Which 4* is most worth the iso?

Akoni

I, like many, am iso starved so I am particular in who I champ, though I try to roster all. I'm getting to the bottom of the barrel here with several 4* in need of champing and am looking for some input as to which 4* characters I should focus on for champing. All are at 13 covers and most have multiple covers and shards in reserve.
Lockjaw
Gwenpool
Kraven the Hunter
Maria Hill
Red Hulk
Wolfsbane
Blade
Nebula
Red Guardian
Cloak & Dagger
Sandman
Prowler
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Black Widow
Venom (agent venom)
Dazzler
Lizard
M.O.D.O.K.
Misty Knight
Namor
Nico Minoru
Scorpion
Super Skrull
The Hulk (totally awesome)
and... <sigh>... Talos

HoundofShadow

The general rule of thumb is probably the one who will gives you the most rewards, or the one that feeds 5* that you want.

Lizard and Scorpion are the one I'll champ next due to their interesting mechanics. Lizard can self-fortify his own repeater tiles (x4) and potentially create free-matches. Scorpion is great in wave nodes.

Sekilicious

Right now the only 4*s on my roster that get iso are those with at least 10 saved covers and are a feeder. Everyone else can wait their turn. 

dianetics

Scorpion feeds C5rnage so probably him. I'd go Lizard after because he's has got a pretty good stun and interesting mechanics.

DAZ0273

Scorpion is a lot of fun and can slay on wave nodes. I like Wolfsbane, she has a mix of interesting powers and can go invisible which can be useful. Cloak & Dagger used to be able to do PVE when boosted without needing to ever use a healthpack but they probably don't hold up so well in SC10 these days. Otherwise M.O.D.O.K is just satisfying to use and a good source of red for Shang Chi.

Yepyep

Cloak & Dagger are constantly useful in puzzle events with a genuinely useful set of diverse powers -- not just diversity for its own sake. Prowler is another puzzle beast and strong supplier of fortified tiles.

Depending on where you are with 5*s, Red Hulk is a master-killer. Wicked AOE and a dirt cheap purple to feed it (and/or starve opposing teams of green). Torch is another AOE beast. So is Dazzler, but its a slow build.

MEH Hulk (he was mostly hated on release) has fantastic board-shake power. A  5/5/3 build can be immensely useful in boss events (esp the Spidey-Mysterio one). Just add a Switch.

Scorpion, Lizard, and Wolfsbane are solid, strong 4* characters. Well-built, but without extra magic -- they're like linesmen in American football. This is also true for Blade -- I got through many PvE events on his back. But he's been left behind a bit, mainly because his red is slow and self-depleting.

Finally, Gwen-Pool is a must-champ. She has such a unique purple that she must be in your toolbox. Every once in a while, an event comes along where you have to be able to target tiles as only she can. It's not often, but having her as your submarining-knuckleballer can be a lifesaver.

The rest are mostly dreck. Get to them when you've got ISO to spare and you're ready for champ rewards.

In order, this is what I would do:

C&D
MEH Hulk
Gwen-Pool
Red Hulk
Prowler
Torch/Dazzler
Scorpion/Lizard/Wolfsbane/Blade

Then, out of order, whatever feeder you might need or have ready.

P.S. Maria Hill is def not bottom-of-the-barrel. She has a nice little set of powers. Also, Venom can be useful for making enemy protects. And Misty is useful for fortified tile removal, which is becoming more important with the Asgardians having become a bigger power bloc.

P.P.S. I obviously misread which Hulk you were asking about, so it sounds like you've got MEH Hulk covered. I personally find TAHulk useless, though marginally less useless than before his buff. Like the other Hulks, he has some skills in the board-shake department. But really, I'd put him somewhere north of Namor and south of Super Skull in terms of utility.

DAZ0273

I forgot about Torch - another solid 4* worth champing. I also wouldn't dismiss Nico either as a solid special tile booster. Lastly TAH Hulk is a Sinister Six Doc Ock specialist but if you have Rogue she works just as well if a bit slower.

Godzillafan67

I'm the same type of collector/player that you are. In fact, I'm finally back to 100% rostering the 4* tier. I am going to sharget/champ my 5/2/5 Riri first for her 6 saved covers, then 5/4/3 Devil Dino for his 5 saved covers. After that, I'm dedicating time and resources to my 1/2/1 Polaris because Polaris ('nuff said). 

These are the folks in your list that I find worth playing:
Gwenpool

Human Torch
Lizard
Lockjaw
M.O.D.O.K.
Prowler
Wolfsbane

Kraven the Hunter and Nico Minoru have specialized uses that you might like. Overall, I agree with @HoundofShadow that "The general rule of thumb is probably the one who will gives you the most rewards, or the one that feeds 5* that you want," and @Yepyep gave some thoughtful insights.

Srheer0

Can't remember which of the below feed a 5 star. Refer to feeder lists if you are ready to get some shards for specific 5s.

In terms of usefulness,

Situationally useful; Lockjaw, Kraven the Hunter, Red Hulk, Cloak & Dagger, The Hulk (totally awesome), Blade, Black Widow, M.O.D.O.K., Misty Knight, Sandman, Prowler, Wolfsbane

Not really used; Gwenpool, Maria Hill, Nebula, Red Guardian, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Venom (agent venom), Dazzler, Lizard, Namor, Nico Minoru, Scorpion, Super Skrull, Talos


That is based on having both a 5star account and a 4star account and how useful I have found the characters.

Vhailorx

There are a handful of essential 4*s (think Polaris). They are priority one. After you feel comfortable that you have the 4*s you need to win matches, the next best play is to prioritize the rewards you will get from them. So what 5*s do you want/need?

hothie

I'm in sort of the same boat. I've got 6 awaiting iso, but instead I'm focusing on a few that I _want_ to have champed, namely Vulture and Sabretooth. The rest get prioritized by which ones are feeders, and by how close they are to being champed and how many extra covers do i have for them.

For your list, I would say it depends greatly on who you want to champ. I'd go with Lizard and Scorpion personally, but it's your choice.

Notwen

I'd say just wait on them all until you actually need them, like when they are featured in a PVP event or Deadpool's Daily Crash of the Titans.

Akoni

Vhailorx said:

There are a handful of essential 4*s (think Polaris). They are priority one. After you feel comfortable that you have the 4*s you need to win matches, the next best play is to prioritize the rewards you will get from them. So what 5*s do you want/need?

I'm currently working on BRB. Though I have 5*, they're soft capped or undercovered. I'm in no rush to dedicate resources to develop and use 5* as my main. Right now they play a support role. 

Vhailorx

Akoni said:

Vhailorx said:

There are a handful of essential 4*s (think Polaris). They are priority one. After you feel comfortable that you have the 4*s you need to win matches, the next best play is to prioritize the rewards you will get from them. So what 5*s do you want/need?

I'm currently working on BRB. Though I have 5*, they're soft capped or undercovered. I'm in no rush to dedicate resources to develop and use 5* as my main. Right now they play a support role. 

legit question: how do you use 5*s in a support role as a 4* player?  Doesn't their higher match damage (especially with the newer 5*s that have close to 1k match damage at level 450) make it difficult to have anyone tank for them?  Way back in the day before I jumped into 5* land, I remember using pre-nerf OML with medusa, but he was pretty much the only exception as the best true healer among 5*s before DD. I couldn't use most of my other 5*s (phoenix, banner, BSSM, GG, etc) because their powers were too weak, but they still tanked damage due to their proportionally higher match damage. They would just eat damage and die.  So which 5*s have value as support for players with deep 4* benches these days? is it still the true healers?

TheEyeDoctorsWife

Of those listed , Human Torch used to be one of my best 4* before Polaris. 5 separate attacks by turn 6 usually, all individually power boosted . In wave nodes he’s full throttle by wave 2 , I’ve had him take out entire waves on the first move of node 2-3-4. Lockjaw became a tank with Polaris once she had filled the board with specials , he absorbed 100% damage and gave it right back . Super Skrull is multi powered like Legion with a good kit including invisibility. I also liked Scorpion . Everyone else is useless to me except for about 3 days a year .

Akoni

My 5* serve multiple functions in a support role. BRB, for example, supports Polaris by being a blue AP generator, providing a shield on blue so Polaris isn't crushed early on, and providing protect tiles as ammo for Polaris. My BRB is undercovered, so isn't likely to win on his own. Polaris is the true star of that team. Switching out BRB for 5* Carnage, the goal is to use him to help Polaris spam the field, do a little extra damage, and stay ahead of the enemy in AP. That last one is useful against teams with a random Chavez thrown in. Carnage does not shield Polaris on blue, so though he is very fast, he's not perfect.

Many of the reasons a 4* player would use a 5* overlap with why a 5* player would use a 5*. I consider the main character as the determinant as to whether a player is a 4* or 5* player. If your main is consistently a 5*, you're probably a 5* player. If your main is consistently a 4*, you're probably a 4* player.

HoundofShadow

5* also serve as a great meat shield for 4* so that's one of the greatest support. Afraid of Polaris tanking? Pair her up with 5* with strong colour in blue.