A year in, Marvel Rivals is what Overwatch 2 should have been: a 6v6 hero shooter with a live IP pipeline, a patch cadence that responds to Diamond lobbies, and a casual-to-ranked ramp that doesn't punish new players for not one-tricking.
Season 3 arrived with Cloak & Dagger reworks, a new damage hero in Silver Surfer, and a tank change to Venom that the community had been begging for. All three landed well.
What works
Tank balance. Venom's rework — shorter dash, longer vulnerability after — takes him from "pick-rate-capping solo-tank" to a real duo-tank option. DPS ceiling on Silver Surfer is sky-high (90%+ charge ult kills from a full shield is busted on paper but the 4-second cast time makes it read-able).
The matchmaking Elo update also killed most smurf lobbies in the low-Diamond bracket. You feel the difference after three matches.
What doesn't
Support roles are still undercooked. The healer playlist is Cloak, Cloak variant, and Mantis — past that, picks fall off a cliff. If NetEase wants a three-year live service, they need one more tier-1 healer and one more tier-1 tank before Season 5.
Verdict
Rivals is the hero shooter that's actually learning. Overwatch 2's year-one stumbles aren't here. Get a six-stack, grind Diamond, and don't miss the fact that you're watching hero-shooter history happen in real time.