A fellow poster on HCRealms started a thread about figures we love, but forgot thanks to all the new hotness. That revived this idea for a Top Ten I had while doing my list of favorites of 2012: listing my faves for all the years prior to 2010, the first year I tallied.

I started playing the game in spring 2005, only becoming a regular tournament-goer around late summer that year. So I can’t really do a top list earlier than 2006.

To wit, here are my favorites HeroClix of 2006.

10 Experienced Invincible (Invincible)

The original HeroClix version of Black Adam had just retired, so this Indy piece was one of the new close combat lightweight Hypersonic bricks of the moment. Only having the single top click of the power kept this teen more of a finesse piece than one might expect. This clix made me a bit of a fan of the comic.

9  Unique Black Bolt (Sinister)

It might surprise readers that I nearly passed on Sinister entirely. But it’s true: I used to be a bit more competitive-minded than I am now, and this summer 2006 set didn’t fill the bill. I only really wanted one piece: Black Bolt, for his supreme Running Shot + Pulse Wave skills.

In practice, though, BB was one of the biggest finesse pieces in the game’s history, what with his soft Defend top-dial and cratering mid-dial followed by a end clicks AV upswing. He was ultimately limited to fun themes such as my pre-keywords Illuminati theme.

He’s now permanently shelved in favor of the 2011 versions. But for 2006, this piece was one of my faves.

8 Experienced Captain Marvel (Supernova)

This version of Genis-Vell had one of the more unpredictable dials in the game. Starting with an Earthbound,  0 damage Close Combat Expert click (in his Rick Jones form), I’d most often use Protected to push him to his run-and-gun Captain Marvel clicks. But once he gets hit hard through his Invulnerability, then the fun really begins:

• BAD: A high-Speed Mind Control click #5 with 15 DV Super Senses that begs to be pushed or healed off of.
• BETTER: A high-AV Pulse Wave click #6 that’s HALF the Speed of the previous one. But it’s a Tough one with slightly better DV.
• BEST: Stealth, Outwit, Psychic Blast and ESD on click #7. I won games by landing on this one.

Great F.U.N. and still my favorite version of Genis-Vell by far.

7 Experienced Multiple Man (Sinister)

Madrox the Multiple Man became a minor favorite in his early-’90s X-Factor days, so I was glad to see his five dials (REV, pog, LE) in HeroClix. Of them, the Exp. was the best with his Perplex skills making the others better in turn.  To date, I still have more of these than the others.

6 Limited Edition Iron Man (Supernova)

It seems hard to imagine now, but there was a time in HeroClix when Iron Man was not very well represented at all in the game. His clix were either poor and overcosted (X-Plosion REV) or mediocre and glass-jawed (Armor Wars REV) or a costly one-click-wondrous Unique (Ultimates).

This, the classic mid-1980s “new-look” Silver Centurion armor, was the first really good Iron Man, even holding up mostly in today’s Stark suit wars.

5 Veteran Kang the Conqueror (Supernova)

I was quite angered to not pull a single version of Kang in my Supernova brick. In addition to being a fan of the character (after his starring role in the great Avengers Forever mini), the dial was amazing, starting with a then-and-still-staggering 13 AV Running Shot with 4 damage Perplex. Very top-loaded at 199 points but with a super sculpt, this is still the Kang I want to run most.

4 Experienced Dr. Mid-Nite (Collateral Damage)

I was even more angered not to pull a single Dr. Mid-Nite in my first-ever brick purchase, Collateral Damage. The Exp. finally gave me that Willpowered medic that I’d envied others fielding (in the form of Jane Foster), and one that was actually superior. Being a JSA fan and completist at the time, the good doctor was a shoo-in for this list even if he’s not quite good enough to make the Top Medics one anymore.

3 Experienced Umbra (Collateral Damage)

I still am a Legion of Super-Heroes completist. But man, was that team just north of unplayable — until this blue lady came along. With her 17 Defend and Stealth, she could nudge the then-extant LSHers’ DVs from their starting highs of 16 or 15 (seriously, there was only ONE other member with 17 DV!!) to the then-above-average 17 and make them playable. She stayed relevant when the team’s roster beefed up in 2007, especially the Exp.

She’s now obsolete with better choices out there to back up the Legion (and with the banning of the old Fantastic Four ATA feat) but she’ll always be a favorite of mine.

2 Unique Crimson Avenger (Collateral Damage)

She fit two completist themes in my collection — JSA and black person — but she was also a surprisingly playable piece, the kind of under-the-radar fig that would come to dominate my less-than-optimizing team builds. Double target, 8 range Psychic Blast gave way to Range Combat Expert to Psychic Blast again, all with a rock-steady 9 AV. Phase her in, push to attack (making certain a JSAer is there to keep her DV up) and then Regen from the last click back up to maybe the 2nd. Love her still and would play her more if she had more than just the Mystical keyword.