Out of Marvel Rival’s huge roster of heroes and villains with various unique traits and abilities, Iron Fist is one of the most feared ones, and for good reason. Packing in high mobility coupled with deadly melee combos and abilities, Iron Fist stands out in the DPS department.
As a Duelist, you’ll find him in close combat, seeking to disrupt enemy backlines and using his martial arts to wreak havoc on the battlefield. If you’ve ever come up against a good Iron Fist player, you understand the frustration many Marvel Rivals players have. To counter the character, though, players are required to focus on certain aspects of their gameplay.
Read on to learn more about how to counter Iron Fist in Marvel Rivals.
Countering Iron Fist
Iron Fist is a Duelist. While his health bar may be low, he’s quite strong from a ‘mobility’ aspect. Additionally, the character can also latch onto opponents to feed deadly blows, being able to overwhelm even Tanks.
Understandably, players aim to go for characters that might counter the Iron Fist. While that approach isn’t wrong, it’s vital to first develop a basic understanding of how Iron Fist’s abilities operate.
Firstly, Iron Fist’s passive allows him to latch onto his opponents during combat. Another one of his abilities allows him to block incoming damage for about two seconds and convert it into health.
To block the former, it’s suggested to not retreat (because you won’t be able to in most cases) and for the latter, players must be able to identify an animation where Iron Fist holds his fire-y arm out.
Another thing to look out for is going into battle solo, Iron Fist loves that. It’s always better to stay with your teammates who can provide additional support. All in all, it’s recommended to use characters that are relatively highly mobile, ranged, or have abilities that can otherwise halt Iron Fist in his tracks.
How to Counter Iron Fist
Below, you’ll find characters with similar traits as mentioned above.
1. Mantis (Strategist)
Mantis is one of the top picks to counter Iron Fist in Marvel Rivals, particularly because of her mobility and crowd-control traits. Additionally, the character packs an ability (Spore Slumber) which puts Iron Fist to sleep. This is not only effective in dealing significant amounts of damage without repercussions, but it also denies the deadly Duelist when he attempts to ‘jump’ on you.
Her healing abilities allow her to regenerate health, not only for herself but for nearby teammates, proving to be an efficient counter to Iron Fist’s offense. Lastly, Mantis’s mobility can help players retreat from situations where Iron Fist has the upper hand, avoiding the deadly melee combos that the Duelist lands.
2. Rocket Raccoon (Strategist)
Another character in our list of counters is Rocket Raccoon. As his role suggests, the character prefers a rather long-range style of play, mainly providing support. Nonetheless, abilities such as the Flying Ace allow Rocket to stay in the air, making it difficult for the Iron Fist to land his blows.
Rocket Raccoon players can also link up with a friendly Groot to bait and damage Iron Fist. Coupling Groot’s healing abilities with his abilities to hold enemies back, players gain an impressive window to deal deadly blows to the Duelist. Since Rocket fundamentally shines on long-range, the Groot-and-Raccoon duo becomes all the more powerful.
3. Peni Parker (Vanguard)
For players who like to play with Tanked characters, Peni Parker is ideal against Iron Fist. Apart from boasting a huge health bar, Peni’s abilities are particularly helpful when countering Iron Fist.
Peni’s Cyber-Snare ability is a great example here, allowing her to immobilize Iron Fist for a short period. This not only allows her to come up with follow-up attacks through abilities like the Cyber-Web but also makes it easier for her teammates to deal significant damage to the character.
Another helpful ability within the same department is the Arachno-Mines, which can significantly halt Iron Fist’s movement. Since the mines are activated when an enemy comes in contact, it’s recommended to place them at strategic locations, particularly around objectives.
Lastly, Peni Parker’s healing ability, the Bionic-Web Nest, which plants a healing spider nest. Stepping onto it helps her to gain additional health, making Peni more potent against Iron Fist.
4. Hulk (Vanguard)
Hulk is yet another Vanguard that players can efficiently utilize to render Iron Fist’s abilities near-ineffective during battle. Apart from a heavy build, huge health bar, and tankiness, Hulk’s skill set also makes him stand out as a counter against Iron Fist.
His Radioactive Lockdown ability in particular not only halts all movements from Iron Fist but also disables his abilities, making him defenseless and near harmless for a short window. This is a great opportunity for Hulk and his teammates to deal significant damage to Iron Fist.
Apart from this, Hulk’s attributes also make him stand out since he can march onto the frontline and absorb incoming damage from Iron Fist until the counterattacks come in.