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

The Top Ten list is done. So is the slog through the 10 WORST. Now it’s time to close out the look back with our favorites!

Typically, I intro this annual feature with a look back at a figure that came out too late in the previous year to play much that later emerged as a favorite. But there was nothing that fit the bill from the November and December sets that didn’t make the 2013 Faves list proper.

So I looked back further. And not one, but three lady figs emerged as clear late-blooming favorites in 2014:

Mirage [Wolverine and the X-Men 004], Magik [Wolverine and the X-Men 034]  and Magma [Wolverine and the X-Men 073]

When I run the New Mutants, these three have to be on the team or I don’t play the theme at all. Each is F.U.N. to the max:

FRIENDLY — None are very mean (though Magik’s Mystics TA and Magma’s superPoison both push that threshold a bit)

USEFUL — Both Mirage and Magma make good use of Sidestep. And ultra-taxi/attacker Magik definitely maxes out this portion of the acrostic

NIFTY — Mirage fits my Archery and Valkyrie theme teams, Magik is my favorite of the New Mutants characters, and Magma is just neat to play.

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It’s not the last time in 2014 that a crowd made enough of an impression to make what’s called the “Top Ten” but will actually contain a good deal more with ties and whatnot. Hang out the rest of the week to see how things shook out!

No. 2

Kryb [War of Light 039]

IF you can totally block lines of fire to her, you can use her to run up to a 100-or-lower cost foe and snatch it and take a shot at it. Hope it works, because it’s almost certainly the only chance she’s getting. Without Willpower and having just the sole click of 17 Impervious, she’s not doing much else. Beyond that first slot, she’s down to Toughness. Her 5 range is exactly counter to her trait. Sure, she has the SP Perplex that tokens cleared targets under 100 points, but 155 is a lot to spend on this. 

So don’t.

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No. 1

Triplicate Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 006]

Heroclixin’ actually almost overlooked this Legionnaire until hearing her name mentioned as a nominee for worst. And really, she doesn’t seem a candidate because despite her anemic 9 AV, she’s the only fig in the game that can roll three dice in attacks and get an effective +1, +2 or +3 to her DV. And she’s a flying wild card with Willpower and Empower. Not great but not terrible for 71 points. 

But wait…she’s NOT 71 points. She’s really 213. Or 158. Or, at the very cheapest (and in Golden Age only), 141. That’s because she has to be adjacent to TWO other Triplicate Girls (Energy Explosion is her worst nightmare) to use the trait. And suddenly the 71 points she costs seems even LESS economical. 

Why’s she even cost that much with her mostly cheap powers? It’s because of the hefty run of Incapacitate on clicks 2-4…Incap she’ll NEVER USE. Not when she’s got Flurry to use with the double Empower she should have backing her up in Modern Age. Losing the Incap on that dial gets her down to costing less than 60 points, I figure. 

So…

1. Individually, she’s the hands-down worst HeroClix fig of 2014.
2. Collectively, she’s about the most overcosted as a unit.
3. Which crowds her off even the Legion of Super-Heroes teams she belongs on.

Triple trash.

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OK, that’s enough of this look at the losers. Next week, Heroclixin’ wraps up the retrospective with the 10* figs we love.

*(or more)

No. 4

[tie]

Spartoi Elite [Guardians of the Galaxy 011a] and Korath The Pursuer [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 015e]

Remember STAR Labs Tech and Weasel? A pair of 3-click figs that made it to the Top Ten?

Yeah, these two are 3-click figs that tank, hard.

First, Spartoi Elite. He wants so hard to be an indispensable supporting fig like the above, by having Defend that gives an additional +1 to Shi’ar and Spartoi key worded figs, both of which absolutely LITTER the meta right now. (Wait, they don’t.)

OK, so maybe he can use his Perplex on characters in hindering terrain. Which means he might need to use his Smoke Cloud on himself and pals. But man, you sure better not push him…he’s not long-lived. He’s just too limited to bother using most of any of the time.

Then there’s the bargain version of Korath. He’s a flier with Charge and Toughness and Outwit and 5 range. And that looks kinda OK. But there’s that full run of Incap, and the fact that the warp-to-attackers trait that makes him so good at 100 points is MIA at 50. That Outwit might as well be a bull’s eye on his face, because at only 3 clicks, it’s BYE FELICIA FIFTY POINTS.

No. 3

Tornado Twins [The Flash 036]

• They’re Legionnaires who can’t fly or be carried.
• So they need mobility to gain the vital Speed Tokens that they need.
• Oh look! They only have an 11 Speed with Charge, by far the lowest moving attack swing of all the Speed Force-traited characters in the set.
• Better hope they hit with just a 10 AV, because it might be a while before they get another good shot: They lack the Willpower or Improved Movement to make adding STs a simple task.
• If they DO get a ST, they’re likely to spin off a Tornado to offset the attack disadvantage…remember that lack of Willpower.
• But the Tornado does not grant extra STs.
• Tornado Twins can’t use Duo Attack to get more STs because Duo Attack can’t be used with the moving attacks required to GET the STs.
• And it takes two to four STs to get any of the goods offered by their damage SP…
• …that appears three clicks in. One benefits their Duo Attack (which, we’ve established, doesn’t help at all in the ST matter) and the other, their combat values (which, at 9 AV and 16 DV and 2 damage, need the help a lot).
• Fortunately, there’s a set of stop clicks….that only have a 50% chance of working, along with a 33% chance of taking one more click anyway…and a 15% chance of instant self-KO. But you get to spend STs to redo this single roll. Good thing you were able to save up so many Speed Tokens.
• Oh…wait. That’s the whole problem. You really can’t save up many Speed Tokens.
• THAT’S the way to spend 115 points, don’t you think?

Double down dead duds.

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Next: The two (or more) worst of last year’s clix.

No. 6

Professor X [Days of Future Past 022]

He sees all.

He targets through characters. Through hindering. Over rooftops. Even through WALLS. All at a nice 8 range, good for his Outwit and Perplex SP. He also has a great trait enabling him to get allies out of trouble and back to his side (for possible benefits of Leadership next turn) and his powers can’t be countered or ignored, at least for his early dial.

Yet he’s still one of the worst figs of the year. HOW?!?

• The same SP that gives him Outwit/Perplex/Leadership keeps his stats from being boosted. That’s a problem when
• his damage starts and stays at just 2 or lower until his last click, when his AV slides to 8.
• His DV is also completely bare which is downright dangerous if he’s doing any fighting at all — and, at 150 points, he really ought to be.
• But that 2 damage, though. Even with a full dial of Penetrating/Psychic Blast, it’s just so useless without Willpower or something to increase the frequency at least.

Though it’s an asset, his 8 range is liable to make his trait useless, or vice versa. If he’s near enough the action to affect friends or foes with his powers, he’s too close to evac those pals. If he’s too far away, that’s the rest of the team overextending a good bit.

150 points shouldn’t be an easy KO or sitting way out of the action. But this Prof does both.

Totally gonna happen if you use him.

No. 5

Glorith [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 036]

For the really cheap cost of 83 points, you can field this 5-click character with Probability Control+Perplex and 9-8 AV. That’s TOP TIER, yo, especially since Chaos War Scarlet Witch retired.

<.<

>.>

Nope, no one’s buying. Not even with her Toughness defense. Not with just 16 DV.

She’s spending a lot of points on her wildcard TA and the trait to use Super Senses (which, we’ve established, isn’t the defense it used to be) and to copy a second TA from a fellow Mystical keyword ally.

But those Mysticals are almost always going to only have one TA for her to copy in the first place, and it’s almost always going to be Mystics. She can’t even use this ability on Legion of Super-Heroes teams.

Despite her Phasing and eventual run of Pulse Wave, there’s just no reason to play her over a half-dozen other better, cheaper Mysticals or support figs.

Our words exactly, little girl

No. 8

Controller [War of Light 010]

Starting with Invulnerability and shifting to Invincible, this generic is unusually well-armored for such. Too bad it’s unremarkable in nearly every other manner.

Controller’s worth is all about racking up Sun Eater tokens to blow up in someone’s face. But with

• no moving attack powers
• no Willpower
• and AV under 10 for most of the seven-click dial

it’s going to take forever to land enough successful hits for damage to gain the EIGHT tokens needed. Not unless you run two or more.

But who really wants to double up on this sort of mediocrity for more than 90 points each?

This controller’s busted.

No. 7

Darkhawk [Guardians of the Galaxy 008b]

At first, he looks OK. A flying, Charging 10 AV wild card, maybe a little soft and short-lived at six clicks and 90 points with only Toughness to armor him. Then you look at his trait that can heal him from even his last click all the way back up to click #2 and you see where the points went.

And were wasted.

“BODY SWITCH IN NULL SPACE: Give Darkhawk a free action. When you do, he modifies his defense value by -2 and can use Shape Change, but can’t use any other powers or abilities until your next turn. At the beginning of your next turn, heal him to click #2.”

Suddenly, a fig that, on its last click, had a 17 DV from range and could wild card a TA to help its defensive capabilities is now just 13 DV with Shape Change. He can’t copy team abilities anymore, he can’t fly away anymore, he can’t Perplex his DV. He can’t even get taxied away by a fellow flier, because even though he can’t use his Flight ability, he still has the Wing symbol and thus can’t be carried.

He’s GOING TO BE KILLED before he heals.

Sure, there are going to be some corner cases where this trait will be golden. Defend helps. As does Barrier. Or TK. But for the most part, it’s just bloating his cost from a likely zone of 70 or lower and making him bad.

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Next: Pieces with crippling weaknesses.

No. 10

Superior Spider-Man [Deadpool 060]

With Improved Movement Charge, Super Strength, Outwit and damage that can’t be reduced below 1, this figure doesn’t seem to belong on the worst list, even here as the best of the worst.

But he does. Oh, how he does, for a lot of reasons.

1. He’s more than half your standard team. At 160 points, he’s got to be able to handle the heavy lifting. But as the intro made plain, he’s capable enough here. Or would be, if he weren’t…
2. …so dependent on his Spider-Bots. Attaching a Mark 1 bot boosts his Super Senses rolls, and attaching a Mark 2 model beefs his Outwit range to 8. But A) it takes a power action to attach either — actions he ought to be using for attacks — and B) that’s 10-20 MORE points you risk when fielding him, because…
3. ...his only defense is a dialful of Super Senses. And there’s this little pink attack power that combos with every single method of attacking and ignores SSenses completely. Precision Strike EATS HIS SOUL.

Those Spider-Bots aren’t so hot, either. Both have neat abilities that only work when three or more can swarm a foe. Their 4 Speed and 0 range means that will never happen — not when each is easily destroyed thanks to having just 15 DV. Sure, you could attach two and carry a third via Tiny Size. But the attached ones don’t count toward those three and they can’t DEtach once on. Anyway, it’ll take three turns of sitting around burning power actions to do it, leaving OttoSpidey a sitting duck for that PStrike attack that’s totally coming his way, what with some 250 characters possessing the power.

At 120 points, he’d be fine, I think. But as he is?

NOT Superior.

No. 9

Cheetah [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 017a] and [Legion of Doom Fast Forces 003]

So the main set one’s got this trait that grants +1 to all her stats when she picks a foe to hate. Which would be great if her starting AV, DV and damage weren’t an anemic 9, 16 and 1, respectively.

This also puts the player in a bind. Do you select an opposing character she can kill easily, but then lose the bonuses, or is it better to choose an enemy who’ll be around long enough to make use of the +1s?

Does it matter? Even with the buffs, she’s a decidedly mediocre 5-click fig, even for just 50 points.

Then Heroclixin’ looked at her version in the Fast Forces that released at the same time for the same number of points and wondered why we left her off the list: She has similar stats (pre-boost, mind you) and lack of even the Charge that the other Cheetah at least has. And she loses a click of life because she’s got to make room for the terrible Injustice League team ability.

BAD KITTIES.

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More tomorrow.

In the modern game of HeroClix, there are no terrible dials anymore, really. Not the way there used to be.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t a few stinkers made. For the next few days, Heroclixin will look at the bottom of the barrel and make its picks for the least playable figs of 2014.  Let’s start with one that came out so late in 2013 that no one learned how horribad it was until 2014.

Faceless Void [DOTA 2 Starter Set 103]

Would you spend 125 points for

• a non-Indomitable 6-click dial
• with just 2 damage Charge to start with
• and just 1 damage on the subsequent Flurry clicks
• despite an Incap-like trait that only works 1/6 of the time
• with only Super Senses for a defense
• (except for one random click in the middle with NO defense power)?

The answer is “NO.” If his once-per-game Epic Action actually dealt pushing damage when it piles two tokens on all enemies within 4 squares, maybe he’d be worth running regardless of his many deficiencies. But it doesn’t, so all he does is buy maybe an extra turn to not be KO’d by the enemy.

No wonder he wanna hide his face

Most of the actual worst of 2014 really aren’t nearly this terrible, and each can find a place on a team. But they make the list for a reason. Get your anti-nausea meds, ’cause it’s gonna churn your stomach.

(Whoops, though I’d scheduled this for Friday morning, not Saturday. Fixed!)

Entities (War of Light 060-068)
Heroclixin’ thought changing the “Entity” keyword was the right fix, along maybe with making them resources. But WizKids’ solution was way better: Allow entities to only share their respective corps’ keyword with the character they’re put on. Because the only abusive element of entities, truly, was their ability to make teams min/maxxed by them into themed teams and get massive bonuses to map roll and whatnot. (This also curbs some other corner case nonsense such as Black Hand being able to turn any old fig into a Monster-keyworded minion for Mole Man or Black Talon to Mind Control into multiple actions per turn.)

Bill, Agent of A.I.M. (Deadpool 102)

Heroclixin thought his effect should be either A) be restricted to both Bill’s and his beneficiary’s range values or B) made a once-per-game effect. But again, WizKids’ remedy was better: It requires adjacency with Bill and the line of fire is more carefully defined as unblocked. Heroclixin’ approves.

Iron Pharaoh (IIM #051)
Heroclixin’ has long had its opinion on how Iron Pharaoh should be balanced: Limit Iron Pharaoh to one action with locked damage value. He can Outwit, he can shoot, but he can’t do both. WizKids went a little further by saying IP can either move the Falcon OR he can draw lines of fire through it. This is every bit as good a fix — one that could force him out of the starting area and show he needn’t ALWAYS be the figure of choice for super-turtles but can be a solid fighter in the fray. 😉

Bizarro (Superman and the Legion Of Super-Heroes 039)
We said he shouldn’t be healed or each token should yield 25 points. WizKids’s solution was to halve his maximum life and make him healable only by Support. Heroclixin’ is somewhat on the fence with regard to this change, only because 200 points seems the right high point level for the Superman clone. But Bizarro remains a low-risk character to wade into a fight. He’s just no longer a virtually NO-risk character.

Proxima Midnight (Guardians Of The Galaxy 050)

Heroclixin’ still thinks her Tracer tokens could be a problem. But as potentially game-breaking mechanics go, hers is small potatoes compare with the ones above her in this list. We’ll learn to live with it.

STILL NEEDING A VISIT TO THE WATCH LIST

Science Police Officer [SLOSH 004]: That anti-free action special power needs to be a once per round effect. No other figures in the game can stack up quite as much free damage as a horde of these can across such a wide area.

Time was, we’d be lucky to even GET 10 maps in a year, much less be able to make a list of the 10 best. Look at 2006, for instance, when all players got were these, maybe: 

• Collateral Damage’s Junkyard
• Sinister’s Prison
• Danger Room’s Institute Grounds and Training Complex
• Days of Future Past’s School Ruins
• Supernova’s Deep Space

Just six maps TOTAL.

But this year alone has seen more than 40 maps enter circulation. 

So what are the best of the year? Here, in no particular order, is Heroclixin’s opinion.

The Kyln [Guardians of the Galaxy starter set]

This indoor map is a long range shooter’s dream on one half of it. The other half is walled-up to give non-ranged pieces some cover. It’s a good, neutral battlefield for most teams.

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Ryut [War of Light]

Though Heroclixin’ isn’t generally a fan of maps that screw over one or more types of teams as thoroughly as this one does non-flying/non-Phasing, L/C etc. and Stealthers, this field’s towering peaks of elevation make it an exceptional battlefield nonetheless. It also serves as a check to 6×3 colossals.

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Helicarrier [Captain America: The Winter Soldier starter set]

Though it’s sort of just another variation on the old helicarrier theme, this map succeeds due to the relatively narrow portion of elevated terrain in the center. Because they don’t have to traverse a wide field of open space, non-ranged pieces get a fair degree of cover from snipers while still allowing said shooters a fair degree of board control. 

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Flooded Wakanda [Avengers Vs. X-Men]

HeroClix had needed another mostly water map that wasn’t Fear Itself’s punishing Pacific Ocean. Though the map’s not great fun for regular boot speed characters lacking taxi help, the presence of walls on each of the land islands give them layers of cover from stationary shooters.

The Mall [Deadpool]

About 90 percent a square-for-square remix of the old Mall map from the earliest days of HeroClix, this map offers just enough cover for melee and just enough openness for shooters to get both into the action.

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Thunderbolts Sub [Deadpool Fast Forces]

Usually heavily walled-up maps like this one end up choking all the action in a narrow hallway, and this one’s no exception. What makes it interesting are the special rules that cause the edges of the map to start flooding with water upon misses from range attacks.

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Black Mercy [War of Light]

Hindering terrain-heavy maps can be terribly unfun for teams not ready for them, especially when there’s not much blocking terrain for cover against Stealthy shooters. But the Black Mercy map at least offers decent chunks of the brown squares. It’s really getting played for its special rules making Mind Control and Incap attacks easier to land. Thankfully, designers made sure starting areas did NOT include these squares.

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Ranx [War of Light Sinestro Corps War Scenario Pack]

There have been maps full of blocking terrain and walls before, but this one functions best because it doesn’t choke the action to one specific hall or room.

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Hall of Doom [Legion of Doom Fast Forces]

This is a rare map that has just about everything: indoor and outdoor terrain, water, walls, elevated and hindering terrain and squares of blocking. It’s not quite the PERFECT map that has everything, but it’s one of the very best in the game overall for just plain tactical fun.

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[tie] Keystone City and Central City [The Flash]

Though each looks like a mere street bracketed by elevated terrain a la Web of Spider-Man’s simplistic “The Bridge,” these maps are a world better. Multiple elevations on the edges help to cut down long lines of fire while the street remains an open lane for support pieces. Water terrain is safely located on the lowest level, functioning as a hidey hole of last — or first— resort. Best of all, two copies of these maps can be placed end-to-end for an extra-sized battlefield.

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Tomorrow, we’ll take a break from the looks back at 2014 to comment on the latest Watch List changes. Then, next week, Heroclixin begins tallying the sins of the game: The Top Ten WORST Clix of the year.

The Watch List of late 2014 is resolved! And so now Heroclixin’ can finally make its official Top Ten list (albeit one with a lot of ties, so…more than 10 actually).

1. Kyle Rayner [War of Light 107]. Combines the strength of a tentpole with needed survivability and leaves just enough room for help.
2. Zoom [The Flash 053b]. If he can get that crucial first hit, there’s nothing like him.
3. [tie] Captain Marvel [Guardians of the Galaxy 007b] and Banshee [Deadpool 051]. Both are well worth the price for the package.
4. [tie] Super Skrull [Guardians of the Galaxy 062] and Engineer [The Flash 060]. The swissblades. He’s a little better but lacks the build flexibility of her bargain cost.
5. [tie] STAR Labs Technician [The Flash 007] and Weasel [Deadpool 020]. She’s for all teams, he’s for shooting ones. Both are top tier.
6. Proxima Midnight [Guardians of the Galaxy 050]. Untouched by the Watch List and without peer. 
7. Butcher [War of Light 066]. The best of the entities as a piece.
8. [tie] Despotellis [War of Light 099] and Destiny [Days of Future Past 011]
9. Superboy [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 046]
10. Bizarro [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 039]. The Watch List kicked the reverse Superman clone in the face and he still clings to a Top Ten slot because he can take 11 damage from a tri-plexed Zombie Galactus for 5 straight turns and still not be KO’d.