Nerf Rival vs Mega: What are the differences between these sub-brands?

Both Nerf Rival and Nerf MEGA Series blasters introduce new forms of ammunition to the Nerf hobby
MEGA blasters are quite large in size and power
Rival blasters are perfect for easily dividing your crew into teams
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While Nerf produces many blasters designed to resemble the classic gun looks and feel, it is often their themed blaster series that tend to catch the eyes of Nerfers. These themed series often provide fun looks, but might be lacking in power and practicality.

Since Nerf is quite literally all fun and games you might think that a themed blaster is exactly what you are looking for. However, at times you may want to have a strategic advantage over your competitors. In these cases, you will want to choose a more powerful and practical blaster.

Both Rival and MEGA offer several strengths and weaknesses. Keep reading to find out what these are so that you can make the right choice in blaster.

Nerf Rival

The Nerf Rival Series, released in 2015, introduced a line of blasters that fires ammunition different from the rest of the Nerf Series.

Nerf blasters typically fire small foam darts; however, the Rival series blasters fire small foam balls instead. Because the foam balls are more compact than the regular Nerf darts, they are more aerodynamic and therefore more accurate over further distances!

The majority of Nerf Rival blasters are motorized and operate with a magazine system. However, a few of the blasters use a hopper to hold the ammunition.

Learn more about the Nerf Rival Series on Nerf Wiki here!

One unique feature about the Nerf Rival Series is the blaster color schemes. In order to encourage team play, the Nerf Rival Series releases blasters in either red or blue. Players are then able to easily separate into two teams based on the color of their blaster.

Later on the Nerf Rival Series began releasing blasters in a white and black color scheme called Phantom Corps. In order to keep with the team based theme, all Phantom Corps blasters come with both a red and blue flag that players can attach to their blaster’s holster to signify which team they are on.

Ready to add some Rival to your Nerf Arsenal click here to find The Best Nerf Rival Guns: Which One is Best for You?

Nerf MEGA

Slightly older than the Nerf Rival Series, the Nerf MEGA Series was released in 2013 as a sub-series of the N-Strike series. However, as of 2016, the Nerf MEGA Series became widely recognized as its own series of blasters.

Like the Nerf Rival Series, the Nerf MEGA Series introduced a new form of ammunition. Nerf MEGA darts although they might look like regular Nerf darts from a distance, they are actually quite larger in diameter than standard Nerf darts.

Because the MEGA darts are much larger they are not compatible with other Nerf blasters. Read more about Nerf dart compatibility here: Are Nerf Darts Universal? Learn the truth in this post.

There are 14 Nerf MEGA blasters for you to choose from. These blasters are mega in both size and name. Some of the most popular blasters from the Nerf MEGA Series are the Megalodon, Mega Mastodon, and the BigShock.

Some of the MEGA blasters can be seen featured throughout other Nerf blaster series, such as the MEGA Magnus being released under the Zombie Strike Series.

The blasters in the Nerf MEGA series provide a larger dart and therefore need more power behind them to propel them further. Some of the Nerf MEGA blasters can even launch darts over 90 feet!

Learn more about the Nerf N-Strike MEGA Series on Nerf Wiki here!

Rival vs. MEGA

Nerf Rival and Nerf MEGA are both exceptional series of foam blasters. With their own unique sets of ammo both the series bring a new layer of fun to the Nerfing hobby.

The Nerf MEGA series introduces a bigger blast than many other Nerf blasters; however, this bigger blast comes with its own pitfalls.

As was mentioned above, the Nerf MEGA needs more power to propel the larger darts over a fruther distance. In order to do so, the blasters are designed to be quite large themselves. If you are considering getting a Nerf MEGA blaster for your child, be sure that they are in fact big enough to hold the blaster up while shooting it.

As for Nerf Rival, these blasters bring the power and precision you and your friends have been looking for! Each of the Rival Series blasters is equipped with a safety button. This means you can not fire the blaster unless the safety is turned off (much like a real gun).

This is included to protect younger, less responsible Nerfers from injuring either themselves or their friends. Nerf specifically advertises the Rival Series for Nerfers 14 years old and up. In order to keep your kids safe, do not give them a Rival blaster until they are ready to use the blasters both safely and responsibly.

When it comes down to choosing the better blaster, the Nerf MEGA series is comprised of uniquely themed blasters that are fun to play with. Meanwhile, the Nerf Rival Series blasters are better for practicality.

No matter which series you choose, you will most likely need to purchase a dart refill pack seeing as you may not have enough ammo collected that fits it. Get a Rival or MEGA refill pack here!