With the increased availability of 2 star covers, 1 stars are quickly left behind by most players. If there wasn’t a DDQ node, many players would not keep any of them on their roster. They are good for learning the game, though, and introduce you to most of the core gameplay elements of MPQ.
8. Yelena Belova (Dark Avengers), even
Average score: 1.6509, 971 votes
Health: 1540
Only people with a Pokemon mentality should have Yelena on their rosters. She is outclassed by Modern Black Widow, and doesn’t have TU potential.
Purple: Costs 3 more than MBW purple at 5 covers, but only adds 275 damage. Time would be better spent actually gathering the AP for other powers instead of focusing on purple.
Black: It can be super annoying when she uses this on you in PVE, but is unlikely to be used by the player due to its AP cost. There are better crit generators in this tier.
Pros
- She is easiest Dark Avenger that you will face, so it is nice when she is in a PVE node.
- Her black can overwrite Ultron bombs and invisibility tiles.
Cons
- AP costs are way too expensive.
- Low HP.
- You win her covers after you already have an established roster of 1*.
Recommended build: 5/5, if you have her at all
Good partners: Don’t bother
7. Hawkeye (Classic), even
Average score: 3.7601, 988 votes
Health: 1320
Hawkeye is not bad as an introductory character. His powers are pretty cheap and are good at manipulating the board. He is just very inessential once you get past the beginning stages of the game.
Purple: Purple can be used pretty effectively to eliminate an enemy tile or set up a small cascade.
Red: Red has its value as the only targeted special tile destroyer in this tier, but red is better used for our damage dealers like IM35 and Juggernaut.
Pros
- Decent board control
- High crit multiplier
Cons
- Worst HP in the game
- There are better uses for red at this level.
Recommended build: 5/5
Good partners: Storm and IM35
6. Venom (Dark Avengers), even
Average score: 3.8135, 981 votes
HP: 2640
(Write up by El Satanno, meme by me)
With the renewed interest in web tiles, 1* Venom seemed like he’d be on the fast track to be the next 5/0 TU champ. Whether you thought that having an instant-kill TU for 12AP + 8 web tiles was overpowered is a moot point, as they put the kibosh on that right quick, didn’t they? Thus, Venom stays in the low middle of the one-star pack. Pretty much just a meatshield for your better 1* guys.
Black: Does damage. Does lots of damage if you somehow manage to get 8 web tiles on the board. Not so good.
Purple: A fairly quick stun at 4 covers, and a team stun at 5, but you’re probably leaning on MBW more for both stuns and a purple outlet.
Pros:
- High health
- Quick purple stun at 4> covers
Cons:
- Black is expensive, and now, not even capable of the OHKO.
- Ironically needs Spidey to get web tiles on the board.
Recommended build: 5/4 or 5/5
Good partners: Iron Man (Model 35), Spider-Man (Original)
5. Storm (Modern), -1
Average score: 5.7684, 1045 votes
HP: 1620
(Write up by El Satanno)
Yet another character that has suffered behind updates, Storm was once an old school Winfinite back in the day of environment tiles. Still, her powers provide excellent support and versatility. A lack of health and offense punch prevent her from being ranked higher.
Green: Good board shake plus AP generation make this an excellent power in the tier.
Yellow: TU powers are of dubious value at this tier, but getting those tiles off the board can be useful.
Black: Decent attrition damage. Handy for clogging up the board.
Pros:
- Excellent green power
- Best black power in the tier
Cons:
- Squishy
- Lacks direct offense
Recommended build: 5/3/5, 5/5/3 for baking
Good partners: Iron Man (Model 35), Spider-Man (Original)
4. Spider-Man (Original), New
Average score: 5.8810, 874 votes
HP: 2754
(Write up by El Satanno)
Why isn’t Spider-Man ranked higher? Because you unwashed buffoons don’t appreciate the dope stylings of the original legend, that’s why! Seriously: good damage, cheap stuns, crits, and iconic threads. Spidey even kicks ass as a TU and rocks the house during the off-season Balance of Power and Combined Arms events. What is wrong with you people?
Red: Good damage, boosts itself with web tiles.
Blue: Targeted stuns that get cheaper and better, boosts itself with web tiles.
Purple: Crits are a double-edged sword, but can wreak havoc. Boosts itself with web tiles.
Pros:
- Dope classic style
- Good offense, good stuns
Cons:
- Overlaps with the superlative MBW (Yes, this is the Achilles Heel)
- Purple crits just as likely to kick your own ass
Recommended build: 5/5/3, x/x/5 when using as TU for 5*
Good partners: Iron Man (Model 35), Storm (Modern)
(Note: Author may be biased in favor of Ol’ Web-head.)
3. Black Widow (Modern), -1
Average score: 6.0712, 1025 votes
HP: 1540
Why is Black Widow rated so much higher than Yelena if they have almost all the same stats? The answer, of course, is MBW’s brutal blue power. A targeted 5 turn stun plus 1 turn team stun is game changing. This power would not be out of place on a 3-4* character, which is why many advanced rosters keep one or more 0/5 MBWs on their roster.
Purple: Suffers from high AP cost. Similar to Yelena’s purple in that it is better to just chase the colors you actually want.
Blue: See above. One of the best stuns in the game.
Pros
- Dat stun!
- Redheads are better than blondes
Cons
- Poor HP
- Purple costs way too much. Some people build 2/5 or 3/5 to reduce the cost, but then she is even squishier than at max.
Recommended build: 5/5
Good partners: Storm and IM35
2. Iron Man (Model 35), +2
Average score: 6.2372, 1096 votes
HP: 2700
(Write up by El Satanno)
Perhaps the most instantly recognizable version of Iron Man and everyone’s first character in the game. A solid all-rounder who will be the linchpin of your team until your 2* roster gets up to speed. Iron Man provides the main offense for the classic 1* triumvirate of IM/BW/Storm.
Red: Good damage, not too expensive.
Yellow: Okay damage for cheap, only source of protect tiles for 1*.
Blue: Way too pricey, but fun if you can get it off.
Pros:
- Dependable offense
- Good health
Cons:
Recommended build: 5/5/3
Good partners: Storm (Modern), Black Widow (Modern)
1. Juggernaut (Classic), even
Average score: 8.2412, 1078 votes
HP: 3520
I believe Juggernaut’s score has been inflated quite a bit by people who are beyond the 1* portion of the game, which is pretty much anyone who has played for more than a month. As a 1* player, Juggs has the same problem as the other villians: you get his covers after you have established a team of heroes and you can’t use him on some nodes as he is the opponent. He is also your introduction to self-damage, which some people like to avoid like the plague.
Two things caused the value of Juggs to rise: the 1* required node in DDQ and Balance of Power. He can single-handedly beat the node by himself, and doesn’t have a 2* equivalent forcing him to get locked out occasionally. (The new DDQ has had 1* characters as opponents, so it may be useful to have a backup just in case). Before the scaling changes and the move from 270 to 550, almost every team in BoP had him, as he had the highest HP and ridiculous damage, plus quick heal times. Even with the reduced value in BoP, he is still the best 1* to keep on your roster.
Red: Best damage per AP on this tier by far at 183.33. IM35 red and Spider-Man red are 2nd and 3rd (not counting super Devour) at 94.5 and 89.33.
Green: Great board shake at a reasonable price. Good as a TU.
Pros
- Best HP at 1* level
- Best damage
- Great board shake
Cons
- Self-damage with no healers at this tier
- Will cause you to pull your hair out when max scaled in PVE
Recommended build: 5/5
Good partners: I usually pair him with Storm and SM/mBW for a rainbow team.
