The Thing’s abilities may seem simple at first glance, but just like other Marvel Rivals heroes, there’s more depth to each one than what is listed in-game. After thorough testing, it’s clear that his abilities have unique mechanics, combos, and animation cancels that significantly impact gameplay.
His passive ability provides intriguing interactions. While The Thing is immune to most displacement effects, certain abilities can still impact him. For instance, while knockbacks and knock-ups do not move him, some abilities—such as Invisible Woman’s orb—can pull him toward a specific location. Luna Snow’s freeze effect and sleep abilities also affect him, as well as specific pulls like Storm’s and Hulk’s ultimate abilities. However, traditional displacement moves such as Wolverine’s tactical, Bucky’s grapple, and Thor’s dash have no effect.
Primary and Secondary Attacks
The Thing’s primary attack is a close-range melee strike with a 3-meter reach. Interestingly, it can hit to the side but not directly behind him. Each attack lands two hits per strike, making it a solid option for consistent damage. Despite its simplicity, this attack is well-balanced for a melee tank.
His secondary attack has no cooldown but requires a charge-up time. It features an area-of-effect impact with a 10-meter range. A key advantage is that activating this ability grants The Thing 50 bonus health, which refreshes each time it is used. While the primary attack provides better single-target damage, the secondary attack excels in hitting multiple enemies simultaneously.
Combos and Animation Cancels
Combos are essential when playing The Thing, as they maximize damage output and efficiency. One effective sequence begins with the charged secondary attack, followed by the primary attack. The shift ability can then be used to animation cancel right after the first hit, adding burst damage while cutting out unnecessary animation time. Pressing shift again cancels the shift run, knocking the opponent into the air and activating damage over time as they fall. Once grounded, additional melee combos can be chained for extra damage.
This is just one of many possible combos, and there will undoubtedly be more optimized sequences discovered as players refine their skills with The Thing.
The Thing’s Shift and Movement Mechanics
The shift ability serves as The Thing’s primary tool for engagement, disengagement, and movement. It grants up to 900 bonus health and has a unique movement mechanic—it features delayed, difficult-to-control turns, similar to driving on ice. Fine-tuning control over this movement will take practice, but mastering it is crucial for effective combat positioning.
When activated, the shift ability knocks up opponents it passes through and deals damage. Upon ending, it creates a large radius on the ground that applies additional damage in two ticks. Players can exploit this ability by looping around for multiple knock-ups or canceling the shift at the perfect moment for an extra slam. This ability also prevents movement-based escapes, making it a valuable tool for locking down enemies.
The Thing’s Defensive and Ultimate Abilities
The embattled leap (E ability) is The Thing’s defensive tool, featuring a 20-meter range and damage reduction effects. When used, both The Thing and his ally receive reduced damage for a short time. With two charges available, it is a reliable method for protecting supports and mitigating high-damage attacks.
His ultimate ability is a 100-damage knock-up with a 15-meter range. It stuns enemies after the knock-up, making it an excellent initiation or disruption tool. This ability is perfect for breaking up enemy formations and gaining the upper hand in fights.
