Silver Surfer worth it now?

Leadggb

I just pulled silver surfer #14. I have several 5*'s soft capped at level 360 right now. I'm worried that if I scale past my OML max, that PVE will become a drag, and I'll become a popular target for whales in PVP if I champ a 5* surfer.

With the recent buffs to silver surfer, is it worth the increased scaling and MMR to max and champ him to 451 and not throw away his cover? If so, should I level up any other 5*'s to the max I can, or just roll with 451 SS + buffed 4* in pvp?

My current roster is:
level 360: BSS (10 covers, 3/3/4), Phoenix (9 covers, 3/4/2), IM46 (8 covers, 3/2/3), OML (7 covers 3/2/2)
14 champed 4*'s
level 255 13 covers Silver Surfer

Fightmastermpq

Lots of people have success with SS being their first or second champed 5*. Obviously he isn't nearly as good as many of the others, but a champed 5* is still going to wipe the floor with any 4* team.

edit: I'll add that I ran SS/OML over OML/Phx in the IF event and he held his own. So he is definitely more viable post-buff. And while having him be your top dog is not ideal, I think he would still work well.

Hendross

Since you already have multiple @360. I'd say no. Keep hoarding til you can take 2 to 550 and/or just in case you would have pulled #14.

Stax the Foyer

He's very viable in PvP with his buff, and he's even better than he used to be in PvE (he was never really a slouch there). Fun if you like strategic play, although he's not the mindless buzzsaw that OML is.

It's a whole new world once you champ a 5*, and your PvE scaling might be rough for a while, but especially with the increased cover dilution at the 5* level, it's hard to say that you should let a possible champ level go to waste.

My recommendation would be to level him, and deal with the fallout, but you should listen to people who have made that transition more recently, as their experiences will be the most informative.

Cdubb1975

I'm in a similar situation. I have three 5* @ 350 - OML, Phoenix, Surfer, IM at 345. 12 or so 4* champed. I have 13 phoenix covers and 12 surfer covers.

I am growing tired of 20 - 30 point hops in the new pvp format, win 2, lose 2 = not fun. (end rant, don't want to flame)

So my questions are, Take phoenix to the Max? Surfer to his max? Both? Neither? What will, if anything, help me avoid these 20 - 30 point pvp hops?

Orangecrush

I think post buff he is viable as your only 5* champ. One 5* champ won't mess up your MMR so much as the 2nd 5* above 400 will.

Fightmastermpq

Cdubb1975 wrote:

I'm in a similar situation. I have three 5* @ 350 - OML, Phoenix, Surfer, IM at 345. 12 or so 4* champed. I have 13 phoenix covers and 12 surfer covers.

I am growing tired of 20 - 30 point hops in the new pvp format, win 2, lose 2 = not fun. (end rant, don't want to flame)

So my questions are, Take phoenix to the Max? Surfer to his max? Both? Neither? What will, if anything, help me avoid these 20 - 30 point pvp hops?

What is your MMR like? You seeing mostly maxed 5*s already?

I say go for it either way. SS and Phx actually pair pretty well together. SS blue to charge red tiles before dropping a couple Phx Purples is deadly. If Phx gets too many strikes out just use SS red for great damage/AP (even at just 3 covers). It's not as strong on defense as OML, but the SS heal and inability to get stunned can still be very effective. If you are seeing 5* MMR already, I would go for it. You'll easily be taking down all those OML/Phx teams you see.

ZeroKarma

My Surfer was pretty useless even at high level before, but the buff is legit. He's much more sustainable and packs a nice punch. Depending on the matchup I may run him in place of OML with Phoenix.

Paired with the right buffed 4* he can carry you to 1200 as well, preferably one of the purple/green people like Rulk.

Also, he doesn't rely on strike tiles and he can't be stunned making him a viable counter to BSSM who is starting to appear much more in PVP.

Ruinate

If you can hit 1200 and content, maybe not. If you can't hit 1200 or wish to score higher than that, definitely.

I champed Surfer when my next highest 5* was only 390. I instantly started regretting it because MMR hell was as real as everyone said it was and the matches were difficult. I was wiping A LOT. The trade off was that I stopped getting hit by 4* players on my hops. It use to infuriate me when I would get cheesed by unboosted IM40/Thor or Winfinite from way below. All that stopped and after a few events I got used to the harder matches and MMR. Average score went up several hundred points. That was with a **** Surfer and now we have a good Surfer.

Dayv

Silver Surfer was my first 5* champion, well in advance of any other, and I still liked him even pre-buff.

He was stronger than many people gave him credit for, IMO, and his heal, while not as frustratingly reliable as OML's, saved a ton of health packs.

What he lacked the most was speed, and that's one of the things the buff increases a bit.

With his buff, I say go for it. And then follow Aesthetocyst's advice above and don't level any other 5* characters until they're ready to go all the way to the big leagues.