Marvel Rivals pros think Mister Fantastic is awful, but a few players proved them wrong

Mister Fantastic’s Marvel Rivals debut has been a bit of a flop. After a brief boost in popularity upon release, his pick rate has fallen and he’s been rated low on most tier lists. Pros don’t think he’s competitively viable at all.

As has been made clear by both Hulk and Wolverine going from rags to riches in Season 0, some heroes don’t have to get buffed to become meta. With how new Marvel Rivals is, people will naturally take time to figure things out.

And, though Mister Fantastic hasn’t exactly had a stellar first impression for most players due to being generally unwieldy and lacking burst damage, players who have figured out how to use him are doing insane things in even the highest level matches.

Your favorite pro probably thinks Mister Fantastic is awful, B or C tier at best. He’s a bit higher on our tier list, but there are a few people proving that he’s got potential to be S-tier.

Why is Mister Fantastic “bad” in Marvel Rivals?

First, it’s important to establish why most players think this hero is terrible. He’s got health stats far above average, high mobility, and ways to keep his teammates alive. On paper, he’s got tools that’d be strong in every hero class.

However, there’s one big downside: Mister Fantastic has almost no burst damage. In a game where healing is so prevalent and the ability to deal damage fast is paramount, Reed having such low damage on his stretchy strikes is a real downside that most players can’t get over.

Necros’ tier list is a happy medium between the opinions of most high-level players, so it’ll give you a good idea of where most people feel Mister Fantastic’s power level is at.

Necros

It’s not a great look for him.

If you look at his total DPS, it’s solid. But it takes such a long time to come out that most people will heal right through it. His normal attacks do 60 damage base, meaning it’d take 5 hits to kill. His upgraded elastic form does 135 damage per hit, but it also locks him out of his abilities and drastically reduces his range.

He has mobility in theory, but only if he has an enemy or ally to attach to. His ult also does 450 damage in a huge AoE, but that damage ramps across 6 hits and gives enemies the chance to disperse. That first AoE hit is only 50 damage.

So, yes, on paper, Mister Fantastic’s damage is kind of bad. He’s also not quite as bulky as your typical tank hero, either, making it hard to justify picking him over someone like Hulk or Thor.

If you play him like a typical melee diver and try to dive the enemy supports, you’re going to be useless. In this respect, he’s worse than any other melee diver in the game. But that doesn’t make him weak.

Mister Fantastic isn’t bad, just misunderstood

Two key players in the community have been doing incredible things with Mister Fantastic: TeamCaptain, the low tier hero who’s making a career for himself off of how good he is at Marvel Rivals (Wolverine in particular), and ZBRA, an OG Overwatch Doomfist main who specializes in melee heroes like these.

After analyzing gameplay from both players using the hero in competitive matches at the absolute highest level, there are a few key takeaways. While TeamCaptain and ZBRA have different playstyles, there are a few things both players do extremely well that’ll help you perform better as Reed Richards:

Manage your Elasticity Meter

When you hit 100 Elasticity, you’re automatically given a massive 450 HP shield and gain a ton of bonus damage on your attacks. Basic punches will give you 5 Elasticity per hit, while your E and Right Click hits will give you 30.

Considering the meter goes up to 100, you can almost instantly max it out with the right ability rotation. This will give you a ton of control over when you get a huge shield that makes you unkillable, but also when you lose almost all your abilities. Control this meter wisely.

This makes Mister Fantastic good for soaking damage and for his team, but also for 1v1ing. If you know what you’re doing with this hero, he’s a lethal duelist.

Finding the 1v1

Good Mister Fantastic players will do anything they can to find a 1v1 against other Duelists or certain Strategists. If you’re in a duel with someone that isn’t too bulky, Mister Fantastic will almost always win if healing isn’t in the equation.

Even expert 1v1ers like Iron Fist tend to lose to a good Mister Fantastic player, which makes him great at countering divers. He can E to an ally, then right click a diver twice to CC them, go right into his powered up form and steamroll them.

It’d be no exaggeration to say that Mister Fantastic is one of the best counter-dive heroes in the game. And, while the ability to shield allies and survive against divers is part of it, there’s more to the story.

Clicking and dragging

If you’re on controller, this tip won’t be quite as relevant to you unless you heavily turn up your sensitivity. When you toss out normal attacks, whether you’re in your powered-up form or not, whip your cursor around. The punch will drag through multiple targets.

And, while this is great for hitting multiple enemies, it’s also great for killing divers. If you’ve ever had a hard time nailing down a mobile hero like Black Panther or Spider Man, Mister Fantastic is for you. He doesn’t have to aim, you can just drag toward your target.

It’s worth noting, however, that dragging too fast will make it so the server doesn’t register the hit even if you hear the sound of the hit registering. Don’t swing too wide.

Animation cancel everything

This is the most important thing top-level Mister Fantastic players are doing. His normal punches can be cancelled with every ability he has. The moment you see that hit marker, toss out another ability and combo your damage.

Every time you’re about to use an ability, get in the habit of getting an attack in between those abilities. Mister Fantastic’s burst damage is generally low as it is, you’ll want to get in as many hits as you can.

Additionally, using Mister Fantastic’s ult under low ceilings will make the punches go off faster. If you can ult under an overpass or inside a building, his ult’s speed can nearly double. If angled properly, you can bounce back and forth in a doorway to burst people down much faster than intended.

Those four factors are what separates good Mister Fantastic players from great ones, and it’d be no surprise to see him become a meta staple later in Season 1.