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. 🙂

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!

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!!!!!!

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.

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.

#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.

#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.

 

#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.

#10
Nul’s Hammer and Angrir’s Hammer [tie]
These are the two hammer relics actually worth running AS relics somtimes. For 8 points, each grants a bunch of abilities to improve a piece’s effectiveness:

  • Angrir’s: Charge, Steal Energy, Regen AND + 2 AV.
  • Nul’s: The same +2 with Willpower and Running Shot at 4 range minimum.

When a simple 5-6 roll gets all of that, it’s no wonder they make the list, especially over their equal-priced but less loaded fellow hammers. But they’re at the bottom because both are overshadowed by the fact that the Book of the Skull makes them each automatic for just one point more.

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#9
Fragment – Cyclops
One of the most recent additions to the relics roster, this 5-6 roll relic grants Poison, Ranged Combat Expert and Flight for 10 points. It flame-claws a place on the list for being useful for 0 range pieces and shooters alike, making it easier for the former to maneuver in close with Flight, giving the latter better accuracy and firepower with RCE and helping both with the offensive and deterrent factor of Poison.

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The fifth worst relic has got to be the Rebreather [No Man’s Land]. Despite a fair 50% roll and a semi-modest cost of 6 points, what good is Willpower in water, really — especially since relics can’t be placed in water terrain to immediately get the bonus? Immunity to Poison isn’t great shakes, either, when simple Toughness does the job about as well.  Completely sunk by its way cheaper yet overpowered twin on the Utility Belt (wait, a mini-Aqualung can give me super speed if I start by swimming?), this relic chokes every time.

It’s the holiday season, when many are out trying to obtain stuff. So it’s a good time to look at a HeroClix mechanic revolving around trying to obtain stuff: RELICS.

indiana-jones-idol-swipe

Relics. They’re a weird thing in HeroClix. They cost extra points on the force but seem riddled with drawbacks:

  • Limited to just one per force.
  • No guarantee of use.
  • Mean one less object for the Super Strong and the Telekinetics.

But on the other hand, it’s not all bad news where relics are concerned:

  • Indestructible hindering terrain for the Stealthy.
  • Some neat game effects.

Is it worth losing one of the three objects? Naturally, this matters more for Super Strength teams than others. But it’s also an issue for other teams because running a relic means they MUST run one light and one heavy object. So is the relic worth the risk of a SStrong foe getting more weapons?

 Whether a Relic works with a Resource will NOT be considered. Many of them change drastically in how they are acquired and how they function and, in any case, are simply a subset of their Resources instead. [In fact, Heroclixin’ goes on record as decrying Resources for essentially making Relics completely pointless. Don’t know why WizKids even continues making Relics, really.]

This week, Heroclixin’ looks at the top ten relics in the game — the ones giving the best bang for the most figures for the best price and ease of use…and five of the very worst.

Here’s an HONORABLE MENTION to start it off:

Batman Cowl [No Man’s Land]
A 5-point, 50% shot at getting Batman Ally TA and extra-sneakfulness for existing Batman teamsters is best saved for Bat-teams, which can use it even on failed rolls as an extra patch of hindering terrain. Other figures, while they’d surely welcome the Stealth, won’t get as much bonus mileage from it, pass or fail.

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Tune in tomorrow for the beginning of the list in earnest!