Character Abilities

Shadowcat Strike

– 1 +

Lockheed Blast

– 1 +

Mischievous Sprite

– 1 +

Untouchable

– 1 +

Marvel Strike Force Kitty Pryde is a Protector class character, offering a mix of utility, debuffs, and team support, particularly within the Astonishing X-Men team. Her abilities are designed to provide solid value across multiple aspects of the game, though her utility is spread across her kit, meaning she does not specialize in one specific area.

Basic Ability – Shadowcat Strike: Attacks the primary target and removes one positive effect (two with T4), also dealing extra damage with the upgrade.

Special Ability – Lockheed Blast: Hits all enemies, applies Offense Down to non-taunting enemies, and flips Taunt to Defense Down. Fills Kitty’s speed bar, with T4 adding more damage and extra speed bar (especially useful in raids).

Ultimate Ability – Mischievous Spirits: Attacks primary and adjacent targets with unavoidable Disrupt. Disrupt lasts two turns if targets attack. T4 adds damage, but the boost is moderate.

Passive Ability – Untouchable: Increases Dodge and gives Defense Up to the most injured Astonishing X-Men ally or herself. May apply Evade during enemy turns and heals the most injured ally if an enemy misses or an ally dodges.

Orb Opening and Initial Impressions

+The release of Kitty Pryde in Marvel Strike Force excited many players, sparking a rush to open Red Star and Gold Orbs to unlock and power her up. Some players follow the “seed theory,” believing that spending resources like gold can improve orb pull outcomes such as one player spending 400k gold on supplies before opening orbs. While the goal is often to unlock her at 4 stars or higher, results vary: some manage two red stars early, while others settle for three stars, which can feel underwhelming.

A common strategy is aiming for two or three red stars to boost her effectiveness from the start, especially with increased pull odds (like 15%) during her release. Players also stockpile Alliance Raid points to improve their chances. After unlocking her, players focus on leveling and testing her in battle. One player even accidentally applied a T4 to her basic ability early on, enhancing her buff-stripping potential. Many experiment with Kitty on X-Men teams especially alongside Beast to find optimal synergy and refine her role.

Kit Analysis

With the T4 Enhancement, when Kitty drops below 50% health, she gains Stealth for two turns, and her healing is increased. Additionally, she always applies Evade to the most injured Astonishing X-Men ally. This passive is essential for a successful Astonishing X-Men raid team, with some considering it mandatory for tackling difficult content, such as the Doom Mutant nodes.

Kitty Pryde’s abilities make her adaptable to various Iso-8 classes. The Skirmisher, Healer, and Fortifier classes are all viable options. Some players recommend the Healer class due to her slower speed, high Dodge chance, and team healing capabilities, making her a useful support character in Raids. Others suggest the Skirmisher class, especially since she relies on Focus to clear buffs or apply debuffs effectively.

Kitty Pryde’s kit works well with the X-Men, especially the Astonishing X-Men team. Her synergy with Jubilee is notable, as Jubilee’s presence triggers healing whenever an Astonishing X-Men character dodges or an enemy misses, which is a frequent occurrence due to Kitty’s abilities. This makes them a strong duo in various events, including monthly events and Knowhere Heists. Additionally, any Astonishing X-Men character who dodges while Kitty Pryde is on the team will benefit from her healing, adding to the overall durability of the team.

Team Composition and Gameplay

Kitty Pryde is a vital member of the Astonishing X-Men (AXmen) team in Marvel Strike Force, which includes characters like Beast, Iceman, Jubilee, and Bishop. This team is designed to perform exceptionally well in raids, with a particular emphasis on the Doom raids, where they shine due to their ability to control the battlefield and provide key support.

Kitty’s role is crucial within the team, and her abilities work synergistically with other members of the Astonishing X-Men to enhance team performance. For instance, only members of the Astonishing X-Men team benefit from speed bar gains, meaning substitutes may not be as effective in achieving optimal results. While the full AXMen team is necessary to tackle the more challenging Doom 2 raids, there is some flexibility in Doom 1, where substitutions may be viable. In certain situations, Emma Frost can be considered as a fifth member due to her ability to apply slows, and Longshot and Shatterstar (the Dad Bros) have also been tested alongside Kitty Pryde and Beast in raids, offering another option for raid composition.

When it comes to gameplay, Kitty Pryde excels in raids, particularly in the mutant section of the Doom raids. The Astonishing X-Men team, with Kitty Pryde, is especially effective in Doom 2.2, where an AXMen team with approximately 840k power can successfully clear the content. Kitty's mass Offense Down and Evade abilities significantly reduce incoming damage, especially when dealing with bad RNG that might otherwise cause sudden deaths. Her ability to strip Taunt from enemies also provides valuable control, ensuring that damage is directed more effectively across the team.

Kitty Pryde has proven effective in Ultimus 7.5 raids, especially when paired with Beast, Storm, and the Dad Bros. This team showed strong survivability, with Kitty and Beast standing out under pressure. Her abilities like applying Defense Up, Evade, flipping Taunt, and applying Disrupt—boost team durability and help counter buff-heavy enemies.

For Iso-8, Healer is a popular choice to support survivability, while Skirmisher enhances her buff-clearing and debuffing abilities. Team positioning also matters, as proper spacing can reduce vulnerability to enemy attacks and improve overall performance.

T4 Ability Priority

Next → Back

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

Viability and Investment

Kitty Pryde’s usefulness in Marvel Strike Force mainly depends on your goals, especially if you’re building the Astonishing X-Men (AXmen) team. She excels in raid content, where her synergy with other AXmen makes her a key component. However, outside of this team, her impact is limited, as her abilities are heavily tied to team-specific mechanics.

For players focused on raids or unlocking Jubilee, Kitty is a strong investment. Her presence boosts the effectiveness of the AXmen team, and her inclusion in key events adds value. If you believe the AXmen team will be needed for future legendary unlocks, that’s another reason to level her. Fans of X-Men lore may also find her playstyle enjoyable and rewarding, regardless of her role in the current meta.

That said, if you already have solid raid teams like the Symbiotes and don't plan to use AXmen, investing in Kitty may not be necessary. Free-to-play players or those conserving resources might prefer to wait until she becomes farmable. While substitutes like Omega Red can fill her spot in Doom raids, only AXmen members benefit fully from their team’s speed mechanics, reducing substitution effectiveness. Overall, Kitty Pryde is a smart choice for AXmen-focused players but not essential for everyone.

Issues and Potential Improvements

Kitty Pryde faces several issues in Marvel Strike Force that limit her overall effectiveness. Her abilities are spread across multiple roles, but she doesn’t excel in any specific area, making her purpose feel unclear. Her passive ability also behaves differently depending on the game mode raid, war, or crucible causing inconsistency in her performance. Additionally, her effectiveness is heavily tied to the full Astonishing X-Men team, reducing her flexibility in other team setups. Despite being labeled a protector, her kit lacks strong defensive features like reliable Evade application, making her role feel underdeveloped. Some players also feel her teleport animation misrepresents her comic book phasing powers, affecting her thematic appeal.

To improve Kitty Pryde’s role, her passive could be adjusted to grant Evade to adjacent allies more reliably on enemy turns, reinforcing her role as a protector. Simplifying her kit by removing game mode-specific variations would also make her more consistent and easier to use. Enhancing her phasing ability to better reflect her comic persona such as giving nearby allies Evade would improve both functionality and theme. Reclassifying her as a controller might also better match her current abilities. Buffing her damage and refining her skill interactions would help increase her versatility and make her more competitive in different game modes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Kitty Pryde’s main value in Marvel Strike Force lies in her synergy with the Astonishing X-Men (AXmen) team, particularly for raid content. Outside of this squad, her usefulness is limited, making her a niche character. Her effectiveness heavily depends on having key AXmen members like Jubilee and Iceman, and without them, her impact drops significantly. While some players welcomed her due to her X-Men roots, others were disappointed by her narrow utility and reliance on team synergy.

If you’re building the AXmen for raids, aiming for future legendary unlocks, or are a fan of the X-Men, Kitty Pryde can be a good investment. However, for players who already have strong raid teams or are free-to-play, it may be smarter to wait until she becomes farmable. Her abilities are somewhat scattered and her passive changes based on game mode, making her less consistent. Suggested improvements include streamlining her passive, boosting her phasing theme, and making her skills more effective across all game modes. While Red Star pull results have varied, her blitz availability made her fairly easy to unlock, giving players a low-risk opportunity to try her out.

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)