Quick answer (TL;DR): The best solo DPS in Marvel Rivals Season 10.5 is Storm. She wins 55.07% of Competitive games and is banned in only 0.18% of them, according to RivalsTracker's Season 10.5 hero stats (all ranks, read November 6, 2026). After her, the Duelists that win the most without a coordinated team are Gorr the God Butcher (55.78%, but banned 14.05% of the time even after his October 9 nerf), Magik (54.78%), Mister Fantastic (53.59%) and Daredevil (52.31%). Drop the crowd favorites: Winter Soldier, Cyclops and Namor are all among the most-picked Duelists and all win under 48%.
Updated November 6, 2026, on Season 10.5 (balance Version 20261009; the Version 20261105 patch changed no hero numbers). Season 11 starts November 13, and we'll update this page when its balance notes land.
A r/marvelrivals thread titled "Why are so many DPS players so bad?" drew 47 comments within hours of being posted on November 5. The replies split the usual way. One camp said Duelist has the lowest barrier to entry, since you just point and shoot, so it pulls in the most casual players. The other said every role has bad players and the Duelist ones are just the most visible.
Both are partly right, and the numbers show why it matters for you. If you're climbing alone, you are one of roughly two Duelists on your team, and the hero you pick decides whether you're the one carrying or the one being blamed. This guide ranks the Duelists that win most in the current patch using live win, pick and ban rates rather than feel.
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How many Duelists are on a Marvel Rivals team?
About two and a quarter, on average. RivalsTracker lists 28 Duelist entries for Season 10.5 Competitive (Deadpool's Duelist form counts separately), and their pick rates add up to 224.78%. All pick rates together come to about 600%, one share for each of the six slots, so the numbers work out to roughly 2.25 Duelists per Competitive team. That compares with 1.69 Vanguards and about 2.06 Strategists, the same split we found in our solo tank guide.
Marvel Rivals has no role queue, so a lot of teams run three or four DPS and one tank. That shapes what "best solo DPS" means. We ranked the Duelists on four things:
- Win rate in the current patch: Season 10.5 Competitive, all ranks.
- Ban risk: bans only start when every player in the lobby is Gold III or higher, with three bans per team. A pick you can't lock in isn't a plan.
- Self-sufficiency: can you survive and get value when your healers are busy and your one tank is somewhere else?
- Team value: does the hero make random teammates better, or only themselves?
What is the best solo DPS in Marvel Rivals right now?
| Rank | Duelist | Win rate | Pick rate | Ban rate | Why it works solo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Storm | 55.07% | 4.14% | 0.18% | Flies, buffs every nearby ally, almost never banned |
| 2 | Gorr the God Butcher | 55.78% | 8.50% | 14.05% | Highest Duelist win rate, even after the nerf |
| 3 | Magik | 54.78% | 7.45% | 3.67% | Turns damage into bonus health, dives in and out |
| 4 | Mister Fantastic | 53.59% | 6.69% | 0.40% | Big health pool, covers a missing second tank |
| 5 | Daredevil | 52.31% | 6.13% | 4.30% | Reliable dive pick with a low ban rate |
Source: RivalsTracker, Season 10.5 Competitive, all ranks, read November 6, 2026. This is tracker data, not NetEase's, and it covers all ranks rather than solo queue specifically. RivalsTracker doesn't publish how it calculates ban rates, and Bronze and Silver lobbies have no ban phase, so treat the ban column as a guide to risk rather than an exact figure for your rank.
One pattern jumps out. None of the five is a popular pick. Storm is played in 4.14% of games, less than a quarter of Winter Soldier's 18.76%. The heroes that win the most in Season 10.5 are the ones most players aren't queuing.
Why is Storm the best solo DPS in Season 10.5?
Storm wins more than any other Duelist you can reliably lock in. Her 55.07% win rate across 81,564 tracked games is second only to Gorr among Duelists, and her 0.18% ban rate means she's open in practically every lobby.
Her kit is built for the moment your team won't group up for you. Per her official hero page, Weather Control keeps a passive buff on allies within 15 metres: Tornado gives them 8% movement speed, Thunder gives them 8% damage. Goddess Boost raises those numbers for 8 seconds on a 15-second cooldown. You're buffing strangers without asking any of them to do anything, as long as you stay close enough.
She also has constant flight, which keeps her out of reach of most melee Duelists, and Omega Hurricane lets her pick where to drop her ultimate. That gives her time to find a teamfight worth landing it on.
How to climb with Storm:
- Run Thunder by default. Switch to Tornado when your team needs to cross open ground or get back to a point.
- Fly high, but stay within 15 metres of your team. Drift further and they lose your buff, and a Storm alone dies to hitscan.
- Save Omega Hurricane for when the enemy tank is committed. Dropping it on a full-health team that can scatter wastes it.
Is Gorr still good after the Season 10.5 nerf?
Yes. Gorr is still the highest win-rate Duelist in the game at 55.78%, with 167,598 tracked games. NetEase cut his damage in the Version 20261009 balance post:
"The Butcher is reeling in the reach of his absolute annihilation just a hair to give others a fighting chance." — NetEase, Marvel Rivals Version 20261009 Balance Post
The exact changes:
- Shadow Scythe: 55 + 2% of the target's max health, down to 50 + 2%.
- Shockwave: 60 damage, down to 55.
- Twilight of the Gods (ultimate): 12 seconds, down to 10.
- Living Abyss: cooldown cut from 15s to 12s, but movement speed during it dropped from 13 m/s to 10 m/s.
None of it moved him out of first. The catch is the ban phase. He's banned in 14.05% of all games, and that share is higher at Gold III and above because the lower ranks don't ban at all. That's why he ranks second here: if your climb depends on Gorr, you'll lose him in a lot of your games. Keep him as a main only with Storm or Magik as a backup.
Can Magik carry solo queue in Season 10.5?
Magik is the best Duelist for players who don't trust their healers. Her passive, Limbo's Might, converts 30% of the damage she deals into bonus health, up to 150, according to her official hero page. In other words, she builds her own buffer of bonus health by hitting people. Stepping Discs and Umbral Incursion let her get in and back out before the enemy can turn on her.
She wins 54.78% of her games and is banned only 3.67% of the time. She wasn't changed in the Season 10.5 balance patch, so she's been this strong through the whole half-season.
The trap: Magik only sustains while she's dealing damage. If you dive into a team with a Vanguard between you and their backline, you won't build that bonus health. Pick a target your team is already shooting at.
Is Mister Fantastic a good DPS to climb with?
Yes, especially when your team has only one tank, which happens a lot with roughly 2.25 Duelists per team. Mister Fantastic starts at 375 health, and when his Elasticity gauge fills he inflates for 6 seconds, gaining 350 extra max health (725 total) plus a one-time 350 heal, per his official hero page. He plays close to a Vanguard while still counting as damage.
His numbers back it up: 53.59% win rate, 0.40% ban rate. That's the second-lowest ban rate in this top five after Storm.
Treat him as the "second tank" your lineup is missing. Stand in front, take space with your Vanguard, and let the squishier Duelists shoot from behind you.
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Why is Daredevil on the list?
Daredevil wins 52.31% of his games and is banned 4.30% of the time. That isn't flashy, but it's comfortably above the role average, and he's one of only a handful of Duelists who win more than 52% without a high ban rate.
He's the dive option if you've lost Magik in the ban phase. Play him like Magik without the self-sustain: go in on the same target your tank is hitting, and get out as soon as your health drops, because you won't win a long fight alone. If you're new to him, give him a few Quick Play games before you take him into Competitive. These are all-ranks numbers, and your own win rate on a hero you know well can beat a meta pick you don't.
Honorable mention: Hela. At 50.82% she wins less than our top five, but she's picked in 12.26% of games and is one of only two Duelists in the six most-picked who win more than they lose. The other, Scarlet Witch, barely clears 50%. If you're a hitscan player who doesn't want to dive, she's the safe option.
Which Duelists should you stop playing in Season 10.5?
Popular doesn't mean good. Of the six most-picked Duelists in Season 10.5, only Hela and Scarlet Witch win more than half their games, and Scarlet Witch only just. Here are the popular picks to drop, plus Phoenix, the most-banned Duelist:
| Duelist | Win rate | Pick rate | Ban rate | The problem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Soldier | 47.49% | 18.76% | 12.09% | Most-picked Duelist in the game, loses more than he wins |
| Spider-Man | 49.12% | 16.72% | 17.93% | Under 50% and still banned in about 1 in 6 games |
| Scarlet Witch | 50.06% | 16.38% | 6.16% | Chthonian Burst nerfed from 40 to 35 damage on October 9 |
| Cyclops | 45.16% | 13.51% | 2.07% | Buffed on October 9 and still in the bottom group |
| Namor | 45.86% | 12.57% | 9.23% | Fifth-most-picked Duelist, one of the lowest win rates |
| Phoenix | 47.27% | 11.82% | 34.35% | Second-most-banned hero in the game while losing more than she wins |
Source: RivalsTracker, Season 10.5 Competitive, all ranks.
Phoenix is the strangest case. NetEase buffed her on October 9: Cosmic Flames went from 60 to 65 damage and Spark detonations from 40 to 45, according to the balance post. She's banned in 34.35% of games, second only to Devil Dinosaur. But she wins only 47.27% when she's picked. On these numbers, a ban on Devil Dinosaur or Peni Parker (60.93% win rate) usually takes away more.
Cyclops is the other surprise. His Optic Blast went from 22 to 23 damage and his ultimate, Ruby Rage, got cheaper (3,700 energy down to 3,400), yet he still wins only 45.16%.
At the very bottom, Squirrel Girl (42.40%) has the lowest win rate of any hero in Season 10.5, followed among Duelists by The Punisher (44.09%). If either is your main, this is the week to learn a second hero.
Blade or Wolverine: which is better for climbing?
This came up in another November 5 thread. Most replies picked Wolverine, but one player made a sharper point: Blade tends to do better in lower ranks, and Wolverine gets better as the skill level rises.
The all-ranks numbers lean Blade: 50.02% for Blade versus 48.38% for Wolverine. Neither one makes our top five. If you're climbing out of Bronze or Silver, Blade is the safer of the two. If you're in Diamond or higher and you've already nailed Wolverine's grab, keep playing him. Otherwise pick from the list above.
How do you climb as DPS before Season 11?
You have until November 13, when Season 11 starts. Your final Season 10 rank decides your season-end Crests and your starting point: under the Season 11 rank reset, returning players usually start placements 3 divisions below their final rank, with some exceptions by tier. A good last week still counts.
- Pick one main and one backup with different ban risk. Storm plus Magik covers almost every lobby: they're banned in 0.18% and 3.67% of games respectively.
- Check your team's tank count before you lock in. If you have one Vanguard, take Mister Fantastic, or have someone swap. Our solo tank guide covers which tanks hold up alone.
- Take the Team-Up if it's there. Some Duelist Team-Ups changed on October 9, including Phoenix with Hela (cooldown 12s to 10s) and Cyclops with Gambit (Kinetic Kin 6s to 8s). Our Season 10.5 Team-Up guide has the full list.
- Know the Gold reward rule. The Gold costume needs 10 ranked matches in the half and a finish at Gold or higher. See our rank rewards guide.
For every role on the same data, see the Season 10.5 tier list.
Stuck as the fourth DPS in every lobby? Our boosters can finish your Season 10 climb before the November 13 cutoff.
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Will the best solo DPS change in Season 11?
Probably. Season 11 starts November 13, 2026, and NetEase hasn't posted its balance notes yet. The last two balance posts landed three days before their season launches, so expect Season 11's around November 10. NetEase has promised new heroes but hasn't named them. Leaks point to Nightcrawler and Doctor Doom, and neither is confirmed. Our Season 11 release date guide has the latest.
Until then, Version 20261009 is still the live balance. The November 5 patch added a Spider-Man bundle and bug fixes and changed no hero numbers.
FAQ
What is the best solo DPS in Marvel Rivals? Storm, in Season 10.5. She wins 55.07% of Competitive games, is banned in only 0.18% of them, and Weather Control buffs every nearby ally's damage or speed. Gorr the God Butcher wins slightly more (55.78%) but is banned in 14.05% of games.
Is Gorr still the best Duelist after the nerf? By win rate, yes. NetEase cut Shadow Scythe, Shockwave and his ultimate's duration on October 9, and he still has the highest Duelist win rate at 55.78%. His 14.05% ban rate is the main reason not to rely on him alone.
What is the worst Duelist in Marvel Rivals Season 10.5? Squirrel Girl, at a 42.40% win rate, the lowest of any hero. The Punisher (44.09%), Black Widow (45.12%) and Cyclops (45.16%) are also near the bottom.
Is Phoenix good in Season 10.5? Not as a climbing pick. She was buffed on October 9 and is banned in 34.35% of games, the second-highest ban rate of any hero, but she wins only 47.27% of the games she's played in.
How many DPS should a Marvel Rivals team have? There's no role queue, but RivalsTracker's Season 10.5 pick rates work out to roughly 2.25 Duelists, 2.06 Strategists and 1.69 Vanguards per Competitive team. If you're the third or fourth Duelist, Mister Fantastic is the best way to cover a missing tank.
When does Season 11 start? November 13, 2026. NetEase hasn't posted the Season 11 balance notes, so this ranking is for Season 10.5 until then.
