Heroclixin' ...it's all about F.U.N.

So early this summer, I got the latest Falcon pieces and built this force:

Falcon [Sinister 055] 30
Falcon [Sinister 056] 46
Falcon [WizKids M17-007] 50
The Hydra (Falcon) [Earth X 026] 50
Sam Wilson [Sinister 207] 53
Falcon [Sinister 057] 57
Snap Wilson [Sinister 219] 60
Falcon [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati] 60
Falcon [Civil War Storyline 023] 70
Falcon [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati] 75
Falcon [Avengers 036] 75
Falcon [Avengers Assemble 017] 75
Falcon [Captain America Winter Soldier 103] 75
Falcon [Captain America 030] 79
Falcon [Captain America Civil War 008] 85 + I’m With Cap 5
Falcon [Captain America Civil War 004] 95 + I’m With Cap 5
Falcon [Captain America Winter Soldier 006] 105
Captain America [Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD 049] 130

=1280 points of every single Samuel Wilson/Falcon in HeroClix. Needed something suitable to face it with. Hey, look what added up to just about the same points?

Archangel [Critical Mass 042] 68
Warren Worthington III [Critical Mass 214] 71
Angel [Danger Room 003] 50
Archangel [Mutations and Monsters 034] 95
Archangel [Giant-Size X-Men 104] 86
Archangel [Giant-Size X-Men 049] 99
Angel [Giant-Size X-Men 031] 50
Archangel [Wolverine and the X-Men 067] 99
Angel [Days of Future Past 005] 74
Dark Angel [Uncanny X-Men 049] 200
Angel [Uncanny X-Men 035] 75
Angel [Uncanny X-Men Fast Forces 003] 50
Angel [Xavier’s School 061] 60
Angel [Xavier’s School 051] 60
Angel [WizKids M-019] 65
Angel [X-Men Regenesis 015] 70
Angel ID card [Xavier’s School XID-016] 5

=1277 points of (nearly) every Warren Worthington III in HeroClix circa July 2019.

Played on the ROC Ziplines map.

Angels made the first move, having the range advantage. GSX Angel’s full Charge with a light object nailed 105-point WS Falcon despite his being almost on the back row, costing his ability to give himself and Cap Sidestep or Enhancement or Empower, which would have been a problem against Dark Angel:

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: Opposing characters of 75 points or less modify their attack and damage values by -1 when attacking Dark Angel.

And Dark Angel was the next big attack to come, especially after the advance Falcons (Civil War and prime) AND one of Redwings UTTERLY failed against GSX SR Archangel due to dice and Shape Change.

Dark Angel landed another hit on WS Falcon to remove him from the board and Regenesis Angel Charged deep into the midst of the shooting Falcons to prevent them from ganging up on the elevated Dark Angel — bashing LE Falcon (and costing the team one of its Leaderships) in the process.

The Falcons now needed to either break away from or KO these two Angels (Regenesis and GSX) to try to deal with Dark Angel. But first things first: Civil War Falcon used his auto breakaway Charge to Quake SR Archangel and a corps of other Angels centered around the XXS SR for a massive critical hit! That would free up prime Falcon to try against Dark Angel after the big guy hopefully got softened up by Captain America and the ranged Falcons over 75 points.

Unfortunately, out of five separate attacks, only one range and one close attack each against Dark Angel succeeded and he was left on his deadly Hypersonic Flurry Blades clicks with two of the Falcon squad ripe for the wings of death, no breakaway even needed.

TURNING POINT

Dark Angel missed both attacks, one critically.

That sent him running (and willingly pushing) to a far corner to eventually heal with his SP Regen. But without that massive threat on the Angels’ side (and him being harrassed and forced to rely on his heals rather than fighting in earnest), eventually the Falcons were able to overwhelm the mutants, despite a valiant stand.

I am going to replay this match next year (with build total boosted to 1400, likely) when the new Captain America-centric set is released, as another version of Falcon as Cap will be available. Then I can add in both the Regenesis LE prize Archangel and the new Dark Phoenix set SR (and maybe one of the old Critical Mass figs that were relegated to ID Card duty this go-round) and see if the mutants will be ascendant this time…!

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 to combine for one of the two most damaging rounds ever played.

Itching to play this team, I wound up accepting/making a challenge against my good buddy Chadd to see if I could keep my success streak with the squad going.

At first we were going to do a simple, friendly 1300-point match with him playing an appropriately villainous squad of Crime Syndicate. But when Ambrose Chase was revealed in spring 2019, it threw the points off. Then Chadd came up with an Apokolips force to be reckoned with: a bunch of Female Furies from Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls set joined by Steppenwolf, Brimstone (both from 2015’s Superman/Wonder Woman) and led by the fearsome Darkseid [Justice League Strategy Game 005]!

Whoa, so strong. This 1400-point team hurls the Furies at you, tying you up with Knockout, Stompa, Harriet and especially Lashina while Bernadeth poisons you slowly. Meanwhile, Granny, Barda and Supergirl PPB you to death from range.

And then there’s Darkseid in the back, shooting through nearly everything with a double power action SP for penetrating damage.

I saw no way to victory or even a fun game with Jenny Quantum on the team. Having 3-4 Probs on a team but only ever getting to use one takes away one of my main weapons. And she and Jenny Sparks don’t exist in the same time, anyway. So she had to go and we took the build total down to 1300 points.

But I was still worried for my squad. Most of these pieces are nearly 5 years old and power creep in Heroclix is real, y’all. If I was going to stand any chance in this matchup, I needed to bring my A (for “Authority”) game and not play by the seat of my Planetary as usual.

I built this stand-in force to practice:

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] 150

Lex Luthor [Rebirth 051] @100 (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

This Darkseid has similar Outwit resistance and 10-range line of fire cheating as the SJLSG version — for lighter damage (5 damage, non-penetrating) but greater swing (Running Shot) and greater frequency of attack. He might be *better* than the other one.

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.

Lots of feats. Part of this practice game’s purpose was to see if they’re necessary.

I chose a semi-random map among three old ROC prizes. Ended up indoors, an advantage to Authority but not much.

Immediately, my initial intended moves with the Authority (TK with both Engineer and Jack) were nullified by having absolutely no lines of fire. So I set up very conservatively behind blocking.

On the Apokolips side, I also advanced immediately out of the start zone to not get caught in the Jack Hawksmoor effect.

TURNING POINTS

Despite a double-layered Barrier built by Snow, Lex and Barda smashed it to give Darkseid a shot on Midnighter, who barely lived. Then I BoomTubed with Granny and Sidestepped Lashina to thoroughly gum up attack lanes. No one was going to be able to move without encountering her 3-square Plasticity zone.

But in advancing her, I’d miscalculated the number of range attacks Lashina was vulnerable to and still had enough actions left to deal more clicks. Lashina was KO’d, Granny was grievously hurt (by Jenny), and Bernadeth was left near death while Midnighter got evac’d to get healed by Engineer the same turn (and de-tokened by Invigorate).

It was still a tough fight for the Authority, as Brimstone, Luthor and Stompa really put some work in. But while their momentum slowed and Darkseid ever threatened, the good guys never lost progress, eventually taking even him down with Ambrose, Apollo, Engineer, Elijah and Jakita left standing.

———

“REMATCH”

I thought I needed to run this practice again. I accidentally forgot to actually put Knockout on the team, and I thought she could be a really key addition for just a few extra points. I also remembered I had Superman, God of Strength to stand in for the 200-point Supergirl piece (removing the Lex Luthor). Finally, I needed to see how the team would do on a less constricted map.

 

Current mood/situation:

I played a lot of HeroClix in 11 days. I want to write about it all but it’s too much. Still, watch this space for a bunch of battle reports including:

 

THE ROAD TO DRAGONCON

Training, training, and more training with Planetary/Authority

 

FLASHBACK TO MOMOCON 2018

Legion vs. Starfleet

 

BATTLES OF DRAGONCON

Phoenix Fight: Jeans Grey vs. Cyclopses

Bat-Fam vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Planetary/Authority vs. Starfleet

Challenge of the X-Men/Titans

Duel of the Faves 2018 Edition

 

But what’s fresher on my mind and memory was the trip to HeroClix World Championship at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

Upon learning that Worlds would be a mere six hours away by car this year, I decided to cross off an item on my bucket list and attend, if even only for a day trip. Heroclixin’ Board Member Taylor vowed to come with. (Sceritz is too busy promoting his promising new comic Scorpio to be able to afford the trip.)

Fortunately, longtime clix buddy Brian R. had the idea and foresight to suggest staying overnight for a special package that included a pair of convention exclusive LEs — each of which represented a must-have for Taylor and I. So the three of us piled into my car and headed west.

Once there, we picked up some convention exclusives on our wishlists and then dove into multiple battle royals using the soon-to-release X-Men The Animated Series: The Dark Phoenix Saga set.

We had a grand time at Worlds, where 14-year-old HeroClix prodigy Isaac Arnold-Berkovits won the world championship (after taking the U.S. National title in 2018 and the ROC World Cup even earlier in 2015). It was a bucket list item for me, but the three of us all started making plans to try attending in 2020 if it were to be held at Graceland again — and to perhaps make a longer trip of it.

As is our custom here at Heroclixin’, we present a pocket checklist for X-Men The Animated Series: The Dark Phoenix Saga. Click and download from the link below:

 

X-Men2019checklists

As a bonus, here is a mini-checklist for the summer 2019 Storyline OP event, X-Men:Regenesis:

XMenRegenesis

So in the tradition begun by myself and Sceritz, me and Taylor pitted our favorite figures of the year 2017 against one another. It was my victory, but with an asterik because he’d had to substitute one of his faves for another he didn’t own yet.

BUT NOW HE HAD IT AND WE HAD TO HAVE IT OUT

 

Molly Hayes [What If 011] 50

Nico Minoru [What If 031] 75

Groot [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 002] 30

Tippy Toe [Deadpool+X-Force 010] 25

Squirrel Girl  [Deadpool+X-Force 039] 85

Throg [The Mighty Thor 033] 45

Batroc [Avengers Defenders War 050]  40

Ms. Marvel  [The Mighty Thor 037] 90

Spider-Gwen [WizKids MP17-005] 65

Iron Heart [Avengers Defenders War 071]  25

Hulk  [The Mighty Thor 020] 110

Rachel Cole-Alves [Avengers Defenders War 070] 90

Colossus [Deadpool+X-Force 056] 150

Pirate Deadpool [Deadpool+X-Force ] 135

= 905 points

YES! It was time for the REMATCH

 

Miss America [WizKids M17-009] 95

Moon Knight  [Avengers Defender War 062] 110

Troll [The Mighty Thor 039] 60

Elijah Snow [Elseworlds 046] 120

Muhammad Ali [WizKids DP17-004] 75

Sand [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 060] 35

Hulk [Avengers Defender War 052] 160

Bat-Knight [WizKids WizKids DP17-006] 60

Uhura [Star Trek: The Original Series 038] 75

Peace Machine [What If 043] 50

Robin [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 030] 40

=880 points

Taylor won map and, determined to deny me hindering terrain for Bat-Knight, selected that one map with ice orange terrain that doubles knockback.

But Muhammad Ali used his Sidestep and 3 damage to wreck squares of blocking for Bat Knight to hide in with Stealth. And the giant robot got the first shot off at Batroc, who was finished quickly after by a TK’d Moon Knight, I think.

Now most of the action was concentrating on an upper level of elevation, where I gathered most of the rest of my force to avoid the shooting and Outwitting skills of Pirate Deadpool and others. But baby Groot provided samurai Gwen and Colossus easy access upstairs to gang up on Robin, who I’d sort of left as bait on a heavy object.

Poor Taylor fell for it, spending a RANGE to blow up the cover, then Outwit on Robin’s Reflexes, then two CLOSEs to KO Robin and get all foes within 6 squares tokened up for all the trouble and enabling me to gang up on Gwen and Colossus.

But I was having a little scare elsewhere on the board when Bat Knight got a heavy shot out from under it and nearly took a hit. Fortunately, either Tay’s roll failed or I got my Kingdom Come evasion and Bat-Knight was able to Sidestep into cover next turn.

Tay REALLY HATES that Bat-Knight.

Upstairs, my plan to quickly finish Gwen and concentrate on Colossus was failing hard as she evaded attack after attack and the cramped quarters denied lines of fire and squares for, say, Miss America, to Space Portal in a gang to help. The good news was that Taylor’s offense was similarly blocked, so eventually I won out. Then I got a series of attacks on Pirate DP down on the ground and that was effectively the end of the game, with Taylor having lost most of his force and taking just Uhura and Robin from mine.

It was a well-played match on his part, but I think my force may be a tad stronger. The Robin trap was a turning point. Perhaps Taylor should have gotten Squirrel Girl (who was fully armored up) into the action sooner somehow.

———

This story reminds me that Taylor and I earlier this year played our 2018 faves against each other as well!

TAYLOR’S:

Magneto, Realist [X-Men Xavier’s School 050] 100
Captain America, Principled [Avengers Infinity 035] 65
Dee Dee [Batman The Animated Series 015] 45 x 2
Mr. Freeze [Batman The Animated Series 022] 100
The Phantasm [Batman The Animated Series 051] 75
Inque [Batman The Animated Series 062] 75
The four turtle chases: Donatello[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unplugged 038], Leonardo [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unplugged 035], Michelangelo [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unplugged 036] and Raphael [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unplugged 037], at 100 points apiece
Phat [X-Men Xavier’s School 048] 75
Spider-Man [Secret Wars Battleworld 002] 85
SPIDER-MOBILE [Avengers Infinity G015] 50
= 1115 points

MINE:
Dee Dee [Batman The Animated Series 015] 45 x 2
Batman [Batman The Animated Series 040] – 125
Black Panther [Secret Wars Battleworld 061] – 150
Hawkman & Hawkgirl [Batman The Animated Series 060] – 125
Clayface [Batman The Animated Series 001b] – 45 + trait 5
Daredevil [WizKids MP18-007] – 50
Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity G001] – 50
She-Hulk – [Avengers Infinity 024]– 50
Nova [Avengers Infinity 032] – 150
Dust [X-Men Xavier’s School 053] – 50
Oya [X-Men Xavier’s School 031] – 60
Wasp [Avengers Infinity 044] – 70
Apache Chief [Batman The Animated Series 070] – 50
Baby Doll [Batman The Animated Series 049] – 40

= 1110 points

This was actually the second matchup. An earlier game was played at 980 points due to an error in which Taylor didn’t build in Spider-Man.

TURNING POINTS

A Dee Dee-baited trap
I took an early lead when Taylor ventured too close to my side with his Dee Dee duo, allowing my camped out Batman and Clayface to Outwit one for Black Panther and Nova to KO her with HSS 1-2 shots. But my complacency was punished when turtles Raphael and Michelangelo concentrated Flurries on Batman for a one-turn KO of their own.

But MY Dee Dee Tho
Taylor decided to devote some attacks on Dee Dee, who proceeded to roll out of AT LEAST 90 PERCENT of them via Shape Change or Super Senses. This is probably the difference in the game, especially when I made Sidestep breakaways to get them back paired up (after one Dee Dee got hit and knocked back). Focus on them meant far fewer rolls against the rest of my team.

 

BY PIECE:

Apache Chief [Batman The Animated Series 070] – Served as a solid backup and clean up fighter. INUK CHUK!
Baby Doll [Batman The Animated Series 049] – Initially useful as portable Outwit, she had the ability to take occasional pot shots once the action got close.
Batman [Batman The Animated Series 040] – SOOO disappointed that he got murdered after only using a single Outwit.
Black Panther [Secret Wars Battleworld 061] – Although poised as a lead attacker, he was actually more vital as my only source of Prob Control, so I held him in reserve most of the time.
Captain America, Principled [Avengers Infinity 035] — He didn’t work out much for Taylor in this game other than to supply me with points. If brought in the fight sooner, he and Mr. Freeze could be quite the tandem.
Clayface [Batman The Animated Series 001b] – He was my chief Stealth Outwit piece.
Daredevil [WizKids MP18-007] – Whenever I use him, I almost always misplace him and am unable to use his free placement ability. But I think I finally have gotten the hang of it and got a great effective boost of his Charge at game end.
Dee Dee [Batman The Animated Series 015] — MUCH more effective than I expected for my side — and this is with me COMPLETELY forgetting the AV bonus she gets with a second Dee Dee there.
Donatello [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unplugged 038] — Though the least damaging of the turtles, Donny was an important source of Outwit for Taylor.
Dust [X-Men Xavier’s School 053] – At first backing up Stealthers like Batman and Daredevil with her free Smoke Cloud, she eventually got near enough to deal hurt with her Scouring Sand trait. She thrives in a big game like this.
Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity G001] – My big retaliator was held in reserve most of the time to take advantage of her ability to heal by KO.
Hawkman & Hawkgirl [Batman The Animated Series 060] – A vital early-game taxi becomes a great Outwit and HSS threat when I’m ready. No complaints.
Inque [Batman The Animated Series 062] — Though a solid attacker for Taylor, Inque underperformed, especially when tangled in the Dee Dee trap.
Leonardo [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unplugged 035] — Got caught up fighting Dee Dee and didn’t do as much as he could.
Magneto, Realist [X-Men Xavier’s School 050] — The key to Taylor’s team thanks to his AV-boosting skill, he’d have been more effective if not for the Dee Dee thing.
Michelangelo [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unplugged 036] — Along with brother Raph, Mikey is a mega-potent attacker that scored the KO of Batman in the very early going.
Mr. Freeze [Batman The Animated Series 022] — Only got one effective attack off, but it slowed me down considerably.
Nova [Avengers Infinity 032] – His Leadership supports Black Panther (both have Cosmic keyword) but of course he’s more effective as lead attacker. He served well.
Oya [X-Men Xavier’s School 031] – Finally got to really use her hot and cold power effectively. Like fellow X-Man Dust, she thrives on a big force.
The Phantasm [Batman The Animated Series 051] — Though Taylor used her expertly, he lamented that she never seems to quite live up to her promise.
Phat [X-Men Xavier’s School 048] — He consistently rolled either 1 (-1 on my choice of stat) or 3 (-1 AV) on his Lifestyle trait. Disappointing for Taylor.
Raphael [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unplugged 037] — Massively dangerous with what can amount to a NINE SQUARE Charge+Flurry+Exploit. Taylor’s only disappointment has to be how quickly he dies after getting that first attack — which he and his brother Mikey will ALWAYS get.
She-Hulk – [Avengers Infinity 024]– I had fun throwing cases (CCE attacks) at opponents, especially those aggro turtles.
Spider-Man [Secret Wars Battleworld 002] — For most of the game, he served as pilot for the Spider-Mobile. By the time he emerged, the game was too far gone for him to really turn it around for Taylor.
Spider-Mobile [Avengers Infinity G015] — Tied up much of my secondary force from backing up Dee Dee, which backfired when Dust began scouring the vehicle and Dee Dee was able to take care of herselves just fine.
Wasp [Avengers Infinity 044] – My other portable Outwit, I actually preferred to use her as an attacker. But she tended to miss more than not.

Now it’s Sceritz’s turn!

Black Panther [Secret Wars Battleworld 061] – 250
Wolverine [X-Men Xavier’s School 053] – 150
Infinity [Avengers Infinity G022]– 150
Zatanna [Batman The Animated Series 061] – 75
Hawkman & Hawkgirl [Batman The Animated Series 060] – 125
Skeets [WizKids D17-006]– 115
Leech [X-Men Xavier’s School 024] – 30
Maestro [Secret Wars Battleworld 028] – 175
Clayface [Batman The Animated Series 056] – 125
Photon [Avengers Infinity 036] – 75
Viv Vision [Secret Wars Battleworld 047] – 90
Witch Hunter Angela [Secret Wars Battleworld 044] – 45

= 1405 points versus…

Dee Dee [Batman The Animated Series 015] 45 x 2
Batman [Batman The Animated Series 040] – 125
Black Panther [Secret Wars Battleworld 061] – 250
Hawkman & Hawkgirl [Batman The Animated Series 060] – 125
Clayface [Batman The Animated Series 001b] – 45 + trait 5
Daredevil [WizKids MP18-007] – 50
Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity G001] – 250 
She-Hulk – [Avengers Infinity 024]– 50
Nova [Avengers Infinity 032] – 150
Dust [X-Men Xavier’s School 053] – 50
Oya [X-Men Xavier’s School 031] – 60
Wasp [Avengers Infinity 044] – 70
Apache Chief [Batman The Animated Series 070] – 50
Baby Doll [Batman The Animated Series 049] – 40

= 1410 points. ALMOST EXACT MATCH (the Clayface trait puts it JUST over)

Sceritz didn’t have some of the figures for most of the year, which he’s used as an excuse to DODGE this game AND THIS DAMAGE. But no more! It’s ON at DRAGONCON Sept. 1!

I was so proud of myself. I had a team of Chris Claremont-era New Mutants all set for this 800-point Golden Age event:

Cannonball [Wolverine & the X-Men 071] 92

Mirage [Wolverine & the X-Men 004] 75

Magma [Wolverine & the X-Men 073] 77

Wolfsbane [WizKids M15-002] 64

Warlock [Wolverine & the X-Men 046] 164

Sunspot [Wolverine & the X-Men 018] 76

Lila Cheney[WizKids M17-015] 25

Magik [Xavier’s School 038] 75

Cypher [Xavier’s School 021]  70

Karma [Xavier’s School 022] 40

+ New Mutants ATA 4

=798 points

 

It faced Mateo’s Deadpool Corps theme of Pool Captain, Headpool, Venompool, Hulkpool, Pirate Deadpool with the Merc Jet special terrian on the ROC Prison map.

And boy did I do poorly.This entire team and game was a near-total failure. Almost nothing went right:

• Marched the whole squad next to the Merc Jet because…? It’s not like I had a lot of ranged shooters good at taking cover there. Mirage’s 7 range is about the extent of it, and she’s just an Incap piece. FAILURE: Mental
• She was also one of the only figs I left behind because I forgot Lila carries FOUR, not three. FAILURE: Mental
• Opted to try to TK Karma for her to try to Mind Control three of the ‘Pools, after Perplexing her 10 AV to 11. FAILURE: Mental (You’ll see)
• But Pool Captain, the main need-to-hit target, got his Shape Change. FAILURE: Dice
• Then I missed the other two available targets by one. FAILURE: Dice
• Karma in turn failed her Shape Change to get one-shot. FAILURE: Dice
• It wasn’t until MUCH later that I remembered that Warlock’s Perplex allows +2 to most stats so Karma’s missed MC actually would have landed. FAILURE: Mental
• I then tried holing up in a room because that worked OK in this game. But I picked a very wrong room, allowing Pirate Deadpool to Running Shot open a wall for an easy shot with Pool Captain…
• …especially when Mirage rolled 1 on her Shape Change SP that gives a DV boost on 3-4. She was crippled for the rest of the game. FAILURE: Mental/Dice
• Subsequent attacks on Pirate and Captain with Cannonball, Sunspot and Wolfsbane all failed, multiple turns in a row. FAILURE: Dice
• Magma and Warlock, in position to either fight or Poison, got the chance to do neither. She was one-turned and he was stuck mostly trying not to die with Regen but too open to enemy fire thanks to my bad positioning. FAILURE: Mental
• Cannonball was KO’d turns later, unable to ever break away. FAILURE: Construction (you’ll see) and Dice
• Sunspot was also never able to break away. Wolfsbane was ALSO never able to break away, and so Cypher was as useless in this fight as in the 1980s comics. FAILURE: Dice
• Magik tried to get the near-dead Mirage to where she could at least KO the Parrot Bob bystander (and its annoying Perplex) but the bird broke away and Mirage was an easy KO. FAILURE: Dice
• Eventually Magik got back to her remaining teammates Sunspot, Wolfsbane and Cypher and was able to evac them to a better vantage point instead of being tied down against Pirate Deadpool. And Sunspot, later hit onto Running Shot Pulse Wave, actually scored my only KO of the evening when Parrot Bob was caught in the blast. But he was not long for the world, and his blast also caught Wolfsbane, who was then unable to follow up. FAILURE: General
• Cypher, despite a STOP and Shape Change, was KO’d in a single turn. That left just Wolfsbane, whose unkillability factor finally failed, and Magik, who finally got forced to become the Darkchylde but died immediately. FAILURE: General

UGH!

I mean, this isn’t a really optimized team, sure, and those Deadpool figs are massively powerful with their comic panel powers and Rainbow markers and speech bubble abilities. But I had kind of the worst time running this team as well, from construction on down.

By piece:

CANNONBALL

I chose the 92-pointer from WATX because he had the right look for the era and the points worked out best (the 125-pointer is too costly and not any better). But I should have stuck with the best option in my collection: the 75-point version from Deadpool & X-Force, which brings more mobility, damage and longevity.

CYPHER

His Outwit protection was useless against a team with no Outwit. But he was misplayed as well, being stuck in the back row when he needs to be a meat shield in front to become a fighter.

KARMA

I hate Mind Control, but she ought to work. Didn’t. Team rises or falls with her to an extent.

LILA CHENEY

Vital taxi, but I missed an ATA moment that might’ve saved the more important Warlock after her use as a taxi might have expired.

MAGIK

Still one of the worst figures in Modern Age, but I wanted to pull off the switch to the Darkchylde version. Problem: She only gets Prob when she loses her armor and all her fighting is up close. She’s just a mess and the switch is hardly a lock. But she’s too costly at 115 and I lose that extra taxi.

MAGMA

Want her to work SO MUCH. Maybe one day.

MIRAGE

Another who needs to lead off with her range (being the only actual shooter of team) and mild protection of Shape Change-plus.

SUNSPOT

Decent bruiser (Willpower is key) who transforms into a shooter late game but he didn’t work out this time.

WARLOCK

I always misplay him. Never pick right power. Forget his +2 Perplex. Either hold him back or overextend, never succeed. No M+A kills him and I feel like the vehicle option is bad.

WOLFSBANE

Only thing that worked for the team was her wild dial. Did not roll a single bad result until the final turn of our 2.5 hour game. And because she worked…

NEW MUTANTS ATA

…THIS worked. She absorbed so much damage.

———

I’m going to try this force out again sometime. But I will likely swap Magik and Mirage into their Regenesis options — assuming I can get both pieces.

 

Power Girl [DC Rebirth 022] 115
Jericho [DC Rebirth 002] 60
Rose Wilson [DC Rebirth 003] 60
Terra [DC Rebirth 004] 65

= 300 points

It was a battle royal against Mike’s Maximus, Medusa, Unseen, and prime Black Panther and Andy’s two-Avenger squad of ABPI chase Cap and SR Iron Man, equipped with his Infinity Gauntlet and Reality Gem, respectively.

I picked the cramped Stark Tower map and immediately regretted it with no TK lanes to speak of.

TURNING POINTS

Andy angled to get at me, the softer target. Despite my holing up, Iron Man got a fist shot at Terra that missed. Cap Sidestepped and shot my object for a perfect Barrier to cover Tony.

…He thought. But…

• Terra Sidestepped out to shoot the Barrier
• then Jericho Psychic Blasted Iron Man
• then now-Colossal-sized Power Girl outwitted his defense to Charge him
• then Rose charged to finish him and my turn for the immediate lead in the game.

 

In a later turn, I used Terra to smash blocking to get a failed Charge on Unseen. But that was only the beginning as others landed their blows on his teammates. Jericho flew to tie up and try to Mind Control foes while Tanya and Terra put in work.

As time expired, I had all four figures remaining and had KO’d Iron Man, Panther, and Medusa.

———

F.U.N. team. Jericho’s Leadership gave that extra action to lay down maximum pressure and his Running Shot and flight were both clutch. Terra provided some TK if needed and also served as a vital bit of terrain control. Rose makes a good second or third attacker. But the MVP was Power Girl: Her Outwit or Perplex is a magnificent tool and she hits very hard. She’s the one indispensable part of Defiance.

This is the season when Heroclixin’ usually mourns our favorites leaving Modern Age. But last year, Heroclixin’ board member Sceritz made a good point: We F.U.N. folks usually don’t even play Modern Age competitive, where retirement matters most. So in truth, there’s not much we’ll actually miss at all.

But there might be some stuff that we certainly won’t miss seeing when we do brave the meta.

 

5-Figure Booster Sets (including Organized Play game elements associated with each set)

• Marvel HeroClix: Civil War …….. is FINALLY ENDING

I liked playing a full roster of the core Young Avengers members in Modern Age. But that’s over now, with only title characters Loki and Kang remaining (and, weirdly, EX Spider-Girl 001, who’s never been on the team). Taylor for some reason really likes the Pro- and Anti-Registration keywords.

• Marvel HeroClix: Superior Foes of Spider-Man ……. is now posterior

Taylor is broken up about this Spider-set retiring. Even getting a ton of new superior foes in Earth X this past winter doesn’t soften the blow.

• DC Comics HeroClix: The Joker’s Wild ……. is an old joke

Even though he hasn’t been relevant in Modern Age competitive for more than a year, Jakeem Thunder fading into the Golden Age is a little sad for me.

• Marvel HeroClix: Deadpool and X-Force ……. living up the “EX” in the name

Scooter is going to miss Wiz Kid. Or he would if he still played competitive.

• Marvel HeroClix: Avengers/Defenders War ……. calling a truce or something

Just when enough Wakanda keyword stuff hits Modern to actually make W’Kabi and throne-bound Black Panther 058 and even the Wakanda Warriors playable, here they go into retirement. There’s also a few more figs in this set that really make me melancholy to see retire.

• Marvel HeroClix: What If? ……. this mediocre set rode into obscurity?

Good damn riddance to Goblin King, who WE HAVE NEVER LIKED. And the rest of this set, with one personal exception, was not especially relevant.

 

Fast Forces Packs

• Marvel HeroClix: The Amazing Spider-Man and his Greatest Foes Fast Forces

That Kingpin piece made Sinister Syndicate so much more playable. He’ll be missed.

• TMNT HeroClix: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Half Shell – Fast Forces

Somehow the Turtles’ ability to nix powers with hits never made much of an impact. Probably because they had to be up close and lacked the speed or pushability to leverage the SPs.

• DC Comics HeroClix: Batman and His Greatest Foes Fast Forces

One of my favorite Batman figs ever is from this set. BYE, FAVORITE BATMAN

• TMNT HeroClix: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Return – Fast Forces

I only collect Donatello figures to use on an ALL-DONNY team so this one, that requires his brothers to work, never made it into my hands and can go somewhere.

• Marvel HeroClix: Uncanny X-Force Fast Forces

I kinda liked the Cable as a budget option next to the 120-point common, but this set was all about Domino at 25 points for Prob Control. Now you have to pay 30 or more for cheap built-in Prob.

• Marvel HeroClix: Deadpool and the Mercs 4 Money Fast Forces

None of the three of us ever played any of these pieces. Maybe never even SAW them.

• Marvel HeroClix: Marvel Knights Fast Forces

These never affected Modern Age, so whatever.

 

Starter Sets

• Marvel HeroClix: What If? Starter Set

I suppose Taylor might miss the Spider-Man in this set, which made his top 10 Spidey list. But no one else cares that this is retiring.

 

Micro Sets

• TMNT HeroClix: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Half Shell

Sceritz used Armaggon to good effect back in 2017. But we won’t be sorry to see Renet Tilley gone with her Prob everything ways.

• TMNT HeroClix: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Return

OMG SHREDDERS CAN DIE IN THE GOLDEN FIRE.

Sceritz didn’t think they were THAT bad. But he still thinks they were bad.

• Marvel HeroClix: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Yondu and Groot were the only ones with any meta potential and neither fulfilled any of it.

• DC Comics HeroClix: Wonder Woman

It’s sad that the so-called “mass market” versions pretty much never got released. And now the set’s rotated out.

 

I’m always less sad about Convention Exclusives and Limited Edition Game Elements leaving Modern, due to their lengthy lifespan before retirement. Three to four years is plenty.

• WK D-016 Batman
• WK DP16-001 Hawkman
• WK DP16-002 Red Robin
• WK DP16-003 Ace the Bathound
• WK DP16-004 Batman (bomb)
• WK DP16-006 Batman (surfing)
• WK DP16-007 Shark
• WK DP16-008 Arrow Cycle
• WK DP16-009 Arrow
• WK DP16-010 Diggle
• WK M-017 Doctor Nemesis
• WK MP16-001 Cosmic Daredevil
• WK MP16-002 Man-Spider
• WK MP16-003 Rocket Raccoon & Groot
• WK MP16-004 Punisher Van
• WK MP16-005 Punisher
• WK MP16-s101 Smoke Bomb
• WK MP16-s102 Frag Grenade
• WK MP16-s103 Flash Bomb
• WK MP16-s104 Molotov Cocktail
• WK MP16-s105 Handgun
• WK MP16-s106 Semi-Automatic
• WK MP16-s107 First Aid Kit
• WK MP16-s108 Sniper Rifle
• WK MP16-s109 Flamethrower
• WK MP16-s110 Rocket Launcher
• WK MP16-s111 Gatling Gun
• WK MP16-s112 BFG
• WK MP16-s113 Surveillance Device
• WK MP16-s114 Riot Gear
• WK TP16-001 Casey Jones
• WK TP16-002 Shredder
• WK TP16-003 Turtle Van
• WK WK-003 Jack Frost
• WK WK-004 Grey Gage

 

Monthly Organized Play Sets

• January 2016 Sinister Syndicate (M16-001 Doctor Octopus, M16-002 Rhino, M16-003 Mysterio)

That Doc Ock was a HUGE meta figure for a while that we’re not unhappy to take a well-deserved rest. But for me, losing the last Modern Mysterio is a sadness.

• February 2016 White Lantern Corps (D16-001 Martian Manhunter, D16-002 Jade, D16-003 Simon Baz)

With this retirement, we are once again Martian Manhunter-less! (and the other two as well, but nobody cares)

Good thing at least two versions of J’onn are on the way in the next year or so

• March 2016 Gamma Smash! (M16-004 Red Hulk, M16-005 She-Hulk, M16-006 A-Bomb)

Red Hulk was the only one I liked of this trio. Sceritz had She-Hulk among his faves one year, though. But neither made our Modern teams, so whatever.

• April 2016 The Brave and the Bold (D16-004 Green Arrow, D16-005 Green Lantern, D16-006 The Flash)

It’s unbelievable, but this retirement means there’s NO Green Arrow with the Justice League keyword!!!

• May 2016 Guardians of the Galaxy (M16-007 Star-Lord, M16-008 Gamora, M16-009 Drax)

I don’t care. I don’t think Taylor cares. Maybe Scooter cares?

Nah

• June 2016 Injustice League (D16-007 Captain Cold, D16-008 Sinestro, D16-009 Lex Luthor)

We’ve gotten some sort of replacement for all of these in Modern, so losing these isn’t much of a loss. (Though the Sinestro is a con exclusive colossal, so there is that)

• July 2016 Defenders (M16-010 Moon Knight, M16-011 Shang-Chi, M16-012 Shroud)

Meh. They’ll be remade sooner or later.

• August 2016 Justice League (D16-010 The Atom, D16-011 Aquaman, D16-012 Firestorm)

All these have remakes, though the newest Atom’s not so great.

• September 2016 Alpha Flight (M16-013 Vindicator, M16-014 Aurora, M16-015 Northstar)

This one hurts a little bit, but most of the Alpha Flight are Golden anyway, so they can join their fellows, eh?

• October 2016 Batgirl (D16-013 Batgirl, D16-014 Black Bat, D16-015 Batgirl)

It was nice running that Batgirl costume for Modern, but she was SO TOO MANY POINTS for what she does.

• November 2016 Toy Soldier (WK-006 Toy Soldier)

They all fall down.

———

There is a team I do truly mourn leaving Modern, though.

 

Because a thing I decided to do early on in this hobby was to build a competitive team composed solely of black characters. When I started, that was an impossibility. But with time and power creep — as well as an ever-increasing proportion of said characters in the game — it has become not only possible but difficult not to include some melanin-rich representation in some of the top meta builds.

And in 2017, I totally did it.

Jakeem Thunder [Joker’s Wild 053b] 140
+ Hulkbuster Torso 10

Captain America [Avengers/Defenders War 069] 70
Peace Machine [What If 043] 50
Iron Heart  [Avengers/Defenders War 071] 25

Prodigy ID card 3 —or— Storm ID/Wanted card 5

=298 points of All Black Everything. I would have taken this to Worlds. I made my friends playtest their squads against it.

 

Alas, Darwin helped make Jakeem nigh-unplayable and my ID choices simply aren’t strong enough in today’s sideboard meta. But I loved the moment.