It’s no secret that competitive Marvel Rivals matches have been painful for many as of late. Part of this is due to general video game toxicity that will never be fixed by any one game and requires a change in the entire culture. Leavers, throwers, trolls, chat abusers, and cheaters are an unfortunately a fixture of every online game, something that can be amplified in free-to-play titles since there’s no risk in bad actors getting banned. However, there are other issues with the game that NetEase can fix, one of which being DPS insta-locks that cause a lack of other needed roles.
Marvel Rivals players have experienced multiple strikes at this point; first a Strategist strike after streamer Necros took shots at the role and healers felt underappreciated, and more recently, a Vanguard strike. While these protests have had varying degrees of impact on the game, the argument behind the Vanguard one is particularly sound. Tank players are frankly tired of being left to solo tank when another Vanguard could make a world of difference, as it puts a lot of pressure on them every match and sees them taking all the blame when things go wrong. If Marvel Rivals wants to fix this problem, the answer is simple enough: role queue. However, not everyone will be on board with the addition, even if others will surely feel like it’s time to rip off the band-aid.
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Some Marvel Rivals Players Love Not Having Role Queue, But At This Point, Change is a Must
…all these poor matches will add up, and if players have to keep enduring strings of bad matches instead of waiting for a couple games that feel great, they could be just as likely to quit
The two arguments against role queue in Marvel Rivals have been discussed ad nauseam. First, players like having the freedom to create oddball comps and flex to whatever role is needed at the time. Running all Strategists can be entertaining, especially when the other team is caught off guard and crumbles due to the strange lineup. And, in theory, players being able to communicate with each other and swap roles is a boon. But in actuality, outside of high level play, that freedom just isn’t being used to its fullest.
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In everything below Grandmaster, it’s far more likely to find 3-4 players locking Duelist and refusing to switch to what the team needs, lashing out when they’re asked to swap, than it is to see genuine coordination. For the lone Vanguard who has to do all the tanking, or the lone Strategist who gets flamed for not healing enough despite being left on their own to support an entire team, the match instantly becomes a chore. At low-mid ranks, miserable matches happen because of no role queue all the time, and it’s something high rank players fail to realize since they’re playing with other skilled, experienced teammates. While every player being able to flex is great to those in the upper echelon of Marvel Rivals, for the average player, it’s more likely to get stuck with a bunch of Duelist mains and get met with an uphill battle as a result.
The other key argument against role queue in Marvel Rivals is match search time, and it’s undoubtedly a fair one. Games like Marathon have suffered from long search times, while finding a game in Overwatch itself obviously takes longer because role queue exists. Those against role queue argue that spending time waiting for matches could make a lot of players abandon the game, as casuals will have gotten used to how quickly they can get into Marvel Rivals matches. If one match is a mess, at least they’ll be in another quickly, right? However, all these poor matches will add up, and if players have to keep enduring strings of bad matches instead of waiting for a couple games that feel great, they could be just as likely to quit. This is especially true in a competitive setting, as while a desire for fast quick play matches makes perfect sense, a lot of players would likely prefer to wait a bit when there’s actually something on the line.
Marvel Rivals Needs Some Kind of Role Queue, But It Doesn’t Have to Be as Strict as Overwatch
For the sake of balanced games where players don’t have to deal with 1-4-1 setups, it would be great to see NetEase embrace some form of role queue. 2-2-2 matches tend to work very well, so perhaps that becomes the way forward for competitive only, while quick play keeps the existing approach. Alternatively, maybe Marvel Rivals could just place a cap on roles; no more than 3 Duelists, for instance, could make a world of difference. Vanguards and Strategists could be limited to 2, which would kill the annoying triple support meta as well. No matter what route is taken, though, some kind of change is overdue. It’s true that Marvel Rivals has created a “casual first” environment, but if it’s going to have a competitive mode at all, then it has to actually feel competitive. When a community is full of toxic players, giving those bad actors no restraints is guaranteeing problems for those who are just looking to have a good, competitive match. It’s about time that Marvel Rivals gave its ranked mode a bit more structure, as with the way things are now, a lot of matches are over right at the hero select screen.
- Released
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December 6, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
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NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
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NetEase Games
