Cycling 3*

Calnexin

My 3* tier is starting to roll into level 266 regularly.  My original plan was to dupe everyone and keep the 266.  Then I thought that would be a pretty big waste of roster space.  For 40-some characters @ 1000 hp apiece, that's a couple of 40-packs at retail.  Perfectly doable with my rate of acquisition vs hp earnings, but very bloated.  So I decided I'd build up a dupe to 13 before hitting 266, then sell the 266 and use the Iso to champ the dupe.  I'd keep dupes of some of the utility characters like IM40, IF, Cap, etc.

Well, I threw that plan out the window with Anniversary.  I had several covers nearing expiration, and since I'd spent the pre-planned Iso on Dino, I was short.  With 3 Patch covers from an event, I brought mine to 266, sold immediately, and re-rostered with 1 cover.

That was limited damage, but then another thing came up, so I did it again to Captain America - one of the ones I'd planned to keep.  I had his dupe running but not fully covered.  Now I've got Mags ready to sell with an additional cover, and my higher Cage 1 level away with a dupe already in place.

I'm far away from my original plan, but now I don't think it matters.  The primary reason for keeping max-champ 3*s was to be competitive in PvP, because fielding an undercovered 3* is just asking for Thanos to 1-shot you.  Now that the law of the land is wins-based, losses only matter if I'm reaching for placement.  Though I was starting to regularly reach 1200, I don't realistically see myself getting a T10 spot in the new system, so I won't care about placement most of the time.  Hence, why not just treat my 3* exactly like my 2* - sell @ 266+1 and re-roster?

They would also matter in LRs, but I rarely play past the seeds anyway.  I could also see the Burrito getting kinda chewy if I don't have the 4* champed, but at 43 and counting the times I don't have that are few, and the intersection of unchamped 4 + undercovered 3 is so small that the occasional 2 CP I lose is trivial.

Anyone with practical experience on this that would advise against this?  Anyone sold their 3* and lost out on something because you came at a battle with an undercovered one?  Anyone kept them and found them indispensable for a certain event?  In the face of resetting a 3* vs losing a 4* to expiration, I'm thinking it's better to take the 4* champ and largely forget the existence of the 3* tier as anything but a champ reward farm.

broll

I'm in the same boat and the struggle is real.
I haven't actually hit 266 on a 3* yet, I'm starting my dups before I get there.  I currently have 4 dups and I'm less concerned about the HP spend/roster slots and much more concerned about the ISO spend.  Sure it's only 3 days or so worth of ISO income, but I'm hitting max load on 4*s waiting for champs and trying to break into 5* territory.  Spending on all 3 just isn't going to be possible and I'm struggling with where my priorities should be.  I'm leaning towards 5* due to the changes in PvE, but the changes in PvP also make the last promising.

Dormammu

I recently hit 266 with my first 3-star (IM40) and Dr. Strange will likely be next at only a level away. I would never sell either of them. As a 4-star player with no ambition to reach towards 5-stars the threes are going to remain useful to me for some time to come.

My plan is to start selling 3-star covers after they reach max-champ status. I really don't want to dupe 40+ characters (I already do that with all the 2-stars, running two of each at all times) that will take waaaay too long to re-champ (likely years). I know the champ rewards are nice but I just don't have the patience and absolutely no desire to sell a max-champed three that took me years to build.

I wish there was a 'max-champ' reward. Like 4x ISO value for selling covers you have for a character you've max-champed.

Jaedenkaal

Years to re-max-champ them maybe. Surely not just to re-champ them.

Calnexin

It surely does not take years just to champ.  My dupes were started maybe four months ago, and they're between 1 and 11 covers.  It has taken 3 years to get them to 266, but I doubt it'll take that long the next time.  They're far easier to earn than they used to be with only modest placement.

Jaedenkaal

Not to mention bonus heroes

Pongie

my original plan was to create dupes as well but like everyone else, I was short on iso with expiring covers. Therefore I started selling maxed 3* with 2* feeders (about 6 so far), haven’t had the need to sell any others yet. 

CT1888

I'm starting to think the same way - I had absolutely no intention of selling any until win based was announced and scunnert me.
I've got 23 max champed, 12 of them with champed dupes, 2 13 covered 5* and Daredevil at 10, so they may get sacrificed for them.

Straycat

Yea I'm coming around to this idea. I haven't even used many of the best 3*s like Dr Strange in so long, tho he's probably one I wouldn't sell right away. Useful when unboosted is only mildly important anymore since the 4* tier usually has you covered. I'm using Cap right now in pve, but only to save on health packs for my strong team.
A small thing I don't like is seeing a 3* between my 4*s and 5*s. It messes up the flow of the roster.

lakantanz

Though my current highest 3 star is level 241, reading this makes me definitely think this is a pretty good idea.

I'm considering having 1 slot extra, bonus hero-ing them and getting them to 13 covers asap and then selling for the more useful ones ... but you're right, outside of the required heroes  in the daily where sometimes my 3 star makes up for an under covered 4 star, I really don't use them at all any longer.

Having duplicates of every second hero definitely doesn't feel like it's worth it in the win-progression system now for PvP.

STERLING21JJ

At the rate I earn 3* covers i don't like the thought of wasting them.  I have half the 3* max champed but I started dupes of all my 3*s once they get to 255-258 range so i don't waste the covers trying to build my dupe to 13 covers.  Has worked good so far but has hindered how fast i was champing my 4*s.  I feel building the 3*s dupes and investing the iso into them is a better long-term plan for my roster and might not be for others considering I have only 7-4*s left to champ.

Warbringa

For me, the rate of champing a 3* to level 266 takes quite a while.  I am a firm believer in 2* farming due to the speed and low investment cost of 2* characters.  To me 3* characters come at a much slower rate and the investment costs and time are just too high justify me doing so at this time.  I will just take the 500 iso going forward, although I may duplicate roster a select few 3* such as IM40, IF, Dr. Strange, etc.  depending on when I get them to 266 just because having multiple copies of those specific character have a greater benefit than the average 3*.  

That being said, Cap is the only character I have approaching 266 at this time.  

Straycat

I've now sold 3 max 3*s. Cap, Patch, and Daredevil. I used the iso and hp to nearly finish champing the vintage 4*s, buying the H4H offer and trying the Thor vault. Building and champing the 3* tier is a part of the meta game for me that I was previously finished with, so its kind of fun to be back there.

Copps

I was originally planning on just duping and champing all my threes. However I haven't saved enough ISO for my hoard so some of them will definitely be getting sold to champ some latest 12 four stars to go with the fives. 

sambrookjm

I just hit 266 with my second 3-star (Patch), and I have a 4/2/1 dupe waiting in the wings for more covers.  Blade is likely next to hit the cap, as he is at 265.  I already sold my max champed 3-star Cap and he's now at LVL 175.  The best part about the 3-star Cap is that the Bucky cover I get from him at LVL 183 is the one I need to get Cover #13, as he has been sitting at 2/5/5 for ages now.

broll

I recently starting working on 3* dups.  I currently have 5, 3 of which have 13 covers, 1 has 12, the other only has like 4.  I have 3* covers on the vine for 2 of the 13 covered dups (their mains are already 266) that will most likely get sold because I have much higher ISO priorities than 3* dups.  ISO is gonna be the real pain point to this, giving up the HP and getting the extra covers is a cake walk by comparison.