I started playing in August 2018. I got an EHT in the first week and pulled Lianna. I made the mistake of working on her right away and, for a long time, I had no maxed green hero, just a Lianna stuck at 2/60, then 3/70.
I knew nothing about color stacking and didn’t see the point in having more than one hero maxed in each color, other than wars.
Eventually, I found the forums and realized how much I had to figure out. I started leveling more heroes, but I jumped around so much I ended up with a lot of half-leveled heroes.
So, in April I posted my roster and asked for upgrade advice. I have the screenshots, but to avoid flooding this thread with images, I’ll just say; I had four maxed 5*'s, five maxed 4*'s, and seven maxed 3*'s.
Now, about 3 months later, I have eight maxed 5*'s, twenty-three maxed 4*'s, and thirty-five maxed 3*'s.
I still plan on leveling more 4*'s, since there are a few core ones I don’t have maxed. I definitely wanna increase my 5* bench though. 4* mats are so rare though, I was hoping for some advice on how to proceed. Here is my current roster(some duplicate 4*'s are left out):
Team 2 is what I’m currently leveling. Gretel is the only one I definitely plan on maxing. The others I was thinking of stopping at 60.
My ascension materials:
For the most part, my priorities are titans and war. I would like the best defense I can field, but I’m more interested in optimizing my titan hits and war score.
Purple/Dark: 5* options: Kunchen(3/70), Guardian Panther(3/70), Seshat(1/1), Thoth-Amun(1/1), Domitia(1/1), Quintus(1/1)
4* options: Ameonna(3/60), Boomer(3/60), Sabina(3/60), Cyprian(3/60), Cheshire Cat(1/20), Gafar(1/1), Jabbar(1/1)
-Thoughts: I wish I had this problem in every color for 5*'s, but I have too many good options. I’d like to max Kunchen, Guardian Panther, and Seshat. I only the mats for one. However, Morlovia is fairly soon. It repeats every 2 months. Halloween event has a tabard and they will likely offer one for purchase… so even without RNG, I can have 13 tabards by Halloween. Still, I’d like to ascend one soon. Guardian Panther?
For 4*'s, should I level a 4* before going to 5*? I already have two maxed 5* purples and I’m low on trap tools, too. Sabina is a great one that I don’t have maxed. Thoughts? I could ascend Kunchen or Panther right now…
Blue/Ice: 5* options: Master Lepus(2/60), Alasie(2/60), King Arthur(1/39)
4* options: Captain of Diamonds(3/60), Agwe(3/60)
-Thoughts: Very few options here. My current plan: I don’t have Tarlak, so I am very interested in Miki. Of course there is no guarantee that I’ll get him. I know Alasie is amazing, and I don’t have a blue 5* sniper. Should I wait and hope I pull Miki? I can max Captain of Diamonds and Agwe in the mean time. King Arthur is great too, but he is too similar to Frida, who I already have maxed.
Red/Fire: 5* options: Khagan(3/70), Anzogh(2/60), Mitsuko(1/1), Azlar(1/1)
4* options: Kelile(3/60), Scarlett(3/60), Sir Lancelot(3/33), Sumitomo(1/30)
-Thoughts: I’m not crazy about any of the 5* options. I actually made a thread about Mitsuko when I got her, and most people recommended maxing her. My only other maxed 5* red is Marjana, who has a tank stats with a sniper ability. I have a lot of rings, so I’m thinking Mitsuko definitely. Should I max a 4* red first? I know more options is better(bench depth). I’m very interested in Grazul, but I might not pull him. Even if I do, I don’t have a red mana troop, so no shaving a tile off 
Green/Nature: 5* options: Horghall(2/60), Elkanen(2/60), Margaret(1/1), Morgan Le Fay(1/1), Kadilen(1/1)
4* options: Little John(3/60), Jack O’ Hare(1/33), Skittleskull(1/23), Gobbler(1/14), Caedmon(1/8), Gadeirus(1/4)
-Thoughts: I’m not crazy about any of my green 5* options. I’m also low on green 4*'s, so should I stick with 4*'s for now? I have 10 tonics and I think the next major green 5* available would be Kingston. I’m pretty sure Shrikewood will come around twice by then? I could ascend Morgan for war defense, but is such a niche hero worth the tonics with my small 5* bench? Should I wait?
Yellow/Holy: 5* options: Guinevere(2/60), Guardian Owl(2/60), Inari(1/1), Ranvir(1/1), Justice(1/1), Vivica(1/1), Joon(1/1)
4* options: Danzaburo(3/60), Li Xiu(3/60), Gretel(3/34)
-Thoughts: I have a LOT of yellow ascension mats. I’m currently maxing Gretel. After her? Shiloh desert is soon and I’ll have enough mats for 3 yellow 5* heroes. I only have one maxed 5* healer, should I go with Vivica? Everyone says Guinevere is the best tank in the game, but is she worth maxing just for raid defense? I care about titans, should I max Ranvir? Is he that much better than Wu Kong that he is worth it? We fight lower titans, so survivability isn’t that much of an issue right now.
Final thoughts: I just don’t wanna make a bad decision on 5*'s. The mats are so hard to accumulate. What do you think will give me the most versatility? I want to maximize my titan and war scores. What do you think about a raid defense?
Thanks to all who took the time to read all this 
