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Dunn-duh-duh-DUNNNN-DUNN, Dunn-duh-duh-DUNNNN-DUNN...!

Ever since I saw the classic scene using the piece in Apocalypse Now, I’ve loved Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.” So when we got a new set of Valkyries in Hammer of Thor, I set about getting a new set of the Sinister set’s versions to run this team.
RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES
SR Valkyrie 145 + C. Plan 12 + Protected 8
V Sin. Valkyrie 71
Brunnhilde 69
E Sin. Valkyrie 60 + Unstoppable 5
R Sin. Valkyrie 44
HoT Valkyrie 38
HoT Valkyrie 38 + Invigorate 10
= 500 points.
FIRST, I faced Paul’s Warriors Three (again), V Wildcat, E Jean Grey (Infinity Challenge), V Avalanche (Infinity Challenge), V Pyro (Infinity Challenge), Amanda Waller (Crisis) and Lian Harper. I picked the Junkyard map and assembled my team behind and upon the elevated portion of it. This gave SR Valkyrie a safe place to perform Move & Attack attacks from — with a decent AV thanks to Contingency Plan — and, because that ability is not a power action (but a move action), I could use Invigorate to remove the token afterward.
That allowed me to immediately remove Jean Grey’s TK threat and greatly reduce the Warriors’ attack ability. Even when Fandral came to the roof to Outwit her Leadership, he soon took 4 clicks to the face.
Unfortunately, despite deep damage, Jean, Fandral and Volstagg all managed to get away from my encroaching Valkyries. I only scored a KO on Wildcat and lost Brunnhilde, for a narrow victory despite my dominance of the game. 1-0.
THEN, I went against Conrad’s HoT Thor, Fenris Wolf, Gharskyght and HoT Spider-Man. I used the same strategy against the boy, with similar success despite Thor being a FAR more dangerous piece to this team than the Warriors Three, whom I was able to hold off by camping on a rooftop. That wasn’t an option against Thor. Fortunately, Thor failed his alpha strike on big Val and it was my game to lose. KO’d Thor, Gharskyght and Spidey and lost zip.
FINAL: 2-0. This was actually a nice redemption for a failed 200-point version of the team run about a week earlier:
200 point battle royale, first player out. No pieces over 70 points.
Brunnhilde 69 + Unstoppable 5
HoT Valkyrie 38 + Invigorate 10
HoT Valkyrie 38
HoT Valkyrie 38
= 198 points.
Lenny played SI Iron Fist + Protected + Lunge, V Mantis, V Mockingbird and Swarm. Paul ran Jimmy Woo and 4 HoT Ninjas. Conrad’s team was V Nocturne, Shatterstar, R Blink and R Sprite. Basically, Paul and Conrad fought while Lenny decimated my Valkyries despite my potential action advantage. A Lunging Iron Fist was utterly unstoppable. I was the loser, Lenny the winner on points.
(we now return you to the event dials and Atlas articles in progress.)

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Jimmy Woo 46
M-11 59
Gorilla-Man 61
Namora 76
Marvel Boy 102
Venus 125
+ Warbound (Agents of Atlas)
= 499 points.
Tried out this Warbound team in a friendly match against a tough trio:
Superman (Justice League) 226
The Sentry (Secret Invasion) 197
Venom (Hammer of Thor) 73
I all but lost the game on my map choice (BPRD) and wrong placement of the Kinetic Accelerator, preventing Namora from reaching the special object with M-11 in tow. When she got an immediate opportunity to attack Sentry with the Com Dish, but failed, she was easy sushi for Supes and Sentry. M-11 didn’t last long, either.
At this point, I only had Marvel Boy left who could deal damage to Superman or Sentry, but his AV wasn’t up to the task of hitting a pair of 18+ DVs. And the one who could, Venus, was too tied up by Venom to do so for most of the game.
Venus still dealt the most damage through a MC of Sentry (who pasted Supes with the Generator), but it cost her life as the feedback knocked her off MM & SC. Marvel Boy and Gorilla-Man double-teamed Vemon for a KO. Woo was the last to fall, only able to run from the HSS tag team.

FAIL.

I’m probably not using this Warbound build again. It just constrains the team’s flexibility too much. If only Venus could Warbound to Gorilla-Man instead of only Namora and Marvel Boy, who are too important as damage-dealers to take her tokens!

Not giving up, though. After the next installment of the Event Dial series, watch this space to see how the team does in a proper tournament!

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Read the introduction to the series here.

E002 IDENTITY CRISIS

Based on the depressing 2005 miniseries that broke up the happiest couple in comics. Figures it's one of the harder event dials to build for.

This event dial is one of the reasons this series was written, as it cannot be played with certain teams.
THE SETUP: All characters are Unique.
WHAT IT MEANS: The “highlander” rule is in FULL effect. Leave the generic swarms at home.
—
MORE SETUP: Before the beginning of the game, each player must choose one of his or her characters and secretly write the character’s name on a piece of paper.
WHAT IT MEANS: This is the Culprit, and this is why you can’t run multiples: it wouldn’t do to cheat and claim the Secret Invasion Spider-Man that got KO’d just happened not to be the one who’d make you lose on points. 🙂
—
TURN THE DIAL: At the end of each round.
WHAT IT MEANS: Straightforward progression.
—
WIN CONDITIONS: THE CULPRIT REVEALED: When victory points are being totaled, all players must reveal the name of the character they wrote down. If that character survived the battle, its player receives additional victory points based on the character’s point value.
1-49 = 100 victory points
50-99 =  75 victory points
100-149 = 50 victory points
150-199 =  25 victory points
200+ =  0 victory points
WHAT IT MEANS: Survival points make a comeback in HeroClix! Try fielding some mid-cost but survivable pieces to be the Culprit…or avoid the potential loss by making it the heavy.
—
MURDER! (Red, slot B): At the beginning of the round, each player (starting with the first player) chooses an opposing character. Deal the chosen character 2 penetrating damage. A character can be chosen and damaged by this effect only once.
WHAT IT MEANS: You’d better not field a character who’s too top-loaded with a power or powers you depend upon. By round 2, kiss those clicks bye-bye. (You may want to decoy opponents into hitting a character who gets BETTER on click three.)
—
VOTE TO MINDWIPE (Black, slots C-G): At the beginning of the round, each player receives a number of votes to the number of characters he or she currently has in the game and must vote for only one of the following options: 1) All team abilities are ignored; 2) all feats are ignored; or 3) all characters gain Earthbound. The option that receives the most votes is in effect until the end of the round. If multiple options have the most votes, all options with that number of votes are in effect.
WHAT IT MEANS: Having those cheap pieces on the board could pay off here. Just be careful not to mess yourself up; it wouldn’t do to expose your Batman Allies by voting for option 1. In fact, it may wise to not field such crucial TAs at all. Also note that this condition is present the rest of the game.
—
ONE AGAINST THE JLA (orange, slots D-F): If a character is attacked more than once in a round, modify that character’s defense value by +1 for each time it has previously been attacked during the round (+1 for the second attack, +2 for the third attack, etc.).
WHAT IT MEANS: Tentpoles probably get the most benefit from this effect, but it’s fine for anyone getting dogpiled.
—
SUMMING IT UP: This dial is one you absolutely have to plan a little for in advance, since you can’t run your cheeseburger multiple OOTS Batman squad. And as said above, running team abilities like Batman Ally might not be a good idea.
(In fact, maybe you just shouldn’t run Batman at all.)  🙂
You also have to be a little strategic in protecting your Culprit as well. You don’t want to telegraph its identity by playing too conservatively, but you don’t want to give up extra points either. What to do? WHAT TO DO?!?
Well, one thing to do is to watch this space this weekend for the next Crisis…an INFINITE Crisis. Between now and then, look for the 2nd part of a series of Agents of Atlas battle reports!

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So in my ongoing quest to play all my HeroClix pieces at least once, I’m pretty much done with Hammer of Thor…except for the Agents of Atlas.
Jimmy Woo 46
M-11 59
Gorilla-Man 61
Namora 76
Marvel Boy 102
Venus 125
= 469 points. Only 31 points left for feats for a team that could really use all 50 points allowed.
Jimmy Woo
His Leadership begs for Contingency Plan, and the team could use a few stat bumps. But most of their AVs and ranges aren’t that bad as is (and his TA can help with damage and range), and maybe the points are better saved for something else.
I was especially concerned about overcosting him because Woo is very lightweight…not able to contribute much in the way of direct fighting. His price point reflects that. The question is whether to put him in harm’s way to get to Perplex faster or to hold him back and use SHIELD TA to the fullest. Either way, I wasn’t sure C.Plan was worth the points to drop on him.
M-11
So lethal to be this inexpensive, the killer robot may be best left featless. Still, he’s such a soft target that one wants to insure him with Automatic Regeneration, maybe. Opportunist, too, could ensure his damage sticks. He’s taxiable enough to collect the tokens. His best use may well be as an offensive meat shield for Namora until she can get in the fight proper. As such, maybe Protected or Nanoarmor is in order.
Gorilla-Man
Pounce fits but makes him expensive! Lunge fits but his damage is low. Auto Regen fits but it’s expensive. Just don’t know. In any case, Gorilla-Man is MM fodder for Venus, I think, until the fight gets close enough for him to contribute.
Namora
Submerged and maybe Opportunist could work, maybe, so long as there’s no HoT Cap America around to ruin things. She’s my main hitter, but should remain a fairly lean one. Got to protect her until she can make her alpha strike. It’s got to count.
Marvel Boy
Mental Shields or Stunning Blow? His 9 AV makes both a bit iffy IMO because landing the initial MC does not ensure the following Incap, especially if he takes feedback. Maybe it’s just better to give him Force Field to bolster his DV?
Despite his mediocre AV, he has some potential to actually be effective. He’s got the best DV at range of the lot, and Woo can nudge his range up a tad. At worst, as Venus’s taxi, he can serve as MM fodder in a pinch.
Venus
Soooo featable. I’ve seen good use of Mental Shields on her. But she’s soft defensively. Camouflage hides her from shooters (again, beware of HoTCap), Outsmart to help fight off Outwitters and, given her ability to Incap all adjacents, Knockdown could be quite fantastic. Trouble is, all that’s piling more points on her already high cost. Contingency Plan is another option, as is Compel. What to do?
Really, the way I feat this team depends on what I’ll be doing with Venus. Her AV says she’s the main attacker, but her damage is way too low. (Oh, for some starting Perplex on this team!) Mind Control? Do I really want her to be 140 points with the all-but-mandatory Mental Shields? OTOH, hiding her next to a wall with Camouflage seems like a bit of a waste…and not even a guarantee.
And then I could just dump all other feats for Warbound. Namora in particular could get great mileage carrying and shuffling tokens off to M-11 or G-Man. Marvel Boy…less so. Same for Venus, dumping tokens off to him (or Namora, the other qualifying member).
The trouble with feating this team is that nothing is a slam dunk for anyone. See what my decisions were and the team’s performance later this week. Tomorrow, I resume the Event Dial series. Be here!

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Read the introduction to the series here.

E001 THE JUDAS CONTRACT

Based on the classic Teen Titans tale in which Terra (the blonde with the glowy hands) breaks Changeling's heart (he's the green kid). Poor guy's been unlucky in love ever since...and this was, like, 1984 or something.

And now we begin looking at the DC Event Dials, starting with those pulled as the non-figure element in the Crisis set.
TURN THE DIAL: At the end of each round.
WHAT IT MEANS: This short dial will be done before you know it.
—
SUSPICIOUS ALLY (Brown, slots A-C): At the beginning of your turn, choose a friendly character. The character is a wild card until the end of the turn. The character can use any other team ability it possesses, if any, but can use only one team ability this turn.
WHAT IT MEANS: Build in some offense-oriented team abilities on your team: Superman Ally, Avengers, Titans (natch) for your Suspicious Ally to copy.
—
AMBUSH! (Red, slots C-D): When an attack roll is made, if the attack is unsuccessful but the result of the attack roll is doubles, give an action token to the target if it has zero or one action token.
WHAT IT MEANS: Willpower, Indomitable or Power Cosmic/Quintessence will defend against this condition, but it’s not going to break you if you don’t plan for this.
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BETRAYAL (Black, slots D-F): At the beginning of your turn, choose an opposing character. You can immediately give that character an action as a free action. For the duration of the action, the character is considered friendly to your force and opposing to your opponent’s force, and any of the character’s canceled powers return for the duration of the action. You can’t attack that character this turn.
WHAT IT MEANS: Whatever game plan you started with? It goes pear-shaped here when your opponent gets the effect of free Mind Control for an action. Keep your eyes open for unexpected openings.
—
TITANS TOGETHER! (Green, slots F-G): At the beginning of your turn, roll a d6 for each friendly character that has one or two action tokens. On a result of 5 or 6, remove all tokens from the character. The character can be given action tokens this turn.
WHAT IT MEANS: A chance to press or recover whatever advantage was gained or lost during BETRAYAL.  This effect will be in force at the endgame once the dial stops turning.
—
SUMMING IT UP: This E-Dial is pretty low-key. It will reward a wildcard abuse team (minus the wildcards) and characters who ignore pushing damage, but beyond that it won’t punish the average team build.
Next time we’ll look at another dial that inspired this event dial series: Identity Crisis.

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E100 PLANET HULK

It's more than just a trophy for winning the Mutations & Monsters tournaments back in Fall '07.

Read the introduction to the series here.


WHAT TO BRING: see “The Setup.”

THE SETUP: When building their forces, each player can also choose characters with a combined point value of up to 200 points per 300 points of the game’s build total; no character chosen this way can have a point value more than 40 points. These characters are reinforcements. They remain outside the game until called upon by the Rebellion effect.
WHAT IT MEANS: This event dial absolutely must be built for in advance. It’s one of the reasons I wrote this series of articles!
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TURN THE DIAL: Immediately after the resolution of a critical hit, and at the end of any turn in which a character takes 4 or more damage as a result of a single action, and at the end of each round.
WHAT IT MEANS: Despite the length of this dial, it will move fairly quickly.
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EXILE (Black, slots A-F): When a character is 4 or more squares from all other friendly characters, modify its defense value by +1.
WHAT IT MEANS: Field advance tie-up pieces to base enemy snipers and prevent them from attacking your team, or use the bonus to be aggressive with your main attacker(s) if that’s your style of play. Consider taking extra advantage of this effect by combining it with the LONER feat if you’re not running a keyword theme. Keep in mind that the Rule of Three will come into play and possibly nullify the defense bonus if an affected character has, say, Combat Reflexes or Energy Shield/Deflection. You’ll want to avoid running characters with powers or Team Abilities that require adjacency such as Mastermind or Justice Society if you want to use this effect.
—
OBEDIENCE DISK (Cyan, slots B-F): All characters’ Willpower are ignored. When a character uses a special power, give it an additional action token after the action resolved (the extra token deals pushing damage normally).
WHAT IT MEANS: Absolutely avoid using Special Powers like the plague…unless the character has the Indomitable ability, Power Cosmic/Quintessence, or some other means of avoiding pushing damage other than Willpower. Even in these cases, this effect prevents you from getting the usual extra round of actions, so it may be better to forget about using SPs entirely. Strongly consider going with some old-school non-SP’d pieces in this game!
—
GLADIATOR (Red, slots C-J ): Any character that can’t use or doesn’t possess Blades/Claws/Fangs can be given a power action to use Blades/Claws/Fangs as a free action, but the maximum result of the roll to replace its damage value with this effect is 4. If damage dealt to or taken by a character is not otherwise reduced, roll a d6 when the character takes damage. On a result of 4-6, reduce the damage dealt by 2.
WHAT IT MEANS: A character with high attack value but low damage potential would be good for this.
—
ANARCHY (orange, slots I-O): When making an attack roll, roll 3d6 and choose two dice to be the result of the roll.
WHAT IT MEANS: More attacks will succeed during this phase, so if you’ve been biding your time, this is the moment to strike! If you’re running a themed team, you may want to use your bonus Probability Control rolls now, especially given the next condition coming up immediately…
—
REBELLION (yellow, slots J-X): At the beginning of each player’s turn, that player must choose a character from his or her Reinforcements and put it into his or her starting area. Once the character enters the game, it is considered part of the player’s force.
WHAT IT MEANS: Those extra 200 points of characters begin to enter the game and will remain until the end. If you’re running a themed team, your new Reinforcements have to match the keyword or they will break the theme when they enter and cause you to lose any unused bonus Probability Control rolls, so either A) build some or all of them into the theme or B) use up the PC rolls before adding the keyword-unfriendly pieces to the match. Also, build them to make an impact to the game. (I recommend Perplexers.)
—
ALLEGIANCE (Blue, slots K-S): The first time (only) Allegiance shows in the slot, each player must choose a character to be the Leader of his or her force. Friendly characters adjacent to their Leader modify their defense values by +2. If the Leader of a force does not have an action token at the beginning of its controller’s turn, it must be given an action that turn.
WHAT IT MEANS: Because you gain a defense boost for adjacent allies, it might be prudent to build in a highly mobile Reinforcement piece to enter the game first to act as Leader. That way, it can immediately back up (and, perhaps, taxi out of harm’s way) wounded primary pieces.
—
POSSESSED BY THE SPIKES (Green, slots N-T): Once during each player’s turn, one of his or her characters can be given a power action to use Mind Control as if its range value were 6.
WHAT IT MEANS: Pretty straightforward. No way to build for this; it adds an element of randomness to the late-game action.
—
CHEMMING (Gray, slots T-X): When one of your characters has resolved an action, you can give the action token for the action to any friendly character that has zero action tokens and that is 8 or fewer squares away from your character and to which your character has a clear line of fire.
WHAT IT MEANS: This is Warbound-plus! The Indomitable (or Power Cosmic/Quintessence) character(s) you fielded for the OBEDIENCE DISK effect will pay off big here both as a giver or recipient of tokens. Willpower works, too, but you’re less able to plan for using it at this stage in the game. Also note that this is in force until the end of the game.
—
ARMAGEDDON (Brown, slot X): At the beginning of each round, roll a d6. Deal all characters penetrating damage equal to half the result.
WHAT IT MEANS: Because this is a red-lined event dial, there’s no escaping this deadly effect. Regeneration might be helpful, but really, the best bet is to try to get as many KO points as you can before ARMAGEDDON does everyone in.
—
SUMMING IT UP: This long event dial is a blast. Aside from the Reinforcements effect, it’s not too unfriendly to most any team build you can cobble together. You just have to make sure you have enough cheap pieces in your collection to act as Reinforcements.
Since we’re going in chronological order, the next installment will begin reviewing the first DC dials from the CRISIS set. Look for it soon!

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E006 TIME BOMB

THE SETUP: Up to four time bombs can be played in this game. Beginning with the second player and continuing around the table, each player places one time bomb event dial in any square of clear or hindering terrain that is also 4 or more squares from all starting areas and other time bombs. If there is no square in which a time bomb can legally be placed, it can’t be played.
WHAT IT MEANS: This is the only dial so far that can be used in multiples, and, as such, is a tad more collectible than the rest.
—
MORE SETUP: A square occupied by a Time Bomb is considered to be hindering terrain. A Time Bomb can’t be moved or destroyed.
WHAT IT MEANS: You can’t do this. 🙂
It also means more squares for Stealthy figs to hide on! But note that occupying does not equal adjacency, so this character would not be able to defuse the Bomb (or, weirdly, even be affected by its detonation).
—
TURN THE DIAL: At the end of each turn, roll 2d6 and subtract from the result the number of other Time Bombs on the battlefield. Turn this Time Bomb if the result is 6 or more.
WHAT IT MEANS: The clock is ticking, but not at a predictable rate.
—
EXTRA WIN CONDITIONS: 30 additional victory points for each Time Bomb defused to the team whose character defused it.
WHAT IT MEANS: It’s another way to win. But since you may well spend many more points trying to defuse Time Bombs, it may not be worth it. You decide.
—
CAN’T SMASH…WHICH WIRE TO CUT? (red, slots A-H): A character adjacent to this Time Bomb can be given a power action to make a close combat attack roll. If the attack roll is 14, this Time Bomb is defused and removed from the game. If the result is 11-13 or 15-17, turn back this Time Bomb once.
WHAT IT MEANS: You may want to field pieces with mediocre Attack Values. This is because, statistically, 7 is the median roll and you’re aiming for an exact result of 14. These characters should be cheap and devoted solely to your “bomb squad.” Also note that even most failing rolls will help keep the Bomb from reaching the next condition, DETONATION!
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DETONATION! (yellow, slots D-H): At the beginning of each players turn, that player rolls a d6. On a result of 1 or 2, this Time Bomb immediately makes an attack using Pulse Wave as if it had an attack of 10, a range of 8, and a damage value of 3. after the attack is resolved, remove this Time Bomb from the game.
WHAT IT MEANS: You’ll still want to field a defuser or two. Although the latest HeroClix rules prevent adjacent characters from making ranged attacks, the Time Bomb is not a character and would thus still be able to Pulse Wave. In this worst-case-scenario, having at least one defuser there would minimize the damage to other characters (or at least only sacrifice itself if the only piece in range).
—
SUMMING IT UP: Time Bomb is a simple, mostly unobtrusive event dial. More than any of the others, Time Bomb is like playing a Battlefield Condition.
That wraps up all the e-dials one could pull in Mutations and Monsters boosters. Next is the grandest one of all, the first Limited Edition dial: PLANET HULK! Be there!

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You said it, Quill. My total Guardians of the Globe win-loss record to date: 7-5, plus an extra in the win column for the theme played by my buddy Lenny against a fairly solid force.
As I like to do with campaigns like these, here’s a breakdown/review session of the pieces used.
Adam Warlock

Vowing cosmic vengeance upon the tanning salon that sprayed him orange instead of the savage sun-kissed brown HE PAID FOR.

Both a strength and a weakness for the team. He’s priced like a tentpole but powered like a support player and difficult to know how to use as a result. The best solution, for me, was to run him as support and one of the team’s few taxis until the mid- to late-game, when he could weigh in with his offense. Not sharing keywords with those who really could use his Perplex keeps him from being an effective Brilliant Tactician on this Guardians of the Galaxy theme, but he’s otherwise quite featable with Contingency Plan and Invigorate, either of which makes him excellent in that early supporting role. Recommended for only for builds over 500 for this theme.
Bug

Still ticked that he's *tik* not on the "A-list."

He was largely inconsequential tie-up in most of the games I played with him. But his mobility (Leap/Climb to get in any position), defense (Super Senses with a 17 to loan to Star-Lord in particular), damage ability (Exploit Weakness makes him impossible to safely ignore) and surprise 4 range makes him worth every point. He’s filler, but he’s gooood filler. Like the cream in a Twinkie. Feat him with Lunge, if anything. Fine for any size GotG build, especially the keyword themed versions.
V Drax

"....."

Lacking the keyword and tentpole-heavy in points, Drax is only there for the comic accuracy and my desire to play a neat mod. The trouble with Drax is that he’s a damage magnet. Because he’s another piece that’s impossible to ignore (Charge, Exploit Weakness + Super Strength to start), opponents are going to concentrate a great deal of fire on him. He’s got to be run as a team player. If you throw him out there alone like you might other grounded bricks in his point range (or even those much cheaper), he’ll get murdered. Resist the temptation to push him off that first click to get his Outwit until you’ve got all enemy shooters tied up somehow…he has a lot of soft spots in his defense. In addition from cheap defensive feats like Protected and Alias, use Unstoppable and Cannonball to give him maximum flexibility when he does make his move. Only for larger builds.
Gamora

Couldn't decide whether to go to the convention as She-Hulk or Red Sonja.

It’s quite a boon to the GotG that the Deadliest Woman in the Universe is a member. She’s just the fellow brawler that Drax needs to be most effective; while the enemy tries to collect Drax’s points, Gamora tears them to shreds. But again, that’s the challenge…using them together. For as good as Gamora is, she just can’t hold it down alone with her total lack of damage reduction. She NEEDS Protected. Play her in 300 and up. Too bad she doesn’t have the keyword.
Major Victory

YAY, eBAY!!!!

10 range and 3 damage and Impervious on his first click is about the only thing worthy on this piece. Well, there’s some Leadership, too, but he’s maybe the third piece you’d reach for on this team for that power. Thus, he’s utterly unpushable. But if he does lose that bit of life, at least he’s got Energy Shield/Deflection to help. Another good thing about him? He has a 17 DV to loan to Star-Lord via the Defenders TA. But he might work even better with the Guardians of the Galaxy alternate team ability (ATA) feat, which makes that Impervious uncounterable. And Contingency Plan is a fine fit as well. He’s best saved for keyword-specific builds of any size.
V Mantis

The ultimate Vietnamese ex-pat.

As I wrote a few posts ago, Mantis was just lost points, mostly, only offering what the far cheaper, more synergistic Bug does much better (mobile tie-up and close combat). She can be brutal, true, and I’ll fit her on if I can (and I certainly will once we get a proper Groot in the game to make the team’s second incarnation) but she is the first dropped if room’s needed. She’s a bit more effective with Lunge, which she can use most of her dial.
(I don’t have her anymore, but Celestial Madonna, Mantis’s LE version, is actually a more comic-accurate piece for the team and a tad cheaper, if less outright effective a fighter.)
Moondragon

Always reminds me of the bald chick from the first "Star Trek" movie. ALWAYS. (Probably because she was the first bald woman I'd ever seen, and it was about the most interesting thing in that snoozer of a film to an 8-year-old.)

Like her dad, Drax, Moondragon is another piece that lacks the GotG keyword yet still belongs. 10-range Psychic Blast is what she’s about. Perplex on her 2nd click and TK mid-dial makes her very push-friendly. And then she turns into the Dragon of the Moon, with renewed powers and stats. A bit expensive (nearly twice the old Moondragon’s cost) but fine for the higher-point GotG teams despite lacking the keyword. No feats.
Rocket Raccoon

There was a video game called Awesome Possum. And if Rocket were an opossum, that's what he'd be called. But he's not. But he still is awesome.

Leap/Climb-ing Probability Control and 17 DV with Super Senses make this critter indispensable for the theme. In between forcing rerolls and loaning his defense to fellow Defenders, his 8 range keeps him in the fight. Getting hit only turns him into an Running Shooting Outwitter. Excellent combination of secondary fighter and support piece. Lunge is the only feat to consider with him, if any. He belongs on all builds; the only reason to leave him off the team (he’s actually the only member to have stayed on active duty without interruption) is if you need more natural 3 damage.
Phyla-Vell

Butch? Or...?

Top-loaded Perplex wouldn’t seem the best use of her high points, but that’s what Phyla’s good for, and it’s not as pathetic as it sounds. For example, since she’s one of the team’s main taxis, it’s good that she can boost the defense of her fare or herself during that round she’s not attacking…and being able to make herself a nigh-unhittable 20 DV at range (in hindering terrain) isn’t a bad way to pass the time. Moreover, she can still make herself useful when she’s got two tokens after using Power Cosmic to push for free (being the cheapest fig with the TA to date) and shoot someone for 3 or 4 (again thanks to Perplex) with her high 11 AV.
‘Course, all that paints a day-glo bull’s eye right on her chest (um…literally), so she needs Protected in case her high DV and Super Senses both fail and she would take 5 or more damage. But if she’s NOT taking 5 damage, just take the hit and and get Hypersonic Speed and thank your opponent with beatdowns two of every three turns. The new Elite Sniper feat is quite good on her as well. Do not ever use Guardians of the Galaxy ATA on her unless your plan is to push her to Hypersonic Speed with all haste.
Star-Lord

Guardians MVP (Most Volleys of Projectiles)

I’ve mentioned him needing defense help from his teammmates over and over, and it’s true. He’s very soft and very short-dialed for his near-100-point cost. And with Gamora and Phyla hogging the Protected feats, you might not have room for another. Compounding the problem is that Star-Lord’s Running Shot makes him a key attacker ahead of the bigger-pointed but stationary Adam Warlock and Phyla-Vell or the melee-oriented Drax and Gamora, especially on  builds too small to accommodate Moondragon.
His SP “Galactic Marksman” is good enough to counterbalance ALL that.
It gives him the choice to boost his AV +2 against a single target or his damage +2 against two. And here’s where the seemingly wasted passive big-point support pieces show their worth; Adam’s or Phyla’s Perplex + Galactic Marksman allows Star-Lord to have his cake and eat it like a sugar-starved depressed fat kid. And suddenly this fragile, 9 AV piece is blasting for 4 clicks all over the place again and again (because he’s quite pushable). Basing him doesn’t help; he’s a Sharpshooter with Combat Reflexes. And hitting him may only knock him into Stealth (thanks, perhaps, to those Combat Reflexes and their little-used voluntary knockback feature) and Ranged Combat Expert for continued 4+ damage. Feat him with Contingency Plan and field him in any size build over 100.
I own, but didn’t play these:

Big early 90s hair. Timeless plunging neckline.

R Aleta (Supernova): Actual Telekinesis would double the team’s effectiveness. Barrier, too, could help the ground-pounders a lot. But she didn’t quite fit the theme I was going for, so I opted her out. Unless you’re trying to do the same, you should put her in every GotG keyword team you can over 100 points…she’s only 51 points!


Talk to the Cosmic Kirby Hand™, suckas!

V Starhawk (Supernova): Though he boasts an extreme 12 range and Running Shot to start, his opening AV is markedly inferior to the similarly-costed Phyla-Vell’s. But he, too, gains Hypersonic Speed mid-dial, and his attack numbers ramp up nicely. He’s probably a stronger piece with the Guardians of the Galaxy ATA or either Elite Sniper or Trick Shot. Save him for 400 and up if you’re going with the keyword theme.

RE Vance Astro  (Supernova): The Rookie is kinda junk with lowish DV and AV and damage despite the decent 8 range and Incapacitate. The Experienced adds considerable cost but gains two starting clicks of Invulnerability and 3 damage to make him the most durable and damaging of the three versions, actually. But the lack of the shield just makes him less fun, in my opinion. 🙂 Stunning Blow is an OK feat to use, though I hate to add points to him. Save him for old-school GotG builds.

Ooooo!! Iz COMIK ACCURITE!!!!!

Yondu (Supernova): Cheap Running Shot + 3 damage and Energy Explosion. Potential candidate for Elite Sniper, though adding nearly 40% to his cost for one click up front (’cause who knows if you’ll EVER see the two RCE clicks later) might not be the wisest investment. Fits with old- and new-school GotG but one of the last I tend to pick, frankly.

So that wraps up my mini-campaign using this team I cared not a whit for only three scant months ago. Such is the nature of HeroClix’s ability to promote the properties it’s based upon. Though I intend to return immediately to the Event Dials series, I may be playing a Guardians-centric team in this weekend’s floor events, so this series may not be entirely over! Hope you’ll be here to see.

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After improving an anemic 1-2 record to 5-4, it was time for the final test of the Guardians in a 300-pointer.
Phyla-Vell 138 + Protected 8 + Alias 3
Star-Lord 90 + Contingency Plan 12
Bug 44 + Lunge 5
= 300 points.
FIRST MATCH against Morrison’s Avengers:
Dr. Strange 149 + Brilliant Tactician 20
Captain America 72 + Vendetta 6
Spider-Man 50
I won the map roll and threw us in Prison to blunt Cap’s range advantage. Morrison turtled way too long to get the useless benefit of Dr. Strange’s Defend (since, as I kept telling him, Strange cannot share his Perplexed-up defense with Cap). Gave me a chance to shoot Cap off Running Shot and force Strange to come after me. That didn’t work out for me at first, as Bug and Star-Lord took hits and became mostly useless.
But when their retreats forced Strange to base them, Star-Lord scored a major Ranged Combat Expert hit to put Strange on his late dial. Sole survior Phyla-Vell managed to KO Strange for the win.
SECOND MATCH against Lenny’s Martial Artists:
Daredevil 81 + Stunning Blow 10
Gamora 73 + Protected 8
Captain America 72 + Contingency Plan 12
Hand Ninja 38
He picked the Docks. I picked the land end to squeeze his approach. Wasteland was my BFC. And I gave him a fright with a Star-Lordly Running Shot at Captain America RIGHT PAST the Ninja he thought he was hiding behind (because the Sharpshooter ability ignored enemy figs for line of fire, even if they’re stealthy). Lenny’s themed PC nullified the hit, though, so I used my backup plan of immediately taxiing Star-Lord across the water where Gamora could not reach, and Captain could not Running Shot without blowing Contingency Plan tokens on his range. While Lenny took lonnnng turns trying to figure what to do, Phyla-Vell took alternating shots at Gamora and Cap, Perplexing Cap’s damage down every turn.
Unfortunately, Star-Lord had nowhere to run and couldn’t fight back effectively and eventually Cap hit him enough times. Once he was gone, I really had to go on the offensive again and just didn’t have the time to make up for the lost fighters with Phyla.

This is how Round Two SHOULD'VE ended. (Only without the talking raccoon.)

THIRD MATCH against Paul’s Monsters of Asgard:
Ulik (Hammer of Thor) 118
Rock Troll 45
Rock Troll 45
Rock Troll 45
Fire Demon 33
Swarm 11
Paul set up a sudden Charge up my stairs using the Rainbow Bridge that would either sacrifice Bug and/or Star-Lord or render Star-Lord and Phyla-Vell unable to counterattack. So I decided to spring the trap, hoping Bug would hit Super Senses and cause Ulik to waste his Meteorite.
He didn’t. Took 5 to the dome, fortunate not to be one-shotted. (I really should have used Phyla-Vell as the target to absorb the hit with Protected.) Worse, I’d set up in a manner that kept Star-Lord from seeing more than one enemy, so he couldn’t help much beyond minor shots on a single Rock Troll.
Bug went down, but then Paul made his big mistake by Charging and flying into base with Star-Lord. His Combat Reflexes-enhanced defense dodged the attack and his Galactic Marksman SP allowed him to steadily dispatch both Trolls (Phyla was enough to handle the Fire Demon). Meanwhile, Ulik was forced to tromp around to the back stairs.
Phyla blocked that access for some time, her DV being high enough to weather many attempts to hit her. In fact, she took far more damage from Ground Zero misses than from Ulik. In the end, I wiped Paul’s team and only lost Bug. 2-1.
Total Guardians of the Globe win-loss record: 7-5. Not bad, considering most of the losses were very close matters or the result of cheating*** or gross user error**** or both.
***The “cheating” was the not-themed team of Martial Artists. Lenny himself fessed up to that blunder the next day.
****The worst user error being the blunder into the shock barrier, even worse than the non-use of theme PCs.
I’ll wrap up the series with a character-by-character wrap-up. See ya then!

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I’d fielded pre-built Guardians of the Galaxy teams at the 800 and 1000-point levels, coming away with a successful tournament record. But with other players not quite ready to leave that Saturday evening, we played on in a three-way “shock the turtle” (in which the map’s playable zone shrinks with each turn, forcing characters toward the center or take a click of damage) battle royale, me with still another Guardians of the Galaxy team:

Star-Lord 90
V Major Victory 84
Rocket Raccoon 65
Bug 44
+ Guardians of the Galaxy ATA 16
= 299 points of unOutwittable themey goodness.
Paul and Lenny fielded, respectively, Robots and Martial Artists**:
Skull-Brother 75
Ahab 68
Phalanx Soldier 31
Phalanx Soldier 31
Phalanx Soldier 31
Phalanx Soldier 31
Phalanx Soldier 31
and
Daredevil (Hammer of Thor) 81 + Stunning Blow 10
Batman (Justice League) 75 + In Contact With Oracle 10
Robin (Arkham Asylum) 66 + In Contact With Oracle 10
Hand Ninja (Hammer of Thor) 38

(We had a fourth player but he had to leave before we completed the 2nd round of turns.)
I won map roll and picked the Smallville map, starting on the building-heavy side. I did all right at first, Force Blasting a Hand Ninja into the open. But my Bug basing Daredevil got Stunning Blown into the activated shock barrier and I badly mis-moved Major Victory into the barrier to lose Impervious without ever taking an attack.
Meanwhile, Star-Lord was doing a bit better, taking shots at Skull-Brother and Ahab. Rocket Raccoon also scored a crithit off a building on Daredevil, that was sadly nullified by a themed team Probability Control**. (I thoroughly forgot to use any of my theme PCs.) The Major fell to the shock barriers after defending against encroaching Phalanx; Star-Lord, to Batman’s fire. Soon, only Rocket Raccoon was left among DD, some Phalanx, Skull-Bro and Batman. Only DD and RR were left when the entire field was electrified, and DD had the longer dial for the win.
This was a fun but disappointing game for me. Three extreme, game-shattering lapses on my part — the Major Victory self-damage, the illegal theme team I didn’t catch (I’m usually good at that), and my ignorance of my own theme PC — led to my defeat.
**Of course, it WASN’T a themed team. That Batman lacks the Martial Artist keyword. Even after checking to see if Robin had it, we all missed this one.
Then, Lenny and I stayed late to play another game. I ran some unused pieces: Destroyer, Seth + Protected, Volstagg and Thor, Frog of Thunder. Which would appear to go against the theme of this series, except that Lenny played:
Phyla-Vell 138
Star-Lord 90 + Contingency Plan 12
Gamora 73 + Protected 8
V Mantis 67 + Alias 3
Rocket Raccoon 65
Bug 44
for 500 points of more Guardians of the Galaxy goodness! I wasn’t mad at ‘im. 🙂
We played on the Days of Future Past map, a good one to play the Opened Hydrant in, giving Frog of Thunder excellent cover and thoroughly blunting the threat of a Charging Gamora. Too bad I put Volstagg just outside the water, giving Gamora an easy shot at him. Destroyer managed to beat her to her late dial but Gamora lived on. Frog got Star-Lord, Bug and Mantis, Seth got Rocket, but a Hypersonic Phyla-Vell with an Outwitting Gamora couldn’t be stopped in the end. Frog and then Seth fell.
Those were Saturday night’s GotG battles, and my record now stood at 5-4. One more tournament, on the following Sunday afternoon. Would my planned 300-point team maintain the winning record or flop badly? Watch this web address…