Marvel Rivals lack of Vanguards leaves community frustrated, players demand a change

The Vanguard class in Marvel Rivals has sparked a debate among players, with many feeling that the game lacks adequate variety in this crucial role. A recent post in the official Marvel Rivals page by u/TamedVirus has gained massive traction, with over 4,200 Upvotes and 800 comments, criticizing the limited options available for defensive tank players.

One specific section of the lengthy post called out NetEase Games for prioritising DPS over tanks:

"I KNOW that this game came out for like 3 months but it's clear that the dev priority is dps. Blade is already teased for the next season as a new dps, and that will add up to a total of 21 dps heroes."

It's not that I don't want to play tank, it's just that there's no tank I want to play as. byu/TamedVirus inmarvelrivals

In their post, u/TamedVirus highlights that of the nine available Vanguard class heroes, five are dive-oriented, leaving only four for traditional tank playstyles. However, only two of those have actual shields: Doctor Strange and Magneto. The post later explains how the imbalance in hero distribution leaves solo tank players with limited choices., and it received several opinions from the community.

Some players agreed with the post, believing that the lack of Vanguard variety is a serious issue. u/DesertShot stated that the game desperately needs more tanks and the number of DPS are fine. u/MohJeex also shared their disappointment, arguing that many tanks feel limited in their design, featuring only melee or short ranged weapons. Meanwhile, u/Fantastic-Pen7244 simply agreed as a tank player, without explaining why.

Comments from the community (Image via Reddit || r/MarvelRivals)

On the other hand, some players pushed back against this criticism, arguing that the issue isn’t the number of Vanguards but how they are played. u/Visual-vomit suggested that tanks were not boring but simply not meant to be played as front-liners. u/Kr8studio encouraged players to try Peni Parker, saying she was effective in capture games and could function as a solo tank. u/B1rb33 pointed out that the tank role came with more responsibility than other roles, which is probably why some players find them less enjoyable.

More comments from the community (Image via Reddit || r/MarvelRivals)

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Do Vanguards in Marvel Rivals need a buff or more variety?

The Vanguard class in Marvel Rivals does not need a buff, but it does need more variety. While the number of tanks in the game is relatively low, the ones currently available are pretty good and could dominate the battlefield if mastered.

As per the official database of the game, five out of the top ten most picked heroes during the mid-season 1.5 update are tanks, and three of the top ten highest-winning heroes are Vanguards as well. This proves that while the role itself is strong, the real issue lies in the lack of diverse options.

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