Valkyrie

Valkyrie – The Fearless Shieldmaiden of New Asgard

Champion Breakdown

About Valkyrie

Character Class: Skill
Brief Overview: Valkyrie, once the stalwart leader of the Valkyrior and now the sovereign of New Asgard, is a fierce warrior with superior strength and an arsenal of powerful abilities. With her combat experience and unique mechanics focused on manipulating her Combo Meter, she stands ready to defend the Asgardian legacy in the vibrant Battlerealm.

Valkyrie Origin: Valkyrie originates from Marvel Comics, where her character has evolved through rich storytelling. Her inclusion in Marvel Contest of Champions showcases her prowess and the depth of her lore within the Marvel Universe.

Lore Background

Valkyrie History: Valkyrie, also known as Brunnhilde, has a storied past filled with battles against the evils threatening Asgard and the Nine Realms. Her leadership within the Valkyrior, paired with her resilience through loss and her commitment to her people, solidifies her as a character of depth and strength. Each battle fought contributes to her unyielding spirit and continues to define her role in both comics and in-game.

Personality Traits: Valkyrie is depicted as noble, strong, and incredibly dedicated to justice. These traits directly influence her gameplay style, allowing players to experience a warrior who can remain steadfast in the face of adversity while delivering immense damage to her opponents.

Valkyrie's Gameplay Mechanics

Basic Abilities: Pierce, Bulwark, Purify, Intimidate. As a skill-focused champion, Valkyrie employs tactile gameplay that emphasizes control of her Combo Meter and unique abilities to chip away at her opponent's defenses.

Basic Attacks and Moves: Valkyrie's attacks are impactful, featuring light, medium, and heavy moves that allow her to deliver significant damage:

  • Light Attacks: Quick strikes that contribute to her Combo Meter, enabling Buff gain when hitting into blocks.
  • Medium Attacks: Balanced hits that maintain Combo control, allowing for a fluid fighting style.
  • Heavy Attacks: Powerful strikes that can Intimidate opponents, reduce their Block Proficiency, and enhance Valkyrie's own damage potential.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

  • Strengths:

    • Block Penetration: Gains Pierce Buffs to bypass defenses effectively.
    • Intimidate: Lowers opponent's Block Proficiency, setting them up for heavy hits.
    • Robust Combo Control: Ability to manipulate Combo Meter for tactical advantages.

  • Weaknesses:

    • Vulnerable to champions with abilities that penalize or exploit blocking.
    • Loses damage potential against opponents immune to Bleed.
    • Can be affected by combo-breaking mechanics.

Passive and Active Basic Abilities:

  • Pierce: Grants enhanced Block and Armor Penetration.
  • Bulwark: Increases her Block Proficiency significantly.
  • Purify: Provides a chance to remove non-damaging Debuffs.
  • Intimidate: Causes opponents to more frequently block and reduces their Block Proficiency.

Special Attacks:

  1. Special 1: Dragonfang Dance - Doubles Combo Gain while providing Evade charges to aid in damage accumulation.
  2. Special 2: Flurry of Blades - Increases Attack Rating significantly while delivering massive chip damage against blocks, with substantial synergy with her Heavy Attack.
  3. Special 3: Rise of the Valkyrie - Resets her Combo Shield while increasing her defensive capabilities via Intimidate.

Signature Ability: King of New Asgard - Grants Valkyrie significant advantages against Unstoppable opponents and immunity against Stun when various Buffs are in play. Awakening this ability amplifies her effectiveness in high-stakes battles, making it crucial for her overall performance.

Strategy and Playstyle

General Strategy: Valkyrie's gameplay revolves around controlling her Combo Meter to gain Buffs efficiently. Players can exploit her weaknesses by being mindful of opponents that can trigger damage during blocking.

Advanced Techniques: Mastering Combo Meter inversion is key. Alternating Combo Enders can maximize Buff gain, setting her up for high-damage opportunities following her Heavy Attack and Special 2 combination.

Mastery Tips

Skill Mastery: Players should focus on mastering Combo control and timing for optimal use of her abilities. Timing Heavy Attacks right after an Intimidate activations leads to exponential damage boosts.

Team Composition: Valkyrie synergizes well with champions boosting Block or Defense, enhancing her overall durability and performance on the battlefield.

Synergy Bonuses:

  1. Straight Outta Sakaar: Together with Thor (Ragnarok), Korg, and Hulk (Ragnarok), Valkyrie gains an initial Bulwark Buff to bolster her defenses right from the start.
  2. Jailors and the Jailed: With Odin and Hela, this synergy enhances Valkyrie’s Block Proficiency and provides significant buffs to her and her allies.
  3. Inversion Incursion: With Mister Negative, this synergy aids Valkyrie in her Combo Inversion gameplay and boosts Evade potential.
  4. A Night to Remember: This synergy with Misty Knight grants temporary Unstoppable status during her Heavy Attack, providing a great offensive window for Valkyrie.
  5. Chip Out The Old Block: With Hulkling and Masacre, this alliance further enhances her Pierce effects and damage output against blocking opponents.

Countering Valkyrie

Counter Tactics: To counter Valkyrie, players should avoid strategies that play into her strengths, such as blocking excessively. Utilize champions with abilities that allow quick attacks or abilities that negate Block.

Valkyrie Counters:

  1. Bleed Immune Champions: Prevent Valkyrie from maximizing her damage through instant Bleeds. Champions like Doctor Strange can keep the pressure without triggering her key attacks.

  2. Counter-attack Champions: Characters like Kingpin can exploit Valkyrie’s dependency on her Combo Meter by punishing her for heavy reliance on her Block-based attacks.

Conclusion

Final Thoughts: Valkyrie is a powerful, dynamic champion who rewards players for strategic gameplay with a mix of strength and tactical finesse. With unique abilities that offer high damage potential and defensive capabilities, she is a valuable addition to any player's roster.

Encouragement to Experiment: Players are encouraged to dive deeply into Valkyrie's mechanics. There's immense potential to discover new strategies that suit their playstyle, allowing Valkyrie to shine in a myriad of combat scenarios.