The competitive landscape of Marvel Rivals just got shaken up by a shocking discovery – an incredibly powerful interaction between Doctor Strange and Hela that’s leaving opponents helpless. First spotted by Reddit user SorcererSupreme99 during a late-night gaming session, this combo leverages unintended mechanics between Strange’s portals and Hela’s ultimate ability to create what players are calling “the most broken synergy in the game.”
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The Doctor Strange & Hela Combo That’s Breaking Marvel Rivals
Within hours of being shared online, the strategy has spread like wildfire through the Marvel Rivals community, with some calling for immediate nerfs while others rush to exploit it before NetEase issues a fix. This guide breaks down exactly how the combo works, why it’s so effective, and whether you should use it before it potentially gets removed. Whether you want to counter this strategy or join the wave of players taking advantage of it, understanding this game-changing interaction is crucial for anyone serious about climbing the Marvel Rivals ranks.
How the Overpowered Combo Was Discovered
The discovery happened organically during a chaotic team fight in Tokyo 2099. SorcererSupreme99, a Doctor Strange main, accidentally placed a portal just as their teammate’s Hela activated All-Weapon Barrage. To everyone’s shock, Hela’s projectiles began rapidly teleporting between Strange’s portals, creating an inescapable death zone that wiped the enemy team instantly. After testing in custom matches, they confirmed this wasn’t a one-time glitch but a reproducible interaction.
The combo works because Hela’s ultimate projectiles aren’t coded to recognize portal collisions normally, causing them to bounce indefinitely between portals while maintaining full damage. What makes this particularly devastating is how it bypasses the game’s intended counterplay – normally, Hela’s ultimate can be avoided by taking cover, but the portal interaction removes this counter entirely. Since being shared on social media, content creators like Tonybing have demonstrated how coordinated teams can wipe entire squads in seconds with perfect setup.
Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Tech
Executing this combo requires precise timing and positioning from both players. First, Doctor Strange must place two portals facing each other with about 10-15 meters spacing, creating a “portal tunnel.” Hela then needs to activate All-Weapon Barrage while standing directly in front of one portal, aiming parallel to the portal’s surface. When done correctly, her projectiles enter the portal system and begin ricocheting at impossible speeds, creating what players have dubbed the “Helicopter Strike” effect.
The optimal setup involves Strange using his Time Stone ability to slow enemies just before Hela unleashes her ultimate, ensuring targets can’t escape the kill zone. Advanced teams are combining this with environmental hazards like the collapsing buildings in Asgard to guarantee eliminations. Some players report the combo works even better when Strange uses his Cloak of Levitation to elevate the portals slightly above ground level, making the projectiles harder to avoid.
Why This Synergy is So Powerful
This interaction breaks several fundamental rules of Marvel Rivals’ combat design. Normally, area-of-effect abilities have clear counterplay through positioning or defensive cooldowns, but the portal system removes these safeguards. Mathematically, a perfectly executed combo delivers approximately 3,200 damage per second in a 8-meter radius – enough to instantly delete even tankier heroes like Hulk. The synergy also creates severe visual clutter that makes it nearly impossible to see incoming attacks through the flashing portal effects.
Competitive players note this violates Marvel Rivals’ design philosophy of “readable combat” where all threats should be visually distinct. Perhaps most problematic is how it scales in organized team play – coordinating multiple portal sets with Hela ultimates can lock down entire objectives indefinitely. Early tournament organizers have already banned the combo pending an official fix, while ranked matchmaking has seen a 47% increase in Doctor Strange/Hela duo queue rates since the discovery went viral.
Community Reactions and Developer Response
The Marvel Rivals community has erupted in debate since this combo surfaced. Some players argue it’s an exciting discovery that rewards teamwork and creativity, while others claim it’s clearly an exploit that ruins competitive integrity. Prominent streamer Seagull demonstrated how the combo could wipe a full-health team in under 2 seconds during a recent broadcast, calling it “the most broken thing I’ve seen in any hero shooter.”
NetEase developers have acknowledged the issue on Discord, stating they’re “investigating the interaction” but haven’t confirmed whether it will be classified as a bug or legitimate strategy. Data miners found unused code suggesting portal collisions were meant to destroy projectiles, hinting this may be an unintended oversight. In the meantime, players have developed some counterplay using Magneto’s force fields or Spider-Man’s web zips to escape the kill zone, though these require near-perfect reaction times.
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FAQs
Q: Is using this combo considered cheating or bannable?
A: Currently no – until NetEase officially classifies it as an exploit, using this synergy falls under creative gameplay. However, excessive abuse may be addressed in future patches.
Q: What’s the best way to counter this strategy?
A: Instant mobility abilities (like Magik’s teleport) or shields (like Iron Man’s barrier) can help survive the initial burst. Focus fire on Doctor Strange to remove the portals.
