Quick answer (TL;DR): The best solo tank in Marvel Rivals Season 10.5 is Hulk. He wins 54.08% of Competitive games and is banned in only 0.88% of them, according to RivalsTracker's Season 10.5 data (all ranks, updated November 5, 2026). He also got a buff in the October 9 balance patch. After Hulk, the best picks for playing the only Vanguard are Doctor Strange (the most-played tank, 51.39%), Thor (52.25%), Devil Dinosaur (54.01%, when he gets through a 43.26% ban rate) and Peni Parker (60.96%, the best win rate in the game but banned 29.29% of the time). Avoid Magneto, The Thing and Deadpool's Vanguard form: all three win under 48%.
Updated November 5, 2026, on Season 10.5 (balance Version 20261009; today's Version 20261105 patch is cosmetics and two Team-Up bug fixes). Season 11 starts November 13, and we'll update this page when its balance notes land.
If you queue Competitive this week, you've probably already been the only tank. A post titled "Fine, I'll solo tank again" showed up in r/marvelrivals' new feed this morning. The replies tell the usual story: Duelist has roughly twice as many heroes as the other roles, most people buy a shooter to get kills, and the player who fills ends up absorbing a team's worth of damage alone.
Marvel Rivals has no role queue, so this keeps happening. This guide ranks the Vanguards that can actually handle it in the current patch, using live win, pick and ban rates rather than feel.
Marvel Rivals - Rank Boost
Get rank boost in 10 minutes
How often are you the only tank in Marvel Rivals?
More often than the average suggests. RivalsTracker lists a pick rate for each hero in Season 10.5 Competitive, and those rates add up to 600%, one share for each of the six slots on a team. The 15 Vanguard entries (Deadpool's Vanguard form included) add up to 169%. So the average Competitive team runs 1.69 Vanguards. Duelists come to about 2.25 and Strategists to about 2.06.
An average of 1.69 means plenty of teams have two tanks and plenty have one. The second group is where you live when you're filling. The heroes below are ranked on four things that matter when nobody else is up front with you:
- Self-sustain: can you survive without a second tank peeling for you?
- Team protection: do you have a barrier or shield your backline can stand behind?
- Win rate in the current patch: Season 10.5 Competitive, all ranks.
- Ban risk: bans start when every player in the lobby is Gold III or higher, with three per team. A tank you can't lock in isn't a plan.
What is the best solo tank in Marvel Rivals right now?
| Rank | Vanguard | Win rate | Pick rate | Ban rate | Solo-tank role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hulk | 54.08% | 10.21% | 0.88% | Shields the team, hard to kill, almost never banned |
| 2 | Doctor Strange | 51.39% | 24.09% | 0.93% | The only big frontal barrier, plus portals |
| 3 | Thor | 52.25% | 9.00% | 0.59% | Self-sustain and anti-dive zone, almost never banned |
| 4 | Devil Dinosaur | 54.01% | 13.54% | 43.26% | Top-tier when free, banned in 4 of 10 games |
| 5 | Peni Parker | 60.96% | 7.40% | 29.29% | Best in the game, but best on defense |
Source: RivalsTracker, Season 10.5 Competitive, all ranks, updated November 5, 2026. Tracker data, not NetEase's. Ban rates count Bronze and Silver games, where there's no ban phase, so in Gold III+ lobbies the real ban rates are higher.
Two things stand out. First, Hulk, Thor and Doctor Strange are all banned in under 1% of games, so you can actually plan around them. Second, Doctor Strange appears in 474,823 tracked games, more than any other Vanguard. Your teammates already know how to play around his shield.
Why is Hulk the best solo tank in Season 10.5?
Hulk does everything a lone Vanguard needs. Indestructible Guard puts gamma shields on Hero Hulk and nearby allies, and the damage it absorbs charges HULK SMASH!, which turns him into Monster Hulk for 12 seconds. You're protecting the backline and charging your ultimate at the same time.
He also came out of the Season 10.5 balance patch stronger. NetEase described the change this way:
"The puny human just got faster on the trigger and the Green Goliath angrier on the battlefield." — NetEase, Marvel Rivals Version 20261009 Balance Post
The actual numbers: Bruce Banner's Gamma Ray Gun projectile speed went from 80 m/s to 120 m/s, and a Gamma Grenade hitting yourself now gives 100 gamma energy instead of 50. With the Wolverine Team-Up selected, Unstoppable now triggers at 400 health instead of 300, and its cooldown dropped from 60s to 45s.
How to solo tank with Hulk:
- Open fights in Hero Hulk and save Indestructible Guard for the moment your Strategists get focused. A shield on them is worth more than one on you.
- Don't jump in alone. Without a second tank, the space you make is the space your Duelists can actually use. Lead them forward, don't leave them behind.
- If you have a Wolverine, take the buffed Team-Up. The 45s Unstoppable cooldown is the biggest solo-tank buff in this patch.
Hulk's 0.88% ban rate is his real edge. In Gold III and above, the two most-banned Vanguards are gone in a large share of games. Hulk almost never is.
Is Doctor Strange good as a solo tank?
Yes. He's the safest choice if your team plays slowly. Shield of the Seraphim is the biggest frontal barrier among the five tanks on this list. When you're the only Vanguard, a wall your Duelists can shoot from matters more than raw damage. Pentagram of Farallah lets you drag your whole team past a choke point with portals, and Cloak of Levitation gets you back to the team when a fight goes wrong.
His 51.39% win rate is a little lower than Hulk's, but he's picked in 24.09% of Competitive games, which makes him by far the most-played Vanguard. His teams rarely have to learn how to play around him.
The one trap: his passive, Price of Magic, gives you Anti-Heal if your Dark Magic stays at its peak for too long. Spend it with Maelstrom of Madness before that happens. A solo tank who can't be healed doesn't last.
Should you play Thor when you're the only tank?
Thor is the solo tank for teams that keep getting dived. Lightning Realm summons a zone that, per the official hero page, slows enemies crossing it by 30% and briefly restricts their aerial abilities. That's a direct answer to flying Duelists jumping your backline. Awakening Rune spends Thorforce for bonus health, and Storm Surge gives you a long dash to get back to your healers.
At 52.25% win rate and a 0.59% ban rate, he's the least-banned tank on this list. That makes him the most reliable second option when your Hulk or Strange gets countered mid-match.
Is Devil Dinosaur worth it if he's not banned?
Yes, lock him in. Devil Dinosaur wins 54.01% of his games. Most of his kit is built for standing alone: Prehistoric Plating cuts headshot damage by 60% and makes him immune to launch-up and knock-back. Buddy Barrier expands a spherical shield that slows enemies caught inside. Frenzied Feast turns bite damage into bonus health.
The problem is getting him. He's banned in 43.26% of Competitive games, the highest ban rate of any hero in Season 10.5. In the Version 20261009 balance post NetEase also trimmed his base health from 850 to 825.
If he's open at Gold III or above, take him. Bronze and Silver lobbies have no ban phase, so there he's arguably your best solo pick.
Marvel Rivals - Wins Boost
Get wins boost in 10 minutes
Can Peni Parker solo tank in Season 10.5?
Peni Parker has the highest win rate in the game at 60.96%, but she's a specific kind of solo tank. Her strength is setting up and anchoring a space. In our experience that makes her best on defense, holding a choke point, and weaker on attack, where your one tank has to walk the team forward.
She's also banned 29.29% of the time, the second-highest among Vanguards. Treat her as your pick on defense rounds when she isn't banned, with Hulk or Strange for attacking.
Which Vanguards should you avoid as a solo tank?
Popular doesn't mean good. Three of the five most-picked Vanguards in Season 10.5 lose more than they win:
| Vanguard | Win rate | Pick rate | Why it struggles solo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Frost | 48.36% | 20.73% | Strong kit, but her deployable barrier is small and she's banned 17.43% of the time |
| Magneto | 47.27% | 20.73% | Tied for second-most-picked Vanguard. His Season 10.5 buff only touched his Emma Frost Team-Up |
| The Hood | 49.10% | 17.52% | Fine as a second tank, thin as the only one |
| The Thing | 46.92% | 6.86% | No barrier for the team. His buff only applies with Invisible Woman |
| Deadpool (Vanguard) | 45.59% | 5.18% | Lowest Vanguard win rate in the patch |
Source: RivalsTracker, Season 10.5 Competitive, all ranks.
Emma Frost is the hardest call here. Mind's Aegis is a deployable barrier and Diamond Form gives 25% damage reduction, so she can work as a solo tank in skilled hands. But her 48.36% win rate says most players don't get there. If you already main her, keep playing her. If you're picking a tank to climb with, don't start with her.
Magneto is the bigger trap. He ties Emma for the second-most-picked Vanguard at 20.73%, but his only Season 10.5 change boosted the Team-Up with Emma Frost. That doesn't help when you're the only tank and nobody else is playing Emma.
Which Team-Ups help a solo tank in Season 10.5?
The October 9 balance patch buffed three Vanguard Team-Ups. Only one of them changes much when you're alone up front:
- Hulk + Wolverine: Unstoppable at 400 health, 45s cooldown, and +25% attack and movement speed when Furious. The best solo-tank Team-Up in the patch.
- The Thing + Invisible Woman: Unbreakable Forces cooldown down from 20s to 15s. Useful only if your Strategist is on Invisible Woman.
- Magneto + Emma Frost: the magnetic projection now does 50% damage instead of 45% and lasts 6s instead of 5s. This one needs a second Vanguard, which defeats the point.
Today's Version 20261105 patch also fixed a bug where Captain America's Team-Up with Winter Soldier (Stars Aligned) could desync Cap's landing position from the spell field and lose him the buff, according to NetEase's patch notes. It doesn't change any numbers. For the full list, see our Season 10.5 Team-Up guide.
How do you climb as a solo tank before Season 11?
You have until November 13, when Season 11 starts. Your final Season 10 rank decides both your season-end rewards and your starting point in the new season: the Season 11 rank reset drops returning players 3 divisions before placements. So the last week of tanking still counts.
- Pick one main and one backup. Hulk plus Thor covers almost every ban scenario: both are under 1%.
- Play to your backline, not to the enemy. Solo tanks lose when they take a fight their healers can't reach.
- Say it once, early. Tell the team in the hero select that you're tanking alone and need peel on the backline. One sentence, then play.
- Check 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 the exact rules.
For the rest of the roster, our Season 10.5 tier list has every role ranked on the same data.
Tired of being the only tank in every lobby? Our boosters can finish your Season 10 climb before the November 13 cutoff.
- Marvel Rivals Rank Boost: climb divisions fast with pro players
- Marvel Rivals Wins Boost: buy a set number of net wins
- All Marvel Rivals services
Will the best solo tank change in Season 11?
Probably. Season 11 starts November 13, 2026, and NetEase hasn't posted its balance notes yet. The two previous 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 Doctor Doom and Nightcrawler, and neither is confirmed. Check our Season 11 release date guide for the latest.
Until then, Version 20261009 is still the live balance. Today's patch and the three before it (October 15, 22 and 29) changed no hero numbers.
FAQ
What is the best solo tank in Marvel Rivals? Hulk, in Season 10.5. He wins 54.08% of Competitive games, gets banned in only 0.88% of them, and Indestructible Guard shields your teammates as well as you. Doctor Strange and Thor are the next best options.
Is Doctor Strange or Hulk better for solo tanking? Hulk wins more (54.08% vs 51.39%), but Doctor Strange is better if your team likes to hold a position, because Shield of the Seraphim is a real frontal barrier. Play Hulk on aggressive teams and Strange on slow ones.
Why is Devil Dinosaur banned so much? He wins 54.01% of his games, and his passive makes him immune to launch-up and knock-back while cutting headshot damage by 60%. That makes him the most-banned hero in Season 10.5 at 43.26%, even after NetEase cut his base health from 850 to 825.
Does Marvel Rivals have role queue? No. Teams pick freely, which is why one-tank lineups are so common. RivalsTracker's Season 10.5 pick rates work out to an average of 1.69 Vanguards per Competitive team.
Is Magneto a good solo tank in Season 10.5? Not right now. He's tied for the second-most-picked Vanguard but wins only 47.27%, and his only Season 10.5 buff helps his Team-Up with Emma Frost, which doesn't matter when you're the only tank.
When does Season 11 start? November 13, 2026. NetEase hasn't posted the Season 11 balance notes yet, so this ranking is for Season 10.5 until then.
