Marvel Rivals: The Thing Guide - Rock Solid

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Alright, pal, ready to become a rock star? Benjamin J. Grimm, The Thing, isn't just another pretty face made of orange rocks; he's a powerhouse Vanguard in Marvel Rivals, built to shake up the battlefield and protect his teammates with an unbreakable will and fists to match. This guide will turn any aspiring brawler into a true master of Clobberin' Time.

Introduction to The Thing

Before diving into the nitty-gritty, it's crucial to understand who Ben Grimm is and what he brings to the fight.

Meet Ben Grimm: Your Unstoppable Juggernaut

The Thing is described as the "rock star of any team he's on," always at the forefront, shielding allies and selflessly fending off harm. Beneath that rocky exterior is a heart of gold, now dedicated to protecting his home from the monsters plaguing it since New York City plunged into eternal night. In Marvel Rivals, he boasts a hefty 700 Health and a standard Movement Speed of 6m/s. This high health pool is fundamental to his role, allowing him to absorb significant punishment while he gets in the enemy's face.

The Thing's Main Gig: Vanguard & Chief Disruption Officer

As a Vanguard, The Thing is designed to lead the charge and soak up damage. However, he isn't the type of tank to just plant a shield and hold a choke point indefinitely. His true calling is as an offensive disruptor, specializing in creating chaos within the enemy ranks and controlling space.

He operates exceptionally well as a "buddy tank." This means his effectiveness skyrockets when he's actively supporting an ally's aggressive play or moving to protect a specific teammate or zone, rather than attempting to be an impenetrable solo fortress. He's the kind of hero who identifies where he's needed most—be it diving alongside a high-damage Duelist to secure a pick or leaping back to peel an assassin off his vulnerable Strategists. This reactive and supportive aggression is a hallmark of high-level Thing play, perfectly aligning with his mobile abilities like Yancy Street Charge and Embattled Leap, and his ally-buffing Embattled Leap. His lack of traditional, persistent shields further underscores this; he can't absorb infinite damage alone and relies on smart engagements and temporary health boosts.

Why You'll Love Playing Him (His Unique Strengths)

Playing The Thing is incredibly satisfying due to his distinct advantages:

• His passive, Unyielding Will, makes him immune to knock-backs, launch-ups, and other displacement effects, meaning enemies simply can't push him around.
• He excels at locking down areas and preventing enemy escapes, primarily through his Yancy Street Charge.
• His kit is packed with knock-ups and stuns, creating massive opportunities for team follow-up and devastating combos.
• For a hero of his size and resilience, he possesses surprising mobility with tools for both aggressive engagement and safe disengagement.

Mastering The Thing's Toolkit

Understanding each of Ben's abilities is the first step to becoming a true master of disruption.

Passive: Unyielding Will (The "Can't Budge Me!" Perk)

• Effect: The Thing is completely immune to launch-up, knock-back, and other displacement effects.
• Why it Matters: This is a cornerstone of his identity. It allows him to maintain crucial positioning on objectives, ignore abilities that would send other heroes flying (like boops near map edges), and confidently walk through chokepoints where enemies rely on displacement abilities to hold their ground. He dictates where he stands.

Rocky Jab (Primary Fire - Left Click)

• Effect: The Thing rapidly punches forward, delivering a double strike. Each hit deals 40 damage (for a potential 80 damage if both connect). It has an attack range of 4m. The attack interval is 0.33 seconds between the two strikes in a set, with 1 second between each set of double strikes.
• Why it Matters: This is his bread-and-butter, consistent close-range damage output. It's excellent for brawling with enemies up close and for finishing off low-health targets.

Stone Haymaker (Secondary Fire - Right Click)

• Effect: The Thing delivers a devastating Heavy Blow that deals 90 damage. It has an attack range of 8m. During the punch, he moves forward 3 meters and gains 50 Bonus Health. Importantly, this ability has no cooldown.
• Why it Matters: This is his primary burst damage punch. The forward movement is useful for closing small distances or repositioning slightly during a fight, and the temporary bonus health adds a small but welcome layer of survivability to his engagements.

Yancy Street Charge (Shift)

• Effect: The Thing continuously charges forward for up to 5 seconds with a 100% movement speed boost, gaining 200 Bonus Health during the charge. Enemies hit during the charge are launched up and take 30 damage. When the charge ends (either by duration, or if cancelled early by pressing Shift again), he slams the ground, dealing 20 damage in an 8m radius. This slam also creates a cylindrical spell field (8m radius, 4m high) that lasts for 3.5 seconds, dealing 15 damage per second to enemies within it and, most importantly, preventing them from using any mobility abilities. The cooldown is 10 seconds.
• Why it Matters: This is his signature engagement and disruption tool. The knock-up is disruptive, but the mobility prevention zone is game-changing for locking down slippery targets like Duelists or Strategists trying to escape.

Embattled Leap (E)

• Effect: The Thing jumps towards a targeted ally up to 20m away. Upon landing (or when within activation range of the ally), this ability applies a 25% damage reduction effect to both himself and the targeted ally for 3 seconds. Embattled Leap holds two charges, with each charge having a 10-second cooldown.
• Why it Matters: This is his primary mobility tool for repositioning, escaping danger, and providing crucial support to his allies through damage reduction. It's a lifeline.

Ultimate: Clobberin' Time (Q)

• Effect: The Thing slams the ground with immense power, sending a fissure erupting forward. This fissure travels up to 18m, is 10m wide, and advances 2m every 0.1 seconds. Enemies caught in the fissure are launched into the air, take 100 damage, and are stunned for a significant 2.5 seconds when they land. This ability costs 2800 energy.
• Why it Matters: This is a game-changing area-of-effect (AoE) stun and setup tool. A well-placed Clobberin' Time can turn the tide of a team fight by incapacitating multiple enemies and leaving them vulnerable to follow-up damage.

Team-Ups: Cosmic Fastball (Z) & Cooperative Comrades (C)

Cosmic Fastball (with Wolverine; also works with Hulk)

• Effect: The Thing can interact with Wolverine (or Hulk). Once both players confirm, The Thing lifts Wolverine and can then press the key again to hurl him forward up to 20m. If Wolverine is thrown, the ability has a 15s cooldown; if dropped without throwing, it's a short 3s cooldown.

Cooperative Comrades (with Invisible Woman, Mister Fantastic, Human Torch)

• Effect: When activated by Invisible Woman, this ability channels Psionic Might to fortify the entire Fantastic Four team (The Thing, Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch if present). It grants damage resistance and bonus health regeneration (5 Bonus Health per 0.1 seconds, up to a 100 Bonus Max Health) for 5 seconds. The cooldown for this ability is 25 seconds.

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The Thing's Abilities At-a-Glance

For a quick recap, here's a handy table summarizing Ben Grimm's formidable toolkit:

Core Strategy & Game Sense

Knowing the abilities is one thing; understanding how to apply them with smart strategy and game sense is what separates the good from the great.

Your Mission: Create Chaos, Protect Your Pals, and Make Space

The Thing's role extends beyond simply dealing or taking damage. His primary objective is to disrupt the enemy team's formation and game plan. This involves peeling for vulnerable teammates by intercepting divers, and, crucially, creating openings and space for allied damage dealers to operate effectively. Forcing the enemy team to react to his presence and aggression can be just as valuable, if not more so, than securing an elimination himself. He's there to make the enemy uncomfortable and break their cohesion.

Smart Positioning: The Art of Being a Rock in the Right Place

The Thing's effectiveness is heavily tied to his positioning, which must be dynamic rather than static. He needs to constantly adapt to the flow of the game and the enemy's strategy, moving to where he can have the most impact.

Offensive Menace

• When on the attack, avoid standing directly in the main choke point. Instead, look for off-angles that provide a better path for Yancy Street Charge to bypass the enemy's frontline.
• The ideal scenario is to wait for the main engagement to begin and for enemies to commit their resources, then use Yancy Street Charge to surge past their tanks and attack their supports or key damage dealers from an unexpected direction.
• On payload maps, unpredictability is key. Alternate between pushing directly with the payload alongside the team and taking flanking routes to catch enemies off-guard and relieve pressure on the objective.

Defensive Wall

• When defending, The Thing should position himself between his team's backline (Strategists and ranged Duelists) and common enemy dive or flank routes. His job is to be the primary interceptor.
• Maintain a distance of about 10-15 meters ahead of the healers. This allows him to react to incoming threats. Keep a close watch on enemy heroes known for diving (like Black Panther or Psylocke) and adjust positioning to counter their likely angles of approach.
• If an ally in the backline gets jumped, his immediate response should often be to use Yancy Street Charge to create a mobility-denial zone around them, trapping the diver and allowing his team to collapse on the threat.

Who to Clobber First (Target Priority)

Consistently focusing the right targets is crucial for maximizing The Thing's impact.

• Primary Targets: Support Heroes (Strategists). These are almost always the highest priority. Adam Warlock, with his ability to resurrect teammates, should be singled out whenever possible. Other healers like Mantis, Luna Snow, or Jeff the Land Shark are next on the list.
• Secondary Targets: Heroes reliant on mobility abilities. Characters who depend on dashes, leaps, or blinks to survive or deal damage become significantly weaker when caught in the immobilization zone from Yancy Street Charge.
• Opportunistic Targets: Exposed Ranged Duelists. Many ranged damage dealers struggle in close-quarters combat. If they are out of position or isolated, The Thing can quickly close the distance and eliminate them.
• Situational Targets: Certain Vanguards. While generally not the primary focus, there are scenarios where targeting an enemy Vanguard is correct.

Advanced Techniques & Killer Combos

Mastering The Thing involves stringing his abilities together for maximum effect.

The "Yancy Street Express" (Basic Engage Combo)

• Initiate with Yancy Street Charge to disrupt the enemy frontline and knock up key targets.
• Follow immediately by alternating Rocky Jab and Stone Haymaker to pour damage into the disrupted enemies.

The "Surprise Demolition" (High Burst Combo)

This combo relies on rapidly chaining abilities:

1. Start with Stone Haymaker for an initial burst of damage and the 50 bonus health.
2. Immediately follow with a quick Rocky Jab sequence.
3. Then, use Yancy Street Charge but cancel it almost instantly into the Ground Slam by pressing Shift again.
4. Finish with another Stone Haymaker on the vulnerable target.

The "Double Knock-Up, Double Trouble" (Ultimate Setup)

• Engage with Yancy Street Charge, ensuring the initial charge hits and knocks up enemies.
• End the charge with the Ground Slam for a second knock-up and to apply the mobility prevention field.
• Immediately follow with Clobberin' Time (Ultimate). This sequence results in a third knock-up and a lengthy 2.5s stun, creating an extended period of helplessness for caught enemies.

The "Buddy System Buff & Dive" (Aggressive Support)

• Identify an ally who is making an aggressive play, such as Magik diving the backline or Star-Lord activating his ultimate.
• Use Embattled Leap to jump to that ally. This provides both The Thing and the ally with a 25% damage reduction buff.
• Once landed, The Thing can follow up with Yancy Street Charge to add more disruption, secure the kill, or cut off enemy escape routes.

The "Hit and Run" (Safe Poke/Disruption)

• This tactic is for applying pressure without overcommitting. Use Yancy Street Charge from a flank or through the enemy frontline to briefly tag their backline heroes.
• The moment the charge connects or the slam occurs, immediately use Embattled Leap to jump back to a safe teammate, minimizing risk.

Counters & Matchup Mayhem

Every hero has strengths and weaknesses. Understanding The Thing's matchups is vital.

Heroes The Thing Loves to Clobber

The Thing's Matchup Cheat Sheet

Top Synergies & Compositions

The Thing thrives when paired with heroes who complement his disruptive, aggressive playstyle.

The Thing's Best Friends (Key Synergies)

• Invisible Woman: This is arguably his strongest synergy. The "Cooperative Comrades" team-up ability provides a massive survivability boost through bonus health regeneration and damage reduction. Remember, the cooldown for this ability is now 25 seconds, up from 20s, so timing its use is even more critical.
• Wolverine: The "Cosmic Fastball" team-up allows The Thing to throw Wolverine directly into the enemy backline, creating instant and potent dive pressure.
• Magik: The Thing's Embattled Leap, when used on a diving Magik, makes her incredibly durable and effective. The damage reduction allows her to wreak havoc in the enemy backline for longer.
• Doctor Strange / Magneto (Defensive Vanguards): Pairing The Thing with another Vanguard who can provide more traditional frontline presence allows The Thing to focus on his disruptive flanking and diving role.
• Rocket Raccoon: Rocket can provide a damage boost that makes The Thing's combos, especially his Yancy Charge into Clobberin' Time, even more lethal.
• Sustained Healers (e.g., Mantis): Since The Thing lacks significant built-in sustain outside of his team-up and temporary health boosts, having a Strategist who can provide consistent healing allows him to maintain his aggressive positioning for longer periods.

Team Styles: Where The Thing Clobbers Best

The strong advice against The Thing attempting to "solo tank" naturally steers him towards team compositions that either include another Vanguard to share frontline responsibilities or feature highly mobile, self-sufficient damage dealers and supports who can effectively play around his aggressive, disruptive initiatives.

• Dive Compositions: The Thing's kit is almost tailor-made for dive strategies. Yancy Street Charge is a prime initiation tool, and Embattled Leap allows him to support fellow divers. He excels at creating the initial opening and disruption that allows his DPS teammates to follow up and secure kills.
• Brawl/Rush Compositions: In chaotic, close-quarters engagements, The Thing is a formidable presence. His close-range punching power, AoE CC from his charge and ultimate, and inherent tankiness make him a beast in brawls.

Meta & Recent Changes

The landscape of Marvel Rivals is constantly evolving.

Recent Balance Changes (May 30th, 2025 Patch)

• No direct changes were made to The Thing himself in the May 30th, 2025 balance patch. This stability is generally a positive sign, indicating that his core kit is considered balanced by the developers.
• Indirect Nerf: "Fantastic Four" Team-Up (Cooperative Comrades) cooldown increased from 20 seconds to 25 seconds. This is the most significant recent change that directly impacts The Thing.
• Several other heroes The Thing frequently interacts with received adjustments. For example, Captain America was nerfed, while Doctor Strange and Magneto received buffs. Human Torch was nerfed.

The Thing's Place in the Current Meta

While specific VODs of pro players exclusively maining The Thing in recent tournaments are not readily available from the provided materials, his kit's strengths suggest his role in the current meta.

• Given his potent disruption capabilities and strong anti-dive characteristics (especially against heroes like Wolverine), The Thing is likely a valuable pick in metas where dive compositions or close-range brawls are prevalent.
• His inherent vulnerability to kiting and sustained ranged poke means he might face more challenges in metas heavily dominated by long-range heroes or multiple flying characters.
• The consistent advice that he should not be a "solo tank" suggests he is not a universally plug-and-play main tank but rather a specialist disruptor who excels when his team plays to his strengths.

Ultimately, while specific hero popularities and overarching strategies (the "meta") will shift with each balance patch and new hero introduction, The Thing's fundamental design as a displacement-immune disruptor with powerful area denial and setup potential remains consistently valuable. Mastering his core mechanics and understanding how to apply his disruptive toolkit effectively will always be more critical than chasing fleeting meta trends.

Final Clobberin' Tips

You're almost ready to make the earth tremble! Here's a final, quick-hit recap of the absolute must-knows for playing The Thing:

• Be the Disruptor: Your primary mission is to get in the enemy's face and mess up their plans. Create chaos.
• Yancy Street Charge is Your Best Friend: Use it to engage, escape, and, most importantly, deny enemy movement with that ground slam. Aim that slam zone carefully!
• Manage Embattled Leap Charges Wisely: One charge can be for an aggressive play with an ally or for personal damage reduction before a dive; try to save the second for a safe retreat or to peel for another teammate.
• Punch Through Shields: Don't let enemy barriers deter you; Rocky Jab goes right through them. Use Stone Haymaker for burst damage and its valuable piercing effect.
• Prioritize Healers (Strategists): Your crowd control and damage should be focused on taking out the enemy supports whenever possible. A stunned healer can't save their team.
• Cooperative Comrades Cooldown: Remember that the Fantastic Four team-up with Invisible Woman now has a 25-second cooldown. Time its activation carefully for maximum impact.
• You're Unmovable, Not Invincible: Unyielding Will stops displacement, but stuns, roots, and sustained focus fire can still bring you down. Be aware of these threats.

You've got the knowledge, and you've got the tools. The Thing is an incredibly rewarding hero to master, capable of single-handedly turning the tide of engagements with his unique brand of disruption. Be patient as you learn his intricacies, don't be afraid to review your own gameplay to identify areas for improvement, and most importantly, have a blast being the unshakeable, ever-lovin', blue-eyed (well, orange-rocked) Thing of your team! Now go out there and show 'em why it's always Clobberin' Time!

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