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Continuing my final 2011-related countdown: my FAVORITE pieces of the year,  stating:

  • Why it’s a favorite that I want to play
  • Why I don’t play it all the time
  • When and how I’m planning to play it next

Cyclops wears black and hides his face behind his so-needed visor. These guys wear black and hide their faces in thin air, being more ghost than human…

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#9

Black Rider/Ringwraith/Nazgul/One Of The Nine/Servant Of Sauron (Lord of the Rings 016/006/101/102/020)

WHY I WANT TO PLAY THEM EVERY WEEK:

I could explain that I’ve been a fan of Lord of the Rings since reading the saga at age 12. I could also write how I love generic figures, even high-cost ones like these. And I could mention how playable they can be, especially when the different versions are fielded together (the Black Rider as taxi, the Ringwraith as defender, the Servant as the damage booster, the One as the healer and the Nazgul as the Incapper). But ultimately, maybe their theme music tells it best. Hit it, YouTube!

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WHY I DON’T:

The LOTR set isn’t considered Modern Age, so they get sidelined a lot. Also, in order to play them effectively, you need to be able to field multiple types and a lot of game builds just aren’t big enough for that. Moreover, I want to be able to play their leader, the 130-point Witch-King, along with them. But that 930-point squad then requires 70 points of filler that dilutes the theme. Finally, for all their powers, their shared opening AV of 9 (for the Nine!) isn’t exactly fear-inspiring, especially at epic-level builds.

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I’M PLAYING THEM NEXT:

Probably the first non-Modern Age game I can get of 600 points or more, especially if I can fit their leader the Witch-King in. And I will play that music.

I’m knee-deep in extra work these days, so my publishing schedule’s become erratic. But probably later this week, you’ll see #8. (He’s not dressed in black, promise.)


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OK. After owning up to and rectifying my mistake of not reviewing WizKids’ biggest mistake of 2011, it’s time for me to begin in earnest my final 2011-related countdown: my FAVORITE pieces of the year,  stating:

  • Why it’s a favorite that I want to play
  • Why I don’t play it all the time
  • When and how I’m planning to play it next

#10

Cyclops (Giant-Size X-Men 008)

WHY I WANT TO PLAY HIM EVERY WEEK:

Cyclops is an old favorite, ever since I first saw him on that episode of “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” guest-starring the X-Men. But he didn’t really catch my eye until I actually started reading Uncanny X-Men in the issues leading up to issue 200. That was the first time I saw the patented Cyclops bank shot. I don’t have a scan of it, but following a practice session in the danger room, he casually deactivates the session with a no-look optic blast bouncing bounced off the walls four or six times, drawing applause and rare praise from Wolverine in the control room: “Remind me never to face you across a pool table.”

Anyway, this Cyke is the first Sharpshooter version, the first with the Leadership that he so richly deserves, and the first with good stats and powers all around. Quite simply, it’s the first time the character’s truly been done well (although the “First Class” rookie in Mutations & Monsters wasn’t bad for the green, not-yet-field-leader Scott Summers).

Simply put, he’s a Cyke I’m not ashamed to play. And it’s about time.

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WHY I DON’T:

Although he’s great for X-Men teams, I’m not such a huge fan of playing X-Men teams. He’s also a lot of points to be so very soft, armor-wise, so I’m a bit leery of running him in general.

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I’M PLAYING HIM NEXT:

Still, I just won’t play an X-Men team without him. I’ve also had this hankering to play an all-Cyclops team, featuring all the past versions of Cyke in ‘clix. So far, though, I’ve resisted the urge, as the older Cyclopses are so mediocre that I’d just be handing the win to my opponents. I also lack some key representations of Scott — namely, his Hulked-out version, Hulklops, and the Cyclops / Phoenix duo. From there, then, I’ll want to run all the versions of Jean Grey, too, which causes that little theme idea to spiral right out of control.

So, yeah. Probably just sticking to X-Men.

Next on my list of favorites: More folks in black.

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I’m interrupting the countdown of my Top Ten Favorite HeroClix of 2011 to offer a rare, complete mea culpa. A few weeks ago, I listed the Top 10 Worst HeroClix of 2011:

Nomad (Captain America 016), Brute Honor Guard (Halo 029), Element Woman (Superman 016), Bruno Mannheim (Superman 020), Jigsaw (Incredible Hulk 024), Dhalsim (Street Fighter 103), Human Torch (Captain America 058), Guile (Street Fighter 105), Purifier (Giant-Size X-Men 002) / William Stryker (Giant-Size X-Men 019) and Princess Projectra (Superman 038).

I stand by that list. Each piece richly deserved its spot on the virtual wall of shame. And yet, for all that, none are completely worthless. With a little help, even these losers can shine:
  •  Nomad’s a candidate for the Loner feat to bump his DV to a quite respectable 18. Brute Honor Guard’s  Covenant TA means he can carry his fellow alien troops to serve as a shield for him, and Charge+Flurry is still one of the game’s best power combos. Element Woman is a decoy who can’t be safely ignored, and the Infiltrate feat can help her move about more freely at minimal additional cost.
  • Though his dependence on Intergang Underbosses is a weakness, Bruno with a trio or more of them is a wall of Outwit and fairly long-lasting Mastermind fodder that served me well when I played it. Jigsaw’s worked for me — and against me, thanks chiefly to his  Willpower making him a kamikaze hitman. You can’t completely dismiss a character like Dhalsim with the Street Fighter TA, nor a character with the big 4 damage that Human Torch brings to the table.
  • Even the horrid Guile has stung me with his short-range penetrating damage. The Purifiers have Predator X to do the heavy lifting they’re unable to do. And Princess Projectra was  instrumental in handing me a loss with her clutch Barrier and Super Senses rolls and wildcard ability, showing that even poor pieces like Her Royal Badness can play a role in victory.
But while I was compiling this list of mediocre-at-best pieces, I completely overlooked a figure that really does not have anything going for it at all, even in a set full of weak little Halflings. Perhaps it’s because she was disguised as “Dernhelm”…

Eowyn (Lord of the Rings 017)

A Rare in the LOTR set (equivalent to Super Rare in a normal set), she’s one heck of a disappointing pull for playability purposes.

  • With no range, no armor, and no move and attack to start, she’s no good in a fight, even with Willpower. Not without Perplex to help that 1 damage, anyhow.
  • But hark! What is this “White Lady of Rohan” SP? She can use Perplex and Support!…only on characters with action tokens on them. So what could have made her a solid support character leaves her only mediocre.
  • But wait! She’s also got a trait allowing her to ignore the effects of characters on movement and carry a cheaper character…only when she uses Charge.
  • Which she doesn’t get until click #2. So in order to use that “Fearless Charge” ability, she has to push, thus losing her Willpower and a point apiece of AV and DV. At least she gets Combat Reflexes to help.
  • Her Speed goes up from her starting 6(!) to 8, but if she’s Carrying she can only Charge 2 squares (8 halved to 4, minus 2 for using Carry).
  • She still can’t do any damage to speak of and her chances of hitting are worse than ever…unless she pushes again to get Blades/Claws/Fangs. OK, now we’re talking!
  • Too bad she just lost her “special-needs” version of Perplex, leaving her to continue flailing with an 8 AV.
  • Too late, on her final two clicks, she regains a decent 9 AV. She simultaneously slips to an indecent 14 DV only marginally aided by the Combat Reflexes. The appearance of Outwit on her final click is  more like a target on her forehead.

Gimme my fifty points, woman!

So, let’s recap. She’s nerfed as a backfield supporter, a poor fighter until mid-dial, with a DV unlikely to allow her to see much fighting time. What’s really horrid is that most of her Hobbit set-mates are all better at various support roles AND at fighting for LESS POINTS.

It’s completely unworthy of the courageous shieldmaiden who rode into Pelennor in the face of the mumakil charge and defeated the dark captain of Sauron’s forces. And it’s the worst HeroClix dial by far of 2011.

You are unworthy of the Warrior keyword.

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Once again (though MUCH later than I did last year) it’s time for me to do my final 2011-related countdown: my FAVORITE pieces of the year.

Again, it’s very different from the “official” Heroclixin’ one. Instead of listing, as I did with that list, all the reasons each fig was a playable, winning piece, I’ll be stating:

  • Why it’s a favorite that I want to play
  • Why I don’t play it all the time
  • When and how I’m planning to play it next

I’m starting with one that was actually sort of released in late 2010 as an honorable mention because it was a tournament prize that most didn’t get until this year:

Impulse (DC75th Anniversary 104)

WHY I WANT TO PLAY HIM EVERY WEEK:

The young Bart Allen was a super-fun character early in his career as the aptly named Impulse. But my affection for the character is outshined by his play style.

Although perfectly capable of being run as the usual hit-and-hide Hypersonic Speedster, his 17 DV+Combat Reflexes and special Shape Change (if he’s a solo target and gets the roll, he gets to base the attacker) conspire to encourage you to stay in a bit closer. This twist on HSS makes him a F.U.N. (Friendly, Useful, Nifty) little annoyance piece — well in keeping with the annoying spirit of the actual character.
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WHY I DON’T:

There are characters that are MUCH better than him at his price point, and I manage to talk myself into using one or more of those pieces practically every time I’m almost about to field lil’ Bart on a team. His keywords are only so-so for me as well.
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I’M PLAYING HIM NEXT:

Man, who knows? I could try to squeeze him onto my next Legion of Super-Heroes team, thanks to the seeming synergy between that group and the Future and Teen keywords, but there are enough essential Legionnaires who lack one or the other that Impulse is liable to get benched yet again (like I did just this past weekend). But he’s going to run amok in an upcoming game sooner or later.
Next time, later in the week, check out who’s my #10 favorite HeroClix character of last year! Here’s a hint: Always bet on black!

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Not every HeroClix is good. In fact, some are outright mediocre. And in the year 2011, there were a few stinkers.

Or WERE there? Unlike last year, when it was easy to select 10 pretty awful pieces, the candidates this time around were a lot harder to identify.

For example, I selected Major Glenn Talbot as an early front-runner for the 10 Worst list. Sporting the same lousy 33-point cost and 16 DV + Mastermind and 1 damage as LE Bruce Wayne last year, he seemed to fit the mold.

But then I looked at how superbly the Major supports a Soldier team of shooters with his SHIELD TA and non-stop Enhancement and long run of Willpower. Even his Mastermind works OK, what with the copious numbers of cheaper Soldier or Hulkbuster characters in the game.

That’s why, much as I wanted to, I could not put Talbot among the Top Ten Worst HeroClix of 2011 after all.

That's RIGHT. Respect the uniform, MAGGOT!!!

 

So what ARE the 10 worst? Keep an eye out this week for ’em!

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#4

Magog (Superman #035)

The anti-hero of Kingdom Come blasts his way to a high point on the Top Ten because:

  • He’s about as dangerous a grounded Charge figure gets with his 12 AV, Super Strength and 4-damage Exploit Weakness. That’s enough to KO a lot of enemies outright…
  • …which activates his “Excessive Force” trait, allowing him to immediately make a whole ‘nother free action. (In fact, before wiser, calmer rulings prevailed, there was talk of this ability not being limited by the global “once-per-turn” rule on free actions, which led to a lot of one-turn massacres of short-dialed opponents.)
  • Mid-dial, he switches to a ranged focus via Running Shot and Pulse Wave, but remains utterly deadly in melee with Close Combat Expert.
  • Defensively, he’s well-armored with Impervious, Invulnerability or Toughness all dial long.
  • And even though basing him is one of the last things many foes really want to do, his Kingdom Come TA makes that a difficult proposition. It’s especially useful on his end-dial…
  • …when he shifts focus to healing and defending via his SP. He can use Support, sharing his low DV for the action, or use an adjacent ally’s higher DV to help him better stay alive.

This is where I usually list the character’s weaknesses. Magog doesn’t really have any, other than his DV only peaking at 17 and being a boot speed character at 172 points. If that’s all that’s wrong, it’s no wonder he’s one of the very best figs of 2011.

Next is a less powerful but much cheaper piece…a blast from the past.

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OK, time for the Top 5 clix of the year!

#5

General RAAM (Gears of War #009)

Starting off the top 5 is this ugly guy from Gears of War. His starting 6 Speed and 16 DV would seem reasons enough to keep him out of the top 25, much less among the very best. But as we’re seeing, 2011 was all about the Special Powers and Traits; RAAM is loaded with them.

  • Grenades. He throws both the standard and favored Frag variety (3 damage, plus 2 splash) or Ink (1 penetrating) and adds +3 to the pool (giving himself 3 shots with the power even when run without other GoW or Halo pieces with Grenade pools);
  • …which he can throw for free after a move action, thanks to the Speed SP “Grenade Scatter.” Suddenly that 6 speed don’t look so bad, especially with…
  • …Starting AVs of 11, 12, 11 and 11, respectively. His 8-click dial never drops below 9 AV.
  • But he doesn’t even have to move to take it to the enemy. If he’s got no action tokens, he can use free Smoke Cloud (at his regular 8 range, natch), then roll a 5-6 and deal 1 damage to folks in that cloud.
  • His starting Invulnerability ramps up to Impervious on clicks 2 &3 along with a rise in DV. He’s never without at least Toughness.
  • Mid-dial Outwit and late Blades/Claws/Fangs round out the General’s skills.
  • Auto-knockback and Phasing/Teleport offered by his Locust Horde TA has its uses.
  • As does the Indomitable ability.

151 points gets you all this in a piece all set to team up with fellow Locust Horde, Soldier or Warrior keywords. In spite of his poor Speed, he definitely earns his ranking at #5.

The next one is not so ugly, but not so pretty, either. More to the point, he has a rep for leaving his enemies particularly ugly…

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Remember Feats and Battlefield Conditions? I do.

Remember what a colossal pain they were to deal with? I do.

Do you miss having to deal with them in nearly every tournament? I don’t.

That’s why I was glad for the current Modern and Golden Age formats for HeroClix — the first, for the shiniest and newest elements of the game, uncluttered with destabilizing cardboard elements, and the other for when anything goes.

But in the years since the new formats, WizKids has introduced sets that, despite being the shiny-and-new, are not allowed in the Modern Age game (namely, the HALO and LORD OF THE RINGS sets). This is highly frustrating to those of us who want to play all our clix but don’t particularly care for the destabilizing cardboard elements that can clutter up Golden Age play — or who play in environments that lean more heavily on the Modern Age format.

Simply put, there needs to be an official middle ground between the two extremes for the heroic aspects of gameplay. (I stress “heroic” because a line’s still got to drawn somewhere. The starships of the Star Trek Tactics game don’t really belong. I really wish the designers had done a bit more to distinguish it from the normal HC lines). The number two most needed change to HeroClix is: “SILVER AGE: In this format, all HeroClix figures in Golden Age and Modern Age are legal for play. Feats and Battlefield Conditions are not legal for play. “

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Outwit is one of the most expensive powers in the game, and with good reason: it alone has the ability to render useless the powers and/or abilities an opposing figure is paying good points for.

Not only that, but it can do so from the relative safety of 10 squares away, requiring only a clear line of fire. Thus, while the Outwitter is well away from the action, he or his pals can pile on the rendered-defenseless target.

That’s the problem with Outwit for a lot of players. Sometimes, for just a few points to use Outwit and little else, said Outwitter can essentially make multiple clicks of a single damage reducer, which a more powerful opponent needs to stay alive, utterly useless. Coupled with the action disadvantage the heavy hitters already have to overcome, this weakness to Outwit is somewhat unbalancing.

What, then, to do with Outwit? Some suggest restricting it to a shorter range. But I have sore memories of un-Stealthed Outwitters being easy kills even at the 10 range zone. And do we really want to make the best Outwitters — the Batman family and other sneaky types (The Question) — even better by encouraging them to Outwit you AND then shoot you, too? (Not that they can’t do it already, but this rule change would make it more commonplace.)

Others want Outwit not to affect higher-point characters, or to force a power action to do so. There, though, we run the risk of making the already-most-expensive-power-in-the-game Outwit a severely overcosted power on those cheaper pieces, who have paid the cost of the power so that their whole team need not be utterly helpless against high damage reduction. Anyone who’s faced an Invulnerable opponent with a team of only 2-damage fighters knows how much it stinks to depend on critical hits while praying to avoid the just-as-likely critical miss.

Here’s the solution: shorten Outwit’s duration somewhat. We’ve all seen this scenario play out:

PLAYER A: “Batman Outwits Hulk’s Invulnerability and shoots for 3.”
PLAYER B: “Hulk takes 3; he’s down to Toughness.”
PLAYER A: “Question Outwits his Toughness and takes a shot…HIT!”
PLAYER B: “Hulk took 2 and is back Invulnerable again.”
PLAYER A: “OK, since Invulnerability is still countered, Johnny Quick will Perplex his own damage to 3 and push to Hypersonic Hulk.”
PLAYER B: “#%@#%@!!!! I just took 8 straight clicks of damage from these peons!”

The enduring Outwit is the problem here, to me. Thus, the #3 most needed change to HeroClix ought to be this rewrite to Outwit:

“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 10 squares and line of fire to the target. If a target character is damaged or healed, the effect of Outwit on that character ends immediately.“

This change reins in Outwit in a manner more fitting to the source material. Perhaps Daredevil found a way to pierce The Thing’s rocky hide for one attack, but the pain of the hit makes Mr. Grimm tighten up his defenses and not get hit in that way again. It also keeps, say, old-school Black Panther’s 20-points’ worth click of Outwit from negating Superman’s 50-plus run of Impervious, giving Big Blue a chance against a swarm that gets around 6 attacks to his one.

And lest some think this weakens Outwit beyond usefulness for its cost, consider the scenario a few paragraphs above. With this small change, Hulk is STILL taking six clicks of damage that turn. But on a 10-11-click dial, that’s a significant improvement of his odds of survival.

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A few revisions of the rules ago, Super Strength got a nice little upgrade for those occasional characters with the power who couldn’t smash through walls or destroy objects without help due to only having 1 or 2 damage value. And for a while, that was all the tweaking Super Strength needed.

But other rules have changed as well, leaving Super Strength somewhat in the dust.

See, back in the old days, Super Strength was guaranteed to have potentially six objects on the board, three of which you could pretty much rely on getting your Super Strong mitts on. But then came Special Objects, with several deleterious effects on the green Attack power:

  • early Special Objects frequently provided powerful 0-cost effects that using the object in an attack would deprive you of, discouraging said use;
  • there were also immobile blue-ringed objects that could never be used with Super Strength;
  • later, Special Objects would usually come with a point cost, further discouraging their use;
  • with the phasing out of feats and bystanders, these new Objects have become increasingly important point fillers, making them more ubiquitous;
  • and all Special Objects must be set up at least 5 squares from all starting areas, rendering them extra vulnerable to destruction by a long-ranged opponent;
  • worst of all, with objects becoming part of the force, players have the choice of fielding fewer or none at all, potentially halving the number of weapons available for Super Strength.

Simply put, all this has served to leave Super Strength rather literally empty-handed in Modern Age games where the perpetually usable Generator/Dumpster 3D object or the Rip It Up feat are unavailable.

Therefore, short of a Modern Age version of the Generator, the #4 most needed change to HeroClix is this revised line to Super Strength: “When this character makes a close combat attack targeting blocking terrain, a wall, or an object, modify its damage value by +2 for the attack and give it a light object from outside the game.”

It’s not a free action, being tied to an attack on terrain, and the object is immediately held, so this new ability to keep objects in the game shouldn’t break things too terribly. (Though Cyborg Superman gives me pause.) It also gives a little more reason to use that smashing 2nd ability of the power, even when already holding an object (not that you’d likely want to try with a heavy object).