What are 4* for?

Calnexin

aesthetocyst said:

4*s are created to fill empty roster slots.

Nature abhors a vacuum.

Mount an empty shelf on the wall, see what happens.

An elf?

MojoWild

Your 5* privilege is showing. I haven't champed any 5* and won't for a while. I have all but about four 4* champed and they work for me just fine.

Jarvind

MojoWild said:

Your 5* privilege is showing. I haven't champed any 5* and won't for a while. I have all but about four 4* champed and they work for me just fine.

I mean, he did specifically state that he was asking for the average 5* player's thoughts. I love a lot of my 4*s, but sadly once you make the jump they're just not useful in PVP unless they're maxchamped or close to it. I still break out the good ones for PVE on boost weeks though.

MojoWild

Jarvind said:

MojoWild said:

Your 5* privilege is showing. I haven't champed any 5* and won't for a while. I have all but about four 4* champed and they work for me just fine.

I mean, he did specifically state that he was asking for the average 5* player's thoughts. I love a lot of my 4*s, but sadly once you make the jump they're just not useful in PVP unless they're maxchamped or close to it. I still break out the good ones for PVE on boost weeks though.

 Ah, missed that...
Well... the question seems to answer itself... you use 4s to get to the 5* level, just like you used 3s to get to the 4* level, and so on.

BoyWonder1914

Not a 5-star player myself yet, that transition is looking to be about summer time for me. But the perspective offered in this thread, and from 5-star players in general has been invaluable. It was something that I've been on somewhat of an emotional roller-coaster with, because the game has been changing in many ways around it.

First there was the scaling issue, where just having them rostered was a problem because MMR treated them like champed 4s when you may not have been at that level  yet. Then there was the matter of actual MMR when you did champ them, because at that point every node that wasn't trivial/easy became like the 5-star node now in CL9. But then CL-based scaling came out, where you could essentially blow CL7 and CL8 out the water with 5-stars until they made CL9. Then CL9 finally came out, and the rewards are very appropriate for a 4-5 star transitioner. And since CL9 is still so new, it's very easy to place well. But behind all of this, there's the looming threat of 5-star MMR in PVP, which was already bad if you didn't champ the RIGHT 5-stars to start out, but is now even worse with Remy Lebeau's sheer existence. 

I can sit around and delay it all I'd like, but I'm gonna have to make that transition eventually. I didn't know that I would get to a point where I had an iso "surplus", the concept in and of itself makes me want to crack up. Good to know that I can always have a good source to hear personal experience on these forums as I'll need it. 

mpqr7

After a certain point, the 5*s are all that matters. 4*s become something to spend ISO on to get championed, and then you get some cool rewards. Or if you've been hoarding and running out of ISO, then you might lose some 4* covers.. no worries though. You'll get them soon enough.

I did the hoarding thing and got the 3 latest 5*s and championed all my 4*s. It was fun, but it took me around 6 months of hoarding, which was pretty slow. Now, I basically don't play any more, so it will take maybe a year or two to do that again. But sometimes I read books on my commute instead, which is pretty cool.

CharlieCroker

ZeroKarma said:

I am in the mid to upper class in the 5* tier. My highest is a 495 Thanos, and there are several 470 and 460 level characters in there as well. 

I ALWAYS use boosted 4* if they are in the top tier and their boosted level is over 450. The only thing that a 5* brings to the table that a 4* does not is match damage. Period. The general power level for 4* is higher than that of 5*. Now, I do have many 4* max champed so my perspective is different than the average 4* player. 

Consider that Mordo does more damage per AP than anyone in the 5* tier. Cyclops can one-shot someone's OML. Riri can annihilate teams. Medusa is like a mini Black bolt @ 479. The list goes on. 

Oh, and lest we forget. A boosted 4* Captain Marvel is the strongest character in the game in my opinion. Her combo of black followed by yellow wipes out almost any base level 5* and critically damages all but the highest level characters. 

Disclaimer!!!! All of the above statements were true until the introduction of Gambit

Of course, sadly with the advent of the Gambit, I don't use the 4* very much anymore. Since you need Gambit to beat Gambit you're forced to cast some characters aside and the 4* are part of that attrition. If you aren't running Gambit you're just another target. This could have been an amazingly fun week with Iceman and Hulkbuster, but they are sitting on the bench until they're featured in PvE.

Maybe I can use them for tapping. Sacrifice them to the altar of Thanos. 

Agree with all of this.  The only thing I'd add is that some maxed 4*s may work really nicely with Gambit.  

Peggy, Riri and Blade all come immediately to mind, maybe Moon Knight or Cyclops. Particularly interested to see how well Gambit/Carol mesh given she is at present my only 4* at 370 and she'll be boosted again shortly.

Spidurman27

I'm a fairly low level 5* player (4 champs, moved to 5 tier in the last couple months).  

Once I champed my second 5*, the 4s simply became resources like 3s and 2s.  I have 44 champs between 315 and 273, I almost never dust them off outside of PVE trivial nodes.  Boosted, I'd still rather use almost any pairing of my 5s.  

That being said, the recent trends of 4* PVP and having 4* feed 5* directly means that a few of them will still have that value.  I like getting to play these characters, and these PVP events are making me use and fight actual 4s, not the loaner-fests of a release event.  I had a ton of fun last season with Medusa, Gamora, and Vulture events.  Fighting those HUGE Medusas was an interesting experience and a fun challenge.  Much more than the bazillionth run of 3Cyke or the other 3*.

Spoit

aesthetocyst said:

MojoWild said:

Jarvind said:

MojoWild said:

Your 5* privilege is showing. I haven't champed any 5* and won't for a while. I have all but about four 4* champed and they work for me just fine.

I mean, he did specifically state that he was asking for the average 5* player's thoughts. I love a lot of my 4*s, but sadly once you make the jump they're just not useful in PVP unless they're maxchamped or close to it. I still break out the good ones for PVE on boost weeks though.

 Ah, missed that...
Well... the question seems to answer itself... you use 4s to get to the 5* level, just like you used 3s to get to the 4* level, and so on.

Exactly. Each champed toon that isnt maxed yet is another piston for the engine. 

I'm up to a V60 or so now. LAmbo has nothing on my MPQ roster

The problem is that a better analogy is that instead of adding another piston to the engine, instead of constantly going to look at the parts shop, you're much better off just riding your existing car into the ground, while you scrimp and save for multiple years to buy a new one.

GibbletsGrabber

I’m glad it’s not just me, thank you all for for input 

My advice to 4* players looking to transition would be to chase 5* Gambit like mad till he leaves latest

If you fully cover him do your transition, but if you don’t stay in 4* till Gambit is fixed or new break breaker comes. 
Hoard LT and CP and enjoy variety of your 4*. I sure miss using them.

Guess it would make it hard to be a hybrid in that case, as you need 5* for top rank in PVE and need Gambit or 4* cap for PvP. 

 

veny

They are the only way how to get to 5*s trough promoting rewards.
You can try to avoid 4*s completely, and go straight for 5*s, but it will take you much much longer without CPs/LTs/5*s from promoting 4*s.

Plus powered 4* can almost compete with maxed 5*, not mentioning some sick 4* combos that have no equivalent/substitute in 5* pool.

dr tinykittylove

Spoit said:

aesthetocyst said:

MojoWild said:

Jarvind said:

MojoWild said:

Your 5* privilege is showing. I haven't champed any 5* and won't for a while. I have all but about four 4* champed and they work for me just fine.

I mean, he did specifically state that he was asking for the average 5* player's thoughts. I love a lot of my 4*s, but sadly once you make the jump they're just not useful in PVP unless they're maxchamped or close to it. I still break out the good ones for PVE on boost weeks though.

 Ah, missed that...
Well... the question seems to answer itself... you use 4s to get to the 5* level, just like you used 3s to get to the 4* level, and so on.

Exactly. Each champed toon that isnt maxed yet is another piston for the engine. 

I'm up to a V60 or so now. LAmbo has nothing on my MPQ roster

The problem is that a better analogy is that instead of adding another piston to the engine, instead of constantly going to look at the parts shop, you're much better off just riding your existing car into the ground, while you scrimp and save for multiple years to buy a new one.

But it's so much more fun checking out the new parts and building an engine that will trundle you on to your destination faster! 

(Farms really are a thing. I have cycles when my 5*s grow fast and cycles where they are slow and it all depends on the stage my 3-4*s are at.) 

ZeroKarma

CharlieCroker said:

ZeroKarma said:

I am in the mid to upper class in the 5* tier. My highest is a 495 Thanos, and there are several 470 and 460 level characters in there as well. 

I ALWAYS use boosted 4* if they are in the top tier and their boosted level is over 450. The only thing that a 5* brings to the table that a 4* does not is match damage. Period. The general power level for 4* is higher than that of 5*. Now, I do have many 4* max champed so my perspective is different than the average 4* player. 

Consider that Mordo does more damage per AP than anyone in the 5* tier. Cyclops can one-shot someone's OML. Riri can annihilate teams. Medusa is like a mini Black bolt @ 479. The list goes on. 

Oh, and lest we forget. A boosted 4* Captain Marvel is the strongest character in the game in my opinion. Her combo of black followed by yellow wipes out almost any base level 5* and critically damages all but the highest level characters. 

Disclaimer!!!! All of the above statements were true until the introduction of Gambit

Of course, sadly with the advent of the Gambit, I don't use the 4* very much anymore. Since you need Gambit to beat Gambit you're forced to cast some characters aside and the 4* are part of that attrition. If you aren't running Gambit you're just another target. This could have been an amazingly fun week with Iceman and Hulkbuster, but they are sitting on the bench until they're featured in PvE

Agree with all of this.  The only thing I'd add is that some maxed 4*s may work really nicely with Gambit.  

Peggy, Riri and Blade all come immediately to mind, maybe Moon Knight or Cyclops. Particularly interested to see how well Gambit/Carol mesh given she is at present my only 4* at 370 and she'll be boosted again shortly.

You make a good point, and I have run the 4* instead of Thanos on occasion, especially during my climb.

Riri’s blue with red charged tiles could be a lot of fun, and Marvel doesn’t have color overlap with the purple and red. Blade and even Coulson might be nice additions. 

The challenge is with someone like Mordo, whose best power is in purple and you can never use it in that combo. Or HB with his red. 

wymtime

As someone who has 9 championed 5* I still use boosted 4* in PVE and occasionally early in PVP.  Usually 4* powers still pair better with 5* even as a 3rd.

dr tinykittylove

ZeroKarma said:

CharlieCroker said:

ZeroKarma said:

I am in the mid to upper class in the 5* tier. My highest is a 495 Thanos, and there are several 470 and 460 level characters in there as well. 

I ALWAYS use boosted 4* if they are in the top tier and their boosted level is over 450. The only thing that a 5* brings to the table that a 4* does not is match damage. Period. The general power level for 4* is higher than that of 5*. Now, I do have many 4* max champed so my perspective is different than the average 4* player. 

Consider that Mordo does more damage per AP than anyone in the 5* tier. Cyclops can one-shot someone's OML. Riri can annihilate teams. Medusa is like a mini Black bolt @ 479. The list goes on. 

Oh, and lest we forget. A boosted 4* Captain Marvel is the strongest character in the game in my opinion. Her combo of black followed by yellow wipes out almost any base level 5* and critically damages all but the highest level characters. 

Disclaimer!!!! All of the above statements were true until the introduction of Gambit

Of course, sadly with the advent of the Gambit, I don't use the 4* very much anymore. Since you need Gambit to beat Gambit you're forced to cast some characters aside and the 4* are part of that attrition. If you aren't running Gambit you're just another target. This could have been an amazingly fun week with Iceman and Hulkbuster, but they are sitting on the bench until they're featured in PvE

Agree with all of this.  The only thing I'd add is that some maxed 4*s may work really nicely with Gambit.  

Peggy, Riri and Blade all come immediately to mind, maybe Moon Knight or Cyclops. Particularly interested to see how well Gambit/Carol mesh given she is at present my only 4* at 370 and she'll be boosted again shortly.

You make a good point, and I have run the 4* instead of Thanos on occasion, especially during my climb.

Riri’s blue with red charged tiles could be a lot of fun, and Marvel doesn’t have color overlap with the purple and red. Blade and even Coulson might be nice additions. 

The challenge is with someone like Mordo, whose best power is in purple and you can never use it in that combo. Or HB with his red. 

Last pvp I had fun using HB to generate red with blue and black and add strike tiles to let Gambit spam to his hearts content. Bobby being his crazy bobby self was fun too. 

VizMantis

I have no 5*s, but I have a ripe hoard and will transition in the next week or two.  I’m primarily a lazy SCL7 pve player who doesn’t go for placement.  I like playing with the varied teams that 4* offers, not necessarily just using boosted 4*s to blast through (unless I’m busy on a given day).  

I kind of imagined I’d continue doing more or less the same after I get some 5*s, where I’d stick to SCL7 (maybe 8?) and still use my 4*s mostly, only trotting out the 5*s on hard nodes or when I’m short on time.  Is this unrealistic?  Will I get addicted to the speed and power of my 5*s and not want to use the 4*s?  I get that 4*s don’t generally have much value in pvp, but they seem pretty viable (and funhancing) in pve, provided you’re not gunning for placement or running SCL9.

Felessa

mexus said:

Reading this thread makes me wanna step a few steps away from my 5* transition in the horizon.
I like my 4*s, I don't wanna treat them as Thanos fodder. I've spent a year with my 4*s.

Yeah, I kind of have a similar feeling: not interested in 5*s when they were released, now and probably in the future. As a non-competitive player, I enjoy so much playing with my 3*s and 4*s that I don't feel the need of them.

Orion

mexus said:

Reading this thread makes me wanna step a few steps away from my 5* transition in the horizon.
I like my 4*s, I don't wanna treat them as Thanos fodder. I've spent a year with my 4*s.

I had good times with my 3*s.  I enjoyed playing weird teams like Blade/Cage/Falcon.  I had fun with my 4*s too.  Played with them for more than a year.  Now I enjoy playing with 5*s.  We all spent a ton of times playing with 4*s before moving on.

I just wish they really started to make the 5* better and move away from more 4*s.  There's too many now as it is.  Make 5* easier to get and make more of them.  But then that leads to 6*s, I guess.

MaxxPowerz

I am a strong proponent of boosting more 4* on a weekly basis, if not only for the fact that there are so many of them now. I have over 45 champed and many of them just lie dormant on my roster.

I would also like to see the flow of 4* covers increased.

LifeofAgony

4* pvp would cure all of these questions,  I was hopeful they’d do more with the 4*>5* feeder changes, but guess that was a 1-time thing for the initial trio.

Even just doing 1 4* pvp per week would be a great change.