As a mostly solo player speaking to other solo players, I can say this up front: Marvel Rivals offers little to no enjoyment if you don’t have a full squad. While many online shooters manage to strike a balance between teamwork and individual skill, this one fails completely in that regard.

Marvel Rivals isn’t just a shooter—it’s also a strategy game built around strict team composition. Each six-player team is divided into three roles: Tank, DPS, and Healer. In theory, matches should follow a balanced 2-2-2 setup. In practice, that almost never happens. Whether in quickplay or lower-ranked matches, you’ll often see teammates ignoring team balance entirely. You might already have two DPS and two Healers locked in, and then watch the remaining players burn all their brainpower selecting the weakest possible DPS character. The inevitable result: zero coordination, zero progress, and plenty of finger-pointing at the healers.

I’ve spent countless hours playing this game with my husband, both of us highly experienced in competitive shooters, and even our best efforts can’t compensate for uncooperative teammates. Despite consistently topping our team’s performance charts, we’ve been stuck in Bronze—the lowest possible rank—for three straight seasons. It’s not for lack of skill; it’s because Marvel Rivals punishes you for relying on random teammates.

If you don’t have five friends willing to commit to coordinated play, don’t expect much fun here. For solo or duo players, Marvel Rivals is less of a heroic team brawler and more of a frustrating exercise in futility.

As a mostly solo player speaking to other solo players, I can say this up front: Marvel Rivals offers little to no enjoyment if you don’t have a full squad. While many online shooters manage to strike a balance between teamwork and individual skill, this one fails completely in that regard. Marvel Rivals isn’t just a shooter—it’s also a strategy game built around strict team composition. Each six-player team is divided into three roles: Tank, DPS, and Healer. In theory, matches should follow a balanced 2-2-2 setup. In practice, that almost never happens. Whether in quickplay or lower-ranked matches, you’ll often see teammates ignoring team balance entirely. You might already have two DPS and two Healers locked in, and then watch the remaining players burn all their brainpower selecting the weakest possible DPS character. The inevitable result: zero coordination, zero progress, and plenty of finger-pointing at the healers. I’ve spent countless hours playing this game with my husband, both of us highly experienced in competitive shooters, and even our best efforts can’t compensate for uncooperative teammates. Despite consistently topping our team’s performance charts, we’ve been stuck in Bronze—the lowest possible rank—for three straight seasons. It’s not for lack of skill; it’s because Marvel Rivals punishes you for relying on random teammates. If you don’t have five friends willing to commit to coordinated play, don’t expect much fun here. For solo or duo players, Marvel Rivals is less of a heroic team brawler and more of a frustrating exercise in futility.