My basic question is how high can you level up a 5 star before it interferes with your PVP matchmaking? Background: now that PVE difficulty is based upon clearance level I would like to level up some of the 5 star characters I have to help clear nodes. I also play in each PVP event and would prefer not to ruin the PVP experience by creating matches that are too difficult. I am a 4 star player with 30 champed 4 star characters and another 7-8 that I am very close to champing. Can I go as high as a boosted 4 star? Level 370ish?
375 is the usual number tossed around. Can confirm on my end, got several 5*'s at 375 and I am not in 5* MMR for now.
I generally advise my alliance mates to keep their 5* around the level of their highest three 4* characters until they’re ready to commit to the 5* meta.
You can also usually pick one single 5* to level all the way without it swinging things much, since their level is averaged out with the top of your roster a hundred or so levels behind.
Thank you both for the advice. Dayv I assume when you say the highest three 4* characters that means when they are boosted. I usually have 2 or 3 boosted 4* each week.
When you remind everyone not to forget to bring a towel.
When you are constantly reminded of the song “Funky Town”
When smoking a J is like Popeye eating Spinach.
When you’re first statement to about anyone you mean is “Wanna get high?”
You’re the worst character ever Towelie.
I was good with a 435 and a 420 but when I championed the 1 and got the other to 435 things went crazy. It is still doable but much more tedious then it used to be. Lets put it this way if you do not have a good stable of 4’s I would avoid championing any 5’s. You will know when you have gone too far 
I have been curious about this, as well. So you can cover 5* all day, as long as you don’t level them, and then you won’t move into 5* land? So I could, in theory, have every 5* character at 13 covers and level 255, and I wouldn’t start seeing 5* matchups?
Yes, then you’d be called a “softcapper” and would find parts of the Forum much less enjoyable to you than they probably are now.
Some might even request you wear a scarlet letter or something so people could easily identify you. 
Boosted level or non-boosted level?
I have heard of this strategy and recently leveled my Thanos and BP to 360 (top 3 were 285-291, boosted top just below 380). I’ve noticed a difference in battles for sure (not a huge one but seeing more soft cappers and single champed 5* teams). Not sure how much of it is MMR and how much of it is increase in seal clubbing from Win based changed.
them, i might be called a softcapper, because i have no intention to level any 5* until i have AT LEST 12 champion 4* stars, and be able to champion ALL of them in a single run, dont want to ruin my game… not yet at least
375 is safe. I had my OML there for months and my MMR mostly gave me double-champ 4*s.
I’m guessing you can go a little higher than that, but I went straight from 375 to 450 so I have no idea if there’s a gradual shift or a sharp cutoff.
5* gains firepower mostly from level. A 13/13 5* at lv255 is not as strong as lv270 4*, I would even say significantly weaker than 4*. You really need to bring them to above lv400 for them to start become terrifying more than 4*.
I have a similar question. What level would a 5* be to have about 250,000ISO remaining?
My thought is that I very much doubt I’d manage to get all the ISO I need to champ a 5* should I get a 14th cover for one within a fortnight. So I figure pouring ISO into one until it got to around the 250k-to-go mark would give me enough time to earn the ISO before the cover dies.
My spreadsheet tells me it’s level 375, from there you need 248,815 ISO. Or 374 for 251,455.
In-game level button says its 252,060 ISO from 375 to 450.
Now, who are you going to believe, a spreadsheet or the game?
The spreadsheet?
375 sounds pretty ideal then, honestly. Not ver my 4*s when boosted, not low enough to feel weak. Just enough time to champ in a fortnight.
Thanks for the info =)
If i cant snipe it then its too high