So I recently got a pair of the new Toys “R” Us Exclusive Sentinels and wanted to try them out in a tournament requiring all-fliers with range. My team:

Sentinel Mark V (Giant-Size X-Men #G02) 200
Sentinel Mark V (Giant-Size X-Men #G09) 150
Sentinel Mark II (Giant-Size X-Men #G08) 100
Experienced Sentinel Trooper (Ultimates) 25
+ Yellow Lantern 5
+Dynamostat 0
+Eleha’al Vine 0
=480 points.

FIRST, I faced Jay and his Green Lantern squad of Sinestro, Kilowog,Tomar Re and Abin Sur, all from the Green Lantern Gravity Feed set. He easily won map roll (thanks to Tomar’s trait) and picked Hawkworld.

Such an open map played to the Sentinels’ advantage. I took an early lead in this game and never looked back, eventually wiping out his team and losing only my 150-point Mark V and Trooper.

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SECOND, I faced guest Heroclixin’ writer Morrison, on my choice of the Prison map, and his armored team of War Machine (Hammer of Thor), Iron Man (Secret Invasion), Iron Man (Mutations & Monsters #200) and Batman (Arkham Asylum #016).

I know from running Iron Man teams that they’re great at range and I wanted to do all I could to mitigate that…hence, the map. Using the Dynamostat to block access to me until I was ready, I set up a phalanx of sorts that, while it blocked much of my own line of fire, still managed to focus Outwits and attacks on the Stark armors and limit his countermoves. I took down War Machine and FCBD Iron Man while SI Tony escaped with his life just barely seconds before I was about to make a surprise ranged attack that would likely have KOd him.

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FINALLY, I squared against Paul’s Gravity Feed Lanterns (Salaak, Ganthet and R’Amey Holl) and Fast Forces (Sinestro & Abin Sur). He picked Madripoor, a really difficult map for my 2×2 colossals to navigate.

I picked the dock side, to give the robots cover, before camping the 200-point Sentinel on the roof, the only other safe spot. My key

TURNING POINT

  • was a clutch crithit Psychic Blast that knocked Ganthet off his Outwit, giving me the advantage in countering powers.
  • Then, in the late game, after E Sentinel Trooper tied him up for an effective 3 full turns, Sinestro missed his would-be KO Charge on Mark V. That cost Sinestro his life.

Along with KOs of Abin and Salaak, I got the victory despite a potential comeback from Ganthet as time ran out.

The Sentinels…went 3-0.

Flush with victory, I started spinning the 100-point Sentinel’s dial to see how many clicks he had left, since in this game, he’d actually taken damage.

Kept turning.

And turning.

And then I thought: “This seems awfully long.”

Then I saw two clicks that I know aren’t on his 100-point dial.

I’d played the 100-point Sentinel on his 300-point dial! Arrrrrgh! Instant disqualification.

Frankly, the 100-level powers would’ve been better for my game. Front-loaded Psychic Blast > Incapacitate. But…my 3-0 instantly became 0-3. At least my opponents were cool about the mistake and actually somewhat relieved that they’d been playing at a 200-point handicap.

I also managed to trade for the Sentinel Mark II (Giant-Size X-Men #G01), so look for a future battle report featuring all four of the colossal mutant-hunting robots!

Continuing the photographic record of Super-Strength characters who can hold their own object tokens, today we’re looking at the Namor of the Ultimate Marvel Universe:

 

Yeah, the pic’s blurry as all get-out. And no, you’re not likely to even ever play him over the far superior Secret Invasion Namor. But if you do (or, like me, just enjoy playing teams composed of every version of a particular character), now you know that he can tenuously hold an object token between his left waistline and water splash.

Be back Thursday for another edition of Token Totin’!

WONDER WOMAN (Brave & Bold #018)

 

Recently, I played a team I called “Diana’s Wardrobe,” in which I tried to fit on a variation of every costume Wonder Woman’s worn in HeroClix. The only clix’d costume not represented is her current one because no one actually owns that figure yet (it’s debuting at GenCon in early August).

However, there is one WW costume that’s never been done in ‘clix…and, probably, never will: the early-90s “club-girl” outfit she wore when Artemis briefly replaced her as Wonder Woman.

I’m sorry, but I LOVED this outfit, 1990s-era jacket and all. And since I’ve got two of the BB WWs, and they feel “low-powered” enough to represent this time of her career, I decided to do my own repaint/resculpt:

  • Used hobby knife and file to remove details like WW’s boots and lasso.
  • Added globs of E-6000 glue to her torso and upper arms to form the jacket.
  • Used more E-6000 glue, pulled out into strands, to form hair.
  • Repainted her skin in acrylic paint.
  • Painted on the jacket in acrylics.
  • Used Testors enamel for her hair and clothes.
  • Used a combination of black india ink and red acrylics for new facial details.

Not too bad. There are a few details I could stand to add, such as the yellow trim on the jacket, or more black strappy stuff ’round her waist, but I think I’m good with this.

Done late spring 2011. With this, I’ve not only got all of Diana’s wardrobe (save the yet-to-be-released convention exclusive Wonder Woman THAT I WANT SO BAD), but I’ve completed this series on My Custom Mods with a relative bang.

Next week, I’m starting a whole new feature…it’s along the same lines as this one, but different. Be here Monday to see what it is!

Some Green Lanterns, while great enough to make most any GL team, weren’t quite great enough generally to be among the greatest GLs, period. Here’s Heroclixin’s list:

Salaak

He bears Telekinesis, Probability Control and the Brilliant Tactician-like SP “Brilliant Administrator,” and some late-dial Flurry for when he gets based and punched to circumvent his near-dial-long ESD. But 100 points is a lot for pure support, his DV is below average and he lacks keywords. He’s still highly playable, though, and is essential for large GLC builds.
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V Green Lantern (Collateral Damage)

The other 12-ranged GLC member is the 2nd fig I consider for GL tank duty. He’s just way too expensive for what he does nowadays (and doesn’t do, such as push well), but old-school Rayner is still an effective piece to tank up with Trick Shot.
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Guy Gardner (DC 75th Anniversary)

Inexpensive and hard-hitting, it’s hard to leave Guy off a GL team, much less this top 10 list. His lack of opening moving attack or damage reducers made it hard to rank him over more mobile, better-protected Corps members.
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Hal Jordan (Gravity Feed)


An absolutely dirt-cheap meat shield with a helpful SP for fliers, test pilot Hal is a welcome addition to help fill out GLC themes. His tweaked-to-near-perfection AE power is simply icing. Obviously, his stats aren’t Top Ten material, but he’ll get picked for many GL teams anyhow.
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and finally, Sinestro (Fast Forces)

I really wasn’t impressed with his dial at first, ruing the lack of Running Shot and soft opening defenses on the front end. But playing against him in action, I see that he’s quite fearsome in combat — 19 DV with Willpower can be unstoppable and Exploit Weakness is always scary. Haven’t lost to him yet, though, so he remains just an Honorable Mention.

That does it for this edition of Top Ten! Look for the next edition the week of the 27th. Monday, be here for the last of My Custom Mods!

Number(s) 2 is (are):

TIE: Hal Jordan (DC 75th Anniversary #053) and Sinestro (Gravity Feed #005)

Why they’re top pieces:

  • Both are Indomitable, 18 DV + 11AV Running Shot-ready shooters bearing two 8 range targets, with Hal being more durable and damaging with 4 damage + Invulnerability and Sinestro being more well-rounded starting with Telekinesis and Enhancement.
  • Both gain Perplex and Psychic Blast if hit for a few clicks.

Why they tied:

  • Hal’s “One-Man Justice League” SP gives him incredible flexibility in the late game, enabling him to use TK, Pulse Wave, Poison, B/C/F or any other standard Attack power.
  • But he’s well over 30 points more expensive than Sinestro, who’s more versatile on the front end.

Why they’re not number one:

  • Hal is by far the most expensive Green Lantern (well, one of two at the same cost) and a bit one-dimensional on his opening clicks, while Sinestro lacks that little bit of extra horsepower he needs to truly be the greatest of the lanterns that he thinks he is.
  • Both get defensively soft mid-dial.

Nevertheless, these two really are the greatest Green Lanterns you can run in Modern Age in Heroclixin’s opinion.

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And Heroclixin’s #1 Green Lantern Corps piece is:

Green Lantern (Crisis #023)

He tops the list because:
He’s the total package. He’s got…

  • 10 range, which is increasingly rare in Heroclix;
  • Perplex, making him great for boosting his or his pals’ stats. And he’s got a lot of it;
  • Telekinesis makes him super at deploying the team (as does his GLC TA);
  • The great keyword of Soldier in addition to his GLC and Justice League-related ones;
  • Running Shot, even if it’s just the one opening click of it.
  • Pulse Wave mid-dial.
  • perhaps most of all, his stellar “Lantern’s Will” SP granting use of Energy Shield/Deflection, Toughness and Willpower. He’s a hard target, and one whose DV rises mid-dial to become a potential 21 from range.

If he has a weakness, it’s that his AV numbers aren’t as good as most other GLCs’ on the list. But the Perplex and his overall utility mitigates this weakness capably, making him Heroclixin’s #1 Green Lantern Corps figure.

Come back tomorrow for a rare Saturday update featuring the Honorable Mentions that some of you expected to see here, but didn’t. 😉

Number 4 of the GLC  is:

Hal Jordan (DC 75th Anniversary #W-4)

Why he’s a top piece:

  • There’s absolutely no Green Lantern fig as durable as him. With starting 18 Impervious + Shape Change that “downgrades” to 17 Invulnerability + his “Leader of the White Lanterns” SP (that actually heals him for free on a successful Leadership roll), then a spike back to Impervious+Shape Change (with 19 DV!!!) before settling to Toughness and the damage-stopping/Regeneration-granting “LIVE!” SP, it takes a LOT to put him down for good.
  • He’s also offensively capable with very high AV and 3+ damage for most of his 8-click dial.
  • A stretch of TK ensures he’s useful even off his opening Running Shot click.
  • Oh, and there’s a neat little trait that allows him to theme-team-up with other Lantern Corps.

Why he’s not higher on the list:

  • No Willpower whatsoever makes him very push-unfriendly and thus very overshadowed by the top GLs in playability.

If you’re fortunate enough to have this, one of THE most sought-after White Lantern chase figures, enjoy the fourth-best GLC fig in the game.

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The #3 GLC fig is:

Green Lantern (DC 75th Anniversary #200)

He makes the list because:

  • He’s got great Green Lantern powers: Running Shot, double targets, Perplex and Indomitable 17 ESD — for a relative bargain price.
  • When an enemy succeeds in shutting down his range attacks by damaging and basing him, instead of getting soft and largely folding like many other GLC members, he becomes a dangerous mid-dial melee fighter with Blades, Toughness and Plasticity.

He’d be higher on the list if not for:

  • His lack of opening damage reduction (though being 19-20 to hit from range largely mitigates that weakness).
  • A higher AV on click 2 that he’s unlikely to see. He’s Indomitable and thus won’t likely willingly sacrifice the click for such marginal benefit, but he’s even more unlikely to take just one click of damage under any circumstances. It’s just weird.

Solidly playable with surprising flexibility, 2011’s FCBD Green Lantern is Heroclixin’s vote for #3.

Be back tomorrow for the top two (…or more…;)) GLC figs in Heroclixin’!

Number 6 of the GLC  is:

Abin Sur (Green Lantern Fast Forces #006)

Why he’s a top piece:

  • Not only is he the cheapest-by-far source of the GL TA (for Carry-ready wildcards such as Dr. Strange to copy) at 50 points, but…
  • …his “Always Uses A Ship” SP makes him the first character in the game who can carry any single-based character regardless of combat symbols or keywords. So yes: he can carry a fellow GLC member despite the fact that they all fly.
  • High Speed value makes him very efficient in his taxi role.

Why he’s not higher on the list:

  • Weak overall AV and DV stats, especially compared with other top GL pieces. Despite Super Senses and 3 damage, he’s a relatively easy KO and not much of a fighter.

Still, his SP changes the game for the GLC and HeroClix alike, easily making him Heroclixin’s #6 GLC fig.

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The #5 GLC fig is:

Kilowog (Green Lantern Gravity Feed #003)

He makes the list because:

  • He’s a rare close combatant for the GLC thanks to Charge and Super Strength, and highly competent at it to boot. Dial-long Invulnerability or Toughness rounds out the package.
  • Enhancement and 8 range means he’s got something to do for others and himself until the enemy reaches Charge range.
  • Indomitable keeps him pushing painlessly.
  • When he takes damage, he bumps his nearby fellow Brute, GLC or Soldier allies’ AV via his “Tough Drill Instructor” SP from clicks 2-7.

He’d be higher on the list if not for:

  • His DV sinks mid-dial to an anemic 15. (Fortunately, he’s got Invulnerability to bolster that!)

His unique blend of frontline brawling, secondary shooting and support skills makes Kilowog the #5 best GLC figure so far in HeroClix.

Be back tomorrow for numbers 4 and 3!