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sadwolvie

In a much earlier F.U.N. Fights battle report, I wrote about the miserable performance of my all-Wolverine team, leading me to swear off the build forever. Some of you weighed in on which versions of the character I should keep since I decided to unload a bunch. Here’s my thought process and some tentative decisions:

Wolverine (Wolverine and the X-Men 201) 113
One of the newest versions of the character, this is a good fig. The AV’s right, the durability’s there, he’s got just the right degree of movement and pushability. HE STAYS…MAYBE

Wolverine (Web of Spider-Man) 105
Black Ops Wolvie is a “stay in the shadows and lead” kind of fig. I like his finesse-y style with the free heal. And the look is just rad. HE STAYS.

Wolverine (Giant-Sixe X-Men 009) 103
With Charge, he’s a better fighter than X-Force Wolverine above. Though a bit overshadowed by the GF Wolverine, he’s 10 points cheaper and also rocks the free heal trait. HE STAYS.

Wolverine (TabApp) 100
Folks said he’s one of the best versions despite his looking stupid (I call it the “Disney Parade Costume” Wolverine). But I was heavily unimpressed. On paper, he ought to rock’n’roll. In practice, he’s just…OK. HE GOES…MAYBE

Wolverine (Chaos War) 90
Definitely a finesse Wolverine, with his “low” AV that isn’t, really. The 16 DV kinda kills this one for me. Only the fact that the sculpt is so small keeps him in the running to remain in the overstuffed tacklebox. Still, HE GOES…MAYBE

Wolverine ( Fast Forces) 75
Aside from his Modern Age legality and cheap-ish point cost, there’s nothing about him that’s the best at ANYTHING. I need a Wolvie that Charges. HE’S GONE.

Weapon X (Captain America) 72
The time-lock idea is a neat one, but it’s not enough to save him. Maybe I can trade it for something cool. HE GOES.

Weapon X (Marvel 10th Anniversary) 71
No Weapon X keyword and no Skrull Wolvie to promote to equals: HE GOES.

Wolverine (Fantastic Forces) 71
Despite his high 12 AV, this fig has NEVER gotten a good hit in for me, ever. Bad DV that only gets terrible sinks him. HE GOES.

Wolverine (Incredible Hulk) 70
Now THIS is the inexpensive, leather-jacket Logan of choice. If he started with actual Charge, he’d be even better. Best on a team with more than just X-Men, HE STAYS.

Colonel Logan (Days of Future Past) 70
I used to really like this piece http://www.pojo.com/heroclix/COTD/2006/Dec/13.shtml. But it’s cursed with crap AV from click TWO on. Not even the 6 range seems to help. HE GOES.

Wolverine (Armor Wars 095) 60
I keep him around for the range. But he only shows up on Wolvie teams, and I’m not playing this sort of team again, ever. He’s not even the only SHIELD Wolvie in the game anymore, for keyword purposes. But the TA makes him OK for other teams, and the 9 (!) click dial isn’t total garbage for 60 points. HE GOES…MAYBE

More Wolverines I didn’t play in the team but are being evaluated anyway:

Wolverine (Wolverine and The X-Men 001): This latest version of the character combines many of my favorite aspects of earlier ones: the Charging, the free healing, the armor, the high AV. HE STAYS.

Wolverine (Armor Wars 219 and 220) 57
Like the above Wolverine but with no range, a shorter dial, worse AV and not even tournament legal due to the purple ring. Yeah…no. HE GOES.

Logan (Clobberin’ Time 069) 60
Best Wolverine sculpt in the game, and a rare older version of the character that works still. The opening click of Stealth and decent runs of Toughness and Regen help keep him kicking a good while despite his oldClix-level stats beyond click #2. HE STAYS.

Wolverine (Avengers vs. X-Men) 175/125/75
Although I made most of this article long before AvX’s reveal, I need to evaluate this multi-dial fig, too. The 75-pointer is that cheap Indomitable Charger I want a Wolvie to be, complete with BCF and EW. Mid- and end-dial Regen with 17+ DV could work to keep Logan alive despite a 5-click life. At 125, he fills the same role, only a LOT less cheaply, of course. The 10AV on both is troubling. At 175, he’s lost the Charge even as he gains 11AV and strong armor. HE STAYS…but only because I need him for AvX.

Colossus/Wolverine (Giant-Size X-Men)

Technically, it’s not just him. But this, the one GSX duo I actually wanted, hasn’t really aged that well. Still torn on whether to hold on to it and try to make it work on the field — the only time it did was with the cheating piece best known as Bencralwer. THEY…STAY…?

Wolverines I don’t even own. Do I WANT to?

  • Old Man Logan (WizKids WK-006): Sooo expensive at close to 200 points. NOT MUCH
  • Wolverine (Fear Itself): Flying Wolvie is stupid. But it’s a pretty solid dial with a nice “stop” click and swap-out potential. Still…MEH
  • Wolverine (Marvel 10th Anniversary): Not bad, but works better for Skrull armies, which are not to my liking. SO NO.
  • Wolverage (Incredible Hulk 051): Probably the best of the Hulk-Outs. YEP
  • Wolverine (Giant-Size X-Men 052): Too bad the costume’s so niche, because this is otherwise one of the best versions of the character out there. So KINDA YEAH, I want it.
  • Wolverine (Supernova 222): The Willpower is a double-edged blade claw. But at least Zomberine has decent DV upfront and a bargain point cost. So SURE, WHY NOT?
  • Wolverine (Mutations + Monsters): An interesting divergent Logan. But I don’t like zombies on principle, so…NOT REALLY
  • Wolverine (Sinister 090): Want to like this so much more. Bad AV, especially mid-life, kills him bad. But it’s still the best brown-suit Wolvie sculpt in the game all these years later. So…KINDA
  • Wolverine (Mutant Mayhem 079, 080 and 081): A single click of Stealth and then Battle Fury and a little Charge and it all seems like a waste with sub-par values. NO
  • Logan (Mutant Mayhem 215): LE’s no better. NO
  • Wolverine (Ultimates 046-048): No movement and worst DV of all..which is really saying something considering the history of Wolverine figures. NO
  • James Howlett (Ultimates 216): Impervious is nearly worthless on 14 DV. Never again. NO
  • Weapon X (X-Plosion 096): Terrible stats invalidate cool sculpt. NO
  • Patch (Critical Mass 061-063): Way too low AV kills him. NO
  • Logan (Clobberin’ Time 067-068): DV’s still worthless, but Stealth and Toughness and long dial with decent AV at good cost is OK. Won’t ever use while the Vet’s around though, so…NOT REALLY
  • Wolverine (Universe 002): Super cheap at 41 points, but NO.
  • Wolverine (Infinity Challenge 073-075/Universe 097-099) Stats are too low. Ugly, too. NO.
  • Wolverine (Infinity Challenge 149/Universe 125): Great AV, good price. Stealth could help. Still, NO.
  • Wolverine (Infinity Challenge 171): Terrible all around. Hell NO.So that’s that on Wolverine. I can’t believe I took this long to get back to this subject.

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One of the things that keep me humble is how badly I still manage to muck up in this game after all this time.

Part of the reason is that I’m always, ALWAYS trying out unfamiliar figures. Other times it’s due to straight-up mental error.

And then there’s dice.

Evil, capricious, uncaring dumb DICE

Evil, capricious, uncaring dumb DICE

Take this weekend’s fight using the new AvX Spider-Man at 125 points and the No Man’s Land Batgirl I’d finally got. I didn’t make any real misplays with either. He just managed to miss about six of the seven or eight attacks he attempted with objects, while she missed or critically missed her early Flurry tries and had her 18+ DV easily tagged. Add to that a Deathlok with an aversion to successful shooting and it’s a wonder that I clawed 2 victories out of the three, nearly making it to the sudden death final match.

So yeah, sometimes the dice just kill ya. But more often, it’s massive user error, like in the Iron Man Marquee. Here’s my sealed team:

Guardian 100
Dreadnought 50
Justin Hammer 54
Shaman 92
= 296 points. I fight my bud Paul, who’s fielding Controller, Mandarin+Black Light ring and Iron Man 038. I’ve got his whole team on their last or next-to-last clicks when I decide not to Outwit Iron Man’s Pulse Wave, thinking he won’t risk catching his Controller in the blast. But I forget that even though Dreadnought, a giant, has been punching at Controller, the smaller enemy is not tied up and thus pushes to move away for IM to single-target Shaman with knock back to KO him (thanks to the crit-miss push from a few turns earlier). Lesson Learned: Just use the Outwit, fool!

It gets worse. As sharper-minded readers have already noticed, Paul’s team outweighed mine by some 80 points. That’s because this event was 400 points, not 300. ARRRGH!

I was allowed to add to my build for the next two rounds — a Sasha Hammer and the Hammer Industries ATA. And while I handily won my next two rounds, I never once thought to use her trait that keys off a friendly Justin Hammer.

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Unfamiliarity hurts me a lot. The next day, I ran a whole game with The Penguin [Arkham Origins] without thinking to use his Outwit special. Worse, MUCH worse, I was running Iron Monger [Invincible Iron Man] on the same team, in total obliviousness to these traits:

  • CORPORATE TAKEOVER: Iron Monger is a wild card, but can only copy the team ability of an opposing character instead of a friendly one. When Iron Monger is copying a team ability, opposing characters can’t use that team ability.
  • PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: Iron Monger can use Perplex, but only to modify opposing character’s defense value by -2.

Both might’ve helped in a match against an Avengers Initiative shooter. But the match was really a training session for a new player, so maybe it’s just as well that I didn’t go balls to the wall this time.

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Sometimes the FAILfactor comes in my choice of team build, as in this force for an 1100-point “Make a theme” event. I went with this:

all the things

The Thing [Secret Invasion] 100
She-Thing [Secret Invasion] 50
Thing [10th Anniversary] 128
The Thing [10th Anniversary] 82
Thing [Galactic Guardians] 140
The Thing [Fantastic Forces] 83
Thing [Chaos War] 70
Thing  [Clobberin’ Time] 75
Benjamin J. Grimm [Secret Invasion] 100 
Angrir 235 + Lunge 5
+ FF ATA 
+ Generator
+ Eleha’al Vine

There were no theme team bonuses, so I lost map roll and ended up on the Bioshock Infinite starter map, one that is pure hell for a boot speed team like this one. The Things just got shot and shot and shot at before ever getting into Charge range, and then missed all their attacks.

There's those dice again.

There’s those dice again.

The Lesson Learned in this match was also my User Error. I hid only my best attackers too far off to the side, which blunted my attempts at counterattack with the others. I also didn’t push nearly enough, which meant the Fantastic Four TA was basically worthless (to say nothing of the FF ATA, which requires, oh, ACTUALLY LANDING ATTACKS to get the KOs to activate the thing).

I should have hid ALL my force off to the side, to limit lines of fire to the Things. Then, perhaps, the enemy would have to venture within the Charge range of several Things rather than just one or two.

As it was, though, the combination of a disadvantageous field and matchup, bad play and and worse dice equaled a perfect storm of FAIL.

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The last example involves Resources, which are difficult to handle in the best of circumstances. In this case, I’d retreated my tentpole fig to a rooftop to avoid a coming counterattack from a close-combat foe while remaining in LOF to make my own followup later. But I’d neglected to check whatever was showing on the Book of Skulls resource dial, and so I inadvertently remained in sight of an Outwitter…who WASN’T an Outwitter when I ended my turn.

I HATE resources, because of the Lesson Learned: When a Resource is on the team, characters no longer do what they’re designed to do. So assume they’re dangerous and always ask what a so-equipped foe is capable of now.

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Tomorrow, some Token Totin. Then Friday, the long-awaited fate of my Wolverine collection, past, present and future.

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Heroclixin’ continues photo-documenting how the latest main set’s Super-Strong figs heft object tokens. Next up is Tony Stark’s gal friday, Rescue [Invincible Iron Man 202]:

It can be tucked just under her armpit for a decent hold.

Dreadnought [204] uses its head. Different holds for differing thickness of token:

Crossbones [206] uses his guns — and right thigh:

And, Iron Man + War Machine [043]  use teamwork to grip the rock:

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Thursday will see more Invincible Iron Man in pictures succeeding in holding object tokens. Tomorrow will see how I continue to fail at this game. 🙂

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It’s high time Heroclixin’ started photo-documenting how the latest main set’s Super-Strong figs heft object tokens. First up:

The Wrecker [050] holds his securely in his wreckage.

Sasquatch [019a] has a grip that’s considerably more pedestrian…it just leans on him.

Piledriver can grip the newer, fatter tokens up high as shown. Older, thinner ones will need to be held some other way.

Hyperion [041a and 041b] has a handle on objects.

There’s nothing freaky about how Freak [003] easily balances a token in his arms.

Detroit Steel [020] has an interesting hold; it just lies on top, with his left-arm saw serving to keep it from sliding about.

The energy effect makes for a solid hold for Count Nefaria [048].

Lay that object in his chain to get Absorbing Man [033] in on the token-totin’ action.

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Check back on Tuesday for pix of Rescue, Dreadnought, Crossbones and Iron Man + War Machine as the IIM edition of Token Totin’ continues!

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At last, that 900-point Golden Age opportunity to run this team came about.

Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 055) 145 + Not So Special 3
Valkyrie (Fear Itself 005) 130 + Contingency Plan 12
Mirage (Wolverine and The X-Men 004) 75
Valkyrie (Sinister 048) 71 + Not So Special 3
Brunnhilde (Sinister 204) 69  + Not So Special 3
Valkyrie (Sinister 047) 60
Samantha Parrington (Hammer of Thor 101) 55
Mirage (Fantastic Forces 007) 55
Valkyrie (Sinister 046) 44
Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 012) 38 + Invigorate 10
Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 012) 38
Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 012) 38
+Book of the Skull 27
+ Defenders ATA 24

=900 points.

FIRST it faced a team full of Halo, Gears of War and Bioshock figs on the Bioshock starter map. Squeaked out a win by KOing Dominic Santiago before my opponent could lay into my bunched-up team with grenades. 1-0.

NEXT, I was against an Avengers team of a pair of Iron Men, Dr. Druid, Scarlet Witch and the Fear Itself versions of Wolverine and Black Widow. This team was optimized to abuse the hell out of the Book of the Skull. But my zero-point loss was mainly due to a colossal mental CRIT FAIL: Me completely forgetting to use the Defenders ATA that I’d built the team to use in the first place. It was the difference between a hit on Wolverine that would’ve crippled him and the actual miss that allowed him to use the penetrating Poison and Exploit Weakness and B/C/F that KO’d the top Valkyries in one short turn. UGH! 1-1

FINAL game was against an overmatched team of LOTR figs. Even here, I barely managed to eke out enough victory points to win.

RECORD: 2-1. But I didn’t even clear 200 points on the day.

This team performed well below expectations. What went wrong:

  • I couldn’t figure how to use the generic Valkyries well enough. Taxis or medics? I should have run them just behind the fighters, then pushed them to evac the wounded for healing.
  • I had a plan for Mirage, then I did totally the opposite. She was to be a lead shooter and Shape Changing/Camouflaged bait. Instead, she was always in the back, stuck with bad LOF. I needed to cart her to the front with a teammate and let her Sidestep into action from there.
  • Forgetting that Defenders ATA. Not only on the big attack but on the small ones, too. More than once, I opted not to make attacks due to low AV when I shouldn’t have worried. Speaking of attack values…
  • Not So Special on the wrong character. It needed to be on moving attackers like either R or E Valkyrie from Sinister or R Mirage instead of on Brunnhilde, who barely ever made an attack and could benefit from the ATA anyway.
  • The hammers slowed down an already slow force. Without Willpower, it almost doesn’t seem to be worth the effort to equip. I think I may have been better served by fielding one more generic Valkyrie for more taxi/medic action.
  • This mostly melee force’s need for cover kept the ladies from truly swarming their targets, which was a real problem down the line. Once the enemy was actually in Charging range, there were no squares left to Charge to!

Future builds will likely not open the Book. Instead, Mirage will have Camouflage again and there’ll be that fourth generic Valkyrie. Rookie Val will be gone. Contingency Plan may well be doubled up at the expense of Not So Special.

THE VALKYRIES WILL RIDE AGAIN!!!!!!

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Continuing this photographic record of figures hefting objects, this time finishing a multi-week look at figs from the  Wolverine and the X-Men full set. The final is the same as the first, sort of: Colossus (Wolverine and The X-Men 059).

There’s a spot at his head where one can wedge the older, thinner tokens. The newer, fatter ones can only lean against him as seen in the second photo.

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And with that, WATX is fully documented. Look in the near future for some Token Totin’ pix from the archives and older sets.

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The very best of the relics are these:

2
M’Krann Crystal Sliver [Wolverine and the X-Men]
Another 8-pointer, this is almost the best relic to play thanks to its 50% shot at pickup and the get-out-of-KO-free card it represents and that it’s largely one-size-fits-all. It misses the top slot only because it kicks in when you’re losing a figure, a position which you’d rather not be in.

#1
Impact Beam
A 50% chance with 8-point cost to get double-distance Force Blast with double penetrating knock back damage is a big upgrade for anyone. For Heroclixin’s money, this is the best relic in the game.

Barely.

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The worst relic costs a bank-busting 15 points. It requires a 6 roll from all but a select few characters. And while it does grant a trio of good powers —Leadership, Stealth, Prob Control — there’s a 15% chance EVERY ONE OF YOUR TURNS that this relic will be lost and its wielder dealt 1 unavoidable damage to add injury to insult. And then the wielder can never recover it.

But why would one WANT to? The One Ring [Lord of the Rings] is the nadir of the list. Leave this one at the bottom of a river somewhere.

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#4
Uru Forge [Fear Itself Mighty Scenario Pack]
It’s one of the pricier relics on the list, but look at what 10 points buys:

  • A choice of a permanent +3 to speed or range, or
  • A permanent +1 increase to either AV, DV or damage, or
  • swap in a completely different relic into the existing game.

All for an easy-as-pie 3-6 roll. It could’ve been number one if it gave you the new relic outright instead of forcing ANOTHER pickup try.

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#3
Wonder Girl’s Lasso
At the very reasonable cost of just 5 points, this relic granting Steal Energy even from range is well worth fielding for any team. Only the somewhat slim 33% chance of grabbing it keeps it from being a top pick.

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The Sonic Transmitter [Batman] is a 7-point waste on even the one force it benefits, one with Flock of Bats characters on it. Rarely are those characters going to be fielded without either a Batman [Batman 053a] or a Caped Crusader [Batman 053b] figure to interact with them, and as with the #5 worst relic, this one will also be used more effectively as a resource-based item. It’s just all kinds of useless for all but a handful of figures and forces that it’s nearly the worst relic one could ever field.

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Be back next week for the best and worst relics of all.

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#6
Palantir [The Two Towers]
The most expensive relic on the top 10 list by far at 15 points, it’s here because it grants use of a pricey power — Mind Control — from behind walls, with an efficient 3-6 roll. For those teams you need to fill points on without just adding dead weight, this relic is the way to go. Better for long range than short, of course.

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#5
Mjolnir [Hammer of Thor]
The first relic is still one of the very best, even though it requires a daunting 6 roll for just a 15% shot at being worthy of the hammer of Thor. Granting a hefty +2 AV and damage along with Quake, Flight and Energy Explosion, gaining this relic can be a game-winner. It costs 0 points, too, so there’s no reason not to add this relic to a Golden Age force.

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In the middle of the five-worst list at #3 is the Globe of Ultimate Knowledge [Incredible Hulk]. Like Mjolnir on the good list, it requires a difficult roll of 6 to obtain. Unlike the above hammer, it’s going to cost your force 10 points, pass or fail. And the benefit of gaining it? Outwit. That’s all. It’s just not worth it. Ever.

 

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#8
Disintegration Beam [Invincible Iron Man]
For 8 points and a 50% roll, you get one of the game’s few anti-relic/resource elements. But lest it be completely worthless in those matches not facing those dreaded “R” factors, it’s also a method for cutting through enemies’ armor if they’re not over 150 in cost. It’d be higher on the list if it didn’t depend so much on hot dice and strong attack ability to be useful after pickup.

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#7
Scorpio Key [Captain America] and Flame Blast [Invincible Iron Man] [tie]
Only 4 points buys the Scorpio Key, an outside source of Penetrating/Psychic Blast AND + 2 range. Needing only a 33% 5-6 roll, it’s a great points filler. For double the cost but with an easier 50% roll, the Flame Blast also grants PPB with a minimum 4 range — so it’s better for those 0 range pieces — and Energy Explosion when only targeting one foe. They balance out to a tie.

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Getting Super Senses as the Lothlorien Cloak [Fellowship of the Ring] offers isn’t so bad until one notes the 10-point cost and the 50% chance it won’t fit and the fact that the doggone thing only functions IN hindering terrain, not just when lines of fire cross it. It’s overpriced by at least double and thus ranks as the fourth-worst relic.