I keep coming back to this F.U.N. theme of female characters who either have or can use Great Size — and thinking that it can compete with the meta.

Here’s how it did one time.

And here’s the latest version:

Wasp, Heart of the Avengers [Avengers Infinity G011] 50

Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity Fast Forces G001] 50

Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity G001] 40

Stature [Civil War] 80

Giganta [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 055] 50

Ms. Marvel [The Mighty Thor G005] 15

Tribbles [Star Trek: The Original Series ] 5

Invisible Plane Terrain Dial 5

Prodigy ID Card 3

=298 points of Colossal Retaliation and Stamina galore. But how does this G.L.O.H. (Gorgeous Ladies of HeroClix) team stack up in actual high-level competition?

 

ROUND ONE

LE Doc Ock, Captain America [Avengers Defenders War 069], Renet Tilley [TMNT2], Shredder Clone. A whole team of actions after taxi. And sure enough, it took a figure down, just like I planned.

I did NOT plan for TWO to go down, limiting my retaliation options.

But it turned out OK as my opponent couldn’t take down Giganta (she being Stealthed and now able to get the six-characters-on-force stat bonuses) and I began to gain the action advantage with Stature’s Colossal Stamina attacks — though that almost turned to disaster when she crit missed on one of those to suffer a near-fatal THREE clicks of self-harm. But she escaped to preserve a solid points advantage despite not being able to finish off Shark Shredder for a big points bonus. 1-0.

 

ROUND TWO

Superman [Elseworlds 050], Unseen, Starfox [Avengers Infinity 048] and Mangog on my opponent’s Junkyard map.

Ohhh, damn this mudpit map, leaving me with nowhere to plant Giganta in Stealth. Had me settling for trying to KO an ID Iceman to get a swift lead in points.

(“Oh, Rurouni KJS … you poor fool,” some of you Mangog experts out there are thinking.)

As it turned out, I didn’t score a hit until late in the hour. And that’s when the big yellow retaliator struck, dealing WAY MORE DAMAGE to WAY MORE CHARACTERS with a single attack than any other figure in the game EVER. And so my giant girls all fell in one turn except Stature.

1-1.

OK, seeing how my team’s whole strat was Colossal Retaliation, I pretty much had no shot at winning this round — especially given my thorough unfamilarity with the Mangog threat. Knowing what I know now, I’d simply march for Mangog immediately, regardless of the risk.

ROUND THREE

Facing Uni-Mind, Lockjaw, Carnage [The Mighty Thor], and Groot [Avengers Infinity] with the Boxing Ring on my Muir Island map.

Uni came for Wasp in his Boxing Ring, gambling correctly that his Perplexes would nullify the penalty of shooting out. She got one-shot. Not the punch in the face I thought to take. But I hadn’t lost yet.

I called in ID character Prodigy, who Outwitted Uni, then I retaliated with FF GG, placing her like so (inside the Boxing Ring, next to Uni-Mind).

And that is when I DID lose.

See, I forgot about Super Strength.

I missed the retaliation, but landed the followup punch with an object. Then Stature charged, using Giant Reach from outside the ring, but missed by one.

But had I remembered Super Strength, I’d have placed here instead:

… and used the KNOCKBACK (indicated by the arrow) to hurl Uni out of the Boxing Ring for what would be a much more likely hit to split him into the far more manageable Makkari and Thena. And that’s a game I probably can win.

As it was, Uni easily escaped, got healed to full. And I got just 10 points in a Carnage KO. 1-2.

ROUND FOUR

Got stuck facing chase Starfox again (this time with Mjolnir!), Lockjaw again, and Groot again along with Mudman and a full load of IDs. But the real MVP of his team was Infinity and her -1 speed to my whole force. Kept me from Charging, taxiing, or even getting my loaned Dr. Leslie into Outwit position. On my opponent’s Amok Time Star Trek map, there was nowhere to plant Giganta that helped at all. It was just a miserable slog; what else can you say about a game where Starfox with Mjolnir never has to make a single attack?

1-3.

Disappointed as usual. But I’m gratified that I got the one win against a solid team in Round 1. I also learned a powerful lesson against Mangog in Round 2 and about my own team in Round 3. Round 4 was the only time I felt completely without a chance to win.

 

By piece:

Wasp, Heart of the Avengers [Avengers Infinity G011] 50

Her plot driven “retaliation” represented one of the threats of the team. I was always torn whether to be aggressive with her (she’s Indomitable) or to keep her safe, as she’s a key target.

Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity Fast Forces G001] 50

“Blue” Giant-Girl’s free Colossal Retaliation on top of CR can be a game changer. I completely forgot her “Keep It Moving, Avengers” trait allowing her to move 2 squares when an Avenger hits.

Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity G001] 40

So I’m torn. On one hand, having an extra taxi who can take a hit and block for others was great. On the other, her not having the usual free CR (it’s a POWER action) really limited its usefulness and I never got her into a position to get the heals from KOs with normal attacks even with CR’s easy reposition ability. I might try “purple” Giant-Girl at minimal 10 points in a future version of the team.

Stature [Civil War] 80

On paper, she looks like the albatross of the team, but in practice, she’s a high-risk/high reward attack machine doing work while the other girls draw fire. I have no complaints even though her points MIGHT be better used on a higher cost purple Giant-Girl.

Giganta [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 055] 50

The other secret weapon of the force, the taxi-able Giganta was able to stay safe in Stealth when I could actually find some hindering for her. Lack of move+attack was a problem as she often found herself out of punching range. I might need to upgrade to her top dial for the Charge.

Ms. Marvel [The Mighty Thor G005] 15

She functioned as a great taxi for either Giganta or Stature and as trigger for the rest of the team’s CR. I wish she could have survived ONE attack all day long.

Tribbles [Star Trek: The Original Series ] 5

The girls’ stuffed animals. They’re there to ensure Giganta keeps the stat boosts for when she’s in the fight.

Invisible Plane Terrain Dial 5

This was a waste of points that honestly had an outsized effect AGAINST me by limiting my movement and placements more than the opponents’ and NEVER turning its dial even once. I thought it a better fit than the Boxing Ring (which is no good offensively and only OK as a defense IMO) but I was wrong.

Prodigy ID Card 3

I didn’t want to break the tall women theme, but I had points left and Outwit is never unwelcome. Almost won me that one game, in fact.

 

A future version of the team might be this:

Wasp, Heart of the Avengers [Avengers Infinity G011] 50

Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity Fast Forces G001] 50

Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity G001] 10

Stature [Civil War] 80

Giganta [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 055] 90

Ms. Marvel [The Mighty Thor G005] 15

Tribbles [Star Trek: The Original Series ] 5

 

= 300 points. Oughta be F.U.N.

I went to my first Realms Open Championship event of 2016 with a team I knew didn’t stand much chance of winning the whole thing but thought could still be competitive:

ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOMEN

Chameleon Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes] 115

Giganta [Legion of Doom Fast Forces] 100

Elasti-Girl [World’s Finest] 100

Ms. Marvel [Avengers Assemble 056] 66

H.E.N.R.Y. 15 points

=396 points.

 

ROUND 1

I face Jennifer’s cheese figs du jour team of Nick Fury [NFAOS 056], Nighthawk [NFAOS 059b], Mr. Mxyzptlk and Copycat with Doc Magnus and Mercury rounding out matters as the pit crew. Right away I was in trouble because I did not factor Copycat into my meta prep. But I was also in better shape than most because my team is designed to survive losing a key fig in the early game. She took Elasti-Girl. No problem. I got map and chose the indoors Hank Pym Lab to blunt Fury’s lines of fire.

TURNING POINTS

Sidestep For the Loss. This is where that one more game of testing would have helped greatly. When I used Giganta’s free action of Sidestep to taxi in my first turn, I forgot that she needs to be ready to push to get the best use of her combo of powers. So when Jen moved into my potential swing range, I was unable to take advantage. It wasn’t a total game-killer, but it was a classic avalanche decision that led to worse later.

The Right Ruling…But the Wrong One. So Jen used my Elasti-Girl’s Plasticity to gum up the narrow passageway, and under the new size rules giants no longer ignore Plasticity, keeping me from freely advancing past her to engage Nick Fury. I double checked with the judge and a Powers and Abilities Chart.

…but what we both missed was that the PLASTICITY rules had ALSO changed with the size rules. I could have moved Ms. M past Elasti-Girl with impunity and she would have made MUCH better — and less costly — tie-up vs. Fury than the Chameleon Girl I gambled and lost with. I blame WizKids for this one, because in this setting, even if I had remembered the right rule, not having it on a printed document where a judge can make a fast and correct ruling on may have led to the wrong ruling being made anyhow.

Stupid Senses. Despite losing Cham Girl, I was still in the game with Giganta now able to freely Quake most of Jen’s team. But Mr. Mxyzptlk scored a Super Senses roll that saved him from KO and the game for my opponent, who was in full retreat mode.

So close. But now I was 0-1.

 

ROUND 2

Rob’s KC Shazam @ 170, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Mercury, Harlequin, and KC Spectre @ 35.

TURNING POINTS

Are You Kidding Me? Thirty-seven potential opponents in the room and I end up facing the one guy in the room who successfully play tested against my team? What a terrible draw!

Too Fast on the Draw. Forewarned that Rob would be aggressive, I decided to go for his Spectre to take an early lead in points. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take the time to push either Elasti-Girl or Chameleon Girl onto Plasticity to prevent Shazam’s Hypersonic Speed strike with an ultra-heavy. Once again, Cham’s SC fails and I’m immediately down a fig. But I felt all right because while my easy KO of Spectre is now denied, Rob had overextended his force a bit and I would get right back in the game with an overwhelming counterattack, first to KO Harlequin, then to wear down Shazam.

But Dice.

Despite needing a 7 or less to hit, Ms. Marvel missed her attack. Then Elasti-Girl pushed and missed with an even easier shot. Then Giganta pushed and missed TWICE with Flurry. Then she hit with Quake — but hit two Mystics with it, to take THREE clicks of damage.

Elasti-Girl attacked every round after, using Colossal Stamina and missed every time, either outright or with “help” from Mr. M.

Any ONE of those hits kills Harlequin. If Shazam is the only attacker instead of me having to weather up to THREE attacks per round, maybe I’ve got a shot at clawing back into the game.

But no. 0-2.

 

ROUND 3

Omar’s Zombie Super Skrull, Mercury, Black Cat, Primehawk, Proxima Midnight, and KC Wonder Woman @ 30 on my United Nations map.

Everything went normally this time. Yes, Ms. Marvel was KO’d — and zombified — in far too short order, but the girls gave every bit as good as they got. I got the benefit of some low rolls from Proxima.

Finally a win! 1-2.

 

ROUND 4

Bob’s KC Superman @200, Batman [Trinity War 051] @ 85, SLOSH Stargirl @ 75, and KC Green Lantern @ 35 on his Black Mercy map.

TURNING POINT

Wearing down Superman was going to have to wait. Batman was the real threat, with his Outwit and Perplex and PC and any number of extra powers at his disposal. At 85 points, Cham could take him out in one shot. It was completely worth the push to do so with a Sidestep then Flurry.

Critical missed, stranding CG on her one bad click, effectively removing her from the fight until far too late in the game. Even worse: I hadn’t opted to place the H.E.N.R.Y. she’d carried next to Batman, who was then free to either softened up or finish off Elasti-Girl, Ms. Marvel and Giganta. Unbelievable that that one dice flail essentially cost me the game.

FINAL: 1-3 with barely over 300 points scored. UGH! This team is much stronger than this performance, though the fact that two of the losses came against eventual Top 8 finishers takes some of the sting out of it.

Really missed that last play test. That would have shown me the importance of keeping Giganta ready to push for that blitzkrieg, and then I completely change the makeup of Round 1. I also may have considered a different tempo against a HSS team like in Round 2, given that I had two Plasticity figs on click 2.

Then again, there’s little to be done about the horrid dice and luck of the draw I had in Round 2.

I’m still so mad. 😀

In the aftermath of the 2015 ROC World Cup, I hung out with Edward Shelton [a.k.a. Darklogos of Starting Over podcast fame], talking competitive play with a newer player who wanted tips on becoming top-tier. Edward said something that stuck with me, as he was trying to keep our friend from obsessing over the meta and net decking his teams:

Learn what kind of player you are. Learn your own play style. Then build from that.

As you readers know, I am Mr. F.U.N. — I really don’t have the inclination whatsoever to build a min/max team composed of the best power combos in the game. I have such an aversion to it that I almost detest using any figure that’s shown up in a ROC top 8 result.

So what’s my play style? It’s generally reactive rather than strategic. The best HC players have a definite strategy that they bring to the table. My mind doesn’t work that way. I instead look at what my opponent does, then formulate a counter, because whenever I try to plan too far ahead, I end up surprised by a move that obliterates my plans.

Therefore, I build teams that are designed with obliteration in mind — MY potential obliteration. I let you think you’re taking out my most important figure but there are two or three OTHER most important figs that will continue the fight undeterred.

There’s also my tendency to want to pick favorite characters that are off the radar, then be dangerous with them. It’s how I scrapped out top 8 finishes in two big 2014 tourneys and something I’m aiming to get back to in 2016 after some major failure with tentpoles and two-headed teams in 2015.

Even when I’m planning to go hard in high-level competition like the Realms Open Championship events, I can’t help but be F.U.N. Here’s the team I came up with to combat all the chases and Nick Furies and other cheesy nonsense in the metagame:

ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOMEN

Chameleon Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes] 115

Giganta [Legion of Doom Fast Forces] 100

Elasti-Girl [World’s Finest] 100

Ms. Marvel [Avengers Assemble 056] 66

Hulkbuster Torso 10

Helmet of Fate 8

Pym Particles 2

=400 points.

All four can be giant- or colossal-sized. Normally, that’s a huge liability given the ease with which lines of fire can be drawn to giants. And this team has zero range, so there’s really no upside to their Great Size.

But it has three characters who are or can become standard-sized as well, giving them a shot at, well, NOT being shot at. Additionally, there’s SO much going on with this team. Cham Girl is a lead attacker and support piece and taxi and Stealthed meat shield. Giganta is expendable but a vital lead attacker and taxi and support piece. Ms. Marvel is a cleanup hitter and tie-up and taxi. Elasti-Girl is a lead attacker and support piece and tie-up fig.

Here’s how it playtested:

vs. Tim’s KC Flash, Mr. Mxyz, Dr. Fate and Black Cat, I got the United Nations map. This is a good map for the girls, as the indoor nature protects them from shooters and the special door terrain keeps them from taking hit-and-run Hypersonic attacks — vital against a HSS expert like KC Flash.

Tim was using the Weapon Drop special object on KCF. With KC double tokened, I had him where I wanted him and advanced my whole team to striking distance. Next turn, I threw about 7 attacks in a turn, overwhelming his numerous Probability Controllers and taking a lead that held up within the time limit.

Next I tested against Rob’s KC GL, Spectre, Harlequin, Mr. Mxyz and Mercury. He got an open map and immediately hit Elasti-Girl hard, stranding her on her late dial. It took me too long to get Harleqin and KC Green Lantern’s 20 DV was way too much to handle. Still, Rob had had a whole round to see how to counter my team and I was surprised by how aggressive he was.

So the 50-Foot Women went 1-1 in playtest, but with the loss coming courtesy of my best sparring opponent after he’d seen my team in action, I felt good about the girls’ chances. I really wanted to get one more play test out of the quartet, especially after switching the Torso and Helmet or other items such as the Weapon Drop out for H.E.N.R.Y.

Next week, Heroclixin’ reports on its actual tournament performance.

No. 75

3-D Man [Avengers Assemble 013b] Original rank: No. 7 for 2015

THEN:  He was too close to meta to be among the F.U.N. figs for my taste with his HSS and triple self-Perplex and more.

NOW: Still strong if not fully favored outside of the Agents of Atlas theme.

NEXT: It’s tough to fit primes onto teams sometimes. But maybe I’ll build him on a “Top 10 of 2015” team for a casual game soon.

————

No. 74

Magik [Wolverine and the X-Men 034] Original rank: Late bloomer for 2013

THEN: She was the first decent Magik we saw in the game. I liked her super taxi skills and offensive capability.

NOW: She’s been lapped by most every Magik since either having better offense for similar cost or far cheaper expense as a taxi — or both.

NEXT: I want to field a team of all Magik, so she’ll be on that squad. Otherwise, I use her to fill points if the others leave a build way short

———

No. 73

Miranda Tate [Dark Knight Rises 012] Original rank: No. 10 of 2012

THEN: She was a prototypical F.U.N. fig; all finesse. And one I always wanted to play, even if she was overcosted.

NOW: Nothing has changed other than she is impossibly overpriced now at 70 points. I wish that in addition to her trait to wildly wildcard team abilities, she could take keywords to fit on more teams.

NEXT: Maybe it’s finally time to let her go? NO, I REFUSE

———

No. 72 (tie)*

Crystal [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 012] 2019 rank: No. 10 (tie)

THOUGHTS: Flying Sidestep FREE Quake. More F.U.N. than Medusa from the same set. And less than half the cost of the previous favorite Crystal at No. 100 on this countdown.

NEXT: She’s in my “Top 10 of 2019” box of faves and will be played a lot in 2020 accordingly, as will the woman she tied with here…

————

Silver Sable [Earth X 002] 2019 rank: No. 10 (tie)

THOUGHTS: Fills out those odd themes that are 50 or more points short, with her ability to pick a named keyword. Leadership is also good.

NEXT: She’s in my “Top 10 of 2019” box of faves and will be played a lot in 2020 accordingly.

* (It just so happened that these two, which tied in 2019, also fell next to each other in this mega list. And it was REALLY helpful when I realized I’d put two No. 64 rankings lower in the list by mistake)

———

No. 71

Nova Prime [Galactic Guardians 001] Original rank: No. 5 of 2012

THEN: I thought he was a decent if underpowered representation of this veteran leader of the Nova Corps worthy to lead the theme.

NOW: He has been completely replaced by an equally priced version. Nova Prime’s still good, just supplanted.

NEXT: His version of the “Share Through the Worldmind” common trait name on Nova Corps is pretty neat. I want to run a massive Nova team that leverages ALL the STTW traits

———

No. 70

Clark Kent [Man of Steel 009] Original rank: No. 8 of 2013

THEN: I liked the odd take on Superman not yet being either the paragon of hope or the clean-cut reporter. He’s a key part of my “Kal-El’s Closet” theme of Superman costume variants.

NOW: At 115 points, he’s way expensive for his early dial to not be a leading attacker. I like it but he’s clumsier than ever to field.

NEXT: It seems clear that I need to play another “plainclothes clix” team of characters in normal attire

————

No. 69

Sand [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 060] Original rank: tied for No. 6 of 2017

THEN: He was a bit of a disappointment after so many years of being unmade, but was still great F.U.N.

NOW: He’s still great, but I don’t run him much.

NEXT: It’s been a while since I played a big JSA team like the one that he completes.

————

No. 68

Deathlok [Wolverine and the X-Men 11b] Original rank: No. 9 of 2013

THEN: Despite his strength and high AV, this prime’s inability to one-shot foes makes it a lot of F.U.N.

NOW: 154 points is hard to justify no matter how F.U.N. it is, especially if he can’t KO by himself.

NEXT: I have a big illegal team for him. But it’s going to take a special scenario for that to happen

————

No. 67

Red Hood [Rebirth 046] 2019 rank: No. 7

THOUGHTS: Outsiders, 12AV, Stealth, Prob, Improved Move, 50% of nerfing a counterattack. So many little boons that add up to a lot despite his inability to KO.

NEXT: He’s in my “Top 10 of 2019” box of faves and will be played a lot in 2020 accordingly

———

No. 66

Spider-Punk [Superior Foes of Spider-Man 062] Original rank: No. 5 of 2016

THEN: He won a spot by being the alternate universe version of the Prowler and thus a member of the Black Box collection. Oh, and it’s a good dial, too, even if he felt too strong.

NOW: If he had Willpower or were a little more F.U.N., he’d get more play. Still like it though.

NEXT: I want to roll him onto a F.U.N. force of musicians — Pied Piper, Fiddler, Lila Cheney, Dazzler [Mutations + Monsters] and more

———

No. 65

Rocket Racer [Web of Spider-Man 044] Original rank: No. 3 for 2010

THEN: I found him to be a prototypically F.U.N. choice, requiring finesse to get use out of his nifty existence.

NOW: He’s even more difficult to play, with his very low combat values not nearly up to snuff these days. Still love him to death, though

NEXT: I wonder if I still have all the pieces for a M.O.D.O.K.’s 11?

———

No. 64

Timber Wolf [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 013] Original rank: tied for No. 5 of 2014

THEN: I thought he was pricey to be so soft but neat that he was Indomitable and self-healing while fighting.

NOW: His nearly 100-point cost feels even weightier.

NEXT: I still won’t play a Legion team without him, so whatever

———

No. 63

Aquaman [New 52 Justice League 005] Original rank: No. 4 of 2012

THEN: A first Aquaman I could use as a front-line bruiser, especially with a Mera pog to sacrifice — though that feels offensive to me.

NOW: There are a lot of similarly or cheaper costed Aquaman figures that fill the role — though he’s still better with the Mera sacrifice tactic, so maybe I oughta just get off my high (sea)horse about it.

NEXT: I want to run a team of nothing but Aquaman! Maybe versus every Namor! Oooo, that’s happening~!

————

No. 62

Black Adam [Rebirth 037b] 2019 rank: No. 9

THOUGHTS: Mobile and hard-shelled, this beastick is what I want in an Adam.

NEXT: He’s in my “Top 10 of 2019” box of faves and will be played a lot in 2020 accordingly. He unfortunately won’t be on my “JSA #50 cover” team because he’s a prime and that team will likely have another prime on it.

————

No. 61

Black Panther [Secret Wars Battleworld 061] Original rank: No. 5 of 2018

THEN: Just being a version of my favorite Marvel character isn’t enough to win a spot. But being this F.U.N. will.

NOW: He’s too many points and too odd a version of BP to be my go-to for the king of Wakanda.

NEXT: I honestly won’t play him much now that he’s “retired” from my Top 10 of the Year box.

————

No. 60

The Captain [Giant-Size X-Men 054] Original rank: No. 2 for 2011

THEN: Man, did I love the F.U.N. of this figure and its SP that balanced 50% chance of PROTECTED: Outwit, Perplex with a 15% chance of losing all his powers/getting -1 all values.

NOW: He’s pretty overpriced to have that glass jaw AND multiple Earthbound/Neutralized and Battle Fury clicks with bad values. But he’s Nextwave so he remains a fave

NEXT:……WAVE

————

No. 59

Batman [DC 75th Anniversary 031] and Robin [The Brave and The Bold 042] Original rank: No. 2 for 2010

THEN: Though this Batman is one of my very favorites, I can’t play him without a Robin, and this one pairs up SO well.

NOW: Power creep has not been entirely kind to either of these pieces, which still remain either the only representation of the character in the costume (Dick Grayson as Batman) or the most classic (Damien Wayne as Robin) — and, as it happens, my favorite reps as well. But both are still playable.

NEXT: …… ‾\_(ツ)_/‾

————

No. 58

Muhammad Ali [WizKids DP17-004] Original rank: No. 5 of 2017

THEN: I thought he was the Greatest F.U.N. a non-superpowered clix could be.

NOW: I have seen him go down on the canvas too many times too easily to use him too often.

NEXT: I have never actually run him with any character named “Superman.” (I wish he’d work with Superman II, but no.)

————

No. 57

Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity G001] Original rank: No. 12 of 2018

THEN: She was an instant favorite because I love big girls in clix and IRL, as it happens.

NOW: And I still do and she still is

NEXT: I played her a lot in 2019, so I’m giving her a rest. FOR NOW. But I still have plans for my latest Attack of the 50-Foot Women meta team, soooo

————

No. 56

Vixen [Streets of Gotham 028] Original rank: No. 1 for 2012

THEN: Both the beneficiary of and reason I ever used an Animal themed team. How I loved her ability to copy any Animal fig’s powers.

NOW: She’s a little bit too pricey at 74 to have such poor combat values (just 10 AV that slips to 8, DV topping at 16) and no Willpower. Still love her — still the best Vixen — but she’s been left behind.

NEXT: But there have been a number of new Animal figs since early decade. Maybe it’s time to pull her out of the bottom of the box…

————

No. 55

Dust [X-Men Xavier’s School 056] Original rank: No. 9 of 2018

THEN: A F.U.N. nominee not only from me but from Heroclixin’ board members Taylor and Sceritz, she got on my favorite list for her free Smoke and 11AV Precision and excellent price of 50 points.

NOW: Nothing’s changed. Love her lots.

NEXT: She was on the Top Figs of 2018 team, so I played her a lot. She’s also a go-to X-Men member.

————

No. 54

Black Widow [Captain America: The Winter Soldier 003] Original rank: No. 8 of 2014

THEN: I love a Widow with the Stealth, Running Shot and IM:Hindering she deserves, even at 114 points.

NOW: There are too many Widows with better cost and range to stick with this one, even if she’s my favorite.

NEXT: But she IS MY FAVORITE so she GONNA GET PLAYED. Probably on a Widows Red Room team

————

No. 53

Jakeem Thunder [Joker’s Wild 053b] Original rank: No. 2 of 2016

THEN: Once the most expensive fig I ever opted to buy, and a meta darling, he was most favored by me for his Justice Society connection.

NOW: Since his fall from the meta and the addition of more great primes in the JSA, he’s no longer the must-play even though I still like him a lot.

NEXT: He’ll be the prime on that JSA # 50 Cover team I’ve been wanting to run since I started playing the game.

————

No. 52

Captain America and Black Widow [Captain America: Winter Soldier 017] Original rank: Late bloomer for 2014

THEN: 130 points is a lot for no Running Shot and duos are tricky to use.

NOW: The cost is still a problem, but duos are better nowadays (no damage modification, easier taxi options) so maybe it’s time for a comeback.

NEXT: The presence of Cap has kept me from using this on a Red Room team forever. Maybe I should allow him anyway. I love this figure.

————

No. 51

Captain America [Fear Itself 201] Original rank: No. 7 of 2013

THEN: As the much improved version of Bucky Barnes as Captain America, he intrigued me with his mix of +1 DV to pals, auto-hit Support on cheaper allies and perma-bonus stats to an ally after he’s been KO’d.

NOW: He was so clumsy to use that I don’t often. But they’ve never improved on Bucky Cap, so he remains in the collection for a clixy day.

NEXT: I haven’t done a “Star Spangled Man With The Plan” of Captain Americas in ages. Maybe it’s time to pull one together — especially with the new Cap-centric set nearing release.

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NEXT: Enter the top 50 of Heroclixin’s faves!

DC Rebirth is here and we at Heroclixin’ are liking/looking forward to a few pieces in particular.

TAYLOR

Starfire [DC Rebirth 055]

They’ve never made a bad Starfire and this one is the best yet. Taylor touts her “10 outta 10 hypersonic Energy Explosion” but it’s her still-slim 100-point cost despite that SP and Titans TA and QUINTESSENCE TEE AYY that push her over the top for me as well. If she’s a bit less well-armored than most versions of the character (just one and two clicks of Invulnerability and Toughness, respectively), that’s to be expected to keep her price down. All three of us are hoping to pull this Titan in our boxes.

Taylor also likes Aqualad [012]: “Aqualad is the most push-able TK’er ever.” I’m unsure if I totally agree after I had poor results with him in a prerelease. But given that BLACKqualad has been on my Heroclixin’ Wish List since 2011, suffice it to say that I am stoked to have him in my collection.

 

SCERITZ

So in an unpublished article, Sceritz had some characters on his Clix Wish List back in 2017. Some of those got made in Rebirth:

Mr. Terrific [029] is one Sceritz is glad to see, but he’s not sure how well he likes the design. He thinks Mr. T’s completely soft, no-evasion defense might be just an easy KO. I tried to argue with him, but I can’t really deny it.

He also had a tad of criticism at first glance at Orphan [034], an updated version of Cassandra Cain that he and I have been longing for in HeroClix. “What is she doing with EMPOWER?” he said. “And all that low 10 AV?” we both said. But then we saw that she’s designed to ramp up her AV and DV for each adjacent foe. And now we get it and we love her now.

Raven [040] is a little too much a support piece for Sceritz’s taste — she’s a healer, Perplexer, Probber and Titans taxi — and not enough a fighter for Sceritz’s taste (because yes, Raven fights sometimes. But he’s glad another one on his clix wish list got a good version.

 

RUROUNI KJS

Ye olde webmaster is by far the most interested of the three of us in this set. Whereas in earlier full releases I’ve only sought out between 20 to 50 percent of pieces, this time I’m wanting some 55 of the 70 available. That’s the most since Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes in 2014.

Like Sceritz, I’ve been fiending for a new Mr. Terrific. And unlike my friend, I see great potential in this uncommon piece (even if, like him, I also see great peril in running him) due to his ability to remotely make melee attacks via his autonomous T-Sphere bystanders. He’s a brilliantly balanced piece that, properly tricked out, could be highly competitive.

But even more useful will be Mr. Terrific [100], the release event OP figure, that simply ratchets the Rule Of Three down to the Rule of One. Also bringing Outwit and 18 DV for the JSA, he’s another dream come true.

Another on my radar is Billy Batson [026]. Not only is he a long-overdue Captain Marvel clix remake (via an improved “Alter Ego” mechanic) while still being an unclixed character, but he has that “The World Needs To Know” trait that I liked so well a few years back. So while I’m also looking to get his Shazam form (and his opposite number, Black Adam), I am just as eager to add the young man into the press corps ready to pepper some foe with journalistic questions.

But one character in particular I’ve been wanting in clix for about a year is the new Power Girl. No, not the JSA member Karen Starr we’ve all wanted a proper remake of since that overpriced points sink in 2010’s Brave and the Bold, but the occasional guest star/foil in Deathstroke’s comic, Tanya Spears.

I love giants, and her uncommon version’s ability to grown to Great Size is, of course, very much in my clix wheelhouse. I mean, she is GOING to be on a new Attack of the 50-Foot Women team.

She sports Outwit or Perplex to giver her great utility and has a nifty trait that encourages in-character play (she and other Defiance keyword figs heal when they hit but don’t KO enemies). I also like her common version, which is more of a standard light brick with Perplex.

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There’s more in the set we like — a LOT more, in my case — but these leapt to the top for us in the F.U.N. faction. Hope you pull what buys you the most F.U.N. in your Heroclixin’ life!