Marvel Rivals Season 8 Balance Update Reveals Major Hero Changes

Marvel Rivals just kicked off Season 8 by introducing some hero balance changes to shake up the metagame. The latest round of balance adjustments for Marvel Rivals brought some buffs to Duelists such as Iron Fist and Spider-Man, along with some targeted nerfs for Invisible Woman and Vanguard Deadpool.

Season 8 of Marvel Rivals was heralded by the arrival of Devil Dinosaur as the game’s newest Vanguard character. Though Devil Dinosaur first appeared in his own comic book in 1978, he has also been featured in Marvel Snap and other Marvel video games. Despite his prehistoric appearance, Devil Dinosaur shares a mental bond with Moon Girl. A focal plot point of Marvel Rivals Season 8, titled “Sins of Alchemax,” saw Moon Girl kidnapped by Alchemax and taken to the company’s HQ. After receiving a distress signal from Moon Girl, Devil Dinosaur wasted no time leaping into the fray to save his friend.

Marvel Rivals Players Can Snag a Free Skin, but There’s a Catch

Marvel Rivals players can currently claim a free skin for trickster god Loki, but there’s a bit of a catch.

Marvel Rivals Reveals Which Heroes Were Buffed and Nerfed in Season 8

As a competitive team shooter, Marvel Rivals has usually made balance adjustments to keep things fresh and give its robust roster a chance to shine. The start of Season 8 was no different in that regard, as developer NetEase Games revealed the adjustments it made to Marvel Rivals‘ character roster. Although Invisible Woman has the highest pick rate in Marvel Rivals‘ competitive formats, the Fantastic Four member received some nerfs to start the new season. Developer NetEase Games revealed that the knockback effect from Sue Storm’s Force Physics ability was reduced from 12m to 10m, and its damage was cut down from 55 to 50.

Drag weapons to fill the grid

EasyMediumHard

NetEase said that the nerfs to Invisible Woman’s Force Physics were made to keep the control potential of Strategist-focused team compositions in check. Another targeted nerf was made to Deadpool’s Vanguard variant to keep his damage output in line while not affecting gameplay too much. Deadpool’s Gun Form Ultimate Ability, called The Ban Hammer, had its healing reduced from 50 HP per second to 24. Additionally, Deadpool’s single-shot damage as a Vanguard was slightly reduced in both its standard and upgraded versions. Despite the Vanguard nerfs, Deadpool’s Duelist and Strategist variants were unchanged in Marvel Rivals Season 8.

However, Marvel Rivals also made several buffs and adjustments to other heroes. Duelists such as Spider-Man, Iron Fist, and Moon Knight received some minor buffs. Additionally, Rocket Raccoon had his damage output buffed while strategists like Mantis, White Fox, and Loki received some tactical changes. Loki and Mantis had their damage output slightly nerfed, but received some other adjustments to their support kit to compensate. While Mantis and Rocket Raccoon enjoy decent win rates in Marvel Rivals, the adjustments should allow them to keep their positions as reliable strategists. As for White Fox, the healing from her Kumiho magic was adjusted to be more consistent outside of her Fox Form Awakening state.

Fit the 9 games into the grid.

Alongside the balance changes, NetEase confirmed that one of Marvel Rivals‘ most anticipated heroes, Cyclops of the X-Men, will arrive in Season 8.5. Though Scott Summers is known for utilizing optic blasts to great effect, it remains to be seen what role the leader of the X-Men will fulfill on the battlefield.

Marvel Rivals Season 8 Version 20260515 Patch Notes (May 15, 2026)

The ground is shaking, Rivals! Season 8 is here, and the King of the Monster Kingdom has officially stomped onto the battlefield. While Devil Dinosaur is busy tearing up the frontline, our balance team has been hard at work tuning up the rest of the roster. Emma Frost is getting a royal boost to her diamond-hard defenses, Mister Fantastic is stretching out his damage potential, and Mantis is bringing a whole new pace to the game. Let’s dig into the patch notes and see how the meta evolves!

ADJUSTMENTS

VANGUARD

Deadpool (Vanguard)

Wade’s been breaking the game engine a little too hard with his non-stop gunplay! We’re putting a tiny leash on his damage output while keeping his chaotic energy intact.

Reduce The Ban Hammer (Gun Form Ultimate Ability) healing provided while active from 50/s to 25/s.
Reduce Dual Desert Eagles – Vanguard single-shot damage from 36 to 34 (standard) and from 42 to 39 (upgraded).

Emma Frost

The White Queen is getting an upgrade to diamond-hard survivability to give her a stronger, prolonged presence on the frontline.

Telepathic Pulse falloff now begins 4s (was 3s) after not hitting an enemy.
Reduce Mind’s Aegis reposition cooldown from 3s to 1s.
Increase Damage Reduction gained during Diamond Form and Psionic Seduction (Ultimate Ability) from 20% to 25%.

The Thing

We’re giving Ben’s rocky exterior a buff so he can soak up more pressure during prolonged frontline brawls.

Increase base health from 700 to 750.

DUELIST

Iron Fist

Lin Lie is sharpening his martial arts! We’re boosting his burst potential and smoothing his combos so he can be a greater threat when diving the enemy lines.

Jeet Kune Do hits now reduce the cooldown of Dragon’s Defense by 1.2s (up from 1s).
Increase K’un-Lun Kick’s first strike damage from 35 to 40.

Mister Fantastic

Reed’s crowd-control was getting a bit too oppressive, so we’re trading off some of his slow effects for a boost in direct damage and overall utility!

Increase Stretch Punch damage from 65 to 70.
Remove Flexible Elongation’s Movement Speed reduction effect. However, the charge time for each use has been reduced from 8s to 6s.
Reduce the energy cost of Brainiac Bounce (Ultimate Ability) from 3400 to 3100.

Moon Knight

Khonshu demands swift vengeance! We’re giving him a small mobility tune-up.

Reduce Moonlight Hook cooldown from 15s to 12s.

Phoenix

Jean is shifting her focus. We’re cutting her explosive AoE slightly to make her direct hits feel far more lethal.

Increase Cosmic Flames’ direct hit damage from 50 to 55. Reduce explosion damage when detonating Spark marks from 40 to 35. (Dev Note: Without damage buffs, Phoenix can no longer one-shot a 250 Health hero with a single mark + direct hit from her Endsong Inferno (Ultimate). However, the increase to her primary attack damage makes her far more threatening in baseline combat.)

Spider-Man

Spidey is wrapping things up tighter than ever! We’re giving his Ultimate a bit more bite.

Increase Spectacular Spin damage per single spherical Spell Field from 13.6 to 15. (Total damage over the 2.4s duration increased from 408 to 450).

Squirrel Girl

Doreen’s now slightly faster! That’s nutty!

Reduce the cooldown of Mammal Bond from 15s to 12s.

Star-Lord

Time to turn up the tunes and the ammo count!

Increase the ammo capacity of Element Guns from 40 to 50.

Wolverine

Logan’s healing factor is kicking into overdrive! He’ll be able to bounce back into the fray faster.

Reduce the trigger cooldown of Regenerative Healing Factor from 105s to 90s.

STRATEGIST

Invisible Woman

Sue is losing a bit of her knockback and damage to help balance the overall control potential of Strategist comps.

Reduce Force Physics push distance from 12m to 10m and damage from 55 to 50.

Loki

The God of Mischief is leaning more into his support role. His illusions will heal more reliably, but deal a little less damage.

Increase illusion’s Mystical Missile Healing ratio from 90% to 100%. Reduce illusion’s Mystical Missile damage ratio from 90% to 80%.
Increase the energy cost of God of Mischief (Ultimate Ability) from 4300 to 4500.

Mantis

Mantis is getting a tactical shift! She’s trading some of her damage-boosting power for a brand-new baseline speed buff.

Reduce Allied Inspiration Damage Boost provided to allies from 12% to 8%.
- New Effect: Now provides a flat 100 Movement Speed Boost to allies. (Dev Note: With Ultron now having access to conventional damage buff capabilities, Mantis needs to carve out a more unique functional niche. By adding a movement speed buff, Mantis can better aid her team with positioning and kiting!)

Rocket Raccoon

Rocket is upgrading his arsenal! He’ll be putting out more damage, tossing out more heals, and dropping his Ultimate faster.

Increase Bombard Mode hit damage per projectile from 16 to 17.
Increase Repair Mode charges from 8 to 10.
Reduce the energy cost of C.Y.A. (Ultimate Ability) from 4300 to 4000.

White Fox

Ami Han is refining her Kumiho magic to provide more consistent healing, whether she’s locked in combat or disengaged.

Increase Healing Amount provided by the surrounding aura during Fox Form Awakening from 25/s to 35/s; Reduce the burst healing generated by each successful attack during Fox Form Awakening from 35 to 25. (Dev Note: We observed that White Fox’s healing output in Fox Form Awakening state was too high when continuously attacking enemies, but too low when unable to maintain targets. This slightly lowers her intense burst healing when spamming attacks (from 100/s to 90/s), but significantly boosts her passive healing aura when no targets are available (from 25/s to 35/s).)
Increase Blessed by the Nine healing to allies during Kumiho Unleashed (Ultimate Ability) from 40/s to 60/s.

TEAM-UP ABILITIES

ADJUSTED

Chilling Assault (Luna Snow – Iron Fist/Emma Frost)

The stage is expanding! We’re boosting the operational range of this icy trio so they can freeze out the competition from further away.

Increase Iced Out Diamond Spell Field from 9m to 12m; Increase barrier placement distance to match the 12m radius.

NEW

Primal Punishment (Devil Dinosaur – The Punisher)

A prehistoric apex predator and a vigilante with an arsenal. What could possibly go wrong? Frank Castle is saddling up for the ride of a lifetime!

As the Team-Up Anchor, Devil Dinosaur gains 100 Bonus Health.
The Punisher unlocks the Ancient Judgement ability through his Team-Up with Devil Dinosaur.