I decided to make a character ranking to give newer players to each tier an idea of how good characters are both within their tier and for transitioning to the next tier (the former is weighted higher).
7 of my 4* are not yet champed so ranking for them is based on playing against them, speculation, and other forum lists and comments.
I spent way too much time in each tier and play with a wide variety of characters so feel confident on the relative ranking of the characters I own within about 5 places. But this is still one man’s opinion.
I consider both PVP and PVE but weigh the former higher because simply put PVE is easier. Goon spam can be exploited, you don’t have to worry about defense/retals, 2/3* characters can be ran effectively, etc.
I consider characters both boosted and unboosted but weigh the former more heavily as once you transition deep into a tier you will be playing boosted characters almost exclusively with few exceptions (those exceptions not coincidentally being near the top of the rankings).
My list is constantly changing and being refined so I think of it more as a power ranking.
I’m aware some of my opinions will be unpopular (I have Punisher/Deadpool/Hulkbuster, etc. way lower than most for example). Maybe one day I’ll post reasoning for my rankings.
Bold = unchamped, ** = Limited Character
3/28 update:
Since last update I champed America Chavez, Shuri (new), Black Panther (new), Spider-Gwen, Ghost Rider, and Kraven. Valkyrie is new but not yet rated. In paretheses you can see how each character moved since the last update.
Looks like a pretty solid list in general. Definitely some that don’t line up with my own experiences (perhaps most notably 2* BW), but I don’t think anyone would go far wrong following these priorities.
These kind of rankings are more entertaining if you get some of the author’s thoughts as to why they are ranking so-and-so where they are. Even a one line/sentence blurb after the character’s names can convey a lot. I enjoy perusing ‘power rankings’ whether they are MPQ characters or professional sports teams; as I read yours I saw some interesting placements and found myself curious as to your reasoning. I get that you did this as a tool for new players, however, and not to entertain crusty old veterans like myself.
Some brief thoughts about each tier:
1-stars: Since Spidey’s re-work he’s a lot faster, more damaging, and still makes a great team-up. He’s definitely moved past Iron Man and Black Widow, and maybe even Juggs as well, as the best all-around 1-star.
2-stars: Ares is my favorite. He can solo wave nodes and decimate anyone in his tier 1-on-1, and probably 3-on-1. Unboosted, he outperforms a lot of 3-stars and when he’s boosted he can hang with anyone in the tier above him. I put Wolverine at #2; his red is best-in-class damage, he’s a cheap strike tile generator, and his yellow gives him reliable longevity. Black Widow is the best support character and she really is a good partner for anyone in the 2-star tier save Magneto (who needs her purple) - maybe that does make her the best, I dunno.
3-stars: I pretty much agree with your assessment, here. Star Lord is a little high but that’s a minor quibble.
4-stars: It’s hard to rank these. There’s so many, and they’re so diverse in what they can do. I think you did a great job. America Chavez is probably top 10 and you might have Nova a little high, but otherwise we’re in close agreement.
Good list DD - I saw a post from you recently saying you’d put this list together so its good to see it
I agree with Dormammu that Spidey (for me) has moved into the #1 spot for 1* characters. Ive been running Spidey, Juggs and IM in the DPD (as I’m not in a pinch for roster slots) and its Spideys powers I would be using the majority of the time
3* - elektra and reworked gambit are awful arent they! Rags and Sentry are cheering their move off the bottom
Good lists. My initial reaction was that my 3* list would be much different, but then I realized that it would actually be IM40, end of list, so nothing to really argue against.
I do recall 2* cap being a game changer for me back in the day, because at the time I didn’t have much else to use against goons. The game has changed a good bit, but I suspect if I were still in that tier I’d still be leaning on him.
For the 4*, I must say that during sandman’s recent boost week I found him much better than expected so I’d sneak him into the top 40.
I’m on team Hawkguy as well; his powers are cheap with diverse effects and short countdowns. He can generate AP by matching enemy specials of any kind, and so he can play up a tier very comfortably with your C4rol, Coulson, or whoever teams. He isn’t as good as playing down a tier with 5* hawkeye, but I think he’s pretty strong. He doesn’t play like 2* hawkeye, like at all, and I think that’s jarring for people climbing out of the 2* tier who are used to Speedshot putting the hurt on people.
I’m going to say this again, Moonstone can do over 4K unboosted damage with her red. Granted she’s board dependent, but she’s not as bad as people think. Now if only D3 could figure out how to get her black to steal countdown tiles again without crashing everything…
Like the 4* list, Carol would definitely be at the top of that stack for me as well! Many of the 4* that you have unchamped (Mr.F,Brock-Venom,Quake) I currently have champed, and the only one I disagree with materially is that 4* Thor seems a little low.
While she’s definitely not the top-tier player she used to be, any list where IM40 is the top-ranked 3* should put 4Thor at least in the top 20
I actually never use her anymore, but she has been almost unanimously crowned the best 2* in the game looking at most community polls- even after the nerf to her health and to true heal. While most old polls don’t work because of the influx of new characters, the 2* tier has been the most stable over time. I do remember her being a BEAST back during 2* play as well.
I would absolutely love to give my reasoning if I ever have that kind of time! Though you’ll get a lot of it in my replies.
I admittedly haven’t played with or against Spidey since I moved out of the 1* tier long after he was reworked and even longer after the re-balance.
Yeah Ares is my favorite tank/damage dealer in the tier, Storm is one of the best stunners in the game (+ AOE damage!), and like you said, the heal and steal make Widow the best support. So, not coincidentally, they get the top 3 spots. I rank Mags 4th because his Purple battery/board control make him playable at any level in PVE and his red, while expensive gives a great AP ROI. I don’t rank Wolvie that high as he has that X-Force low health but mediocre heal thing going on. His Red is also expensive and I prefer the quicker self-fueling Human Torch’s Red or Mag’s bomb. And Daken is my go to for cheap strikes. I guess he has a good kit but I feel there’s someone who does everything he does better in the tier.
I don’t have America champed yet, so it is possible she moves up after I play with her. Honestly, I originally had these grouped in tiers, and it went Carol/Vulture as Tier 1, and Iceman through Blade Tier 2. I saw Star-Lord as the beginning of Tier 3. I put Chavez at the end of Tier 2 (established mega stars) with room to move up.
Yes, they are awful! It seems like the newer toons are either top tier or bottom tier with the only middle being Star-Lord.
I felt I actually had her higher than most. I agree she’s not bad. I just think others are good as well. Love her has a tank, really like the black steal, and of course Red is the star of the show!
Another case of I don’t have her champed (all the bolded are unchamped for me). And, I haven’t had a lot of experience against her either. Where abouts would you rank her?
I agree. He’s somewhat unique in his tier for cheap countdowns (I mean there’s Loki as well) and so a Meta can be built around exploiting that. Admittedly he is likely better for a transitioner, because the countdown meta is really in the 4* tier (Drax, Coulson, Carol, Star-Lord, etc.). Something else to consider, is when looking at top tier active Blues you have Strange and Magneto in the tier. With DD and Cap’s stuns also being good. So Hawk having a great active Blue in a tier that lacks it also propels him.
I don’t know if I can vibe with this, but might change my tune when I champ her. Unlike Gwen, I have played against her a lot. But even boosted she doesn’t scare me. She’s attached at the hip to a 3* (same reason I don’t have Peggy top 2, like most lists) and is a pretty slow character. She also is competing with the likes of Peggy, Cyke, and Rir for that Red/Blue power kit so that also hurts her when there are others who do what she does better. I could see her being higher than some above her but I don’t know about top 20. Would love to be proven wrong though!
Like I said, my own experiences were underwhelming. In retrospect think it was largely because my 2* go-to was Thor/Storm/Magneto rather than Strike-centric teams, and because my experience with MBW led me to keep her behind other teammates, so her black never really kicked in. Her blue and purple, by the time I could fire them, the match was usually more or less over.
To counter her slowness, your right, she used to be tied to one character (IM40) in order to speed her up. But, like Peggy, we now have another option in Vulture. Thoress really just needs to get her blue off in order to get rolling, which Vulture can create in droves with his black set at 5. He can also create a trickle of red, but Thoress can get her own red off the charged tiles she creates. This leaves green open for a tidy 5/5/3 Vulture build and the use of his wonderful AoE. Thrown in Cloak & Dagger to make everything even faster and give you a use for yellow and purple (Thoress’ yellow remains too expensive).
When Thoress is rolling, she’s almost unstoppable. One of my favorite 4-stars.
Is Lockjaw any good as a partner for Lady Thor? I don’t have champ versions of either, but Lockjaw’s charge-spam seems like it would be benificial.
Edit my Lockjaw is sitting at 4/4/4, so I’ll have half of this combo ready to go soon. My Lady Thor is 3/2/3 though, so I have a bit of a climb to get her up to useful levels.
Personally, I’d put Moonstone as high as 7th, as I would generally choose her over Steve (the recurring stun is all he really adds, as his red damage is so pathetic), Torch (…I just don’t like him), Carol (weak other than her black, as it’s rare you wouldn’t have a better red & yellow user in the tier), Wolverine (he’s the third best R/Y/G in the tier, so I really never used him if he wasn’t required) and Hawkeye (a one trick pony, even if it’s a pretty good trick). That said, all her abilities are extremely conditional, so I also understand a lower rating…especially compared to Hawkeye or Carol, whose powers aren’t as conditional.
Speaking of Dark Avengers, I’d also put Yelena over Venom in the 1* tier (but no higher). Sure, she’s terrible, but her black is possibly the best black ability in the tier, so she could actually add something to a team. In a purely 1* world, the unreasonably-nerfed Venom no longer can…which is a shame because 1* Venom/1* Spider-Man/any higher-tier true healer (especially Daken) was a really enjoyable team when Venom still had his insta-kill black.
Otherwise, for the 3*'s and 4*'s it’s largely a matter of taste for the specifics, but I’d question how high Nick Fury is. With the change to trap tiles, it’s hard not to place him a half-dozen or so spots lower in my opinion. While many of the other characters in that range are extremely niche (Quake, Spider-Gwen, MEH Hulk and even Ant-Man, who seems to have a little new life between his yellow’s interaction with Carol & a tile-heavy meta) they’re generally really good in that niche, while Fury does a few things decently but nothing particularly well. …and I say this as someone who likes Fury and had him as my second 4* champ.
Anyway, all that aside, thanks for keeping this list updated. It’s always fun to see other people’s opinions on characters, if only to cause me to give them a second look.
Medusa is too high in my opinion. She’s a one trick pony reliant on one or both teams bringing special tiles. She’d be 8-10 in my list.
America should be higher IMO, probably 4th taking Medusa’s spot.
Peggy should be even lower than she already is, probably 15-20.
Rocket & Groot should be higher. They are a one tick pony like Medusa (even worse) but they bring speed that she doesn’t which is the most important thing to winning any mode of this game. He should be 2nd IMO.
Shuri seems high, I haven’t used her enough to really speak to it, but that shocks me how high you put her.
Gamora conversely is shockingly low, I would think she’s 10-12 at least.
Star-Lord seems overly high also, he seems low in the mid tier to me.
3*
Swap IM40 and Strange.
Didn’t pay attention to 2* and 1* cause idc those are just DDQ required farms.
