Many of the Marvel Rivals Duelists settle in nicely into specific roles. Psylocke functions perfectly as an assassin while Hawkeye is meant to be used at range. But if you’re looking for an easy-to-pick-up hero with more flexibility, there is plenty of fun to be had with Magik.
Read More: Marvel Rivals’ Damage Heroes, Ranked From Worst To Best
The young mutant is a powerhouse of a duelist who can deal substantial damage and steal health from enemies at the same time. Her kit is admittedly a bit all over the place, but we have the tips to help you master the Limbo ruler and bully the opposition.
You can dive in or be an off-tank
Magik has two prominent play-styles that can find success. The more popular strategy in my experience is using her as a dive character. This means using her Stepping Discs to teleport in from the sides or behind the enemy team, getting an elimination or two, and then returning to safety. I wouldn’t recommend taking on a Vanguard, but any support heroes or lonely ranged attackers are perfect targets.
Another viable strategy is to play Magik as more of an off-tank, to keep enemies from focusing on your team’s Vanguards. The main difference is that you’ll be fighting on the frontline alongside your Vanguards. Feel free to mix it up occasionally and use your stepping stones for a quick dive on the opposing team as well.
Watch out for the damage falloff on her primary Soulsword attack
One of my favorite qualities about Magik is her sword’s reach. The 6.5m length outclasses all other melee units and has helped me get numerous eliminations that seemed just out of reach. However, it does come with a unique drawback of damage falloff. Her primary Soulsword melee only deals the maximum 65 damage if the enemy is within 4.5m. It will then fall to 50 percent at the end of its range.
This drawback exists in her Darkchild form as well. Although her Soulsword range increases to 10m, the damage falloff begins at 6m and drops to a measly 25 percent damage at maximum range. The key takeaway here is that it’s better to be up close and personal when swinging this sword.
Animation canceling is your friend
Another drawback with Magik’s Soulsword is the slow rate of the attacks. Thankfully, just like other heroes, you can get a lot more damage in with animation canceling. Many of her abilities can instantly cancel the swinging animation, but the sweet spot is right after the sword makes contact. My go-to combos typically follow a loop of Soulsword > universal melee > another ability. Thanks to the damage buff she receives from her Season Bonus, I usually just need another Soulsword swing plus melee added to ensure that combo eliminates weaker heroes.
Stepping Discs and Umbral Incursion should be used often
Outside of animation canceling, the proper balance to her weighty attacks is some nifty mobility techniques with Stepping Discs and Umbral Incursion. Stepping Discs is a two-charge ability that teleports her horizontally in whichever direction she’s moving. Aside from becoming invincible to damage during the movement, it also allows her to cast one of two additional attacks for three seconds after teleporting. These special attacks include a wide area-of-effect swing and a demon familiar summon.
Umbral Incursion is a rapid dash that will slash enemies upward if it makes contact. Its range is longer than her teleport and the potential launcher is a great way to deal more damage. While she isn’t invincible during the dash, Magik can use it to dash upward or downward.
My advice is to use these liberally with fights and general movement alike. Both abilities are perfect for repositioning around enemies and putting the hurt on them. Pair them together and you can even get in the face of flying heroes like Iron Man. Equally important, the invincibility of Stepping Discs and verticality of Umbral Incursion makes them perfect for making a quick exit.
If your health gets low in a fight, keep on fighting
Whenever a fight gets too dicey for most heroes, the solution is either to use a protective or healing ability, or to escape. The appropriate response in Magik’s case is usually to keep swinging that sword and using her abilities. Thanks to her Limbo’s Might passive, Magik converts 30 percent of the damage she inflicts as bonus health. I can tell you from experience playing with her and against her that she can last a long time in a fight. Once the odds get stacked against her, such as a pesky ranged hero joining the fray, it’s time to leave.
Play even more aggressively as Darkchild
Magik’s ultimate has her transform into the corrupted Darkchild for 12 seconds. Unlike the Hulk, the ability moveset is the same across both forms. The difference is that everything is enhanced as Darkchild. Attacks can do more damage and land additional hits, Umbral Incursion reaches a longer range at a quicker speed, and cooldowns are lowered across the board. All of it comes together to allow her to deal massive amounts of damage and gain a decent amount of bonus health at the same time.
Whether you’re diving in the back or pushing up front, the goal of Darkchild is to be aggressive and do whatever you can to get some eliminations. Earning the Ace title can be a cinch with an ultimate like this. Just don’t activate it in the middle of a fight, since her low health can quickly get depleted and waste your opportunity.
Magik isn’t without her weaknesses in Marvel Rivals, but she is still one of the deadliest dive heroes on the roster. If you’re interested in checking out a Vanguard dive hero, you can’t go wrong with Venom.
.