Here’s your Marvel Contest of Champions news brief for Tuesday, January 12, 2021.
Schedule Notes: Professor X is projected to enter the Basic Pool at 1pm. Please confirm via the in-game banner. The new 5-Star Featured Crystal debuts at 1pm EST. The featured champions in the crystal are Apocalypse, Red Goblin, Cosmic Ghost-Rider, Immortal Hulk, Immortal Abomination, and Spider-Ham. The remaining 18 champions in the pool will be revealed when the crystal goes live. The Alliance Quest Series begins at 3pm EST.
Lagacy rips through Realm of Legends in record time with Cosmic Ghost-Rider.
Here’s your Marvel Contest of Champions news brief for Monday, January 11, 2021.
Schedule Notes: Summoner Sigil Owners, your Solo Event, Gold Quest, and items on a 7-day timer and the Legendary Crystal in the Black-ISO Market reset at Noon EST. Round 2 of the 4-Star Deadpool X-Force and Colossus Featured Arenas at 1pm EST. Incursions Milestones reset at 1pm EST. 100% Roster Availability ends at 2pm EST when Alliance War Attack resumes. UMCOC Podcast, Live on Discord at 8pm EST.
It’s Episode 46 of the Contest Realm Podcast! In this episode Rich and I discuss the bugs that cropped up with the v29.2 update, give our thoughts on Jubilee, and talk about where we are at with Realm of Champions.
Here’s my guide for Act 4.1.4 “Symbioids” in Marvel Contest of Champions.
General Thoughts:
Act 4.1.4 has 6 paths and some hidden nodes, so be sure to check the path info below. There is always an Adaptoid ambush of around 2.1K PI on the first node. The mini-boss rotates between Punisher, Star-Lord, and OG Vision.
During my run through Act 4.1.4 I reached Level 39 and added a third point in Petrify. I used an Awakening Gem on Black Widow Deadly Origin, and brought 4-Star Killmonger and Aarkus to Rank 4. I also pulled my first 6-Star Champion, Red Skull. He’s not the best tech champ by any means, but he will be able to help my progress. My Top 10 champs are now over 3K PI, another sign of my steadily maturing account.
If you have questions about the basic attack moves and combos in Marvel Contest of Champions, please check out my MCOC 101: Combos guide.
Best Champs:
Restrictions: You will need 1 champion of each class to 100% explore this map. Please see individual lanes for requirements.
Global Node: None
Boss: Colossus
Boss Notes: Heavy-Handed +50% Attack & Health
This is just a Colossus with some extra Attack and Health. Nothing special to worry about.
Lane 1 – Far Left
Gate: Need 1 Skill & 1 Cosmic Champion
Defenders: Magneto, Wolverine, Elektra, Storm, Drax, Cyclops New Xavier School, Yellowjacket, Unstoppable Colossus, OG Vision
Nodes: +50% Attack & Health on 2nd and 4th Hidden Nodes (Storm, Cyclops New Xavier School)
Team: 5- Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star King Groot, 4-Star Emma Frost, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin, 4-Star Man-Thing
Tips: The hidden defenders (Elektra, Storm, Drax, Cyclops New Xavier School) aren’t much to worry about unless you get tagged by a special.
Team: 6-Star Red Skull, 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Man-Thing, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin, 4-Star Emma Frost
Tips: I did a little testing with my new 6-Star Red Skull here. Any 6-Star is OP against this content but it was interesting to test out his Power Drain and Shock abilities. He’s not a highly regarded champion but I think he will be able to help be going forward. Overall this is a very vanilla path, so there isn’t much to worry about.
Lane 3 – Center Left
Gate: Need 1 Tech Champion
Defenders: Hulk, Iron Patriot, Gamora, Magneto House of X, Magik, Ronan, Star-Lord
Nodes: None
Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 5-Star Psylocke, 4-Star Sentry, 4-Star Sorcerer Supreme, 4-Star Guardian,
Tips: This is another Easy Path option. There are no nodes or hidden defenders to deal with.
Team: 5- Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Sorcerer Supreme, 4-Star Emma Frost, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin, 4-Star Man-Thing
Tips: As long as you bring at least one non-Metal champ and can block or out-damage Deadpool’s regeneration you’ll be good for this path.
Lane 5 – Right Center
Gate: None
Defenders: Spider-Man, Black Panther, Daredevil, Cyclops New Xavier School, Iron Man, Iron Patriot, Gamora, Storm, OG Vision
Nodes: None
Team: 6-Star Red Skull, 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Man-Thing, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin, 4-Star Emma Frost
Tips: I did some more Red Skull testing here and just steamrolled all the defenders. Once again, nothing much to worry about if your parry is on point.
Nodes: +50% Attack & Health on 2nd and 4th Hidden Nodes (Wolverine & Magneto)
Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Sorcerer Supreme, 4-Star Sabretooth, 4-Star Guardian, 4-Star Sentry
Tips: The biggest thing to remember here is that the final hidden defender is Magneto so you want to bring in a non-Metal champion for that fight. The hidden Juggernaut is awakened.
Here’s my guide for Act 4.1.3 “Incognito” in Marvel Contest of Champions.
General Thoughts:
The curveball with Act 4.1.3 is the appearance of hidden nodes. I have revealed the hidden defenders in the path notes below. None of them pose any significant matchup issues. There are 5 paths in this quest.
During my run through Act 4.1.3 I pulled 4-Star Gwenpool, and once again duped by 4-Star Man-Thing, upping his Signature Level to 40.
If you have questions about the basic attack moves and combos in Marvel Contest of Champions, please check out my MCOC 101: Combos guide.
Best Champs:
Restrictions: Need 1 Cosmic Champion
Global Node: None
Boss: Superior Iron Man
Boss Notes: Arc Overload 2.0 +50% Attack and Health
Superior Iron Man isn’t that big of a threat, but you can make your life easier by bringing a Mystic champion who can nullify his buffs, particularly his regeneration.
Lane 1 – Left
Gate: Need 1 Cosmic Champion
Defenders: Ms. Marvel Carol Danvers, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Iron Patriot, Cyclops New Xavier School, Rhino, Star-Lord, War Machine, OG Vision
Nodes: None
Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Emma Frost, 4-Star King Groot, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin, 4-Star Man-Thing
Tips: Cosmic and Mystic champions will do very well as attackers for this lane. I mostly used Black Widow DO and Man-Thing. There are several versions of Iron Man to deal with, so either Armor Break or Buff Nullification is handy to have.
Lane 2 – Left Center
Gate: None
Defenders: Ms. Marvel Carol Danvers, Hulk, Daredevil, Elektra, Captain Marvel Classic, Star-Lord, War Machine, OG Vision
Nodes: None
Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Emma Frost, 4-Star King Groot, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin, 4-Star Man-Thing
Tips: With only one hidden node, this is a straightforward path. Don’t get hit and you’ll be fine.
Lane 3 – Center
Gate: None
Defenders: Black Bolt, Captain Marvel Classic, Drax, Scarlet Witch, Captain America, Hawkeye, War Machine, OG Vision
Nodes: None
Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Emma Frost, 4-Star King Groot, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin, 4-Star Man-Thing
Tips: Of the three hidden fights, Scarlet Witch is the only one that might be a problem. The novelty of the hidden nodes aside, this is a pretty Easy Path.
Lane 4 – Right Center
Gate: None
Defenders: Black Bolt, War Machine, Spider-Man, Gamora, Captain America, Punisher, Ronan
Nodes: None
Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 5-Star Psylocke, 4-Star Sorcerer Supreme, 4-Star Killmonger, 4-Star Guardian
Tips: With my top champs tied-up in Alliance War, I used this path as a testing ground for Sorcerer Supreme. Her buff suppression and heal-on-block abilities are handy, particularly against War Machine and the Superior Iron Man Boss.
Lane 5 – Right
Gate: Need 1 Cosmic
Defenders: Black Bolt, War Machine, Black Panther, Captain Marvel Classic, Daredevil, Captain America, Punisher, Ronan
Nodes: None
Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Aarkus, 4-Star Sorcerer Supreme, 4-Star Killmonger, 4-Star Guardian
Tips: This path has three hidden nodes. Thankfully the defenders are only Black Panther, Captain Marvel Classic, Daredevil. It’s another longer path but there isn’t much you need to specifically plan for. Once again I played a lot of Sorcerer Supreme and Aarkus to get a handle on those champs, and they did fine.
Next week in Marvel Contest of Champions brings us a new 5-Star Featured Crystal and Jubilee’s official Contest debut as the Featured Arena Champion.
I hope you and your family are staying safe during these difficult times.
Alliance Wars Seasons We are currently in the Alliance War Season 23. The rewards cut-off date was January 8 at 6pm EST, and the season ends on January 19.
Full Roster Availability (No AW/AQ): 100% Champion Availability starting at 2pm EST on Sunday, January 10 through Monday, January 11 at 2pm.
Sunday, January 10: Sunday Arenas begin at 1pm EST. 100% Roster Availability begins at 2pm EST, following the conclusion of Alliance War Attack.
Monday, January 11: Summoner Sigil Owners, your Solo Event, Gold Quest, and items on a 7-day timer and the Legendary Crystal in the Black-ISO Market reset at Noon EST. Round 2 of the 4-Star Deadpool X-Force and Colossus Featured Arenas at 1pm EST. Incursions Milestones reset at 1pm EST. 100% Roster Availability ends at 2pm EST when Alliance War Attack resumes. UMCOC Podcast, Live on Discord at 8pm EST.
Tuesday, January 12: Professor X is projected to enter the Basic Pool at 1pm. Please confirm via the in-game banner. The new 5-Star Featured Crystal debuts at 1pm EST. The featured champions in the crystal are Apocalypse, Red Goblin, Cosmic Ghost-Rider, Immortal Hulk, Immortal Abomination, and Spider-Ham. The Alliance Quest Series begins at 3pm EST.
Wednesday, January 13: The second set of Arcade Tokens (8) arrives at 1pm EST.
Thursday, January 14: Round 1 of the 4-Star Basic Arena (champion to be announced) and Jubilee Arenas begin at 1pm EST. The Alpha Arena begins at 6pm EST.
Friday, January 15: No schedule updates.
Saturday, January 16: Incursions Milestones reset at 1pm EST.