Heroclixin’ has written about The Authority a number of times, it being a whole team that was my collective No. 2 favorite of 2014. In 2017, it was joined by Planetary, and it got challenged to a potentially tough fight against a high-point Apokolips keyword team. So I opted to run a practice game — one that Apokolips lost.

I thought I needed to run this practice again because I accidentally forgot to actually put a certain figure in the Apokolips starting area, and I also remembered I had Superman, God of Strength to stand in for the 200-point Supergirl piece (removing the Lex Luthor). Finally, I wanted to see how the team would do on a less constricted map.

The ROC Sporting Arena fit the bill, with its only token attempts at hindering or elevated and no blocking terrain at all. Darkseid would see all.

This time I actually remembered to field the Kinetic Accelerator and Eleha’al Vine special objects to give the Authority some extra tactical options.

BUILDS:

Bernadeth [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 040] 50

Knockout [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 006] 50

Mad Harriet [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 022] 50

Stompa [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 007] 50

Lashina [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 056] 75

Big Barda [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 023a] 125

Granny Goodness [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 046] 125

Steppenwolf [Superman/Wonder Woman 058] 135

Brimstone [Superman/Wonder Woman G003] 20

Superman, God of Strength [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 061] 200 (standing in for the Supergirl I didn’t yet have)

Darkseid [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 044] @ 350 (in place of the Darkseid I don’t own)

=1260 points

 

And here’s “Planetarauthority”

Ambrose Chase @ 90 + Force Field 10

Apollo @ 200 + Alias 3

Doctor @ 110 + Force Field 10

The Drummer 40

Elijah Snow @ 120 + Stunning Blow 10

Engineer @ 175 + Invigorate 10

Jack Hawksmoor + Lunge 5

Jakita Wagner 80 + Unstoppable 5

Jenny Sparks 125 + Contingency Plan 12

Midnighter @ 100 + Opportunist 10 + Infiltrate 2  

Swift 90 + Lunge 5

=1297 points.

 

TURNING POINTS

Despite my building some Barrier and blocking terrain with Elijah and Jack, respectively, to shield Midnighter waiting on the Accelerator, Darkseid was again able to get a first shot off on him thanks to Barda blasting a hole — and this time, Barda was able to properly Enhance the damage up for a one-shot kill (Alias feat failed).

Doctor got TK’d to do a mass Pulse Wave but Jakita and Apollo’s HSS tries at Darkseid flopped from TTPC and Jenny’s whiffed as well. Worse, Ambrose crit missed next turn on a push. Jakita got pounded to death’s door by Superman and pushed herself through said door on a thoroughly unsuccessful Flurry after. And a turn later, a pushed Apollo (double Outwitted by Darkseid then Superman Enemies) was spun right through his dial to KO.

It’s here that Granny Goodness did her once-per-game Boom Tube thing to isolate and destroy Jenny Sparks and Engineer.

TURNING POINTS

But again, that’s where it went wrong for Apokolips.

The Drummer had been left atop elevated near his starting area to see the Furies and nix some of their attempts to Superman Enemy Outwit stuff. Jack was also able to erect some blocking to hamper Lashina’s Plasticity zone. Most of all, Jenny lucked out when Superman, God of Strength missed an attack that would have crippled her.

Ambrose, having been evac’d by Swift, got healed by Engineer, and it finally clicked for me that he can use both targets for his RANGE Special, allowing him to potentially hit SIX foes instead of the three I’d been shooting at in earlier games. So that was a major Turning Point, as was my finally also remembering Eli’s “Chill In Your Bones” trait to hinder Apokolips’ POWER, then CLOSE, then RANGE actions. Both bought Engineer enough time to heal and Invigorate the remaining team, which then laid down enough attacks to finish Mad Harriet, Bernadeth, Darkseid, and Superman.

Steppenwolf, Stompa, Barda and Lashina were not nearly enough to deal with the resurgent Planetary/Authority. Engineer, Jenny, Jack, Ambrose, Swift, Elijah and Drummer were left standing — more than half on their opening clicks.

———

I believed I was playing the Apokolips team incorrectly. Each game, I’d thought advancing with Granny and co. would be the knockout lockdown move, and both times it simply led to her KO and the crumbling of her Furies.

Also, each time I decided to use Darkseid’s Outwit to soften targets, thinking he was safe at his 10 range through friendlies to do so. But his having to maneuver around blocking left him slightly open to retaliation both times and he’s paid for it dearly. More to the point, the actual Darkseid I’d be facing has no Outwit until very deep dial, so I shouldn’t be using it here.

And so I ran this practice again one more time. Check next week to see how that went.