Character Ability Poll - July 2015 Edition: RESULTS

Punisher5784

Greetings fellow players,

The results are in! This time I received over 100 votes in less than 24hrs! April’s poll took almost a week so I’m glad the voting process went so quickly! Thank you everyone for participating and giving me suggestions/feedback along the way.

Categories include:
Best Single-Target Damager
Best AOE Damager
Best Board Shaker
Best AP Stealer/Drainer
Best AP Generator (Non-Steal)
Best Healer
Best Countdown Tile Character
Best Strike Tile Character
Best Attack Tile Character
Best Defense Tile Character

I changed the voting process from the April 2015 Edition by allowing the player to vote for more than one character ability so the player wasn’t limited in choosing one ability out of many! I also added 4* characters to the poll this time to see if players thought the 4*’s were more powerful than a 3*. Major changes from the last poll was Health Buffs.

I am only showing the Top 5 from each category. I also included some commentary.

April 2015 Results: viewtopic.php?style=1&f=14&t=28154

1. Best Single-Target Damager:
30%: Cyclops – Full Blast
30%: Captain America (Steve Rogers) – Star Spangled Avenger
25%: Ironman (Hulkbuster) – Repulsor Punch
19%: Wolverine (X-Force) Surgical Strike
18%: Luke Cage – Righteous Uppercut

Cyclops and Steve Rogers fought for #1 in April’s poll with Cyclops beating Steve Rogers by 1%. This time they are tied! There is no denying that Cyclops has one of, if not best Black ability in the game, while Steve Rogers throwing shields and returning red AP are both amazing abilities. New to the list are 4*’s Hulkbuster and X-Force, no surprise there. We may see Hulkbuster takeover this category next time.

2. Best AOE Damager:
40%: Thor (Marvel Now & Modern) – Call the Storm
40%: Deadpool – Whales! Whales! Whales!
34%: Black Panther – Rage of the Panther
28%: Kamala Khan – Embiggened Bash
23%: Storm (Classic) – Windstorm

Another tie! April’s poll had Thor fighting off BP for the win with Deadpool in third with 18%. Now Deadpool has climbed up, likely due to the necessity of using Whales against the wonderful node of Tetris Ultron, She Hulk and Loki during the last Gauntlet. Not far behind was BP, maybe he would be higher if we could actually get Black covers for him! Much higher on the list is KK, who only had 4% back in April. No surprise that players see her potential. Honorable mention to GSBW who scored 22% to miss the T5. She was #4 in April, players have likely switched her out in favor of KK. Those who are wondering, Carnage’s Symbiote Scythes only gained 3% of the votes.

3. Best Board Shaker:
39%: Loki – Illusions
35%: Magneto – Magnetized Projectiles & Polarizing Force
26%: Wolverine (X-Force) – Surgical Strike
22%: Juggernaut – Unstoppable Crush
22%: Storm (Classic & Mohawk) – Lightning Strike/Storm

Loki won this category again but Magneto gave him a good run this time. Loki’s cheap cost is likely the reason he continues to win plus pairing him with Patch does wonders. Magneto is fantastic for cascades with two abilities at his exposal; there’s a reason he has remained top tier over many other older 3*’s. New to the list is XForce, not much surprise there. Although his black was nerfed, it still does the necessary cascades.

4. Best AP Stealer/Drainer:
64%: Hood – Dormammu’s Aid
46%: Black Widow (Original) – Aggressive Recon
34%: Loki – Mischief
19%: Blade – Nightstalker
9%: She Hulk – Furious Charge

The placement for this category is exactly the same as the April edition. Hood winning is no surprise, even with the indirect health nerf he is still one of the most frustrating characters to face. Surprised She Hulk’s newly buffed green did not overtake Blade’s position. In the April edition, I stated that she’ll gain popularity but she is still not a contender.

5. Best AP Generator (Non-Steal):
40%: Ironfist – Iron Fist of K’un Lun
30%: Thor (Marvel Now & Modern) – Thunder Strike
26%: Black Widow (Grey Suit) – Deceptive Tactics
23%: Scarlet Witch – Arcane Incantation
18%: Storm (Classic & Mohawk) – Lightning Strike/Storm

Last time this poll ran in April, I was surprised by IF’s victory. This time it is no surprise now that I have a covered IF, especially when paired with Black users such as Cage. Thor overtook GSBW for 2nd place. GSBW’s category percentages decreased across the board despite the players being able to vote for more than one character. She clearly needs a buff. New to the list is SW with her free CD tile that generates surrounding pink tiles. Who would have thought that reusing Beast’s old blue would turn-out to be such a great AP gaining ability? Honorable mention to Hulkbuster with 11% for Overdrive & Hulkproof, I expect to see him higher next time.

6. Best Healer:
46%: Patch – Healing Factor
41%: Kamala Khan – Bring Out The Best
34%: Rocket & Groot – I Am Groot
30%: Black Widow (Original) – Anti Gravity Device
15%: Daken (Dark Avenger & Classic) – Healing & Heat

In April I speculated if the true healing of Patch and Daken would be affected with the newly released health buff. Well apparently not much as the placement for this category remained nearly same. I thought KK would have won this category this time as she is annoying to play against when paired with Pyslocke or the recent Juggs in BOP. Also, Patch healing every turn was heavily favored over XForce’s CD heal (8%).

7. Best Countdown Tile Character:
57%: Captain America (Steve Rogers & Classic) – Star Spangled Avenger & Peacemaker
29%: Loki – Mischief
21%: Scarlet Witch – Arcane Incantation
17%: Ant-Man – Small Time Crooks & Ants! Ants! Ants!
12%: Blade – Nightstalker

Major changes in this category with the exception of Cap dominating the poll. I don’t need to explain his CDs. Loki is the only other character to stay in the T5 from April’s poll as Hulk and Falcon were close with 11%. New to the list are Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man and Blade. I was surprised to see Blade increase this much as he was only 1% in April. Ant-Man while very new was extremely fun to play with during his Growth Industry PVE. I can see some great potential in his character but I’ll likely never fully cover him until 2020. Expect to see Ant-Man paired with SW to Growth Punch players in the face.

8. Best Strike Tile Character:
38%: Blade – The Thirst
35%: Daken (Dark Avengers & Classic) – Pheromone Rage
35%: Patch – Berserker Rage
20%: Black Panther – Battleplan
19%: Rocket & Groot – I Got A Plan

Big win for Blade who lost to Daken in April! Pairing him with Cyclops is strike-tastic! Daken settled for a tied 2nd place with Patch. The health buff clearly affected the amount of usefulness with Daken. New to the list is Grocket, who only scored 2% in April. Honorable mention goes to Hulkbuster with 12% for Overdrive. Unsurprisingly Elektra received 0% of the votes for her “buffed” Double-double cross.

9. Best Attack Tile Character:
43%: Blade – Keep Your Enemies Closer
40%: Ironfist – Exquisite Technique
27%: Storm (Mohawk) – Hailstorm
14%: Dr. Doom – Summon Demons
12%: Ant-Man – Pym Particles

Blade did it again! He lost to IF in April and now has now surprisingly taken over this category too. IF has a free attach tile every turn but the players like their two buffed up attack tiles instead. Once Blade has these out, it can easily be game-over. Mohawk gained much more support this time. The health buffs definitely helped her gain playing time. New to the list is Ant-Man. He is just a really fun character to play with overall and apparently the rest of the players feel the same. It’s also worth noting that perhaps the reason he gained much votes is because of his new PVE that rewards his cover. Devs take note of this! For those wondering, Carnage’s attack tile passive only gained 9% of the votes.

10. Best Shield Tile Character:
62%: Luke Cage – Unbreakable
22%: Falcon – Bird Strike
20%: Thing – Rock Solid
19%: Magneto – Coercive Field
18%: Spider-man – Spider Sense

While IF’s free Attack tile lost 1st, Luke Cage maintained #1 in a big way with little competition. No surprises with Falcon and Magneto’s annoying shields that slow the match. New to the list is Thing with his passive that jumps in front of damage and throws out high shields. Spider-Man finished the category at 5 but that’s because there are not many shield abilities worth using. Even IW’s newly buffed shields only gained 8%.

While many of the placements remained the same, there were a few surprises. 4*’s did not overtake any categories and only Single-Target Damage had two 4*s in the T5. With the increased 4* releases let’s hope there with be new ways to win them such as Growth Industry with Ant-Man.

Thank you everyone for participating and viewing this post. Post some comments below on your thoughts. I am thinking about releasing another poll with different character ability questions so feel free to share your ideas. I look forward to your feedback. Enjoy the game!

Marc_Spector

Great poll, results, and write-up -- thanks for putting this together!!

Malcrof

Very nice, odd that IF didn't make STD (single target damage) or Strike Tile generator. His once you have your 12 black, is almost spammable, especially when paired with SW.. who was oddly missing from top Aoe!

Punisher5784

Malcrof wrote:

Very nice, odd that IF didn't make STD (single target damage) or Strike Tile generator. His once you have your 12 black, is almost spammable, especially when paired with SW.. who was oddly missing from top Aoe!

I agree but I think players IF more to build a black stockpile than as a Damager but I agree, I normally reach 12+ AP, spam his purple and green then unleash Cage/Cyclops.

IF only had 3% of the votes.
IF only had 10%. The T5 are better strike tile characters overall. I normally pair him with Daken so I am already matching strikes while matching Green. I look at IF & Daken as kind of the upgrade to 2* Daken/Wolv, build green and blue to make strike tiles, use Daken's blue for damage, then replenish the strikes with IF/Wolv, rinse and repeat.

Malcrof

Punisher5784 wrote:

Malcrof wrote:

Very nice, odd that IF didn't make STD (single target damage) or Strike Tile generator. His once you have your 12 black, is almost spammable, especially when paired with SW.. who was oddly missing from top Aoe!

I agree but I think players IF more to build a black stockpile than as a Damager but I agree, I normally reach 12+ AP, spam his purple and green then unleash Cage/Cyclops.

IF only had 3% of the votes.
IF only had 10%. The T5 are better strike tile characters overall. I normally pair him with Daken so I am already matching strikes while matching Green. I look at IF & Daken as kind of the upgrade to 2* Daken/Wolv, build green and blue to make strike tiles, use Daken's blue for damage, then replenish the strikes with IF/Wolv, rinse and repeat.

The current Heroic PVP has shown me that IF/Cap/SW can be an amazing little combo!

Punisher5784

Malcrof wrote:

Punisher5784 wrote:

Malcrof wrote:

Very nice, odd that IF didn't make STD (single target damage) or Strike Tile generator. His once you have your 12 black, is almost spammable, especially when paired with SW.. who was oddly missing from top Aoe!

I agree but I think players IF more to build a black stockpile than as a Damager but I agree, I normally reach 12+ AP, spam his purple and green then unleash Cage/Cyclops.

IF only had 3% of the votes.
IF only had 10%. The T5 are better strike tile characters overall. I normally pair him with Daken so I am already matching strikes while matching Green. I look at IF & Daken as kind of the upgrade to 2* Daken/Wolv, build green and blue to make strike tiles, use Daken's blue for damage, then replenish the strikes with IF/Wolv, rinse and repeat.

The current Heroic PVP has shown me that IF/Cap/SW can be an amazing little combo!

Nice, unfortunately my SW only has 2 Blue covers (4/3/2), but I would be afraid of SW's pop-up blue CD matching Cap's Blue CD's. She already messes up a lot of Match 4-5's for me but I see her 5 Blue potential when I use the fully covered version on the first node.

I have been using IF/Cap/Cyc for this event. IF collects purple to make Black for Cyc, Cyc yellow makes Red for Cap.

AXP_isme

I'm surprised that OBW didn't figure in the countdown category. Even with falcon and cap covered appropriately I still find her invaluable against goon nodes, doubly so against ones that generate blue for me to steal.

Edit: looks like I misunderstood what this category was about, ignore me.

Punisher5784

AXP_isme wrote:

I'm surprised that OBW didn't figure in the countdown category. Even with falcon and cap covered appropriately I still find her invaluable against goon nodes, doubly so against ones that generate blue for me to steal.

Countdown Character refers to those who place a CD, not those who counter CDs such as OBW. I agree that OBW is the queen against goons! I'll always use her for DDQ to steal and increase CD timers.

AXP_isme

Punisher5784 wrote:

AXP_isme wrote:

I'm surprised that OBW didn't figure in the countdown category. Even with falcon and cap covered appropriately I still find her invaluable against goon nodes, doubly so against ones that generate blue for me to steal.

Countdown Character refers to those who place a CD, not those who counter CDs such as OBW. I agree that OBW is the queen against goons! I'll always use her for DDQ to steal and increase CD timers.

Just noticed that, should have paid more attention.

Buret0

Is there so much love for Cage that people neglected SG's amazing protect tiles?

Punisher5784

Buret0 wrote:

Is there so much love for Cage that people neglected SG's amazing protect tiles?

Ha-ha someone mentioned SG on the last poll. The problem with her protect tiles is they end the turn. They have helped me on a few rare occasions but you cannot argue Cages free tile.

Punisher5784

I created Part 2 of the Character Ability Poll: viewtopic.php?style=1&f=14&t=31768

Feel free to vote!

Malcrof

Punisher5784 wrote:

Buret0 wrote:

Is there so much love for Cage that people neglected SG's amazing protect tiles?

Ha-ha someone mentioned SG on the last poll. The problem with her protect tiles is they end the turn. They have helped me on a few rare occasions but you cannot argue Cages free tile.

I love using them to force an end of turn.. The only match available will give the AI an match 5 or set them up for the AP they need to destroy you... SG to the rescue! Protect tiles and turn over! Now they have to make the **** match and give you the good one!

dswan3rd

Nicely done - many thanks to Punisher for putting this together.

Gowaderacer

Malcrof wrote:

Punisher5784 wrote:

Buret0 wrote:

Is there so much love for Cage that people neglected SG's amazing protect tiles?

Ha-ha someone mentioned SG on the last poll. The problem with her protect tiles is they end the turn. They have helped me on a few rare occasions but you cannot argue Cages free tile.

I love using them to force an end of turn.. The only match available will give the AI an match 5 or set them up for the AP they need to destroy you... SG to the rescue! Protect tiles and turn over! Now they have to make the **** match and give you the good one!

Yeah I think people underestimate the ability to end the turn without board shake like with Hood and Sentry. It could also be used with Jean Grey to set up the enemy for a match 5 to punish them with her blue passive.

GMadMan040

Gowaderacer wrote:

Malcrof wrote:

Punisher5784 wrote:

Buret0 wrote:

Is there so much love for Cage that people neglected SG's amazing protect tiles?

Ha-ha someone mentioned SG on the last poll. The problem with her protect tiles is they end the turn. They have helped me on a few rare occasions but you cannot argue Cages free tile.

I love using them to force an end of turn.. The only match available will give the AI an match 5 or set them up for the AP they need to destroy you... SG to the rescue! Protect tiles and turn over! Now they have to make the **** match and give you the good one!

Yeah I think people underestimate the ability to end the turn without board shake like with Hood and Sentry. It could also be used with Jean Grey to set up the enemy for a match 5 to punish them with her blue passive.

I just joined this forum a couple of days ago, but I've been reading threads here for months, and I have never seen anyone mention this strategy at all. And it's totally genius. I can't count the number of times that I have to make a less than desirable match on the board only to give the computer the beautiful cascade that I needed.

Admittedly, the usefulness of this is not available 100% of the time, but it could be very clutch under the right circumstances. Definitely another angle to consider.