HULK SMASH! is a proper way to introduce this menace to the backline.

Hulk - Backline Destroyer

With the right strategy and cooldown usage, Hulk can smash his way through competition, completely skipping over the front line defense, flankers and defenders to get right at the heart of the team, the squishy and smashable healers! This guide will take you from lowly Bruce Banner to One-Above-All Hulk!

Bruce Banner / Hulk / Monster Hulk | Vanguard Guides

Overview

Hulk Overview - Marvel Rivals

Hulk is a versatile character with three distinct forms: Bruce Banner, Hulk & Monster Hulk. Each form has unique strengths and weaknesses, effectively giving Bruce three 'lives' per ultimate cycle.
  • Three Forms:
    • Bruce Banner is frail but has ranged attacks and a knockback ability.
    • Hulk is durable and designed for melee combat. Hulk cannot be KO, he reverts to Bruce Banner, giving him a chance to escape.
    • Monster Hulkgives hulk a massive health, size and strength boost, unleashing the destruction of Hulk Smash!

Bruce Banner

  • Primary Fire - Gamma Ray Gun: A fast-firing ranged weapon with low damage.
  • Gamma Grenade: Creates a field on the ground that grants Bruce Gamma Energy, which is needed to transform into Hulk. It also knocks back enemies and Bruce himself, which can help him escape or reach high places.
  • Ultimate - Puny Banner: Starts every match ready to transform into Hulk. The transformation makes him immune to damage and crowd control effects during the process.

Hulk

  • Primary Fire - Heavy Blow: Quick melee attacks with decent range.
  • Projectiles:
    • Gamma Burst: Pierces through enemies in a line.
    • Radioactive Lockdown: Stuns enemies briefly, stopping them from capturing objectives. Breaks if you damage them.
  • Incredible Leap: A high jump that can also knock down flying enemies. Hulk can cling to walls if he jumps into them.
  • Indestructible Guard: Projects a shield that absorbs damage and converts it into Gamma Energy for Hulk’s Ultimate. Allies benefit from the shield but only gain 10% of the energy Hulk does
  • Ultimate - Hulk Smash: Temporarily transforms Hulk into Monster Hulk, doubling his health and improving his abilities:
Monster Hulk
    • Heavy Blow: Deals more damage but swings slightly slower.
    • Gamma Burst: Hits harder, cools down faster.
    • Radioactive Lockdown: Fires faster and has a shorter cooldown.
    • World Breaker: A new ability where Hulk grabs an enemy and smashes them into the ground, reducing damage he takes by 30% during the move.

Season Bonus (Season 1):

  • Bruce Banner gets 150 extra max health in both Hulk and Monster Hulk forms.
Strengths

Two Health Bars: Hulk effectively has two lives due to his ability to revert back to Bruce Banner when his health is depleted.

High Melee Pressure: Hulk excels in close-range combat with powerful, consistent attacks.

Mobility: Incredible Leap allows Hulk to quickly reposition, escape danger, or chase enemies.

Team Utility: Indestructible Guard shields allies and charges Hulk’s Ultimate, offering protection during fights.

Crowd Control (CC): Abilities like Radioactive Lockdown provide valuable stuns to disrupt enemies and objectives.

Monster Hulk Transformation: Hulk Smash dramatically increases his health and enhances his abilities, turning him into a near-unstoppable force.

Weaknesses

Frailty as Bruce Banner: Bruce has the lowest health in the game and limited mobility, making him an easy target.

Vulnerability to Ranged Heroes: Hulk struggles against heroes with long-range attacks that can poke him down before he closes the gap.

Reliance on Gamma Energy: Without sufficient Gamma Energy, Bruce cannot transform into Hulk, limiting his effectiveness.

CC Susceptibility: Hulk is vulnerable to stuns and other crowd control effects when Indestructible Guard is on cooldown.

Predictable Movement: Hulk’s large size and straightforward melee focus make him easier to target.

Composition Matchups

Ranged Damage Dealers:

Heroes like Iron Man or Star-Lord can poke enemies from a distance while Hulk draws attention as a frontline tank.

Support/Healers:

Doctor Strange or Groot can keep Hulk alive longer, allowing him to maintain pressure.

Area Control Heroes:

Heroes like Scarlet Witch synergize well by locking enemies in place for Hulk to jump in and deal damage.

 

Weak Teammates:

Other Melee Tanks:

Pairing Hulk with heroes like Captain America can lead to redundancy and a lack of ranged threat.

Low CC Heroes:

Hulk benefits from teammates who can help control enemies while he closes the gap.

Hard Counters

Hela:

Her mobility and stealth make it difficult for Hulk to land hits, and she delete him before he gets to her.

Hawkeye:

Long-range attacks and high burst damage can pressure Hulk before he gets close.

Scarlet Witch:

Her area control and CC can shut down Hulk’s mobility and trap him in unfavorable situations plus she does % health damage on hitscan.

Soft Counters

Spider-Man:

Spider-Man’s mobility and web attacks can keep Hulk at a distance, but he struggles if caught in melee range.

Iron Man:

While Iron Man can poke Hulk from range, he is vulnerable if Hulk closes the gap with Incredible Leap.

Thor:

Thor’s versatility can pose challenges for Hulk, but a well-timed Radioactive Lockdown can neutralize his abilities.

Wolverine:
Wolverine a soft counter to every tank, if he is played by a good player, you will always have to be on the lookout on vanguard.

Basic Strategy

As Bruce Banner:

  • Farm Gamma Energy: Use Gamma Grenade to generate Gamma Energy quickly while staying at a safe distance.
  • Position Safely: Stay behind your team until you can transform into Hulk.
  • Use Knockback Creatively: Gamma Grenade can be used to escape sticky situations or reach high ground for a better position.

As Hulk:

  • Engage Decisively: Use Incredible Leap to close the gap and start fights on your terms.
  • Protect Allies: Time Indestructible Guard to shield your team during critical moments.
  • Focus Key Targets: Prioritize squishy damage dealers and supports with Heavy Blow and Gamma Burst.
  • Disrupt Objectives: Use Radioactive Lockdown to prevent enemies from capturing objectives or to stall their team’s momentum.

As Monster Hulk:

  • Dominate the Fight: Use Hulk Smash to push enemies back and create space for your team.
  • Combo Your Abilities: Chain Heavy Blow, Gamma Burst, and World Breaker to maximize damage and control.
  • Absorb Damage: Take advantage of your doubled health and damage reduction to tank for your team.

Bruce Banner / Hulk / Monster Hulk | Vanguard Guides

Overview

Intermediate Hulk Guide

1. Transformations & Resource Management

1.1 Gamma Energy Prioritization

  • Early-Game Gamma Farming: As Bruce Banner, it’s crucial to build up Gamma Energy quickly and safely. Use your Gamma Ray Gun from a distance to chip at enemies, or time your Gamma Grenade so you not only collect its energy but also keep enemies off you.
  • Survival vs. Aggression: Sometimes it's better to delay transforming if you anticipate a big team fight soon. Consider partially charging your Gamma Energy and transforming right as you move to contest an objective.
  • Reverting Tactically: When Hulk’s health is depleted, you revert back to Bruce. Plan to use Bruce’s Gamma Grenade defensively to escape or offensively to knock enemies away from an objective. In the downtime as Bruce, be sure to keep farming Gamma Energy to quickly rejoin the fight as Hulk.

1.2 Timing the Ultimate

  • Reading the Fight: Hulk’s Hulk Smash (which triggers Monster Hulk) can swing team fights. Watch for when enemies group up or commit key abilities—save your Ultimate to either:
    • Initiate: Jump in with Incredible Leap and instantly transform, turning you into an unstoppable frontline that the enemy must deal with.
    • Counter-Engage: If the enemy dives your backline, transform to peel them off and punish their overextension.
  • Charging Through Defense: Use Indestructible Guard when you’re close to your Ultimate for a final energy push. The damage absorbed is directly converted into Gamma Energy, accelerating your path to Monster Hulk.

2. Advanced Combat Tactics

2.1 Bruce Banner’s Escapes & Poke

  • Gamma Grenade Boost: You can use the grenade’s knockback on yourself to reach high ground, jump over obstacles, or escape unexpected flanks.
  • Safe Poke: Fire a few rounds of your Gamma Ray Gun to chip away at targets, then throw Gamma Grenade to disrupt enemies trying to close in on you. This builds enough distance for you to safely transform if needed.

2.2 Hulk’s Close-Quarters Dominance

  • Comboing CC & Damage:
    • Open fights with Radioactive Lockdown to stun a key enemy—especially a healer or damage dealer.
    • Immediately follow with Gamma Burst or Heavy Blow to ensure high burst damage while they’re immobilized.
  • Incredible Leap Setup:
    • Use Incredible Leap into a cluster of enemies, forcing them to scatter or risk being knocked down.
    • If the enemy tries to kite you, push forward behind Indestructible Guard to soak damage while advancing.
  • Shield Tactics:
    • Time Indestructible Guard not just for personal survival but also to protect your team if they are channeling important abilities or capturing objectives.
    • Communicate with allies so they group behind your shield for maximum benefit.

2.3 Monster Hulk’s Aggression

  • World Breaker Execution:
    • Target squishy backliners (like fragile Damage/Support heroes) with World Breaker for a guaranteed punish.
    • The 30% damage reduction during the animation makes you tanky enough to survive counter-focus; use it as a frontline disruptor.
  • Short Cooldowns, Big Impact:
    • Radioactive Lockdown has a shorter cooldown in Monster form—be aggressive in throwing out stuns to disrupt enemy combos.
    • Gamma Burst deals more damage and cools down faster—try hitting multiple enemies in a line for maximum Ultimate value.

3. Team Synergy & Composition

3.1 Ideal Allies

  • High CC Supports (e.g., Doctor Strange, Groot, Scarlet Witch): Combine their crowd control with your own stuns and leaps for devastating lockdown chains.
  • Ranged Damage Dealers (e.g., Iron Man, Star-Lord): While you soak damage and draw focus, they can safely poke down the enemy from the backline.
  • Healers or Buffers (e.g., Groot, some versions of Captain Marvel’s support kit): Extending Hulk’s uptime in melee range is crucial. Extra healing or shields can keep you in Hulk form longer, which translates into stronger frontline presence.

3.2 Potential Pitfalls in Team Comps

  • Too Many Tanks: Pairing Hulk with other pure tanks (like Captain America) can lead to a team that lacks sustained ranged pressure, making it easier for the enemy to kite you.
  • Low CC Allies: If your allies lack any additional slows, stuns, or roots, enemies can more easily escape your melee range, especially those with strong mobility.

4. Counter-Play & Matchup Management

4.1 Against Ranged Heroes

  • Cover & Corners: Zig-zag and use map features to close the gap.
  • Shield Then Leap: Use Indestructible Guard to absorb initial poke, then Incredible Leap to quickly engage. Force them to disengage or lose a chunk of health.

4.2 Against Heavy CC Teams

  • Bait Out Key Abilities: Wait for the enemy to use their big CC (like large AoE stuns) on another target before committing as Hulk.
  • Transform Invulnerability: If you know the enemy is about to dive or chain CC, start your Hulk transformation (or Monster Hulk transformation). The brief invulnerability can negate those abilities entirely.

4.3 Positioning as Bruce Banner

  • Stay Near a Safe Zone: If you revert to Banner in the middle of a chaotic fight, you’ll likely be focused down. Stick to safer lanes or behind your team when you’re on the brink of reverting, so you have time to recover and rebuild Gamma.

5. Utilizing the Season Bonus (Season 1)

  • Bonus Health Efficiency: Bruce Banner gets +150 max health in Hulk/Monster Hulk forms this season. Use that extra buffer to take more risks in frontline engagements. It can be the difference between surviving with 1 HP for a crucial revert back to Banner instead of being fully KO’d.

Key Takeaways

  1. Manage Gamma Wisely: Balance using Bruce Banner’s kit to safely gather Gamma Energy versus transforming early for an advantage in skirmishes.
  2. Chain Crowd Control: Hulk’s stuns and leaps disrupt entire enemy teams—coordinate with allies to maximize lockdown and confirm kills.
  3. Use Your Shield Smartly: Indestructible Guard can protect crucial allied abilities and objectives, as well as speed up your Ultimate charge.
  4. Monster Hulk’s Overwhelm: Once transformed, use the short cooldowns and increased damage to demolish key targets quickly before the buff ends.
  5. Composition Awareness: Seek allies who offer additional CC or healing. Avoid compositions that stack too many melee heroes, which can be easily kited by a well-coordinated enemy team.

Practice Tip: Spend time in training modes or casual matches to get a feel for when to stay as Bruce Banner to build Gamma Energy and when to switch to Hulk for a team fight. Over time, you’ll develop the game sense to know the perfect moment to become Monster Hulk and turn the tide of battle.

Use these intermediate strategies to refine your Hulk play. Master the nuances of transforming at the right time, conserving Gamma Energy, and coordinating with your team—and you’ll smash your way to victory in Marvel Rivals!

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