Clobberin’ Time joins us for Episode 16 of the Contest Realm Podcast. The fallout from the Book 2 Beta and Seatin stepping away from OMNI was the talk of the community this week. We discuss the current issues with MCOC and what Kabam can do to rebound from what was undoubtedly a rough week.
Next week in Marvel Contest of Champions Black Widow (Deadly Origin) officially joins The Contest as the featured arena champion, and the Book 2 Act 1 Beta concludes.
I hope you and your family are staying safe during these difficult times.
Alliance Wars Seasons We are currently in the off-season. Season 18 is set to begin on May 20. Rewards will lock on Friday, June 5 at 6pm EST, and the season will end on Tuesday, June 16.
Full Roster Availability (No AW/AQ): 100% champion availability starting at 2pm EST on Friday, May 15 until 2pm EST on Saturday, May 16.
Sunday, May 10: Sunday Arenas begin at 1pm EST. The Tier 4 Basic Arena begins at 6pm EST.
Monday, May 11: Round 2 of the 4* Civil Warrior and Taskmaster Featured Arenas at 1pm EST. Summoner Sigil Owners, your Solo Event, Gold Quest, and items on a 7-day timer and the 5* Featured Crystal in the Black-ISO Market reset at 1pm EST. The Book 2 Act 1 Beta ends at 2pm EST. UMCOC Podcast, Live on Discord at 8pm EST.
Tuesday, May 12: Server Maintenance at 11pm EST.
Wednesday, May 13: Incursions Milestones reset at 2pm EST.
Thursday, May 14: Round 1 of the 4* Basic (Champ TBA) and Black Widow (Deadly Origin) Featured Arenas begin at 1pm EST. The Alliance Quest Series concludes at 3pm EST.
Friday, May 15: 100% Roster Availability beginning at 2pm EST.
Saturday, May 16: 100% Roster Availability until AW attack resumes at 2pm EST. The Alpha Arena begins at 6pm EST.
Here’s your Marvel Contest of Champions news brief for Saturday, May 9, 2020.
Schedule Notes: 100% Roster Availability until AW attack resumes at 2pm EST. The Alliance Quest Series begins at 3pm EST.
Kabam posted an update with the results of the Book 2 Act 1 Chapter 1 Beta. This is an extensive post covering many of the concerns voiced by the community in the past few days. If you’re interested in the future of MCOC, it’s a must read.
Recently I was asked on Twitter if there were any circumstances where a 5 star should be ranked over a 6 star.
That’s a really great question, and has important implications for overall roster construction. To answer the question, yes, I think there are multiple times when a 5 star should be ranked over a 6 star. To be clear, I’m not saying don’t rank your 6 stars at all. I’ve ranked-up a couple, and I’m sure I will rank more. But simply having an extra star doesn’t make a champion the best choice for your roster and progression. So let’s look at 5 reasons why investing in a 5 star is better than investing in a 6 star.
Champion Quality The first reason is that you have a 5 star champion that is more useful than any of your 6 star champs. If you have a 5 star Captain Marvel Movie, and your best 6 star is a Yellowjacket, you’ll get much more game-play out of a 5/65 Captain Marvel Movie than a Rank 2 Yellowjacket. Don’t get too excited just cause 6 star champions have an extra star. It’s the combination of damage, utility, potential content the champion can complete, and your overall enjoyment of playing the champion that you should be looking at.
Signature Ability & Level What if you’ve got a 5 star and a 6 star of the same champion? Then it’s a no-brainer right? Not so fast. It’s still extremely hard to awaken a 6 star champion, and nearly impossible to bring a 6 star to Signature Level 200, unless you’re willing to spend an extreme amount of money on featured Cavalier crystals.
Champions like Void, Namor, Omega Red, Aegon, Captain America Infinity War, and Darkhawk need to be at max Signature Level for you to get the most out of them. So take into account how important the awakened ability is for the champion, and if scaling the Signature Level is critical to the champion’s utility. If it is critical to the champion’s value, you’re likely going to want to go with the 5 star version.
Prestige This goes hand-in-hand with the Signature Level. I know we’re all excited by the prestige of Rank 3 6 star champions, but those aren’t attainable for the vast majority of Summoners. Even Rank 2 6 Stars need multiple dupes to start to impact the prestige of veteran players. For example, a 6 star Rank 2 Sunspot at Sig 60 (meaning you’ve pulled him 4 times!) is only 10,429. High prestige 5 star champions are 10,600+, and you actually have some access to 5 star Signature Stones.
If you’re not at the absolute endgame, you’re still going to be getting your prestige from 5 star champions for the foreseeable future. For progressing players, I would strongly consider waiting to Rank 2 a 6 star until you have at least 5 awakened 5 star 5/65 champions, unless you have one of the handful of top tier champions as a 6 star star. This will help your prestige and get you better Alliance Quest rewards, allowing you to rank more champions quickly. Now if you pull a Corvus, Captain Marvel Movie, Domino, Sunspot, Warlock, or Ghost as your first 6 star, I can see making an exception. But it’s a short list considering there are 170+ champs playable in game right now.
Power Gain One feature you may not be aware of is that the natural power gain of champions is influenced by the champion’s rank. The higher the rank, the faster the power gain. So while a 5 star 5/65 champion and a 6 star Rank 2 have roughly equivalent stats, they gain power at different rates, with the 5 star having the advantage.
Resource Limitations/Increased Roster Depth It can’t be overlooked that a Rank 2 6 star champion costs three Tier 5 Basics, while a 5/65 5 star only costs two. If you move too quickly to 6 star champions, you’re going to be holding back your roster depth, because you can have three max 5 stars for every two Rank 2 6 star champions. With the need for greater roster depth in Act 6 (and likely Book 2), having a roster of “pinch-hitter” champions is becoming more and more important. It’s a lot easier to build roster depth with 5 star champions because the rank-up cost is substantially less.
So there you have it, 5 reasons why you should rank a 5 star champion instead of a 6 star champion. I hope you found this helpful when considering your rank-up decisions.
Here’s your Marvel Contest of Champions news brief for Friday, May 8, 2020.
Schedule Notes: 100% Roster Availability beginning at 2pm EST. Incursions Milestones and Top Zone Rewards reset at 2pm EST.
Yesterday was a pretty remarkable day in The Contest, as Seatin’s announcement that he is leaving his alliance and has worries for the future of the game led to a day filled with community responses, player conversations, and lots of feedback for the game team to digest, particularly when it comes to the Book 2 Beta.
In case you missed it, Kabam Miike did post a pretty extensive response on the forums, and expect more to come from the Beta team soon.
RichTheMan and I will be discussing the Beta and what it means for the future of the game with special guest Clobberin’ Time on this Sunday’s episode of the Contest Realm Podcast.
UMCOC Podcast Episode #124 is now streaming on Soundcloud.
Here’s your Marvel Contest of Champions news brief for Thursday, May 7, 2020.
Schedule Notes: Round 1 of the 4* Civil Warrior and Taskmaster Arenas begin at 1pm EST. 100% Roster Availability until AW attack resumes at 2pm EST. The Alpha Arena begins at 6pm EST.
Who Do You Think Will Join The Contest?
Katy Candy has Rank 5 Gameplay in Act 6 and the Book 2 Beta for Black Widow Deadly Origin.
Karatemike also decided to test out Black Widow (DO) in the Beta.
MetalSonicDude is back in the Abyss to take out Luke Cage with She-Hulk.
I hope you’re enjoying Incursions as much as I am. If you’re looking to build a synergy team for Incursions, here are some of my suggestions.
My criteria for selecting a 3-champion Incursions synergy team is that the champs must come from three different classes, and I’m giving preference to champions that have regeneration and buffs.
Tip: If you’re looking for your favorite champ, click Control+ F to see if I’ve included them. If you prefer this information in video format, scroll down to the bottom of the page for a video guide.
Team: Mephisto, The Champion, Sunspot
Synergies: Enemies – All Champions gain +125 Critical Rating, increasing to +325 based on Sunspot’s Signature Level. (Sunspot/Mephisto) Enemies – All Champions gain +155 Critical Rating (The Champion/Mephisto) Persistent Force – When The Champion has 3 or more Persistent Charges, he starts the fight with an 8 second Indestructible Buff. Mephisto gains +15% Attack Rating for each Persistent Charge
Tips: This is one of my two main Incursion Teams. Mephisto is an extremely safe champion to play because of his Regeneration. He is immune to Poison and Incineration, and gains a massive amount of attack from the synergies.
The Champion is actually a monster in Incursions if you can get Buff Cornucopia or increase his Fury Buffs. Ramp him up to 4+ Persistent Charges and then use your SP1 to keep him constantly regenerating.
Sunspot isn’t the most sustainable champion, but he does have perfect block, is incinerate immune, and can do huge burst damage. If you draw Prowess or Incinerate Hacks early in the Incursion, he can do a lot of work.
Team: Morningstar, Angela, Aegon
Synergies: Warrior Queens – Morningstar and Angela’s buffs last 20% longer Warriors of the Stars – +25% potency to Fury effects
Tips: Having Moringstar and Aegon on the same team is a bit tricky because you’ve got two ramp-up champions, but this trio should be able to handle just about anything once you get them going. The +20% increase to buff duration and +25% potency to Fury is absolutely huge. Morningstar is Bleed-Immune, has health steal when ramp-ed up, and will destroy all buff-heavy champions. Angela gains a ton of buffs, including Regeneration, Armor-Up, Fury, and Precision. A duped Aegon can do pretty much anything you need once his combo is ramped-up. Get Buff Cornucopia and Fury Hacks with this trio and you’re set.
Potential Sub: If you don’t have Aegon, swap in Guillotine 2099 for an increase to Morningstar’s critical damage per captured Soul. Guillotine 2099 will have +30% degeneration potency.
Team: Old Man Logan, Mysterio, Silver Surfer
Synergies: No… Not You – The first time Old Man Logan gains a 0 Damage Passive Bleed he gains 2 more, and his Regeneration is increased by +10%. Mysterio’s regeneration from the use of Reflection Gas is increased by an additional, flat +10% health Mine Travels Through Space – Silver Surfer’s board attacks generate -30% power for the opponent. Mysterio’s advantages vs Spider-Verse champions extends to all hero champions.
Tips: This combination has some major benefits for Incursions. You have healing for both Old Man Logan and Mysterio, and Old Man Logan and Silver Surfer are both buff-heavy champions perfect for Buff Cornucopia.
Mysterio is poison immune (unless knocked down by a Spider-Verse Hero or inflicted with Armor Break), and can not be evaded by hero champions he has inflicted with a poison. He is also immune to Ability Accuracy Reduction.
Old Man Logan is also immune to Ability Accuracy Reduction, has Armor Break and Bleed Debuffs, can reduce the potency of Bleed Debuffs inflicted on him, and gains Fury Buffs.
Silver Surfer takes 100% less damage from Coldsnap, Incinerate, and Shock Debuffs (healing from Willpower), and is a buff generating machine. Surfer will thrive on Buff Cornucopia and increases to Fury Potency, making him an excellent match with Old Man Logan. He also has access to Armor-Up Buffs and Armor Break Debuffs.
Nerd Fact: Mysterio and Old Man Logan have a synergy because it was Mysterio that tricked Logan into killing the other X-Men in the “Old Man Logan” comic book series.
Team: Doctor Doom, Annihilus, Reed Richards
Synergies: Genius Ingenuity – Doctor Doom’s Shock and Incinerate Debuffs have +20% Potency College Rivals: Mister Fantastic gains +5% of his Max Power each time a Buff is Nullified or its duration expires off the Opponent. Doctor Doom’s heavy attacks apply up to 1 Armor Break Debuff for 10 seconds, reducing Armor Rating by -15%. Enemies: All Champions gain +155 Critical Rating Fantastic Rage: Doctor Doom’s heavy attacks are guaranteed critical hits while the opponent is suffering from a Stagger effect.
Tips: Doctor Doom has nullify, and immunity to Armor Break, Armor Shatter, and Shock. His synergy with Reed Richards to boost his Incinerate and Shock Debuffs can be further improved with Hacks. He can also gain Fury via his SP3. Reed Richards has his cross-fight abilities which can help his team, and he can spam Debuffs, including Shock on his SP2. With his Cosmic Control Rod active, Annihilus is immune to Frostbite, Coldsnap, Power Drain, Power Steal, Power Burn, Power Lock, and Enervate. He also gains a host of buffs including Fury, Armor-Up and Precision, making him another great candidate for Buff Cornucopia.
Team: Venom The Duck, Domino, Warlock
Synergies: Mutant Agenda – Mutants gain +12% Special Attack Rating Genetic Record – Probability – Venom the Duck has +35% Ability Accuracy during Special Attacks
Tips: Venom the Duck is your workhorse here, so build up those Buffs. Hopefully you get Regeneration and Fury early. Warlock supplies you with Immunities and Power Control, while Domino brings the big burst damage for high health pool fights.
Team: Venom, Darkhawk, Ghost-Rider
Synergies: Dark Justice – Darkhawk, Ghost-Rider & Venom gain +30% Power Rate vs Villains and +10% Critical Rate vs Heroes.
Tips: All three of these champs have healing, which makes for a very sustainable team. Venom is a monster with Buff Cornucopia, Darkhawk provides double immunity, and Ghost-Rider has a versatile tool kit thanks to his Judgements.
Team: Captain Marvel Movie, Nick Fury, Rogue
Synergies: Partners in S.H.I.E.L.D. – Captain Marvel’s energy charges last an additional 1 second while in Binary Ignition. Nick Fury’s tactical advantage charges last an additional 1 second. Contingency Plan – If Nick is alive, all Fury Buffs have a +20% increased duration. Stolen Memories – Captain Marvel becomes Unstoppable for 4 seconds when entering Binary Ignition. Rogue’s physical attacks deal an additional +15% of damage dealt as energy damage. Nick’s Leadership – All heroes gain +10% attack if Nick Fury is alive, +20% if Nick Fury is dead.
Tips: This synergy trio turns Captain Marvel Movie into even more of a beast than she normally is. She has Poison Immunity, Armor Break, Stun, Power Gain, Fury Buffs, and can go Indestructible when in Binary Ignition. Then you have Nick Fury, another all-around great champ to deal with any mystics Captain Marvel Movie needs to avoid. Don’t sleep on Rogue, she has health- and buff-stealing abilities, and can shake-off Debuffs at a faster than normal rate.
Team: King Groot, Man-Thing, Thing
Synergies: Misunderstood Monsters – Man-Thing inflicts a Poison Debuff on a well-timed block, dealing 25% of its attack as damage over 5 seconds and reducing Regeneration by 30%. King Groot starts the fight with two additional Fury Buffs, and gains two additional Fury Buffs when exiting his Cooldown state. Things – Man-Thing gains a Fury Buff on a well-timed block, increasing its attack by 25% of its Base Attack for 1.5 seconds. This Fury doesn’t stack. Thing’s Rock Stocks last indefinitely up to 20.
Tips: RichTheMan’s favorite champ is great for Incursions! King Groot alternates between Fury and Regeneration Buffs, and he can also permanently armor break the opponent if he lands an SP1 with a Fury active. He is Bleed-Immune and can shrug other debuffs. Boost up his Fury potency with Hacks and you’ll fix his damage issues. Man-Thing also has Fury and Regeneration, is immune to Armor Break and Armor Shatter, and is Bleed-Immune. He can nullify buffs and deal Poison damage. Thing brings a host of immunities to the team, as he is immune to Bleed, Shock, Armor Break, Armor Shatter, Nullify, Stagger, and Fate Seal, and can do big damage once his Passive Furies are ramped-up.
Do you have a favorite Incursions team that I didn’t mention? Leave a comment below. If you need help finding synergies for your favorite champions, visit Auntm.ai.