Once in a while I like to look back at the years I played this game BEFORE starting Heroclixin’ and identifying what were my top 10 faves in 2006 and 2007. Now it’s 2008’s turn.

For some interesting archival F.U.N., I’m including old review text I wrote when these pieces were newer — some here on Heroclixin’, others when I was a volunteer reviewer for Pojo.com.

10. Accomplished Perfect Physician (Crisis 044)

From a 2012 Heroclixin’ article on the top medics in the game:

This member of China’s team of superheroes super functionaries is one of the better healers in the game with his starting 10 Attack Value and 17 Defense backed by Super Senses. A full dial of Leap/Climb enables him to easily get out of adjacency if based, and a mid-dial pair of Outwit clicks in between the Support ones make hitting him off Support a problem for foes.

He’s at the bottom of the list, though, because at 61 points, he’s really pricey for a medic to have only a  full dial of 1 damage despite his attack powers of Incap, Quake or Psychic Blast. Worse yet, his speed value is pretty poor; he might not be able to get where he needs to go!

Still, with a power on every slot, it’s not hard to be down with A.P.P. for a medic that can contribute a little bit more than just healing. He’s the #10 best medic in Heroclixin’.

I really liked the Great Ten and wish more of them had been made in ‘Clix.

9. Power Man and Iron Fist (Secret Invasion 058)

At the time, I liked duos and these Heroes For Hire were a natural for the theme and mechanic. Sure, they lacked opening armor (Defend instead of the Invulnerability they had on clicks 2-4) and their Wallbuster SP didn’t quite work (only on MOVE actions, not the POWER action of Charge — not that their 8 Speed could use it that well, especially without Improved Movement), but they were a then-rare Indomitable figure, with wild card status (a FAR more powerful ability back then).

8. Spectre (Crisis 059)

I wrote a whole review at Pojo.com:

STRENGTHS:
Man, where do I start. First, he’s a flying giant with a great 11 AV, 10 range and 5 damage. So even though he has Super Strength, he doesn’t even need it to start. But if he wants to get in close, his first Special “Ghostly Guardian” gives him use of Charge, of Phasing/Teleport and of the JSA team ability. So as dangerous as he is from range, he’s worse by far in close. 

That’s especially true in his mid-dial. He loses Impervious for Super Senses and Regeneration but becomes an Outwitter and gains Flurry and Poison. If he gets hit here, he’ll feel it, leading to…

“VENGEANCE!” His other special power, on the last 4 clicks of his dial, enables him to swap his not-bad 3 damage value for his enemy’s, and make it PENETRATING.

That’s awesome. Invulnerability and Steal Energy helps preserve him (here his giant form helps him make the close combat attacks that Steal Energy requires, and Vengeance makes the damage stick to activate Steal Energy). But if the odds look too steep even for him, Spectre can Phase/Teleport away with ease, no matter what enemy Outwitters try.

That’s because he’s got the Quintessence team symbol, rendering him immune to Outwit and pushing damage. And that’s a lot of strengths.

WEAKNESSES:
He’s a Giant and high-cost, so enemies can swarm and out-action him. Also, wildcards can’t benefit from his JSA TA special power, because they can only copy from those who actually possess a team ability…Spectre can only USE the JSA TA. Defensively, much of his mid-dial is very soft and his defense numbers grow decidedly mediocre for his point cost.

It’s been ages since I pulled this old favorite from the vault. I’ve collected most of the other Spectre figures in the game (all except the old 6×3 colossal, which I sold at least a decade ago) so maybe I’ll field an all-Spectre force sometime.

7. Black Adam (Crisis 053)

Another Pojo.com review:

STRENGTHS:
An excellent 18 Impervious defense and 11 attack value with 5 damage are Adam’s big assets to start. Charge and Quake? …not so much, but it’s not terrible.
Better is Hypersonic and Super Strength on click #2, but it doesn’t last long, and by click 4 he’s Charging and Quaking again. One would hope he’s close enough to the fray for this not to matter so much…or better yet, that he’s still in base contact to put his “Power of Aton” power into play, granting him the use of either Exploit Weakness or Flurry in a turn. He’s still sporting either an 18 or 17 Invulnerability defense and 3 or 4 damage on these clicks, too. 

The late-dial sees Flurry and his first Toughness clicks. He also gains the self-Perplex power “Wisdom of Zehuti” to pump his AV back to 10 or his damage for near-certain KO of a weakened target (or his range (!) to 5 for a shocking surprise, so long as he isn’t on one of his many Battle Fury clicks). Finally, his last two slots end much as he starts: Charge, Quake, Impervious and Battle Fury, though with much lower (but not terrible) numbers.

All these overlapping power combos, while not the most efficient, do add up to Black Adam’s biggest strength: He has a way to put the hurt on both single big figs or on a lot of little ones. And he can do so on every click, so he’s more pushable by far than, say, Vet Icons Superman.

WEAKNESSES:
Unlike the Black Adam of old, this caped version starts with Charge, Quake and Battle Fury instead of the coveted combo of Hypersonic Speed and Super Strength. That’s not good. It may take Adam too long to get into the fight without a TKer (especially with no more soaring in Heroclix), and then he’d have to sacrifice the feats he needs to work in the 300-point tournament environment. A simple push gives him HSS+SStrength on his 2nd click with no stat penalty (including a preservation of his 18 Impervious), but this big fig has then sacrificed a precious click of life. There are ways around this problem (see CARDS), but it IS a problem that holds Adam back.

Always a bit overcosted. But still an old favorite that I’ve reacquired for posterity.

6. Frankenstein (Arkham Asylum 041)

A mainstay on the Grant Morrison Seven Soldiers team:

Running Shot, Invulnerability, Blades/Claws/Fangs and Indomitable make this classic monster reborn a solid 98-point fighting piece in a Heroclix game. His starting 9 Attack Value makes him Friendly enough to run in less-competitive environments (and fear not; a single push gets him to double digit AV if you need it). And monsters just don’t come any Niftier than Frankenstein — come on, now! Plasticity, Close Combat Expert and Regeneration give plenty of options late-dial.

 

He’s since been remade, but this old fave still gets consideration for replay on the Seven Soldiers.

5. Namor (Secret Invasion 045)

I wrote about him in this site’s “Atlantis Attacks” series of review articles:

This is the piece that showed everyone that Charge and Flurry are compatible powers. (Yeah, two of the Justice League Flashes did it first, but nobody cared.) He’s also the one that showed us a Flight character could be carried (as his SP grants him the Flight ability only, not the Wing symbol). Offering excellent defenses on the first half of his dial and massive offensive potential throughout, he singlehandedly made the Atlantis keyword competitive in his heyday and remains a top-flight bruiser for just 150 points. 

Still a superb Namor, though he’s been lapped several times.

4. Black Manta (Arkham Asylum 049)

Another “Atlantis Attacks” review:

Also 68 points, this archenemy to Aquaman offers enough to the theme to possibly overlook his blood feud with the hero. The first-ever dolphin Transporter, he has 6-range Psychic Blast (later, Super Strength) and — and here’s the reason to run him if you’ve broken theme — “Pirate,” which grants him Perplex of himself or other swimmers only. He’s also way cheaper than his later versions appearing in Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes/Legion of Doom sets.

He’s surfing on a shark with frickin’ laser beams. That’s Nerdcore enough to win him a high spot on my favorites of 2008.

3. [tie]

Superman (Crisis 100) and Batman (Arkham Asylum 099)

Two early chase pieces that I used to love — and reviewed at Pojo:

STRENGTHS:

Man, where to start! He’s got “This is a Job for Superman!”, a full-speed version of Charge with a natural 5 damage! Better still is his “Leading the Attack” SP that gives him a free close combat attack every round, even if he’s got two tokens…which he will, often, because he doesn’t take pushing damage, ever (thanks to his Trait, which is uncounterable and uncancelable). 

 His stats are superb — even a solid hit for 3 (after his Impervious defense) knocks his DV up to peak 20, mid-dial! He also gains Hypersonic Speed at that point, making him quite dangerous. Late-dial, he remains mobile with Charge and hard-hitting with Close Combat Expert. But feel free to fire from range thanks to his Superman Ally team ability.

 While he’s quite the one-man-army, “Leading The Attack” also gives an AV boost to allies attacking the same target that round. 

 WEAKNESSES:

High cost and lack of Hypersonic Speed to start means he could get swarmed by foes, and even he can’t beat a well-balanced 400 point team alone — not with less than 60 points of help. Also note that he WILL fight alone — his nifty full-speed Charge bans him from taxiing help in or even using Super Strength. Worse still, his trait absolutely prevents him from pushing to HSS because traits cannot be countered or canceled. 

STRENGTHS:

A Stealthy Outwitter, like just about every OTHER Batman, this one stands apart with his first Special Power “From Among the Gargoyles” that treats the edge of buildings like hindering and thus affords him much greater flexibility in the Outwit role. Even without a rooftop, the power grants both Charge and Leap/Climb, and his other SP “Dark Knight”  grants free Smoke Cloud when he lacks tokens so he can remain perpetually Stealthed until he acts in earnest. 

 But let’s face it; a 120-point character is for FIGHTING, not hiding. Batman’s no slouch there; “Dark Knight” also grants Flurry which, in conjunction with the Charge from his first SP, allows him to deal 6 damage in a single turn (and MORE once he gains Perplex on click #3-5)! Mid-dial, his 18 Defend can help teammates outlast attacks. End-dial Leap/Climb and Outwit can keep him alive and relevant. 

 Oh, and did I mention he’s Indomitable, too?

 WEAKNESSES:

He’s defensively barenaked and pricey (and dangerous enough to always be a prime target). 

 IN SUM:

This is the ultimate Batman, the guy who beats up White Martians and pulls the JLA’s fat out of the fire. If not for the excellent 75-point Justice League common Batman, this one would be THE Batman to play…which would be awful for most players due to his inaccessibility as a chase figure. 4.5 of 5.

I had to sell these to help pay my mortgage in the Great Recession. Have since reacquired them in these better days (despite pandemic).

2. Iron Man (Secret Invasion 021)

Also known as the Robert Downey Jr. sculpt.

I wrote about him during the Iron Campaign, early in the life of the blog.

Great numbers on Attack (11), Defense (18) and Damage (4) almost make you not care how expensive he is. Then you see his Special Power “Extremis” granting him Perplex, Outwit and Super Senses all together for the first third of his dial. Quite simply the best Iron Man to date, SI Iron Man makes the Stark Industries theme build viable in an unprecedented fashion. Feats that work: Brilliant Tactician fits him, well, brilliantly. It’s hard to recommend much more on top of that, even though Outsmart, Coordination and the Avengers feats Thunderbolts and Alpha Flight are great fits as well.

Is this still my favorite Iron Man? Even at 188 points, I think so.

1. Crispus Allen (Arkham Asylum 101)

On Pojo.com:

STRENGTHS:
Outwit + 4 damage + 11 AV seems to equal frontline fighter, especially with double-target Incap. A few clicks in, he’s got damage reduction in Invulnerability and Impervious along with a peak 12 AV that never drops back to single digits. Also check out how his Plasticity + Phasing combo Special Power, “Vengeance Comes” allows him to come and go at will while holding foes down. That works well with “Your Powers Will Not Save You” which allows him either normal Outwit or the ability to counter all normal powers of 2 adjacent foes…no Line of Fire needed, apparently! Late-dial, he gets the potent combo of Flurry and Blades/Claws/Fangs. Mystics TA, too.

WEAKNESSES:
Riddled with them, actually. He’s defensively soft on both ends of the dial. He’s not likely to get damaged past his “hard” clicks, but still. No move/attack abilities (or Quintessence or Indomitable or even Willpower) is a big weakness for a tentpole-priced piece like him. And his 2nd click is REALLY terrible: his sole single-digit AV, NO defense powers at all, and his damage is halved to 2. Makes him particularly un-pushable to start.

IN SUM: 
Nothing at all like the Common figure he shares a sculpt with, Crispus Allen looks like a fun piece to run. But despite his vast power, he’s not necessarily going to hang with his weight class all that well. 3 of 5.