Scarlet Witch, with her formidable crowd control, oppressive area denial, and devastating ultimate, stands as one of Marvel Rivals’ most disruptive Duelists. Her ability to manipulate the battlefield can feel overwhelming. However, even the most powerful magic has its limits.
Wanda Maximoff, despite her immense power, possesses clear vulnerabilities that sharp-witted players can exploit. This guide will equip you with the strategies and hero picks necessary to flip the script and neutralize the threat of the Scarlet Witch.
Understanding your adversary is the first step to dismantling their power. Scarlet Witch’s primary strengths lie in her ability to stun and split enemy teams with her Dark Seal orb, her quick mid-range poke followed by rapid retreats, and her Mystic Projection for temporary invincibility and quick escapes. Her Reality Erasure ultimate is a game-ending ability, capable of unleashing massive Area-of-Effect (AoE) damage that can wipe out entire teams.
Yet, like all heroes, she has crucial weaknesses:
- Low Health: With only 250 HP, she is extremely fragile and susceptible to burst damage.
- Short Effective Range: Most of her damage is concentrated at relatively close distances.
- Vulnerability during Ultimate:Her ultimate has a noticeable charge-up period, leaving her exposed.
General Counterplay: Outsmarting the Sorceress
Winning against Scarlet Witch often comes down to fundamental strategic adjustments:
- Exploit Her Range Weakness: Since much of her damage is short-range, opt for heroes with superior long-range poke. This forces her to either overextend into a dangerous position or retreat, minimizing her impact.
- Strafe and Dodge: Her Chthonian Burst projectile is relatively slow-moving. Continuous, unpredictable movement and strafing can significantly reduce your chances of being hit by it.
- Punish Her Ultimate: This is your golden opportunity. When Scarlet Witch begins casting Reality Erasure, she becomes visibly marked by a red exclamation point and emits a distinct audible scream. During this charge-up, she is completely vulnerable. This is the prime time to unleash stuns, snares, or concentrated burst damage to interrupt her or eliminate her before she can detonate her devastating ability.
100% Win Rate Smurfs
For only 16,99 €
Hero-Specific Counters: Choosing Your Champions
Selecting the right hero can be the difference between victory and defeat against Scarlet Witch. Here are some strong counter-picks across different roles:
Vanguards (Tanks):
- Hulk: His Radioactive Lockdown is excellent for closing the gap and stunning her, preventing her from escaping with Mystic Projectionor charging her ultimate.
- Peni Parker: Nest can zone her out effectively, while Cyber-Web Snare roots her in place, making her an easy target for your team’s damage.
- Doctor Strange & Magneto: These Vanguards can use their respective shields to block her incoming attacks and provide crucial protection for allies caught in her ultimate’s radius.
Duelists:
- Black Panther & Wolverine: These highly mobile melee Duelists can quickly close the distance and out-damage her in direct engagements, forcing her to waste her Mystic Projection defensively.
- Moon Knight & Hawkeye: Their long-range pressure can constantly poke Scarlet Witch from a safe distance, exploiting her limited range and forcing her into disadvantageous positions.
Strategists:
- Luna Snow: Her Absolute Zero ultimate is an excellent tool to immobilize Scarlet Witch, especially if she attempts to dive your backline or is in the middle of her ultimate charge.
- Invisible Woman & Mantis: Force Physics (Invisible Woman) or Spore Slumber (Mantis) can be used to either escape Scarlet Witch’s aggressive pushes or interrupt her ultimate, saving your team from massive damage.
- Stick to Your Vanguards: As a Strategist, you are a prime target for Scarlet Witch. Maintain close proximity to your tanks for protection, and use your crowd control abilities to keep her at bay.
Teamplay and Positioning: Coordinated Dominance
Countering Scarlet Witch effectively is rarely a solo endeavor; it requires synchronized team effort:
- Deny Her Space: Scarlet Witch thrives in choke points where her Dark Seal can split teams. Use your tanks and crowd control abilities to aggressively push her out of these advantageous positions.
- Coordinate Ultimates: Listen for the audio cues and watch for the visual indicators of her ultimate. Time your own crowd control abilities and burst damage to coincide with her vulnerable charge-up phase, ensuring she’s interrupted or eliminated before Reality Erasure detonates.
- Maintain Awareness: Constant vigilance is key. Her ultimate has clear audio and visual tells; reacting quickly to these can save your team from a potential wipe.
| Hero/Ability | How It Counters Scarlet Witch |
| Hulk (Radioactive Lockdown) | Stuns, closes gap, prevents escape, interrupts ultimate |
| Peni Parker (Cyber-Web Snare) | Roots her in place, easy target for elimination |
| Luna Snow (Absolute Zero) | Immobilizes, disrupts approach/ultimate |
| Doctor Strange/Magneto (Shields) | Blocks attacks, protects team during ultimate |
| Hawkeye/Moon Knight | Applies ranged pressure, forces bad positioning |
| General Crowd Control (CC) | Interrupts ultimate, stops her advances, controls her mobility |
| Team Coordination | Focus fire during ultimate, deny space, clear choke points |
While Scarlet Witch can indeed be a nightmare if left unchallenged, her inherent fragility, limited effective range, and critical vulnerability during her ultimate’s wind-up make her eminently beatable. By leveraging range, mobility, strategic hero picks, and impeccable team coordination, you can deny her space, interrupt her destructive plays, and decisively shut down the Chaos Magic before it dominates the match.
Written by:
Christian