Glad you tagged me so I could see this, so thank you! I’ll do my best to help with what I can
First off, I agree with your gut- you should definitely work on your 4* first. Since they’ll be used nearly everywhere, they will benefit you the most. Plus, it takes forever to level a 5*; whereas 4* go a lot quicker, so that way you can move onto someone else faster too. 5* that are solid heroes are worth leveling when you’re close to having the mats, but until then, there are so many amazing 4* that they deserve your attention first.
You have a lot of amazing points regarding doing 4* first and I agree with every single one. Some people get caught up in the 5* and leveling them before ready (so they get stuck at 60), but they’re honestly not as useful as a 4* can be for a long time. For events, war, and color-stacking- 4* play a huge roll in the success of all of that until you get all of the necessary mats. 5* are an end-game goal, but 4* will last you long enough to give you time to develop all of the necessary 5* later, while still being able to complete everything in-game. Plus, once you get TC19 up and running, that will help with developing those time and resource consuming 5* too
Okay, so I’m going to list (in order) who I would level in each color, and why:
I see you have dupes, so I’m not going to add them to this list. Usually, I wouldn’t start on dupes until after I get enough variety first- and then I’ll start on the amazing dupes only. Useless heroes aren’t even worth dupes (imo). Your call to decide when you wanna work on them
(Sorry in advance, I’m typing a lot in these summaries so it’s a lot to read, I’ll try to break it up for you)
Red 4: So BT is maxed (amazing first choice), so second I would want to do Wilbur- but Gormek is closer so I’d finish him at 60 first, then onto Wilbur for a better defense down in red (for events and Titans). He’s the most deserving of your next set of blades. After Wilbur, I would personally do Falcon next to help with green Titans. Then, you could either ascend Gormek (if he still gets enough use when you play; with Wilbur leveled he becomes fairly redundant, but could find use in war) or
Scarlett for a fast hitter with a high attack stat, so she’ll be amazing for Titans too. I would do Gormek only if you’ve found plenty of use for him, or else I would do Scarlett for that attack stat. After that, Sumi, Colen or Kelile could get leveled to 60- but I don’t think they’re worth the mats past that (until you get plenty of blades). Colen is good for defensive purposes, Kelile is an alright sniper but doesn’t have as great of a purpose, and Sumi does some cool stuff but again- not as useful. Maybe if you love playing with either of them, I’d ascend that one- or else I’d start with 5*.
Red 5: Zimkitha is definitely the most deserving of mats out of your red 5*- her fast cleanse and buff are amazing, and you’ll get a lot of use out of her in raids. She’s not as crucial for Titans though, I’d rather use BT and dotes instead (til she’s at 4T, then she could replace BT on your titan team). After Zim, I’d do Azlar- his DOT is amazing and that attack is crazy. If you don’t like slows, you might not like him as much, but I love that lion. Elena is nice for that super high attack stat, but her defense is sad so not a super great option- but good. I don’t think I would max her though. Same with Kong and Khagan, they’re okay but not amazing to justify spending 4* mats on.
Blue 4: I would definitely finish out Grimm to 70 since he’s the best blue 4*, then I’d work on finishing Boril out to 70 too (since he’s almost there). After those two, I would definitely take Kiril to 70 for that buff and heal; he has a place on Titan teams and war. Next, is Triton for the best blue 4* sniper and that healing buff. Then, I would do Sonya for a fast dispel and hit. I like variety, so usually I would suggest doing someone new after Sonya, but I’m not a fan of Valeria or Agwe. If you want something different, then I spose you could work on one of them, but I wouldn’t fully ascend them. I’d rather work on dupes and 5* before them, and save them til last, but that’s your call. Valeria’s attack stat is pretty bad, and Agwe doesn’t do enough to make him interesting (imo) but I’d probably do Valeria first for the very fast mana DOT stack.
Blue 5: Magni is definitely the best choice out of those blues, so he deserves to be ascended first. The others I wouldn’t spend the mats on, at least until after you’ve played with them enough to know if they work for you. Aegir is too controversial, so it’s hard to make an accurate analysis on him. He might be worth taking to 70 before Richard though, for the heal (but not for tank, apparently he sucks at that, so idk). Richard is alright, but I’d be more inclined to do Aegir first [personally].
Green 4: Definitely finish out Caedmon for that fast dispel, then I’d work on Melendor some more. Always need healers for war, and he dispels. After that, I’d maybe do Kash if you need a solid tank, but to me BT is good enough to save your from spending mats on someone that’s really only good at being a tank. I mean, if you’re lacking enough healers for war, then I’d maybe do Kash. If not, push him to the back and do 5* or start on Gadeirus for the buff and heal instead (he’ll help with blue Titans). Also, Little John is awesome for his high attack stat, and I like using him in war. Gobbler is too niche to really say for sure; if you struggle with minions I’d maybe consider him, but honestly his defense is too low to make him useable enough. Skittles will be last, she should always be last.
Green 5: Lianna for sure, she’s an amazing sniper and will be awesome for raids. After her, Zeline definitely. I would have actually had you start on Zeline first, but Lianna is further. Z will be used everywhere for that dispel. After Zeline, I’d maybe do 2nd Lianna before Elkanen or Horghall. Neither of them are too great, and they’re not deserving of 4* mats in my opinion. They can be leveled before Skittles, but should basically be last. I would maybe do Horghall first if you want someone more for defense, or Elkanen if you need another fast hitter. Both to me are meh.
Yellow 4: Finish out Wu Kong since he’s one of the most useful heroes in this game [for events and Titans] and then I’d work on Jackal for purple Titans and tanks. That very fast mana is awesome. After that, I would maybe consider upping Li if you find a lot of use for her mana cut, or I’d do Chao for a faster mana cut but on one. He can be helpful for events too, especially if you don’t have many mana controllers. I’d do dupes (especially Jackal). Then, Danza could be decent, so I’d do him next possibly. Leave Hu Tao til last.
Yellow 5: Vivica is your only yellow 5* so obviously she’s your only choice, but she’s an amazing only choice to have. Honestly, I would work on her before Danza and Hu- that heal and cleanse are amazing. Definitely worth mats; you’ll use her as your safety net 9 times out of 10.
Purple 4: Rigard is done, so you have cleanse and deep heal at your disposal, so I’d do Proteus next. His mana stop is very valuable basically everywhere, so he should be leveled asap. Then, I’d do Tibs to have for events and Titans. Sabina after, because you always need more healers. Ameonna maybe next, since she does have her place in Titan fights and raids sometimes. & Since you already have a riposte hero, and since I don’t value riposte all that much, I’d probably do dupes or 5* before Cyprian.
Purple 5: Sartana is an amazing sniper, so since you’ve already started with her, I would finish her off first. Then, I would do Victor for that very fast mana and defense buff, super nice for raids. After them, I’d maybe do Domitia for the dispel. Mok-Arr only if you love using mono teams and have enough purples for him to play with (he’s very niche). Quintus I would do last; he hits hard, but I like him paired with Isarnia rather than by himself, but that’s just me.
Okay wow, that was a lot of words. Of course, this is all subjective, and based on how I would do it. It might not completely match with what you’re looking for, but I hope it can help! Feel free to ask any questions you may have
Overall: I would keep doing what you’ve been doing, and focus on getting at least 3-5 4* leveled in each color before starting on the 5*. They can be fun to play with, but your 4* will help you much, much more.