So this post is kind of changing up pace a bit. I have a story that may be familiar to all the parents playing the Contest.
I've been playing now since the Stark Spider Man event. Maybe 8-10 months or so (maybe longer, hard to keep track of time got a baby on the way
). Initially I had a roster that most starting the game have. Starting through the story, I had built up a solid chunk of 3 * characters at this time, and was eagerly awaiting the day when I would finally have a 4 *. I hadn't really been grinding VS. (like an idiot) and hadn't started collecting 4 * shards in any real number, so I hung on hope every PHC I popped, that that would be the crystal.
Who would it be? Would I be lucky? Would I get a character I loved/would be useful? Or would it be some straight up steaming garbage (looking at you Carnage).
Finally, one night, when I took a chance popping a single PHC just to test the soul crushing existential waters of watching that thing spit out another 2 * rhino as it usually did, I saw the Game Center acheievement pop for acquiring a 4 * hero before the crystal had even stopped spinning.
Finally, IT HAD HAPPENED? Now...who could it be?
None other than Cap (WWII). Outside Cap being a favorite character of mine, I quickly scoured the forums reading he was one of the BEST champs in the game. His perfect block was on point, he hit hard, fatigue sounded cool. Yes, finally! I was ecstatic. The next couple days consisted of leveling up and testing his abilities, moving my masteries to perfect block, I was elated.
Now one thing to know is at this time, I was playing the game with my 2 year old son. He loves the Marvel characters and we would scroll through the characters and he would look at his favorite ones (Hulk was always a favorite and was one of his first words
). I taught him how to scroll through the hero list and look at each one and then move on to the next, each time teaching not to "sell." He became proficient to the point where I stopped hovering over him, he would harmlessly scroll and view the characters, backing out, checking all of them, etc. He did this day in day out without issue. He was a whiz with the app!
But then one morning this all changed. He had started playing with the iPad and I saw that he had opened the Contest. I shrugged, making my coffee and going about cutting up a banana for him. Then suddenly I was hit with a wave of parental hyper senses (spider sense if you will). I rushed over and seemingly in moments, he had selected Cap (WWII), brushed past the warning and selected to SELL.
Where there was Cap (WWII) there was no more. Just like that.
I looked up to the ceiling (the sky if you will) letting out a long, winded, painful sigh. Without a word I took the iPad, put it up, and went about my morning duties, my son not complaining once because apparently, in some type of cosmic wisdom he already understood.
Where there was Cap (WWII) there was no more. And he had done it.
Understanding already the wild stakes that you play when you try and get a champion that 1) is sought after and 2) you personally really want, this came as a deep blow. I had gotten probably my most favorite character that I could seek out or expect, and the likelihood of getting that character again would be almost impossible, or going by the fact that RNG can "randomly" ensure that roll never happens a second time, it could be impossible.
I put down the game for a month, probably a little more, tried some others. I also reached out to Kabam to see if this could be reversed. It couldn't (shrugs). But after trying Future Fight and some others, I still really liked the Contest for the fighting system it brought and the overall package of the game. I came back and have been playing ever since, taking in stride every champion that I receive that isn't the most ideal, but always remembering what was (since then I have built a nice team, though I have duped Beast 4 * and my first 5 * pull was Venompool
).
Now as my 5 * Winter Soldier stands as one of my mains, I can't help but look back to what could have been. I'll always have that gaping hole in my roster, until that fateful day when I possibly, maybe, roll another Classic Steve.
For all the parents/uncles/aunts/grandparents/bombed by random kids players out there, what characters did you end up losing to less than fortunate circumstances?!
