It’s high-tide-time for a new Atlantis Attacks F.U.N. Focus — and it’s Heroclixin’ board member Chadd’s birthday and he specifically requested this.

First things first: Every Atlantis piece gets a massive upgrade with the 2021 rules overhaul. The Swim keyphrase bars enemies from drawing lines of fire to dolphin speed characters from beyond 4 squares if the swimmer’s in water.

That’s the good news. The bad: Water no longer hinders movement, so it won’t be hard for foes to get in a swim team’s face — which is not so bad, since most of Atlantis is melee-focused.

Let’s look at what characters are new in Modern Age since the most recent update in December 2019. Then, in part two, we’ll revisit older figs that are legal for the Silver Age play format.

^^^^^ Below 50 points: shrimps and chum ^^^^^

Vil (Future Foundation 012) 10 points

Now the cheapest piece in all Atlantis, Vil is great as point filler even without a proper Captain to give her Sidekick abilities. With Toughness and Close Combat Expert all dial long, she can serve as a shield or tie-up they can’t ignore. TEAM HER UP with Telekinesis for best results. Or a taxi…

Wu (Future Foundation 027) 15 points

…such as brother Wu, who can carry fellow Sidekicks (and ONLY such) and grants his sister Vil the same ability. Wu has Flurry instead of CCE and his damage is only 2. TEAM HIM UP with an Empower fig … or perhaps the next entry at his 35-point level …

Atlantean General (WizKids D19-011) 25 points / 35 points

This resculpt of the old Trinity War Atlantean boasts 3 clicks of Sidestep, Combat Reflexes and Leadership — the last which could be of some use on a big invasion squad. But his full cost at 35 points adds the SP “Water Tactics” that brings Leadership with +1 damage for adjacent dolphin symbol allies. He also has Charge, Precision Strike and Toughness.

Mera (WizKids D19-010) 45 points

In the same OP kit came this latest version of the sea queen. Like earlier renditions, she’s a TK piece for Atlantis. She also gives allies in water the Mystics TA if they’re attacked from outside the water, which runs a bit counter to the new Swim ability. She might be using the new Force Blast to keep knocking foes back. Energy Shield/Deflection and Shape Change are her only protections. Improved Targeting: Elevated with 6 range make a welcome surprise.

Namor (Captain America and the Avengers 069e) 50 points

Invulnerability, Charge, 11AV and Leadership for this cost would be good by itself, but this chase figure also brings the sea with him:

AVENGING SON OF ATLANTIS: Namor starts the game with the Flood marker in his square. // The Flood marker is water terrain. // Smoke Cloud as FREE, but to generate water terrain markers instead of hindering terrain markers. // FREE: Place the Flood marker in Namor’s square.

Your swimmers need never be on dry land again. He also grants a bonus to AV:

MASTER OF THE SEVEN SEAS: (Dolphin symbol). // Friendly characters with (Dolphin symbol) or who share a keyword (with Namor) modify attack +1 if making a close attack while occupying water terrain.

He rounds out his marine might with first Close Combat Expert and then Flurry down-dial along with a defense SP that grants Toughness and, when in water, Regeneration.

^^^^^^ 50-75 points: barracudas ^^^^^^

Aquaman (Justice League Unlimited 029) 60 points

Seven clicks for 60 points isn’t bad. His SP Charge can knock back all adjacent enemies for the price of hitting just one. Mid-dial CCE and late Flurry could yield dividends. His 17 Reflexes (with Defend traited) isn’t impressive but it ramps to 18 Toughness and he also has Regeneration as a trait, too.

Main reason to consider him as your Aquaman for Atlantis over others is if you’re playing a legal team for his Team Up Card:

THEMED TEAM UP: ATLANTIS: If Aquaman is part of the listed themed team, he can use Leadership. When he does and removes an action token from a character with the listed keyword, heal that character 1 click. (After revealing forces, you may replace a game element’s default card with an alternate card. You can’t choose a Team Up card if any characters on your starting force share a name).

It’s a kind of weak effect — especially for not being able to lead a horde of generics — but if you get the card, it’s worth trying out sometime.

Susan, Queen of Atlantis (Future Foundation 051) 70 points

A rare Atlantis figure without the Swim keyphrase, this version of Susan Richards of the Fantastic Four is both a Title Character — the first of the keyword — and an alternate win condition piece. The short version: She can win the game by earning Mission Points for generating water terrain on the opponent’s side of the board. But it takes a long time to get anywhere near the amount needed, requiring other allies to hit while occupying water. She’s better as a Sidestepping taxi, TK and Leadership for Atlantis, or for Barrier (which can be placed on water now), Empower, Outwit and Defend if she’s hit past her opening Invulnerability.

Namor (Captain America and the Avengers 069) 75 points

Everything he did at 50 points he does at full points, only with a printed 12 AV, Invincible to start (then TWO Invulnerability clicks instead just one) and 4 damage.

^^^^^ 101-125 points: maneaters ^^^^^

Namor (X-Men Deep Cuts 014) 125 points

Like Susan above, he lacks Swim. A Super-Strong, Impervious Charge piece is what he is. If hit to mid-dial, he gets a SP that keeps him from being targeted by enemies who start the turn beyond 3 squares from him. A bit overcosted but hey, you can paint him.

^^^^^ Over 125 points: apex predators ^^^^^

King Trench (WizKids D19-012) 200 points

Also overcosted but potentially effective is this Monster-keyworded monarch. He has traited Leadership and Mastermind — and the Leadership trait can generate his own MM fodder in the form of The Trench bystanders. But even if he flubs LS rolls, he can POWER generate a couple of pogs at a time. Then, later in his dial, he can eat one or more to boost his SP Regen roll.

He starts with 10 AV, Sidestep and Super Senses, so he’s not the best at offense despite a dial full of either Blades/Claws/Fangs or Steal Energy. And in this No More Pushing (NMP) era of the game, he can’t get to his click 2 SP granting Charge (or HSS in water) — which both combo with Exploit Weakness and BCF. So he’s a rather point-inefficient Outwitter for all practical purposes, sending waves of Trench bystanders Charging at enemies. But still pretty F.U.N.

^^^^^ Additional swimmers ^^^^^

As usual, there are a few figs that lack the Atlantis keyword but could be useful on non-keyword-yet-thematic builds featuring dolphin speed characters. Starting from the cheapest:

Triton (Fantastic Four 032) 40 points

He has this trait:

ALLY TO THE SEAS: When establishing themed teams, choose a friendly character with [Dolphin symbol]. Triton gains that character’s keywords.

So he can fit on most any Atlantis team as long as at least one ally has the dolphin symbol. He brings Probability Control to the team, a very rare support power for the theme.

Black Manta (Justice League Unlimited 068) 40 points / 10 points

When he hits, he can generate water in the target’s square. He also has a 3-6 roll to either token enemies in water or deal them 1 penetrating. That, along with his cheap cost, works well with…

Hydro-Man (Fantastic Four 043) 75 points

He makes water Smoke Cloud like a few other figs do. But unlike Crystal (ABPI 012) or Molecule Man (FFFF 036), he has the dolphin symbol, which is important to combo with Atlantis via:

Blackbeard (Future Foundation 052) 90 points

This alternate universe Thing makes dolphin speed characters into Pirate keyword figs. So you could fold non-Atlantis swimmers into a themed team if you like. But for the purposes of this series, we’re only considering how he works folded into an Atlantis team.

First, he allows any number of non-Atlantis swimmers to join (but be careful; EVERY member will need to be a dolphin speed fig during force construction; an Atlantis fig such as some of the Namors that are fliers instead of swimmers will end up breaking the theme).

Second, he gives Pirates in water +1 AV. So that’s a good boon to an Atlantis force-turned-pirate.

Third, he gets mega-Quake when in water.

Finally, he brings the Invincible-granting Stones of Merlin equipment to the team. However, he risks the enemy picking it up instead of you! So don’t plan your game around this unless you intend to force him to drop the Stones by having him equip another object instead.

———

Next installment: A look again at what’s available in Atlantis in Silver Age.

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. But how F.U.N.?

Friendly? yes and no.

They’re on this terrible holographic foil presentation that is difficult to read. That’s the unfriendly aspect. But each is pretty balanced, playwise.

Useful? Sorta.

Though all are improved, none are really better enough to be meta.

Neato? Yeah.

Like we said, they’re definitely a neat idea. We hope WizKids does more and keep them balanced and F.U.N., never overbearing

Let’s look at them individually, seeing what the figures did originally, how they’re updated, and if the change makes them any F.U.N.

———

L022 XAVIN

THEN: I said, “if he’s on either his first or last click: you can literally turn the dial to any click you want. It’s not quite any power, but with his rainbow dial he basically has access to 14 different powers when on clicks #1 and #6.”

NOW: Xavin doesn’t need to be on their first or last click to pick their click — and, like Moira X (House of X 030), they get to use ALL the powers on lower clicks. But an additional trait puts a further element of risk in the mechanic — if Xavin misses all attacks, they get stranded on the chosen click.

F.U.N.? I thought at first this was a lateral change at best, but this legacy upgrade is super F.U.N. in action. Also note the updated “they/their” pronouns on this non-binary character.

———

L023 SHE-HULK

THEN: She got a bonus to map roll when not on a themed team if the first roll fails, SP Charge+Flurry, and SP “Objection!”: Willpower with Perplex — if she stands next to another Perplexing character.

NOW: She adds a 2nd trait giving her and adjacent allies +1 AV against primes and taking only 1 damage from same. Her Charge Flurry also grants IM:Destroy Blocking while “Objection!” took away the extra requirement for using Perplex. She just gets Perplex now. She’s also five points cheaper on top dial: 125 instead the original 130.

F.U.N.? We appreciate this version of Shulkie leaning more into her lawyerness and 4th-wall-busting. But we do not love the misprint on her card of one of her traits as a nonexistent attack SP.

———

L029 MORG

THEN: His “Execution” trait gave him +2AV against an target with 2 action tokens and he got “Axe Swipe,” an occasional attack SP Quake that dealt 2-4 damage instead, based on a d6 roll.

NOW: Execution is basically the same while Axe Swipe can now do up to 5 damage. He also got a new trait, “Well of Life,” that if he gets to an enemy start zone and hasn’t been placed (this turn), he can POWER gain Prob, Blades and Steal Energy for the rest of the game.

F.U.N.? His upgrades aren’t quite enough. The restrictions on his new trait are a bit too much given the inherent risk of invading enemy territory like that. And, of course, him not starting being able to use the other abilities is a tough row. His best boost? Being Power Cosmic to use the new Willpower.

———

L037 MR. FANTASTIC

THEN: So he had a trait “Find A Way To Save My Family” giving him a 1-in-6 chance at bringing back a KO’d Fantastic Four team ability user after he heals from the Fantastic Four team ability; an attack SP “Stretch” to punch 10 squares away at a visible target as a double power action; and a damage SP granting Leadership as though he’s 150 points instead of 130 along with Outwit that he can use twice if the second is against an enemy next to a friendly FF keyword fig.

NOW: “Find A Way To Save My Family” prevents KO of any other Fantastic Four keyword fig on a 5-6 roll instead of the several requirements of the earlier version; his attack SP is no longer a DPA but is just Giant Reach: 10 punch as POWER. His damage SP is mostly unchanged, though his Leadership is no longer enhanced to 150 points.

He also got an additional trait, “Marvel’s First Family,” which sheds an action token and boosts all his stats for a round when he heals from the F4 TA.

F.U.N.? He was overcosted and unremarkable in 2012 and this new card doesn’t really change that inconvenient truth. Worse: The card is misprinted with his damage SP marked as a trait and an actual trait listed as a defense SP … which he doesn’t have at all. But at least his Stretch power is actually usable.

———

L038 THING

THEN: A fun figure with the SP to nonstop attack … IF the opponent allowed it.

NOW: He gains Sidestep and Close Combat Expert and the old choice to either keep clobbering or quit at the cost of a last bit of unavoidable damage is now HIS, not the opponent’s. He also gets the “Marvel’s First Family” trait.

F.U.N.? Still a lot of points and his numbers aren’t best. But with enough stat mods to his attack (possible 13) this is a fig that could one-turn nearly any target with even just average attack rolls.

———

L049 MORGAN LE FAY

THEN: Way back, I wrote: “With her ability to make herself a hard shot either in close or at range as needed, and her suPerplex for … Avengers, and her wildcardness, she’s a highly versatile light tentpole.”

NOW: She’s the first legacy figure to get a radical point cost change (from the original 122 to a new choice of 100- or 50-point start lines). She lost the suPerplex (+/-2 anything except damage, a trait only usable on Avengers keyword), her ability to be on Avengers theme teams without breaking theme and her wildcard TA (thanks to the change to Minions of Doom) to gain an additional team symbol in Mystics, regular Perplex, and the ability to merge Avengers and Latveria keywords to make a single themed team (thus allowing her to truly theme with Avengers because she’s Latveria). She kept a trait that made her weak to Blades/Claws/Fangs, while adding a further vulnerability to equipped foes and object attacks.

F.U.N.? Unfortunately, her loss of wildcard status makes her just a little less effective than before and her stats today, which were kinda pedestrian in 2012, are never impressive. 

———

L057 INVISIBLE WOMAN

THEN: Like her brother (see below), her SP never quite worked right, though not nearly as poorly as his. First, she had to take damage to get to her Invisible Barrier SP — maybe too late to use it effectively. Then she lacked the Willpower/Indom to use the Barrier well.

NOW: She gains a keyword (Scientist), a trait (that boosts her stats +1 when the F4 TA triggers) and, most importantly, she starts with the Invisible Barrier instead of having to push to gain it, making the ES/D it grants much more usable. She also gets a +3 range boost instead of the old version’s +2.

F.U.N.? She remains fairly overpriced but is much more playable, at least.

———

L058 HUMAN TORCH

THEN: He made my “Worst of” list for that year: “He’s got to push to even get TO the Special Power that allows him to TRY to add the Nova Flame. Pushing means he loses that [starting] 4 damage AND he’s stuck there for a turn, anyway, on top of that. THEN he’s got to push AGAIN, via double power action, to get the Nova Flame, leaving him a sitting duck AGAIN. Better hope he actually managed to hit something while he’s hurting himself…AGAIN.  [Also] better hope he doesn’t GET hit, because taking ANY LITTLE BIT OF DAMAGE from the attackers who fire at this sitting duck removes the Nova Flame and he’ll have to start all over again.”

NOW: Aside from the fact the card mislabels his Defense SP as a trait, it’s a massive improvement: He gets the Avengers keyword; his Nova Flame grants +1 attack along with the old version’s +1 damage; and the double power action has been made into just SP Pulse Wave, compatible with Running Shot.

Oh, and he actually STARTS with the Nova Flame and its abilities instead of depending on a SP not even on his starting click to ever access it.

F.U.N.? He’s still too many points, but at least he actually functions now.

———

With legacy cards clearly set to be an ongoing feature in HeroClix, look for this to be an occasional series. We’ll review Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary in its next installment.

So usually, heroclixin’ has this handy checklist ready for release day, which was back in late April. But one thing I hate doing is releasing incorrect information. And, well, WizKids took several weeks to correct a TON of incorrect information on its figures and dials (and the errata is still incomplete).

For example, Ferdinand (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 025) has two differing point costs: 30 on his base and 50 on his character card. Which was right? Until yesterday, we didn’t know (It’s 30. The dial was right).

Another: Zeus (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 035) has three different costs: 175 and 100 on his card but 200 and 100 on the actual figure. Judging from the above example, one would assume the figure was correct, but no, it’s the card in this case. He’s 175 points on click #1.

There are numerous OTHER errors almost as massive as these in this set. And I’m really tired of them and could help eliminate them, given the chance. I need to put together an actual pitch.

Anyway, here’s a hopefully error-free checklist for your use. The link below has four copies per letter-size paper.

WW80checklist

“They fight…and fight…and fight and fight and fight…fight fight fight, fight fight fight…”

So Lenny and I had another of our massive battles a while back: a sort of rematch of one we waged back in the early days of Heroclixin’: The battle for Asgard!

Back in pre-COVID 2020, we did it again using updated rosters of Asgardian heroes and my Asgardian enemies, now led by the Frost Giant king, Ymir. I won map, picking the Necropolis in Wakanda (Loki found a back way into Asgard from Earth but were surprised by the hosts of Asgard).

This was a truncated fight because we were under a time constraint. My pair of Frost Giants from Giant-Size X-Men soaked up lots of attacks and I took a sizeable lead that JUST held when I advanced a bit too needlessly far with Angrir who barely survived Lenny’s attacks of opportunity.

More than a year later, a few weeks ago we did a rematch with revised teams. Lenny built somewhat to counter my GSX Frost Giants — uselessly, because I didn’t field that one again — and I got some newer pieces to try out this time.

Here are Lenny’s…

…HEROES OF ASGARD

Balder (The Mighty Thor) 80 points

Beta Ray Bill (The Mighty Thor) 225 points

Dino-Thor (Secret Wars: Battleworld) 90 points

Fandral (The Mighty Thor) 60 points

Gharskygt (Hammer of Thor) 61 points

Groot Thor (The Mighty Thor) 175 points

Heimdall (Fear Itself) 169 points

Hogun (The Mighty Thor) 80 points

Iron Man (Fear Itself) 250 points

Lorelei (The Mighty Thor) 45 points

Odin (The Mighty Thor) 230 points

Skurge (The Mighty Thor) 125 points

Sif (The Mighty Thor) 45 points

Thor (Nick Fury Agents of SHIELD) 145points

Thor Odinson (The Mighty Thor) 175 points

Throg (The Mighty Thor) 45 points

Thunderstrike (The Mighty Thor) 115 points

Troll (The Mighty Thor) 60 points

Ultimate Thor (Secret Wars: Battleworld) 125 points

Valkyrie (Avengers Defenders War 065) 75 points

Volstagg (The Mighty Thor) 90 points

vs. my

(RIGHTFUL*) RULERS OF ASGARD

*(According to Loki. He lies sometimes.)

Absorbing Man (Invincible Iron Man 103) 153 points

Angrir (Fear Itself) 235 points

Enchantress (Avengers Black Panther Illuminati) 135 points

Executioner (The Mighty Thor) 120 points

Fenris Wolf (Thor Ragnarok ) 100 points

Frost Giant (The Mighty Thor ) 300 points

Frost Giant (Giant-Size X-Men G06) 100 points

Frost Giant Champion (Avengers Movie) 100 points

Hela (Thor Ragnarok ) 100 points

Loki (Avengers Black Panther Illuminati ) 170 points + Bearer of the Infinity Sword + 5 points

Nerkkod (Fear Itself) 215 points

Rock Troll (The Mighty Thor) 25 points x2

Storm (WizKids MP19-006) 85 points

Ulik (The Mighty Thor) 100 points

Ymir (The Mighty Thor) 550 points

both within 2500-point build. 10 actions plus Leadership.

This time we fought on Bifrost. I picked the Asgard side, having stolen the realm from Odin and Co., forcing the Loki’s dotard stepfather and hammerheaded brother to approach from the Midgard side!

…which was the TURNING POINT of the whole game, I’d come to see.

What I saw immediately: With Bill and Heimdall, I was not going to get the easy shots with Ymir and others I was accustomed to having in the first match. So I had a choice: either hide in my starting area or come out and tussle because this was a HeroClix fight.

Lenny built a bunker of Beta and Heimdall almost right in front of me. And OMG it was the worst. I snuck in a Pulse Wave shot at Jane Thor for a quick KO and lead but lost both generic Frost Giants in single turns to the massive Hypersonic and ranged damage from the hiding-in-plain-sight Asgardians. Nearly the only other attacks I could even make were weak Charges from Hela’s Fallen Warrior pogs.

Even when I managed a few attacks of my own, the dice just tended to fail. Here’s how badly:

• After chewing Groot Thor to his last click, I couldn’t hit 16 DV Shape Change in multiple tries. He easily broke away and ran for his life.
• Absorbing Man finally got a Charge but got hit for 4 finally. That landed him on Flurry to finally begin to deal with Heimdall … who Super Sensed both hits. I’d pushed to make this attack … and rolled a 1, knocking myself out.
• A badly hurt Executioner, on Flurry, missed a relatively easy second attack. That missing click of Steal Energy healing was the difference between survival and being KO’d the next turn.
• SO many attacks missed by 1.
• There was a last gasp by Ymir to use Close Combat Expert against a 17DV: Rolled 3 for a miss.
• Hela had tons of Rise tokens to generate Fallen Warriors but no Mastermind fodder when she needed it (thanks to Thor Odinson’s final plot ability “God of Thunder” turning all my my actions into double token actions) and got KO’d in one turn.
• Even my last trick, a revert from Angrir to The Thing (Fantastic Four 036) to bring in Alicia Grimm, left her no one to heal when he got crit hit for just enough to KO!

Just horrible.

But as I noted earlier, I lost this match as soon as I picked my starting area for … story purposes instead of gameplay. The Midgard side has buildings I could have used for shooters and Probbers to have lines of fire to affect Lenny’s many attacks instead of just my far fewer own rolls.

And in classic super-villain self-sabotage mode, I messed up with my very team’s build in a key way. But before that, let’s look at the game …

…by piece

Beta Ray Bill (The Mighty Thor): This was the center of Lenny’s whole game, this piece that prevents him and adjacent allies from targeting at all beyond 4 squares. And it was used MUCH better than last game, I have to say. Salute.

Fandral (The Mighty Thor): In the late game, he served as very effective tie-up.

Gharskygt (Hammer of Thor): One of the few pieces I could even target.

Groot Thor (The Mighty Thor): Protected by Bill, his Giant Reach ruined my meager attempt at a comeback with Storm. (One of those misses by 1 missed him and left her open to that giant Charge.)

Heimdall (Fear Itself): The other center of Lenny’s whole game, he prevents enemies from getting inside of 3 squares of him, preventing my Charge-heavy team from doing much.

Hogun (The Mighty Thor): Timely hits on Absorbing Man with his Knobbed Mace (-2 AV to hit targets) kept me in check.

Iron Man (Fear Itself): A late addition to Lenny’s team, this overcosted Stark shines in a game this big.

Lorelei (The Mighty Thor): Annoying little Perplex piece I couldn’t get to. So glad the power’s changing because she boosted damage a LOT.

Odin (The Mighty Thor): His +1 to Asgardians freed up Perplexers to boost damage. I got the old man to last click twice but those misses by 1…

Skurge (The Mighty Thor): Both an annoyance and a dangerous cleanup hitter.

Sif (The Mighty Thor): Speaking of annoyances, she was one until she scored an improbable hit on Hela’s 18 DV for that one-turn KO.

Thor (Nick Fury Agents of SHIELD 050): One of the few foes I could even target, Jane Foster got completely destroyed without making an attack.

Thor Odinson (The Mighty Thor): Over and over, he was able to HSS hit and run and hide with Bill. It was gross.

Throg (The Mighty Thor): Another Perplexer. Too much!

Thunderstrike (The Mighty Thor): Completely destroyed without making an attack, but he was only bait, to be honest. And he worked.

Troll (The Mighty Thor): My favorite Asgardian worked against me this time, landing that first Exploit hit on Executioner

Valkyrie (Avengers Defenders War): She never got that crazy “cut through everybody” trait off, but she landed the final blow of the game.

Volstagg (The Mighty Thor): Tied up the dregs of my team.

For my part:

Absorbing Man (Invincible Iron Man 103): Already talked about the horrid dice that took him out. And his low, low DV certainly helped Odinson more than anyone on my team. But I really can’t complain about him; he dodged a LOT of damage across the game.

Angrir (Fear Itself): Barred by Heimdall from making much of an impact until far too late. One of those misses by 1 really cost me.

Enchantress (Avengers Black Panther Illuminati): A key support of my team. But lacking that safe LOF for making attacks or using Prob on non-giants (or defensively at all) meant she was otherwise wasted. Further dice problems: Lenny NEVER rolled a 1 or 2 on his Leadership to trigger her own token removal.

Executioner (The Mighty Thor): Barred by Heimdall from making much of an impact until far too late. And I mentioned his end.

Fenris Wolf (Thor Ragnarok): Barred by Heimdall from making any impact at all. Biggest disappointment of the whole bad matchup.

Frost Giant (The Mighty Thor): A colossal, he was one of the few figs that could actually attack. But though he got points almost immediately, he was felled by 5 Asgardian counterattacks the next turn.

Frost Giant (Giant-Size X-Men G06): Another colossal one-turned.

Frost Giant Champion (Avengers Movie): I needed to use his ability to Battle Infuriate enemy shooters, but Beta Ray Bill prevented him from the needed line of fire.

Hela (Thor Ragnarok): At one point, she had 7 Rise tokens. But she died with 5 remaining due to “God of Thunder.” I kept pushing Fallen Warriors to try to score hits and KOs, to no avail.

Loki (Avengers Black Panther Illuminati): Here’s where that self-sabotage I mentioned happened.

So I wanted to play THIS Loki, right? Not the illusion-creating trickster (The Mighty Thor 002) but this Infinity Sword-wielding god. But:

• I picked a map side with poor lines of fire, barring his Prob and, later, Outwit, along with his range attacks.
• I picked the wrong gem to start him with. The Power Gem SEEMED like a good idea (+1 damage, along with RCE and CCE) over the Mind Gem he gets a specific bonus for using, but really any the other gems available to me would have been an improvement: Space Gem to carry Charge pieces to get to Heimdall, Reality Gem for Perplex and TK (REALLY needed here), Time Gem for a range boost, Soul Gem for a DV boost.
• And, of course, this Loki is riddled with weaknesses that shouldn’t be on a 175-point figure: no move+attack, no armor, no Indomitable, no Outwit resistance…No CHANCE!

Nerkkod (Fear Itself): Barred by Heimdall from making much of an impact until far too late. Also ruined by my non-map choice. Got blasted past all his Revert clicks to boot!

Rock Troll (The Mighty Thor): I used one of these Trolls to wield the Healing Casket to decent effect so I can’t say they weren’t worth their points.

Storm (WizKids MP19-006): Barred by Heimdall from making much of an impact even though she could have been the answer to the Beta Ray Bill problem. (But I would have had to put the Reality Gem on Loki for THAT to work)

Ulik (The Mighty Thor): Barred by Heimdall from making much of an impact until far too late. And when he did have the chance? Missed by 1.

Ymir (The Mighty Thor): The mighty king of Jotunheim was the extent of my offense for many, many rounds. But one can only withstand so many 13-14AV attacks before they start to whittle one down. And so he was.

———

FINAL SCORE: 2570 to 741

We’ve made tentative plans to take this to a final, best-of-three match sometime after the rules change, which will remove Lenny’s Perplex-on-damage tactic used here and make the “God of Thunder” plot ability far less game-wrecking, as well as freeing up our forces from fears of pushing damage. But until then:

In spring 2019, HeroClix saw a great movie-based micro set in Captain Marvel. One of the surprise F.U.N. hits from the set were the Kree figures and their “Kree Supremacy” traits.

Let’s get into it before the set retires to Golden and Silver Age this summer on July 1 — with an eye to how the 2021 rules will affect them.

Things we’ll look at:

1. how useful is this Kree Supremacy on a Basic level? That is, if you have allies that are adjacent friendlies or non-adjacent Kree

2. how useful is this Kree Supremacy on a Kree level? if you have allies that are adjacent AND Kree

3. how useful is this Kree Supremacy on Solo level? What if this character is the ONLY Kree on the team, and how it works with its powers

4. How useful is this piece, period? What is its SUPREMACY LEVEL? Low, Moderate, High or Supreme?

———

Kree Soldier [Captain Marvel Movie 002]

25 points

Kree Supremacy: Elite Forces: Once per turn, when a friendly character that’s adjacent or has the Kree keyword rolls for breakaway and the result is 1, you may reroll that die. If that character is both adjacent and has the Kree keyword, instead you may reroll a result of one or two.

1.  Basic level: It’s good to grant a breakaway bonus — especially with changes to Plasticity. And because she is an Enhancement piece after her first click, it could be helpful to a based Running Shooter.

2.  Kree level: An even better bonus here certainly isn’t bad.

3.  Solo level: She gives herself the Basic bonus. With her being a range fighter, breakaway is potentially vital for her to either get that a Running Shot off to retreat to Enhance a different shooter.

SUPREMACY LEVEL: LOW. Willpower could help her stay mobile but that short 4 range may not keep her safe and a 3-click dial means Enhancement might never see play. She needs to coordinate with tie-up allies for best results.

———

Att Lass [Captain Marvel Movie 005]

50 points

Kree Supremacy: Deep Cover: Friendly characters that are adjacent or have the Kree keyword modify defense by +1 against close attacks. If that friendly character is both adjacent and has the Kree keyword they also modify defense by +1 against range attacks.

1.  Basic level: Offering a DV bonus in close is good for melee or if foes decide to close in.

2.  Kree level: Get that DV bonus from range too.

3.  Solo level: He needs to be in melee ASAP for the bonus (and his Combat Reflexes)

SUPREMACY LEVEL: MODERATE. Att Lass is one of those tie-up figs who could work OK with the Kree Solider. Don’t let his 5 range and Precision Strike bait you into using him as a shooter unless you’re wanting to boost DV for other, better adjacent shooters.

———

Yon Rogg [Captain Marvel Movie 006]

50 points

Kree Supremacy: For Hala!: Once per turn for all characters with this trait, when a friendly characters that’s adjacent or has the Kree keyword hits, Action Total +1. If that character is both adjacent and has the Kree keyword, Action Total +2 instead.

1.  Basic level: Can help a swarm team a lot to either get more attacks or more actions.

2.  Kree level:  Try to have a Kree shooter either next to Yon here or next to another Kree to help trigger the potential +3 actions.

3.  Solo level: He’s mostly a Telekinesis and Leadership piece, so he’ll rarely activate the ability himself.

SUPREMACY LEVEL: HIGH. TK is a premium supporting power. With Toughness on top, he’s likely to see his Stealth/Willpower/Perplex clicks later on.

———

Kree Combatant [Captain Marvel Movie 007]

25 points

Kree Supremacy: Peerless Warriors: Once per turn, for all characters with this trait, when an opposing character rolls to break away from friendly characters that are adjacent or have the Kree keyword and the roll is a 6, you may reroll that die. If at least one of those friendly characters is both adjacent and has the Kree keyword, instead you may reroll a result of 5 or 6.

1.  Basic level: Making pals better at tie-up isn’t worthless.

2.  Kree level: Making pals GREAT tie up is better still.

3.  Solo level: Works great for him acting as tie up with his Reflexes and melee powers of Exploit Weakness and Close Combat Expert.

SUPREMACY LEVEL: LOW. A rare melee specialist for the Kree, his short dial is problematic for his survival, like his sister Kree Soldier. But tie-up is important and that opening Charge Exploit move could yield victory.

———

Minn Erva [Captain Marvel Movie 011]

75 points

Kree Supremacy: Protected by Superior Technology: Friendly characters that are adjacent or have the Kree keyword have Protected: Outwit on their speed powers. If that friendly character is both adjacent and has the Kree keyword they also have Protected: Outwit on their attack powers.

1.  Basic level: Nice to not have most move+attack powers Outwitted.

2.  Kree level: Double the Outwit resistance, though a bit less important than keeping the moving powers

3.  Solo level: It’s certainly OK but not vital to keep her Running Shot free from Outwit.

SUPREMACY LEVEL: MODERATE. She’s a lot of points, even if she starts with a solid 11 AV Penetrating Blast. More important is her Probability Control. Strong defense in Invincible.

———

Att Lass [Captain Marvel Movie 014]

75 points

Kree Supremacy: Empowered by Superior Technology: Friendly characters that are adjacent or have the Kree keyword have Protected: Outwit on their defense powers. If that friendly character is both adjacent and has the Kree keyword they also have Protected: Outwit on their damage powers.

1.  Basic level: VERY nice to not have defense powers Outwitted.

2.  Kree level: Double the Outwit resistance is good.

3.  Solo level: Un-Outwittable defense is really important for him as he’s got good reducers and ends with Regeneration.

SUPREMACY LEVEL: SUPREME. He’s a Hypersonic piece with Leadership who guards all defenses for a Kree team. Do not field without him if possible!

———

Yon Rogg [Captain Marvel Movie 015]

75 points

Kree Supremacy: We Shall Win This War: Friendly characters that are adjacent or have the Kree keyword modify attack by +1 when targeting only characters that can use Shape Change or Stealth. If that friendly character is both adjacent and has the Kree keyword, it can use Targeting: Hindering, Characters

1.  Basic level: Pretty situational but not bad.

2.  Kree level: Being able to shoot past characters is really good, especially with Yon Rogg acting as a blocker or Enhancer (or both)

3.  Solo level: He doesn’t get the Improved Targeting, so he’s not great vs. Stealth with him being a ESD range fighter, and Shape Change is always a challenge. What good is +1 AV if you can’t target?

SUPREMACY LEVEL: MODERATE. He’s a little pricey at his role as a midline supporter but works as a secondary attacker with his combo of RCE and Energy Explosion, where his bonus against Stealth/Shape Change could pay off (assuming ALL the targets have one of those two powers).

———

Bron Char [Captain Marvel Movie 016]

75 points

Kree Supremacy: Live Kree Or Die!: Once per turn for all characters with this trait, when a friendly character that’s adjacent or has the Kree keyword is KO’d, after resolutions you may deal 1 damage to each opposing character that was adjacent to the KO’d character. If that friendly character is both adjacent and had the Kree keyword, the damage dealt is penetrating.

1.  Basic level: Only triggers on your allies being KO’d, which can be perilous.

2.  Kree level: Can be hard to set up the supreme penetrating version due to his Battle Fury and his boot speed.

3.  Solo level: Not penetrating damage since he’s not adjacent to himself.

SUPREMACY LEVEL: LOW, unless you devote some effort into setting him up to leverage his effects. But here’s where his sculpt-mate, the Kree Combatant can pay off, even in death, and Bron himself can hit VERY hard with Charge+Flurry 4 damage.

———

Korath [Captain Marvel Movie 019]

75 points

Kree Supremacy:You Shall Not Escape: When a friendly character that’s adjacent or has the Kree keyword hits, after resolutions that character may move 1 square. If that friendly character is both adjacent and has the Kree keyword, instead all friendly characters with the Kree keyword may move 1 square.

1.  Basic level: So you get a little bit of extra movement. This can be very powerful with a few niche figures.

2.  Kree level: This can increase the mobility of a Kree team greatly. But the characters still have to break away, so keep that in mind.

3.  Solo level: Can get him out of counterattack range, I guess maybe. Not something to depend on.

SUPREMACY LEVEL: MODERATE. Though Korath has good numbers and has seen some meta play, he’s still pretty mediocre for the cost. But top Enhancement is never worthless and Invulnerability means he’ll land on his later RCE clicks to stay on offense.

———

Ronan [Captain Marvel Movie 020] 

100 points

Kree Supremacy: You Stand Accused: POWER: If no friendly character has been placed this turn, choose an opposing character that dealt damage to a friendly character that’s adjacent or has the Kree keyword since your last turn. Place Ronan adjacent to that opposing character, then make a close attack that deals penetrating damage targeting that character.

1.  Basic level: It works a lot like a colossal retaliation. It’s a generally okay and occasionally great way to get him deployed.

2.  Kree level: This works no differently from the Basic level, making it the most flexible of the Kree Supremacy traits.

3.  Solo level: Works same when he is damaged, too, so it’s fully useful for himself.

SUPREMACY LEVEL: HIGH. With proper placement, he could use Close Combat Expert to weaponize his “retaliation” effect to wreck whole teams (perhaps, depending on how what it means to “use” a passive power like CCE, going forward. But I suspect a rewrite may be coming.)

———

Captain Marvel [Captain Marvel Movie 021]

150 points

Kree Supremacy: Cosmic Awareness: Friendly characters that are adjacent or have the Kree keyword have Protected: Opposing Probability Control. If a friendly characters is both adjacent and has the Kree keyword, it can use Probability Control, but only to target itself.

1.  Basic level: It’s nice for Kree or adjacent allies to be unProb-able by enemies.

2.  Kree level: Her teammates get self-Probability Control…

3.  Solo level: …But not her. She only gets the first benefit.

SUPREMACY LEVEL: HIGH. Protecting against enemy Prob is good, and she herself is a very strong piece (though not as unkillable as she looks on paper).

 ———

 The full “Kree Supremacy” team comes up to 775 points. Double up on either the Soldier or the Combatant for a round 800. Or if you insist on highlander rules on named characters, dropping the rare versions of Att Lass and Yon Rogg get you down to 625 for a 700-point build (add 2-3 of the generics to fill) while the pricier versions bump up to 675 with room left for a single generic. Splitting between the common and rare versions is 650.

The most story-accurate build will exclude Captain Marvel and the generics, leaving it at 475.

Whatever you choose, have F.U.N. doing it!

We talked a lot a few posts back about the changes as we learned of them. Now we’re looking at all the powers and abilities to see what’s better and what’s worse in HeroClix 3.0.

UPDATE: The full Comprehensive Rules finally got released. And yes, a few more changes were revealed.

It’s a lot, so let’s get into it.

SPEED POWERS

FLURRY: BUFFED. Benefits from new general rule allowing multiple targets in melee.

F.U.N. or nah? We said a few posts ago that getting to split the damage of both attacks to, for example, clear out a swarm of pogs, could be great F.U.N. OK with this change.

————————————

WizKids surprised us a bit with its early announcement of rotation (which doesn’t happen until July 1)

Silver Age and 2021 Rotation

What’s going?

5-Figure Booster Sets

• DC HeroClix: Batman The Animated Series … is canceled

• Marvel HeroClix: Secret Wars: Battleworld … calls a cease-fire and cease EXISTENCE
• Marvel HeroClix: Earth X … gets X’ed out

Fast Forces Packs and Starter Sets

• Marvel HeroClix: Secret Wars: Battleworld Fast Forces: Bye-bye, Runaways

• DC HeroClix: Batman The Animated Series Starter Set
• Marvel HeroClix: Earth X Starter Set

It’s more the maps we’ll mourn from these latter two than anything.

Micro Sets

• Marvel HeroClix: Captain Marvel Movie: 2019 fave Captain Marvel 021 will be missed, even though she’s been power-leaped by the SR from Captain America and the Avengers.

2018 Convention Exclusives and Limited Edition Game Elements

• WK DP18-001 Starro (and his WKDP18-002 through 005 minions)
• WK DP18-006 Batman (a.k.a. Commissioner Gordon Batman)
• WK DP18-007 Power Woman
• WK DP18-008 Orion
• WK DP18-009 Joker
• WK DP18-010 Hawkgirl (one of the subjects of our Bombshells F.U.N. Focus)
• WK DP18-101 Captain Cold
• WK DP18-102 Heatwave
• WK DP18-103 Impulse

• WK MP18-002a Thanos-Copter
• WK MP18-002b Cube-Powered Thanos-Copter
• WK MP18-003 Thanos
• WK MP18-004 Gwenpool
• WK MP18-005 Lockjaw
• WK MP18-006 Shadowcat
• WK M18-007 Daredevil (a 2018 fave)
• WK M18-101 Bishop
• WK M18-102 Black King
• WK M18-103 Forge
• WK M18-104 Death’s Head
• WK M18-105 Mandarin
• WK M18-106 War Machine
• WK M18-G001 Tri-Sentinel

• WK S18-001 Captain Kirk & Uhura

There are also a few WKM17 holdovers that will certainly be added to this list: Lila Cheney, Longshot, Dazzler. A few others I can’t think of. But they’re not gone forever because WK also announced a whole new official format in addition to Golden and Modern:

SILVER AGE.

This format allows all new-style card sets (from Superior Foes of Spider-Man onward). It also wisely starts with both a ban list and watch list of problem figures:

Ban List

WK MP-18 001 Blackbird: We’re not sure why this immediately banned. Perhaps there’s a weird interaction with the Krakoan Revival trait we’re not seeing, or WizKids just doesn’t want resources in the game anymore. In any case: Plane is decommissioned and grounded.

FF JW 004 The Penguin: This fig’s ability to make itself target of friendly attacks has the potential to lead to infinite loops and easy wins with certain Mission Points win conditions, among other things. So yes, Penguin is jailed.

Watch List

JW 053b Jakeem Thunder: I would say he’s not going to be a problem after his errata adding Shape Change to the powers he can only choose one from. But the 2021 rules expand his versatility even further. So this young Black man is getting profiled for good reason.

TMNT3 Mini Shredder: Aside from the fact that free damage should never be a thing in this game, the elimination of speed penalty for Carry means this little guy could become problematic in a hurry. Keep him under the microscope!

WI 040 Goblin King: See Jakeem Thunder, but add Power Cosmic Willpower. Could get even uglier than he is.

TMT 058 Uni-Mind: 2021 rules make him even grosser and top of mind for this watch list.

JW 060 The Joker: With all the new power interactions and his resistance to KOs, this Joker is no laughing matter.

FF HQGG 006 Corrupt GPCD Cop: This addition is a curious one, but clearly WK is concerned about any and all of the “don’t die” figures and mechanics. Internal Affairs will be WATCHING you, girl.

SW:BW 061 Black Panther: See Goblin King, except he’s not ugly. Also death-resistant. This king could lose his immunity.

EAX 017b Vulture: He’s needed to be addressed forever anyway. He better fly low or get his wings clipped!

EAX 054 Daredevil: Another death-resistant figure. His license could get suspended.

XTAS 011b Magneto, XTAS 023b Sabretooth, XTAS 043b Mister Sinister: These three figs are here for the same reason: Don’t Die.

HOX 030 Moira X: Another Don’t Die figure, she’s also loaded with powers.

XTAS G014 Proteus: His Barrier-like ability could get out of hand.

XTAS G018 Wendigo: So many free attacks he can do, and the 2021 rules boost him even more.

XTAS G020 Dark Phoenix: Already a top meta figure, the 2021 rules boost her even more.

AI G001 Giant-Girl: Perhaps less of a problem now that she can’t be spammed to boost initiative, but still warrants a look.

AI G017 Giganto & Namor: New Swim ability eliminates most of the big guy’s weakness to long range. One to keep an eye on.

AI G025 Groot: Walking Woods were problematic before. Maybe worse now that they can get two tokens without dying.

FF AI G001 Giant-Girl: Free retaliation. ‘Nuff said!

TMT G001 Surtur:  Good God, just ban him already.

TMT G004 Carnage: See Groot, but shave 10 points.

WK MP-18 G001 Tri-Sentinel: Any retaliation that can dole out free damage belongs here. And so he is.

All ID Cards: Just ban them already. No off-the-map stuff, please.

All this is a good move. Even a ban isn’t the end; Golden Age will continue to exist for local venues. The best and most hopeful thing is that maybe some rulings and questions about retired stuff can finally be answered, especially if this format will be a WizKids-supported deal for future WKOs and more.

Sounds like F.U.N.!

WizKids has really dragged revealing the upcoming changes to HeroClix rules (necessitating splitting this article into a series of Parts 1-4 and Parts 5-6), but finally we’ve gotten a look at the entire Powers And Abilities card and can comment on how gameplay will look going forward.

• Flurry is unchanged.
• Leap/Climb is no longer a MOVE action so it combos with stuff like Sidestep and Charge. It also lost the little-used “attack-different-elevations” ability and wording for +2 breakaway.
• Phasing/Teleport is unchanged.
• Earthbound/Neutralized restricts use of Improved Movement/Targeting abilities.
• Charge allows use of CLOSE as FREE instead of “at no cost.” Also loses immunity to knockback,
• Mind Control‘s RANGE option gains a minimum reach of 6 from the previous 4.
• Plasticity no longer forces everything without Improved Movement: Characters to stop but everything without Hypersonic, Leap/Climb, Plasticity or Phasing has to roll a 6 to break away. Plasticity only fails break away on 1.
• Force Blast gains a minimum range of 6 for the POWER option and a standard 3-square knockback.
• Sidestep remains a FREE 2-square move.
• Hypersonic Speed, like Leap/Climb, loses wording for +2 breakaway, so it’s a normal breakaway roll in most cases.
• Stealth gets wording that at last allows an adjacent foe to draw line of fire to Stealthers in hindering.
• Running Shot allows use of RANGE as FREE instead of “at no cost.”

 ATTACK

DEFENSE

DAMAGE

• Carry no longer penalizes speed.
• Heavy Objects appear to no longer do extra damage.
• All the Improved abilities are properly named in their description.
• Improved Movement: Hindering is gone.
• Improved Movement: Characters has minor shift in wording but effectively no change.
• Great Size now also grants 3-6 Willpower.
• Passenger no longer prevents same-size fliers from being carried.
• SAFEGUARD replaces the PROTECTED keyphrase, while “Protected: X” still stands for Outwit and Pulse Wave, respectively.
• Swim can’t be targeted from beyond 4 squares when in water.

OTHER CHANGES

• Crit miss self-damage is immediate, instead of after resolutions.
• Knockback places UP TO 3 squares away, so … you might have options to do less. Also no more “direct path” language.
• Destroyed Barrier no longer leaves debris!

I had hoped to contain all commentary on the changes coming to HeroClix rules in one post. But WizKids has really dragged out these revelations, such that I’ve had to split the article up (because a whole new set — the last to use the current ruleset — dropped in the middle of it all).

Here are the changes (and links to WK’s articles) so far:

1. PUSHING DAMAGE IS GONE. So is Colossal Stamina (mostly). Willpower is now essentially a self-Leadership roll. Great Size grants an improved version of that roll (3-6). There’s also mention of BENCHED POWERS: Not really a rule change, just a new design philosophy.
2. CHANGED POWERS: Leap/Climb, RCE and CCE each become passive powers; Telekinesis loses attack options; no Perplex on damage.
3. CHANGED THEME TEAMS: No minimum number of characters, generic and named themed teams are same, initiative roll only gives +3 bonus, Themed Team Probability Control is simple Prob and capped at 3. 
4. CHANGED … EVERYTHING:  multiple bolts work in melee; hindering terrain only affects line of fire; knockback move a character 3 squares and doesn’t damage.

But enough recap. On to

PART 5

There was a rules article that suggested that a lot more powers will function as “attack improvements” rather than “attack replacements,” allowing for more combinations than are currently legal. But it was so vague, with few concrete examples, that we can’t really comment and so we won’t, other than it sounds like it could be F.U.N.

A later rules article focused on cleaning up language like “FREE” vs. “at no cost” (it appears they’re looking to minimize use/abuse of the latter in future game design) and “place” in the Telekinesis sense of repositioning things on the map versus “place” in the sense of putting a piece from off the map/outside the game onto the map. Going forward, they’re using “generate” for the latter effect, a term already in use for making bystanders.

The biggest F.U.N. news is that while water terrain no longer affects movement, characters with the Swim keyphrase get a big boost: They can’t be targeted from further than 4 squares away when they’re in water terrain. That scores huge on the F.U.N. factor for Utility and Nerdcore (even if it makes the Friendliness factor go down — there could be some nasty teams built around this).

An “Atlantis Attacks” Heroclixin’ article update is gonna be necessary.

We’re sure there’s still more changes to come. Stay tuned for …

PART 6

• Flurry, Phasing/Teleport, and Sidestep all have no inherent change (though it remains to be seen if other general rule changes affect them).
• Leap/Climb we already knew about. And the removal of pushing damage means Earthbound/Neutralized just restricts use of Improved Movement/Targeting abilities.
• Charge and Running Shot both get a minor change, allowing use of either CLOSE or RANGE (respectively) as FREE instead of “at no cost” like in the 2017 rules. This might make these powers vulnerable again to effects that restrict FREE actions (such as the Golden Age Green Lantern battery or the Modern Spiders Man 013 from Earth X) but should clean up gameplay somewhat.
• Charge also loses its immunity to knockback!
• Mind Control‘s RANGE option gains a minimum reach of 6 from the previous 4.
• Plasticity loses language that forces most enemy figures to stop next to it, instead seemingly only keeping its easy breakaway rolls and forcing hard breakaways against all but Leap/Climb, HSS and Phasing figures.
• The POWER version of Force Blast loses its d6 roll but gains a minimum range of 6 and a standard 3-square knockback. With at least Charge losing knockback protection, this is a big upgrade.
• Hypersonic Speed, like Leap/Climb, loses wording for +2 breakaway. But given the new Plasticity wording, maybe there’s a new general rule for breakaway that either retains the bonus or nerfs it.
• Stealth gets wording that at last allows an adjacent foe to draw line of fire to Stealthers in hindering.

It’s that time again. Here’s your old-school pocket checklist for the latest 5-figure booster set, Fantastic Four: Future Foundation. The download link below will yield four copies of the list.

FutureFoundationchecklist