Marvel Rivals: The Best Hero Bans in Season 5

Marvel Rivals Season 5 marked the arrival of Gambit as the latest Strategist Hero, as well as a series of new Team-Up and balance changes, helping to shape the seasonal META. If you're looking to climb the Competitive Ranks in Season 5, then selecting the best hero ban choices at the beginning of your matches is crucial. These ten heroes are some of the best hero ban targets that players can look to utilize during the remainder of Marvel Rivals Season 5 and well into Season 5.5 when Rogue finally drops.

Hela

Hela has been strong ever since she was released, and Season 5 put her into an even more favorable spot with her Team-Up alongside Namor. By banning Hela, you’re banning one of, if not the strongest, hitscan characters in the game. You won’t have to worry about being 2-tapped from across the map, and you’ll also remove the Namor Team-Up from being put into play, as Hela is the Anchor for this ability. There’s pretty much never a bad scenario for banning Hela, as she’s a very dominant pick in the hands of somebody who can aim well, and outright oppressive on some maps. The only scenario in which it may be a better option to save her is if you have a skilled Hela player on your team, or if you desperately need to keep a strong, ranged hitscan aside due to the type of enemy team comp you expect to go up against.

Hawkeye

Hawkeye, much like Hela, is an absolute beast in the right hands. Following the Season 5 changes, Hawkeye has become much more of a threat on the battlefield. Not only is he the only character in the game who can one-shot kill you, but he can also two-tap Vanguard characters to death, too. Essentially, he puts out a disgusting amount of damage for a ranged sniper, and even comes equipped with some really solid anti-dive and survival abilities with his double jump, slash, and melee deflect parts of his kit. Hawkeye’s Team-Ups are also rather strong, which enables him to fit into the META quite nicely. If you anticipate a strong Hawkeye player or if the map favors ranged heroes, then banning Hawkeye can be a smart move.

Peni Parker

Peni can be an absolute menace to deal with in Season 5, particularly in the lower ranks. This makes her a very viable ban target. By removing the Vanguard trapper from play, you won’t have to worry about any pesky nest setups or her mines getting in the way. This can be particularly overwhelming when the enemy is also running Rocket Raccoon, as the additional mines from the extra nest and respawn can turn the objective into an absolute minefield. Sure, you can switch up your team comp to target the nests from range, but this is still a hassle, and runs the risk of forcing teammates onto less comfortable picks. If there’s a map with lots of defensive strongholds or chokepoints where Peni can set up her nest, sometimes getting her out of the way with a ban enables the match to flow that much smoothly.

Winter Soldier

Much like Hela, Bucky has been overwhelmingly strong ever since he was first released, and has never really fallen out of that top META spot. He has an extremely strong ability kit, including huge CC potential with his Hook and Slows. Even with a well-timed Hook on cooldown, you can consistently interrupt some of the strongest enemy abilities and Ultimates in the game with one of your basic abilities, which is absolutely huge in the right hands.

His own Ultimate ability also has the potential to completely team wipe when used properly, with each kill secured, refreshing his Ultimate usage for a limited time. Banning Winter Soldier can be a bit of a toss-up because a good Bucky can usually flex to the likes of Hela, Punisher, Phoenix, or Hawkeye, which can be just as much of a problem. However, sometimes simply taking Bucky Main’s first pick away can be the edge you need for the game. Besides, banning Bucky is never a waste of a ban, due to how much value he can bring. It’s only ever a matter of if another character ban would suit the map your team comp more.

Magneto

For the last few seasons, Magneto has been overwhelmingly strong on the Vanguard Role, with many players believing him to currently be the strongest Vanguard overall. He has a shield and bubbles to protect himself and allies, and has always had very strong Team-Up potential across each season with heroes such as Scarlet Witch, Emma Frost, and Gambit. Magneto generally fits into most team comps, and there are no maps for which he is considered a bad pick. If you’re looking to take out a deadly frontline presence, Magneto is one of the strongest Vanguard bans to consider throughout Season 5 and heading into Season 5.5.

Invisible Woman

Invisible Woman has always been strong, but with the buffs she gained heading into Season 5, she quickly became the strongest Strategist hero in the game. She was already pretty strong as an anti-dive, but with the addition of a self-shield, killing Invisible Woman has become so much more of a mission for dive heroes. The range on her primary heal/damage also gained more range, making her able to play from advantageous positions and easily jump back to safety whilst maintaining healing on her allies. If you want to get rid of one of the strongest Strategists in the game, then banning Invisible Woman is fair to consider – particularly if you don’t plan to run her on your team lineup.

Gambit

Gambit, when in the right hands, is right up there alongside Invisible Woman as the best two Strategists in the game. He has incredibly powerful abilities in his anti-heal and cleanse, and whilst knowing how and when to switch between them is crucial, a good Gambit player can be an absolute beast, dictating the flow and pacing of each teamfight. Furthermore, he has one of the most powerful Ultimates in the game. If you’re not looking to run Gambit yourself, then sometimes banning him can really pay off. This is especially true if you’re running a team with many abilities or Ultimates that can be countered via his cleanse, such as Angela, Groot, Doctor Strange, Namor, Winter Soldier, and more.

Daredevil

Dive can be a huge pain to deal with, especially if it involves multiple dive heroes and multiple players who are very skilled in such a team comp. Of all the dive heroes in Season 5, Daredevil has, without a doubt, been the strongest pick by far. He has brilliant mobility, can cling to walls, counters Invisible Woman’s passive with his lock-on sight, has attack combos that can completely obliterate people in no more than a couple of seconds, and a very powerful Ultimate that places huge pressure on the enemy, often drawing out enemy Strategist Ultimates in return. If you want to get rid of the pressure from dive, Daredevil should be your ban target – the other dive heroes are much more manageable to deal with, or can be counter-picked to some degree.

Groot

Groot is in a pretty solid place at the moment, with the strongest Groot players able to dominate some team comps and map layouts. Most importantly, Groot can now gain a passive from his wall that makes him immune to those pesky CC abilities, meaning there’s now much less worry about being pulled off the ledge of a control point by Spidey, or kidnapped away into the enemy by Wolverine. If you’re playing on a control point map or expect to have to deal with chokepoints where Groot’s walls can be lethal in cutting off teammates from one another, then sometimes getting those annoying walls out of the way with a ban is just easier.

Mister Fantastic

Last but not least, there’s Mister Fantastic. He’s always been in a fairly good spot and has never fallen too far from the META. In Season 5, though, he is a pretty darn good pick, thanks to the latest changes to his stretchy-mode bonus HP, and the recent buffs to Invisible Woman, who is the Anchor for the Fantastic Four Team-Up. Mister Fantastic is strongest in a poke comp and has survivability to the point of being annoying, where he can contest the objective for an almost ridiculous amount of time if played right. If you don’t expect your team will have something that can outplay or deal with Mister Fantastic (such as a Wolverine to shred him), then banning him at the start of the match isn’t a bad option to consider, particularly if you suspect the enemy may be playing poke/brawl.