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So WK came out with these “legacy cards” that take old, retired HeroClix pieces and bring them back to Modern play with new traits and updated special powers.

It’s a neat idea. But how F.U.N.?

Friendly? yes and no.

They’re on this terrible holographic foil presentation that is difficult to read. That’s the unfriendly aspect. But each is pretty balanced, playwise.

Useful? Sorta.

Though all are improved, none are really better enough to be meta.

Neato? Yeah.

Like we said, they’re definitely a neat idea. We hope WizKids does more and keep them balanced and F.U.N., never overbearing

Let’s look at them individually, seeing what the figures did originally, how they’re updated, and if the change makes them any F.U.N.

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L022 XAVIN

THEN: I said, “if he’s on either his first or last click: you can literally turn the dial to any click you want. It’s not quite any power, but with his rainbow dial he basically has access to 14 different powers when on clicks #1 and #6.”

NOW: Xavin doesn’t need to be on their first or last click to pick their click — and, like Moira X (House of X 030), they get to use ALL the powers on lower clicks. But an additional trait puts a further element of risk in the mechanic — if Xavin misses all attacks, they get stranded on the chosen click.

F.U.N.? I thought at first this was a lateral change at best, but this legacy upgrade is super F.U.N. in action. Also note the updated “they/their” pronouns on this non-binary character.

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L023 SHE-HULK

THEN: She got a bonus to map roll when not on a themed team if the first roll fails, SP Charge+Flurry, and SP “Objection!”: Willpower with Perplex — if she stands next to another Perplexing character.

NOW: She adds a 2nd trait giving her and adjacent allies +1 AV against primes and taking only 1 damage from same. Her Charge Flurry also grants IM:Destroy Blocking while “Objection!” took away the extra requirement for using Perplex. She just gets Perplex now. She’s also five points cheaper on top dial: 125 instead the original 130.

F.U.N.? We appreciate this version of Shulkie leaning more into her lawyerness and 4th-wall-busting. But we do not love the misprint on her card of one of her traits as a nonexistent attack SP.

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L029 MORG

THEN: His “Execution” trait gave him +2AV against an target with 2 action tokens and he got “Axe Swipe,” an occasional attack SP Quake that dealt 2-4 damage instead, based on a d6 roll.

NOW: Execution is basically the same while Axe Swipe can now do up to 5 damage. He also got a new trait, “Well of Life,” that if he gets to an enemy start zone and hasn’t been placed (this turn), he can POWER gain Prob, Blades and Steal Energy for the rest of the game.

F.U.N.? His upgrades aren’t quite enough. The restrictions on his new trait are a bit too much given the inherent risk of invading enemy territory like that. And, of course, him not starting being able to use the other abilities is a tough row. His best boost? Being Power Cosmic to use the new Willpower.

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L037 MR. FANTASTIC

THEN: So he had a trait “Find A Way To Save My Family” giving him a 1-in-6 chance at bringing back a KO’d Fantastic Four team ability user after he heals from the Fantastic Four team ability; an attack SP “Stretch” to punch 10 squares away at a visible target as a double power action; and a damage SP granting Leadership as though he’s 150 points instead of 130 along with Outwit that he can use twice if the second is against an enemy next to a friendly FF keyword fig.

NOW: “Find A Way To Save My Family” prevents KO of any other Fantastic Four keyword fig on a 5-6 roll instead of the several requirements of the earlier version; his attack SP is no longer a DPA but is just Giant Reach: 10 punch as POWER. His damage SP is mostly unchanged, though his Leadership is no longer enhanced to 150 points.

He also got an additional trait, “Marvel’s First Family,” which sheds an action token and boosts all his stats for a round when he heals from the F4 TA.

F.U.N.? He was overcosted and unremarkable in 2012 and this new card doesn’t really change that inconvenient truth. Worse: The card is misprinted with his damage SP marked as a trait and an actual trait listed as a defense SP … which he doesn’t have at all. But at least his Stretch power is actually usable.

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L038 THING

THEN: A fun figure with the SP to nonstop attack … IF the opponent allowed it.

NOW: He gains Sidestep and Close Combat Expert and the old choice to either keep clobbering or quit at the cost of a last bit of unavoidable damage is now HIS, not the opponent’s. He also gets the “Marvel’s First Family” trait.

F.U.N.? Still a lot of points and his numbers aren’t best. But with enough stat mods to his attack (possible 13) this is a fig that could one-turn nearly any target with even just average attack rolls.

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L049 MORGAN LE FAY

THEN: Way back, I wrote: “With her ability to make herself a hard shot either in close or at range as needed, and her suPerplex for … Avengers, and her wildcardness, she’s a highly versatile light tentpole.”

NOW: She’s the first legacy figure to get a radical point cost change (from the original 122 to a new choice of 100- or 50-point start lines). She lost the suPerplex (+/-2 anything except damage, a trait only usable on Avengers keyword), her ability to be on Avengers theme teams without breaking theme and her wildcard TA (thanks to the change to Minions of Doom) to gain an additional team symbol in Mystics, regular Perplex, and the ability to merge Avengers and Latveria keywords to make a single themed team (thus allowing her to truly theme with Avengers because she’s Latveria). She kept a trait that made her weak to Blades/Claws/Fangs, while adding a further vulnerability to equipped foes and object attacks.

F.U.N.? Unfortunately, her loss of wildcard status makes her just a little less effective than before and her stats today, which were kinda pedestrian in 2012, are never impressive. 

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L057 INVISIBLE WOMAN

THEN: Like her brother (see below), her SP never quite worked right, though not nearly as poorly as his. First, she had to take damage to get to her Invisible Barrier SP — maybe too late to use it effectively. Then she lacked the Willpower/Indom to use the Barrier well.

NOW: She gains a keyword (Scientist), a trait (that boosts her stats +1 when the F4 TA triggers) and, most importantly, she starts with the Invisible Barrier instead of having to push to gain it, making the ES/D it grants much more usable. She also gets a +3 range boost instead of the old version’s +2.

F.U.N.? She remains fairly overpriced but is much more playable, at least.

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L058 HUMAN TORCH

THEN: He made my “Worst of” list for that year: “He’s got to push to even get TO the Special Power that allows him to TRY to add the Nova Flame. Pushing means he loses that [starting] 4 damage AND he’s stuck there for a turn, anyway, on top of that. THEN he’s got to push AGAIN, via double power action, to get the Nova Flame, leaving him a sitting duck AGAIN. Better hope he actually managed to hit something while he’s hurting himself…AGAIN.  [Also] better hope he doesn’t GET hit, because taking ANY LITTLE BIT OF DAMAGE from the attackers who fire at this sitting duck removes the Nova Flame and he’ll have to start all over again.”

NOW: Aside from the fact the card mislabels his Defense SP as a trait, it’s a massive improvement: He gets the Avengers keyword; his Nova Flame grants +1 attack along with the old version’s +1 damage; and the double power action has been made into just SP Pulse Wave, compatible with Running Shot.

Oh, and he actually STARTS with the Nova Flame and its abilities instead of depending on a SP not even on his starting click to ever access it.

F.U.N.? He’s still too many points, but at least he actually functions now.

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With legacy cards clearly set to be an ongoing feature in HeroClix, look for this to be an occasional series. We’ll review Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary in its next installment.

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In principle, legacy cards are a F.U.N. way to bring some old fan-favorites back into Modern/Silver play and rework some old figs that never really worked right before (or don’t anymore due to rule changes).

In practice? Well, let’s see.

By set number:

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L004 GHOST RIDER
(2099 Collector’s Set, 2006)

2099 GR 004

THEN: “Being a double-based (read: no TK on him) figure with middling range, AV and speed will make Ghost Rider a tough figure to win with. He’s a 3rd-line attacker/taxi best suited for 400 point games behind (or carrying) better fighters, nothing more. Fortunately, he’s not PRICED to be anything more.”

…Is what I wrote about him at the time, long before this blog was even started. 60 points for this was too much even then. Only Future and Robot keywords were retroactively given to him.

NOW: Adding Monster, Mystical and Police to his keywords, Kenshiro here can go on a lot more teams. More to the point, he’s gotten a Pilot trait to have access to a Future piece’s or another Ghost Rider on the Sideline’s attack or damage powers — very helpful for him since he has neither to start naturally. Another trait allows him to replace his terrible 9-or-worse AV with the Sideline piece’s AV. And if the Sideline fig’s chosen click has any of the same powers that’s showing on Ghost Rider 2099’s dial, all his stats are boosted. A final trait, Spirit of Vengeance, gives him penetrating damage if a foe triggered Mystics damage. Cost trims to 50 points.

F.U.N.? This is a good choice for a legacy card: taking a fairly terrible piece and making it at least workable.

AM I GETTING THIS? I got this figure in Heroclixin’ board member Tim’s collection. But it’s not a priority for me to find the card.

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L020a JACK O’LANTERN
(Civil War Storyline, 2016)

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THEN: He was an anti-Stealth Energy Explosion piece with decent 11 AV but poor 16 DV and got Earthbound/Neutralized late in his short 5-click dial, taking away even his targeting. Keywords of Pro-Registration, Sinister Syndicate (and TA), Skeleton Crew and Thunderbolts weren’t enough to make him any good outside of sealed. And not really there, either, if you had anything better.

NOW: His old 52-point cost drops to 40 and he swaps his Pro-Registration keyword for Monster. A new trait makes him effectively respawn instead of getting KO’d AND deal free damage to an enemy in range — no LOF needed.

F.U.N.? As bad as the original was, this new version redeems it a lot without making it too good.

AM I GETTING THIS? I have this figure and will make it my go-to version of the character.

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L034 SATANA HELLSTROM
(Amazing Spider-Man, 2013)

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THEN: For 82 points, you got a weak Charge fig (8 Speed, 10 AV, 17 DV, 2 damage) whose “Soul Collector” attack SP didn’t work on targets with anything better than Toughness (see the 2 damage) and she could never benefit from her damage SP “Soul Shrivel” that nerfed her hit target’s stats until her next turn. She got Prob Control and her SP’s Steal Energy rider could maybe come in handy (and is probably why she didn’t make my Worst of 2013 list), but she was never much good, not even for her Howling Commandos, Mystical, S.H.I.E.L.D. or Thunderbolts keywords.

NOW: She gets new mostly keywords of Heroes For Hire, Legion of Monsters, Monster, Ruler along with her old Mystical and Thunderbolts. Her attack SP is now Smoke Cloud that deals fire damage after a turn, friend or foe. Steal Energy is traited now; same trait also gives a 50% chance of making her Fire/Smoke token follow an opponent who tries to escape it. Her new damage SP is 4-6 Shape Change.

F.U.N.? Trimmed to a svelte 50 points, this Mystics character has some meta potential with her no-roll damage.

AM I GETTING THIS? I originally cycled her out of my collection in an attempt to purge it of “demonic” pieces. I reacquired the fig. We’ll see if the card finds its way to me.

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L042 JENNIFER KALE
(Secret Wars Battleworld, 2018)

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THEN: Mystics, Leadership, Support and the ability to give Regen to friendlies with “Man-Thing” in the name was what 40 or 33 points bought you. Well, that and her “Untamed Weirdness” trait that kept foes from getting stat boosts against her.

NOW: She gives the anti-stat boost to all teammates within 3 squares and her keywords (Battleworld: Weirdworld , Midnight Sons, Mystical, Ruler and one new one: Champions) to Man-Things. One of her traits also has this interesting wrinkle: she can effectively quasi-Mastermind to any allied Man-Thing, placing it next her from anywhere on the map and possibly making the whole attack null because unlike MM, it doesn’t make the Man-Thing the HIT target. So an attack that succeeded against her might fail against him/it. Her SP, which used to give her Leadership and Support, now lets her copy enemy bystanders when generated in her 6 range.

F.U.N.? This now 35- or 30-point fig is clearly made to work with Man-Things, which, in Modern, are a single Super Rare and a SR legacy fig. Looks like wild F.U.N. anyway.

AM I GETTING THIS? I own two of this fig. Eventually this card may come to me.

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L043 BLACK TALON
(Deadpool, 2014)

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THEN:  Black Talon had friendly Mind Control, a very powerful effect — and one even more potent if he was played with or pitted against Monster keyword figs cheaper than his 60 points, as he could triple target them. In addition to that SP, his trait could first pull a KO’d enemy next to him at full health and try the MC for a single action. Also had Charge+Blades for when MC was not feasible. Keywords: Lethal Legion, Masters of Evil, Mystical.

NOW: His trait and SP essentially swap: He has trait Mind Control (which now works with Charge; it didn’t back in 2014) and his SP can bring any fig, friend or foe, back to life for one move and one attack before dealing Black Talon 1 damage — no dicey MC attack needed. He gains no new keywords and costs just 45 points now.

F.U.N.? This piece is not very survivable — 16 Toughness is trash — so his meta presence may be low. OTOH, that is one hell of a trick.

AM I GETTING THIS? I’ll.be glad to try him in Modern again. And, of course, he’s a Black character, and I’ve aimed to get every single one.

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L046 GHOST RIDER
(Amazing Spider-Man, 2013)

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THEN: This piece topped Heroclixin’s Top 10 that year:

… sometimes, even within the limits of design, you still get that one nigh-perfect figure. And in 2013, Ghost Rider is that figure.

  • Well-armored with Invulnerability and 18 DV
  • Well-priced as a tentpole at 145 points, leaving ample room for a secondary fighter or supporter or both
  • Armed with lots of mobile attack options with good AV
  • Able to get in attacks and damage every turn via a) Indomitable, b) his Living Hellfire Chain SP and/or Poison and c) the Heroes For Hire ATA, if so equipped
  • Bearing the Mystics TA to deter a lot of attacks
  • Able to taxi his help as a Transporter.

This is a piece with no weakness. No blind spot. Nothing that requires a relic or resource to truly cover. And it’s deservedly the top piece of last year.

Time has left him behind in several respects — Transporter is no longer a thing, ATAs are history, his once-impressive stats would better fit a much cheaper dial. But it’s still one of the better Ghost Riders ever made.

NOW: It’s a much cheaper dial (80 points) with some key losses: No more IM: Elevated or Transporter Hypersonic Speed for this biker. He adds Vehicle to his original Champions, Heroes for Hire, Legion of Monsters, Midnight Sons and Mystical keywords for all the shenanigans that unshelved keyword can do now. His Attack SP, which now has Poison, still allows him to FREE damage a nearby target, but now THEY have to have 2 tokens instead of HIM. His damage SP later in his dial buffs his slackening AV with CCE and Prob. And no Heroes For Hire ATA to get a conditional one-time, no-cost attack anymore? No problem: his “Rider For Hire” trait is a FREE one-time attack.

F.U.N.? No longer the meta force at all, he’ll be in the back of the pack when the bikers roll out. But still able to keep pace.

AM I GETTING THIS? I never owned this and Ghost Rider’s never been a favorite of mine. So I skipped the Play At Home kit this card comes in.

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L047 MAN-THING AND HOWARD THE DUCK
(Amazing Spider-Man, 2013)

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THEN: This duo was unwieldy even for duo standards. At a staggering 152 points, they had lowish damage (just 3), no moving attack until well into the dial, and once they did, their defenses flagged a LOT — and an attack SP barring them from being targeted from range came late dial and so was nearly useless except to maybe buy time to run and Regen. Having traited (and thus then unOutwittable) Perplex was nice, but an opening SP keeping even friendlies from modifying their stats meant … well … I am really wondering now how they didn’t make my Worst of 2013 list.

Oh, now I remember: They had Transporter, meaning they actually DID have moving attack ability — like, the LITERAL Move And Attack ability (When not adjacent to enemies, Hypersonic Speed but with -2 attack). At least they had Mystics TA. Still not good enough for any of their keyword themes: Animal, Brute, Defenders, Mystical, Politician. Waaaugh!

NOW: They get the byzantine-looking new Pilot trait, where a Sidelined Howard the Duck or other Animal keyword can give this fig one of their standard attack or damage powers and then drop onto the map for a single click of life if the duo is KO’d. This time, they really DON’T have starting moving offense. But they get Defenders TA now, and the opening SP is Prob Control that offers a free attack if a friendly fig missed the reroll. They also do penetrating damage on this SP.

F.U.N.? At 80 points, they’re no longer priced like a main attacker. And with extra keywords of Celebrity, Legion of Monsters, Midnight Sons, Monster and Vehicle on top of their original five, you’ll find a F.U.N. team for them somewhere.

AM I GETTING THIS? I used to own this but it’s not worth it to me to reclaim it.

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L049 TWO-GUN KID
(Avengers, 2007)

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THEN: One of the first-ever SRs, his “Fanfare” attack SP — essentially ranged Flurry but only against different targets — looked good on paper but in practice … wasn’t good. It didn’t work with his old HSS-lite transporter ability and he didn’t have the Willpower he needed to use the SP. Later, a speed SP gave a +2 speed when not carrying. Avengers TA gave him Autonomous MOVE action and his keywords were Avengers and Past.

NOW: He gets the Vehicle keyword as well. That maligned attack SP is now “Two Pistols Or The Lariat” — heavily beefed up into TRUE ranged Flurry with Precision Strike and +1 damage (the pistols) OR a RANGE that deals 1 damage and a token to all foes in range and LOF (the lariat). His other SP is full-speed Running Shot with Flight and IM:Characters. Not bad for a shaving from 50 points to just 35 — or a very svelte 20-point line that actually STARTS with the speed power. AND he’s got traited Prob??

F.U.N.? This is how the West was won, clearly. Quite an upgrade.

AM I GETTING THIS? I have this dream of running all cowboys. So I was happy to get this card.

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L053a HELA
(The Mighty Thor, 2017)

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THEN: At 150 points, she was always a lot for what she did: Phase into position and, well, sit there until next turn while she get Outwitted and shot. Well, OK, she had a trait that healed her and created a Warrior Soul pog with Blades and stuff when non-pogs got KO’d. And a mid-life speed SP: 2-bolt Mind Control with 9 range (better than her printed one-target 6). And a late-dial Exploit Weakness+Shape Change SP that could auto-KO on a critical close hit. Mystics TA wasn’t enough to really help her.

NOW: With Monster added to her original Asgardian, Deity, Mystical, Ruler keywords, she’s only 95 points — no longer having to do tentpole work for a standard 300-point build. Her self-healing trait still triggers on KOs (of standard characters only) but now generates Grave markers instead. Then she can POWER generate a full-health Zombie (Wheels of Vengeance 006) on them. Her Mind Control SP no longer boosts her range but now deals 1 extra damage to every target hit in the whole MC action! Finally, her last SP is reworked to nix STOP clicks and deal the victim’s click number if it’s higher than her natural 3.

F.U.N.? That last SP could make her mean. And she could play well with other Grave marker makers like Black Lanterns or certain WoV pieces. But even at under 100 points, she’s still a little hard to use. So this is pure F.U.N.

AM I GETTING THIS? Heroclixin’ board member Lenny keeps wanting to match his Asgard team against my Asgard enemies ones. So I will be saying Hello to Hela.

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L054 DAREDEVIL
(Earth X, 2020)

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THEN: This was one of those “don’t die” pieces that was a difficult KO, with four dials you had to dig through one at a time — and he cheated death as long as 3 sixes weren’t rolled. With IM:Elevated, a Hypersonic dial, a Charging dial, a Blades dial and a Plasticity+Poison dial, he was a problem all his 60-point life. Good thing he was a unique and couldn’t be Masterminded. His keywords were limited to Celebrity, Earth X and Mystical.

NOW: They made him less “666”-ish and more the stuntman. Like before, he can pick his start line. But now he’s only 30 points … or 20 … or 10 … and can cheat KO once for each 10 points and sacrificing those 10 points, with a 1-in-6 risk of getting an action token (but much better odds of being Immune for a turn). Meanwhile, he’s still got those dials at his disposal, along with Super Senses now for defense. (Still no Masterminding onto him.)

F.U.N.? This whole review took a while because errata needed to clear up a NUMBER of issues. A) His new keywords are Asgardian, Deity, Monster, Mystical, Ruler? You mean HELA’S keywords?? This is clearly a mistake, one that was not cleared up with the errata that only arrived last week. Also, B) the legacy card lacks his old unique status, which seems like a another massive mistake because this piece could have been grossly meta as a point denial and/or don’t-die fig. But fortunately, C) the errata closed a loophole that could’ve allowed Daredevil to never surrender points, even on KO. So that lack of Unique status no longer seems so troublesome.

AM I GETTING THIS? I collect Daredevils so I’m glad to add this card to the roster.

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L059 WITCH QUEEN LE FAY
(Secret Wars Battleworld, 2018)

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THEN: This was a weirdly bipolar piece. At full cost, she had a speed SP granting EVERY standard speed power except Stealth and Earthbound. That offered some great combos like Charge+Flurry or Running Shot+Mind Control. The risk: She lost this power for good if she ever missed an attack. Even her Pulse Wave, traited Perplex and “Untamed Weirdness” trait that barred stat boosts against her weren’t always enough to help her land those must-hit shots. She needed to be more dependable at 150 points to not be totally dependent on her Mastermind to save her. Meanwhile, at her lower line of 100 points, she lacked that SP entirely, relegating her to weak Sidestep and then-middling 6 range but with the Prob Control and Impervious she really needed at top dial, too. At least she also had traited Leadership. Keywords were Battleworld: Weirdworld, Mystical, Ruler.

NOW: Slimmed down to 100 points, she keeps the same keywords and her anti-stat-boost trait but loses a trait that used to give +2 Perplex targeting “Battleworld: Weirdworld”-keyworded allies. Instead, the trait generates a Skulldugger pog (11AV Charge+Flurry with Skrulls TA) on Leadership rolls — useful for fighting and her Mastermind. And remember how her SP offered the potential RS+MC combo? Now, that’s all her new SP is, aside from a rider nerfing enemy Battle Fury in her range. Her 60-point line is better than ever thanks to smaller maps.

F.U.N.? This is a fine fix to a fig that never really worked before.

AM I GETTING THIS? I have had one for ages with a missing original card. Now I can finally play her!

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L059a HAMMER
(Deadpool & X-Force, 2017)

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THEN: This was one of those pieces that could deal mass damage to a clumped set of targets — especially bearing Ranged Combat Expert, which back then could +2 attack OR damage. More than made up for the fact that this flier couldn’t carry same-size pals. Very good for 50 points, he also offered SHIELD TA and Enhancement. Keywords: were only Six Pack, and Soldier.

NOW: For exactly the same price, he loses ANY carry ability and his old mass-damage attack SP. Gains? Pick an attack power. Traited Super Senses that ramps with each attack of the turn. Leadership+Outwit SP with the ability to Earthbound a target within 4. And the Vehicle keyword.

F.U.N.? This is a rare time when the old piece might be more playable. But the new one is more versatile and, consequently, more F.U.N. for us.

AM I GETTING THIS? I own every Black character in the game, so yeah.

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L062 IRON MAN
(Avengers Assemble, 2015)

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THEN: Originally a whopping 270 points, this non-flying monstrosity’s worth was all in his durability. He had a trait that gave him (then) unOutwittable Invulnerability at worst and straight up damage nixing at best on a d6 roll. He also started with a Pulse Wave+Force Blast SP, a combo that’s still good today, and his damage SP “Give Me All The Cameras” that granted Outwit a lot of Improved Targeting. A late dial Speed SP offered a Flurry-but-range-attacks effect and he had Sharpshooter (a limited version of IT:Adjacent). A rare Iron Man that couldn’t fly, though.

NOW: Highly discounted to just 120 points now, he loses all that special damage reduction for mere traited Energy Shield/Deflection+Impervious, leaving him open to Outwit. But at least penetrating damage is no longer a problem, via the same trait. His starting attack SP makes a shift to EE and Penetrating/Psychic Blast (since PW isn’t big damaging anymore) and his damage SP offers the IT plus the choice of Outwit or RCE. That late speed SP switches to Leap/Climb, Sidestep and Force Blast. Same keywords: Armor, Avengers, Scientist, Stark Industries. One gain is the Avengers TA.

F.U.N.? This card, designed by Daniel Powell, takes an unwieldy old piece and brings it up to date. Not meta. Pure F.U.N.

AM I GETTING THIS? I used to chase after every Iron Man suit variant, but I mostly quit after the TabApp sculpts were so dumb-looking. I still looked for this one, hoping to score it for a super rare price rather than a chase-level price tag. And I’m glad I did.

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Whew, these reviews get harder and harder. And my hopes that WizKids fixes their QA problems remain unanswered.
But thankfully all these cards have been readily available. Nothing like the somehow super-scarce pair of cards in War of the Realms.
Next up: Top 10 of the year lists!

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So I guess this is a regular feature now: looking at how legacy cards might be a F.U.N. way to bring some old pieces back into Modern/Silver play or rework some old figs that never really worked right before (or don’t anymore due to rule changes).

Here’s the latest batch, from the first set of 2023, Batman Team-Up.

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L001 Batman
(Batman, 2012)

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THEN: At 200 points, he had a “Team Leader” trait that gave Batman Ally TA to cheaper allies who share ONE keyword of his choice (Batman Family, Gotham City, Justice League, Justice League International, Outsiders). He also had a 100-point line without that trait, starting with his “I Will Not Fail Gotham” SP that gave him +1AV when he had 1 token. The main thing that made him special in 2012 was his then-new Improved Movement. Overall, he was kinda cool but overcosted, even with his long 10- or 6-click but barely armored dial(s).

NOW: He’s slashed to half his original price, completely losing the Team Leader trait and all his IM but upgraded to Flight, so not really much of a loss, especially since the new trait gives his passenger Bat Ally for a turn. He also gets Senses and Willpower from another trait. And his old SP now gives Precision and Smoke Cloud, with a rider allowing him to jump from hindering to hindering for FREE. Speaking of hindering, he can now see through it. And he has 60- and 30-point start lines for budget play.

F.U.N.? This is a pretty solid and definitive Batman, even if the Flight ability is bit much in our opinion.

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L011 Commissioner Gordon
(Batman The Animated Series, 2018)

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THEN: At 35 points, he was offensively a weak Incap Leadership piece with a chance at double-tokening if he hit. More useful was his Barrier.

NOW: He swaps the Incrap for the MUCH more useful Telekinesis instead — especially with the FREE version for fellow Gotham City, Detective and Police keywords.

F.U.N.? This piece will help Police swarm teams a lot. But it has meta potential as well. One to watch.

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L019 Crazy Jane
(World’s Finest, 2016)

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THEN: She snuck onto my faves lists that year with her literally random dial. From 2016’s writeup: “She has a great support-style click with TK and Perplex (click 2) but it’s unlikely to get to it to actually intentionally use it. Likewise, her great melee tie-up click is buried at no. 4 and she has the exact same chance of landing on the range-centric Click 6 — and near death. Her starting click, for its part, is completely weak, emphasizing attack avoidance with almost no real attack ability.
The key to Crazy Jane is to go crazy with her. Roll her die (it’s optional) and use what you get. Push her with impunity; she resets to her original click anyway at turn’s end (again, optional). Each of her non-starting clicks have some aspect that can potentially boost teammates even when she’s double-tokened. And even if she gets KO’d, she’s a low 2d6 roll away from dodging death.”

NOW: She’s even MORE random than before, since her d6 is no longer optional. And she also has no resurrection ability like the original. But she’s cut down to just 50 points instead of 75. Or 40. Or 30. Or 20 or 10, all via a new trait to pick her cost. Instead of taking damage, she loses life tokens until KO. So at 50 points, she has to be hit 5 times to get KO’d. Or just once at 10 points.

F.U.N.? This looks really nifty — but the random factor keeps her from being busted. We like it.

———

———

L031a The Question
(Justice League Unlimited, 2020)

thequestion_file_1583443369

THEN: He was a 40-point die replacer; maybe the most balanced because he had to POWER to make his die, not starting the game with the d6 on his card. He also brought Outwit and could make his own Stealthy smoke to hide out. Finally, he had the Justice League Unlimited trait to have a 1/6 chance of taking a token off a fellow JLUer.

NOW: His die replacement gets a boost and a nerf at the same time. He no longer has to burn actions to get the d6, but must wait for the enemy to use Prob or Perplex or Outwit within 6 squares. That’s a nerf. But he no longer needs LOF to mess with the attack roll results. That’s a boost. Beyond that, he gets actual Smoke Cloud now (instead of the 1-square end-of-turn version from before) that he can also use FREE to drop in one square, usually his own. All for 10 points less!

F.U.N.? Good question. And he’s a good Question.

———

———

L029 Nightwing
(Crisis, 2008)

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THEN: He had a Speed SP giving him Titans and Outsiders team abilities and symbols (instead of just, y’know, actually printing them alongside his natural Batman Ally. WizKids was weird about certain things) and a Defense SP granting Reflexes, ESD and Leap/Climb. Later he got a Flurry SP so he could have normal Leap/Climb. At the time we loved him because he was great for wild cards to copy two of his TAs, despite his slightly unwieldy 79 cost.

NOW: He no longer wastes SP space to temporarily get his dual memberships, instead gaining fight-ready Charge+Flurry+Leap/Climb. In defense, he gets Super Senses with the ESD and Reflexes. And his later SP boosts AV +1 if he’s on elevated terrain. Oh and he’s got traited CCE and Empower. All this for way LESS points: 50.

F.U.N.? He’s quite a bit more definitive but not overbearing.

———

———

L037a Riddler
(Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, 2014)

slosh037a

THEN: Though only 55 points, pretty much all he brought to the table was Perplex versus enemies. Well, without needing range or LOF, too, so that’s pretty OK.

NOW: He drops 10 points and gains normal Perplex that ignores LOF (but not range anymore). Perplexed foes get Puzzled tokens, which another trait counts to rack up Mission Points.

F.U.N.? Mission Point characters are always on the F.U.N. end and this is no exception.

———

———

L039 Joker
(Icons, 2005)

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THEN: Back when we looked at the legacy card for Lockjaw, we mentioned the LAMP strat. Joker here was often the Poisonous, Masterminding and Armor Piercing aspect of it. Even better: he had the Stealth and Outwit to REALLY make the combo work. Sure, it cost more than half your team (10 for Armor Piercing feat card — think Precision Strike but for damage only — 38 for Lockjaw, 107 for Joker) but this was a championship-worthy strategy.

NOW: He no longer needs the old feat card. He has a trait that does the same thing, with a second half that makes him heal when he lands a KO and use Poison even if he moved. Another trait keeps him from being multi targeted — making him immune to Energy Explosion, Mastermind’s hardest counter — and also gives him SAFEGUARD: Outwit, Mind Control and Poison

F.U.N.? He’s completely built to relight the LAMP in a modern game. Not sure how F.U.N. that’ll be, but we’ll see.

———

———

L042 Atrocitus
(DC 75th Anniversary, 2010)

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THEN: He had a trait that nerfed Impervious into Invulnerability, and Invulnerability into Toughness. Later in his Charge+Super Strength/BCF and Battle Fury-laden dial, he got a SP that allowed him to move 1 square after landing a hit (with the equivalent of IM:Characters) and free attack a different target. At 202 points, he left a lot to be desired.

NOW: Slashed to 125 points, his new traits A) turn off STOP clicks and healing on adjacent enemies; and B) give him Close Combat Expert and Prob. The SP now is a retaliation-style power. He also has a new 75-point starting line.

F.U.N.? Very thematic and WAY more playable. We look forward to raging out with this guy.

———

———

L051a The Chief
(World’s Finest, 2016)

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THEN: He could give Sidestep a single ally within 6 and LOF. He could Mastermind to any friendly adjacent character of any cost. He could use Outwit and Perplex from keyword-sharing pals’ square IF they were within 6 squares — or, if he didn’t use Outwit, he could pick a keyword ally and give them  SAFEGUARD: Outwit. And like his Crazy Jane teammate, the Weird Resurrection trait could save him from KO. Not bad for 50 points back then.

NOW:  He’s a keyword cheater who can turn Celebrity, Soldier or Robot pieces into Doom Patrol keyword with the normally uncopyable Outsiders TA via trait. He can now POWER to move an adjacent Doom Patrol up to 5 squares … kinda like a friendly mind control. he can now Mastermind within 4 range and LOF … but only with keyword pals. Finally, he has Leadership that can grant SAFEGUARD:Outwit … IF a friendly uses Outsiders TA on themselves. Oh, and he now actually HAS Outsiders TA himself this time. No more Weird Resurrection, though. But for 40 points, can’t have everything.

F.U.N.? We don’t like the idea of non-Doom Patrol characters just getting to become a Doom Patrol team at the expense of the actual team. But for said actual team, I like it.

———

———

L051b Batman Beyond
(Justice League Unlimited, 2020)

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THEN: He was loaded with stuff: a once-per-game semi-FREE/teleport, immunity to range when next to blocking, SP granting Precision Strike plus a choice of range and close attack powers; another SP with Leadership and a choice of a number of damage powers. His 125 and 75 point costs were a little unwieldy, though, and realistically some of those pick-a-power options were pointless. What’s never pointless: IT Hindering.

NOW: He loses a lot: The teleport, the super-stealth, the array of standard attack and damage powers he could pick. He also lost a lot of points, now weighing only 75 or 50. Instead, his Attack SP keeps Precision with a FREE attack against an Outwitted target. His other SP grants that Outwit regardless of LOF (note that range is still needed) if he’s in hindering terrain. Finally, defensively he gets traited Super Senses with +1 if he Outwitted the attacker last turn.

F.U.N.? He’s now MUCH more like the Terry McGinnis of the show proper.

———

———

L052a Hal Jordan and Sinestro
(War of Light, 2014)

wol052r

THEN: A full 300 points, this pair had the duo symbol — Duo Attack (POWER: Attack a single enemy, then attack a single enemy but -1 damage [Minimum 1]); a Speed SP with Running Shot + Duo Attack as RANGE but having to pick a different target from the first; and an Attack special to pick a power (but not the same two in a row).  At their lower 100-point price, they lost the duo symbol and both SPs, but both levels have a common trait granting Willpower and 66% chance of immunity to Outwit and Perplex.

NOW: In the wake of the duo symbol’s old — and overcomplicated — Split and Merge abilities, these legacies are doing something special in homage to it:

When Hal Jordan and Sinestro is KO’d by an attack, before removing them from the game, you may generate a character named Hal Jordan and/or a character named Sinestro from your Sideline on their last non-KO clicks, then heal them each 2 clicks. The total points of the generated characters must be equal to or less than Hal Jordan and Sinestro’s point value. If Hal Jordan and Sinestro is 75 points, only generate one of the two characters instead.

I like it. Meanwhile, their Speed SP gets upgraded to Hypersonic Speed plus an extra attack after resolutions, while their Attack SP now copies the standard printed attack and damage powers of adjacent pals — which could work VERY nicely given their new Green Lantern TA to carry 8 allies and their much, much cheaper 175 top price. They cost just 75 at their lower value and their Willpower-based trait is unchanged from before — except that it also works against enemy Prob.

F.U.N.? I never understood why they didn’t get the GL TA back then. For that alone, this seems like a F.U.N. fig. Time will tell if the upgrades are too competitive for our taste.

———

———

L052b Batman
(DC 75th Anniversary, 2010)

an052

THEN: This true “year one” 1930s Batman had a trait allowing him to FREE move around or next to elevated terrain — IF he didn’t have tokens. Not bad. He was also a Transporter (an old symbol giving Passenger:1 and a nerfed version of Hypersonic Speed) and sported the usual Gotham City and Detective keywords along with the more niche All-Star Squadron and Justice Society keywords. Finally, he ended with a SP “I Used Guns … Once” that gave him 8 range. At 80 points, though, he was a little pricey for little impact on a team or game.

NOW: While his “Rooftop To Rooftop” trait still requires zero tokens and being on elevated terrain, now he’s not limited on his destination. It also blocks LOF to him when he’s on the rim of elevated while he has Stealth on his dial. He upgrades to the Wing symbol, allowing him to carry a pal with him as the sculpt suggests — a slight nerf from Transporter — and Batman Ally TA along with his original JSA TA. A final downgrade: His guns SP is only 6 range now. But it also grants RCE, so he’s better able to hit and hurt his target. All not bad for a much more reasonable 50 points.

F.U.N.? This is a right well-done legacy that fills a nigh-unforgivable problem of the original (not having Batman Ally).

———

———

L058 Harley and Ivy
(Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls, 2017)

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THEN: These gals started with a Sidestep+Stealth SP and another that gave Incap, Smoke Cloud, and Poison (plus immunity to it) with a rider allowing FREE Incap to a target in their Smoke Cloud. They also had a later damage SP that boosted AV and damage against a solo target with action tokens. A Batman Enemy and wild card, they wrapped up their 125-point package with IM:Hindering.

NOW:  In return for shaving down to 75 points, they lost duo symbol along with Duo Attack. But upon KO, they can get replaced by a cheaper Harley or Ivy or combo of both. Their new Speed power is WAY more aggressive: Charge, Flurry, Stealth. The attack SP drops Incap entirely and offers a 2-square FREE Smoke option. It also spreads the SAFEGUARD: Poison around to all friendlies in their 6 range. That mid-dial SP now boosts attacks against multiple targets.

F.U.N.? Much better and straightforward piece. Can’t wait to try them!

———

———

L059 Lex Luthor & The Joker
(World’s Finest, 2016)

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THEN: A 200-point duo fig, they had a Mastermind trait that granted the Underworld TA to friendlies 20 or higher. A Speed SP gave them double Sidestep (which unfortunately didn’t work with Underworld back then) and in the damage slot was SP Perplex and Outwit in addition to Superman Enemy TA Outwit. Finally, they couldn’t get Outwitted or their stats nerfed — and with 11 AV and 4 damage with Duo Attack, that was kinda OK. Their three-click 75-point line was focused on Poison and lacked the Speed SP (but still had Sidestep).

NOW: Trimmed down to 150 and 50 points, they lose the blanket immunity-to-Outwit/stat-nerfing trait (for a weaker SAFEGUARD:Outwit as long as no Superman Ally/Batman Ally enemies are in range+LOF) and the Outwit-plus SP (swapping it for one that has +/-2 Perplex and makes adjacent pals into Superman Enemies). Their old double Sidestep is gone, too; instead, when an adjacent pal non-free moves, they ride along and can attack afterward for free — and because it’s a placement and not carry, they can do a non-free action as well.  Finally, after getting KOed, this duo can be replaced by a cheaper Lex or Joker (or both, if you used the 150-point full dial) two clicks from KO.

F.U.N.? Clever reworking of the old duo abilities. We like it.

———

———

L060 World’s Finest
(World’s Finest, 2016)

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THEN: They had three point costs: a big 300-point one which offered Colossal Stamina (but at 2 damage cost instead of 1), immunity to Outwit/stat-nerfing, and a free extra attack if they missed a non-Duo Attack attack. At 200, they lacked the Stamina trait, and the low 75 price didn’t get the bonus attack roll. All price points had a late dial DV SP of Combat Reflexes and Toughness and both the Bat and Superman TAs.

NOW: Like their archenemies above, upon KO this duo can be replaced by a cheaper combo of Batman or Superman (or just one if you used the 60-point dial) two clicks from KO. They lose the extra attack attempt trait for a much better FREE attack against a foe that made an attack or Outwit since last turn. And unless an enemy is more points, World’s Finest have a 50% chance of only taking 1 damage from hits. Finally, the DV SP is heavily upgraded to Invincible+Super Senses — the latter improving with their number of action tokens. That’s a lot better for a lot less points: 175, 125 and 60.

F.U.N.? The retaliation-style trait alone gives this piece competitive potential.

———

———

L096 Green Lantern
(Legacy, 2005)

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THEN: With 10 range, RCE, 20 DV with Willpower, KC Alan Scott here was fearsome on those first two clicks — and difficult to knock off them, especially with him being a prime candidate for the old Trick Shot feat granting him Improved Targeting: Characters and Hindering. Basing him to stop him lighting up your force was tough, too, thanks to the Kingdom Come team ability (then functionally the same as today’s Hypertime TA). He also had TK, which was mostly useless on him because he was the main attacker and TK was for hurling main attackers out for fighting.

NOW: He gets slimmed down to 175 points but only makes gains: Traited Invincible and a choice of either BCF (that light sword is no longer for show) or Super Sense/2-square FREE Barrier. He also adds Justice Society TA and a ton of keywords to his original two generic Future and Politician ones: Armor, Gotham City, Green Lantern Corps, Herald, Justice League, Justice Society and Mystical. But in similar fashion to other Kingdom Come-themed figs, he has a lower price point that has a very different character and play style: At 20 points, he starts on his ending two Defend clicks with a trait giving him Leadership and the ability to use it or Defend or JSA TA up to his range and LOF. It also, once per turn, boost a friendly’s DV from +1 to +3 (based on a d6 roll).

F.U.N.? The low dial for sure. The top dial is just pricey enough that it’s not too unfriendly either.

———

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The Legion would reappear in the next DC set, Unleashed. But the same problems would persist: The characters’ combat values would still be subpar and they would still be all wild cards….mostly.

Brainiac 5 (Unleashed 019-021)
The smart kid of the Legion, Brainy is the team’s first and cheapest source of Outwit at just 40 points for the Rookie. And like his teammate Saturn Girl from the previous set rocked Perplex and little else, so too is his dial compLETEly bare apart from the Perplex he gets AFTER Outwit. Twelve more points buy a click each of Toughness and Mastermind on the Experienced — good luck finding fodder on a Legion team — and the 58-point Vet doubles up on both powers. The LE, Querl Dox, has a totally different powerset: Incap, Defend, Leadership and Exploit Weakness for 47. All are basically useless due to his terrible stats.  Hidden Charm: B5 has one role — to Outwit or Perplex ’til he’s dead. He’s gonna need help not dying with only 15 or lower DV and having to be within 6 squares to be of use. Fortunately, there’s a Legion maneuver that Heroclixin’ calls the “bunker formation” that he can benefit from, allowing him to help his team. We’ll discuss it more in future installments.
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Chameleon (Unleashed 037-039)
Holy junk, what an awful opening click on the Rookie. 7 AV, 14 DV, 1 damage. And the AV goes DOWN from there. At least there’s a bit of Plasticity and a full dial of Shape Change to help save his 30 points. 44 and 58 get a 15 DV Toughness and a click of life on each level up. All have Blades/Claws/Fangs, Incap and Poison in some order in the Attack slot. Hidden Charm: The Rookie pushes straight onto Poison. So pair him with a higher DV ally with Defend and go tie up a soft target.
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Supergirl (Unleashed 077)
She wasn’t a Legionnaire when this set first arrived; that would happen later, with the addition of keywords. Unfortunately, she still brings the same LSH problems of the era to the team: unconscionably low values for a 133-point figure, especially on defense. On the plus side, she brings the Superman Ally team ability for her wild card friends to copy at last. Kara Zor-El (Unleashed 218) is much like Supergirl, only rocking the LSH TA and losing opening Running Shot for Charge and an extra click each of Impervious and Super Strength for one point less. Hidden Charm: On a big enough LSH team where she’s not a main fighter — and I really hope a gal of her cost that only has one click of 10 AV and THREE TIMES more clicks of 8AV or worse than clicks of 9AV ISN’T a main fighter — either can be used to soak up shots for better pieces with her 9-click-long dial.
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Shvaughn Erin (Unleashed 204)
She’s really only an honorary Legionnaire, being their liason on the Science Police force of their time. And she has the same rubbish stats. But she’s another cheap Leadership fig, and she actually has useful powers in Running Shot and Energy Shield/Deflection. Hidden Charm: A rare non-flyer on the Legion, she can be carted about for all manner of formations and setups.
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Next: The Legacy of the Legion

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It’s become a DragonCon tradition: Heroclixin’ Board Member Chadd Franklin comes down to Atlanta for a con and for big games with yours truly. And this year, we did it in grand fashion … sort of.

GAME 1: NIGHT OF THE SENTINELS

SENTINELS v XMEN

Thursday was the big kahuna, a titanic match between Chadd’s mutant heroes out to wreck my horde of every Sentinel I could possibly field in 2,500 points.

Bishop (X of Swords) 80
Exodus (House of X) 95
Apocalypse (X-Men Rise and Fall ) 125
Gorgon (X of Swords 022) 65
Kid Gladiator (X-Men Rise and Fall ) 75
Magik (X of Swords 023) 65
Marvel Girl (House of X 020) 80
Phoenix (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga) 350
Polaris (X-Men Rise and Fall 026) 50
Kitty Pryde (Empyre) 35
Rogue (X of Swords 037a) 60
Professor X, Dreamer (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga) 50
Scarlet Witch (Empyre) 50
Cable 75 + Futuristic Holograms 25 (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga)
X-23 (Fantastic Four) 50
Egg (House of X) 25
Hope Summers (X of Swords) 100
Cyclops (X-Men Rise and Fall) 45
Dazzler (Empyre) 35
Colossus (Empyre) 125
Iceman (House of X) 65

Elixir (House of X) 40
Forge (House of X Fast Forces) 75
Sage (House of X Fast Forces) 50
Dr. Moira MacTaggart (X-Men Rise and Fall ) 20
Deadpool (X-Men Rise and Fall 100) 60

Beast. (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 70
Gambit (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 70
Jubilee (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 50
Storm (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 70
Wolverine (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 70

X-Men Blue ATA 4 points each

Monster Hunter feat on everyone legal 3 points each

This was an impressive 2,500-point force and one well suited against a colossal Sentinel force, something like what I fielded:

Alpha Class Sentinel @150
Bastion (XDPS g013) @100
Cerebra @150 + Brilliant Tactician 20
Cyclops Sentinel @150
Friend of Humanity @5
Karima + Robot Team Up card 75
Master Mold @200
Nimrod (047b) @125
Nimrod the Greater 25
Nimrod the Lesser 100
Omega 200
Omega Prime Sentinel 59 + Infiltrate 2
Omega Sentinel 50
Orchis Soldier 25
Phoenix Sentinel @75
Sentinel (Captain America) @200
LE Sentinel Captain 29
legacy Sentinel Mark II @100
legacy Sentinel Mark V @40
Sentinel Squad ONE 70
experienced Sentinel Trooper 25
Tri-Sentinel @30

He’d brought the Morlock Tunnels, a cramped indoor map that I’d had to diagram carefully to even be able to place my starting force.

Chadd’s plan was to Barrier up in between my waves of attacks. But it didn’t go that way because why would I march up to get shot like that? Sentinels are artificial intelligence … emphasis on INTELLIGENCE. And so that map hampered him more than it helped — especially when Tri-Sentinel blew up the walls

We played for some hours but had to call it far too early because Chadd had been up for nearly 20 straight hours and I had been awake for more than 16 myself.

We planned revisit this battle on Monday, when the con was basically over, ahead of our Tuesday morning checkout time.

RESULT: INCONCLUSIVE (but the momentum was mine)

——

GAME 2: X-MEN #1 (1991) COVER vs. ACOLYTES

Chadd built a 1000-point team based on the iconic cover:

xmen1

So I opted to face him with Magneto and his Acolytes!

Magneto (XDPS G025) 300
Frenzy
Colossus (XDPS) + Inside Information
Amelia Voght
Scanner
Kleinstock Bros x 3
Random
legacy Fabian Cortez

We agreed to play on Genosha, the site of the battle. And we kinda played it twice because the first go-round we made some ridiculous misplays. I played the Acolytes about as poorly as one could — Magneto wasn’t even on his right starting click! — while Chadd realized too late he hadn’t packed the right Beast for the team.

The second game, I had full command of my team, such that Chadd  folded.

RESULT: MAGNETO WAS RIGHT

——

GAME 3: EXILES V. EXILES

Exiles-logo-600x257

Chadd built a team of Exiles: Blink, Juggernaut, Proteus, Dazzler, Longshot and Sage.

So I wanted to play my OWN EXILES: T’Chaka II, Magik, Valkyrie, Tessa, Nocturne and Spider-Man 2099

But … this game was almost a bust because, again, Chadd had brought the wrong piece — this time a Juggernaut.

But … we found a way to rebuild our teams to have a match anyway.

But … it ended in a draw. And we didn’t even do a roll-off because WHY? It was a draw.

RESULT: A DRAW

——

GAME 4: THE NAME GAME

This is a F.U.N. scenario that Chadd came up with for Dragon Con years past where you build a force based on your government name.

C: Cyclops (Regenesis) @120

H: Honey Badger @80

A: Apocalypse (XMRF) 125

D: Dark Phoenix (M10th Anniversary) @100

D: Deadpool (X of Swords) 40

vs.

K: King Shark (Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls) @90 + Submerged 5 because he’s a shark

H: Harley Quinn (WW80) @50 + Alias 3 because she’s literally wearing someone else’s clothes

A: Ant-Man & Wasp (Chaos War) 168 + And Stay Down! 5 because they are a one-two punch duo

R: Rikki Barnes (Empyre) 75 + Loner 5 because she’s literally the last survivor of her world

I: Ironheart (Captain America and the Avengers) 85 + Shellhead 10 because she’s armored and has the old defense symbol to gain the +2

I LOVE how the feats are thematic for each of them.

We left the hotel room for this one, playing in the Heroclix gaming area at DragonCon. The map was the David Leverette/Howard Brock-provided Barnstable Wedding map.

I wound up winning, but the biggest moment was when Jonathan, Honey Badger’s pal wolverine, one-shot King Shark. Ohhhhh I was as salty as the water King Shark likes to swim in.

RESULT: KHARI’S VICTORY BUT CHADD HAD BEST SCENE

——

GAMES 5-6: THE CHARLIE

Another Dragon Con classic, we saved this for nearly last — because we had multiple teams to run.

The Charlie (named for Charlie “Rockman” Cates, an old school Heroclix judge and former player) works like this: Seven figs, all in differing point brackets, sit on the sideline. The cheapest fig starts first. When it heals or takes damage, immediately roll d6 and replace it with the corresponding fig on the sideline.

First game, Chadd had as many Phoenixes as he could muster: from Dark Phoenix down to Jean Grey and an X-Trainee filling in the very cheapest slot.

I ran a bunch of legacy card figs: Leech, Havok, Deadpool, Warlock, She-Hulk, Namor and Thor & Loki.

RESULT: SHINY LEGACIES SHINE

 

Some hours later, we found a quiet table in the gaming hall and did the other team. I forget what Chadd packed but I used my All Black Everything squad: 25-point WOTR Black Panther, Isca The Unbeaten prime, SR Uhura, 022 Power Girl @115, Empyre Monica Rambeau @150 and 250-point chase Black Panther.

RESULT: ALWAYS BET ON BLACK

——

GAME 7: NIGHT OF THE SENTINELS PART II

Now it was time to do our real match, being relatively rested this time and having several hours to do it justice.

Well, that didn’t quite happen either, as Chadd for some reason needed nearly an ENTIRE HOUR just to set up his team. Then he never quite played his force’s best pieces, essentially letting me take the offensive at will.

SENTINELS v XMEN 2

He’d built an impressive team. But the whole thing was just a little too overwhelming for him.

RESULT: SOME MUTANTS ELIMINATED, SOME SENTINELS WRECKED … but not nearly enough of either!

———

Chadd is skipping DragonCon next year, but coming to MomoCon in the spring. We’ll be holding the points down to a cap of 1000 this time. And we’ll have more F.U.N. Heroclixin’.

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Ever confused by some of the acronyms and abbreviations I use in these articles — especially older articles with outdated terms? Here’s a key. UPDATED 07/20/2020

10% limit/10% cap — The rule preventing feats from being more than 10% of your total build limit.

Activation Click — A significantly lower-powered click than the one that follows it. Usually appears on the starting click of characters who transform from a weaker form to a more powerful one (e.g. Bruce Banner to Hulk).

AE —Alter Ego, a type of Special Power. Also used to denote figures that use this game mechanic.

AP — Armor Piercing, a Golden Age feat that prevents damage from being reduced to 0, rendering damage reducers less effective.

Armor — Blanket term for damage reducing powers and abilities. Also a common generic keyword.

ATA — Alternate Team Ability/Additional Team Ability. Originally a feat card that changed a set of characters’ team ability to a new one, ATAs later became their own mechanic, adding to a character’s existing roster of team abilities (if any). 

AV — Attack Value.

BCF — Blades/Claws/Fangs, a standard attack power. Not to be confused with BFC.

Beat stick — A powerful attacking character. AKA Beastick.

BFC — Battlefield Condition, a tactic played at the beginning of a Golden Age HeroClix game that alters one or more rules of the game for that game only. Not to be confused with BCF.

Bizarro — An unofficial game format in which characters start on their final click and damage and healing click the opposite direction from normal.

Brick — A powerful attacking character with damage reducing powers.

Bush — Generic term for any hindering terrain. (Example: “My Batman’s using Stealth to hide in a bush.”)

Cardboard — Optional card elements of HeroClix, especially Feats and Battlefield Conditions and sometimes including Special Objects and Bystanders.

CCE — Close Combat Expert, a standard damage power.

Chase — An ultra-rare figure pulled only from boosters.

Cheese — a slightly derogatory term for highly effective characters, feats or other game elements.  See also “min/max” or “meta”

Con Ex — Abbreviation for convention exclusive. 

CR — Combat Reflexes, a standard defense power.

CUR — Acronym for Common/Uncommon/Rare in the set configuration since the 2007 Avengers release. A full CUR set nets one all the non-Super Rare/Limited Edition/Chase figures.

Don’t Die — A meta play style involving figures that do not KO easily, usually though a unique special power or trait.

DV — Defense Value.

EB — Earthbound/Neutralized, a standard speed power.

EE — Energy Explosion, a standard attack power.

ESD — Energy Shield/Delfection, a standard defense power.

EW —Exploit Weakness, a standard damage power.

FB — Force Blast, a standard speed power.

FCBD — Free Comic Book Day. Sometimes HeroClix figures are released for this annual event and are identified with this acronym.

Feat — a Golden Age tactic in which cards could be attached to characters to enhance their effectiveness for extra point cost.

F.U.N. — What this site’s all about.

Generic — A figure that doesn’t represent any individual person and could thus be played in multiples in the Highlander format. (See “Highlander”)

Golden Age — An official game format in which all characters and tactics are allowed.

Highlander — An unofficial game rule in which only one copy of any character can be used in a force unless the judge rules that the character is a generic character. (See “Generic”)

HSS — Hypersonic Speed, a standard speed power.

ICWO — In Contact With Oracle, a once-popular feat card. Also the most broken piece of rubbish cardboard crutch ever made for this game of which every existing copy should be burned with everlasting hellfire. (Wait, did I type that out loud? I don’t feel nearly so strongly about it anymore)

IM / IT — Improved Movement / Improved Targeting, usually followed by whatever type of terrain or effect it ignores.

Incap — Incapacitate, a standard attack power. Also, the act of using this power.

Killbox — A formation, usually much closer to one’s own starting area than the opponent’s, that allows multiple attacks on an enemy figure without significantly repositioning the formation.

LAMP — An acronym for Lockjaw/Armor Piercing/Mastermind/Poison, a Golden Age strategy in which a character damages opponents for free using Poison and the Armor Piercing feat. Opponents’ counterattacks are shunted to a long-lived taxi (the Lockjaw character being the most efficient example), who chases down opponents that manage to flee the Poison trap. 

L/C — Leap/Climb, a standard speed power.

LE — Limited Edition, a figure not available in boosters but only as tournament prizes or other promotions.

LOF — Line of Fire, a HeroClix game term. Often mistakenly referred to as Line of Sight.

LOS — Line of Sight, a Batman Alphaclix game term. Often mistakenly used instead of the correct term Line of Fire in the true HeroClix game.

Main force — The portion of a team build that consists of figure and doesn’t include figures from outside the game or on the Sideline.
MC — Mind Control, a standard speed power.
Meat shield — A character used chiefly to block line of fire to a more important character. Also, the act of doing so.

 

Medic — A character that can use the Support power. Usually only on the team for this healing ability.

Meta — An adjective describing a top-level competitive element of the game.

Metagame — Basically, the aggregation of tactics, figures and strategies in a game that lead to the best chance of victory. (Not really Heroclixin’s thing.)

Min/max — A team or the act of building a team with minimal weaknesses and maximum effectiveness. Usually not even slightly thematic or fun. (Not really Heroclixin’s thing.)

MM fodder — Short for Mastermind fodder. A figure or figures whose chief purpose on a team is to be chosen by a friendly character using the Mastermind power.

Mod — Short for modification. A figure whose factory-made sculpt or paint job is altered or customized by a fan.

Modern Age — An official game format in which only characters with character cards and elements from roughly the past two years are legal to play. Check with win.wizkids.com for the official list. 

MOE — Masters of Evil team ability.

OOTS — Acronym for “Out Of The Shadows,” a Special Power belonging to Justice League Batman #001. Used to identify this popular and powerful Batman figure. Also frequently applied to any newer character with a similar ability to be placed into or out of hindering terrain before or after acting.

OP — Overpowered. Also an acronym for Organized Play, an official WizKids event furnished with Limited Edition prize figures. 

Oreo — Term for the larger, newer style of HeroClix figure bases on figures produced from late summer 2011 to present.

PB / PPB — Psychic Blast (also Penetrating/Psychic Blast), a standard attack power.

Pick A Power — A trait or special power allowing choice of a standard power or ability (See also: Swissblade)

Pit crew — A group of characters on a force that collectively supply 3 or more of the following powers: Telekinesis, Outwit, Probability Control, Perplex, Support.

Pog — Bystander character.

Prob — Short for Probability Control, a standard damage power.

P/T — Phasing/Teleport, a standard speed power.

PW — Pulse Wave, a standard attack power. Also, the act of using this power.

RCE — Ranged Combat Expert, a standard damage power.

Reducers — Blanket term for any power that reduces damage taken such as Toughness or Impervious.

Restricted — An older official format allowing, roughly, only the past 2-3 years of sets in a game.

Retal — Colossal Retaliation, a common trait or special power found on meta teams that allows free attacks against enemies that hit your force last turn. 

REV — Acronym for Rookie/Experienced/Veteran, the chief designation for figures prior to the 2007 Avengers set and character cards. No longer relevant in the modern game.

RS — Running Shot, a standard speed power.

Rollouts — a blanket term for powers such as Super Senses, Shape Change, and Impervious that grant a chance of either evading, avoiding or negating damage from attacks, especially when more than one of the above is available. 

SE — Steal Energy, a standard attack power.

Short-clicking — A cheating method in which players do not click their characters the proper amount of damage taken. Don’t be the scumbag who does this.

Silver Age — A popular term for any unofficial format meant to bridge the gap between the official Modern Age and Golden Age formats. Every venue’s is different.

SP — Special Power.

SR — Super Rare.

STOPP — An acrostic for the five supporting powers of Support, Telekinesis, Outwit, Probability Control, Perplex, the five “pit crew” powers used to buff and back up a core of more powerful attackers or to maximize the potential of a well-balanced team. See also: TOPPS

Swarm — A large team of low-cost figures.

Swing — maximum number of squares away that a character can make an attack. For example, an 8 Speed figure with Charge has a 5-square swing while a 6 Speed figure with Running Shot and 4 range has a swing of 7.

Swissblade — A figure with a trait or special power allowing it to choose a standard power or ability (See “Pick A Power”)

TA — Team Ability.

Taxi — A character whose role is to carry other characters. Also the act of doing so.

Tentpole — A figure that either takes up around half the build total or costs significantly more than other characters on the force and would deal the majority of the damage.

Tie up — The tactic of deliberately becoming adjacent to an enemy to prevent it from moving freely or firing. Also a character used for this tactic.

TK — Telekinesis, a standard attack power. Also, the act of using this power.

TOPPS — An acrostic for Telekinesis Outwit Perplex Probability and Support, the five “pit crew” powers used to buff and back up a core of more powerful attackers or to maximize the potential of a well-balanced team. inspired by Topps, the original owner of WizKids. (See also STOPP)

U — Unique, a silver-ringed figure that cannot be played in multiples on a force. Prior to character cards, these were equivalent to the Super Rare slots in each set.

Unrestricted — An older official format allowing all characters and elements.

WC —Wild card, a type of character that can use the team abilities of friendly characters.

WP — Willpower, a standard defense power.

WizKids — The company that produces HeroClix. 

 
Set acronyms
D10: DC 10th Anniversary
2099: Marvel 2099 collector’s set
AA: Arkham Asylum
AAOU: Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie
ACB: Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
ACR: Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
ADW: Avengers Defenders War
AM: Avengers Movie
AOU: Age of Ultron Storyline OP
ASM: Amazing Spider-Man
AV: Avengers
AVX: Avengers Vs. X-Men
AW: Armor Wars

BA: Batman Alpha

BAO: Batman Arkham Origins
BB: The Brave and the Bold
BFA: The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
BM: Batman (2012 set)
BN: Blackest Night starter set
BOTM: Yugioh: Battle of the Millennium
BPRD: Hellboy BPRD set
BSI: Bioshock Infinite
BTV: Batman Classic TV
BVS: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
CA: Captain America
CACW: Captain America: Civil War
CAWS: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
CD: Collateral Damage
CJ: Cosmic Justice
CM: Critical Mass
CoH: City of Heroes
CoV: City of Villians
CR: Crisis
CT: Clobberin’ Time
CW: Chaos War
CWSL: Civil War Storyline OP
D75: DC 75th Anniversary
DK: Dark Knight Rises
DoFP: Days of Future Past action pack and/or Days of Future Past CTD
DoS: The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
DP: Deadpool
DR: Danger Room starter set
DXF: Deadpool & X-Force
F4: Fantastic Four starter set
FF: Fantastic Forces
FI: Fear Itself
FOTR: Fellowship of the Ring
FL: The Flash
GC: Gotham City Strategy Game
GG: Galactic Guardians
Giants: Giants collector’s set
GLC: Green Lantern Corps collector’s set
GL: Green Lantern Gravity Feed set
GOTG: Guardians of the Galaxy
GOTGM: Guardians of the Galaxy Movie
GW: Gears of War set
GSX: Giant-Size X-Men
HALO: Halo
HOB: The Hobbit
HoT: Hammer of Thor
HT: Hypertime
IC: Infinity Challenge
Icons: Icons
IG: Infinity Gauntlet
IH: Incredible Hulk
IIM: Invincible Iron Man
IM: Iron Maiden
IM3: Iron Man 3
IN: Indy
Inv: Invincibles
JH: Jonah Hex
JL: Justice League
JL52: Justice League 52
JW: The Joker’s Wild
Leg: Legacy
LoSH: Legion of Super-Heroes starter set
LOTR: Lord of the Rings
M10: Marvel 10th Anniversary
M+M: Mutations and Monsters
MKR: Mage Knight Resurrection
MM: Mutant Mayhem
MoS: Man of Steel
NF: Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD
OR: Origins
PR: Pacific Rim
ROTK: Return of the King
SCAM: Sinestro Corps Anti-Monitor
SF: Street Fighter
SFSM: Superior Foes of Spider-Man
SoG: Streets of Gotham
SI: Secret Invasion
SLOSH: Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes
Sin: Sinister
SM: Superman
STAT: Star Trek Away Team
STT: Star Trek Tactics
SV: Supernova
TB: Tab Apps
TDW: Thor: The Dark World
TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
TMNT2: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes on a Half-Shell
TMNT3: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Return
TT: Teen Titans
TTT: The Two Towers
TW: Trinity War
UNI: Universe
UNL: Unleashed
ULT: Ultimates
UX: Uncanny X-Men
WK: WizKids Exclusive
WKD: WizKids DC Exclusive
WKM: WizKids Marvel Exclusive
WM: Watchmen
WoL: War of Light
WR: War of the Light starter set
WS: Web of Spider-Man
WX: Wolverine and the X-Men
XP: Xplosion
YG: Yugioh

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Did I miss something? Comment and I’ll add it to the list (…IF it’s a term I’m likely to use on this site)!