Here’s your Marvel Contest of Champions news brief for Thursday, January 9, 2020.
Schedule Notes: 100% champion availability until AW attack resumes around 2pm EST. Round 1 of the 4* Miles Morales and Squirrel Girl Featured Arenas at 1pm EST.
As you would expect following the release of a new event quest, there is a ton of content to digest!
Here’s your Marvel Contest of Champions news brief for Wednesday, January 8, 2020.
Schedule Notes: 100% champion availability all day! The new Event Quest, Squirrels vs Skrulls launches at 1pm EST.
Yesterday was a huge news day in The Contest. The Champion Spotlight for Squirrel Girl, who will be the Featured Arena Champion this Thursday, was released. Additionally, rewards and node information for the long-awaited Abyss of Legends was also released.
Lagacy has an early review and gameplay for Squirrel Girl.
Here’s your Marvel Contest of Champions news brief for Tuesday, January 7, 2020.
Schedule Notes: Dungeons end at 1pm EST. 100% champion availability following the conclusion of the AQ Series at 3pm EST. Version 25.2 is now scheduled for January 8 per the release notes.
Craftgrinding issued predictions for the Stealth Spider-Man and 2019 Crystal arenas.
KT1 has a Hulk Ragnarok healing tip for those running suicides.
I’m on a bit of a cold streak with crystals, so I’m switching things up. In her last opening, Katy Candy made the crystals dance, and pulled a 6* Mysterio! So let’s see if the dance method brings me some luck.
Here’s your Marvel Contest of Champions news brief for Monday, January 6, 2020.
Schedule Notes: Round 2 of the 4* Stealth Spider-Man, and the only Round of the 2019 Featured Arenas at 1pm EST. Summoner Sigil Owners, your Solo Event and Gold Quest, as well as the Black ISO Market, reset at 1pm EST. UMCOC Podcast, Live On Discord, 8pm EST.
Squirrels vs. Skrulls Begins Wednesday at 1pm EST.
MCOC Creative Director Gabriel Frizzera Dropping Hints On Future Champs On @Trizzle315 Twitter
MetalSonicDude as a review and guide for Silver Surfer.
KT1 has more R3 6* Game-Play, this time from Stealth Spider-Man.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter @FrontlineMCOC or join the new Frontline MCOC Line Group for more updates! -Dano357
Here’s my guide for Back Issues (Variant) 4 – Waning Moon – Chapter 2.2.
General Thoughts: A bit of a step up in difficulty after 2.1, both in terms of the boss and the lane planning required, but if you do your homework you’ll do just fine. I did find this the most enjoyable chapter in Variant 4 so far.
MVP Champs: Emma Frost, Iceman, Night Thrasher, Warlock
Global Node: +300% Attack and Health Boost
Restrictions: 3* Champions Only
Boss: Moon Knight with +100% Health, Will of Khonshu (all Moon Knight passives active), Clapback, Aggression Fury, Mix Master (if attacker attempts the same basic attack twice in a row, defender has 100% chance to evade), Force of Will
The most important thing to remember here is to alternate your combo like when you fight as Corvus, or you’re playing against Sentinel, so you don’t get evaded. It helps to bring an anti-evade champion. Emma Frost and Iceman (Clapback doesn’t apply to Coldsnap/Frostbite) work well, and Night Thrasher is excellent. Also remember that Clapback is active on Moon Knight, so you can’t use damaging debuff champions (sorry Archangel). Other options include Captain America IW (parry/heavy until SP2), and Domino (heavy method).
Team: Quake, Emma Frost, Iceman, Warlock, and Archangel
Tips: So it’s pretty obvious looking at the defenders and the nodes you’ll need to bring all your evade counters for this one. If I had a 3* Venom ranked-up he would have been on the team. Killmonger would also have been a great option here. Remember Spider-Gwen will nullify true strike, so bring someone like Archangel, Iceman, or Emma Frost who counters evade by other means. Warlock is currently bugged and reduces the defender’s evade chance, but that is being corrected in the January 2020 update.
Lane 2 – Left Center
Defenders: Diablo, Mr. Sinister, Annihilus, Mysterio, Archangel
Nodes: Poison, Debilitate
Team: Mephisto, The Champion, Iceman, Emma Frost, and Warlock
Tips: The Poison node will limit your options here. Thankfully, two of the best boss counters, Emma Frost and Iceman, are poison immune. Warlock is also a great champion to take to make the Mr. Sinister fight an easy one. That leaves Annihilus as the one issue left to address. Mephisto and Dormammu are poison immune mystics, and Claire Voyant can also get poison immunity from her curses, so try to add one of those to your team as well.
Nodes: Cornered, Enhanced Special 2, Burden of Might, Power Alternator
Team: Scarlet Witch, Warlock, Emma Frost, Iceman, and Vison AoA
Tips: The path doesn’t look to difficult, but you can take a lot of chip damage if you’re not careful. Bring a robot with power control or two, it really helps to control the fights.
Lane 4 – Right Center
Defenders: Man-Thing, Hulk Ragnarok, Hyperion, Nick Fury, Hulkbuster
Nodes: Enhanced Fury, Aggression Fury, Burden of Might, Power Alternator
Team: Star-Lord, Emma Frost, Iceman, Night Thrasher, and Warlock
Tips: This is another path where my boss options also had solid usage. I used Iceman to tank Hyperion’s specials and to keep Nick Fury’s tactical charges in check.
Lane 5 – Far Right
Defenders: Psylocke, Sentinel, Thor Ragnarok, Doctor Octopus, Agent Venom, Hulkbuster
Nodes: Burden of Might, Power Alternator
Team: Iceman, Night Thrasher, Emma Frost, Warlock, and Venom The Duck
Tips: This isn’t a hard lane, but the Thor Ragnarok is sneaky because of the Power Alternator node. Warlock was clutch in that match-up. If you don’t have him, bring another power control champion to be safe. I tried Night Thrasher against Moon Night, since his skate board attacks can’t be evaded, and actually found him to be a safer option then Iceman or Emma, and I got the solo.
It’s a new year, and a new month, so that means a new event quest! Squirrels vs Skrulls kicks off on Wednesday, along with the Acornucopia event, which has a 5* Awakening Gem on the line as a reward.
Alliance Wars are currently in the off-season. Matchmaking for the first war of Season 15 begins at 6pm EST on Wednesday, Janaury 15.
Full Roster Availability (No AW/AQ): 100% champion availability on Tuesday, January 7 at 3pm EST through Thursday, January 9 at 2pm EST.
Sunday, January 5: Tier 4 Basic Arena begins at 6pm.
Monday, January 6: Round 2 of the 4* Stealth Spider-Man, and the only Round of the 2019 Featured Arenas at 1pm EST. Summoner Sigil Owners, your Solo Event and Gold Quest, as well as the Black ISO Market, reset at 1pm EST. UMCOC Podcast, Live On Discord, 8pm EST.
Tuesday, January 7: Dungeons end at 1pm EST. 100% champion availability following the conclusion of the AQ Series at 3pm EST. Version 25.2 will be released today.
Wednesday, January 8: 100% champion availability all day! The new Event Quest, Squirrels vs Skrulls launches at 1pm EST.
Thursday, January 9: 100% champion availability until AW attack resumes around 2pm EST. Round 1 of the 4* Miles Morales and TBA New Champion (Squirrel Girl or Nova) Featured Arenas at 1pm EST.
Friday, January 10: The AQ Series begins at 3pm EST.
Saturday, January 11: The Alpha Arena begins at 6pm EST.
Frontline: MCOC 