Increase in Synergies tied to * Rating
In the past year there has been an increase in synergies not being available to champions until the 5* version of the champion which I find to be quite concerning when it comes to the value of lower rarity champions, the value of cavalier crystals to players, and the amount of fun available to players. I am very concerned this will be the new norm and I don't find the ramifications to be favorable to the player base at all.
Most recently there has been a tear of synergies locked behind 5* rarity or higher. Chronologically 6 of the last 9 champions have had at least one synergy locked behind 5* rarity or better. Stryfe, Jubilee, Immortal Abomination, Immortal Hulk, Apocalypse, and Professor X. I am not sure when the first 5* synergy was made but it goes as far as Invisible Woman at the very least.
Newer players down the road who find themselves trying to complete content with 4* champs will definitely be disadvantaged as these champions will represent less value for resources spent ranking them up as they lose firepower not having the synergies and they lose long-term value as synergy partners for the 5* they pull down the road. Older players who already have an established roster might want to mess around with new synergies and obtaining a 4* which wont get ranked up but might have some value for synergies is now useless. I can understand some OP synergies such as the Stryfe synergies being a little more gated but seemingly innocuous synergies like Tigra's 'West Coast Avengers' being gated seems so odd. If I wore a tin foil hat I would say these 'useless' synergies gated behind 5* rarity champs was to get us used to the idea. At the end of the day I would prefer to not have any synergies gated behind needing a 5* or higher as it poses no benefit to the player base. It certainly reduces the value of buying cavalier crystals as pulling a 4* featured champ is less of a consolation prize as not only did you not get an end game viable champ, you didn't even get the complete package of a champion design.
If anyone knows the first time a 5* rarity champ was required for a synergy that would be cool if you would post it. Sunspot was the first 4* I pulled that I was excited to get for synergies only to realize A.I.M. Technology synergy was locked behind 5* and just recently Jubilee bummed me out as well. I really wanted to try the Sentinel Synergy. All that to say there was a recent catalyst for posting this, but I have been watching this trend for a while.
