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

In practice? These reviews get harder and harder. And my hopes that WizKids entirely fixes their QA problems remain unfulfilled. But I’m going to try a much easier short version look at these cards this go-’round.

By set number:

———

L001b JOSIAH X
(Captain America and the Avengers, 2020)

caav001b

THEN: A common prime with Empower who granted penetrating reduction. OK for 50 points at the time but not a great use of the prime slot.

NOW: In addition to a new trait “The Crew” giving Manifold (er, them) bonuses if played with same, he also gets Super Strength that mods his and adjacent pals’ DV when he’s holding something. His Empower SP now also adds Enhancement and Leadership. But his penetrating reduction only works for Crew members now, and he’s still a prime. 40 points.

F.U.N.? Because of the theme limitation, yeah, he’s pure F.U.N. with near-zero meta potential.

AM I GETTING THIS? Absolutely. I’m a fan of The Crew.

———

L003 STORM
(Uncanny X-Men, 2016)

uxm003

THEN: Back in 2016, she was a FREE Smoke Cloud piece and a taxi, with an X-Men TA-activated trait that was mostly useless in practice because she was rarely attacked or attacking.When she got an early wave legacy card in 2021’s Rise & Fall set, that Smoke Cloud SP was replaced with SP Energy Explosion that hits all foes within TWO squares of the target, with Passenger 2 and Leadership via a new trait. But STILL no one played her.

NOW: She’s slimmed further to 40 points, and more in her first dial’s character, she sports SC again (but not FREE) that can knock back targets in her cloud 1 square in any direction. She also give Wakanda TA members the X-Men TA.

F.U.N.? Does not seem meta with her Smoke being non-free. So yeah.

AM I GETTING THIS? Absolutely. I need every Storm.

———

L036 CLOAK
(Superior Foes of Spider-Man, 2016)

sfsm036

THEN: A cheap wildcard taxi with Defend and light damage-dealing. OK for 35 points but why? Especially since you had to play him with the 35-point Dagger to use him as that taxi and get, well, TWO underwhelming figs for a fourth of your squad.

NOW: He makes a Dagger pog (when he Phase/Teleports) so you can save those points now. (That Dagger deals 1 penetrating to all targets and heals a friendly when she hits.) Cloak also gets Shape Change that self-damages foes when it works. Lost his conditional taxi skill but you’re only paying 30 points now.

F.U.N.? Definitely not meta.

AM I GETTING THIS? Absolutely.

———

L037 MANIFOLD
(Avengers Assemble, 2015)

avas037

THEN: Mega-taxi for Avengers and Secret Warriors, he also had TK and Barrier and could push to Prob Control. 58 points used to be inexpensive for this sort of support guy.

NOW: Just 35 points gets same mega-taxi skills but with no keyword limit. He can also POWER: do a no-damage attack that immobilizes and practically Immunizes the target — while shutting off its powers and abilities for a turn. Also a member of The Crew with those skills.

F.U.N.? That trait attack will find a way into the meta even though it’s not degenerate.

AM I GETTING THIS? Absolutely.

———

L040 PLUTO LC
(The Mighty Thor, 2017)

tmt040

THEN: With no moving attack, this 200- or 125-point big bad was just, well, bad, despite his Outwit immunity early on and ability to spawn Warrior Soul pogs when 50-point-plus characters die. At least his two STOP clicks meant he couldn’t get one-shot easily.

NOW: Nerfs non-Deities’ DV -1, has Prob and Perplex immunity, and is a Grave terrain maker. His new SP loses Perplex but keeps the Prob and adds both CCE and anti-STOP when he attacks. His price drops to 125 and 75. His new STOP clicks heal him when figs are KO’d.

F.U.N.? Being a Grave maker means he works with certain meta-level characters. But overall he’s just a casual threat — and a much better-made piece.

AM I GETTING THIS? I have the fig but don’t really care about him.

———

L042 SERSI
(Avengers Assemble, 2015)

avas042

THEN: 194 points for a stationary Mind Control piece looks bad until you consider her trait turning buffs from then-ubiquitous relics and resources into nerfs. Her Running Shot on her 125 dial was maybe a little better, but not much. Also had +/-2 Perplex, back when the brown damage power worked on damage.

NOW: She can’t be Shape Changed out of her attacks, and non-Deities can’t Super Sense her. New top-dial SP is Prob, Shape Change and FREE replacement of terrain markers with Blocking, Smoke or Water. Later is an attack SP of Blades, CCE and RCE.

F.U.N.? She’s still kinda bad, but at least she’s only 80 and 50 points now. And Cosmic Energized.

AM I GETTING THIS? Another character I don’t have great affinity for. 

———

L044 AJAK
(The Mighty Thor, 2017)

tmt044

THEN: One of the Eternals of that set, he had the shared trait to give up Power Cosmic TA (and its Outwit and pushing damage avoidance) to use +2 self-Perplex instead that turn. Also, SP Prob that could fire off a second time to reroll an Eternal. A heavy 110 points for very little fighting ability.

NOW: For 60 points, he still doesn’t fight well, but is a better support fig. That old SP double Prob adds double Perplex for Deities. Like his fellow Eternal, Sersi, mortals’ Shape Change and Senses are useless against him. He’s got 2 STOP clicks, too.

F.U.N.? CCE means he can fight some, now. Great for casual; could find a home if the Deity keyword takes off.

AM I GETTING THIS? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

———

L044 COLLEEN WING AND MISTY KNIGHT
(Amazing Spider-Man, 2013)

asm044

THEN: A 2013 Heroclixin’ Favorite, they were nevertheless too heavy at 140 points (despite their unprecedented 12-click dial) and both anemic at 70 even at the time.The Colleen dial was too soft defensively — only 16 printed DV — and Misty got all the (not so) SPs (5-range Incap, Leadership plus POWER remove a token from a Heroes For Hire).

NOW: Sliced to 40 apiece or 80 together, both dials get Avengers TA and have IT:Adjacent now — important if the full dial switches from melee-focused Colleen to range-powered Misty. Speaking of whom: Her new attack SP drops the Incap and offers KNOCKBACK and nixes Shape Change when she’s shooting. Her other SP gives the team a shot at scoring 5 extra points if a chosen target is KO’d that turn. Lost the Heroes For Hire activation and Leadership, though.

F.U.N.? Yep, even though they can make two attacks at 80 points, they’re still a little too heavy and weak-statted to be competitive.

AM I GETTING THIS? Absolutely.

———

L051 ODIN
(Hammer of Thor, 2009)

ha051

THEN: He was the most expensive single-base fig legal in 300 points to date. But with no moving attack until almost dead, and a distressing 4-click weak run of Super Senses instead of armor mid dial, he was easily scored once cracked.

NOW: He’s only 150 points. That old soft spot remains but is bolstered by his ability to borrow the superior DV of his raven pogs. He can also mega-nerf an enemy fig as “unworthy” for FREE. And he reduces penetrating damage, while gaining Sidestep for some minimal moving attack ability.

F.U.N.? You can finally build around him. And that makes him F.U.N.

AM I GETTING THIS? Maybe. I have the fig.

———

L052 VENUS
(Hammer of Thor, 2009)

ha052

THEN: At 125 points, she was by far the priciest member of Agents of Atlas (a theme I played a LOT in the early days of Heroclixin’) but her defenses and damage were all too low. Her CLOSE “Incap everybody” SP wasn’t worth it at all.

NOW: 50 points is WAY cheaper. She has the same “Divine Favor” trait as some other Deity keyword figs in this set, for Prob and Perplex immunity plus nerfing her mortal targets’ DV. She also nullifies Shape Change and attack evasion (usually Super Senses). Her SP is Swim symbol and quasi-Incap that forces hit foes to target her their next turn.
F.U.N.? …which doesn’t sound that good, unless she has protection via Mastermind. She seems bad, which often paradoxically means F.U.N.

AM I GETTING THIS? Probably, even though she’s kinda bad. I used to play Agents of Atlas a LOT and would like to again.

———

L053 SETH
(Hammer of Thor, 2009)

ha053

THEN: 10 range almost made up for the lack of Running Shot and low damage and lack of reducers. But then he had to get the Snakeform SP making him a Battle Fury’d giant with only Toughness and Regen to save him — and Great Size didn’t sport half the advantages back then. A waste of 120 points.

NOW: He’s only 20 points cheaper. Good thing he got traited Invincible and Stealth for actual defense at last. But KOing him deals 2 damage to every enemy adjacent to a select ally, and that giant-sized SP now also sports Perplex, Prob, and a needed +2 to DV and AV.  Oh, and he’s another Egyptian god like Khonshu and Co., giving his avatar Steal Energy and Mystics TA.

F.U.N.? Maybe? Though like his sideline compatriots, he’s likely to never be on a starting force.

AM I GETTING THIS? Nah. It’s one of the few pieces I no longer have and couldn’t reacquire.

———

L056 IRONHEART
(Captain America and the Avengers, 2020)

caav056

THEN: She was one of my Top 20 of 2020:  a solid attacker and supporter in one, with 7 range, 11AV Penetrating/Psychic Blast Running Shot and double Prob. When she hit, she made no-cost Barrier around the target, so it was worth it to burn both Probs on her own attack if needed. Later, thanks to her trait, she could use Perplex or Outwit twice each when they appear on her dial. A little bit overpriced at 85 points.

NOW: Drops to 70, losing the Barrier trick but keeping the double powers. Also gets a Wellprint … er, Wellspring … um … WellSOMETHING marker that ups her AV and DV +1 along with giving her Cosmic and Mystics TAs when she’s next to it.

F.U.N.? Since that WellWHATSIT marker is beginning of game and immobile, it’s a strong telegraph of your game plan. A surprising deep cut from the comics lore

AM I GETTING THIS? Absolutely.

———

L058 BLACK PANTHER
(Avengers Defenders War, 2017)

adw058

THEN: this topped our Worst of 2017 list. 

Although he gives a +1 AV to Wakanda keyword figs (including himself), this is a 65-point character that can barely fight, requires a load of extra points just to function — likely giving up victory points to the enemy in the process in the form of easily KO’d Warriors — and doesn’t even do well as a support piece. He’s a backfield fig that’s mostly a waste of points there and woefully unsuited for the frontline.

He NEEDED a legacy card.

NOW: Slashed more than half to 30 points, he’s lost the global +1 to Wakandans and the Warrior generation. SP is just Leadership and Outwit. But he gains a singular ability to deny opponent’s use of two Sideline items from game start.

F.U.N.? High-key meta. He’s going to be on nearly every team for a couple of years.

AM I GETTING THIS? Absolutely. I’m just upset I don’t have two so I can run both the legacy and the original on a Wakanda build.

———

 This is an interesting selection of legacies, leaning more into theme and “fixing old stuff that didn’t work” rather than “here’s this old fave you liked.”

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SHINY.

Massive changes for Silver Age just happened. Let’s get into it.

Team-building changed

The 200-point cap on Modern Age legal game elements on the main force remains in force UNLESS you have no more than one Modern game element on the starting force. If that’s the case, you can field that 300-point Darkseid that would have been barred just a few days ago.

HOW F.U.N. IS THIS? We’re not sure (because yours truly was eyeing a Multiple Man squad that now is far too risky to try), but it seems balanced enough.

 

Sidelines changed

No more than 4 Sideline elements can be Modern Age.

HOW F.U.N. IS THIS? We like it. With more and more Modern Sideline Active stuff, it’s a good idea to keep it from overwhelming this eternal format.

 

Mission Points changed

In Silver Age, Mission Points immediately convert to 10 Victory Points each instead.

HOW F.U.N. IS THIS? We love it. MPs were so hard to get right; either they were so difficult to score that you almost never could even pressure with them, much less win, or they were in absolutely degenerate builds that ended in 2-3 turns without ever engaging the opponent. This way, though, I can get my beloved shady AI Miss Minutes — who’s been in the shadow realm of the ban list — back in play.

Speaking of ban lists:

 

Ban List(s) changed!

They added a Restricted List to the Temporary Ban List (aka The Bench) and the “Permanent” Ban List. Restricted figs effectively are like Primes: You can only use ONE fig from the whole list.

 

Restricted List

  • DCN 044 Nekron: Currently still banned in Pulp format, it’s not surprising to see him land here. The Black Lantern Corps do powerful things with enough Grave markers, and ol’ Nek is the most dependable source.
  • SMBA 062 Carnage Silver Surfer: Speaking of graves, I will go to mine solidly convinced that this fig was supposed to either A. have a 4-click life at his 50-point-cost line like every other Carnage chase in that set, or B. cost 75 points for his 6-click lower line, which would also have been appropriate. But likely a copy-paste mistake was made and the edit was never caught.
    Anyway, this is a good compromise, keeping him from being run in the degenerate multiples like he was in Modern Age during his reign.
  • HoX 051 Maggott: This piece always should have been Unique. This solves that oversight (not a mistake like CSS above).
  • WK23-001 Scott Porter and WK23-002 Scott Porter: I expected this OP duo to be completely benched for the next year. But this seems a great compromise to keep them from being the best 50 points you can spend in Heroclix. Best of all, I don’t have to stop shouting “POWERBOMB” when he Pulse Waves!

 

Temporary Ban List (benched)

  • SMBA 043b Spider-Man: Man, this comic-inaccurate piece (should not have Avengers keyword at this 1984 stage of his career, a full 7 years before he even got reservist status; nor should he have Impervious on defense because the symbiote never bonded to him like it did with the Venoms later on) definitely needs a rest.
  • All the MOE chases: I really really hope this is the last time we see this sort of “shifting focus” mechanic for a chase set.
  • WoV 042 Chthon: There’s SO many Mystical figs he can key off of in Silver and so much healing available, he’d just be on every team. Benched.
  • Every Stop Sign construct: If we’re gonna keep Scotts in Silver, we gotta lose this.
  • wkDP20-s005a Nifty Traffic Barrel: This is in the penalty box for the same reason as the Stop Signs. Nixing Improved Movement for so few points, just for existing, really shouldn’t be a thing.

 

Ban List

These have been on the list and remain:

  • All Special Terrain Dials
  • All ID Cards
  • WK MP-18 001 Blackbird resource dial
  • FFJW 004 The Penguin
  • ADW 067 Hawkeye
  • EAX 019b Vulture
  • XTAS 048 Jason Wyngarde
  • WW80 064 Scarab
  • XDPS 036b Legion
  • FFFF 044 Molecule Man
  • JLU 005b Batman
  • XMRF 024 Dr. Moira MacTaggart
  • WK WKN-M001 Search for Ammut’s Tomb (not legal in any official WizKids event)

But these are new, and a few are head-scratchers:

  • DCF4 001 Mr. Fantastic: Really? Like most Mr. F dials, this one seems weak and overcosted and certainly not worth banning. But then I remembered that his extra knock back trait can rack up Mission Points in certain interactions.
  • MSDP 049 Agatha Harkness: With no MSDP 050 The Scarlet Witch to steal her thunder, she made a splash in Silver this past season — enough of one that, rather than just see her Rune-nerfing any team that can’t field WoV 048 Ghost Rider, they’ve sent both to the shadow zone for the sins of using the Darkhold.
  • SVAC s005 All-Black the Necrosword: This equipment was bad enough in its time in Modern when it required a whole set of extra actions to equip it on Turn 1 (if the enemy couldn’t steal it somehow). Under current rules, it was gonna be too much. So BYE
  • XoS 053b Mad Jim Jaspers: Speaking of equipment, no more easy mode kitting up your giants and others you couldn’t assign stuff. There’s just wayyyy too much available in Silver Age for his level of chaos.
  • SFSM 005 Thug: He was on the temporary ban list for his ability to make most any theme a theme and trigger a lot of keyword-based shenanigans; now that ban is permanent.
  • ORVL 003 Dr. Claire Finn: Her benching is now indefinite. And I am sad about it even though I understand her FREE Support would be broken beyond all belief even WITHOUT her Lt. Yaphit’s Sidesteppery.
  • AI G023 Eternity: Another benching made permanent. In January, WK said they were concerned about him getting healed way past his start lines. I guess that concern remains.
  • FFAI Giant Girl: Being able to Colossal Retaliate in multiples and shrink the map with her size and low cost, she was a giant problem they’re solving by banning her.

 

Finally, they just up and banned a whole suite of characters who, when the are/would be KO’d, switch forces:

  • BTAS 013 Catwoman
  • A4E L017 Mockingbird
  • STRF 025 Ensign Ro Laren
  • WWE 006 Sasha Banks
  • WWE 018 Big Show
  • XDP 018 Senator Robert Kelly
  • XDP 037 Colossus
  • ABPI 011 Ant-Man
  • ABPI 016 Winter Soldier
  • ABPI 021 Ayo
  • RE 020 Terra
  • SWB 031 Alex Wilder

This opened up a bunch of degenerate Mission Points builds that could win in 1 or 2 turns with no recourse. So these traitors are outta here.

But while these bans may feel grievous, there’s a chance they’re not forever. Case in point:

Back in the light!

  • XOSSLOP209 Apocalypse and XOSSLOP210 Genesis: Now retired from Modern, the Grand Prize couple can be strong together again in Silver.
  • XDPS G020 Dark Phoenix – Her time on the bench is over. RISE, PHOENIX!
  • MSDP 029 Miss Minutes – As noted earlier, back in January she was banned, but with the shift in Mission Points, she’s no longer that sort of problem.
  • MSDP054 Sakaarian Iron Man – Bleh, I wish he’d have stayed gone. The break was nice.    
  • WW80 065 Sky Tyrant – Same here! But he’s not quite the same problem now that Quake and Exploit don’t combo.  
  • AFFE 069 Venom Magneto – The best of the “FREE-K” figs returns.   

They also finally have a long list of Silver-legal maps, where old-style long ones are the norm more than the smaller Modern variety. (Which means I have some actual use for some of those old maps!)

Gonna be a wild time.

UPDATE: And wild it is! Not 12 hours after I published this, additions to the ban list happened!

  • XoS L042 Unus the Untouchable: They said his ability to deny moving or placing anywhere within 4 squares of him might be too much (even though it never made even a ripple in Modern) so he’s banned.
  • And they added DWX Major Logan to the Watch List (which I didn’t bother mentioning here because the article was long enough already).

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

In practice? These reviews get harder and harder. And my hopes that WizKids fixes their QA problems remain unanswered. But I’m going to try a much easier short version look at these cards this go-’round.

By set number:

———

L001 COSMIC BOY
(Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, 2014)

slosh001

THEN: He had SP Leadership that worked on even the most expensive Legionnaires, double TK (and FREE once more if he had two tokens). He also had a Legion Founder keyword and its associated traited Additional Team Ability that boosted attack rolls.

NOW: His attack SP is just normal TK but he gets +3 AV when attacking with it. His old SP Leadership is just pretty much normal Leadership these days, so the SP is reworked entirely to nerf one of his targets’ DV -1 for the whole turn — and an additional -1 if he hits.

Oh, and he gets this new “LONG LIVE THE LEGION!” trait:

Sidestep. // Once per turn for all characters with this trait, when a friendly character with the Legion of Super Heroes keyword is damaged by an opposing game effect, roll a d6 and friendly characters with the Legion of Super Heroes keyword modify the listed combat values by the listed amount until the end of your next turn:

[1–3]: Modify defense +1; [4–5]: Modify attack +1; [6]: Modify all combat values +1.

F.U.N.? So the downside is that Legionnaires have to be getting beat up to get this temporary and unreliable buff. That’s not very weaponizable, which puts this high on the pure F.U.N. scale.

AM I GETTING THIS? Absolutely. Longtime readers will recall I did a weeks-long series reviewing every Legion keyworded piece in HeroClix — one that could use an update 10 years later.

———

L002 SATURN GIRL
(Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, 2014)

slosh002

THEN: She had Penetrating/Psychic Blast to start and, starting with click 2, SP Mind Control that was free when she was untokened, gave her +1AV for tokens on her target, and didn’t have the old self-damage that MC used to cause. She also had the Legion Founder ATA mentioned above. Pricey at 94 points, but everything cost too much back then.

NOW: Pushing damage is a thing of the past, so how does she get to her SP goodness? A new trait “Self-Sacrifice for the Legion” that makes her a Mastermind target if her ally is in her great 8 range and LOF (but takes max 3 damage). A light hit lands her on her speed SP: Stealth+Mind Control.

F.U.N.? But a big hit strands her in the middle of her dial WITHOUT the SP. So she’s kinda terrible unless you have a healer handy. At least she’s only 50 points. And she has the same Long Live the Legion trait as Cosmic Boy above.

AM I GETTING THIS? Of course! The Legion being bad has never stopped me.

———

L003 LIGHTNING LAD
(Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, 2014)

slosh003

THEN: A 104-point cannon of a piece with Running Shot, Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Ranged Combat Expert, by mid-dial, he had an “Arc Lightning” SP that allowed him to get multiple attacks

NOW: He gains Energy tokens with hits, allowing him to spend them to get Energy Explosion as FREE or extend his SP Poison reach by the amount of Energy. Plus the Legion trait.

F.U.N.? Much more effective at his new 50-point price.

AM I GETTING THIS? Naturally.

———

L019 AMETHYST
(Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, 2014)

slosh019

THEN: There was NOTHING special about her except a once-per-game trait to hit a foe and choose to force that foe to attack only her, and vice-versa. With only 10 AV, that was a tall order and definitely not worth 80 points! I’m wondering how she never ended up on my worst of 2014 list.

NOW: She’s only 50 points, gets actual TAs (Cosmic, Mystics), and three traits to replace her old kinda bad one: 1) Force Blast+Phasing; 2) Close Combat Expert+Leadership and giving other Young Justice the Mystics TA; 3) POWER to build up to 6 mostly permanent blocking markers, 2 at a time.

F.U.N.? She’s better than OK now.

AM I GETTING THIS? I would be passing, as I have no liking for the character or much affinity for Young Justice keyword. But as fate would have it, she was the first card I’ve gotten.

———

L025 MATTER-EATER LAD
(Superman, 2011)

sm025

THEN: Another Legionnaire! He had some good points: a dirt-cheap 35 points with Exploit Weakness, a then-steady 9 AV Steal Energy, and FREE removal of adjacent blocking or terrain markers. Plus wildcard and flight.

NOW: A slightly lighter 30 points and sporting the “Long Live The Legion” trait seen above, he has IM:Destroy and two more traits: 1) Stealth+Super Senses, and 2) Poison with FREE removal of adjacent terrain markers —and— FREE removal of equipped equipment in close.

F.U.N.? Yes, sort of, but he has meta potential, being a hard counter to problematic equipment if he can just fly up to his target.

AM I GETTING THIS? Oh, absolutely.

———

L047a WHITE WITCH
(Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, 2014)

slosh047a

THEN: One heck of a nerf piece, she could either POWER: bar a whole enemy team’s modifiers for a turn, or cap enemies’ free actions at one for FREE. She also ignored the Mystics TA and, most blessedly for the Legion, was the team’s first healer starting on click 2, which also had a stacked DV special (Energy Shield/Deflection, Super Senses, Barrier).

NOW: Down 37 points to just 50, she adds Mystics TA to herself AND her Legion pals AND shares the Mystics immunity she had before. Her new speed SP is Phasing with Prob Control — and the ability to lock attack rolls within her considerable 7 range. DV SP still has ESD and Senses (no Barrier, though). All this and the Long Live the Legion trait.

F.U.N.? Not quite the tech piece she was, but she could find a niche home in the meta.

AM I GETTING THIS? YEP. LONG LIVE THE LEGION

———

———

L047b RAGMAN
(World’s Finest, 2016)

wf047-2

THEN: 70 points for Leap/Climb and Stealth with no range? And 2 damage? Sure, he gets a potential +1 to his stats if an enemy is KO’d, but at a quarter of your team, he likely wasn’t racking them KOs up.

NOW: Shaved to 50 points and much much better: His stat-boosting trait triggers on damaged foes instead of only KOs, he can shed those stat bonuses to either heal or FREE damage adjacent foes. Meanwhile, his SP upgrades to Sidestep+Plasticity with the Stealth — plus the ability to place next to an enemy within 4.

F.U.N.? He’ll probably take some ramping up to be at all competitive, so more F.U.N. than foul.

AM I GETTING THIS? Hope to.

———

———

L048 VIGILANTE
(Justice League Unlimited, 2020)

jlu048-3

THEN: A 40 point cowboy, he could no-damage hit a target and IMMOBILE-ize it and all its neighbors via the Lasso-themed attack SP. Later dial, a “Trick Shooting” SP allowed a 1/3 chance of attacking twice at range.

NOW: 10 points cheaper, he’s a flying 2-person taxi with Toughness, a Quickdraw trait that drops his action token if he shoots first and hits, Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Knockback, and Ranged Combat Expert with self-Prob.

F.U.N.? No meta, pure F.U.N.

AM I GETTING THIS? For the cowboy posse, yes.

———

———

L055 TIM HUNTER
(World’s Finest, 2016)

jltw055

THEN: Sort of a proto-Harry Potter, at 55 points he (and any adjacent JL Dark pal) was immune to enemy prob, and they essentially got Defend but only for him (via his defense SP). With his damage SP, as FREE he could use an adjacent Mystical ally’s powers for a round of play. You really had to build around him because his final, superpowered click (Running Shot, SP Energy Shield/Deflection+Probability Control+Pulse Wave+Super Senses+Willpower, Impervious and Perplex — all Outwittable) was not a STOP so he could easily get KOed past it.

NOW: A new trait gives him Prob outright — twice on enemy turns. With natural 6 range, that alone is worth his 40 points. But he also takes just 1 damage if a higher point Mystical pal is in range (thanks to new Protected Outwit defense SP). His damage SP is Enhancement and +2 speed to pals when carrying him. And his formerly scary attack SP now gives Cosmic Energy TA, Penetrating/Psychic Blast, Mystics TA, Flight, IT:Characters,Hindering, and IMMUNE for a round. He’s almost guaranteed to see this click now.

F.U.N.? Yes, but also possibly meta. The prob. THE PROB!!!

AM I GETTING THIS? Trying to.

———

———

LG001 STARRO
(WizKids, 2018)

wkDP18-001.jpg

THEN: Once a meta threat at 100 points because the conqueror could effectively Colossal Retaliate Mind Control across the map via its autonomous Starrophyte pogs, spawning more pogs, healing all the while. It was also made to be played with “(Starro’s Minion)” variants of the Justice League, but no one ever did despite the FREE attacks they could level.

NOW: No more Starro’s Minion(s) but it still generates autonomous pogs next to hit targets and heals. But now he works with the non-pog Starrophytes (Notorious 030 and WizKids DC23-100) so he doesn’t HAVE to spawn pogs to work. No longer a retaliator, his STOP click now has a wild POWER to KO all his Starrophytes and heal for each one, possibly up to his 260-point starting line, even if he actually started on his lowly 20 point one.

F.U.N.? Depends how many Starrophytes you can field. I like it.

AM I GETTING THIS? Probably not, since I’m skipping the Detective Chimp box it comes in and I lack the fig.

———

———

LG004 SOLARIS
(Superman/Wonder Woman, 201X)

smwwG004

THEN: Pretty poor at most of its values despite Quintessence TA, due to attack values too low to be effective and lack of moving attack to use its SP Pulse Wave. Only the 25-point Retaliation click was good, with 10 range, Outwit and 12 AV. (The retal was not great, amounting to little more than mass Incap.)

NOW: The evil robot-sun gets a severe point reduction from 800(!) to an actual playable 300. The PW SP is now “Sickening Radiation” a Unique Modifier that not only nerfs enemy AV and DV in range, but Solaris can FREE damage 2 targets within its 10 range LOF. And the Retal no longer even requires an attack roll. It just burns every foe within 3 squares.

F.U.N.? Thankfully, the Radiation power isn’t on his 25-point click. But this thing could still be playable.

AM I GETTING THIS? Yes, since I got the Batman kit it comes with. But I no longer own the fig (sold in the lean years).

———
Another review done! These legacies aren’t too nuts.

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Isca lounging

This has become a kitchen table tradition of mine: pitting one year of my top 10-20 favorites against the previous calendar year’s. And in the waning weeks of December 2023, I got serious and did it.

2022 force

150 AV4E031 Blue Marvel
125 MSDP056 Captain America
95 MSDP041A Captain Carter + shield 5
50 AV4E006 Falcon
200 AV4E045 Hulk
45 XMXS031B Isca the Unbeaten + sword 5
60 WOTR035 Kurse
40 AV4E030 Mindful One
50 AV4E050 Miss America
35 MSDP029 Miss Minutes
45 XMXS001 Storm + sword 5
40 MSDP101B The Watcher
70 WOTR042 Valkyrie

plus late-blooming picks

Shang-Chi 50
Pogg Ur-Pogg 170

= 1235 points.

I put a slight handicap on this force by giving Storm and Pogg ONLY their canon swords Skybreaker and Pogg Ur-Pogg, respectively. I also initially opted to possibly cap the number of Mission Points that Miss Minutes could score per round — didn’t want the game to end TOO quickly.

2021’s all-stars:

HoX053 Captain Britain @ 80
WW80067 The Commissioner @ 50
WW80045 Dr. Poison 40
WW80024 Harley Quinn @ 50
WW80054 Lex Luthor 50
A4E026 Loki 60
HoX051 Maggott 40
MP20-001 Master Mold @ 200
A4E041 Monica Rambeau @ 150
XRF007 Multiple Man @ 40 x2
Omega 200
A4E015 Onome 40
A4E072 Rikki Barnes 75
A4E047b T’Chaka II 45
XRF008 Sentinel 25
XRF008 Sentinel 25
XRF008 Sentinel 25
= 1235 points. EQUAL TIME AGAIN!

(Or so I thought. More on that later.)

I handicapped this force a tad by not allowing Master Mold to call in named Modern Age Sentinels with his Factory Dial like the Nimrods or other versions of Omega Sentinel, instead restricting myself to these:

  • Sentinel Mark II
  • Sentinel Mark V
  • Orchis Soldier

and of course the XRF Sentinels that made the list in 2021 proper.

The map was the two half-sized starter maps from the Marvel and DC starters put together.

But there was a BIG misplay, actually. From before the start.

As I ran the game, I was chagrined by the 2021 squad’s shockingly low Leadership rate. On a team with EIGHT characters starting with the power, I succeeded in the d6 roll only about … TWICE? in the first several turns. That contributed a bit to the very slow start for the older team.

Things turned around, though, when Master Mold used the Factory Dial to generate the legacy card Sentinels at 100 and 125 points, who used their extreme 8-10 range to go after Miss Minutes and eliminate the Mission Points threat. And then, with a few shocking fails of the dice, the once-mighty 2022s were reduced to just Isca The Unbeaten, who finally did not live up to the name.

Aside from that disappointment, I felt like something was wrong. Back in the 2020 vs. 2021 version of this annual kitchen table game, I had played the 2021 team with ONLY the 2021 Sentinels and Master Mold’s own bystander versions. But it was definitely the two Sentinels from 2022 that completely turned the tide — ruining the purity of the win.

So I decided to do a replay, this time restricting further the 2021 team to only elements from 2021 (aside from a few nonstandard terrain markers but NOT the Special Terrain used in Game 1).

This meant Teen Lantern wouldn’t have the Green Lantern Ring or the Green Constructs from Batman Team-Up, a 2022 release, either.

(Teen Lantern. Hmm.)

So I started Game 2 and it got to a rocky start. Bad play everywhere.

Was I tired? No, that wasn’t it.

I looked again at the written team list for 2021.

HoX053 Captain Britain 80
WW80067 The Commissioner 50
WW80045 Dr. Poison 40
WW80024 Harley Quinn 50
WW80054 Lex Luthor 50
A4E026 Loki 60
HoX051 Maggott 40
MP20-001a-200 Master Mold 200
A4E041 Monica Rambeau 150
XRF007 Multiple Man 40 x2
Omega 200
A4E015 Onome 40
A4E072 Rikki Barnes 75
A4E047b T’Chaka II 45
XRF008 Sentinel 25
XRF008 Sentinel 25
XRF008 Sentinel 25

WAIT…where the hell was Teen Lantern??

And that’s when I realized the 2021 squad was 75 points overbuilt! And those three Sentinels really gave the team a mobility advantage from the start.

So I quickly scooped and rebuilt 2021 without the Sentinels to get the starting forces re-evened-out for a REAL Game 2.

BY PIECE (alphabetically):

Blue Marvel: In Game 1, he got a couple of shots off but failed a key Pulse Wave attempt and didn’t last much longer. Game 2, though? He survived long enough to practically clear the board with a similar Pulse Wave.

Captain America: Impressive at first, he fell in the late game. In Game 2, he was also an early casualty, but not before he set up the massive KO of Master Mold to get that ball rolling 2022’s way. He also left behind the Redwing equipment for an ally to revive in the latter stage of the game.

Captain Britain: In Game 1 she made a key KO of Mindful One to stop the Mystic medic. Next time around, though, she’d not so much as roll a successful Leadership.

Captain Carter: Her Defend-plus ability was downright oppressive in Game 1! I’m still wondering how that game even turned on her and the rest. Game 2 saw her hit early but she got healed and led to victory.

The Commissioner: Lost Rookie too early and was not really a huge factor in Game 1. Next time, though, I played much more carefully with Rookie to ensure the duo’s impact deep into the game.

Dr. Poison: Spawned just 2 German Soldiers all Game 1. In Game 2, she and the Germans were among the last standing, though of little consequence other than drawing fire, mostly.

Falcon: Being paired with Cap (via his Team-Up card) didn’t pan out as brokenly as expected. Still great in Games 1 and 2 with auto-breakaway. Game 2 bonus: He recovered Cap’s dropped Redwing equipment and brought Redwing into play!

Harley Quinn: Her Prob Control didn’t play out at all in Game 1. But at least she got her Whoopsies out and froze Shang-Chi for a turn. Her Prob was more useful in Game 2, though she didn’t last there, either.

Hulk: Last man standing for 2022 in Game 1, though the other side was diligent to avoid shooting him. In Game 2, he came perilously close to death thanks to worst-time-possible critical miss. But he survived to smash again, even getting a mega-clutch Gamma Clap.

Isca the Unbeaten: She was the last fig standing for 2022 in Game 1 — having to weather 4-5 attacks nearly every round proved overwhelming. But with better odds, she might’ve still triumphed. And, as noted above, it was a game in which the very build total was weighted against her team. In Game 2, she fared far better to maintain an official “never lost” record.

Kurse: She was the first KO! She got focused on and took the dive. In Game 2, she was better protected. That Outwit was useful down the stretch.

Lex Luthor: Without pushing damage, it took forever to activate him. But once he did, his Outwit and his pogs took a near-full-health Hulk to easy pickings for the Sentinels. A last fig standing there. Game 2 saw him activated far earlier and separated from his MM fodder, leading to a shorter tenure when his Green Light went out.

Loki: Mr. Low Key shockingly got one-shot by Isca before making a single dupe with his single Rally die. In Game 2, he was much better shielded. But the threat of Miss Minutes kept him from fully flooding the field with Low Key.

Maggott: In Game 1, I made the error of attacking a part-time Mystic and losing Meany early. Never got Food tokens in that game, either. He had a little more success in Game 2 but got one-shot when 2022 finally focused on him.

Master Mold: The absolute key to Game 1. Giving him access to 2022 Sentinels was too much — they swung the game crucially. In Game 2, I advanced just a tad too aggressively with him, leading to his very early KO.

Mindful One: A superb medic and defender (his SP giving Mystics was crucial vs. Maggott) in Game 1. In Game 2, he continued his medical ways to be a real MVP contender.

Miss America: She was hurt bad early on in Game 1 but got healed for a key strike+transport later. In Game 2, she also played a sacrificial role to set up for bigger hitters.

Miss Minutes: her Mission Points were the biggest threat in both games. She kept the 2021 team from flooding the field with Sentinels or Lokis or Multiple Men, lest she rack up MPs in just a few turns. She got taken out with relative ease by one of the 2022 Sentinels, though, in Game 1. Game 2 saw her come very close to the 20 MPs until the 2021 remnants went all out on her to take her down.

Monica Rambeau: Took the first points in Game 1 with her KO of Kurse but she was mostly neutralized the rest of the game. Game 2 saw her exist as a solid threat but not score any points.

Multiple Man: Did not spawn quite as many dupes as hoped. All that Empower and Leadership wasted on bad rolls. Worse, he was a liability against Miss Minutes in both games. But X-Men TA gave Captain Britain a little second wind in the late game, at least.

Omega: She held together for her 2021 squad long enough in Game 1. But Game 2 wasn’t her day, even though she lasted deep into the contest.

Onome: Sadly was basically one-shot by Pogg Ur-Pogg in Game 1. She got too close! I was much more cautious with her in Game 2.

Pogg Ur-Pogg: Possibly the MVP for 2022, immediately neutralizing Teen Lantern and others. His sword counters well the 4-square vulnerability of swimmers. Only a ridiculous late game flail kept him from sparking a Game 1 comeback. In Game 2, he was less the focus so he survived to the end.

Rikki Barnes: Lasted into the late Game 1 despite a lot of early lack of success. In Game 2 I probably held her back way too long.

Sentinel: These generics kept coming, eventually overwhelming the 2022s. Makes me think the newer Sentinels were completely unneeded. And in Game 2, they came in as well. But again, Miss Minutes made me hold off from flooding the field with them.

Shang-Chi: Took on Harley and others with aplomb in Game 1. Game 2 saw him become an early KO on an ill-advised attempt to tie up too many foes.

Storm: Shoving targets with FREE FB was surprisingly clutch in both matches. But giant Sentinels were her weakness in Game 1.

T’Chaka II: His dice roll nerf helped at first, but he didn’t last in either game.

Teen Lantern: I advanced too close with her in Game 1 and Pogg stole her GL Ring — 2022-era equipment I stripped from her in Game 2, where she lasted a good while longer.

Valkyrie: Worked with Shang to clear out a crowd in Game 1 but got KO’d early on in Game 2.

The Watcher: All-seeing was a strength in both games and his 20 Defend helped down the stretch in Game 1 — though was ultimately overcome in Game 1.

———

This was something of a last hurrah for several figs, not only due to retirement from Modern but a few (Miss Minutes, Maggott) being banned/benched even from Silver Age, I learned just as I completed the final clean up of the carnage of Game 2, which ended in the overwhelming victory of the 2022 squad. I think the older team would have mounted a better fight if not for losing Master Mold so soon. Who knew that little Turn 1 Sidestep would cost so much???

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IMG_2946

I can’t believe I didn’t write about this year’s retirement sooner.

5-Figure Booster Sets

  • Marvel HeroClix: X of Swords

With a full three Worlds appearances, it was definitely time for this set to fade into Silver, especially …

GOOD RIDDANCE TO: Tarot cards. Though they weren’t the foulness we expected, we’re all for them going away — and for the new restrictions to them going forward.

  • Marvel HeroClix: X of Swords Storyline Organized Play

Because this sub-set was only beginning to released by Worlds ’22, it pretty much got the main set’s life extended. And this is where most of the tarots appeared. Again, good riddance.

  • Marvel HeroClix: Avengers Forever

The last of the Marvel old-school cards.

  • DC Comics HeroClix: Batman Team-Up

GOOD RIDDANCE TO: Lantern ring corps stuff. Collecting all those things to be able to truly use so many of the characters was a pain.

  • Marvel HeroClix: Spider-Man Beyond Amazing

GOOD RIDDANCE TO: Carnage Silver Surfer. This overpowered piece was an error. Either its 50-point start line was in the wrong spot or it was intended to be 75 points. But any errata would be too hard to justify/write in, since the piece wasn’t unplayable. So we’ve had to endure it.

  • Marvel HeroClix: Avengers 60th Anniversary

GOOD RIDDANCE TO: Masters of Evil swap. It’s bad enough WizKids makes full teams in the chase rarity slot like this. But to make them all work together, too? And virtually require owning them all for best results? I hope this is the last time we see this level of player abuse.

Standalone Product

  • Marvel HeroClix Hellfire Gala

This one feels like it never got its time in the sun. Sure, it’s got a Modern replacement coming, but …

Convention Exclusives

Con Ex stuff almost always has an extended life in Modern. But it’s time to say goodbye to some, in what’s a really very slim selection of retirees:

  • WKM G001 Galactus

The big guy will make no new Modern heralds.

  • WKM MP20-001 Master Mold (and WKM MP20-B001 Sentinel and WKMMP20-B002 Sentinel)

One of Heroclixin’s faves, this anti-mutant robot and his minions won’t terrorize mutants in the Modern game.

  • WKM MP20-002 Ghost Rider and WKM MP20-003 Thanos

They’re a two-fer and one I barely played.

  • WK21-B001 Scott Porter and WK23-001 Scott Porter and WK23-002 Scott Porter

Um, OK now usually con exclusives have a Modern life of 3 to maybe even into 5 years. And the former’s the case with the Scott Porter bystander token, which debuted at the pandemic-curtailed ROC Cup in 2021. But the Porter FIGURES didn’t even get a full 12 months of both being available before mercifully being retired super early.

Scott Porter the man and clix player is a top-flight guy.

Scott Porter the clix figures are overtuned to the nth degree.

The only thing I’ll really miss is yelling “POWERBOMB!” when WK23-001 Scott Porter used his SP of the same name. I wish doing so had caught on.

———

In a few weeks, we’ll see what the new Silver landscape will be. Most of these new retirees will continue to be available and viable in the eternal format, while some will get benched for a time because they were utterly ubiquitous in Modern Age.

We’ll discuss then.

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That handy reference for my favorite 140-something figs of the 2010s had me wondering: How much better — or worse — would these get with the changes to HeroClix in 2021? Well, I examined that, figuring the modification of these old favorites’ playability.

Now I’m looking again after the 2023 rules have changed the game. A number of basic shifts:

  • Super Strength got MUCH better.
  • Quake changed.
  • Every non-flier got a tad more playable with the tweak to elevation change.
  • Telekinesis is much less good.
  • Outwit is much riskier with the 4-square minimum instead of 6. (Also true of Prob Control and Perplex, but it hurts Outwit the most.)
  • Themed teams aren’t as strong, so figs aren’t as limited by them.
  • Two longtime team abilities, Avengers and Justice League, got much-needed updates.
  • The return of knockback damage!

OK, here we go again:

 

  • 121. Animal Man [DC 75th Anniversary 036] 2010:  Barely better in 2021, he gets a mild boost by not needing to fit a keyword team, meaning you can much more easily fit a fellow Animal for him to draw powers and abilities from. TINY BIT BETTER
  • 120. Swamp Thing [War of Light 053] 2014: Both his Telekinesis and hindering terrain creation skills are worse due to A) TK’s range nerf and B) because Super Strength and enemy TK can rip up his hindering markers. COMPOST AGAIN
  • 119. Martian Manhunter [The Brave and The Bold 036] 2010: At his 202-point cost, he’s not improved at all except for the JLA TA. NEEDS A COOKIE
  • 118. Gimli [Lord of the Rings 005] 2011: His 6 Speed is slightly less a liability on smaller maps, and starting with Quake could affect terrain as a result. STILL SHORT
  • 117. Amadeus Cho [Incredible Hulk 027] 2011: His Outwit is now reined back to his natural 5 range.  NOT SO SMART
  • 116. Titano [Superman/Wonder Woman G005] 2015: No real change despite Quake’s newfound strength. UNEVOLVED
  • (tie) 115. Green Goblin [Web of Spider-Man 058] / Doctor Octopus [Web of Spider-Man 054] 2010: Gobin got no worse in 2023. But Doc Ock’s even worse because Outwit is worse. NOT SUPERIOR
  • 114. Giant-Man [Chaos War 200] 2012: The return of knock back damage makes his Building Shove SP a bit better. And every Great Size fig benefits from the shorter reach of Outwit, since they’re so frequently easy targets for the power. THE BIGGER MAN
  • 113. Stranger [Galactic Guardians 043] 2012: Got no better or worse in 2023, so that’s something, I guess. STILL STRANGELY BAD NOW
  • 112. Aquaman [War of Light 029] 2014: No change here, either. STILL UNDEAD
  • 111. Lex Luthor [Superman Fast Forces 004] 2011: No change.
  • 110. Crystal [Chaos War 044] 2012: The upgrade to Quake means she can wreak absolute havoc on blocking terrain and walls with her trait, and knock back damage is a massive boost to both that trait and her later Force Blast. A REAL GEM
  • 109. Every Last HeroClix Figure with the “Morph: Many Identities” Trait in Age of Ultron: Hank Pym [Age of Ultron 001], Ant-Man [003], Yellowjacket [022], Goliath [043], Giant-Man [044], Hank Pym [201], Ant-Man [202], Goliath [203],  Ant-Man [205], Wasp [206] and Giant-Man [G200].  2015:

GREW BETTER: 043 Goliath (Super Strength, late Quake), 204 Yellowjacket (Force Blast), 205 Ant-Man (6 range Prob/Outwit)

SHRUNK: 001 Hank Pym (Outwit range), 201 Hank Pym (Outwit range AND TK), G200 Giant-Man (Outwit)

SAME “SIZE”: 003 and 202 Ant-Man, 022 Yellowjacket, 206 Wasp, 044 Giant-Man (Quake+SStrength up, Outwit down), 203 Goliath (better Strength, shorter Probability Control)

  • 108. Static [Teen Titans 045] 2013: Now that themed teams are no longer so dominant, his complete lack of keywords won’t hold him back as much. MILDLY SHOCKING IMPROVEMENT
  • 107. All the reporters in Superman/Wonder Woman with their “The World Needs To Know” special powers and traits: Newsboy Legion [007], Investigative Reporter [006], Lana Lang [029], Jimmy Olsen [027], Lois Lane [047], Clark Kent [026] and Superman [100]. 2015: It’s vital for each to get within 4 squares for their “TWNTK” skills, and smaller maps will help them in that. GETTING THE STORY
  • 106. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold [The Brave and The Bold 052] 2010: The change to JLA TA isn’t enough to make them playable again. NOT SO SUPER BUDDIES
  • 105. Uhura [Star Trek: The Original Series 038] 2017: No buffs other than being able to climb elevation to reach a potential target. RIP NICHELLE; LONG LIVE UHURA
  • 104. Peace Machine [What If 0043] 2017: He lost both TK attacks and knockback damage in 2021, but in 2023 all that offense returned. And while his ranged Force Blast trait is no longer so special — indeed, it’s upgraded to his 7 range now — that range serves him well using his Outwit, too. Last and definitely not least, his back-half Support is far more reliable. Only the nerfed range on TK hurts him. PEACE RESTORED
  • 103. Superior Spider-Man [Deadpool 060] 2014: His Outwit is now just his natural 4 range. His Super Strength balances that out maybe. NOT QUITE INFERIOR IN 2023
  • 102. Luke Cage [Captain America 014] 2011: The general buff of Super Strength serves him well, as does Avengers TA. IMPROVED.
  • 101. Question [WizKids D-008] 2013: He has more reason to pick Quake on his card now. A BETTER QUESTION
  • 100. Black Widow [Captain America 006] 2011: She gains a bit with the new Avengers TA. SPYCRAFTIER
  • 99. Cyborg [New 52 Justice League 006] 2012: New JLA TA to give him a possible 11 AV for his opening Pulse Wave is a subtle but huge UPGRADE.
  • 98. Aquaman [Superman 048] 2011: He improved a lot in 2021. This time, the knock back his attack SP deals is better still. And the ability to add water terrain to your starting force only helps him. SWIMMINGLY BETTER
  • 97. Madrox [Giant-Size X-Men 001] 2011: Weakened by the shorter ranges for Perplex and Outwit. SUBTRACTION, NOT MULTIPLICATION
  • 96. Chameleon Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 031] 2014: Her Perplex is worse still. NOT CHANGING FOR THE BETTER
  • 95. Cloak [Amazing Spider-Man 202] 2013: No longer a wildcard is slightly balanced by the new Spider-Man TA giving Super-duper Senses. STILL CLOAKED IN MEDIOCRITY
  • 94. Mirage [Wolverine and the X-Men 004] 2013: No change. STUCK IN THE OLD WAYS (of 2021)
  • 93. Triplicate Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 206] 2014: No change, other than her pog sisters getting to use powers the main Trip might get from, say, assigned equipment. 3 TIMES 0 UPGRADES IS ZERO UPGRADES
  • 92. Superman II [Superman/Wonder Woman 019a] 2015: Because Super Strength is better, he gets a little bit better down the line. Having 6-range Outwit and Perplex is now above average, too. BUT STILL BELOW AVERAGE
  • 91. Frog-Man [Superior Foes of Spider-Man 048] 2016: 2021 gave him the ability to finally affect Charge and Reflexes, and now knockback damage has returned!. BOUNCING BACK
  • 90. The Spot [Web of Spider-Man 051] 2010: No change. OUT, DAMN’D SPOT
  • 89. Luke Cage [Civil War Storyline 011] 2016: He benefits from Super Strength. YES HE EVEN LIFTS BRO
  • 88. Batman [Superman/Wonder Woman 061] 2015: His late Outwit takes a blow from shorter range even as his terrain triggers maybe increases some. MERELY A MAN
  • 87. Fitz [Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD 021] 2015: NO UPGRADES HERE
  • 86. Element Man [World’s Finest 040] 2016: Super Strength and Quake are both better and he has both to choose via his SP. The former could work interestingly because he has to drop the object at the beginning of his next turn. AN ELEMENT OF CHANGE
  • 85. Baby Doll [Batman The Animated Series 049] 2018: Her Outwit and Perplex both got cut short as she is. SHE DIDN’T MEAN TO GET WORSE
  • 84. Veil [Avengers Asemble 023] 2015: No change for her. STILL A VAPOR
  • 83. Goliath [Civil War Storyline 029] 2016: Super Strength upgrades will help him a little, but he already has the Giant Reach some terrain weapons would offer. A BIT LARGER
  • 82. She-Hulk [Avengers Infinity 024] 2018: No change. HUNG JURY
  • 81. Molly Hayes [Hammer of Thor 041] 2010: Super Strength is no longer nerfed.  MORE POWERFUL PRINCESS THAN EVER
  • 80. Aquaman [Trinity War 201] 2015: Now he doesn’t have to entirely depend on theme or winning map choice to get water terrain. Plus, Super Strength. A KINGLY SEA CHANGE
  • 79. Hulk [Avengers Movie 202] 2012: It’s too bad his SP full-speed Charge doesn’t work with his copious Super Strength. Late-dial Quake =  HULK LITERALLY SMASH
  • 78. Superman II [Superman/Wonder Woman 6-001] 2015: Opening Quake could help clear out some terrain early on. Later S.Strength could yield damage, too.  SUPER ENOUGH?
  • 77. Mysterio [Web of Spider-Man 056] 2010: 6-range Prob and Perplex and SP Smoke Cloud add up to a better Mysterio in 2023. OR IS IT ILLUSION???
  • 76. Groot [Web of Spider-Man 049] 2010: Opening S.Strength means a bigger I AM GROOT
  • 75. 3-D Man [Avengers Assemble 013b] 2015: The 6-square LOF zone barring enemy Stealth and Shape Change is now above average. NOT 3 TIMES BETTER BUT BETTER
  • 74. Magik [Wolverine and the X-Men 034] 2013: After getting GREAT upgrades in 2021, Magik is unchanged this time. STUCK IN LIMBO
  • 73. Miranda Tate [Dark Knight Rises 012] 2012: Her Perplex, Mind Control and later Outwit all get dinged down to her natural 5 range. SECRET AGENDA NOT SO SECRET ANYMORE
  • (tie) 72. Crystal [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 012] 2019: FREE Quake is quite a bit more interesting now. But her Smoke Cloud is bound to her actual range instead of cheating it out the old minimum 6. A…LESS VALUABLE GEM
    Silver Sable [Earth X 002] 2019: She’s not a wildcard anymore and themed teams are less important, but she can still fit a lot of keyword-triggered conditions. THIS SILVER HAS NOT TARNISHED MUCH
  • 71. Nova Prime [Galactic Guardians 001] 2012: No change for better or worse on balance. STILL A RIDER
  • 70. Clark Kent [Man of Steel 009] 2013: He got a lot of upgrades in 2021. In 2023, his intermittent Super Strength could come into better play. A MORE SUPER MAN
  • 69. Sand [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 060] 2017: His FREE Force Blast is MUCH stronger with knock back damage’s return. KICKING SAND IN UR FACE
  • 68. Deathlok [Wolverine and the X-Men 11b] 2013: At least we kinda found out his RCE SP is basically just RCE now. SLIGHTLY OBSOLETE TECH
  • 67. Red Hood [Rebirth 046] 2019: Nothing changes for him in 2023. NOTHING AT ALL
  • 66. Spider-Punk [Superior Foes of Spider-Man 062] 2016: No longer a wildcard but better with the Super Senses up top thanks to Spider-Man TA. ROCKING
  • 65. Rocket Racer [Web of Spider-Man 044] 2010: Losing wildcard status hurts his AV. OTOH, he gets Senses on a 6 now so maybe it balances? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  RACING FOR THE BOTTOM MAYBE
  • 64. Timber Wolf [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 013] 2014: Same as in 2021. UNEVOLVED
  • 63. Aquaman [New 52 Justice League 005] 2012: New JLA TA, starting S.Strength and being able to field his own water are an upgrade WORTHY OF A KING
  • 62. Black Adam [Rebirth 037b] 2019: A little bit of Super Strength to make him a LITTLE BIT BETTER
  • 61. Black Panther [Secret Wars Battleworld 061] 2018: His Quake click could see use, maybe. STILL RULES
  • 60. The Captain [Giant-Size X-Men 054] 2011: Super Strength and Quake are welcome. A LITTLE LESS ****.
  • (tie) 59. Batman [DC 75th Anniversary 031] 2010: His Perplex is nerfed down to his natural 4 range. A LESSER BATMAN. His partner Robin [The Brave and The Bold 042] 2010: got no change. SAME AS EVER
  • 58. Muhammad Ali [WizKids DP17-004] 2017: No change in 2023. STILL THE GREATEST BOXER
  • 57. Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity G001] 2018: Her Quake isn’t as good as it looks because her (and other giants’) terrain smash doesn’t work with Giant Reach. SAME SIZE
  • 56. Vixen [Streets of Gotham 028] 2012: Like Animal Man, not being tied to theme will help her more easily be teamed with other Animals. Oh and look: the new and improved JLA TA! HEAR HER ROAR
  • 55. Dust [X-Men Xavier’s School 056] 2018: Her Smoke Cloud is constrained to her 4 range now. BLATANT ISLAMOPHOBIA
  • 54. Black Widow [Captain America: The Winter Soldier 003] 2014: OOOF …themed team Probability Control is GONE, so her entire trait is just so much deadweight. Her Outwit is also nerfed, range-wise. HER COVER’S BLOWN TO HELL
  • 53. Jakeem Thunder [Joker’s Wild 053b] 2016: Just pick one of the better powers in 2023. SO COOL
  • 52. Captain America and Black Widow [Captain America: Winter Soldier 017] 2014: Nothing got worse or better for this piece since 2021. STATUS QUO
  • 51. Captain America [Fear Itself 201] 2013: His Support SP is no longer special. At least he has Super Strength to start. NOT ANYONE’S CAP ANYMORE
  • 50. Black Rider/Ringwraith/Nazgul/One Of The Nine/Servant Of Sauron [Lord of the Rings 016/006/101/102/020] 2011: So they all have Quake except the Servant of Sauron. That’s a little better, though they’re still not good. THEY’RE EEEEVIL
  • 49. Wildfire [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 021] 2014: Still hard to figure how his SP Regen works now since the roll is halved instead of subtracted. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • 48. Alloy [World’s Finest 058] 2016: OOOF! 2023  rules limit sideline size to just 2 elements per 100 points, so the usual 7 Metal Men you could split him into is capped at 6 in builds of 300. And his Perplex is cut to 4 range. At least he’s got a full dial of Super Strength to maybe help (as does Iron, one of his split candidates). Tin’s Force Blast is newly useful, while Mercury’s TK and Platinum’s Outwit are reigned in. GIANT MESS?
  • 47. Ms. Marvel [Avengers Assemble 055] 2015: 2023’s rules improve her Giant Size by giving Super Strength. A BIT MORE MARVELOUS
  • 46. Wasp [Avengers Infinity 044] 2018: Her Outwit is really constrained now, to her natural 4 range. SHRINKING
  • 45. Captain America [Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD 049] 2015: He has Avengers TA for an AV bonus and outranges most Outwit by a lot.  SLIGHTLY BETTER
  • 44. Cyclops [Uncanny X-Men 033] 2016: We didn’t notice in 2021, but ever since the 2017 change to Leadership, he’s been able to remove his own token under those revised rules. CYCLOPS WAS RIGHT
  • 43. The Atom [Superman/Wonder Woman G001] 2015: At 300 and 200 points he brings the improved Super Strength while his late dial sport Quake. A SMIDGE BIGGER AND BETTER
  • 42. Hawkman & Hawkgirl [Batman The Animated Series 060] 2018: Absolutely none of the 2021 changes improved this pair, but 2023’s new JLA TA and Quake rules shake things up for the Carter Hall half. Shayera Hol’s Outwit takes a nerfing, though. SOARING HIGHER
  • 41. Dee Dee [Batman The Animated Series 015] 2018: No change. DEE DEE DISSED
  • 40. Colleen Wing and Misty Knight [Amazing Spider-Man 044] 2013: Shorter range for their Outwit and Perplex is not cool for them.  DRAGON DAUGHTERS TAKE A DIVE
  • 39. Batman [Batman and His Greatest Foes Fast Forces 001] 2016: No better in 2023.
  • 38. Black Lightning [Batman 045] 2012: No changes. STATIC ELECTRICITY
  • 37. Robin [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 030] 2017: No change. NO NEW THRILL
  • 36. Asuka [WWE 012] 2019: No changes. SO YOU MIGHT BE READY FOR ASUKA
  • 35. Apache Chief [Batman The Animated Series 070] 2018: Despite his ever-expanding size and reach, new Quake still only breaks adjacent terrain.  NOT SO BIG AN IMPROVEMENT
  • 34. Clayface [Batman The Animated Series 001b] 2018: Both his Outwit and Perplex got worse, so he gets worse. CLAY IS CRACKING
  • 33. Angel [Days of Future Past 005] 2014: His Perplex on later clicks is shorter-ranged than ever. LOW-FLYING ANGEL
  • 32. Shade, The Changing Girl [Rebirth 044] 2019: Perplex lost squares of range, and objects are rarer in these new terrain-heavy days. CHANGING FOR THE WORSE
  • 31. Batman [Batman The Animated Series 040] 2018: Shorter ranges of Outwit and then Perplex are partially offset by his runs of Quake. RIP KEVIN CONROY
  • 30. Daredevil [WizKids MP18-007] 2018: His SP Prob is shorter, which could be a problem if he’s outranged by an attacker. IT’S LIKE HE CAN’T SEE OR SOMETHING
  • 29. Cyclops [Giant-Size X-Men 008] 2011: So on the one hand, his mid-dial Force Blast gets a boost with the return of knock back damage. But on the other: The free damage rider it gave him no longer works because there’s no d6 roll for it to key off of. CYCLOPS WAS WRONG
  • 28. Magma [Wolverine and the X-Men 073] 2013: Quake is improved, and she has it. HOT TIME ON THE MAP TODAY
  • 27. War Machine [Invincible Iron Man 029b] 2013: No better, no worse. BASIC
  • 26. Nova [Avengers Infinity 032] 2018: There’s a corner case in which his mid-dial SP allowing FREE Quake after a Charge is useful. But not very, since the same power already gave him Improved Movement: Destroy Blocking.  NOT QUITE NOVA IN HIS PRIME
  • 25. Falcon [Captain America: The Winter Soldier 006] 2014: His Perplex is unaffected because of his natural 6 range, and ending with Charge+Quake is a little better. DIVEBOMBING RUN
  • 24. Grace [Joker’s Wild 046] 2016: The new relevance of Super Strength still doesn’t allow her to use it in her full-move-then-attack a higher foe, but it is a welcome bonus. Late-dial, she can Quake through some walls maybe. GRACED WITH POWER
  • 23. Elijah Snow [Elseworlds 046] 2017: His Outwit or Perplex SP is better now with his natural 8 range. SLIGHTLY COOLER
  • 22. Armor [Giant-Size X-Men 050] 2011: IF you can get her off her activation click, her Super Strength is relevant again and late Force Blast could work out. ARMOR UP…?
  • 21. Mysterio [Amazing Spider-Man 026 and 206] 2013: Fortunately for 026 Mysterio, natural 6 range means both Outwit and Smoke Cloud maintain usefulness. But 206 Mysterio is limited to the minimum 4 for his Smoke and SP Perplex. ONLY ONE IS THE *R E A L* MYSTERIO!!
  • 20. Valkyrie [Fear Itself 005] 2013: Avengers TA gives her a needed AV boost to CHOOSE THE SLAIN
  • 19. Donatello [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Heroes In A Half-Shell 025] 2016: his Support is much stronger while his Outwit and Perplex are both lessened. Plus there’s ending Quake. UPGRADED LIKE A MACHINE
  • (tie) 18. Okoye [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 038] 2019: Sometimes she’ll use Quake on clicks 2 or 3. More often she’ll generate War Rhino pogs that Quake and carry her. Either way, she’s still better than
    Okoye [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati FF006] 2019, who gets zero upgrades. ONE IS GENERAL, THE OTHER DEMOTED
  • 17. Hulk [Avengers Defenders War 052] 2017: Cho Hulk’s Perplex and Outwit both took a hit in 2023. But look at his opening Quake and traited Super Strength now! That’s OK. THE MOST OK HULK EVER
  • 16. Multiple Man [Wolverine and the X-Men 013] 2013: His Perplex is poorer still now.  WEAKNESS MULTIPLIED. Multiple Man [Wolverine and the X-Men 205] gets no boosts from the 2023 rules. WHOMP WHOMP
  • 15. Oya [X-Men Xavier’s School 031] 2018: No change. NO-YA
  • 14. Nova Corps Officer [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 004] 2014: Nothing different. NO PROMOTION FOR YOU
  • 13. Wonder Woman [WizKids D-001] 2011: Both her SP Perplex and late Outwit got worse. But her opening Super Strength is relevant again. GETTING OUT FROM UNDER
  • 12. Captain Marvel [Captain Marvel 021] 2019: She has some mid-dial Strength that might do some good . POWER WAS IN HER ALL ALONG
  • 11. Bat-Knight [WizKids DP17-006] 2017: No change. DESIGN WAS PERFECT ALREADY
  • 10. Troll [The Mighty Thor 039] 2017: Changes to Leap/Climb made her Speed SP redundant in 2021; we’re just now noticing. TROLLOLOL
  • 9. Ant-Man and Wasp [Chaos War 053] 2012: Mid-dial Outwit loses a square of range but their 5 range is over the minimum. BARELY SMALLER
  • 8. Black Panther [Age of Ultron 045] 2015: His Perplex at dial’s end and Outwit on top dial are both worse. At least he gets Avengers TA to help his AV maybe. UNEASY HEAD UNDER CROWN
  • 7. Aquaman [Brightest Day 006] 2010: Super Strength is back! And he has plenty. A KINGLY SHARE
  • 6. The Authority [017 Swift, 032 Jenny Quantum, 033 Jack Hawksmoor, 048 Apollo, 049 Midnighter, 060 Engineer and 061 Jenny Sparks] 2014: 
    • Doctor (016) gets more from late-dial Force Blast but loses a square of Prob range. RIGHT PRESCRIPTION?
    • Jenny Quantum (032) loses on Perplex AND Outwit. STAY HOME, CHILD
    • Jack Hawksmoor (033)     loses range on Telekinesis and Prob Control. Later Quake can help him destroy his buildings, I guess; STRAIGHT SLUM
    • Apollo (048) can really shut down use of TK on smaller maps with his 8 range; HEAT RAYS HEATING UP.
    • But Midnighter (049) can’t really safely use Outwit anymore. GET HANDS DIRTY OR STAY HOME
    • Engineer (060) will probably get the most from Support now; HUH … UPGRADES
    • Jenny Sparks (061) has worse late Perplex. BOLLOCKS
    • Swift (017)     gets nothing! GOOD *DAY* MA’AM!
  • 5. Moon Knight [Avengers Defenders War 062] 2017: Perplex is nerfed again and he loses wildcard for mini-Super Senses. MR. KNIGHT IS THE WEAKLING
  • 4. Drax The Destroyer [Guardians of the Galaxy Movie 013] 2014: No improvements. SIMPLE CLIX, SIMPLE PURPOSE
  • 3. Ambrose Chase [005] 2019: Perplex AND Outwit got nerfed to his 5 range. CHASED DOWN
  • 2. Miss America [WizKids M17-009] 2017: Opening S.Strength is good again. AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
  • 1. Power Girl [Rebirth 022] 2019: Her Perplex AND Outwit options are way worse. But Super Strength has its uses. LACK OF GROWTH

Alternates/HMs (chronologically):

  • Impulse [DC75 Anniversary 104] 2010: No better or worse than in 2021. STANDING STILL
  • Nightshade [Captain America 027] 2011: She gets the mildest of improvements since the Battle Fury she gifts an adjacent character allows them to throw held terrain. But… NOT SO DEADLY
  • Dee Jay [Street Fighter 010] 2011: No better or worse. STILL KICKIN’
  • Superman [Superman 055] 2011: He loses a bit of power because heavy objects (aside from the Tank Turret special object) no longer exist in the game. But Super Strength’s regained versatility and his opening Quake come in as pluses to balance the minus. A BITTY BIT MORE SUPER
  • Bard the Bowman [The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug 009] 2013: Not any better. BARD STAYS HIS ARROW
  • Silver Samurai [Wolverine and the X-Men 044] 2013: No change. STICKING WITH TRADITION
  • Batman [Gotham City 001] 2013: Being able to pick the most improved attack or damage powers is pretty cool. ONE OF THE WORLD’S FINEST
  • Giganta [Legion of Doom 006] 2014: Though Quake is better, she can’t reliably get to the SP that grants it. LARGE BUT PROBLEMATIC
  • Shang-Chi [Deadpool 047] 2014: No change.. HOLDING TO THE PATH
  • Hulk [Avengers Age of Ultron 104] 2015: He hulks up with Super Strength’s buff and Battle Fury’s ability to throw terrain — useful if his full Charge gets Outwitted, AND makes his Avengers Initiative TA finally have a point.  RAGING HARDER
  • Faust [Superman/Wonder Woman 056] 2015: His late Prob Control is better than ever with his 7 range. NOT FELIX
  • Mysterio [WizKids M16-003] 2016: Smoke Cloud got worse range, down to his natural 4 — though he could Perplex it to 5. THIS BUFF IS AN ILLUSION
  • Crazy Jane [World’s Finest 019] 2016: Clicks 1, 4 and 5 still have no real change. Click 2’s Perplex and especially TK are nerfed down to her natural 4 range, as is click 3’s Smoke Cloud. Her last click, No. 6, is also hurt with Prob Control. But Pulse Wave is now her full range, so that’s double-edged sword. TOO CRAZY FOR HER OWN GOOD?
  • Patriot [Civil War Storyline 021] 2016: He’s still paying points for a trait and abilities that are no longer special. But the Avengers TA, tho. Plus he can throw an object on his last click with Battle Fury . PATRIOTISM!
  • Batroc [Avengers Defenders War 050] 2017: No change from 2021. *STILL LAUGHING EN FRANCAIS*
  • Thor [The Mighty Thor 061] 2017: Unsure his old trait for holding multiple objects doesn’t seamlessly work with new terrain markers, so while he’s a bit better than in 2021, he’s not as better as he could be. WE SAY THEE … MAYBE
  • Photon [Avengers Infinity 036] 2018: She benefits from the new Avengers TA. LIGHTSPEEDY
  • Doctor Octopus [Earth X 034] 2019: A MUCH shorter Outwit range forces him to get too much closer to the action. NOT-AS-GOOD DOCTOR
  • Falcon [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 041b] 2019: Quake is a bit better now, and still combos with his CCE. ON MY LEFT
  • Frenzy [X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga 027] 2019: Her Battle Fury gives her another way to attack, esp. with Super Strength on the back end. A BEATING FRENZY
  • Storm [X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga G023b] 2019: Knock back damage returns. A WEATHER EVENT
  • Dr. Claire Finn [The Orville ] 2019: She’s a better medic than ever with Support no longer having a chance at failure or even a penalty in her FREE version’s case. It’s why see’s currently banned from Silver Age.  BEST DOCTOR
 ———
And now let’s look at my faves of this decade so far and see how they fare now:
2020’s:
  • Absorbing Man (Captain America and the Avengers 073):   Super Strength improved, as did Quake. So he’s ABSORBED BUFFS.
  • The Atom (Justice League Unlimited 059a): He benefits from the new JLA TA, but Outwit and Perplex nerfed range makes those worse. GROW SOME, SHRINK SOME
  • Black Cat (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 005): Though she takes a small hit on her late dial from her Prob Control getting cut to 4 range and themed team being less prominent, she gets a small boost from all ranges getting reined in, allowing her 4-range Bad Luck Field SP to work more often in the close quarters. LUCK EVENS OUT
  • Black Widow (Black Widow Movie 100) No change to motorcyclist Natasha. MILEAGE DOES NOT VARY
  • Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 009) and Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 025) The daughter’s (009) late Quake is upgraded, and both have traited Force Blast, which is relevant again thanks to knockback  damage. That combines well with their tandem Pulse Wave — which, with their Perplexes, can potentially shrink to a 2 range or expand to 6! Speaking of Perplex, Mom’s natural 6 range works well with it while her daughter loses out thanks to her printed range of 3. EXPLOSIVELY BETTER
  • Human Torch (Fantastic Four 038) Should she land on her Pulse Wave click, she has a wider range of effect (4 instead of 3). A BIT HOTTER
  • Ironheart (Captain America and the Avengers 056) Her 7 range works well with her opening Prob, mid Outwit and late Perplex, as well as back-dial Force Blast, which is actually useful and a little dangerous now. UPGRADED TECH
  • Jolt (Captain America and the Avengers 031a) Being able to Sidestep up and down elevated without having to find a ladder is a big boost to her. POSITIVE MOVEMENT
  • Micron (Justice League Unlimited 059b) JLA TA is actually useful on him now. GROWING MORE POWERFUL
  • Quake (Captain America and the Avengers 010) OMG the sheer havoc her SP Quake can create on blocking-heavy maps. The return of knock back damage also boosts her a lot. And the new Avengers TA! AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE BETTER
  • Red Guardian (Black Widow Movie 016) Super Strength got an upgrade, though it doesn’t fully combo with his “Fighting An Entire Squad” trait. IN SOVIET RUSSIA HE’S MUCH MUCH STRONGER
  • Reed Richards, Fixer Of Universes (Fantastic Four 056) On smaller maps, he can activate Molecule Man WAY faster. But his own Outwit, Perplex and Prob shrink to his natural 4 range. FIXING YOUR GAME
  • Spider-Hamurai (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 066) He loses wildcard status with the change to Spidey TA but of course gains the new rollout. A SHARPER SWORD
  • Spider-Man (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 054) Another wildcard no more. And his Outwit range drops. On smaller maps, his Garbage Can is much less safe. But at least he can carry it around now if he likes. And new Spidey TA Senses greatly improve his dodging. STILL AMAZING

  • Spot (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 042) His Outwit range shrinks. SPOTTED A NERF

  • Sue Storm (Fantastic Four 062) Perplex, Prob and Outwit get a boost from her natural 6 range. And Support is WAY better. But her TK, tho? Way worse. That said, her trait to use those powers — plus Quake — from her Barriers gives her even more flexibility in the current game. QUEEN BE QUEENING
  • Superman (Justice League Unlimited 105) After almost everything improved in 2021, he got even more in 2023’s rules: JLA TA, traited Super Strength and Battle Fury to throw stuff. A REAL SUPER MAN
  • Ultron (Avengers Vs. Masters of Evil Battlegrounds 110b) No changes. ZERO UPGRADES
  • Vixen(Justice League Unlimited 015) Quake’s better and combines with her opening Exploit. FOXY

2021’s FAVES

  • Blue Marvel (Avengers Forever 031) Longer Pulse Wave + Force Blast ranges = winning. Natural 6 range means Outwit’s just as good and late Super Strength is improved. MARVELOUSLY BETTER
  • Captain America (Disney Plus 056) Sam’s knockback skills (Force Blast then Quake) gain from KB damage. But his Redwing’s Outwit is a bit riskier to roll with — though, being 0 points, not really much of a risk. PROMOTED IN RANK 
  • Captain Carter (Disney Plus 041a): Giant directional Quake is great. DECORATED FOR EXCELLENCE
  • Falcon (Avengers Forever 006) Quake is better while his 5 range splits the difference on his midlife Perplex. Plus: new Avengers TA. CLIMBED ALTITUDE
  • Hulk (Avengers Forever 045) Avengers TA and he can deal knockback on every click. HULK SMASH
  • Isca the Unbeaten (X-Men: X of Swords 031b) Nothing changed for her. ISCA THE UN-BETTER
  • Kurse (War of the Realms 035): Mourn her loss of Outwit range. SOMEWHAT CURSED
  • Mindful One (Avengers Forever 030) Wow is his Support better now. Also Super Strength all dial. MINDFULNESS IS IMPROVEMENT 
  • Miss America (Avengers Forever 050) Mid-dial Super Strength is better. So is the Avengers TA. AMERICA EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL
  • Miss Minutes (Disney Plus 029) 6-range Prob Control means no nerf for this shady annoying AI. SHE’S BANNED ANYWAY
  • Storm (X-Men: X of Swords 001) FREE directional Force Blast is even better with knockback damage. A pity her Perplex is reeled back to just 5 now. BUILDING STORMCLOUDS
  • Valkyrie (War of the Realms 042) Absolutely no difference. RIDING LIKE ALWAYS
  • The Watcher (Disney Plus 101b) Only 4-square placement on his TK reins him in somewhat. OATHBOUND TO NOT INTERFERE … AS MUCH

AND FINALLY 2022’s standouts

  • Captain Britain (House of X 053): Her 30-pt. line’s Outwit is reeled back to 4. FAIL BRITANNIA
  • The Commissioner (Wonder Woman 80th 067): Natural 6 range means no Outwit nerf. Plus Rookie’s 7 for Prob and PPB pain is an effective buff. ALL COPS ARE BAD? BAD-ASS, MAYBE.
  • Dr. Poison (Wonder Woman 80th 045) Nothing about her or her German Solider minions improved BECAUSE NAZIS GET PUNCHED
  • Harley Quinn (Wonder Woman 80th 024) Much shorter Prob range is counterbalanced by her dial-long Quake. WHOOPSIE, HARLEY’S FALLING OUT A BIT
  • Lex Luthor (Wonder Woman 80th 054) 4-range Outwit is bad for him. At least his Bizarro bystander is more dangerous than ever with Quake — and with the return of knockback damage, there’s finally a way to “push” him to the click to generate the pogs. THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOXES WITHIN BOXES
  • Loki (Empyre 026) 60 His 6 range keeps his Prob (and, later, Outwit and Mind Control) at full strength. LOW KEY GOOD
  • Maggott (House of X 051) The melee fighter suffers a bit with the nerf to Prob and Perplex, but he’s a close fighter anyway. MILDLY HUNGRY
  • Master Mold (WizKids MP20-001) Effectively buffed due to his natural 8 range with Prob or Outwit. ELIMINATING MORE MUTANTS
  • Monica Rambeau (Empyre 041) Avengers team ability is the only 2023-rules plus. MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS BENEFITS
  • Multiple Man (X-Men Rise and Fall 007) They get NOTHING. They LOSE! Good DAY SIRS.
  • Omega (House of X 056) Natural 8-range Outwit is quite an improvement over the 4-square default. But that’s it. NOT THE END-ALL-BE-ALL
  • Onome (Empyre 015) Natural 5 range double Outwit. ONOME = OK
  • Rikki Barnes (Empyre 072) The loss of Quake comboing with her Dream Of A Soldier is a blow. DREAM DEFERRED
  • T’Chaka II (Empyre 047b) No change. ROYALLY UNDISTURBED
  • Sentinel (X-Men Rise and Fall 008) No change. UN-UPGRADED

———

WHEW. Maybe that is the end of changes in the game for a good while.

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

In practice? These reviews get harder and harder. And my hopes that WizKids fixes their QA problems remain unanswered. But I’m going to try a much easier short version look at these cards this go-’round.

By set number:

———

L018 MYSTIQUE
(X-Men: Days of Future Past, 2013???)

 

dofp018

THEN: She had traited Shape Change that made her completely immune to attack that turn on a 6, SP Mastermind that worked on higher-cost keywords and also reduced the total damage, and SP Leadership and Perplex. But for 82 points, she wasn’t doing much else.

NOW: Now 40 points, she’s still got Mastermind, Shape Change, and adds Super Senses. But she’s also immune to being targeting at all by non-adjacent foes unless they started next to her or started on a themed team. She loses her Perplex, gaining instead Outwit and Poison — both meshing well with her ability to hide sometimes in plain sight.

F.U.N.? She’s a key example of a piece that never quite worked right in her weight class, which makes her a great choice of a legacy.

AM I GETTING THIS? I have the fig so I’ll be looking for the card.

———

L020 HIT-MONKEY
(Deadpool+X-Force, 2017)

dxf020

THEN: With Running Shot, Sidestep and Stealth (via SP), and Precision Strike paired with a trait that boosted his AV and damage on Precision Striking targets, Hit-Monkey was indeed a potential Killer of Killers. His mediocre values, though, meant he rarely was. Not without a lot of help. At least he was cheap at 40 points.

NOW: A cheaper still 30 points, he gains IM:Elevated, The Target trait (score an extra 25 for KOing a marked enemy) along with +1 AV and damage vs. Assassins … +2 AV if that Assassin has The Target trait, too. Same SP.

F.U.N.? Seems OK but not game-breaking. A good addition to Assassin themes.

AM I GETTING THIS? I have the piece and the card comes in the Multiple Man Play At Home kit and I’m sure I am getting that one.

———

L036 SHIKLAH
(Deadpool+X-Force, 2017)

dxf036

THEN:  She had a bad vampire dial. Starting on click 4 but also with basic Running Shot, she was so unlikely to ever use her Steal Energy to heal past her start line. MAYBE if you played her with a Deadpool you’d get to use her “Protect My Idiot Husband” trait to place adjacent to ol’ DP and close combat that way. But good luck hitting with 10 AV; esp. since click 4 is the only one of her base dial that DOESN’T have Prob Control. Her sole SP, only seen on the extreme ends of her dial, allowed her to swap into the more powerful 053 Shiklah. But both clicks were hard to land on. And did you even own the Super Rare, anyway? Generally a waste of 80 points.

NOW: No need to own a whole other piece: Her SP is now STOP clicks that give her a permanent +2 to her stats. But before that, now her trait places a Deadpool next to HER. And best of all, her Steal Energy finally works from range, too. And just 50 points this time.

F.U.N.? Like Mystique, she’s every way an upgrade in design. I would never play the original. I could play this!

AM I GETTING THIS? I don’t love the character but have the piece. So maybe.

———

L042 FANTOMEX
(Wolverine and the X-Men, 2013)

wxm042

THEN: Though he was sometimes soft-shelled and a hefty 142 points, ol’ Weapon Plus here was as meta a figure from his debut until his retirement as any, being one of the first able to attack remotely via a FREE generated bystander, E.V.A. — which had Flight, 8 speed, Super Senses and Outwit. So Fantomex could hide in Stealth (which used to be a lot more difficult to handle), then send EVA moving 8 squares and Running Shoot using his 5 range from it — possibly ending up a full 20 squares away from his target. It was gross.

NOW: Trimmed to 100 points, he loses his SP Shape Change and gains Sidestep PLUS the ability to poof into hindering 3 squares away. Making E.V.A. is now a POWER and he can only remote-shoot targets she’s adjacent to. She also doesn’t give him Toughness anymore and has Prob instead of Outwit. A lower 50-point line lacks the Running Shot+Sidestep+poof SP. But both have a trait allowing Fantomex to assign 10-point equipment for 0 points.

F.U.N.? Weapon XII is a good example of the other style of legacy: a piece that was once highly popular and endemic to a style of play — and a little more meta than Heroclixin’ likes. But this remake is way more fair than the old version.

AM I GETTING THIS? Although he’s not a fave, I have the piece. We’ll see.

———

L049 DEADPOOL AND BOB
(Deadpool, 2014)

dp049

THEN: Though a whopping 200 points, D+B were a perma-Stealthy duo (back when Stealth was a lot harder to deal with than today) with double Prob when attacking or targeting an adjacent attacker. Having 7 range and IT:Characters, they could light up the enemy with 4 damage Duo Attack. Late dial, a “Ridiculous Regeneration” SP made them a tough KO. Oh, and they had a cumbersome Word Balloon mechanic.

NOW: That’s over; it’s canceled. So is the Stealth and conditional Shape Change. And the duo attack. And the Prob. Along with 120 of their points, so they’re only an 80-point package deal. What’d they keep? The improved targeting remains. A Sheep Gun remains (used to be one of the Word Balloons). The Ridiculous Regen remains (and is better). And the old Prob special is morphed into an auto-nerf of defense when they shoot (or -2 when using Hydra TA)

F.U.N.? More than the original, which was both a points sink and a little bit of an un-F.U.N. factor aside from the goofiness of the premise. 

AM I GETTING THIS? I have the piece but am not a huge Deadpool fan. We’ll see if this card falls into my hands for my Hydra swarm.

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L050 HELLCOW
(Deadpool+X-Force, 2017)

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THEN: She made our “Worst of” list that year.

“So you want to use her Steal Energy to get up to fighting strength. But her AV is too low and she lacks the moving attack skills to [get] close before she starts taking hits. And her STOP clicks notwithstanding, it doesn’t take much to knock her off the board. She has a secondary use as a medic, true. But she’s too pricey at 50 points for either of her roles. Put this bovine out to pasture.”

NOW: Bessie is trimmed to 30 points and gets a couple of additional traits to boost keyword allies’ AV and DV and, via her new FREE mini-Smoke Cloud STOP SP, she has an easier time of hurting and healing foes and friends, respectively.

F.U.N.? Another great choice for a legacy. Maybe not meta, but Monster is a strong keyword.

AM I GETTING THIS? Yes. I collect vampires for Halloween-style games. And the concept remains too funny.

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L050 WOLVERINE AND X-23
(Deadpool, 2014)

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THEN: This duo was a mess. They couldn’t be shot at until they had 2 tokens or were next to a wounded enemy. But their DV was a putrid 17 or lower. Their Flurry Blades SP couldn’t roll lower than 3, and their damage SP could FREE heal. But with only Stealth or that inconsistent invisibility to protect them, their whopping 168 points was really easy to either focus on or simply outmaneuver.

NOW: With more than 100 points slashed off, surprisingly a lot remains: the same Sidestep, worse conditional invisibility (no Stealth, and any action token makes them visible). But the attack SP allows their 2nd BCF roll’s minimum to match the previous one. And their old damage SP is now a choice of range or Battle Fury or AV +1. Best is that their FREE healing is traited now — no longer vulnerable to Outwit or appearing too late to work — and matches their number of action tokens.

F.U.N.? Another good legacy, making an unworkable fig decent.

AM I GETTING THIS? I collect Wolverines so yes.

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L053 PROFESSOR X AND MAGNETO
(Wolverine and the X-Men, 2013)

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THEN: This duo was an early keyword cheater, giving Brotherhood and X-Men each other’s keywords and team abilities. And they also effectively had a duo attack of Mind Control+Psychic Blast — IF the first attack hit. That was a little difficult with only a 10 attack at their 133-point price. An overcomplicated SP Leadership power came too late in the dial.

NOW: Rather than granting allies the two team abilities, the 80-point new version juices each up if the team has at least 3 allies with the ability. The attack SP bears Telekinesis and Penetrating/Psychic Blast, plus a potential +3 AV or DV depending on how many of each team ability is on the squad. The other SP is still too late, but at least along with Leadership it also grants Shape Change and Perplex this time.

F.U.N.? Looks great for thematic teams — IF they have the proper TAs. It won’t just work for the keyword or with wild cards.

AM I GETTING THIS? I acquired the fig and so I’ll be low-key looking for the card.

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L057 TIAMAT
(Deadpool, 2014)

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THEN: Despite a scale-crushing price of 255 points, this was a meta-level Power Cosmic tentpole able to attack for 5+ damage every single turn if he hit.

NOW: Slimmed down to 150 points, he lost his old Hypersonic-lite ability that allowed him to get that needed early shot, leaving only Charge. But he still gets the bonus attack if he hits, and if he hits again, he drops an action token. Less of a sure thing than before. Good thing he has a Pilot trait with which he can use a Deadpool’s attack and damage powers.

F.U.N.? This one keeps the flavor of the original without being quite as potentially busted. But the lower cost really increases the aid he can roll with on a team.

AM I GETTING THIS? I never owned the piece and never heard of the character, so no.

———

L059 WEAPON X
(Captain America, 2011)

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THEN: He had a cute “countdown” mechanic that left him Immune and Immobile in the starting area for the first several turns before breaking out as a Charge Blades piece. OK but not worth the 72 points without investing even MORE points to get him into the fight in Turn 5.

NOW: He’s only 40 points, so him still having the countdown isn’t as tough a pill to swallow. He also has a new trait that allows adjacent allies to either speed upon slow his emergence to the fight. But because he gets Adamantium tokens each turn he ends in his tank, the longer he stays the stronger he gets. At minimum (1 turn), he’ll have Invulnerability. At most, he’s Impervious to penetrating damage with +3 to all his stats (7 turns).

F.U.N.? Given the speed of competitive games, I don’t see him being a meta piece.

AM I GETTING THIS? MAN! I collect Wolverines so I wish I could have reacquired this ahead of the legacy announcement. Just kept missing the few that popped up for sale.

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LG021 KRAKOA
(X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga, 2019)

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THEN: A rare Stealthy colossal and one with the dreaded Colossal Retaliation on top of all but one of its cost lines of 70 to 600 points (400 being the exception), it could also attack via the hindering it made after CR. Still a little hard to work with since it wasn’t especially strong for the points.

NOW: He makes Plant terrain markers and, as FREE, can effectively “Outwit” through any of them — his or others’ — and the same power on multiple targets. He also still has Retaliation, but uses Pulse Wave instead of Quake, and generating the aforementioned Plant markers next to each hit instead of his own squares. 300, 250 and 150 points are his known point costs.

F.U.N.? But c’mon WizKids! How do you forget to put the one point cost everyone cares most about — the lowest one? It’s almost like there was maybe some question about how to price it and so they left it blank — and because they don’t have a “This is the final word” copy editor like me in charge, the thing remained blank. And so now I wait to see if there will be errata. (EDIT: The errata came — a full TWO WEEKS after release — and he HAS NO low point cost. He’s 150 and up.)

AM I GETTING THIS? Probably! I have two of these figures. And because the card comes in the Wolverine and Deadpool Play At Home kit — and I collect Wolverines — I’ll pick this one up.

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Another legacy card set review in the books! Hope you get the ones you want!

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Looks like we got the whole set list a bit early.* So here’s our customary pocket checklist:

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Four to a sheet!

*UPDATE 1: Oh wait, it appears there’s still the Release Day OP LE to see. (It’s Madisynn. I haven’t see her stats or point cost(s) yet, so can’t add her to the checklist. And she’s set no. 100, which suggests a number 099 piece we haven’t seen yet, either. So I maybe jumped the gun here. WATCH THIS SPACE!)

**UPDATE 2: OK, this SHOULD be the final one. But it’s Next Phase, so whatever