Stream of the Day
Phoenix and Blade join Marvel Rivals
The hero shooter’s third season releases today with new team-ups, a map and balance changes.
Despite the steady decline in active players since its launch 6 months ago, Marvel Rivals is not slowing down on content updates. The team-based hero shooter’s third season, The Abyss Awakens, releases today (11 July 2025) with several changes and additions.
Two new heroes make their debut – the fiery telepath Phoenix (Jean Grey) and the ruthless vampire hunter Blade. Phoenix will be available from today, with Blade set to join the roster later.
The Abyss Awakens follows a narrative conflict centred on the cosmic entity Knull, the God of Symbiotes. The game depicts Knull’s emergence from Klyntar, the symbiote homeworld, as a significant threat. His influence extends across the cosmos and corrupts various characters. A key development in this storyline is the empowerment of Hela, the Goddess of Death, transforming her into a figure referred to as the Queen in Black.
In opposition to Knull’s rising power, Jean Grey, embodying the Phoenix Force, takes the role of primary protagonist. She aims to eradicate Klyntar to stop the further spread of Knull’s darkness. Additionally, Blade, the vampire hunter, joins forces with Phoenix against the Knull-empowered Hela.
Phoenix’s abilities
A character reveal for Phoenix on the Marvel Rivals YouTube channel showcased her abilities last week.
Drawing on the immense power of the Phoenix Force, Jean Grey enters the game as a fiery disruptor with a versatile moveset. Her basic attack, Cosmic Flames, applies a stacking mechanic (Sparks) to enemies, building toward explosive bursts that damage foes and heal Phoenix over time. Phoenix’s secondary ability, Telekinesis Burst, marks an area with psionic energy, followed by a trio of blasts – stunning and slowing enemies while applying Sparks.
Her mobility and battlefield control come through abilities like Endsong Inferno, which launches Phoenix into the air before slamming her into the ground in a fiery shockwave, and Telepathic Illusion, which lets her teleport while leaving behind a damaging decoy. Dark Ascent allows for free flight, increasing her movement speed and recharging her ammo mid-air.
Game balancing
The new season introduces a wave of updates to Team-Up Abilities, including new combinations and adjustments to existing ones.
Among the new Team-Ups, Phoenix and Wolverine form Primal Flame, with Phoenix gaining a 10% damage boost as the Team-Up Anchor. Wolverine, in turn, unlocks a new ability called Phoenix Warrior, which infuses his attacks with cosmic fire and Lifesteal. Meanwhile, Human Torch and Spider-Man team up under Ever-Burning Bond, granting Torch a 5% damage boost and giving Spider-Man access to the new Inferno Blast ability.
Some Team-Ups have been adjusted or removed. The ESU Alumnus synergy between Spider-Man and Squirrel Girl has been retired. Storming Ignition, the Team-Up between Storm and Human Torch, has been taken out.
A new variation of the Stark Protocol now includes Squirrel Girl, who gains a Team-Up ability called Squirrel Missile when paired with Iron Man. Symbiote Shenanigans expands to include Venom and Hela, with Hela gaining a new ability called Hel Tendrils through this dark alliance.
The developers have also applied balance changes. The Guardian Revival Team-Up between Adam Warlock and either Star-Lord or Mantis now has increased cooldown times for Leader’s Soul and Nature’s Soul, moving from 120 seconds to 135 seconds to reduce overuse. Jeff the Land Shark’s side of Symbiote Shenanigans with Venom has been buffed, doubling his Guardian of the Deep Bonus Health from 50 to 100 and extending the tendril link duration from 3 to 5 seconds.
View the full list of balance changes here.
New location
A new map called Klyntar: Celestial Husk is now available. The Symbiote-infested terrain features the remains of a fallen Celestial.
Once a throne, a trophy, and a symbol of unfathomable power, Klyntar now drifts in silence, with its creator imprisoned within the planet’s core. After the decaying body of the Celestial slain by Knull plummeted from orbit, the land began to absorb its ancient power.
Where to play?
Marvel Rivals, developed and published by NetEase Games, is free-to-play on PC and console.
* Visit the ‘Marvel Rivals’ website here.
