Summoners!

Kitty Pryde and Nimrod join The Contest, the X-Men solve Marauder Mysteries, and Shang-Chi has a special challenge for Summoners this September. Expect to see v32.2 available for download on August 30 or 31.

Read the Official Release Notes.

V32.2 HIGHLIGHTS

Future Shock EQ
Marauder Mysteries SQ
Kitty Pryde
Gamora & Miles Buffs
Shang-Chi’s Challenge
Fixes & Improvements

X-MEN: FUTURE SHOCK – EVENT QUEST

In September’s Event Quest, the disciples of Apocalypse have begun to clash with Xavier’s followers on Krakoa, and it looks like Kitty Pryde is the cause! Kitty sets out with Wolverine to clear her good name and learn who is behind the latest discord in the Battlerealm.

MARAUDER MYSTERIES – SIDE QUEST

In the Side Quest, help Kitty Pryde to complete weekly Solo Objectives to earn rewards and solve mysteries in the Battlerealm. This unique event will span two months, and the rewards depend on your progression level. One of the most exciting parts of this event is the Marauder Cavalier Crystal, which features the debuts of 6-Star Hyperion and Ghost-Rider!

KITTY PRYDE

She’s finally here! If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you probably know that I’m a big fan of the X-Men, and that the original run of the Excalibur comics is what got me hooked on Marvel as a kid. Kitty has been at the top of my most wanted list for a few years, so I’m very excited she’s finally entering the Battlerealm.

Kitty Pryde is a mutant with the power of intangibility, meaning she can phase through solid objects and people. When she does this to robots or anything with electronics, she tends to cause a major system disruption. She is usually accompanied by her loyal companion Lockheed, a small, purple Dragon that Kitty found on an alien planet after a battle with the Brood. Although he is only the size of a cat, Lockheed is quite powerful, particularly because of his dragon fire and immunity to psychic control. Lockheed is extremely protective of Kitty. The two are psychically linked and he will not hesitate to defend her at all costs.

Kitty Pryde first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1980’s X-Men #129, which coincidentally is the first issue of the Dark Phoenix Saga. Kitty joined the X-Men as the 13-year-old girl after a brief “recruiting war” between Professor X and Emma Frost. She was much younger than the other team members at the time, with Storm taking on a motherly role guiding Kitty, Nightcrawler falling into the big brother role, and Wolverine as the grumpy uncle who teaches you how to be a Ninja. Kitty developed a crush on Colossus early on, but because of the age gap (Colossus was 19 at the time), that plot line was abandoned until Kitty became an adult.

During her early years, Kitty changed her codename (Ariel/Sprite) and costume quite a bit. Her costume history is showcased brilliantly in this month’s Motion Comic.

Kitty spent much of the 80s with the X-Men until she and Nightcrawler were injured defending the Morlocks during the Mutant Massacre. By the time they recovered, the rest of the X-Men were assumed dead, and the pair (along with Lockheed) formed the original version of Excalibur with Rachel Summers, Captain Britain, and Meggan. During her time in Excalibur, Kitty went by the codename Shadowcat. After Excalibur dissolved, Kitty, now an adult, tried to live a normal life as a college student in Chicago, but eventually rejoined the X-Men, where she developed into more of a leadership role. She also spent some time with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Must reads for Kitty Pryde fans include 1984’s Kitty Pryde and Wolverine limited series, “Kitty’s Fairy Tale” (UXM #153), and Astonishing X-Men #1-24. Kitty Pryde was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. For my money she is Claremont’s greatest creation. Considering he is the definitive X-Men writer, and his list of Marvel creations is massive (Rogue, Mystique, Emma Frost, Sabretooth, Cannonball, Jubilee, Legion, Moonstar, Psylocke, Gambit), that’s really saying something. Lockheed was created by Chris Claremont and Paul Smith, and first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #166.

NIMROD

Nimrod is a Tech Champion. He is the ultimate Sentinel from the Days of Future Past Timeline where the Sentinels have all but taken over Earth and destroyed the X-Men. Nimrod kills a grown Katherine Pryde in this timeline, but not before she is able to send Rachel Summers back in time to Earth-616.

Fans of the 90s X-Men cartoon will remember Nimrod battling with Bishop and Wolverine. Nimrod has all the abilities of normal Sentinels, but at a much higher power level, and he can regenerate almost any level of damage. From a brute strength standpoint, Nimrod is able to engage in combat with the Juggernaut.

Nimrod first appeared in 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #191. The X-Men manage to fight him off in several encounters, once by Rogue (who absorbed Colossus and Nightcrawler’s powers), and another time thanks to some solid teamwork by Colossus and Kitty. Nightcrawler is injured during one battle with Nimrod, affecting his ability to teleport, which leads to his further injuries during the Mutant Massacre.

Nimrod returned in the 2000s as a member of the Purifiers to battle the New X-Men in the excellent Crusade and Falling Mercury arcs (New X-Men #24-36). While Nimrod doesn’t have many appearances in the comics, he makes a big impact when he does show up, because the X-Men recognize him as the ultimate Mutant-Killing machine.

Nimrod was created by Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr.

CHAMPION BUFFS

Gamora and Spider-Man Miles Morales will receive buffs in September. The buffs will go live as soon as you download v32.2.

SHANG-CHI’S CLOSE QUARTERS CHALLENGE

Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings hits theatres this September, so it’s the perfect time for a challenge. Get ready to battle the master of the martial arts and the Battlerealm’s other expert fighters.

BUG FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS

● Players will be able to preview the X-Men: Future Shock quest maps when selecting their team.

● Fixed an issue where Cornered buff was not granting more power when a Rupture debuff was inflicted.

● Fixed an issue where Ghost would not gain a Fury buff when removing a Rupture debuff by Phasing.

● Fixed an issue where Power Gain from Goldpool’s SP2 was not a Passive Powergain.

● Fixed an issue where War Machine’s armor breaks did not trigger Engineered Fracture and Infectious Wrath.

.● Fixed an issue where Hercules’s Immortal Buff was not being nullified by Longshot’s Special Attack 2.

● Fixed an issue where Jabari Panther was not gaining Fury from Mind’s Eye.

● Updated Spider-Man 2099’s Synergy with Sabretooth to include missing information. The Synergy will now read “Blocking an attack has a 10% chance to grant a regeneration passive…”.

● Fixed an issue where Ultron’s Special Attack 2 Description was missing.

● Fixed an issue where Ultron’s PI fell in the last update.

● Fixed an issue where going into a quest with Heimdall and synergy members could cause the game to crash.

● Changed Peni Parker’s Synergy with Miles Morales. The synergy will now read: Each Spider-Sense Charge grants +4% Attack Rating, and +4% personal debuff duration and ability accuracy.

FINAL THOUGHTS

MCOC needs some hype right now, and I’m really hoping that Kitty Pryde and Nimrod are excellent champs and get some excitement going in the community. Personally, I’ll be going for Kitty no matter what. The Shang-Chi challenge and the Side Quest sound interesting, but as always, we need to see the events in action to determine their real value. Best of luck to everyone this September!

-Dano357