Marvel Rivals Announces Blade Release Date and First Gameplay Reveal

Alright, here goes nothing. So, hear me out. We’ve all been like… eagerly (maybe a bit too eagerly?) waiting for this dude Blade to pop up in Marvel Rivals. You know, that mysterious Daywalker everyone’s been buzzing about since… well, forever. And BOOM, here he comes on August 8th, just around the corner. I stumbled upon some gameplay footage and trust me, it’s like, totally insane in a “was-this-real-life?” kinda way.

So picture this: Blade is this close-to-mid-range Duelist. Fancy term, huh? But what it means is, he’s all about getting up close with his sword and bam—shotgun time. Plus, he’s got this nifty thing where he blocks damage for a bit. Speed? Yeah, he’s got that too. He zooms around the battlefield with this wild move that launches him forward. Think Punisher and Psylocke had a really quirky kid. Then there’s his ultimate, pulling Dracula vibes to slice (literally) multiple enemies. Saw a clip—it was bananas—Blade just wiping out Iron Man and Storm like no big deal, and then he just casually lands with his back turned. Because apparently, cool guys really don’t look back. Makes sense, I guess?

And the fanbase? Oh man, they’re losing it. Calling him their new fave before even trying him. Typical, right? But hey, this reveal had some serious flair, you can’t blame them. Comments on YouTube were a riot, like, “They totally nailed the soundtrack, makes it all epic,” and someone else with “From sleeping in Wakanda to aura farming.” Couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

Blade’s not sneaking in alone, by the way. There’s a fresh map, some new modes, and some existing heroes are saying buh-bye to old team-ups. Like, mix and match but with superpowers. He’s part of the Lunar Force now, where Cloak and Dagger make you invisible for a bit. Here’s a list, read this if you care about the details—personally, I zone out.

Guardian Revival with Adam Warlock, yeah, it’s out along with Guardian Revival (Mantis/Star-Lord), and which one? Oh right, Atlas Bond (Iron Fist – Luna Snow) too. Loki’s stepping out of that Ragnarok Rebirth (Hela – Thor/Loki) scene. Meanwhile, new team-ups like Duality Dance (Adam Warlock – Luna Snow) are coming in, and some existing ones are getting fresh blood. Iron Fist’s hopping onto the Chilling Assault (Luna Snow – Hawkeye). Rocket Raccoon gets cozy with Star-Lord in Rocket Network paired with Peni Parker, and watch Blade hit the scene with Cloak & Dagger in Lunar Force.

Multiplayer’s also getting a tune-up. NetEase will screen all chats, like your annoying parental controls on steroids. Quitters get slapped with stricter penalties—take that, rage-quitters! And the loyal players, yeah, they’ll get points, not just a disconnect and a polite wave goodbye.

By the way, they claim (yeah, heard it all before), if technical issues make someone bail, they’ll review it fairly and speed up appeal processes. Maybe this time’s the charm.