INTRODUCTION
I was going to put this in Character discussion but I’ve decided that it’s more of a guide.
After today’s Fearless Defenders haul I’ve had some Alliance members ask me about what to do with their new Giant Rage Monster covers.
This guide is not just my gamma-radiated experience but also a summary of a ton of the information in the Hulk character discussion thread. I’ve collated, curated and shared it all in the hope that others will enjoy their new Jade Green Giant. At the very least I hope this provides a better springboard for a more informed Hulk experience for you.
GRAEL23’S IMHO HULK PLAYGUIDE
SHORT VERSION:
5 green, 3 red, 5 black.
Nuff said.
LONG VERSION: The Scarecrow
I was in a terrible ditch 2* ditch. I was stuck with Thor/Wolverine/OBW at 85 and couldn’t rank significantly in tournaments to get any 3* covers. So I decided to spend some cash. Being relatively serious about spending money, I did a ton of reading on these forums. The main reason I chose to spend my money on The Hulk is because I wanted a scarecrow. I was getting chewed up on defense and I wanted it to stop.
I believe the player base’s main issue with the Hulk is the dissonance between their perception of the Hulk as an offensive monster that single-handedly smashes giant flying Chitauri dragon snakes (“I’m always angry.”) and the more reactive “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry” Marvel Puzzle Quest version. I believe the MPQ version is a lot closer to his personality in the comics. The Hulk just wants to be left alone - and he gets real angry when you don’t. In MPQ, The Hulk’s main role is to deter people from attacking you between matches and during matches - he is a defensive monster.
Big Bad Banner does that through his massive amount of hp (9788 at level 141) and his Black power: Anger.
Level 5 Anger creates a one turn black Anger gem for every time you’re damaged over 5% of your health. If the gems aren’t matched or destroyed by the opponent, then at the start of your turn each Anger gem will be resolved one at a time. When the Anger Gem triggers it creates 5 green gems randomly placed on the board - which may or may not create new matches. When there are no new matches to be calculated the next Anger gem will trigger. When there are no more Anger gems your turn begins.
USING ANGER
A Hulk with 5 Anger and below Level 141 can be a bit squishy, but a great green battery. He’ll take 5% damage if you sneeze in his general direction and start coughing up Anger gems. But you’ve got a problem because whoever you have supporting him in Red, Black and Green (Hulk’s strongest gem matches) needs to be under him to keep Hulk out the front. You really want to get Ol’ Green Jeans up to 141 as soon as you can.
But at Level 141 there’s another problem. Only massive 5-gem crit cascades, countdown tiles or the opponent’s powers that do over 489 points of damage will trigger Anger.
And this is the key strategy to the Hulk. Damage is inevitable in Marvel Puzzle Quest (unless you have highly leveled CMags or Spiderman) - so the Hulk makes the most of it. To tank effectively with the Hulk make sure he makes the last match:
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When a countdown tile is about to expire (thanks Dormammu).
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When your enemies’ AP stores are high. You can check your opponent’s AP stores by pulling their portraits to the left. When you see the opponent has a ton of AP they’re about to unload make sure the Jolly Green Giant makes the last match so he’s standing out the front for the onslaught.
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The board is “rich”: If you see the board has lots of one color, chances are the opponent’s going to make some 4+ matches or long cascades. Leave Hulkster out there to face it.
Basically, if they’re going to attack you - The Hulk makes them pay… with Anger Gems.
ANGER GEMS
Each anger gem is like a free turn. Two things happen from the green gems produced by each Anger gem:
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DAMAGE: You have a good chance of creating green matches and thus damaging your opponent with every match.
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AP: These green gems more often than not create green matches (or set up green matches) meaning The Hulk fulfills his secondary purpose as a green AP battery.
TO GREEN OR TO RED
Let’s be honest here, Hulk’s offense ain’t great. Jade Jaws is a little stunted when it comes to bringing the pain. Almost any other 3* (and some 2* characters) are going to be a better choice for using reds or green. If you have an experienced roster you won’t be using Hulk on offence.
But on a less experienced roster, if you’re in an event with a featured character that you have no covers/levels in, then in addition to some healing support, chances are that Hulk is going to be your offence too.
This section is about maximizing Hulk’s (limited) offense:
The biggest contention on the Hulk discussion thread is whether to have red or green at 5. I believe that maxing red (Smash) disrupts the Hulk’s self-synergy with Anger’s green production into fueling Thunderous Clap. I see red as a bonus power with Anger constantly cycling into Thunderous Clap (or someone else’s better green).
Now Red technically does more damage, but it says that green does base 1023 damage for 10AP while maxed red does 2492 damage for 14AP.
But two things happen in practice:
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RED RESTRAINT: The whole character is built around this being a restricted ability. First, It’s really hard to get that 14 red AP (that’s 5 red matches!). You can also only cast Smash if there’s 10 or less green on the board - or it damages your entire team for 30% the damage! If you’re tanking with Hulk properly and triggering Anger then chances are you’re going to have 11+ greens on the board. This makes red really situation-based unless you’ve got a YOLO attitude. Oh, did I mention that it drains all your green AP which also restricts your ability to do Thunderous Clap? I still love Smash as a good backup weapon at 3 covers. I’ll look up, see that 14AP and start counting greens. If I see 10 or less then it’s Smashing Season. But I consider this a bonus not a strategy.
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GREEN GALA: It says the green only does 1023 damage and also destroys 8+2/green AP. While the 8+2/green destroyed doesn’t generate AP it does create four really important effects:
A. In practice it’s rare for it to not score 2-3 extra matches and clock in under 1500 damage. In fact, I play making the safe assumption that it always does 1400 points of damage. I’m very rarely wrong, but it can happen.
B. It clears the board. Instead of being backed into a corner and matching a non-focused color for 33 points of damage, clap the board, do some damage, generate some AP and get a new board that can’t be worse than your old one!
C. This is rare, but I’ve even had a single Thunderous Clap kill two 141s with endless cascades (oh, how I laughed).
D. For the best use of Thunderous Clap I’ll generally wait til I have 20 green AP (it’s really easy to get this with Anger) then Thunder Clap, check the board for good matches. If there are none I clap again. That’s usually 3k damage, a ton of new AP and a new board. It’s no Call the Storm but unlike the Red, I can do it whenever I want.
The whole build of the character is designed around that green self-synergy with red being a bonus. If you max red you hamper both Anger (too many greens on the board) and Thunderous Clap (Smash drains your green too).
Once again, look to another character for a real green power. But if Hulk is the tip of your spear then 5 green is the way to go. Thunderous Clap becomes one of those vastly underrated powers on paper that in practice rocks. It’s also way, way more fun than red. I hate random elements in my game, but Thunderous Clap is fun, keeps me on my toes and is generally always in my favor as I still get to make the first match on the new board it created.
FIGHTING WITH THE HULK
The other advantage to the Hulk is he is a great tank. With a 9788 health and great attack ratings he can weather almost any storm. The disadvantage (as mentioned by NorthernPolarity) is that he sucks up Health packs. The advantage is he is the only one sucking up those Health packs. Instead of damage being spread around your group, (barring unfortunate cascades) all damage should be mainly going to one character - The Hulk. I have to get some really bad luck to need to use a health pack on him more than every 35 minutes - meaning The Hulk is incredibly sustainable for long sessions. Therefore you can play longer, earn more victory points and hang onto them as the Green Goliath scares people away.
The Hulk is also your fall-back plan. Generally you will have two characters creating a synergy for offence (CMags & Strike Tile person, Black Panther & Doom etc.) so you need a third character. Healers are good (but screw your MMR) and AP stealers are rare, so what happens when the board just isn’t working out? The Hulk will always be there to take it on the chin until you can make the game fall back in your favor. (Thanks Dormammu).
Be aware that a defeated Hulk takes 13 hours and 35 minutes to fully heal up. If you’re going to play again in that time, I recommend always saving your last Health Pack to heal him at the end of your session so he’s ready to go next time.
FIGHTING THE HULK
First up, check how high his Anger is:
Level 1-3: Two words: Laugh & Ignore. Leave him until the end. You should have bigger fish to fry.
Level 4-5: Show some respect. After you’ve taken down the healers and AP stealers, Hulk should be next on your list. One word tactic: erosion. Use Hulk as your target as you’re making matches to generate AP. If you really want to play it safe, make sure to swap him out for another target when you’re making that 4 or especially that 5 gem match. When you can one-shot him, do so. Until then, use your AP to use your powers to take out the rest of the team. If you have to Call the Storm try and make him the primary target. If you’re gonna eat that Anger, at least get the most bang for your buck.
SYNERGIES
The Hulk plays well with a bunch of other characters:
TWO STARS
What I love about The Hulk is that Ol Green Eyes suddenly gives you a defense AND a character that plays really well with several members of the 2* roster. This makes the Hulk a great character to bridge the 2* to 3* gap if you’re gonna drop some hard earned cash:
Thor (Marvel Now): Feed his Call the Storm with greens while he Yellows and Reds. Great for offense or defense.
Daken: 2* Daken is a bit squishy for defense but great for offense. I’m very excited about the new 3* Daken for Hulk. Anger + Pheremone Rage = Hilarity. Watch out for Loki.
OBW: She plays well with everyone. But when she’s healing a 9788 health rage monster it makes losing a really distant possibility.
Wolverine (Astonishing): Feral Claw Fest anyone? Also Wolvy has a one of the best 2* red abilities.
Ares: Like a 90s Marvel X-Event it’s Onslaught-orama.
Storm: Her green is 2AP more expensive than Hulk’s but she generates AP. But it’s missing the 1k+ damage. A good alternative if you need long-term AP more than you need to do short-term damage.
THREE STARS
Thor (Modern): Like 2* Thor but higher up the scofield scale.
GSBW: She can hide behind the Great Green Monsta to Snipe.
Patch: I consider this one of the best defensive combos because it’s extremely volatile. Hulk’s gonna take forever to erode, and while you’re whittling him down (and hoping you don’t accidentally trigger Anger) Patch is hoarding greens and reds. And there’s no way to determine which way Beserker Rage will go. Dangerous unpredictable combo that should steer others away.
The Punisher: Start spamming judgement. Lower AP cost than Hulk. No massive direct damage but creates strike tiles.
RESOURCES
Character Wiki page:
http://marvelpuzzlequest.wikia.com/wiki/The_Hulk_(Indestructible)
Character Discussion Thread:
https://forums.505go.com/discussion/1484
CONCLUSION
The Hulk’s main priorities are:
- DEFENSIVE DETERRENT: Reduces people attacking you.
- GREEN BATTERY: Fuels people with real green abilities.
- DAMAGE: He can Clap it out, but I’d look elsewhere for some serious applause.
The Hulk is fun. Really fun. His Thunderous Clap gives enough of a thrill to keep you on your toes but leaves the odds stacked in your favor. His Anger makes him a great green battery and defensive scarecrow. I know he’s only currently ranked #7 in the overall endgame, but if you’re going from 2* to 3* and you have a choice, the Hulk is a great first step into the land of 3 stars - because unlike anyone else… he’ll watch your back when you’re not online.
Excelsior!
ps. If you think this guide is a useful resource, please click “like” so it can get stickied.
pps. Plus, who else has as many nicknames?
UPDATED
3rd April 2014
7th April 2014
