Marvel Rivals’ new hero Angela is the latest and most fun slap in the face to support players everywhere

Marvel Rivals’ newest hero, the Vanguard/tank hero Angela, is an absolute blast to play.

She has infinite flight capabilities, a spear, dual axes, and an ultimate that tethers foes and slows them down for a follow-up assault. She’s the most fun I’ve had in the game in a long time, and she’s the latest reason why this game is a nightmare to play.

For support players, it’s a never-ending assault on the backline with numerous dive characters, and Angela is just the latest in a long line of pains in the ass to play against. With her flight capabilities, she’s also able to use her spear to grab and push players for a short distance. Good luck dealing with that while also fending off Spider-Man, Iron Fist, Magik, Venom, or Black Panther.

The giant, muscular Asgardian angel is the third Vanguard/tank that has been added since Rivals launched last December. When Daredevil comes to the game next month, he’ll be the fifth Duelist added since launch. There have been two Strategists/healers (Invisible Woman and Ultron) added since launch. This needs to change.

I’m a Vanguard main, so I was having a blast playing Angela, diving the backline and wreaking havoc on squishy characters. I switched off after several games and played a Strategist, as one does since everyone else auto-locks Duelists in most matches, and it felt like torture. As Luna Snow, I immediately was getting dived by Magik, Spider-Man, and Angela, as my oblivious frontline was off dying elsewhere.

And so I switched to Ultron, a healer who can also fly. But guess what? Angela’s infinite flight capabilities makes her a nightmare for him, too. As Ultron, you can use your movement ability to move laterally and get a minor speed boost, but it does not matter as Angela is relentless.

When season four ends, Rivals will have 22 Duelists, 11 Vanguards, and a paltry nine Strategists. This has to change soon, because the game is a balancing nightmare as it is. The roster itself needs to find more balance ASAP, because the hero variety for healers is kind of pathetic at this point.

I think the next two or three heroes need to be Strategists to even begin to try to right the ship. Will NetEase do that? I doubt it, especially since the vast majority of datamined heroes are, you guessed it, Duelists.

With rumors of Gambit and Rogue joining the game in season five, leaks say the latter will be a healer of some kind, so it’s a start. But we need more, and quickly, lest we get some sort of Strategist strike, because playing that role right now is a tough ask for anyone.

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