the healer queue.

If you want more healer mains in your games, the answer is not more pings. It is better design and better habits.

Source: Real Rivals on YouTube

Marvel Rivals healers and strategists – FAQ

Why is healer considered the hardest role?

Because you’re the team’s lifeline, every enemy focuses you, and allies constantly blame you regardless of performance. It’s mentally draining and mechanically demanding.

Can a team win without healers?

Almost never. You can sometimes win without an extra tank or DPS, but without two strategists you’re usually doomed unless the skill gap is massive.

Why are healer ultimates such a problem?

They became mandatory win buttons. Instead of each strategist having unique clutch utility, the meta expects constant sustain ults, which limits variety and makes non-healer ults feel “throw picks.”

What stat would improve role clarity?

A Healing Received stat. It would show when DPS or tanks weren’t healed, and equally prove when they were constantly supported but still flamed healers unfairly.

How can new players survive learning healer?

Use cover, position behind tanks, pre-call dives, and don’t waste all cooldowns instantly. Awareness and patience keep you alive longer than raw healing spam.

Which strategists are best for beginners?

• Cloak & Dagger: forgiving sustain, bubble safety.
• Luna Snow: simple kit, high-impact ult.
• Ultron: DPS-friendly hybrid with anti-dive tools.

Why do teammates flame off-meta healers?

Because the community expects healer ults. If you pick Jeff or Ultron, players think you’ve denied them a guaranteed fight-saving ult, even if you contribute in other ways.

What would make the role more appealing?

• More fan-favorite strategist heroes (like Professor X or Vision).
• Ultimates that provide unique impact instead of just big heals.
• Visible stats so value is clear.
• Better anti-dive options so healers aren’t free kills.

Which Marvel characters could be future strategists?

Concepts include MODOK, Mysterio, Sentinels, Wasp, Vision, The Leader, Professor X, Rogue, Jubilee, Shuri, Agatha, Mephisto, Green Goblin, and Howard the Duck. Each could add diversity and utility to the role.

Can healers carry games?

Yes, but not like DPS. You carry by keeping priority allies alive, denying enemy win conditions, and making clutch utility plays. The scoreboard rarely reflects it, which is why clearer role stats are needed.