Hi there: It’s our usual checklist. And possibly our last, as the old files and templates were lost in the latest computer crash. Unsure if we can get the old programs used to build them back.

Downloadable PDF below.

AvengersForeverCHECKLIST

It’s become a DragonCon tradition: Heroclixin’ Board Member Chadd Franklin comes down to Atlanta for a con and for big games with yours truly. And this year, we did it in grand fashion … sort of.

GAME 1: NIGHT OF THE SENTINELS

Thursday was the big kahuna, a titanic match between Chadd’s mutant heroes out to wreck my horde of every Sentinel I could possibly field in 2,500 points.

Bishop (X of Swords) 80
Exodus (House of X) 95
Apocalypse (X-Men Rise and Fall ) 125
Gorgon (X of Swords 022) 65
Kid Gladiator (X-Men Rise and Fall ) 75
Magik (X of Swords 023) 65
Marvel Girl (House of X 020) 80
Phoenix (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga) 350
Polaris (X-Men Rise and Fall 026) 50
Kitty Pryde (Empyre) 35
Rogue (X of Swords 037a) 60
Professor X, Dreamer (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga) 50
Scarlet Witch (Empyre) 50
Cable 75 + Futuristic Holograms 25 (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga)
X-23 (Fantastic Four) 50
Egg (House of X) 25
Hope Summers (X of Swords) 100
Cyclops (X-Men Rise and Fall) 45
Dazzler (Empyre) 35
Colossus (Empyre) 125
Iceman (House of X) 65

Elixir (House of X) 40
Forge (House of X Fast Forces) 75
Sage (House of X Fast Forces) 50
Dr. Moira MacTaggart (X-Men Rise and Fall ) 20
Deadpool (X-Men Rise and Fall 100) 60

Beast. (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 70
Gambit (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 70
Jubilee (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 50
Storm (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 70
Wolverine (X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces) 70

X-Men Blue ATA 4 points each

Monster Hunter feat on everyone legal 3 points each

This was an impressive 2,500-point force and one well suited against a colossal Sentinel force, something like what I fielded:

Alpha Class Sentinel @150
Bastion (XDPS g013) @100
Cerebra @150 + Brilliant Tactician 20
Cyclops Sentinel @150
Friend of Humanity @5
Karima + Robot Team Up card 75
Master Mold @200
Nimrod (047b) @125
Nimrod the Greater 25
Nimrod the Lesser 100
Omega 200
Omega Prime Sentinel 59 + Infiltrate 2
Omega Sentinel 50
Orchis Soldier 25
Phoenix Sentinel @75
Sentinel (Captain America) @200
LE Sentinel Captain 29
legacy Sentinel Mark II @100
legacy Sentinel Mark V @40
Sentinel Squad ONE 70
experienced Sentinel Trooper 25
Tri-Sentinel @30

He’d brought the Morlock Tunnels, a cramped indoor map that I’d had to diagram carefully to even be able to place my starting force.

Chadd’s plan was to Barrier up in between my waves of attacks. But it didn’t go that way because why would I march up to get shot like that? Sentinels are artificial intelligence … emphasis on INTELLIGENCE. And so that map hampered him more than it helped — especially when Tri-Sentinel blew up the walls

We played for some hours but had to call it far too early because Chadd had been up for nearly 20 straight hours and I had been awake for more than 16 myself.

We planned revisit this battle on Monday, when the con was basically over, ahead of our Tuesday morning checkout time.

RESULT: INCONCLUSIVE (but the momentum was mine)

——

GAME 2: X-MEN #1 (1991) COVER vs. ACOLYTES

Chadd built a 1000-point team based on the iconic cover:

So I opted to face him with Magneto and his Acolytes!

Magneto (XDPS G025) 300
Frenzy
Colossus (XDPS) + Inside Information
Amelia Voght
Scanner
Kleinstock Bros x 3
Random
legacy Fabian Cortez

We agreed to play on Genosha, the site of the battle. And we kinda played it twice because the first go-round we made some ridiculous misplays. I played the Acolytes about as poorly as one could — Magneto wasn’t even on his right starting click! — while Chadd realized too late he hadn’t packed the right Beast for the team.

The second game, I had full command of my team, such that Chadd  folded.

RESULT: MAGNETO WAS RIGHT

——

GAME 3: EXILES V. EXILES

Chadd built a team of Exiles: Blink, Juggernaut, Proteus, Dazzler, Longshot and Sage.

So I wanted to play my OWN EXILES: T’Chaka II, Magik, Valkyrie, Tessa, Nocturne and Spider-Man 2099

But … this game was almost a bust because, again, Chadd had brought the wrong piece — this time a Juggernaut.

But … we found a way to rebuild our teams to have a match anyway.

But … it ended in a draw. And we didn’t even do a roll-off because WHY? It was a draw.

RESULT: A DRAW

——

GAME 4: THE NAME GAME

This is a F.U.N. scenario that Chadd came up with for Dragon Con years past where you build a force based on your government name.

C: Cyclops (Regenesis) @120

H: Honey Badger @80

A: Apocalypse (XMRF) 125

D: Dark Phoenix (M10th Anniversary) @100

D: Deadpool (X of Swords) 40

vs.

K: King Shark (Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls) @90 + Submerged 5 because he’s a shark

H: Harley Quinn (WW80) @50 + Alias 3 because she’s literally wearing someone else’s clothes

A: Ant-Man & Wasp (Chaos War) 168 + And Stay Down! 5 because they are a one-two punch duo

R: Rikki Barnes (Empyre) 75 + Loner 5 because she’s literally the last survivor of her world

I: Ironheart (Captain America and the Avengers) 85 + Shellhead 10 because she’s armored and has the old defense symbol to gain the +2

I LOVE how the feats are thematic for each of them.

We left the hotel room for this one, playing in the Heroclix gaming area at DragonCon. The map was the David Leverette/Howard Brock-provided Barnstable Wedding map.

I wound up winning, but the biggest moment was when Jonathan, Honey Badger’s pal wolverine, one-shot King Shark. Ohhhhh I was as salty as the water King Shark likes to swim in.

RESULT: KHARI’S VICTORY BUT CHADD HAD BEST SCENE

——

GAMES 5-6: THE CHARLIE

Another Dragon Con classic, we saved this for nearly last — because we had multiple teams to run.

The Charlie (named for Charlie “Rockman” Cates, an old school Heroclix judge and former player) works like this: Seven figs, all in differing point brackets, sit on the sideline. The cheapest fig starts first. When it heals or takes damage, immediately roll d6 and replace it with the corresponding fig on the sideline.

First game, Chadd had as many Phoenixes as he could muster: from Dark Phoenix down to Jean Grey and an X-Trainee filling in the very cheapest slot.

I ran a bunch of legacy card figs: Leech, Havok, Deadpool, Warlock, She-Hulk, Namor and Thor & Loki.

RESULT: SHINY LEGACIES SHINE

Some hours later, we found a quiet table in the gaming hall and did the other team. I forget what Chadd packed but I used my All Black Everything squad: 25-point WOTR Black Panther, Isca The Unbeaten prime, SR Uhura, 022 Power Girl @115, Empyre Monica Rambeau @150 and 250-point chase Black Panther.

RESULT: ALWAYS BET ON BLACK

——

GAME 7: NIGHT OF THE SENTINELS PART II

Now it was time to do our real match, being relatively rested this time and having several hours to do it justice.

Well, that didn’t quite happen either, as Chadd for some reason needed nearly an ENTIRE HOUR just to set up his team. Then he never quite played his force’s best pieces, essentially letting me take the offensive at will.

He’d built an impressive team. But the whole thing was just a little too overwhelming for him.

RESULT: SOME MUTANTS ELIMINATED, SOME SENTINELS WRECKED … but not nearly enough of either!

———

Chadd is skipping DragonCon next year, but coming to MomoCon in the spring. We’ll be holding the points down to a cap of 1000 this time. And we’ll have more F.U.N. Heroclixin’.

A while back, I listed my favorite clix of the 2010s after annually doing a top ten-or-so for each year since Heroclixin’s founding in 2009, and retroactively posted my picks for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008: my first full years as an active HeroClix player.

Now, to help mark HeroClix’s 20th anniversary, I thought I’d pick my faves of the figures released in the years before I started collecting but later quickly grew to be liked.

Here we go! (In alphabetical order.)

2002

LE Arthur Curry (Hypertime 138) (experienced Aquaman pictured)

This could have been Vet Aquaman, the first single I bought. (It was during a trip out of town to celebrate my cousin’s graduation.) But I liked the slightly more subtle gameplay of this LE version of my favorite DC hero.

experienced Black Panther (Infinity Challenge 086) (vet pictured)

The Rookie was the meta favorite (thanks to his ability back then to autonomously move into Stealth position and Outwit from 10 squares out — neither possible today), but this Experienced version with Blades/Claws/Fangs to fight with along with the Stealth and Outwit (no TA though) reflected the character best of the REV set.

veteran Blizzard (Infinity Challenge 090)

11 AV was rare at this price (53 points), and so was Pulse Wave.

veteran Dr. Doom (Clobberin’ Time 075)

With a sky-high 12 AV, Perplex to aid his printed 3 damage, his old Minions of Doom wild card status and two clicks of Mastermind, he was my first power piece, part of the lot that got me in the game.

unique Elektra (Infinity Challenge 144)

I liked her more for the sculpt than anything. Also was my first Unique.

unique Flash (Hypertime 128)

i’ve always liked Jay Garrick. 20 Speed Hypersonic! Who cared if he only dealt 1 damage?

veteran Hawk (Hypertime 087)  (experienced pictured)

Once activated, he got you 12 AV with Super Strength. I struggled to play him on teams in those days before keywords.

rookie Invisible Girl (Clobberin’ Time 043)

18 Defend was really high in 2002.

veteran Logan (Clobberin’ Time 069) (rookie pictured)

Great pose, long dial.

rookie Mandroid Armor (Clobberin’ Time 007) (experienced pictured)

Cheap TK and an early “Black box” fill-in. Pretty sure Rhodey spent time in this suit between his Iron Man and War Machine years.

2003

 experienced Fatality (Cosmic Justice 053)  (rookie pictured)

A “Black box” fig, she offered Telekinesis and offense alike. The Experienced version I preferred was a flier as well.

There was an event where she was intended to be the mainstay of my team, but the judge secretly had a scenario where we had to swap our team with our opponent … and she wrecked my face.

“Thanks for building such a good team,” my young opponent told me after he’d won … the little snot!

veteran Hand Ninja (Xplosion 009) (rookie pictured)

This generic has a surprising 8 range, making it the first I’d reach for in any ninja-themed force.

LE Jane Foster (Xplosion 206)  (experienced Paramedic pictured)

Medics were a staple at this time (thanks to possible 6 healing and crater-low defense values to make the Support roll) and she was the best. It took me years to actually get her.

veteran Johnny Alpha (Indy 021)

There’s that TK again. But he also had an uncommon 11 AV, making him a solid fighter.

LE Little Sure Shot (Cosmic Justice 201)

10 range for 15 points? Yes, please. He was also a provisional member of my Black figure collection back before I realized he was actually a Native American character.

rookie Lobster Johnson (Indy 034)

Stealth Outwit AND wildcard status gave him a place on many of my teams in those early days, when all three of those abilities were VERY powerful.

veteran Magdalena (Indy 030)

Like a lot of characters from this set, she was a dull Stealth+Blades  piece, so she made my list more for her sculpt than anything.

 experienced Major Maxim (Indy 053)

Cheap Stealthy Super Strength. And a great sculpt.

 experienced Moon Knight (Critical Mass 026)

Stealth was much better then. So was Super Strength. And with his Willpower and Avengers team ability (which qualified him for the Thunderbolts feat a few years later), he was a good pick.

 experienced Taskmaster (Xplosion 065)

High, high AV. And Stealth. And Wildcard status. All for an economical cost under 60 points! The only thing wrong with him was the non-iconic costume.

2004

LE Cameron Chase (Unleashed 201)

I really liked this sneaky-good LE. On top dial, she was just a Stealthy Police TA ally, but a couple of pushes later (or if an enemy tried to beat her up) and suddenly she’s also got Impervious and/or Outwit. Pretty good for the 36 points back then.

LE Catwoman (Unleashed 222)

Possibly the only good thing to come out of the wretched Halle Berry film is this tiny mini of her.

 experienced Doctor Fate (Unleashed 071)

He squeaks onto the list by being a key part of my first-ever tournament win in Heroclix. I’d built a team based on the lineup from the JLA/JSA: Virtue And Vice graphic novel and piloted it to victory, partly on the strength of his long-range Probability Control and Energy Shield/Deflection. He was a key part of my then-JSA completion streak.

veteran Havok (Mutant Mayhem 039)

At 44 points, this old vet version of Alex Summers was just a TK away from dealing a massive 4 damage, making him one of the giant-killers of his day. Hence his spot in this Top 10.

unique Hulk (Ultimates 095)

Hulk SMASH! This sculpt is still one of the most beautiful things in HeroClix. And he was one of the first non-colossal figs to have a natural 6 damage on dial.

unique Longshot (Mutant Mayhem 085)

With him being one of my favorite characters, I was really happy to get the lucky one into my collection.

LE Manticore (City of Heroes 002)

This 10-ranged wildcard archer swiftly found a place in my heart, if not my competitive teams.

unique Shazam (Unleashed 088)

Like Doctor Fate, he was part of the Virtue And Vice squad. Others preferred the more straight-up powerful Kingdom Come-based LE version of the Big Red Cheese, but this activation-clicked one was my jam.

veteran Spider-Man (Ultimates 042)

This piece was all about the Pounce feat, which, for an extra 15 points, gave him a pretty staggering 10-square reach to bash someone with Super Strength (then among the game’s best powers) and land on his Super Senses clicks to stay a tie up piece the rest of the game.

unique Superman (Unleashed 095)

Boy, did I used to fear seeing this across the table from me. He was fearsome from 10 range with 5 natural damage, but hitting him only turned him into a Hypersonic beast that was very difficult to deal with. Still one of the best Superman sculpts ever made!

2005

LE Captain Mako (City of Villains 004)

Being an Aquaman fan, I always had a liking for the swimming characters. This shark-inspired baddie grew into a favorite.

LE Ghost Widow (City of Villains 002)

A flying medic with then-way above average 18 DV, Poison and equivalent of Mystics TA, this City of Villains citizen found her way into my all-time hall of infamy.

One of my favorite figs ever, I fielded him to great effect using the Protected feat (which gave the ability to completely negate a hit once per game — fitting for a character who uses holograms to fool attackers). He was key to my first tournament victory as well.

unique Orphan (Fantastic Forces 091)

Was this the first Unique (the then-equivalent of Super Rare) I ever pulled? I think so. Mr. Sensitive here is a prime example of why I love HeroClix: D-listers like him get as much a slot in the character selection as the A-listers like Batman.

veteran Spoiler (Legacy 003) 

Although her low cost (22 points) and contribution of Batman Ally TA for wildcard teams were the meta reasons for her being on such teams, it’s always been the sculpt for me.

veteran Superman (Icons 048)

My first REAL power piece. I pulled him in my very first sealed event and … chose not to play him. Even at that early date, I’d become leery of tentpole figures. Later, this incredibly un-F.U.N. figure — one that began a long series of changes to the Hypersonic Speed power — would factor greatly into defining my F.U.N. focus for how I approach the game. But that year, at least, this was definitely a big favorite of mine.

 experienced War Machine (Armor Wars 068)

This was the first kinda really OK piece for my Black team. Worked well with the old Thunderbolts feat that allowed Avengers symbol to pick any non-wildcard team ability for the duration of the game.

 experienced Wonder Woman (Icons 032)

Like so much in the Icons set, Experienced WW here functioned as a budget powerhouse. Love the pose!

We finally got a look at the 42nd figure in this 42-fig organized play event and now can publish our usual checklist.

This one’s a tad different, with essentially two sides — one for the figs (booster and prizes) and the other for the tarot cards only available in this OP series.

Here’s the PDF download link. You’ll get two copies.

XofSwordsSLOPchecklist

In principle, legacy cards are a F.U.N. way to bring some old pieces back into Modern/Silver play, rework some old figs that never really worked right before (or don’t anymore due to rule changes).

In practice? Well, let’s see. After a a short break with the Disney Plus release, they’re back in X of Swords.

———

L020 Fabian Cortez
(X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga, 2019)

The set’s basically here and so here’s the customary checklist.

This PDF link at the bottom gives you two copies of the main set checklist and one foldable copy of the tarot card list.

The former should be complete. The latter … PROBABLY is, too. But I haven’t figured how to do a proper set listing for the tarots.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

8/8/2022 UPDATE: Corrected a small error in the main list and completely overhauled the tarot card list

XofSwords Checklist

So after looking at how my favorites improved (or don’t) with the 2021 rules overhaul, here’s a new look at some pieces — now retired but still playable in Silver Age — that Heroclixin’ panned in the past.

We’ll start with 2020’s trash.

Dr. Traci Simmons (Justice League Unlimited 024) 20 points

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

She still has to get too close to use her trait to nerf enemy fliers and that little 3-click dial won’t live long. Worse, Perplex isn’t quite as useful as before, and she’s not doing enough to get any use out of her Willpower, either. So she’s EVEN WORSE

———

Dr. Emil Hamilton (Justice League Unlimited 023) 25 points

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

He rates a bit higher now that generic themed teams are a better play and Empower is a more important power. SOMEWHAT BETTER

———

Aaron Davis (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 017) 30 points

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

He’s still just 30 points of Perplex that opponents can even more safely ignore. He can’t even push himself to his Secret ID. Unless you can force the opponent to not ignore him, he’s EVEN WORSE.

———

Hawkgirl (Justice League Unlimited 100) 50 points

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

 

Still bad for the -1 DV her special power deals to allies with no reward for this risk. Steal Energy’s healing puts you back on that click 1 over and over again — IF she’s doing well. EVEN WORSE because Super Strength is worse (now that knock back damage is history).

———

Iron Man (Avengers Vs Masters of Evil Battlegrounds 102b) 75 points

Just five clicks for 75 points? I mean, 11AV Penetrating Blast with Prob isn’t bad, but this remains an Iron Man with no armor on its top clicks that can get one-shot (thanks to the missing STOP power seen on the front of his card). But he gets A LITTLE BETTER with those three clicks of Ranged Combat Expert boosting his attack and damage for shooting.

———

Superman (Justice League Unlimited 001) 100 points

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

 

So the no Indomitable aspect is no longer a problem, and his ending Willpower could actually be beneficial. A LITTLE BETTER but still bad.

———

Singularity (Captain America and the Avengers ) 100 points

Screenshot from HCRealms.com

Her points are still a waste for no move+attack ability until well into her dial when she’s lost her armor, but Power Cosmic Willpower might be enough to make up for the weakness sometimes. It’s too bad the nerfing of Pulse Wave causes a mid-dial sag in her potential even as the Hypersonic + Penetrating Blast combo makes for an end-dial spike. BETTER though still mediocre.

———

Zeke Stane (Captain America and the Avengers 029) 100 points

Screenshot from HCRealms.com

Pushing is no longer a problem, though that means he can’t get to his SPs at will. (Perplex isn’t as good on him anyway.) Once he’s in middial, though, he’s got a lot he can do — attacking with two tokens, FREE drop of an action token, or Willpower. MARKEDLY BETTER.

———

Static (Justice League Unlimited 043) 100 points

Screenshot from HCRealms.com

He was a mess before because TK on a 100-point piece was not a good value in build or action efficiency — and that’s worse now that the power doesn’t attack. But not having to worry about pushing damage to capitalize on his debris trait, and being able to Chain Lightning with close attacks — or triple target Precision Strike — he’s MARKEDLY BETTER if still not great.

———

Martian Manhunter (WizKids M19-004) 120 points

Screenshot from HCRealms.com

When a fig will almost never get to use its own first click of life, you know it’s bad. But does it get better with new rules?

• At the beginning of each turn, he’s takes a click if there’s any Choco on the board. So he’s on click 2 ALREADY. That doesn’t change.
• He MIGHT heal 2 clicks if he can pick one up (moving) or hits an enemy holding one (likely via HSS), but by then he’s already acted and will take another click of damage on his next turn, so … BACK to Click 2. Also the same
• He can’t use range because he’s got Battle Fury which means he’ll have to venture deep in enemy territory to get Chocos. Same.
• He doesn’t even have WILLPOWER to help keep himself going. Now here things improve. He could stay very active in a non-pushing game to at least stay on click 2 more often. Still…
• There are 5 of these Chocos out there, which means 5 straight rounds of MM not being able to use his own Click 1 on his own turn. Ugh.
• He’ll be taking fire while trying to get Chocos. Uggh.
• Sometimes stuck with two tokens, having pushed, while taking fire AND the unavoidable Choco click. Ugggh.
• The enemy can ensure there’s ALWAYS a Choco out there even after the initial five are gone. Uggggh.
• His stats are mediocre without the Choco bonus.

UGGGGGH. STILL SO BAD

 

———

Mr. Fantastic (Fantastic Four 001)

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

It’s just the most underwhelming version of Reed Richards possible. Like an old rubber band that you expect to actually stretch but instead it just cracks and breaks. Just … just POOR. And with Plasticity no longer stopping enemies in their tracks, Perplex no longer boosting damage, and the general worthlessness-for-the-cost of Incap and solo Leap/Climb, he’s poorer than ever. EVEN WORSE

———

 But how about the

Top Ten WORST HeroClix of 2019?

Hydra 011 [Earth X 011] 25 points

THEN: Taylor gave me an argument on this one because he loves Incapacitate and I …….. do not. But this Hydra chick ranks among the worst because she’s so much less effective than her Hydra 010 counterpart.

NOW: Incap is worse than ever and Plasticity is still a bad pairing with RCE. But the Willpower does improve her, so … MARGINALLY BETTER

———

Spiders Man [Earth X 013] 30 points

THEN:  I rather like the SP. It’s half of what Incapacitate SHOULD be. But that short range and low DV and too-brief life are all problematic.

NOW: Not being able to push to the better second click might outweigh the benefit of no pushing damage. He’s unlikely to see any of his Perplex clicks and even late Willpower may not be enough. PRETTY MUCH JUST AS BAD

———

Winter Soldier [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 016] 45 points

THEN: While his opening stats are good, him being vulnerable to Mind Control from being based is doubly bad due to him being a range piece. Especially with the chance of it being permanent. He’s just not good enough with just 6 range to make running him worth the risk.

NOW: The midlife Willpower and RCE could defray a little of that drawback, but he’s still PRETTY MUCH JUST AS BAD

———

Spider-Girl [Earth X 001] 50 points

THEN: I hate Incap in general, and in particular when the range isn’t great and the Running Shot is missing. Maybe if she had Willpower to make up for the lack of first-strike capability, she wouldn’t be on this list, because the AV and 2x targets is what you want in an Incap piece and CCE thrives on pushability.

NOW: Her CCE makes her MARKEDLY BETTER even though Incap isn’t as good. But the two combo to make the Incap more effective as a melee option, especially with multiple targets.

———

Starfleet Admiral [Star Trek To Boldly Go 007] 50 points

THEN: Outwit puts her too close to the action while using Mastermind frankly hurts more valuable figs than her. Sure, she has Leadership-plus, but the conditions attached to it makes it not much of a bonus.

NOW: She will almost never see her second click with the Prob (being unable to push) and likely end up on the less-useful Perplex. MARKEDLY WORSE.

———

Jessica Cruz [Rebirth 056] 65 points

THEN: No move+attack and just 6 range both mean she’s just a taxi (and her “Leading the Charge” trait is likely wasted). But the no-cost TK is likely hindered by the fact that her lines of fire are blocked by her many passengers. Plus she’ll need to set up objects in prescient fashion to be able to use them well. 

NOW: That TK is no good for attacks at all, making it basically impossible to Lead the Charge. Add to that her back-dial RCE she might not see because she’s a soft but ignorable target, and you have a MARKEDLY WORSE piece.

———

Bumblebee [Rebirth 039] 75 / 50 points 

THEN: She just doesn’t mesh together. Her SP offers a nice HSS option, but drops her damage to 2. Also, her 2 targets don’t work with Precision Strike and 10 AV is a little underwhelming at her full cost. So what about her 50 point line? Her AV jumps to 11 and she swaps the Precision for Incap, but her damage drops to 2 which means her HSS is wasted on the -1 damage penalty. Outwit isn’t on either top click.

NOW: Precision and 2 targets play VERY well together, HSS works with Incap, as does her end-dial RCE (again, with multi-bolts). All this and no pushing? She’s MARKEDLY BETTER.

———

Deathstroke [Rebirth 017] 75 points

Incap works well with his Defiance trait that lets him maybe heal after hitting. What’s wrong is that his first and second clicks should be swapped to make him actually useful for his cost.

What was true THEN is truer NOW: He can’t even push to the better click. At least his late CCE is better. BUT STILL BAD

———

Maximus [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 060] 90 points

THEN: His plusses (mass Perplex of friendlies if you build same-name teams, incapacitating Mind Control, TK) are dragged down by his non-optional trait that has a 33% chance of Battle Fury-ing him (so much for that 6 range), or keeping him from costed actions.

NOW: That 3-4 result might be so much worse going forward. And both TK and Pulse Wave took a hit. So he’s WORSE going forward.

———

Professor X [X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga 035] 100 points

THEN: I want to like him (ranged Leadership and being able to shoot/Outwit through walls is good) but losing his Influence upon clearing hurts him too much in early game and his dial’s so short.

NOW: His ability to self-clear is a double-edge sword, as he loses Influence! But being able to shift his Influence around if he frees up tokens OR opt to use old-school Colossal Stamina to press his Influence —and— manipulate his dial in a way most characters can’t anymore could be interesting. STILL BAD but maybe not worse.

———

But how about 2018’s worst?

Long ago, early in the life of this blog, I said the kids were all right.

But although it was great to get them in ‘Clix back in 2008 and all at once,  the sculpts were lacking and the dials weren’t right, either.

Somewhat surprisingly, they got a remake in 2021’s Future Foundation, 13 years after their first versions. And they got a somewhat F.U.N. trait where they swap powers, something they could occasionally do in their comics runs:

WE SWAPPED POWERS AGAIN?: FREE: If you have 2+ characters with this trait and different names on your force, choose another of those characters. Until your next turn, Katie Power and the chosen character can’t use their displayed powers and instead can use each other’s displayed powers and range values, and can’t be chosen for, or activate, this effect.

But as one can see from their appearance on Heroclixin’s Worst of 2021 list, these kids still aren’t all right.

Jack Power (Future Foundation 016) 25 points

With 18 DV, he’s got the highest printed defense of the whole Pack. That can be a 21 in hindering with his big sister Julie’s power set. He’s also a Sidestep flier (though he shouldn’t be … he’s a cloud) and thus can act as a taxi (though he shouldn’t; he’s a CLOUD) as well as Packing a bit of punch with Close Combat Expert (when he compacts his molecules to shrink while retaining his full weight).

———

Katie Power (Future Foundation 017) 25 points

• Energy Explosion and Exploit Weakness

She has the best damage potential, but it’s very modest and wasted on her. The youngest Power child might be the least useful of all.

———

Franklin (Future Foundation 028) 25 points

He’s the one 25-point member who does NOT have the swapping trait. He’s here for completeness’ sake and for his Prob Control and Pack-centric Perplex. Which they need.

———

Alex Power (Future Foundation 029) 25 points

• Force Blast and Telekinesis

It’s kinda the wrong power set for him again (and the wrong costume), but whatever. Really, the oldest of the Powers is just here to either TK a sibling or swap his TK to another member so they can TK someone ELSE.

———

Julie Power (Future Foundation 030) 25 points

• Hypersonic and Energy Shield/Deflection

With the best offense and defense powers, the eldest girl is either doing most of the fighting or giving her ESD to the ones in front.

Speaking of the eldest, both Alex and Julie got young adult versions, too.

Alex Power (Future Foundation 034) 50 points

In the wrong costume, he’s got Sidestep but no Flight like his younger self. He can fight a little more effectively, sort of, with triple Incap (though at very short 4 range) and defend a bit with Barrier — including a FREE 2-square version (that can’t be placed diagonally).

———

Julie Power (Future Foundation 035) 50 points

She has HSS again, but a SP version that gives her a mid-move placement of fellow Sidekicks.

Too bad the 25-point Pack aren’t Sidekicks.

So while I was stuck home during lockdown, I came up with the bright idea to entertain myself with huge solo battles of my Favorites of the Decade, double elimination bracket style.

It was fun. So here’s a version where I pit my favorites of 2020 against those of 2021, which also got little live play due to the ongoing pandemic.

vs.

20 from 2020:

• Absorbing Man (Captain America and the Avengers 073) 100 points
• The Atom (Justice League Unlimited 059a) 40 points
• Black Cat (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 005) 40 points
• Black Widow (Black Widow Movie 100) 75 points
• Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 009) 40 points
• Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 025) 60 points
• Human Torch (Fantastic Four 038) 40 points
• Ironheart (Captain America and the Avengers 056) 85 points
• Jolt (Captain America and the Avengers 031a) 25 points
• Micron (Justice League Unlimited 059b) 50 points
• Quake (Captain America and the Avengers 010) 65 points
• Red Guardian (Black Widow Movie 016) 75 points
• Reed Richards, Fixer Of Universes (Fantastic Four 056) 60 points
• Spider-Hamurai (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 066) 60 points
• Spider-Man (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 054) 60 points
• Spot (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 042) 50 points
• Sue Storm (Fantastic Four 062) 100 points
• Superman (Justice League Unlimited 105) 125 points
• Ultron (Avengers Vs. Masters of Evil Battlegrounds 110b) 100 points
• Vixen (Justice League Unlimited 015) 75 points
• (Sideline: FCBD Black Widow, Peter Parker)

= 1325 points

VS 2021’s:

• Captain Britain (House of X 053) 80 points
• The Commissioner (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 067) 50 points
• Dr. Poison (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 045) 40 points
• Harley Quinn (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 024) 50 points
• Lex Luthor (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 056) 50 points
• Loki (Empyre 026) 60 points
• Maggott (House of X 051) 40 points
• Master Mold (WizKids MP20-001) 375 points
• Monica Rambeau (Empyre 041) 150 points
• Multiple Man (X-Men Rise & Fall 007) 40 points x 3
  Multiple Man (X-Men Rise & Fall 007) 10 points
• Onome (Empyre 015) 40 points
• Rikki Barnes (Empyre 072) 75 points
• Sentinel (X-Men Rise & Fall 008) 25 points x 3
• T’Chaka II (Empyre 047b) 45 points
• Teen Lantern (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 035) 75 points
• (Sideline: Sentinel)

=1335 points. I messed up on the build, thinking 1335 was the goal to make the teams even. But I PROMISE that’s not an advantage to the 2021 team.

2020 went first, picking the Injustice Gang Hideout to gain some cover against the scary colossal.

Had a grand time, playing all these favorites. Nearly every one had its moment. A few disappointed me. And, of course, because it’s me, there were misplays — which keeps things interesting when running a solo game like this.
BY PIECE (alphabetically):
Absorbing Man (Captain America and the Avengers 073) 100 points

He’s underperformed in every game I’ve used him, and this was no exception. But at least he survived to the late game thanks to Stealth and Regens and Steal Energy Flurries instead of going down in a single turn like usual.

———

The Atom (Justice League Unlimited 059a) 40 points

A mistake with him probably cost his team the win. I aggressively went after Master Mold, “carrying” the tiny guy where he could Outwit the colossal robot.

I forgot Atom’s Perplex.

Most of the next few attacks on MM ALL missed by just 1. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

———

Black Cat (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 005) 40 points

I gave her the Avengers keyword, which got the number on the team to the minimum 3 required to make Quake’s “Avengers, Assembled” trait work. She otherwise did a lot of Underworld taxi work for fellow Rulers early on and scored a key KO of a German Soldier to keep her team in the game much later.

———

Black Widow (Black Widow Movie 100) 75 points

Her Hypersonic bike attacks got the Master Mold off his first click, and in the late game, she cut him off from Mastermind fodder in a sacrifice play to assist his ultimate KO. She also had a second life in the late going when FCBD Widow replaced her.

———

Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 009) 40 points
Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 025) 60 points

This duo did things. First: Got an opportune Pulse Wave to deny Lex Luthor his Bizarro pog. Later, though both sorely hurt, they Sidestepped their way to eventually taking down Master Mold. And they were the last starting force pieces of their team to drop.

THIS IS WHY THEY HERE

———

Captain Britain (House of X 053) 80 points

I’m realizing I misplayed her, so maybe she shouldn’t have gotten one of those easy hits. But despite taking some big harm, she lasted well into the late game, scoring Reed Richards and keeping the pressure on the 2020 remnants.

———

The Commissioner (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 067) 50 points

He didn’t get going until the late game, but oh brother did he make it impossible for the 2020 team down the stretch. I forgot his Outwit half the time because I didn’t need it. Enhancement and Mastermind works great with Sentinels (replacing his lost Rookie pog). And him sharing a keyword with Monica Rambeau paid dividends, either in Leadership moments or his “Do Or Die” ability to give her an extra attack.

———

Dr. Poison (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 045) 40 points

I only got Leadership ONCE ALL GAME with her. But it was enough: That German Soldier she generated dealt SO MUCH Poison damage. I called her sneaky good before and she sure is.

———

Harley Quinn (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 024) 50 points

She only got one good use of her Prob Control early in the going, but she survived into the endgame, where, on her last click, she scored a big KO of Sue Storm to nix any chance of a 2020 team comeback.

———

Human Torch (Fantastic Four 038) 40 points

After early taxi duty, this random piece did a couple of Pulse Waves with a TK+Barrier assist from Sue. The first was successful, the second wildly not.

———

Ironheart (Captain America and the Avengers 056) 85 points

She was one of those who missed vs. Master Mold in that disastrous round in the first act. Never landing an attack all game (and so not getting to Barrier up a target), she acquitted herself later with a double-Perplex to help take down Master Mold.

———

Jolt (Captain America and the Avengers 031a) 25 points

I wasn’t actually not sure her potentially endless Sidesteps still work, but I played as though they do. (UPDATE: They do.) Somehow the littlest member of the 2020 faves lasted into the endgame, where she scored and assisted in some KOs to give her fellows hope for an upset.

———

Lex Luthor (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 056) 50 points

As mentioned above, he got Pulse Wave’d around his first pog (his STOP powers function through PW — his others don’t) but he got the literal Green Light to get into the fight later. Only a terrible crit miss by that pog cost Luthor a chance of survival.

———

Loki (Empyre 026) 60 points

I got too bold with him in the very early stages, before a 2 ever got rolled to build up Rally dice, trusting his Stealth and Mystics to deter attacks.

Superman, who was Hypersonic and Invincible, was not deterred.

Loki was gone in a turn. (I’d have been more upset if not for a recent similar-sized game were he must’ve spawned 7 total.)

———

Maggott (House of X 051) 40 points

Mobile Poison with Meany got a lot of cheap damage on soft targets like Atom and Spider-Man. When the 2021 team was getting heavily outactioned, Maggott here kinda restored order. And once I got some Empower to work with, he and his pogs were wrecking.

———

Master Mold (WizKids MP20-001) 375 points

I usually dislike this sort of mega-tentpole, but it was the only way for the smaller 2021 team to match the 2020 version’s build total.

Because the theme was “Favorites of 2021,” I played it with ONLY the 2021 Sentinels and its own bystander versions to generate. I only rolled successful Leadership ONCE the whole game. But that one generated was enough to take down Spider-Hamurai, who was seriously threatening Master Mold at the time, via MM’s retaliation — which was also instrumental in deploying the other Sentinels as needed.

Master Mold himself of course was dealing plenty of damage when he could get lines of fire.

Never did bring in Sentinels via the Factory Dial. But the Empower it gave them really enabled Maggott and his worm to deliver some mega KO blows that turned the tide for good.

———

Micron (Justice League Unlimited 059b) 50 points

He was one of the first to hit Master Mold. Unfortunately, that aggression got him targeted and taken down.

———

Monica Rambeau (Empyre 041) 150 points

She was pretty unstoppable, able to essentially attack at will — and sometimes not at will, via fellow Police keyword teammate The Commissioner.

———

Multiple Man (X-Men Rise & Fall 007) 40 points x 3
Multiple Man (X-Men Rise & Fall 007) 10 points

These guys gave my team a surprising amount of healing via X-Men TA, keeping themselves healthy as tie-up and taxi (via Underworld TA) pieces and reviving Captain Britain again and again. And of course they spawned copies like mad when hit.

———

Onome (Empyre 015) 40 points

That double Outwit was really clutch in the midgame, just denying the 2020 squad so many powers it needed. She’s amazing.

———

Quake (Captain America and the Avengers 010) 65 points

She was a victim of bad dice throughout the game, despite scoring a couple needed hits to give 2020 some momentum. The whole point of Black Cat picking Avengers keyword was so Quake could use the Avengers, Assembled trait, but she almost never hit and the one time she did, the d6 failed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

———

Red Guardian (Black Widow Movie 016) 75 points

Unfortunately, he never got his Leadership roll at the opportune time to get the best stats. But he put in work “Fighting An Entire Squad.”

———

Reed Richards, Fixer Of Universes (Fantastic Four 056) 60 points

He got to the enemy start zone and that Molecule Man pog was the last piece standing on the 2020 team. It kept the older pieces in the game down the stretch, big time.

———

Rikki Barnes (Empyre 072) 75 points

In the early phase of the battle, when most of her 2021 cohorts couldn’t really get going, she was doing the work of 4 figs. Much later, she loomed as a threat because she could heal to her top click — and did. Fantastic fig that required a LOT of focused fire to take on.

———

Sentinel (X-Men Rise & Fall 008) 25 points x 3

Despite anemic 2 damage, these Invulnerable metal monsters were the thumb on the scale for the 2021 force. Whether carrying smaller folks or pinging soft targets or tying up attackers, they just kept coming — via their SIDELINE ACTIVE trait (or from the Factory Dial, in theory)

———

Spider-Hamurai (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 066) 60 points

I picked X-Men as his “Crow-nin Hunting Season” target but it maybe should’ve been Master Mold. Took a little too long to get him in the fight proper (though he could and did use Underworld TA to haul around Spider-Man and Vixen).

———

Spider-Man (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 054) 60 points

He didn’t do much, getting removed from the game pretty early and not scoring any hits. But his switch to Peter Parker absolutely gave new life to the 2020 team, with him ironically copying Sinister Syndicate to give Mom Bombshell his 11AV for those big late-game KOs.

———

Spot (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 042) 50 points

During the first few turns, his ability to Flurry poor Teen Lantern where she thought she was safe was pretty clutch.

———

Sue Storm (Fantastic Four 062) 100 points

Although her Barrier skills were key throughout the game, maybe my biggest misplay was not getting her into the fight MUCH sooner. The 2020 team was down to its last 400 or so points before I made an offensive move with her and threatened to pull off one hell of an upset.

———

Superman (Justice League Unlimited 105) 125 points

After scoring the game’s first KO, Supes got hit and stuck. But he soaked up a lot of a attacks.

———

T’Chaka II (Empyre 047b) 45 points

This map and game was very good for his Distracting Banter trait, which ruined more than one key roll for the older team. Solid melee fighter, too, though it was unfortunate that he HAD to be one at that state of the game, forcing him to go into harm’s way and get taken out.

———

Teen Lantern (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 035) 75 points / 30 points

She was very good in her role as team mega-taxi. She’d have been even better had I not mistakenly played her at her weaker 30-point line.

I’m so USED to playing her at that line. Didn’t even think to check until Turn 9 or something, when she’d been long KO’d.

———

Ultron (Avengers Vs. Masters of Evil Battlegrounds 110b) 100 points

Another who missed that key round of attacks on Master Mold. He got counter-hit — off his Prob, most notably — and never quite recovered.

———

Vixen (Justice League Unlimited 015) 75 points

Being carried to the fight by Spider-Ham, she scored some key blows to give her team an opportunity even after she was gone. I love her so much.

It’s finally out and I should have had this published already. But here we go.

Download: DisneyPlus

PDF file has four copies. One for you, one for a friend, two to use for spares or whatnot.