It's no doubt that the Marvel franchise has seen a resurgence in popularity thanks to the latest installments of Marvel Studios, like Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness and Moon Knight. But that popularity has also seeped into the video game industry, which is why fans can enjoy playing as their favorite heroes or villains on their PCs, consoles, and even mobile devices.
One popular mobile Marvel game that pins players in one-on-one combat reminiscent of Street Fighter or Tekken is Marvel Contest of Champions. But unlike other similar games, every star-rank counts, so players will need to form Rank 3 and higher teams to come out on top as the best summoner of the realm. And Marvel Contest of Champions is quite generous when it comes to 3-Star Characters, so players will need to know which ones are worth investing in.
8 Guillotine – Mystic
Abilities
- Soul Harvest
- Ancestors’ Strength
- Coup De Grâce
Guillotine (Jeannine Sauvage) is one of many characters in Marvel Contest of Champions specifically made for the game, and has earned a place in the Marvel universe. While there are several Star variants of Guillotine, the 3-Star version is more than useable throughout the campaign and arena matches.
Her main strength comes from her Passive Ability, which gains a Soul for every hit she makes on the enemy opponent. The more Soul stacks she gains, the stronger ability attacks get. However, Souls disappear after 10 seconds, so players must use them as soon as they can. She's a solid character in the game, and would undoubtedly be an interesting villain for Spider-Man to fight in a future game.
7 Black Widow – Skill
Abilities
- Subtlety
- Striking Features
- Widow's Bite
Black Widow is perhaps the most versatile character in Marvel Contest of Champions since she shares several synergies with other characters, from Hulkbuster to Ultron. But, players should use her mainly on an Avenger-oriented team since their synergies benefit her the most.
For example, pairing this 3-Star Hero with Hulk and Hulkbuster increases stun chance by 25%, which boosts the effects of her Widow's Bite ability. Moreover, using Captain America (Infinity War variant) raises her Critical Rating by 250 points, making her a deadly Skill character.
6 Doctor Strange – Mystic
Abilities
- Counterspell
- Faltinian Triplicate
- The Prestige
Even though the Marvel Contest of Champions version isn't the strongest variant of Doctor Strange (especially if fans compare him to the MCU's variants), he's still worth using as a 3-Star Mystic character. But players shouldn't use Doctor Strange as a Bruiser-type character, since most of his abilities cause debuffs. Rather, this makes him the ideal Support character.
For example, his "The Prestige" ability prevents an enemy opponent from gaining buffs or filling their Signature Move meter. That's why players should use Doctor Strange against characters that rely heavily on buffs, like Scarlet Witch or Venom.
5 Star-Lord – Cosmic
Abilities
- Tactician
- Element Gun
- Rocket Kick
3-Star Star-Lord is a jack-of-all-trades in Marvel Contest of Champions, since his Passive Ability allows players to switch between four different Elements: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. Each Element has its specific purpose:
- Fire - Breaks or reduces an opponent's Armor.
- Air - DoT (Damage-over-Time) attack that lasts 6 seconds.
- Water - Drains the opponent's Power.
- Earth - Debuffs the opponent with Heal Block, which stops all healing effects on them.
Of course, players will need to learn how to use all these elements correctly, since changing Elements has a cool-down period, and if a player uses the wrong Element on an enemy player, then it may be game over for Star-Lord.
4 Nightcrawler – Mutant
Abilities:
- Neyaphem Heritage
- Unglaublich Acrobatics
- Bamf! Bamf! Bamf!
Making his first debut in the 1975 Marvel Comics "Giant-Size X-Men #1," Nightcrawler is a lesser-used X-Men hero that Marvel Contest of Champions recreated perfectly. This 3-Star character can prove helpful against tanks due to his Unglaublich Acrobatics ability that reduces a character's Block Rate.
Moreover, his "Bamf! Bamf! Bamf!" ability has a chance to grant Deep Wounds, which increases Nightcrawler's attack for 7 seconds. Unfortunately, several characters (such as Vision and Ultron) can counter most of Nightcrawler's abilities, so players should come prepared with a backup plan if they face them in combat.
3 Wolverine (X-23) – Mutant
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Abilities
- Bleed
- Frenzy
- Regeneration
The female counterpart of Wolverine, X-23, is a 3-Star Character that players can invest fully in since she's a useful Bruiser-type hero that is cheap to max out. Additionally, X-23's Passive Ability, Regeneration, grants a chance of regenerating heath after an enemy hits her.
Moreover, her Signature Move, Frenzy, will increase her Critical Change and Damage as long as the enemy character is bleeding. And since her basic attacks cause Bleeding, players can constantly build up their Critical Chance and Damage as long as their hits land.
2 Venom – Cosmic
Abilities
- Klyntar Mutation
- True Strike
- Om NomM
Venom has always been a powerful villain in most Spider-Man-themed games, from Ultimate Spider-Man to Spider-Man Unlimited. Players can expect the MCOC version of Venom to stay true to previous iterations. 3-Star Venom in Marvel Contest of Champions is a tanky, defensive character that can soak up most Signature Moves, despite its low star rating.
Venom's Passive Ability grants it a defensive buff every 9 seconds. This passive can boost anything from Physical Resistance to Armor by a certain percentage. The only downside of 3-Star Venom is that any character that has the Incinerate ability can nullify its buffs.
1 Scarlet Witch – Mystic
Abilities:
- Nullify
- Chaos Surge
- Power Gain
Undoubtedly, Scarlet Witch is the best 3-Star Hero players can upgrade and max, since she offers the most balanced attributes in Marvel Contest of Champions. On top that, Scarlet Witch can easily be maxed, since the game hands out plenty of upgrade materials via events and campaign missions.
But the real reason Scarlet Witch is worth the investment is her Chaos Surge, which essentially buffs her with a random buff (Fury, Cruelty, or Armor Up) every four seconds. It even offers a slight chance of granting all buffs at the same time.
Marvel Contest of Champions is available now on iOS and Android.