Variant 4 – Chapter 1.1 Guide

Summoners!

Here’s my guide for Back Issues (Variant) 4 – Waning Moon – Chapter 1.1.

General Thoughts: Only three lanes, and there is nothing too tricky here as long as you bring a counter for the Electro boss. Ideally you should bring a workhouse damage dealer for the path, specific counters for a couple of fights (particularly on the middle path and the Scarlet Witch) and then a boss counter. A champion like Stark Spider-Man, who is a big damage dealer with power control, is an excellent option to build a team around.

Restrictions: 6* & 5* Champions

MVP Champs: Stark Spider-Man, Blade, Hulk Ragnarok, Hyperion

Global Node: +400% Attack Boost

Boss: Electro

Nodes: +100% Health, Crackling Energy, Stun Immunity, Power Efficiency (specials cost 50% less power), Enhanced Special 1, Special 1 Bias, Force of Will.

The Crackling Energy node will place a passive energy damage over time effect on the Attacker dealing .50% of their max health every second for 10 seconds, and can stack up to 10. Striking the Defender with a non-contact hit removes all stacks. This node is the main challenge of the fight. You need to work around it by bringing an attacker that can mitigate the energy damage and/or has non-contact attacks to remove the energy damage passive.

Best Counters: Hulk Ragnarok, Namor, Hyperion, Blade, Havok, Bishop, Gwenpool, Quake

Notes: Hulk Ragnarok’s Face Me will negate the passive damage. Launch his SP2 to enervate Electro to negate the power gain. A high Signature Level Namor will reflect the damage back. With Hyperion, simply intercept with the SP1. I recommend hitting into Electro’s block a few times at the start of the fight to give yourself more room to bait him. Blade can negate Electro’s reflection damage with Danger Sense and clear the passive damage with his SP1. With Havok you want to use the double medium combo as you build up to a SP3. Bishop’s unblockable SP2 does huge damage in this match-up. Gwenpool’s Signature Ability will reduce Electro’s Defensive Ability Accuracy if you can get a high enough combo. If you’re a great Quake player, that will also work.

Lane 1 – Left

Defenders: Namor, Heimdall, Void, Kingpin, Loki, Miles Morales, Scarlet Witch

Nodes: Strike Back

Tips: Very straightforward path, perfect for the Blade Trinity or any big damage dealers. Just play patiently with the Strike Back node and you’re set. If you’ve got suicides on, make sure you have a counter for Void.

Lane 2 – Center

Defenders: Namor, Iron Patriot, Corvus Glaive, Kingpin, Ebony Maw, Captain Marvel Movie, Miles Morales, Scarlet Witch

Nodes: Strike Back, All-Or-Nothing, Transducer, Rage, Breakthrough

Team Used: Stark Spider-Man, Ghost-Rider, Hulk Ragnarok, Hyperion, Symbiote Supreme*

Tips: So this is the hardest lane simply because it has the most nodes to deal with. Ghost-Rider was great for Corvus Glaive. You’re going to take a lot of chip damage in that fight, so having a champion that can heal is ideal. The Ebony Maw fight is probably the trickiest on the path. I actually found Hulk Ragnarok a better option for that fight than my nullifying mystics, and I went back in and tried the fight with Quake, and that also worked. Surprisingly, Stark Spider-Man was actually a really good option for Captain Marvel Movie as he wasn’t triggering the Rage node at low Poise early in the fight, and then I could get into a rotation of baiting her SP1, countering, using my SP1 to stun, get in another combo, and repeat.

*If I had this to do over, I would have dropped Symbiote Supreme in favor of Quake for the Ebony Maw fight.

Lane 3 – Right

Defenders: Namor, Iron Patriot, Magneto, Mordo, Cable

Nodes: Strike Back, All-Or-Nothing

Team Used: Blade, Ghost-Rider, Stark Spider-Man, Hyperion, Hulk Ragnarok

Notes: Easy Path, no revives needed here. Just bring someone with power control and you’re pretty much set. A champion like Stark Spider-Man, who can place Taunt Debuffs on the opponent, makes this lane very easy, especially the Mordo, which is the most difficult fight on the path.

Recommended Videos:

DarkZodiac – How To Defeat Electro

Bossko77 – Bishop vs Electro

Elie Issa – Havok vs Electro

Gabreal – Hulk Ragnarok vs Electro

Jump to Chapter Guides:
Chapter 1.1
Chapter 1.2
Chapter 2.1
Chapter 2.2
Chapter 3.1
Chapter 3.2