These win-rate figures are the creator's own read of early season 9 Grandmaster+ data, not an official Marvel Rivals statistic — treat them as a snapshot, not a permanent tier list.
## Reading the season 9 ban list: who the community already bans  Separate from win rate, ban rate tells you who the hivemind already refuses to play against. [Gambit](/guides/gambit-hero-guide-abilities-combos-fixing-the-she-myth-marvel-rivals) sits at the top of the season 9 ban list at roughly a 28% ban rate — despite going through several nerf passes, he received self-healing buffs in the emergency hotfix that kept him relevant, so he stays in what the creator calls "ban jail." If he's left open, he gets picked and punished; if you can play him yourself, expect him banned most games anyway. ## Best bans competitive Marvel Rivals players are locking in  Black Panther lands second on the season 9 ban list. Early on he benefited from a passive-stacking bug that let his ultimate deal roughly triple damage and one-shot squishier supports through their own defensive ultimates — that bug is now hot-fixed, but he's still strong thanks to a Storm team-up that adds an AoE burst around his combo. Peni Parker is third in ban rate, arguably deserved after multiple seasons as one of the highest win-rate tanks in the game. Namor also draws heavy bans now that he gets the Gamma Squid team-up without needing Hulk on his team, giving him extra utility and front-to-back peel for his strategists. ## Daredevil, Hela, and the hero ban meta beyond the top of the list  The hero ban meta doesn't stop at the top three or four names. Daredevil draws bans around a 12% rate for his relentless dive pressure and his ability to finish targets even through some defensive ultimates. Hela is flagged as a rising threat too — she inherits an "undead squid" passive through her own Namor team-up synergy, letting her punish teams the moment a fight starts going wrong. Neither is banned as consistently as Gambit or Black Panther yet, but the creator expects both to climb the season 9 ban list as more players learn their kits. ## Hero ban strategy: banning for your role, not just the hivemind  This is the creator's core hero ban strategy tip, and it's the one piece of ranked ban strategy that goes beyond raw stats: ban based on your role and your team's composition, not just whatever the lobby is already banning. If you play hitscan Duelist with a squishy backline strategist, a diver like Black Panther or Spider-Man can single-handedly ruin your game plan — ban that first. If you're on Magneto, an aggressive flanker like Wolverine, Emma Frost, or Blade might be your real problem. If your team runs an immobile strategist, dive heroes like Hulk or Venom (which the creator flags as a hero climbing the ban list) are what actually needs to go, not necessarily whoever the community bans by default."Best bans" is inherently a subjective, meta-dependent call — treat every ranking in this guide as the creator's read on that specific patch, not a fixed rule.
## How this guide was fact-checked This guide combines two sources: the tilTruthOS video's on-screen win-rate and ban-rate data (RivalsMeta-style stats screens, frame-verified) and the mechanical rules of the Marvel Rivals ban system, checked against the Marvel Rivals Fandom wiki's Competitive page and corroborating outlets (win.gg, TheGamer). **Wiki-verified facts:** - Rank gate: hero bans activate only once every player in the lobby is Gold III or higher. Wiki confirms this matches the video's framing. - Ban count: each team bans three heroes (minimum 3, maximum 6 heroes removed per match depending on overlap). The video doesn't state the exact number on-screen, but its "three different ways to draw conclusions" framing and role-based ban advice are consistent with a 3-ban-per-team system. - Voting mechanic: bans are decided by a probability-weighted vote, not simple majority — every vote adds a percentage chance rather than a hard veto. This directly supports the video's "even a 10% vote still counts" advice. - Hero pre-select: players choose their intended hero before the ban phase so teammates don't accidentally ban them — confirmed by the wiki and matches the video's team-communication tip. **Frame-verified facts:** hero name spellings (Peni Parker, Gambit, Black Panther, Namor, Daredevil, Hela, Mantis, Psylocke, Rocket Raccoon, Ultron, Black Cat, Loki, Magik, Storm, The Punisher, Spider-Man, Phoenix) were checked directly against the on-screen stats table in the video, not the auto-generated transcript (which mis-transcribed several names, e.g. "Penny Parker" for "Peni Parker"). **Unconfirmed / subjective:** the specific win-rate and ban-rate percentages quoted (e.g. Peni Parker's 67% win rate, Gambit's 28% ban rate) are the creator's own data pull from early season 9 Grandmaster+ games and change patch to patch — they are not wiki facts and were not independently re-verified against a live stats site at publish time. Likewise, "who to ban" recommendations are the creator's opinion on the current meta, not an objective ranking; the wiki does not publish ban-priority tier lists because these are meta-dependent by nature. --- ## FAQ ### How does the Marvel Rivals ban system work? Once every player in a competitive lobby is Gold III or higher, a ban phase opens before the match. Each team votes to ban three heroes using a probability-weighted system: every vote adds a percentage chance for that hero to be banned rather than requiring a strict majority. Depending on overlap, a match can lose between three and six heroes total, and none of the banned heroes can be played for that game. ### Who should you ban in Marvel Rivals season 9? Based on early season 9 Grandmaster+ data, Gambit, Black Panther, Peni Parker, Namor, Daredevil, and Hela draw the most bans league-wide. But ban priority is meta-dependent and shifts with balance patches, so treat these as a starting point rather than a fixed rule -- the creator's biggest tip is to ban based on which hero counters your specific role and comp first. ### What rank do hero bans start in Marvel Rivals? Hero bans unlock in Competitive once every player in the lobby is Gold III or higher. Below that rank threshold, matches go straight into hero select with no ban screen at all -- this is confirmed on the Marvel Rivals wiki's Competitive page. ### How many heroes can each team ban in Marvel Rivals? Each team gets three bans per match once the ban system is active. Because both teams vote at the same time and can target the same hero, a game can lose anywhere from three heroes (if both teams overlap completely) up to six unique heroes (if there's no overlap at all). ### Should I ban based on the meta or my own role in Marvel Rivals? Both, but weight them differently depending on how much data you have. Early in a season, leaning on hivemind picks like Gambit or Black Panther is reasonable since role-specific reads are still thin. As you play more games, prioritize the one or two heroes that consistently counter your specific role and comp -- a strong ranked ban strategy usually means one hivemind ban and one personal, role-based ban rather than doubling up on the same popular target.