by ·0 Comments
Finally, here’s the Guardians’ own full-size set. We’ll start with the Commons:
gotg001
Gamora [Guardians of the Galaxy 001] 55
We cut to the bottom line: At nearly 20 points cheaper than the next-least-expensive one, this bargain-priced version, in HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE, may be the go-to Gamora. Why? She starts with Charge and decent if not stellar combat values. She’s a solid tie-up fig with Combat Reflexes that’s able to deal out serious damage with Close Combat Expert. And, in a first for any Gamora, she can shoot: 5 range rounds out this compact package. The only possible reasons not run her is A) you need the Willpower she lacks or B) she doesn’t fit the version of the comic-accurate team you’re building. We know Heroclixin’ is all about fun, but come on…only one of those is a good reason.
gotg002
Drax The Destroyer [Guardians of the Galaxy 002] 100
This Destroyer has the same problem the character’s had for much of his history both in comics and in clix: That singleminded focus on a single target. We see it here in his trait to, via power action, get adjacent to Thanos or Black Order keywords. Trouble is, that leaves him open to attack before he can capitalize on the instant-basing technique. Good thing he’s got Invulnerability to maybe soak up the attacks and Indomitable to push and fight — or run — the next turn. His SP that smashes through Barrier and kills adjacent foes’ use of ESD can help his team, but… HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE is that while he’s not bad, there are better Draxes for the around the cost.
gotg003

Mantis [Guardians of the Galaxy 003] 56

At last, this 2008-team member is a HeroClix, and she’s a game changer for the keyword. First, she’s another of those crazy pieces with friendly Mind Control, one of the most effective special abilities in the modern game. It only works on adjacent Guardians, but it’s still beyond excellent — especially because it doubles as normal MC as well. Second, she’s another great tie-up fig for the team with Combat Reflexes and CCE. Her DV is only 16, but there are ways to improve that. Third, at 56 points she’s the cheapest source of Probability Control for the keyword. Fourth and maybe most importantly, her late dial bears both 17 DV Regeneration and decent AV Support, making her a self-healing “pit crew” piece we haven’t seen the likes of in a long time, if ever. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Indispensible for GotG teams and likely many others as well.

gotg004
Starhawk [Guardians of the Galaxy 004] 130
The latest version of the One Who Knows brings a tiny bit of Prob Control and Outwit to the team via his Past Lives tokens — at least 2, as many as 6 — which each allow him a one-time use of those two powers per token. But that’s just icing on the main cake of him being a 4-damge Running Shot Psychic Blaster that pushes directly to Hypersonic Speed.
And as long as we’re doing this cake analogy, there are morsels in the batter: When he takes damage from a foe, he can be swapped out for Aleta from the set or vice versa. So if he, say, gets Poisoned off his early unarmored clicks, Aleta can jump in and nullify the threat with her Toughness SP. But even if you don’t go for that option, there’s late Regeneration and Phasing to help. He best fits the 1990s team, but thanks to time-travel state of being, he can find a place on any incarnation.
HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: He’s OK, a combo of a leading attacker and pit crew fig.
gotg005
Major Victory [Guardians of the Galaxy 005] 95
So he’s got a weakness to penetrating damage thanks to a trait increasing damage from such. But it’s not a big deal, because he’s on the team for his damage SP granting Leadership, Perplex and especially Telekinesis that he can use twice in a turn if the second is a fellow Guardian. Therefore he’ll be in the back and probably safe from that nasty p-damage. 🙂 But eventually he’ll need to venture forth after initially mobilizing the team to A) continue bolstering the team with Leadership and Perplex and B) leverage penetrating damage of his own via his 11 AV, 4 damage Running Shot PPB combo. Late dial, he goes down swinging with Pulse Wave and Force Blast — nuke ’em and throw ’em all back! He’s a fit for every incarnation of the team except the Bendis one. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: He replaces every previous version of Major Victory/Vance Astro and will make any GotG team better.
gotg022
Talon [Guardians of the Galaxy 022] 60
This 1990s team member starts off the uncommons of the set. Like Mantis, he’s a cheap source of Prob Control but much more offensively oriented with Charge and Blades/Claws/Fangs. There’s no nutty traits or specials to keep track of. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Simple and straightforward melee fig.
gotg023
Yondu [Guardians of the Galaxy 023] 75
Running Shot+Precision Strike at 3 damage is good. But he’s on the team for his ability to shoot through EVERYTHING as a power action. At 8 range, that’s great, and even basing him won’t stop it thanks to Improved Targeting OO> . He’s a founding member of the ’60s team and 1990s team but has made appearances in the 2008 version as well. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: A short dial isn’t enough to stop him from being a strong addition to GotG teams.
gotg024
Aleta [Guardians of the Galaxy 024] 130
Starhawk’s better half is possibly also a better piece. She starts with Hypersonic Speed instead of pushing to it — and pushes to Running Shot Pulse Wave. She starts with a SP bearing ESD WITH Toughness instead of just the green DV power. 10 range instead of 8 (though she loses a target). But maybe her best boon to the team is that she shares her ESD with adjacent friendlies during the first half of her dial. Don’t forget she can swap out for Starhawk 003 after taking damage from a foe, though the Ranged Combat Expert and Perplex liberally scattered down her dial may dissuade you from that option. Best fits the 1990s team. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: She doesn’t really have a bad click. Use that ESD SP!
gotg029
Moondragon [Guardians of the Galaxy 029] 85
She starts as another TK figure for a 2008 version of the Guardians. But feel free to push to click 2 for Running Shot + Penetrating/Psychic Blast with free Mind Control. AND Outwit. She ends up showing why she gets the Martial Artist keyword with a little chopsockiness in Reflexes and CCE and Precision Strike. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Not bad at all, if not a must-field.
gotg030
Star-Lord [Guardians of the Galaxy 030] 110
We wrap up the Uncommons with a look at what may be the most vital Guardian for effective fielding of the team. We could talk about his Professor X-like ability to Outwit from like-keyworded pals’ squares, or his ability to shoot Stealthers — thanks, Improved Targeting! — or his solid AV numbers. But the reason this Star-Lord is the one to play before all others is his trait allowing Guardians to share the highest DV. Suddenly all those mediocre defense numbers don’t matter so much anymore. Not when there are a heaping handful of 18s or higher to share, making the team much more survivable, without even having to consider adjacency like with the older Guardians’ Defenders TA. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Seriously, only an irrational dislike for the Bendis-era Guardians version of the character should prevent one from building around this Star-Lord.
There’s too much for us to finish without breaking our promise to deliver this part before week’s end, especially with us running off for the weekend. So look for the second half of this installment — and the conclusion of the entire F.U.N. Focus on the Guardians — next week.

by ·0 Comments

Until now, this FUN Focus has looked at the pieces in ascending order of point cost. But to keep things a bit simpler for us, what with multiple characters getting multiple point costs, we’re reordering things according to set number.

gotgm001

Star-Lord [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 001] 95
The first of the Chris Pratt-inspired Star-Lords brings the character’s usual penchant for running and gunning either via his opening Attack SP “Short Duration Flight” that allows him to use Leap/Climb and take a shot if he moves half-speed or less or his Speed SP “Espionage Battle Suit” granting Running Shot and Stealth. These two powers alternate, so he’s always got moving attack powers and Stealth. He needs the latter to protect his very short and unarmored dial. No Willpower is a problem, but Outwit is a single push away, with a great 8 range. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Could do better with your Star-Lord. Could do worse.

gotgm002

Gamora [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 002] 73

She’s got problems. 1) No range and no Charge makes it a little difficult to get her attack in. 2) 3 damage with Blades/Claws/Fangs isn’t really what you want to see. 3) Flurry + Precision + 2 damage isn’t so great. Just think how good it’d be if some of those power combos were swapped instead of appearing on alternating clicks. 4) Her defense is nothing special despite a +2 DV bonus in hindering against shooters. She needs help with that DV to be worth using over, well, almost any other version of Gamora. HEROCLIXIN’G TAKE: The last Guardians-keyworded Gamora we’d pick to fill the character’s slot.

 

gotgm005

Rocket Raccoon [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 005] 90
As much as we liked the original Rocket Raccoon in Hammer of Thor, it’s unlikely we’ll ever use him again if the points allow. This one offers so much: Perma-Perplex-lite, Running Shot, better AV and damage, and a DV bonus (18-20!!!!) vs. most attacks. Add to all this his Tiny Size status enabling him to get in position much more easily and it’s clear that HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE is he’s a solid pick.
gotgm009
Groot [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 009]  198
Outwit…for many clicks. Plasticity…that reaches two squares out. Solid 4 damage for many clicks. Great armor. Indomitable. A stop click with a guaranteed heal trick if you can get him to water or his start zone — not a problem since the same power makes him taxiable by any ally and he can’t be shot. But…his AV and DV numbers are a little lacking for his very high point cost. And despite his Improved Movement: Wall-buster ability, he’s really slow. His 90-point level has the same trouble with poor AV, though the average DV goes up a bit — and he needs it, given his very short dial at this cost. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: The Outwit/Plasticity SP is still enough to make this Groot stand a bit taller than the rest.
gotgm013
Drax the Destroyer [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 013] 94
He’s got some real cons: Starting Battle Fury keeps him from being carried into the fight, which is bad ’cause he’s a bit slow. With no Willpower. His damage is a tad low and he only bears Toughness for armor. But he’s got serious pros: Charge+Flurry+Precision Strike as an early combo. Later, a SP packages Close Combat Expert+Combat Reflexes. And then there are his stop clicks — yes, CLICKS — with Regeneration (free if he has any action tokens). Granted, these clicks aren’t guaranteed stop clicks: they only work on a 5-6 roll. But he’s got three of them and he gets to roll for each one. We like those odds. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Our first choice as for the Drax role in ANY Guardians team. Don’t forget that beginning of game trait to select a target for him get a close-combat +1 AV against.
gotgm017

Star-Lord [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 017] 150

Decent stats with unusual-for-the-character Invulnerability and Willpower are welcome. But the Invuln’s gone so fast. And his “All-Out” SP is not so hot when one considers taking self-damage MIGHT NOT be a good move on the back end of the dial. Even with his “KO me, take 2 damage” trait in play, you may not want to sacrifice such a costly part of your team. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Neat but too top-heavy.

 

gotgm018

Rocket Raccoon [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 018] 100

At an even 100 points, he’s the priciest RR in the game. Is he worth it? Let’s see:
  • There’s another Outwit piece for a team that kinda needed some.
  • Tiny Size = portable Enhancement for all other non-raccoon-sized allies. He offers +1 AV for adjacent GotG pals, so there’s another boon to his size.
  • Good range (7) and Improved Movement Elevated and Hindering work well with his Running Shot.
  • And he starts with a base 19 DV Super Senses.
HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: He has a short life but who cares?
gotgm001
Star-Lord [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 101] 75
Pros: He’s a relatively cheap Running Shot/PPBlaster, a combo that used to more than cost twice as much to get on the team [see Adam Warlock from part 3: Galactic Guardians]. A nice damage SP, “Leading The Attack,” can help press an advantage by allowing adjacent fellow keyworders to act with 2 tokens. An Empower+Enhancement SP and Perplex are scattered on his dial so he’s a constant boon to the team, and he bears a one-time Pulse Wave bomb trait that will prove VERY useful. Cons: He’s also VERY short-lived, lacking the Stealth or ESD or armor that aids other Star-Lords in surviving and his range is a bit lacking, which will put him in further peril. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: The bargain-priced Star-Lord is still worth running in a pinch, esp. with Indomitable pals he can keep active.
gotgm005
Rocket Raccoon  [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 102] 75
Ahhhh, there’s that inexpensive opening Outwit the team’s needed forever. Tiny Size and Willpower mean more actions for shooting “Two Big Guns” — like ranged Flurry — with Improved Targeting: Hindering and Characters. Being able to thusly fire from behind pals helps cover his lack of defense, a middling 17 with only Stealth to cover at first. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: A great pick of the litter of Rockets.
gotgm002
Gamora [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 103] 100 / 75
This one is much more like it, starting with Charge, her trait offering an AV and damage boost against a target, and CCE-plus. She’s the costliest of the Gamoras, though. Fortunately, there’s a 75-point level that unfortunately only offers same problems as Gamora 002 — lack of opening Charge — but less life and lower DV. Still, HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE is that either price is a good one to pay for a solid Gamora on the team.
gotgm013

Drax The Destroyer [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 104] 125

This Drax is a lot more durable than ALL the ones that have come before: Impervious, Invincible, and Invulnerability each make a run on his otherwise rather short dial. He also hits harder with Charge, Exploit Weakness and Super Strength leading the way. Don’t overlook his 6 range and the same Hadron trait as Star-Lord, giving him one-time-use Pulse Wave. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Though he’s not our favorite — Drax 013 above is — he’s well worth the extra points for the easier-to-use dial.

 

gotgm009

Groot [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 105] 100/75

At last, a Groot with a decent Speed value! It’s too bad he lacks the opening Charge to truly leverage it. Instead, he’ll need to rely on his two SPs: A Speed one that negates the benefits of hindering terrain for foes within 6 squares and a DV one that not only bears Invulnerability and Defend but grants Toughness to adjacent allies. Never push him off this click if you can help it — and with Indomitable, you shouldn’t have to. If you’d prefer a more actively fighting Groot, cut him to his 75-point dial, which trades away the starting special stuff but retains the Giant Reach + Super Strength + CCE powers to deal big hurt along with that starting Charge we lamented earlier. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: While we prefer our Groots to be high-cost monsters, there’s no downside to this, the cheapest Groot of the game.

___

OK. One more part coming up next week. Watch for the F.U.N. Focus on the Guardians of the Galaxy full-sized set, which gave us even more Guardians than I expected!

by ·0 Comments

Phew. Between DragonCon and the Realms Open Championship and battling the dreaded “con crud” illness, I’ve been a bit too preoccupied to continue this F.U.N. Focus series… until now!

 

 

gg035

Replica [Galactic Guardians 035] 47

A member of the 1990s team, Replica is a tie-up/taxi hybrid. Like the best taxis, she has a high Speed value (10). Like the best tie-ups, she combines attack/damage avoidance (Skrulls TA, Toughness) with being a legitimate threat (Flurry with Super Strength). She pushes to Plasticity on her 2nd click to maximize her tie-up potential. And she’s under 50 points, the sweet spot for these roles. Sticking to the comic themes is the only reason to leave her off the team. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Squeeze her on
gg039

Cosmo [Galactic Guardians 039] 52

Bearing Telekinesis, Enhancement and PD TA seem like great reasons to never push off his first click. But the next couple of clicks trade off to Barrier and triple-arrow Incap and Mind Control, making this piece truly man’s best friend. He’s a fixture among the DnA squad. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Da, is being good!
gg024
Nikki [Galactic Guardians 024] 72
Nikki is tricky. She’s a Running Shot piece with low damage and 16 DV. She’s also a Sharpshooter with Poison and Combat Reflexes. So if you’re using her, she needs to be basing lightly or unarmored targets. And maybe you want to push her to click 2 bearing Ranged Combat Expert and a DV boost. But she needs to have fellow Defenders TA friends to get higher DV help from, almost always. Armor Piercing is a good feat for her.  She’s from the 1990s series. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: For thematic play only. She also needs to eat a sandwich
gg204
Drax [Galactic Guardians 204] 75
The lightest of all versions of the Destroyer, this piece is hindered a bit by his trait only working against Thanos. Aside from that, he’s otherwise a solid Invulnerable melee piece that doesn’t take up a lot of points room. The Exploit Weakness on both ends is what makes him scary. He belongs on any 21st-century build. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Use this Drax for points shaving.
gg025
Martinex [Galactic Guardians 82
One of the founding members of the 1969 and 1990 teams, Martinex is another unusual piece what with his conditional Impervious and Energy Explosion + Incap rider. Like others in this set and era, his 16 DV is mediocre and he needs better Defenders on his side to make use of the TA. He’s all range, so keep him out of the fray. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: For thematic play only.
gg012
Charlie-27 [Galactic Guardians 012] 92
The last of the founding quartet to be made, Charlie shares the low 16 DV of his teammates, so he’s gonna need the Defenders TA aid like the others. He’s Impervious, though, so there’s that. 9 AV is counterbalanced by RCE. His back half has CCE. Though a little bit too expensive to need so much help, he’s a fun fella. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: For thematic play only.
gg204
Drax [Galactic Guardians 011] 121
This Drax is less constrained than the Gravity Feed primer version, thanks to a trait allowing him to pick any higher-point foe to gain actual Willpower and Charge along with his natural Running Shot as long as the foe is on the board. ‘Course, he’s also way more expensive, and not hugely more effective on the board as a melee piece due to his bonuses only working against his quarry. Still, the GotG needs close fighters like him and the flexibility he offers being a shooter as well (pre-Battle Fury on his back half, anyway) means he is a Destroyer, indeed. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Could do worse, could do better.
gg013

Hollywood [Galactic Guardians 013] 138

The far-future Wonder Man is on the team for his defense SP, “Almost Immortal,” which ignores all but 1 damage dealt to him and can’t be countered. He’s a good combo of meat shield for softer teammates and a decent Super Strength bruiser. He falters, though, in that he loses Charge frequently, which might strand him at a time when he needs to take the fight to the enemy. He also lacks the Defenders TA that most of the Guardians of these sets bear, so he’s a tougher fit for teams. Still, he’s got a very long and well-armored dial. You could do worse. Best fits the 1990s team but has worked with the 2008 series team for an issue or two. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Leave him off unless you can make him a team player somehow

gg010
Adam Warlock [Galactic Guardians 010] 165
With no top-dial Outwit on the team, the GotG also lacked a way of dealing with enemy armor from range. Adam addresses this weakness by being the team’s first Running Shooting Penetrating/Psychic Blast figure. At 165 points, he’s very expensive for this. Fortunately, he’s also a Perplexer and bears mid-life Hypersonic Speed, but with Invulnerability as his armor, a clear upgrade from the similar-but-soft-skinned Phyla-Vell. Also, when hurt, he can swap to Magus [Galactic Guardians 020] for a totally different power set — one that offers some more late dial healing abilities and that Outwit the team sometimes needs. This fig was a central character in the 2008 series. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Not quite essential but not at all superfluous.
gg048
Keeper [Galactic Guardians 048] 237
The most expensive of the whole keyword, this Silver Surfer variant is at home on the 1990s team. And it’s not hard to see why he’s pricey, as he’s Hypersonic and bears a trait that can get him across the board in a single power action. Unfortunately, his AV is too low for his price. If he started with his Outwit SP, he’d be much stronger. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: He’s a chase piece, too, and barely fits the theme. Only for those vast “every member ever” builds of 2000 points or higher
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Next installment looks at the clix’d stars of the recent hit movie. Which are Groot great, and which are “paper people?”

 

by ·0 Comments

Wow, a little time has passed since the last update that was SUPPOSED to come early last week, not early THIS week. We promise there’s a reason for it (more than standard laziness, anyhow) that’ll be apparent in the near future. Anyway, we continue the FUN Focus on the Guardians of the Galaxy, this time looking at the early NECA-era pieces. (NOTE: much of this text is edited from the original reviews from 2009 and 2010.)

Still ticked that he's *tik* not on the "A-list."

Bug [Hammer of Thor 001] 44
His mobility (Leap/Climb to get in any position), defense (Super Senses with a 17 DV to loan to other members with the Defenders symbol), damage ability (Exploit Weakness makes him impossible to safely ignore) and surprise 4 range makes him worth every point. He’s filler, but he’s gooood filler. Like the cream in a Twinkie. Feat him with Lunge, if anything. Fine for any size GotG build but thematically only fits the DnA team. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Could make the “A” team, finally.
rocket-raccoon_large
Rocket Raccoon [Hammer of Thor 028] 65
Leap/Climb-ing Probability Control and 17 DV with Super Senses make this critter indispensable for the theme. In between forcing rerolls and loaning his defense to fellow Defenders, his 8 range keeps him in the fight. Getting hit only turns him into an Running Shooting Outwitter. Excellent combination of secondary fighter and support piece. The only reason to leave him off the team is if you’re running a 1990s or earlier build or if you’d rather run a different RR. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: He’s still the cheapest Rocket on the market

...but he's Number ONE with the BULLETS.

Star-Lord [Hammer of Thor 025] 90
He needs defense help from his teammmates, he’s very soft and he’s very short-dialed for his near-100-point cost. Compounding the problem is that Star-Lord’s Running Shot makes him a key attacker ahead of more stationary shooters or melee-oriented teammates.
His SP “Galactic Marksman” is just about good enough to counterbalance ALL that.
It gives him the choice to boost his AV +2 against a single target or his damage +2 against two. And suddenly this fragile, 9 AV piece is blasting for 4 clicks all over the place again and again (because he’s quite pushable). Basing him doesn’t help; he’s a Sharpshooter with Combat Reflexes. Hitting him may only knock him into Stealth and Ranged Combat Expert for continued damage and/or AV boosts. Feat him with Contingency Plan and field him in any size build over 100 unless you decide to go with a different version of the character. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: His time may be gone, though, with so many other versions of the character to use

Now I'm a believer!!!!

Phyla-Vell [Hammer of Thor 042] 138

Top-loaded Perplex wouldn’t seem the best use of her high points, but that’s what Phyla’s good for. It’s not as pathetic as it sounds. For example, since she’s one of the team’s taxis, it’s good that she can boost the defense of her fare or herself during that round she’s not attacking…and being able to make herself a nigh-unhittable 20 DV at range (in hindering terrain) isn’t a bad way to pass the time. Moreover, she can still make herself useful when she’s got two tokens after using Power Cosmic to push for free (being one of the cheaper figs with the TA to date, and the ONLY one under 150 with 8 fighting clicks of life) and shoot someone for 3 or 4 (again thanks to Perplex) with her high 11 AV.
‘Course, all that paints a day-glo bull’s eye right on her chest (um…literally), so she needs Protected in case her high DV and Super Senses both fail and she would take 5 or more damage. But if she’s NOT taking 5 damage, just take the hit and and get Hypersonic Speed and thank your opponent with beatdowns two of every three turns. She fits thematically on the DnA series team. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: Save her for those huge battles where she’s not taking as much fire and won’t be a tentpole. ‘Cuz she’s just not one

It wedges under his mask!

Jack Flag [Captain America 011] 64
He fits a heretofore empty role on the Guardians roster: The inexpensive melee fighter. With Charge, Super Strength (as noted in the repurposed Token Totin’ image above), Toughness and Indomitable, Jack is the perfect backup for a team full of mid-to long-range shooters and a few tie-up figures. He’s been supplanted a bit with some welcome additions in the close-fighting corps, but he’s still equally welcome on a DnA-based build of any size. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: He may hate cosmic stuff but he can handle some of it

He is Groot.

Groot [Web of Spider-Man 040] 152
The first version of the big guy did so much for the team.
  1. He’s got great defense. He can chain his 18 DV with weaker members possessing the Defenders ATA. Being the first able to do so is key.
  2. He’s another taxi. Being a giant affords that. But…
  3. He’s terribly slow. Without TK (he’s a giant) or the speed boost of, say, the Kinetic Accelerator special object, it takes him a looooong time to get in the fight.
  4. He’s tough to put down. Protected by Shape Change and Invulnerability and a self-healing SP when in hindering or water, Groot can stick around. And with him loaning that DV, he’s liable to draw fire away from lesser members of the team.
He is Groot. And he should be on your Defenders TA-heavy DnA or Bendis teams. HEROCLIXIN’S TAKE: The first Groot may still be the best
  =====================

OK. Next up is the look at Galactic Guardians. We PROMISE it’ll be out this week. (EDIT: It wasn’t. Sorry!)

by ·Comments Off on coming soon: Heroclixin’ 2.0!!!!!!11!!!!!

Don’t you kinda hate when anything puts the “2.0” rider on to indicate it’s new and improved? We sure do, especially HeroClix players who remember the game’s immediate ancestor, Mage Knight, which put out a 2.0 version that immediately rendered the entire “1.0” game unplayable.

Hence Heroclixin’s rather ironic use of “2.0” in the title.

What’s actually changing:

  • It’s heroclixin.wordpress.com with a new “www.heroclixin.com” domain
  • It’s getting a new look.
  • It’s getting back to a more regular schedule.

We’ve got some other ideas in the works, too, but the core raison d’être is still the focus: Heroclixin’ is all about F.U.N.

by ·2 Comments

So I was at a small convention waiting for players to show for the HeroClix event I was running. But none did because they had other events to attend that were probably more appealing.

Determined not to waste the time entirely, I made six teams from the unplayed Deadpool pieces I’d recently acquired and set up three separate games.

200 points

Outlaw (Deadpool 021)
Agent X (Deadpool 001) 
Blind Al (Deadpool 018)
= 181 points

vs.

Arnim Zola  (Deadpool 054)
Spider-Bot Mark 1 (Deadpool 099a) x 2
Spider-Bot Mark 2 (Deadpool 099b)
Rocket Turret (Bioshock Infinite)
= 200 points

After some initial misfortune, the Agency X team swept the Robots after Arnim Zola’s Running Shot Pulse Wave try crit-failed. The Spider-Bots couldn’t catch up quick enough to help. Both the Agency fighters were solid. Blind Al was completely stuck in the starting area and unable to do anything. At. ALL. 

300 points

Misty Knight  (Deadpool 009)
Colleen Wing (Deadpool 008)
Humbug (Deadpool 010)
Black Cat  (Deadpool 023)
+ Heroes For Hire ATA for all
= 297 points

vs.

Vamp (Deadpool 017)
Paladin (Deadpool 030) + Heroes For Hire ATA
Black Widow (Winter Soldier 102)
Secret Empire Agent (Deadpool 004) x 2 
= 296 points

The Heroes for Hire squeaked out a win, but only just. If Humbug is hit at all in this game, it’s a loss. 

400 points

Deadpool (Deadpool 101)
Kidpool (Deadpool 022)
Siryn (Deadpool 028)
Hope Summers (AvX 016)
= 398 points

vs. 

Black Talon (Deadpool 043)
Headpool (Deadpool 002)
Des Feral Imp (Yugioh 004)
Grasshopper (Deadfall 042)
Anaconda (Deadpool 013)
Weapon X Scientist  (Deadpool 007a)
Bilbo Baggins (Desolation of Smaug 101)
= 389 points

The swarm nearly took out the Deadpool team, with the LE being the last standing on his very late dial. 

By piece:

200 points

Outlaw (Deadpool 021) is a right nice cowgirl of a figure. I may run her again in the future.
Agent X (Deadpool 001) is OK, but I don’t see myself fielding him again.
Blind Al (Deadpool 018) requires either a Deadpool teammate or a turtle team to function. She could make a “plainclothes” team going forward.

Arnim Zola  (Deadpool 054) was useful for his Gwen Stacy clones. I want to run him on a team built around him.
Spider-Bot Mark 1 (Deadpool 099a) and Spider-Bot Mark 2 (Deadpool 099b) both move too slowly to work without a lot of help. They need to always be hitching rides with close combat/tie-up pieces. Defend might be their best friend.
Rocket Turret (Bioshock Infinite) is too easily shut down by basing. Much better on paper than in practice.

300 points

Misty Knight (Deadpool 009) was cumbersome at first because her early team role seemed to be as a Leadership one. Later, she was better in the fight. 
Despite solid attack ability, Colleen Wing (Deadpool 008) needed Heroes For Hire ATA to really be effective.
Humbug (Deadpool 010) was the secret winner thanks to his ability to flush folks into the open and use P/PB.
Black Cat (Deadpool 023), as the PC piece, saved an early hit from happening. Always worth it.

Vamp (Deadpool 017) leeched powers continually to strong effect. This is a piece that should not exist for as few points as it does.
Paladin (Deadpool 030) is pretty OK. He’ll be on a future H4H team.
Black Widow (Winter Soldier 102) suffered when I forgot her ability to push during melee attacks; she might’ve been able to pre-empt the strike that took her right out of the fight.
Secret Empire Agent (Deadpool 004) was the last standing on his team. Shape Change is a good power. 🙂 Sadly, it takes a bunch of them with the Number One fig to get the best out of these mooks. 

 

400 points

Deadpool (Deadpool 101) wound up being the last standing in this fight. His heal trait is like reverse Mystics and ridiculous fun…for him.
Kidpool (Deadpool 022) is a tiny beast that, short of the Outwit I was able to level against him, could have taken half the enemy by himself. 
Siryn (Deadpool 028) was unlucky in her Pulse Wave attempts. Too bad.
Similarly, Hope Summers (AvX 016) just got overwhelmed despite having some fine powers to leech at her disposal. It was a bad night to be a ginger on this map.

Black Talon (Deadpool 043) got one-shot by Kidpool before ever getting to chicken-strut his stuff.
Headpool (Deadpool 002) is a great tie-up piece.
Des Feral Imp (Yugioh 004) is nice cheap melee fighter. 
Grasshopper (Deadpool 042) may be one of the best early-game tie-ups in the game. 
Anaconda (Deadpool 013) is too costly to be a great tie-up piece, but it’s a strong secondary role for this bruiser. With her ranged Plasticity, she can exert some serious board control. 
Weapon X Scientist  (Deadpool 007a) was key to pushing the enemy to the brink in this game, with his Weapon X-focused Outwit.
On a team with no relics or team abilities, Bilbo Baggins (Desolation of Smaug 101) was largely deadweight apart from needed Perplex. 

 

by ·0 Comments

So a little while back (y’know, when I used to update this blog every other day back in April), I had a Top Ten list of changes the game needs:

  1. Highfather
  2. Resources
  3. Arwen
  4. Incapacitate 
  5. Science Police Officer
  6. Super Strength
  7. Tellus
  8. Brother Voodoo
  9. Iron Pharaoh/Regeneration
  10. Injustice League

We got three of them when Highfather, Arwen and Tellus got Watch-Listed a couple of weeks ago, with the decision being made today.

Each change actually went a little further than Heroclixin’s recommendations. Our change to Highfather would have kept intact his Pact trait’s ability to massively slow down OMAs, Arwen’s trait would be more potent for its once-per-game use, and Tellus would only have one or the other restriction — keyword or range — instead of both. But Heroclixin’ is perfectly OK with the adjustments, as the errata introduce some actual risk-to-reward balance in using each piece.

Now…what should replace those three on a NEW Top Ten list? Heroclixin’ wants your input!

  1. Highfather
  2. Resources
  3. Arwen
  4. Incapacitate 
  5. Science Police Officer
  6. Super Strength
  7. Tellus
  8. Brother Voodoo
  9. Iron Pharaoh/Regeneration
  10. Injustice League

by ·1 Comment

It’s been a little while since the last bonafide Heroclixin’ update, it’s true. Ye olde blogger has been a bit bogged down in minor RL annoyances compounded with viewing old movies and TV shows on DVD — and, of course, playing actual games of HeroClix. Planning to get things back in gear in May. Thanks for visiting in the meantime; I’ll make sure to always post at least one new item a week at minimum if at all possible, no matter how tired I am.

Lately, I’ve been doing a fair amount of Figure Flush. Look for an update this coming week featuring my take on ‘clix fielded for the first time. 

by ·0 Comments

There was an interesting thread on HCRealms yesterday titled: “How do you ‘Clix?” It was really asking about other fans’ buying habits.

Here’s how I do.

  • I used to buy a brick of each full-sized set. But with the exception of the recent Superman and The Legion of Super-Heroes set, I haven’t done that in years. Instead, I stick to sealed events and low-level impulse buys and trade for the rest.
  • Usually, I only focus on characters or dials I like. So with each set, at least a few will jump out as must-haves. But through trades and sealed games, I usually still end up with about the full set.
  • Gravity Feeds/CTDs are trickier. For one, they don’t lend themselves to sealed game opportunities. The rarity scheme is also rather terrible, making it difficult to randomly pull that last little piece from a given set you’re still after. I’m always a bit torn between buying none and too many.
  • Fast Forces are purely character-based for me. Starter sets used to be a must-buy when only one came a year. Now it depends on what elements are in said starter and the quality of the contents. For example, I got AvX X-Men to get a new Namor. But I buckled down and got an Avengers one as well to get the best Spider-Man yet. I skipped the Winter Soldier one because while I like some of the characters and the map and need the new objects, the missing Powers And Abilities Card was a dealbreaker. Similarly, last year’s Iron Man 3 starter coming out with the 2012 rulebook RIGHT BEFORE the 2013 rules prevented me from dropping those dollars.
  • A major complication in my attempts to slim my collection is the growing number of “completion” themes I have going. The biggest example is the “Black box,” my collection of every black character in HeroClix. (This has bled over into a subtheme of characters who simply have the word “black” in their name: Black Adam, Black Widow, Manchester Black, etc.) Another is a full roster of characters toting bow and arrow — the Archers like Green Arrow, Hawkeye and Legolas.
  • And then there’s ridiculousness such as the team including Goblin King, Mojo and Amanda Waller — the Fat team. Like I said: Ridiculous.

by ·0 Comments

No. 3

Arwen

Yeah, she’s Golden Age. But so are a fair number of brand-new figs these days. And like Brother Voodoo, she’s become one of those pieces that’s so good that she’s an auto-pick. She needs a fix.

The trouble with her is her epic action trait that allows her to repeatedly deal multiple characters penetrating damage practically anywhere on the map without an attack roll while she stays in her starting area. Just the threat of Loudwater can force opponents to bunch up in the center of the map, which is usually a killzone itself.

Free-damage effects should always have some element of risk. This one has absolutely none. Even for an epic action, it’s bonkers.
Heroclixin’s fix:

I CALL ON THE LOUDWATER!: Once per game, if she has zero action tokens, give Arwen an epic action; she can use Smoke Cloud as a free action regardless of range and line of fire, but the first token must be placed in any square on the edge of the map and she may place 1 additional hindering terrain marker per 100 points of the build total; after action resolves, deal 2 penetrating damage to each opposing character occupying a square into which a marker was just placed. Give Arwen two action tokens.

She did this move once in the movie on her home turf and had to wait for just the right moment to unleash it; it was an all-or-nothing technique. That’s the way it ought to work in the game. Once per game, but with a bigger bite to still make it worth using that one time.

 

No.2

Resources

Almost all are too powerful for too few points and have no real counters outside of about a dozen silver bullets in the game:

  1. Catwoman [DC 10th Anniversary 015]
  2. Iron Man [Marvel 10th Anniversary 009]
  3. Iron Man [Fear Itself 300]
  4. Phantom Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 008]
  5. Disintegration Beam [Invincible Iron Man S101]
  6. …

Wait. Are there only about a HALF dozen? Really? That’s unacceptable.

Therefore, Heroclixin’ proposes the following rewrite to this standard power:

OUTWIT Give this character a free action to counter a power or a combat ability possessed by a single target opposing character until the beginning of your next turn. Any game effects with a duration specified by the countered power or combat ability are removed. A character using this power must be within range (minimum range 6) and line of fire to the target and can counter use of an attached resource or relic as though it were a combat ability.

This kills off resources as the almighty crutch they have become but isn’t nearly as harsh as the silver bullets mentioned above. It draws the Outwitters’ fire from a character’s natural powers and abilities, so it balances itself out.

 

1
Highfather

I somewhat like that he’s a silver bullet for the One Man Army. But this is the SIF debacle all over again.

A little history for players who don’t remember HeroClix circa 2007-08: SIF = Structural Integrity Field. It was a special object that prevented terrain from being destroyed. So what some players did was use a double Barrier team to hide all game long with an underbuilt team, which used to determine the winner in a 0-point game instead of going to a roll-off.

This is the new version of that, effectively, if a player runs a OMA or even a slightly tentpoled team. The Highfather team can simply KO the likely less dangerous teammates of the imPacted figure and just refuse to attack the target of the Pact until time runs out.

It’s like a football team allowed to do the “victory formation” for an infinite number of downs. It’s like a pitcher with a lead being allowed to walk batter after batter and instead of forcing baserunners home, they’re forced out at the plate.

It’s completely against the spirit of the game.

Therefore, something like this needs to happen:

THE PACT: At the beginning of the game, you may announce a pact. If you do, the highest point character on your force and the highest point character on your opponent’s force (300 points or less) can’t target opposing characters with an attack until one of them has taken damage from an attack or they are the only 2 characters on the map. If the chosen character is the only remaining character on its force before either of the above occurs, it can target all but the highest point character on your force. This ability can’t be ignored.

This keeps the advantage and control of the game tempo in Highfather’s favor, but it gives the victim a chance to at least play the late game.

____