Marvel RivalsSeason 1 is approaching its midseason patch. Set to arrive on February 21,Marvel Rivalshas confirmed that major balance changes are coming alongside two new heroes. In addition, players can expect fresh Costumes, Arcade modes, and a new map called Central Park.
The community is undoubtedly excited aboutThe Thing and The Human Torch arriving inMarvel Rivals' next update. However, the recent announcement of a midseason rank reset at the halfway point of Season 1 has garnered some criticism as some worry that resetting ranks too often could disrupt the game’s competitive system and impede individual progression.
Examining Marvel Rivals Season 1’s Mid-Rank Reset
Marvel Rivals Could Be Hurting Its Own Competitive Scene With This Feature
On February 10, NetEase Games released anewMarvel RivalsDeveloper Talk, detailing its intentions for the game after Season 1 reaches its halfway point.
This includes the mid-rank reset,Marvel Rivals' most recent controversy. The developers explained their reasoning behind the decision, stating, “After careful observations and consideration, [the team] has concluded that players' ranks during the first half of Season 1 are the best indicator of their competitive skills within the season.” Because of this, they “will be introducing an additional rank reset to better align with the upcoming content and changes.”
Notably, the first half of Season 1 will conclude on February 21 at 8:00 (UTC+0). Ranks and their subsequent rewards will be cemented at this point. For the mid-rank reset, players can expect to be moved down a total of four tiers. To illustrate, players currently in Diamond 3 can expect to be placed in Gold 1, and players ranked Celestial 1 will find themselves in Grandmaster 2. It’s worth noting thatMarvel Rivals' Celestial rankis a new division introduced at the start of Season 1, on January 10.
The Two Sides of Marvel Rivals' Mid-Rank Reset Debate
Unfortunately, this decision has sparked some backlash from the player base. Following the seven-tier drop betweenMarvel RivalsSeason 0and Season 1, it was anticipated that each season would include a rank reset. However, few expected another reset to come before Season 2. While there is some optimism that this midseason reset won’t involve as large of a drop and will only include four, some players are already expressing their disappointment on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter).
The seven-tier rank drop at the start of each season is being reduced to a six-tier drop. Therefore, throughout one season, players can expect to be moved down a total of ten tiers.
The comment section under theMarvel Rivalsrank rest announcement post included statements such as, “Ranked isn’t for people who have a full-time job,” “Why are we deranking in the middle of a season?” and others calling it a “cheap tactic” to incentivize players into continuing to grind while sabotaging the game’s competitive integrity. With some believing this reset is demoralizing, issues with progress being disrupted in the middle of the season have arisen. As players climb through the ranks, their progress generally slows the higher they go.
For example, while individual skill can influence this, a Celestial player might find it easy to rise through lower ranks but may spend several hours advancing within their actual rank. As a result, being dropped four tiers could lead to hours of additional grinding that might feel unnecessary at the halfway point of a season.
Similarly, those who climb to the Diamond rank are often motivated by the lure ofMarvel Rivals' hero-ban system, which is unlocked at Diamond 3, and it could be disappointing to find that they will have to grind for this feature again. At the very least,Marvel Rivalsranked rewardsare distributed based on the player’s peak that season and not their current rank.
Conversely, some players have noted that they are pleased with NetEase Games' most recent decision. A few players have suggested that this could be a way to address smurf accounts, where high-ranked players intentionally play on lower-ranked accounts. A mid-rank reset could discourage them from creating new accounts and incentivize them to focus on a single account. Others back the developers' reasoning for possible rank inflation and balancing issues.
WithThe Fantastic Four joiningMarvel Rivals, the addition of two more heroes into ranked play has significant potential to shift the meta. As players grow familiar with The Thing and The Human Torch’s abilities, some of the playerbase may agree that moving players down a few tiers during this adjustment period makes sense.
