Relics are awesome. They are mid. and they are terrible.

The implementation of relics into the contest has taken a lot of getting used to for so many players. Here we are at a precipice overlooking what Relics might and can do. what they will do and won't do. I have some relics I really like... and some that I truly hate for all that is good in both the real world and the Contest of bugs. At least no matter which champ you place these relics on, you will get a combo boost.


I am going to organize the relic classes in order of how powerful they are for their respective champions and explain my ranking in a way that will hopefully make sense.


1. Science relics:
That hulk relic carries the class. it is useful for so many champs like Titania, Sandman, Overseer, Hulk, Silk, QS, etc. it is so universally practical to the science class that you don't need the best science champs for your available science champs to get a good boost.

You also have the SM99 relic that is a utility machine for some science champs. I have placed my relic on Torch and Scorpion who both needed a rest from the downsides of the precision buff off of dexterity. I have also heard that it makes Gwen immune to that precision as well, so this relic has brought some lesser regarded champs some needed spotlight.

Ant-Man relic boosts the power sting based science champs... which means Antman and Cassie and Void and Torch have better control of their own power stings which comes in handy. It feels wholesome to have the Antman relic on Cassie as well, since it is essentially a father supporting his daughter completely.

The Cap WWII relic is the worst one this bunch and honestly, I don't mind that much because I can just put it on Spot or Cap IW or even MODOK if I ever rank him up. Cap WWII relic boosts Block Prof and rewards blocking attacks. It isn't much, but helps the remaining uncovered/un-helped science champs at the top of the class (IE: Spot).

2. Cosmic Relics:
Thor relic is boost to so many buff users in the cosmic class. a majority of them use the fury buff at least once. then you also have to look at the boost in precision and armor buffs as well. while focused on Angela and Odin and such... You can place this relic comfortably on The Champion, Hulkling, or even Drax (Not that you want to use Drax).

The Ms Marvel Relic is also very potent for some champs that get their dmg by other means. She rewards true dmg effects and definitely provides a slight boost in crit rating. Useful for a whole slew of champs like Herc, Adam, Nova, Sersi, Corvus, etc.

The Gamora Relic works similarly yet different to the Thor relic in that it rewards stacks of Fury and Cruelty... so champs like Herc, Gamora, King Groot, etc. The Stoicism buff is very important for champs like Drax, the Marvels, and Groot.

Last for the Cosmic relics is Venom. Only useful for a select few bleed applying cosmic champs. Symbiotes and Gorr. What a combo. Venom is made so much better that one of the my alliance mates r2'ed their 7*. Venompool, Gorr, Red Goblin?, Medusa?, Carnage, Drax?, Gamora?, Knull?, and Bully Maguire? all get some sort of boost through relic, whether it be bleed boosting or somehow landing more bleeds. is there something for the Symbiote Spider-Man champ to benefits from this relic other than a combo boost?

3. Skill relics:
I just want to start this one by saying that the Black Widow Relic is the GOAT for what it has inadvertently done for my man who doesn't crit, Brock Rumlow, aka Crossbones. This relic embodies the assassin figure well: silent but deadly. This relic applies a beeper debuff that does NOTHING... but when the Skill champ disregards opp defensive ability accuracy, this debuff BEEPS. Combine this with using the Learned Intelligence rune, where you gain a passive precision whenever opp's ability fails (up to 99). This goes great for both CB and the Black Cat, both of which are available as 7* champs now.Black Cat gets the built in daa Reduction on those passives, but for CB? CB's kit works like this: Every would be crit he lands, he instead gains a fury buff. Each fury reduces opp's daa by 20-25% (based on contempt ability against hero tagged champs). with that, if you gain the furies, and reduce opp's daa, then you'll gain precisions from this relic being on him, giving him more crits to throw, giving him more fury buffs. it definitely makes him bearable for great use in questing. combine that with Mr F synergy for the skill/cosmic class and his synergy with Mangog, CB is one of the lesser known Goats of Questing. The main thing about this relic though is that it rewards aa reduction from skill champs. so its useful for Zemo, Black Cat, Ronin?, BWDO?, Falcon, etc

The Valkyrie Relic is also for some hidden champion interactions it has. her innate ability allows that landing a hit into block gives you a fury effect... which means you have an effective way of pausing Nick's tactical charges below 15. but because this relic focuses on hitting into block... it gives Valk, Masacre, Mantis, Zemo, Moondragon, Shang Chi, Kate, and Karnak all a boost for hitting into block. Even Nick gets a boost for his Disorient debuff off sp1 as well.

Black Panther Relic boosts critical hits. it also boosts sp2 dmg with one of the runes. it is good for champs like KP, Mantis, Hit Monkey, Shang Chi, Falcon, Moleman, etc. its a simple hit harder relic for dmg focus on Skill champs that rely less on DOT.

Winter Soldier Relic boosts energy DOT effects? more so for debuffs? its very good for Elsa... and to a lesser extent Kate, Moondragon, Masacre, Agent Venom, BWDO, Misty Knight, Night Thrasher, Thor Ragnarok, and CB. not my favorite relic by any means and kinda mid.

4. Tech relics:
the Hulkbuster relic is both the most limiting relic and the most powerful relic of the tech class. the reason why this relic does what Wolverine, Winter Soldier, CapWWII, Scarlet Witch, and Venom also do but better is this relic is focused on niche ability that the MOST POWERFUL champs of their classes benefit greatly from these relics.
What does this relic do, exactly? it boosts shock potency. That's it. Why is it that good? Warlock, iDoom, Guardian, Nebula, (I think buffed Red Skull will utilize this relic well), Starky, Hulkbuster, Sentinel, IMIW all benefit from this DOT boost, but the 2 champs that stand out the most are Shuri and, most importantly, Nimrod. Nimrod and Shuri use potent shock effects as their source of dmg, so these boosts are most benefitial to these 2 champs. These 2 champs are top 3 in the tech class easily, and when a focused relic boosts champs this powerful in such a powerful way, you know the relic itself is one the best despite its limits in usage.

What makes Sentinel relic the second best tech relic is the mutant protocol rune. this rune on this relic gives tech champs an attack boost against mutants specifically. In BGs, this is a great investment. the main thing the relic does though is focus on incinerate dmg. It is built for Omega Sentinel, Sentinel, Peni, iDoom when synergized with Peni, IMIW, Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin), Michael Keaton (Vulture), and maybe Silver Centurion.

in third place is the Vision Relic. This heal block focused relic does something unique. smother. This relic rewards heal block effects which includes a dmg boost, armor boost, and the smother debuff applies energy dmg to heal blocked opps. at least the DOT potency up rune allows for more champs to use this relic. but overall it is for champs like O Sentinel, Warlock, Mysterio, Peni, Shuri (with Despair, I think), Rocket, Dr Oct, Civil Warrior, Howard, Vision, IMIW, Punisher 2099, LDS, and maybe a couple others. Those are champs that can heal block with their own kits (and Shuri needs a mastery for her to heal block opps). This relic rewards heal block, but barely.

Green Goblin Relic is as effective as the champion himself. What will you use him on? Which champs. I think the abilities of the relic is good but not as broadly applicable or as effectively useful as the other 3 tech relics, which is the the GG relic gives tech champs a power efficiency passive for a couple seconds so they can through more specials? tech champs? sure for Mutants or Mystics, but Techs? This relic is a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none kind of relic that allows you to comfortably place him on tech champs you wouldn't think to put other relics on, but still want/need to put a relic on regardless.
Power Efficiency saves power when throwing specials, Arsenal of Tricks innate ability that rewards power drain attacks with possible weakness debuff, Attack the Heart Rune provides aa/potency to debuffs, Joy in One's Work rune fills spirit gage faster, O.S.A.D. rune reduces opp special dmg, DDPU rune boosting DOT debuffs, and a regen boost relic as well.
This is the spare relic that goes to champs like FAM, Shocker, Iron Man, Cap Wilson, Dr Oct, Ghost, Vulture, and others. you can basically put this relic on any tech without a second thought until you find a better relic for that champ.

5. Mystic Relics:
It was hard organizing these specific relics in order of usefulness because the best of the mystic relics can easily be the worst relic of the class as well... except that I had to rely on bias and my bias says that Scarlet Witch is the worst and Iron Fist and Juggs are both interchangeable... but here is the order:

The Juggernaut Relic focuses on Unstoppable attacks. it also has specific benefits for defensive tank tagged mystic champs in particular. It is best used on Juggernaut for obvious reasons that I wish I had the 5* or 6* version of this relic for my Juggs. The other DT champs are Abs Man, Dragon Man, Man-Thing, Rintrah, and Sassy... most if not all of which will likely sit in plenty of decks. Rintrah, Sassy, Juggs, and Abs Man for sure... which is why this relic is the best mystic relic is because of these champs... similarly to how effective the HB relic is in the tech class.

Iron Fist Relic specializes in punishing enemy buff for existing between reducing the opp's buff potency and boosting your dmg output. This relic also wants to be put on Offensive Burst tagged champs like Abs Man, Chavez, Claire Voyant, both Iron Fists, Longshot, Mangog, Sassy, Spider Supreme, Thor JF, Werewolf by Night (we don't know much about his usefulness in BGs yet), and Wong. Half of these champs are in so many decks like Chavez, Abs Man, Mangog, Sassy, and to the lesser extent: Longshot, Spider, and maybe soon the wolf.

The Ghost Rider Relic is the degen relic. It focuses on a piece of utility from a few mystics instead of focusing on being for an entire tag of champs. it boosts direct DOT, power gain rate, and stagger duration, so while it boosts dmg for champs like Mordo, Mojo, Ghost Rider, Purgatory, Maw, Dormammu's bargains against buff duration, $carlet Witch sp3, Wiccan, and Kindred... the power gain boost and stagger rewards are for champs like the Hood, Doom, Chavez, Diablo on MD, the Sorcerers, Dragon Man, Mangog, Mephisto, Morningstar, Sassy, Thor JF, etc.

Last is the Scarlet witch relic. What does it do? benefit 'Blessings', provide amplify, and do some slight stat boosting on the small runes. the second 2 things sound better than the first thing it does, and you aren't wrong, but it's the worst because it is specific to providing a boost to what the Sorcerer supreme champs do... Strange, Symbiote, Spider, and the Blue one. but what tag does it focus on? Rising Power... so along with the sorcerers, it also boosts Mangog if you have the relic innate ability active... so a mainstay defender, a recently popular champ for players like BMcG, a new 7* champ that has been around for awhile and has been all but forgotten, the Symbiote that does nothing for the first 15 seconds of a fight unless the opp happened to have buffs active when the fight starts, and one of the v12.0 victims (from what I've heard since I didn't start playing the game till sometime after that update.)
Side Note: of all the relics related to their champions, this relic is the least related to its respective champion. Let's hope that Kushala is a Rising Power tagged champion so this relic can redeem itself.

6. Mutant Relics:
This is the worst class currently in terms of both champs and relics. here's why. while the Mutant class has received fewer additions that the other classes as the only mutant release is Dani Moonstar (not going to comment on how good she actually is since saying that she isn't that good causes consequences (there is never a good way to state one's opinion on this champ) at least she is getting a buff)... but also the mutant classis the worst with its relics as well.
My theory on this is because unlike any other champion class, the Mutant class is the most unique and diverse that their implementation overall is an uphill battle. Any player who definitely has touched BGs can understand this sentiment. So what is the best mutant relic?

The Storm Relic is powerful because it benefits mutants with both prowess and unblockable abilities. while this is specific in abilities, it matches the kits of quite a few great mutant champs like Kitty Pryde, Bishop, Sauron, Havok, Storm X (a personal fav, but I don't have the 7* version, unfortunately), Dani, and Prof X. this relic goes for unblockable attacks from Old Man Logan and Cyclops (Blue Team) oddly enough). this relic does also benefit the the entire line of offensive burst mutant champs as well.

The Mr Sinister Relic has gone unheard as there are relics that better overall and when you forget most mutants for your deck in BGs, and also this relic is from the most recent line of released relics. what it does is place a no dmg bleed debuff on your Mutants... it's the dollar store equivalent of the double edge bleed effect, but this time does nothing except sit there. This relic says it belongs to champs like Colossus, Namor, Toad, and Storm. this relic rewards you for bleeding or attempting to be bled. Yes, that is the weirdest way to state it, but it's true. so with that it, it means that it benefits the antibleed abilities of most mutants. use twice on Apoc in a fight and go immune. use on Havok, Omega Red, Toad, Cable, or Bishop and punish the opp with dmg, purify with Dommy, ignore its existence with Iceman, Colossus, Emma, or Wags... or just heal because you have the willpower mastery active. you also benefit slight from gaining bleed in general which is good for champs like Mags, OR, Sauron, etc. This is the unsung hero relic of the mutant class despite its negative implications by what it does.

What saves the Gambit Relic from being the worst mutant relic is that even though it isn't attached to a tag of champs but instead just a couple of champs, its the rune that gained controversy soon after release. The Prends Ma Savate rune applies a crit rate boost to physical dmg on mutant sp2s. This works for Nightcrawler, Rogue, Gambit, Dani, AA, Kitty, Namor, Colossus, the wolverines, the pools, Sunspot, etc. The relics main focus may be the physical resistance, but it is solely used for the precision passive on sp2s with physical attacks.

And Last but definitely the least: the Wolverine Relic boasts a staggering focus on benefitting Wolverine champs. There isn't much except bleed boosting and regen boosting. so while Wolverine, Weapon X, and X-23 are perfect uses for the relic... how often do you see them being used? I thought so. so what champs can you use this relic on? Well, even though these champs are good options, the best options are Apoc, Bishop, Toad, Sauron?, and AA. It is a very limited relic that at least provides an extra combo every once in awhile.

TLDR:
1. Science
2. Cosmic
3. Skill
4. Tech
5. Mystic
6. Mutant

and the worst 2 relics in my opinion are the Scarlet Witch and Wolverine.
the best relics are HB, Hulk, Black Widow , and Thor.
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Comments

  • SoSA__RemakeSoSA__Remake Member Posts: 137
    Seems like a you problem, either use them or don’t.
  • captain_rogerscaptain_rogers Member Posts: 9,528 ★★★★★
    Great write up.
    I believe sinister relic is more useful
  • Darkraw346Darkraw346 Member Posts: 2,451 ★★★★★
    Hey thats a great post but why don't I see Psycho man in the list of champs the Hulkbuster relic benefits 👺
  • ZADO1991ZADO1991 Member Posts: 109
    Exciting conclusions. Thanks for the input
  • The_0wenpusThe_0wenpus Member Posts: 252 ★★
    The scarlet witch relic is very good on the champs it is meant for.
  • Wong_98Wong_98 Member Posts: 1,015 ★★★★
    I actually read it, and it’s really helpful
  • Wicket329Wicket329 Member Posts: 3,365 ★★★★★
    I have to argue that the Iron Fist relic is the worst of all relics because it’s the only one I’ve used that consistently whiffs. It’s not even a reliable combo extender. I’ve activated it, landed the first hit of it, and then not the rest of it.
  • Milan1405Milan1405 Member Posts: 952 ★★★★
    Wong_98 said:

    I actually read it, and it’s really helpful

    Then why post your initial comment?
  • Milan1405Milan1405 Member Posts: 952 ★★★★
    Wicket329 said:

    I have to argue that the Iron Fist relic is the worst of all relics because it’s the only one I’ve used that consistently whiffs. It’s not even a reliable combo extender. I’ve activated it, landed the first hit of it, and then not the rest of it.

    Not just that one. Kabam really need to sort these whiffing issues with relics.
  • Colinwhitworth69Colinwhitworth69 Member Posts: 7,470 ★★★★★
    When you put that much time and effort into explaining your personal feelings about a minor aspect of a video game, it means you’re spending way too much time playing the game and have let it consume your life. Step back. Take a deep breath. Read a book.
  • CreeseazCreeseaz Member Posts: 278
    Ignore the illiterate ignorant folks , I very much appreciated this post and have bookmarked / favorited it so it's easy to come back to later.
  • PikoluPikolu Member, Guardian Posts: 7,727 Guardian
    It's kinda crazy how much you underrate the Gambit and Mr Sinister relics. Dani is 500 times better with the gambit relic, and Mr sinister relic is a game changer for Domino. Many people prefer using it on her than gambit relic.

    Also kate is a ton better with the winter soldier relic. It can increase the speed of a LoL Star Lord Takedown by 12% if you have the 6* version. 12% increase in damage could also determine whether or not you outspeed someone in BGs, or be fast enough to solo a fight in Necropolis.
  • PT_99PT_99 Member Posts: 4,502 ★★★★★
    Damn some people really hate reading ehh? It was well crafted and helped me dump relics randomly, efficiently.
  • captain_rogerscaptain_rogers Member Posts: 9,528 ★★★★★
    Pikolu said:

    It's kinda crazy how much you underrate the Gambit and Mr Sinister relics. Dani is 500 times better with the gambit relic, and Mr sinister relic is a game changer for Domino. Many people prefer using it on her than gambit relic.

    Also kate is a ton better with the winter soldier relic. It can increase the speed of a LoL Star Lord Takedown by 12% if you have the 6* version. 12% increase in damage could also determine whether or not you outspeed someone in BGs, or be fast enough to solo a fight in Necropolis.

    Yeah mr sinister relic is insane with domino.
    She gets power gain, and for non sucide players like me, it is the only way to get massive sp2
  • ZeezoosZeezoos Member Posts: 218 ★★
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts and views. I probably need to read it again to take it all in but really appreciate the time you took to put this together, thanks!
  • Wong_98Wong_98 Member Posts: 1,015 ★★★★
    Milan1405 said:

    Wong_98 said:

    I actually read it, and it’s really helpful

    Then why post your initial comment?
    I didn’t have time to read it at the time
  • mbracembrace Member Posts: 898 ★★★
    Too many people here are illiterate. The detail of each relic and how to apply them is extremely accurate and helpful. People should just scroll to the relic that they want to know about if the overall read is too heavy of a lift for them.
  • BringPopcornBringPopcorn Member Posts: 5,122 ★★★★★
    I dont care if they are great, good or bad, I need new ones. They stopped making them and they need to resume, so many champs so little combo extenders.
  • LpooLpoo Member Posts: 2,215 ★★★★★
    If you didn’t read it because it’s too long, you’re missing out on great info
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