Astral | Marvel Church (2024)

Introduction

Astral is the first team designed to dominate the newly released game mode – Battleworld. The team also shines in War and performs extremely well thanks to the leader of the team – Shadow King. Shadow King is also a legendary character that introduces a new game mechanic – Possession
The team includes 2 Mutants, 2 Mystics, and 1 Skill character, following the common composition of 3 new characters and 2 reworked characters.

Astral team excels in mitigation and sustain, making it nearly impossible to breach while also dealing substantial damage to enemies. They boast a variety of healing, barriers, and regeneration abilities, and as a last resort, they can revive fallen allies. Their capacity to inflict damage is impressive, both actively and passively. Additionally, their control capabilities are remarkable, allowing them to flip positive effects on opponents and apply key debuffs effectively, not to mention that they can also clear Trauma from themselves.

Their sustain is superb because they have Drain and can passively regenerate Ability Energy. And that will be necessary for them in the game mode for which they were primarily designed.

Team Members

(left to right)

• Doctor Strange
• Shadow King
• Moondragon
• Ancient One
• Emma Frost (X-Men)

Utility

• Battleworld
• Alliance War

Astral is the first team in the game to have additional Battleworld bonuses, making them dominant in that game mode. Furthermore, when certain Abilities are Awakened, all those bonuses carry over to Alliance War, establishing Astral as one of the strongest teams for that mode.

In Cosmic Crucible, they also prove to be a formidable force, as they are likely the most compact unit with excellent attributes. Each character’s individual value is exceptionally high since many of their Abilities are not limited to just Astral. When you factor in Shadow King, a Legendary character who is among the strongest in the game, you have a team that becomes a nightmare for all opponents.

Team Placement & Turn Order

The arrangement of the members of the Astral Team is flexible, but we have ranked them as follows from left to right: Doctor Strange, Shadow King, Moondragon, Ancient One, and Emma Frost (from the X-Men).

In terms of play order, Emma Frost (X-Men) goes first followed by Shadow King. Ancient One plays next, and Moondragon after her, and Doctor Strange plays last.

Iso-8 Classes

• Doctor Strange – Healer/Raider
• Shadow King – Raider
• Moondragon – Raider
• Ancient One – Raider
• Emma Frost (X-Men) – Striker

To maximize sustainability in Battleworld (and in other game modes), it is crucial to have as many Raiders as possible, as the entire team gains Ability Energy whenever someone lands a critical hit. The more they score critical hits, the more Ability Energy they will gain, enabling them to use Ultimate abilities more frequently. Additionally, whenever they activate their Ultimate, the Possessed effect will trigger, significantly increasing their damage output.

Shadow King, Ancient One, and Moondragon are ideal Raiders because they can target multiple enemies with a lot of their abilities, which further enhances the damage they deal.

Doctor Strange can also take on the Raider role; however, if we want to strengthen the team’s mitigation, we should assign him the Healer Iso-8 class. In Battleworld, having at least one Healer who can remove Vulnerable effects from the team is essential. He passively heals the entire team and has a healing ability—Ultimate—that allows him to revive and heal without attacking opponents. This way, the impact on the team’s damage is minimized if he is designated as a Healer.

Emma Frost (X-Men) is an excellent Striker. With her follow-up attack, she can apply additional Regeneration and Barrier to the ally with the lowest health.

Team T4’s

Essential

• Doctor Strange – Ultimate and Passive
• Shadow King – Passive, Special, Ultimate, and Basic
• Moondragon – Ultimate, Special, and Passive
• Ancient One – Passive, Ultimate, and Special
• Emma Frost (X-Men) – Passive, Special, and Ultimate

Doctor Strange

The Ultimate ability will now revive 2 fallen allies (increased from 1) with 65% Health (up from 40%). It will also generate 3 Ability Energy for Strange and apply the following buffs to the entire Astral team in Battleworld: 2 Counter, 2 Deathproof, and 2 Deflect. If we upgrade the Ultimate to the Awakened level, all benefits gained in Battleworld will also be tied to War.

When the Passive ability is at max level, it will generate 2 Ultimate Ability Energy for Strange the first time an ally dies. This allows him to use his Ultimate as soon as possible to revive a fallen ally. The Awakened Passive in War provides the same buffs to Wong as he has in Battleworld upon his summon: 2 Deathproof, Safeguard (for 2 turns), and 80% Speed Bar.

Shadow King

The Shadow King’s Passive will now produce an additional third of the damage he deals through his Possessed ability, increasing the Piercing damage from 200% to 300%. In Battleworld, opponents cannot spawn with Immunity. The Awakened Passive also prevents opponents from spawning with Immunity in War.

The Maxed Special will apply Defense Down for 2 turns (an increase from 1 turn). More importantly, it will apply Trauma for 2 turns to the primary target. In Battleworld, after using the Special, the Shadow King will spread all negative effects (except Stun and Trauma) from the primary target to adjacent targets. With the Awakened level of the Special, the Shadow King can spread all negative effects (except Stun and Trauma) from the primary target to adjacent targets in War as well.

The Ultimate ability deals increased damage to all opponents and copies and clears all positive effects (except Taunt) from all enemies, transferring them to the Shadow King. In Battleworld, the duration of all negative effects on enemies will be prolonged by 1 turn. The Awakened Ultimate extends the duration of all negative effects by 1 turn for all enemies in War.

The Basic attack will allow the Shadow King to mind control the enemy with the highest damage, making them attack the primary target. Additionally, the Basic attack will apply Blind to the primary target in Battleworld. The Awakened Basic will also apply Blind in War.

Moondragon

Moondragon’s Ultimate ability now deals more damage and heals all allies for 30% of her Max Health, increased from 15%. In Battleworld, it applies Disrupted to all enemies for 2 turns. The Awakened Ultimate allows Moondragon to apply Disrupted in War as well.

Her Special ability not only deals more damage but also reduces the Speed Bar of the primary target by 50%, up from 30%. Additionally, it grants Immunity to all Astral allies. With this upgrade, we enhance both our offensive and defensive capabilities.

The Passive ability enables Moondragon to grant herself and all allies a Barrier equal to 5% of her Max Health in Battleworld when the enemy attacks her or any Astral ally. The Awakened Passive extends this Barrier ability to War, providing a significant boost to the team’s mitigation.

Ancient One

The Ancient One’s Passive ability provides 1 Ability Energy to herself and all Astral allies whenever any member of the Astral team deals a critical hit, if upgraded to level 5. In Battleworld, if she has 3 or more Astral allies, enemy characters cannot spawn with Taunt at the start of any match. The Awakened Passive grants all Battleworld bonuses in War as well. This includes Safeguard on spawn for the entire team, the inability for enemies to spawn with Taunt at the start, and prolonging the duration of all positive effects by +1 on herself and all Astral allies during her turn.

Her Ultimate ability, when fully upgraded, delivers increased Piercing damage to primary and secondary targets and reduces the Speed Bar of the most injured enemy by 100% (up from 50%). This upgrade significantly enhances her control over opponents.

When maxed, her Special ability allows the Ancient One to deal more damage and applies 3 Counters to herself and all allies (up from 1 Counter). The Awakened Special will grant Speed Up to Moondragon and all allies in War, similar to its effect in Battleworld.

Emma Frost (X-Men)

Emma’s Passive ability allows her to clear the Disrupted status in Battleworld whenever she, an Astral ally, or an X-Men ally gains it. When this happens, she removes the Disrupted effect and applies Immunity to the character who gained it. This ability also functions in War once it is Awakened.

When her Special is maxed out, Emma deals increased damage. In Battleworld, using her Special also grants a Barrier to her entire Astral team, equal to 20% of her Max Health. This Barrier is available in War as well when her Special is Awakened.

Her Ultimate deals significantly more damage, plus an additional 10% of the target’s Max Health. Overall, Emma inflicts a considerable amount of damage after using it. Additionally, she provides Immunity to herself and to all Astral and X-Men allies.

Recommended

• Doctor Strange – Special and Basic
• Moondragon – Basic
• Ancient One – Basic
• Emma Frost (X-Men) – Basic

Doctor Strange

The Maximized Special will deal increased Piercing damage to opponents and additional damage equal to 5% of each target’s Max Health, representing a significant upgrade. It will also always convert positive effects into negative effects on all enemies (increased from 90%). This change is important because it eliminates reliance on RNG, ensuring a consistent outcome.

The Basic attack will deal additional Piercing damage and extra damage equal to 3% of the target’s Max Health. Additionally, it will apply Offense Down for 2 turns (increased from 1 turn).

Moondragon

The Basic ability increases the damage dealt by both Moondragon and the mind-controlled enemy to the primary target. Furthermore, she applies Assist Now to one random Astral ally. With this upgrade, we can greatly amplify the damage inflicted on the enemy following Moondragon’s Basic attack.

Ancient One

Basic attack deals increased Piercing damage to the primary and adjacent targets, and on a critical hit, it applies 2 additional Bleed effects to the target.

Emma Frost (X-Men)

Her Basic attack deals increased damage and applies an additional Regeneration effect for 2 turns to the most injured ally. If we maxed her Basic ability, Emmawouldl grant two Regenerations: one for 1 turn and another for 2 turns, to the most injured ally.

Red Stars and Diamonds

Getting 7 Red Stars on newer characters (Ancient One and Emma Frost (X-Men)) shouldn’t be complicated, as long as you open Elite Red Star Orbs when they are featured there. Doctor Strange and Moondragon are older characters so plenty of players might have them at high Red Stars already.

You could also get Red Stars for them from the Incursion Campaign:

• 7 Red Stars for Doctor Strange – Incursion 8-8
• 7 Red Stars for Moondragon – Incursion 6-5

Shadow King is a Legendary character and a certain number of his Red Stars can be collected through his Trials. Most players will have to collect the rest by spending Dark Promotion Credits.

When the two new characters become farmable and free-to-play players are able to collect 7 Yellow/Red Stars for them, we also recommend using Diamonds for them (2 Diamonds for each at least).

Regarding the two reworked characters, we also suggest a minimum of 2 Diamonds on both.

For Shadow King, we will upgrade Diamonds through Dark Diamond Credits.

Farming Locations

• Doctor Strange – Heroes 4-9
• Shadow King – Shadow King Trials
• Moondragon – Nexus 5-3, Milestone III Orbs

On Spawn Buffs

Team:
In all game modes– Defense Up, Barrier for 30% of Emma Frost (X-Men) Max Health

Shadow King – Possessed

Team Mechanics

Astral is a highly sustainable team featuring three Support characters. They excel at producing significant healing, regeneration, and barriers, so this team is almost impossible to break. Astram team members can nearly constantly remove all negative effects, including trauma, from themselves. Simultaneously, they are capable of dealing considerable damage, both actively and passively, while also flipping numerous positive effects onto their enemies. In summary, they offer exceptional sustainability, impressive damage output, and excellent control over the battlefield.

Shadow King

Shadow King is a Legendary character and a key member of the Astral team, known for his unique mechanic: Possessed. He starts the battle with the Possessed status, which allows him to attack the most injured enemy at the end of his turn or when any non-Summoned ally uses their Ultimate. This attack deals Piercing damage, applies Drain, and steals a portion of the target’s Max Health to heal himself. In addition, he fills his Speed Bar and clears a negative effect. While in the Possessed state, Shadow King cannot gain Trauma or Stun.

If Shadow King is eliminated during battle, the Possessed status transfers to a random Astral ally, granting them the same abilities. Should Shadow King be revived, he regains the Possessed status.

With his Basic attack, Shadow King targets the primary enemy and applies 2 Bleed effects for 2 turns. In Battleworld, he also applies Blind to the primary target. Furthermore, he mind-controls the enemy with the highest Damage, forcing them to attack the primary target. When forced to attack an ally, Shadow King deals reduced damage to that ally.

If his Basic attack is upgraded to Awakened, he will apply Blind to the primary target during War as well.

The Special ability costs 5 Energy and can be used on the first turn. When activated, the Shadow King applies 2 Evade and Offense Up (for 2 turns) to himself and all Astral allies. He then flips all positive effects into negative effects on the primary target and adjacent targets. Then he attacks the primary target and applies Trauma (for 2 turns), Ability Block (for 1 turn), and Defense Down (for 2 turns). After that, he attacks the adjacent targets. This attack gains +500% Extra Focus and is Unavoidable. In Battleworld (also in War if he has Awakened Special), he spreads all negative effects (except Stun and Trauma) from the primary target to all adjacent targets. This move effectively buffs Shadow King’s Astral team while flipping the positive effects on your enemies and applying essential debuffs.

The Ultimate ability costs 6 Ability Energy and can be used on the second turn. The Shadow King reduces the duration of all negative effects on himself and each ally by 2 turns (any negative effect with a duration of 0 expires instantly, including Trauma). He heals himself and all allies for 20% of his Max Health, then copies and clears all positive effects (except Taunt) from all enemies. Following this, he attacks all opponents with substantial damage, and this attack cannot be blocked or dodged. In Battleworld, he prolongs the duration of all negative effects by 1 turn for all enemies. The Ultimate Awakened ability also extends the duration of all negative effects by 1 turn for all enemies in War.

The Shadow King’s Ultimate is a unique way for your entire team to eliminate Trauma. He is currently the only character in the game capable of doing this.

His Passive is all-around Possessed:

On Spawn, gain Possessed + clear Possessed from all allies.

When this character or when any Astral ally has Possessed, at the End of that character’s Turn, or when any non-Summoned Ally uses their Ultimate Ability:

• Clear all Barrier from the most injured enemy.
• Attack the most injured enemy for 300% Piercing + 50% Drain + Steal 5% of that enemy’s Max Health and redistribute to the Possessed character.
• Fill the Possessed Character’s Speed Bar by 15% + clear 1 negative effect on the Possessed character.
• Characters that have Possessed cannot gain Trauma or Stun.
• When a character that has Possessed dies, apply Possessed to a random Astral ally that does not have Possessed.
• In Battleworld, this will also trigger when any Astral ally uses their Special ability.
• In Battleworld, enemies cannot Spawn with Immunity.

If we upgrade his Passive to Awakened, Shadow King will also prevent enemies from Spawning with Immunity in War.

Ancient One

The Ancient One is the Brawler for the Astral team, capable of dealing immense damage while providing the team with Ability Energy. All her attacks are Piercing, meaning she ignores enemy Defense.

Her Basic attack targets the primary enemy, applying 2 Bleed effects. If she lands a Critical Hit, she adds an additional 2 Bleed effects. When forced to attack an ally, she deals reduced damage to Astral characters.

The Special attack costs 4 Ability Energy and can be used on the first turn. This ability flips all positive effects on all opponents into negative effects, then attacks them while applying Heal Block for 2 turns. This attack gains an additional 50% Critical Damage. Afterward, the Ancient One applies 3 Counter to herself and all allies. In Battleworld, she also grants Speed Up to herself and all allies, making it an excellent way to counter opponents’ advantages.

If she has Awakened Special, Ancient One applies Speed ​​Up to herself and all allies in Battleworld and War.

The Ultimate ability costs 6 Energy and can be used starting on the second turn. It attacks the primary target and then performs a Rebound Chain to 3 adjacent enemies (note that a counterattack will break this Chain). Afterward, it attacks the most injured enemy, applies Stun, and reduces their Speed Bar by 100%. Following the attack, the Ancient One grants Safeguard to herself and all Astral allies.

The Ancient One’s Passive ability enables her to provide Ability Energy to the Astral team. Every time someone scores a Critical hit, she generates 1 Ability Energy for the entire team. At the start of her turn, she flips Heal Block on herself and all allies.

When the Ancient One has the Counter buff, she reduces the enemy’s critical chance by 50%. This passive ability works especially well with her Special move, as the Counter she provides benefits the entire team. She also has a 100% chance to counterattack, ensuring that she will always retaliate. Additionally, she gains a passive bonus of 25% critical damage and 25% critical chance. In Battleworld, all Astral allies gain those +25% buffs on critical chance and damage.

The Focus of Ancient one and all her Astral allies can only be reduced with Offense Down. So any passive Focus reducing by the enemy will not work against them.

In Battleworld:

• If this character has 3 or more Astral allies, at the start of any match, enemy characters cannot spawn with Taunt.
• On Spawn, apply Safeguard to self and all Astral allies.
• On Turn, prolong the duration of all positive effects by +1, up to a maximum of 3, on self and all Astral allies.

If she has the Awakened Passive, everything that applies to Battleworld also applies to War.

Emma Frost (X-Men)

Emma Frost (X-Men) is a Support character who excels in using Mind Control attacks on enemies while protecting her team with various Regenerations and Barriers.

In Battleworld, she will fill Speed ​​Bar for herself and all Astral and X-Men allies by 40%

In Battleworld, she additionally grants a Barrier to herself and all Astral and X-Men allies, equal to 20% of her Max Health. If she has her Awakened Special, Emma can also apply a Barrier in War.

Ultimate Ability:

Cost: 5 Ability Energy (usable in the second turn).

Emma Frost will first clear all Barriers on all enemies, then she will attack the primary and adjacent targets. If she does not have Trauma, she will copy and remove all negative effects (except Stun) from all Astral and X-Men allies, transferring them to herself and then from herself to the primary target. This is an excellent strategy for the Astral team to eliminate negative effects and place them on an enemy. Following this, Emma will use Mind Control on all enemies adjacent to the primary target, forcing them to attack primary target. They will receive a +50% Damage boost for this attack. Finally, Emma will create a barrier for herself and all allies, granting them 30% of her Max Health, and apply Immunity to herself and all Astral and X-Men allies. This ability can effectively eliminate one of the opponents.

Emma fills Speed Bar for herself and Astral and X-Men allies by 20% (40% in Battleworld).

Passive Ability:

On Spawn:

• Apply Defense Up to herself and all allies.
• Create a Barrier for herself and all Astral and X-Men allies (30% of her Max Health).

When the character or an Astral ally drops below 50% Health for the first time:

• Clear all negative effects on that character.
• Create a Barrier for that character, (30% of Emma’s Max Health).

In Battleworld:

• Whenever this character, an Astral ally, or an X-Men ally gains Disrupted, clear all Disrupted effects and apply Immunity to that character.
• If she had the Awakened Passive, Emma would perform the same actions in War as she does in Battleworld.

Additionally, Emma Frost (X-Men) prevents non-Mythic enemies from increasing their Speed, except through positive effects.

In Battleworld, if Emma has 3 or more Astral or X-Men allies, the maximum Health that the Boss Knull can lose a turn is increased by 50%. For example, if the damage limit we can do to Knull is 4 million, with Emma on the team, it will be 6 million.

Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange is a Support character who can consistently Heal the Astral team and has a Charged mechanic, which we will explain further in the Passive description. Notably, this mechanic allows him to summon Wong. All of Doctor Strange’s attacks deal Piercing damage.

With Basic Doctor Strange attacks the primary target (Unavoidable), dealing Piercing damage plus 3% of the target’s Max Health. He also applies Offense Down for 2 turns, reducing the target’s offensive potential. Additionally, he gains a Barrier equal to 5% of his Max Health. If forced to attack an ally, Strange deals reduced damage to Astral characters.

When using his Special, Strange first attacks all enemies with Piercing damage, dealing an additional 5% of each target’s Max Health and flips all positive effects into negatives on all targets. Then he apply 2 random negative effects to the primary target. This attack is Unavoidable and cannot be countered or blocked, providing the Astral team another way to flip opposing positive effects.

The Ultimate Ability clears all negative effects from Doctor Strange and his allies. He also Revives two random dead allies with 65% Health and heal all allies for 20% of his Max Health. In Battleworld, after using the Ultimate, Strange gains 3 Ability Energy and applies 2 Counter, 2 Deathproof, and 2 Deflect to himself and all Astral allies. If the Ultimate is upgraded to the Awakened level, Strange receives the same bonuses in War as well.

Passive

On Turn:

• Fill the Speed Bar of the ally with the lowest Speed Bar by 15%.
• Heal himself and all allies for 5% of this character’s Max Health.

When a Positive Effect is Applied to an Enemy:

• Heal for 5% of this character’s Max Health.
• Gain +1 Deflect, up to a maximum of 5.

The first time an ally dies, Strange generates 2 Ultimate Ability Energy for himself, allowing him to use his Ultimate as soon as possible.

Charged Mechanic:
Doctor Strange’s Charged mechanic activates when an opponent attacks him or any of his allies, granting +1 Charged. At the end of his turn, if Strange has 5 or more Charged and does not already have a summoned Wong ally, he will summon Wong. The summoned Wong receives +300% Focus. In Battleworld, Wong spawns with 2 Deathproof, Safeguard (for 2 turns), and 80% Speed Bar. If Strange’s Passive is Awakened, Wong retains these bonuses in War as well. Wong as a classic Protector capable of countering and covering the rest of the team with Taunt is an amazing addition to the Astral team.

Moondragon

Moondragon is a Support character on the Astral team, capable of healing her allies, buffing them, removing positive effects from opponents, and manipulating their Speed Bar.

With her Basic attack, she strikes the primary target, dealing solid damage plus 5% of the target’s Max Health. If there is more than one non-summoned enemy, Moondragon can Mind Control one non-summoned enemy to attack the primary target. The controlled character receives a +40% Damage boost for this attack. Additionally, she applies Assist Now to one random Phyla-Vell ally and one random Astral ally. If she is forced to attack an ally, Moondragon will deal reduced damage to Astral characters.

For her Special ability, Moondragon flips Immunity on the primary target, then clears all positive effects from all enemies. She follows this with an attack on the primary target, dealing moderate damage plus 5% of the target’s Max Health, applying Slow (for 2 turns), and reducing the primary target’s Speed Bar by 50%. Afterward, she grants Immunity to herself and all Astral allies. This attack has a +1000% Focus, ensuring she successfully removes all positive effects from the opponents and inflicts Slow on the primary target. Finally, Moondragon heals all allies for 30% of her Max Health and applies Defense Up and Deflect to everyone. This move effectively heals and buffs the entire team while removing all buffs from opponents and delaying the turn of one of them, usually the most dangerous enemy.

When Moondragon uses her Ultimate ability, she heals all allies for 30% of her maximum health. She then applies Defense Down to all enemies for 2 turns and attacks them all. In Battleworld—and in War if her Ultimate is Awakened—she applies Disrupted to all enemies for 2 turns, preventing them from gaining any buffs.

Through her Passive ability, Moondragon grants herself, Infinity Watch, or any Astral ally +1 Evade, +1 Defense Up, and +1 Deflect when their health drops below 50%. She also provides a +30% Drain boost to the entire Astral team.

In Battleworld (and in War if her Passive is Awakened), when the enemy attacks Moondragon or an Astral ally, she grants a Barrier to herself and all allies equal to 5% of her maximum health.

Overall, Moondragon plays a crucial role in team sustain, which is vital in Battleworld as the Astral team faces waves of enemies in long and exhausting battles.

Moondragon provides +30% Drain to the team.

Combat Tips & Tricks

The Astral team is composed of members with numerous Awakened abilities. Shadow King can upgrade all four abilities to the Awakened level, while the other members can upgrade two abilities to Awakened each. These Awakened abilities greatly enhance their performance in War, a game mode where the Astral team excels. Although their strength diminishes without these abilities, they remain formidable; when equipped with Awakened abilities, they are among the strongest teams in War.

Astral entered the game following a stats reset, which has given them remarkably increased stats compared to most other teams. This boost contributes to their reputation as an impenetrable force capable of overcoming any challenge.

The specific types of abilities used by each of them depend on the situation and the opponents they face. Generally, all members begin combat with a Special move, followed by an Ultimate ability on their second turn. If one member scores a critical hit, the Ancient One grants all team members Ability Energy, allowing some to use their Ultimate ability on the first turn. It’s recommended to use Ultimate abilities as often as possible since this triggers the Possessed effect, which deals significant passive damage to opponents.

Ideally, having as many members as possible in the Raider class increases their chances of scoring critical hits, leading to more Ability Energy and more frequent use of Ultimate moves.

Astral is the first team to receive additional bonuses for the Battleworld game mode, indicating they are specifically designed to dominate in this area. Therefore, it is highly advisable to maximize their potential as soon as possible to make the most of them in both War and Battleworld. They also hold significant power in the Cosmic Crucible.

If you have any questions about Astral or need any help with MSF feel free to reach out to us via our Discord:

Search Teams

Type the name of the team in the search box. The team’s names will appear below the search box. Click on the title.