Although she may come across as gentle, Mantis stands as one of the most formidable Strategist heroes in Marvel Rivals. Her unique skill set, combined with countless hours of gameplay, can leave her potential underestimated at first glance.
Mantis excels at supporting teammates, utilizing her ranged assaults to take down foes during fierce skirmishes. For newcomers, the complexity of her abilities can be perplexing, particularly since Support heroes are often viewed as less impactful. However, understanding Mantis’s capabilities is crucial for maximizing her effectiveness on the battlefield.
In this guide, you’ll find a comprehensive overview of playing Mantis, highlighting optimal strategies for both offensive and defensive maneuvers, identifying her counters, and recommending team compositions suited for various situations.
This guide is informed by the Version 20241210 Patch Notes for Marvel Rivals.
Overview of Mantis’s Abilities
If you’ve played Overwatch 2, you might find that Mantis shares some similarities with Zenyatta, but Mantis is truly superior in many aspects. Her versatility is impressive: she possesses a passive that provides movement enhancement when healthy, alongside abilities that can boost ally damage or deliver healing over time.
While there’s much to explore regarding her strategies and occasional shortcomings, let’s begin with a brief yet thorough overview of Mantis’s abilities:
|
Abilities |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Life Energy Blast |
Primary Attack. Fire an energy thorn and regain one Life Orb after a critical hit. Each projectile deals 50 damage at a fire rate of 2.5 RPM. |
|
Soul Resurgence |
Ultimate ability. Emit energy while moving, providing Healing Over Time and Movement Boosts to nearby allies, converting excess healing into Bonus Health. Has a 15m radius with an 8-second duration. |
|
Spore Slumber |
Launch a Spore to sedate the nearest enemy from 3m away, with a cooldown of 15 seconds and a stun duration of 3.5 seconds. |
|
Allied Inspiration |
Consume Life Orbs to grant allies a (12%) Damage Boost. |
|
Natural Anger |
Consume Life Orbs to grant herself a (12%) Damage Boost. |
|
Healing Flower |
Consume Life Orbs to provide allies with Healing Over Time. |
|
Nature’s Favor |
Passive ability that grants Movement Boost when uninjured and Healing Over Time when consuming Life Orbs. |
|
Nature’s Soul |
Team-Up ability. Adam Warlock enhances the rebirth power of Star-Lord and Mantis, allowing for cocooned revival. Cooldown is 120 seconds. |
Offensive Strategies for Mantis
The fundamental rule for playing a Support character is to remain behind the frontlines, providing utility and healing to your team. However, Marvel Rivals encourages a different approach. Given that Strategist heroes can hold their own in combat, here are some insightful offensive tactics to employ with Mantis:
- Maintain a Mid-Range Position: Mantis performs optimally at mid-range, ideally positioned alongside your team. Engaging in close combat should be avoided unless you have a clear advantage.
- Prioritize Critical Hits: Securing critical hits with Life Energy Blast is essential to replenishing your Life Orbs. The more critical hits you achieve, the more healing and damage bonuses you can provide your allies.
- Utilize Spore Slumber Effectively: Use Spore Slumber to disable resilient Tanks such as Venom or to counter flanking characters like Black Panther. When on the offensive, deploying this ability can prevent enemy counterattacks.
- Stay Mobile: It’s crucial to keep moving as Mantis to avoid unnecessary deaths. While many players naturally strafe, with Mantis it’s recommended to move in circular patterns for better agility in combat.
Defensive Strategies for Mantis
While I personally enjoy playing Mantis aggressively, there are certainly instances when a more defensive approach is warranted. In various situations, Strategist characters like Mantis often become the backbone of the team. Losing her in a fight could spell disaster for the entire squad.
Here are some defensive strategies to effectively manage Mantis’s role in Marvel Rivals, strategies that not only keep you alive but also protect your teammates:
- Maximize Soul Resurgence: Mantis’s Ultimate can be transformative during team fights, especially when your allies are pinned in a tight spot. The healing offered here is significant, and converting excess healing into additional health can turn the tide of battle.
- Leverage Self-Damage Boosts: Nature’s Favor provides Mantis with both a movement enhancement and self-healing, making her more formidable during one-on-one encounters or when dealing with pesky flankers.
- Avoid Overhealing: It’s vital not to waste Mantis’s potential on constant healing for allies. Instead, focus on applying damage boosts to the DPS and Flankers, as this maximizes her contributions and maintains the flow of battle.
Mantis Counters & Strategies to Address Them
Given what we’ve discussed about Mantis, it becomes evident that her greatest threats come from Dive DPS and Tank characters in Marvel Rivals. Heroes such as Spider-Man can quickly close in, utilizing his web grab attack to disable her. Meanwhile, Black Panther players who have mastered their skills can eliminate her swiftly.
Iron Fist exemplifies another significant counter, capable of delivering rapid hits that can deplete Mantis’s health efficiently. Magik’s swift melee slashes pose a similar challenge, making her a threat in close quarters.
Lastly, when facing Venom—a highly mobile tank—it’s best to maintain distance and collaborate with teammates to pressure him before he isolates Mantis for an easy kill.
Optimal Team Compositions Featuring Mantis
One of the best pairings for Mantis is undoubtedly Adam Warlock, as he allows Nature’s Soul to activate for convenient revives, enhancing team survivability.
However, considering that Mantis isn’t a dedicated healer, combining her with Luna Snow makes for an efficient duo. Luna brings exceptional healing capabilities, complementing Mantis’s damage support and creating an effective synergy.
Additionally, teaming Mantis with aerial heroes like Iron Man can be advantageous; her Heal-over-Time effects enable them to inflict damage without as much concern for retaliation, provided they don’t get overwhelmed.
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