Am I Crazy to do this?

I’m seriously considering using a generic 4 Star Awakening Gem on Luke Cage over Blade. My goal is to complete a first run of Act 5.3 and Act 5.4 and fully explore the Uncollected Monthly EQ.

Frankly, my 4 stars are dead with a boss in Uncollected chapter 3 with a 5 hit combo. LC is a great boss matchup because of the luxury of taking a combo and actually surviving - that may be more useful for me than Blade’s regeneration (even though I have GR and SE Spidey).
The other thing is, I’m not sure if I want to take up a roster spot with Ghost Rider when I have Hyperion, Scarlet Witch, Dr. Voodoo, Luke Cage, Archangel, and even Wolverine on my squad. Is the synergy that good?

Also, if anyone who has a Rank 5 Blade can do some testing for me - how hard does he hit? I can pretty regularly get a 3,000+ hit with my Luke Cage. Can Blade get up to that damage level even with Danger Sense?

So, with all that said... am I crazy?

Comments

SDP

Blade w/ GR is one of the best options for 5.4.

yoyoshark

Definitely up to you, it's your roster and your AG! You know your play style better than anybody else, so if LC works better for you, then go for it. I actually don't have a 4-star blade, just a 5-star so I can't directly answer your comparison question, however, blade does hit pretty hard, and a lot of additional damage comes from his bleed. Even with a bleed immune defender though, his L2 is quite powerful.

I totally get your point about taking up a roster spot for GR. But a couple of things to think about:
1) GR is a great champ in his own right, he doesn't hit hard but has great utility and is bleed immune and can regenerate.
2) Danger Sense mostly helps with ability accuracy reduction, not damage. So if you have a path or a boss with a lot of villains, bring GR, otherwise use that spot for another champ.
3) I have and really like LC, but his indestructible is a bit of an emergency crutch in most scenarios. In the long run it will be better for you not to rely on it. Plus, it doesn't help reduce block damage, so a champ that can regenerate (like Blade and GR) can actually have more survivability over the course of a quest.

In the end, if you are very comfortable with LC and want that extra bit of buffer, use the AG on him. But I would encourage you to try a bit more question with Blade with the GR synergy.

Disgruntled_User_123

Definitely up to you, it's your roster and your AG! You know your play style better than anybody else, so if LC works better for you, then go for it. I actually don't have a 4-star blade, just a 5-star so I can't directly answer your comparison question, however, blade does hit pretty hard, and a lot of additional damage comes from his bleed. Even with a bleed immune defender though, his L2 is quite powerful.

I totally get your point about taking up a roster spot for GR. But a couple of things to think about:
1) GR is a great champ in his own right, he doesn't hit hard but has great utility and is bleed immune and can regenerate.
2) Danger Sense mostly helps with ability accuracy reduction, not damage. So if you have a path or a boss with a lot of villains, bring GR, otherwise use that spot for another champ.
3) I have and really like LC, but his indestructible is a bit of an emergency crutch in most scenarios. In the long run it will be better for you not to rely on it. Plus, it doesn't help reduce block damage, so a champ that can regenerate (like Blade and GR) can actually have more survivability over the course of a quest.

In the end, if you are very comfortable with LC and want that extra bit of buffer, use the AG on him. But I would encourage you to try a bit more question with Blade with the GR synergy.

Thanks @yoyoshark! It’s a decision I don’t take lightly so I’m going to test it over a few quests before I make my final decision. If anyone else wants to add their input, please let me know.

MrBanks

I’d wait until you can take both up until progressing

Fred_Joeity

Personally I’d say LC is only worth a science gem, but I haven’t awakened my Blade yet either, so who am I to judge? I’m not sure about taking GR out though, since there’s a lot of annoying villains to deal with, and Blade’s damage isn’t that great without danger sense active. I’d say pick your roster depending on the path you’re taking and specific counters you might need along the way.

shadow_lurker22

What do you mean waste a roster spot with GR he is pretty good

Woozie

Blade only because 5.4 bosses are all villains, your Blade will out damage LC easily with the GR synergy.

MegaGalactic

Seems like Luke Cage would be enough without the awakening... I can only speak for Blade and he was my first maxed out 4* for a reason. The damaaage. I only played him for a bit before I got him duped, so can’t say how big of a difference it would’ve been to have him unawakened. But I find his regen very useful.

Anurag1606

So you say like GR is a bad champ to occupy a space? There's a reason why the original Trinity is still considered to be awesome. All 3 guys are great and together make a hell of a team. All other synergies are mostly to boost up 1 particular guy. GR is one of the most sustainable guy in the game. It's not only about damage output. LC surely is great but he pales infront of blade with synergy. And if you are talking about 5.3 and 5.4 then I'm sure you know how to Bait out specials and parry and dexterity well. Indestructible is nice touch but awakening blade is great to have.
I'm someone who got blade GR R4 5 star, spark r5 5 star and LC 5 star r4. Only LC and blade are dupes. So I know what I'm saying. Also got done with act 5 primarily with the Trinity. Trinity also helps against final Ultron where LC can't do much. Goodluck.

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