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Introduction
In this Marvel Strike Force Bishop Guide, we’ll explore how Bishop is a powerful mutant character in Marvel Strike Force, known for his crucial role on the Astonishing X-Men (AXMen) team. As a Hero, Cosmic, Mutant, and Blaster character, he offers great versatility and can be a valuable asset to any roster. Rooted in his comic book origins, Bishop is a time-traveling mutant with the ability to absorb and redirect energy. In the game, this translates into his role as both a heavy damage dealer and a protector for his team.
While Bishop isn’t considered a top-tier solo character, he stands out as above average in terms of effectiveness. As the centerpiece of the AXMen team, Bishop relies heavily on his stats, which is a contrast to other team members who are more utility-focused. His stats are particularly important because he is designed to serve both as a tank and a damage dealer.
A key aspect of his kit is his ability to taunt, redirecting damage to himself and shielding his teammates. Additionally, he gains charge and speed bar when attacked, meaning the higher his health and armor stats, the better he can protect his allies. Bishop’s counter-attack mechanic further amplifies his role, as the more damage he deals, the more overall damage his team can output.
Bishop’s abilities make him a critical asset to the AXMen team, and he’s most effective when built up to take full advantage of his strengths. Pairing him with Jubilee can further enhance his performance. While he shines as a key member of the AXMen team, Bishop is also a formidable character in other team compositions, offering significant value beyond just his affiliation.
Bishop’s Abilities
Bishop’s abilities in Marvel Strike Force make him a versatile character who excels as both a damage dealer and a protector. His kit works particularly well with his Astonishing X-Men (AXMen) team, especially when paired with Jubilee. Here’s a breakdown of his key abilities:
Beam Shot
Level: 1
Damage: 60
Retaliation Laser
Level: 1
Damage: 80
Blast from the Past
Level: 1
Damage: 60
Energy Redirection
Level: 1
Fill Speed Bar: 10
Basic Ability: “Beam Shot”
Bishop’s basic attack targets the primary enemy, dealing 210% damage while also clearing any counter on the target. Additionally, he gains a counter, stacking up to a maximum of four. Upgrading this ability increases the damage to 270%, though this T4 upgrade is not essential. As Bishop’s basic attack levels up, its damage output increases.
Special Ability: “Retaliation Laser”
Bishop attacks the primary target for 240% damage. If Jubilee is on the team, Bishop gains an attack boost that raises the damage to 340%. This attack becomes unavoidable and always results in a critical hit. Additionally, if Jubilee is an ally, Bishop also gains offense up and defense up. While a T4 upgrade provides a 60% damage boost, it’s not a high-priority upgrade for most players.
Ultimate Ability: “Blast from the Past”
Bishop attacks the primary and adjacent targets for 210% damage. If Bishop is charged, this ability delivers an additional 210% damage, totaling 420%. If Bishop is not charged, the damage is increased to 270%, with a charged attack delivering 420% damage plus 120% to a group of enemies. This ability has a low energy cost and a short cooldown of only two turns. The T4 upgrade significantly boosts its damage by 120%, making this an important upgrade for maximizing his damage output.
Passive Ability: “Energy Redirection”
On spawn, if Bishop is charged, he gains regeneration and clears all charges. He also gains taunt and defense up. When attacked, Bishop gains a charge and fills his speed bar by 30%. If his health is above 80% and he is not charged, Bishop will taunt and gain defense up at the end of his turn. In raids, Bishop taunts whenever any Astonishing X-Men ally drops below 50% health. While taunting, Bishop gains 10% damage reduction and has a 50% chance to counter-attack. A T4 upgrade is crucial for this ability as it provides an additional 10% damage reduction and increases the counter-attack chance to 100%.
Bishop’s abilities make him a powerhouse who can both deal significant damage and provide essential protection for his team. His passive allows him to generate charges and speed bar while being attacked, ensuring frequent retaliation. His ultimate ability serves as a powerful area-of-effect nuke, while his basic attack helps clear counters. Designed as a team player, Bishop benefits greatly from synergies with Jubilee and the AXMen team, becoming a reliable tank with frequent taunts and protection for his allies. His kit scales well with upgrades, particularly his special and ultimate abilities, making him even more formidable as his abilities are enhanced.
Team Synergies
Bishop’s effectiveness in Marvel Strike Force is greatly enhanced when he is part of the Astonishing X-Men (AXMen) team. His abilities are designed to complement his teammates, and he truly reaches his full potential when paired with his AXMen allies, especially Jubilee, a legendary character whose synergies elevate his performance significantly.
Bishop and Jubilee form a crucial synergy within the team. Jubilee is essential to Bishop’s kit, as her presence enhances his special ability, “Retaliation Laser,” making it unavoidable, guaranteeing critical hits, and providing a significant damage boost. Additionally, when paired with Jubilee, Bishop gains offense up and defense up. Jubilee’s passive ability is also beneficial to Bishop, as it provides speed bar to AXMen allies, allowing them to take more turns. This is particularly valuable for Bishop, who benefits from taking more attacks to gain charges. Furthermore, Jubilee’s passive provides 30% speed bar and ability energy to Beast when an AXMen ally drops below 50% health, increasing the team’s overall speed and power.
Bishop serves as both the primary damage dealer and tank for the team. His role is vital for the team’s success, as his gear and upgrades directly impact both his damage output and his ability to protect his teammates. With his taunt mechanics and high survivability, Bishop is designed to be the team’s damage sponge, absorbing hits and keeping the rest of the AXMen safe.
The AXMen team excels at speed bar manipulation, with multiple characters contributing to this playstyle. Bishop benefits from speed bar gain when attacked, working in tandem with Jubilee’s speed boosts when allies fall below 50% health. The team thrives on quick turn cycles, landing killing blows, and accumulating more speed to take additional turns. Beast plays a crucial role by providing speed up, offense up, and defense up, allowing Bishop to deal massive damage while maintaining strong survivability.
Each AXMen member has a distinct role. Iceman and Kitty Pryde are primarily utility characters who apply debuffs and disrupt enemies. Iceman can apply slows and revive once when defeated, while Kitty Pryde can enter stealth, dodge attacks, and clear positive effects with her basic attack. Both Iceman and Kitty feed speed bar to Beast when they fall below 50% health. Beast is a key support character, providing healing and buffs to the team, as well as flipping enemy buffs to boost the team’s damage output.
In terms of Iso-8 synergies, Bishop can be optimized with both the Fortifier and Striker classes, depending on his role. For raids, it’s recommended to build him as a pure damage dealer with the Striker class. Initially, however, using the Skirmisher class on Bishop can be beneficial to apply Vulnerable due to his high counter-attack chance when taunting. Iceman and Kitty Pryde should be built as Skirmishers to apply debuffs and take advantage of the increased damage from Strikers. Optimizing the team with striker/skirmisher synergy, where Bishop, Kitty Pryde, and Jubilee are Strikers and Iceman and Beast are Skirmishers, will maximize the team’s potential.
In summary, Bishop is the central damage dealer and tank for the Astonishing X-Men team, with the other members providing essential utility and support. Jubilee is particularly important for enhancing Bishop’s abilities, while the team as a whole is built around speed manipulation, debuffs, and high damage output, with Bishop being the primary source of that damage.
Iso-8 Recommendations
Bishop’s effectiveness in Marvel Strike Force can be significantly enhanced by carefully selecting his Iso-8 class, depending on his role in the team and the specific game mode. Given Bishop’s versatility, several Iso-8 classes are viable options, each with its strengths.
The Striker class is generally the best option for Bishop, especially since he serves as the primary damage dealer for the Astonishing X-Men (AXMen) team. As a Striker, Bishop gains additional attacks, which synergize well with his counter-attack mechanic and high damage output. The Striker class amplifies his damage, making it an ideal choice once Bishop’s base damage reaches around 1800. This class maximizes his contribution to the team by increasing his overall damage, allowing him to deal more damage while benefiting from his frequent counter-attacks.
Alternatively, the Skirmisher class is a strong option, particularly if Bishop’s role is focused on applying debuffs. With a high counter-attack chance while taunting, Skirmisher allows Bishop to apply the Vulnerable debuff on his counter-attacks. This opens up opportunities for his teammates to exploit the debuff and deal more damage. Additionally, Bishop’s basic attack clears positive effects, making him a solid choice for applying debuffs, especially when paired with a Skirmisher Iso-8. This class is particularly useful for team synergy, particularly in situations where the application of Vulnerable is key.
The Fortifier class is another viable option, leveraging Bishop’s taunt ability, which draws attacks toward him and allows him to protect his teammates. The Fortifier class increases Bishop’s survivability, making him a more effective tank who can absorb damage while keeping the rest of the team safe. This is especially valuable in longer battles where Bishop is expected to take hits on behalf of his allies.
When choosing Bishop’s Iso-8 class, it’s important to consider the specific game mode. For Raids, the Striker class is recommended to optimize Bishop’s damage output. In Alliance War, a Skirmisher build might be more effective, especially if the team relies on debuffs and control. Additionally, building Bishop as a Skirmisher can help optimize the team’s synergy for a Skirmisher/Striker combo, where other AXMen members, like Iceman and Kitty Pryde, are also built as Skirmishers to enhance the overall team performance.
Bishop is highly reliant on his stats, and choosing the right Iso-8 class should focus on boosting those stats to maximize his potential. As a central figure in the AXMen team, Bishop’s abilities are well-suited to an aggressive Striker build, especially with his high base damage. However, if a more defensive or utility-focused role is needed, Skirmisher or Fortifier can also be effective alternatives.
For the AXMen team synergy, Iceman and Kitty Pryde should be built as Skirmishers to capitalize on their debuff potential, while Beast can be built either as a healer or a Skirmisher, depending on the team’s needs. Jubilee, as a key member of the team, can be built as either a Skirmisher or a Striker, depending on the desired balance of offense and utility. In a standalone duo, Bishop can be a Striker with Jubilee as a Skirmisher, or vice versa, depending on how frequently the Blind effect is needed.
In summary, the Striker class is typically the best choice for Bishop, but the Skirmisher class can also be effective, especially in specific team compositions and game modes. The chosen Iso-8 class should align with Bishop’s role in the team and complement his teammates’ builds to maximize the team’s effectiveness.
Red Star and Orb Strategy
Bishop is a high-priority character for red stars, as his effectiveness in Marvel Strike Force is heavily tied to his stats. Unlike other members of the Astonishing X-Men (AXMen), who are primarily focused on utility, Bishop serves as the team’s main damage dealer and tank. The more red stars Bishop has, the more his damage output and survivability improve, making him a central figure in the AXMen team’s success. Increasing Bishop’s red stars should be a top priority, as his stats directly influence the team’s overall performance. A larger Bishop means a stronger team, and many players acknowledge that a well-upgraded Bishop can significantly improve the effectiveness of the AXMen team.
Orb Opening Strategies
When it comes to orb strategies, Elite Orbs are the most efficient for obtaining higher red stars for Bishop. Elite 6 orbs offer a 10% chance to drop a 7-red star character, while Elite 5 orbs have a 20% chance. While Elite 4 orbs can still provide higher red star characters, they are not as effective as Elite 5 and 6 orbs for maximizing red star potential.
For Red Star Orbs, it may be beneficial to save these orbs for when a new character is released or when specific characters like Bishop are featured. Some players report better luck when saving red star orbs and opening them after accumulating a substantial amount of credits. If you’re specifically aiming for a 4-red star Bishop, opening basic red star orbs could help you achieve this goal.
Character Orbs provide a way to collect character shards, which are necessary for upgrading characters. While these orbs are important for unlocking and upgrading Bishop or other characters, they are not directly related to red star progression. Keep in mind that some characters may not be available in certain orbs.
In addition, Gold Orbs are used to open other orb types, and some players utilize “seed theory” by spending gold or opening other orbs before red star orbs to increase their chances of better pulls. However, this strategy is unconfirmed. Another unverified tactic is the “I quit theory,” where players type “I quit” in the global chat in hopes of better pulls from orbs.
It is also recommended to save premium orbs in case Bishop is added as an exclusive character, and to hold on to gold, training, and ability orbs, as these may receive updates in the future.
Specific Character Drop Rates
Bishop has a 15% drop rate in both Elite 6 and Elite 5 orbs, making these orbs the most reliable source for obtaining red stars for him.
General Recommendations
Given Bishop’s critical role as both the primary damage dealer and tank for the AXMen, prioritizing red stars for him is crucial. While it’s important to focus on Bishop, it’s also essential not to neglect the other members of the team. Make sure to balance your resources so the entire AXMen team can perform effectively. Be patient with red star progression, as it can take time and resources to increase Bishop’s red stars to their maximum potential. Saving resources for key upgrades and strategic orb openings will help you get the most out of your red star investments.
In summary, Bishop should be a high priority for red stars due to his central role on the AXMen team. Focus on opening Elite 5 and 6 orbs for the best chances of upgrading his red stars, and consider strategic orb saving and resource management to maximize his potential.
Team Building and Strategy
The Astonishing X-Men (AXMen) team revolves around a well-balanced composition, with Bishop as the central damage dealer and tank. He is complemented by Jubilee, Beast, Iceman, and Kitty Pryde. Bishop excels as the primary protector, taunting enemies, absorbing damage, and dealing substantial damage himself. Jubilee serves as the support character, offering speed boosts, debuffs, and some damage, while also providing a crucial passive that enhances the team’s effectiveness. Beast is the healer and support character, offering buffs and healing, while also manipulating speed to keep the team moving fast. Iceman and Kitty Pryde provide utility, applying debuffs and aiding the team’s overall strategy, though they aren’t primary damage dealers.
Team Building Priorities
Building Bishop should be the highest priority in terms of gear and red star rating, as he is the core of the team’s offensive and defensive strategies. Jubilee and Beast come next, as they play vital roles in ensuring the team’s sustainability through healing, speed boosts, and debuffs. Iceman and Kitty Pryde are the least critical in terms of gear level but still provide essential utility to the team’s overall functionality. Ensuring that every character has the correct Iso-8 class is crucial to maximizing their effectiveness within the team.
Synergies and Playstyle
The AXMen team thrives on speed manipulation and the ability to take multiple turns quickly. Bishop should be placed in the center, flanked by Iceman and Kitty Pryde, as they can withstand damage and feed speed bar to Beast when their health drops below 50%. Bishop benefits from charge and speed bar when attacked, allowing him to be a constant source of offensive pressure. Jubilee’s passive provides a 25% speed bar boost to all Astonishing X-Men allies, enabling quicker turns. When an AXMen ally drops below 50% health, Beast’s speed bar is filled by 30%, allowing him to use his ultimate to give speed up to the team, which accelerates their damage output.
Bishop’s damage output is critical in clearing enemies, while Jubilee’s debuffs help control the battlefield. Bishop’s taunt and damage reduction abilities help protect the rest of the team. This synergy is most effective when Bishop has a substantial gear level and red star rating, but he can still be effective with Jubilee and Beast, even if they are lower-leveled. Bishop is not as effective when paired with Wolverine and Beast, as their synergies are more tailored to raid environments rather than general team use.
Iso-8 Considerations
For Bishop, building him as a Striker or Skirmisher is ideal, depending on the player’s preference and the team’s needs. If Bishop is built as a Striker, it increases his damage output and helps him take full advantage of his counter-attacks. Building him as a Skirmisher is also viable, especially when combined with his high counter-attack chance, allowing him to apply the Vulnerable debuff for other team members to exploit.
Iceman and Kitty Pryde should be built as Skirmishers, particularly if Bishop is a Striker, to capitalize on their ability to apply debuffs and synergize with Bishop’s counter-attacks. Beast can be built as a Healer or Skirmisher, depending on the team’s needs for healing or more damage. Jubilee can be either a Skirmisher or Striker, depending on the player’s preference and the desired synergy within the team.
T4 Abilities
Upgrading Bishop’s ultimate and passive abilities with T4 materials is a priority, as it significantly boosts his damage and provides him with a 100% counter-attack chance and additional damage reduction. Jubilee’s passive should also be upgraded with T4 materials, as this is key to increasing speed bar for Beast and enhancing the team’s overall damage.
Beast’s special ability should be upgraded with T4 materials to allow him to clear two negative effects on his team rather than just one, improving his utility. Kitty Pryde’s passive is helpful in raids due to its ability to apply evade to the most injured ally. While Iceman’s passive can reduce armor and damage to slowed enemies, it is not as crucial for T4 upgrades as other abilities. Bishop’s special and basic T4 upgrades are not essential but can still provide incremental benefits.
General Strategy
The AXMen team excels in raids, particularly with Bishop acting as the main tank and damage dealer. Bishop’s ability to taunt on spawn and gain charge when attacked is key to the team’s strategy, allowing him to protect his allies while dealing significant damage.
The team is well-suited for offense, able to deal substantial damage, but it can also be effective on defense, thanks to Bishop’s intermittent taunts. It is important to land debuffs like stuns and slows to disrupt the enemy team. The team can also be used in Blitz, even without Jubilee, though it’s less effective in Dark Dimension or Arena. In raids, the team may struggle against the hardest content but still remains a reliable option for players who enjoy the synergy.
Team Viability
The AXMen team is highly effective in Doom Raids, especially in mutant nodes, where the team’s synergies and speed manipulation shine. The team can also punch up in Alliance War against higher-powered teams, but its success is heavily dependent on the strength of Bishop. Without a strong Bishop, the team becomes less effective. While Bishop can still perform decently on his own, his full potential is unlocked with Jubilee. Bishop and Jubilee can also work well together outside of the AXMen team, but their synergy is best within the group.
In summary, the AXMen team relies on Bishop as the core damage dealer and tank, with Jubilee and Beast providing support. Iceman and Kitty Pryde offer utility, but they are less essential in terms of gear. The team is most effective in raids, Alliance War, and Blitz, with Bishop’s red stars and gear level being key to maximizing the team’s potential.
Tier 4 (T4) Ability Priorities
When deciding on T4 ability upgrades for the Astonishing X-Men team, the focus should be on the abilities that provide the most benefit to the team’s overall performance. Key priorities should be given to characters who are central to the team’s effectiveness, particularly Bishop, Jubilee, and Beast. T4 materials are limited, so it’s essential to be strategic in selecting the abilities that will have the greatest impact, especially those that enhance survivability, utility, and damage output.
Bishop’s T4 Priorities
Bishop’s Ultimate Ability is the highest priority for T4 upgrades. This ability is a powerful two-energy nuke that greatly increases Bishop’s damage output, making it a game-changer in combat. Bishop’s Passive Ability should also be prioritized for T4 upgrades, as it significantly enhances his survivability by providing +10% damage reduction while taunting and ensuring a 100% counter-attack chance when taunting. This ability is key to maximizing Bishop’s role as the team’s main tank and damage dealer.
Bishop’s Special Ability is a lower priority for T4 upgrades, as it only provides a damage boost, and the other benefits of the ability can still be useful without the T4 upgrade. The special should only be considered if additional damage output is necessary. Similarly, Bishop’s Basic Ability is a low priority for T4 upgrades because it provides a minimal damage increase and is less impactful compared to his Ultimate and Passive abilities.
Jubilee’s T4 Priorities
For Jubilee, her Passive Ability is the top priority for T4 upgrades. This ability provides a significant speed bar boost to Beast, as well as increasing the health and damage for the entire team, making it an essential upgrade for the success of the Astonishing X-Men team. Upgrading her other abilities is less important since they do not have as much of an impact on the team’s performance. However, if Jubilee is struggling to land her debuffs, such as stuns and slows, it may be worthwhile to upgrade her T4 for a slight increase in focus to improve her ability to land those debuffs consistently.
Beast’s T4 Priorities
For Beast, the Special Ability is the most important T4 upgrade. This upgrade allows him to clear two negative effects from the team instead of just one, which significantly enhances his utility and helps to keep the team in optimal condition during battle. Beast’s other abilities do not require T4 upgrades, as they do not provide substantial benefits compared to his Special Ability.
Other T4 Considerations
Kitty Pryde’s Passive Ability is a good T4 upgrade for raids, as it applies evade to the most injured ally, but it is not essential for every player. It can be considered situationally if you frequently use Kitty Pryde in certain game modes. Iceman’s Passive Ability is also a lower priority, but it could be useful for players looking to maximize damage reduction on slowed enemies. Additionally, Iceman’s passive reduces the speed bar of slowed enemies by 10%, which is not listed in the ability description but can still be a valuable feature, making his Passive Ability a potential candidate for a T4 upgrade if the team requires more control over enemy speed.
Summary of T4 Priorities
Bishop’s Ultimate Ability
Bishop’s Passive Ability
Jubilee’s Passive Ability
Beast’s Special Ability
Kitty Pryde’s Passive (Situational)
Iceman’s Passive (Situational)
In summary, the key T4 upgrades for the Astonishing X-Men team should focus on Bishop’s Ultimate and Passive abilities, followed by Jubilee’s Passive Ability and Beast’s Special Ability. While other abilities can be considered for upgrade, they should be prioritized after these core abilities to ensure the team’s overall effectiveness in combat.
Conclusion
The Astonishing X-Men team, with Bishop as the central damage dealer and tank, is a formidable force, particularly in the mutant nodes of Doom Raids. The team’s strength lies in the synergy between its members, with Jubilee and Beast offering vital support, and Iceman and Kitty Pryde contributing additional utility.
To build and maximize the potential of this team, focus on prioritizing Bishop’s growth—ensuring he has the highest gear level and red star rating to amplify his damage and survivability. Investing in Jubilee and Beast is also key, as they provide essential speed manipulation, buffs, debuffs, and healing. While Iceman and Kitty Pryde serve a utility role with their debuffs, they require less investment compared to the core members. Strategic use of Iso-8 classes is crucial for optimizing the team’s performance, with Bishop being either a Striker or Skirmisher, Iceman and Kitty Pryde typically built as Skirmishers, and Beast offering flexibility between healer or Skirmisher depending on the team’s needs.
T4 ability upgrades should be concentrated on Bishop’s Ultimate and Passive abilities, Jubilee’s Passive, and Beast’s Special for significant power boosts. The team excels at taking multiple turns, particularly by landing killing blows, which generates speed bar and further strengthens the team’s offensive capabilities. The Astonishing X-Men team works best in raids, where their special abilities can be fully utilized.
While not ideal for all game modes like Dark Dimension, monthly events, or arena, the AXMen team shines in specific areas like Doom Raids, where they can perform well even against higher-powered opponents in Alliance War, and are a solid pick for blitz. Bishop’s performance is notably enhanced by Jubilee, but he remains a strong character on his own, making the AXMen team a flexible and valuable asset.
In conclusion, the Astonishing X-Men team is a strong and versatile squad for Marvel Strike Force players, particularly those seeking a powerful mutant raid team. With a focus on key character builds, smart T4 ability upgrades, and Iso-8 class strategies, players can unlock the full potential of this team and dominate in various game modes. While the team does require some investment to reach its peak, players who enjoy the characters will find it a rewarding and fun choice.
