Marvel Rivals Season 9 launched with the new X-Men hero, Jubilee. While Jubilee is getting all the spotlight by lighting fireworks, Black Widow came in as a big surprise. As the iconic spy received her long-awaited rework in Season 9, Black Widow is emerging as a fan-favorite hero in the game. So, whether you are picking up Natasha for the first time or a veteran returning to master her new kit, check out how to play Black Widow in Marvel Rivals here.
Full Marvel Rivals Black Widow Kit and Abilities Explained
Black Widow’s entire kit has been reworked in Marvel Rivals Season 9. The 4-star Duelist is no longer a one-shot long-range hitscan sniper. With all her new aggressive abilities, Black Widow is now a diving and flanking Duelist in the game. She still retains her Red Room Sniper Rifle and Electric Batons; however, you can’t play her the same way you did before.
- Role: Duelist
- Difficulty: 4 stars
- Health: 275 HP
The ADS sniper mode is no longer available except in her new ult. Now, Black Widow’s Red Room Rifle has an ultra-fast fire rate and consistently deals solid damage. Alternatively, you can switch to her Electric Batons for close-quarter combat. Black Widow’s mobility options, such as sprinting and jumping, no longer drain her stamina, allowing her to run freely across the battlefield to flank and dive as she wishes.
Black Widow also gets a new ult that is easily one of the best ultimate abilities in Marvel Rivals. You can now enter sniper ADS mode (or without ADS) for 20 seconds by activating Black Widow’s new ult. During this time, Natasha can fire up to six powerful sniper shots at her enemies
Her old ult, Electro-Plasma Blast, has been turned into a normal ability in her kit. So, you can still fire an electro-plasma round and slow down the enemies. Also, you have the good-old Edge Dancer to perform a spinning kick plus grappling combo. The new ability in her kit is Widow’s Bite Slam, which allows Natasha to slam the ground and deal AoE damage to enemies.
In addition, Black Widow also gets two new team-ups with Hawkeye and Phoenix. With Hawkeye on the team, she can build focus and easily hit targets in a focused state. On the other hand, the Phoenix team-up transforms her rifle attacks and Electro-Plasma Blast into explosive attacks. So, here is the complete reworked Black Widow kit in Marvel Rivals:
Ability Name Input Button and Ability Type Description Red Room Rifle Left Click (Primary Attack) Attack with the Red Room Rifle. Electric Batons Left Click (Secondary Attack) Strike with the enhanced electric batons. Assassin’s Focus Q
(Ultimate)Switch the Red Room Rifle to sniper mode. Shots fired in this state pierce through targets and deal increased damage. Fleet Foot L Shift Dash forward and enable a powerful jump. Edge Dancer E Unleash a spinning kick to Launch Up enemies. Landing the hit will allow her to zip to the target with a grappling hook for a second kick. Widow’s Bite Slam F Leap toward a target area and slam the ground with her Widow’s Bite gauntlet, dealing damage to enemies within range. Electro-Plasma Blast Right Click Fire an electro-plasma round forward. Upon hitting the environment or an enemy, it explodes and applies a Slow effect. Allied Agents Team-Up (Passive) Base Effect: Landing hits with Red Room Rifle builds Focus. At three stacks, enter a Focused state where the next bullet gains the Hunter’s Sight effect, granting Damage Boost and pierce effects.
Enhanced Effect: When teaming up with Hawkeye, landing a critical hit prevents the Focused state from expiring, allowing continuous enhanced fire until missing a crit.Burning Bullets Team-Up (Passive) Base Effect: Activation grants the Red Room Rifle a Fire Rate Boost. Additionally, the Plasma Cannon projectile becomes a hitscan laser that no longer requires charging.
Enhanced Effect: When teaming up with Phoenix, her Plasma Cannon gains a second ability charge.
How to Play Black Widow in Marvel Rivals: Best Gameplay Tips and Tricks
Now, Black Widow comes close to The Punisher in terms of aggressive playstyle. Overall, she is now considered a dive/flank Duelist. Now that you have learned about Black Widow’s new set of abilities, here are our best tips and tricks to master her character in the game:
Embrace Black Widow’s New Playstyle
Black Widow mains cannot play the character as a primary sniper from the backlines in the game going forward. You cannot rely on her sniping skills, and the updated kit has automatically adjusted her playstyle. She is no longer held back by her stamina bar. So, feel free to flank and take fights from mid-range.
You can join the other flankers, like Black Cat, in your team to help them secure the kill. Now that Black Widow has a super-fast rifle in her hand, she can deal great damage in a short period. So, the first step to improve as Black Widow main is to let go of the old playstyle and adapt to her reworked kit.
Learn Her Combos
Black Widow can now perform more new combos to eliminate an enemy quickly, like Blade in Marvel Rivals. So, start learning these combos that will set you apart from other Black Widow mains:
- Widow’s Bite Slam (F) -> Widow’s Bite Baton Attack (left click) -> Rifle shot (left click)
- Widow’s Bite Slam (F) -> Edge Dancer (E) -> Widow’s Bite Baton Attack -> Rifle shot (left click)
- Rifle shot (left click) -> Widow’s Bite Slam (F) -> Widow’s Bite Baton Attack (left click)
- Burning Bullets (C) -> Rifle shot (left click) -> Melee
Some of these combos are great and make Black Widow an excellent anti-dive character in the game as well.
Use Ult Creatively
Black Widow’s new Assassin’s Focus ultimate is easily one of the best ultimate abilities in the game if you can use it wisely. You can fire up to six powerful shots, but you only have 20 seconds to do so. Many players will try to shoot opponents one by one, which not only takes a lot of time but also cannot properly kill anyone.
So, before using your ult, make sure to move to a proper location on the battlefield, at an angle where you can do collateral damage to multiple enemies at once. Since Black Widow’s bullets now have a wider hitbox, the bullets pierce through all the lined-up enemies in sight. Also, make sure to shoot the target in ADS mode, as it deals even more damage. In this way, you can kill multiple enemies at once, including finishing off a giant like Devil Dinosaur, using Black Widow’s new ult.
Make Full Use of Team-Ups
Black Widow’s new team-ups are passive abilities tied to her rifle shots. However, her non-critical hits now deal more significant damage to enemies than in the past. So, make sure to use either one of the Allied Agents or the Burning Bullets team-ups in Marvel Rivals.
Allied Agents grants Damage Boost and pierce effects if you can successfully land shots. On the other hand, the Burning Bullets offer a Fire Rate Boost, and the Plasma Cannon projectile turns into a hitscan laser that doesn’t need to be charged before unleashing. In our playtime, we found the Burning Bullets to be a perfect team-up that allows players to inflict serious damage, and the upgraded plasma cannon attack can be incorporated into one of Black Widow’s combos.
Avoid Using Electric Batons Unless It’s Necessary
Lastly, the final tip to master Black Widow is to avoid using melee as the main attack. Natasha’s Electric Batons simply don’t make the cut. It deals very low damage and cannot be relied on. So, make sure to utilize the Electric Batons only when performing a combo. Otherwise, you are good with your Red Room Rifle.
Best Black Widow Team Comp in Marvel Rivals
If you are looking for the best team comp for Black Widow in Marvel Rivals, we’ve got your back. After testing various team comps in the game, here are the best Black Widow team comps you can try out in competitive games in Marvel Rivals:
- New Comp: Venom, Peni Parker, Black Panther, Black Widow, Jubilee, Invisible Woman
- Dive Comp: Venom, Captain America, Spider-Man, Black Widow, Cloak and Dagger, Luna Snow
- Neutral Comp: Doctor Strange, Groot, Black Widow, Hela, Invisible Woman, Gambit
That wraps up our guide on how to play Black Widow in Marvel Rivals. With the reworked kit, many players are now interested in becoming a Black Widow main. That said, do you believe that Black Widow is now a competitive and reliable Duelist in the game? Let us know in the comments below.
