Are 370 5s better than 370 4s?

Polares

I was playing today in Black Vortex and seeing some teams using 360-390 OMLs and I was thinking if it still makes sense to use 5s under 400, now that 4s are buffed more.

As a reference my 380 level Iceman does around 13k AoE (with 10 blue, with 15 it can do around 16k) and 17k punches and has 31k hitpoints. Jean 8.7k purple and 7.5k green same hitpoints. X-23 at 370 does 9.2k with green and 23k or 15k with purple. Nova 6.3k with yellow. Rhulk will probably do around 20k and have close to 40k hitpoints at 380, etc

A 390 OML or PH have around 26k hitpoints and apart from match damage which is still much superior their powers do much less damage. 5s scale much much faster after 400 (they also have more covers in every power of course). The difference with 4s is much much bigger now with 360 and less level 5s.

So, apart than using OML for his regen, does it still make sense to use a 380 or less level 5 when you have 4s at that level? Did the Devs buff 4s further so people prefer to use their 4s instead than underlevelled 5s? Are Devs trying to stop those 'new' players that got lucky with their pulls and got 6 cover OML before they got their first 4 champed? What do you think of new buffed+champed 4s?

GrumpySmurf1002

Anecdotally speaking....during last week I saw significantly less attacks with Thing-Cyc as opposed to using my 375 OML with one of them. Same held true when I switched from OML-Antman/Jean/X23 to Thor - Jean.

I haven't even contemplated using OML for Vortex, since I have Jean/Nova/Iceman all champed. I swapped Nova for IM40 before OML.

In all of those cases the 4* is in the 370-390 range boosted.

So yeah, I feel like my OML was neutered a bit. I wouldn't even argue that's a bad thing. The 5* tier isn't one I look forward to, so expanding the life of my 4* a little bit further is a good thing.

SnowcaTT

I think it purely depends on the 5*. I see lots of PVP events where the best boosted 4*'s (Rhulk and the ilk) are being chosen over max-covered 5*'s. This time I'd probably go 370 Iceman > 370 non-OML to climb.

To float I might stick the 5*'s in there - it's the match damage that is the scarecrow. Two 5*'s and you aren't getting out of there without a bunch of health gone if you are a 4* only team.

OneLastGambit

My oml is only 300 (can take him to 370 but choosing not to) but I was very dependant on him since getting him covered well.

I made 1k only once prior to last season (off season event)

Since having a champed thing, hb and x23 I've got 1k far far more.

Also during events when thing and x23 were boosted I'm able to hit teams with 370 5* and best them fairly comfortably so I would say that a maxed 4* (boosted to 370) is more useful than a 370 5* (though i don't fancy taking on a 370 goblin)

TxMoose

I think the best 4s are probably better but it depends. OML is usually saved for last unless you can burst him down all at once. and the lower he is, the easier that task is. at 370 I think he's around 24K health. which is nothing for a boosted ice (especially with im40) or cyke (loaded red) to deal with. a bit harder for a mid-tier boosted 4. when his health gets up around 30K (at 405), that health pool becomes quite a bit harder to deal with all at once (even for a top tier boosted), which makes it nearly automatic he's left for last and opens you up to strikes/cascades.

sorry, but unless thor/jean have acceleration, they just aren't that scary to me. thing/cyke are much scarier because you have to whittle thing down before you can address the real threat in cyke. which is why oml/phx work so well together because they are both best taken down last and cover all colors but blue with 5* match damage, meaning cascades can be a killer. covers matter too. 5* at 370 with 8 covers is quite a bit easier to take on than one with 13, especially when he transforms. phx scariness is really tied to purple covers and then red covers. 4* are completely ability driven and 4* abilities scale like crazy above 350.

SnowcaTT

TxMoose wrote:

sorry, but unless thor/jean have acceleration, they just aren't that scary to me.

There certainly is this to be taken into consideration - in this OML World (85% of matches....), 4*'s that have cheap abilities (Cyc, Nova, Iceman) and constantly trigger OML will be more of a threat than the slow 4*'s. Health is also a consideration - one reason I immediatly take on JG (or XF, though I never see him) is because they not only need lots of AP to get their good abilities off, but they have low enough health they'll never get them off for that health reason.

Vhailorx

As OP notes, 5* match damage is still superior to 4*s, even at level 370. So the cascade-generating 5*s are probably still awesome at equal levels (that's im46 and phoenix) provided they have enough covers in their cascade-generating powers. And OML still has awesome healing, which makes him useful for climbing.

Otherwise, i would think boosted 4* champs are the way to go.

Jarvind

Depends on the characters. I generally don't shy away from a defending OML unless he's 400+ since the chances of him transforming and instantly wrecking my face are pretty low, and you can deal with his black by bringing a tile stealer/destroyer or a teamup - it's only when his match damage starts getting truly crazy that he becomes a defensive threat.

On the other hand, a 370 Rulk is an absolute nightmare because 7 purple is hard to deny, so you're likely getting your green drained and subsequently eating a 5k AOE. Add to that his monstrous health pool and annoying passive and I will avoid him all day unless it's a 65+ point match. Iceman is another one I hate fighting boosted - seems like no matter how hard I chessmaster it up denying blue, I end up eating that stupid stun 2-3 times, which slows me down enough for him to get off his AOE (which can do upwards of 9k to each character depending on how much blue is out).

I could see a 370 Bruce Banner being icky - if you can't get the timing right or the board is bad and you end up having to kill Hulk 2-3 times he could just win the war of attrition with his extra matches.

acescracked

In black vortex I only have two champed boosted 4*s. Need a third character and a 360 OML better choice than a 270 4*.

SnowcaTT

Are 370 4*'s still nerfed post-championing like the 3*'s are? I was just thinking about this in LR's - most of my boosted 3*'s are getting to be a higher level than my champed 4*'s, but I don't consider using 290ish 3*'s over 290ish 4*'s.

That might be psychological - I know any time I see 3* like IF/IM paired with 5* I assume that's their best option, and it's a super easy attack. But if it is - then 4* might be easier to select to attack than the 5*'s if you are used to skipping the higher level by default.

fmftint

I brought this up in the new boost levels thread where I mentioned benching my 1/5/4 390 Phoenix for a boosted to 380 Cyclops, ultimately it depends on the 4☆, some are meh, some are game breaking at champion boost levels

Polares

The question was obviously for the top tier 4s of course, like IMHB, Cyclops, Jean, Rhulk, Iceman, xpool, Thing, Punisher, Nova, Quake, Peggy, x23, Kate, etc. Nobody is going to use bad 4s like reed or IW or starlord ever, not even if they were buffed to 450. But nobody is going to use low tier 5s either, like Cap or SS (some people still use SS as the second 5 or because it is the only 5 they have with 13 covers, but in the near future nobody will use him)

acescracked

fmftint wrote:

I brought this up in the new boost levels thread where I mentioned benching my 1/5/4 390 Phoenix for a boosted to 380 Cyclops, ultimately it depends on the 4☆, some are meh, some are game breaking at champion boost levels

Match damage better with 390 5*. Ability damage much better with the boosted 4*. Especially with boosted cyc..his ability damage is really good. Love boosted cyc!