A $40,000 Marvel Rivals creator tournament erupted in controversy after Twitch streamer Kingsman265 said he was removed from the event for asking a teammate to switch characters.
The tournament, hosted by creator BasimZB to celebrate Deadpool’s arrival in the game, featured 48 influencers competing for a top prize of $18,000. While it was framed as a creator showcase rather than a hardcore esports event, Kingsman265 said the stakes were serious for him, both financially and professionally.
The conflict began during practice when his teammate, streamer zazzastack, locked in Black Widow, a sniper character widely viewed as one of the weakest picks in the current meta. Kingsman265 argued the team needed a stronger composition to compete, especially with Deadpool shaking up match dynamics. zazzastack pushed back, saying she could perform well on Black Widow and that comfort picks mattered. Early scrims appeared to support her case, with zazz earning MVP in one match and receiving praise from opponents.
As practice continued, though, team discussions around strategy grew tense. Some players wanted to run triple support compositions, while others prioritized sticking with familiar heroes. Kingsman265 continued to push for swaps while staying on Magik himself. Conversations became repetitive and heated, with multiple teammates talking over one another and frustration building.
Midway through his YouTube video (above) recounting the situation, Kingsman265 admitted he lost his cool and stopped practicing with the team, choosing instead to queue ranked matches. He spoke openly about how much the prize money meant to him, saying it could help cover college tuition and that the tournament felt like a rare opportunity to move his streaming career forward. Shortly after, he says tournament host Basim informed him he was being removed from the event.
Basim later addressed the decision on stream, saying it was based on reviewing clips and VODs from multiple perspectives rather than any single incident. He emphasized that while competitiveness is understandable, the event was designed as a creator tournament, where maintaining respect and collaboration mattered more than strict optimization. “If you really want pure competitiveness,” Basim said, “you’d be playing professional tournaments.”
Emmanuel Umahi
The fallout intensified after the tournament concluded. Many teams ended up running triple support compositions, the same approach Kingsman265 had advocated. zazzastack’s team finished seventh out of eight teams, winning only one match. She was also dealing with unusually high ping during the event and eventually switched off Black Widow, but the team continued to struggle. In hindsight, the results added fuel to the debate over whether the strategic concerns had been justified.
zazzastack later said that viewers reacting based on Kingsman265’s video did not have the full picture. She claimed the video left out moments where he trash-talked teammates and said overall tensions were higher than what was shown. Since the controversy, she has faced harassment, including viewers subscribing to her Twitch channel solely to leave hateful messages. Kingsman265 has publicly asked his followers not to harass her.
What began as a creator showcase has turned into a broader conversation about team dynamics, meta pressure, and toxicity in competitive games. For many Marvel Rivals players, the situation feels uncomfortably familiar, a reminder of how quickly disagreements over character picks and strategy can spiral into something far bigger.
The Takeaway
The controversy highlights the growing tension between creator-focused play and competitive optimization in modern multiplayer games. When real money and career opportunities are on the line, the line between casual collaboration and high-stakes competition can blur quickly. The fallout also shows how easily online disputes can escalate into harassment, affecting people well beyond a single match or tournament.
Emmanuel Umahi
