Image: Marvel / Kotaku
Bucky, AKA: The Winter Soldier, is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel Rivals, and he gets more powerful the better you play. If you believe in yourself and want to see how far skill can take you, Bucky is an incredible choice. He fits in virtually every team composition and has an incredibly well-rounded set of skills as well as one of the most powerful ultimate abilities in the game.
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How should you play Winter Soldier?
Screenshot: Marvel / Brian Barnett / Kotaku
Bucky should be played as a close and mid-range fighter, running behind the tanks and supplementing front-line offense. He can drag flying enemies to the ground, separate enemies from their team, and counter “dive” type enemies who are looking to kill your Strategists, all while dealing great damage and charging up his incredible Ultimate ability.
Work with your team to hook problematic opponents and drag them into your midst to finish them off with Bionic Hook. Ground enemy flyers with Tainted Voltage, and finish off low-health heroes in the close-range with Trooper’s Fist. Once Kraken Impact is charged, it’s time to shine.
Screenshot: Marvel / Brian Barnett / Kotaku
Get a few shots on soft targets, then finish them off with your Ultimate. Rinse and repeat. Take out the backline or DPS (damge-per-second) characters who are away from the pack first, then work your way up the food chain until all that’s left are the enemy Vanguards, then help your team mop them up. All in a day’s work for the Winter Soldier.
What are Bucky’s abilities?
Screenshot: Marvel / Brian Barnett / Kotaku
- Kraken Impact (Ultimate): “ARMED AND DANGEROUS!” This ultimate is already iconic, and if you’ve been on the receiving end, you know how terrifying it can be to hear Bucky shout that line. In fact, when Bucky made an appearance in a recent Marvel movie, theater-goers saw him and yelled, “AGAIN!,” to audience laughter and applause. During the ultimate, Bucky jumps high into the air, slamming down on a chosen spot on the ground, dealing damage and giving hit enemies a death mark. If the enemy health bar falls into the dark red area, they’ll instantly die and recharge Bucky’s ultimate, letting him use it again. The shouts of “Again!” can be heard across the map, so your enemies will know when it’s happening, which also deals considerable damage to morale (another huge plus). The recharge can only be obtained if the kill is completed within a few second window, but can also be chained infinitely so long as marked enemies keep being killed. This makes Bucky one of the most powerful heroes in Marvel Rivals in the hands of a skilled player.
- Roterstern (Primary Attack): Bucky’s gun fires explosive bullets, dealing small area damage. The weapon holds only three rounds, but every ability he uses will instantly refill it, and it reloads incredibly fast on its own. It’s a fantastic weapon for an exceptional warrior.
- Trooper’s Fist: A gap-closer, this ability ends in an uppercut that launches enemies into the air, where you can easily land weapon shots, Tainted Voltage, or have allies follow up. Great to use against fleeing enemies or to finish off low-health targets who are nearby, but hard to hit with weapons fire.
- Tainted Voltage: A long-range projectile that deals damage and slows enemies. When hitting flying enemies, they will drop to the ground, making it an exceptional tool to counter careless Iron Man, Torch, and Storm players, bringing them down where the rest of your team can knock them out.
- Bionic Hook: Perhaps the most powerful ability Bucky has. Grab an enemy (or even multiple enemies at once), stun them, and drag them right to you. Puts them in perfect range for follow-up shots or ability uses. Very powerful for pulling enemy Vanguard players into the middle of your team to be knocked out. Also combos extremely well with Groot, so hook the enemy in and have Groot place walls behind them, making it very difficult for enemy Strategists to heal them. Can also be used on dimensional portals to grab Magik, and even grab characters like Black Panther or Spider-Man, making Bucky a solid answer against dive characters like them.
- Ceaseless Charge (Passive): Every time you use one of Bucky’s bionic arm abilities, his primary weapon will instantly be reloaded, and he’ll gain bonus health. The central part of Bucky’s resilience and self-sustain. If you have an ability to use, do that instead of reloading.
- Stellar Impact (Team-Up Ability – Captain America): Jump to an ally and deal damage to nearby enemies. If Bucky and Cap initiate the ability together, the shockwave they make will deal damage to nearby enemies and slow them. A key ability that helps Bucky defend his allies.
Bucky is incredibly good at what he does, so get out there and let your enemies feel your fury… AGAIN!
