Continuing the photographic record of Super-Strength characters who can hold their own object tokens, today we’re looking at…um…(looking through my photos file) bashful Benjamin J. Grimm:
See how the token fits between his fingers, there? NICE. Be back Thursday for a special edition of Token Totin’!
Finally at the end!
The #2 WINNER is:
BATTLE FURY
Battle Fury has long been little more than a detriment: it keeps one from making ranged attacks or being carried. Sure, it protected one from Mind Control, but how often does that help ya?
Well, it’s finally gotten a couple of upgrades. First, it now ignores that other light-blue power…Incapacitate. Second, it ignores Shape Change (including the variety used by the Skrulls/Danger Girl team abilities). And, of course, the power retains its other qualities, especially its discounting effect on point cost.
With a pair of completely positive changes and no drawbacks, Battle Fury is nearly the biggest winner of 2011’s ruleset.
The #2 LOSER?
GIANTS.
Otherwise known as Giant Walking Targets, these tall ones have always been magnets for ranged attacks, and the introduction of multiple elevations to the game does nothing to alleviate that weakness…it maybe makes it a little worse.
But the biggest harm they suffer has nothing to do with their own abilities, but rather a change to another. Friendly Giants can no longer be moved with Telekinesis. This used to be a nice little way of addressing Giants’ difficulty in getting into a fight without being shot to pieces first, or getting them out of trouble. It’s gone now.
Another game change is the removal of canceling. Until now, a character could cancel its powers/abilities during a turn. This was good for a few characters who possessed the Giant symbol via a Special Power, allowing them to “shrink” to normal size for a turn and avoid enemy lines of fire — something other Giants can’t do. Now these part-time Giants (Crisis Mordru, M+M Box and especially SI Yellowjacket Skrull) are just as vulnerable as the regular ones.
Giants do get a few new plusses: they can interact with higher elevations at will (though that works both ways for line of fire), or carry regardless of tokens (though only on move actions) and their Great Size and Giant Reach abilities can’t be countered. But their inherent positioning issues are still too big a liability, making them nearly the biggest losers of all.
_____________________
And the #1 WINNER after the 2011 rulebook kicks in May 1st is:
PULSE WAVE
It’s always been the ultimate answer to any power in HeroClix.
Basically the only defense against it was to hide behind blocking terrain or a Barrier. But when the 2008 rules shut down ranged attacks in adjacency, Pulse Wave got its own rock to its scissors — a tied-up PWer couldn’t use the power, as Pulse Wave is a ranged attack.
That’s no longer the case in 2011. Pulse Wave can now be used even when based. This is super for every single character with the power, ranging from the great (Hammer of Thor’s Odin and Ultron just got terrifyingly stronger still) to the small (Arkham Asylum’s Human Bomb and Johnny Sorrow are smiling now, even though you can’t see their faces). And the ever-frightening Nova Blast feat will certainly come back in vogue for Golden Age games.
This fantastically simple yet powerful improvement to one of the game’s strongest powers makes Pulse Wave the #1 winner of the 2011 rulebook!
The #1 biggest LOSER on May 1st?
TRANSPORTERS’ MOVE AND ATTACK
Apparently undercosted at its inception and even moreso once true Hypersonic Speed lost its second option, the powers that be decided to remove its ability to fire at full range. This doesn’t affect those with no range, but folks like GX Archangel and FF Hawkeye take a hit.
Um...Aquaman...? The new rules kill Manta enough. You don't need to kill him anymore.
(And, frankly, Brightest Day Aquaman’s latter-dial doesn’t dig this change so much, either.)
With a huge negative and no counterbalancing positives, Move And Attack is the biggest loser with the 2011 rules. But that won’t stop anyone from using it if they’ve got it!
Thanks for reading!
The #4 WINNER(s):
MULTI-ATTACK / QUAKE / MIND CONTROL
Originally, I had saved this slot for Multi-Attack alone. The power action has gotten a hefty upgrade, allowing for ANY two actions rather than just two power actions that attack. (Thus, CD Spectre can, at last, Phase in and then Psychic Blast for massive damage. But note that he can’t get two of the same action, per the new “once-per-turn” global rule on free actions.) But, as I realized that the only characters with the ability were Colossals, I just chalked up this rule change along with the other boosts Colossals got.
Then I considered two other powers that got nothing but better, Quake and Mind Control. Instead of capping higher damage at 2, Quake now boosts even lower damage to 2 as well. And Mind Control’s minimum range is 4, instead of only granting the 4 range to 0-range figs with the power. Nice!…
…until I noted, like Multi-Attack, hardly any characters benefitted from either change. Only 20 of thousands of HC characters have Quake and under 2 damage. Meanwhile, only about TWO characters in the whole game have Mind Control and a range less than 4 but greater than 0.
Therefore, Multi-Attack, Quake, and Mind Control tie as #4 winners. All got simpler and more effective upgrades, but only a tiny handful of figs benefit from it.
Meanwhile, the #4 LOSER is:
"DAMN! Spotted me."
It’s long been an inexpensive power with a big impact, making its users practically invulnerable to range-based powers in this range-focused game. It was also a pain for friend and foe alike when trying to draw line of fire to use Perplex or Probability Control. If you forgot to cancel Stealth on your turn, you couldn’t PC that crit miss into something less injurious.
Now, though, it’s only effective on opponents’ turns, making it simple to Perplex Batman before taking that shot. But…the enemy also has no problem PCing that crit hit into something less injurious.
If the change to the power itself was the only issue Stealth had, it wouldn’t be this high on the losers’ list. But a couple of other rule changes negatively affect the black Speed power:
These are a couple of big knocks for Stealth. It’s still one of the most viable powers in the game, but it’s nevertheless one of the biggest losers of 2011’s rule changes.
_____________________
The #3 WINNER is:
LEADERSHIP
Wait…wasn’t this a loser? Yes, it is…
…if you use it the old way by putting just one little Leadership piece on the team (because successful rolls didn’t stack anyway) and using some feat like Contingency Plan or Inspiring Command. Adding more Leadership was rarely a good use of points (again, because of the non-stacking), and it was really wasted on higher-cost characters since you couldn’t use the extra actions anyway, usually (except, again, in the service of a feat like Contingency Plan). With the lower chance of Leadership even working, using the power in such a minimal fashion has become a losing proposition, making it the #9 loser.
But, as you see, it has placed very high on the winners’ list. Here’s why:
If not for the lower chances of a successful roll, this could’ve easily been the #1 winner of all the 2011 rulebook changes.
The #3 LOSER:
The THEME TEAM
First, generic themed teams got a little harder to build. Instead of needing 1 character for every 100 points, you now need 3 for every 300 points, 6 for 301-600, 9 for 601-900, and so on. Worse still, they only get ONE theme team Probability Control per 300 points; gone are the days of swarm teams loaded with “Probs.”
Named keywords (the new term for “non-generic”) didn’t get it quite as bad, only needing 2 characters and getting 2 uses of themeProb at each level. (Unfortunately, that makes certain 400-point themes impossible.)
Additionally, it’s the themeProb itself which has changed to the detriment of both:
It did get a slight boost in that only non-free actions keep one from using it. But yeah…theme teams lose pretty big in 2011.
Welcome again to F.U.N. Friday, where I share team builds that are Friendly yet Useful and, above all, Nifty.
Once I got Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, the Super Rare duo from The Brave And The Bold set, and The Holiday Killer from same, I was finally able to build a decent Batman Enemy-centric team for a 700-point Modern Age tournament:
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy 175
The Joker (Arkham Asylum) 97
The Penguin (Arkham Asylum) 70
Firefly 68
Harvey Dent (Arkham Asylum) 67
Edward Nigma 60
The Holiday Killer 43
Catwoman (Batman Alpha) 40
Henchman (Arkham Asylum) 40
Henchman (Arkham Asylum) 40
= 700 points.
_____________________
Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy 175
They’re quite pushable, gaining Perplex and Stealth on their 2nd click, so I won’t shy away from using Running Shot to gain a bit of initiative in offense. Harley’s super-Outwit makes me almost hope they get hit.
_____________________
The Joker (Arkham Asylum) 97
His 11 AV isn’t quite as vital anymore for Batman Enemy teams now that wild cards can loan the team their attack values again. He’s also pretty fragile, with zero defenses outside of Stealth and a little Probability Control. But his 8 range is key in damage-dealing, and he has some help on this team, namely:
_____________________
The Penguin (Arkham Asylum) 70
17 Defend and flying really helps the mostly ground-pounding Batfoes. Heck, to the degree that Penguin takes enemy fire instead of more threatening targets makes him worth every point.
_____________________
Firefly 68
The other flyer of the crew and the most mobile attacker, Firefly gains a lot when teamed with better Batman Enemies and an Enhancer or two.
_____________________
Harvey Dent (Arkham Asylum) 67
Stealthy Outwitting Willpower with Flurry. Any questions?
Well, there’s also his singular ability, on this team, to not be forced to cluster with the rest to be most effective. Makes him a fine tie-up piece or hidden supporter with equal ability.
_____________________
Edward Nigma 60
Most put him on the team for his ability to allow a teammate to act turn after turn, but that power was barely used in my games. No, he was instrumental for his Outwit and especially his Enhancement, which made a threat out of so much else on this team.
_____________________
The Holiday Killer 43
Stealthy Outwit to start, a simple push to 11AV to share with other Batfoes and another 8-ranged threat for under 50 points. Even with the short dial, what’s not to like?
_____________________
Catwoman (Batman Alpha) 40
Long-lived tie-up piece that’s pushable to much better clicks. Better still, she was ripe for taking theme-PC tokens or Mastermind damage at any time.
_____________________
Henchman (Arkham Asylum) 40
Not really the best choice to double up, still they’re quite useful on this force. Batman Enemy and E.Nigma’s Enhancement turn them into threats instead of just Mastermind fodder, and their self-Perplex SP offers a third method of improving their combat ability. Still, for half the cost the normal AA Street Thug works nearly as well. In a future run, I’ll just go with a single Henchman and fill out with Thugs.
I thought I had this feature all set to click and publish, but I forgot all the pictures and I’m away from the home computer.
It’s not a “My Custom Mods” feature without the pictures.
Similarly, I seem to have not uploaded photos for the Token-Totin’ feature, so even that usual Tuesday offering will be missing, too.
Hopefully I can redeem myself with a New Comic Day Battle report tomorrow. Pray for me, y’all. 🙂
Finally, Morrison finishes off his look at the Armor keyword with the heaviest of the metalheads:
Kurse
Class – High point brick
Kurse right here is tie-up piece numero uno. He’s quite pushable, meaning Shellhead is excellent for this guy. With 3 clicks of Regeneration, he will land and will probably stay on Regen for at least 1 turn, so the Automatic Regeneration feat should help you stay on the useful clicks.
_________________________
Destroyer
IZ MOVEE STAR! WIF FUZZY BUNNEE SLIPPERZ!
Class – High Point Bruiser & Corner Stone
Destroyer reminds me rather pleasantly of Hammer of Thor Ultron: similar Charge, high attack, long range, and high damage. Not necessarily the most synergistic combination, but still brutally effective from all directions. Pack along some peons to make full use of his Life-Force Possession SP later in his dial.
_________________________
AV Iron Man
Class – Corner stone
Personally, I never was able to use him to any real effect, but if played better than I did, he can be quite useful. His dial is similar to, but less effective than HoT Beta-Ray Bill’s. But this guy offers Ultimates TA and eventually Outwit. Use that 10 range and 12 speed to steer clear from reprisals and outwiters. Between flight and Ultimates, make sure always to have hindering between this guy and the enemy; he needs the defense boost.
_________________________
SI Iron Man
Class– Corner Stone
A much more effective Iron Man comes with your choice of a combo better than Impervious or Invulnerability, and in both instances you still get Perplex. Every click offers something useful. Stark doesn’t go down swinging unless his friends are packing some attack boosts, so Recharge might help him stay top dial, with Perplex, Outwit, and 11 attack.
_________________________
V Steel
Class – high point bruiser
In many ways, Steel is even better than the aforementioned SI Iron Man. He still packs Outwit, his attack never drops to the 8 of his predecessor, his ending defense is 17 rather than 15, and 1 more click of 4 damage (Steel’s damage never drops to a 2 either). Many would complain about his lack of Running Shot, but his speed is decent, and unlike most of the other figures in this review, he is absolutely equally useful in close and range. His dial also reminds me of Destroyer’s. Note that Steel comes at a lower cost than either Iron Man or Destroyer. With his sturdy and consistent dial, this is certainly one figure made to proclaim “Leeerrrooooy Jeeeenkins!” with.
_________________________
WoS Iron Man
Class – High point corner stone
Iron Man is similar to SI’s Iron Man, except he trades Avengers for the more useful S.H.I.E.L.D. TA. This character is a lot more straightforward to use:
…and repeat these last couple of steps until he gets KO’ed (in virtually every game he will, 202 points is a huge target, and the middle to end dial is soft). But in this time Tony should have made at least 4 attacks, for a total of 15 damage. Indomitable should help to make sure that he can pop off his attacks. The worst aspect of the figure is his sculpt.
_________________________
Iron Man / War Machine
Class – High point corner stone
The most expensive figure with the Armor keyword, but Tony and Rhodes sure do deliver: only 2 clicks of defense less than 18, 3 clicks of 4 damage and outwit, starting 12 attack, and attack that never goes below 9 (SI and WoS Iron Man take note). If you can alpha strike on his first click (Tony can bring along his Mandroid friends from S.H.I.E.L.D.), you can deal 16 damage with 1 figure in 1 turn. If the game allows feats, IM/WM demands Power Barrage, which gives them a third attack with each attack after you set up.
(Actually, it doesn’t. The feat doesn’t work with Duo Attack, and because they don’t actually possess the prerequisite powers on their Attack SP — they only use them — Power Barrage is only good for them on their first three and dead-last clicks. — Editor RKJS.)
Running Shot, Indomitable, Outwit, Duo Attack, high attack, and high damage is almost the perfect combo. With any three turns, you should be able to deal at least 11 damage. Then middle dial, Tony and James pump up offensively with duo-compatible Psychic Blast and Ranged Combat Expert, meaning that in 1 turn mid dial, they could deal 9 damage or 5 penetrating damage, or 5 raw and 2 penetrating damage.
(Again, not exactly. You can only pick one of those powers for the attack(s); you don’t get to use RCE for one attack and PB for the 2nd, but RCE for both, one or none. Same for PB [or Incap, but who’s really gonna pick that?] — Editor RKJS)
_________________________
That does it for Morrison’s look at the Armor keyword. I’d like to thank him for allowing me to post these here on my site. Here’s hoping he’ll try his hand at this again in the future!
As for Heroclixin’, I may start a little offshoot of my Friday F.U.N. feature that focuses on individual characters over full-blown teams, but I’ll probably take a break and start that next week.
Speaking of next week, Monday is the beginning of the end: the last few of My Custom Mods. There’s less than 5 left (which is why I’ve been dragging my feet on updates to that feature — I’m running out of material)!
With peons and backups out of the way, Morrison’s ready to get fitted for the real heavy metal.
FCBD Iron Man
Class– Primary/Secondary Attacker
You might point out that he does not have Armor keyword. But dear reader, each of the other figures with the same sculpt have Armor, as do the other Iron Man figures with Scientist, Avengers, S.H.E.I.L.D., which this guy has. [So there! — Editor RKJS]
For a while, this guy, SI Spidey, and Namor were my go-to Avengers team. This guy excels especially in low point games where you might not face Outwit, but will face high-ish damage. That makes his “Invincible” SP stand out. After a couple of shots he’ll go down fast, but with a 10 range, copyable S.H.I.E.L.D. TA, and Running Shot, you should be able to stay decently away from the fighting. That 11 attack can go a long way.
(On the theme of considering his lack of Armor keyword, if several Colossus pieces can have Armor, then this guy and August General in Iron should have the keyword as well.)
_________________________
Box
Class – secondary attacker, support
Box isn’t the best by any stretch, but he was an early favorite figure of mine (my usual team back then was Box, Hood, and Rampaging Hulk). He suffers from Alpha Flight syndrome (low attack for the points). But with natural 3 damage, and 18 defense, you only really ever need his opening Perplex to boost his attack or reduce opposing defense. His giant SP can be potentially useful. His consistent damage reducers and innate nanobots SP keep him in the game longer.
_________________________
Annihilus
Class– Corner Stone
Psychic Blast, Running Shot, 10 range, and 4 damage for a good figure does make. Mid-dial Regeneration could profoundly help you, especially if he has Automatic Regeneration, but the Running Shot + Pulse Wave combo might be even better if you are positioned correctly.
_________________________
AV Spider-Man
Class – secondary Attacker
This Spider-Man is quite possibly one of the best secondary attackers in the game. His first click is certainly formidable, with 11 attack with Super Strength and Outwit. But it’s the second and third clicks that especially stand out. With double targets his “Webbing” SP impedes your opponent tremendously. Shape Change also comes in handy in lieu of the later WOS Spidey’s Super – Duper senses.
_________________________
Iron Widow
Class– Corner Stone
This dial has three distinct phases: three first 3 clicks (aggressive attack), middle 2 (Outwitting sniper), and the final 2 (penetrating sniper). 4 clicks of Mastermind may not seem useful, but as good as those clicks are, it is a wise investment to protect these clicks (see the first section). Make full use of her Ultimates TA. For feats, consider Contingency Plan, as late dial stat-boosting will certainly come in handy.
_________________________
E & V War Machine
HoT War Machine
Class – Primary Attacker/Cornerstone
Considering the age of 2 of these 3 pieces, all are phenomenal. The experienced Armor Wars version is a solid investment for slightly more than 1/3 of a conventional build total. EE and 8 double target range makes the Vet the perfect piece to push and heal with Recharge. For 13 pts more, the FCBD War Machine brings three clicks of natural 4 damage, for s total of 5 clicks capable of dealing more than 3 damage. The reason these figures are so affordably priced is that their defensive numbers are somewhat low, but each flouts near dials full of damage reducers. These low point values ensure that Rhodes will have friends to draw fire and support. Truly stellar pieces.
_________________________
OK, there’s the mid-range suits of Armor settled with. Thursday, Morrison assesses the top-of-the-line of metallic face-kicking fashion.
Yesterday, we saw Morrison’s analysis of the cheapest Armor figs, important for filling out build points for this keyword full of pricey pieces. Now he moves on to the next set of suits.
Scorpion
Class – Close Combat
In reality, there are better expenditures of 62 pts, but he does one thing very well: Quake. This makes Scorpion invaluable as a support for your larger, ranged-based (non-Sharpshooter) figures; if your main attacker gets based by some weaker tie-up pieces you can keep this guy near so he can either make one strike to get rid of the offender, or move away a large # of opposing figures from adjacency.
Sinister Syndicate TA can come in handy with wild cards. He’s a little soft to use full-out, but Lunge makes him a bit more maneuverable, and Nanobots gives him a little extra life.
_________________________
Mach-3
Mach-4
LE Abner Jenkins
Class– Ranged harassment/secondary attack
While not great by today’s standards, each of these three has its merits.
Mach-3 is decently cheap on his own and really demands one of 2 options: either give him the Recharge and Not So Special feats or, for the same 8-point cost, give him the Thunderbolts ATA. Mach-4 brings better speed, better starting attack, and dual target EE and Incapacitate. Consider playing him with Nanobots and Not So Special; he needs both to be more playable. Finally, ole honest Abe provides a slightly different tool set, namely Leadership for your peons, dual target Incap and Force Blast to deal with pesky interlopers. However, he needs more feats to perform his best: NSS, Nanobots, and the missing ingredient: Stunning Blow, which gives him a lot of additional use of that dual target Incap.
_________________________
NGN Spider-Man
Class – Secondary Attacker/support
While a little bit over-priced for what he does, Armored Spiderman (Sinister #217) brings a lot to the table. Outwit is always useful. He can also pull a handy combo to bypass his low damage: begin a Running Shot, pick up a heavy object, and chuck that sucker. People always forget that you can do this, so it catches them by surprise. His wild card ability can be quite advantageous, especially when Petey is on the same team as…
_________________________
AA Batman
Class– Secondary Attacker/Taxi
Besides having one of the most epic sculpts in the game (IMHO), Terry is hardly a slouch. Batman Ally is one of the most useful team abilities. Between his (10 base move) Charge, Super Strength, and In Contact With Bruce Wayne SP, he could conceivably, if not frequently, attack against no defensive power, for 4 damage, with a 10 attack, from just as far as his range could ping from. His excellent move and flight ability helps get him and his friends positioned how you want. Truly a great addition to any Armor, Future, Gotham, or Teen team.
_________________________
Batman (“AzBats”)
Class– Primary/Secondary Attacker
For 90 points, perma-Stealth demands your opponents base this guy, which means that on every click Az-Bats can break Impervious on every click, or you can use Perplex to help your teammates. Besides, his Gotham City teammates are typically a hearty bunch.
_________________________
That’s it for Morrison’s pick of secondary (but not necessarily second-rate) Armor figs. Tomorrow he weighs in on heavier metal. Tune in!
Hello, Heroclixin’ readers!
I’m sort of bailing on the Top Ten week of articles for March. I have one all ready to go, but really wanted to save it as an evergreen. Conversely, I felt it was way too soon to do a Top Ten of Giant-Size X-Men. Look for that one after Easter.
Fortunately, I have some friends. 🙂 Say hi to Morrison, a skilled young player who, inspired by myself and other Heroclix writer/reviewer, decided to pen an exhaustive review of the Armor keyword. he wasn’t able to post it on HCRealms like he hoped, so he offered it to me. I gladly accepted. I love to see the young do ambitious things.
Let’s suit up!
Hello HCRealms, this is ThatGuyoverthere. I was inspired by Saturnflight’s series of best of articles, so I thought I would try to do something similar. Between the units section and my personal memories (I got into heroclix around the tail-end of the Avengers expansion). I hope you enjoy my review of a generic keyword.
Stingray
Class: Peon
For 30 pts you get a highly mobile (dolphin speed and leap/climb) figure who gets free movement. Also you get 6 range, a 9 attack, 5 clicks, and two clicks of 18 defense at range. At a trim 29 pts, Stingray brings a lot to the table and is a great for Avengers and Scientist theme teams.
_________________________
E & V Beetle
Class: support, tertiary attacker
Beetle is going to be a tough sell, but he does have some benefits. Both pieces are decently mobile with 9 speed running shot. Both have decently useful team abilities for either other characters (the Vet’s Sinister Syndicate) or to push repeatedly (via the Exp’s Masters of Evil) to his primary use: Probability Control. Few Armor characters have probcontrol, and this is certainly the cheapest you’re going to get (the only other figures with Armor and prob are various 150+pts Dr. Dooms and Monarch).
In short, for 60-80 pts, you get a figure that could be used as a first strike then to be relegated to mastermind fodder to get to your prob.
_________________________
Guardsman
Class – Mobile blocking terrain/peon
At around 30 pts, 5 clicks, 4 with Toughness, is a pretty deep dial. With 6 range, flight, and decent movement, you can be pretty annoying with this figure by blocking line of fire. Once again, very good mastermind fodder. With S.H.I.E.L.D. TA, keep him near your main attacker to pump range or damage as needed.
_________________________
Doombot 3095
Doombot 5953
Class – Peon and Useful Peon respectively
At 30 pts, wildcard + Willpower = tie-up piece. He is also decent as Mastermind fodder and can shoot if necessary.
At 40 pts however, you get a very good support piece. He has 8 range and Energy Explosion, which can annoy opponents unfamiliar with this unassuming package. Toughness extends the dial some. But the coup de grace is his Enhancement, which makes him a suberp support piece for bigger hitters. If you land on his last click, you should use this bot either as blocking terrain or MM fodder; he can’t really be good for anything else then. Minions of Doom helps your larger investments become more cost effective.
_________________________
R Mandroid Armor
Class – support
And finally: Mandroid Armor. While certainly a sufferer of early dial syndrome, he offers two things: S.H.I.E.L.D. TA, which is always useful, and INCREDIBLY cheap TK. With the full REV+LE having only 1 click of TK each, stick with this guy: cheap is what you want here.
_________________________
Tomorrow, we’ll see what Morrison has to say about Secondary Attackers in the Armor wars. Check him out!
All three versions of Ares have Super Strength. All three can hold their object tokens, too.
The newest:
Wedge it like so. You'll have to bend the token a little bit to make it work.
Marvel’s Ares, from the AVENGERS set, also holds up:
A bit more tenuous...but he's got it.
And, of course, the original Legacy Unique:
I had to Photoshop again, 'cause I've never owned this piece. But it definitely works.
Sorry for the late, late update. I’d hoped to have a new battle report tomorrow, but will be too busy. Stay tuned, though, for March’s Top Ten list…though it too will be a bit late, coming in the first week of April.
