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Magikis a Duelist inMarvel Rivalsand one hell of a frontline. Commanding forces from a demonic dimension, the Queen of Limbo dashes through the battlefield, crossing portals and unleashing havoc among the enemy ranks.
She is an excellent flanker with a powerful mobility kit that makes her gameplay quite unique.One of the strongest X-Men,Illyana Rasputin, is the sister of Colossus (Piotr Rasputin), a trained assassin, a powerful demonic magic user, and also an alpha-level mutant.
But with all that power comes a great learning curve, and knowing the ins and outs of her ability kit, the best strategy to play her in several game modes, and the best team composition to make the most out of her skills. In the worst-case scenario, players should also learn how to counter her, and we also got that information here. So, let’s start with this hellish training once and for all.
Magik Abilities Overview
Magik’s abilities grant her extreme mobility and unlock her potential as a flanker. Of all the Duelists, Magic has a considerably powerful kit, though limited to horizontal movement, her abilities create a destructive path that distorts her rivals' strategy if played well.
Stepping Disks combos are extremely useful to disperse groups of enemies or to pin down a single target. This ability also becomes Magik’s main exit strategy when she needs to reposition herself on the battlefield. Umbral Incursion is a nice addition to her kit, granting more mobility and a stunning ability tosecure priority targets like Strategists. It is a bit slower than Stepping Disks and doesn’t grant Invulnerability, so it should only be used to escape as a last resort.
Eldritch Whirl and Demon’s Rage are combination attacks that can only be used after casting Stepping Disks. One is an AoE circular slash that pushes back foes, and the other is a summon that will bring forth a demon from Limbo that will damage opponents repeatedly and cause severe harm.
WhenDarkchildis active, she becomes invulnerable during the transformation (0.5 seconds) and gains extra damage, and her abilities gain more power, too:Eldritch Whirlgains range and upward reach and hits enemies thrice, dealing more damage, whileDemon’s Rageminions attack’s range widens a little bit, and also gains 100 extra health.Umbral Incursiongains dash range, speed, cooldown reduction, and extra damage.Magik Slashgains charge speed, projectile speed, damage, and maximum travel distance.
How To Play With Magik In Marvel Rivals
Magik is a fast Melee Duelist and must constantly move between priority targets to avoid being targeted by range Duelists. Hermajor weakness is that she is easily countered by well-placed crowd control, that is, if the enemy is skilled enough to target her.
So, remain moving using Stepping Disks and engage using Umbral Incursion when there’s a priority target on sight:Strategists (healers) like Luna Snowshould go down first, as they have annoying crowd control effects that can impair Magik’s mobility.
Avoid direct confrontations with duelists like Winter Soldier, Iron Fist, or Vanguard like Venom and Hulk. Their ability kits have enough crowd control and sustain to make them troublesome foes for Magik when she is flanking. The best approach when playing as her is to either lead a frontal assault accompanied by a Strategist and a Vanguard or to flank opponents and select squishier targets or ranged duelists with less mobility.
Let’s take a look at how Magik’s abilities can be used in each of thedifferent game modes ofMarvel Rivals:
Convoy Mode
During Defense, Magik can flank her opponents to prevent them from taking the payload early. Defenders move first and have around 40 seconds to position themselves near the area that has to be taken before moving the Convoy, so she has the perfect chance to prepare an ambush.
Using her privileged mobility, she can dive into the middle of the enemy team, dividing their forces with Eldritch Whirl, then use Umbral Incursion to pick up a priority target. Dash out using Stepping Disks again and use Demon’s Rage to cover her retreat. Rinse and repeat.
During Offense, Magik is better used as a flanker at all times, but she can pivot between the frontline and the backline with ease, so having her as a support Duelist to prevent heroes like Iron Fist from wiping the entire backline is a good strategy. Trust her mobility since she’s an expert at crossing the battlefield in an instant.
Demon’s Rage can overwhelm Iron Fist, Black Panther, and Spiderman, but watch out for Hulk jumping on the backline, as he is nearly unstoppable. Better to always target high-mobility Strategists like Jeff the Land Shark, Luna Snow, and Adam Warlock.
Domination Mode
Domination is a mode that requires intense teamfights, and to take an entire team, their Vanguards need to go first. Hulk is Magik’s Natural Enemy, so avoid a direct confrontation with him.Venom is much worsesince his fast tendril attacks can render Magik helpless in a matter of seconds. Thor can be easily pinned down using Eldrich Whirl and Umbral Incursion, but watch out for other duelists like Winter Soldier, since they’re the most dangerous for Magik.
Play safe, she is not as tanky as her passive intends her to be and depends on fighting constantly to activate the sustain it provides. If Magik chooses a direct confrontation, the best approach is to cover herself fromdangerous, raged Duelists like Scarlet Witchand Hawkeye or Black Widow if they are sniping comfortably from the high ground. Call for allies like Spider-Man, Moon Knight, or Iron Fist in those cases since their kits are better suited to counter-ranged Duelists.
Convergence Mode
During Defense, associate with Psylocke and Black Panther since they both have extra healing while they cross Magik’s portals. Doing so will create a nearly unstoppable flanking team that can break down foes while a strong barricade Vanguard like Hulk defends the area alongside a Strategist and a ranged Duelist.
Magik can then lead a team of the best flankers in the game and wipe out the enemy backline to prevent them from taking the zone. This needs to be fast, but thankfully, these three assassins working together are nearly unstoppable and can strike like lightning.
During Offense, same as with Defense, Magik should be flanking or protecting the backline instead of going on a frontal assault. Magik has a lot of powerful moves and when she transforms into the Darkchylde, she becomes even more lethal.
The fun part about this is that enemies tend to flee when they see her transform since she can OHKO most Strategists and squishier Duelists. So, using her Ultimate and diving into the enemy team is actually a good idea to break down their lines. Plus, since Eldritch Whirl gains even more pushback, Magik can send them flying with ease.
How To Counter Magik In Marvel Rivals
Countering Magik with her high mobility and invulnerability can be tricky but not impossible. The best hero to counter her isWinter Soldier, since he can use his Bionic Hook to pull herand make the whole team jump on her before she escapes. Hawkeye can also one-shot her if he has enough Focus and aims for the Head, which is quite tricky since her hitbox is hard to target.
But Hawkeye has an advantage and a good way to counter Magik’s high mobility: his ultimateHunter’s Sight, which lets him target enemy after-images, basically shooting a simulacrum of the hero that remains in the same place while he shoots. Now, let’s analyze how to counter Magik in each of the game modes so players are ready to face her in battle:
During Defense, players will have to follow Magik’s movements up close since she will be trying to flank the team constantly. It is also possible that she acts as a pivot duelist between the front and backline, but if the enemy team is transporting the payload, she will likely be on the prowl. So, protect the Strategists and Ranged Duelists at all costs. Once she lands a few kills, she becomes empowered by overheal thanks to her passive and charges her ultimate faster. If she unleashes Darkchylde, avoid her at any cost since she’s nearly unstoppable.
During Offense, Magik will play more defensively, probably glued to the backline if the player controlling her is smart. If Magik is nowhere to be found, then she probably is attempting a flanking move alongside her preferred partners: Psylocke or Black Panther. Watch out for this trio since it’s quite annoying. attempt to send Spider-Man to counter Psylocke, Wolverine for Black Panther, and Moon Knight for Psylocke.
If there’s a Winter Soldier in the team, he can counter the three of them simultaneously, but he will need support from a healer like Jeff or Luna.Captain America is a good pick to protect the teamfrom flankers like Magik.
In Domination, Magik moves between frontal assault and backline protection, since she’s a Duelist with extreme mobility, players need to pin her down and strike fast. Using crowd control abilities is the way to go. Spider-Man can be a good counter for Magik if he lives long enough to land a web sling on her. Winter Soldier can go toe to toe with her for longer since he has lots of CC, so send him first and follow up to ruin Magik’s gank opportunities.
During Defense, Magik will be using her mobility to pivot between frontal attack and rear defense. She will be too distracted to notice a ranged DPS reaching a good sniping spot or an infiltrator like Psylocke or Iron Fist jumping on the rear at the right moment. Wait for her to rotate and then target her Strategists, cutting her support line and forcing her to leave one of two sides unattended. If done correctly, this will totally break her pacing and prevent ganks.
During Offense, remain close to the squishier members of the team if using Vanguard or vice versa if the players are using squishy heroes like Scarlet Witch, Adam Warlock, Loki, or Cloak & Dagger. Since Magik relies on her Darkchild ultimate to power up, negating her kills and assists will result in a considerable delay in her energy charge. This will give players a window of opportunity to secure the area in a critical moment, but watch out: Magik players tend to save their ult for the very last moment to create a powerful counterattack and wipe out the entire rival team.
Best Team Composition For Magik In Marvel Rivals
The best team composition for Magik inMarvel Rivalshas Psylocke and Black Panther as Duelists, since Magik grants her extra sustain and damage thanks to her Disc Master Team-Up Passive. Magik can greatly benefit from a long-range attacker backing her up and countering other Ranged Duelists. For that, Black Widow or Hawkeye will do. Having Jeff or Luna Snow on the team and Venom or Hulk to complete the lineup is a great way to protect Magik from incoming damage.
