The match started with my teammate wiped out before the first stone even spawned. I found myself alone against a missile barrage and an ult timer blinking in the corner—choice became survival. After grinding hours in Season 10.5, I can tell you exactly who you should pick and who will leave you asking why.
NetEase Games put the Infinity Stones front and center in this 2v2 PvP mode, and the arena forces decisions that never mattered in standard playlists. You keep each hero’s kit but can add upgrade cards between rounds, which means every pick can swing from playable to overpowering depending on what you choose.
I saw a Winter Soldier lock down an entire flank before the second stone spawned — here’s what that means for your hero choices
Only 13 heroes are available in this mode, and they behave differently when the map is smaller, health packs are fewer, and the Infinity Stones add pressure. I tested every character in consecutive matches and ranked them by practical win-rate, survivability, and how upgrade cards tilt their kit.
Winter Soldier
I’ve watched Bucky win matches where his teammate was effectively absent. He is a loaded rifle: straightforward, lethal, and precise. Build his firing speed, increase shot count, and pick Tainted Voltage to handle aerial threats. On Reddit and Twitch, players are already labelling him the safest solo-carry for this map.
Captain America
You see Cap slow-walk through skirmishes and think he’s a liability—until he buys time for a stone capture. Survivability matters here as much as raw damage. If you pick shield ricochets and beef up his cooldowns, he becomes the glue in two-man teams. His ultimate can rescue both you and your partner in clutch moments, which is exactly the kind of security players pay attention to on YouTube breakdowns.
Which heroes dominate Infinity War PvP mode?
The mode rewards characters who can secure one-on-one wins and control space. Vanguard duelists and flexible duelists who can either chase down or stall for a stone are consistently the strongest picks. If you want numbers: Winter Soldier, Captain America, and Scarlet Witch produced the highest win rates across my sessions and streamer data I cross-checked.
Scarlet Witch
I noticed Wanda turning small skirmishes into wipeouts within seconds. She is a thunderclap wrapped in a person—her Reality Erasure ultimate can erase entire pushes if you boost its range and cast early. Use Mystic Projection to kite, combine primary and secondary for pressure, and treat her as a map-control tool more than a straightforward damage dealer.
Black Panther
T’Challa thrives in tight arenas where melee rules the day. When upgraded, his combos become relentless at close range, and Wakanda’s open field in this map actually suits his burst. He struggles against sustained air pressure from heroes who can kite, so pair him with a teammate who can force enemies down to the floor.
Rocket Raccoon
Rocket looks wrong on a list of top duelists, but his toolkit here solves two problems: sustain and burst. Bombard plus Repair creates steady pressure and keeps him in fights longer than other Strategists. If you’ve watched any competitive clips on YouTube or Twitch, you’ll see Rocket played aggressively in this mode more than in the core playlist.
Are Strategists viable in 2v2 matches?
Short answer: some are. Rocket is the prime example; he can anchor a fight with heals while dealing reliable damage. Mantis, however, falls off because the arena punishes her lack of front-line presence. Pick Strategists who can self-sustain or force close-range encounters.
Iron Man
Season 10.5 gave Tony auto-tracking missiles, and that change matters here more than anywhere else. If you invest in missile upgrades, Iron Man becomes a persistent area-denial machine while you use other abilities for burst. He is excellent against melee duelists but can be hunted by quick, single-target heroes.
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange is a reliable tank and support hybrid here. Play defensively to shield your partner, or tweak his offensive upgrades and force windows when enemies overcommit. His Eye of Agamotto can flip a clutch fight if timed with your teammate’s burst.
Spider-Man
Spidey requires mastery to perform here. The arena limits his movement options, which blunt his most reliable combos, but he remains an excellent counter to aerial or highly mobile strategists if you can land grabs and follow-up damage.
Star-Lord
Peter Quill is reliable at close range and his Rocket Propulsion is useful for grabbing the central health pack. He feels middling overall, though his ultimate still delivers meaningful burst when timed with a teammate’s control ability.
Thor
Thor underperformed for me here. His kit transfers from the PvE setup but the map and upgrade card pool limit his expected impact. If you love his style, bring him—just know he won’t carry as reliably as Cap or Bucky.
Groot
Groot’s walls and Spore Bombs lose their punch in this mode. Without reliable crowd control impact, you end up relying on basic Vine Strikes that don’t outscale other Vanguards. Expect far fewer Groots in solo queue matches.
Mantis
Mantis was buffed in the main game, but here she’s outpaced. Her healing and crowd options fail when opponents bring pressuring duelists. If the enemy runs Iron Man or Black Panther, Mantis will struggle to keep pace; Rocket is the safer Strategist pick for this mode.
Black Widow
Black Widow’s rifle shots are hard to land against mobile duelists in this map, and her ultimate rarely swings fights. She’s the weakest pick in my sessions, even when upgraded; pick her only if you’re duoing around a complementary partner and can control engagements.
If you want to tune your own loadouts, check subreddit threads, watch a couple of Twitch streams, and compare upgrade cards in game—those small choices decide win-or-lose more often than raw hero power. NetEase Games designed this mode to reward setup choices and execution over hero prestige.
So who do you drop into the arena first — the reliable rifle, the shield, or the chaos mage?