MCOC New Player Guide 2026: The Complete Beginner Walkthrough

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Marvel Contest of Champions (MCOC) Guide for Beginners

👉🏻 Imp Note: Image Credit - KABAM & Marvel Contest of Champions Team. We have used the images for "educational" purposes..

So you just downloaded Marvel Contest of Champions (MCOC) and you're staring at your first two 1-star champions, wondering what to do next. Good news: you picked one of the deepest mobile fighting games out there. This guide covers everything a new Summoner needs in 2026: currencies, crystals, champion systems, masteries, relics, every game mode, and the mistakes to avoid.

Quick Answer: What Should a New MCOC Player Do First?

If you remember only one thing, remember this: play through Story Quest first, unlock Masteries at level 6, join an alliance as soon as you can, and never spend Units on Premium Hero Crystals. Everything else in this guide builds on that foundation.

What Is MCOC, in Simple Words?

MCOC is a 1v1 fighting game where you collect Marvel heroes and villains called "champions" and fight through story chapters, events, and other players. You tap to attack, swipe to dodge, and hold to block. The better you get at reading your opponent's moves, the further you go. Skill matters more than spending money, which is rare for a mobile game.

Summoner Level: Your Account's Foundation

Your Summoner Level goes up as you gain experience from fights, quest completion, and other activities. It matters because:

• Masteries unlock at Summoner Level 6.
• Higher Summoner Levels raise your base stats slightly and unlock more content, higher Arena tiers, and access to tougher quests.
• Some crystals and rewards scale with your level, so don't worry about "rushing" it; level naturally follows your progress through Story Quest.

Understanding MCOC's Currencies

This is where most beginners get confused, so keep this section bookmarked.

1] Units: They’re the currency of the game. Very important. You can buy anything from it, anything. So you have to save it and not spend it recklessly. 

How to get Units? 

• By doing Arena, Story Quest & Monthly Quest.
• From Arena Crystal (Chances are 15%).
• Buy from Unit Store.
• Calendars/logins.

Things you can buy with the help of units:

• Alliance Tickets
• Resources (Potions, Revives, Energy Refills)
• Mastery Items (Stony cores, carbonadium core , mastery core)
• Boosts
• Rank up materials sometimes
• Crystals (It’s a trap so be aware)
• Profile Pics (Not recommended)

2] Battle-chips: They are the very useful element in the game. You can collect them by doing arena. Best use of battle-chips is to buy arena crystals which in turn gives you gold and units. 

They are used for:

• Buying Arena Crystals - Very Important Source to get Gold with 83% Chance, Units with 15% Chance and Punisher Champ with 0.02% Chance.

3] Gold: One of the most important elements in the game. Used essentially for ranking up your champions and for alliance donation. You can get it by doing story quest, event quest, arenas, opening arena crystals and sometimes when gold pool even is on. 

Used for:

• Rankup Champs.

4] Loyalty: Loyalty is mostly used for two things. First one is for alliance donation and second is for buying certain things. You can get it by pressing the help button in the alliance screen or by war crystals.

Things you can buy from it:

• Resources (Boosts and Potions)
• Mastery Resource (Mastery Core like mystic core for mystic dispersion mastery)
• Purchase Alliance RAID Tickets
• 4 star, 5 star and 6 star Unstoppable Colossus

5] Radiance: A competitive currency tied mainly to Battlegrounds performance. It buys Tier catalysts, crystals, and other high-value rank-up materials from its own store.

Things you can buy from Glory:

• Basic, Class and Alpha Catalyst (Tier 1/2/3/4/5/6) + Fragments - Recommended
• Health and Revive potions
• Boost
• Mastery Point - Recommended
• Gold Crystals
• Champions Crystal (Abyss Nexus, 7 Star Omega Selector Crystal, 7 Star Incursions Artifact, 7 Star Loyalty Crystal, 7 Star Titan Crystal, 7 Star Hero Crystal)
• Crystal Shards (Awakening Gem, 7/6 Star and Titan)
• Signature Stones
•  Alloy Fragments
• Units
• Empowered Grace Crystal
• Deathless Champs Piece Selector - Recommended

6] Essentia: An engagement-based currency that rewards regular daily and weekly activity across the game. It has its own store focused on Tier 7 catalysts and other end-game materials.

7] Mysterium: Earned mostly from side quests and events. It was reworked into a store meant to help players rank up their lower-rarity "legacy" roster (3-star to 6-star champions), which matters a lot once you start using the Collectives system (explained below).

8] Events: 

Completing and exploring these rotating quests types provides the resources and materials needed to progress in Marvel Contest of Champions.

💥 Click on Fight Button to see available Event Quest :

💥 After Clicking Fight Button, Quest Window will Appear... (Category of Events)

💥 Each Event Quest Map is filled with a Global Buff, Linked Nodes, Node Buffs, Bots, Minibosses and Main Boss. Check the description which is mentioned in following image.

⚡ Imp Note: With the help of following resources you can get your champ back while playing MCOC Quest.

💥 Health Potions:

• While fighting with enemy/opponent in any quest suppose your champ lost some of his/her health points. Using potions, you can instantly heal them. 
• There are two categories of potions, single champ potion and Team Potions. You can get them in quests. Also, you can purchase them from the store via Potions Menu using Units as well as collect it from daily crystals.

💥 Revive:

• You will only be able to use a revive if your Champion is K.O. (Die).
• These items revive one or many of the Champions in your team. also you can purchase them from the store via Potions Menu as well as collect it from daily crystals.

⚡ Let’s discuss categories of events in Marvel Contest of Champions (MCOC) :

• Story Quest: The core single-player campaign, currently spanning Act 1 through Act 9 across two Books. This is where most new players should spend their first few weeks.
• Event Quest / Monthly Quest: Rotating monthly quests with five difficulty tiers: Normal, Heroic, Master, Uncollected, and Cavalier. Start with Normal and work your way up.
• Special Quests: Road to the Labyrinth (RTTL), Labyrinth of Legends (LOL), Realm of Legends (ROL), and Abyss of Legends (AOL). These are end-game content. Don't worry about them until much later.
• Carina's Challenges: Restricted-roster runs through older Story Quest chapters (for example, "clear this chapter using only 3-star Mutant champions") that reward valuable rank-up gems. Purely end-game, but a fun long-term goal.
• Alliance Quest (AQ): A weekly, alliance-based quest map you clear together with your alliance mates for Glory, gold, and rank-up rewards.
• Alliance Coliseum: A newer alliance mode (launched December 2025) that temporarily replaces Alliance Quest and Raids during certain weeks. It's built around Podiums, rotating Champion Tags, and Peak Milestones for both solo and alliance scoring.
• Alliance War (AW): A three-phase mode (Matchmaking, Defender Placement, Attack) where two alliances battle for Season points and Glory. Best attempted once you have a decent roster.
• Battlegrounds: A ranked 1v1 PvP mode with its own seasons, where you build attack and defense decks and climb tiers for rewards, including Radiance.
• Towers: A brand-new permanent solo mode launched in June 2026. You climb floors fighting progressively stronger Defenders. Two flavors exist: Challenge Towers, which impose class/tag/team restrictions to test roster depth, and Class Towers, which are more straightforward climbs.
• Arena: Grind mode to earn Battlechips, shards for specific champions, gold, and Units.

Story Progression Titles

As you clear more of Story Quest, you unlock progression titles that gate content and rewards: Uncollected → Cavalier → Thronebreaker → Paragon → Valiant → Elder (Elder is the newest title, added in May 2026). 

Don't chase these too fast. Build your roster properly first, since Thronebreaker and beyond also require a minimum number of ranked-up champions, not just story completion.

💥 Video Guide By Marvel Contest of Champions Official Channel:

What is Mastery and how it works in Marvel Contest of Champions (MCOC)?

Activate Summoner Masteries to enhance your Champions. Access Masteries through the Summoner Profile. Recover your Mastery Points as often as you’d like to create optimal setups for every game mode!  

Video Guide about Mastery Setup By Official MCOC Channel:

• You first unlock Masteries when you reach level 6. And from there, as you progress through The Battlerealm, you’ll receive additional Mastery points each time you level up.
• Masteries are organized into 3 different categories. i.e Offense, Defense and Proficiencies.
• Each sub category will contain different traits that once ranked up, will provide new or enhanced abilities to the Champions on your roster. Most Masteries will enhance all your Champions, but some will be class-specific.
• Clicking on each node of a Mastery tree will display information on the selected Mastery, including its name, current rank, and how it will affect your roster. Additionally, it will also display if there are any requirements that are needed to be met before activating the selected Mastery.
• In the same way that you and your Champions can be levelled up, so too can your Masteries.

Keep in mind - Don't copy your teammates mastery setup. Bcoz their setup is based on what type of champions they have (Attacker, Defender, Utility) and their playstyle (Aggressive or Defense).  If you want deep knowledge about mastery then checkout following link..

To know more details about Mastery Click Here

Looking for Marvel Contest of Champions (MCOC) Tier list?

Tier list is divided into 2 category i.e. Offense & Defense. Following link will help you to build your Offense & Defense Team. 
To know more details about MCOC Tier List Click Here 

Looking for Best Champs to Rank up in Marvel Contest of Champions (MCOC)?

To clear content in-game you need specific champ. I mentioned "specific champ" bcoz with the help of specific champ you can finish fight quickly.
To know more details about Best Champs to Ranked Click Here 

Day 1: What to Do When You Start

• Complete the tutorial and clear the first few quests of Act 1 in Story Quest.
• Do not spend any Units yet. Just collect them.
• Open every free crystal you get. These are safe, no-cost pulls.
• Play a couple of Arena rounds to understand Battlechips and Versus mode.
• Avoid touching the Premium Hero Crystal in the store, no matter how tempting it looks.

Week 1: Building Your Foundation

• Push through Story Quest Act 1 and Act 2. These acts are easy and teach you the basics of combos, blocking, and parrying.
• Learn to parry: block right before an enemy's heavy attack lands to stun them and land a free hit. This single skill will carry you through most of early-game content.
• Start looking for an alliance. Even a small, casual alliance unlocks Alliance Quest rewards, which are some of the best early resources in the game.
• Unlock Masteries at Summoner Level 6 and put your first points into basic Offense masteries and Parry.

Month 1: Setting Up for the Long Run

• Aim to reach the Uncollected title by exploring Story Quest 100%. This unlocks a daily Uncollected Crystal and better rewards across the board.
• Try to build a roster of at least 10-11 usable champions: a few for Story Quest, a few for Alliance Quest, and a few defenders for Alliance War.
• Try Battlegrounds and the new Towers mode once your roster feels solid; both are beginner-friendly at lower tiers.
• Hold onto rank-up materials and Awakening Gems until you know which champions in your roster are actually worth investing in. Don't rank up random champions just because they look strong.

Joining an Alliance: What You Need to Know

An alliance is a team of up to 30 Summoners who play Alliance Quest and Alliance War together. Each alliance has a Leader and Officers who manage recruitment, war strategy, and defender placement. As a beginner:

• Look for a small or mid-level alliance that is active daily and doesn't demand high donations right away.
• Build a minimum roster before applying. Most casual alliances expect around 10-11 usable champions (a few for AQ attack, a few for AW attack, and a few defenders for AW placement).
• Check how the Leader and Officers communicate before committing. If the environment feels toxic or overly demanding for a new player, it's fine to leave and find another one.
• If your Prestige (your account's overall power score) is low and your roster is thin, don't expect an invite from a high-tier alliance. Focus on growing first.

📌 Try to avoid following Noob Mistakes when you start playing Marvel Contest of Champions (MCOC) Game:

• This game is running/operate via online server so don't use any kind of Modified APK/MOD App if u found then result will be Permanent Ban.
• Don't use Android Emulators like Bluestacks, GameLoop etc etc.. this is also against Marvel Contest of Champions Terms of Services result will be Permanent Ban.
• Don't share your ID with your Friends or Alliance Teammates for any type of completion in game this is also against Marvel Contest of Champions Terms of Services result will be Permanent Ban. If you wants to create another game id then make it and play on different device. Don't play both game id's with same device.
• Don't buy/purchase units from 3rd party or Don't pay someone for completion in game if you found result will be Permanent Ban.
• Don't sell any tier champs specially 1 star or 2 star champs otherwise you can't complete specific events like Variant 4.
• Don't use units on "Premium Hero Crystals" the result is horrible 😑 I hope KABAM will improve drop rates of crystal in upcoming days.
• Don't waste units on buying profile pics. 😠 
• Join alliance once you build enough champ roster team like minimum 11 good champs of collection[3 champs for alliance quest attack, 3 champs for alliance war attack, 5 champs for defense placement for alliance war], after joining alliance check alliance status like how many player are active, How Leader & Officer's lead alliance if you like the environment then stay in alliance otherwise find another alliance. 
• If your prestige is low and don't have enough champ roster then don't expect Higher Tier Alliance. They are not going to invite you and luckily you joined there then within few mins someone will kick you for sure.
• Don't Rankup unwanted champs or Don't Apply Awakening Gem & Signature Stones on any champ without any knowledge. To know more details about Awakening Gem Click Here.
• Don't forget to unlock Important Mastery Points. And Build Perfect Mastery Setup as per your Champs.
• Watch some videos or Check out some article to get some knowledge of how to use particular champ learn that champ ability. Learn Combo Hit Tips/Tricks. Learn how to do Parry, How to evade basic hits and special attack of opponent and How to bait special attack.
• Don't fight with linked node in Alliance Quest or Alliance war. If you stuck on any node then call backup team or ask your Leader & Officer about how to fight on that node or simple do Google/YouTube about it.
• Spend Energy on Story Quest as well as Monthly Quests and collect some good rewards, Participate in Alliance events, Play arena for particular champs these is the way to build your solid team. Try to achieve "Uncollected Title" in Story Quest to Unlock some rewards like daily crystal and other opportunity's.. After that your aim should be 100% Act 5 of Story Quest and Then "Cavalier Title".
• Don't let your alliance pressure you to spend units or money. 

📌 In-Game Tips By Kabam & Marvel Contest of Champions (MCOC).

💥 General Tips:

• Check back every day for new Event Quests with exclusive rewards!
• Battle Chips are only found in Versus mode. Use them to purchase exclusive Crystals.
• Get new Champions by opening Crystals in the Crystal Vault!
• The Stash stores gifts and excess inventory items. Be sure to collect them before they expire!

💥 There are six Champion Classes: Cosmic, Mutant, Mystic, Science, Skill, and Tech. Each Champion Class is strong against another. 

• The Contest grants Mutant Champions a Class Bonus against Skill.
• The Contest grants Science Champions a Class Bonus against Mystic.
• The Contest grants Mystic Champions a Class Bonus against Cosmic.
• The Contest grants Cosmic Champions a Class Bonus against Tech.
• The Contest grants Skill Champions a Class Bonus against Science.
• The Contest grants Tech Champions a Class Bonus against Mutant.

💥 Combat Strategy Tips:

• Special Attacks deal devastating damage to your opponent!
• Remember to Block! Blocking significantly reduces incoming damage.
• You can use a Heavy Attack to break through your opponent’s block!
• Some Special Attacks can trigger powerful Status Effects that give you the edge in the fight!
• Bleed damage ignores Armor and Resistances, but some Champions do not bleed.
• Critical Hits exploit weaknesses in opponent's armor to deal massive damage!
• Armor reduces damage from attacks, but watch out for Armor Break reducing your Armor!
• Champions can activate Synergy Bonuses by teaming up with friends, teammates, rivals, and more!
• Abilities that inflict Bleed or Armor Break are effective counters to armored Champions.
• The Nullify ability instantly removes the target’s beneficial effects, such as Regeneration or Armor Up.
• Special abilities, like Bleed or Regeneration, become more powerful when you Rank Up.
• When Blocking, some Champions have a chance to Perfect Block, which reduces all incoming damage to zero!
• Hero Rating represents the overall power level of your Champion, including any active bonuses.
• In a fight, fill your Power Meter by taking and dealing damage. Save up Power to unleash devastating Special Attacks!
• Some Champions attacks can Stun their opponents, rendering them unable to attack, block, or even move!
• Some Champions have the ability to Regenerate their Health during a fight.
• Some Champions are fully immune to certain status effects.
• Mix Light and Medium Attacks to create Combos!
• Armor and Power Drain make Tech Champions effective against the high Special Damage of Mutant Champions.
• Regenerative abilities common to Mutant Champions are effective against the Bleeding inflicted by Skill Champions.
• Frequent Bleed damage from Skill Champions is effective against the high base attributes of Science Champions.
• The high base attributes of Science Champions cannot be nullified or purged by Mystic Champions.
• Many Mystic Champions are able to remove the status effects created by Cosmic Champions.
• The status effects of Cosmic Champions are effective at bypassing the resistances of Tech Champions.

💥 Duel:

• You can Duel another Summoner’s Top Champion from their Summoner Profile.
• Duel Credits refresh daily and are used to challenge another Summoner’s Top Champion.
• You can view your Duel Stats on your Profile page.

Click here to view Duel Target List

📌 MCOC Characters - MCOC Champs : Short Code

• AA :  Archangel
• Abom : Abomination
• AM : Ant-Man
• AV : Agent Venom
• BB : Black Bolt
• Blue Cyclops : Cyclops (Blue Team)
• OG BP : Black Panther
• BPCW : Black Panther (Civil War)
• BW : Black Widow
• BW CV : Black Widow (Claire Voyant)
• BW DO : Black Widow (Deadly Origin)
• Cap / CA : Captain America
• CAPIW : Captain America (Infinity War)
• CapWW2 : Captain America (WWII)
• CB / XB : Crossbones
• Col : Colossus
• CG / Corvus : Corvus Glaive
• CM : Captain Marvel (Classic)
• CMM / Captain Sparkles : Captain Marvel (Movie)
• Obsidian : Cull Obsidian
• CW : Civil Warrior
• DD : Daredevil
• DD Netflix : Daredevil (Netflix)
• DH : Darkhawk
• Doc Ock : Doctor Octopus
• Domi / Neena : Domino
• Mammu : Dormammu
• DP : Deadpool
• DPXF : Deadpool (X-Force)
• DS : Doctor Strange
• Voodoo : Doctor Voodoo
• Emma : Emma Frost
• Elsa : Elsa Bloodstone
• Ebony : Ebony Maw
• Fixit : Joe Fixit
• NF / Fury : Nick Fury
• GG : Green Goblin
• GP : Gwenpool
• Goldy : Goldpool
• GR : Ghost Rider
• Guilly : Guillotine
• Guilly 2099 : Guillotine 2099
• Gulk : Hulk (Ragnarok) / Gladiator hulk
• HB : Hulkbuster
• HE : Hawkeye
• Hood : The Hood
• HT : Human Torch
• HTD : Howard The Duck
• Hype : Hyperion
• IF : Iron Fist
• IM : Iron Man
• IMIW : Iron Man (Infinity War)
• IP : Iron Patriot
• IW : Invisible Woman
• Juggy : Juggernaut
• KG : King Groot
• KK  : Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel)
• KM : Killmonger
• KP : Kingpin
• LC  : Luke Cage
• Red Mag : OG Magneto
• White Mag : Magneto (Marvel Now!)
• Meph : Mephisto
• MK : Moon Knight
• Spidey MM : Spider-Man (Miles Morales)
• MS : Morningstar
• MT : Man-Thing
• NC : Nightcrawler
• NT : Night Thrasher
• OG Vision : Vision
• OML : Old Man Logan
• OR : Omega Red
• PM : Proxima Midnight
• Pun : Punisher
• Pun99 : Punisher (2099)
• Red Cyclops : Cyclops (New Xavier School)
• Rocket / RR : Rocket Racoon
• RS : Red Skull
• Rulk : Red Hulk
• SG : Spider-Gwen
• SHulk : She-Hulk
• SIM : Superior Iron Man
• Sinister : Mister Sinister
• SL : Star Lord
• Classic Spidey / OG Spidey : Spider-Man (Classic)
• SM Stealth : Spider-Man (Stealth Suit)
• Starky / Stark Spidey : Spider-Man (Stark Enhanced)
• Surfer : Silver Surfer
• Symb Supreme : Symbiote Supreme
• ST : Sabretooth
• Symb Spidey : Spider-Man (Symbiote)
• SW : Scarlet Witch
• Thor Rags : Thor (Ragnarok)
• TM : Taskmaster
• UC : Unstoppable Colossus
• Vision AOU : Vision (Age of Ultron)
• Vision Ark : Vision Aarkus
• VP : Venompool
• VTD : Venom The Duck
• YJ : Yellow Jacket
• WM : War Machine
• Wolvie : Wolverine
• WS / Bucky : Winter Soldier
• X23 : Wolverine (X-23)

📌 MCOC Story Quest - Event Quest : Short Code

• AQ : Alliance Quest
• AW : Alliance War
• AWA : Alliance War Attack
• AWD : Alliance War Defense
• BA : Basic Arena
• EQ : Event Quest
• FA : Featured Arena
• LOL : Labyrinth of Legends
• SA : Summoner Advancement
• SE : Solo Event
• ROL : Realm of Legends
• RTTL : Road to the Labyrinth
• VQ : Variant Quest

• Act 1 Chapter 1 Quest 1 : Act 1.1.1
• Act 1 Chapter 1 Quest 2 : Act 1.1.2
• Act 1 Chapter 1 Quest 3 : Act 1.1.3
• Act 1 Chapter 1 Quest 4 : Act 1.1.4
• Act 1 Chapter 1 Quest 5 : Act 1.1.5
• Act 1 Chapter 1 Quest 6 : Act 1.1.6
• Act 1 Chapter 2 Quest 1 : Act 1.2.1
• Act 1 Chapter 2 Quest 2 : Act 1.2.2
• Act 1 Chapter 2 Quest 3 : Act 1.2.3
• Act 1 Chapter 2 Quest 4 : Act 1.2.4
• Act 1 Chapter 2 Quest 5 : Act 1.2.5
• Act 1 Chapter 2 Quest 6 : Act 1.2.6

📌 Crystals : Short Code

• FGMC : Featured Grand Master Crystal
• GMC : Grand Master Crystal
• PHC : Premium Hero Crystals

📌 Inventory - Catalyst : Short Code

• Cats : Catalysts
• Frags : Fragments
• T1AC : Tier 1 Alpha Catalyst
• T1CC : Tier 1 Class Catalyst
• T2AC : Tier 2 Alpha Catalyst
• T1BC : Tier 1 Basic Catalyst
• T1CC : Tier 1 Class Catalyst
• T2BC : Tier 2 Basic Catalyst
• T2CC : Tier 2 Class Catalyst
• T3BC : Tier 3 Basic Catalyst
• T3CC : Tier 3 Class Catalyst
• T4BC : Tier 4 Basic Catalyst
• T4CC : Tier 4 Class Catalyst
• T5BC : Tier 5 Basic Catalyst
• T5CC : Tier 5 Class Catalyst

📌 Inventory - Items : Short Code

• AG : Awakening Gem
• RDT : Rank Down Ticket
• RUG : Rank Up Gem
• Sig Stones : Signature Stones

MCoC Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to spend money to enjoy MCOC?

No. MCOC is very playable free-to-play if you're patient, prioritize Story Quest, and avoid impulsive Unit spending on random crystals.

What's the fastest way to get strong champions early on?

Focus on completing Story Quest and Event Quests for free crystals and shards, and dupe whatever champions you naturally get multiples of rather than chasing a specific "best" champion.

Should I rank up my first 5-star or 6-star champion right away?

Only after checking a tier list. A wrong rank-up wastes catalysts that take a long time to replace as a beginner.

Is Alliance War necessary for a new player?

Not immediately. Focus on Alliance Quest and Story Quest first, and join Alliance War once you have a few champions that work well on defense.

What is the difference between Alliance Quest and Alliance Coliseum?

Alliance Quest is the classic weekly co-op quest map. Alliance Coliseum is a newer mode that temporarily replaces AQ and Raids during certain weeks, built around Podium scoring instead of a shared map.

A Quick Note on Platforms

MCOC is no longer mobile-only. Kabam launched a full PC version on Steam in June 2025, with cross-platform progression, keyboard and controller support, and the same content as the mobile version. If you have a PC alongside your phone, your progress carries over either way.

Final Word

MCOC rewards patience more than spending. Take your time exploring Story Quest, learn to parry properly, join an alliance as soon as you can, and resist the urge to rank up or pull crystals impulsively. The game has grown a lot in the last few years, with Collectives, Radiance, Essentia, Relics, and Towers, but none of these systems matter until you have a solid roster and a good grip on the basics. Every strong roster in this game started with exactly the same two 1-star champions you have right now.