The 5 BEST Support Heroes (Strategists) In Marvel Rivals: Season 5.5 Tier List Breakdown
The backbone of any winning squad in Marvel Rivals is its Support team, officially known as the Strategist class, and the current meta has seen a dramatic shift in power. As of December 2025, the game's Season 5.5 update has solidified a new hierarchy of heroes who are essential for healing, shielding, and enabling devastating Team-Up Abilities. This guide dives deep into the absolute top-tier Strategists, their unique mechanics, and why they are dominating the competitive scene right now.
Understanding the Strategist role is non-negotiable for climbing the ranks. These heroes are not just "healers"; they are crucial utility providers who offer crowd control (CC), damage amplification, and life-saving shields, making the difference between a swift victory and a frustrating defeat. The latest patch notes have brought a few characters to the forefront, making them must-picks for serious players.
The Strategist Role: More Than Just a Healer
In Marvel Rivals, the core team composition revolves around three classes: Vanguards (Tanks), Duelists (DPS), and Strategists (Support). The Strategist's primary function is to sustain the team and disrupt the enemy. This involves providing burst healing, consistent damage mitigation via shields, and applying debilitating debuffs or crowd control effects like sleep or stun.
A poorly played Strategist can doom a team, while a master can single-handedly turn the tide of a 6v6 match. The current meta heavily favors Strategists who can provide both strong survivability *and* high-impact utility, especially those with powerful Ultimate abilities that can swing a team fight, often leading to "healing ult wars."
Top-Tier Marvel Rivals Strategists (Season 5.5 Meta)
The Season 5.5 competitive environment has clearly defined the S-Tier, favoring Strategists with high utility, game-changing Ultimates, and excellent synergy with the Duelist and Vanguard classes. The following heroes represent the absolute best you can pick right now.
1. Jeff The Land Shark
Surprisingly, this adorable aquatic creature is currently considered one of the most effective Strategists in the game. Jeff The Land Shark excels due to his unique combination of healing and disruptive CC. His small hitbox and fast movement make him incredibly difficult to pin down, allowing him to weave through fights and sustain his teammates.
- Core Strength: High survivability and effective, hard-to-miss healing.
- Impact: Provides consistent healing while being a massive distraction for the enemy team.
- Key Entity: His ultimate ability can be a massive team-fight winner, often overshadowing more traditional healers.
2. Invisible Woman (Sue Storm)
Invisible Woman is the quintessential utility support, dominating the S-Tier with her incredible shielding and area denial capabilities. She is a top-tier pick because her abilities allow her to completely reshape the battlefield, providing safe zones for her Duelists to operate.
- Core Strength: Unmatched damage mitigation and crowd control via her force fields.
- Impact: Her shields and bubbles can negate entire enemy ultimates or isolate key targets.
- Key Entity: Essential for protecting heroes like Spider-Man or Black Panther during their aggressive pushes.
3. Rocket Raccoon
Often described as the "definition of a Healbot" with a twist, Rocket Raccoon is a powerhouse Strategist focused on raw healing output and area control. He is highly valued for his ability to quickly top off health bars, but his utility extends to placing disruptive traps and dealing surprising amounts of damage.
- Core Strength: High healing per second (HPS) and defensive area denial.
- Impact: Excellent for holding down an objective or choke point, punishing aggressive enemy pushes with mines and turrets.
- Key Entity: A reliable choice for players who prioritize keeping their Vanguard (like Hulk or Thing) alive at all costs.
4. Gambit (The New Meta King)
Gambit’s arrival in Season 5.5 has immediately positioned him as one of the strongest Strategists to date. He is a phenomenal hybrid support, capable of delivering devastatingly high damage *and* significant healing output. His versatility makes him a nightmare for the enemy team, as he can switch between offensive pressure and defensive sustain seamlessly.
- Core Strength: Hybrid damage/healing and high versatility.
- Impact: His ultimate is a powerful offensive and defensive tool, and he unlocks the potent Explosive Entanglement Team-Up Ability with Magneto or Rogue.
- Key Entity: The Explosive Entanglement Team-Up is a must-use synergy that can wipe out grouped enemies.
The Power of Team-Up Abilities and Support Synergy
What truly separates the best Strategists from the rest is their ability to enable powerful Team-Up Abilities. These unique, combined skills are triggered when two specific heroes are near each other and use their abilities in sequence, resulting in a devastating effect. Strategists are often the catalysts for these game-winning plays.
For example, the new Season 5.5 patch highlights synergies like Explosive Entanglement (Gambit – Magneto/Rogue) and Chilling Assault (Luna Snow – Iron Fist/Emma Frost). Mastering these combinations is essential for high-level competitive play, as they provide massive burst damage or crowd control that a single hero cannot achieve.
Other Notable Strategists and Their Niche
While the S-Tier dominates, several other Strategists remain viable and excel in specific team compositions or maps. These heroes offer unique utility that can catch an unprepared enemy team off guard, expanding your topical authority on the Strategist class.
- Luna Snow: Widely regarded as the "best healer" in terms of pure health restoration. Her Ultimate is a massive, no-contest healing zone that can negate enemy damage.
- Adam Warlock: Possesses incredible healing capabilities and a surprising amount of damage. His Ultimate is a high-risk, high-reward ability that can revive the entire team, making him a terrifying late-game threat.
- Mantis: An exceptional utility support, perhaps the "best support" in terms of CC, despite being a weaker healer. Her ability to use Sleep CC and damage amplification makes her a powerful enabler for Duelists.
- Loki: Offers ultimate versatility with his illusion plays and ability to sow chaos. While not a primary healer, his disruption and utility are top-tier for advanced players who can exploit his trickery.
- Ultron: Unfortunately, Ultron is currently struggling in the Season 5.5 meta, often listed as the "worst Support hero." He needs a significant buff to compete with the sheer output of the S-Tier Strategists.
Mastering the Strategist Mindset
To truly master the support team in Marvel Rivals, you must adopt the Strategist mindset. It’s not about getting the most eliminations; it’s about positioning, cooldown management, and map awareness. Your goal is to maximize your team’s uptime and minimize your own downtime. Always keep an eye on your Duelists, especially those who are diving deep into the enemy backline, and be ready to deploy a shield or a burst heal at a moment's notice.
The Strategist Tier List is fluid and constantly evolving with each patch, but the core principles remain. Focus on heroes like Jeff, Invisible Woman, and Gambit to ensure your team has the best chance of dominating the Season 5.5 meta. By prioritizing Team-Up Abilities and effective utility, you will become the indispensable hero your squad needs to achieve victory in the Marvel Rivals arena.
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