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[4.18] Optional Builds
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As in any role-playing game, there is no one correct way to build your 
characters. Here are some thoughts on other ways you might want to level up 
your X-Men...

[4.18.1] Batter Up!
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With the exception of Cyclops, Jubilee and Nightcrawler, any X-Man can be 
built into a good melee fighter; i.e. a character that just uses punches 
and kicks. Emma, Gambit, Iceman, Jean, Magma, Psylocke and Storm can all 
add different damage types to their melee attacks, making them more 
effective against physical resistant foes. All X-Men get Critical Strike as 
a skill, which increases the chance of scoring triple damage with each 
strike.

(Cyclops, Jubilee and Nightcrawler aren't good melee fighters because they 
get no bonus such as energy damage or Might to their melee attacks. 
Nightcrawler could be considered good at melee through the use of his 
teleporting powers; but, he's no better at just stepping in and trading 
punches than Cyclops or Jubilee.)

If you want a real, "hands-on" experience, level up your favorite X-Men 
with concentrations on their melee skills, Strike and Body, and one 
offensive or defensive power. You won't use powers as much, so Focus is not 
much of a concern and a team-shielding power, such as Jean's TK Shield, can 
substitute for high Agility. Mix up damage types on your team; for example, 
Rogue for physical damage, Storm for energy (lightning) damage and Emma 
Frost for mental damage. You can also max out Cyclops' Tactics buffing 
power and keep him on the team as ranged support and insta-buffer; or, use 
Jubilee for the same purpose, using Bait, with the added ability to control 
crowds, using Photo Flash.

The benefit of this method is a greater ability to continue fighting even 
if powers are exhausted. The downside is lower experience earned from fewer 
combos performed, and a weak ranged fighting ability.

[4.18.2] The Best Defense...
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...Is a good offense. Perhaps you think shields are for girlie-men. Or, 
perhaps, you have realized when playing X-Men Legends by yourself, most of 
the defensive powers are unused. The AI doesn't use defensive powers that 
much, so getting full use from all the various shields and buffs requires a 
single player to rapidly switch among X-Men and turn on their X-power.

Of course, you're not going to do that; not many people will. When playing 
exclusively single-player, only level up the defensive power of those X-Men 
whom you will play (i.e. control) frequently and whose X-power covers the 
whole team (Cyclops, Storm, Jean, Iceman, etc.). You can switch on the 
defensive power at the beginning of combat and then just use offensive 
powers or melee attacks.

On the plus side, you'll have more points to put into offensive powers and 
skills. On the down side, if you get into a really tough fight and are 
taking lots of damage, you won't have as much protection to layer on each 
X-Man.