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

The Legion wasted no time getting more members in the card era, but were they good members?

In the case of Dream Girl (Justice League 048), the answer is yes. She gave the team its first Probability Control piece to nudge the odds a little more toward success — important for the offense- and actions-challenged Legion. She shifts to Outwit on her late dial. Hidden Charm: It’s vital that she gets line of Fire for her PC, so consider the Coordination feat to ensure she can see from behind a wall of allies.

On the other hand, Bouncing Boy (Justice League 016) is NOT a good addition to the LSH, with a difficult-to-use SP and highly mediocre values. Hidden Charm: His Toughness makes him a decent tie-up piece with some endurance. Also, time his attacks against near-dead foes to best activate his SP for extra attacks.

How did the Legion respond to a Crisis? Answer: with some of its best figs to date.

Supergirl (Crisis 056) improved a bit on earlier bruisers, starting with several clicks of melee-only Hypersonic Speed for 178 points. But her 3 damage is much lower than either Vet M’onel’s or Vet Origin Supergirl’s, she’s still only wielding a 10 AV, and she’s not saving that much in cost. She is a source of the Superman Ally TA, though, for a Legion-only team. Hidden Charm: Get around her weaknesses by staying based with her initial target, where she can use Close Combat Expert, then Quake or Flurry as her dial progresses.

At 63 points, Karate Kid (Crisis 024) provides company for Timber Wolf in the low-cost melee fighting division. Though his AV begins a bit lower at 10, it ramps up to 12 by mid-dial. He needs to be shielded from shooters who’ll make short work of him. Hidden Charm: His 2nd click gains Plasticity and retains CR, so he becomes a mean tie-up piece.

Dawnstar (Crisis 022) added one of the game’s cheapest Hypersonic Speed figs and she also benefited the Legion’s cause with her SP “Quarry” that gives a +1 AV to the whole team against a certain target. Willpower rounds out the 60-point package. Hidden Charm: She excels at drawing fire from more vital members of the team, being relatively hittable with low DV and troublesome to the enemy due to her SP.

Was the Legion crazed enough to enter Arkham Asylum? Yes…barely. Fall 2008’s Arkham Asylum, the last set of the Topps-era WizKids, only added a solitary Legionnaire:

Element Lad (Arkham Asylum 037) was a disappointment. Based on the weakest iteration of the matter-transmuting character, the clix was even more underwhelming. Double-target Incapacitate isn’t good with only a 9 AV. Barrier at 6 range isn’t a whole lot better. The worst bit, though, is the relative uselessness of his Transmute SP: He can destroy 2 adjacent objects or remove hindering, blocking or debris marker within 4 squares and line of fire, but only at beginning of turn. For him to get that close to use it AND have the LOF, his 17 DV will likely have to weather attacks in the turn prior. He’s the first piece to go if you’re having trouble fitting characters on the build. Hidden Charm: Treat him as a Barrier piece, period, until you can’t anymore. This gives the actions-challenged Legion a breather.

The first DC set of the NECA era, Winter 2010’s Brave and the Bold, didn’t have a single Legion of Super-Heroes member. And the DC 75th Anniversary set in late 2010 only has one with the keyword:

Superboy (DC 75th Anniversary 026) provides the Teen Titans TA for an otherwise all-Legion team to copy and heal each other with, along with Superman Ally. He’s also a decent brawler with Charge, Super Strength and 4 damage, if rather expensive at his limited role. Hidden Charm: He can also contribute either the New Teen Titans ATA to give the high-point fig Leadership (possibly himself at 153 points) or the Young Justice ATA to prevent untimely KOs (works particularly well with the bunker formation).

Next: It seems the Legion needs a Superman to inspire them.

The start of the modern card era of figures was ushered in by the Legion, and the team got a true infusion of playability.

Lightning Lad (Legion of Super-Heroes 001)
A far cry from the lameness that was Live Wire, the 70-point LLad’s 10-range Running Shot + double-target Energy Explosion finally gave the LSH its first cost-efficient moving shooter. Hidden Charm: He benefits greatly from the “bunker formation,” covering a wide swath of map with his attacks while enjoying a potential 19-20 DV from range.

Cosmic Boy (Legion of Super-Heroes 003)
Leadership’s extra-actions and TK are important to the all-flier LSH, and with Cos the team got both in one Willpowered 70-point piece. Hidden Charm: What you see is what you get. Be sure to set him up with clear TK lanes AND keep cheapies next to him for best Leadership results.

Timber Wolf (Legion of Super-Heroes 004)
To this point, the LSH had a few high-cost fighters and a few cheap tie-ups but virtually no low- to mid-range brawlers. Enter T-Wolf at 60 points with Charge and 11 AV. His damage is too low for the former power but it might be worth pushing to use Close Combat Expert if he survives in base with his 16 DV+Super Senses. Find a way to bolster either his DV or damage for best results. He’s an easy KO but a scary one who’ll either take heat off the bigger boys or slip under the radar to deal some real hurt. Hidden Charm: Mid-dial, he gets Earthbound AND Battle Fury. Play accordingly.

Saturn Girl (Legion of Super-Heroes 002)
This 60-costing piece bears 8 range with 9 AV and Incapacitate and 16 DV Super Senses; she doesn’t look like much of an improvement over previous Legionnaires. But she is: She pushes to 10 AV, switches to Energy Shield/Deflection (though with a drop to 15 DV) and adds Mind Control to her skill set. It’s really her mid-dial that shows her Hidden Charm: A SP, “Telepathic Coordination,” that allows her to boost the AV or DV of an ally +2 for the turn. So Saturn Girl should either be used as a minor Incapper, then Mind Controller to push until she gets to her late dial to wield the SP and Outwit as well, or she should be dangled out as bait for the enemy. She absolutely REQUIRES the Legion bunker formation to work.

Phantom Girl (Legion of Super-Heroes 005)
Low DV is a systemic problem for the Legion. Phantom Girl goes a ways toward solving it with her natural, if bare, 18 DV. She has Phasing/Teleport for great freedom of movement, and her SP allows her to remove objects from the game, held or not, by moving through the square or ending up next to one. At only 40 points, she’s one of the team’s best tie-up pieces. Hidden Charm: She’s also one of the best taxis for the few carryable Legionnaires. Use the Legion Lost ATA to pick Justice Society to help her chain her 18 DV and really supercharge the bunker formation.

Ultra Boy (Legion of Super-Heroes 006)
At 130 points, U-Boy is by far the costliest of the set. But he’s the best brick of the entire Legion to this point, able to leverage opening Charge, Super Strength and Impervious with 4 damage to lead the attack of the melee figs. Later, he’s a light-damaging Hypersonic hitter and then switches to a block of Flurry and Penetrating/Psychic Blast. He’s got most of the damage potential of the two previous heavy hitters for more than 90 fewer points. Hidden Charm: Click #2 has Flurry+Super Strength+Battle Fury with his peak AV of 11 and still 17 Impervious.

Young Superman (Legion of Super-Heroes 007)
Superboy here is a straightforward Charging brick with high damage and great DV for a good price: 100 points. Hidden Charm: But don’t forget his 8 range, which might be a better option sometimes.

Shrinking Violet (Legion of Super-Heroes 008)
One of the only non-flying Legionnaires, Vi has natural starting Stealth to make her an inexpensive blocker for more important teammates. She predates Tiny Size. She’s also got Super Senses. Hidden Charm: Carry her to extend AV or DV chains via Batman Enemy or JSA TA team abilities.

Next: the Justice League of the future in the actual Justice League set

The final pre-card set, early 2007’s Origin, had a wealth of Legionnaires, including, finally, a few real heavy hitters, making the Legion of Super-Heroes a force to be reckoned with at last.

M’onel (Origin 075)
Long the second-most-expensive of the Legion at 223 points, he suffers from anemic AV that tops out at 10 but slides all the way down to 7. He also has Battle Fury to start which requires him to push if you want to get use out of his 10 range — though the same power gives him immunity to Incapacitate, Mind Control and Shape Change, so it’s not all bad. And Super-Strong Hypersonic Speed with 5 damage is nothing to sniff at. Hidden Charm: His long, 10-click dial makes him a surprisingly effective tie-up fig on those huge builds after his initial strike. Don’t use him as a tentpole but make sure he’s but one of a wave of attackers for best results.

Mon-El [Origin 073] is the Rookie version and this 118-costed fig might be superior to the Vet. He’s got the same 10 AV and 10 Hypersonic Speed, though with lower 16 DV and no Impervious to start. He’s a lot more disposable. And unfortunately, he has to be, because the Legion is almost devoid of healers. Hidden Charm: He’s an open book, really. Stick and move is his game until he gets knocked off that sole HSS slot. He’s the lightweight brick the LSH has needed up to this point.

The Experienced Valor [Origin 074] lacks the Legion of Super-Heroes keyword despite having the team ability. It’s a pity because his Running Shot would’ve helped.

Supergirl (Origin 057)
At 232 still the costliest member of the LSH at this writing, she boasts a long dial and one of the best starting AVs of the team. But her starting with Charge+Impervious and having to push to the superior HSS but downgrading to Invulnerability makes her unable to carry her weight in any build total anymore. She’s been thoroughly upstaged by the new bruisers of the keyword. Hidden Charm: Though she’s entirely too expensive to be solely a shooter, forget about her close combat skills in the early game and leverage her massive 10 range until enemies wander within her melee reach.

Triplicate Girl [Origin 052-054] and Duo Damsel [Origin 204]
She offers the Legion a few needed tools. First, the Rookie at 35 points is an improved Plasticity tie-up figure with a par-for-the-LSH 17 DV. Though her 8 AV isn’t threatening anyone of consequence, her five clicks of life will allow her to absorb a couple of shots — and her late Flurry+Willpower means she might go down fighting. But the fighting is better left to her big sis, the 50-point Exp. who starts with the Flurry to help that 8 AV. Too bad she has to push to Willpower and 10 AV on click 2, but you’re glad to see it. Later she shifts to Plasticity and Perplex. But why not pay 15 more for the Vet and her starting Charge and Perplex? The LSH needs the help. On the rest of her dial, she’s all Willpower along with the Flurry and Plasticity her little sisters feature. The 46-point LE Duo Damsel bolsters her starting Plasticity with 16 DV Combat Reflexes, but the rest of her dial is much less impressive than any of the others’. Hidden Charm: The REV should be played together on a big team. Know their roles. The Rookie is all tie-up. Expect to lose those points. The Exp. is sort of a fighting tie-up but not very good at it until she becomes a Perplexer. Expect to lose those points, too. The Vet should be just Perplexing.
Remember these girls because they’ll get some help down the line.

Next: The Legion is the future of HeroClix. Expect anything!…on Monday

In early 2006, Collateral Damage only added a solitary new Legionnaire to the roster. But it was a game-changer for the team, big time.

Shadow Lass (Collateral Damage 034-036)
Until now, no Legion of Super-Heroes member has had a DV greater than 16, a decidedly average number even then. But with the introduction of the 56-point Exp. Umbra and Vet Shadow Lass at 10 more (don’t bother with the 44-point Rookie on Legion teams), not only did the LSH get its first fig with 17 DV, but she also shared it with Defend! This was so key for LSH teams, which tended to be easy to hit thanks to low stats and easy to hurt due to lack of armor. Singlehandedly, she made some of those terrible old figures playable. Hidden Charm: Umbra is central to the Legion’s “bunker” formation, where she occupies a bit of hindering terrain and is surrounded by a set of ranged attackers who share her 17 DV perpetually. At need, she can toss out the now-more-useful-than-ever Smoke Cloud or an occasional 3-damage attack. But her role is covering the team.

Bonus: The DC Giants Collector’s Set featured a Legionnaire; in fact, his silhouette was used in the package’s branding!

Colossal Boy (Giants 003), at 115 points, is a rare non-flier for the squad, instead using Giant Stride and Leap/Climb to get around. He’s also the second fig that provides the “bunker” formation with his 17 Defend. Unfortunately, he’s not nearly as good at it as his immediate predecessor, Shadow Lass, due to his giant stature making him a big, soft target for enemy shooters. (Though there are ways to mitigate this weakness.) Hidden Charm: Colossal Boy is a rare Perplexer for the Legion, and thanks to his height, he can affect the battlefield over the heads of smaller figs. Find a way to protect his soft defense on those early clicks; future installments will show how.

Next: The Origin of the Legion swarm

The Legion got a couple more characters in 2005’s Legacy — but just got a little bit closer to being viable.

Wildfire (Legacy 043-045) and Drake Burroughs (Legacy 203)
This figure finally gives the Legion a decent starting AV of 10 for more than one click (on the Vet, at least) and Running Shot+4 damage on ALL FOUR versions, from the 89-point Rookie to the 123, 127 and 145 Experienced, LE and Vet, respectively. A long and well-armored dial full of Toughness and Energy Explosion rounds out the anti-matter package. Hidden Charm: When you see 12 DV on any of his versions, push with abandon because he’s only a click or two away from last-click Impervious and Phasing to make him a solid mid- to late-game tie-up/meat shield blocker, though with only 10 DV, so pair him with one of the Defend members.

Kid Quantum (Legacy 031-033)
She brings Incapacitate to the team with Running Shot and 3 targets. That’s all she does, though, aside from a bit of Leadership on the 80-point Vet. Her DV is a bare 16 and 6 range isn’t quite long enough to make her all that effective. Opponents will just see easy points to be scored. Don’t even bother with the 2-target, 4-range Rookie; her 8 AV and 4-click life is a waste of 49 points. Hidden Charm: use the 61-point Exp. on a high-build-total Legion team for best results. If she slows down the enemy even once, she’s gotten her value back. Try to bump up her 9 AV for the attack if at all possible.

Next: Did the Legion suffer Collateral Damage?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Next: The Legacy of the Legion

The first appearance of the Legion in HeroClix were these lackluster teens cursed with low defenses in 2003’s Cosmic Justice set — we’re talking zero armor and peaks of 15 here —and a team ability that was useless to them unless one broke theme and ran them with non-wildcards. The addition of keywords to the game years later did little to help, as a Legion team still was almost all wild cards.

By piece:

Cosmic Boy (Cosmic Justice) is dial-long wild card Telekinesis. That’s really all that need be said. Neither the 45-point Rookie nor the 61-point Experienced figs have anything else of worth to offer. The Vet adds two starting clicks of Leadership for 68 — whoopee. The LE Rokk Krinn has a run of Force Blast for 8 points more. Hidden Charm: What you see is what you get. Cos is all TK. Push him to do it every turn he can — he can take it. Use the 45-point Rookie for best results, or if you really need the extra action sometimes afforded by Leadership, spring for the Vet.

___

Saturn Girl (Cosmic Justice)
At least she starts with a 9 AV. With her long run of Perplex and opening click of 8-range Mind Control, this Rookie telepath actually has a bit of utility. The Exp and Vet both nudge up to 10 AV, a click each extra of MC and Perplex alike, but there’s really no call to spend the extra 15 and 32 more points over the Rookie’s 44 unless you just REALLY want the 10 range on the Vet. Don’t even THINK about spending 72 on the Imra Ardeen LE. Hidden Charm: The Rookie is still among the LSH’s cheapest Perplexers, and pushable in that role. Keep her in the back at all times, bumping those stats as needed. The other two have some potential as Mind Controllers.

___

Live Wire (Cosmic Justice 046-048)
The rookie is the dirt-cheapest of all Legionnaires (22 points) and nigh-useless with only 7 AV and 0 damage Ranged Combat Expert. That’s right: base him and he’s nothing but low-DV, 4-click-long tie-up. Unless sacrificing him’s part of your strat — say, as part of using a Legion Lost ATA-gained TA — steer clear. The Exp. and Vet only pack on extra points and a click of life apiece but are similarly pointless. For more than double the rookie’s cost, the 50-point Vet STILL only has one click of 2 damage and AV over 8. Hidden Charm: The Rookie is the least expensive 8 range flier in the whole game. Equip him with the Spotter feat to aid better shooters. Using the Legion Lost ATA well could make Live Wire a surprise danger — by chaining a decent AV to him with Batman Enemy, for instance. 

Next installment: The Legion Unleashed…?

Welcome to a new occasional Heroclixin’ feature called F.U.N. Focus, in which we take an in-depth look at a character or team or, as in this case, an entire keyword: The Legion of Super-Heroes, in anticipation of the full-size Superman and The Legion of Super-Heroes set releasing later this month.

Building a F.U.N. all-Legion of Super-Heroes team has been an exercise in frustration for many years. The vast team of superteens has long had a number of problems to overcome that other similarly sized rosters don’t:

• It’s lacked many attackers with greater than 10 AV.
• It’s lacked multiple support-power pieces: Only one starting-click Outwitter in Modern Age and ZERO healers.
• It’s composed almost entirely of fliers and so severely lacks the action advantage that a force with taxiable characters can employ. Or, to put it another way, it’s a swarm team that can’t really swarm.
• It’s also almost lacking in Willpower/Indomitable — fewer than five total each compared with literally dozens in the other big teams — which compounds its difficulty swarming.
• It’s also almost entirely made up of wild cards.

Most of these problems are mitigated when the characters are teamed up with non-Legionnaires that they can carry and copy. But the Legion ought to be formidable in its own right. This is a team that’s taken on Darkseid, for crying out loud. Or, as a quote from one of their comics — and ATA cards — goes:

“So you’re like the Teen Titans of the future?”
“No, we’re the Justice League of the future.”

This problem just came up in a multi-player game recently. I ran a 500-point all-Legion team and was the last to fully engage because every one of my characters had to waste actions just moving around and couldn’t safely push, while the other five teams either had Willpower or taxis or both.

This 10-or-so-part F.U.N. Focus series will take a look at the progression of the Legion in HeroClix and how well each piece works on an all-Legion squad, ending with a sort of rating:

 This piece has a role best reserved for a huge Legion team.
 The piece is fine for most Legion teams of any size.
 This piece must be considered for any Legion team, big or small.

Finally, one of the charms of the Legion is that even the weakest members have something to contribute. This series will highlight each piece’s Hidden Charm.

The first installment will use the Legion Time Bubble to go back in time to 2003…on Monday. Be there!