Theres to many factors to really compute in my opinion. Controllers are really helpful to any team whilst being comparatively weak solo (not weak, just relatively weak compared to a scrapper for instance). So im sure you will be good vs AV. I dont really count soloing AVs with a heavy as part of regular game play tho! 
THe other thing is, a /rad automatically is highly highly useful against AVs because of the incredible value of its -regen power (lingering rad) against an AV - even tho this is an AOE effect.
So I cant say, ever, that certain ATs are better than others under all citrcumstances. Im very pleased I cant!. However, one can say as a pretty good rule of thumb that AoE effects are inefficient and weak solo, and are highly effective and powerful in teams/large spawns. As I said, against AV's, single target attacks once again ghave the edge, whereas AoE buffs are still magnificent.
Ultimately, despite what some people maintain, you cant be a "team build" and a "solo build" at the same time. Some builds will be strong in big teams (ones with lots of AoE), some strong solo (ones with single target), and some builds will be balanced to be fairly good in both. There aint no getting away from the maths, unfortunately. Best just to be honest about it. My MA/Regen scrapper has diddly squat AoE effects. She blitzes through missions solo, invincible, at a blistering pace. Flip side? I know that shes is rubbish in an 8 man team next to the Fire/Rad controller with three leadership buffs running. Not useless, but (Av's aside), not as valuable. If you look at the FoTM superteams running around these days (and they rip through invincible missions like butter) they are all controllers / corruptors / defenders with stacked AoE buffs/debuffs and AoE attacks.
Perhaps we're are looking at different meanings of the same word. "Powerful" in my mind doesn't equate to "kills mobs the most quickly," which is where your AoEs come in. Ill/Rad can do things quickly, from complete safety, and is useful in a wide variety of situations -- my Ill/Rad is both one of my best soloers, and one of my best team characters, at the same time. Really. In fact, that's part of why I think it's so powerful. She can buff, debuff, control, tank, and do damage. She can take on multiple-person spawns solo, or she can act as support and protection to a large team. She really doesn't need her AoE hold in teams, and I dropped it because I was never using it - Phantom Army take all the aggro, and they're up long enough to drop a couple of groups. (And if you're really bothered about counting your AoEs, you should consider PA -- there are three of them, they switch targets a lot. Between them, while they're technically single-target, they do what basically amounts to a load of AoE damage, spread between mobs. They also drag aggro away from the team really nicely.)
Remember not to just look at how things are on paper -- how things play can be very different to how they look.
My Ill/Rad is my best toon too, but I do use its AoEs a lot, mainly as openers. On the first mob I use PA, on the second EM pulse, on the third flash, on the fourth PA... and so on. As you can cast your AoEs while invis it's safe, not only to keep them mob under control, but also to set up containment quickly
I think that Grav/FF is one of the hardest things to play, lots of end usage and you're basically a team buff bot, because you can't do much else than holding and bubbling having basically no chance to solo...
There is no worst powerset combination for controllers really, just more challenging or ones with less synergy. Illusion/storm doesn't really gel that well together but i still enjoy it (plus it does rock in pvp). Other ATs can have genuinely bad combinations though i think, like radiation with energy blast etc (just personal opinions but i cant see why you'd want to knock things out of your own debuffs). One would think illusion/rad would have a tough time of it but as people have been saying, apparently it works quite well.
Plus "powerful" is also a matter of perspective. For damage, for fire/kin rocks socks off, but for team protection/buffage my earth/emp (who couldn't kill time) is equally great.
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year's bitter loving must remain
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
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I think that Grav/FF is one of the hardest things to play, lots of end usage and you're basically a team buff bot, because you can't do much else than holding and bubbling having basically no chance to solo...
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Try playing an Ice/FF :P
Why you think I'm in PI all the time LFT?!
@Under Control
PvE
Solo: ice / ff
Team: grav / ff I think, worst aoe control + the worst secondary for team PvE.
PvP
Solo: ice / something other than rad. You cant even if you get containment.
Team: earth / storm I think. When fighting a kin buffed team on a map other than office or cave.
50s
controllers: Ill rad , grav rad, fire kin, ice kin
blaster: ice em
scrapper: spines sr
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PvE
Solo: ice / ff
Team: grav / ff I think, worst aoe control + the worst secondary for team PvE.
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Errm actually... I don't agree. Have you ever played a /ff troller in team with a def based toon?.
My ice tank could easily tank mobs +7 playing along with a /ff troller, and my squishy /sr scrappie actually played as a tank most of the time after lv33 with that same troller. Def buffs from ff are amazing, and can have a full team perma buffed, unlike other sets. Besides having your team mez protected (it takes up to 4 holds from a troller to break thru in pvp) vs all but sleep is very valuable imo.
But the again, different puppies, different bones my 2cents tho
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PvE
Solo: ice / ff
Team: grav / ff I think, worst aoe control + the worst secondary for team PvE.
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Errm actually... I don't agree. Have you ever played a /ff troller in team with a def based toon?.
My ice tank could easily tank mobs +7 playing along with a /ff troller, and my squishy /sr scrappie actually played as a tank most of the time after lv33 with that same troller. Def buffs from ff are amazing, and can have a full team perma buffed, unlike other sets. Besides having your team mez protected (it takes up to 4 holds from a troller to break thru in pvp) vs all but sleep is very valuable imo.
But the again, different puppies, different bones my 2cents tho
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FF's ftw
thePhilosopher Martial Arts/Regen/Fire Scrapper
theRegulator Empathy/Energy/Soul Defender
Total Inertia Ice Blast/Kinetics/Psy Corruptor
Total Inferno Ice Blast/Thermal/Leviathan Corruptor
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There is no worst powerset combination for controllers really, just more challenging or ones with less synergy. Illusion/storm doesn't really gel that well together. /snip
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I play ill/storm, and i'd argue that illusion and storm are one of the best synergies ever. Storm provides soft-core controls and debuffs, which illusion sorely lacks. It means you can still feel useful even when your PA is down. I'm at level 34 with that build and enjoying it soooo much. And I actually feel like i'm 'in control' with a combination of decoys, fear, confusion and holds from Illusion and knockdown, knockback, disorient and slow from Storm. And I can't wait for the final two storm powers to complete the build.
FF? Worst secondary? Huh?
AoE team mez protection from just one power????
Now it may not shine at low levels but come level 30-50 when mez effects fly left right and centre... Im a happy man when a sonic or FF comes onto a big team.
Delfection and Insulation sheilds are absolutely wonderful too. Defence is more valuable than Resistance at late levels - its not so much the damage that hurts, its those malta sappers, those cabal end drains, those stuns, sleeps, holds, slows, etc...
Ill admit the rest of the set pales by comparison, but with those three frankly excellent powers, Im not suprised.
Errm that message meant for me? I also said FF's are very good
Incog2me what anime is in your avatar? i wanna watch it! 
I think it's called 'Grenadier'. Enjoy. :P
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PvE
Solo: ice / ff
Team: grav / ff I think, worst aoe control + the worst secondary for team PvE.
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grav/ff? That's an awesome combo for PvE teaming, aint bad in duels either. . .
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I think it's called 'Grenadier'. Enjoy. :P
[/ QUOTE ]It is indeed, sadly that fight is propably the best one in the whole series >_>
I would have to say that earth/ff is a nightmare to level. In a team you are gold. Enemies flying everywhere, staggering around or just held fast. Solo the damage output is absolute rubbish.
I made a Ill/FF last night for soloing. Is it good for soloing? I thought Decieve + Phantom Army + PFF + Invisibility is a good combination for soloing.
Or in other words, can he be more succesfull than my FF/Psi defender in solo?
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I made a Ill/FF last night for soloing. Is it good for soloing? I thought Decieve + Phantom Army + PFF + Invisibility is a good combination for soloing.
Or in other words, can he be more succesfull than my FF/Psi defender in solo?
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He certainly will be, but FF is not the best set for soloing and really shines in teams.
CoX 50s: <ill/rad> <ice/ice> <fire/kin> <grav/sonic> <ice/storm> <earth/kin> <kin/elec> <cold/psy> <thugs/dark> <fire/dark> <dark/elec> <night widow> <EM/ninj> <mind/icy>
I know it well but i get it for two reasons. PFF and Force Bolt.
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I made a Ill/FF last night for soloing. Is it good for soloing? I thought Decieve + Phantom Army + PFF + Invisibility is a good combination for soloing.
Or in other words, can he be more succesfull than my FF/Psi defender in solo?
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Try an Illusion/Kinetic Controller. For solo purposes it is really effective - as well as being great for teams, if you get tired of soloing.
Proud member of FOXBASE ALPHA and coalition associates.
Hero 50's - 25
Villain 50's - 1
I've an ill/FF that I've soloed up to 32 so far. I'm sure other secondaries would have it easier some or even most of the time (my ill/kin soloed easier because of his heal and buffs/debuffs) but FF does have its uses in a solo situation. Force bolt is a great way of keeping that third minion out of melee while you're holding and deceiving his friends. PFF is a handy panic button to have and has saved my guy's life a few times. Dispersion bubble was a godsend against the Tsoo with their disorienting minions and against other mezzers too. Deflection and insulation shield become useful once you get to 32 and Phantasm. The set has some holes like no protection against sleep and no self heal but it's easy enough to work around those through inspiration use and use of PFF when things get really bad. All in all it's a very soloable build in my opinion. However, if asked to choose between soloing my ill/ff or my ill/kin to 50 from lvl 1 again I would pick my ill/kin without hesitation - I just had more fun with the /kin powers than I do with the /ff powers (and this is coming from someone who loves playing his team-only FF defender).
Defiant 50�s: Generalissimo, Righteous Bob, Splortch, Brutus Cayuga
Union 50's: Chimera Obscura, Diet Anthracite, Grim Proctologist, Puny Little Minion, Raging Bitumen
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Okay, thanks for the reply friends.
It seems Ill/Kin is a better option. I will use 4 power pool sets. Fitness, Medic, Fighting and Flight. So i think this will cover the lack of healing. As i can use self-heal in PFF this makes sense i guess.
I had a Mind/Empath troller but deleted her. She's really good but in lower levels, without a raptor pack she can't stay alive in hollows or other hazard zones. But i think i can give it a shot, i mean an ill/kin troller. Or make it mind/kin. As only ATs i like are Defender and Controller there are still so many combinations for me to try.
Actually my brother's asking me to start together again with new characters on Saturday, i'll try ill/kin or mind/kin. As he loves to play Blasters, i think someone have to keep him alive. XD
Actually, if you plan to solo, ill/rad is even better imo, at least until you get to 38 (and even after that, in some situations). If you plan to duo a lot and do prefer /kin, I wouldn't take the medicine pool since you have Transfusion (self and team heal) as well as Increase Density. Likewise, as a /kin, you should take Hasten which is much more useful than the Fighting pool (Leadership is nice for Tactics, but that depends more on your build and playstyle).
CoX 50s: <ill/rad> <ice/ice> <fire/kin> <grav/sonic> <ice/storm> <earth/kin> <kin/elec> <cold/psy> <thugs/dark> <fire/dark> <dark/elec> <night widow> <EM/ninj> <mind/icy>
Ermm but having AoE's doesn't imply you can't be really strong vs AVs (in fact, I think most of the people will concur in that it's the best set vs them). I've got flash, EM pulse and Spectral wounds on my PvE build, but I also have PA, deceive, blind, RI, EF, LR, the epic blast, power boost, conserve power, the epic armor, AM, phantasm and radiant aura (and yes, I use them all when vs AVs while I try to keep my sanity). Nah pretty easy tbh, and enough to solo the couple of RV AVs with a heavy