Introduction
Discover everything you need to know about Iron Man, including his abilities, gameplay mechanics, and effective strategies.
Iron Man in Marvel Rivals is the strongest ranged DPS. He’s one of the few flyers in the game and is played well as a flanking damage dealer. Not only can he move around the map quite effectively, but also get an angle and areas that enemy teams are not ready for. Iron Man’s kit enables him to take out targets quickly and retreat to safety. He can tend to flank around the sides and wipe out the enemy strategist quite quickly before they can even react.
This hero is not the hardest one to master here, but there are some tips that most Iron Man players aren’t aware of, and they’re missing out on a lot of kills. In this guide, we’ll discuss how Iron Man works in Marvel Rivals and how to play this character efficiently.
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Why Iron Man Matters in the Current Meta
Iron Man has been a silent menace in ranked due to his incredible damage output and the capability of cancelling key ultimate with his own. This hero in the current meta doesn’t function like other DPS. Since his ultimate charges so fast, oftentimes, if there is no opportunity for you to single out a target with your beam.
While Repulsor Blast (Left-click Ability) allows the Iron Man to fire nano pulse cannons forward, the right-click ability also fires nano pulse cannons forward. His Q ability enables him to fire a devastating pulse cannon in the targeted direction. This allows him to deliver catastrophic damage to the targeted area.
All Iron Man Abilities in Marvel Rivals
Below are all Iron Man’s abilities and how to use them effectively in Marvel Rivals.
- Repulsor Blast – Fires nanopulse cannons that explode on impact.
- Unibeam – A channeled hitscan laser that provides high single-target damage.
- Hyper-Velocity – Allows you to perform a swift, long-distance flight, consuming a fuel meter.
- Micro-Missile Barrage – launches a bombardment of missiles to deal AoE damage.
- Armor Overdrive – Provide a buff that increases the damage of Repulsor Blast and Unibeam.
- Invisible Pulse Cannon – This ability allows you to fire a large-radius energy blast to deal catastrophic damage to a cluster of enemies.
Repulsor Blast (Left Click Ability)
This is a slow-moving projectile that, when it hits the target, explodes for an AoE damage. The actual hit is pretty significant, being able to take out a duelist at about three hits. If you aren’t landing direct hits with this ability, you’re not being that effective and wasting quite a bit of your ammo. The Repulsor does three different blasts: right hand, left hand, and both hands.
The right-hand shots will consume 10 of your ammo, and a double-handed shot consumes 14 and does a much larger chunk of damage. Due to the very slow projectile, you need to be leading your shots and prepping out where your enemies are going to be before you fire the shot. You’re not going to be spending very much time in your matches using this ability, but never using it is also a mistake.
Unibeam (Right Click Ability)
This is a chest channel ability that uses the same ammunition as your Replusors, where the Replusors have infinite range and no damage fall off. The Unibeam is much more limited, with a range of only 25M. This ability deals continuous damage as long as you’re able to trace onto your target. Where the replusors will deal more damage faster if you land all your hits. The Unibeam deals much more damage on the second.
This ability pierces through targets and is just really potent if you’re in a situation where flanking off from your team is not ideal. Hanging out near your Vanguards and just Unibeaming through them into the enemy team is also really powerful.
Hyper-Velocity (Left Shift Ability)
This ability allows him to zip around the arena, as it gives you a continual burst of movement speed, but stops you from being able to use your attacks. While flying about in this mode, you have a fuel bar that shows up on the right side. This tells you how long you’re able to maintain increased movement speed. When you end the ability or run out of fuel, you’ll do a brief animation to stop your movement. Be aware of this animation because you’re again not able to use any abilities during it.
Micro-Missile Barrage (F Ability)
The Micro-Missile Barrage will fire missiles out from around you and nail down on targets ahead of you. This will sprinkle damage over the top of an area and do really spread-out chunk damage. This is a particularly useful ability, but if you’re flying around and your enemy team already knows where you’re at, firing this off can get you some light chip damage. Don’t try to focus on using this because it gives away your position. You should flank around enemies and Unibeam them.
Armor Overdrive (E Ability)
Iron Man’s entire kit comes together with his Armor Overdrive. He’ll power up his basic moves and become a little bit more powerful. His basic Repulsors will hit a little bit harder and have a much larger AoE damage. This causes the splash damage to deal double and makes it much more likely you’re going to hit multiple targets every rate.
Your rate of fire decreases during this, so you’re going to deal about the same amount of damage per second as your Repulsors. With the Armor Overdrive activated, your Unibeam becomes way stronger, allowing you to melt down the enemies in a few moments. In the Armor Overdrive form, you can also activate your missile barrage when you’re standing still. However, it can no longer activate it when you’re flying quickly.
Invisible Pulse Cannon (Ultimate)
Iron Man will charge up for a couple of seconds and unleash a massive blast that annihilates targets. This attack deals a huge amount of damage and is often a team fight winner. You’re vulnerable when you activate it, and there’s a large exclamation mark at your current location, as well as where the beam travels. Firing this from a long distance gives the enemies too much time to react to it, and you’re unlikely to get these shots off.
This ability is more effective when flanking and coming in from an angle that the enemies are not ready for you. Invisible Pulse Cannon can kill every healer during their main ultimate.
How to Counter Iron Man in Marvel Rivals
Iron Man struggles against anyone who can shoot him out of the sky. To name a few, we got Hela, Hawkeye, Star-Lord, Spider-Man, Psylock, and even Adam Warlock, Luna Snow, and Mantis. This isn’t to say it is impossible to play into these characters, just that they will significantly hinder where you can play based on who you are against.
Against characters like Hella Hawkeye and Adam Warlock, you will want to make sure that you play closer to cover and on the ground in general to deny the enemy from taking you out early. You will always be at a disadvantage, but this will give you a chance to get them low before taking them out with your Unibeam.
Against characters like Star-Lord and Psylock, you just have to bait them to thirst too hard to eliminate you so that they’re out of position. This makes them an easy target for you and your team. Maybe Ultron can make this a little easier if he gets a bit more buffs.
Outside of immediate threats to your life on Iron Man, you also have Magneto, who can completely suck up your ultimate if you are not careful. This is pretty common in fights where teams are trading support ultimates. However, you can get away with this if you manage to force out the enemy support ultimates first before the enemies force out yours.
Iron Man Synergies
Moving on to the characters Iron Man likes to play with, it is important to note the team-up that he lost and the team-up that he gained. Whenever you have an Ultron, he gains access to a beam that can both heal teammates and deal damage to enemies. It makes Ultron a menace, and you want to run Iron Man if you have an Ultron to make him a lot more viable.
Outside of these, Iron Man loves playing alongside any tank that can keep him alive when he alts, at least in ranked. This is the easiest way to get value with Iron Man, and if you can make sure it hits in a ranked game, you’re going to win all the time.
In terms of DPS, Iron Man likes playing with any character that can contest enemies that are going to be able to pressure him easily. Hela and Psylock come to mind. Hela can duel her counterpart on the other team while they are occupied with the Iron Man that’s flying around in the sky. He also has a very favorable matchup against both Star-Lord and Spider-Man. Psylock has a very easy time dealing with Hela and Hawkeye with her invisibility and can get a one-shot off on Star-Lord if he isn’t focused on marking her. She does struggle with eliminating Spider-Man, though, so if that’s a problem, it’s probably not a good idea to be running Iron Man.
Best Tips and Tricks for Iron Man in Marvel Rivals
Here are the best tips and tricks for Iron Man in Marvel Rivals.
- Try and stay off angles and come in from a surprise angle when the enemies are not ready for you.
- In long team fights, try and beam through multiple targets, dealing more damage than the enemy strategists can handle.
- When the enemy team knows where you’re at, it’s usually better to stay a little bit lower down.
- Use Armor Overdrive to enhance your Repulsor Blasts, Uni-Beam, and Missile Barrage.
- Focus on eliminating squishy targets like healers and damage dealers, especially when flanking.
- Leverage Iron Man’s Repulsor Blasts, which have splash damage, to pressure enemies and force them out of position.
- Use the flying ability to quickly reposition, flank enemies, and access high ground.
Frequently Asked Questions
What role is Iron Man in Marvel Rivals?
Iron Man is a Duelist in Marvel Rivals, and his primary objective is to deal damage and lots of it.
How much damage does Iron Man do in Marvel Rivals?
Iron Man in Marvel Rivals can deal 140 damage per second, allowing you to absolutely dominate enemies in a match.
Who is the best counter to Iron Man in Marvel Rivals?
Winter Soldier and Punisher can easily eliminate Iron Man while he’s flying during a match.
Is Iron Man good to pick in Marvel Rivals?
Iron Man is a difficult character to choose in Marvel Rivals because he’s vulnerable to skilled hit scan players and requires good positioning.