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

Heroclixin’s going back a little bit to catch up on its quest to photograph every Super Strength fig holding its object token. Here’s the crowd from the Batman V Superman micro set and related Fast Forces:

A new HeroClix set is on the cusp of wide release, so here’s Heroclixin’s customary pocket checklist to aid your collection efforts.

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We attended some pre-releases this past weekend. And as is our wont, Heroclixin’ got photos of characters with Super Strength holding their object tokens because boys’ toys are supposed to hold their weapons! And we start with Thunderbird [Uncanny X-Men 004], Beast [051] and Juggernaut [030 and 039]:

Something we don’t do often here at Heroclixin’ is comment on the state of the game or give reactions to new sets and rules and whatnot. So F.U.N. Reflections is a new occasional series intended to do just that.

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We are somewhat disappointed in Uncanny X-Men’s character selection. First, out of about 70 slots, only 16 are of never-before-clixed characters. The rest are remakes. Granted, some, such as Omega Red, are sorely needed. And all are meant to replace older versions finally headed for retirement in June. But that leads to our other complaint.

Fully HALF the remaining characters have two or three other same-named versions in the set, robbing slots for the younger New X-Men. I’m a fan of Cyclops, but even I didn’t want three versions of him.

It makes sense in cases like the young, All-New X-Men version of Jean Grey versus her original Phoenix incarnation. But in other cases we see stuff like Nightcrawler’s two not-so-distinct dials and sculpts. It’s weak sauce.

Speaking of weak sauce, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mouser Mayhem starter set came out, and veteran players noted two things right away.

• There are only four figures that come with it instead of the customary six, and all four range from mediocre to worse.
• The Mouser bystander pogs that come with the set do not have point values, so they are unusable in the HeroClix game.
• To all this, we at Heroclixin’ say: GOOD.

Usually, when a new starter set drops, we vets are all over that product like spring pollen on a wet car, seeking to get new copies of the latest ruleset, stock up on object tokens, and add new metagame-worthy figures to our collections — leaving actual new players with nothing to learn the game with.

This time, though, WizKids may have been crazy like a fox:

1. First delaying TMNT’s release until AFTER the Civil War starter set’s street date, drawing sales to that product.
2. Second, stocking the TMNT starter with deliberately weaker elements to further discourage vets from poaching all copies, leaving some merch for players brand new to the game. This is an item I think WK intends to have some shelf life.

So those are Heroclixin’s musings for mid-April. We’ll have a lot more to say as we aim to make this a mostly weekly feature of the site.

Time to continue Heroclixin’s quest documenting how characters with Super Strength hold object tokens. Because standing on it is weak sauce and confusing. Putting it on the card is even WEAKER (and borderline cheating in our barely humble opinion because it’s sort of hidden).

So here’s how to be awesome instead in World’s Finest.

OK, so Supergirl [World’s Finest 056] is NOT that awesome, only being able to lean it on her face like this.

Wonder Woman [063] can hold it very well, though. Be careful with this one; her wings can be a little bit fragile.

Robotman [005] barely gets a grip.

Element Man [040] normally only manages the lame token lean. But he’s flexible enough at the ankles to safely bend him back to securely tuck the object between his stat slot and his arms.

Earth’s mightiest mortal Shazam [065] can hold his object like so.

Fellow strongman Superman [061] doesn’t do it quite as solidly, but it’s more than sufficient.

It’s taken a while for us to gather the names, set numbers, rarity levels and point costs of these pieces, but it’s complete. Click the link below to download your own checklist as you track down those chases and exclusives.

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The scenario: 800 points of only DC characters.

I decided to turn to crime.

Lex Luthor and Joker [World’s Finest 059] 200

Deathstroke [Arkham Origins] 195 + Arkham Asylum ATA 4

Firefly  115 + Arkham Asylum ATA 4

Harlequin [World’s Finest 053b] 90 + Arkham Asylum ATA 4

Penguin [Gotham City Strategy Game] 70 + Arkham Asylum ATA 4

Two Face [Gotham City Strategy Game] 49 + Arkham Asylum ATA 4

Henchman’s Goon [Batman V Superman 004] 20 x 3

=799 points.

FIRST up was Tim’s Doom Patrol: The Chief, Negative Man x2, Crazy Jane, Robotman x2, Mento and Elasti-Girl. I selected Hank Pym’s Lab. [In retrospect, we should have limited it to DC maps, too]

KO’d both Robotman figs and only lost Firefly (in a disastrous early game misplay) for the win.

NEXT, I faced Rob’s Apokolips: Darkseid [SLOSH] at 200, Steppenwolf, Supergirl [World’s Finest], Brutaal and Desaad. I chose map, the old Okaara Temple from 2010’s War of Light Fast Forces. The choke point at the center would prove handy.

TURNING POINT

Harlequin evaded two killer attacks via the Kingdom Come team ability. That kept just enough heat off the rest of the squad for it to lay down massively Enhanced fire to KO all but Supergirl.

FINALLY, it was down to Taylor, who brought Wonder Woman [Superman/Wonder Woman 033], Superman [BvS 002], Mary Marvel [World’s Finest], Elasti-Girl, and Power Girl [SMWW].

TURNING POINT

Got Penguin’s Automa-Bomb in position for a perfect explosion to blunt the threats of Mary Marvel and Wonder Woman, eventually leading to KOs of both.

3-0! I fully expected to be roughhoused by the Apokolips team, so this was pretty gratifying.

Piece by piece:

Lex and Joker not only serve as a 200-pt. tent pole but the fact that they have Mastermind and are able to make everyone else into Underworld taxis make this whole thing work.

Two-Face, as one of the cheaper characters, was able to function as a meat shield on one hand and, by virtue of having willpower and a fairly decent attack, was able to get into the act as a clean up tertiary attacker.

Penguin is a little bit hard to work with because you can only put out one Automa-Bomb at a time and without it having willpower or good speed, it is difficult for that bomb to get into position. Oh, but when it does….:) If only it can serve as a tie-up meat shield or diversion as well as, yes, a bomb, it’s worth every one of the fat crime lord’s points. Especially because he also brings more Outwit to the team.

Harlequin is every bit the top-tier attacker that she’s talked up to be.

In previous games, Deathstroke only served to be an expensive 195-point gifts to my foes. Not this time. By holding him in reserve and not having to depend on him as the tentpole for the team he was able to score some hits that mattered.

This was the only the second time that I’ve ever run Firefly. He is a feast-or-famine piece for sure. In game 1, he was an immediate KO. In game 2, he was a clean up shooting enhancing BOSS. And in game 3 was just an expensive meat shield.

Finally, the unsung heroes villains of the day: Henchman’s Goons. With Sidestep and Enhancement, each makes this team’s shooters able to manhandle even the likes of Darkseid. Excellent Mastermind fodder, too. Costing just 20 points, at least one belongs on any Gotham City Underworld team.

In honor of the just-realesed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, the scenario was to build a 600-point Modern Age team that had to have ONE Batman or ONE Superman on it. I decided to go with the Justice League lineup that the movie was hinting at for the sequel.

[SPOILERS ahead if you haven’t seen the film]

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Batman [Batman V Superman 012] 150

The Flash [The Flash 202] 149

Aquaman [Batman V Superman 006] 110

Wonder Woman [Batman V Superman 003] 105

Cyborg [Trinity War 019] 85

=599 points. A surprise battlefield condition were “easter eggs,” foil-wrapped candies placed by the judge that could be free-action revealed to be a random special object or relic.

FIRST, it faced Taylor and his Superman [Batman V Superman 002], The Flash [Flash 019a], Guy Gardner [War of Light 104] and Wonder Woman [Superman/Wonder Woman 033]. At first, I wasn’t going to use the Atlantis map. But when I reread my cards and noted this is the Aquaman who gets Hypersonic Speed in water, I did the best thing for my team. 🙂

TURNING POINT

I know from bitter experience that that WW can win a game all by herself. So I focused fire on her.

Thanks to the Atlantis map, Aquaman was able to get enough Speed Value bonus to Charge and use his Exploit Weakness to hit Wondy for 6 straight, setting her up for Batman’s Running Shot for a one-turn KO.

Still lost Cyborg and Batman as Superman lingered and my WW repeatedly missed and failed on Blades rolls. But wore away the rest of Taylor’s force for the win.

1-0.

THEN came Aaron’s Red Son Superman, Alura, STAR Labs Tech, and Wonder Woman [BvS Fast Forces]

TURNING POINTS

I’d just had a terrible round where Aquaman wasted his UH and Batman was wide open because I didn’t realize the candies were hindering terrain. But Aaron decided Flash, not Bats, was the target to attack.

And then Aaron had an EVEN WORSE round of dice failure than I did.

Got all but STAR Labs as time expired.

2-0, for the day’s win.

piece by piece:

Batman [Batman V Superman 012] 150

Alternately terrifying and super fragile, this is a Batman more likely to adore my wall of Bat-costumes than to be fielded — especially with not one but TWO far superior Bruce Waynes for the same cost. Still, considering that one [Trinity War 051] is an over powerful cheese piece that barely reflects the character and the other is an over powerful alternate future one [KC Batman from World’s Finest], maybe this Batplane-flying version is the least of three evils.

The Flash [The Flash 202] 149

This is one of the only Flash pieces I own, but the 2 damage all the way down the dial is so low that I really can’t justify paying the points. Fortunately the Outwit helps quite a bit, especially thanks to this piece’s high Speed value. This build size helped keep him from being the focal point.

Aquaman [Batman V Superman 006] 110

Aquaman rules. That is all. Seriously, the Exploit Weakness makes this one of the hardest-hitting versions of the character to date. The Hypersonic and Super Senses in water are just bonuses, really.

Wonder Woman [Batman V Superman 003] 105

In a sense, she underperformed thanks to her lack of Flight and Battle Fury relegating her to clean-up duty just ’cause it took her forever to even get anywhere. But she also never saw her mid-dial and racked up her share of points. Will definitely reach for her on every Diana’s Wardrobe team going forward.

Cyborg [Trinity War 019] 85

As yet another Outwit fig on a team with a lot of it, Cyborg effectively filled that role. Well, that and drawing fire, as it turned out. Being the cheapest of the force, that was a role he could well play.

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It’s always great to take a team like this one, built for F.U.N. not function, and come out on top. Be here on future Wednesday installments of Heroclixin’ to see more F.U.N. Fights

I went to my first Realms Open Championship event of 2016 with a team I knew didn’t stand much chance of winning the whole thing but thought could still be competitive:

ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOMEN

Chameleon Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes] 115

Giganta [Legion of Doom Fast Forces] 100

Elasti-Girl [World’s Finest] 100

Ms. Marvel [Avengers Assemble 056] 66

H.E.N.R.Y. 15 points

=396 points.

ROUND 1

I face Jennifer’s cheese figs du jour team of Nick Fury [NFAOS 056], Nighthawk [NFAOS 059b], Mr. Mxyzptlk and Copycat with Doc Magnus and Mercury rounding out matters as the pit crew. Right away I was in trouble because I did not factor Copycat into my meta prep. But I was also in better shape than most because my team is designed to survive losing a key fig in the early game. She took Elasti-Girl. No problem. I got map and chose the indoors Hank Pym Lab to blunt Fury’s lines of fire.

TURNING POINTS

Sidestep For the Loss. This is where that one more game of testing would have helped greatly. When I used Giganta’s free action of Sidestep to taxi in my first turn, I forgot that she needs to be ready to push to get the best use of her combo of powers. So when Jen moved into my potential swing range, I was unable to take advantage. It wasn’t a total game-killer, but it was a classic avalanche decision that led to worse later.

The Right Ruling…But the Wrong One. So Jen used my Elasti-Girl’s Plasticity to gum up the narrow passageway, and under the new size rules giants no longer ignore Plasticity, keeping me from freely advancing past her to engage Nick Fury. I double checked with the judge and a Powers and Abilities Chart.

…but what we both missed was that the PLASTICITY rules had ALSO changed with the size rules. I could have moved Ms. M past Elasti-Girl with impunity and she would have made MUCH better — and less costly — tie-up vs. Fury than the Chameleon Girl I gambled and lost with. I blame WizKids for this one, because in this setting, even if I had remembered the right rule, not having it on a printed document where a judge can make a fast and correct ruling on may have led to the wrong ruling being made anyhow.

Stupid Senses. Despite losing Cham Girl, I was still in the game with Giganta now able to freely Quake most of Jen’s team. But Mr. Mxyzptlk scored a Super Senses roll that saved him from KO and the game for my opponent, who was in full retreat mode.

So close. But now I was 0-1.

ROUND 2

Rob’s KC Shazam @ 170, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Mercury, Harlequin, and KC Spectre @ 35.

TURNING POINTS

Are You Kidding Me? Thirty-seven potential opponents in the room and I end up facing the one guy in the room who successfully play tested against my team? What a terrible draw!

Too Fast on the Draw. Forewarned that Rob would be aggressive, I decided to go for his Spectre to take an early lead in points. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take the time to push either Elasti-Girl or Chameleon Girl onto Plasticity to prevent Shazam’s Hypersonic Speed strike with an ultra-heavy. Once again, Cham’s SC fails and I’m immediately down a fig. But I felt all right because while my easy KO of Spectre is now denied, Rob had overextended his force a bit and I would get right back in the game with an overwhelming counterattack, first to KO Harlequin, then to wear down Shazam.

But Dice.

Despite needing a 7 or less to hit, Ms. Marvel missed her attack. Then Elasti-Girl pushed and missed with an even easier shot. Then Giganta pushed and missed TWICE with Flurry. Then she hit with Quake — but hit two Mystics with it, to take THREE clicks of damage.

Elasti-Girl attacked every round after, using Colossal Stamina and missed every time, either outright or with “help” from Mr. M.

Any ONE of those hits kills Harlequin. If Shazam is the only attacker instead of me having to weather up to THREE attacks per round, maybe I’ve got a shot at clawing back into the game.

But no. 0-2.

ROUND 3

Omar’s Zombie Super Skrull, Mercury, Black Cat, Primehawk, Proxima Midnight, and KC Wonder Woman @ 30 on my United Nations map.

Everything went normally this time. Yes, Ms. Marvel was KO’d — and zombified — in far too short order, but the girls gave every bit as good as they got. I got the benefit of some low rolls from Proxima.

Finally a win! 1-2.

ROUND 4

Bob’s KC Superman @200, Batman [Trinity War 051] @ 85, SLOSH Stargirl @ 75, and KC Green Lantern @ 35 on his Black Mercy map.

TURNING POINT

Wearing down Superman was going to have to wait. Batman was the real threat, with his Outwit and Perplex and PC and any number of extra powers at his disposal. At 85 points, Cham could take him out in one shot. It was completely worth the push to do so with a Sidestep then Flurry.

Critical missed, stranding CG on her one bad click, effectively removing her from the fight until far too late in the game. Even worse: I hadn’t opted to place the H.E.N.R.Y. she’d carried next to Batman, who was then free to either softened up or finish off Elasti-Girl, Ms. Marvel and Giganta. Unbelievable that that one dice flail essentially cost me the game.

FINAL: 1-3 with barely over 300 points scored. UGH! This team is much stronger than this performance, though the fact that two of the losses came against eventual Top 8 finishers takes some of the sting out of it.

Really missed that last play test. That would have shown me the importance of keeping Giganta ready to push for that blitzkrieg, and then I completely change the makeup of Round 1. I also may have considered a different tempo against a HSS team like in Round 2, given that I had two Plasticity figs on click 2.

Then again, there’s little to be done about the horrid dice and luck of the draw I had in Round 2.

I’m still so mad. 😀