A I wrote last Friday, I’ve been all about theme teams in HeroClix since I started in 2005. From attempting to run teams composed entirely of bug-people — Ant-Man, Spider-Man, Wasp, to name a few — to a “Bright Yellow Boots” squad of Unleashed Shazam, E Black Adam and Vet Power Man, it’s clear that “theme” has a broader meaning than just running a bunch of Scientist-keyworded fellows on a team. Case in point was the Luchador team I posted Friday.

Bane (DC 75th Anniversary) 140 + Secret Six ATA 3

Atom Smasher (Giants) 97 + Protected 8 + Not So Special 3

The Atom (DC 75th Anniversary) 50

Red Shift (Galactic Guardians) 106 

Juggernaut (Giant-Size X-Men) 193

= 600 points.

Each fit the Luchador archetype:

  • male
  • masked, with head fully covered
  • at least partially bare-armed

FIRST GAME was a loss to returning player Vic’s cosmic team of Lord Mar-Vell, Adam Warlock (Galactic Guardians 032), Red Shift and Rick Jones/Capt. Marvel. The Darkness BFC cut his range advantage on the Dawn of Time map and an early critmiss on Vic’s Hypersonic attack ceded the early momentum to me, but a round of total misses on my part in the mid-game coupled with Lord M’s dominance left the Luchadors in too deep to climb to victory. Lost Red Shift, Juggy and Atom while only taking Warlock and Red Shift.

SECOND GAME was versus occasional guest columnist Morrison, who made a surprise appearance (usually, this overachiever is too busy pursuing Eagle Scout status and earning early college credit to play with little plastic superheroes)! His Armor force of Iron Man (Secret Invasion and Supernova), Abner Jenkins, Doombot 5359 and Master Chief (Battle Rifle) was only made tougher by his choice of the Crater map. My Skyscrapers BFC was rendered utterly useless because it’s illegal on maps where the starting areas are on elevated terrain.

I made a decent fight of it, despite taking a fair amount of fire along the way, KOing both Iron Men and the ‘Bot. But my team was wiped completely.

FINAL GAME, I had the choice of facing the judge’s team of Frost Giants or a squad of Martial Artists. Of course the Lucha Libre vatos wanted to test the kickboxers! They were: Batman (Dark Knight Rises 201), Catwoman (Dark Knight Rises 203), Gamora (Galactic Guardians), Hawkeye (Avengers Movie 208), Diana Prince (Brave and the Bold 103) and The Question (Arkham Asylum) on the Graveyard.

Juggernaut again got pounded and sent running right off with a heavily boosted Legolas shot. I returned the favor with interest by one-shotting Batman with an Atom Smasher charge. From there, though, things went well south for me as Question began Outwitting (thanks to a FAIL level 3 on my part — I was playing the Resistance BFC and thoroughly neglected to use it!) and Legolas made multiple Super Senses rolls in between Sharpshooting first Juggernaut, then Bane and finally Atom Smasher into so many victory points. My only other KOs were Gamora and Hawkeye.

So the Luchadors went winless at 0-3. But they competed in every match. With a different strategy (and fewer mistakes) I might’ve come out on top anyway.

PIECE-BY-PIECE:

Bane (DC 75th Anniversary): I held this guy far too much in reserve due to his weak starting 16 DV with Toughness, instead waiting to Charge him in with a +2 Venom Pump to land on his Invulnerability 18 DV. The problem with this strat was that I needed his firepower sooner. Moreover, even a solid hit lands him on a long run of Outwit, which could’ve evened matters up for me a bit. Finally, if he goes down fighting early, he has a chance to use the Secret Six ATA to blow up an adjacent foe.

I never once remembered to use his Secret Six ATA. :(

Atom Smasher (Giants): Despite being a giant, somehow big Al here got a solid Charge and hit in every game. He also got hit back pretty solidly in every game, being a giant target, and that’s his weakness: his mid-dial sports the most mediocre stats imaginable on a piece of his 97 cost. The Not So Special feat is an absolute must in Golden Age games — it REALLY helped in these games — as is a fellow JSAer/wildcard to help his DV. Speaking of which…

The Atom (DC 75th Anniversary): The littlest luchador had the biggest impact. He serves as a much-needed DV sharer for Atom Smasher, a hard-t0-target meat shield for the bigger boys of the team, a tie-up piece and, not inconsequentially, a capable minor attacker to bat leadoff or cleanup as needed. My problem and regret with him is that too often he was the first gone and Atom Smasher was without his needed partner. But for 50 points, whaddaya expect?

Red Shift (Galactic Guardians): It seemed every game went like clockwork; he’d make  a HSS strike, would have to base a dangerous shooter to let the rest of the slow team advance, and take just enough damage to end up on his very soft ESD clicks. The extra mobility and range were quite welcome, though. And though he was a KO in each match, he gave the team a shot at victory every time.

Juggernaut (Giant-Size X-Men): Never truly was unstoppable in these games, as opponents invariably not only had little trouble hitting his 18 Impervious but seemed also to make it stick every time. I needed to use him and Bane as a total tag team, piling on foes together instead of Juggy trying so hard to get that first big hit in.

__________

0-3 record notwithstanding, I loved this team. I’d like to try it again sometime, this time using Bane more aggressively and remembering my much-needed features like BFCs and ATAs.

Long before keywords, I was all about theme teams in HeroClix. From attempting to run teams composed entirely of Black women back in 2006 to the Wall-to-Wall Alter Egos squads I tried last summer, it’s clear that “theme” has a broader meaning that just running a bunch of Martial Artist-keyworded fellows on a team. Case in point:

LOS LUCHADORS

To be a Luchador, the figure had to be:

  • male
  • masked, with head fully covered
  • at least partially bare-armed

Like these folks:

Bane (DC 75th Anniversary) 140

 


Atom Smasher (Giants) 97


The Atom (DC 75th Anniversary) 50

 

Red Shift (Galactic Guardians) 106 


Juggernaut (Giant-Size X-Men) 193

= 586 points of ready-for-Mexican-rumble-in-the-ring roughhousing. I’d add some brick-friendly feats and BFCs to help this low-range team:

  • Resistance (for the JSA members to share in Outwit protection)
  • Darkness (to cut down on enemy ranges)
  • Skyscrapers (to eliminate sniper perches)
  • Protected and Not So Special (both for my giant target, Atom Smasher)
  • Secret Six ATA (for Bane)

I ran this cool team in a 600-point Golden tournament last weekend. Check in on Wednesday’s Battle Report to see if they body-slammed foes — or got forced to tap out.

No. 50

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Black Rider/Ringwraith/Nazgul/One Of The Nine/Servant Of Sauron [Lord of the Rings 016/006/101/102/020] Original rank: collectively at No. 9 of 2011

THEN: Individually, they weren’t hot. Together is where it’s at, even though they’re 100 apiece.

NOW: That 9 AV across the board just sucks, especially at the point level it takes to run them as the Nine they are meant to be and that I still dream of running them as.

NEXT: When I can figure some non-resource theme-y way to give them a +1 AV across the board somehow

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No. 49

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Wildfire [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 021] Original rank: tied for No. 5 of 2014

THEN: He was the first high-point Legionnaire I consider for the theme. Nice long dial with old-school Stop clicks and all, though he needs a Dawnstar to get his points’ worth.

NOW: His DV is way mediocre for 180 points and his Stop clicks DON’T have immunity to Pulse Wave! He’s really not that great, even though I won’t run a big Legion team without him.

NEXT: I said I WON’T RUN A BIG LEGION TEAM WITHOUT HIM

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No. 48

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Alloy [World’s Finest 058] Original rank: No. 6 of 2016

THEN: I liked his split mechanic and the big dude himself.

NOW: I still do, just don’t fit him on many teams since he got retired.

NEXT: I should really fit him on a team or three

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No. 47

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Ms. Marvel [Avengers Assemble 055] Original rank: No. 2 for 2015

THEN: Absolutely loved this first incarnation of Kamala Khan, with her size-shifting Embiggen trait. My No. 2 favorite, she was the No. 1 F.U.N. figure of Heroclixin that year (the first we started splitting up the two lists).

NOW: Her 66-point cost ends up putting SO MANY potential teams she could go on 1 POINT OVER. It’s frustrating. Good thing there are a number of new Kamalas to run instead.

NEXT: I want to run an all-Kamala team. ALL the point totals are awkward. I can’t with her

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No. 46

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Wasp [Avengers Infinity 044] Original rank: No. 13 of 2018

THEN: She just barely made my favorites last year. She needed higher AV or Willpower or to be 5 less points or something but SHE STILL MADE IT.

NOW: And I still want to use her despite ALL THOSE ISSUES

NEXT: Either all Wasps or an Ant-Man and the Wasp swarm. Or something

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No. 45

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Captain America [Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD 049] Original rank: No. 3 of 2015

THEN: Though he’s one Outwit away from losing all his good powers (ES/D, Willpower, Invulnerability, Super Senses), he still wins on the F.U.N. factor.

NOW: He’s still the great 130-point glass cannon, just more overcosted now.

NEXT: On my next big Atlanta Falcons squad for a rematch against the Angels once the remake shows up in February’s Captain America and the Avengers set

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No. 44

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Cyclops [Uncanny X-Men 033] Original rank: No. 10 of 2016

THEN: I was just glad to see him in his latest costume. Dial was OK, too — very reflective of his broken-but-still-effective powers at the time.

NOW: He remains a must-play for my Cyclops teams for his SP Leadership that functions with X-Men.

NEXT: I’m running a giant swarm of Cyclopses against every Storm for the right of leadership of the X-Men

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No. 43

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The Atom [Superman/Wonder Woman G001] Original rank: No. 5 F.U.N. of 2015

THEN: He’s a giant target who can deal the big F.U.N. in close.

NOW: Kinda for Wonders of the World teams only.

NEXT: When I run Wonders of the World or if I maybe dust off the old luchador theme of bare-armed, full masked bruisers

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No. 42

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Hawkman & Hawkgirl [Batman The Animated Series 060] Original rank: No. 4 of 2018

THEN: Super F.U.N. duo offers so much: long life, unmatched mobility, great stats, Empower or Outwit for the team and a lot more.

NOW: Though 125 is a tad hefty for 5 clicks of life per dial, it’s still worth them all on the right team — JSA, perhaps.

NEXT: That JSA #50 Cover team, for sure. (how big IS that team, anyway?)

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No. 41

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Dee Dee [Batman The Animated Series 015] Original rank: No. 11 of 2018

THEN: I liked her for the Sidestep+Empower she offers as a pair.

NOW: But there’s so much more the Dee Dee duo does, gaining Shape Change as well. In my Top10 team games, they were instrumental in each win. Love them.

NEXT: Unless I’m just bound and determined that their Future keyword breaks theme otherwise, I imagine a pair of Dee Dee will be on every Gotham Underworld team.

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No. 40

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Colleen Wing and Misty Knight [Amazing Spider-Man 044] Original rank: No. 4 of 2013

THEN: Being a wish come true, I liked this fig both as a duo and as solos, even though they were too heavy at 140 points and both anemic at 70.

NOW: All the pros and cons are still true, only magnified after power creep/leap. I still love them.

NEXT: If I ever play a Heroes For Hire theme, they’re on or it’s not getting played

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No. 39

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Batman [Batman and His Greatest Foes Fast Forces 001] Original rank: No. 8 of 2016

THEN: So love this version of Batman who jumps in the middle of foes and poses before beating them.

NOW: He’s so hard to use (needed Improved Movement to get in the middle of folks) and there are better Bats out there. But I still love it

NEXT: OHH! THIS was the piece I should have pulled out for a 0 range close combat fight recently

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No. 38

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Black Lightning [Batman 045] Original rank: Late bloomer of 2012

THEN: He was not only a fine update of previous Black Lightning designs, but an example of general good clix design.

NOW: Still the best version of Black Lightning, even though he’s been power creeped in general.

NEXT: I need to run an Outsiders team.

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No. 37

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Robin [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 030] Original rank: No. 10 of 2017

THEN: Rock-solid dial for 40 points with token-shedding/adding powers, even though I have no affection for the “Thrillkiller” source material.

NOW: Nothing’s changed. Maybe even better than when released.

NEXT: I have an all-Robin squad on tap. He’s a signature piece.

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No. 36

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Asuka [WWE 012] 2019 rank: No. 8

THOUGHTS: I love how aggressive she plays, even more than I expected to. Because “NO ONE is ready for ASUKA!”

NEXT: She’ll be in my Top 10 box this year. So I can always be ready.

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No. 35

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Apache Chief [Batman The Animated Series 070] Original rank: No. 8 of 2018

THEN: He was a big man on clix-campus with his ability to become ULTRA Colossal Size.

NOW: I had no idea how strong he’d be on a team big enough to allow him time to grow full size. BIG STRONG.

NEXT: He’s been played enough this past year. Time for a rest …
…until it’s time for him to answer the Troubalert like a Super Friend should!

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No. 34

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Clayface [Batman The Animated Series 001b] Original rank: No. 7 of 2018

THEN: “He jumped onto my radar with his mix of decent AV and damage, Outwit then Perplex, Improved Movement, wild card TA, the ability to jump on any themed team and the possibility of avoiding KO, all for a very low price.”

NOW: Nothing’s changed. He’s still up there.

NEXT: I’m considering rebuilding my “Mudbomb” theme of Clayface sculpts in all their mucky glory. He’ll lead it.

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No. 33

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Angel [Days of Future Past 005] Original rank: No. 3 of 2014

THEN: This great team player brought lots of bonuses to X-Men and Defenders alike.

NOW: He still offers plenty but not quite enough to best later, more modern Angels in the game.

NEXT: A rematch with the Falcon force is forthcoming in 2020.

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No. 32

Shade

Shade, The Changing Girl [Rebirth 044] 2019 rank: No. 4

THOUGHTS: Ultimate tie-up with Phasing, Plasticity, Willpower, Poison and dial-long Perplex. It’s just bonkers what she can do for just 45.

NEXT: Aside from the Jamiroquai-inspired Cosmic Girl theme, Shade here simply belongs on teams as that tie-up duty go-to figure.

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No. 31

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Batman [Batman The Animated Series 040] Original rank: No. 2 of 2018

THEN: I thought his Batarang equipment made him just good enough to be playable and F.U.N.

NOW: He’s my go-to Batman, being great at fisticuffs and infiltration and all that other bat-stuff.

NEXT: Whenever I need a Batman, even though he’s a retiree from my “Top Figs or 2018” team.

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No. 30

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Daredevil [WizKids MP18-007] Original rank: No. 10 of 2018

THEN: I really only liked it because it’s the 1990s “Man Without Fear” costume. The dial was nice, but no Willpower stunk.

NOW: I’ve finally figured out how to use his “Matt’s Got Magical Powers” SP and it’s glorious.

NEXT: Somehow I’ve fallen into a “Collect All Daredevils” thing over the past couple of years, so that’s team that will happen again.

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No. 29

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Cyclops [Giant-Size X-Men 008] Original rank: No. 10 of 2011

THEN: He was the first truly solid Cyclops (a favorite character), one with good damage and targeting abilities (Sharpshooter, at the time) along with being a great boon to X-Men teams. I also wanted to try him on an all-Cyclops team.

NOW: He is a fixture on those all-Cyke teams, even if he’s been supplanted otherwise by better versions of the character. That boost to X-Men TA healing is great.

NEXT: I think I mentioned planning a huge Cyclops vs. Storm game? This fella will likely be key to his side winning.

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No. 28

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Magma [Wolverine and the X-Men 073] Original rank: Late bloomer for 2013

THEN: She had to be on the team or I didn’t run a New Mutants theme at all.

NOW: Even though she doesn’t really work (too fragile and slow), she has to be on the team or I don’t run a New Mutants theme at all.

NEXT: I’m looking to run a New Mutants squad soon against Generation X in a battle of the x-babies. Magma is on the team.

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No. 27

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War Machine [Invincible Iron Man 029b] Original rank: No. 2 of 2013

THEN: So strong. When I want to win, I went for this figure due to its basically having MultiAttack as a double power action. So STRONG. (Did I say that already?)

NOW: It’s so pricey that it’s hard to field him on most teams. Also, running him is loading for bear and I like to keep it lighter than that.

NEXT: I have a half-baked idea to run a team of all Rhodey, and a more solidified idea of an illegal scenario that will stay secret for now…

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No. 26

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Nova [Avengers Infinity 032] Original rank: No. 3 of 2018

THEN: I thought he was Nova Prime finally done completely right.

NOW: He’s a bit glass-jawed but still the best version of himself.

NEXT: Two big Nova Corps teams, one where he leads mostly generic Novas and the other with multiple versions of Rich Rider here.

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NEXT: The TOP 25

No. 5

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The Atom [Superman/Wonder Woman G001]

All the new colossals from this set are much more F.U.N. than most of the earlier ones. But The Atom here is the only one to make our Top Ten.

  • Colossals are giant targets thanks to the new size rules that make it so only indoor blocking/walls and other colossals cut off lines of fire to them. And Atom’s zero range means he’s almost certainly getting Outwit or shot before he can make his attack move with 10 Charge. Of all these big figs, he’s the least broken, we think. FELLOWSHIP level: High
  • But that Giant Reach tho: Colossals can melee attack 3 squares out now. So that means, assuming his Charge isn’t countered, he can clobber from 9 squares away. There’s also the Smothering Hold SP that grants Plasticity and Sidestep and penetrating damage like a super-Poison at start of turn. Finally, a stop click at the end can turn him into a sort of cruise missile. And all this doesn’t touch his use as a taxi for smaller characters that otherwise couldn’t be carried, or, on themed teams, his ability to heal an ally with the Wonders of the World ATA at the cost of just 5 extra points and a click of damage.  UTILITY level: Moderate
  • As mentioned before, the Wonders are great F.U.N. We also have always liked giants in the game, and Atom here is much more akin to them than to colossals. But probably the most Nifty thing about him is that his full mask and bare arms make him a perfect fit for the “Los Luchadores” theme team! NIFTYNESS level: Moderate

The Atom is huge F.U.N. in HeroClix.

Welcome back to Future F.U.N., where Heroclixin’ looks at recently released or upcoming figures that we’re itching to field on a force. Despite this month’s Avengers Assembled set being one of our less-liked sets overall, there’s still a lot we’re liking about it.

  • Our Archery Club theme team gets a shot in the arm with three new additions: Hawkeye, Kate Bishop and Trick Shot. With their being common, uncommon and rare rarity, respectively, I suppose it’s not outside the realm of possibility that one could make an all-archer sealed team from this. But Heroclixin’ is more likely to take this 273-point trio and add a mostly-full Power Plant resource to fill the gap.
  • Long ago, I endeavored to own three copies of Spider-Man [Avengers 051] to represent the post-Civil War trio of Initiative members wearing the Iron Spider armor. I’m not sure the team ever happened, what with it equalling 333 points, a beyond-awkward total. But now we’re ecstatic to get a generic designed to work together as a team at a much better cost of 180. This is my next 200-point team!
  • I was a big fan of Avengers Academy before it was obliterated by the disgusting but really readable snuff-fest that was Avengers Arena. So Heroclixin’ will certainly be fielding a team of Hazmat, Mettle, Reptil and Veil for 291 points. 
  • …but NOT with fellow Initiative member Juston Seyfert [Avengers Assemble 020], who’s only useful on the team when paired with a Robot keyword figure to make his “Sentinel.” There are no Initiative figures with the Robot keyword, so he’ll either break the themed team or be unable to use his trait or either of his special powers. And him on any Sentinel-themed team with more than a single actual Sentinel pretty much obliterates the “F” in F.U.N. for us. 
  • Cammi [Avengers Assemble 019], another one who doesn’t play well with her frenemies in Avengers Arena, gets to play well with her pal Drax. Despite the fact that she hasn’t worked with the team officially, we’re looking forward to sticking her onto Guardians of the Galaxy builds since she won’t break them when Drax is around.

 

There’s more additions to themes we’re always adding to for eventual massive throw downs:

  • Whirlwind [Avengers Assemble 030] for the Masters of Evil
  • Nova [Avengers Assemble 039] and Steve Rogers [Avengers Assemble 061] for the Nova Corps
  • Black Widow [Avengers Assemble 001 and 065] for the Red Room [all Black Widow team]
  • Rage [Avengers Assemble 016] for the Luchador theme build!

 

Finally, there are a couple of pieces that got us excited at first, but have us MORE excited to use when Age of Ultron OP and Nick Fury sets drop in June and July, respectively:

  • Falcon [Avengers Assemble 017]: We wanted to try him on an updated Atlanta Falcons theme team or on a Modern-only team of Sam Wilson figs. But both versions’ points don’t add up well at all without adding 40-plus points of F.U.N.-destroying resources, and so many versions of the character need a Captain America or two to work with for best results.
    That’s why we’re biding our time until July for the release of Sam Wilson Captain America, who may not only help the points fill out, but also give an all-Sam Wilson team a Captain America to key off of at last! Waiting and seeing. 
  • And then there’s 3D Man [Avengers Assemble 013b], which had us champing at the bit to revive those old Agents of Atlas builds Heroclixin’ loved in the early days of the blog. But the news that a new Jimmy Woo is on the way in Nick Fury has us wanting to hold off and see what the real new version of the team will be like.