Season 9 completely changed how Team-Ups work in Marvel Rivals, giving every hero permanent access to two selectable loadouts. And now that the dust has settled, it’s clear that some have had a far bigger impact on the superhero shooter’s meta than others.
Whether they’ve transformed struggling heroes into top-tier picks or simply added another layer of consistency to already powerful kits, these are our top five picks for the best Team-Ups for every role in Marvel Rivals Season 9.
Best Vanguard Hero Team-Ups in Marvel Rivals
Every frontline hero benefits from the right Team-Up loadout. | Image Credit: NetEase Games/FandomWire
Vanguards are expected to stay on the frontline, create space, and survive long enough for their team to capitalize. These Team-Ups improve their survivability, damage, or crowd control without changing how they’re meant to be played:
1. Metallic Chaos (Magneto + Scarlet Witch)
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Magneto mains had been asking for Metallic Chaos to return ever since it disappeared, and Season 9 finally delivered. It may not be the unstoppable menace it was at launch after losing its ability to pierce through targets, but it still gives Magneto something his base kit has always appreciated: a reliable ranged burst option on a short cooldown that fits naturally into his gameplay.
The Chaos Greatsword hits hard enough to pressure squishier heroes or finish off weakened targets without forcing Magneto to overcommit. In other words, it may be a simple team-up, but it makes one of the game’s strongest Vanguard feel even more complete.
2. Bubble Buddies (Groot + Jeff the Land Shark)
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One of Groot’s biggest weaknesses has always been getting caught in the wrong place. Once you’ve committed too far with one of the least mobile heroes in Marvel Rivals, escaping isn’t exactly easy. Bubble Buddies fixes that by giving Groot an emergency button that lets him retreat inside an invincible bubble while continuously restoring his Health. The bubble isn’t indestructible, but it usually buys enough time to survive situations that would’ve otherwise ended in a trip back to spawn.
If Jeff is on your team, the Enhanced Effect pushes it even further by improving the healing and converting any excess into Bonus Health. It turns an already excellent defensive ability into one of the safest panic buttons available to any Vanguard, and is one of the reasons why Groot is an S+ tier pick in Season 9 (as of writing).
3. Psionic Vortex (Doctor Strange + Invisible Woman)
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Doctor Strange didn’t exactly need help staying relevant, but Psionic Vortex gives him another reason to be one of the safest Vanguard picks in the game. Replacing Maelstrom of Madness with a vortex that pulls enemies together gives him a reliable crowd-control tool, while also strengthening Shield of the Seraphim.
Invisible Woman is also one of the most popular Strategists in Season 9, so there’s a good chance you’ll have the Enhanced Effect available in most matches. Every Psionic Vortex then converts the damage it deals into Bonus Health, giving Strange even more survivability after diving into the middle of the enemy team.
4. Two in One (The Thing + Human Torch)
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You don’t even need Human Torch on your team for Two in One to earn a spot here. The Base Effect alone transforms Ben’s punches into AoE attacks, letting Rocky Jab splash damage across nearby enemies while Stone Haymaker detonates in a frontal cone.
That extra coverage is something The Thing’s kit has always lacked. It lets him peel far more effectively when multiple enemies are diving onto his supports, and it’s just as valuable when diving into the middle of the enemy team, where every punch now threatens more than a single target.
5. Spirit Breaker (Emma Frost + Mantis)
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Emma Frost was already one of the strongest Vanguards going into Season 9, and Spirit Breaker only helps reinforce that fact. Damaging the Soul Crystal created by Psionic Seduction converts that damage into Bonus Health, giving Emma more survivability every time she lands one of her core abilities.
With Mantis on the team, shattering the Soul Crystal grants another burst of Bonus Health while reducing the cooldown of Mind Control. More health, more uptime, and even more reason for The White Queen to stay in the middle of the fight.
Best Duelist Hero Team-Ups in Marvel Rivals
More damage starts with the right Team-Up. | Image Credit: NetEase Games/FandomWire
Duelists benefit the most from Team-Ups that make securing eliminations easier. Whether it’s extra damage, better combos, or less downtime between abilities, these are the five that offer the biggest impact right now:
1. Ammo Overload (The Punisher + Rocket Raccoon)
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The Punisher’s ban rate has, quite noticeably, shot up in Season 9, and Ammo Overload is a big reason why. A faster fire rate for both his assault rifle and shotgun alone gives one of the highest-damage Duelists in Marvel Rivals an even bigger edge in every gunfight.
Pair him with Rocket Raccoon, and the Enhanced Effect removes the reloading factor entirely for as long as the device is active, letting him maintain that pressure uninterrupted. It’s no surprise that many ranked players would rather spend a ban on him than deal with Ammo Overload in a competitive match.
2. Damisa-Yao (Black Panther + Storm)
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Black Panther’s quick dash combos are among the fastest in the game, but they’re also some of the most unforgiving. Miss one step, and the entire chain falls apart. Damisa-Sarki gives T’Challa yet another way to start and chain those combos, making his burst far more consistent without changing how you’d want to play him.
That extra consistency is exactly what a hero like Black Panther wants. Landing the first combo is often all it takes to start snowballing through the enemy team, and Damisa-Sarki makes getting to that point noticeably easier.
3. Deep Wrath (Hela + Namor)
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Hela is already one of the deadliest Duelists in the hands of a mechanically skilled player. Deep Wrath gives her another source of damage that naturally feeds into her playstyle, making it even easier to finish off low-health targets and secure elimination after elimination.
That’s where the Team-Up really starts paying off. Once Hela gets rolling, the extra damage makes it much easier to keep the momentum on her side.
4. Expert Instinct (Winter Soldier + Elsa Bloodstone)
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Winter Soldier’s passive already rewards aggressive play, and his team-up with Elsa Bloodstone doubles down on this very factor. Every KO or assist grants a stack of Culling Instinct, reducing the cooldowns of his other abilities. Get the first elimination, and Bucky can start cycling his kit much more frequently for the rest of the fight.
That works perfectly alongside his own passive, which reloads Roterstern and grants Bonus Health whenever he uses a bionic arm ability. Shorter cooldowns mean more ability casts, more Bonus Health, and more opportunities to keep chaining kills before the enemy team can recover.
5. Pair of Threes (Wolverine + Gambit)
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Pair of Threes gives Wolverine two things he can always use more of: damage and mobility. Gambit’s kinetic cards help Logan stay glued to his target, whether he’s chasing down a low-health enemy or trying to disengage before the fight turns against him.
The added damage is just as valuable. Wolverine already excels at sticking to priority targets, and Pair of Threes makes every successful engage more rewarding by helping him finish eliminations faster without changing the aggressive Vanguard-buster playstyle his base kit is built around.
Best Strategist Hero Team-Ups in Marvel Rivals
Strategist Team-Ups add even more utility in Season 9. | Image Credit: NetEase Games/FandomWire
Strategists already bring plenty of healing and utility to a team, but the right Team-Up can make them even harder to deal with. These five stand out by improving survivability, healing output, or overall team utility:
1. Psionic Fox (White Fox + Psylocke)
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White Fox spends a lot of her time managing Spirit Tail Energy, so a Team-Up that lets her use Fox Form Awakening without consuming that resource is immediately valuable. It gives her far more freedom to weave the ability into fights instead of treating it as something to ration.
Psylocke isn’t mandatory for the Team-Up to shine, but the reduced cooldown from the Enhanced Effect makes it even easier to keep returning to Fox Form throughout longer team fights. That extra uptime is why Psionic Fox stands out as White Fox’s strongest loadout out of the two she has access to.
2. Star Blossom (Mantis + Star Lord)
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Star Blossom has done wonders for Mantis in Season 9, turning a Strategist known for pocketing individual teammates into one capable of putting up some of the highest healing numbers in the game.
Having a Star-Lord in the same team makes the Team-Up even better. Once the Enhanced Effect is active, Healing Flower spreads to nearby teammates automatically instead of forcing Mantis to repeatedly cast it on different allies. That alone is enough to make one of the best pseudo-DPS Strategists in Marvel Rivals feel even more rewarding to play.
3. Frozen Veil (Cloak & Dagger + Luna Snow)
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Frozen Veil gives Cloak & Dagger yet another defensive ability to cycle with the rest of their kit. If a diver commits onto you, there’s a good chance you’ll have another cooldown ready to keep yourself alive, making one of the hardest Strategists to kill even more frustrating to deal with.
Luna Snow makes it even better by increasing the healing and slowing nearby enemies. That gives you more time to survive while your teammates (hopefully) turn around and deal with whoever is diving you.
4. Atlas Bond (Luna Snow + White Fox)
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Atlas Bond is already a strong Team-Up on its own. The spirit fox heals allies, Charms enemies in its path, and instantly cleanses every negative status effect from Luna Snow, giving her a reliable panic button whenever things start going wrong.
The Enhanced Effect is ironically even better than White Fox’s own Spirit Fox. Luna Snow’s fox travels back after reaching its maximum range, effectively giving you two casts in one. That means two bursts of healing, two chances to Charm enemies, and another cleanse on the way back.
5. United Siblings (Invisible Woman + Human Torch)
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The United Siblings team-up takes Invisible Woman’s shield, already one of the strongest defensive abilities in Marvel Rivals, and makes it even better. Flame Shield keeps everything that already makes the ability so strong (blocking incoming damage, healing nearby teammates, slowing enemies that pass through it) while also boosting the damage of projectiles fired through the shield.
Human Torch’s Enhanced Effect increases both the size and shield value, making it much easier for your entire team to fight from behind the barrier and benefit from everything it offers.
Here’s a quick look at the top five Team-Ups for every role in Marvel Rivals:
RoleTeam-UpVanguard1. Metallic Chaos (Magneto + Scarlet Witch)2. Bubble Buddies (Groot + Jeff the Land Shark)3. Psionic Vortex (Doctor Strange + Invisible Woman)4. Two in One (The Thing + Human Torch)5. Spirit Breaker (Emma Frost + Mantis)Duelist1. Ammo Overload (The Punisher + Rocket Raccoon)2. Damisa-Sarki (Black Panther + Storm)3. Deep Wrath (Hela + Namor)4. Expert Instinct (Winter Soldier + Elsa Bloodstone)5. Pair of Threes (Wolverine + Hela)Strategist1. Psionic Fox (Psylocke + White Fox)2. Star Blossom (Mantis + Star-Lord)3. Frozen Veil (Cloak & Dagger + Luna Snow)4. Atlas Bond (Luna Snow + White Fox)5. United Siblings (Invisible Woman + Human Torch)
If you’re looking for every Team-Up instead of just our favorites, we’ve already broken them down by role. Check out the Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategist guides here, here, and here.
Those are our picks for the best Team-Ups for every role in Marvel Rivals as of July 2026. As more heroes and Team-Ups are added, the meta will continue to change, but these are the ones delivering the most value right now. If you think another Team-Up deserves a spot on the list, let us know in the comments below!
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