Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 has marked the debut of Rogue for the Vanguard role. Much like the previous hero release of Gambit, Rogue has one of the most interesting and flexible kits in Marvel Rivals to date. Most significantly, one of her abilities grants her the power to steal abilities from other heroes and then use them for herself and her allies. With proper target priority and knowing which abilities can be stolen, Rogue can be an absolute monster to death with, which makes use of this ability crucial.
If you’re wondering what some of the best heroes/abilities to steal with Rogue’s powers in Marvel Rivals, all relevant information has been outlined in the guide below.
The Best Abilities to Steal as Rogue in Marvel Rivals
Rogue’s F ability is a dash that ends in a stun grab. On a successful grab, she steals passives from the enemy based on their role, and will also absorb one of their powers (if they have any). Essentially, this means that heroes who do not have any powers to steal are much worse targets, as they will only provide the passive.
Note: Rogue can only steal one pre-determined ability for each hero. This means that learning which ability can be stolen from each enemy is a very important step in mastering her kit.
On the other hand, some heroes who do have powers offer abilities that turn Rogue into an absolute monster. Examples include being able to spontaneously heal herself in a frontline brawl, adding extra damage boosts to her attacks, and even defensive mechanisms such as bubbles or shields for situational moments.
Here are some of the top priorities to look out for when playing Rogue, with each one offering a very viable ability to help her with her role and playstyle.
Storm – Goddess Boost
- Channel the power of the weather to empower Storm: Tornado grants a Movement Boost and inflicts Slow on enemies; Thunder grants a Damage Boost and summons lightning to inflict damage.
This one is incredibly strong. Of course, you’ll have to play clever enough to actually catch Storm out on her positioning, either using your flying mode to grab her in the air, or managing to strike her on the ground for an easier power steal.
Rogue already gets the Duelist passive (damage boost) from simply stealing a Duelist ability, such as Storm. Then, Storm’s stolen Goddess Boost ability lets Rogue toggle to Thunder mode, granting an additional damage boost that stacks with the passive. This significantly amplifies her brawl potential, and that’s before you ever consider additional damage boosts from Strategists such as Mantis, Loki Runes, or Luna Snow Ultimate.
Adam Warlock – Soul Bond
- Forge a soul bond with allies, granting Healing Over Time and distributing damage taken across the bond.
This is a very powerful option for Rogue to prioritize stealing. Not only does she grant herself the ability to heal herself and nearby allies with the Soul Bond, but the damage spread across allies comes in clutch, too. This can be particularly useful if your damage reduction shield has been destroyed and you’re under heavy fire.
What’s even more interesting is that Rogue actually gets Soul Bond on a shorter cooldown than Adam Warlock if she is able to consistently steal it in repetition, too, as Adam is locked to a 30-second wait after each use.
Daredevil – Sonic Pursuit
- Lock onto a target, gaining increased Speed and Damage Reduction when attacked. If in range, attacks also Blind them.
Daredevil’s Sonic Pursuit is a deadly ability when used at the right time. With Rogue stealing it, this basically gives her a one-time engage of a dive DPS, enabling her to lock onto a vulnerable target such as a squishy. As she is a melee brawler, this can be a very strong opening move to synergize with her kit, enabling her to create some very aggressive plays.
Steal the power when Daredevil attempts to dive your backline, then use it to full send onto a priority target and hit your melee combos. Finally, if you need to get out of the fight and back to cover or healing, you can now save your kick/flight mode for this occasion.
Thor – Awakening Rune
- Enter Awakened state, enhancing Power Surge Punch.
Thor’s Awakening Rune pumps out quite a heavy amount of damage and can be absolutely brutal in a 1v1 situation. Rogue can make use of this for cleaning up kills or even dealing bigger chunks of damage to bulkier enemies while her other cooldowns are up. It’s slightly more situational than the likes of a straight-up damage boost or the ability to heal yourself, but it can make all the difference in a tough brawl if you time it right.
Loki – Regeneration Domain
- Use Divine Sorcery to create a healing field that provides allies Healing Over Time and converts incoming damage into further healing.
Loki’s lamps/healing runes are absolutely busted when assigned to Rogue’s kit. After stealing this ability, Rogue is able to play incredibly aggressively, knowing she has one of the strongest healing abilities in the game to drop on herself at a moment’s notice. Furthermore, she’s able to snatch this insanely strong ability from not just Loki, but also his clones, which makes him a huge target priority at all times.
Rogue can remain on the frontline and make some very aggressive plays using her damage reduction shield and energy steal. Then, when the enemy finally breaks her shield and inflicts heavy damage, Rogue can simply drop the Regeneration Domain on herself to sustain through the fight and either back out to safety with her kick/flight mode or clean up the kills and reposition with her team.
Doctor Strange – Shield of Seraphim
- Create a protected barrier against damage.
This one is probably the most situational option across the list. However, while situational, Doctor Strange’s shield can be an absolute lifesaver in crucial moments of Overtime or against enemy Ultimates. This becomes even more true if Rogue is solo-tanking, or if you are not running a Vanguard with a shield. In this case, if the enemy has a Doctor Strange, then reading ahead of when you expect some enemy Ultimates(or anything calling for a shield) and stealing his shield in anticipation can completely change the outcome of a fight.
Examples include shielding yourself and allies from the burst of Ultron’s Ultimate, the CC of Emma Frost’s Ultimate, Magneto or Iron Man Ultimate, Gambit’s Ultimate, or even Doctor Strange’s Eye of Agamoto. The situations are nearly endless. However, you will only get to flash or hold the shield just one time before needing to steal it again, so timing will be key.
Gambit – Breaking Spades
- Conjure a Spade Card, gaining a Damage Boost and switch to the Breaking Spades deck.
Gambit’s Breaking Spades deck is full of some of the most powerful damage-oriented attacks in the game, including an AOE knockback attack, and an anti-heal/damage burst. In addition to this, the deck offers a passive damage boost.
Rogue can create huge value out of the combination of additional damage boost plus the Spades deck, and this becomes even more lethal if she has the AOE damage burst punches from her Team-Up alongside Gambit and Magneto.
Blade – Bloodline Awakening
- Awaken the Daywalker Bloodline. While under this state, you suffer Reduced Healing, but attacks gain Lifesteal.
Rogue gets the most value from close-ranged brawls as a melee Vanguard. By stealing Blade’s Bloodline Awakening ability, Rogue will be able to grant herself Lifesteal on attacks. Many of her attacks absorb/sap energy, Ult Charge, and damage, which is then recycled back into her next attacks in bonus damage. By adding a window of Lifesteal to her attacks, she becomes a force to be reckoned with.
The reduced healing from Bloodline Awakening also isn’t so much of a problem, as she has her damage reduction shield. Pair that with her AOE absorption ability, the damage boost passive from stealing a DPS ability, and the Lifesteal on attacks, and Rogue becomes a brawling beast on the frontline.