Marvel Rivals Is Introducing Another Major Character Rework, & It’s Not The Hero You’d Expect

Season 11 of Marvel Rivals is bringing many balance changes, as well as a complete rework for the Duelist character Squirrel Girl, a hero that’s been in the hero shooter since its launch. Along with the announcement of Nightcrawler and Dracula as Season 11’s new characters, this overhaul of Squirrel Girl’s abilities might be the biggest news for the game arriving in November 2026. Considering how multiple characters have received similar adjustments in recent Seasons, perhaps these changes to Squirrel Girl will allow the hero to thrive more in competitive play.

A variety of characters are changing alongside Squirrel Girl, with Vanguards and Strategists specifically taking a hit to their adaptability and survivability in Marvel Rivals. This means Duelists across the board are becoming stronger, likely leading to developers behind the hero shooter considering how Squirrel Girl fits within that role with her default skills. With massive Team-Up variety now solving a common Marvel Rivals complaint about more diverse character options, this rework gives players yet another reason to try a relatively obscure hero on the roster.

Marvel Rivals Introduces an Overhaul to Squirrel Girl’s Abilities for Season 11 Changes

Rather than just Squirrel Girl modified tweaks to existing cooldowns, Marvel Rivals has created a number of passive changes that fundamentally modify how the hero plays. This was due to how, in the developer’s words in a Season 11 Dev Vision video, Squirrel Girl had “relatively inconsistent K.O. potential that made her less competitive.” Other reasons included how her projectiles and other skills could be frustrating for other players to deal with, so the rework was aimed to streamline certain abilities. Here are some of the biggest changes coming to the character:

• Mammal Bond – New ability that Squirrel Girl can cast to dramatically increase her attack speed for a short duration.
• Squirrel Blockade – Stun ability now summons an area of effect called “Acorn Rain” when used on any enemy, shield, or summon. The Acorn Rain creates a damaging AoE field for a short duration, applying Slow to targets hit.
• Burst Acorns – Lowered base damage in favor of Mammal Bond’s new effect.

Other tweaks are worth noting about Squirrel Girl for Season 11, such as a shorter Imprison capture/stun effect on the Squirrel Blockade ability in her arsenal. To balance this, Marvel Rivals has given Squirrel Girl better survival traits through her Tail Bounce ability, letting her escape danger more often if the player chooses. Overall, each change lowers her primary attack damage, but gives her far more flexibility to deal with the extreme changes that the hero shooter has gone through over several Seasons. More stability for Squirrel Girl is something fans can appreciate, yet her new Mammal Bond skill is arguably the best part of this rework.

Mammal Bond doesn’t just increase Squirrel Girl’s attack speed, as it also changes how her primary attack functions. For example, the acorn shots from Squirrel Girl’s slingshot no longer bounce off surfaces when this ability is active, instead traveling straight forward wherever the player is aiming. This allows for greater consistency and accuracy, as opposed to the unpredictable angles of her primary shots most of the time. Similarly, Squirrel Girl’s primary attack during Mammal Bond doesn’t have a drop off angle either, meaning shots don’t naturally fall. Players may also notice that her shots have a larger AoE effect in this state, giving the character reliable burst damage to impact team fights.

Past Reworks to Black Widow & Scarlet Witch Transformed the Strength of Those Characters

Black Widow was also the recipient of a major rework, albeit one that was on a much larger scale than Squirrel Girl’s. That Duelist had their Ultimate ability completely changed, as well as several other abilities in Season 9, turning one of Marvel Rivals‘ weakest characters into something completely different. For starters, Black Widow had her primary attack changed, turning sniper shots into more consistent mid-range blasts with less damage, but a higher fire rate. At the same time, Black Widow gained a new skill to launch enemies and deal AoE burst on the ground upon landing, shifting her play style significantly. With multiple Team-Up skills to choose from in Season 9 too, the character became much better.

Likewise, Season 10 saw Scarlet Witch undergo a rework, albeit on a smaller scale than Black Widow. Scarlet Witch now has a passive ability that converts damage into Bonus Health, increasing her endurance compared to other Duelists. Other abilities like Dark Seal also got overhauled, reducing its stun in exchange for slowing enemies and dealing more consistent damage in its AoE. Just like Black Widow, these changes made Scarlet Witch a more reliable character to pick, and fans are hoping that Squirrel Girl’s new tools will have the same result this Season.

Other Heroes May Be Getting Big Adjustments in Future Seasons Based on Fan Feedback

With Season 11’s Squirrel Girl rework, we could see even more characters be overhauled, especially ones that have been in Marvel Rivals the longest. Each rework has been semi-successful, with Black Widow and Scarlet Witch usage skyrocketing following their changes. Squirrel Girl is already a character used at lower levels of the hero shooter, but this rework might make her more consistent at moderate to high levels of play too. Following this logic, it’s likely that Season 11.5, 12, and beyond could always see at least one character reworked to fit how the game has evolved over the last couple of years.

Any roster changes in this hero shooter could be applied to long-lived characters like Moon Knight, Wolverine, or even Season 2’s Ultron. Ultron in particular is a character that fans have never really accepted in the Strategist role, with an extremely straightforward game plan that is often described as “boring.” However, general balance changes could also dynamically alter how characters play, making Marvel Rivals feel fresh even 10+ Seasons in its life cycle.

What character do you want to see get a rework after Squirrel Girl? Let us know in the comments below!

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