Groot is part of an extensive and growing list of characters in Marvel Rivals. In any team game, there is usually a set of characters whose job it is to set others up for kills and tank damage. This character falls into that category. The massive tree-like character has become a fan-favorite since Guardians of the Galaxy was released in 2014. Here is a full guide to his skills and abilities in Marvel Rivals. 

Groot Marvel Rivals Stats And Basics

• Class: Vanguard
• Health: 700
• Movement: 6 m/s

Groot is your standard tank. His Vine Strike is great for dealing damage to up-close enemies. It does have a delayed impact, making it more difficult to deal with faster characters. However, when in the heat of battle, it is a powerful normal that has a decent range. Here are the basic stats for his normal attack.

• Vine Strike
  • Description: Launch vines to attack enemies.
  • Casting: Single-cast projectile with delayed impact
  • Projectile Speed: 120 m/s
  • Max Distance: 20m
  • Attack Interval: 0.7s
  • Damage: 70
  • Critical Hit: No

Abilities

Groot has many Area of Effect (AoE) abilities, making him most effective in a crowd. Spore Bomb has the ability to affect multiple enemies, but it has to be cast at the correct time. The two wall abilities are multi-faceted. They can be built to shield allies, block retreat routes for enemies, or simply reshape the map to give a strategic advantage. Here is a full breakdown of his abilities in Marvel Rivals.

• Furios Flora
  • Description: Perform a combo with his arms, and the third strike will lightly Launch Up the hit enemy airborne.
  • Range: The first two strikes can reach 3m, while the third strike can reach 4m
• Flora Collossus (Passive)
  • Description: Wooden walls near Groot will Awaken, activating an extra effect. Right-click while building a wooden wall to continue building additional walls
  • Casting: Persistent spell field that surrounds the caster
  • Range: A cylindrical spell field with a 20m radius and a height of 40m
• Spore Bomb
  • Description: Throw an explosive Spore Bomb that splits into multiple small explosive spores.
  • Casting: Single-cast projectile with a downward delay that creates a spell field upon impact
  • Projectile Speed: 60 m/s
  • Range: Spore Bomb generates a spell field with a 5m spherical radius, while small explosive spores create a spell field with a 1.5m spherical radius
  • Damage: The projectile itself deals no damage, while Spore Bomb deals 55 damage and explosive spores deal 10 damage
  • Cooldown: 6s
  • Special Effect: Spore Bomb explodes into 6 explosive spores
• Ironwood Wall
  • Description: Target a location and grow an Ironwood Wall. When the wall is awakened, damage dealt by Groot and nearby allies grant Groot Bonus Health.
  • Casting: Targeted
  • Max Distance: 10m
  • Ironwood Wall Health: 700
  • Cooldown: 8s
  • Special Effect: Ironwood Wall heals 40 Bonus Health per second, up to 250 Bonus Health
• Thornlash Wall
  • Description: Target a location and grow a Thornlash Wall. When Awakened, it strikes nearby enemies attacked by Groot and his allies.
  • Casting: Targeted
  • Max Distance: 18m
  • Thornlash Wall Health: 250
  • Cooldown: 2 charges, with each charge taking 6s to recharge
  • Special Effect: Thornlash Wall deals 60 damage every 0.5s
• Friendly Shoulder (Team-Up Bonus)
  • Effect: Passive: Jeff the Land Shark and Rocket Raccoon can ride on Groot’s shoulders, receiving Damage Reduction.
  • Team-Up Bonus: +150 Max Health

Ultimate

Groot’s ultimate, Strangling Prison, does two things to the enemy team: it pulls them in and traps them. This can do one of two things. If your allies are in a pickle, the ultimate can give your team time to escape and regroup. If all of your Duelists have their ultimate ready, this can get all your opponents in one spot, making it easy for your team to rain down devastation.

• Special Effect: Fire a massive vine cluster that pulls nearby enemies to its center and imprisons them.
• Casting: Single-cast projectile with a downward delay that creates a spell field upon impact
• Projectile Speed: 60 m/s
• Damage: The projectile deals 10 damage, while the spell field deals 70 damage. While imprisoning enemies, it deals 20 damage every 0.5s
• Range: 8m spherical radius
• Special Effect: Imprison enemies for 3.5s
• Energy Cost: 2800

Strategies

Groot is all about the walls. Outside of his ultimate, this is the most powerful ability. Depending on who is on your team, you can build walls to fit the needs of the team. Mastering him means understanding what needs to be built and when. Every character has a team-up ability that should be considered when picking characters. Groot can carry Rocket Raccoon or Jeff the Land Shark on his shoulder, which can be used to surprise opponents.

Groot does struggle with faster characters. Many of his attacks are delayed, making it easier for characters with more mobility to escape. Additionally, they can be underwhelming if any of the abilities do not hit the maximum number of enemies. Managing positioning and communication with your team is essential with this Vanguard. You also have to be okay with not being the star of the team. He will probably not get many kills but set them up for others.

Final Thoughts

Groot is a solid tank in Marvel Rivals. Mastering him hinges on understanding what the team needs in any given moment. Spread your vines and trap your enemies so your allies can rain destruction down.