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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.

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No Friday Force-Building this week. We’ve all got brand-new clix to pull and try out! In that spirit, here’s a look at one of my favorite themes.

Several weeks ago, I posted a simply titanic article about the Atlantis keyword in HeroClix. Long a thoroughly uncompetitive keyword theme, it’s gotten some boosts in the past couple of years with the emergence of Namor in Secret Invasion, one of the most flat-out effective beasticks (not a typo; see the glossary) in the game and, more recently, Aquaman (Brightest Day) for his ability to make other Atlanteans quasi-Mystics and his own considerable offensive prowess.

Now there are three new Atlantis pieces in DC 75th Anniversary set. Let’s look at what they do for life under da sea:

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50-100 points
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Ocean Master (DC75): Aquaman’s villainous half-brother makes his HeroClix debut. He’s not very good, though, with only a pitiful 3 range, Force Blast and Mastermind available for his first two clicks. Mid-dial he gets a Special Power granting him Blades/Claws/Fangs at range, but at the risk of taking 1 unavoidable damage if he rolls a 1 or 2.

The only reason he should be considered for an Atlantis team is his trait giving him Probability Control while in water. Because of this, and his super-short range, he should be feated with Submerged whenever possible. He’s purely a weak support piece, so you may want to spend the 65 points on other Atlanteans instead.

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I don't yet own a Mera fig, but I got a shot of her at my venue. And, as you see, she can tote her token! (Barely. Squeeze it between her hair and shoulder.)

 

Mera (DC75): At last, the first super-spouse in comics gets her own figure in HeroClix. And like a good woman, she definitely improves the union by bringing several things to the marriage!
First, Telekinesis. A single click on top gives Atlantis first-strike capability at last, whether by throwing objects or, more likely, super-strong friends holding objects. She also gets the power back on her whole back-dial, too.
She also brings unparalleled mobility with Phasing/Teleport (for some reason) and Exploit Weakness with Super Strength to make her a close-combat threat (with Toughness for survival). Later, she shifts focus to Mind Control (again, it doesn’t fit her powerset), Barrier and Regeneration.
At 85 points, she’s not cheap, but that TK is indispensable.
 

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100+ points
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This one's standing on a BLUE tentacle.

Veteran Aquaman (DC75): Sharing a near-identical sculpt, near-identical cost and the dolphin-transporter symbol with Brightest Day Aquaman, this 106-point model has a very different dial. His Speed power is special “Sea Life Telepathy” Mind Control that’s +3 AV and zero feedback damage against the Atlantis keyword. Even better, his Attack SP “Rise From The Deep” allows him to warp in water terrain the way OOTS Batman does in hindering terrain.

 

He’s not as thick-skinned as BD Aquaman, with Toughness sandwiching some Invulnerability in the middle, nor does he have Super Strength to boost his naturally-high 4 damage. But he’s got an extra click of life and some more keywords to make him fit on most JLA-themed teams.
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and…
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Bucket of Water: One of the 3D LE objects in DC75, this 0-point light object is water terrain instead of hindering terrain, providing yet another way to activate the Atlantis keyword members’ various water-based powers. It benefits:
  • any Submerged character;
  • Aqualad and Garth, who can use it to hide via their SPs, then Charge off it (for no penalty to Speed);
  • Starro Aquaman and JL Arthur Curry, who can use it to gain their water-based Invulnerability and, respectively, extra Charge Speed and late-dial Regen and Close Combat Expert;
  • SI Namor, who can use his Regen-only-in-water late clicks on it;
  • BD Aquaman, who gains 8 range when on it;
  • DC75 Aquaman, who could use it for his RFTD attacks;
  • Namora and Attuma, who, because they both gain water-activated SPs after their Super Strength clicks, stand to benefit somewhat even after taking massive damage;
  • Ocean Master, who offers Probability Control on it;
  • Atlantean Warriors, who can use it in conjunction with other hindering terrain to activate their Stealth;
  • and DC75 Mera, who could TK the object to best effect for any of the previously mentioned characters (by, for example, moving the bucket into a square of hindering terrain, thereby allowing the aforementioned Atlantean Warrior to use Stealth even more efficiently), not to mention the ones I forgot and non-Atlantis pieces like Triton and Frog of Thunder.
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In conclusion, the addition of both TK and PC leaves Atlantis missing only Outwit among the classic HeroClix support powers. In just a short time, the fish have grown considerably more competitive! So go for a swim and swamp some enemy forces!

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With a new Narnia movie coming tomorrow, I’ve got Aslan the lion on my mind. Hence, Lionheart is today’s token-toter:

She easily holds between her legs, as her hands are full. 🙂 So if you happen to use ol’ girl for any reason (and those reasons are few), now you know how she carries her rocks!

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Experienced DAREDEVIL (Sinister)

The 1990s were a stupid time in comics, full of stupid revamps and stupid new directions and stupid new powers and and stupid new costumes. Daredevil’s briefly-worn “armor” costume was among the stupidest of all.

A character whose main thing is nimbleness and agility is gonna load up on armor plating? Yeah. SO makes sense.

But, I must admit…it did look cool. And when I saw this Experienced Daredevil dial sporting Toughness where no previous Daredevil had any at all, I figured this one must be this costume. So I decided to modify mine to match:

  • Painted body in black and red acrylics.
  • Painted armor details in silver enamel.

Front...

...and back. Photos by Antonio Cade.

Completed late-2009. Yep. It does look pretty cool.
NEXT MONDAY: A much less extensive repaint.

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Welcome again to my once-or-twice weekly presentation of characters with Super Strength who can hold their own object tokens.

In anticipation of the upcoming Lantern-heavy DC 75 set, here’s Arkillo, who totes his token in an unusual way:

It is NOT for eating. It is for BEATING.


🙂

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I’m away from my computer, celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with family. But in case you’re visiting today, I thought I’d schedule a relative feast of pics for you.

In fact, because it contains a Thanksgiving dinner scene, the nerdcore 2002 film Spider-Man has become something of an annual broadcast tradition. So enjoy this Spider-centric edition, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

"Is he strong? Listen, bud...he's got radioactive blood!" From left: Vet Spider-Man (Sinister), Spider-Man (Avengers), Unique Spider-Man (Armor Wars), Unique Scarlet Spider (Sinister), Spider-Woman (Secret Invasion) and Spider-Girl (Secret Invasion).

  • Vet Spidey holds his token between his leg and the brick wall (similar to Tuesday’s CD Clayface).
  • Iron Spidey holds his in his extra “legs” as pictured, or you can fit the token even better between his left shoulder and leg.
  • Lay the token on AW Spidey’s back. It’ll lie neatly in the gap created by the web and his ankle.
  • Similarly, Scarlet Spider’s able to hold his with his butt. 🙂

Not to be outdone the Spider-ladies can heft their heavies:

  • Spider-Woman’s fits under her right armpit.
  • Spider-Girl’s is wedged upright between her left armpit and her dial base.

Finally, here’s one more Spidey for you, the LE from the 2007 Sinister set:

The ORIGINAL pole-dancing, armored Spider-Man!

Don’t have the latest Spider-Men pictured yet. But if you readers have any photos of HeroClix characters holding their objects, send ’em to me at heroclixin@yahoo.com with your name/screenname and location. If I don’t have that character pictured, or you’ve shown me a new way of Token-Totin’, I’ll publish the pic in this space and give you credit.

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In an effort to more regularly update my blog, I’m adding 2.5 new features to the site!

I’m already doing My Custom Mods on Mondays, even though I’m currently running low with only 12 or so left in the can (which is one reason I wasn’t so gung-ho about getting the latest mod up yesterday). I don’t see many new mod projects coming up in the near future, so I may need to replace this feature with a new one soon. Any ideas?

Next is Token-Totin’ Tuesdays/Thursdays, which begs some explaining.

Ever been annoyed when an opponent Charges his boot speed brick in to smack your guy for 5 clicks with an object you thought he was standing on, not holding?

Yeah, me too. People forget that the game rules state that when a character picks up an object, the player must “Immediately place the object token someplace that indicates the character with Super Strength is carrying the object.”

It ought to be obvious when a Super-Strong character is hefting an engine block and not sitting on it. And, surprisingly, it easily can be!

These are toys, and anyone who was once a boy knows that action figures need to be able to hold their weapons. So I did a survey to see which sculpts, of the characters with Super Strength (or a Special Power granting use of same), can hold a standard object token somewhere — anywhere — on the sculpt. The only criteria is that the token should be able to stay on the model with minimal assistance while moving the figure on the board.

This new feature, then, is simply a once-or-twice-weekly photograph journal of how every character with Super-Strength can hold the standard HeroClix object token.

Some will be obvious. Some, surprising. Some, hilarious. All will make your little plastic superhero gaming that much more awesome.

First up: ATOM SMASHER from the DC Giants Collector Set!

Make sure you balance the token on his right hand’s knuckles and on the wrist band of his left arm.

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Wednesdays will be battle report day. If I’ve had a HeroClix match the previous week (and I most likely have), that’s when it’ll be posted. Add it to your reading list along with your new comics! 🙂

Thursdays will add a new Token Totin’ pic (or possibly double up if I missed Tuesday). Then, on Friday, I’m starting a new feature: Friday Force-Building, where I’ll talk a bit about pre-built team ideas. Maybe they’ll inspire your teams for the weekend’s games — or you can inspire me and others with yours listed in the comments!

What do you think of these ideas? Comment below!

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Being a HUGE Aquaman fan, he was the first character I had to try out from the brand-new Brightest Day Action Pack. I did so in a friendly home game against a pal, who played his own BD figs Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Deadman, Hawkgirl and Captain Boomerang versus my Atlantis-themed team:

Namor (Secret Invasion) 150
Tempest 116
Aquaman (Brightest Day) 105
Atlantean Warrior 35
Atlantean Warrior 35
Atlantean Warrior 35
Walter “Prof” Haley 7
Dolphin 6
Mera (Crisis) 6
+ Blue Lantern 5
+ Opened Hydrant 0
+ Dynamostat 0
= 500 points.

This was Modern Age, so no feats or battlefield conditions. Thomas won the map roll, so he picked the Crater map.

Fortunately, I  knew how I wanted to approach this not-so-watery map: by placing my Opened Hydrant in one of its special squares to ensure my team was always well-hydrated. 🙂 Thomas, for his part, placed his Yellow Lantern in the other square to keep me from taking it out.

Thomas moved his force out, ready to Charge any of my team that entered my Hydrant-generated pool. I kept my important pieces back and Charged (unsuccessfully) all four foes in the Crater with Atlantean Warriors while Tempest Barriered Martian Manhunter from raining down Psychic Blast damage from the ledge. By mid-game, Thomas had lost Aquaman and Hawkgirl.

Things went a bit south for me, though, when Martian Manhunter got hit to his Hypersonic Speed clicks. Suddenly, Thomas had all the offensive and mobility advantages — flight, range, move+attack and the high ground — forcing me to slowly advance while Thomas could take shots at will to whittle down my Aquaman, the only real threat to him now that Namor had been knocked off his Flight clicks. Not even my picking up Thomas’s Indigo Lantern object or his rolling a crit miss with the Manhunter could stop him!

Finally, the turning point: after getting hit to his range SP, Aquaman took a shot at Deadman. My plan was to get to Aquaman’s Support to maybe heal Namor or one of the Atlantean Warriors. But…

  1. My push to heal failed.
  2. Aquaman was now stuck on his last click.
  3. I’d hit Deadman to his TK clicks, granting Martian Manhunter the extra range to reach a shooting spot past the team I’d surrounded Aquaman with.
  4. MM did not miss, KOing Aquaman.
  5. MM’s trait granted him Outwit, with which he countered Tempest’s Perplex, preventing the one character I had with range the ability to damage through MM’s Invulnerability, and MM blocked the ladder, blocking all my characters from reaching him or his teammates.

And that last action cost Thomas the game. Because:

  1. Tempest still had Incapacitate, and successfully pushed MM to his last click.
  2. Namor still held the Indigo Lantern, and threw it to KO MM.

That pretty well sealed my win, as Deadman and Captain Boomerang were now quite overpowered. (But Cap sure piled up the bodies before he went down!)

As I noted in my titanic Atlantis article, Brightest Day Aquaman truly makes the Secret Invasion Atlantean Warriors a force to reckon with. They lasted much longer both as meat shields and tie-up fodder than they should have because of fear of the feedback damage from Aquaman’s trait. That freed up Namor and Aquaman to deal the bulk of damage. Tempest was also quite key for his support powers of Barrier and Perplex.

I love playing Atlantis and swimmer teams. Can “Atlantis Attacks: Wave 2” be far off? 😉

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Last Friday, I posted a titanic article on the Atlantis keyword in anticipation of the just-released Brightest Day Action Pack featuring Aquaman. Early in it, I listed all the tournament-legal maps containing water terrain. But I didn’t know the Brightest Day map would also contain water on both sides!

The Crater has a small 3×3 spot of water on one end that usually won’t be very useful for Atlantis, but if they lose map choice, it might be good to have that end of the map to retreat to. Also, if you place the Opened Hydrant special object in the special squares in the center of the map, you’ll have nigh-permanent water terrain down there; it then can’t be destroyed. Use this to surprising advantage!

On the flipside, The Monument has a much larger and longer pool of water along one side of the map, equally accessible by both ends. The elevated portion of the map has great nooks to place the Opened Hydrant to create extra watery zones on the ground, too.

Look for Atlantis battle reports in the coming weeks. 🙂