The Thing, also known as Benjamin Grimm, is a Vanguard character from the Fantastic Four universe, introduced in Marvel Rivals with the 1.5 season update. Vanguard characters can sometimes be tricky to master, as they require good positioning and the ability to assess when to engage or retreat during battles.
The good news is that The Thing is quite beginner-friendly. If you’re a player looking to enjoy some action, this guide will help you get started.
Overview of The Thing
The Thing is a low-difficulty Vanguard character who serves mainly as a disruptor instead of acting as a frontline protector. Most of his skills are designed to impede enemy movements and prevent them from attacking your team effectively. While he’s easy to pick up, mastering his playstyle can lead to significant victories.
He excels at initiating confrontations, so understanding the game flow and looking for chances to engage will be vital when playing him.
Additionally, The Thing can maintain his position on the battlefield since his passive ability stops him from being launched or pushed back. This advantage lets him remain on the frontline, pushing enemies back effectively.
However, he doesn’t have strong self-defense mechanisms compared to other Vanguards like Magneto or Doctor Strange, who excel in shielding. Consequently, The Thing performs best when partnered with a traditional shield character rather than being the sole tank.
The Thing’s Skills
|
Normal Attack |
|
|---|---|
|
Rocky Jab |
Unleash a series of quick punches at your enemy. |
|
Abilities |
|
|
Clobberin’ Time |
Strike the ground ahead and create a shockwave that lifts all nearby enemies. ADVERTISEMENT |
|
Yancy Street Charge |
Dash forward, launching all enemies in your path and creating an area where they can’t use movement skills. |
|
Embattled Leap |
Leap onto an ally, significantly reducing damage taken for both you and the teammate. |
|
Stone Haymaker |
Charge your fist and deliver a devastating punch to your enemies. |
|
Unyielding Will |
The Thing cannot be knocked back or launched by attacks. |
|
Team-Up Abilities |
|
|
Cooperative Comrades |
Invisible Woman provides damage reduction and extra health to The Thing, enhancing his survivability. |
|
Cosmic Fastball |
The Thing can pick up Wolverine and throw him in any direction. |
When playing as The Thing, try to convince your team to include Invisible Woman. The added damage reduction and health boosts will allow you to act as a solo tank more effectively. If she isn’t available, be sure to coordinate closely with your existing tank to ensure you have someone to shield the team, as you’ll often be taking the lead in attacks and engagement.
Tips and Tricks for Playing The Thing
The key ability to focus on when playing The Thing is Yancy Street Charge. Your main role is to charge at opponents, knock them back, disrupt their actions, and make it tough for them to escape.
This skill can be used to breach enemy formations and interrupt skills from characters like Luna Snow or Loki. With Yancy Street Charge, you can impede heroes such as Black Panther, Psylocke, and Spider-Man, leaving them defenseless since their movement abilities will be nullified.
In addition, Embattled Leap is vital as it provides significant damage reduction for you and any ally you jump to. If you notice an ally in a bad position and at risk, you can activate this ability to leap to them and protect them from being eliminated. This ability works particularly well with dive characters like Psylocke, as the damage reduction can simplify backline clearing.
Since your Yancy Street Charge grants bonus health, consider using it to escape precarious situations. If your health is low during a fight, activate this ability to dash toward a healer, allowing you to recover before re-engaging. You can also use Embattled Leap if your health is dwindling, as the damage reduction will help keep you alive longer.
Keep in mind that your passive skill, Unyielding Will, keeps you from getting launched or knocked back. This means that although you may lack a conventional shield, you can position yourself in front of your team to obstruct disruptive attacks from foes.
If you have Invisible Woman on your team, it makes it even easier to soak up damage as you gain additional damage reduction and health boosts.
The Stone Haymaker is a mighty ability that inflicts considerable damage. Use it on enemies with very low health to finish them off effortlessly. Avoid using it as your opening move due to its slight charge time, which leaves you vulnerable. If attempted against an enemy with full health, it can lead to significant damage against you, putting you in a tough situation.
However, if the enemy is at low health, they are more likely to retreat, which decreases the risk of you taking damage. Keep in mind that the Stone Haymaker charge cannot be interrupted and will always complete its full duration, guaranteeing damage upon release.
When you’re close to enemies, utilize The Thing’s Normal Attack, Rocky Jab. While it may not be flashy, it deals substantial damage, making it effective at taking down squishy foes. It’s especially useful for silencing healers and can act as a follow-up after your Ultimate or Yancy Street Charge if you’re in close range.
How To Use The Thing’s Ultimate
The Thing’s Ultimate is straightforward: slam the ground to knock enemies in front of you. However, it’s highly effective for disrupting opponents and making them vulnerable. Use your Ultimate best when multiple enemies are in line.
Avoid wasting it on a single enemy; hitting several foes maximizes your team’s total damage and increases your chances of winning. You can also chain your Ultimate with the Yancy Street Charge to follow up with more disruption for your opponents, making their movement skills useless for a short time.
