No. 10

Veil [Avengers Asemble 023]

This member of Avengers Academy with the power to turn to toxic gases was a reluctant hero, being more concerned with the danger of her body being unable to re-solidify. Her clix version makes our list of top F.U.N. figures. Here’s why:

• In keeping with the character’s non-interest in super heroics, light damage and no-passenger policy give Veil very high marks on not being a completely negative play experience. FELLOWSHIP level: High
• Being able to Smoke Cloud non-stop via her SP is pretty top tier, especially with its potential to deal damage. Aside from that, she makes an OK meat shield and tie-up fig. But she takes a hit by not being able to use the Carry ability due to a trait. UTILITY level: Moderately Low
• Veil’s Initiative keyword is her raison d’être. She’s a totally Nifty fit on an Avengers Academy team. It’s a shame that WK doesn’t really have a Teen keyword anymore, one that she’d be perfect for. It’s NOT a shame that there’s no Ginger keyword. But she fits that theme, too. NERDCORE level: Low

In years past, this has been where your friendly neighborhood webmaster has shared his personal favorites of the past year. But a friend rather bluntly told me: “Nobody cares about that list.”

It stung a bit, but I had to admit he was right. It might be entertaining — one could say Friendly and Nifty, to invoke the spirit of this blog — to some readers, but was it also Useful? No.

Not until now.

So this time, and going forward, Heroclixin’s last look back at the year will list the Top Ten F.U.N. figs of the year, not just our favorites, in accordance with the F.U.N. acrostic:

• Is the figure FRIENDLY and FELLOWSHIP-worthy? That is, if your opponents see this figure on your team, will their hearts utterly sink at the prospect of dealing with it? If so, it’s not F.U.N.
• Is this figure still USEFUL and full of UTILITY anyway? If so, it may be F.U.N. But it shouldn’t run TOO high on this scale, or it may overwhelm the Friendly portion!
• Does this figure have a NEATO or NIFTY or NERDCORE appeal that goes beyond its just having good stats and powers? Does it have a special place on a team outside of the usual keywords? And does this clix capture the character’s appeal? If so, it may be F.U.N. But the answer can’t JUST be, “I like this character.”

Let’s look at one of my unrecognized favorites from 2014 along this new F.U.N. scale:

Captain America and Black Widow [Captain America: Winter Soldier 017]

• At 130 points, lack of Running Shot and having just 3 damage isn’t THAT scary. The duo is also generally untaxiable, forcing them to move about on their own most of the time, and can’t equip a number of tactics that could make them broken. FELLOWSHIP level: Moderate
• That Duo Attack tho. Via Special Power[s], CapWidow’s damage output can ramp up exponentially with modifiers. Being a single-base duo also allows them to be TK’d. Sidestep with SHIELD TA make them a boon to other shooters on the force and Avengers Initiative helps both their targeting and movement case. Finally, there’s Indomitable, IM:Characters and treated Stealth to make one wonder how this fig loaded with Utility didn’t make 2014’s actual Top Ten. UTILITY level: High
• “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” remains the best of the Marvel Studios movies, and this fig is a Nifty representative in HeroClix.Also, good duos are rare in the game. But Black Widow is one of my favorites so that’s why she’s here, too. NIFTYNESS level: Low

According to the new FUN scale, this is a fig that would make my favorites list of past years but wouldn’t QUITE make the F.U.N. one. Keep visiting Heroclixin’ all week to see what 2015 proper had to offer as the most F.U.N. figs of the year!

No. 1

Vandal Savage [Trinity War 048] 

Back in the Top Ten of 2015 list, we looked at One Man Army figs and commented on how improved they have generally become.

Vandal is the proverbial exception to the trend.

At 250 points, he’s bringing just 10 AV and just 3 damage and just 17 DV Toughness and just 7 Charge to start — which doesn’t work with his SP Close Combat Expert. That means he’s completely depending on Shape Change to keep him safe until next turn. Better hope he doesn’t land on click 2, where the speed spikes to 9 — too late — while the AV drops to 9.

NINE. On click 2 of a 250-point figure. The mind reels.

He gets better stats and powers down dial, and his Leadership trait can boost his and allies’ AV. But look out: Just when you’ve landed on a sweet spot click like No. 3 (Flurry, 11 Super Strength), his other trait auto-heals him at turn’s end if he’s got two action tokens. Liked that Stealth + Outwit click you pushed to? Sorry, it’s gone and he’s open to shooters again…AND the power you just countered on the enemy came back ’cause you healed off Outwit.

This Neanderthal belongs in the annals of extinction.

No. 2

Cammi [Avengers Assemble 019]

At first glance, she looks OK. Self-Perplex, Penetrating/Psychic Blast, IT:Hindering. But that 5 range with no Willpower or Stealth or Running Shot are big problems in making any real use of her shooting prowess. She could well be based before ever getting a shot off — or KO’d outright through her short, 4-click dial guarded only by 16 DV Energy Shield/Deflection and her SP:

• ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES: Give Cammi a free action and place a Mine marker in an adjacent unoccupied clear square if there are two or less friendly Mine markers on the map. Even if this power is lost, whenever an opposing character moves through one or more squares containing Cammi’s Mine markers and actions resolve, remove those markers from the map and deal that character 3 damage.

Sounds nice…until one notices that with just two Mines allowed on the map, it’s really easy to get around any she’s planted — assuming she didn’t drop them way away from the action, or that she hasn’t gotten hit off the power before using it.

She also wastes points on her trait if she’s not on a team with Drax. And with her nearly useless keywords of Pilot and Pirate, she’s not going to be on many teams without Drax.

She’s OK with a Drax — sort of — but is otherwise a little piece of junk and so nearly tops Heroclixin’s list of crap figures of 2015.

“Stupid. Weak. Slow.”

No. 3

Son of the Serpent [Avengers Assemble 004]

Running Shot with 9 AV and 1 damage isn’t worth the 33 points, not even with Ranged Combat Expert. Good thing he’s got this trait to help:

Wait. So you have to run at least two of these losers. And only one can make the actual attack at a time; the other needs to make the power action to activate the bonuses. Hope you have enough actions for all this — and that you have a target with enough same-colored slots to make the attack worth making.

But you probably just actually wasted those 66 or more points.

No. 4

Vision [Avengers Age of Ultron 011]

He starts with Phasing, Super Senses and Outwit — not a terrible combo. Although one kinda wishes that, for 100 points, he had some actual offense such as Running Shot.

Or range at all.

But Vision has 0 range. So to do any fighting, he’s got to Phase his soft Super Sense-protected synthetic bod right on the enemy and hope he can use Indom to fight back next turn.

However, with just 17 DV, he’s likely to get hit, hard. That lands him on his back half-dial, which sports Plasticity, Invincible and Perplex. All of which are FAR more useful than the opening clicks. But at this point, he’s well on his way to being knocked out.

Paying a 100 points for a tie-up figure that doesn’t BECOME a tie-up figure until it’s been hit hard is a great tactic in team building used by no successful player ever.

No. 5

Nightmask [Avengers Assemble 054]

His powers really aren’t in the right spots to be useful at all. I mean, sure, he starts kinda OK with Perplex and Running Shot and Precision Strike. And if he’s facing Armor or Robots or Vehicles, his traited Mind Control gets a boost. But he costs a hefty 120 points for stats and powers found on much less expensive figs.

What’s packing on the points is this strong-sounding SP:

…but it doesn’t appear until mid-dial, then goes away until late dial. And with a lack of reducers except for a bit of late-dial Toughness, he may not survive long enough to use either that power or the temporary stat bump he gets when wounded.

If he started with his Energy Portals, he’d be an OK fig. But he’s a decidedly mediocre piece that somehow costs the same as Heroclixin’s No. 1, Nick Fury. What the actual hell…

Cart him the hell outta here

No. 6

Hawkeye [Avengers Assemble 002] 

Turn 1: get Aim token.

Turn 2: Clear.

Turn 3: Hope there’s a target that’s in Running Shot range that’s behind elevated OR outdoor blocking. NOT both. OR that you’re on a wide-open map for the 14-range option.

And that his 5-click life hasn’t exhausted.

Lacking the starting Willpower to immediately use that Aim token to attack is a serious handicap. And building up more is useless because ALL are used to get just ONE effect. After two superb Hawkeye versions in the movie sets, this one is trash.

No, he’s not OK. Not running him is the right thing to do.

No. 7 [tie]

War Machine [Age of Ultron 026]

With the ability to pick any one of his attack powers — Pulse Wave, Precision Strike, Energy Explosion or Penetrating/Psychic Blast — at any time on his first several clicks, he looks really good on paper.

On an actual map, though? Not so much. Here’s why:

• He’s got just 17 DV
• with a single click of Impervious
• no Indomitable
• and just 7 range.
• That means he’s going to be easily based by enemy tie-up, making his Energy Shield/Deflection trait utterly useless.
• Worse still, when thus based, his range powers are almost completely shut down because he lacks Sharpshooter.

So, realistically, he’s going to get a single shot with his SP granting Prob Control when he targets multiples. Then he gets based, utterly out-actioned and ends up being a 200-point gift for your opponent.

Pretty bad. But we noted another that seemed just as terrible for a similar amount of points:

Ex Nihilo [Avengers Assemble 056]

He appears to have great potential for his ability to bomb anywhere on the map, to create extra hindering terrain and to deal no-roll-needed damage to those in and near hindering. But then you look closer.

The bomb has a delay. Unless timed just right, the enemy will scatter before taking the damage. Oh and it hurts friends, too.

He makes the hindering with one SP but the one that allows the “attacks from hindering” only shows up later, and sporadically. And when it does…

…he’s probably lost all his armor. Seriously, he’s nearly 200 points for just three front loaded clicks of Invincible and Invuln. ahead of five soft clicks of Barrier, Defend and Regeneration.

No matter which you run, this is the likely result. Please play responsibly.

No. 8

Blue Marvel [Age of Ultron 048]

What’s not to like about a Stealth-busting Power Cosmic Hypersonic brick with 11 AV Super Strength and 4 damage, you ask?

Click No. 3. has 9 AV. No 230-point clix should be stuck with a 9 AV on click no. 3, and none do in Modern Age* — except him.

Starting with just 17 DV Impervious means Blue Marvel will easily land on that bad click above with 2 penetrating damage or the average 4 damage hit.

He’s saddled with three clicks of 2 damage — or less! In fact, he’s one of just three figs in Modern Age over 220 points that has any clicks of 1 damage.

He has a trait, “Mighty Avengers,” that can boost his DV when those who share the trait are within 4 squares.

Not one figure exists with the trait that fit with him on a 300-point team.

No. 8 worst figure of 2015.

*(Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends have a 9 AV on click 3 but it has a SP granting RCE and CCE. Alpha Class Sentinel has 8 AV on its Defense dial.)