Quick answer (TL;DR): NetEase published the Season 11 balance patch (Version 20261113) on November 10, 2026, and it goes live with Season 11: Doomsday on Friday, November 13. It changes 29 heroes: 9 Vanguards, 9 Duelists and 11 Strategists. The headline nerfs hit Devil Dinosaur (the most-banned hero of Season 10.5), Luna Snow (Absolute Zero freeze 2.7s → 1.5s), Mantis (Spore Slumber 3.5s → 1.5s), White Fox, Phoenix and Wolverine. Angela gets the biggest buff, Groot an offensive buff, and Squirrel Girl gets a partial rework. For climbing, the safest early picks are heroes the patch barely touched: Ultron, Hulk, Magik, Storm and Mister Fantastic. Source: the official Version 20261113 balance post.
Written November 11, 2026, before launch. Season 10.5 is still live until November 13. Win rates quoted below are Season 10.5 Competitive, all ranks, from RivalsTracker (read November 10, 2026, about 22:00 UTC). They show who was strong going into the patch, not results after it. We'll update this page once Season 11 data comes in.
The balance post went up on November 10. Within about an hour, the r/marvelrivals thread linking the official notes had 198 comments. The new feed filled with posts claiming Luna and Mantis had been "nuked", next to others praising the devs for listening. Both sides have a point. This is the largest support pass in months, and it changes who you should lock in for placements.
Below are all 29 heroes by role, with the key numbers for each, what they do in practice and who to play instead. The tables keep to the changes that move a hero's strength; the official post lists every Team-Up line in full.
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When does the Season 11 patch go live?
Friday, November 13, 2026, with the start of Season 11: Doomsday. NetEase hasn't printed the exact start time. Season 10 and Season 10.5 both opened with maintenance starting at 09:00 UTC (1 AM PST, 4 AM EST), so expect the same window. Our Season 11 release date page has the full countdown and time-zone table.
Season 11 also brings a new hero. NetEase's reveal trailer on November 10 confirmed Nightcrawler as the 55th playable character, launching on day one (IGN). Destructoid reports that he plays as a Strategist and that the trailer teases Dracula for the Season 11.5 update in December. Doctor Doom, despite the season's name, isn't playable in 11.0.
Because 11.0 is a full season, ranked resets. Since Season 5, the first 10 ranked matches are placements, and a returning player's predicted starting rank is their previous final rank minus 3 divisions (Celestial II and above land at Grandmaster II, Bronze III is the floor, and first-time placements follow separate rules). The Season 11 rank reset guide covers the details. In other words, the heroes you pick for those 10 games count more than usual.
What is the big idea behind the Season 11 balance patch?
Strategists get weaker at staying alive and stronger at fighting. NetEase put it plainly in the patch notes:
"This season, we'll be making targeted adjustments to the kits of almost all Strategists... we'll be scaling back their overall survivability a bit, while simultaneously buffing their combat capabilities based on their individual playstyles."
NetEase, Version 20261113 Balance Post
The same thing happens to crowd control. Crowd control gets cut almost everywhere: Luna's freeze, Mantis's sleep, Cloak & Dagger's blind, Devil Dinosaur's grab and Squirrel Girl's imprison all get shorter. White Fox's charm radius shrinks (0.6m → 0.4m), and Luna's White Fox Team-Up loses its charm entirely. Long-range poke Duelists (Elsa Bloodstone, Winter Soldier) are pushed back toward mid-range.
In practice, expect fights to last longer, with fewer one-button picks. Heroes who win through raw damage or self-sustain gain ground.
Which Vanguards were buffed and nerfed in Season 11?
| Vanguard | Change | Key numbers | S10.5 win / ban rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devil Dinosaur | Nerf | Savage Predation control 0.8s → 0.6s; Buddy Barrier 6s → 4s, 450 → 400, no slow; Apex Advantage 150% → 125% | 53.89% / 43.58% |
| Doctor Strange | Nerf | Shield of the Seraphim 850 → 800, regen 60/s → 50/s | 51.53% / 0.94% |
| Emma Frost | Nerf | Mind's Aegis 400 → 350; Psychic Spear 25% max HP → 60 + 10% max HP | 48.13% / 17.84% |
| Venom | Mixed | Bigger Dark Predation hitbox; Symbiotic Resilience 100 → 75 base | 49.76% / 1.00% |
| Peni Parker | Small nerf | Cyber-Web Cluster explosion 15 → 12; mine delay 0.6s → 0.7s | 60.88% / 30.18% |
| Rogue | Mixed | Power Surge Punch 35 → 40; Defensive Stance radius 2m → 1.2m | 50.91% / 0.63% |
| Angela | Buff | Axes of Ichors 30 → 35; Divine Judgement buffs now last 6s anywhere | 50.50% / 0.59% |
| Groot | Mixed (offense buff) | Thornlash Flora Colossus 60 → 65; Ironwood Wall 600 → 550; Mantis Team-Up Wild Wall gains Flora Colossus | 50.24% / 1.49% |
| Deadpool (Vanguard) | Rework | The Big Test self Bonus Health 300 → 400, ally Bonus Health removed | n/a |
Devil Dinosaur takes the hardest hit. NetEase says his survivability, together with the high healing output of current Strategists, has "significantly mitigated his inherent weakness against sustained projectile attacks." Four separate nerfs land on him, and his Punisher Team-Up cooldown goes from 12s to 18s. He was banned in 43.58% of Season 10.5 Competitive games. Expect that ban rate to fall, and with it a lot of his free value.
Peni Parker barely changes. She was the highest win-rate hero in the game going in (60.88%). Her explosion damage and mine timing get small trims, but the core kit is untouched. She'll stay a ban target.
Angela is the Vanguard winner. Her first three axe strikes go from 30 to 35 damage. She also no longer has to stay inside her Divine Judgement domain to keep its Movement Speed and Bonus Health: she now keeps both for 6s after casting it, even outside the domain (using Wingblade Ascent during that window removes them). That fixes the main complaint about her ground form. Ban rate going in: 0.59%.
Doctor Strange is still the safe pick. Losing 50 shield (850 → 800) and 10/s of shield regen hurts in long poke fights. But he was the most-played Vanguard in Season 10.5 (474,000+ matches), and nothing about his role changes. If you climbed on him before, keep doing it.
Which Duelists were buffed and nerfed in Season 11?
| Duelist | Change | Key numbers | S10.5 win / ban rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | Nerf | Spark detonation 45 → 40, area 20 → 15; ult applies 1 Spark stack, not 2 | 47.06% / 35.16% |
| Wolverine | Nerf | Feral Leap cooldown 12s → 15s; Last Stand Rage damage 0.3% → 0.2% max HP per Rage | 48.23% / 3.78% |
| Elsa Bloodstone | Nerf | Damage falloff now starts at 10m, not 20m; Devil Dinosaur Team-Up loses a charge | 47.46% / 19.87% |
| Winter Soldier | Nerf | Max falloff 70% at 40m → 65% at 30m; spell field 45 → 40 | 47.53% / 12.50% |
| Black Widow | Buff | Electro-Plasma Blast 50–70 → 55–75; new Bonus Health on the Hawkeye Team-Up | 44.76% / 0.25% |
| Black Cat | Buff | Feline Fury Fortune 50 → 75 per cast; Black Panther Team-Up buffed | 48.20% / 0.89% |
| Star-Lord | Buff | Ult ammo 40 → 50; Human Torch Team-Up revive 120s → 105s | 47.95% / 0.27% |
| Human Torch | Buff | Fire Cluster now uses a fixed spread instead of random | 50.59% / 0.46% |
| Squirrel Girl | Rework | Burst Acorn 110 → 95; Blockade imprison 1.3s → 0.8s plus new Acorn Rain; Mammal Bond adds 100% attack speed for 5s (each acorn deals 65%); Tail Bounce +25 Bonus Health | 42.72% / 0.70% |
Phoenix loses part of her Season 10 buff. NetEase says her ultimate "improved her flanking playstyle far more than expected." The spark damage cuts plus a single stack from the ult shockwave take away the burst that made her the second-most-banned hero (35.16%). Her win rate was already below 50%.
Wolverine gets a smaller nerf. His Feral Leap cooldown goes up by 3 seconds. NetEase gives the numbers: at max Rage, Last Stand's impact on a 700-HP tank drops from 330 to 260 damage.
Elsa and Winter Soldier move closer in. Elsa's close-range damage is unchanged; her falloff simply starts at 10m. Winter Soldier's falloff tightens, and his Roterstern spell field also drops from 45 to 40 at every range. Both lose the ability to poke from across the map. If you climbed on them by sitting back, move up a step or switch.
Squirrel Girl gets a rework, and it's overdue. She had the lowest win rate of any hero in Season 10.5 (42.72%). Her acorns hit less hard, but Squirrel Blockade now fires at 60–90 m/s and drops a 5m Acorn Rain that deals 30 damage per second for 2s and slows by 20%. Mammal Bond gives 100% attack speed for 5s, with faster projectiles and no gravity, though each acorn deals 65% of its normal damage during that window. Tail Bounce now grants 25 Bonus Health. This is a buff in practice, aimed at the off-screen spam NetEase called "a poor experience for opponents." Whether it makes her viable won't show until the Season 11 data comes in.
Untouched Duelists: Gorr, Magik, Storm, Mister Fantastic, Hela, Spider-Man, Psylocke and most of the dive roster. Three of them were in the top five Duelists by win rate going in: Gorr 55.69%, Storm 55.03%, Magik 54.86%.
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Which Strategists were nerfed in Season 11?
Nearly all of them. Jeff the Land Shark and Deadpool's Strategist form are the only healers left alone.
| Strategist | Key change | S10.5 win / pick rate |
|---|---|---|
| Luna Snow | Absolute Zero freeze 2.7s → 1.5s; White Fox Team-Up loses its Charm | 47.67% / 23.56% |
| Mantis | Spore Slumber 3.5s → 1.5s; non-crits now give 0.3 Life Orbs; Allied Inspiration costs 2 orbs; Nature's Favor self-heal 12.5/s → 8/s | 54.51% / 5.76% |
| White Fox | Spirit Sanctuary 200 → 100; Spectral Surge loses ally invincibility; Awakened form buffed | 48.65% / 16.26% |
| Invisible Woman | Veiled Step cooldown 6s → 8s; Psionic Vortex edge slow 0% → 20% | 49.65% / 27.09% |
| Rocket Raccoon | Repair Mode 55 → 50, self-heal 30/s → 20/s; falloff now 15m to 30m; Jetpack Dash +25 Bonus Health | 55.34% / 14.04% |
| Cloak & Dagger | Dagger Storm cooldown 12s → 15s, self-heal 50/s → 35/s; Cloak 80/s → 85/s; Terror Cape blind 1.5s → 1s; Veil/Cape faster (35 m/s) and each hit cuts Dagger Storm cooldown by 0.6s | 45.31% / 25.09% |
| Gambit | Outer cards spread 2° → 3°; Healing Hearts self-heal 30/s → 20/s | 47.95% / 21.23% |
| Adam Warlock | Avatar Life Stream 95 initial → 55, bounces 2 → 4 (285 → 275 total) | 51.33% / 4.69% |
| Loki | Deception cooldown 15s → 18s; Mantis Team-Up loses its Damage Boost | 51.51% / 5.74% |
| Jubilee | Sparkle Mark loses its 20% Healing Boost; ult healing 180/s → 190/s | 49.91% / 30.34% |
| Ultron | Imperative: Firewall ally Bonus Health 40 → 25, speed boost 20% → 10% | 57.05% / 6.01% |
Luna Snow and Mantis lose the most. Both lose a big chunk of their best pick tool: Luna's freeze goes from 2.7s to 1.5s (about 44% shorter), and Mantis's sleep from 3.5s to 1.5s (about 57% shorter). Mantis does get a compensation buff: her non-critical shots now generate Life Orbs, so her healing floor goes up even as her control goes down. Luna's compensation is limited to Team-Ups: her White Fox Team-Up heals and hits harder, and her Adam Warlock Team-Up returns more healing to her.
Ultron comes out best. Only the buff he hands teammates through Imperative: Firewall is reduced. His healing, damage and flight are untouched. He went into the patch at 57.05% with a 0.16% ban rate, the best win rate of any Strategist. Of all the healers, his Season 10.5 data should hold up best in Season 11.
Rocket is a net sidegrade. He heals less and self-heals less, but his gun's damage falloff now starts at 15m instead of 10m (bottoming out at 55% at 30m), and every Jetpack Dash gives 25 Bonus Health. Expect a small win-rate dip at most.
Who should you climb with after the Season 11 patch?
Here's our read before launch. It's based on the official changes plus Season 10.5 win rates, so treat it as a starting point for placements, not a final tier list. We'll publish a data-backed Season 11 tier list once there's a week of post-launch data.
| Role | Climb now (low risk) | Watch (buffed, unproven) | Drop for placements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard | Hulk, Doctor Strange, Thor | Angela, Groot | Devil Dinosaur, Emma Frost |
| Duelist | Magik, Storm, Mister Fantastic, Gorr | Black Widow, Squirrel Girl | Phoenix, Elsa Bloodstone |
| Strategist | Ultron, Rocket Raccoon, Loki | Mantis (more healing, less sleep) | Luna Snow, Cloak & Dagger |
How we built it:
- Above 50% going in and untouched, or only lightly nerfed. Hulk (54.24%), Magik, Storm and Mister Fantastic (53.32%) haven't changed. Ultron only loses part of the buff he gives teammates. None of them is a common ban.
- Avoid heroes that lost their main tool. Devil Dinosaur, Luna and Phoenix all lost the thing they were picked for.
- Bans matter in placements. Bans start when everyone in the lobby is Gold III or higher, with three per team. Peni Parker is still the strongest hero on paper, but she's banned in nearly a third of games. Don't make her your only main.
For solo queue specifics, our role guides still apply: best solo tanks, best solo DPS and best solo supports. With less CC from supports, dive gets a little stronger, so keep the anti-dive guide handy.
What else should you do before Season 11 starts?
- Finish Season 10.5 at the highest rank you can. End-of-season rewards (crests, nameplate frames) use your rank when the season ends, not your peak. Details are in the rank rewards guide.
- Practise one patch-proof hero per role in Quick Play before your 10 placement games.
- Don't trust day-one tier lists. Real Season 11 win rates take several days to settle. After the Season 10.5 patch, Phoenix's Gold+ win rate jumped from 42.0% to 51.8% in the first sample (RivalsMeta, October 11).
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FAQ
When do the Marvel Rivals Season 11 patch notes go live? The balance changes in Version 20261113 go live with Season 11 on Friday, November 13, 2026. NetEase published them early, on November 10. Past seasons started with maintenance at 09:00 UTC.
How many heroes changed in the Season 11 balance patch? 29: nine Vanguards, nine Duelists and eleven Strategists. Jeff the Land Shark and Deadpool's Strategist form are the only Strategists left untouched.
Was Devil Dinosaur nerfed in Season 11? Yes, heavily. Savage Predation control drops from 0.8s to 0.6s, Buddy Barrier lasts 4s instead of 6s and loses its slow, Apex Advantage bonus health falls from 150% to 125% of bleed damage, and his Punisher Team-Up cooldown rises from 12s to 18s.
Is Luna Snow still good in Season 11? She's still a solid healer, but she lost her best pick tool. Absolute Zero now freezes for 1.5s instead of 2.7s, and her White Fox Team-Up no longer charms. She already had a 47.67% win rate in Season 10.5, so she's a risky placement pick.
Who is the new hero in Marvel Rivals Season 11? Nightcrawler, confirmed in the November 10 trailer as the 55th hero and launching on November 13. Reports describe him as a Strategist. Dracula is teased for Season 11.5 in December.
Does Season 11 reset my rank? Yes. It's a full season, so you play 10 placement matches, and a returning player's predicted starting rank is their Season 10.5 final rank minus three divisions. Celestial II and above restart at Grandmaster II, and first-time players follow separate placement rules.
