Season 9 "The Mystery of Thebes" is the biggest Marvel Rivals update since launch — and it reset the whole meta. Roughly 80% of the roster was retuned, the Team-Up system was rebuilt from scratch, Black Widow was reworked, and a 52nd hero (Jubilee) joined. Every Season 8.5 tier list you saved is now stale. Below is the current Season 9 tier list, ranked by live win-rate data, plus the exact heroes that carry solo-queue games right now.
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TL;DR — Best Heroes to Climb in Season 9
- Top overall pick: Peni Parker (Vanguard) leads every role at a 56.2% win rate across all ranks (counterwatch, updated July 15, 2026).
- Best Duelist: Magik at 55.3% — the only S-tier DPS in the game right now.
- Best Strategists: Rocket Raccoon (54.7%), then Mantis and Ultron (both 53.5%).
- Meta shape: support-heavy. Three of the five S-tier heroes are Strategists — healing and Team-Up value decide fights in Season 9.
- New hero: Jubilee is a Strategist (not a Duelist), sitting mid-pack at 50.8% — solid, not broken.
- Fastest way to climb: pick one S/A hero per role, one-trick it, and push before the Season 9 rank reset softens. Or skip the grind with a Marvel Rivals rank boost.
Season 9 went live on July 10, 2026 (Version 20260710), and it is not a normal seasonal patch. NetEase touched the majority of the roster, so hero strength has shuffled hard. This guide ranks all 52 heroes into tiers, then breaks down the best picks per role for climbing ranked — with the win-rate numbers to back every placement.
What actually changed in Season 9?
Three systemic changes reshaped the meta more than any single buff or nerf:
- The Team-Up system was overhauled. The old anchor-buff design is gone. As the developers put it, "every single hero will possess two completely independent Team-Up Ability loadouts" — chosen in the spawn room and swappable mid-match (Game Informer). Each loadout has a Base Effect (always on) and an Enhanced Effect (active when your Team-Up partner is in the match). This rewards solo-queue flexibility more than the old rigid pairings did.
- Black Widow was reworked. She stays a Duelist, but the ADS sniper mode was removed from her standard state and her primary fire rate was increased, turning her into a sustained-fire flanker. Her sniper is now her Ultimate (wider hitbox, pierces enemies, but no one-shot crits), and her sprint/super-jump lost their stamina limits (IGN Season 9 patch notes).
- ~80% of the roster was rebalanced. That is why last season's rankings are worthless — nearly every hero's numbers moved. The Season 8.5 "Return of the Summers" meta is officially superseded.
Two more things worth knowing: the new Thebes convoy map arrives July 23 (not launch day), and the season's story serial is The Mystery of Thebes — note that aggregators calling the arc "Age of Apocalypse" are not using the official title.
Marvel Rivals Season 9 Tier List (All Roles)
Tiers below are ranked by shrunk win rate across all ranks as of July 15, 2026 (counterwatch), cross-checked against role-specific meta reads. Win rate is the single most reliable climb signal because it already accounts for how easy a hero is to convert into wins in real solo-queue games.
| Tier | Heroes (role · win rate) |
|---|---|
| S | Peni Parker (Vanguard · 56.2%) · Magik (Duelist · 55.3%) · Rocket Raccoon (Strategist · 54.7%) · Mantis (Strategist · 53.5%) · Ultron (Strategist · 53.5%) |
| A | Storm (D · 53.0%) · Daredevil (D · 52.9%) · Devil Dinosaur (V · 52.8%) · Blade (D · 52.2%) · Mister Fantastic (D · 52.1%) · Captain America (V · 52.0%) · Black Panther (D · 51.9%) · Iron Fist (D · 51.5%) |
| B | Cyclops (D · 51.4%) · White Fox (S · 51.4%) · Rogue (V · 51.4%) · Spider-Man (D · 51.2%) · Angela (V · 51.2%) · Hela (D · 51.0%) · Black Cat (D · 51.0%) · Jubilee (S · 50.8%) · Star-Lord (D · 50.6%) · Iron Man (D · 50.5%) · Thor (V · 50.3%) · Psylocke (D · 50.0%) · Wolverine (D · 50.0%) |
| C | Doctor Strange (V · 49.8%) · Luna Snow (S · 49.5%) · Venom (V · 49.4%) · Deadpool (D · 49.4%) · The Thing (V · 49.3%) and other sub-50% picks |
The headline read: Strategists are eating. Three supports sit in S-tier, and Rocket Raccoon (54.7%) is the second-strongest hero in the game behind only Peni. If you want the highest-floor role to climb with in Season 9, it is support.
Best Vanguards to climb in Season 9?
Vanguard is carried almost entirely by one hero right now.
- Peni Parker (S · 56.2%) — the best hero in the game, full stop. Her web-nest zoning and spider mines control chokes and objectives, and she is nearly impossible to dive off a point. If you play tank and want the fastest climb, one-trick Peni.
- Devil Dinosaur (A · 52.8%) — a brawly, high-HP disruptor that punishes grouped enemies. Even after last season's bleed nerf, he over-performs in lower ranks where teams clump.
- Captain America (A · 52.0%) — mobile, hard to pin down, great at diving backline supports and forcing space.
- Rogue, Angela, Thor (B · ~50–51%) — all playable, but you are giving up the free win-rate that Peni hands you.
Pair a Vanguard with a Strategist Team-Up loadout and you get value even when your partner isn't on the exact hero. For a deeper tank breakdown, see our best tanks to climb guide.
Best Duelists to climb in Season 9?
DPS has exactly one S-tier hero, then a deep A-tier.
- Magik (S · 55.3%) — the strongest Duelist in Season 9 by a clear margin. Her dive-and-delete kit, self-sustain, and demon-form escape make her forgiving to solo-queue with, which is exactly why her win rate is so high.
- Storm (A · 53.0%) and Daredevil (A · 52.9%) — both flagged by trackers as early-S9 risers. Storm's team-wide buff aura scales with a coordinated push; Daredevil's radar and burst reward aim.
- Blade (52.2%), Mister Fantastic (52.1%), Black Panther (51.9%), Iron Fist (51.5%) — all strong flex Duelists.
- Cyclops (B · 51.4%) — the S8.5 newcomer settled into a fair, mid-tier spot after the meta shuffle.
If you are a DPS main who wants the safest climb, Magik is the pick. Everything below her in A-tier is close enough that hero comfort matters more than the raw number.
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Best Strategists to climb in Season 9?
This is the role to abuse in Season 9.
- Rocket Raccoon (S · 54.7%) — the #2 hero overall. High mobility, strong single-target healing, and a revive Ultimate that swings fights. Extremely hard to punish in solo queue.
- Mantis (S · 53.5%) and Ultron (S · 53.5%) — Mantis offers healing plus a damage-boost that turbo-charges your Duelist; Ultron's flying, high-uptime healing makes him a lane-dominating pick.
- White Fox (B · 51.4%) and Jubilee (B · 50.8%) — both perfectly viable secondary picks.
Two S-tier heroes on a support role means a solo-queue support can hard-carry games right now. If your teammates are coin-flipping, locking Rocket or Mantis is the most reliable way to force wins.
Is Jubilee worth playing in Season 9?
Jubilee, the 52nd hero, is a Strategist — not the Duelist many expected. Her kit uses energy plasmoids/fireworks that heal allies while damaging and blinding enemies, plus a dash for mobility, and an Ultimate that unleashes a massive firework barrage. At a 50.8% win rate she is a genuinely solid B-tier support: strong enough to climb with, not so broken she'll get gutted next patch. If you enjoy hybrid heal-and-harass supports, she's worth learning — but Rocket, Mantis, and Ultron still out-perform her on pure climb value. (Note: The Hood was announced for Season 9 but arrives mid-season, around S9.5 — he is not playable yet, and his role isn't officially confirmed.)
How do you climb fastest after the Season 9 rank reset?
Every new season, Marvel Rivals knocks your rank down — the official baseline is -6 divisions (two full tiers) at the start of a full season. That means the ladder is soft right now: lobbies are full of players re-climbing, and a strong meta pick wins more of those games. The playbook:
- Main one S/A hero per role so you can flex to fill. Peni (tank), Magik (DPS), Rocket or Mantis (support) cover every slot.
- Set your Team-Up loadout before you queue — the new system rewards it.
- Climb early. Win rates against re-placing players are inflated in the first weeks after a reset; the higher you push now, the easier your peak-rank rewards (S9 Gold unlocks the free Jubilee "Crimson Crown" costume).
If you don't have time to grind the reset back yourself, that's exactly what boosting exists for:
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FAQ
What is the best hero in Marvel Rivals Season 9? Peni Parker is the strongest hero overall, leading every role with a 56.2% win rate across all ranks (counterwatch, July 15, 2026). Rocket Raccoon (54.7%) and Magik (55.3%) lead the Strategist and Duelist roles respectively.
Is the Season 8.5 tier list still accurate in Season 9? No. Season 9 rebalanced roughly 80% of the roster and rebuilt the Team-Up system, so hero strength shifted across the board. Any tier list labeled Season 8.5 is stale — use current win-rate data.
Is Jubilee good in Marvel Rivals Season 9? Yes, she's a solid B-tier Strategist at a 50.8% win rate. Her plasmoid kit heals allies while blinding enemies, but Rocket Raccoon, Mantis, and Ultron are stronger support picks for pure climbing.
What role is Jubilee in Marvel Rivals? Jubilee is a Strategist (support/healer), the 52nd hero in the game, added at the start of Season 9 on July 10, 2026.
How many divisions do you drop in the Season 9 rank reset? The official baseline is -6 divisions (two full tiers) at the start of a full new season, though the developers tune it as needed. See our dedicated Season 9 rank reset guide for the full breakdown.
Which role is easiest to climb with in Season 9? Strategist. Three of the five S-tier heroes (Rocket Raccoon, Mantis, Ultron) are supports, so a solo-queue Strategist has the highest floor for carrying games right now.
