Contrary to The Thing, who is a pick-up-and-play Marvel Rivals hero, the Human Torch is a bit more complicated. While some of his attacks are great at range, others force you to get up close and personal. Here are a few tips to up your Human Torch game and become a crowd-controlling comet:
1. The Human Torch is a mid-range Duelist
Though you can pepper enemies from afar with your Fire Cluster and Blazing Blast attacks, Human Torch is at his best when he is just out of his enemies’ reach. When initiating an attack, start by using his Blazing Blast secondary attack from around corners. Not only does this ability have the most reach, but it also deals 40 damage to a target upon impact. Blazing Blast’s true power lies in its ability to create Flame Fields on surfaces, which deal damage over time to enemies caught in its radius. Flame Fields also explode when hit by Flaming Meteor and can be used to generate Pyro-Prison walls (more on those abilities later).
Human Torch’s Fire Cluster primary attack works like a shotgun as it launches a fireball that splits outward, potentially dealing a ton of burst damage. This is best used after diving in with Flaming Meteor, as using the latter ability causes you to dive headfirst into the ground. Being mindful of your abilities’ effective ranges will allow you to adapt quicker to Human Torch’s playstyle.
2. Always have Flame Fields on the battlefield
Dealing 40 damage to a target with Blazing Blast is nice, but what you really want to do is pepper the battlefield with multiple Flame Fields. Not only does this increase the chances of enemies walking into the Flame Fields (thus dealing 25 damage per second), but it also gives you the option to either detonate them with Flaming Meteor or create Pyro-Prisons.
Flaming Meteor is a simple but potentially deadly attack. You dive headfirst into the ground, dealing 40 damage to those within range. Flaming Meteor will also detonate any nearby Flame Fields, dealing 55 damage per field. Placing Flame Fields near enemies and then detonating them with Flaming Meteor allows Human Torch to deliver some great burst damage. If any foes manage to survive, be sure to clean them up with your Fire Cluster primary attack.
Pyro-Prison is the reason you would want to play Human Torch in the first place. The ability allows you to connect two or more Flame Fields with walls of fire (it also creates geometric shapes when three or more Flame Fields are active). Walking through the fire walls themselves deals 65 damage, and anyone caught in the Pyro-Prison takes 50 damage per second. Pyro-Prison allows Human Torch to easily funnel an enemy team, so it’s best to put your Flame Fields on choke points or important locations (such as objectives). Pyro-Prison has a rather lengthy 15-second cooldown, so you might want to brush up on the ability in the Practice Range before going into any real matches.
3. Pyro-Prison has some nuances to it
As Pyro-Prison is the crux of the Human Torch’s kit, there are some things you should know about it.
First off, Pyro-Prison can be used to place fire walls through obstacles. This includes Groot’s Ironwood and Thornlash Walls, small ledges, and sometimes even through a map’s geography.
Secondly, Pyro-Prison cannot create fire walls between Flame Fields that are on different elevations (i.e. stairs and different floors). This may be a bummer for creative players, but it also prevents Human Torch from becoming overpowered with the ability to wall off vertical spaces with his abilities.
4. Be careful when diving in with Flaming Meteor
Flame Meteor is Human Torch’s most confusing skill to use, as it brings you dangerously close to the enemies you want to hit. This is something you typically do not want to do as a flying Duelist, so be sure that you either have the support of your teammates or will get a guaranteed elimination before diving in.
Backup is integral when using Flaming Meteor. Not only will you be getting support from your team, but any heroes that dive in with you will make it harder for enemies to single out their targets.
Getting a guaranteed elimination, whether through the Flame Meteor, nearby detonated Flame Fields, or the follow-up Fire Cluster volleys you’ll be shooting is another factor. There is no reason to use Flame Meteor if you aren’t sure the maneuver will end in your favor, so plan your attacks carefully and see if there are any better options before committing to such a risky ability.
5. Supernova’s Flame Tornadoes are the ultimate form of crowd control
Not only does the Human Torch deal 70 damage when activating his Supernova ultimate ability, but his Blazing Blast now shoots Flame Tornadoes instead of Flame Fields, and both Blazing Blast and Plasma Body (his sprint ability) momentarily have no cooldowns. You generally won’t be anywhere near enemies or running away from them when activating Supernova, so those Flame Tornadoes are what you really want from the ability.
Flame Tornadoes deal a whopping 100 damage per second when compared to Flame Field’s paltry 25 damage per second. Both abilities have a 3-meter effective radius, but Flame Tornado has the added bonus of an 8-meter vertical space. Drop a few of these on a choke point or objective and watch as the enemy team scrambles to find their footing.
Things get even crazier if you have a Storm on your team. By combining Supernova and Storm’s Omega Hurricane ultimate, you can create a controllable flaming tornado called Omega Fire. Omega Fire deals increased damage and lasts longer than Omega Hurricane, plus it buffs any of Human Torch’s Flame Tornadoes that it passes through. The damage done by combining Omega Fire and buffed Flame Tornadoes is sometimes enough to nullify the healing effects of Strategist ultimates like Luna Snow’s Fate of Both Worlds or Cloak & Dagger’s Eternal Bond. The one big drawback of Omega Fire is that it costs two Duelist ultimates, but that might not matter given its staggering damage output.
All-in-all, the Human Torch is a solid addition to the roster of flying Duelist heroes. He seems to fill a role between Storm and Iron Man as a flyer that can dish out a ton of damage but requires the proper ranges to do so. He requires some getting used to but once you get the hang of him, you’ll have enemies constantly looking to the skies for fireballs.
