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Status effects can be quite bothersome in Marvel Rivals. Although many of them inflict little or no direct damage, they can render your character uncontrollable and vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Understanding your opponent’s abilities and knowing how to avoid or mitigate these effects is crucial. In mirror matchups, deploying your own status effects first can be an effective strategy to halt your opponent’s progress. However, it’s also wise to reserve negative effects for key moments, either for a solid offensive move or a defensive stance.
Another critical factor is evaluating the compositions of both your team and your opponent’s in Marvel Rivals. A negative status effect is less concerning if the enemy lacks the means to capitalize on it. Typically, these effects are employed by Strategists for escape or by Vanguards for engagement. If there aren’t enough Duelists on the opposing team to deal extra damage, you may be relatively safe when the effects wear off. Plus, having a friendly Strategist can help restore any lost health points.
All Enemy Abilities with Negative Status Effects
Know What to Expect from Foes
Numerous status effects exist in Marvel Rivals. Some appear directly on the screen, while others are detailed in the Abilities section of the Hero tab. The names of the effects may differ from their corresponding character abilities, which can lead to some confusion. Your teammates might refer to being “Stunned,” “Webbed,” or “Snared,” but they essentially mean the same thing.
| Ability | Character or Team-Up | Status Effect | Debilitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spore Slumber | Mantis | Sedated | Put the target to sleep for four seconds. |
| Cyber-Web Snare | Peni Parker | Stunned | Immobilizes the target for one second and halts any ultimate abilities in progress. |
| Dark Seal (if used twice) | Scarlet Witch | ||
| Webbed Acorn | Squirrel Girl teamed with Spider-Man | ||
| Radioactive Lockdown | Hulk | Exiled | Stuns the enemy for three seconds. Ends early if Hulk attacks again. |
| Absolute Zero | Luna Snow | Frozen | Freezes the target for four seconds. Breaks if they take any damage. |
| Feral Leap | Wolverine | Smash | Grabs an enemy and pushes them a short distance, increasing Wolverine’s normal attack speed. |
| Ancient Ankh | Moon Knight | Pull-In | Pulls all nearby targets to a central point; this ability can also be destroyed. |
| Terror Cape | Cloak | Blind | Obscures vision to 10 meters and inflicts extra damage. |
| Squirrel Blockade | Squirrel Girl | Imprisoned | Prevents a target from moving for several seconds. |
| Strangling Prison | Groot | ||
| Horn of Proteus | Namor | Knock Down | Enemies in range are knocked down and unable to act. |
| Eye Of Agamotto | Dr. Strange | Soul Separation | Enemies are detached from their souls, and damage inflicted on those souls transfers to the host. |
Some abilities can only be executed as ultimate attacks, resulting in infrequent use in Marvel Rivals. These abilities usually deliver the most severe negative effects and can’t be avoided if you’re already within their area of effect. However, applying your own status effects—particularly Stunned and Frozen—can interrupt ultimate attacks.
| Ability | Character or Team-Up | Status Effect | Debilitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goddess Boost: Tornado | Storm | Slow | Reduces movement speed by 15%. |
| Electro Plasma Explosion | Black Widow | ||
| Hypersonic Arrow | Hawkeye | Slow that Knocks Down Flyers | Reduces movement speed by 15% and knocks down only flying enemies. |
| Tainted Voltage | Winter Soldier | ||
| Gamma Grenade | Bruce Banner | Launched | The target is sent flying and susceptible to follow-up attacks. |
| Amazing Combo | Spider-Man | ||
| Frenzied Arrival | Venom | ||
| Trooper’s Fist | Winter Soldier | ||
| Super-Soldier Slam | Captain America | ||
| Living Legend during Freedom Charge | |||
| Storm Surge | Thor | Knock Back | Pushes the target back several meters. |
| Frozen Chi | Luna Snow teamed with Iron Fist | ||
| Spinning Kick | Black Panther | Vibranium Marked | When Black Panther hits a marked target with Spirit Rend, he gains 40 health and resets its cooldown. |
| Spear Toss | |||
| Bast’s Descent |
Black Panther’s Vibranium Mark is particularly tricky. At first glance, it appears harmless. However, if the opponent’s Black Panther follows up, they can regain significant health while continuing to deal damage to the entire team.
How to Avoid or Escape Negative Status Effects
Preemptively Stop Status Effects
While the enemy is bound to utilize status effects, there are ways to counteract or dispel them quickly. Most effects can be neutralized with a Vanguard’s shield. This includes skills like Dr. Strange’s Shield of the Seraphim, Hulk’s Indestructible Guard, and Magneto’s Metallic Curtain.
Negative status effects that cover a large area, like Namor’s Horn of Proteus, often have significant visual indicators in Marvel Rivals. Many opponents may have unique declarations compared to allies using the same ability. Instead of merely moving away, employ dash or evade maneuvers. This could involve Psylocke’s Psi-Blade Dash, Iron Fist’s K’un Lun Kick, or Star-Lord’s Stellar Shift. Cloak and Dagger’s Eternal Bond ability can completely remove the status effects affecting them. However, not all characters are equipped with such abilities; less agile heroes like Storm have limited options.
The best overall strategy in Marvel Rivals is to prevent negative status effects from occurring in the first place. Interrupting your enemy mid-move or dealing enough damage quickly can render their abilities ineffective. If they are unable to regroup and gain control, isolated attacks won’t pose much of a threat.
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