Marvel Strike Force Guardian Guide - Theria Games

Introduction

Guardian, also known as James Hudson, is the fearless leader of the Alpha Flight team and one of the most valuable assets in the Marvel Strike Force Guardian Guide. As the Canadian counterpart to Captain America, he brings a unique set of abilities to the table, combining his advanced battle suit with a strategic mindset to both deal substantial damage and provide critical support for his team.

Guardian excels as a Brawler, a character type known for their ability to inflict heavy damage on enemies while also offering valuable support to their allies. His primary role on the battlefield is to neutralize threats with powerful attacks, but his true strength lies in his ability to improve the survivability and effectiveness of his entire team.

One of Guardian’s standout features is his impressive passive ability, which significantly boosts the Max Health and Armor of all his Alpha Flight allies, making them much tougher to defeat. Furthermore, upon spawning, Guardian grants a Barrier to all allies, providing an extra layer of protection and ensuring they can withstand enemy assaults longer. This combination of health, armor, and barrier makes him an incredible asset in both offense and defense. His Stun ability is another key tool in his arsenal, allowing him to disrupt enemy actions and give his team a strategic advantage by temporarily disabling high-priority targets.

In addition to his defensive prowess, Guardian can also enhance his team’s offensive capabilities. By granting Offense Up and Regeneration to both himself and his allies, he ensures that they deal more damage while healing and maintaining a sustainable presence on the battlefield. These buffs are crucial in long, drawn-out encounters, especially in tougher game modes like Spotlight Raids. With his combination of offensive power, defensive utility, and support abilities, Guardian is a versatile character who can handle a variety of situations, making him essential for completing challenging raids and maximizing rewards.

Guardian’s versatility and well-rounded skill set make him a central figure in the Alpha Flight team, elevating his allies’ effectiveness and ensuring they can thrive in critical game modes. Whether you’re focusing on boosting your team’s survivability in tough battles or need a reliable source of damage and control, Guardian’s capabilities position him as a crucial member for players aiming to tackle the toughest challenges in Marvel Strike Force.

Abilities Breakdown

Bulwark Strike

Level: 1

Damage: 80

Confident Flurry

Level: 1

Damage: 120

Overwhelming Conviction

Level: 1

Piercing: 100

Canada’s Guardian

Level: 1

Self Barrier: 10

Basic – Bulwark Strike
Guardian gains Regeneration and then attacks the primary target, applying Defense Down, which can stack up to 3 times. After attacking the primary target, he will chain to one adjacent target, applying Defense Down again, stacking up to 3 times. The second hit is slightly weaker but still applies Defense Down to the enemy and Regeneration to Guardian.

Special – Confident Flurry
This ability costs 3/3 energy. Guardian grants Offense Up to himself and all allies, then attacks the primary and adjacent targets, dealing damage. It also applies Defense Down and Slow for 2 turns to each target. The attack cannot miss or be blocked, and its short cooldown ensures Offense Up is frequently active on allies.

Ultimate – Overwhelming Conviction
This ability costs 7/7 energy. Guardian flips Immunity on the primary target and applies Stun. He then strikes the primary and adjacent targets twice, dealing Piercing damage. Each target receives Taunt and Defense Down for 2 turns. The attack is Unavoidable and has +500% Extra Focus, ensuring it lands successfully. The guaranteed Stun makes this a powerful control ability. While it has a long cooldown, in Raids and on War Defense, teammates like Sunfire can help generate energy for it.

Passive – Canada’s Guardian
Upon spawn, Guardian applies Barrier to all allies for 20% of his Max Health, Offense Up for 2 turns, and Regeneration for 1 turn to all allies. On his turn, he grants Assist Now to one random Alpha Flight ally. When an enemy dies, he applies Defense Down to all remaining enemies, a particularly valuable effect in Raids. Guardian boosts both his own and his Alpha Flight allies’ stats, providing +50% Health and +50% Damage.

In Raids, he doubles his team’s Health by providing an additional +50% Health. Additionally, in Raids and on War Defense, if Guardian is not Exhausted, upon enemy death, he applies Barrier to himself and all Alpha Flight members for 5% of his Max Health. While he has Regeneration, he and all Alpha Flight characters gain +50% Armor.

T4 Ability Priorities

When upgrading Guardian’s abilities with T4 materials, focus on those that provide the most substantial benefits to his performance and synergy with his team.

Passive – Canada’s Guardian should be your highest priority for T4 upgrades. This upgrade significantly boosts Guardian’s support capabilities by increasing the Barrier he provides to all allies on spawn from 10% to 20% of his max health. More importantly, in Raids and on War Defense, when Guardian is not Exhausted and has Regeneration, all Alpha Flight characters gain +50% Armor. This powerful effect enhances the team’s durability, making the Alpha Flight squad much tougher in battles. This upgrade is essential for improving the overall survivability of your team.

Ultimate – Overwhelming Conviction should be your second highest priority for T4 upgrades. While the specific details of the T4 upgrade aren’t provided, the Ultimate ability remains a top priority because it grants a valuable Stun and Defense Down to enemies. The ability to control the enemy and reduce their defenses makes this a key part of Guardian’s toolkit.

Special – Confident Flurry comes next as the third highest priority for T4 upgrades, but only if you have spare T4 materials. The T4 upgrade to this ability increases the duration of Defense Down to 2 turns instead of 1, which improves the utility of this ability. While helpful, this upgrade is not as impactful as the Passive or Ultimate upgrades, so it’s not as critical to prioritize.

Basic – Bulwark Strike should be your lowest priority for T4 upgrades. The T4 upgrade for the Basic ability mainly increases damage output, but Guardian is not designed to be a primary damage dealer. Thus, this upgrade provides less value compared to his other abilities.

In summary, invest your T4 materials first in Guardian’s Passive ability for maximum support and survivability. Next, upgrade his Ultimate to enhance his control and damage potential. If you have spare T4 materials, consider upgrading his Special ability for better debuffs. Lastly, only prioritize the Basic ability if you have no other upgrades left to focus on. This strategy will ensure Guardian provides the most benefit within the Alpha Flight team, especially in Raids and War Defense.

Iso-8 Recommendations

Choosing the right Iso-8 class for Guardian is key to optimizing his performance across various game modes. For most players, the Striker class is the top choice, especially when using Guardian in Raids and on War Defense. This class enhances his ability to maintain Regeneration, which is crucial for his Passive ability, as it provides additional armor to all Alpha Flight characters. The Striker class also amplifies his basic ability’s Defense Down effect, allowing him to apply more debuffs and increasing his overall effectiveness in combat.

If you’re using Guardian in other game modes, the Raider class is a solid option. Since all of his attacks hit multiple targets, the Raider class is beneficial for spreading Vulnerable debuffs, which boosts the damage from his attacks. This makes him more efficient in dealing damage in modes outside of Raids and War Defense.

For players who want to enhance Guardian’s survivability, the Fortifier class is another viable option. While Guardian does not have a built-in taunt mechanic, the Fortifier class will increase his durability, making him tougher in battle. This option can be useful if you want to make him more tanky, though it might not be as effective as Striker or Raider for maximizing his debuffing potential.

In summary, the Striker class is the best choice for Guardian, especially in Raids and War Defense, due to his Passive ability and ability to apply debuffs. If you’re using him in other modes, Raider is a strong alternative, and the Fortifier class can be considered if you prefer a tankier build.

Team Synergies

Guardian is a crucial member of the Alpha Flight team, with abilities that synergize perfectly with his teammates to enhance their overall effectiveness. He provides multiple benefits that directly support his team, starting with a barrier to all allies on spawn, based on a percentage of his max health. This is especially helpful for boosting the durability of the entire team, not just Alpha Flight members. In addition, he grants Offense Up and Regeneration to all allies upon spawning, further improving the team’s damage output and survivability.

Guardian also boosts his and his Alpha Flight allies’ stats, offering +50% Health and +50% Damage, which significantly improves their effectiveness in battle. In Raids, this boost extends even further, providing an additional +50% Health to Alpha Flight teammates, effectively doubling their total health. Additionally, while Guardian has Regeneration, he and all Alpha Flight characters gain +50% Armor, making them much tankier. On his turn, he uses Assist Now to call a random Alpha Flight ally to assist, increasing the overall damage output of the team.

Guardian’s abilities also work well with specific team synergies. His passive ability to grant Assist Now increases his team’s damage output, while his Basic ability applies Defense Down to the primary target and adjacent enemies, enabling his teammates to deal more damage. His Special ability further enhances the team’s damage potential by providing Offense Up to all allies. His Ultimate provides critical control, flipping Immunity, applying a Stun, and granting Defense Down and Taunt to targets, which disrupts enemies and creates opportunities for the team to attack.

Guardian excels in Raids and War Defense, where his ability to increase team health in Raids and boost armor in War Defense makes him a formidable presence. His Defense Down on enemy death triggers frequently in Raids, setting up opportunities for additional damage. The combination of his Barrier, Offense Up, and Regeneration on spawn makes the Alpha Flight team highly resilient and effective in a variety of game modes.

For his Iso-8 synergies, the Striker class is particularly effective, as it helps maintain Guardian’s Regeneration, which in turn provides a significant armor bonus to the team, complementing his passive ability and further strengthening his role as a support and control character.

In summary, Guardian’s kit is designed to maximize the effectiveness of the Alpha Flight team, providing essential support in the form of offense boosts, defense enhancements, and team-wide survivability. His presence significantly boosts both the team’s damage output and durability, making him a key character for any player focusing on Alpha Flight.

How to Unlock Guardian

Unlocking Guardian in Marvel Strike Force requires participation in specific in-game events and resource management. The primary event for unlocking him is the “On Guard For Thee” event, which runs for 7 days. During this event, players need to earn Aman Orb Fragments, which are mainly obtained through Arena rewards and the web milestone. Additionally, players will need to battle in Cosmic Crucible to earn points toward the milestone. The event also incorporates dog tags and pickup truck keys, which feed into the monthly event. The “On Guard For Thee” event begins on June 24th at 2 p.m. PDT and ends on July 1st at 2 p.m. PDT. Participating in this event will grant at least 85 shards of Guardian.

A crucial part of the unlock process is the web milestone event, called “Glorious and Free.” This milestone requires spending “X Marks the Spot” energy, which is earned through two 50-core refreshes of the Alpha Flight Showcase event per day. Spending 100 cores daily ensures you gain significant rewards, including 38,200 points for the main event milestone and 15,000 Aman Orb Fragments, which are equivalent to 7.5 Aman Orbs.

Your rank in Arena plays a key role in collecting Aman Orb Fragments. Higher arena ranks yield more points, but even lower ranks offer a reasonable amount. For example, ranking in the top 50-100 will grant about 21,000 points over 7 days, while ranking from 101-250 will get around 17,500 points. Players ranked 500-1500 will earn approximately 12,000 points.

Additionally, participating in Cosmic Crucible battles contributes 22,500 points, regardless of whether you win or lose the battles. Aman Orbs, which contain Guardian shards, can also be earned through the web milestone and Arena ranking, so the higher you rank, the more orbs you’ll receive.

Daily free claims will also contribute to your progress. Players can spend 675 power cores for a chance to unlock 180 shards of Guardian, though the typical result is between 4-10 shards. It’s generally more efficient to use cores for 45-shard characters rather than the 100-shard ones.

For a free-to-play unlock, ensure that you refresh the “X Marks the Spot” energy daily with 100 cores to complete the web milestone and gain substantial points and Aman Orb fragments. Participate in Cosmic Crucible battles, even if they result in a loss, and focus on achieving a high Arena rank to earn more Aman Orb Fragments. While the point difference isn’t massive between ranks, a higher rank will still help you get more shards.

By following these steps and engaging actively in the events, you can guarantee a free-to-play unlock of Guardian, obtaining at least 85 shards from the milestones, with the potential for additional shards from the Aman orbs.

Additional Notes

Guardian is primarily a support character and leader for the Alpha Flight team, focusing on enhancing his team’s survivability and damage output rather than dealing high damage himself. While he has a high health stat, which is crucial for his barrier ability, he is not a tank, as he lacks taunt mechanics. He can be built with the Fortifier Iso-8 class to increase his durability, but his role is to provide team-wide benefits such as Offense Up, Regeneration, and Defense Down rather than directly dealing damage. His abilities are designed to help his team thrive in Raids and War Defense, making him a key component of the Alpha Flight team.

When building your Alpha Flight team, it’s important to prioritize Guardian’s abilities in a way that maximizes team effectiveness, particularly in War and Raids. His kit is designed to support and enhance his teammates, so you should use him alongside other Alpha Flight members to achieve the best results. Be sure to keep up with the current meta, as the Alpha Flight team is a spotlight raid team, and staying updated will ensure you earn the maximum rewards.

When considering T4 ability material investments, the highest priority should be upgrading Guardian’s Passive ability. This ability provides a substantial armor bonus to the Alpha Flight team, making it an essential upgrade. The Ultimate ability should be your second highest priority due to the valuable Stun and Defense Down it provides. The Basic and Special abilities should be low-priority upgrades unless you have a surplus of T4 materials.

For Iso-8 recommendations, the Striker class is the best choice for Raids and War Defense. This class will allow Guardian to maintain his Regeneration, which is key for boosting the team’s armor. The Raider class is a good option for other game modes, as Guardian’s attacks affect multiple targets, and this class will enable him to spread Vulnerable debuffs. The Fortifier class is another option if you want to improve his tankiness, though it’s less crucial than the Striker or Raider classes.

For the “On Guard For Thee” event, which is the main way to unlock Guardian, focus on the web milestone and spend 100 cores daily on the “X Marks the Spot” energy refresh to maximize your progress. Participating in Cosmic Crucible battles, even if you lose, is important for earning points, and ranking higher in Arena will give you more Aman Orbs, though ranking extremely high is not necessary for a free-to-play unlock.

Finally, keep an eye on game balance changes, as updates can affect character performance and event accessibility. It’s important to stay informed to make the best decisions for your team. Additionally, consider hoarding Spotlight Raid Orbs, as the developers plan to update the characters in the orb rather than removing it, giving you a chance to acquire new or improved characters in the future.

By following these additional notes, you can make informed decisions about using Guardian and the Alpha Flight team, ensuring you’re optimizing your resources and participation in events.