Getting to know Marvel Rivals and the first Invitational
18 March 2025
We regularly cover the world of international esports, from the latest news and the most spectacular leaks to event agendas and tournament highlights, so we can obviously not let the creation of Marvel Rivals esports pass by unnoticed. The game Marvel Rivals was developed by NetEase Games, in collaboration with Marvel Games, and launched in December 2024. Since then, the PvP third-person shooter title has attracted lots of attention and players, which led to the announcement of the first major event, the Marvel Rivals Invitational: North America. The tournament has just gotten underway, so we decided to take a quick look at the eight teams that made work of creating their own Marvel Rivals roster in order to get an invite for the event.
Marvel Rivals Invitational: North America
At the moment of writing, we find ourselves right in between the Group Stage and the Playoff Stage of the Marvel Rivals Invitational: North America. The Group Stage matches were played from Friday, March 14th 2025, to Monday, March 17th 2025, after which the four best teams progressed to the higher bracket of the Playoffs. The remaining four teams were given a spot in the lower bracket portion of the Playoff Stage.
Seeing as the Group Stage is already behind us and the start of the Playoffs is a few days away, we have got a perfect opportunity to introduce the competing teams.
100 Thieves
1st in Group Stage
100 Thieves, which is co-owned by NBA side Cleveland Cavaliers, were one of the first organizations to form a Marvel Rivals roster. They are currently also the favorites to win the Marvel Rivals Invitational: North America.
ENVY
2nd in Group Stage
A lot of experienced Overwatch players moved to Marvel Rivals when the game was released at the of December, and ENVY managed to scoop a few of those players up early. As a result, their roster currently includes the likes of Nolan “Paintbrush” Edwards and Indy “SPACE” Halpern.
FlyQuest
3rd in Group Stage
FlyQuest has one of the most active rosters in the early stages of the competitive Marvel Rivals scene. They took third place in Rivals Fight Night 2 and finished third in the Group Stage of the Marvel Rivals Invitational: North America as well.
Sentinels
4th in Group Stage
100 Thieves looks to be the team to beat on the longer term in Marvel Rivals, but before 100 Thieves, Sentinels were the dominant force. Their qualification for the Playoffs of the Marvel Rivals Invitational: North America was nevertheless a close one.
SHROUD-X
5th in Group Stage
SHROUD-X was founded by former Counter-Strike professional Michael “shroud” Grzesiek from Canada, who was early to decide that his organization was also going to build a Marvel Rivals roster. They will have to prove themselves in the lower brackets of the Marvel Rivals Invitational: North America Playoff Stage now.
NTMR
6th in Group Stage
The inclusion of NTMR was a surprise for more than a few players, fans and industry experts, as the organization lost most of its new Marvel Rivals roster back in February. The Miami-based organization now wants to cement its status as one of the upcoming teams for the new esports title.
Rad Esports
7th in Group Stage
Up until recently, Rad Esports only had an Overwatch roster, but they have created a Marvel Rivals team now as well. As a result, they were invited to the Marvel Rivals Invitational: North America.
Shikigami
8th in Group Stage
Shikigami was invited to the Marvel Rivals Invitational: North America, but recently lost their entire roster to fellow-competitors FlyQuest. At the moment, it’s unclear whether or not the organization is planning to form another Marvel Rivals roster.