Parker Robbins, infamously known as The Hood, finally made his long-awaited debut in Marvel Rivals Season 9.5. He is shaking the meta with his dual pistols and demonic transformation.
Following Parker’s arrival, I’ve been playing as The Hood in quick and competitive matches non-stop. If you are looking for the best tips and tricks to master this character, here is the best way to play The Hood in Marvel Rivals.
Marvel Rivals The Hood Kit and Abilities
- Role: Vanguard
- Difficulty: 2 stars
- Health: 600 HP
Based on his comic counterpart, The Hood was expected to be a Duelist; however, he was revealed as a Vanguard in Marvel Rivals Season 9.5. He made a deal with the devil and is capable of undergoing a demonic transformation on the battlefield.
If you are wondering what type of Vanguard he is, he is a hitscan off-tank. The Hood sports his iconic red cloak, wields dual pistols, and channels demonic energy to unleash across the battlefield. As a two-star Vanguard, anyone can master playing The Hood in Marvel Rivals.
The Hood’s abilities are very straightforward, and everything revolves around his demonic energy. Dual Pistols are The Hood’s primary fire, and their fire rate and firepower can be increased by chaining his other abilities. So, here are all the confirmed abilities for The Hood, along with the new Marvel Rivals team-ups:
| Ability Name | Input Button and Ability Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Accursed Pistols | Left Click (Primary Attack) | Shoot forward dual-wielded pistols. Gain increased Attack Speed when Demonic Energy exceeds 50%. |
| Leaded Transformation | Right Click | Enter Half-Demon State, transforming your arms into demonic rifles to unleash a rain of lead. These rifles have increased Attack Speed and Infinite Ammo. Every bullet that strikes an enemy triggers Lifesteal. |
| Demon of the End | Q (Ultimate) | Enter Full Demon State. Fire up to 6 high-powered shots that pierce through enemies and barriers, while granting Bonus Health to yourself and nearby allies; the final bullet is the most powerful. Hitting enemies grants Bonus Health to yourself and nearby allies. |
| Void Walk | L Shift | Enter the Void for free-flight. Upon reappearing, gain a decaying Movement Boost and damage surrounding enemies. |
| Abyssal Veil | E | Throw a dark magic sphere that generates a Veil upon landing. Accursed Pistols shots passing through it generate more Demonic Energy, and bullets from Leaded Transformation gain increased Lifesteal. Enemy projectiles passing through suffer reduced damage and healing output. Enemies who pass through the Veil take damage and are blinded. |
| Mantle of Oblivion | Right Click | Spread your cloak to form a spherical barrier, blocking incoming enemy attacks. When Demonic Energy exceeds 50%, the radius of the sphere expands further. |
| Ruinous Pact | Passive | Accumulate Demonic Energy by dealing damage via Accursed Pistols, blocking attacks with Mantle of Oblivion, or using Void Walk. Reaching full energy automatically triggers the Half-Demon State. |
| Chaos Collision | Team-Up | Base Effect: Gain a New Ability. Create an arcane zone that continuously damages enemies and applies stacking Damage and Healing Reduction. Reactivate to teleport to the zone’s center. Enhanced Effect: When teaming up with Scarlet Witch, after teleporting, unleash a magical shockwave, dealing one-time damage to nearby enemies while launching them towards The Hood. |
| New Moon’s Shadow | Team-Up | Base Effect: Enhances Abyssal Veil into a Lunar Barrier that blocks projectiles. Upon breaking, it detonates, damaging enemies and applying Damage and Healing Reduction. Enemies passing through take damage and are briefly blinded. Enhanced Effect: When teaming up with Moon Knight, the Lunar Barrier has greater shield value, and The Hood’s attacks that pass through it gain a bounce effect. |
How to Play The Hood in Marvel Rivals: Best Strategy Guide
Now that you are familiar with The Hood’s kit, it’s time to learn how to put those abilities to use in Marvel Rivals. After waiting for a long time, I finally got to play as Parker Robbins following the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 9.5.
He has a simple kit and plays very similarly to Tankpool, the Vanguard variant of Deadpool in Marvel Rivals. However, the key to unleashing his monstrosity on the battleground is to actively build up his demonic energy. After spending several hours with the new Vanguard, here are the best strategies for playing as The Hood in Marvel Rivals:
Offensive Strategy: Run and Gun
There is a reason people say, “the best defense is a good offense.” This concept can be applied to The Hood in Marvel Rivals. Here is how to execute the Run and Gun strategy in Marvel Rivals:
- Since The Hood is a hitscan character like Black Widow, the damage gets registered the moment the bullet comes out of the dual pistols. So, the best strategy is to opt for a run-and-gun playstyle.
- Long-range fights aren’t The Hood’s strongest suit. Since you will be fighting mid-close-range fights, keep moving and firing the dual pistols. Enemies will have a tough time taking you down.
- In tandem with firing, use the Abyssal Veil and Mantle of Oblivion wisely to charge your demonic energy meter.
- Keep using the Void Walk to reposition yourself on the battlefield and aim for high ground.
- Although reaching 50% in the meter grants an attack speed boost, aim for the 100% (Half-Demon State) as it unlocks infinite ammo, and you can dish out ridiculous damage numbers.
- In this way, you can aggressively play and keep pressuring the enemy’s frontline.
- Once the frontline has been breached, use Void Walk and get behind the healers like White Fox to catch them off-guard.
- With an aggressive approach, you can shine on the battlefield as The Hood’s kit is designed with aggression in mind.
Defensive Strategy: Shielding Allies
The Hood may not be the primary tank of the team; however, he still has to fulfill the duty of shielding his allies, like Devil Dinosaur in Marvel Rivals. Luckily, he has a few items in his arsenal that offer better protection to his teammates:
- First, the Hood will be the center of attraction in a team, and so your goal is to survive the enemy team’s wrath.
- The Hood’s Mantle of Oblivion and Abyssal Veil don’t guard him or his allies from a massive attack.
- Therefore, try to use the New Moon’s Shadow, a newly introduced team-up ability in Marvel Rivals, which turns the veil into a strong barrier blocking incoming projectiles for a period.
- Alternatively, you can charge Demonic Energy over 50%, then the radius of the protection cloak sphere gets increased.
- Lastly, always unleash The Hood’s ultimate ability when surrounded by your teammates. Because Parker can offer up to 200 bonus health to his allies.
Best Strategy: Lifesteal and Escape Divers
As we mentioned above, the best way to play The Hood is to let him enter the Half-Demon State as often as possible. Leaded Transformation is the most powerful ability in his kit, and here is how to make full use of it:
- In case you didn’t know, when The Hood in Marvel Rivals enters the half-demon state, he starts sucking the life force as he fires at his enemies and heals himself.
- So, as The Hood, your goal is to utilize the other abilities in your kit and charge the demonic energy meter as soon as possible.
- This is an ideal technique that lets The Hood survive even if he dives into the enemy’s backline with his Void Walk or teleport using Chaos Collision.
- Make sure to time your run properly once you unlock the half-demon state.
- In this way, you can wipe out squads without relying on your Strategist and heal yourself up to an extent.
- Rinse and repeat this strategy to survive every battle and secure the most kills.
Best Counters for The Hood in Marvel Rivals
The Hood may seem like a devil who cannot be beaten, but there are plenty of Marvel Rivals characters who are natural counters for The Hood in Marvel Rivals:
- Wolverine: Wolverine is the best in business when it comes to killing any Vanguard in the game. Once again, Logan can close in the distance and shred The Hood into pieces with his claws.
- Magneto: Mag is the best Vanguard in the game right now. He is capable of absorbing projectiles with his ultimate ability in Marvel Rivals and rendering The Hood’s ultimate useless.
- Iron Fist: Iron Fist may not be in his prime anymore. But he can still make things difficult for The Hood by marking him and engaging in close-quarters combat.
- Emma Frost: The diamond queen is perfect for shrinking The Hood’s health and finishing off The Hood in her diamond form.
Best Team Comp to Play as The Hood in Marvel Rivals
And if you are looking for the best team comp for the new hero, we have got you covered. Here are the various team comps you can try to secure victories as The Hood in Marvel Rivals.
- Main Comp: Magneto, The Hood, Cyclops, Winter Soldier, Jubilee, and Gambit.
- Dive Comp: Hulk, The Hood, Black Cat, The Punisher, Cloak and Dagger, and Jubilee
- Poke Comp: Doctor Strange, The Hood, Phoenix, Moon Knight, Jubilee, and Invisible Woman.
And that’s a wrap on The Hood Marvel Rivals guide. He is genuinely one of the best additions to the ever-growing hero roster of Marvel Rivals. That said, let us know whether you think The Hood is overpowered or not in the comments below.
Ajith Kumar
