Luke Cage is a Science Champion. Being a Science Champion, he has a Class Bonus against Mystic Champions, but is weak against Skill Champions.
Bio[]
Framed and sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit, Carl Lucas became the "volunteer" for a series of scientific experiments to create another Super-Soldier. When a sadistic prison guard intervened with the experiment, Lucas was granted superhuman strength and near-impenetrable skin. Using his newfound abilities to escape prison, Carl changed his name to Luke Cage and set up shop as a Hero for Hire, vowing to assist any who needed his help...for the right price.
Mechanics[]
Luke Cage is a hyper simple brawler. Using his fists, and a healthy amount of Debuffs to stack attack, and reduce your opponents effects. Use as many Light Attacks as you can to apply Exhaustion, use the Special 2 to consume those Exhaustions and make a Concussion. This concussion can completely shut down certain champions as well. Then start looping the Special 1’s for stuns and burst damage. Keep throwing as many Light Attacks as you can for more damage, and throw as many Specials as possible to pause your Debuffs.
Stats[]
| Tier | Max Rating | Max Health | Max Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
534 | 2487 | 174 |
 |
- | - | - |
|
1414 | 6609 | 463 |
|
- | - | - |
|
3552 | 16572 | 1159 |
|
4353 | 16572 | 1159 |
|
7165 | 33227 | 2324 |
|
- | - | - |
|
12220 | 56696 | 3965 |
|
- | - | - |
Abilities[]
Passive
- Bulletproof and near impenetrable skin provides Immunity to Bleed effects and reduces the damage of incoming non-contact Physical hits by 30%.
| Tier | Physical Resistance |
|---|---|
|
1133.33 |
|
1233.33 |
|
1333.33 |
|
1400 |
|
1500 |
All Attacks
- Luke Cage gains X Attack Rating for each Debuff on the opponent.
| Tier | Attack Rating |
|---|---|
|
78.3 |
|
208.35 |
|
521.55 |
|
1045.8 |
|
1784.25 |
Dev Notes: Stack Debuffs and watch the damage numbers fly!
Heavy attacks:
- Inflict a non-stacking 35% potency Debilitate Debuff for 12 seconds.
Light Attacks
- 60% chance to Exhaust the opponent, reducing Critical Damage rating by X for 10 seconds. The Opponent’s Power Gain effects are also reduced by 25% for each Exhaustion Debuff on them.
| Tier | Critical Damage Rating |
|---|---|
|
71.65 |
|
77.97 |
|
84.29 |
|
88.51 |
|
94.83 |
- When struck by a Special Attack 3, inflict 2 of these Exhaustion Debuffs.
- The Opponent’s Ability Power Rate is reduced by 25% for each Exhaustion Debuff on them, to a maximum of 6.
- While the Opponent is suffering from at least 6 Exhaustion Debuffs, they suffer an indefinite Sunder Debuff, setting Critical Resistance to 0.
Dev Notes: Doing a 5 hit combo ending in a light attack is the best way to maximize your Debuff stacks. Against most opponents you need 4 stacks of Exhaustion to shut down their passive Power Gain. Opponents with improved Power Gain will require more stacks.
Signature Ability[]
Tough it Out - When Attacked
- Bullet-proof skin allows Luke Cage to become passively Indestructible and ignore all incoming damage for X seconds.
| Tier | Indestructible (sec) |
|---|---|
|
1.5 - 3.5 |
|
1.5 - 3.5 |
|
1.5 - 3.5 |
|
1.7 - 3.7 |
|
1.7 - 3.7 |
- This ability can be activated again after a X seconds cooldown.
| Tier | Cooldown (sec) |
|---|---|
|
44.92 - 26 |
|
44.92 - 26 |
|
44.92 - 26 |
|
44.97 - 25 |
|
44.97 - 25 |
Dev Notes: The Indestructible Buff can help you tank basic and Special Attacks without taking damage. You can also use it to heal from damaging Debuffs if you have the Willpower mastery.
Special Attacks[]
Special 1 - Beatdown
Cage shows off some powerful moves taught to him by the Iron Fist himself.
- 57% chance to Stun the opponent for 2.5 seconds when the opponent has Concussion.
- Deals X burst of physical damage per hit
Dev Notes: Maximize your chances of Stunning on this attack by stacking at least 3 Exhaustion debuffs. Try and land as many hits as possible during the Stun to build Power. Nodes that give you more Power or make your Special Attacks cost less Power can make for some amazing Stun locks.
Special 2 - Power Man
Four strong hits give his opponent a bruisin'.
- Consumes up to 5 Exhaustion Debuffs to inflict Concussion, reducing Ability Accuracy by 75%. Max: 2
Dev Notes: Land this attack with at least 5 Exhaustion Debuffs to shut down all Ability Accuracy in most mystic matchups. You will need more Exhaustions if the opponent is benefiting from increased Ability Accuracy.
Special 3 - Sweet Christmas
Trained in his youth by a gang called The Rivals, Luke Cage shows he's no creampuff.
- Inflicts 4 additional Exhaustion Debuffs, each reducing Critical Damage Rating by X for 18 seconds. The opponent’s Power Gain effects are also reduced by 25% for each Exhaustion Debuff on them.
- Inflicts Trauma for 30 seconds
| Tier | Critical Damage Rating |
|---|---|
|
71.65 |
|
77.97 |
|
84.29 |
|
88.51 |
|
94.83 |
Dev Notes: This is a reliable way to stack 4 Exhaustion Debuffs on your opponent at one time as well as inflict a Trauma for even more damage.
Synergy Bonuses[]
| Synergy | Partner(s) | Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Enemies - Level 3 | 
|
All Champions: +155 Critical Rating. |
| Heroes for Hire - Level 3 |  
|
All Champions: +85 Block Proficiency & Physical Resistance. |
| Teammates - Level 3 | 
|
All Champions: +5% Perfect Block Chance. Dev Notes: Increasing your Perfect Block chance can lead to longer Parry Stun duration if you run the Stupefy mastery. |
| Thunderbolts - Level 3 |  
|
All Champions: -15% Special Damage. |
| Incoming Synergy | Partner(s) | Effect(s) |
| Teammates - Level 3 | 
|
All Champions: +5% Perfect Block Chance. |
| Enemies - Level 3 | 
|
All Champions: +155 Critical Rating. |
| New York Brawlers | 
|
Howard the Duck: Opponent Suffers -65% Evade Ability Accuracy. Other Synergy Champions: Up to +15% Attack Rating, based on missing health. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Heroes for Hire - Level 3 |
|
All Champions: +85 Block Proficiency & Physical Resistance. |
| Friends - Level 3 |
|
All Champions: +130 Armor Rating. |
| Power Couple | 
|
Luke Cage: Ability Accuracy for personal Exhaustions inflicted by Light Attacks is increased by 15% flat. Jessica Jones: Increased chance of throwing the Box with Special Attack 1. Also, start each fight with an Indestructible Charge from Jessica’s Special Attack 3. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Romance - Level 3 |
|
All Champions: +5% Combat Power Rate. |
| Defenders Destroyer | 
|
Kingpin: Enter the fight with 2 Rage. Luke Cage: Up to +60% Attack Rating based on Physical Resistance. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Teammates - Level 3 | 
|
All Champions: +5% Perfect Block Chance. |
| The Bald and the Beautiful | 
|
Synergy Champions: While attacking, gain a +950 Energy Resistance Passive. |
| The Mighty Avengers | 
|
Mighty Avengers: +200 Physical Resistance per Debuff on the Opponent. Max: +1000. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Heroes for Hire - Level 3 | 
|
All Champions: +85 Block Proficiency & Physical Resistance. |
| Romance - Level 3 | 
|
All Champions: +5% Combat Power Rate. |
| Supernanny | 
|
Squirrel Girl: Start the fight with a permanent Fury Buff, increasing Attack Rating by 10% until Squirrel Girl’s Combo Meter reaches 0 hits for any reason. Luke Cage: When hit by the Opponent’s Special 3 while Indestructible gain a Fury Buff, increasing Attack Rating by 50% for 15 seconds. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Tough Brawlers | 
|
The Champion: The Champion is Unstoppable when using a Light and Medium Attack. Luke Cage: +35% chance to inflict Debuffs as long as Luke Cage never dashes back in a fight. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Romance - Level 3 | 
|
All Champions: +5% Combat Power Rate. |
Strengths and Weaknesses[]
Strengths[]
- Shut down Passive Power Gain
- Luke can reduce the opponent’s passive Power Gain with his Exhaustion Debuffs. This reduction can take their Power Gain into the negatives if you stack enough Exhaustions. Opponents that rely solely on passive Power Gain as a source for their power can easily be power locked or even power reversed with enough stacks.
- Safe to play
- Going up against Unblockable hits? Need to land risky intercepts? Might get hit by a Special Attack? Luke’s Indestructibility granted to him by his Signature Ability is there to save you.
- Debuff stacking
- Luke can stack up Debuffs easily by simply hitting the opponent. This makes him a solid counter to nodes like Diss Track and also synergizes well with the Despair mastery. In matchups where the node places stacking Debuffs on the opponent, Luke can hit very hard. He makes for an excellent option for the Scientific Exploit node in the Cavalier Monthly Event Quest.
Weaknesses[]
- Debuff Immunity or Shrug
- Luke’s damage and most of his utility come from his ability to stack Debuffs. Debuff Immunity or the ability to shrug Debuffs, like what most Skill champions possess can shut him down
Recommended Masteries[]
- Despair
- Luke’s ability to stack Debuffs synergizes well with the Despair mastery and gives him some solid heal reduction utility.
- Double Edge and Liquid Courage
- Immunity to Bleed prevents the damage from Double Edge and you can heal from the Liquid Courage Poison Debuff with Willpower when Indestructible. Also you can avoid the Recoil damage by only using your Special attack 3 and getting the guaranteed stacks of Exhaustion.
- Stupefy
- Allows you to squeeze in additional hits and build more power while the opponent is Stunned by your special Attack 1.
External links[]
Luke Cage - Champion Spotlight- Marvel Contest of Champions: Luke Cage Spotlight
- Entering Marvel Contest of Champions: Luke Cage
- Luke Cage Buff 17.0
References[]
[]
 List of Science Champions
|
|---|
| [v ● e]
Playable: Abomination ● Abomination (Immortal) ● Ant-Man ● Anti-Venom ● Captain America ● Captain America (Infinity War) ● Captain America (WWII) ● Cassie Lang ● Count Nefaria ● Electro ● Hulk ● Hulk (Immortal) ● Hulk (Ragnarok) ● Human Torch ● Invisible Woman ● Jessica Jones ● Joe Fixit ● Luke Cage ● M.O.D.O.K. ● Mister Fantastic ● Mister Negative ● Morbius ● Photon ● Quake ● Quicksilver ● Red Guardian ● Red Hulk ● Rhino ● Sandman ● Scorpion ● Sentry ● She-Hulk ● Silk ● Spider-Gwen ● Spider-Ham ● Spider-Man (Classic) ● Spider-Man (Miles Morales) ● Spider-Man 2099 ● Spider-Punk ● Spot ● The Overseer ● Thing ● Titania ● Void ● Wasp ● Yellowjacket
|
| List of Mercenary Champions |
|---|
Absorbing Man  ● Black Widow  ● Black Widow (Deadly Origin) ● Bullseye ● Crossbones ● Deadpool  ● Deadpool (X-Force) ● Domino ● Elektra ● Goldpool ● Gwenpool ● Hit-Monkey ● Karnak ● Luke Cage ● Masacre ● Misty Knight ● Moon Knight ● Nebula  ● Platinumpool ● Sabretooth ● Silver Sable ● Taskmaster ● Winter Soldier ● Wolverine (Weapon X) ● Yondu
|
 List of Defenders Champions
|
|---|
| Daredevil (Classic) ● Daredevil (Hell's Kitchen) ● Elektra ● Ghost Rider ● Howard the Duck ● Iron Fist ● Jessica Jones ● Luke Cage ● Moon Knight ● Namor ● Punisher ● Valkyrie
|
 List of Thunderbolts Champions
|
|---|
| Abomination ● Agent Venom ● America Chavez ● Baron Zemo ● Bullseye ● Crossbones ● Deadpool ● Doctor Octopus ● Electro ● Elektra ● Ghost ● Ghost Rider ● Hawkeye ● Iron Patriot ● Juggernaut ● Kraven ● Lady Deathstrike ● Luke Cage ● Man-Thing ● Photon ● Punisher ● Red Guardian ● Red Hulk ● Rhino ● Taskmaster ● Winter Soldier
|
 List of Mighty Avengers Champions
|
|---|
| Blade ● Captain America (Sam Wilson) ● Luke Cage ● Photon ● She-Hulk ● White Tiger
|