Stars Aligned

Inspired by Captain America's resolve, Winter Soldier can leap to the aid of a designated ally, slamming the ground with his mechanical arm to deal damage to nearby foes. Additionally, Captain America and Winter Soldier can interact with each other once both parties confirm. The duo collides and unleashes a shockwave that deals damage and inflicts slow on enemies.

Heroes

• Captain America
• Winter Soldier

Lore

Winter Soldier: "…You know, this ain't exactly like the old days when I'd watch your six on the battlefield, is it?"

Captain America: "Of course not—back then, you hadn't endured all this suffering. You hadn't been captured and twisted by Hydra, and you definitely didn't have that doohickey making you an octopus."

Winter Soldier: "Hmph. You always had my back when we were younger. Definitely been more reckless lately."

Captain America: "Nothing wrong with a headlong charge. Just can't go losing yourself on a solo mission again, Buck."

Winter Soldier: "…All right then, Captain, what's our next move?"

Captain America: "I might not be your Steve, but I think we can get our teamwork in tip top shape."

Winter Soldier: "I just hope you've sharpened your skills a bit more since that time in Wakanda."

Captain America: "Been training in secret. What's that saying? Practice makes perfect?"

Winter Soldier: "…You really haven't changed a bit, old man."

Captain America: "Neither has the battlefield—No matter who we're up against, all we need is just the two of us, side by side like back in the day."

Winter Soldier: "Enough yapping. Come on, Cap! We've got work to do."

Stars Aligned Guide

In this new Team-up Ability introduced in Season 2: Hellfire Gala, Captain America stands as the anchor, with Winter Soldier as the team-up activator.

With this Team-up activated, Bucky can leap to a target ally, slamming the ground and dealing AoE damage to nearby foes. This dramatically enhances Winter Soldier's mobility. Combined with his Trooper's Fist skill, he can be a really fast-moving Duelist now.

Another skill that can be activated with this Team-up is that he and Captain America can both leap and collide in the center of them both, unleashing a shockwave that deals a bit of damage and inflicts slow on enemies.

The damage dealt is really not significant, but that's not the purpose of this skill. This skill is actually more of a strategic mobility skill. This skill also opens up an opportunity to lock on a target, preferably a Duelist who is in the mid-range, as Cap and Bucky leap and meet in the middle, then can finish off a slowed enemy together.

This is best used as a retreating skill after Captain America dives and wreaks havoc on the enemy backline. After activation of the skill, Cap and Bucky can meet in the middle to then focus on the enemy Duelist in the middle of team fights.

Although, while it sounds cool on paper, applying this skill in a real match takes really good coordination and communication. If you are playing with a random, it’s highly unlikely that you will utilize this skill correctly. Not to mention that both Cap and Bucky need to confirm the skill activation, which really requires good communication.

Best Against

This Team-up is best against flanker-heavy and Duelist-heavy teams.

• Bucky can leap toward the friendly backlines if they get flanked by heroes like Psylocke, Black Panther, Spider-Man, or Iron Fist.
• In team fights, after Captain America wreaks havoc on enemy backlines, he can activate the collision with Bucky to reposition themselves into the heart of the team fight and switch focus to enemy Duelists instead.

Best Counters

These characters are the best counters to the Stars Aligned Team-Up ability:

Groot is the best at isolating enemies. With his thorn walls, he can isolate Bucky from Captain America, limiting their mobility. The wall can also prevent Winter Soldier from retreating with a leap. With this new team-up ability, Bucky players will be more aggressive. This is a way to punish Bucky if he overextends and becomes overconfident.

Peni Parker is a great counter to this team-up because she can fill the battleground with Arachno Mines. Peni Parker's mines will prevent them from clashing together toward the middle of the team fight, which greatly limits their mobility.

Magik excels at close-range brawling. With her bonus armor every time she hits an enemy, she can withstand the Cap and Bucky combo even when outnumbered.

Moon Knight is a really good counter when Cap and Bucky decide to clash together, as it opens up a window to bounce his projectiles while they are in close proximity.