Marvel Rivals is back in the lab—and the latest balance patch is a shotgun surgeon. Dropping with Ultron, the May 30 update kneecaps a few overperformers, helped the needy, and put Jeff in a blender (literally and figuratively). The community both loves and fears the new changes, so lets get into them.
Who Got Nerfed?
The tank to get tanked was Mr “I Can Do This All Day“— because it turns out, he that can’t do this all day (anymore).
Captain America’s base health drops, his shield recovery is slower, and his ultimate is more expensive.
Thor got nerfs on survival too, plus Groot also got pruned—less wall uptime and weaker Vine Strikes means less of the tree-trunk menace anchoring backlines.
Human Torch loses both flame and flight, with nerfed burst damage and survivability.
Iron Fist, Iron Man, and Psylocke all eat nerfs to both offense and defense, suggesting Marvel Rivals wants its duelists to lean more on finesse than brute force.
Then there’s Jeff. The Land Shark’s charming toolkit gets a rework that dials up utility but trims down healing and survivability. His healing beam now does damage, but the rest of his kit has been nerfed— thankfully he got a couple teamups to help out (more on that further down).
Team-Up abilities weren’t spared either. Several were outright deleted (RIP, Allied Agents, Ammo Overload, and Chilling Charisma), while others like Gamma Charge and Mental Projection were softened to rein in power spikes.
Who Got Buffed?
The patch wasn’t all doom and nerf. Some key characters got much-needed upgrades. Doctor Strange’s damage falloff was reduced, giving his spells longer-range viability. Magneto now charges rings faster—because being the Master of Magnetism should feel magnetic.
Thor’s hammer throw got a quality-of-life overhaul, even if his durability dipped (it’s both a nerf and a buff).
Hawkeye’s arrows hit harder and charge faster.
Storm’s Omega Hurricane ultimate got a damage bump, and The Punisher’s ranged damage and movement speed during his ultimate were improved.
Among the biggest winners? Squirrel Girl. Yes, really. Increased acorn capacity, shorter cooldowns, and smoother ability flow give her a real chance to shine as more than just comic relief.
Namor also gets love with stronger minions and a beefier ultimate, though he loses some defensive power.
Luna Snow is stepping further into the spotlight with better healing and a slight damage boost, while Star-Lord’s ultimate is now stronger—if less frequent. Hela got extra ammo too, and then there’s the absolute wildcard…
Team-Ups & Jeff the Meta Shark?
The best changes lie in the new Team-Ups. Jeff the Land Shark now synergizes with Storm (Jeff-nado) and Venom (Symbiote Shenanigans), softening the blow to flanking Jeff and making way for a new way for him to play.
The most terrifying teamup is Chilling Assault, a Luna Snow/Hawkeye doublebill that lets Hawkeye freeze whole groups for free headshots.
The Rocket Network pairs Peni and Rocket for better deployables and more webs. The new Stark Protocol gives Iron Man and Ultron a sweet synergy, while Operation: Microchip basically just lets lets Punisher and Black Widow kill more (higher damage for Frank, piercing shots for Widow).
What Season 2.5 Might Look Like
Expect to see less Captain America stonewalling and fewer Iron Fist flurries. Instead, duelists like Hawkeye and Squirrel Girl might move up the food chain. Team-ups will be more situational—and meaningful—with synergy playing a larger tactical role in both casual and competitive play.
Jeff The Land Shark could become the surprise lynchpin of Season 2.5. With multiple reworked abilities and two new Team-Ups, the adorable menace is swimming into a meta that rewards flexible, support-heavy picks.
Like other seasonal patches, this is a shake-up. Good or bad, it keeps the game from getting stale, and the picks from getting too obvious.
Stay sharp. And maybe keep one eye on the squirrel.
Plus, watch the full Dev Vision here: