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The Punisher marches intoMarvel Rivalsas a relentless force of retribution, armed with an array of weapons and an unyielding drive to punish the guilty. His abilities make him a formidable opponent with the capability of dealing massive amounts of damage to anyone who stands in his way.
Whilst having this machine of war on your team may sound like an easy victory, what if he’s on the opposing team? Luckily for you, this is where this guide will go over what characters to pick as well as what playstyles will be the most effective to deal with him.
How To Counter Punisher
One of the many things about the Punisher is hisability to hunker downanddeal massive amounts of damage at rangeusing his rifle or his turret.
You might think getting close to him would be the smartest choice, but you’d be sorely mistaken. This is due tohis multiple escape tools, such as his smoke grenade and grapple hook, but the main issue is hishigh-damaging shotgun.
Choose heroes withmobilityorcrowd controlto limit Punisher’s ability to escape. Heroes that canquickly closethe gap or lock him down will make it harder for him to use his escape tools. Additionally, since Punisher depends on getting close to land effective shotgun shots, opt fordiveandflank heroesthat can surprise him while staying out of shotgun range.
Whilst this may sound like he is an unkillable machine, it all comes down to what characters you choose. Let’s dive into each role specifically:
How To Counter Punisher As A Strategist
More often than not,you will rarely see a Punisher in your backline. Instead, a good Punisher willtake the high groundand attempt topick you and your team off.Making yourself harder to hit by hiding behind terrainormoving in an unpredictable waywill reduce the chances of being killed.
Jeff The Land Sharkis a prime pick when going against a Punisher thanks not only tohis small size, but hisability to submerge into the ground, greatly reducing his hitbox.Rocket Raccoonis also a great pick as he issimilar in size.
If you run into the rare aggressive Punisher player who enjoys diving into the backline,picking a Strategist with a stun abilitywill greatly reduce his effectiveness.Luna SnowandMantisboth have the ability tohold an opponent in place for a few seconds, giving you ample time toescape or notify your nearby teammatesfor an easy kill.
How To Counter Punisher As A Duelist
Now onto the class with a better chance at dealing with Punisher head on. As stated previously, the Punisher will almost always be in anadvantageous position and hold it down. The best way to deal with this is toforce the Punisher out of positionwith more damage than he can take orsneak up behind him and put him down.
Squirrel Girlis surprisingly a great choice to force him to move, as when Punisher is in his turret form, she cansafely hide behind a wall or environmentandspam her primary fire,dealing enough damage tobreak his turret.
Flankerssuch asPsylocke, Spider-ManandIron Fistare very effective atsneaking up onandeliminating Punisher. Though Psylocke lacks vertical movement save for her dash,she can go invisibleand has the potential to performa one-shot comboif done correctly.Spider-ManandIron Fistboth have a much easier time getting in and safely getting outusing their movement abilities, though it’s advised to make sureyour abilitiesaren’t on cooldownwhen engaging.
Avoid flying characters such as Iron Man and Storm as they are easy targets for Punisher.
How To Counter Punisher As A Vanguard
Of the three classes, Vanguards arguably have a much easier time dealing with Punisher.Higher health pools, Crowd Control (CC)andabilities to negate most or all damagedealt to them. Similarly to the Duelist, Vanguards that candive in and forcean oppressivePunisher out of positionare must picks.
Hulkis a great candidate for this as he has the tools mentioned above. Simplyjump right onto the Punisher’s positionandactivate your barrier abilitybefore pummeling him till he either falls or flees. If it seems to be a losing battle,using Hulk’s shout to stunthe Punisher can give you an opening to get someadditional damageorescape back to your team.
ThorandVenomare also good picks, though they aremore susceptible to damageandcan die very quickly if their abilities aren’t used properly. Another thing to keep in mind is what state the Punisher is currently in. If he is in his turret form, be sure towait till the turret is at least half health before diving in.
Avoid diving Punisher if he is in his ultimate, as he will be completely immune to Crowd Control abilities and will melt your health in seconds.
