#10 is the hardcore jailhouse duo of:

Larry and Mike (Watchmen 020)

The y make the Most Wanted Top Ten Duo list because they…

• Are the cheapest duo fig in the game at 33 points. Of course, that means their stats are largely lacking. But they have a few things that help them, such as…
• Probability Control when they use Duo Attack, which means the ability is key on them. They also…
• Get a damage boost with higher-point Underworld figs on the board. And fortunately, there’s been an influx of those into the game lately. Speaking of the Underworld TA…
• They’re an extra taxi for the team. The Brute keyword has few enough of those.
• 6 range means that when all this is put together, they can potentially blast a target for 4 damage from relative safety (with a reroll in there). Not bad for 33 points.

So while they’re not going to carry a whole game for you, they’re a piece that actually benefits from being a duo more than it’s a drag. These inmates could be dangerous enough to rate #10 among the top duos.

_______

Iron Man / War Machine (Web of Spider-Man 059)

Compared to some of the high-cost duos we’ll see further into the list, these movie stars haven’t aged well in the era of power creep. They’re highly vulnerable to swarms, Outwit and just plain getting based by tie-up.

Ironically, those reasons are largely why they make the list.

• After their initial Running Shot attack, IM/WM rely heavily on their Duo Attack to lay down heavy fire. Basing them usually doesn’t work for long because few tie-up pieces can take the 7 clicks of damage.
• And with Indomitable ability, IM/WM will be shelling out the attacks.
• If hit past their Pulse Wave clicks (the only ones you probably won’t use Duo Attack much on), they get a Special Power, “Adaptive Response Armor,” that replaces one or both ranged duo attacks with Incap, RCE or Psychic Blast. So again, they’re using Duo Attack.
• So dangerous are they with Duo Attack, that it’s the power/ability that’s most scary on them and the one most frequently countered as a defensive maneuver (assuming, of course, that their Outwit has been accounted for already).
• There are even some very decent Split opportunities in a Golden Age game, as all the War Machines so far are well under 150 points.

Being a duo makes this somewhat overcosted piece one that still very much commands respect. It’s  #9.

____

#8 features the first tie of the list, in more ways than one! First we have those Super Buddies:

Blue Beetle and Booster Gold (The Brave and the Bold 052)

This duo, being both double-based and a flier, can’t be TKed or carried. Worse, their trait keeps them from using Carry themselves (guess Booster, the flying half of the pair, has his hands full with Beetle). And worst yet, you’ve got to push them to get to their best click. So how do they even make the duo list, much less over #s 10 and 9?

• That trait also nixes the -1 penalty on the 2nd Duo Attack. This makes it a go-to ability over their Charge, even, and, combined with later clicks of Outwit or Perplex, enables them to lay down a lot of damage from 8 range.
• If they do have to close in, the aforementioned Charge can make it happen, and they’ve got Toughness at least to help them survive.
• They offer a +1 AV to adjacent fellows with their (limited) keywords and, more importantly, OTHER DUOS. Here, the double base helps them help others.

For just 82 points, this free-moving pair rates the #8 spot among the game’s top duos. They tie with the other 82-point duo in the game:

Nite Owl and Rorschach (Watchmen 024)

Nite Owl is actually based on Blue Beetle, too. But that’s not why the Watchmen are here. It’s all about their Attack special.

• When using Duo Attack, they get a +1 to their AV for each adjacent foe. That’s incentive to use their Leap/Climb to get in close to a swarm, taking full advantage of their double base and Combat Reflexes (don’t forget they can take voluntary knockback if hit and you need to get out of adjacency).
• Even better, the second, weaker attack is penetrating damage. So they can possibly tackle the big boys as well.
• The Watchmen TA makes them immune to enemy modifiers. Mid-dial and on, they get their own modifier, Perplex, which is the best aid to Duo Attack that there is.

Unfortunately, they’re unable to Split into any figures. But if you can get them to survive long enough, this duo could get more use out of Duo Attack than many. Being Golden Age, fit them with Lunge for best results, and see why they handily share the #8 slot among the Top Ten Duos of Heroclixin’.