Skip To...
Up to this day, Marvel Rivals is the hero shooter that keeps on giving. Say what you want about it, but its update cadence, events, characters, and other additions are above many other live service games, with almost no downtime in any season. And the reason I’m saying all this is because it seems as if it were yesterday when we saw Gambit and Rogue’s debut, because now we have the Merc with a Mouth joining the fray. After getting to experience Season 6 of Marvel Rivals before its launch, mainly focusing on the new hero capable of using any of the three roles, I must say that I’m excited for Deadpool’s debut, but also a bit worried, especially for those facing this mercenary.
Deadpool Is One Of the Most Fun Heroes to Use (Not So Much to Encounter)
While I browsed the new battle pass, took a look at the new progression system for heroes, and even saw Jeff’s upcoming event, my main focus was Deadpool, and oh boy, there’s a lot to unpack.
For starters, he’s the most unique hero in the whole game, as he’s capable of fulfilling every single role in the roster. Whenever you enter a match, you’ll see Deadpool in each of the categories, and you can pick whichever role you want, assuming others don’t beat you to it. Also, as the developers said, you can only have one Deadpool at a time in every team.
Before delving into quick matches, I took my sweet time to try and memorize Deadpool’s skills in every role, and I have to say that my first impressions were extremely positive. First of all, Marvel Rivals once again shows that the company knows the heroes and villains it brings to the game, and Deadpool isn’t an exception. From the visual effects to the cartoon-y animation and the fantastic voice lines delivered by the legendary Alejandro Saab, everything about Deadpool feels right.
But now, let’s focus on the actual gameplay. Since I’m a Vanguard main, that’s the role I tried first. While all versions of Deadpool use the dual pistols and dual katanas, Vanguard Deadpool is the most different one, as he uses a unicorn to create a shield, and his skills, while visually similar, revolve around taunting enemies, healing, and shielding allies.
As a Duelist, the main changes are an increase in base damage while also trading the unicorn for a boomerang katana. You can throw it, and it stays in place for a while, damaging enemies, and then returning to you.
In the Strategist role, most of the skills are the same as those of Duelist, with the difference being that all of them heal. Yes, even jumping on top of an ally heals them, which I found extremely hilarious, yet also surprisingly helpful.
However, the main gimmick is Deadpool’s upgrade system. After damaging enemies or healing allies, he gains experience points and gets to upgrade any of his abilities, which change how they perform. That boomerang becomes a triple boomerang, launching three attacks at different intervals, each with increased damage. Deadpool’s “In Your Area” skill also gets new effects depending on the role. You can even upgrade his ultimate skills to add even more powerful effects for him and the team.
While I think Deadpool is the most fun hero to play to date, and one I hope I can master soon, I quickly realized that this merc, in the right hands, can be a bit of a trouble, and may lead to some potential balancing issues.
One Tough Merc Cookie
Deadpool is, undoubtedly, the biggest aspect of Season 6 in Marvel Rivals, but also the one who evokes a few worries in me. For instance, he is practically unkillable on his own.
Now, I know Deadpool is, in a way, immortal. Still, I feel he embraces this factor a bit too much in the hero shooter. I tried a couple of quick matches with him, in almost every role, and Strategist and Vanguard feel a bit OP.
As a Vanguard, I was able to take down Dr. Strange and Rogue on my own. This is not me bragging about my skills, by the way, I’m not that great of a player, but it is wild that Deadpool is already leaving the most recent Vanguard in the dust. The same applies to him as a Strategist. His healing output is among the best, and his many skills just make him a permanent healing machine in certain situations, and that’s without counting the upgrades.
However, I just experienced this in a few matches with almost all the same players, so things may change in the game’s live environment once the new season launches. Still, I wonder just how challenging it will be to balance every role, as you have practically three characters into one, and so far, they all feel like S-tier in every role.
Beyond my concerns, however, I had a blast with Deadpool and this direction Marvel Rivals is taking with Season 6. We got some much-needed buffs and nerfs, and these new progression systems are fantastic. While I think Deadpool could be just a little bit more squishy, the truth is that he quickly became one of my favorite characters, and one that I will be trying to main in my next matches, assuming no one picks him before me.
