Marvel Rivals has a lot going for it. Between destructible environments, a roster of some of the most famous characters on Earth, and years of comic book history to pull on, the stage is set for the Overwatch 2 competitor. The new hero shooter still needs to do everything it can to set itself apart, though, and with the next closed beta here, a new ranked ban system is just what Doctor Strange ordered.
Cosmic Selection is a ranked pick-and-ban system in Marvel Rivals, and NetEase is now explaining exactly how it'll work in the multiplayer game's beta and beyond. During ranked play, teams can vote on which heroes they'd like to see added to the 'ban slot.' The more votes a hero has, the higher the chance of it being added to the ban slot and unavailable to everyone for that match.
This only applies to the matches in Diamond 3 rank or above, and also for tournaments during the beta, not casual play. As the Marvel Rivals release date draws closer, Nexon says its "primary goal is for players to play their favorite hero or villain when they're in the mood for having fun!"
In the closed beta test, each team can only ban one hero per match due to the limited roster, but in the full release it should be more. The system works a little differently in tournaments, though, as each team gets two banishes and one pick, chosen by the team captain. The picked hero is safe from banishment, and both teams then go about choosing heroes to banish or save for the tournament in a specific order, as outlined by NetEase.
"Team A banishes one hero, Team B banishes one hero and picks one hero, Team A Picks one hero and then banishes one hero, and finally, Team B banishes one last hero."
Put simply, you can vote to save or ban specific heroes during Marvel Rivals ranked matches, to help solidify fairness and adjust the meta how you see fit.
The Cosmic Selection feature isn't all that's new in the Marvel Rivals patch notes, as NetEase outlines a plethora of changes coming to many heroes in the game. The issue however is that none of these changes delve into specifics. There are no stats or numerical changes, and this is already something the community is calling on NetEase to do next time.
"Going to need actual specifics in the future," says one player. "They need to meticulously tweak the way they do these, we need stats," adds another. Without more information the actual changes to a lot of heroes read as nebulous, so I hope NetEase takes this feedback on.
If you want to jump into the game, you can get in with our PCGamesN Marvel Rivals beta giveaway. Keep in mind that the giveaway is only available until Thursday July 25, so you've not got long as of reading this.
The Marvel Rivals closed beta is also running soon, so if you get in you'll have between Tuesday July 23 and Monday August 5 to play. New heroes Adam Warlock and Venom have been added in this playtest, so it's time to start figuring out who your favorite character is.
We've broken down all the Marvel Rivals characters so you know who to choose come launch, alongside the Marvel Rivals system requirements so you can make sure your rig is good enough for the hero shooter.
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