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Players looking to become the best Vanguards inMarvel Rivalsshould learn how to play withThor,one of the best and most versatile frontliners in the game. Thor Odinson is the legendary Norse God of Thunder, but its powers are limited to a few in the game, so it’s best to learn a couple of important facts about this Aesir before diving into any of the game modes.
In this guide, we will summarize abilities, best strategies, combos, andteam composition to turn playersinto the true and Mighty Thor. Let’s start with an ability overview, which will grant players some insight into what each of the skills Thor uses can do and their applications in combat.
Updated July 18, 2025, by Lucas Simons: With the arrival ofSeason 2 inMarvel Rivals, many changes have hit the meta, including some slight adjustments to the God of Thunder. Luckily, this time, Thor has received an increase in survivability, with a 75 Increase in Health, and a 50 ups (units per second) movement speed increase. Voltaic Union, Thor’s Team Up ability is no longer available, so Storm and Captain America will need to partner up with another character to boost their abilities. Thor’s Team Up with Hela and Loki (Odinson Reborn) remains active during this season, so players should learn to rely solely on that advantage to further enhance their gameplay while using Thor. Finally, with the boost that many flying heroes like Human Torch and Iron Man received during S2, Thor has become quite useful as a Vanguard due to his ability to strike hard flying enemies. Nevertheless, some of these heroes, including Spider-Man have also received an adjustment to their hitboxes, making it a little bit more difficult to land a hit on them. Let’s take a look at all the changes in detail, starting with Thor’s Abilities.
Thor Abilities Overview
As mentioned before,Thunderous Deity is no longer available.So Captain America, Thor, and Storm no longer benefit from playing on the same team.
The first thing players need to know about Thor’s abilities is that Thorforce does not particularly condition them. That means they can cast any ability even if Thorforce bar is depleted, but they will not gain the bonus healing that these provide, and that can be a problem for a Vanguard that relies on taking as many hits as possible.
So, players should play smart and take advantage of Thor’s synergy combos. For example, initiate using Storm Surge to close the gap and enter the fray. Then cast Lightning Realm when fighting against the enemy Vanguards; that way it will automatically restore Thorfoce. Players can use Hammer Throw to secure kills or Awakening Rune to turn things up a notch, healing for 200 HP and becoming a true menace that no enemy front line will ignore.
On the other hand, players can also use Storm Surge to reposition themselves, even upwards, before casting the God of Thunder ultimate; that way, they can close the gap faster and land a devastating blow on the enemy team. Players can then use Lightning Realm and create an even more powerful AoE combo. This will guarantee that the enemy frontliners are severed from their Strategist and ranged Duelists, making it harder for them to cooperate.
How To Play Thor In Marvel Rivals
As players might have guessed, Thor specializes in closing the gap, pushing the enemy, and pressuring other Vanguards. He is not as resilient as Hulk or Venom, but he is stronger in both damage and utility. If played correctly, Thor can be quite independent of Strategist healing, but don’t overestimate its sustain capabilities or he will be in a pinch in no time.
The correct approach to most game modes is to always lead the charge alongside the other front liners- that is, if there’s another Vanguard in the team. The ideal composition is 2 Vanguards, 1 Melee Duelist, 1 Ranged Duelist, 1 Support Strategist, and 1 Healer Strategist, but since this is not always the case, Thor can act as a Melee Duelist and Vanguard all in one.
Players will need to constantly engage and disengage if they want to become successful Thor players. It’s not only dangerous to lead the charge without a team backing them up, but also counterproductive, as the enemy team will take Thor’s absence as a signal to attack. So, don’t overextend. Think of Thor as a Tank with higher mobility and attack power, but don’t think it’s a one-man army or it will end in failure.
Let’s take a look at each game mode and Thor’s strategy in more detail:
Convoy Mode
During Defense, associate with other frontliners, like Hulk, Venom, Peni Parker, or Magneto. Since Thor has less defense than other Frontliners, pairing up with Magneto who combines ranged attacks and support skills will turn the duo into an unstoppable force, and it will be really hard for an enemy team to deal with them unless they attack together, or rivals like Jeff The Land Shark pull them out of the zone.The greatest menace for Vanguardslike Thor is overwhelming tactics, so stick close to the area and the team’s Strategist to reinforce the defense.
If the initial objective is lost, and there’s no other option but to prevent the enemy from pushing the payload, Thor can switch to initiator and lead the charge to push melee Duelists and Vanguards away from the mobile objective. That way, the rest of the team can target them easily. Players can use Storm Surge both as an initiator and exit strategy, so keep that in mind.
During Offense, push the enemy front liners to target Thor, and associate with Emma Frost, Venom, or Winter Soldier to carry on a successful skirmish tactic. Retreat when needed, and never attack with Thor alone since there’s a risk of getting isolated and then being sent to respawn untimely. If Thor is accompanied by Hela and Loki, he will be at his peak of power and can revive each time Hela kills an enemy. But there’s a rare chance that he is also accompanied by Hulk, The Thing, and Wolverine, forming the strongest team for Aggressive Dive Plays.
Once the area is liberated, accompany the target and take cover behind it to mitigate damage from ranged dealers. This will force the enemy to send its vanguard to kick Thor out of this cozy mobile cover and send melee Duelists and Vanguards to do the job. Take this chance to use Lightning Realm and Awakening Rune to sow terror among them and increase casualties among the Rival team.
Domination Mode
Domination is similar to other modes since it requires taking an area and maintaining it for a certain amount of time. This leaves Thor with few chances to make use of its privileges as a hybrid melee/range tank, and it will not perform so well. Thor becomes an easy target when keeping an area, and it’s best to associate with Vanguards with more mitigation, like Hulk, Emma Frost, The Thing, or Venom. But if Thor is alongside Magneto, then that’s a different story. Both of them are the perfect duo to control a zone in Domination Mode, and only enemies with great AoE skills like Jeff andPsylocke can be a true menaceto them.
Magneto will cover for Thor’s mitigation issues with its shielding abilities, and Thor will cover for Magneto’s slow attack speed and overwhelming vulnerability by orbiting him and impeding the enemy from swarming him. This duo has caused more than one team to rage quit, so keep this composition in the pocket in case the need arises.Moon Knight can be another good partnersince his fast and versatile kit can help Magneto and Thor deal with flankers. Pairing up with Emma Frost might be more suitable to lead an effective offensive, thanks to her ability to pivot between shielding/damage and melee bruiser with her CC kit. The Thing is also great for head-on dive tactics, which can prove effective if the enemy team has been holed up for a long time and the players are running out of time to take objectives.
Convergence Mode
During Defense,stick to other Vanguards and never lose sight of the goal: preventing enemies from taking the designated zone. Moving first is a great advantage for Thor, since he can choose the best zone to protect the area and move accordingly if the enemy tries to flank him. Try to associate with Strategists and other Vanguards and always protect the range of Duelists, who will be looking for Thor each time they feel overwhelmed.
During Offense,accompany Duelists and other Vanguards, and never lose sight of them. Thor is a team player, not a chaser or a puller, and needs to initiate for the team to create a successful opening. Remain vigilant of rivals using Iron Fist or Psylocke to harass the team’s Duelists and Strategists. Hawkeye, Mantis, Jeff, Cloack & Dagger, andLuna Snow need to be prioritized, as they are most vulnerable to these flank attacks. Use Lightning Realm near them and take refuge inside to prevent Melee Duelists from getting away with easy kills.
Since Defending teams move first, there’s a high chance that Thor can position himself in the best possible place, but if that doesn’t happen, it will be left vulnerable to enemy flanking tactics. Check for allies covering Thor’s back. If they disappear, then he is most vulnerable and should reposition himself before it’s too late. Use Storm Surge to get out of ganks.
How To Counter Thor In Marvel Rivals
Thor has a major flaw that makes him quite vulnerable to overwhelming tactics: its lack of mitigation. So, we will teach players how to exploit this vulnerability and the best ways to counter Thor in each of the different game modes.
Keep in mind that Thor is a versatile Vanguard, and can become quite annoying at close and mid-range. His capability to throw Mjolnir, Pushback, and fly away when he is overwhelmed makes it quite hard to deal with. And in the worst-case scenario, he will pop out of nowhere and cast God of Thunder, wiping the entire team in a single attack. So watch for attacks from the high ground.
During Defense, take advantage of those precious extra seconds to move first and take an elevated position with a clear view of the target area. Snipers like Black Widow and Hawkeye are particularly effective against Thor.Mid-range Duelists like Punisher, Star-Lord, and Jeff the Land Shark can overwhelm Thor easily. Psylocke using her Dance of the Butterfly can turn him into mince meat faster than any other hero.
During Offense, pay attention to Thor’s quips, he is quite chatty and makes a lot of noise, so there’s a good way the team might figure out where he is coming from. Pay special attention to God of Thunder, since this ultimate will wipe the team out if they are not prepared. Thor can jump into the air twice thanks to Storm Surve and his ultimate, so that can make it harder to distinguish a true ult attack from a feint. Use fast range Duelists like Punisher or Star-Lord to keep him moving, and attempt to bait him away from the rest of the team.
It is quite easy to deal with Thor in Domination since he will not be moving around too much. Baiting him out of the area or flanking him will do the trick, but watch out: he can switch into a mid-ranged attacker using Awakening Rune, and dealing with him can be problematic when he is empowered by Thorforce.
Picking high-mobility Duelists and mid-range attackers with fast, overwhelming attacks like Star-Lord and Winter Soldier can help to deal with Thor in Awakening mode. But watch out for the rest of the team: it’s best to lure him away before attacking. One of the best strategies to obliterate him is having Black Widow sniping in the background. Thor is a big target, and dealing with him with her sniping skills is easy-peasy. Jeff is also quite annoying for Thor, since he has a lot of mobility, and if accompanied by Luna Snow, he even has access to Frozen Spitball, his new Team Up skill that creates a big puddle of slowing AoE.
During Defense,as with Convoy mode, those extra seconds to position near the target area are precious. Against Thor, this can be used to bait him out of his comfort zone. Using Hawkeye or Black Widow, for example, there’s a high chance to force Thor to chase them out (if they don’t have Spiderman in the team as well), and this will give the team the advantage they need to evacuate the rivals from the target area. Thor will be protecting Duelists and Strategists, so if he moves away from them, entertain him enough time to wipe out the rest of the team.
During Offense,flanking becomes the best option here, as Thor will be most likely protecting Strategists and pairing with Magneto, Hulk, orVenom to defend the zone. If the player using him is smart, they will attempt to outmaneuver flanking attempts and pushback rivals as they approach. Keep away when Thor casts Lightning Realm, as it will not only empower him but damage attackers that try to single him out.
Best Team Composition For Thor In Marvel Rivals
Thor greatly benefits from playing with Magneto, Rocket Raccoon, and Jeff The Land Shark, since they have great support skills that can help him defend or attack. However, if players want to have the best possible results, the best composition to accompany Thor isHulk,Hela,Loki,Emma Frost, andPsylocke (or Spider-Man).
Hulk has great mitigation and is a powerful tank that can compensate for Thor’s weaknesses. Loki and Hela have great bonuses when playing with Thor, and Hela can resurrect Thor and Loki faster (or heal them to near full health) each time she kills an enemy. Emma Frost can pivot between shielding and diving/hooking enemies with her Diamond Form, kicking them back to the team, or serving them on a platter for Thor to finish them. Alternatively, her Ultimate can also render large groups of enemies vulnerable, giving Thor enough time to land his God of Thunder Ultimate, with the best possible results: a team wipe.
Psylocke or Spider-Man are great flankers, and since Thor lacks chasing power (despite his superior mobility enhancement in S2), so having the Psychic Butterfly Ninja or Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider Guy in the team alongside Thor will relieve some pressure from sideliners like Iron Fist or Scarlet witch, allowing him to act as a Vanguard more effectively, leading the charge or downing pesky fliers like Iron Man and Human Torch for the rest of the team.
