Marvel Rivals fans mourn Captain America after nerfs, but NetEase says "only a fraction of mechanically flawless players" could pull off his best combos

Marvel Rivals has once again nerfed Captain America, sending fans into mourning over the once great tank hero, but developer NetEase reckons the changes were necessary because "only a fraction of mechanically flawless players" could properly pull off his animation-cancelling strategy.

Captain America has seen a series of nerfs stretching back to the game's initial launch, but the shooter's latest balance patch has sent some players over the edge. Charge rates for ultimate abilities have been slowed across the board, with Vanguards, like The First Avenger, having their damage-to-energy conversion drop from 90% to 70%. But there's more.

"Now a little smoother when running up on your left," developer NetEase writes of Steve Rogers in its balance-focused patch notes. "Cap's shield work also gets smoother during sprints, but his Ultimate gives a little less energy."

"When Leading Dash is set to toggle, Captain America’s last four ranged Sentinel Strike shield throws won't be interrupted by Leading Dash," it adds. "Reduce Freedom Charge (Ultimate Ability) energy charge effect for allies from 30% to 20%."

While NetEase might be framing some of these changes as an improvement, fans aren't so convinced. Sentinel Strike throws aren't exactly "interrupted" by other abilities - Captain America mains intentionally use animation cancels to maximize the hero's damage output and value, though that strategy, which has been in the game since the beginning, is now gone.

Basically the Captain America situation from r/marvelrivals

"I had already stopped playing Cap because he was a tickle monster. Now? There's no damn way I'm touching him," the most popular comment in a Reddit thread about the nerfs says.

"He is unquestionably the worst tank in the game now," another Captain America main writes. "By a large margin. They’ve done nothing but nerf him and without the cancel you weren't getting kills to begin with."

NetEase has since released an emergency balance patch to tweak some heroes' stats here and there, and respond to the widespread backlash against Captain America's changes. The developer acknowledged the "slight timing difference" now that animation cancelling is gone, but it argues the old version of Cap was a tad too inaccessible for your average player.

"While the old version allowed for frame-perfect execution, it came with a massive caveat: pushing the combo that fast carried a high risk of recalling the shield too early and completely losing your damage output," NetEase says. "Only a fraction of mechanically flawless players could hit the absolute maximum attack frequency, and only against relatively stationary targets.

"With the new system, the moment the shield leaves Cap's hand in each stage, you can immediately sprint without waiting for the impact. Whether you're engaging at close quarters or mid-range, your shield strikes will register reliably. You no longer have to worry about accidentally recalling your shield too early and losing damage. Ultimately, this guarantees consistent offensive pressure while maximizing battlefield mobility," the developer adds.

Cap's first two hits of Sentinel Strike and his melee hits will now dish out 45 damage instead of 40. NetEase reckons players "can maintain that classic, fluid combo feel" by using melee attacks in tandem with his dash ability.

Marvel Rivals devs couldn't help but "panic" at the thought of going into the live-service graveyard that just claimed Highguard: "It's not guaranteed."