Doctor Strange is a mid-range Disruptor in Marvel Rivals who controls fights with portals, projectiles, and stuns while managing his own Dark Magic resource. This Season 3 guide explains how to use his full kit correctly, avoid the Anti-Heal curse, and win fights with smart timing and spacing.

He’s not a healer but rather a setup specialist who thrives in tight spaces, stuns entire teams, and punishes mistakes.

Doctor Strange Overview

Doctor Strange uses Dark Magic stacks to power his damage. Every hit from his Daggers or melee builds stacks. Once full, you can unload them with a burst attack; wait too long and get hit with Anti-Heal instead.

He’s slow, but dangerous. His shield blocks incoming fire. His portals allow repositioning and flanks. His ultimate locks down entire teams with a stun and exposes them to bonus damage. He rewards careful aim, melee weaving, and strong awareness of spacing and cooldowns.

Doctor Strange Abilities

Daggers of Denak

Shoots five slow-moving projectiles in a cone. Each hit builds Dark Magic stacks. Works best at close to mid-range. Weave melee between shots to cancel animation lag and boost stack gain.

Shield of the Seraphim

Summons a wide shield that blocks all incoming projectiles. You can move and fly while using it. Great for denying damage or helping teammates push through a lane.

Maelstrom of Madness

Your damage dump. Releases all Dark Magic stacks at once in an AoE explosion. Always use before reaching full stacks to avoid Anti-Heal. Deals strong burst if timed right.

Pentagram of Farallah

Create two portals that allow allies and enemies to move between them. You can fire projectiles through them. Use creatively to escape, reposition, or trap enemies.

Cloak of Levitation

Ascend and hover in mid-air for six seconds. Allows Strange to cast while flying and set up angles. Best used for setup, not escape. Long cooldown.

Eye of Agamotto

Unleashes a large AoE stun that freezes all enemies nearby for three seconds. While stunned, their soul is projected outward. Any damage to the soul goes straight to the real body. Time it with ally ultimates for a full team wipe.

Doctor Strange Dark Magic Guide

Every projectile or melee hit gives stacks. If you reach 100 and don’t cast Maelstrom of Madness in time, you get cursed with Anti-Heal. This stops all healing and makes you vulnerable for a few seconds.

To avoid this:

Melee between shots to build faster
Watch your stack count in fights
Don’t hold your Maelstrom too long
Avoid using it on just one enemy unless it’s a key kill

How to Play Doctor Strange in Marvel Rivals

Strange is best on control maps or close-quarters lanes. Use your shield to deny space. Use portals to flank or reposition. Build stacks, dump damage, and reset.

Position near walls or cover. Don’t play open sightlines. Use flying to peek over cover and cast without exposing your whole body.

Start fights by shielding your team or portaling into a flank. Finish fights with Eye of Agamotto and combo damage through soul projections.

Best Combos for Doctor Strange

Stack and Slam

Melee → Daggers → Maelstrom of Madness

Defensive Hold

Shield → Daggers to build stacks → Slam when enemies group

Portal Burst

Portal down → Go airborne → Peek over and drop Daggers or Eye of Agamotto

Ultimate Follow-Up

Eye of Agamotto → Daggers or teammate ult → Focus fire souls

Doctor Strange Weaknesses

Low movement
Long cooldowns
Easy to punish if he misuses shield or portals
Best damage is up close, which is risky
Flying can get you caught if you hover too long

He falls apart when you miss Maelstrom timing or fail to line up your burst correctly. High skill floor, but very high reward when mastered.

Best Team Comps for Doctor Strange

He works best with AoE damage and strong frontline coverage.

Pair well with:

Scarlet Witch: Massive AoE synergy
Storm: Portal into sudden hurricanes
Hulk or Bruce Banner: Bodyguards who let Strange cast safely
Iron Man: Covers mid-range and overlaps shield play
Venom: Anchor for portal flanks or defensive setups

You support the team by controlling space, saving teammates, and opening windows to wipe groups.

Best Counters to Doctor Strange

Avoid these matchups without help:

Black Panther: Gets in close and punishes low mobility
Magneto: Cancels casts and pulls you out of position
Loki: Tricks you into wasting cooldowns
Punisher: Melts your shield if not timed perfectly

Strange loses when rushed or flanked without setup time. Play behind cover and keep your team close.

Best Doctor Strange Maps

Use him on:

King of the Hill-style control maps
Maps with tight hallways and corners
Arenas where portals give real advantage

Avoid flat maps with wide sightlines and no vertical cover.

Best Doctor Strange Settings

Use low to medium sensitivity with fast weapon switching.

Horizontal/Vertical Sensitivity: 3–4
Mouse Acceleration: Off
Mouse Smoothing: Off
Allied and Enemy Health Bars: On
Crosshair Type: Medium reticle with clear center

You need clean tracking for close-range daggers and to manage flight angles.

Best Doctor Strange Crosshair Code

Use a centered reticle that supports projectile tracking and soul targeting during ultimate.

Crosshair Code:
1;0.0;9.0,0.0,0.0,14.0;100.0,0.0,60.0,100.0;60.0,22.0,0.0,60.0;100.0,100.0,100.0,100.0;0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0;33.0,84.0,100.0,33.0;13.0;100.0,0.0,50.0,100.0;0.0;5,5,2,1;1.0,1.0,1.0

Change line size or color as needed for visual clarity.

Final Blurb

This Marvel Rivals Doctor Strange guide (Season 3) shows how to manage his toolkit, balance Dark Magic, and punish teams that overextend. Strange doesn’t top kill charts, but he decides fights by controlling space, disabling pushes, and giving his team the perfect moment to strike.

Play smart, time your slams, and lead with utility. That’s how you win with magic.