Marvel Rivals Season 10.5 Tier List: Ranking Every Hero in the Avengers: Infinity War PvP Mode
By the Gaming Editorial Desk Published: October 2026
Main Facts: The Battle for the Infinity Stones Comes to PvP
NetEase Games has officially expanded its cinematic crossover event in Marvel Rivals with the release of Season 10.5. Following previous modes inspired by The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, the developer has introduced an entirely new combat framework: a high-stakes, 2v2 PvP mode titled Avengers: Infinity War.
Unlike traditional cooperative PvE operations, this fresh playlist pits dynamic duos against one another in arenas tied directly to the lore of the Infinity Stones. Out of the expansive Marvel Rivals roster, exactly 13 heroes have been selected to participate in this localized conflict. While characters retain their fundamental core kits from standard matches, Season 10.5 introduces a transformative mechanic: Upgrade Cards. Players can select these enhancement cards between rounds to drastically alter ability cooldowns, fire rates, utility scaling, and damage thresholds.
After logging dozens of consecutive hours inside the Wakandan and cosmic-themed arenas, we have thoroughly tested every single eligible combatant. Below is the definitive, comprehensive tier list ranking all 13 characters available in the Marvel Rivals Avengers: Infinity War PvP mode, from the absolute meta-defining powerhouses down to the weakest picks.
Chronology and Development: From PvE Milestones to 2v2 Competitive Combat
The rollout of Season 10.5 marks a strategic pivot for NetEase Games. Earlier in the game’s lifecycle, the studio focused heavily on scripted, cooperative player-versus-environment (PvE) scenarios where players teamed up to face wave-based threats like Ultron’s sentinel armies.
The PvE Foundations: In earlier phases, characters like Scarlet Witch and Thor dominated the community consciousness through sustained area-of-effect (AoE) damage tailored for clearing hordes of AI combatants.
The Shift to 2v2 Micro-Escalations: Recognizing a desire for shorter, more intense competitive engagements, developers engineered the Infinity War mode around small-scale 2v2 skirmishes. This format emphasizes micro-positioning, singular matchup advantages, and strategic resource allocation over team-wide objective control.
The Balance Patch Integration: Coinciding with the Season 10.5 patch notes, core reworks—such as Iron Man’s auto-tracking missile capabilities and targeted nerfs to hyper-mobile duelists—directly influenced how these 13 heroes perform within the confined parameters of the Infinity War arenas.
Supporting Data: Comprehensive Hero Tier List (Best to Worst)
To establish this ranking, our testing evaluated each hero across four primary metrics: 1v1 dueling capability, synergy with a partner, reliance on upgrade cards, and resilience against common meta counters.
1. Winter Soldier (S-Tier / Best Pick)
Bucky Barnes remains the undisputed king of close-quarters engagement in Season 10.5. Already a formidable force in standard tier lists, Winter Soldier’s kit translates effortlessly into a 2v2 setting.
Upgrade Strategy: Focus heavily on firing speed enhancements and magazine capacity expansions. Securing the Tainted Voltage upgrade is non-negotiable if you want to ground pesky aerial heroes.
Verdict: If played aggressively, Bucky can easily pull off 1v2 clutches and single-handedly dictate the tempo of a match.
2. Captain America (S-Tier / Best Vanguard)
While some players initially questioned the placement of Steve Rogers in a fast-paced PvP mode due to his lower baseline damage, Captain America stands tall as the premier Vanguard choice.
Upgrade Strategy: Prioritize shield-bounce enhancements and ability cooldown reductions.
Verdict: In the chaos of 2v2 skirmishes, survivability trumps raw DPS. Cap’s ability to ricochet multiple shields across tight corridors, combined with an ultimate that can turn certain death into a team-wide recovery, makes him exceptionally reliable.
3. Scarlet Witch (A-Tier)
Wanda Maximoff transitions seamlessly from her dominant reign in the Age of Ultron PvE modes into an elite PvP threat.
Upgrade Strategy: Maximize Mystic Projection for evasive mobility while blending primary and secondary attacks to keep constant pressure on enemy Vanguards.
Verdict: Her ultimate ability, Reality Erasure, remains one of the most game-changing tools in the playlist. With the right range and effect upgrades, Wanda can wipe out an entire enemy squad before they can react.
4. Black Panther (A-Tier)
For players who prefer hyper-mobile, melee-oriented Duelists, the King of Wakanda is a terrifying prospect in the spacious yet confined Infinity War arenas.
Upgrade Strategy: Invest in kinetic energy amplification to maximize burst damage during dash chains.
Verdict: T’Challa dominates 1v1 ground fights. His only notable weakness is a vulnerability to vertical airborne targets, but otherwise, a mastered Black Panther is nearly impossible to pin down.
5. Rocket Raccoon (A-Tier / Best Strategist)
Out of the sparse support roster available in this mode, Rocket Raccoon stands out as an absolute anomaly, performing far better here than in standard playlist rotations.
Upgrade Strategy: Balance healing output with primary-fire damage boosts.
Verdict: Rocket bridges the gap between healing and heavy offense. By weaving his Bombard primary fire with his Repair utility, he applies continuous pressure while retaining a crisis-averting ultimate.
6. Iron Man (B-Tier)
Tony Stark benefited massively from the Season 10.5 buff cycle, which introduced auto-tracking capabilities to his missile barrages.
Upgrade Strategy: Pour all available upgrade currency directly into missile-focused enhancements.
Verdict: Once upgraded, Iron Man functions as a mobile artillery platform. Pressing a single input unleashes prolonged auto-locking punishment, allowing Tony to focus entirely on positioning while his ordnance tracks down evasive targets. However, he remains vulnerable to disciplined hitscan or burst damage from characters like Bucky and Wanda.
7. Doctor Strange (B-Tier)
The Sorcerer Supreme takes the runner-up spot for Vanguards.
Upgrade Strategy: Adapt based on your partner—either double down on defensive warding or spec into offensive arcane strikes.
Verdict: Doctor Strange offers dependable, versatile protection. Timing the Eye of Agamotto ultimate correctly can instantly reverse a losing trade.
8. Spider-Man (C-Tier)
The friendly neighborhood web-slinger sits squarely in the middle of the pack, heavily reliant on player mechanical skill.
Verdict: While a master Spidey can successfully isolate and neutralize aerial threats like Iron Man or disruptive supports like Rocket, the specific geometry of the Infinity War arenas makes complex swing-combos difficult to execute consistently. Novices should avoid this pick.
9. Star-Lord (C-Tier)
Peter Quill offers an average performance that heavily depends on individual build paths.
Verdict: Star-Lord deals reliable close-range damage and can utilize Rocket Propulsion to easily control health packs in the center of the arena. His Galactic Legend ultimate still packs a notable punch, but he rarely outshines dedicated burst duelists.
10. Thor (D-Tier)
Despite fan hopes for a dual-wielding Stormbreaker and Mjolnir variant inspired by the climax of the films, Thor retains his standard kit—to mixed results.
Verdict: Even after heavy investment in damage-boosting upgrade cards, Thor struggles to secure eliminations compared to other frontline tanks like Captain America or Doctor Strange. Only dedicated mains should lock him in.
11. Groot (D-Tier)
Flora colossus struggles to find his footing within the strict confines of the 2v2 Infinity War mode.
Verdict: Groot’s walls and Spore Bombs lack the tactical impact seen in larger maps and objective modes. Relying solely on basic Vine Strikes leaves players severely underpowered.
12. Mantis (D-Tier)
Despite enjoying a resurgence as a top-tier Strategist in standard Marvel Rivals playlists, Mantis falters heavily in this specific meta.
Verdict: Mantis lacks the defensive tools and frontline sustain required to survive encounters against high-mobility assassins like Black Panther or high-damage duelists like Iron Man.
13. Black Widow (F-Tier / Worst Pick)
Rounding out the bottom of the list is Natasha Romanoff.
Verdict: Despite receiving reworks in earlier patches, Black Widow’s sniper-reliant kit fails to translate into fast-paced 2v2 skirmishes. Landing precision rifle shots against hyper-mobile targets like Spider-Man proves exceedingly difficult, and her ultimate ability fails to shift momentum even when fully upgraded.
Official Responses and Developer Insights
NetEase Games has defended the roster restrictions and mechanical constraints of the Avengers: Infinity War mode, emphasizing that the playlist was designed as an experimental playground rather than a replacement for core competitive rulesets.
In a recent developer blog post, lead designers noted:
"Our goal with Season 10.5 was to explore how iconic cinematic rivalries and team-ups translate into intimate, high-stakes micro-combat. The introduction of Upgrade Cards allows players to bend hero kits in ways not normally possible in standard matches, creating asymmetrical and thrilling 2v2 tactical puzzles."
Community managers have also confirmed that player feedback gathered during the initial weeks of the Infinity War playlist will heavily dictate future balance patches and potential roster expansions for subsequent mid-season updates.
Implications for the Competitive Meta
The launch of the Avengers: Infinity War PvP mode has significant ripple effects across the broader Marvel Rivals ecosystem:
Shift in Hero Mastery: Players are discovering unexpected synergies, prompting them to practice underutilized characters like Rocket Raccoon and Winter Soldier outside of standard competitive queues.
The Upgrade Card Meta: The introduction of round-by-round progression points toward a potential future where incremental upgrades or talent trees could find their way into other arcade or competitive modes.
Balancing Priorities: With characters like Black Widow and Mantis struggling significantly in confined PvP spaces, community pressure is mounting on NetEase to address utility scaling for support and sniper archetypes in future hotfixes.
As Season 10.5 continues to evolve, mastering top-tier combatants like Winter Soldier and Captain America will be essential for players looking to claim victory in the ultimate battle for the Infinity Stones.
