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

The new set officially releases soon (tomorrow as of this publication) — time for the usual pocket checklist! “YOU MUST HAVE IT!”

Download (four copies to a page) here:

CollectorTroveCHECKLIST

A long time ago, when I actually updated this blog regularly, I had a series called My Custom Mods that ran each Monday or something.

It’s been way more than a full decade since the most recent installment. And truth be told, I hadn’t done any additional mods for most of those years.

But there was this darn global public health emergency that kept me inside a tad more than usual. And suddenly I had time and ideas.

On top of that, WizKids started encouraging custom paint jobs, even producing unpainted redialed sculpts and allowing repaints in official tournaments (though actual physical modifications are still barred).

So it’s time to revive this series! For the next several months of Mondays, watch this space for it.

Starting with this one:

WOLVERINE (Deep Cuts X-Men 001)

I wondered what to do with this character. I never liked the yellow costume all that much but didn’t think the brown or black versions were what I wanted, either.

Then I saw online where someone did this costume the character wore briefly in the early 1990s:

And yes, that hit my X-nostalgia hard. I loved that run. And at the time I said, “it’s unlikely we’ll ever see official HeroClix of these suits on anyone not named Forge.” So I:

• Used a hot knife to trim down the flared shoulders of the original sculpt
• Painted in the details

It’s OK. But I’m glad we finally got the look officially last year.

NEXT MONDAY MOD: Someone magical

My list came out to around 20 figs this year. Some were either instant faves or surprised me how well I liked them (Tier 1). Many others are pieces that beg me to play them every time I see them in the box (Second Team). And still others are ones I like but haven’t quite gotten to properly field or face to make a firm decision — or I have and they’re JUST on the cusp (First Alternates).

But it’s Jan. 1 and I’m up against an imposed deadline, so here I go with my top 10 (to 20 HeroClix of the year.

There’s always one fig that could’ve made the previous year’s favorite list but didn’t stand out immediately until it got play this past year — potential “late bloomer” faves.

Bumblebee (Batman Team-Up 017)

It’s her; she’s the late-bloomer fave from 2023. So stinging CUTE and that Hypersonic damaging Incap is pretty OK.

——

All right, on to the actual 2024 list. Although they’re listed in alphabetical order, I’m kinda putting them in those tiers I mentioned.

Black Panther (Black Panther 043b)

I’m currently writing a lonnnnng set of reviews of how Black Panther figs through the HeroClix ages all disappoint me. (Will finish it eventually sometime, Lord willing.) But with T’Challa being a top 5 favorite comic character, ONE version had to make the list, so here he is. WAKANDA FOREVER. SECOND TEAM for now.

———

Donny Blaze (Marvel Studios Next Phase 034) 

I’m pretty MEH on the She-Hulk TV show, but this two-bit mage is a fun one and the clix version is F.U.N. too. He’s… “DONNY BLAZE!” (flame burst) FIRST ALTERNATE.

———

Falcon and Redwing (Black Panther 044) 

After so many flying Falcons (which I love), it’s fantastic to finally get his original appearance version! I haven’t gotten to truly play this fig yet, but it’s looking like a fave in short order. It’s the double attacks that balance his short life. FIRST ALTERNATE

———

The Flash (Masters of Time 041a)

Over the years, The Flash has never quite felt … right to me. Either he was unfun with his extreme hit and run tactics or he was limited in his mobility or he barely could hurt a target. But this one is different! It’s the punching 1 square away regardless of terrain that, along with the super Shape Change, makes him the perfect Flash for me. TIER 1

———

Hadari Yao (Black Panther 052) 

So this is the rendition of Storm in Coates’ Black Panther run where she was worshipped as a goddess and drew the power from that she needed to win the fight she was in. First really strong Storm we’ve had in a while, and I’m a Storm fan. I’m still mad some neckbeard out there ran the asking price so high for this piece early on. FIRST ALTERNATE

———

Harley Quinn (Masters of Time 061) 

I low-key collect Harleys, but didn’t expect to like her so much despite her very short life and low damage. The ally-sparing Pulse Wave and Prob Control makes her a good replacement for the retired Powerbomb Scott Porter. And what’s more Nerdcore than literally the DnD-Bard-style buff? Nothing. SECOND TEAM

———

Irene Adler (Iconix WKX-006)

She’s so full of shenanigans (off-the-board Outwit/Prob; Mastermind to enemy) without being toxic (respectively: costed action; once per game). My kinda piece. TIER 1

———

Kazi (Marvel Studios Next Phase 007) 

Though Not exactly a standout character, his Willpower, Running Shot, Leadership and super-charging Underworld TA makes me really glad to play him every time. TIER 1

———

K.E.V.I.N. (Marvel Studios Next Phase 068) 

Because of the unavailability of this Ultra Chase, I had no idea he’d become a fave. But the supreme support skills of this piece makes him really F.U.N. A surprise TIER 1.

———

King Jefferson (Masters of Time 063) 

Any Black Lightning variant will catch my interest. This Dark Knights of Steel version intrigued me immediately with his Leadership, Enhancement, Prob Control, Defend, STOP. and his no-roll damage ability if you’re bold — or cheesy — enough to set it up. That’s because his shutdown of Flight and Superman TA and Super Strength only works on his side of (small) maps, so his free damage involves risk — a key F.U.N. factor.

This and the whole chase line got me into DKOS. Great story. TIER 1

———

Mister Mind (Masters of Time 006) 

“Me and the Ohio Players going to tell you about a worm. He’s the funkiest worm in the world.” IYKYK. Just the IT:Characters with his long range Outwit is worth the slot. TIER 1

———

Multiple Man (Deadpool Weapon X 013, Deadpool Weapon X 099, WizKids MVP-204, WizKids MVHR24-002) 

Madrox is one of my all-time faves. But y’all saw that the 013 version made the Worst list this year. However, that rating was him as a solo piece. Played with some of his brothers, like the (long-delayed)099 Home Kit one who generates his own pogs AND super-charges all Multiple Men on his squad, OR the “Bag of Multiple Men” LE who gives adjacent pals Empower and X-Men, OR the new High Rollers LE that effectively rolls 3d6 and gives other Madroxi Empower for his attacks — well, it’s a good time to be a Multiple Man fan. And a Multiple Man — hence the tie. SECOND TEAM

———

Porcupine (Marvel Studios Next Phase 052) 

He’s this F.U.N. and awkward tie-up piece that touches my heart somehow. So here he is in TIER 1.

———

Psylocke (Deadpool Weapon X 033) 

I thought she was the first SR I pulled in the set (long ahead of release at HeroClix For Huntington’s, a worthy event) but no, she’s mislabeled. Still, I love that her FREE Mind Control ability is so character accurate (she craved hand-to-hand combat in this phase of her existence) — and of course, that she’s in the classic Uncanny X-Men 275 outfit. SECOND TEAM

———

Reverse-Flash (Masters of Time 041b) 

That “Everything That Was Bad, It Was Me” trait — if this isn’t Eobard Thawne to a TEE. TIER 1.

———

 She-Hulk (Marvel Studios Next Phase 038) 

There’s almost nothing I enjoyed in HeroClix this year more than shouting “OBJECTION” with this figure. Lawyer suit She-Hulk has always been my favorite She-Hulk in clix. TIER 1

———

Storm (Deadpool Weapon X 051a/051b) 

Another Storm and another UXM 275 classic look. But the intricate play style of these Shifting Focus pieces makes me like her a little better than the brute force that is Hadari Yao. SECOND TEAM

———

Titania (Marvel Studios Next Phase 055) 

Her slapping enemy Celebs with her Copyright Claims barring them from using standard powers not printed on dial was peak F.U.N. for me. Also: Jameela Jamil. Just sayin’. Absolutely my No. 1 fig of the year so TIER 1 obviously

———

Wakanda Hulkbuster (Iconix MVX-013) 

He was a F.U.N. Worlds play for me and that gets him a spot. He also represents a glow-up of Wakanda this past year. FIRST ALTERNATE

———

As usual, I like the idea of pitting one year’s faves against the previous year’s. But last time I did, it felt a little miserable. (Might be because the Olympics were on and the presidential campaign was getting ugly ahead of schedule. Or maybe it was the way pretty much nothing worked for the older team. Just wasn’t a good game.

Still:

2023 squad

• 100 BTU043V Aquaman
• 75 DICN002 Bane
• 200 NOT046 Black Adam
• 45 WOV043b Brother Voodoo
• 40 BTU017 Bumblebee
• 65 SMBAL039A Cloak & Dagger
• 60 BTU027 Elasti-Girl
• 50 AV60030 Falcon
• 15 NOT004V G.O.O.N.
• 75 BTU054 Jo Mullein + GL Ring 0
• 25 NOT019A OMAC
• 25 NOT019A OMAC
• 100 NOT019B OMAC Prime
• 50 WOV045 Rawhide Kid
• 60 WKD23-002 Space Ghost
• 45 SMBA037A The Kingpin
• 50 NOTL051 The Phantasm
• 40 AV60L030 Wasp
• 15 NOT015V White Rabbit Goon
• 90 NOT032 Zod
• 70 NOT075 Zod, Ursa, Non*

= 1295 points. Versus:

2024 faves

• Black Panther (Black Panther 043b) 85 points
• Donny Blaze (Marvel Studios Next Phase 034) 45 points
• Falcon and Redwing (Black Panther 044) 40 points
• The Flash (Masters of Time 041a) 70 points
• Hadari Yao (Black Panther 052) 100 points
• Harley Quinn (Masters of Time 061) 30 points
• Irene Adler (Iconix WKX-006) 50 points
• Kazi (Marvel Studios Next Phase 007) 40 points
• K.E.V.I.N. (Marvel Studios Next Phase 068) 40 points
• King Jefferson (Masters of Time 063) 60 points
• Mister Mind (Masters of Time 006) 30 points
• Multiple Man (Deadpool Weapon X 013) 10 points x 2
• Multiple Man (Deadpool Weapon X 099) 50 points
• Multiple Man (WizKids MVP-204) 40 points
• Multiple Man (WizKids MVHR24-002) 50 points
• Porcupine (Marvel Studios Next Phase 052) 45 points
• Psylocke (Deadpool Weapon X 033) 75 points
• Reverse-Flash (Masters of Time 041b) 40 points
• She-Hulk (Marvel Studios Next Phase 038) 60 points
• Storm (Deadpool Weapon X 051a/051b) 60 points
• Titania (Marvel Studios Next Phase 055) 75 points
• Wakanda Hulkbuster (Iconix MVX-013) 125 points

= 1290 points as well. Could be F.U.N.

It’s the end of the year. Let’s see the rear-end of 2024’s clix. In alphabetical order:

Baron Zemo (Marvel Studios Next Phase 062)

Based on a meme more than anything, this SHOULD have been a peak F.U.N. (Friendly, Useful, Nifty) piece. But in practice, he doesn’t have enough speed to properly use his speed SP (token up foes he walked through) and he has no secondary use for 40 points.

DANCE LIKE NO ONE’S LOOKING — IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CLIX BIN

Lady Mastermind (Deadpool Weapon X 004)

Speaking of 40 points, she delivers a fair amount more: Enhancement, Mind Control, Mastermind. But Mm to who? And single target MC is weak. She’s just not good enough.

THIS LADY IS NO MASTER

Ms. Marvel (Marvel Studios Next Phase 046)

The SR is overcosted and confusing. Why’s she got Impervious AND Toughness? At 120 she’s almost never gonna do the CLOSE Terrain action. And her Barrier — which is necessary to use her weird Terrain Action ability — is likely to block LOF. No thanks. She’s better at 80 points but still really expensive to lose her moving attacks.

THE COMMON VERSION IS BETTER — AND THAT’S BAD.

Multiple Man (Deadpool Weapon X 013)

Absolutely terrible alone and he has to surrender points to multiply — MAYBE. Such a downgrade from the XRF version.

MULTIPLE OF ZERO IS STILL ZERO

Namor (Black Panther 050)

Seems OK until you try to play him at full. Sidestep Quake? 10 AV? Really? His SP Leadership isn’t THAT good. But he lacks it entirely on his otherwise kinda playable low dial.

HE’S A BEACHED FISH

Saturn Girl (Masters of Time L002)

She’s kinda only on a team to be expensive Mastermind fodder? And she does need a way to get to her good clicks, that’s true. BUT there’s an excellent chance she takes the full 3 damage and gets stranded on her worst click.

READ MY MIND: DON’T RUN HER

Steve (Marvel Studios Next Phase 064)

Like dancing Zemo, this meme piece promised to be more F.U.N. But the requirements of TWO characters to move AND hit in a single turn made his Choreography abilities too hard to proc.

HE ACTUALLY CAN’T DO THIS ALL DAY

Storm (Black Panther L003)

Ability to knock back in any direction sounds good, but it’s just 1 square (so minimal opportunity for knockback damage) and counterintuitive for Smoke Cloud’s AV-nerfing quality. She needs to be like 35 or fewer points to be worth it.

THEY KEEP TRYING TO MAKE THIS DIAL GOOD AND CAN’T

Velociraptor (Masters of Time 002)

Is 40 points the bad point value in 2024? This dino has only 3 clicks of life with mediocre 17 Toughness to preserve it. And it’s worse because you HAVE to run multiples to get much value from them.

SHOULD BE EXTINCT

Wakandan Scientist (Black Panther 014)

Having just 3 range means she can’t fight within her 4 Outwit range, and if she’s that close to the action, she’s getting killed. The Vibranium Armor equipment she makes also isn’t that great a use of the Vibranium tokens (that she has to depend on adjacent allies hitting to make — again pulling her too close to danger these days) — and she can’t even use it herself to shore up her sad 17 DV Willpower.

THIS NERD GETS WRECKED

Wolverine and She-Hulk (Deadpool Weapon X 070)

I absolutely love the idea of this piece. But in practice? The higher 160-point line is missing the Prob it needs to be if it’s gonna be half your team, while at 65 points there are no Modern Wolverines to split into that work with Modern She-Hulks’ click 1, which are 60 points or higher, leaving Wolverines with only 35 — and no 35-point Wolverines exist in Modern. Barely in Silver.

FIRST RULE OF FASTBALL SPECIAL: DON’T TALK ABOUT FASTBALL SPECIAL. OR PLAY IT

———

OK, enough of the junk. Next post: My personal best.

So the set was supposed to release Oct. 30 but it was delayed and not due until Nov. 27…. Because reasons.

Thanks to previews and a few scattered prerelease events, we finally had the full set revealed so for once I could post this checklist well in advance.

BUT OF COURSE I DIDN’T IN ADVANCE BECAUSE REASONS LOL

So here it is like a week after release kinda like usual lol

BlackPantherCHECKLIST (1)

Download and print four to a page!

In principle, legacy cards have been 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).

Massive changes for Silver Age just happened. Let’s get into it.

Team-building changed

The 200-point cap on Modern Age legal game elements on the main force remains in force UNLESS you have no more than one Modern game element on the starting force. If that’s the case, you can field that 300-point Darkseid that would have been barred just a few days ago.

HOW F.U.N. IS THIS? We’re not sure (because yours truly was eyeing a Multiple Man squad that now is far too risky to try), but it seems balanced enough.

Sidelines changed

No more than 4 Sideline elements can be Modern Age.

HOW F.U.N. IS THIS? We like it. With more and more Modern Sideline Active stuff, it’s a good idea to keep it from overwhelming this eternal format.

Mission Points changed

In Silver Age, Mission Points immediately convert to 10 Victory Points each instead.

HOW F.U.N. IS THIS? We love it. MPs were so hard to get right; either they were so difficult to score that you almost never could even pressure with them, much less win, or they were in absolutely degenerate builds that ended in 2-3 turns without ever engaging the opponent. This way, though, I can get my beloved shady AI Miss Minutes — who’s been in the shadow realm of the ban list — back in play.

Speaking of ban lists:

Ban List(s) changed!

They added a Restricted List to the Temporary Ban List (aka The Bench) and the “Permanent” Ban List. Restricted figs effectively are like Primes: You can only use ONE fig from the whole list.

Restricted List

• DCN 044 Nekron: Currently still banned in Pulp format, it’s not surprising to see him land here. The Black Lantern Corps do powerful things with enough Grave markers, and ol’ Nek is the most dependable source.
• SMBA 062 Carnage Silver Surfer: Speaking of graves, I will go to mine solidly convinced that this fig was supposed to either A. have a 4-click life at his 50-point-cost line like every other Carnage chase in that set, or B. cost 75 points for his 6-click lower line, which would also have been appropriate. But likely a copy-paste mistake was made and the edit was never caught.
  Anyway, this is a good compromise, keeping him from being run in the degenerate multiples like he was in Modern Age during his reign.
• HoX 051 Maggott: This piece always should have been Unique. This solves that oversight (not a mistake like CSS above).
• WK23-001 Scott Porter and WK23-002 Scott Porter: I expected this OP duo to be completely benched for the next year. But this seems a great compromise to keep them from being the best 50 points you can spend in Heroclix. Best of all, I don’t have to stop shouting “POWERBOMB” when he Pulse Waves!

Temporary Ban List (benched)

• SMBA 043b Spider-Man: Man, this comic-inaccurate piece (should not have Avengers keyword at this 1984 stage of his career, a full 7 years before he even got reservist status; nor should he have Impervious on defense because the symbiote never bonded to him like it did with the Venoms later on) definitely needs a rest.
• All the MOE chases: I really really hope this is the last time we see this sort of “shifting focus” mechanic for a chase set.
• WoV 042 Chthon: There’s SO many Mystical figs he can key off of in Silver and so much healing available, he’d just be on every team. Benched.
• Every Stop Sign construct: If we’re gonna keep Scotts in Silver, we gotta lose this.
• wkDP20-s005a Nifty Traffic Barrel: This is in the penalty box for the same reason as the Stop Signs. Nixing Improved Movement for so few points, just for existing, really shouldn’t be a thing.

Ban List

These have been on the list and remain:

• All Special Terrain Dials
• All ID Cards
• WK MP-18 001 Blackbird resource dial
• FFJW 004 The Penguin
• ADW 067 Hawkeye
• EAX 019b Vulture
• XTAS 048 Jason Wyngarde
• WW80 064 Scarab
• XDPS 036b Legion
• FFFF 044 Molecule Man
• JLU 005b Batman
• XMRF 024 Dr. Moira MacTaggart
• WK WKN-M001 Search for Ammut’s Tomb (not legal in any official WizKids event)

But these are new, and a few are head-scratchers:

• DCF4 001 Mr. Fantastic: Really? Like most Mr. F dials, this one seems weak and overcosted and certainly not worth banning. But then I remembered that his extra knock back trait can rack up Mission Points in certain interactions.
• MSDP 049 Agatha Harkness: With no MSDP 050 The Scarlet Witch to steal her thunder, she made a splash in Silver this past season — enough of one that, rather than just see her Rune-nerfing any team that can’t field WoV 048 Ghost Rider, they’ve sent both to the shadow zone for the sins of using the Darkhold.
• SVAC s005 All-Black the Necrosword: This equipment was bad enough in its time in Modern when it required a whole set of extra actions to equip it on Turn 1 (if the enemy couldn’t steal it somehow). Under current rules, it was gonna be too much. So BYE
• XoS 053b Mad Jim Jaspers: Speaking of equipment, no more easy mode kitting up your giants and others you couldn’t assign stuff. There’s just wayyyy too much available in Silver Age for his level of chaos.
• SFSM 005 Thug: He was on the temporary ban list for his ability to make most any theme a theme and trigger a lot of keyword-based shenanigans; now that ban is permanent.
• ORVL 003 Dr. Claire Finn: Her benching is now indefinite. And I am sad about it even though I understand her FREE Support would be broken beyond all belief even WITHOUT her Lt. Yaphit’s Sidesteppery.
• AI G023 Eternity: Another benching made permanent. In January, WK said they were concerned about him getting healed way past his start lines. I guess that concern remains.
• FFAI Giant Girl: Being able to Colossal Retaliate in multiples and shrink the map with her size and low cost, she was a giant problem they’re solving by banning her.

Finally, they just up and banned a whole suite of characters who, when the are/would be KO’d, switch forces:

• BTAS 013 Catwoman
• A4E L017 Mockingbird
• STRF 025 Ensign Ro Laren
• WWE 006 Sasha Banks
• WWE 018 Big Show
• XDP 018 Senator Robert Kelly
• XDP 037 Colossus
• ABPI 011 Ant-Man
• ABPI 016 Winter Soldier
• ABPI 021 Ayo
• RE 020 Terra
• SWB 031 Alex Wilder

This opened up a bunch of degenerate Mission Points builds that could win in 1 or 2 turns with no recourse. So these traitors are outta here.

But while these bans may feel grievous, there’s a chance they’re not forever. Case in point:

Back in the light!

• XOSSLOP209 Apocalypse and XOSSLOP210 Genesis: Now retired from Modern, the Grand Prize couple can be strong together again in Silver.
• XDPS G020 Dark Phoenix – Her time on the bench is over. RISE, PHOENIX!
• MSDP 029 Miss Minutes – As noted earlier, back in January she was banned, but with the shift in Mission Points, she’s no longer that sort of problem.
• MSDP054 Sakaarian Iron Man – Bleh, I wish he’d have stayed gone. The break was nice.    
• WW80 065 Sky Tyrant – Same here! But he’s not quite the same problem now that Quake and Exploit don’t combo.  (9/18/25 EDIT: Actually, they DO combo. I probably meant that FLURRY and Quake no longer combo. Thanks to an alert reader for pointing out the flub!)
• AFFE 069 Venom Magneto – The best of the “FREE-K” figs returns.   

They also finally have a long list of Silver-legal maps, where old-style long ones are the norm more than the smaller Modern variety. (Which means I have some actual use for some of those old maps!)

Gonna be a wild time.

UPDATE: And wild it is! Not 12 hours after I published this, additions to the ban list happened!

• XoS L042 Unus the Untouchable: They said his ability to deny moving or placing anywhere within 4 squares of him might be too much (even though it never made even a ripple in Modern) so he’s banned.
• And they added DWX Major Logan to the Watch List (which I didn’t bother mentioning here because the article was long enough already).

This has become a kitchen table tradition of mine: pitting one year of my top 10-20 favorites against the previous calendar year’s. And in the waning weeks of December 2023, I got serious and did it.

2022 force

150 AV4E031 Blue Marvel
125 MSDP056 Captain America
95 MSDP041A Captain Carter + shield 5
50 AV4E006 Falcon
200 AV4E045 Hulk
45 XMXS031B Isca the Unbeaten + sword 5
60 WOTR035 Kurse
40 AV4E030 Mindful One
50 AV4E050 Miss America
35 MSDP029 Miss Minutes
45 XMXS001 Storm + sword 5
40 MSDP101B The Watcher
70 WOTR042 Valkyrie

plus late-blooming picks

Shang-Chi 50
Pogg Ur-Pogg 170

= 1235 points.

I put a slight handicap on this force by giving Storm and Pogg ONLY their canon swords Skybreaker and Pogg Ur-Pogg, respectively. I also initially opted to possibly cap the number of Mission Points that Miss Minutes could score per round — didn’t want the game to end TOO quickly.

2021’s all-stars:

HoX053 Captain Britain @ 80
WW80067 The Commissioner @ 50
WW80045 Dr. Poison 40
WW80024 Harley Quinn @ 50
WW80054 Lex Luthor 50
A4E026 Loki 60
HoX051 Maggott 40
MP20-001 Master Mold @ 200
A4E041 Monica Rambeau @ 150
XRF007 Multiple Man @ 40 x2
Omega 200
A4E015 Onome 40
A4E072 Rikki Barnes 75
A4E047b T’Chaka II 45
XRF008 Sentinel 25
XRF008 Sentinel 25
XRF008 Sentinel 25
= 1235 points. EQUAL TIME AGAIN!

(Or so I thought. More on that later.)

I handicapped this force a tad by not allowing Master Mold to call in named Modern Age Sentinels with his Factory Dial like the Nimrods or other versions of Omega Sentinel, instead restricting myself to these:

• Sentinel Mark II
• Sentinel Mark V
• Orchis Soldier

and of course the XRF Sentinels that made the list in 2021 proper.

The map was the two half-sized starter maps from the Marvel and DC starters put together.

But there was a BIG misplay, actually. From before the start.

As I ran the game, I was chagrined by the 2021 squad’s shockingly low Leadership rate. On a team with EIGHT characters starting with the power, I succeeded in the d6 roll only about … TWICE? in the first several turns. That contributed a bit to the very slow start for the older team.

Things turned around, though, when Master Mold used the Factory Dial to generate the legacy card Sentinels at 100 and 125 points, who used their extreme 8-10 range to go after Miss Minutes and eliminate the Mission Points threat. And then, with a few shocking fails of the dice, the once-mighty 2022s were reduced to just Isca The Unbeaten, who finally did not live up to the name.

Aside from that disappointment, I felt like something was wrong. Back in the 2020 vs. 2021 version of this annual kitchen table game, I had played the 2021 team with ONLY the 2021 Sentinels and Master Mold’s own bystander versions. But it was definitely the two Sentinels from 2022 that completely turned the tide — ruining the purity of the win.

So I decided to do a replay, this time restricting further the 2021 team to only elements from 2021 (aside from a few nonstandard terrain markers but NOT the Special Terrain used in Game 1).

This meant Teen Lantern wouldn’t have the Green Lantern Ring or the Green Constructs from Batman Team-Up, a 2022 release, either.

(Teen Lantern. Hmm.)

So I started Game 2 and it got to a rocky start. Bad play everywhere.

Was I tired? No, that wasn’t it.

I looked again at the written team list for 2021.

HoX053 Captain Britain 80
WW80067 The Commissioner 50
WW80045 Dr. Poison 40
WW80024 Harley Quinn 50
WW80054 Lex Luthor 50
A4E026 Loki 60
HoX051 Maggott 40
MP20-001a-200 Master Mold 200
A4E041 Monica Rambeau 150
XRF007 Multiple Man 40 x2
Omega 200
A4E015 Onome 40
A4E072 Rikki Barnes 75
A4E047b T’Chaka II 45
XRF008 Sentinel 25
XRF008 Sentinel 25
XRF008 Sentinel 25

WAIT…where the hell was Teen Lantern??

And that’s when I realized the 2021 squad was 75 points overbuilt! And those three Sentinels really gave the team a mobility advantage from the start.

So I quickly scooped and rebuilt 2021 without the Sentinels to get the starting forces re-evened-out for a REAL Game 2.

BY PIECE (alphabetically):

Blue Marvel: In Game 1, he got a couple of shots off but failed a key Pulse Wave attempt and didn’t last much longer. Game 2, though? He survived long enough to practically clear the board with a similar Pulse Wave.

Captain America: Impressive at first, he fell in the late game. In Game 2, he was also an early casualty, but not before he set up the massive KO of Master Mold to get that ball rolling 2022’s way. He also left behind the Redwing equipment for an ally to revive in the latter stage of the game.

Captain Britain: In Game 1 she made a key KO of Mindful One to stop the Mystic medic. Next time around, though, she’d not so much as roll a successful Leadership.

Captain Carter: Her Defend-plus ability was downright oppressive in Game 1! I’m still wondering how that game even turned on her and the rest. Game 2 saw her hit early but she got healed and led to victory.

The Commissioner: Lost Rookie too early and was not really a huge factor in Game 1. Next time, though, I played much more carefully with Rookie to ensure the duo’s impact deep into the game.

Dr. Poison: Spawned just 2 German Soldiers all Game 1. In Game 2, she and the Germans were among the last standing, though of little consequence other than drawing fire, mostly.

Falcon: Being paired with Cap (via his Team-Up card) didn’t pan out as brokenly as expected. Still great in Games 1 and 2 with auto-breakaway. Game 2 bonus: He recovered Cap’s dropped Redwing equipment and brought Redwing into play!

Harley Quinn: Her Prob Control didn’t play out at all in Game 1. But at least she got her Whoopsies out and froze Shang-Chi for a turn. Her Prob was more useful in Game 2, though she didn’t last there, either.

Hulk: Last man standing for 2022 in Game 1, though the other side was diligent to avoid shooting him. In Game 2, he came perilously close to death thanks to worst-time-possible critical miss. But he survived to smash again, even getting a mega-clutch Gamma Clap.

Isca the Unbeaten: She was the last fig standing for 2022 in Game 1 — having to weather 4-5 attacks nearly every round proved overwhelming. But with better odds, she might’ve still triumphed. And, as noted above, it was a game in which the very build total was weighted against her team. In Game 2, she fared far better to maintain an official “never lost” record.

Kurse: She was the first KO! She got focused on and took the dive. In Game 2, she was better protected. That Outwit was useful down the stretch.

Lex Luthor: Without pushing damage, it took forever to activate him. But once he did, his Outwit and his pogs took a near-full-health Hulk to easy pickings for the Sentinels. A last fig standing there. Game 2 saw him activated far earlier and separated from his MM fodder, leading to a shorter tenure when his Green Light went out.

Loki: Mr. Low Key shockingly got one-shot by Isca before making a single dupe with his single Rally die. In Game 2, he was much better shielded. But the threat of Miss Minutes kept him from fully flooding the field with Low Key.

Maggott: In Game 1, I made the error of attacking a part-time Mystic and losing Meany early. Never got Food tokens in that game, either. He had a little more success in Game 2 but got one-shot when 2022 finally focused on him.

Master Mold: The absolute key to Game 1. Giving him access to 2022 Sentinels was too much — they swung the game crucially. In Game 2, I advanced just a tad too aggressively with him, leading to his very early KO.

Mindful One: A superb medic and defender (his SP giving Mystics was crucial vs. Maggott) in Game 1. In Game 2, he continued his medical ways to be a real MVP contender.

Miss America: She was hurt bad early on in Game 1 but got healed for a key strike+transport later. In Game 2, she also played a sacrificial role to set up for bigger hitters.

Miss Minutes: her Mission Points were the biggest threat in both games. She kept the 2021 team from flooding the field with Sentinels or Lokis or Multiple Men, lest she rack up MPs in just a few turns. She got taken out with relative ease by one of the 2022 Sentinels, though, in Game 1. Game 2 saw her come very close to the 20 MPs until the 2021 remnants went all out on her to take her down.

Monica Rambeau: Took the first points in Game 1 with her KO of Kurse but she was mostly neutralized the rest of the game. Game 2 saw her exist as a solid threat but not score any points.

Multiple Man: Did not spawn quite as many dupes as hoped. All that Empower and Leadership wasted on bad rolls. Worse, he was a liability against Miss Minutes in both games. But X-Men TA gave Captain Britain a little second wind in the late game, at least.

Omega: She held together for her 2021 squad long enough in Game 1. But Game 2 wasn’t her day, even though she lasted deep into the contest.

Onome: Sadly was basically one-shot by Pogg Ur-Pogg in Game 1. She got too close! I was much more cautious with her in Game 2.

Pogg Ur-Pogg: Possibly the MVP for 2022, immediately neutralizing Teen Lantern and others. His sword counters well the 4-square vulnerability of swimmers. Only a ridiculous late game flail kept him from sparking a Game 1 comeback. In Game 2, he was less the focus so he survived to the end.

Rikki Barnes: Lasted into the late Game 1 despite a lot of early lack of success. In Game 2 I probably held her back way too long.

Sentinel: These generics kept coming, eventually overwhelming the 2022s. Makes me think the newer Sentinels were completely unneeded. And in Game 2, they came in as well. But again, Miss Minutes made me hold off from flooding the field with them.

Shang-Chi: Took on Harley and others with aplomb in Game 1. Game 2 saw him become an early KO on an ill-advised attempt to tie up too many foes.

Storm: Shoving targets with FREE FB was surprisingly clutch in both matches. But giant Sentinels were her weakness in Game 1.

T’Chaka II: His dice roll nerf helped at first, but he didn’t last in either game.

Teen Lantern: I advanced too close with her in Game 1 and Pogg stole her GL Ring — 2022-era equipment I stripped from her in Game 2, where she lasted a good while longer.

Valkyrie: Worked with Shang to clear out a crowd in Game 1 but got KO’d early on in Game 2.

The Watcher: All-seeing was a strength in both games and his 20 Defend helped down the stretch in Game 1 — though was ultimately overcome in Game 1.

———

This was something of a last hurrah for several figs, not only due to retirement from Modern but a few (Miss Minutes, Maggott) being banned/benched even from Silver Age, I learned just as I completed the final clean up of the carnage of Game 2, which ended in the overwhelming victory of the 2022 squad. I think the older team would have mounted a better fight if not for losing Master Mold so soon. Who knew that little Turn 1 Sidestep would cost so much???

I can’t believe I didn’t write about this year’s retirement sooner.

5-Figure Booster Sets

• Marvel HeroClix: X of Swords

With a full three Worlds appearances, it was definitely time for this set to fade into Silver, especially …

GOOD RIDDANCE TO: Tarot cards. Though they weren’t the foulness we expected, we’re all for them going away — and for the new restrictions to them going forward.

• Marvel HeroClix: X of Swords Storyline Organized Play

Because this sub-set was only beginning to released by Worlds ’22, it pretty much got the main set’s life extended. And this is where most of the tarots appeared. Again, good riddance.

• Marvel HeroClix: Avengers Forever

The last of the Marvel old-school cards.

• DC Comics HeroClix: Batman Team-Up

GOOD RIDDANCE TO: Lantern ring corps stuff. Collecting all those things to be able to truly use so many of the characters was a pain.

• Marvel HeroClix: Spider-Man Beyond Amazing

GOOD RIDDANCE TO: Carnage Silver Surfer. This overpowered piece was an error. Either its 50-point start line was in the wrong spot or it was intended to be 75 points. But any errata would be too hard to justify/write in, since the piece wasn’t unplayable. So we’ve had to endure it.

• Marvel HeroClix: Avengers 60th Anniversary

GOOD RIDDANCE TO: Masters of Evil swap. It’s bad enough WizKids makes full teams in the chase rarity slot like this. But to make them all work together, too? And virtually require owning them all for best results? I hope this is the last time we see this level of player abuse.

Standalone Product

• Marvel HeroClix Hellfire Gala

This one feels like it never got its time in the sun. Sure, it’s got a Modern replacement coming, but …

Convention Exclusives

Con Ex stuff almost always has an extended life in Modern. But it’s time to say goodbye to some, in what’s a really very slim selection of retirees:

• WKM G001 Galactus

The big guy will make no new Modern heralds.

• WKM MP20-001 Master Mold (and WKM MP20-B001 Sentinel and WKMMP20-B002 Sentinel)

One of Heroclixin’s faves, this anti-mutant robot and his minions won’t terrorize mutants in the Modern game.

• WKM MP20-002 Ghost Rider and WKM MP20-003 Thanos

They’re a two-fer and one I barely played.

• WK21-B001 Scott Porter and WK23-001 Scott Porter and WK23-002 Scott Porter

Um, OK now usually con exclusives have a Modern life of 3 to maybe even into 5 years. And the former’s the case with the Scott Porter bystander token, which debuted at the pandemic-curtailed ROC Cup in 2021. But the Porter FIGURES didn’t even get a full 12 months of both being available before mercifully being retired super early.

Scott Porter the man and clix player is a top-flight guy.

Scott Porter the clix figures are overtuned to the nth degree.

The only thing I’ll really miss is yelling “POWERBOMB!” when WK23-001 Scott Porter used his SP of the same name. I wish doing so had caught on.

———

In a few weeks, we’ll see what the new Silver landscape will be. Most of these new retirees will continue to be available and viable in the eternal format, while some will get benched for a time because they were utterly ubiquitous in Modern Age.

We’ll discuss then.