This huge Marvel Rivals fix improves ranked matches for everyone

Over the last several months, the Marvel Rivals competitive landscape has been tainted by smurfs and throwers, who deliberately ruin matches. These issues have deeply affected fair play, leaving both casual and dedicated players suffering from uneven matchups.

Smurfs, generally Celestial-ranked veterans on secondary accounts, use the system to crush lower ranks, whilst Throwers tank games out of spite. The introduction of Chrono Shield Cards, which were intended to soften rank loss following defeats, stirred criticism, with some claiming it empowers throwers by minimizing punishments. Furthermore, NetEase attempted to curb smurfing by making it a reportable infraction, but many believe this falls short because smurfs may quickly establish new accounts.

In response to rising concerns, the most recent Season 2.5 update introduces a revised surrender voting system, seeking to reduce the impact of throwers and restore competition integrity. Here’s how it looks now.

Marvel Rivals’ new surrender voting system combats Throwers in ranked lobbies

The Marvel Rivals patch notes for June 26, 2025, include a significant redesign of the surrender vote system, which addresses player anger with throwers and uneven ranked matches. Previously, surrendering needed nearly unanimous team agreement, locking players in hopeless games when one or two teammates refused to give up. This rigidity fueled toxicity, since throwers could hold teams hostage, extending unwinnable games.

The revised mechanism reduces the voting barrier, making it easier to conclude matches early when defeat is unavoidable. The required number of votes is now constantly adjusted based on a team’s active players, taking into account those who disconnect or resign mid-match.

For example, if a team is reduced to four players, fewer votes are required to trigger a surrender, speeding up the process and minimizing frustration. Here are the reworked numbers of votes needed to surrender mid-match:

• If the team has 6 players – 5 votes required
• If the team has 5 players – 4 votes required
• If the team has 4 players – 3 votes required
• If the team has 3 players – 3 votes required
• If the team has 2 players – 2 votes required

This improvement attempts to reduce the influence of throwers, who have plagued ranked lobbies, while also improving match quality by allowing players to go to fairer games more quickly. Along with the surrender rework, the patch adds new Thor and Punisher skins as well as minor hero bug patches, but the voting system adjustment sticks out as a direct answer to competitive play issues, aimed at restoring balance and player confidence.