by ·0 Comments

So WK has been doing  these “legacy cards” that take old, retired HeroClix pieces and bring them back to Modern play with new traits and updated special powers.

 

So far they’ve all been perfectly F.U.N. — Friendly but Useful and definitely a Neato way to bring some old figures back into Modern and Silver play.

Let’s take a look at summer 2021’s Rise & Fall’s set.
 ———
xmrfL059

L059 APOCALYPSE (Mutations And Monsters, 2007)

THEN: He was kinda the worst sort of tentpole … immobile, lacked Indomitable (which wasn’t in the game yet in 2007) and Outwit-bait. Even his long 10 range was no good when, at the time, a cheap 40-something Batman could safely turn off his reducers from 10 squares away, too, and set him up for the other 250-ish points of his team to wear him down to KO.

NOW: The inability to push is no longer a concern. More importantly, he gains Outwit immuntiy via Cosmic Energy, a bit of move+attack via Charge in his Speed SP in addition to the Phasing and Plasticity it offered before. He also gets a new Strength token trait accrued by racking up KOs that extend his Giant Reach in his Speed SP, his number of bolts in his later Attack SP (which also has Incap and PPB), and boosts his AV/DV on his end-dial Defense SP (which also upgraded from Toughness to Invulnerability and grants an ultra-Regen that can heal extra by spending the Strength tokens).

He lost Shape Change and Mind Control, so it’s not all gains. But he’s WAY better overall — and should be since he still costs the whopping 250 points.

F.U.N.? He’s still pretty grossly overcosted for the modern game, but at least he functions as a tentpole much better than before.

———

xmrfL078

L078 DEADPOOL (Mutant Mayhem, 2004)

THEN: Dial design wasn’t super innovative back then and the point formula really made stuff cost a lot if you had too many clicks in a row of the same power. He was essentially a Stealthy shooter who’d cut you with Blades if you got close — and with Stealth being MUCH more difficult to deal with back then, you really HAD to get close.

NOW: Stealth is way weaker. So is Perplex. So his price gets slashed from 85 to just 50 — and he gets the wildcard Team Player TA and, to bolster his complete lack of defense powers aside from his original Regen, he also gets traited Super Senses and Combat Reflexes. (This is also to make up for how much weaker Stealth is these days.)

F.U.N.? The flavor text is outta sight. If I owned this piece, I’d run it just for that.

———

xmrfL022

L022 DESTINY (X-Plosion, 2003)

THEN: She was the cheapest Probability Control in a time when Prob was cheaply to be had in general. A staple on every balanced team, she could move into position without burning any of your 3 actions (via the old Brotherhood TA) and affect the field from 10 squares away. That was far enough that you didn’t care her DV was only 13.

NOW: The range for Prob is way more restricted and she’s potentially a much easier target to nail. So she gets to use a crossbow via a new trait granting a 4 range, 9 AV and 1 penetrating damage RANGE shot. More vitally, her other trait allows her to copy the DV of an adjacent ally so she doesn’t have to ONLY rely on Super Senses to live.

F.U.N.? She’s a nice budget version of Destiny if the Rise & Fall rare doesn’t quite fit.

———

xmrfL053

L053 MAGNETO (Giant-Size X-Men, 2011)

THEN: One of the best Magnetos to ever be made, he had the ability to carry a team — literally and figuratively — as a mega taxi (4 passengers) and 10-range double-TK figure who could attack (+2 for a whopping 5 damage — TWICE!) and transport with equal aplomb. A bit too pricey at 189 points, but still worth it just outside of competitive. 

NOW: Telekinesis has entirely lost its attack capability, so the new card removes the double TK, lowering his quick damage output a lot. He also can’t carry more than one passenger. On the surface, that’s where it looks like his new 175-point cost came from, but he kept a LOT: his traited ESD, his stat boost from debris markers, his nerfing of enemy shooters targeting him. He also gains a lot more: Sidestep; SAFEGUARD: Mind Control and PPB; he can FREE destroy blocking squares (and get free Regen, too, when in debris); SP Invulnerability instead of his old SP Toughness; SP Willpower instead of being vulnerable to pushing; +1 stats just for being near debris instead of occupying it; and his range nerf works whether enemies target him or not.

F.U.N.? Still too many points, but on balance, he’s actually much, much better than before.

———

xmrfL001

L001 WOLVERINE (Wolverine and the X-Men, 2013)

THEN: He wasn’t the first free-healing Wolvie in the game — or even the third. But he had Toughness, at least. Also he had a trait allowing him to “Track & Kill” an enemy target — a trait that was a little hard to use. 

NOW: The beginning of turn free healing is replaced with an end of turn version that’s effectively FREE Regeneration. He also loses the tracking trait, gaining instead Reflexes and a FREE attack against targets who miss attacks on him or breakaways from him.

F.U.N.? He’s still 100 points and just OK for the price. An average Wolverine and not the best at what he does, but F.U.N. enough.

———

xmrfL052

L052 CYCLOPS (X-Men: Xavier’s School, 2018)

THEN: When ID cards ruled the day, he was on every meta team. But at his actual costs of 150 and 50 points, he never quite seemed to pull that weight despite an array of great powers.

NOW: Shaving down to 125 and 40 points, respectively, he loses a lot of tricks (Sidestep; his variable ES/D and P/PB depending on where he was on the map; his Perplex for other X-Men; his FREE attack on enemies who attacked his X-Men) while gaining just a little: +2 action Leadership and giving the team Sidestep when he hits.

F.U.N.? The extra Leadership is quite good but everything else is blah. At least he’s simpler to play now?

———

xmrfLG002

LG002 SENTINEL (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga, 2019)

THEN: Still legal, this generic has a bunch of 2-click dials to choose from at 33 points or just 25 if you’re OK with a random choice.

NOW: Still legal, this card allows you to add them at 25 without the random dial. It also loses the free 1-square movement at the beginning of turn.

F.U.N.? The wording makes it look like you need a legacy card for each Sentinel to play them at lower cost. That’s … kinda bad. Though for the casual games where this would be played, this probably won’t be an issue.

———

xmrfL003

L003 STORM (Uncanny X-Men, 2016)

THEN: She was a free Smoke Cloud piece and also a taxi, being a flier, I guess. She also had an X-Men TA-activated trait that sounded good on paper (+1 AV after an X-heal) but was almost useless in practice because she was rarely attacked or attacking.

NOW: The free Smoke is gone and replaced with SP EE that hits all foes within TWO squares of the target, not just adjacent. Lack of Running Shot keeps that from being easily weaponizable, so it’s a good thing she has another use: Passenger 2 and Leadership via a new trait.

F.U.N.? Fantastically so.

———
WizKids is doing well with these cards. Nothing’s returning to their old dominance or going to newly warp the game. We’ll see how long this keeps up.

by ·0 Comments

In a normal year, my favorites have all stood the test of time on a map and thus earned favored status.

But 2021 hasn’t been much more normal than 2020 was. Actual map time has STILL been at a premium. And with one of the year’s sets not arriving until the week of Christmas for me, there’s certainly no way to properly rank my faves this time around.

So again, in addition to the usual F.U.N. criteria — Is this figure Fair, Useful and Nerdcore? — I’m also falling back on this question?:

“When I see this figure, do I immediately wish I had a team to fit it on?”

——————

In alphabetical order:

Captain Britain (House of X 053)

80 points  / 30 points

hx053

Friendly/Fellowship: She’s a Charge piece. That’s never too scary at her cost. Her range is minimal, too.

Useful/Utility: But Exploit Weakness with Blades/Claws/Fangs is never bad, either. She brings more: Extra Leadership token removal for X-Men/Excalibur pals within 3 squares (her range). She can also tackle enemy Mystics without fear.

Nifty/Nerdcore: I just like the Captain Britain-y sculpt. I also love the SP, which only appears on her 80-cost:

PSIONIC ARMING SWORD Blades/Claws/Fangs. Once per turn, when Captain Britain uses it, you may choose to reduce the d6 roll by 1 or 2 (choose before rolling). If you do, decrease the target’s combat values by the same amount until your next turn.

This is the kind of tradeoff that makes for a great F.U.N. figure. And so she’s one of my favorites.

———

The Commissioner (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 067)

50 points / 25 points

067_file_1616294462

Friendly/Fellowship: He’s pretty meta but really only peak mean on a Secret Six team. Way less so at my preferred full cost. And he himself does little damage.

Useful/Utility: But it’s Rookie (Stealthy giant with 11AV PPB and Prob) who does the damage, isn’t it? And Commissioner’s SP to give a keyworded pal (such as Rookie) an extra attack. And then there’s his Improved Targeting: Outwit through Stealth. And then there’s his Underworld team ability. And then there’s his Leadership (and Enhancement off his top dials). And his +1 AV attacking foes with his keyword(s). And Mastermind to cover it all.

Nifty/Nerdcore: So I have a Commissioner Gordon collection that I needed him to complete. Sculptwise, it’s the blowing tie for me. Playwise, it’s the whole package.

———

Dr. Poison (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 045)

40 points

ww80045

Friendly/Fellowship: She’s a Stealth piece with no armor and OK range of 6. Aside from her Poison (natch), there’s nothing scary about her.

Useful/Utility: But she still brings a better-than-expected 3 damage. And there’s her ability to give Poison to a Sidekick for a turn. That would be pretty useless if she had to break theme to fit Sidekicks on board, but her Leadership (aside being useful in itself) generates the German Soldier, whose Toughness makes him an able deliveryman for the bad doctor’s poisonous experiments.

Nifty/Nerdcore: She’s a sneaky good little villainess and plays like one, with Mastermind and the power she’s named for.

———

Harley Quinn (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 024)

50 points / 25 points

ww80024

Friendly/Fellowship: A 0-range Charge Toughness piece is never that terrifying, especially at her 50-point level. And at half-price, she’s just Sidestepping, though she’s extra evasive with Wonder Woman Super Senses and a better fighter with CCE.

Useful/Utility: But at full cost, she’s a Prob Controller. Harley also literally bring the boys to the yard with Underworld team ability (if they’re cheaper and share her keywords, of course). But her best assets are her dial-long Quake and her “Oopsie” trait, which quasi-Incapacitates targets she misses.

Nifty/Nerdcore: And that image, of her enemies’ jaws dropping because her boobs popped out of her ill-fitting borrowed Wonder Woman bustier, is what makes this figure so F.U.N., even for Harley. She’s a joy to play, hit or miss.

———

Lex Luthor (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 056)

50 points

ww80054

Friendly/Fellowship: This was among 2021’s Worst list thanks to a rules change and other reasons. You can read there.

Useful/Utility: But Outwit is always useful, isn’t it? He’s also an Outwitter who, thanks to Mastermind —and— multiple STOP clicks, can’t be easily wiped off the map despite a short 4-click dial. Moreover, he brings in a pair of strong bystanders when he hits those STOPs: Bizarro (Impervious, 4 damage) then Green Light (Running Shot Penetrating Blast).

Nifty/Nerdcore: He’s the last major character from the classic Red Son Superman story to be clixed. And he’s well-designed to match those older (pre-Silver Age) figures while bringing something new to the map. It’s too bad about the rule change, but creative play can still call out his potential.

———

Loki (Empyre 026) 

60 points

affe026_file_1635284282

Friendly/Fellowship: A no-move+attack Blades piece isn’t unfair at all. And with Stealth and Mystics, opponents can happily avoid him, probably, if they can tolerate his Probability Control.

Useful/Utility: There’s that Prob. And there’s also his Rally trait, which works on ALL attacks, for once. He can spend Rally dice to place himself 2 squares away and leave a doppelgänger Loki (also with BCF, also with Prob) where he was.

He’s also got a decently long dial, with Toughness on top and a Mind Control/Poison/Outwit stint mid-dial.

Nifty/Nerdcore: And then there’s that “Low Key” sculpt. This figure is pure F.U.N.

———

Maggott (House of X 051)

40 points

hx051

Friendly/Fellowship: He’s got no printed move+attack, a lowish 10 AV and zero armor to protect his slim 5-click dial. He really is a pretty fair figure on the surface.

Useful/Utility: But his three traits tho. The first FREE generates one of his autonomous pogs, both of which have Charge, giving him an effective 15-square attack range. The second FREEly absorbs the pot back, saving it from retaliation of any sort. The third gives Maggott healing or Charge and +1 stats if the pog he just absorbed hit its target — and again, all for FREE, so it can happen in a single turn.

This is a meta piece, plain and simple. Low cost, near-full map reach, Prob.

Nifty/Nerdcore: One of the weirdest X-Men ever, it was a good move for the 2018 Worlds Teams champs to create this character. He’s a welcome addition to my Black Box collection of African-descended and Black-coded characters.

———

Master Mold (WizKids MP20-001)

375 points / 200 points / 75 points / 25 points

mp20001a_file_1620876541

Friendly/Fellowship: Though it has lots of armor and Outwit and the power to bring in more Sentinels, the lack of any real move+attack beyond Sidestep will leave opponents feeling relatively safe in the short term — especially if they don’t trigger his retaliation.

Useful/Utility: At top cost, he’s a lead attacker, of course, though the aforementioned lack of speed is a problem. 200 points is also strong, and at both those high point lines, it can turn its Factory Dial at will each turn to generate more Sentinel allies

That’s the real use of Master Mold: calling in more of the killer robots. Either the Leadership-generated mega 2×2 pogs it comes with or wait for the Factory to get to clicks 3 or higher to pop out Sentinels of wildly varied point costs. In turn, those Sentinels can advance the Factory dial to aid in generating ever more allies.

Nifty/Nerdcore: It’s a great update of the old Master Mold’s ability from 2012’s Galactic Guardians set. And I love things like this that make even older pieces work. My favorite level for him is 75 points for the best F.U.N. balance.

———

Monica Rambeau (Empyre 041)

 150 points / 50 points

affe041_file_1637638936

Friendly/Fellowship: Despite her really cool SP, 150 is a LOT of points for a figure with just 3 printed damage on top, and at 50 she’s far from the most efficient. The SP also requires her to overextend more than the more traditional (and currently benched) Hypersonic Speed would’ve been. So she’s a fair piece.

Useful/Utility: Her SP is really good, though, giving her the power to phase through an enemy, then to safety, THEN roll to punch ’em in the face with CCE. She also has a trait giving a 50% chance at either flashing back to her original square or adding an action to the force whenever she uses Phasing or Running Shot. And neither can be Outwitted because she’s got Cosmic Energy.

Nifty/Nerdcore: I’m mad that once again, Monica hasn’t gotten either the Nextwave nor Ultimates keywords she deserves, keeping her from being played with those teams in proper theme. But she’s otherwise everything I want in the character.

———

Multiple Man (X-Men Rise & Fall 007)

40 points / 10 points

xmrf007

Friendly/Fellowship: 2 damage is nothing to worry about on his top point level. Close Combat Expert makes the cheaper one a little more potent but it’s so much less survivable. He also isn’t a standard character, so he can’t use equipment.

Useful/Utility: He brings Leadership and a much longer dial at 40 points thanks to both his Toughness and his trait capping his health loss at 2. And that in turn activates his Dupe creation of a 0-point Multiple Man on click 9, which has Empower and Plasticity.

Suddenly that 2 damage becomes a 3 or 4!

Nifty/Nerdcore: Longtime Heroclixin’ readers will recall that Madrox (Giant-Size X-Men) in 2011 and Multiple Man (Wolverine and the X-Men) in 2013 both topped my favorites but this version of the character may be the first to truly capture his powers.

———

Onome (Empyre 015)

40 points

affe015

Friendly/Fellowship: She’s just a fragile Outwitter. Easy enough to avoid.

Useful/Utility: But she can Outwit TWICE. Or, if she’s on a themed team, Prob twice a turn. And her fellow Sidekicks can as well. Or Perplex twice, if they’ve got that power. Pretty useful girl.

Nifty/Nerdcore: I read her in the very short-lived Future Foundation comic and have been hoping for her intro to clix since. Speaking of that team …

———

Rikki Barnes (Empyre 072)

 75 points

affe072_file_1638837794

Friendly/Fellowship: Though she has a nice range and can throw out a lot of attacks, she’s not doing much damage without trading off on that reach and frequency. She’s a chase that won’t have foes quaking.

Useful/Utility: But she does bring Quake to start. More to the point, she brings her “Dream of a Soldier” Speed SP:

POWER: In any order: Move, Make a close attack, Make a range attack. If she attacks, she uses her printed damage value.

She also has IT:Adjacency. So she could move in close, Quake (but only for 2 damage because the lime attack power would override the SP), then point-blank shoot a target who maybe was left adjacent. Next turn, punch again, shoot another target, then try breaking away to move. So much flex in this power!

She’s also got ESD + Toughness SP that boost the DV of adjacent allies if they’re off top click. Some Leadership, then Enhancement and an end click of penetrating damage with a reappearance of the Dream SP.

Speaking of last click, she is a tough KO because she revives based on the number of team abilities on the field (including her Team Player TA). So: minimum 1 heal and possibly up to full. (But never onto that great final click, though — too bad the trait didn’t read “all other characters” and not hers.)

Nifty/Nerdcore: I like the character from the very short-lived Future Foundation comic. But I fell in love with that SP from the start: It’s F.U.N. perfection.

———

Sentinel (X-Men Rise & Fall 008)

25 points

xmrf008

Friendly/Fellowship: Even with Sidestep 6 range and Great Size, this 2 damage Incap piece isn’t going to trouble the other guy on sight.

Useful/Utility: But not having to build it on your force, is pretty useful. They can serve as extra taxis, too. And when KOed, they go to the Sideline to possibly respawn.

Nifty/Nerdcore: That trait wins it extra Nifty points.

———

Teen Lantern (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 035)

75 points / 30 points

ww80035

Friendly/Fellowship: She’s a little poor offensively at either price and completely lacks defense abilities if anyone gets past her Barrier. She’s not scary.

Useful/Utility: But Prob through Barrier is pretty solid. She also carts teams with Green Lantern team ability and brings Police TA for some reason.

Nifty/Nerdcore: She kinda snuck onto this list by being a key member of the Juneteenth team and just being … adorable, kinda.

———

T’Chaka II (Empyre 047b)

 45 points

affe047b_file_1637640302

Friendly/Fellowship: Charge pieces aren’t usually terrifying.

Useful/Utility: But he’s also got Flurry, which is the MOST terrifying combo with Charge, especially with Blades/Claws/Fangs. Being Stealthy could keep him safe to get in position for a Charge, potentially. But his real use is to mess with enemy attack rolls:

DISTRACTING BANTER Once per turn, when an opposing character within range makes an attack, after all rerolls and die replacements, you may roll a d6 and subtract half the result before finalizing the attack roll.

Any hit less than +1 over the defense is gonna miss — and it needs to be +3 or more to guarantee a hit! T’Chaka also brings constant Leadership for a final bit of utility.

Nifty/Nerdcore: Thank goodness his trait is only once per turn. This is going to be the most hilariously annoying figure to play. I might need to track down the comics in which he appears so I can get his best jokes ready.

 ———
As I said in the opening of this post, I haven’t had enough actual playing time to truly rank these. A number haven’t been run much at all — or are even in hand. But if I had to choose right now, my top 10 would be:
No. 10. Commissioner
No. 9. Maggott
No. 8. T’Chaka II
No. 7. Capt. Britain
No. 6. Lex
No. 5. Multiple Man
No. 4. Rikki
No. 3. Dr. Poison
No. 2. Monica
No. 1. Harley

F.U.N.!

by ·0 Comments

Another year has ended. And like the unprecedented one before it, 2021 has been … something.

These clix are also something … you probably don’t want to play.

———

10th worst

104_file_1634361033
Rogue (Empyre 104a) 40 points
Rogue104a
She’s not entirely terrible, just sooooooooo underwhelming compared to …
… well …
… ANY other 40-point piece in the game today. And especially with 30 points being the ridiculously meta price of the best figs in the game right now.
This “shugah” ain’t sweet.
 ———

9th worst

ww80054
Lex Luthor (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 054) 50 points 
 Lex 056
Once upon a time (2019), a young teenager named Isaac Arnold-Berkowitz won the world championship in HeroClix. This is the figure he designed. It’s the definition of “pushable.”
But … there’s no more pushing in HeroClix.
At all.
So outside of some contorting gameplay (say, making him Mastermind fodder … which is counterproductive since HE has the same defense) to get him to work, he’s just an expensive Outwit piece.
Worse still, even if he does get his pogs out, he can’t Mastermind to them without taking some harm himself.
Poor normal genius in a superhero game.
———

8th worst

ww80003
German Soldier (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 003) 20 points
GermanSoldier
9 AV Energy Explosion and Toughness. Ummm, OK. The best thing about him is he’s a Sidekick. I guess they didn’t want to design GOOD Nazi generics.
Mission accomplished!
Speaking of Sidekicks…
———

I started to make this next slot a catchall for the Future Foundation set Sidekicks: They just can’t do anything, I thought. But that wasn’t really true across the board. Paying 20 points or less for dials full of

  • Outwit (Leech) or
  • TK (Franklin) or
  • Perplex (Valeria) or
  • Leadership (Bentley-23)
  • or even Mind Control+Incap (Artie) are each useful, even aside from Captain-granted abilities.
These … are not.

7th worst (tie)

ffff011
Mik (Future Foundation 011) 10 points
Mik
Stealth Exploit Weakness? Like, why?
——
ffff026
Tong (Future Foundation 026) 15 points
Tong
Makes her sibs better but only for a fleeting moment, when all four are on the board (including the Turg bystander).
——
ffff038
Korr (Future Foundation 038) 25 points
Korr
Utterly useless w/o Turg yet the costliest of them all.
Altogether, they’re just 50 points, but are you ever going to have the actions to use them? And let’s not forget you have to spend MORE points on Captains to make them minimally playable. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Leave them in the subterranean depths of your tackle box.
———
Someone on HCRealms mentioned this quartet:

6th worst (tie)

ffff016 ffff017 ffff029 ffff030

Alex Power (Future Foundation 029) 25 points
Julie Power (Future Foundation 030) 25 points
Jack Power (Future Foundation 016) 25 points
Katie Power (Future Foundation 017) 25 points
Longtime readers may recall that Power Pack is my favorite team in comics, so this slot breaks my heart. But it has to be said.
They each have five-click dials with the same two powers all the way:
  • Alex: Force Blast and Telekinesis
  • Julie: Hypersonic and Energy Shield/Deflection
  • Jack: Sidestep and Close Combat Expert
  • Katie: Energy Explosion and Exploit Weakness
Plus they get a trait that allows each to swap powersets and ranges. So Jack who moved into enemy range could, perhaps, swap his Sidestep and CCE for Julie’s ESD for better protection.
But the whole thing is really unwieldy to use. The inability to combo their displayed dials with their siblings’ powers is always a bit deflating. You also can’t multi-swap, say, Katie’s Energy Explosion and Exploit Weakness to multiple members to get both attacks in a turn.
To top off this pack of problems, they don’t even get Sidekick status. And that’s why these kids — who are NOT all right — slide a bit further down the scale here.
(I LOVE THEM ANYWAY.)
———

5th worst

L017_file_1638839389

Mockingbird (Empyre L017) 20 points

Screen Shot 2021-12-27 at 6.39.18 PM

Um, yeah, OK, only 20 points for … well … an inefficient tie-up piece (when compared with when the figure was originally released; back then, the Avengers TA gave autonomous on MOVE actions and could be Alternate Team Ability’d into Thunderbolts to pick most any Marvel TA for the game).

Now, though? Not only is she dying soon with these combat values, but she respawns onto the enemy force on click 3 —her most dangerous with Flurry — and with the Skrull.team ability, which YOU don’t get for playing her.

So why would you play her?

 ———

4th worst

hx028
Chamber (House of X 028) 35 points
Chamber
Stealth. Enhancement. 11AV and 3 damage. All for cheap cost. Seems OK, right?
But that trait, tho …  keeping him from actually being that inexpensive frontline fighter he’s otherwise primed to be.
Worse still, he can actively harm your team when he gets KOed.
This fig’s a suicide bomb.
———

3rd worst

ffxmrf001
Darwin (X-Men: Rise and Fall Fast Forces 001): 50 points
 Darwin FF001
He’s all about this:
RALLY (5): Opposing Attack Rolls. When an adjacent friendly character would take damage from an attack, you may remove Darwin’s RALLY die to instead deal 1 unavoidable damage to Darwin.
He’s Mastermind fodder on PEDs, I guess. But that’s a lot of points to sink into not doing anything else. Still maybe better than his twin:

2nd worst

xmrf002
Darwin (X-Men: Rise and Fall 002) 30 points
Darwin 002
Wow, that’s bleak. So he’s clearly all about this:
INSTANT DEFENSIVE ADAPTATION: Opposing characters targeting only Darwin with an attack can’t have their attack or damage values positively modified. // Darwin has SAFEGUARD: Pulse Wave, Poison.
How often are enemies going to only target him? Especially in this multi target game we play. That’s not even worth 30 points and so he’s probably not worth playing.
Both are, ironically, unfit for survival
———

WORST worst

 hx043
Cardinal (House of X 043) 50 points
cardinal 043
He’s bad in so many ways.
  • He got hit by the loss of Perplexed damage in the 2021 rules rewrite.
  • 0 damage.
  • 0 range 9 AV Incapacitate.
  • He also has an alternate dial that can actually fight. But…
  • …he needs to watch his teammates take damage from attacks (i.e., losing) to MAYBE activate that dial.
  • … because he has to build up tokens and then roll high enough with the free action.
  • And if that weren’t bad enough, he self-harms once he activates unless he hits attacks every turn.
  • And with him being a melee fighter who’s likely been hanging back, that might be hard to do.
  • Did I mention he has old-style Colossal Stamina? So while he can push himself for those hits, he’s still damaging himself to do it.
It’s actually 100% accurate. But also kinda 100% bad.
———
That’s enough of the bad. Look for the next post: Heroclixin’s faves of the year.

by ·0 Comments

So we’ve finally gotten a look at the new Powers and Abilities card coming with the Empyre mini game/starter set. WizKids made a few minor fixes after the overhaul earlier this year.

CHARGE

Now allows a CLOSE as FREE -or- a basic close attack. The global ban on any FREE action being done more than once made this simple power hard to use in certain cases. It’s now fixed.

RUNNING SHOT

See Charge but for RANGE and ranged attacks.

PULSE WAVE

The WW80 PAC version had some incomplete language that raised questions. Back in spring:

PULSE WAVE — RANGE: Halve range, [Improved Targeting: Characters, Adjacent]. Other characters within range can’t use powers or abilities (for this action). Make a range attack targeting all other characters within range and line of fire, including at least 1 opposing character, using printed defense values for each targeted character. If 1+ characters were targeted, each hit character is dealt 1 damage instead.

“Instead” … of WHAT? What is that word even DOING there if there’s no other condition where the power would do anything else “instead”?

Now it’s been properly worded to end with “instead of normal damage.”

Still really kinda bad now, but at least it makes proper sense.

QUAKE

It loses the ability to do a quasi-single-target attack, something that had kinda carried over from 2017 rules into 2021’s version.

PASSENGER: 0

This is a new rule blocking anyone with this from carrying.

———

There were a few other things, but they are simply changes in wording, same effect.

Kudos to WizKids for tying off these loose ends instead of relegating them to errata. Maybe someone there read our complaints back in July 2020 about quality control.

by ·2 Comments

 

 

 

Looking to improve these without adding a ton of new rules and wording. The game’s gotten more streamlined; let’s keep it that way.

1/29/2022 EDIT: I’ve decided to pin this post for a while. The more I think about these changes, the more I really, REALLY want to see them — ESPECIALLY the following:

LEAP/CLIMB

snF005

It’s currently slightly OK in tandem with other moving powers like Charge or Sidestep. But by itself? Nearly useless. The 2021 rules also stripped L/C of its breakaway bonuses. So let’s give the orange Speed power something quasi-movement-related.

  • HEROCLIXIN’S CHANGE (in italics): Improved Movement: Elevated, Outdoor Blocking, Adjacency. When this character attacks or is attacked, after resolutions you may place it in an adjacent square.

Like a lo-fi version of the old Vault feat card pictured but useful for offense AND defense. And it sort of gives the breakaway ability back!

 

EARTHBOUND/NEUTRALIZED

Hypersonic FACEPLANT.

This “power” used to be useful for designing figs who have to activate their powers. But now there are some older pieces that simply CAN’T activate. Also, E/N is supposed to be a character in a weakened state. But simply not being able to use Improved Targeting or Movement — which many figs don’t have at all — isn’t quite universal enough.

  • HEROCLIXIN’S CHANGE: This character can’t use Improved Movement or Improved Targeting abilities. When this character is given a second action token, deal it 1 unavoidable damage.

This change gives it some bite back while allowing some Golden Age figs to be playable again and offering designers a tool for dial manipulation.

 

PULSE WAVE

Iron man 15-1

So the yellow attack power was INTENDED to be an omni-directional blast that couldn’t be avoided, but essentially for light damage. However, it eventually became an “easy mode” way to do big damage. Now it’s nigh-useless for the risk.

  • HEROCLIXIN’S CHANGE: RANGE: Halve range, Improved Targeting: Characters, Adjacency. Other characters within range can’t use powers or abilities (for this action). Make a range attack targeting all other characters within range and line of fire, including at least 1 opposing character, using printed defense values for each targeted character. Each hit character is dealt 2 damage instead of normal damage.

This makes PW worth using even against a solo target without devolving it back to Easy Mode and makes it really worth the risk when using it against a swarm — while also extra-discouraging using it against your own people.

 

SUPER STRENGTH

SStrnerf

This used to be a key power. Now it’s the worst, thanks to:

  1. the loss of knock back damage
  2. the loss of heavy object damage
  3. the loss of the Hypersonic Speed + object attack combo

Honestly, all these losses are good for the game. There was once a time you needed a whole chart to figure out who could hold any of FOUR different kinds of objects and how FAR you could throw each and how much damage each could do in close or at range because it was different based on what the object was and if it was thrown or not … GAAHHHH.

But Super Strength, which is THE super power in comics, is now an utter shadow of its old self.

  • HEROCLIXIN’S CHANGE: KNOCKBACK during close attacks. This character can pick up (and hold) heavy objects. +1 damage dealt during Object Actions.

Heroclixin’ also wouldn’t mind Super Strength allowing better carry abilities, but we’re looking to add as little as possible to the wording and mechanics.

 

INCAPACITATE

BL incap

It was ALMOST good enough for its cost before. But the 2021 rules made it bad now with no pushing or ability to affect two-tokened targets. And although there are some powerful corner-case applications for Incap, we of Heroclixin’ still believe it needs this boost.

  • HEROCLIXIN’S CHANGE: When this character makes an attack, instead of normal damage, you may give each hit character an action token. Those characters can’t be given FREE actions their next turn.

We’ve been pushing for this change for about a decade. It only makes sense!

———

Hopefully in a year or two, we can see some or all of these changes in the game.

by ·0 Comments

Once in a while I like to look back at the years I played this game BEFORE starting Heroclixin’ and identifying what were my top 10 faves in 2006 and 2007. Now it’s 2008’s turn.

For some interesting archival F.U.N., I’m including old review text I wrote when these pieces were newer — some here on Heroclixin’, others when I was a volunteer reviewer for Pojo.com.

 

10. Accomplished Perfect Physician (Crisis 044)

cr044

From a 2012 Heroclixin’ article on the top medics in the game:

This member of China’s team of superheroes super functionaries is one of the better healers in the game with his starting 10 Attack Value and 17 Defense backed by Super Senses. A full dial of Leap/Climb enables him to easily get out of adjacency if based, and a mid-dial pair of Outwit clicks in between the Support ones make hitting him off Support a problem for foes.

He’s at the bottom of the list, though, because at 61 points, he’s really pricey for a medic to have only a  full dial of 1 damage despite his attack powers of Incap, Quake or Psychic Blast. Worse yet, his speed value is pretty poor; he might not be able to get where he needs to go!

Still, with a power on every slot, it’s not hard to be down with A.P.P. for a medic that can contribute a little bit more than just healing. He’s the #10 best medic in Heroclixin’.

I really liked the Great Ten and wish more of them had been made in ‘Clix.

9. Power Man and Iron Fist (Secret Invasion 058)

si058

At the time, I liked duos and these Heroes For Hire were a natural for the theme and mechanic. Sure, they lacked opening armor (Defend instead of the Invulnerability they had on clicks 2-4) and their Wallbuster SP didn’t quite work (only on MOVE actions, not the POWER action of Charge — not that their 8 Speed could use it that well, especially without Improved Movement), but they were a then-rare Indomitable figure, with wild card status (a FAR more powerful ability back then).

 

8. Spectre (Crisis 059)

cr059

I wrote a whole review at Pojo.com:

STRENGTHS:
Man, where do I start. First, he’s a flying giant with a great 11 AV, 10 range and 5 damage. So even though he has Super Strength, he doesn’t even need it to start. But if he wants to get in close, his first Special “Ghostly Guardian” gives him use of Charge, of Phasing/Teleport and of the JSA team ability. So as dangerous as he is from range, he’s worse by far in close. 

That’s especially true in his mid-dial. He loses Impervious for Super Senses and Regeneration but becomes an Outwitter and gains Flurry and Poison. If he gets hit here, he’ll feel it, leading to…

“VENGEANCE!” His other special power, on the last 4 clicks of his dial, enables him to swap his not-bad 3 damage value for his enemy’s, and make it PENETRATING.

That’s awesome. Invulnerability and Steal Energy helps preserve him (here his giant form helps him make the close combat attacks that Steal Energy requires, and Vengeance makes the damage stick to activate Steal Energy). But if the odds look too steep even for him, Spectre can Phase/Teleport away with ease, no matter what enemy Outwitters try.

That’s because he’s got the Quintessence team symbol, rendering him immune to Outwit and pushing damage. And that’s a lot of strengths.

WEAKNESSES:
He’s a Giant and high-cost, so enemies can swarm and out-action him. Also, wildcards can’t benefit from his JSA TA special power, because they can only copy from those who actually possess a team ability…Spectre can only USE the JSA TA. Defensively, much of his mid-dial is very soft and his defense numbers grow decidedly mediocre for his point cost.

It’s been ages since I pulled this old favorite from the vault. I’ve collected most of the other Spectre figures in the game (all except the old 6×3 colossal, which I sold at least a decade ago) so maybe I’ll field an all-Spectre force sometime.

 

7. Black Adam (Crisis 053)

cr053

Another Pojo.com review:

STRENGTHS:
An excellent 18 Impervious defense and 11 attack value with 5 damage are Adam’s big assets to start. Charge and Quake? …not so much, but it’s not terrible.
Better is Hypersonic and Super Strength on click #2, but it doesn’t last long, and by click 4 he’s Charging and Quaking again. One would hope he’s close enough to the fray for this not to matter so much…or better yet, that he’s still in base contact to put his “Power of Aton” power into play, granting him the use of either Exploit Weakness or Flurry in a turn. He’s still sporting either an 18 or 17 Invulnerability defense and 3 or 4 damage on these clicks, too. 

The late-dial sees Flurry and his first Toughness clicks. He also gains the self-Perplex power “Wisdom of Zehuti” to pump his AV back to 10 or his damage for near-certain KO of a weakened target (or his range (!) to 5 for a shocking surprise, so long as he isn’t on one of his many Battle Fury clicks). Finally, his last two slots end much as he starts: Charge, Quake, Impervious and Battle Fury, though with much lower (but not terrible) numbers.

All these overlapping power combos, while not the most efficient, do add up to Black Adam’s biggest strength: He has a way to put the hurt on both single big figs or on a lot of little ones. And he can do so on every click, so he’s more pushable by far than, say, Vet Icons Superman.

WEAKNESSES:
Unlike the Black Adam of old, this caped version starts with Charge, Quake and Battle Fury instead of the coveted combo of Hypersonic Speed and Super Strength. That’s not good. It may take Adam too long to get into the fight without a TKer (especially with no more soaring in Heroclix), and then he’d have to sacrifice the feats he needs to work in the 300-point tournament environment. A simple push gives him HSS+SStrength on his 2nd click with no stat penalty (including a preservation of his 18 Impervious), but this big fig has then sacrificed a precious click of life. There are ways around this problem (see CARDS), but it IS a problem that holds Adam back.

Always a bit overcosted. But still an old favorite that I’ve reacquired for posterity.

6. Frankenstein (Arkham Asylum 041)

aa041

A mainstay on the Grant Morrison Seven Soldiers team:

Running Shot, Invulnerability, Blades/Claws/Fangs and Indomitable make this classic monster reborn a solid 98-point fighting piece in a Heroclix game. His starting 9 Attack Value makes him Friendly enough to run in less-competitive environments (and fear not; a single push gets him to double digit AV if you need it). And monsters just don’t come any Niftier than Frankenstein — come on, now! Plasticity, Close Combat Expert and Regeneration give plenty of options late-dial.

 

He’s since been remade, but this old fave still gets consideration for replay on the Seven Soldiers.

5. Namor (Secret Invasion 045)

si045

I wrote about him in this site’s “Atlantis Attacks” series of review articles:

This is the piece that showed everyone that Charge and Flurry are compatible powers. (Yeah, two of the Justice League Flashes did it first, but nobody cared.) He’s also the one that showed us a Flight character could be carried (as his SP grants him the Flight ability only, not the Wing symbol). Offering excellent defenses on the first half of his dial and massive offensive potential throughout, he singlehandedly made the Atlantis keyword competitive in his heyday and remains a top-flight bruiser for just 150 points. 

Still a superb Namor, though he’s been lapped several times.

 

4. Black Manta (Arkham Asylum 049)

aa049

Another “Atlantis Attacks” review:

Also 68 points, this archenemy to Aquaman offers enough to the theme to possibly overlook his blood feud with the hero. The first-ever dolphin Transporter, he has 6-range Psychic Blast (later, Super Strength) and — and here’s the reason to run him if you’ve broken theme — “Pirate,” which grants him Perplex of himself or other swimmers only. He’s also way cheaper than his later versions appearing in Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes/Legion of Doom sets.

He’s surfing on a shark with frickin’ laser beams. That’s Nerdcore enough to win him a high spot on my favorites of 2008.

 

3. [tie]

Superman (Crisis 100) and Batman (Arkham Asylum 099)

cr100

Two early chase pieces that I used to love — and reviewed at Pojo:

STRENGTHS:

Man, where to start! He’s got “This is a Job for Superman!”, a full-speed version of Charge with a natural 5 damage! Better still is his “Leading the Attack” SP that gives him a free close combat attack every round, even if he’s got two tokens…which he will, often, because he doesn’t take pushing damage, ever (thanks to his Trait, which is uncounterable and uncancelable). 

 His stats are superb — even a solid hit for 3 (after his Impervious defense) knocks his DV up to peak 20, mid-dial! He also gains Hypersonic Speed at that point, making him quite dangerous. Late-dial, he remains mobile with Charge and hard-hitting with Close Combat Expert. But feel free to fire from range thanks to his Superman Ally team ability.

 While he’s quite the one-man-army, “Leading The Attack” also gives an AV boost to allies attacking the same target that round. 

 WEAKNESSES:

High cost and lack of Hypersonic Speed to start means he could get swarmed by foes, and even he can’t beat a well-balanced 400 point team alone — not with less than 60 points of help. Also note that he WILL fight alone — his nifty full-speed Charge bans him from taxiing help in or even using Super Strength. Worse still, his trait absolutely prevents him from pushing to HSS because traits cannot be countered or canceled. 

aa099

STRENGTHS:

A Stealthy Outwitter, like just about every OTHER Batman, this one stands apart with his first Special Power “From Among the Gargoyles” that treats the edge of buildings like hindering and thus affords him much greater flexibility in the Outwit role. Even without a rooftop, the power grants both Charge and Leap/Climb, and his other SP “Dark Knight”  grants free Smoke Cloud when he lacks tokens so he can remain perpetually Stealthed until he acts in earnest. 

 But let’s face it; a 120-point character is for FIGHTING, not hiding. Batman’s no slouch there; “Dark Knight” also grants Flurry which, in conjunction with the Charge from his first SP, allows him to deal 6 damage in a single turn (and MORE once he gains Perplex on click #3-5)! Mid-dial, his 18 Defend can help teammates outlast attacks. End-dial Leap/Climb and Outwit can keep him alive and relevant. 

 Oh, and did I mention he’s Indomitable, too?

 WEAKNESSES:

He’s defensively barenaked and pricey (and dangerous enough to always be a prime target). 

 IN SUM:

This is the ultimate Batman, the guy who beats up White Martians and pulls the JLA’s fat out of the fire. If not for the excellent 75-point Justice League common Batman, this one would be THE Batman to play…which would be awful for most players due to his inaccessibility as a chase figure. 4.5 of 5.

I had to sell these to help pay my mortgage in the Great Recession. Have since reacquired them in these better days (despite pandemic).

 

2. Iron Man (Secret Invasion 021)

Also known as the Robert Downey Jr. sculpt.

Also known as the Robert Downey Jr. sculpt.

I wrote about him during the Iron Campaign, early in the life of the blog.

Great numbers on Attack (11), Defense (18) and Damage (4) almost make you not care how expensive he is. Then you see his Special Power “Extremis” granting him Perplex, Outwit and Super Senses all together for the first third of his dial. Quite simply the best Iron Man to date, SI Iron Man makes the Stark Industries theme build viable in an unprecedented fashion. Feats that work: Brilliant Tactician fits him, well, brilliantly. It’s hard to recommend much more on top of that, even though Outsmart, Coordination and the Avengers feats Thunderbolts and Alpha Flight are great fits as well.

Is this still my favorite Iron Man? Even at 188 points, I think so.

 

1. Crispus Allen (Arkham Asylum 101)

aa101

On Pojo.com:

STRENGTHS:
Outwit + 4 damage + 11 AV seems to equal frontline fighter, especially with double-target Incap. A few clicks in, he’s got damage reduction in Invulnerability and Impervious along with a peak 12 AV that never drops back to single digits. Also check out how his Plasticity + Phasing combo Special Power, “Vengeance Comes” allows him to come and go at will while holding foes down. That works well with “Your Powers Will Not Save You” which allows him either normal Outwit or the ability to counter all normal powers of 2 adjacent foes…no Line of Fire needed, apparently! Late-dial, he gets the potent combo of Flurry and Blades/Claws/Fangs. Mystics TA, too.

WEAKNESSES:
Riddled with them, actually. He’s defensively soft on both ends of the dial. He’s not likely to get damaged past his “hard” clicks, but still. No move/attack abilities (or Quintessence or Indomitable or even Willpower) is a big weakness for a tentpole-priced piece like him. And his 2nd click is REALLY terrible: his sole single-digit AV, NO defense powers at all, and his damage is halved to 2. Makes him particularly un-pushable to start.

IN SUM: 
Nothing at all like the Common figure he shares a sculpt with, Crispus Allen looks like a fun piece to run. But despite his vast power, he’s not necessarily going to hang with his weight class all that well. 3 of 5.

In addition to being a key addition to my “Black box” of Black characters in clix, he’s also one of the Spectre collection that I mentioned elsewhere in this list. But 197 points has always been an awful lot of points.
 That wraps up this series of annual favorites that predate Heroclixin.com. But what about my retroactive favorites from the years before I started playing regularly in mid-2005? That’s going to be the subject of an article or series in 2022 … the 20th anniversary of HeroClix the game.

by ·0 Comments

So WK came out with these “legacy cards” that take old, retired HeroClix pieces and bring them back to Modern play with new traits and updated special powers.

It’s a neat idea. We hope WizKids keeps them balanced and F.U.N., never overbearing.

Let’s look at them individually, this time the second batch released in Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary.

ww80L003

003 WONDER WOMAN (Justice League New 52, 2011)

 THEN: She had a SP that gave a 4 range, no damage attack that quasi-Incapped and nixed all speed and damage powers.

NOW: The SP is downgraded to just pulling the target adjacent, but it’s now FREE — which works MUCH better with the Flurry she has on those clicks. And she and all other WW legacies get the trait “80 Years Of Wonder Woman” that allows them to start with WW equipment.

F.U.N.? Not bad but still outshined these days, even though her original 136-point cost is shaved to 100.

———

 ww80L023

023 WONDER WOMAN (Arkham Asylum, 2008)

THEN: From my Pojo.com review: “Lacking the mobility and shooting ability of most other tentpoles in her weight class, Wonder Woman requires a great deal of finesse to work. But being Indomitable and never dealing less than 3+ damage on every click make her work HARD. 3.5 of 5. Add a half-point if the build is over 300.

NOW: Trimmed from a bank-busting 248 points to 200, she still requires finesse. But not as much, now that her old “others only” Perplex+Leadership SP is now the standard version of both. Her “range only” Super Senses is now standard as well, on top of the WW TA. And her attack SP grants BCF along with the old piece’s Super Strength and Incap — though the latter is just basic and unranged now instead of also granting 6 range and possibly roping a second foe adjacent to the first. Having the Lasso as her WW equipment could completely make up for it.

F.U.N.? Even discounted, she’s still pricier than good in today’s game. But she’s a wonder.

———
 ww80L033

033 WONDER WOMAN (Superman/Wonder Woman, 2015)

THEN: She cost 200 points but was mostly worth it: a big Charge+Flurry bruiser with great reducers and Mystics who got free attacks when outnumbered and, late dial, punished foes for not fighting making attacks when in 2 squares of her.

NOW: Her cost shaved to 175, she loses the Outnumbered trait and her later SP only deals damage when foes break away from her. Still very good.

F.U.N.? This piece didn’t really need the update but the lower price is welcome.

———

 ww80L035

035 WONDER WOMAN (Batman: The Animated Series, 2018)

THEN: The only one of the legacy card characters to still be Modern legal upon the card’s release, this rare had a pretty unremarkable SP: Pick a target, roll a d6 and if the result is more than the number of squares to the target, reel it in and punch it. Problem was, it was a POWER action that had two chances to fail: the d6 and the attack roll.

NOW: The SP is just Incap which reels in the hit (non-giant/colossal) character next to her and makes it Immobile.

F.U.N.? She’s just as bad as before, in my opinion, because Incap is worse now.

———

  ww80L051

051 WONDER WOMAN (DC 75th Anniversary, 2010)

THEN: Her SP Charged through characters then knocked foes back 2 squares after resolutions. Not bad.

NOW: The SP is the same but full Speed without the Improved Movement. She’s also 25 points cheaper, down from 100.

F.U.N.? This is mostly an improvement all around.

———

ww80L078

078 WONDER WOMAN (Cosmic Justice, 2003)

 THEN: Coming from the very early set Cosmic Justice, this was a first-pass take on Diana. She was a basic Charging brick, nothing more.

NOW: New rules make her more effective in her original role. But her real bonus is a trait that allows her to swap either her AV or DV for the opponent’s during a close attack (hers or theirs). She also drops to 100 points instead of her original 126.

F.U.N.? Looks like it. But good luck actually getting to play her … these old pieces are scarce.

———

 ww80L093

093 WONDER WOMAN (Unleashed, 2004)

THEN: One of the coveted Kingdom Come uniques, she was an overcosted Blades piece.

NOW: She gets a Fortified mechanic boosting her DV for a turn by spending these Fortified tokens as well as a point shaving to 175 from her bank-breaking 198 original cost. The Golden Armor WW equipment is not only ultra-thematic on her, it’s perfect to shore up her lack of reducers on top dial.

F.U.N.? She’s still overcosted (because of the uncertainty of Blades) but F.U.N. enough.

———
Next in the series: X-Men Rise & Fall.

by ·0 Comments

After looking at how all my old favorites improve (or don’t) under the brand new ruleset, I decided to look more closely at some pieces I might actually realistically play this year compared to, say, Flashpoint Aquaman (No. 98 of 125-plus).

 

Absorbing Man (Captain America and the Avengers 073) 100 points

caav073

WHAT’S BETTER? He got a lot of errata since some of his original abilities trigger off of obscuring and hindering terrain, which either changed or removed. But now CLEAR terrain gives him Super Senses and +2 Speed (instead of obscuring terrain), making him much less map-dependent for survival or playability.

Aside from those changes: Being a grounded Charge piece, not worrying about hindering terrain now is a boon for him. And if he has Masters of Evil TA teammates or wildcards on his side, maybe he hits a little more easily.

WHAT’S WORSE? Masters of Evil TA does not help him keep going with Colossal Stamina anymore. Obscuring terrain used to give him Improved Movement: Blocking and Elevated but he’s lost both those.

WHAT’S NEXT? He’ll be in the next Masters of Evil team I make, probably against Heroclixin’ board member Lenny.

—————————

The Atom (Justice League Unlimited 059a) 40 points

jlu059a

WHAT’S BETTER? He doesn’t push anymore, giving increased chances to punch after quasi-carries.

WHAT’S WORSE? Perplex. Perplex is worse.

WHAT’S NEXT?  I still have an all-Atoms team ahead.

—————————

Black Cat (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 005) 40 points

svac005

WHAT’S BETTER? No pushing! Her SP combining Leap/Climb and Sidestep really can improve her mobility as an Underworld taxi, as the former allows her to easily traverse elevations with the latter.

WHAT’S WORSE? Her Stealth is a little vulnerable to Outwit now.

WHAT’S NEXT? I tend to squeeze her on teams to fill out points because she’s a keyword cheater.

—————————

Black Widow (Black Widow Movie 100) 75 points

bwm_100

WHAT’S BETTER? She has opening Ranged Combat Expert that makes her Hypersonic range attacks SO MUCH BETTER now…

WHAT’S WORSE? … better enough that I might not even ever use her dragging ability, which requires a close attack … and being on a themed team to boot.

WHAT’S NEXT? Not sure, but it’ll probably involve a Red Room/Black Widow movie theme somehow

—————————

Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 009) 40 points

Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 025) 60 points

svac009 svac025

WHAT’S BETTER? They both start with Willpower, which could be cool, and pushing is no longer a concern. Mama Shell (025) ends with RCE for a little boost there.

WHAT’S WORSE? Their tandem Pulse Wave, tho. And especially 009’s Perplex can’t boost her 2 damage.

WHAT’S NEXT? Probably putting them on a “Sinister Sixteen” theme I have brewing.

—————————

Human Torch (Fantastic Four 038) 40 points

f4_038

WHAT’S BETTER? Nothing, if we’re talking clicks 1 or 3 or 5. RCE, if we’re talking click 4. Well, actually, the no-pushing rule means she has little chance of self-KO on click 5.

WHAT’S WORSE? Pulse Wave on click 2 is worse.

WHAT’S NEXT? I want to play her on another all-Sue team

—————————

Ironheart (Captain America and the Avengers 056) 85 points

caav056

WHAT’S BETTER? I said she only needed Willpower before. So not pushing will be great.

WHAT’S WORSE? Her late dial Perplex and Incap kinda feel bad because both powers are actively worse. Her trait Barrier is less special now that all Barrier can be placed on non-clear terrain, too.

WHAT’S NEXT? I had her on a “Hidden Figures” team of Black female clix with the Scientist keyword. Maybe I’ll update it for Silver Age (since one piece rotated from Modern).

—————————

Jolt (Captain America and the Avengers 031a) 25 points

caav031a

WHAT’S BETTER? She doesn’t push so she might actually get that Flurry off sometime.

WHAT’S WORSE? Losing Reflexes’ knockback immunity could make it harder to get that Flurry off sometimes.

WHAT’S NEXT? Trying to get her on a Thunderbolts team to Flurry sometime.

—————————

Micron (Justice League Unlimited 059b) 50 points

jlu059b

WHAT’S BETTER? His CCE SP makes him hit harder and more easily than ever — whether in his ride-along mode or as a retaliator. And of course Enhancement and Empower are much more important powers now.

WHAT’S WORSE? He doesn’t get the Colossal Willpower other giants do because his choice to grow is a FREE and thus after the beginning of turn phase.

WHAT’S NEXT? He’s on my current F.U.N. meta team.

—————————

Quake (Captain America and the Avengers 010) 65 points

caav010

WHAT’S BETTER? Look who’s not pushing anymore! Plus there’s middial CCE and late Willpower.

WHAT’S WORSE? Nothing. She’s great.

WHAT’S NEXT? I once had a Directors of SHIELD theme of her, the Furys, Coulson, Iron Man and a few others. I should rebuild it.

—————————

Red Guardian (Black Widow Movie 016) 75 points

bwm_016

WHAT’S BETTER? Late CCE is welcome.

WHAT’S WORSE? Nothing except that his old Indomitable is no longer special. Not really a loss.

WHAT’S NEXT? He’s been on that Black Widow team I teased earlier.

—————————

Reed Richards, Fixer Of Universes (Fantastic Four 056) 60 points

f4_066

WHAT’S BETTER? Nothing.

WHAT’S WORSE? Perplex is nerfed.

WHAT’S NEXT?  I’ve had a standing “Council of Reeds” team build for the past eight years. Of course he’s on it.

—————————

Spider-Hamurai (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 066) 60 points

svac066

WHAT’S BETTER? His FREE attack is much improved now that Blades/Claws/Fangs and Exploit Weakness are no longer tied to CLOSE actions.

WHAT’S WORSE? This little piggy is all good.

WHAT’S NEXT? Either an Animal or Martial Artist team sometime.

—————————

Spider-Man (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 054) 60 points

hc_msvac_054+s006

WHAT’S BETTER? Perplex … on his J. Jonah Jameson pog that can’t target his damage values anymore.

WHAT’S WORSE? Until we got the Comprehensive Rulebook for the 2021 overhaul, I was afraid that his ability to multitarget a bunch of foes had gotten nerfed. But no, he still doesn’t have to split his damage the way multi-bolt attackers do. So he’s still fine.

WHAT’S NEXT? Unsure, but he’s the first Spidey I reach for when considering the character.

—————————

Spot (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 042) 50 points

svac042

WHAT’S BETTER? …umm…late dial he can Force Blast…

WHAT’S WORSE? Nothing really.

WHAT’S NEXT? Still might be on my Goofy Marvel Villains team.

—————————

Sue Storm (Fantastic Four 062) 100 points

f4_062

WHAT’S BETTER? Hey, she can plant her Barrier on terrain now and maybe Outwit a Stealther.

WHAT’S WORSE? But her Perplex, Telekinesis and Incap are all worse.

WHAT’S NEXT? That Sue team of all Sue Storm-Richardses that no one will see coming because she’s invisible.

—————————

Superman (Justice League Unlimited 105) 125 points / 60 points

jlu105

WHAT’S BETTER? Almost everything. He can now knock back most opponents, so he’ll get more attack opportunities with his opening HSS and traited Super Strength. On clicks 2-5, he has CCE for higher AV and damage with some Precision to boot. He just becomes fantastically more playable in 2021 than before.

WHAT’S WORSE? Invincible is a little worse, as is Super Strength.

WHAT’S NEXT? I had this pandemic-era plan to pit my collection of Lex Luthors against an equal build of Superman figs. So this’ll be on that squad for sure.

 

—————————

Ultron (Avengers Vs. Masters of Evil Battlegrounds 110b) 100 points

ultron_110

WHAT’S BETTER? Absolutely nothing.

WHAT’S WORSE? Nothing again. He used to be an Indomitable fig but that’s no longer special.

WHAT’S NEXT? Eradication of all flesh on another all-Ultron team because Lenny owes me a rematch.

—————————

Vixen (Justice League Unlimited 015) 75 points

jlu015

WHAT’S BETTER? She can pick CCE for every turn on offense now to good effect, bolstering her EW on click 1 to a staggering 4 damage, her Flurry on clicks 3-4, her BCF on click 5.

WHAT’S WORSE? Her Willpower is thoroughly useless now. But she’d really rather select an actual defense anyway for her non-attacking rounds such as Invulnerability, Reflexes or Senses.

WHAT’S NEXT? Not sure, but I can’t wait for it.

—————————

 What favorite figures of yours from 2020 or earlier got boosted or nerfed by the 2021 rules? Post in the comments!