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And now…

…at long last…

…the #1 HeroClix piece of 2010 is…

…

(drum roll…)

…

…

…

ROCKET RACER (Web of Spider-Man #044)

“What?!?” I can hear you saying (if you’re not spitting your cereal or losing your lunch all over your keyboards. I claim no responsibility for that. You shouldn’t be eating at the computer anyway), “Are you KIDDING me?!? Rocket-freaking-RACER?????!?

Yes. Rocket Racer. Here’s why:

  • Hypersonic Speed is awesome.
  • Ignoring all terrain except walls and indoor blocking is awesome. Ask Hammer of Thor Cap!
  • (Except RR only ignores for movement. Still awesome.)
  • He’s a wild card, which is awesome.
  • He has Psychic Blast. Awesome.

OK, sure he tops out at 9 AV and only has 5 clicks of life for his 60 points and only has Combat Reflexes for defense even though he will try to not be adjacent to an enemy very often thanks to HSS and his keywords absolutely stink like the garbage can in the picture. And oh yeah…2 damage. For most of his dial.

But…c’mon! He’s on a rocket-powered skateboard!!!! That’s just awesome enough to be the best!!!!!

…

…OK, yeah. I am kidding you. Made a joke over at HCRealms and couldn’t resist taking it a little further.

The REAL number one most playable figure of 2010 is…

Cosmic Spider-Man (Web of Spider-Man #064)

This is the single most broken non-colossal figure in the game. Why?

  • His line of fire is never blocked;
  • By ANYTHING!!!
  • He’s got 10 range…through walls.
  • He’s got 14 Speed Hypersonic Speed that shoots past your meat shields and then hides back behind the wall he zipped out from behind.
  • He’s also one of those five characters with double-digit AV all dial long. (The others: Venus, Bullseye, Thor & Loki, and Galactus.)
  • He’s got Power Cosmic. You can’t counter his powers…or his ability to shoot past anything.
  • He’s a wildcard. Meaning he can pal up with a Batman Ally to keep foes from easily targeting him.
  • Impervious. Invulnerable.
  • Even after he loses HSS, you can’t base him easily or for long because of his two SPs. The first SP grants Incap then a free shot at a Telekinesis attack; the second SP grants Force Blast then a free shot with Ranged Combat Expert right after for as much as 7 damage;
  • Telekinesis makes him as solid a support piece as an attacker. And remember, his line of fire is never blocked, so he’s actually a better TKer than any other character in the game.

His one weakness, a very short dial for his highest-costed-standard-character-in-HeroClix 319 points, is more than mitigated by his superb defenses and ability to utterly avoid taking attacks in the first place.

(Really, a properly played CSM can really suck the fun out of a game — he either steamrolls the opposition, or the CSM player makes such terrible die rolls that he can’t hit the floor aiming down. Either way, someone’s not having fun.)

Still, I’ve seen CSM defeated; heck, I’ve done it myself (more from being saved by the bell than anything). That’s why we play the game. Superior tactics and decent die rolls can take down overpowered pieces with below-average rolls anytime!

Next week: Heroclixin’s Honorable Mentions of 2010 and then, my personal favorites of the year!

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2 is the second Dark Avenger on the Top Ten:

Bullseye (Web of Spider-Man, #042)

  • 10 range Running Shot means he can cover a LOT of territory;
  • One would expect that basing him helps. It dosen’t, because he’s a Sharpshooter and thus able to shoot at adjacent foes and because his Combat Reflexes then make him more difficult to hit back;
  • The Thunderbolts keyword makes him one of the few characters who can use the revised alternate team ability, allowing him to pick any one wildcardable Marvel team ability per game for 8 points. Thus, he can pick Ultimates and shoot Stealthed characters or go defensive with Mystics and make himself a less inviting target;
  • His AV starts at 12 and never slips to single digits. Only 5 other figures in the whole game can claim that;
  • He can deal penetrating damage for most of his dial;
  • In fact, there’s no point in his dial when he can’t deal 3 or more damage;
  • Late-dial Stealth after he takes a solid hit defends against range while Willpower and Blades/Claws/Fangs deals with attackers up close;
  • His trait ignores Shape Change and Super Senses. (Which just ridiculous, as those sorts of characters are the only ones who can reliably dodge Bullseye.)

He’s got zero damage reduction…that’s his only real weakness. It’s not much of one.

And the number most playable figure of 2010 is…!

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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.