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#3 is the daringly swashbuckling and dearly departed

Nightcrawler (Web of Spider-Man, #047)

When he was first revealed, people honestly thought this fan-conceived version* of the popular X-Man would break the game. But, in truth, he’s only good enough to rate third.
That’s still pretty good. Why so high?

  • Unparalleled mobility. His “Extra-Dimensional Teleportation” trait sends him through walls and characters…nothing stops him. More to the point, he’s one of fewer than 5 characters in the whole game that can attack from behind walls and blocking terrain;
  • Stealth keeps him from being an easy target from range and, more importantly, protects his powers from being easily countered.
  • Shape Change can keep him from being attacked even when a foe IS able to punch or shoot him.
  • 19 DV makes that attack a difficult proposition even without…
  • …Super Senses, courtesy of the “BAMF!” SP, which additionally allows him to move half-speed away from the attack if the roll works. This makes Duo Attack and Flurry cry.
  • Oh yeah, he can carry, too.
  • All this is fine, but it’s not what lands him on this list. It’s his ability to hit a target with a HSS attack and then drop the target next to him after he finishes moving so the rest of his team can pile on the target that makes him a game-changing piece. Suddenly, all the usual positioning tactics have to be thrown out of the window.

For all his game-changing strengths, he’s weak on dealing damage and practically undone after taking only two clicks of damage. But he’s inexpensive enough to fit on plenty of teammates with longevity and damage ability to spare.

Next up is one of those potential teammates.

 

* This figure was designed by Ben Cheung, the 2008 HeroClix World Champ.

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#4 is now, and forever, the original…

Green Lantern (DC 75th Anniversary #049)

This oldie-but-goodie brings a lot to his team:

  • anti-Stealth from his Speed SP. Batmen cannot hide from him;
  • anti-Stealth for the rest of his team. If he hits his target, they can’t use Stealth the rest of the turn;
  • Running Shot and 8 range and Indomitable helps him get that first shot off;
  • Penetrating/Psychic Blast from his Attack SP “The Green Flame” to make the hit hurt (along with Incapacitate if you’re targeting a Mystic);
  • Impervious defense to hold up under enemy fire after taking the shot;
  • But suppose there’s tons of Penetrating/Psychic Blast you don’t want to expose him to. You can hold him back in a support role, using Telekinesis (again via “The Green Flame”) to move the team;
  • He’s a Perplexer, too, mid-dial, and Pulse Wave shows up late, too;
  • The Justice Society TA might help himself or others, as can his good assortment of strong keywords;
  • Regeneration for that second wind.

He’s a little range-dependent and his AV is a little weak for his cost, but that cost still leaves plenty of room for friends to address those minor shortcomings.
Next one has plenty of tail.

 

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#5 is a Marvelous occasional duo:

Shazam! and Black Adam (The Brave and the Bold, #055)

You knew this piece, which appeared in the 2010 HeroClix World Champion’s team, was going to show up on this list. And it’s not hard to see why:

  • Hypersonic Speed, on both “ends.” The Shazam end is particularly beast, thanks to…
  • Probability Control, to make sure those rolls have the best odds of going your way;
  • Big damage that never drops below 3 (this is key for their Duo Attack ability) — much of it penetrating damage.
  • The ability to halve their cost to 140 and fit either persona onto a smaller team. Again, Shazam’s the best for it due to his dual utility as beastick and support piece.
  • But don’t overlook Black Adam’s ability to mix his HSS with Close Combat Expert or Exploit Weakness;
  • Justice Society team ability offers a way to boost defenses (as do the Defend clicks of the Shazam half);
  • their Mystical keyword makes for some powerful themed teams.

The duo has some serious soft points in their defense (Defend on Shazam, low DV on B. Adam, short life on both 140 pt. versions) in addition to the usual drawbacks of doublebased characters (the inability to be moved with Telekinesis chief among them) and duos (no Fortitude allowed for them in Golden Age) that keep them from being higher up. But the only 12-click character in the game is definitely Top 5 material.

Next: One from the Greatest Generation.

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Not the Dark Avenger you probably expecting:

#6

Noh-Varr (Web of Spider-Man, #038)

This one almost slipped under my radar. But he’s loaded with elements making him a lock for the list:

  • Running Shot with Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Pulse Wave (SP “Transforming Gauntlet Gun”) with great stats;
  • Invulnerability, helping the chances of even a strong hit landing him on…
  • Hypersonic Speed and Super Strength. Good combo, that;
  • late Perplex. That’s good, as his stats start to slip;
  • two clicks of Regeneration that can land him on good clicks no matter what;
  • EIGHT keywords, making him a good fit for a lot of themed teams;
  • “Traitor To All,” his trait giving him an AV boost if he ignores his keywords, making him an even better fit on non-themed teams.

Weaknesses? Maybe a slight lack of early close-combat effectiveness and/or Flight. Yeah, who cares? Great light tentpole who leaves plenty of room for support or other solid fighters.

Next week: The Top 5! Will your favorite make the list? Watch and see. ‘Til then, happy playing!

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#7 is naked power.

Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen, #005)

Also known as “Zenhattan” for his floating lotus position pose, he’s on the list because:

  • His powers can’t be countered;
  • PERIOD!! :)
  • His first SP grants 12 AV Psychic Blast (and Barrier, and Telekinesis…but the PB is the one that everyone really cares about);
  • Impervious, which segues into “That Didn’t Kill Osterman,” which, in addition to nullifying damage, sends him back to his starting area and probably out of harm’s way;
  • “Simultaneous Perception” which grants Super Senses and Probability Control on top of it all, making him very difficult to even hit;
  • His Watchmen TA makes him immune to enemy attempts to mess with his stats.

At 276 points, he suffers from not being able to push, and being totally range-oriented (making him a bit vulnerable to tie-up), especially on the back end of his dial. Played correctly, though, he never sees that end.

Next: A dark avenger.

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#8 is…

Too much "hunch punch."

Atrocitus (DC75th Anniversary, #042)

A 202-point no-range Charging brick would seem a poor candidate if not for his:

  • Indomitable symbol;
  • his “Burn Through Defenses” trait which downgrades Impervious to Invulnerability and Invulnerability to Toughness, making him an answer to those powers;
  • great stats throughout;
  • A later SP “Ever Growing Hate” and Poison to help him deal with swarms.

He’d place higher if he didn’t waste points on Blades/Claws/Fangs with such high natural damage. He also needs Telekinesis to help him not get shot to pieces from range. In Modern Age games, he’s a great fit for the Red Lantern Special Object and the Kinetic Accelerator; in Golden Age, it’s probably Fortitude or nothing.

Next one is less angry and less red. (Which could be anyone.)

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In total contrast to the high-flying, fast-racing superpowered heroic duo Flash and Green Lantern, the next piece on the list is a non-powered villain operating so deeply in the shadows that no one is fully certain who he really is.

#9

The Holiday Killer (The Brave and the Bold, #021)

What, this little 43-pointer makes the list? YES. For such a low cost, he brings:

  • Stealthed Outwit. That’s always a solid combo;
  • High sharable AV (via his Batman Enemy TA). Even though he’s less vital now that wild cards can lend stats, it’s still welcome on him;
  • 8 range. He’s not JUST a hidden support figure but a viable 2nd or 2rd attacker.

Sure, his dial is short, but hey…he’s only 43 points! He requires no extra feats to function well in Golden Age games.

Next piece is maddening.

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As I wrote last time, 2010 was a good year for the game. Starting today, I’m counting down the top ten HeroClix released last year. Let’s jump right in!

#10:

But who's brave and who's bold?

The Flash and Green Lantern (The Brave and the Bold #048)

This double-based figure starts the Top Ten with a number of great elements:

  • double TK SP allows them to sling out two pals at once;
  • 8 range and 2 targets (thanks to a late errata in the Player’s Guide). That really works well with…
  • Duo Attack and 4 damage. They can really lay down some hurt.
  • Superb Defense, starting and ending with 19 and boasting Invulnerability in the middle where the numbers sag;
  • “Two-Man Justice League,” a SP allowing them to use a damage power missing from your team for a round. Need an AV boost? Pick Perplex. A damage boost? RCE or CCE. A defense boost? Shape Change…or maybe Outwit.
  • Late-dial Hypersonic Speed with revived stats;
  • 12 Speed all dial long.

This duo almost slipped off my list for their really underwhelming AV for their fairly mammoth 200-point cost. But their ability to use Perplex (potentially, anyhow) for most of their dial counters that weakness. Despite their price tag, they are not a tentpole piece; surround them with other solid fighters.

Be back tomorrow for number 9, a piece that’s pretty much the complete opposite of this high-cost, heroic duo.

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Out with old. In with new.

I’ve been away for the holidays and so haven’t made any recent updates. Sorry about that!

But I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas. And while we’re all looking forward to a brand new year, it’s nice to look back at the one almost finished with.

It was a good year for HeroClix, as it transitioned from its near-death experience of 2009 to its current state:

  • In April, The Brave and The Bold released. Unlike its predecessor Hammer of Thor (which was all but fully completed when Topps pulled the rug out from under WizKids in December 2008), the first new DC set in over a year felt incomplete due to its bad LEs, unusually numerous sculpt recycles and lots of duos. But for DC Clix fans, it was still refreshing (especially after being delayed from a late-February release), and initial disappointment turned to grudging and sometimes outright admiration.
  • A late April release for the Blackest Night Starter Set turned to late June. It wasn’t totally worth the extra wait, as the map was missing important terrain color-coding. But the figures were nice and it’s always good to get the new rules.
  • Delays were the rule in 2010, as both Watchmen and Web of Spider-Man were shoved back about a month or so to August and September, respectively. Watchmen was controversial for being loaded with unpopular duos instead of the-blink-and-you-missed-them Minutemen or a generic or three, and for being $100. Web of Spider-Man was a bit better-received due to being A) a Marvel set and B) it was the first brand-new, no-holdover-from Topps full set.
  • October brought us Brightest Day, a 7-figure Action Pack with a 2-sided map. That had to tide players over until December, when the delayed DC75th Anniversary set released at almost the end of the year. The verdict’s still out on the set — it’s barely 2 weeks old and the Christmas holidays have disrupted a lot of tournament schedules — but initial buzz is that it’s one of the best yet.

 

For the next few weeks, in lieu of my usual features, I’ll be sharing my Top Ten of 2010, which will be much different from 2009’s due to simply having so many more to choose from! In fact, my current plan is to do a standard one for Most Playable of the year and a second one for MY top ten favoritesm which may not be playable at all. Bookmark the site and return daily starting Jan. 3!

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Veteran STARMAN (Cosmic Justice)

Kneeling in mid-air...?

I’ve never liked the “standing on the flight disk” pose in HeroClix. Ones like this are even worse. So when WizKids did away with the flight stands, I decided to do away with his.

  • Used hobby knife to cut him free from flight stand.
  • Snapped off flight stand.
  • Glued him to base.

Fits in my box better, too.

Completed late-2009.
NEXT WEEK: My first dial transplant.