Rookie/Experienced Swordsman (Sinister)

Wow. Were these guys my first reviews at Pojo.com?

New material is in green. 

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Rookie Swordsman
20 points
Team: none
Range: 0
Keywords: Lethal Legion 
Originally, the Swordsman was a villain with some skill with a blade. His costumed criminal career started in the circus, then in Europe, both of which explain that ridiculous moustache.

1 2 3 4 5
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08 07 07 07 06
08 08 07 07 06
16 15 15 14 14
01 01 02 01 01

Powers analysis:

He starts with Leap/Climb and Close Combat Expert for
2 clicks, then switches to 2 Flurry clicks. Final click has no powers. Swordsman is best used as pure tie-up sacrifice piece to keep enemy shooters from targeting more important figures. L/C helps him gets there, and CCE makes him dangerous enough to draw attention

Feats:
POUNCE is the best choice; for just 35 points, R Swordsman can threaten even Impervious/Invulnerable targets. DOUBLE-TIME is a solid choice to enable him advance to the rear lines and threaten medics and PC figures. DAMAGE SHIELD makes his close-range tie-up potential even better. And nowadays LUNGE is a perfectly good and low-cost fit. How did I miss recommending PASSENGER back then?  

Themes:
He was killed in action, so add him to the “legion of dead” clix as well as the “not dead anymore” set. He was an Avengers enemy and fought Captain America.

In sum:
Rookie Swordsman is a disposable tie-up piece at best, but with the right feats he can be quite annoying — and even a little dangerous — for only 25-35 points. 

Rating: 2/5. Cheap enough to not mind losing, but useful in the meantime.

Experienced Swordsman
35 points
Team: Avengers
Range: 4 x 1
Keywords: Avengers 
This Swordsman is the secret plant on the Avengers of the Mandarin, bearing the special energy-blasting sword the Iron Man archvillain gave him. But he comes to respect the heroes and works with them frequently while half-heartedly continuing a life of crime.
Eventually, he’s pardoned and joins the team.

1 2 3 4 5
————–
08 08 07 07 07
09 08 08 07 07
16 16 15 15 14
02 01 01 02 02

Powers analysis:
Two clicks of L/C start things, so initial mobility isn’t a problem, and ESD will help against shooters until he can base a target — preferably a flier.
That’s because he gets Psychic Blast on his second click. It switches to Incap for the 3rd and 4th, giving him some ability to slow the enemy down.
Defensively, clicks 2-4 boast Combat Reflexes to boost his close-combat survivability. And in the damage slot, he a Close Combat Expert for the first three, then lapses into Battle Fury for the final two.

Like the Rookie, this is a good cheap tie-up piece that’s a little dangerous with all that CCE. Loss of Flurry hurts a bit, though, and the BF at the end means no yanking him out to be healed. (Like you’d bother with that.)

You’re almost never going to use that 4 range except on that 2nd click.

Feats:
VAULT is a no-brainer. POUNCE works, but loss of Flurry + higher cost make it less attractive. HEIGHTENED REFLEXES is a good bet to help him survive the move-attackers. DOUBLE-TIME helps him threaten the pit crew figures. THUNDERBOLTS is a great choice, of course. DAMAGE SHIELD works just as well on him as on the R — coupled with TB’d Mystics/Crossgen TA, and his use as a tie-up piece is magnified. Again, LUNGE is a great modern feat that’s exceptional on E Swordsman.

Themes:
Fits on both Avengers teams and villain teams. Team up with Mandarin for a good and effective theme.

In sum:
Exp. Swordsman, while less disposable than the R, may be a bit more useful thanks to T-Bolts. But that makes him more valuable, which is counter to his best use as a sacrifice piece. 

Rating: 2/5. Better than the R, but less disposable, which is a problem.

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