Welcome to Season 8.5 of Marvel Rivals, and with it, our newest hero, Cyclops! The leader of the X-Men is here to provide constant damage, surprising mobility, and one of the hardest-hitting Ultimates Marvel Rivals has ever seen.
The question stands though, what will the best Cyclops build end up being? That is to say, which team comps will see Cyclops thrive? Let’s go over Cyclops’ abilities, his best teams, and some tips on how to pull ahead of the crowd!
Cyclops Full Kit
Cyclops is a 275 HP Duelist, making him a bit on the beefier side of Marvel Rivals’ DPS lineup. That extra HP serves him well, as Cyclops is all about flexible mobility. Cyclops often starts fights at the front line before forcing himself and his target into more favorable positions for his team.
If you like playing the commander, making openings for your teammates, and executing on enemy mistakes, Cyclops might be the hero for you. His overall flexibility has made him a personal favorite. Lets take a quick look at all of Cyclops’ abilities.
Primary Fire – Optic Blast
Cyclops’ primary ability is a quick burst of kinetic energy from his visor. The blast has good range and solid damage, making it a great poke tool as you assess an ongoing fight. Landing hits with Optic Blast lowers the cooldown for Cyclops’s Ricochet Force ability.
The beam that Cyclops fires travels instantly, allowing him to land headshots easily and chip down flyers that the rest of the team may struggle with. There’s no reason not to keep firing as enemies reveal themselves.
Note that the projectile has practically infinite range, only losing a bit of damage. When I say only a bit, I mean it, he can still three-tap headshot from comedic distances. If you see ’em, shoot ’em.
Secondary Fire – Concussive Beam
Cyclops’ secondary fire, Concussive Beam, allows him to maintain a constant beam of damage that bounces off enemies and the environment. Concussive Beam drains its own resource bar to fire, which passively recharges when not in use. Concussive Beam speeds up Ricochet Force.
In exchange for the lengthy recharge, Concussive Beam provides Cyclops with stellar multi-target damage if he can manage to keep solid tracking of a target. Save Concussive Beam for groups of tightly packed enemies, or beefy foes that need to be focused down. Communicate with your team when you’re spending the resource, and you’ll be able to melt the enemy.
Concussive Beam comes with its own mini passive, Kinetic Hover. Kinetic Hover allows Cyclops to hover in the air while he fires Concussive Beam. This way, he can stay out of reach of short range heroes while pouring out damage. For a quick kill combo, maintain Concussive Beam until the enemy is just about half HP, then go for a headshot.
For characters with abilities like this that require consistent tracking, I would recommend lowering your sensitivity. That may sound counterproductive, but it’s done wonders for a variety of heroes. Also worth considering on Punisher and Emma Frost.
Shift – Propulsion Burst
Cyclops’ shift ability has him fire a concentrated burst of energy, forcibly pushing himself and any enemy caught in the beam away from each other. The struck enemy is slowed for a short time after the blast. Holding the button will extend the distance both players are pushed.
Perfect for a rapid escape, Propulsion Burst rewards solid aim with a way to force aggressive foes away. Firing the beam at a wall or the floor will push Cyclops anyway, letting you reposition to areas you may otherwise be unable to reach.
Holding down the button extends the flight, though that can be a hindrance at times. I’ve found tapping more worthwhile when you’re making distance in order to avoid throwing yourself totally out of position.
F – Optic Ascent
Cyclops’ F, Optic Ascent, functions identically to Propulsion Burst, but is aimed directly downwards. Thanks to this cooldown, you can focus on using Propulsion Burst as a self-peel tool when enemies are closing in.
Utilize Optic Ascent whenever you need to get higher, be that for elevated footing or just to keep in the air away from melee enemies. Optic Ascent allows easy use of Kinetic Hover‘s float, keeping every battle at optimal range.
E – Ricochet Force
Cyclops lets loose a quick, angled blast that bounces off of anything it hits towards enemies. The ability has 2 charges and grants Cyclops Bonus Health on hit.
Perfect for weaving between Optic Blasts or for some on-demand armor, Ricochet Force provides quick bursts of damage on demand. Repeated use requires solid aim with his primary and secondary fires, so keep your aim steady.
If you can keep up the pressure, you’ll be nailing enemies from angles they never even knew existed. A great pick against hard to hit enemies like Spider-Man or Black Panther.
Ultimate – Ruby Rage
Cyclops’ Ultimate is a titanic blast of kinetic energy, sweeping in a beam directly in front of him. The initial blast destroys any barrier it comes into contact with before marking the ground for detonation. The marked ground explodes soon after, dealing a massive amount of damage based on the enemy’s maximum HP.
Paired with any kind of crowd control, Cyclops’ Ruby Rage is a team wipe waiting to happen. The opening beam is a great way to start a battle, stopping tanks like Doctor Strange or Emma Frost from defending against your team’s following onslaught.
You can garuntee one enemy is trapped in the follow-up explosion by comboing your Propulsion Burst‘s slow into Ruby Rage, stopping the enemy’s escape before it starts.
The max HP damage means anyone caught in the blast is going to be left reeling. Use Ruby Rage to start a fight for projectile-based Ultimates, or as a follow-up to massive stuns like the Eye of Agamotto or Clobbering Time.
Team Up – Blast Slash
When on the same team, Cyclops will empower Wolverine’s claws, extending his basic attack range and granting him a new ability, Kinetic Claws.
Both Cyclops and Wolverine do great against beefier enemies thanks to their max HP damage, so this team-up is sure to see plenty of use. The new ability makes Wolverine’s approach a bit less committal, so try to follow up your fellow X-Man whenever he goes in.
The Best Teams for Cyclops
Now that we’ve gone over Cyclops’ kit, we can look at the heroes he wants to work with. His extended range immediately makes him a solid pick for more poke-oriented comps, but his flexible movement options also let him hang with more aggressive allies.
Let me show you some specific characters and situations he thrives in, as well as enemies he can shut down. With these in mind, you’ll be able to put together Cyclops’ best teams and matchup no matter the state of the game.
For Allies…
- Cyclops can be run as a mid-range pseudo-sniper alongside his wife, Phoenix. Both of their concentrated burst can devastate squishier enemies, while Cyclops’ tank busting makes up for one of Phoenix’s few flaws.
- Wolverine is a natural fit, thanks to the built-in team-up he shares with Cyclops, as well as their previously mentioned skill at shredding tanky enemies. Wolverine quickly becomes a target once he dives into a team, and Cyclops can give him covering fire to ensure his escape once an enemy is killed.
- Emma Frost has plenty of methods to manipulate foes into the exact place she wants. With Cyclops by her side, any enemy that survives her attention will have to deal with the constant pressure backing her up.
- Like any burst heavy Duelist, damage boosts from Mantis or Luna Snow will allow Cyclops to hit hilariously hard.
Overall, Cyclops is a stellar pick to strengthen existing game plans. He can focus fire with the best of them, while keeping the enemy scrambling should they attempt to execute on one of his allies. Like any good leader, Cyclops looks for the strengths that already exist in his team and makes them unstoppable.
For Enemies…
- His rapid projectile speed and constant beams make Cyclops great at locking down high-speed flyers like Ultron and Human Torch.
- The guaranteed bounces from his Ricochet Force let Cyclops pop slippery enemies like Spider-Man before they can assassinate any high priority allies.
- With his high consistant damage, tanks without easy self-mitigation like The Thing are easy pickings for Cyclops.
Frankly, I love seeing flyers on this hero. Really, Cyclops thrives against most mobile heroes that other Duelists suffer against. The only real struggles I’ve felt with Cyclops are in duels against strong snipers like Hela.
These skill matchups will naturally improve as you do, so they can hardly be called a weakness. All in all, Cyclops is a very powerful addition to Rivals’ roster that can clash with most strong members of the cast, as long as you’re willing to put the time into him.
How You Should Play Cyclops
Cyclops, like Phoenix and Hela, can really be run in any comp once you’ve practiced enough to hit your shots consistently. Unlike other long-range DPS, Cyclops has multiple pieces of mobility that he can use to make space or force positive positioning.
Fights should start with liberal use of your Optic Blasts, switching over to Concussive Beam once enemies waste defensive cooldowns or fall low enough that you feel you can pop them. Keep tricky enemies away with your mobility, and Ricochet Force anyone dumb enough to close the gap.
Once your Ultimate is up, play around important choke points to force the enemy team to bunch up. Waiting for big Tank ults is the safe call, but if the opportunity presents itself, don’t be afraid to let Ruby Rage rock.
If we were talking solely personal opinion, the article would be a single line that goes “He’s just so cool”. Sadly, since that isn’t the world we live in, allow me to reiterate that Cyclops is a monster of a DPS that not only plays well, but feels amazing to pilot.
The X-Men always bring the style, and Cyclops is no exception. If you’ve been looking for a Duelist to pick up, or you’re a DPS main that appreciates options mid-fight, Scott Summers is your man.
