Characters like Doctor Octopus and Kate Bishop have recently made popular debuts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and players can also see them in Marvel Strike Force. With over 150 unique characters currently playable, it may seem complicated for some players to know who is worth investing resources into.
Categorizing characters is essential in Marvel Strike Force because Raids and Dark Dimension require Commanders to use teams with the same Origin Traits to proceed. The best Tech characters are versatile pieces that can shine across several different modes of play.
Ultron
Ultron is the reward for beating Dark Dimension 2, and his relative power level compared to his contemporaries honored his reputation as one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel Universe. His ability to summon Ultron bots helped him overwhelm enemy teams, and his Ultimate Ability dealt unprecedented damage for its time.
Unfortunately, Ultron isn't as dominant now due to characters like Black Bolt and Kestral stopping revives and punishing summoners. Ultron still has solid utility in War and Blitz, but others in Raid and Area fill his niche more effectively.
Kate Bishop
Kate Bishop is one of the newer additions to Marvel Strike Force, and she joined Echo to complete the Young Avengers team alongside veterans Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and America Chavez. Most fans expected Kate to be categorized as a Skill character, but her use of trick arrows moved her into Tech.
This younger Hawkeye excels at dealing status conditions to enemies, and she leads one of the premiere War Defense teams in the game. The only thing holding her back from other tech characters is that she doesn't play well outside of her established team.
Misty Knight
Misty Knight is a Heroes for Hire team member, but her usefulness extends far beyond that squad's War Defence niche. Without a defined Tech team to use in the relevant Doom Raid nodes, Misty has found use there alongside characters like Kestral, Doom, and Doctor Octopus.
Misty also uses a much smaller amount of gear than most characters to level up, so she is a popular choice among players pushing to get into any of the Dark Dimensions quickly. However, with two counters currently available to take down the Heroes for Hire, some players are cautious of putting too many resources into Ms. Knight.
Shuri
Before Doom Raids restricted nodes to characters of specific origin traits, the Wakandans FoxNext advertised them as the "Apex Raid Team." Unfortunately, this was false, and four of the five team members have never seen much use in any game mode.
Shuri, however, functions well on any team as a versatile healer who is still sometimes used in Doom Raids and Dark Dimension. Her Special Ability, Instant Upgrade, provides some additional utility outside of healing; the move grants all allies Defense Up for two turns and grants two characters Ability Energy, enabling them to keep hitting hard. Unfortunately, Shuri has been someone outshone by characters with more inter-affiliation synergy.
Minn-Erva
There were a few healers in Marvel Strike Force when the game launched, but Minn-Erva completely changed what a healer could be. She was the first character who could reliably revive defeated teammates, and her Ultimate Ability stole a flat percentage of health from entire enemy teams.
Minn-Erva was a must-include character in most of the best raid teams in Marvel Strike Force, and her percentage-based health steal made her invaluable against the boosted enemies in Dark Dimension. She still sees play through upper-mid level Raids, but her low health means she now usually dies quickly to stronger opponents.
Lady Deathstrike
Lady Deathstrike was initially billed as a War Offense character as part of the Weapon X team. That squad of mutants is indeed one of the premiere War teams in Marvel Strike Force, but she has also seen surprising success in other modes.
Lady Deathstrike buffs herself with Deathproof and other positive conditions when her health drops, so she's often more survivable than she appears. This perk has earned her a place in many players' Doom Raid teams for Tech nodes, and her cheap gear requirements make her an attractive option for Dark Dimension.
Star-Lord (T'Challa)
There are several powerful versions of Black Panther in Marvel Comics, but T'Challa's turn as Star-Lord in the Disney+ series What If...? quickly became a fan favorite. This Wakandan-turned-Ravager recently made his debut in Marvel Strike Force, and he's proven to be a strong character even outside of his team.
This Star-Lord's most unique feature is that he can steal Ability Energy from other characters. Nobody else in the game can currently do this, and it is instrumental in slowing down high-cooldown enemies like Doctor Doom. T'Challa also has cheap gear requirements, so many players are bringing him into Dark Dimension.
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fantastic character due to his incredibly tanky kit and mode versatility. His team, the Sinister Six, is one of the best Marvel Strike Force teams for beginners and can be used individually in Raids and Dark Dimension.
Not only does Otto Octavius grant Regeneration to himself and all allies with his Special Ability, but he also heals every time he blocks. With Mysterio giving Deflect to his teammates on spawn, it's almost impossible to do lasting damage to Doc Ock on turn one.
Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom is the reward for completing Dark Dimension 4, and he's still an offensive powerhouse who sees plenty of use across several game modes. Victor Von Doom is most notable for his Ultimate Ability, which grants him the highest Damage ally 300% speed bar and heals himself and two teammates back to full health.
Doctor Doom sees use in the current Arena meta, and he's also a staple in Doom Raids. His dual Origin Traits of Tech and Mystic give him powerful versatility, and his Doom Bots can draw enemy hits to help keep players' teams alive.
Kestral
Kestral is unique in Marvel Strike Force because she was the game's first original addition to the Marvel canon. This Blaster class hero also stands out because, along with Dr. Doom, she is one of only two characters with two different origin traits. This duality means that players can use Kestral in both the Tech and Skill sections of Doom Raids. The versatility to tackle twice the nodes as other characters means that any gear or resource investments pay off twice as much.
Kestral's kit, which includes summoner and regeneration denial, off-turn damage pings, and debuff dealing, has remained one of the most potent in the game, and top-level players use her in every game mode except Arena.