Doctor Strange Heartless

Villain| Cosmic| Mystic| Blaster| Darkhold| A heartbroken Doctor Strange absorbed countless otherworldly beings in a search for enough power to return his lost love, but found only the destructive might to demolish his foes.

Character Abilities

Assist/Counter (Passive)

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Supreme Blast

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Ikonnic Blast

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Demonic Embrace

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Heartless

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Marvel Strike Force Doctor Strange Heartless is a versatile and powerful member of the Darkhold team and his abilities are built to offer strong support, barrier application, and high burst damage potential.

Basic – Supreme Blast: Targets the primary enemy and adjacent foes with piercing damage. At base level, flips one positive effect on the primary target; upgrades increase the number flipped (up to two on all targets at level 6). T4 adds more piercing damage. This un-blockable attack is effective against high-defense enemies.

Special – Iconic Blast: Costs 3 energy with a 3-turn cooldown. Copies and clears up to two positive effects (excluding Taunt) from the primary target. When upgraded and charged, it clears all. Deals 400% damage, applies Slow for two turns, and reduces the speed bar (up to 25% if charged). Has +500% Focus. T4 boosts damage and speed bar reduction, making it a top upgrade.

Ultimate – Demonic Embrace: AoE attack with 7 energy cost and 4-turn cooldown. Deals 300% damage to all enemies, with bonus 50% per effect on Doctor Strange (Heartless) and the primary target. Grants three charges and is unavoidable. T4 increases damage useful if built as a main damage dealer.

Passive – Heartless: Grants 20% self-heal per turn when charged (consumes one charge). Gives 5–15% barrier to Darkhold allies at the end of their turns. While charged, boosts team crit chance and damage by 25%. Gains Offense Up or Speed Up when enemies die. T4 boosts crit stats and barrier strength—key for survivability and team damage.

Darkhold Team Synergy

The Darkhold team in Marvel Strike Force, featuring Doctor Strange (Heartless), is designed for high synergy and exceptional performance in Arena, built around a blend of barrier-based protection, debuff application, and heavy burst damage. The current team lineup includes Doctor Strange (Heartless), Morgan Le Fay, Scarlet Witch (reworked), and Wong, with a fifth member yet to be revealed. Each member contributes unique mechanics that enhance the effectiveness of the group as a whole, particularly when it comes to barrier management and effect manipulation.

Doctor Strange (Heartless) serves as both a Protector and Damage Dealer for the Darkhold team. His passive grants barriers to allies, boosting survivability, and when charged via his ultimate, he provides team-wide barriers and boosts critical stats. His ultimate, Demonic Embrace, is a powerful AoE that scales with positive and negative effects, making him deadly when paired with allies who manipulate buffs and debuffs.

The rest of the team enhances this synergy. Morgan Le Fay boosts barrier effectiveness in Arena, controls turn order, and sets up enemies for Strange’s damage. Wong anchors the frontline with taunt, high resistance, and status transfer, amplifying Strange’s scaling. Scarlet Witch, though her full kit isn’t revealed, likely supports with effect manipulation and utility. Together, the Darkhold team excels at control, damage scaling, and protection, making them dominant in competitive modes. A future fifth member is expected to enhance energy flow or cooldown reduction, rounding out their high-impact, synergy-driven playstyle.

Iso-8 Recommendations

Optimizing Iso-8 classes is key to maximizing the Darkhold team’s effectiveness in high-level content like Arena, Dark Dimension, and Cosmic Crucible. Each member benefits from specific Iso-8 choices that enhance their natural strengths and team synergy.

Doctor Strange (Heartless) performs best with the Raider class due to his high Crit Chance and Crit Damage. This amplifies his AoE ultimate, Demonic Embrace, and helps apply Vulnerable effects more consistently. Wong fits well as a Striker, as his basic and Iso attacks clear negative effects, providing self-sustain and added frontline damage.

Scarlet Witch and Agatha Harkness both have flexible Iso paths. Scarlet Witch can use Raider for crit-based builds or Skirmisher for reliable debuff application, especially against high-resistance enemies. Agatha benefits from Skirmisher to land key control abilities like her stun or Raider for increased damage when team crit bonuses are active.

Morgan Le Fay is most effective as a Raider, boosting her AoE damage and Vulnerable application. Though Striker is a secondary option due to her strong Iso attack, Raider better supports her overall output. These Iso-8 setups enhance the team’s durability, control, and burst damage making Darkhold a top-tier option in multiple game modes.

T4 Ability Upgrade Priority

Recommended T4 order: Passive > Special > Ultimate > Basic.

Heartless (Passive): Second in overall T4 priority, this upgrade boosts team-wide crit chance and crit damage by 25% when charged, and increases barrier strength. It enhances team durability and synergy, making it a strong investment across all game modes.

Iconic Blast (Special): The top T4 priority. This upgrade adds 15% more speed bar reduction and increased damage, improving turn control and disruption especially valuable in PvP. With low cost and cooldown, it's key to controlling enemy momentum.

Demonic Embrace (Ultimate): Third in priority, this T4 boosts the damage of his AoE attack, which scales with effect counts. While powerful, it’s more situational and doesn’t offer the consistent utility of his special or passive.

Supreme Blast (Basic): Lowest T4 priority. Adds extra piercing damage, but since it's used less often and offers minimal impact compared to his other abilities, it’s better saved for last.

Viability in Different Game Modes

Arena - Darkhold excels here. Morgan boosts barrier cap, Doctor Strange (Heartless) adds crit buffs, and Wong provides defense and control. Their burst and sustain dominate, though mirror matches often come down to who lands Strange’s ultimate first.

Raids - Limited effectiveness. Long cooldowns and no energy regeneration hurt their consistency across nodes. They can clear early waves, but sustained performance is weak. Hybrid teams with energy or healing support perform better.

War (Offense/Defense) - Strong on offense due to control, durability, and burst. Effective against top teams with good timing. On defense, they’re viable but less reliable due to AI misusing abilities and cooldown issues.

Dark Dimension - Doctor Strange (Heartless) can shine individually with strong scaling damage, but the full team struggles with sustain and cooldowns. He’s useful as a Mystic damage dealer, though the full squad isn’t ideal here.

Cosmic Crucible - Strong potential thanks to barrier stacking, turn control, and Arena-style mechanics. Success depends on room buffs and enemy teams, but their core kit translates well to this mode.

Blitz & Real-Time Arena - Well-suited due to fast, impactful abilities and solid defense. Great for quick wins, milestones, and event scoring thanks to their burst and efficiency.

Strength and Weaknesses

Strength - The Darkhold team, led by Doctor Strange (Heartless), is built for high burst damage, strong defenses, and Arena dominance. Doctor Strange’s ultimate deals massive, unavoidable damage that scales with buffs and debuffs, while his passive grants critical hit boosts and barriers to allies. Morgan Le Fay increases the team’s barrier cap, Wong provides taunt, safeguard, and cleanses, and both Scarlet Witch and Agatha add control through debuffs. Their synergy makes them strong in Arena, Blitz, War, and Real-Time Arena.

Weakness - However, the team’s biggest weakness lies in long cooldowns, particularly for Wong and Doctor Strange, which limits their effectiveness in Raids and extended fights. Without energy regeneration, their power drops after initial ability use. Doctor Strange can struggle with survivability at lower stars, and his ultimate’s damage depends on specific battle conditions. Debuff reliability from Scarlet Witch and Agatha also depends on focus investment. Overall, Darkhold excels in short, high-impact battles but faces challenges in sustained modes.

Conclusion

The Darkhold team, led by Doctor Strange (Heartless), thrives in burst-heavy game modes like Arena, Blitz, and Real-Time Arena. Their strengths lie in barrier generation, crit buffs, and strong control abilities. Morgan Le Fay enhances barrier caps in Arena, while Doctor Strange delivers high damage with his scaling, unavoidable ultimate. Their fast output and durability make them ideal for short, high-impact battles.

In War, they’re strong on offense and viable on defense thanks to Wong’s taunt and counterattacks. However, in Raids and Dark Dimension, they struggle due to long cooldowns and lack of energy recovery. Doctor Strange (Heartless) can still contribute strong damage individually. The team shows promise in Cosmic Crucible, but long-term effectiveness will depend on matchups and buffs. Overall, Darkhold excels in fast-paced modes but requires careful planning in extended fights.

Frequently Asked Question (F.A.Q)

🧙‍♂️ What is Doctor Strange (Heartless)'s role in Marvel Strike Force?

He is a hybrid Support/Damage Dealer, offering strong AoE damage, turn meter control, critical buffs for allies, and barrier generation when charged

🛡️ What team is Doctor Strange (Heartless) a part of?

He is a core member of the Darkhold team, alongside Morgan Le Fay, Wong, Agatha Harkness, and Scarlet Witch.

💠 What Iso-8 class is best for Doctor Strange (Heartless)?

Raider is the best choice. His high Crit stats and scaling damage from Demonic Embrace benefit greatly from extra crit chance and Vulnerable application.

⚡ How do I keep him charged for maximum benefit?

Use his Ultimate (Demonic Embrace) to gain charges. While charged, his Passive gives barriers, critical buffs, and increased survivability to Darkhold allies.