While you might think of Groot as just a friendly tree, in Marvel Rivals, he’s more like an immovable force. His abilities make him a formidable front-line Vanguard, pushing his teammates forward toward objectives. With the help of his partners, Jeff The Land Shark and Rocket Raccoon, Groot bolsters his defense, making his health seem practically limitless.
Groot’s skills are straightforward and largely self-reliant. Besides his explosive Spore Bomb, he mainly uses his walls to inflict damage and gain extra health. However, a skilled Groot player can creatively use these walls for various strategies like movement, trapping opponents, and cutting off areas. Therefore, knowing how to counter him is essential for overcoming this resilient character.
Ways to Counter Groot
With 800 HP, Groot is definitely one of the more robust Vanguards when it comes to defense. Although he doesn’t generate bonus health with his Ironwood Wall as effortlessly as characters like Thor or Venom, this ability plays a key role in his strategy of blocking paths. Groot excels at using his walls to block choke points, isolating healers from their teams, allowing him to take them out one by one.
This tactic highlights Groot’s offensive capabilities, especially with his Thornlash walls, which can be incredibly deadly. Once deployed, these walls hit nearby enemies when Groot and his allies attack, and the more walls he sets up, the more damage they inflict.
This is where things get risky—these walls pack a serious punch, and if Groot traps you within them, it won’t take much to eliminate full-health Strategists and Duelists.
Groot’s walls and Spore Bombs create significant splash damage, so if he combines those with his immobilizing Ultimate Ability, Strangling Prison, it can be a real game-changer.
Since Groot’s strengths are tied to his main abilities, an effective counter is straightforward: shoot at the walls. Instead of dodging or trying to run away, focus on destroying the Ironwood and Thornlash walls to prevent them from posing a continued threat.
By taking down the walls, you effectively dismiss Groot’s passive benefits, which include bonuses to attack and defense for himself and his allies. More importantly, it stops him from creating barriers that could isolate your own team’s Strategists.
Countering Groot as a Vanguard
Groot may be an offensive and defensive force when his walls are up and operational, but once those walls come down, he becomes significantly more vulnerable to melee Vanguards. Characters like Venom, Captain America, and Hulk can effectively take him on in close-range combat, gradually whittling down his health while he struggles to get away.
While shields and low-damage ranged attacks aren’t very effective, Magneto serves as a strong counterpick thanks to his Metal and Iron Bulwark abilities. These can absorb all damage directed at Groot, which is crucial when your strategy is focused on taking down the walls instead of the character himself.
As a Vanguard, it’s best to have a teammate focus on destroying the walls while you maintain pressure on Groot, forcing him to concentrate solely on you. Managing both tasks can be challenging, and while Groot may not be very mobile, he’ll often use his walls to create barriers for escape, which is something you want to prevent.
Countering Groot as a Strategist
As a frontliner, Groot may target Strategists by either attacking them directly or isolating them from their team. Luckily, most Strategists excel in what Groot lacks—mobility—which you can leverage to your benefit.
Your primary objective is to stay alive and near your team, preventing Groot from cutting you off. Make sure to destroy any walls in your path and use your abilities to apply debuffs that can hinder his ability to set up more walls. Abilities like Luna Snow’s Absolute Zero and Mantis’ Slumbering Spore are excellent for dealing with Groot, while Invisible Woman’s Force Physics can push him away from his barriers.
While there may not be direct counter characters among the Strategists, Mantis and Jeff The Land Shark are likely your best bets against him. These heroes can be challenging to catch and trap, and they also deal enough damage to help quickly dismantle Groot’s Ironwood and Thornlash walls.
Countering Groot as a Duelist
When playing as a Duelist, Groot might try to place his walls to block incoming shots from ranged characters or behind melee fighters to amplify his damage. If you belong to the latter group, pay close attention to his movements to know when he’s about to summon a wall, allowing you to evade just in time.
Specifics wise, Wolverine is the top Duelist to eliminate Groot thanks to his percentage-based damage. Even with 800 HP, Groot doesn’t stand a chance. As Wolverine, look for a moment when Groot isn’t shielded, execute a Feral Leap, and strike him with a series of attacks.
While ranged Duelists like Namor and Hela may be less effective against Groot, those with rapid-fire capabilities excel at dismantling his walls. Moon Knight stands out in this regard, as he can quickly set up his ankhs around one of Groot’s walls and obliterate them all at once.
