Marvel Rivals’ Season 3 is here, and it looks like some players are getting tired of the constant rank resets every season. This comes after NetEase recently announced a monthly seasonal model, with one season lasting less than 30 days. As a result, high-elo players have voiced their concerns, saying this isn’t a healthy long-term compromise to maintain their rank.
The main issue is that players have to grind every month to reach their previous intended rank. For example, if a Grandmaster player is decreased to Gold due to the monthly rank reset, they’re forced to grind back up and stay on top of the meta just to return to where they were, assuming they don’t end the season at a lower rank altogether.
To many players, it feels more like a chore. Their proposed solution? Add placement matches. This way, ranks wouldn't only be more accurate, but it would also prevent high-skill players from being matched with low-elo players. Without placement matches, these situations often lead to reports for “smurfing,” even when the player is simply a victim of the reset system.
The controversial seven-division drop each season has become one of the most talked-about issues in the Marvel Rivals community, with Wolverine’s overpowered state being a close second. Right now, many players feel unsure whether they can keep up with the game’s demanding monthly climb, made even egregious by the game’s EOMM system. That’s why some are calling for NetEase to implement a system similar to Overwatch 2’s placements, which help maintain a player's skill tier by just playing a few games without forcing them to grind back to an elo they never left in the first place.
The constant rank resets are creating more problems than solutions and could hurt Marvel Rivals’ competitive integrity in the long run. The disparity between actual skill level and displayed rank can lead to unfair matchmaking. Some players have even reported being suspended or banned under suspicion of smurfing, when in reality, they were just reset to Gold.
Things could get worse over time if left unaddressed. The ball is now in NetEase’s court. They need to find a way to ease the grind without alienating their high-elo community. Placement matches seem to be the most logical solution. Play five or ten games, and players can be placed closer to the rank where they actually belong, instead of being dropped into Gold games with actual Gold-level players.
It’s a confusing challenge for a competitive hero shooter like Marvel Rivals. But for a game that’s only been out for seven months, it’s still doing better than many others in the genre. NetEase has been actively listening to its community, and now it needs to act before too many players decide to walk away.
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