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“When blood is shed, let the Staff of One emerge.”
Nico Minoru
boot symbol
84 points
Team: none
Keywords: Mystical, Runaways, Teen
Range: 8 x 1
DIAL: http://wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/gallery/
STRENGTHS: It’s all about “Staff of One,” the Special Power that can be ANY power…any power that appears on the Powers and Abilities Chart (PAC) that she didn’t use last turn, that is. This makes her the absolute most versatile character in HeroClix.
Need some mobility for your team? Pick Telekinesis. Need an enemy power countered? Outwit. Need to push her to get out of the line of fire? Willpower. She already have two tokens and can’t move or act? Impervious. Afraid of getting Psychic Blasted? Energy Shield/Deflection. Got an opportunity to blast a weakened foe? Ranged Combat Expert. Need to heal a pal? Support. Need to help a fellow medic’s Support roll actually work? Probability Control.
And so on. Nico’s AWESOME.
WEAKNESSES: Aside from a pair of 9 AVs on top, all her numbers are absolutely sub-par–she’s got the stats of a piece less than half her cost.
CARDS TO CONSIDER: CONTINGENCY PLAN, first and foremost. Saves her from having to use a power on boosting her attack or range. ARMOR PIERCING also helps her low, low damage. And, if she’s with any of her keyword mates, RUNAWAYS is a fit. And, given how weak she is without Staff of One, FORTITUDE might be an apt investment.
But also note this: at least until the next set of rules appear in May 2010’s Blackest Night starter set, she can be equipped with almost any feat in the game because she can use any power in the game. Pretty much the only ones she’s denied are feats that trigger off symbols she lacks.
Only a few feats really make sense to use, though. AUTOMATIC REGENERATION is an excellent choice for her to get up to two shots at healing the turn she picks the prerequisite power. And either MENTAL SHIELDS or COMPEL are great if you plan to use Mind Control. But…why would you plan to use Mind Control with so many other powers to pick from?
IN SUM: Last year, The Chief made #1 on my top 10 list of 2008 for his versatility. Nico blows him away in that department.
Yet she’s only #2 for 2009. Who’s the number one piece in Hammer of Thor? Hmmm…

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The Sentinel of Liberty returns to HeroClix with his best sculpt ever!

All those who oppose this shield must yield.

Captain America
boot symbol
72 points
Team: Avengers
Keywords: Avengers, Martial Artist, SHIELD, Soldier
Range: 8 x 2
DIAL: http://wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/gallery/
STRENGTHS: Aside from an excellent Running Shot speed, good damage and stellar 18 DV + Energy Shield/Deflection, Cap seems a bit of a disappointment until you note his special power “Deflection Trajectory.” Only walls and indoor blocking terrain block his line of fire. This means he can shoot:
  • past characters, friend or foe (take that, Sharpshooters)
  • around buildings
  • from the middle of a roof to the ground, or vice versa
  • at Stealthed characters
  • at characters using the Camouflage feat(!)
  • through Barrier(!!)
This one power makes Cap an indispensable piece.
Fortunately for foes, he can’t shoot when based (“nyah, nyah” taunt the Sharpshooters like Star-Lord and Arkham Asylum’s Hitman) and the power’s gone from mid-dial on, anyhow. That’s when he shifts to Willpower and Close Combat Expert, which is highly unfortunate for whomever based him. Great keywords and economical cost means he can show up on a lot of teams.
WEAKNESSES: Although hard to hit, he’s a very soft target with a pretty short dial and a very large bull’s eye on his head. He’s also a fair bit less effective on indoor maps.
CARDS TO CONSIDER: Because he’s able to fight from behind cover and characters alike, he’s a key candidate for CONTINGENCY PLAN. FORCE FIELD can lengthen his life ever so slightly. DAMAGE SHIELD also works his whole dial. THUNDERBOLTS, ALPHA FLIGHT and PYM PARTICLES  are made for Avengers.
IN SUM: “Deflection Trajectory” is one of those Special Powers that make one question the wisdom of their creation. It’s so broadly powerful that it threatens to make Cap one of those crutch pieces run by players who can’t quite master the normal rules and tactics of the game and thus turn to the same few game-bending figures, feats and battlefield conditions to shift the meta-game in their favor. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s a top piece of the year and will be a staple on top teams for some time.
And yet his isn’t the best SP of all time. #2 has that one…

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From the pages of Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers comes the #4 piece…
Venom
boot symbol
73 points
Team: none
Keywords: Celebrity, Thunderbolts
Range: 4 x 1
DIAL: http://wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/gallery/
STRENGTHS: Not just his opening click, but his whole half-dial sports this killer power combo: Plasticity, Blades/Claws/Fangs, Super Senses and Shape Change. Added to his Leap/Climb trait and steady 9 AV, and you’ve got a piece that can get in the enemy’s face and keep them tied down there and avoid attacks while dealing its own.
The back half of the dial shifts to four more identical clicks: Flurry, Steal Energy, Combat Reflexes and Battle Fury. And with 10 AV, Venom has a fine chance of remaining on the field for some time.
WEAKNESSES: His initial base damage is a bit low at 2, but that’s more than mitigated by BCF. Battle Fury prevents him from being hauled off to the medic in a desperate situation. He’s quite expensive for his chief role as tie-up. His keywords are pretty thin, too.
CARDS TO CONSIDER: Venom is incredibly feat-friendly. Start with LUNGE to give him more flexibility in attacking swarms he’s tied up. Or consider POUNCE to give his initial tie-up move some bite (his 2nd click being identical to the first doesn’t hurt). Attack avoidance cards like CAMOUFLAGE vs. range or ENTANGLE vs. close attacks are tempting, but I wouldn’t go with both. TAKEDOWN is beyond awesome on him.
IN SUM: He’s the ultimate tie-up piece, bar none. Only the Clayfaces come close, and Venom’s amazing mobility leaves them in the dirt.
#3 is as good as Venom is bad…

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The shining king of Asgard is the first of the top five of 2009.

He'll CUTCHOO, man!!

Balder
boot symbol
130 points
Team: none
Keywords: Asgardian, Deity, Warrior
Range: 0 x 1
DIAL: http://wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/gallery/
STRENGTHS: Impervious for his first FOUR CLICKS? That hasn’t happened since Cosmic Justice, and Balder’s the cheapest costing piece with this combo by far. Charge, Close Combat Expert and a high AV round out his opening strengths, making him highly pushable. Mid-dial he shifts to Blades/Claws/Fangs (with a click of overlap with Exploit Weakness!) and Invulnerability before weakening to Toughness but gaining an AV spike. There’s also a Special Power granting Pulse Wave for a possible surprise range strike.
WEAKNESSES: Um…his speed might be a little low. Otherwise, I got nothin’.
CARDS TO CONSIDER: LUNGE gives his initial Charge that extra bit of range on his first two clicks (or to enable him to change targets if based). He’s cheap enough that he doesn’t need FORTITUDE just to protect your investment yet adding it won’t break you.
IN SUM: A fantastic piece that can either serve as a cheap tentpole or a secondary fighter in a larger game.
#4 is as dark as Balder is light…

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He’s called the Human Robot, but there are no fleshy bits in the #6 HeroClix figure of 2009.

Talk•to•the•hand•fleshy•ones

M-11
boot symbol
59 points
Team: none
Keywords: Agents of Atlas, Robot
Range: 6 x 1
DIAL: http://wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/gallery/
STRENGTHS: Unrelenting 3 damage for his WHOLE DIAL. 10 AV for his first SEVEN CLICKS. 18 DV and Super Strength for three clicks. Willpower for FIVE. And Regeneration the rest to potentially heal back up to his 2nd click. Psychic Blast through his mid-dial makes him deadly at range. For less than 60 points, he’s an awesome package.
WEAKNESSES: With zero damage reduction and no movement powers, M-11 is a soft, slow target.
CARDS TO CONSIDER: With so much Willpower, either OPPORTUNIST or PROTECTED are excellent fits. NANOARMOR helps mitigate big hits with enemy Super Strength. AUTOMATIC REGENERATION is choice in case he actually takes a hit.
IN SUM: Though he has his soft points, they’re easily worked around. M-11 is as good a mid-point fighter as you can ask for in HeroClix.
Next week, it’s on to the top five! This weekend, though, enjoy something from my “regular programming”… 🙂

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Also representing the Guardians of the Galaxy along with the #10 Star-Lord is #7…

 

Still angry about his Clix version's gun being too small.

 

Rocket Raccoon
boot symbol
65 points
Team: Defenders
Keywords: Animal, Guardians of the Galaxy, Soldier
Range: 8 x 1

DIAL: http://wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/gallery/

STRENGTHS: Top-click Leap/Climb, Probablity Control and Super Senses (the last, for his entire dial) are a great combo that hasn’t been seen since E Elongated Man way back in Collateral Damage. For only a few points more, Rocket adds effective 8 range and a shift to Outwit and Running Shot to maintain the support/offense balance. Energy Explosion and Defenders TA are a bit of icing on his cake. He’s going to be very useful on Soldier teams.

WEAKNESSES: His AV and especially DV really sag in the late dial and he’s short-lived for his cost.

CARDS TO CONSIDER: Doesn’t need any, though the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ATA  could be useful against enemy Outwit, especially if there are no other Defenders for him to pair up with.

IN SUM: Rocket Raccoon wins games. Period.

Next on the list: something else inhuman.

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#10: Star-Lord
Alongside the Asgardian Warrior is his female counterpart, the generic Valkyrie.

Too bad the HC figure doesn't have THIS figure.

Valkyrie
boot symbol
38 points
Team: none
Keywords: Asgardian, Warrior
Range: 4 x 1
DIAL: http://wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/gallery/
STRENGTHS: Excellent AV all down the dial. The potential (through her “Today Is Not That Day” special power)  to be a taxi for other Asgardians and a superb medic for anyone. Toughness to make her diffcult to one-hit KO and her late dial Running Shot turns her into a legitimate ranged threat despite her low 4 range.
WEAKNESSES: Very short dial for the cost. She’s a bit less useful if not played with a character activating her minion-type SP.
CARDS TO CONSIDER: If she’s a minion, INVIGORATE can be very effective on her.
IN SUM: So many strengths in an under-40-point package make Valkyrie the #8 piece of the set. (It feels like I wrote most of this already.) Range gets her a spot higher than the similar Asgardian Warrior.
#7 gets us out of generic-Norse-land and back in the main dimension (if not on Earth).

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#10: Star-Lord
From the heavenly realm of Asgard comes the generic Asgardian Warrior!

For Asgaaaaaaaarrrd!!

Asgardian Warrior
boot symbol
37 points
Team: none
Keywords: Asgardian, Warrior
Range: 0 x 1
DIAL: http://wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/gallery/
STRENGTHS:
3+ damage potential all down the dial. Excellent AV all down the dial. The potential (through his “For Asgard” special power)  for Charge and an attack boost…again, all down the dial. And Toughness to make him exceedingly diffcult to one-hit KO.
WEAKNESSES:
His very short dial for the cost. His utility wanes in the absence of characters that activate his Minion-type SP.
CARDS TO CONSIDER:
None. His low cost is his best asset.
IN SUM:
So many strengths in an under-40-point package make Asgardian Warrior the #9 piece of the set.
Next on the list is the first female on the list. Be here tomorrow to see who she is!

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For the past couple of years, I’ve done Top Ten lists of HeroClix on Pojo.com (in addition to semi-regular reviews, which I once planned to archive here. That’s probably not happening). In honor of the return of the game, I’m back with a Top Ten HeroClix of 2009 list.
…
…wwwhich pretty much means a Top Ten Hammer of Thor HeroClix list. 😀
But actually, HoT was absolutely packed with excellent pieces, so selecting these top 10 was every bit as difficult as in previous years with 3-4 times the sets.
So, without further delay, here’s #10!
==================================

...but he's Number ONE with the BULLETS.

Star-Lord
boot symbol
90 points
Team: Defenders
Keywords: Guardians of the Galaxy, Soldier
Range: 8 x 2
DIAL: http://wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/gallery/
STRENGTHS: “Galactic Marksman” is a fantastic Special Power. It gives him the choice to boost his AV +2 against a single target or his damage +2 against two. Coupled with his Running Shot and Sharpshooter ability, he can truly lay down some hurt at range or up close. Defenders TA shores up his Combat Reflexes-enhanced DV (assuming you run some higher DV’d teammates with him). His AV rises, making him fairly pushable. He’s also got Leadership to aid the team (and possibly himself).
His late dial gains Stealth and Ranged Combat Expert to remain a threat.
WEAKNESSES: His 16 DV is pretty mediocre, and it only gets worse on his back half. If he can’t find two targets, his damage is too low on his early dial. His dial is short for his point cost.
CARDS TO CONSIDER: CONTINGENCY PLAN can offset the AV penalty on his double-target option of Galactic Marksman. The KINETIC ACCELERATOR is good to boost his Running Shot range. And if you’re not running him with any other Defenders, go ahead and put the powers-protecting GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ATA on him.
IN SUM: A figure riddled with weaknesses nevertheless got a lot of support from readers to make the top 10 list because of its incredible versatility. Star-Lord is much better in practice than he looks on paper.
#9 is hardly a lord, taking us out of the stars but not out of the heavens…!

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Read the introduction to the series here.

E004 52

Based on DC's year-long weekly series (thus the moniker "52"). I wasn't a fan.

TURN THE DIAL: At the end of each turn, roll 2d6; turn the dial if the result is 9-12, and at the end of each round.
WHAT IT MEANS: Unlike the series that inspired it, this dial can move pretty fast, so don’t get too used to any one condition.
—
A YEAR WITHOUT… (blue, slots A-D): At the beginning of each round, each player can choose a team ability. All chosen abilities are ignored until the end of the round.
WHAT IT MEANS: Avoid a team ability that is key to your strategy. Your opponents get to turn it off for the first few rounds of the match.
—
ON THE TRAIL (Brown, slots B-F): Once during your turn for the duration of an action, one of your characters can ignore the effects of hindering terrain on movement, combat, powers and feats.
WHAT IT MEANS: Avoid Stealth. ON THE TRAIL allows an enemy to ignore hindering terrain’s effects not just on himself, but period. In conjunction with the next condition, cheap tie-up could really benefit from this to get next to enemy pieces.
—
THE EVERYMAN PROJECT (orange, slots C-E): A character that has a point value of 100 or less that is using no other powers can use one of the following powers for the duration of an action: Blades/Claws/Fangs, Charge, Energy Explosion, Mind Control, Phasing/Teleport, Psychic Blast, Quake, Running Shot, Steal Energy, Telekinesis, or Willpower.
WHAT IT MEANS: Field cheap tie-up pieces. This effect will turn these stallers into dangerous attackers.
—
RAIN OF THE SUPERMEN (black, slots F): All powers are countered.
WHAT IT MEANS: When damage reducers suddenly vanish, shots will be taken. Try to field high defense numbers over the powers in preparation for this.
—
NEW QUESTIONS AND DEALS WITH THE DEVIL (gray, slots G-K): When a character is knocked out but before it is removed from the game, remove an action token from all friendly characters 3 or fewer squares from the characters that have one action token.
WHAT IT MEANS: Clustering your team a bit might be worth it to gain this slight second wind.
—
WORLD WAR III (red, slots I-J): When making an attack roll, roll 3d6 and choose two of them to be the result of the roll. Damage dealt by critical hits is penetrating damage.
WHAT IT MEANS: Three dice increases the chance of hits. This is also the dial-ending effect.
—
SUMMING IT UP: This dial can mess you up at first if you like team abilities too much, but overall it’s not too hairy.
Next go-round we’ll ring up some more fun with the Dial “H” For Hero dial!