Rogue from Marvel Rivals is the coolest looking hero you'll probably never get the chance to play

It's important to be able to admit when you're wrong, and I can definitely say that I was wrong when it came to Rogue Marvel Rivals. Like everyone else, I expected her to be a strategist and join Remy Lebeau in the back line to keep her team in the fight. And while that would be fine, two strategists in a row would make for a pretty lackluster season for the other two roles. But in reality, Rogue will find herself at the forefront of any battlefield because she's a Vanguard and an incredibly interesting one at that. While I predicted it before Overwatch 2Vendetta would steal the show this December, I don't think so anymore. Rogue really does look perfect, although I'm just worried now that NetEase may have accidentally overcooked their kit.

When Marvel Rivals will release Rogue on December 12th, she'll be bringing her iconic Savage Land look as an alternate costume, an outfit that's likely to be seen a lot given how many people will inevitably try to keep her. Rogue may have a five-star difficulty rating, indicating that she's by far the most difficult Vanguard and in the same tier of characters as Spider-Man, but the sheer potential of her kit means players won't be put off by her high skill level and similarly high ceiling. In the right hands, Rogue has the potential to be a threat, which means there are two big reasons why it will be hard to get playing time.

Issue 1: The usual new hero release cycle, but amplified

No Marvel Rivals the player – or hero shooter fan – will be well aware of what happens when a new character comes out. While the excitement is palpable and everyone wants a chance to try out the new addition, only one person on the team can have access to the newcomer. This means a race to insta-lock who the newest hero is, with multiple players hovering over said character and only one lucky enough to get there first. For more niche heroes, this insta-lock only lasts a few days, but for a popular one like Gambit, it's hard to get access to a hero during the first week of availability. Unfortunately for Vanguard majors like myself, the hype around Rogue makes it seem likely that she will be hard to use until mid-December.

Players even have technology that facilitates quick selection and Marvel Rivals hero, assigns said character to their strike team and remembers exactly where to place the cursor. This makes it difficult for casual players to try out other heroes until more sweaty players get “bored” of the newest character.

This is particularly problematic given the complexity of Rogue's kit. Since her iconic power-leeching is captured in the game, Rogue users basically need to master one ability from almost every hero on the roster. This will take time as few players can say they have mastered every member of the massive Marvel Rivals cast. However, if players can't use Rogue consistently until later in her release month, and then need weeks of practice to know for sure whose abilities to steal and when to take them, Rogue won't be viable in competitive play for most players until Season 6. And even then, the second obstacle to abusing it will rear its ugly head.

Marvel Rivals reveals its Battle Pass for Season 5.

A rogue can copy the following abilities Marvel Rivals:

Hulk's Thunderclap
Doctor Strange's Shield
Groot's Great Wall
Magneto's Self-Bubble
Venom's tendrils
Emma's Diamond Form (without strangling and kicking)
Thing Damage Reduction
Thor's Awakened State
Storm's Speed/Damage Buffs
Hela's Stun
Scarlet Witch's Stun
Magik's Demon Teleport
Squirrel Girl hop
Spider-Man's Uppercut
Namor's Squids
Psychlock's invisibility
Wolverine's scream
Blade's Lifesteal/Healing Reduction
Daredevil's Mark
Human Torch self-igniting shield
Iron Fist Meditation
Loki's runes
Mantis sleep
Cloak and Dagger's Blind and Bubble (depending on which character is copied)
Luna's snowball
Jeff's bubble
Gambit's Spade (Damage) Deck
Invisible female push/pull
Adam Warlock's Soul Bond

Rogue cannot take an ability from any hero, she only takes their role passively. The general role is that the character is human and has no proper superhero powers, not worth copying.

Problem 2: Rogue from Marvel Rivals becomes a major target for bans

Marvel Rivals Rogue Vanguard-1 background

IN Marvel Rivalsthere are certain heroes who regularly fall victim to competitive bans. In low positions, Peni Parker is regularly picked because her pods are considered annoying, while Black Panther and Hulk have had several seasons where they're basically benched. Sometimes it's the team that causes these insta-bans, like Wolverine and Phoenix, while other times it has to do with a recent buff, or even banning a character like Jeff because they're seen as a tipper. In Rogue's case, it probably won't be her ability steals or melee combos that cause all the bans, but her ultimate ability.

Dubbed Heartbreaker, this one Marvel Rivals Ultimate sees Rogue steal stats from those caught in Ultimate to buff their allies, with buffs determined by the rolls of affected enemies. More importantly, any enemy caught in Rogue's Ult will have their own ultimates drained, essentially allowing Rogue to prevent powerful Strategist Ultimates from being used if they have a good grasp of the enemy team's Ult economy. If players find Peni Parker annoying, there's no doubt they'll hate playing against Vanguard, who can deny their team Ultimates and make Rogue a frequent target for bans. Basically, she's destined to be a pick-it-or-ban character.

This worries me because as much as I'm excited to try the Rogue, I know I won't get many opportunities in the next few days. And then when I do use her, I have to question if mastering her is even worth it because I probably won't be able to use her in comps because of how controversial her Ultimate is likely to be. While Rogue looks cooler than I ever imagined, her addition is somewhat bittersweet as NetEase's approach to Anna Marie may be too strong for her own good.