I’ve never done one of these lists before for this site (or on my previous one, Pojo.com). I tend to be a glass-half-full type who can find a solid use out of any piece.
But…y’know. Sometimes a piece is just bad. It might do something neat, but requires so much extra support or such situational serendipity that it might as well be wasted points.
Here we go, then…the worst of the mediocre.
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#10: Max Mercury (The Brave and the Bold #023)
Look! I'm running with such SPEED I look like I'm standing still!!!
How can a character with Hypersonic Speed, the best standard power in the game, make a “worst of” list? When said character costs over 70 points and only has one click of damage greater than 1. And then gets Perplex…that only affects speed! BARF!!! Sure, he could make Charge figures really good, but he’s spending SEVENTY POINTS to do that and little else. Hell to the no. Probably my least favorite piece of Brave and Bold, even if he’s not the worst.
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#9: The Burglar (Web of Spider-Man #105)
Unforgettably bad.
His hyped-up AV and damage against cheaper characters is only good against pogs and, oh, about 5 characters in Modern Age games. And they’ll all be in the backfield where he’ll never get to without concerted effort on your part. Wouldn’t you rather be, y’know, trying to win the game? Keep The Burglar locked up.
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#8: Ocean Master (DC 75th Anniversary #027)
He’s not a master of much of anything but sucking. His 3 range is almost worthless and his SP stands a 33% chance of both not cracking Invulnerability and causing him unavoidable damage. If he’s caught without water terrain, his Probability Control — the only reason to play him — dries up like a beached jellyfish. Give him about as wide a berth as you would that thing while on your vacation.
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#7: Clark Kent (The Brave and the Bold #002)
For a guy who’s secretly Superman, he’s sure sorry. Nearly 50 points for a little bit of Toughness and Perplex? Not hot. Even if he somehow survives to switch to AE Superman, he’s only got one click of Charge (so no pushing to switch) and only 3 clicks of life.
He should have Superman Ally TA at least…x-ray vision is the one power he can and does use inconspicuously as Clark Kent and it’d almost make him worth the price. As he is, though, he’s a hack.
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#6: Extant (The Brave and the Bold #037)
At first he looks like every generic army’s nightmare with his SP that hits them all at once. Then you realize the horrible truth.
- It doesn’t show until his 3rd click…
- …which you’ll never see willingly because A) he doesn’t push (both due to Quintessence and the fact that his 10 AV is then history)…
- …and B) is likely to get hit past (thanks, no damage reduction!)
- …and will probably miss the target anyway as he’s swinging with 8 or even 7 AV.
He’s a little hard to hit (at first) and has solid 10 range and a lot of 3 damage, yes. All that goes for pieces wayyyyy under his 169 points. Extant need not exist in your team-building plans.
Yesssss.
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#5: Quentin Turnbull (Jonah Hex #003)
Hard to use Mastermind when you’re only 40 points with a 14 DV. I mean, the peons are likely to have a higher DV, and yet you’re making it easier for opponents to KO them! Perplex and Outwit can be had cheaper…especially with the latter buried on click 3 of his 4-click life.
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#4: Knot Top Leader (Watchmen #016)
Maybe if there were, oh, I don’t know…more than ONE WHOLE OTHER FIGURE IN THE GAME that benefitted from his having the Knot Top keyword and higher cost, this waste of 37 points (which, again, you’ll only ever play because you want to use one or more copies of that one whole other figure in the game) might not be among the worst figures of the year. But there isn’t, and so he is.
I don't even have anything cute to say here.
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#3 Bruce Wayne (The Brave and the Bold #101)
Did I say it was hard to use Mastermind on a 40-point piece? Try 33 points! I suppose one could get some short-range Mind Control use out of him if you made sure he had some pogs to shuffle attacks off to. Otherwise, leave this playboy passed out in the hotel room where he belongs.
It's full of money...MONOPOLY MONEY.
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#2 Mary Jane Watson (Web of Spider-Man #030)
IF you’re playing a Spider-Man, she can be a Willpower’d wild card. That means spending a minimum of 50 extra points in Modern Age just to make her worth considering. If you want a themed team you’ll have to go up to 90 points to field Brick Spidey.
That’s not hitting the jackpot, BTW.
15 points of a pointless HeroClix figure just to say she’s been made into a figure. Let’s never do this again, OK, WizKids?
...even if it IS a fantastic figure ^ (if you catch my drift.)
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And Heroclixin’s number one worst HeroClix figure of 2010 is:
Spider-Man (Web of Spider-Man #100)
At first, Brick Spidey looks OK, with a neat SP and an even better trait. Then you realize that huge 4-square base ruins him utterly, making him too big a target for enemies, restricting his attack abilities via his Transporter Move And Attack, and generally offering him no benefit whatsoever. AND he dies from just 6 clicks? He’s a brick, all right…a brick of FECES!!!
Um, actually? We're STILL laughing at you.
That does it for the Top Tens of 2010. Hopefully, we’ll all be around next January to recount the most memorable ‘Clix of 2011 (and the recently revealed Magneto already looks like a lock for Heroclixin’s list, let me tell you)!
I’m going to take a short break from posts (I think) and will be back Monday with resumption of My Custom Mods series! Til then, happy clixin’!