Blade’s Release Date and First Gameplay Unveiled in Marvel Rivals

Alright, so here’s the thing. Marvel Rivals folks have been on the edge of their seats for who-knows-how-long about Marvel’s Daywalker — yeah, Blade — and it’s like the game keeps teasing and teasing. But he’s finally dropping in on Aug. 8. Saw some early clips, and maybe, just maybe, it was worth the wait, right?

So, no surprise here, Blade’s your go-to Duelist, dealing damage up close and mid-range. Comes armed with — guess what? — a sword and a shotgun. He’s got this temporary shield thing going on too. And man, he is quick. Flashes across the battlefield in seconds, like a whirlwind with an ability that practically catapults him forward. It’s like mixing Punisher’s grit with Psylocke’s finesse. His ultimate move? Calling on some Dracula vibes to slash through enemies — even the airborne ones. There’s this epic bit where Blade joins Iron Man and Storm sky-high, and just shreds them. Lands in style, barely glancing at the chaos behind him — because, apparently, cool guys don’t do that.

People are stoked to main him, obviously. It’s a thing every new hero’s got, that bandwagon hype — but Blade got a reveal with a touch more flair.

“I love how they nailed the soundtrack! Makes everything so much better,” blurted one YouTuber. “From snoozing in Wakanda to farming that aura,” someone else quipped.

Blade’s entrance isn’t the only shake-up coming. New map, new mode, some heroes waving goodbye to their usual squads, others stepping in. Blade’s joining the Lunar Force — y’know, where Cloak and Dagger let folks cloak up and vanish. Got a rundown from NetEase here:

Scrapping the old Guardian Revival (Adam Warlock – Mantis/Star-Lord) and Atlas Bond (Iron Fist – Luna Snow) teams. Loki’s also out from Ragnarok Rebirth (Hela – Thor/Loki). Rolling out new pairs like Duality Dance (Adam Warlock – Luna Snow) and Vibrant Vitality (Mantis – Groot/Loki). Some line-ups are also taking on fresh faces: Iron Fist with Chilling Assault (Luna Snow – Hawkeye), Star-Lord joining up with Rocket Network (Rocket Raccoon – Peni Parker), and Blade diving into Lunar Force (Cloak & Dagger – Moon Knight).

The multiplayer scene’s getting some love too, thanks to NetEase. All chats now monitored — bots could flag stuff for a human check. Quitters face stricter penalties now, like longer bans, stiffer deductions. Keepers who stick around get some end-match points, not just yanked out like before.

“If someone bails due to system snafus, we’ll check the deets and be fair. Also, speeding up ban appeal reviews,” NetEase mentions.

Anyway, there’s loads going on — all eyes on Aug. 8. Get ready, because Blade’s about to steal the spotlight.