Marvel Strike Force Storm - Theria Games

Introduction

Marvel Strike Force Storm, also known as Ororo Munroe, is a playable character in Marvel Strike Force, bringing several key character tags, including Hero, Global, Mutant, Controller, and X-Men, with the additional Uncanny X-Men tag. As a Controller, Storm has the ability to provide assists, as well as inflict stuns and slows, which can be crucial in team battles.

Though Storm is an iconic mutant and an omega-level character, opinions on her in-game performance are mixed. Some players feel that her current version doesn’t live up to expectations, often describing her as ineffective or weak, particularly in certain X-Men team setups. Others, however, find her surprisingly durable and capable of offering a significant boost to their team’s damage due to her speed and assist capabilities, which have a 50% chance to trigger. Some players even prefer her over Psylocke in certain X-Men team compositions, though others have moved on from using her after Cyclops’ introduction due to the randomness of her assist ability.

Abilities Breakdown

Cold Shock and Blow

Level: 1

Damage: 80

Ice Storm

Level: 1

Damage: 60

Storm of the Century

Level: 1

Damage: 70

Wind Rider

Level: 1

Gain Speed Up: 30

Basic – Cold Shock and Blow, this ability attacks the primary target for 200% damage. If Storm has charges, it also targets adjacent enemies for 150% damage. Upon using this ability, Storm gains +1 Charged, up to a maximum of 20 charges, which is especially valuable in Raids. This ability is the most frequently used in Storm’s kit, as it is used about 90% of the time in battle. However, some players feel the damage output is not strong enough, with some referring to it as ineffective compared to other abilities.

The splash damage to adjacent targets is useful, but its effectiveness can be reduced by enemy armor and defense buffs. At max level 7, this ability allows Storm to gain +2 Charged each time it is used, whereas, without the upgrade, it stops providing charges once she hits 15 Charged.

Special – Ice Storm, this ability costs 8 ability energy and deals 150% damage to all enemies with a 50% chance to apply Slow to each target at max ability level. When Storm has charges, this chance to apply Slow increases by 20% per charge, potentially reaching 100% with enough charges. There is also a 10% chance to apply Stun, which increases by 10% per charge, meaning a 100% chance to stun can be achieved with 10 charges. The attack has 100% Focus and cannot be dodged, which also counteracts Blind.

However, the high energy cost and the fact that Storm loses all her charges upon use make this ability less appealing, with some players suggesting it is best used only on the first turn for a chance to apply Slow. On Crucible Offense, if Jean Grey is an ally and Storm is accompanied by 3 or more Immortal X-Men, or in Raids with Jean Grey and 3 or more Uncanny Avengers, this attack applies Trauma to all enemies for 2 turns. Upgrading this ability to level 5 is recommended to guarantee a 100% chance to Slow with fewer charges.

Ultimate – Storm of the Century, this ability costs 10 ability energy and deals 100% damage to all enemies if used without any charges. The damage increases by 90% per charge at level 6 and 100% per charge at level 7. With 20 charges, this ability can deal substantial damage, potentially reaching 1900% damage at level 6 and around 260,000 damage at level 7. The ability consumes all of Storm’s charges upon use.

This ability is seen as Storm’s primary source of value, capable of wiping out entire enemy teams when fully charged. However, its high energy cost and dependency on charges limit its consistency, with some players finding it impractical for frequent use due to the time required to build up charges.

Passive – Wind Rider, on an X-Men or X-Force ally’s turn, Storm has a 50% chance to apply Speed Up to X-Men and X-Force allies, as well as a 50% chance to grant an assist to herself or a random X-Men or X-Force ally. The effectiveness of this passive ability is heavily tied to the presence of both X-Men and X-Force characters, which some players view as a weak team combination.

The randomness of the assists and the 50% chance for both effects to trigger are seen as drawbacks. Maxing out this passive ability with T4 upgrades allows Storm to gain +3 Charged per turn, significantly helping her reach the maximum charge faster. However, it is important to note that assists do not generate charges for Storm. While some players feel that the passive does not help in creating a strong “mutant hero brawler” team, others view the Speed Up and assists as a valuable boost to damage for an X-Men team.

Overall, Storm’s abilities reflect a character designed for charge-based strategies, with high potential in specific game modes like Raids, but some limitations in more general scenarios.

Role and Game Mode Viability

Storm in Marvel Strike Force plays primarily as a Controller, leveraging her ability to provide assists, stuns, and slows, making her an asset in various team compositions. Tagged as Hero, Global, Mutant, and X-Men, particularly Uncanny X-Men, her role and effectiveness vary significantly depending on the game mode. While some players value her speed and assist capabilities for boosting damage, her charge mechanic, which requires her to build up charges over time, makes her more suitable for longer battles, particularly in Raids.

In Raids, Storm shines due to her charge system, where charges persist between nodes, allowing her to build up and use her powerful ultimate ability. With up to 20 charges, her ultimate can deal massive damage, potentially wiping out entire enemy waves.

She is particularly effective as a boss killer, especially in Greek Raids, and is considered a “god tier” character in Thanos Raids on certain nodes. However, her reliance on using her basic ability to build charges over multiple turns can be seen as repetitive and inefficient by some players, even though it’s used about 90% of the time. While Storm can be useful in Ultimus raids, her squishiness requires support from the team to keep her alive long enough to build charges. With the introduction of Beast, Storm’s role in Raids remains important, potentially filling a role similar to Phoenix for healing and buffs.

In Arena and Blitz, Storm is generally viewed as less effective. Her role is often overshadowed by her reliance on charge buildup, which doesn’t fit well with the fast-paced nature of these modes. Although some players appreciate her speed and assist potential, the randomness of her passive’s speed-up and assist procs makes her inconsistent. On Arena defense, her AI behavior—using her basic multiple times before deploying her special—reduces her threat, as she isn’t contributing effectively in the early turns. Similarly, in Blitz, where battles are typically shorter, Storm’s potential for building charges is limited, although her splash damage from her basic ability and the chance to apply Slow with her special can be useful early on.

In War, opinions on Storm’s effectiveness are mixed. Some players prefer her over Psylocke when running X-Men on offense, especially when used alongside Coulson. She is also considered part of a potential Uncanny X-Men team for War offense. In Campaigns, while Storm is usable, the shorter nature of the individual nodes makes it difficult for her to reach her full potential due to her charge-based gameplay. In Crucible, Storm’s ability to apply Trauma with her special under specific team compositions involving Jean Grey and Immortal X-Men allies makes her valuable in certain situations.

The developers have hinted that Storm’s role will expand in future game modes, particularly one featuring persistent health, which could allow her charge mechanic to shine in a similar manner to Raids. While her current kit can feel limited in shorter, faster modes like Arena and Blitz, her potential for high damage output in longer battles like Raids, combined with future synergies, keeps her a character worth investing in.

Team Compositions and Synergies

Storm has historically been a core member of the X-Men team in Marvel Strike Force, often alongside characters like Phoenix, Wolverine, Psylocke, and Colossus. However, the introduction of Cyclops has shifted the landscape, sparking debates about the optimal X-Men lineup.

The most common composition now includes Phoenix, Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, and Psylocke, leaving Storm’s place in the team up for discussion. She is often the character most likely to be removed from the primary X-Men team due to a perceived lack of synergy compared to the others. Despite this, some players continue to value her for the speed-ups and assists she provides, which can significantly boost the damage output of the team. These players might prefer keeping Storm in place of Psylocke, especially in situations where debuffs are not a major concern.

With Wolverine’s high synergy within the X-Men team, some players argue that he is the least likely to be removed, while others may consider swapping Storm for Psylocke, particularly when facing debuff-heavy teams. The introduction of Beast may further alter the composition, with some players suggesting that both Psylocke and Storm might be replaced by Beast to focus on healing and buffs.

Storm also has synergy with X-Force, as her passive ability can apply Speed Up and grant assists to both X-Men and X-Force allies. This makes her a strong addition to an X-Force team alongside characters like Deadpool and Cable. Some players have experimented with creating a secondary mutant team consisting of Storm, Deadpool, and Cable, possibly adding characters like Sinister or Stryfe. However, others have criticized the synergy of a full X-Men/X-Force team, finding the lack of strong team-wide buffs and overall cohesion problematic.

In addition to her core team compositions, Storm has been placed in various alternative setups. Some players use her on a "misfit" team in Blitz or War, alongside characters like Ant-Man, Wasp, Yondu, and Hulk, taking advantage of her AoE potential. In Raids, particularly Greek Raids, Storm can serve as an effective boss killer, especially when her ultimate is fully charged. Her charge mechanic is also beneficial in longer raids like U7's Techwing, where the longer fights allow her to build up her charges. However, Storm's squishiness often requires pairing her with defensive support characters like Drax, or with offense-boosting characters like Kingpin or Lieutenant, to maximize the impact of her ultimate.

When considering Storm's Iso-8 setup, the Raider class is generally recommended, as it allows her to apply Vulnerable to enemies, which her teammates can exploit. This is particularly useful on teams like Immortal X-Men and Uncanny Avengers, where Storm is often the fastest character. The Striker class may be a viable option for Dark Dimension, where building up charges for her powerful ultimate can be especially effective, but due to her random assists, Raider remains the more reliable choice for maximizing damage and applying Vulnerable.

Storm’s passive ability provides a 50% chance to apply Speed Up and a 50% chance to grant an assist to herself or a random X-Men or X-Force ally on each X-Men or X-Force ally's turn. While this can be beneficial, the randomness of these procs and the need for a mixed X-Men and X-Force team to fully capitalize on her passive is a drawback. Assists do not build charges for Storm, although counters from characters like Cable can help her gain charges. Upgrading her passive with T4 ability materials grants her +3 Charged per turn, significantly speeding up her charge accumulation, especially in Raids.

Lastly, Storm is listed as a part of an Uncanny X-Men War Offense team, suggesting that despite the debates about her place in the primary X-Men composition, she still offers value in War due to her synergies or specific bonuses in that game mode.

In summary, while Storm has been a key member of the X-Men team, her optimal placement has become more flexible with the addition of Cyclops. She is often better suited for Raids or alternative compositions with X-Force allies like Deadpool and Cable. Her passive ability provides useful speed-ups and assists but requires a specific team composition to shine. Her role in Arena and Blitz may be more limited due to her reliance on charge mechanics, but she remains valuable in the right contexts, particularly for players who can maximize her unique abilities in longer battles.

ISO-8 Recommendations

The primary ISO-8 class recommended for Storm is Raider. This is because all of her abilities affect multiple targets, making Raider's ability to apply Vulnerable to enemies highly effective. By applying Vulnerable to several enemies, Storm enables her teammates to deal increased critical damage, which significantly boosts overall team effectiveness. Additionally, Storm is typically the fastest character on both Immortal X-Men and Uncanny Avengers teams, further enhancing the Raider class by allowing her to apply Vulnerable before her teammates can act. The AoE critical hits from the Raider class can potentially wipe out entire waves of enemies, making it a strong choice for maximizing her potential in team-based battles.

While Raider is the preferred choice, the Striker class is a situational alternative. If Storm is being used in Dark Dimension, where the focus is on building her charges to unleash her powerful ultimate, Striker may be a better option for increased damage. However, this is more niche compared to Raider's consistent utility. Skirmisher is another potential class, primarily for its bonus chance to land debuffs. However, due to Storm’s passive, which grants assists to a random X-Men ally, it is difficult to reliably set up a Striker/Skirmisher combo, making Skirmisher less optimal than Raider.

Ultimately, Raider is the best option for Storm to maximize her multi-target abilities, speed, and overall damage output. Striker can be useful in specific contexts like Dark Dimension, while Skirmisher is generally less reliable due to the randomness of her assists.

T4 Ability Priority

First and foremost, it is recommended to max out her Passive ability. This upgrade is crucial because it enables Storm to gain +3 Charged per turn, which accelerates her ability to reach the maximum of 20 charges more quickly. This can have a substantial impact on her overall effectiveness in battle.

Next, upgrading her Special ability is highly beneficial, especially in Crucible Offense and Raids. On Crucible Offense, if Jean Grey is an ally and Storm is accompanied by three or more Immortal X-Men allies, or in Raids with Jean Grey and three or more Uncanny Avengers allies, Storm's Special attack will apply Trauma for two turns to all enemies. Given Storm's speed and her tendency to use the Special early in fights, applying mass Trauma early can significantly disrupt enemy teams.

The Ultimate ability is also an important upgrade, as it boosts both her overall damage output and the damage per charge. This can lead to substantial damage when her Ultimate is used at full charge, making it a powerful tool in her arsenal.

Finally, upgrading Storm's Basic ability is also a solid choice. This upgrade ensures that Storm gains +2 Charged each time she uses her Basic attack. Without the upgrade, her Basic ability would stop providing charges once she reaches 15 Charged, though other abilities would still continue to provide charges.

In conclusion, the recommended T4 priority for Storm is: Passive > Special > Ultimate > Basic.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Storm in Marvel Strike Force has a mix of notable strengths and weaknesses, making her a versatile but situational character.

Strengths:

Storm's charge-based abilities can deliver powerful AoE damage and mass debuffs like Slow and Stun. Her assists and speed boost team performance. With high offensive stats for a controller, her ultimate can hit 1,900% damage when fully charged, potentially wiping out enemies in raids. Her charge mechanic lets her retain charges between raid nodes, setting up for a strong ultimate.

Her passive provides a 50% chance to apply Speed Up and assist X-Men and X-Force allies. Her basic attack, when charged, deals splash damage, and she excels in long battles, like Techwing in U7 raids. Storm is effective in Uncanny X-Men War Offense teams, and her Special can apply Trauma to all enemies when paired with Jean Grey and allies.

Weaknesses:

Storm lacks synergy with the primary X-Men team, with many recommending her removal. Her passive's randomness makes it unreliable. Her basic attack does minimal damage despite being used often, and her special ability is considered weak. While her ultimate is powerful, it takes time to charge, making it impractical in shorter battles. Storm's low health, armor, and resistance make her vulnerable in combat. Her tags don't provide strong synergies, limiting her usefulness in various game modes. Storm is often ineffective in Arena and Blitz, where her AI doesn’t use her special efficiently. Some players find her design repetitive, relying on basic attacks before using her impactful abilities, and feel her ultimate’s buildup makes her underwhelming in fast-paced battles.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while Storm in Marvel Strike Force has valuable attributes, her overall effectiveness remains a point of debate. The primary ISO-8 class for her is Raider, as all of her skills hit multiple targets, allowing her to apply Vulnerable, a key benefit of this class. Skirmisher is considered a secondary option for its debuffing potential, but her passive’s randomness makes it less reliable for Striker/Skirmisher combinations.

Storm’s strengths are rooted in her charge-based abilities, which can deliver significant AoE damage or mass crowd control. Her ultimate, with the potential to deal up to 1,900% damage at max charge, makes her an effective raid boss killer. She also provides speed and assists to X-Men and X-Force allies through her passive, making her a potentially useful support character.

Her offensive stats are high for a controller, which helps offset the frequent use of her basic attack. In longer raid nodes, like those in Techwing (U7), she can build charges over time, making her more valuable. Storm also fits into an Uncanny X-Men War Offense team, and upgrading her basic ability can increase the speed at which she gains charges.

However, her weaknesses are significant. Many players agree that she lacks synergy with the core X-Men team, making her a frequent candidate for removal. Her passive's random speed-ups and assists are often considered too inconsistent. Her basic attack is often seen as underwhelming for its frequent use, and her special ability is widely criticized for being weak and inefficient, consuming charges better used for her ultimate.

The high energy cost of her ultimate makes it impractical in shorter game modes like Arena and Blitz. Storm’s low health, armor, and resistance make her fragile, and her reliance on building charges often leaves her stuck using her basic attack, leading some to describe her design as "boring." She is seen as too niche, with most of her utility tied to raids, leaving her less impactful in other game modes. Additionally, her inability to gain charges from assists frustrates many players.

There is ongoing discussion about whether Storm should remain in the X-Men team or be utilized with other characters, such as Deadpool and Cable. Some players appreciate her speed and assists enough to keep her in the X-Men team, possibly replacing Psylocke, but the lack of reliable synergy in broader X-Force/X-Men teams hinders her potential. Finally, there is a strong desire for a rework or a more powerful "legendary" version of Storm that better matches her iconic status and potential as a "Queen of Battlefield effects." The current version is often seen as underperforming compared to her lore.