Introduction

Black Cat, the agile and elusive burglar from the Spider-Man universe, has made her grand entrance as the newest Legendary character in Marvel Strike Force. With her arrival, players are eager to add her to their rosters, as she brings a unique skill set and versatility that can elevate any team. To unlock Black Cat, players must take part in the Marvel Strike Force Blackcat Trials Guide, which challenges them to navigate a series of missions with specific team requirements strategically. These trials demand careful planning and resource management, ensuring that only the most prepared players will earn her elusive inclusion.

Unlocking Black Cat is highly sought after, particularly for those focused on improving their performance in Arena, the primary mode in Marvel Strike Force for earning valuable Power Cores. Her inclusion in your roster is a game-changer, offering an edge in the competitive Arena environment where success directly impacts a player’s ability to progress. As the leader of the Secret Defenders team, Black Cat boasts an impressive combination of agility, disruptive abilities, and strategic depth. Her leadership skills provide a significant boost to her teammates, allowing her to counter enemy strategies and create opportunities for consistent victories.

The Secret Defenders team, under Black Cat’s guidance, can effectively dismantle enemy lineups by exploiting their weaknesses and controlling the flow of battle. With her as a core member, players will find themselves better equipped to handle some of the toughest challenges the Arena presents. For those who invest the time and effort to develop this team, Black Cat becomes a crucial asset, providing a balance of offense, defense, and utility that is difficult to match.

Her arrival presents a tremendous opportunity for players to strengthen their Arena presence and climb the ranks more efficiently. Black Cat’s addition not only provides immediate rewards in the form of victories but also long-term strategic advantages as her abilities synergize with various other top-tier characters in the game. This guide will provide essential strategies and tips to help players conquer the Black Cat Trials and secure this enigmatic and powerful character for their roster, ensuring that they are fully prepared to maximize her potential in both Arena and other game modes.

Understanding Black Cat Trials

Unlocking Black Cat in Marvel Strike Force requires players to engage in the Black Cat Trials, a special event designed similarly to the Horsemen Scourges and Nova Trials. These trials offer a unique and challenging experience for commanders, presenting them with a series of ten progressively difficult missions. Each mission comes with specific squad requirements, forcing players to carefully select their teams based on the characters they have invested in. To further customize the experience, players can choose from ten different difficulty levels, tailoring the challenge to their roster’s strength. While higher difficulty levels impose limitations on character choices, they offer significantly higher point rewards, which help players unlock Black Cat faster by earning more points per node completed.

Throughout the Black Cat Trials, players can make use of Pacts, a game mechanic similar to those found in the Scourges of the Horsemen events. Pacts introduce modifiers that can alter the flow of battles, either aiding or hindering players’ progress. By activating additional Pacts, players can enhance their final Run Score, providing a strategic way to accelerate their progress toward milestone goals. The more Pacts activated, the higher the potential rewards, making it an essential aspect of maximizing a player’s score and advancing through the event.

To unlock Black Cat through Milestone rewards, players need to accumulate at least 550,000 points, which will instantly unlock her at 3-Yellow Stars. Alternatively, Black Cat can be obtained with a Run Score of 450,000 points through Rank Rewards. However, reaching Rank Rewards requires players to maintain a leaderboard score of at least 400,000 points. For those aiming to maximize Black Cat’s potential from the start, achieving a 4-Yellow Star unlock is possible by reaching a substantial Run Score of 2.2 million points, offering a significant boost to her power upon unlocking.

To further complicate the strategy, unlocking Black Cat on difficulty 5 and above requires the use of specific teams. Players must deploy their Knowhere and Sinister 6 teams on nodes 2, 6, and 10 to meet the conditions of the higher difficulty levels. This challenge ensures that only players with the most well-rounded and invested rosters can succeed at the higher difficulties. However, players are not limited to only one attempt—trials can be replayed as many times as needed, allowing players to refine their strategy and attempt different combinations of Pacts and difficulty levels. With this flexibility, commanders can tailor their approach to achieving the desired score, unlocking Black Cat, and adding this valuable character to their roster.

Team Requirements and Recommendations

The Black Cat Trials demand a diverse and well-developed roster, with an emphasis on specific teams to succeed at higher difficulty levels. Here’s a breakdown of the required teams, recommended characters, and strategies for maximizing your performance in each node:

Knowhere Team
This team serves as your primary damage force for nodes 2, 6, and 10. Focus heavily on Nova, as his damage output will be key to success. Cosmo’s healing and Korg’s tankiness will help keep your team alive, while Star-Lord and Thor provide essential support. Consider making Cosmo a Healer and Thor a Raider for their ISO-8 classes. Aim to build this team to at least Gear Tier 13, or Gear Tier 14 if targeting higher difficulty levels.

Sinister Six Team
The Sinister Six, particularly after the Superior Six rework, offers a strong option for nodes 2, 6, and 10. While a powerful Knowhere team may still outperform them, a well-built Sinister Six, especially with Superior Six characters, can handle these nodes without requiring heavy investment in Knowhere. Prioritize upgrading Doctor Octopus and Vulture for their crucial abilities in both survivability and damage output.

Mystic Villains Team
This team excels in nodes 3 and 7, making use of the immense power of Morgan Le Fay and Doctor Doom. Cooldown management is essential for these two characters, as they are needed across multiple nodes. Hela and Loki can provide additional Asgardian synergy, while Bifrost members offer flexibility. Absorbing Man remains a solid tank choice, though he’s less prominent in the current meta.

Global Controllers Team
Nodes 4 and 8 present significant challenges. Use Morgan Le Fay’s ultimate ability to spread negative effects, which is essential for controlling the battlefield. Doctor Doom’s ultimate is also key for survivability. Omega Red and Taskmaster, both with War tags, offer valuable speed bar manipulation and control effects. Black Widow enhances team speed and provides healing. Consider making Morgan Le Fay a Striker and Doctor Doom a Raider to maximize their potential.

Brawler Team
Nodes 5 and 9 can be tackled with a diverse mix of Brawlers. Red Hulk and Valkyrie are great choices, as they perform well in other game modes like the Apocalypse Saga and Raids. Quicksilver delivers significant damage and control. Deadpool excels in Node 9 due to the presence of Multiple Man, while Super Skrull provides a substantial advantage, though he’s not available to all players. Pair Ms. Marvel with Hero Brawlers to trigger her assist attacks for additional damage.

By carefully building and utilizing these teams, players can maximize their effectiveness in the Black Cat Trials, ensuring they meet the challenges posed by the higher difficulty levels and unlock Black Cat.

Maximizing Points and Difficulty Selection

Players looking to maximize their score in the Black Cat Trials need to carefully consider the difficulty level and Pacts they will utilize. Higher difficulty levels offer greater base point rewards for completing nodes, but they also feature more challenging enemies and limit character choices. Pacts can significantly influence the flow of the battle, either giving you an advantage or making the encounter more difficult.

Selecting the right difficulty level depends largely on your roster’s strength. If you’ve heavily invested in the required teams for the event—Knowhere, Sinister Six, Mystic Villains, Global Controllers, and Brawlers—you may be able to tackle higher difficulty levels and earn greater rewards. However, if you’re struggling to complete nodes at lower difficulty levels, it’s better to lower the difficulty until you can consistently complete all 10 nodes. Prioritize completing all 10 nodes for the bonus rather than aiming for fewer nodes at higher difficulties.

To maximize your rewards, target a score of around 1.4 million for a 7-star upgrade for Black Cat. A strategy to achieve this is running difficulty 8 with all Pacts enabled, except for the two Experimental Serum Pacts, which only increase enemy health. By following this strategy, players can potentially reach a score of 1.5 million points.

If certain nodes prove to be difficult, certain Pacts can be safely disabled to make the trials easier. Pacts such as EXPERIMENTAL SERUM I, EXPERIMENTAL SERUM II, AGENTS OF KNOWHERE, and SINISTER SYMBIOSIS can be excluded for smoother runs. Another strategy is to run difficulty 5 with all Pacts enabled except for the two Experimental Serum Pacts and the AGENTS OF KNOWHERE Pact. This will allow players to reach a score of 450,000 points, which is enough to unlock Black Cat through rank rewards.

Activating all Pacts while running difficulty 8 will net you an estimated 900k points, which should be enough to achieve many milestone rewards. It’s also possible to use burn teams to complete nodes at very high difficulties, but this requires having extremely high-level characters. Some players have managed to complete difficulty 10 by only completing the first two nodes of the event with a “burn” Sinister Six team.

Ultimately, the best strategy for maximizing points and selecting the right difficulty will depend on your roster’s strength. Experimenting with different combinations of difficulty levels and Pacts will help you find the optimal approach for your team.

Node Walkthrough and Gameplay Tips

Unlocking Black Cat in Marvel Strike Force requires a deep understanding of the Black Cat Trials, a challenging event where players face a series of ten nodes with specific team requirements. Each node brings its own set of challenges, demanding a strategic approach and careful team selection. Here’s a detailed walkthrough of the nodes and strategies for maximizing your success in the Black Cat Trials:

Node 1 (No Requirements)
This node has no restrictions, allowing players to bring their strongest available team. It’s a great opportunity to quickly charge up ultimate abilities for characters like Red Hulk and Valkyrie, which will be helpful in later nodes where Brawler teams are required. Using this node as a “Power Up” can give players the opportunity to build up turn meters and prepare for tougher nodes ahead. It’s also advisable to focus on clearing this node efficiently to set up your team for future challenges.

Node 2 (Knowhere / Sinister Six)
At Difficulty 5 and above, this node requires either a Knowhere or Sinister Six team. A well-built Knowhere team is particularly effective, especially after its rework. For this node, it’s important to stun Morgan Le Fay immediately with Nova’s special ability, then use Korg’s special to rewind enemies. Prioritize eliminating Spider-Weaver when she appears, and use Cosmo’s ultimate to cleanse debuffs. This node is critical for unlocking Black Cat, especially for lower-level accounts, so completing it efficiently is essential.

Node 3 (Mystic Villain)
A Mystic Villain team is required for this node. A recommended team includes Morgan Le Fay, Doctor Strange (Heartless), Agatha Harkness, Doctor Doom, and Dormammu. Morgan Le Fay’s ultimate ability should be used early to control the fight, while Agatha’s ultimate helps to heal the team. If Doctor Doom is heavily damaged, his ultimate ability can be used to heal and finish off remaining enemies. Cooldown management for Morgan Le Fay and Doctor Doom is key, as these characters will be needed in other nodes as well.

Node 4 (Global Controller)
This node requires a Global Controller team and can be particularly challenging. A strong team combination includes Doctor Doom, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Omega Red, and either Magneto or Dark Beast. Black Widow can be used as a “sacrifice” character to absorb some early damage, allowing key characters like Doctor Doom and Omega Red to retain their ultimate abilities for the final wave. It’s also advisable to “sack” the node twice, using weaker characters to absorb attacks and ensuring your stronger characters can finish off the enemies. Be mindful of Gwenpool’s ultimate and Kate Bishop’s blind ability, which can disrupt your strategy.

Node 5 (Brawler)
This node requires a Brawler team. A suggested lineup includes Red Hulk, Vulture, Deadpool, Black Cat (after unlocking her), and Super Skrull (if available). Red Hulk and Deadpool significantly ease the difficulty of this node, and it’s crucial to save cooldowns for Node 9. Longshot and Shatterstar should be prioritized early on, with Longshot being eliminated quickly and Shatterstar delayed to minimize damage. Be sure to have Red Hulk’s and Valkyrie’s ultimate abilities charged for this node, as their high-impact abilities can turn the tide of the battle.

Node 6 (Knowhere/Sinister Six)
Like Node 2, this node requires either a Knowhere or Sinister Six team. Key strategies include quickly eliminating Doctor Strange and Agatha Harkness, and focusing on removing Ghost Rider due to his passive attacks. Cosmo’s abilities should be used to cleanse debuffs, and Taskmaster should be controlled as soon as he appears. Nova’s ultimate ability will also be essential for handling tougher enemies in Node 10, so managing his abilities early on is crucial.

Node 7 (Mystic Villain)
This node, like Node 3, requires a Mystic Villain team. Consider bringing Hela alongside a Darkhold team to leverage speed manipulation. Prioritize eliminating Quicksilver, as he can disrupt the flow of battle with his speed. Use Doctor Strange (Heartless) and Doctor Doom’s ultimate abilities to overcome tougher enemies. Proper speed management will help control the battle pace and ensure that your team acts first in critical moments.

Node 8 (Global Controller)
Another challenging node that requires a Global Controller team. Utilize the same team composition as Node 4, with a focus on “sacking” the node twice, using weaker characters to absorb hits from Gwenpool. Be mindful of Kate Bishop’s ultimate ability—apply ability block if possible, or use offense down to minimize her impact. Echo’s ability block should also be applied to mitigate her power.

Node 9 (Brawler)
This node, like Node 5, requires a Brawler team. It’s recommended to use the same team composition as Node 5. Be sure to use Red Hulk and Valkyrie’s ultimate abilities at the start of the fight to gain an advantage. Again, watch out for Kate Bishop’s blind ability and adapt your strategy accordingly.

Node 10 (Knowhere/Sinister Six)
The final node, which requires either a Knowhere or Sinister Six team. Knowhere excels in this fight due to its ability to control the battlefield with stuns, blinds (especially effective on Gambit), ability block, and speed manipulation. A well-built Thor (Infinity War) is highly recommended, as his ultimate ability can inflict significant damage on opponents, providing a strong finishing move to close out the trials.

Remember, each node presents unique challenges, and adapt your strategies based on your roster and available resources. With careful planning and execution, you can overcome the Black Cat Trials and unlock Black Cat for your roster. Good luck!

Conclusion

In conclusion, success in the Black Cat Trials relies on a combination of strategic planning and skillful execution. Maximizing your score involves finding the right balance between selecting a challenging difficulty level and enabling Pacts that enhance your points without overwhelming your roster. Prioritize completing all 10 nodes, even if it means lowering the difficulty, as the 10-node completion bonus provides a substantial point boost that can outweigh the rewards from completing fewer nodes at a higher difficulty. Experimenting with different difficulty levels and Pact combinations is key to finding the optimal setup for your roster.

Understanding the intricacies of each node is crucial for consistent success. Use the unrestricted Node 1 to charge up important abilities for later nodes, ensuring your team is ready for tougher challenges. Carefully manage the cooldowns of powerful characters like Morgan Le Fay and Doctor Doom, as they are essential across multiple nodes. On difficult Global Controller nodes, use “sacking” strategies to reduce the impact of unpredictable enemy abilities and ensure your key characters can perform at their best.

Finally, while Black Cat and the Secret Defenders are valuable assets, remember that prioritizing core game modes like Raids should always come first. Building a strong roster for Raids will naturally improve your performance in the Black Cat Trials and other events, providing long-term benefits across multiple areas of the game.