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Formerly called “Wednesday Battle Reports,” the name change represents a shift in how I do these. They just take way too long to read and write. So instead of a play-by-play description of the games, I’m going to follow this basic format:

  • The inspiration of the team
  • The actual build
  • My basic strategy
  • And, per round:
  1. Highlights
  2. Turning Point(s)
  3. MVPs

Hopefully, I can handle this format a bit more easily and you’ll find it smoother reading. Let me know what you think?

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Superfriends

This cartoon, in retrospect, was terribly lame. Heck, Aquaman, now my favorite hero, is still fighting the bad rep he gained from this show nearly FORTY YEARS LATER.
But because he’s my favorite character, when a venue held a scenario requiring that all characters had to appear in an animated series, the original Superfriends line-up was the first to come to mind:

Come on, I don’t care how lame you thought Aquaman was, that sound effect for his power rocked.

Anyway, here’s the team (in order of appearance in the clip):

Man of Steel (Collateral Damage) 200 + Alias 3
Wonder Woman (DC 75th Anniversary) 127
Batman & Robin 138 + Lunge 5
Aquaman (DC 75th Anniversary) + Contingency Plan 12
Marvin & Wendy 9
+ Opened Hydrant
+ Eleha’al Vine
+ Generator
= 600 points.

Far from being just mere flavor for the team, the pog Marvin & Wendy were a crucial blocker thanks to two characters with 18 Defend. Their Energy Shield/Deflection then gave them a staggering 20-21 DV at range, protecting my very soft-shelled fighters until they could get into the fight.

First Round I faced young Zach’s Teen Titans: Bart Allen (DC 75th Anniversary), Superboy (DC 75th Anniversary), Donna Troy (DC 75th Anniversary), Beast Boy (DC 75th Anniversary), Robin (Arkham Asylum) and Red Arrow.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Nearly lost the game when I shot Robin instead of punching him with Man of Steel because A) I easily could’ve punched for a one-hit-KO and run back to where I was and B) I should’ve moved him further back so Superboy couldn’t Charge him for 6 clicks, neutering him quite handily.
  • I rolled pretty poorly, and Donna Troy’s PC made it worse. The first 40 minutes of the game I barely hit anything. Fortunately, Wonder Woman’s 18 Defend (and my opponent’s insistence on battling Man of Steel instead of her) kept Man of Steel alive long enough to for my rolls to turn just enough for a comeback.

TURNING POINTS

Hitting Superboy — at LAST! — for enough damage to send him running to Bart Allen for Titans TA healing. That freed Wonder Woman to Charge Donna Troy out of the game. Superboy came back to fight Man of Steel, but that only allowed me to double-team him into KO to seal the win.

MVP

  • Wonder Woman. 18 Defend. Also, her Lasso SP got the penetrating damage on Donna Troy right when I finally needed it.
  • Opened Hydrant. Though I never got to use Aquaman’s “Rise From the Deep” SP with the Hydrant’s water zone (got blasted off those clicks by Starfire), the water kept Red Arrow from making a last-second Running Shot to threaten Man of Steel.

Second Round: Bill ran Doomsday (DC 75th Anniversary), LOSH Cosmic Boy, Phantom Girl, V Batman (Legacy), Mr. Mind and Jason Blood.

HIGHLIGHT

I won map roll and got the BPRD water map. From then on, I proceeded to roll at least one less than what I needed to land any given hit.

TURNING POINT

  • After a failed Hypersonic Speed run, I again failed to move Man of Steel far enough away. Doomsday, having been flown by Cosmic Boy, got a line of fire on Man of Steel to counter my HSS, then tied him down with Phantom Girl — who destroyed both the Generator I was holding and the Vine next to me for good measure.
  • I thought my 200-point character was safe from Doomsday, since Cosmic Boy had no line of fire to TK the monster. I was unaware that Doomsday was feated with Lunge, giving him a free shot after that TK which I would have certainly thwarted by blocking Cos’s line of fire.
  • In the end, I’d lost my whole team, only KOing Batman.

MVP

No one. Wonder Woman missed Jason Blood’s 16 DV with her 11 AV. That’s how bad it was. Not even Contingency Plan helped.
Third Round: James had Batman (Arkham Asylum chase #99), SR Batman(DC 75th Anniversary), Darkseid (Crisis), Ultron (Hammer of Thor) + Nova Blast.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • I made sure that Nova Blast would NOT occur, pushing to Outwit Ultron with Batman & Robin, then beating him with Aquaman’s RFTD. The evil robot never recovered.
  • Also one-shot Watchtower Batman with Man of Steel (having learned from the first round not to waste the chance) and ran him and Marvin & Wendy (who’d survived Bats’ Flurry thanks to Man of Steel’s Defend) to the far end of the map.

TURNING POINT

Darkseid phased in, then pushed to hit Man of Steel hard. To save Supes from a relatively easy KO, I used Aquaman to water-warp and smash blocking terrain to open Batman & Robin’s line of fire to Outwit Darkseid’s Impervious. Marvin & Wendy Flurried Darkseid for 1 (knocking him off Impervious), then Wonder Woman Charged to knock him onto his 16 DV click. That left Darkseid easy pickings for a KO, and my opponent thoroughly conceded at this point.

MVP

Everyone. Seriously, like a good comic book (or Superfriends episode), EVERYBODY got their moments.

FINAL RECORD: 2-1. A very fun team that’s surprisingly effective.

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Been quite a while, eh? Other features took over the site for a while, but now My Custom Mods is back! And it just so happens that this is one of my most ambitious mods of the series yet:

BLACK WIDOW custom

Normally, this is where I put a pic of the original figure — the “Before” shot. But this time, I wasn’t just modifying a sculpt. Instead, I was trying to substitute a whole character, dial, sculpt and all.

THIS is what I want.

Black Widow is a character who’s never been done right in HeroClix. This is what she does:

  1. Wall-crawling and swingline action (Leap/Climb);
  2. Blasting multiple targets, whether via her trademark “Widow’s Bite” bracelets (Incapacitate) or standard firearms, and often on the move (Running Shot);
  3. Good combat values because she’s a spy extraordinaire;
  4. And, because she’s a spy extraordinaire, Stealth;
  5. Preferably all at once, kinda like this spread from Mighty Avengers #1. Or this sequence<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzO9nPS3_4A&feature=related> from Iron Man 2.

Nearly all versions of her are really good at #4 and part of #2, but not #1 and certainly all fail terribly at #3.

Well, it turns out that Gambit (Mutations & Monsters) is quite good at all those things:

  • Running Shot? Check.
  • Stealth? Check.
  • Leap/Climb? Check.
  • Decent Defense Value? Check.
  • All of the above, at the same time? QUADRUPLE-CHECK. 🙂
  • The Energy Explosion fits well (see her multi-barrelled bracelets).
  • His Ranged Combat Expert and Penetrating/Psychic Blast are tougher, but not outside her capabilities, given that she’s a top agent of SHIELD with access to all sorts of weaponry and expert with most of it.
  • Quake is the toughest sell, but she’s a great martial artist. There’s plenty of precedent for this power on such types.

So the lithe Russian gal I've coveted all this time is a really a dude with permanent 5:00 shadow? ...When did HeroClix start mimicking my personal life? ...Wait. Did I just type that out loud? OMG...

Anyway, I decided to replace his sculpt with Black Widow.

However.

Not only did I not want to dismantle my actual Black Widow (if I even had one at the time), but since this was going to be an unofficial version, I wanted to mod an entirely different sculpt to match.

Sharon Carter filled the bill.

So here’s what I did:

  • Removed GAMBIT figure from base.
  • Removed SHARON CARTER figure from her base and glued it to GAMBIT’s.
  • Repainted SHARON CARTER’s white clothes with glossy black enamel.
  • Repainted blonde hair with red acrylics.
  • Painted on silver bracelets and belt (with red detail).

Completed late-2009. But more than a year later, I’ve still not played her in a game.

(Maybe it’s because I know that “she” is really a “he.” Just like…oh, I almost did it again.)

NEXT WEEK: Another white girl going black…sort of…

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I’ve never done one of these lists before for this site (or on my previous one, Pojo.com). I tend to be a glass-half-full type who can find a solid use out of any piece.

But…y’know. Sometimes a piece is just bad. It might do something neat, but requires so much extra support or such situational serendipity that it might as well be wasted points.

Here we go, then…the worst of the mediocre.

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#10: Max Mercury (The Brave and the Bold #023)

Look! I'm running with such SPEED I look like I'm standing still!!!

How can a character with Hypersonic Speed, the best standard power in the game, make a “worst of” list? When said character costs over 70 points and only has one click of damage greater than 1. And then gets Perplex…that only affects speed! BARF!!! Sure, he could make Charge figures really good, but he’s spending SEVENTY POINTS to do that and little else. Hell to the no. Probably my least favorite piece of Brave and Bold, even if he’s not the worst.

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#9: The Burglar (Web of Spider-Man #105)

Unforgettably bad.

His hyped-up AV and damage against cheaper characters is only good against pogs and, oh, about 5 characters in Modern Age games. And they’ll all be in the backfield where he’ll never get to without concerted effort on your part. Wouldn’t you rather be, y’know, trying to win the game? Keep The Burglar locked up.

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#8: Ocean Master (DC 75th Anniversary #027)

He’s not a master of much of anything but sucking. His 3 range is almost worthless and his SP stands a 33% chance of both not cracking Invulnerability and causing him unavoidable damage. If he’s caught without water terrain, his Probability Control — the only reason to play him — dries up like a beached jellyfish. Give him about as wide a berth as you would that thing while on your vacation.

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#7: Clark Kent (The Brave and the Bold #002)

For a guy who’s secretly Superman, he’s sure sorry. Nearly 50 points for a little bit of Toughness and Perplex? Not hot. Even if he somehow survives to switch to AE Superman, he’s only got one click of Charge (so no pushing to switch) and only 3 clicks of life.

He should have Superman Ally TA at least…x-ray vision is the one power he can and does use inconspicuously as Clark Kent and it’d almost make him worth the price. As he is, though, he’s a hack.

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#6: Extant (The Brave and the Bold #037)

At first he looks like every generic army’s nightmare with his SP that hits them all at once. Then you realize the horrible truth.

  • It doesn’t show until his 3rd click…
  • …which you’ll never see willingly because A) he doesn’t push (both due to Quintessence and the fact that his 10 AV is then history)…
  • …and B) is likely to get hit past (thanks, no damage reduction!)
  • …and will probably miss the target anyway as he’s swinging with 8 or even 7 AV.

He’s a little hard to hit (at first) and has solid 10 range and a lot of 3 damage, yes. All that goes for pieces wayyyyy under his 169 points. Extant need not exist in your team-building plans.

Yesssss.

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#5: Quentin Turnbull (Jonah Hex #003)

Hard to use Mastermind when you’re only 40 points with a 14 DV. I mean, the peons are likely to have a higher DV, and yet you’re making it easier for opponents to KO them! Perplex and Outwit can be had cheaper…especially with the latter buried on click 3 of his 4-click life.

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#4: Knot Top Leader (Watchmen #016)

Maybe if there were, oh, I don’t know…more than ONE WHOLE OTHER FIGURE IN THE GAME that benefitted from his having the Knot Top keyword and higher cost, this waste of 37 points (which, again, you’ll only ever play because you want to use one or more copies of that one whole other figure in the game) might not be among the worst figures of the year. But there isn’t, and so he is.

I don't even have anything cute to say here.

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#3 Bruce Wayne (The Brave and the Bold #101)

Did I say it was hard to use Mastermind on a 40-point piece? Try 33 points! I suppose one could get some short-range Mind Control use out of him if you made sure he had some pogs to shuffle attacks off to. Otherwise, leave this playboy passed out in the hotel room where he belongs.

It's full of money...MONOPOLY MONEY.

______________________________________________

#2 Mary Jane Watson (Web of Spider-Man #030)

IF you’re playing a Spider-Man, she can be a Willpower’d wild card. That means spending a minimum of 50 extra points in Modern Age just to make her worth considering. If you want a themed team you’ll have to go up to 90 points to field Brick Spidey.

That’s not hitting the jackpot, BTW.

15 points of a pointless HeroClix figure just to say she’s been made into a figure. Let’s never do this again, OK, WizKids?

...even if it IS a fantastic figure ^ (if you catch my drift.)

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And Heroclixin’s number one worst HeroClix figure of 2010 is:

Spider-Man (Web of Spider-Man #100)

At first, Brick Spidey looks OK, with a neat SP and an even better trait. Then you realize that huge 4-square base ruins him utterly, making him too big a target for enemies, restricting his attack abilities via his Transporter Move And Attack, and generally offering him no benefit whatsoever. AND he dies from just 6 clicks? He’s a brick, all right…a brick of FECES!!!

Um, actually? We're STILL laughing at you.

That does it for the Top Tens of 2010. Hopefully, we’ll all be around next January to recount the most memorable ‘Clix of 2011 (and the recently revealed Magneto already looks like a lock for Heroclixin’s list, let me tell you)!

I’m going to take a short break from posts (I think) and will be back Monday with resumption of My Custom Mods series! Til then, happy clixin’!

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Continuing the countdown of my Ten FAVORITE pieces released in 2010:

_________________________________________________

#6 are those eternal super-buddies…

Super Buddies are better than the slackers they appear to be.

Blue Beetle and Booster Gold (The Brave and The Bold #052)

WHY I WANT TO PLAY THEM EVERY WEEK:
It’s Blue and Gold! The funnest duo in comics, bar none, hearkening to a more innocent time in comics, when the body count wasn’t so relentless.

I DONT PLAY THEM EVERY WEEK BECAUSE:
As with Cookie Manhunter yesterday, I don’t consider JLI that often. And also like him, Booster and Beetle are so essential to the theme — both in spirit and in playability, thanks to one of their SPs — that I simply won’t play it without them.

I’M PLAYING THEM AGAIN:
On the next JLI team. I also need to consider them the next time I play a duo, as their Super Buddies SP benefits the double-fisted ability.

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5 is his royal majesty, monarch of Planet X…

"I AM GROOT!!!"

Groot!!

WHY I WANT TO PLAY HIM EVERY WEEK:

HE IS GROOT!
(Translation: I love the Guardians of the Galaxy, as a simple term search of this blog will reveal. He’s literally the biggest member and the last to be made. He’s powerful and effective and great fun to play shouting his trademark “I AM GROOT” catchphrase with his every action.)

I DON’T PLAY HIM EVERY WEEK BECAUSE:
HE IS GROOT!!!!
(Translation: His point value throws off the Guardians’ build totals on many point levels, especially in Modern Age with the new — and, IMO, essential — Alternate Team Ability. And I really hate to leave characters off simply to make room for Groot, or vice versa.)

I’M PLAYING HIM AGAIN BECAUSE:
HE IS GROOT!!!!!!
(Translation: I’ll fit him onto smaller — or larger — GotG builds anyway, as well as Ruler and Monster teams.)

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Tomorrow: Two more ridiculous Spider-Man-related pieces from my youth.

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I already listed the top 10 (and a couple dozen runners-up) of 2010, but have yet to share MY favorites of the year. (Warning you now…there’s almost NO crossover.)

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#10

The Spot (Web of Spider-Man #051)

WHY I WANT TO PLAY HIM EVERY WEEK:

I have a soft spot in my heart for the ridiculous aspects of comics in general. There’s nothing more ridiculous than The Spot. He’s also surprisingly effective, with his HSS-lite (he’s a Transporter) and SP ability to pop next to blocking or walls and Flurry someone.

I DON’T PLAY HIM EVERY WEEK BECAUSE:

He got weak offense numbers, requiring extra investment into Perplex or something. His 51-point cost also prices him out of the below-50 games where he shines.

I’M PLAYING HIM AGAIN:

Probably on a Scientist themed team, even though he doesn’t really fit that well. I’ll probably team him up with SI Mr. Fantastic to really make him a surprise beast.
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9

Green Goblin (Web of Spider-Man #058) / Doctor Octopus (Web of Spider-Man #054)

WHY I WANT TO PLAY THEM EVERY WEEK:

It’s really not at all about their playability. Both pieces are OK Super Rares that I didn’t really have to have and actually initially planned to trade away.

But then I got them in hand and looked at the sculpts:

The maniacal grin and double-fisted pumpkin bomb pose...so ridiculously amusing

and…

It's a great sculpt. But it's the MONEY BAGS that make it awesome FUN.

These are two of only three characters in the game that I want to play just for the sculpt alone. (The third is Nightwing & Starfire. Recently sold them.)

I DON’T PLAY THEM EVERY WEEK BECAUSE:

They’re never a first choice as characters or for playability, so they’re well down the list.

I’M PLAYING THEM AGAIN:

Next Sinister Syndicate team, of course. Before that, I also have an all-Doc Ock team ready to run co-starring the Secret Invasion, Ultimates and Clobberin’ Time versions.

Tomorrow: A couple of Justice Leaguers.

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#5 is a Marvelous occasional duo:

Shazam! and Black Adam (The Brave and the Bold, #055)

You knew this piece, which appeared in the 2010 HeroClix World Champion’s team, was going to show up on this list. And it’s not hard to see why:

  • Hypersonic Speed, on both “ends.” The Shazam end is particularly beast, thanks to…
  • Probability Control, to make sure those rolls have the best odds of going your way;
  • Big damage that never drops below 3 (this is key for their Duo Attack ability) — much of it penetrating damage.
  • The ability to halve their cost to 140 and fit either persona onto a smaller team. Again, Shazam’s the best for it due to his dual utility as beastick and support piece.
  • But don’t overlook Black Adam’s ability to mix his HSS with Close Combat Expert or Exploit Weakness;
  • Justice Society team ability offers a way to boost defenses (as do the Defend clicks of the Shazam half);
  • their Mystical keyword makes for some powerful themed teams.

The duo has some serious soft points in their defense (Defend on Shazam, low DV on B. Adam, short life on both 140 pt. versions) in addition to the usual drawbacks of doublebased characters (the inability to be moved with Telekinesis chief among them) and duos (no Fortitude allowed for them in Golden Age) that keep them from being higher up. But the only 12-click character in the game is definitely Top 5 material.

Next: One from the Greatest Generation.

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Not the Dark Avenger you probably expecting:

#6

Noh-Varr (Web of Spider-Man, #038)

This one almost slipped under my radar. But he’s loaded with elements making him a lock for the list:

  • Running Shot with Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Pulse Wave (SP “Transforming Gauntlet Gun”) with great stats;
  • Invulnerability, helping the chances of even a strong hit landing him on…
  • Hypersonic Speed and Super Strength. Good combo, that;
  • late Perplex. That’s good, as his stats start to slip;
  • two clicks of Regeneration that can land him on good clicks no matter what;
  • EIGHT keywords, making him a good fit for a lot of themed teams;
  • “Traitor To All,” his trait giving him an AV boost if he ignores his keywords, making him an even better fit on non-themed teams.

Weaknesses? Maybe a slight lack of early close-combat effectiveness and/or Flight. Yeah, who cares? Great light tentpole who leaves plenty of room for support or other solid fighters.

Next week: The Top 5! Will your favorite make the list? Watch and see. ‘Til then, happy playing!

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#7 is naked power.

Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen, #005)

Also known as “Zenhattan” for his floating lotus position pose, he’s on the list because:

  • His powers can’t be countered;
  • PERIOD!! 🙂
  • His first SP grants 12 AV Psychic Blast (and Barrier, and Telekinesis…but the PB is the one that everyone really cares about);
  • Impervious, which segues into “That Didn’t Kill Osterman,” which, in addition to nullifying damage, sends him back to his starting area and probably out of harm’s way;
  • “Simultaneous Perception” which grants Super Senses and Probability Control on top of it all, making him very difficult to even hit;
  • His Watchmen TA makes him immune to enemy attempts to mess with his stats.

At 276 points, he suffers from not being able to push, and being totally range-oriented (making him a bit vulnerable to tie-up), especially on the back end of his dial. Played correctly, though, he never sees that end.

Next: A dark avenger.

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#8 is…

Too much "hunch punch."

Atrocitus (DC75th Anniversary, #042)

A 202-point no-range Charging brick would seem a poor candidate if not for his:

  • Indomitable symbol;
  • his “Burn Through Defenses” trait which downgrades Impervious to Invulnerability and Invulnerability to Toughness, making him an answer to those powers;
  • great stats throughout;
  • A later SP “Ever Growing Hate” and Poison to help him deal with swarms.

He’d place higher if he didn’t waste points on Blades/Claws/Fangs with such high natural damage. He also needs Telekinesis to help him not get shot to pieces from range. In Modern Age games, he’s a great fit for the Red Lantern Special Object and the Kinetic Accelerator; in Golden Age, it’s probably Fortitude or nothing.

Next one is less angry and less red. (Which could be anyone.)

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In total contrast to the high-flying, fast-racing superpowered heroic duo Flash and Green Lantern, the next piece on the list is a non-powered villain operating so deeply in the shadows that no one is fully certain who he really is.

#9

The Holiday Killer (The Brave and the Bold, #021)

What, this little 43-pointer makes the list? YES. For such a low cost, he brings:

  • Stealthed Outwit. That’s always a solid combo;
  • High sharable AV (via his Batman Enemy TA). Even though he’s less vital now that wild cards can lend stats, it’s still welcome on him;
  • 8 range. He’s not JUST a hidden support figure but a viable 2nd or 2rd attacker.

Sure, his dial is short, but hey…he’s only 43 points! He requires no extra feats to function well in Golden Age games.

Next piece is maddening.