On the morning of July 17th at 9:00 AM UTC, a character balance patch will be applied, and Wolverine will be on the chopping block for it. The developers acknowledged that Wolverine’s Team-Up Ability with Phoenix unfairly weighed the fate of the Vanguards, and in doing so, would uproot the whole setting of the game in the direction of insult to injury. So yeah, they’re just reversing some of that damage with a nick of power towards Wolverine to maintain balance. No downtime on servers, so patch up and into the maddening chaos we go.
Of course, let’s be honest here: this was probably a nerf that was just about inevitable. Since the release of Season 3, Wolverine, with Phoenix, had insane synergy that treated Vanguards as mere punching bags. The patch notes themselves state fights began to feel more like “a mutiny” rather than a fair fight. So basically: Now Wolverine’s threat level against the Vanguards is being pushed down a notch, and his Team-Up Ability is getting a revamp. Will it be enough? The player base is already split down the middle.
Gamers like @FirePhoenixIsMe tiptoe around; “I don’t think this is gonna stop Wolverine from just running the game. You created a character that counters an entire class and gave him a broken teamup.” While on the other hand, some are glad for any updating. @Hikaru_Agatsuma said with a bit of a salty undertone regarding matchmaking: “My only problem rn is eomm, I get the worst teammates who cannot peel for me or get any kills when I play healer.” Oof.
Then, @heavenblitzer gave full rant mode: “This is absolutely moronic. If ANYONE should be nerfed like this, it should’ve been Black Panther.” They also took the devs to task for having no clue on the characters they are working with, basically saying Wolverine “doesn’t even play like Wolverine.” Harsh but fair?
Chaos erupted under the classic gamer debate flair in the replies. @QafdzFGC pulled some numbers out, saying Wolverine had a 52% ban rate throughout all ranks, whereas @heavenblitzer retorted, “No he wasn’t, you are an absolute JOKE if you thought this.” Drama just never ends.
In stark contrast, @29Ozuna celebrated in German (translated): “Perfect, no Loki nerf!! Greetings to the cry kids.” So yeah, not everyone’s mad; some are just vibing.
Will this fix the meta, or will Wolverine just keep on with his reign? Time says. But one thing for certain: the Marvel Rivals players do not hold back their opinion. Whether they render the face of love or rage, the changes only contribute to that chaotic fun.
So, circle July 17 on your calendars, update your game, and check for if it’s still that unstoppable beast we all know (and maybe fear) called Wolverine. Besides, if he is still too strong, well, there is always the next patch.
