5* Feeder Discussion - Apparent Rules/Theories

bluewolf

Players have determined that - apparently - the 4E is in large part the driver of the feeder announcements and who 

4E’s follow a rotation with three conditions:
1.  Latest, Latest, Vintage, repeat
2.  The next Essential is the Latest/Vintage character that was longest-ago run
3.  New releases interrupt this schedule but do not replace it.  So if we had L, L, then a New release essential (ex:  BWIW), the next 4E will still be Vintage.

Quick aside:  the Classic 4E pool is so large, and they are run so infrequently, that the current rotation schedule is 16 months between runs and counting.

Today, 5/22/18, we are 2 weeks from the last feeder (Peggy to Cap) but still two weeks from the mostly followed 4 week schedule of feeder changes.

We had an off cycle (2 week) announcement with BP.  Note that 4BP feeds 5BP, which is the blindingly obvious choice, although they could have stretched and picked an FF member since BP appeared in FF first.

We do not yet know if BP was the start of a 2 week announcement schedule or a one-off.  The past few feeders have been announced on Monday with the change occurring on the following Wednesday at data push, but obviously that could be altered.  On a two week schedule, we could see all 5’s fed within a year; otherwise it is somewhere around 2 years.

Anyway, it appears that the next essential in the rotation in large part drives who is the next feeder, based on the schedule of feeder announcements/changes.

And so:  while people keep pointing to 4SL not feeding 5SL as an example of nonsensical choices (I thought so too), it was Drax’s turn to be an essential at the time of the feeder change and the most logical - most canon appropriate - choice for him to feed is 5SL.

The question is less “who should feed this 5?” and more, “Who should this 4* feed?”

Lastly, recently the following 4’s were skipped as essentials, even though they were due to be run:  Professor X and Ghost Rider.  Ghost Rider has an obvious 5 to feed; Professor X probably has the strongest lore connection to either Phoenix or Archangel, either one could be argued successfully, although Teen Jean seems like an obvious Phoenix feeder.

Hopefully the apparent logic behind the decisions might help players understand some past feeders while allowing us to better predict future feeders.

Basepuzzler

Interesting.  Is there a thread somewhere with upcoming expected 4E listed?  Have the past 4E that turned into feeders been on schedule?  Or were they also withheld then reinserted in the schedule?

ZeiramMR

@bluewolf

According to the News and Announcements forum, some of the 5* Feeder threads were created on Tuesdays. So it is not too late to rule out one for this week based on the off-cycle Black Panther (not that you had done so yet).

Basepuzzler

BW to BW would make sense today if any

HoundofShadow

1) Did the first three feeders have a similarity? They were not featured in the upcoming pve essentials when they were announced as 5* feeders, but they had their PvPs instead.

Characters: Date of feeding
Vulture: 20 Nov 2017 
Medusa: 28 Nov 2017
Gamora: 30 Nov 2017

2) Kingpin's PvE essential was 5 days late when he was announced as a feeder.

3) Beginning from Sandman to Peggy Carter, all the 5* feeders had their PvE essentials 1 day after they were officially 5* feeders.

4) 4* Feeders became regular(exactly every 4 weeks) beginning from Sandman (20 Dec 2017).

5) Black Panther broke the pattern either due to his Blu-Ray coming out or Infinity War tie-in.

If there's no feeder on 23 May, then I think bluewolf might be able to figure out who the 4* is on 7 June?

LeRoy1979

Isn't this about the time for the obligatory post hoping that Rogue will lead to more (yet more) Gambit covers?

Steve111

I’ve been waiting forever for a Dr Strange feeder (cough Mordo)

kk3thess

LeRoy1979 said:

Isn't this about the time for the obligatory post hoping that Rogue will lead to more (yet more) Gambit covers?

I bet that someone like Cyke or Nightcrawler will do that instead of Rogue.

LifeofAgony

They also ran pvp events for the 3 initial feeders but suddenly scraped that after the initial batch.  Then it went 1 per season for a few seasons, then last one was an aberration with 2.

Trying to pin down d3/Demi/devs to a pattern or predictable behavior is really a fools errand.  When they happen to release a new 5* feeder, great.

Pongie

OJSP said:

I actually want IM46.. I’ll be getting a red cover in 6 days for my 5/2/5.. I’d really want to continue my streak of keeping all 5* covers I obtained from the Daily Resupply.. (not including the dupes)

I’m in the same boat with IM46 at (5/2/3) and a dupe cover dropping in a month. Having a feeder would create another dupe and depending who is the feeder, may not get the 2nd or 3rd cover. No chance for 5th or 6th cover since none of my 4*s are that high (well Peggy and Medusa are but they feed someone else). Best case is I get 3 covers from feeder (imhb is high enough) and spend 720cp to buy the last cover to save a dupe and be ready for the dupe from resupply. 

I was banking on ironspider being a 5* where his release store would be im46 and dr strange. These three were the ones who went to titan in the movie and would let me cover strange (only got 2 covers correctly). Okoye being a 5* was definitely a curve ball and unless they have quicken the 5* release, it does appear like ironspider will be a 4*. 

Daredevil217

Let’s just do this and be done with it...

Archangel (Classic)- Professor X/Iceman

Black Bolt (Inhuman King)- Medusa/Lockjaw

Black Panther (Civil War)- Black Panther/Shuri

Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff)- Black Widow/Nick Fury

Captain America (First Avenger)- Peggy Carter/America Chavez

Captain America (Infinity War)- Flaptain/Bucky

Daredevil (Matt Murdock)- Kingpin/Elektra

Doctor Octopus (Classic)- Miles/Spider-Gwen

Doctor Strange (Sorcerer Supreme)- Mordo/Nico

Gambit (Classic)- Rogue/Jubilee

Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes)- Ghost Rider/Blade

Green Goblin (Norman Osborn)- Kraven/Sandman

Hawkeye (Clint Barton)- Kate Bishop/Mockingbird

Iron Man (Mark XLVI)- Iron Man/War Machine (or Riri)

Jean Grey (Phoenix)- Cyclops/Jean Grey

Jessica Jones (Alias Investigations)- Luke Cage/Iron Fist

Okoye (Warrior General)- ????

Silver Surfer (Skyrider)- Captain Marvel/Nova

Spider-Man (Back in Black)- Venom/Venom

Spider-Man (Peter Parker)- Iron Spider/Vulture

Star-Lord (Awesome Mix Volume 2)- Drax/Star-Lord

Thanos (The Mad Titan)- Gamora/Grocket

The Hulk (Bruce Banner)- TA Hulk/MEH Hulk

Thor (Gladiator)- Thor/Valkyrie

Wolverine (Old Man Logan)- Wolverine/X-23

pfarewell

Carnage would make a good feeder for doc ock

Bzhai

Steve111 said:

I’ve been waiting forever for a Dr Strange feeder (cough Mordo)

I second that. His 3* should be changed to feed Mordo instead. 

Quebbster

LifeofAgony said:

They also ran pvp events for the 3 initial feeders but suddenly scraped that after the initial batch.  Then it went 1 per season for a few seasons, then last one was an aberration with 2.

Trying to pin down d3/Demi/devs to a pattern or predictable behavior is really a fools errand.  When they happen to release a new 5* feeder, great.

Peggy also had a featured PvP when she became a feeder for CWCap.

I Think the window for the announcement has been missed now as the new feeders usually come with the Wednesday patch, so I guess we will have to wait Another two weeks for next feeder.

broll

Quebbster said:

LifeofAgony said:

They also ran pvp events for the 3 initial feeders but suddenly scraped that after the initial batch.  Then it went 1 per season for a few seasons, then last one was an aberration with 2.

Trying to pin down d3/Demi/devs to a pattern or predictable behavior is really a fools errand.  When they happen to release a new 5* feeder, great.

Peggy also had a featured PvP when she became a feeder for CWCap.

I Think the window for the announcement has been missed now as the new feeders usually come with the Wednesday patch, so I guess we will have to wait Another two weeks for next feeder.

It's not like them to every fail to announce something on the forums before it make it in game...right... never happened...

Anyway we'll see,but not holding my breath.

huktonfonix

@bluewolf
Do you have a list of who is due up as 4* essentials?  Is this posted somewhere?  I'm very intrigued by the patterns you've observed here, and would like to use this information to make informed decisions on my 4* bonus heroes.

ZeiramMR

huktonfonix said:

@bluewolf
Do you have a list of who is due up as 4* essentials?  Is this posted somewhere?  I'm very intrigued by the patterns you've observed here, and would like to use this information to make informed decisions on my 4* bonus heroes.

If I understand your patterns correctly, it would seem that after America Chavez we would have: a character not in the latest 12 (whoever that is), and then Latest #1 (Lockjaw?). Then, we almost certainly having a new 4* character since we just had 5* Okoye (presumably Iron spider based on the HR article) and Latest #2 (Valkyrie?).

bluewolf

Yes, that’s the prediction.

bluewolf

Here in order (oldest ago run to newest) is a list of all the current 4's, as of 6/2/18, based on when they were last essential.

Ghost Rider (has been skipped over)
Professor X (has been skipped over)
Howard the Duck (who knows if he'll ever be essential again?)
Spider-Woman
IMHB
Luke Cage
Gwenpool
Venom
Agent Venom
Mr. Fantastic
Medusa (FEEDER for Black Bolt)
Thor
Miles Morales
Winter Soldier
Blade
Iron Fist
Iceman
Captain Marvel
Riri Williams
X-23
Carnage
Mordo
Cyclops
The Punisher
The Thing
Jean Grey
Moon Knight
Nick Fury
Sandman (FEEDER for GG)
Spider-Gwen
Cloak and Dagger
Deadpool
Kingpin (FEEDER for 5DD)
Rocket & Groot
Invisible Woman
Gamora (FEEDER for Thanos)
Black Panther (FEEDER for 5BP)
Kate Bishop (FEEDER for 5HE)
War Machine
Vulture (FEEDER for SMPP)
Drax (FEEDER for 5SL)
Cho Hulk
Mockingbird
XF Wolverine (FEEDER for OML)
Yondu
Quake
ME Hulk
Star Lord
Peggy Carter (FEEDER for CA:FA)
Nico
Shuri
Sam Wilson
Rogue
America Chavez
Red Hulk
Spider-Man (Infinity War)
Lockjaw
Valkyrie
Wasp
Wiccan
Jubilee (FEEDS Phoenix)
Nightcrawler
Kraven
Ant-Man (FEEDS Wasp)
Nova

Again, about once every 2-3 weeks, a Vintage will be an essential.  So keep an eye on who's skipped for an idea of who might be a feeder in the (relatively) near future.  If Iceman gets run soon, he probably won't feed anyone for quite a while.

Edit:  I will update this list about once a week.

huktonfonix

We should be due for an announcement today, no?

bluewolf

huktonfonix said:

We should be due for an announcement today, no?

Probably, based on the past few, yes.