The Marvel Universe’s plethora of heroes wields powers beyond our wildest imaginations. Still, even superheroes need a little guidance. That’s why it’s frustrating thatMarvel Rivalsthrows you into the throes of combat with minimal direction. Galacta says, “Hey! Go there and do this!” Okay, Galacta, buthowdo we do this thing you’re telling us to do in the first place?

Marvel Rivals has several match types, and there is no tutorial regarding each match type’s goals and how to reach them. Therefore, you may feel like an X-Man trapped in the Danger Room when you see the enemy team steal your convoy vehicle and have no idea how it happened. Fortunately, like Professor X, we’re here to teach you the ins and outs of each match format.

Loki defends the captured Yggsgardian throne room during a Marvel Rivals Domination match.

The information below is from our experience playing theMarvel Rivals Closed Beta Test(July 22, 2025, through Jul 29, 2025).Therefore, it is subject to change as the game develops. Stay tuned for future updates!

What Match Formats Are In Marvel Rivals?

There are four match formats in Marvel Rivals. These match types may seem familiar if you’re familiar with team PvP shooters like Overwatch.

What Is A Domination Match?

Objective

Capture and maintain possession of the mission area until your team fills the mission gauge.

Yggsgard - Royal Palace

Overview And How To Win

In thefirst phaseof a Domination match, each team mustfight to claim the central base first. You’ll know where the base is because it has abarrier of light emanating around it. A circular gauge in the center of the U.I. will rise when more players from either team occupy the base. The base is theirs if that same team can fill the center gauge.

Thesecond phase of a dominance matchrequires the controlling team to fill their gaugeon the side of the circular gauge. At leastone hero from the controlling team must occupy the basefor the gauge to rise. Filling this gauge will deliver the round to the controlling team.

Storm escorts the target vehicle to the last checkpoint in a futuristic Japanese palace during a Marvel Rivals Convoy match.

In contrast, the other team cansteal control of the base if their heroes can overpower the base long enough to fill the center gauge. If this occurs, they must fill their gauge to win.

Domination matches focus on controlling space. Therefore, a coordinated defense is crucial. Once a team gets control of the base,one hero should always occupy it.Strategists fit this role wellsince most have self-healing abilities that can protect them if the opposing team gets too close.Vanguards with high H.P. are another strong option.

Bruce Banner shoots his gamma ray at an incoming hero trying to rescue Spider-Zero during a Marvel Rivals Convergence match.

While it’s good to have some heroes outside the base to hold off the opposition, this task mustn’t bleed into offensive territory. Searching for an unnecessary fight can lead you too far from the base. All heroes shouldstay close enough to the base to provide backup when defending teammates get overwhelmed.

If your team needs to steal the center base,distracting the controlling team’s heroes away from the base by goading them into combatis an intelligent tactic. If you can lure an opponent away from their teammates and take them out, that’s even better.

Storm targets opponents from afar during a Marvel Rivals Conquest Match in Yggsgard.

Three Rounds (one for each checkpoint) plus possible Overtime

Convoy matchesreplicate a tug-of-war. If the advancing team has more heroes in the escort vehicle’s immediate vicinity, the vehicle will move closer to the checkpoint. Conversely, if more heroes from the opposition surround the escort vehicle, it will retreat. When both teams equally occupy the escort vehicle’s perimeter, it stalls.

Our best advice for the advancing team in a Convoy match is toalways stay on top of the escort vehicle. And we’re not talking about one hero, either.All heroesmust protect the vehicle like helicopter parents watching their children in a grocery store. Vanguards play a significant role in providing that protection.

When the advancing team sticks to their vehicle, victory is theirs to lose. We’ve only seen advancing teams lose Convoy matches when their heroes abandon the escort vehicle in search of a fight.

Theopposition team has a more formidable path to victoryin a convoy match. Not only must the opposition team break through the advancing team’s defensive line, but they must also survive long enough to secure control of the vehicle.

Much like Domination matches, theopposing team can snatch victory away from the advancing team by luring them away from the escort vehicle.Duelists, especially long-range fighterslike Storm andThe Punisher, can distract their foes by poking enemy heroes, thus tricking them into abandoning the vehicle in search of their attacker.

Tokyo 2099 - Shin-Shibuya

A Convergence matchblends the Domination and Convoy formats. The first round emulates a Domination match while the last two emulate a Convoy match. Therefore, you can use what you’ve learned playing Domination and Convoy matches to prevail in a Convergence match.

In the first phase of a Convergence match, therescue team should focus on luring opponents away from the target vehicle. Conversely, thedefensive team should stay close to the target vehicleand only go on the offensive when the fight comes to them.

The last two rounds of a Convergence match are identical to those of a Convoy match. Therefore,each team should apply the Convoy strategies detailed in the last section to win.

What Is A Conquest Match?

Be the first team to reach 50 Chromium points by knocking out enemies or have more Chromium points than the opposing team when time runs out.

Three minutes and 50 seconds

In a Conquest match,everyone is on the offensive, making it fun but also extremely chaotic. Each team shares the same goal: K.O.‘ing as many enemies as possible. When heroes get knocked out, they’llleave behind glowing particles called Chromium. Gathering Chromium raises your team’s point tally.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed during a Conquest match because so much is happening wherever you look. So, how can you cut through the distractions and claim victory? Our first piece of advice is tostick close to your teammates. Why? In short, there’s strength in numbers.

Another essential tip to remember in a Conquest match ishow your hero’s role fits into the team dynamic. For instance, Vanguards should stick close to Duelists to provide protection. Strategists must play the medic role and search for what teammates need healing. The Duelist’s job is to attack, attack, attack.

Finally, and this is vital,don’t forget the Chromium!You won’t get points if you don’t Chromium. So, if you find yourself unoccupied with no targets on your back, use that downtime to pick up the Chromium your occupied teammates are missing.