Jean or Rhulk?

Magic

Hello,

I continue to struggle to get to 1,3k (my HP is really low - below 2k before the Civil war event) so I need some advice.

My main toon now is champed IceMan that I run with IM40 - fairly quick and fool proof combination. But unfortunately not scary enough so I get hit a lot (and I know I will get hit a lot - i've been playing for almost 2 years, I know how it works). I can also field Fistbuster (both champed) but I find it slower than Iceman (especially if I add 2Y/R boost or Iceman40) and health pack consuming.

I was lucky with some pulls after the season and I now have 5-3-4 Jean Grey that I can bring to lvl 250. I also have Rhulk that will soon (at some point this season) have max covers and I will be able to max level him. So my question is - where to invest iso? I have around 140k stashed and that is close to what's needed for Jean to go to 250 or Rhulk (for the moment useless as he has 5 red so needs champing and respec) to his max cap of 250 as well. Any tips?

I understand that Jean is still high on the list but Rhulk seems to have better synergy with Ice (his purple to Ice green).

Any input will be appreciated.

Regards,
Magic

TxMoose

jean has so much utility in pve as well as pvp, I think I'd put her over rulk. not to run with ice, but to run with hb. they aren't 'fast', but they are a solid team that I can usually get to 1K with 0-1 shields (usually 0). jean forces the opponent to play cautiously and crazy cascades can cost them ap, a turn, and some health. in pve, jean is THE goon queen - her witch and px (or just her and witch) can take any goon squad out there.

I love rulk and he's a real monster when boosted (who isn't), but I find I use him most often for hopping, seeds and grinding trivial pve nodes. when I want someone more well-rounded, jean is the one. pure offense = ice.

when im40 isn't boosted, using him among 4* players really paints a target on yourself. he's great - I used him and ice and made my first 1300+ prior to my first shield in drax pvp. but using a 4*/4* team like jeanbuster (or icebuster or rulkbuster) means you have more colors that your team can do damage with. truthfully, hb can be played with ice, jean, or rulk. do all 3 and whenever one is boosted, hb and them should be your team. I still use im40 for soft climbing (up to ~500) but when I want to float higher 600-700, I gotta go 4*/4*. but I'd do jean next.

Magic

I think I will level Jean - thanks for advice.

One question - how did you get 1.3 with Iceman40 in Drax? When? Do you attack whatever points you can get or skip ad infinitum for over 40 targets?

My problem of lack of HP for extensive shield hops will not be solved with Jean I think (plus she won't be maxed for at least a season - if she is not in the PvP as 1k award i will not have a cover... hoarding the tokens seems to work well for me). So any tips on how to get to 1,3 would be greatly appreciated.

TxMoose

I use skips to find big points. I burn a lot of iso, but its part of the cost of pvp performance. I'm typically targeting matches in the 50-70 range and typically resist hitting even something in the 40s if I can avoid it. climbing efficiently is all about speed. I climbed over 700 points in 1 push. I did find 1 cc towards the end that I gave 7-9 minutes before I hit, but all the rest were full teams. if you can average 60 pts per match (yes, this takes iso) you can climb 700 pts in 12 matches. if you skimp on skips and only average 45 pts per match, it will take you 16 matches and it's very likely that hits start coming in during those last few matches. then you lose points and position that several hundred iso (maybe even 1K) might have saved.

sometimes in the 700-900 range there'll be a batch of queues that just won't give you anything over 45pts. sometimes I have to take that match and usually afterwards i'll have a different batch. sometimes I have to choose between tapping someone I already hit or taking lesser points. that's a call you have to make sometimes.

finding points can vary wildly between slices and push times. I'm always in 1 on the weekend pvp (like drax) and push Saturday night. lots of others do the same (be done with pvp between Saturday night and sunday morning). I hit them. they hit me. I can usually push up with only 1 or 2 hits. this time I got lucky and nothing came in until after I shielded. that is more of an art (and a crapshoot - just luck of the draw there) though. you really have to judge:

1) what slice you're in - big point slices (typically 3 ad 4) have lots of big boys who can/will hit anyone/everyone, but there's points to be had.
2) assess how strong your team is - most teams will reach a point were they'll be hit no matter how strong their team is.
3) assess how your push is going - how fast are you finishing matches and adding points. the faster you're winning matches, the more risks you might be able to take. its all risk/reward. overpush and you come out to -100 (or worse).

FYI - jean's about 23rd in line for 1K, so it will be a while.

Magic

Thanks for the information. I will process it and try to apply for next season. If I don't start hitting 1,3k soon I will lose the remaining interest in the game. I am lucky enough to have top level 4* but still seem to be lagging behind.

TxMoose

well, that was the first time I was able to make 1300 before throwing my first shield. I typically commit to 3-4 shields per event. timing works out that I can either push in the evening or at lunch time for the slices I typically play (4 during week, 1 on weekend), use 3-4 shields, and that always puts me in the 1500-1800 range, which plants me right in the middle of my alliance. I probably 'average' getting to about 1000-1100 or so before my first shield. then it will take 1 or 2 hops to get to 1300. then whatever I can find to shield out after that. between shields I'm cycling queues and hunting teams to hop on. that takes more iso. pvp can be a great for resources if you don't boost, able to get 1K without shielding, etc. unless you have a solid OML, 1300 requires some hopping and some skip iso and can actually be iso negative. so far, I'm willing to pay the iso price for the cp and season score (which also allows me to be in a higher placing alliance, which adds up too).

PeterGibbons316

Iceman, Rulk, and JG are all 3 great characters, but none of them really work well with each other. If I had to pick I think you are right in thinking that Rulk might work a little better with Iceman than JG, but if you care about PvE at all JG is a MONSTER there.