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Marvel Rivals, the newest PVP hero-shooter by NetEase Games, boasts an iconic cast of over 30 heroes from childhood, all with distinct powers and abilities.Doctor Strangeis a Vanguard hero in the game who likes to stay in the thick of the battle and deal massive AOE damage to foes all around him. His abilities let him play as a protector, saving his allies from projectile attacks while also dealing massive damage with his primary attack and other skills.
With a difficulty rating of 2 stars, Doctor Strange isn’t necessarily the most complicated hero in the game for players to master. However, cooldown management and knowing when to switch between offense and defense are essential to securing wins with the Sorcerer Supreme. In this guide, we’ll showcaseDoctor Strange’sabilities and drop some tips to help you master the hero inMarvel Rivals.
Updated by Grace Black, July 31, 2025:As Season 2 has arrived in Marvel Rivals, a number of changes have been made to the game since release. This includes the likes of new heroes, new maps, additional gameplay mechanics, hero balance changes and reworks, and even brand new Team-Ups - one of which Doctor Strange has been the recipient of. For this reason, this Doctor Strange guide has been updated with all of the latest tips and tricks to help you get started in learning his kit.
Doctor Strange Abilities in Marvel Rivals
Doctor Strangeis a Vanguard herowho can can provide a lot of utility for his team. Unlike Thor or Venom, who need to get close to the opponent before they deal damage, Doctor Strange can stay back with the team’s support, protecting the backline with his shield, dealing damage fro a safe distance, as well as moving up to gain charge with his whip.
Here’s a quick overview of all of Doctor Strange’s abilities and attacks inMarvel Rivals:
Doctor Strange fires a five-round projectile in the target direction
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Price of Magic
Passive
With every hit on the enemy, Doctor Strange builds up Dark Magic. If it peaks for too long, Doctor Strange gets cursed with Anti-Heal.
Cloak of Levitation
Activated Ability
Doctor Strange enters a state of sustained flight for 6 seconds.
15s
Shield of the Seraphim
Activated/Channeled Ability
Creates a protective barrier in front of Doctor Strange that blocks projectiles and damage. Blocks up to 800 damage.
3s after destroyed
Maelstrom of Madness
Releases the accumulated Dark Energy from the Price of Magic to damage nearby enemies.
8s
Pentagram of Farallah
Doctor Strange opens a portal between two locations allowing all units to travel through them. The portal lasts for 20 seconds.
180s
Eye of Agamoto
Ultimate Ability
After a brief cast animation, Doctor Strange separates the Soul of nearby enemies from their bodies. The enemies are stunned for the duration and attacking the released Souls causes the enemy to take bonus damage. The Soul Separation lasts for 3 seconds.
Doctor Strange has a lower maximum health than otherVanguard heroes in the game. However, combined with his Shield of the Seraphim ability, his effective HP goes up to 1450 against enemy projectile attacks.
The Shield of the Seraphim blocks almost all projectile attacks inMarvel Rivals, includingIron Man’s ultimate, Invincible Pulse Cannon.
His Pentagram of Farallah has a long cooldown, but it’s also one of themost broken abilities in the game. The two portals you create on the map cannot only be used as a shortcut, but you can also attack enemies you see on the other side of the portal without putting yourself in a bad spot. This ability lets you make a lot of plays, includingthrowing unsuspecting enemies off the map.
The enemies can also use the Portals that you create using the ability.
How to Play Doctor Strange in Marvel Rivals
Doctor Strange’s main kit revolves around utilizing the Dark Energy build-up from his passive, Price of Magic. Any time Doctor Strange hits an enemy target with his primary attack, Daggers of Danek, or melee, he will build up Dark Energy. If the Dark Energy build-up exceeds a certain threshold, he will enter a state of anti-healing where he will take damage from any source of healing.
However, you can cast your Maelstrom of Madness Ability to release the built-up Dark Energy in an AOE around you to damage nearby enemies. The damage you deal depends on the amount of Dark Energy you accumulate before release. Using this ability removes all Dark Energy and puts the ability on an 8-second cooldown. Using this combo, Doctor Strange can dish out insane bursts of damage during skirmishes.
You can pull off a couple of different combos when you’re playing Doctor Strange. In most situations, you’ll use the Cloak of Levitation to soar above the battlefield and target enemies with your primary attack to build up Dark Energy. After the Cloak of Levitation ends, you’ll drop near the opponent and hit Maelstrom of Madness to take them out and damage nearby enemies. Quickly pop your Shield of the Seraphim ability to run back toward your support while absorbing all your enemies' projectile attacks.
Doctor Strange’s Ultimate takes longer to charge up compared to other ultimates in the game. But it’s also one of the strongest, capable of winning the entire game if you use it properly. It’s a strong AOE disable that stuns nearby enemies and knocks out the souls of enemies that get hit with it. This ultimate combos well with other AOE damage-dealing abilities likeMoon Knight’s Hand Of Khonshuor Venom’s Frenzied Arrival.
Attacking the Soul of the enemy hero causes them to take increased damage.
However, this ultimate doesn’t target enemies through the wall and has a long windup. So you’ll have to be smart about how you use it. If an enemy spots you casting your ultimate, they can use any of their stun abilities to break you out of it. On top of that, you still take damage while casting, so the enemies can focus on you before the ultimate goes off. It takes some practice to get the timing right, but once you master it, you can use it to set up plays for your team or contest objectives.
you’re able to move while casting Eye of Agamoto. So use the map cover and peek out as the cast ends to execute it safely.
Marvel Rivals Doctor Strange Tips & Tricks
Here are a few essential tips to keep in mind when you’re playing Doctor Strange inMarvel Rivals:
All Ultimates That Doctor Strange’s Shield Can Block, Explained
Doctor Strange’s shield can block a majority of each character’s damage and abilities inMarvel Rivals. This is hugely impactful, as it enables Strange to negate even the likes of Ultimate Abilities. Here is a list of every Ultimate Ability Doctor Strange can block with his shield, including any important notes.
Arcane Order - Doctor Strange & Scarlet Witch
As of Season 2, this is Doctor Strange’s only active Team-up.
This was Doctor Strange’s only Team-up prior to Season 2
Notable Doctor Strange Ultimate Combos in Marvel Rivals
Doctor Strange can also pairhis Ultimatewith other ally Ultimates to create more effective plays, often resulting in complete team wipes, and potentially even changing the outcome of a round or game completely. Here are notable combinations that create a huge impact with Doctor Strange Ultimate:
