This might be our most tilted episode yet. Seth and Luke respond to viewer comments, recap their week in Marvel Rivals, and then unload a blunt Season 3.5 review: adding two DPS characters has, in their view, seriously broken matchmaking and made the game worse to play. If you want a no-holds-barred take on why the meta feels busted and what the devs need to do, this is the episode.
Community comments: responding to feedback from the last episode
This week in Rivals: highlights, clutches, and what we’ve been testing in-game
News roundup: Cloak & Dagger and Winter Soldier skins (shop this week) Marvel Rivals posts an official denial of EOMM Blade confirmed not to be bugged Dev Guangguang acknowledges role imbalance but signals long timelines for fixes
Main topic — Season 3.5 review: why the two new DPS have wrecked matchmaking We explain how the new DPS additions amplify queue imbalance, create more one-sided matches, and exacerbate the “win/lose swing” that frustrates players. We cover player reaction, the evidence that matchmaking feels worse (streaks, mismatched teammates, longer recovery from bad games), and why an official denial of EOMM doesn’t resolve the community’s concerns. Then we lay out practical fixes we want to see: clearer matchmaking transparency, shorter hotfix timelines, temporary role-restricted queues or role incentives, and targeted balance patches for the new DPS.
Tell us if you agree: drop your Season 3.5 takes and matchmaking horror stories in the comments. If you want more deep dives like this, subscribe for a new Rival Banter episode every Tuesday.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.