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Finally continuing this Monday feature (replacing “My Custom Mods”) in which I talk a bit on how I selected artwork for feats and battlefield conditions that didn’t come with art, originally. Today, it’s Halloween! So we’re looking at some of the spookier arts I picked.

Blackest Night

This BFC inspired by DC Comics’ big zombie miniseries had an image from issue 2 of the Blackest Night event that was a no-brainer to use.

I have never seen this Print-and-Play-only BFC used.

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Another, less-obvious CardArt was a feat from Icons:

Darkness Within

An easy pick would’ve been to use a villain, doing villainous things to some flunky. But my concept of the card was more complex; to me, it depicts a hero doing something villainous and thus being overcome, albeit momentarily, by the darkness within.

At the time, the best image I had in my collection was from one of the worst comics in my (or anyone’s) collection: Aquaman #11 of the 2002 series. The titular hero had just come to the penultimate issue of a drawn-out wretch of a year-long arc whose eventual ending was telegraphed back in issue 6. Here, Aquaman’s just punched the lights out of his arch-enemy — who’s just shot Aquaman in the back after pretending to have reformed. Seems like pretty normal, straightforward superhero stuff, right?

WRONG. In this stupid take on the Sea King, hitting bad guys with his magic water hand is Bad. Anger is Bad. And it releases his dark side, which nearly destroys the world.

I’m oversimplifying, and inadvertently making it sound cooler than it was. IT SUCKED. And it basically killed that book and the character so dead that even its soft-reboot couldn’t save it.

But it did give me this one stark image that illustrates “darkness within” emerging quite well. So there’s that, at least. :)

 

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I had to self-limit this month’s Top Ten to just Modern Age figs just to help myself make actual decisions. But there were some great retired Monsters who could’ve made the list, otherwise. Here’s the Golden Age version of Heroclixin’s Top Ten Monsters:

#10: Chemo (Giants 007)

Big fat poison machine. Feed him pogs to keep him alive with his Suicide Squad TA.

#9: Hellbaby (Hellboy and the BPRD 007)

Wildcarding tie-up points filler. (And a baby.)

#8: King Shark (Justice League o21)

Blades/Claws/Fangs and Battle Fury. I hum the “Jaws” theme when playing.

#7: Zzzax (Mutations and Monsters 025)

High-speed giant, with keyword-best 10 range. Poison, too!

#6: REV Moloid

The old Critical Mass versions are THE cheapest, most useful filler in the game, not just keyword. Stealth meat shields FTW!

#5: Iron Man (Mutations and Monsters #055)

Sole source of starting Perplex and a rare flier. BRAAAAINS!!!!

#4: Rampaging Hulk (Mutations and Monsters #062)

Best balance of effect and cost of all Hulks to date. SMASH!

#3: Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy (Mutations and Monsters #040)

Can you tell I like giants? I also like duo figures and, sometimes, peanut bases. And, of course, dinosaurs!

#2: Vet Marrina (Armor Wars 036)

55 points cheap with a deep, deep dial full of hidden surprises.

#1: Hellboy (Hellboy and the BPRD #001)

The “world’s greatest paranormal detective” bears a solid dial and, more importantly, a wildcard TA to work well with a lot of other Monsters on both lists. (Which is ironic because he’s often a monster hunter, much like the #1 choice on the Modern list, Frankenstein.)

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Concluding the countdown of the Top Ten most F.U.N. Modern Age Monsters in Heroclixin’s estimation. Here’s the top 3!

#3

Morbius (Secret Invasion #029)

At the sort-of cheap cost of 67 points, the Living Vampire delivers a wee bit of Super Strength and Stealthy, Leap/Climb-y mobility along with a weak form of Super Senses. Better still is his Steal Energy SP later in his dial, that either A) can get him back in prime condition with even a single successful attack, or B) will make opponents so nervous about that eventuality that they focus on him instead of bigger monsters on your team. That’s a win-win for the Morbuis player.

Speaking of bigger monsters, here’s one that Heroclixin’ will always consider first for the theme:

#2

Mindless One (Giant-Size X-Men #005)

Folks were kind of down on this 100-point generic when it was revealed. Short six-click dial, no moving attack, slooooow speed, anemic DV numbers seemed to equal overcosted junk to the naysayers.

Then they actually played it, or faced one on the table, and they learned that a Psy-Blasting, Impervious and Indomitable Mystic is fearsome indeed…especially when played in multiples!

In fact, a Mindless One horde is so surprisingly effective that Heroclixin’ has to sort of dock some F.U.N. factor from it. While this piece scores on Utility and the Nifty elements, Impervious Mystics aren’t a very Friendly team!

Therefore, the top Monster in Modern Age for Heroclixin’ is:

#1

Frankenstein (Arkham Asylum #041)

Running Shot, Invulnerability, Blades/Claws/Fangs and Indomitable make this classic monster reborn a solid 98-point fighting piece in a Heroclix game. His starting 9 Attack Value makes him Friendly enough to run in less-competitive environments (and fear not; a single push gets him to double digit AV if you need it). And monsters just don’t come any Niftier than Frankenstein — come on, now! Plasticity, Close Combat Expert and Regeneration give plenty of options late-dial.
Are there more playable Monsters in Modern Age? Sure. But that’s not what this Top Ten is about. It’s about F.U.N.! And Frankenstein here scores the highest in that category.
That does it for another end-of-month countdown…almost. Check for a rare weekend bonus update sharing Heroclixin’s Top Ten Golden Age Monsters!

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Continuing the photographic record of Super-Strength characters who can hold their own object tokens and the Halloween-y focus, today we’re looking at several freakish-looking characters using Super Strength who can tote their object tokens.

First up are a couple with twin power-siphon SPs: Parasite (Justice League #030):

and Super-Adaptoid from Mutations and Monsters:

Though neither has Super Strength, both could GET Super Strength under the extreme circumstances that it takes to make you use their SPs (and, more importantly, either of these overcosted, inefficient figures).

Not quite so overcosted and inefficient, Ultrahumanite of Unleashed represents the gorillas in this menagerie:

Venom from Sinister, too:

You can tell I took the following pic of Killer Croc (Unleashed and Batman Alpha) before I figured out how to photograph miniatures. But the point that he can hold a token in the crook of his left arm is still plain to see:

Another big green guy…Supernova’s Drax the Destroyer:

Whoa, we’re on a green roll, here! Origin’s Martian Manhunter:

This Martian Manhunter, from The Brave And The Bold, isn’t so green. But he’s just as super-strong:

 

Secret Invasion’s She-Thing is a token toter, barely:

So is Tombstone from the same set. Wedge it in his stat slot and under his folded arms:

Korg (Mutations and Monsters #018) :

And finally: Supernova’s Super-Skrull (and, by virtue of having an identical sculpt, LE Skymax) holds his token with aplomb!

Tomorrow, see who Heroclixin’s top three Monsters in Modern Age are.

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Continuing to countdown the Top Ten most F.U.N. Modern Age Monsters in Heroclixin’s estimation.

#7

Vermin (Web of Spider-Man #036)

 

At the cheap cost of 43 points, you get a Charging, Super-Sensing, Blades/Claws/Fanging, free-damage-to-folks-in-hindering (thanks to his Rat Army SP on click #2 and on) solid AV 3rd-stringer. He’s a piece that  WoS Nightcrawler players MUST respect. If Vermin had higher defense, he’d be mean. As is, he’s just F.U.N.

Despite his small cost, I don’t really consider him filler. That honor goes to the next on the list:

#6

Moloid (Secret Invasion #002)

 

At 15 points, these lil’ guys are THE filler pieces to make your Monster team themed. But you really should save at least 30 points on your team to get at least two or more on to use their swarm-friendly SPs to carry each other and get AV bonuses when trying to overwhelm a weakened (or damage-reducerless) enemy.

Of course, the MOST F.U.N. thing to do is to run a bunch of them. :)

Moloids are pretty mindless, though. Monsters need one who’s considerably more mindFUL:

#5

Zibarro (Superman #104)

54 points buys you the cheapest by far starting Outwit amongst Monsters, and the only one available in Modern Age. Better still: he’s got it with Superman Ally TA to see the Stealthy (look out, Nightcrawler!) and move through hindering terrain unhindered. And being a boot speed character, he can get carried by one of the few Monster fliers around (say, Man-Bat Assassin) to do his Outwitting — and negating the usual Carry penalty with his Special Power.

Later in his dial, he becomes a bit of an offensive threat with Willpower and Exploit Weakness to clean up after the bruisers have worn a target down. He’s not gonna win games by himself at all and isn’t too hard to counter. But he brings a unique set of tools for Monsters to maraud with, and thus makes the list.

On the complete opposite end of the scale from the dwarfish Moloids and normal-sized Zibarro, we see the sometimes-disputed monarch of Planet X…

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#4

Groot (Web of Spider-Man #049)

 

"I AM GROOT!!!"

Although his printed cost is 152, he’s really 157 thanks to his essential 5-point ATA, Guardians of the Galaxy, which prevents his powers from being countered. This keeps his Super Strength, Shape Change and 18 DV Invulnerability usable against most threats. More importantly, if he does get shot up from range before he can slowly lumber into reach to hit someone with the object he should be holding, chances are he’ll drop the object in his own square and can then heal for free while on the hindering terrain it creates.

Mid-dial, Groot reveals hidden genius via Outwit before hitting his immobile but utterly mighty Colossal clicks. And he gets a shot at healing with Regen on his end-dial.

Groot’s slow speed is his biggest downfall (especially with him being one of the very few Monster taxis — the penalty makes that bit of utility practically useless) and keeps him from placing higher on the list. But as longtime Heroclixin’ readers know, he’s definitely a favorite in these parts.

 

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Regular readers will note I did four installments instead of the usual two-a-day. That’s because tomorrow, I’m posting another extra-large edition of Token-Totin’ focusing on some of the more freakish sculpts in Heroclix! Then join us Friday for Heroclixin’s top three Modern Age Monsters!

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Continuing the photographic record of Super-Strength characters who can hold their own object tokens and the Halloween-y focus, today we’re looking at several freakish-looking characters using Super Strength who can tote their object tokens.

First up is a refugee from Apokolips, The Parademon (The Brave and the Bold #030):

Next: Blue Devil from Collateral Damage:


It fits in the gap formed by his forearms and staff.

Back to Darkseid’s minions, here’s his son Kalibak (Collateral Damage #095):

Wedged between his rubble and his elbow seems the way to hold, here.

The frightening-looking Venom from Critical Mass joins in the fun:

Much like Blue Devil carries his token in the gap, old-school Venom does it even better!

The shapeshifting Hulkling is only a part-time freak. But yeah…

He can BARELY grip the token wedged between the flight base and his right wrist.

Fantastic Force’s  weirdly faceless Awesome Android has no problem with tokens:

He's big enough to actually hold it in his giant mitts.

The monster-hunting monster Hellboy (Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. #001) pitches in:

Between his thigh and coat. RAWR!!!!

Hulk (2099 #001) wants to rock and roll all night:

Although he can tote it under either giant arm, doing it with his Gene Simmons-like tongue is more secure (and cooler).

This spider-man Lord Recluse (City of Villains #001) is no hero either, but he’s a token toter:

Man, PICK an arm or three.

DC Giants’ Validus (Giants Collectors Set #002) gets in on it:

That left hand is better to try.

The massive Ragnarok Surtur (Hammer of Thor #201 ) :

Unfortunately, putting the token here may just topple this figure to the table.

And finally: it’s Ulik (Hammer of Thor #021), one of Heroclixin’s top monsters!

Said Top Ten continues tomorrow! Then be back Thursday for another jumbo-sized spooky edition of Token Totin’!

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It’s that time of month again (no, not the full moon), when Heroclixin’ counts down the top ten Heroclix whatever. With the Halloweenish theme of October, we’re looking at Monsters! The ground rules are a little different this month, though: where I usually rank them according to strict playability, this time the focus is on F.U.N.

For me, Halloween is about the fun factor, not the fear. (It’s about the only redeeming quality of the holiday, IMO. But that’s a subject for another blog.)

In case you’re new to Heroclixin’, here’s what F.U.N. means:

F = The character is good for Friendly play. It’s probably not going to make most opposing players’ hearts sink with dread to see it across the table from them. That said…

U = Utility. The character isn’t automatic KO fodder, either. Played well and on the right team, this piece can compete with anyone.

N = Above all, this character is Nifty for some reason other than pure game effectiveness or popularity.

So that’s the criteria. And believe me, that made this Top Ten one of the hardest I’ve ever done! In fact, I totally wasn’t able to narrow it down to ten at all. So I refocused the countdown:

Heroclixin’s Top Ten MODERN AGE Monsters

OK, now that I could work with. With no further ado, here’s

#10

Atrocitus (DC75th Anniversary #042)

The stuff I wrote about him in January — his great numbers, his indomitability, and his anti-defenses abilities — all still applies. He’s also still SO expensive; he almost got squeezed out of the running (like his setmate Doomsday (#056) does at even 57 points higher). But for high-point Monster builds, he’s one I’m liable to try to fit on.

That is, until I consider the next freak of the week…

#9

Morlun (Web of Spider-Man #052)

Besides being well-dressed, this vampire-ish beast one-ups Atrocitus by being Impervious and taxiable. Moreover, his Steal Energy trait, Indomitable, and even his late Regeneration conspire to make him a tough KO. He’s still expensive, but 180 beats 202. Can’t forget his SP that helps him chase down the enemy he wounded.

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#8

Ulik (Hammer of Thor #021)

At a comparatively svelte 118 points, Ulik sports excellent AV, high damage numbers and a defensive power that’s Outwit- and Pulse Wave-proof. He can deal out clicks upon clicks of Super Strength and Close Combat Expert beating while only taking a single click of damage from enemy attacks at a time. If only his actual defensive numbers were any good, so enemy attacks would actually miss him from time to time…he’d be higher on the list. Run him with his minion, the 40-point Rock Troll, to help block and/or draw fire.

Regular readers will note I did three installments instead of the usual two-a-day. That’s because tomorrow and Thursday, I’m posting extra-large editions of Token-Totin’ focusing on some of the most monstrous sculpts in Heroclix! The countdown to Halloween is on!

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M.O.D.O.K. cannot be contained by your feeble containers, you micro-encephalic FOOL!

I have a particular storage scheme for my HeroClix. Not ever wanting to be a completist, I long ago decided to never accumulate more HeroClix than I could carry on my person at one time. Across my six years of collecting, I’ve stuck to that decision. (In a future installment of F.U.N. Fridays, I may post on this subject and show how I do it in pictures.)

Anyway, this means that container space is at a premium, and the above-pictured Mental Organism Designed Only for ComputingKilling absolutely does not fit in my boxes.

Solution? Find another place for him.

A bit of packing tape makes him an amusing dash ornament. (BTW, that's an old Checkmate Agent he's menacing at the moment.)

It’s a rare day that the sight of this ridiculous-looking figure won’t put a smile on my face on the way to work.

Next week being the last full week of the month, I think I’ll do another Top Ten list. Be here for Heroclixin’s Top Ten MONSTERS!

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I really wanted to write about an all-monster theme team or something. But my new job has cut out a lot of the extra gaming I’ve gotten used to over the past several years, so I’ve had to settle for 2 out of 3:

Queen of Fables (Superman #049)

yeah, a chick with squid for legs? Pretty freakshow.

Zibarro (Superman #104)

Monster with the soul of a poet.

Star Boy (Superman #007)

That beard’s not scary at all.

300 points even once I added the 4-point Scorpio Key special object. Basic strat was to copy Queen’s Mystics TA and shut down enemy Speed powers with Star Boy’s wildcard and trait, respectively, carrying Zibarro.

FIRST MATCH was against Lenny’s 300-point All-Star Superman on the new Metropolis map. Oy.

Superman set up well beyond Star Boy’s speed range to kill his Hypersonic Speed and on this very wide open map I’d have no safe way of doing so. But I had to do something to keep Supes from  simply running the table. One mistake, and I was done. So here’s what I did:

  • Star Boy moved within 9 squares of Superman, carrying Zibarro within 10 to Outwit Superman’s Indomitable.
  • Moved Queen of Fables just in front of Superman to block Line of Fire to Zibarro to prevent the counter-Outwit.
  • Copied Mystics with Star Boy.

Now I waited. Lenny’s a sharp player and he saw what I’d done to give him a number of bad choices:

  • He’d have to push to hit either the Queen or Star Boy, and thus would take TWO clicks of damage for the effort.
  • He’d also have to overextend and would be stranded by Star Boy’s trait…
  • …even moreso if he tried instead to go after the non-Mystic target of Zibarro behind the others.

But it wasn’t great for me, either. Superman could easily KO Star Boy or Zibarro with one easy hit. And Queen of Fables would take EXTRA damage from the object Supes was carrying.

In the end, Superman Outwitted her Invulnerability and moved to HSS her with his heavy object. Shape Change failed and she got rocked for 8 unreduced clicks, landing her on her final click of life. Argh.

That move won me the game.

See, Queen of Fables gets a SP “I’m The Hero Of This Tale” where she gets Willpower and can copy an enemy’s attack and damage values + 1. With Superman stuck next to her, he was an easy, Outwitted target (after Zibarro scooted around her for LOF) to take 6 clicks in turn. So although Supes was able to take her out easily on his next opportunity, he was now weakened enough for Star Boy and Zibarro to knock him out.

SECOND MATCH was in the Fortress of Solitude against Paul’s Gangbuster, Lucy Lane and Cyborg Superman. This time I didn’t play quite as smart, moving Star Boy too close to Lucy and GB, who merely based him and beat him to KO.

Fortunately, I had Zibarro around to keep CyberSupes good and nerfed for Queen to pound. Between the two, I was able to emerge victorious for a wipeout, and the tournament win.