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#10 is the hardcore jailhouse duo of:

Larry and Mike (Watchmen 020)

The y make the Most Wanted Top Ten Duo list because they…

  • Are the cheapest duo fig in the game at 33 points. Of course, that means their stats are largely lacking. But they have a few things that help them, such as…
  • Probability Control when they use Duo Attack, which means the ability is key on them. They also…
  • Get a damage boost with higher-point Underworld figs on the board. And fortunately, there’s been an influx of those into the game lately. Speaking of the Underworld TA…
  • They’re an extra taxi for the team. The Brute keyword has few enough of those.
  • 6 range means that when all this is put together, they can potentially blast a target for 4 damage from relative safety (with a reroll in there). Not bad for 33 points.

So while they’re not going to carry a whole game for you, they’re a piece that actually benefits from being a duo more than it’s a drag. These inmates could be dangerous enough to rate #10 among the top duos.

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Iron Man / War Machine (Web of Spider-Man 059)

Compared to some of the high-cost duos we’ll see further into the list, these movie stars haven’t aged well in the era of power creep. They’re highly vulnerable to swarms, Outwit and just plain getting based by tie-up.

Ironically, those reasons are largely why they make the list.

  • After their initial Running Shot attack, IM/WM rely heavily on their Duo Attack to lay down heavy fire. Basing them usually doesn’t work for long because few tie-up pieces can take the 7 clicks of damage.
  • And with Indomitable ability, IM/WM will be shelling out the attacks.
  • If hit past their Pulse Wave clicks (the only ones you probably won’t use Duo Attack much on), they get a Special Power, “Adaptive Response Armor,” that replaces one or both ranged duo attacks with Incap, RCE or Psychic Blast. So again, they’re using Duo Attack.
  • So dangerous are they with Duo Attack, that it’s the power/ability that’s most scary on them and the one most frequently countered as a defensive maneuver (assuming, of course, that their Outwit has been accounted for already).
  • There are even some very decent Split opportunities in a Golden Age game, as all the War Machines so far are well under 150 points.

Being a duo makes this somewhat overcosted piece one that still very much commands respect. It’s  #9.

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#8 features the first tie of the list, in more ways than one! First we have those Super Buddies:

Blue Beetle and Booster Gold (The Brave and the Bold 052)

This duo, being both double-based and a flier, can’t be TKed or carried. Worse, their trait keeps them from using Carry themselves (guess Booster, the flying half of the pair, has his hands full with Beetle). And worst yet, you’ve got to push them to get to their best click. So how do they even make the duo list, much less over #s 10 and 9?

  • That trait also nixes the -1 penalty on the 2nd Duo Attack. This makes it a go-to ability over their Charge, even, and, combined with later clicks of Outwit or Perplex, enables them to lay down a lot of damage from 8 range.
  • If they do have to close in, the aforementioned Charge can make it happen, and they’ve got Toughness at least to help them survive.
  • They offer a +1 AV to adjacent fellows with their (limited) keywords and, more importantly, OTHER DUOS. Here, the double base helps them help others.

For just 82 points, this free-moving pair rates the #8 spot among the game’s top duos. They tie with the other 82-point duo in the game:

Nite Owl and Rorschach (Watchmen 024)

Nite Owl is actually based on Blue Beetle, too. But that’s not why the Watchmen are here. It’s all about their Attack special.

  • When using Duo Attack, they get a +1 to their AV for each adjacent foe. That’s incentive to use their Leap/Climb to get in close to a swarm, taking full advantage of their double base and Combat Reflexes (don’t forget they can take voluntary knockback if hit and you need to get out of adjacency).
  • Even better, the second, weaker attack is penetrating damage. So they can possibly tackle the big boys as well.
  • The Watchmen TA makes them immune to enemy modifiers. Mid-dial and on, they get their own modifier, Perplex, which is the best aid to Duo Attack that there is.

Unfortunately, they’re unable to Split into any figures. But if you can get them to survive long enough, this duo could get more use out of Duo Attack than many. Being Golden Age, fit them with Lunge for best results, and see why they handily share the #8 slot among the Top Ten Duos of Heroclixin’.

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Duo figures have been a curiosity and a controversy since their introduction in 2007’s Avengers set. It’s not hard to see why. It’s true that some characters are so close as to be inseparable and the duo status fits perfectly. But critics say that’s not the case for any but a select few characters. They also complain that it’s a cheap way of filling out character “selection” without actually making real individual dials of them.

But let’s look objectively at duo status.

Being a duo is doubly good because:

  • Duo Attack is like Flurry, only with the potential for range. Unlike the red Speed power, which sometimes fails due to the target no longer being eligible for the 2nd hit, either of the duo attacks can be ranged. It also usually can’t be lost in the 2nd attack.
  • The new Split ability can radically shift games, depending on circumstances. It’s also a sneaky way to get some characters onto a theme team that they wouldn’t qualify for initially.

Being a Duo is twice-bad because:

  • The 2nd attack is always weaker, with a -1 damage (minimum 1). Low damage on duos is practically worthless.
  • It doesn’t work with most powers. Like Hypersonic Speed, its interactions are limited to Steal Energy and Super Strength.
  • Duos can’t be carried. The duo symbol prevents it in most cases. Many can’t even be TKed, either, due to being multibased figures.
  • The Split maneuver requires some serious dial memorization ability and planning for not a whole of bang for the buck, generally speaking.

So you see that Duo Attack, the chief ability the duo symbol grants, is definitely not among the upper echelon of powers in HeroClix. Many of the the top ten in this list, you’ll find, specifically have abilities, powers and traits that help them overcome the liabilities of the duo class.

  1. In fact, one of the criteria to make Heroclixin’s Top Ten Duos? Whether it’s ever better for the piece to use Duo Attack over some other power or ability in a fight.
  2. A second consideration is: How well does the piece overcome duos’ liabilities?
  3. Thirdly, the piece needs a role outside of its status as a duo piece. But that role should not overshadow its ability as a duo. Specifically, being a duo should enhance its role.
  4. Does the Split Ability offer any benefit? It’s OK if it doesn’t but better if it does.
  5. Finally, one more criterion to make the list (and this is a hard-and-fast one): NO PART-TIME DUOS. They have to be a duo figure all dial long. That rules out a lot of contenders like:
  • Cable / Deadpool
  • Dr. Doom & Kang
  • Gambit / Rogue
  • Goodness & Mercy
  • Superman & The Flash
  • Superman & Superman

Be here tomorrow for numbers 10, 9 and 8 of Heroclixin’s Top Ten Duos.

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Last week, Heroclixin’ began analyzing how street-level set like Dark Knight Rises is at least a little overpowered. Sometimes grossly so.

After seeing the film, some of my opinions are altered. For example, the Mercenary whose super-Support I criticized a week ago seems to actually sort of deserve it, a little.

Well, actually, no. There’s still no reason his Support should be so much better than normal characters’. But it at least doesn’t look so out of place now.

Bruce Wayne having Leap/Climb looks even MORE wrong after TDKR.

But I digress. On with the list proper, where we left off:

Miranda Tate 012: After seeing the film, I say yes, she absolutely deserves her dial. Great support piece that bulks up in power later on. Power Leap Factor: 0

Alfred Pennyworth 013: Wayne’s faithful butler, OTOH, rates a Power Leap Factor of 3 with his unconscionably high 17 Defend — he’s an aged butler, for goodness’ sake, I don’t care what he could do as a younger man. Especially paired with his Bat Ally TA.

Bane 014: The opening three clicks of Invulnerability trouble me. They’re only there because they gave the same three to The Dark Knight 001. In a more balanced-for-the-rest-of-HeroClix, accurate set, he’d top out at just two clicks of it, I say. Power Leap Factor: 2

Master Bruce Wayne 015: His dial looks well-balanced and character-accurate, until you realize that his 5-click dial is A) brim-full of powers, he’s got B) two team abilities and C) he’s just 50 points. Something smells, here. Power Leap Factor: 1

Salvatore Maroni 016: Here we’ve got a 60-point character that, unlike Bruce above, is highly powerless. But it still rates a Power Leap rating for bringing his no-line-of-fire boost to Mind Control. Only the fact that Mind Control is so bank-bustingly expensive and awkward to use keeps the Power Leap Factor a minimal 1.

Harvey Dent 017: Why does a mere district attorney get Probability Control as a core power? He’s not a reality-warper like Scarlet Witch. He’s not a technological genius like Mr. Terrific. He’s just an internal affairs cop who became a head prosecutor. And he gives adjacent allies free WILLPOWER? With not even any keyword restrictions? And how’s he rate Batman Ally? He’s not that sneaky as Dent. Not character-accurate. Overdone. Power Leap Factor of 4. He’d be higher if not for the stuff he pulls off later as Two-Face.

Rachel Dawes 018: His ladyfriend here is even more overpowered. She’s a lawyer/politician, not a cop — why’s she get PD TA? Perplex once would be a stretch for Maggie G, but TWO times a turn? And Plasticity for someone who’s always getting captured? And Incap, for a taser she stopped using after the first film? Where the dingdong are the multiple clicks of 17 DV coming from for this untrained-in-combat civilian? And all for just 45 points? Only her weak “activation click” keeps her from being even worse than Power Leap Factor 4.

The Joker’s Henchman #2: It’s nuts that this is a more sanely designed piece than the previous two. With very modest stats and a limited version of Prob, this only rates Power Leap Factor 1.

The Joker As Sgt. 020: This looks overpowered at first, but is actually pretty nifty. At a not-svelte cost of 78 points, yes, he gets very high AV and Penetrating/Psychic Blast to represent an unexpected close-range, can’t-miss shot, along with similarly disguised cronies to shuffle hits off onto. The 3 range keeps him from getting more than a mere Power Leap Factor 1.

Lt. Gordon 021: But now we’re getting stupid again. His stats and standard powers are modest; his SP is game-warping, giving multiple keywords a lot of extra movement for the cost of his single power action. To be both character-accurate and game-balanced, it should’ve been limited to less-expensive Police-keyworded characters. As is, though? Power Leap Factor 4.

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So far, we’ve only looked at the Common and Uncommon pieces. What of the rares? Well, Ra’s al Ghul isn’t so bad, dial-wise, though he’s got an interesting (and mostly character-accurate) switcheroo trait that’s a serious double-edge katana. His more expensive lieutenant/master Henri Ducard also makes sense for his 85-point cost (although 2 TAs AND Indomitable seems to push it a bit). Carmine Falcone is a pretty standard Leadership/Mastermind piece, and his low AV balances out his Incap-plus trait; the same goes for Scarecrow (though in Dr. Crane’s case, it’s a low, barenaked DV that’s the achilles heel). Lucius Fox is a genius with no powers other than the usual genius powers (Perplex, Outwit) and a dab of Leadership-plus. None of these rate above Power Leap Factor 1.

Commissioner Gordon is the first piece of the Rares with an actual Power Leap Factor worth considering. Like the common Bruce Wayne, his 18 Defend seems at least a point too high, and, again, the Leap/Climb is totally uncalled for. His high cost is enough to keep him down to Power Leap Factor 2, but still, he’s too good.

And then there’s The Joker 028. This 194-point monstrosity is a dial of might that one skinny psycho clown shouldn’t have — especially the ultra-healing SP on his end-dial — unless you look at it as a something more akin to a scenario dial that represents Joker and his gang and, most of all, his grandest scheme and gags all working together to cause maximum chaos. Even so: Power Leap Factor 3.

The final Rare piece is The Batman 029 — the Outwitting, Leap/Climbing, Charging, flying Batman. With a chunk of Invulnerability in mid-dial and Indomitable for a nearly staggering 8-click dial, this Bats is overdone in almost every way. Previous Batman dials generally had to compromise in various manners. Some could L/C and Charge, but were hindered using the latter. Some had a solid amount of Outwit but little or no armor to protect it. Only the fact that he’s the most expensive solo Batman ever made keeps him from rating a Power Leap Factor greater than 2.

The Power Creep Rises once more in a week with looks at the Power Leap Factor of the Marquee and DKR starter pieces (#s 100-106) and the mass market figures (#s 201-210). Monday through Thursday, though, get ready for the August Top Ten countdown of the top Duo figures in HeroClix!

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The last two characters to go into Heroclixin’s photographic record of Super-Strong figs that can hold objects are a pair that don’t actually have Super Strength.

Instead, both have the ability to temporarily use the power under certain circumstances. First is Hank Pym (Chaos War 014), who can pick any standard Attack power when on an object:

It tucks neatly under his left arm as shown…though because the power only lasts ’till the end of turn, he’ll be dropping it like it’s hot as soon as he finishes moving, anyway.

Then we’ve got Taskmaster (Chaos War 048) who can copy any power of an opponent he can see with an action token in 8 squares:

Not sure how “photographic reflexes” can get you instant super-muscles, though.

And that’s it for Chaos War!

(Well, it’s almost completed. There’s one more character with Super Strength who I’ve never gotten my hands on. I just don’t have $150 lying around to get this big boy:

I suppose one could fit a token in between any of his fingers. I really want one to try it out! Someone gift one to Heroclixin’!!!!

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I played this team in the sealed Chaos War marquee:

Ares 199
Donald Blake 33
Tigra 57

=289 points. Went 1-1, losing to a Genis-Vell + Tony Stark + Speed team (amazing how badly one carelessly placed object token can kill your game) and wearing down a Sentry one-man-army.

The roundup:

Ares (Chaos War 034): Pretty tough, but in my loss he had to do too much alone (thanks to the aforementioned object placement). He can get stranded too easily. He’ll be best leading one or two more secondary attackers to take advantage of his AV-boosting SP in a larger game.

Tigra: Her DV is too low, but she’s a good example of a backup fighter to pair with Ares (too bad the aforementioned object placement prevented her from doing so in the loss by blocking her Charge path). She needs a pal with Defend for best results.

Donald Blake: not only the game’s best medic, but great for drawing fire. The Sentry player wasted both a Perplex and an action killing off Blake, which left the golden-haired Dark Avenger open to a 1-2 punch from Ares and Tigra that was the beginning of the end for him.

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The next day, I brought this team to a Chaos War/Galactic Guardians/Incredible Hulk-only 300-pointer:

Hawkeye & Mockingbird (Chaos War) 158
Spider-Woman (Chaos War 209) 55
Ant-Man (Chaos War 026) 43
Nick Fury (Chaos War) 45
+ Avengers Response Unit ATA 9

= 300 points. Went 2-1, and the loss was entirely due to my opponent choosing Krakoa and getting many Earthquake rolls.

Hawkeye & Mockingbird (Chaos War): Fantastic, versatile duo. Their sky-high 12 AV means they got some actual use out of the Transporter Move And Attack ability. For a surer attack, the Sharpshooting duo could just lightly blast foes twice from range or torch one for bigger damage with Ranged Combat Expert. Opening Stealth is pretty good for keeping them safe from range (though the double base makes them harder to manuever into hindering). Tying them up is no help, as they’ve got Combat Reflexes and Super Senses to defend themselves. The total lack of armor is their only drawback.

Nick Fury: a Stealthy and Willpowered Leader, Nick is best used as a SHIELD support piece, bumping up ranges and damages. But don’t mind pushing him (or, as in my game, shooting a Mystic) to get to his Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Outwit click(s). For only 45 points, this latest version of Samuel L. Fury isn’t bad.

Spider-Woman 209: Her Leap/Climb trait gets her in foes’ faces, Super Senses or Combat Reflexes and Stealth keep her safe, and her solid AV with powers like Incap and Flurry make her a threat. Very pushable, she’s also a good supporter for shooters thanks to her choice of SHIELD or Hydra TAs (I picked the latter because the entire rest of my team was SHIELD). Such an excellent tie-up piece.

Ant-Man: though blessed with a great “free move” trait, Eric O’Grady’s low damage makes it hard to capitalize on. His DV is too mediocre to use him well as tie-up, especially since his natural movement ability is so low. I got some use out of his anti-Outwit/Perplex SP, at least. And he’s still a lock for Secret Avengers themes.

I did not remember to use the ATA even once.

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Continuing the photographic record of just how each character with the Super Strength power can hold their object token (the old ones, anyway. The newer ones found in the Avengers and Dark Knight Rises starter sets might be too thick) somewhere on the sculpt unassisted.

We’re almost done with Chaos War, a set that’s surprisingly light on the green attack power to be “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” Today we have this star-crossed duo:

The token is held in Wonder Man’s energy tendrils instead of his hand like on his other sculpts (though that hold can work, too).

Tomorrow, read a battle report on Chaos War pieces. Then be here Thursday for two more pieces that, at first glance, might not look super-strong at all. But they can heft the heavies (and lights) with the burliest of them for a turn or two.

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Back to my regular rotation of talking about DC feats and BFC cards that I went back and customized with artwork for fun. (Here’s a link back to the original concept.)

Continuing with the Collateral Damage set’s feats. First is Flashbang:

 

The artist is Rags Morales, I believe, from Paul Levitz’s mediocre series-killing run on JSA. Great image of Dr. Mid-Nite using a flashbang grenade.

This feat actually isn’t offered among the DC Cards With Art on my site, because it’s no longer legal in any format. There’s a newer version of Flashbang with a different effect and point cost that completely overwrites this one. It’s only presented here for historical purposes, similar to the following one from Icons (which I’d forgotten I had):

Another feat made obselete (in its case, by the removal of Soaring 2.5 years later), it’s just here for the record. The art was selected from JLA Classified #3 — a classic Ed McGuiness shot of Martian Manhunter diving from orbit.

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Next week, look for Card Arts to get back to the feats of Collateral Damage.

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A brief survey of Heroclixin’ (or clicking on the “About Heroclixin'” link above) shows that this website isn’t very focused on the meta aspects of this game. But darn if the metagame doesn’t make you anyway.

Lately there have been quite a few figures and mechanics release which go pretty counter to the F.U.N. aesthetic of Heroclixin’ and, even worse, sometimes against the very characters they represent.

Take, for example, Ziran the Tester. His “Testing” trait at all but his lowest point level can deal free automatic damage to any team that’s actually built to challenge a powerful colossal, while a team that can actually pass all his tests — in Modern Age, at least — wouldn’t have a prayer of winning. Taking damage just for building your team? On the Power Leap Factor scale of 1 to 5, this unprecedented mechanic rates the maximum.

But that’s a 600-1800-point colossal. You expect that sort of incredibly unfair and potentially un-fun stuff from that lot. But what about a street-level set like Dark Knight Rises?

Sadly, there’s a fair bit of power leap there, too. Almost every single piece is a bit overpowered somehow.

The Dark Knight 001: has 3 starting clicks of Invulnerability. Why’s he get to be more durable than many characters with the Armor keyword? This is on top of being permaStealthy and able to Outwit through walls. A more character-accurate balance would’ve been for him to have ONE click of Invulnerability on top. As is, this piece has a Power Leap Factor of 3.

Shadow Assassin 002a: for 3 fewer points, he has a longer dial and a much-improved version of Hand Ninja 003’s Special Power; this time, it works with Blades/Claws/Fangs. Only the fact that BCF isn’t top-dial keeps the Power Leap Factor from being more than a modest 1.

Bruce Wayne 003: somehow this billionaire playboy is able to rock a high 18 Defend and counteract Outwit while using the power himself. And all this is pretty well in keeping with Christian Bale Bruce Wayne’s out-of-uniform Bat-tricks, if a little too efficient in my opinion (I’d have nudged the DV down to 17, myself). What cranks the Power Leap Factor from 1 to 3 is the appearance of Leap/Climb. Bruce Wayne does not carry Bat-cables in his business suit! (Caveat: I haven’t seen Dark Knight Rises as of this writing.) Drop the L/C!

Arkham Asylum Inmate 004: Both dials are very efficient for 40 points. The “A” version’s ability to get either free breakaway or a second attack after a miss deserves a Power Leap Factor score of 2. 004b only gets better stats and Batman Enemy TA. Power Leap Factor: 1

GCPD Officer 005a: Why does a beat cop get the smartest power there is, Outwit? That’s ridiculous. Power Leap Factor: 5

Catwoman 006: her trait depends on both adjacency and the randomness of rolling doubles, so her Power Leap Factor is 0; she’s otherwise a perfectly character-accurate representation of Selina Kyle.

The Joker’s Henchman #1: Again, this is a dial thoroughly justified by the film, with low stats balancing out the useful bits. Power Leap Factor: 0

Mercenary 008: But now we’re getting a little ridiculous again. 45 points for Indomitable, solid stats and the ability to crack Invuln. on most clicks is enough to earn Power Leap Factor 3 for the A version — and that’s without a Bane to boost his AV or damage even higher! The B version somehow rates super Support (which better be a reference to Bane’s Venom Pump or something) though with lower stats. Only Power Leap Factor 1 here.

Two-Face 009: Indomitable makes sense for him. His SP giving him, occasionally, a free attack on a 2nd target, also makes sense. Having Super Senses does NOT. When did he get as nimble as Spider-Man or intangible/shielded like Zatanna? And how does flipping a coin rate Probability Control? Power Leap Factor: 3, not because he’s so effective — he’s not — but because he’s not accurate for the sake of a little extra playability.

Falcone Bodyguard 010b: This would be a great dial for the Shadow Assassin, or Shang Chi, the master of kung fu. NOT for a Mafia thug, even an elite one! When, in either of the first films, do you EVER see any of such get through Batman’s armor? Yet that’s what this piece does ALL DIAL LONG. The worst thing is the Leap/Climb for the first two clicks; he deserves it even less than Bruce Wayne earlier. Power Leap Factor 5.

GCPD Riot Officer 011a: Invulnerability on a 45-point cop? Sure, why not? It’s an arms race now, with Mafia goons able to punch through Iron Man’s armor like it isn’t there. Actually, this makes sense as representative of the bulletproof riot shield, and being followed by a couple of bare clicks balances it pretty nicely. Consequently, this is just Power Leap Factor 2.

Miranda Tate 012: Y’know, I think I’ll pick up here next week, after I’ve seen The Dark Knight Rises, to see if this click rates a Power Leap Factor. And, of course, we’re not even half done deconstructing this set. See you here next Friday!

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One of my standing goals in my HeroClix hobby is this: to play every single piece in my collection at least once.

I mean, I bought ’em…so I oughta play ’em!

This was an easy goal to meet when I could get to 3-4 tournaments each week and the pace of releases weren’t so frenetic. But now, my modest tackle box dedicated to unfielded figures has overflowed by a factor of at least two.

Fortunately, I got a couple of extra friendly matches under my belt (thanks, Lenny!) the last couple of weeks to clear out a fair number of figures. First, I picked a green theme to the tune of 900 points:

Loki (Avengers Movie 015): The trickster wound up being the MVP of the match, thanks to his early-game TK to help the immobile team and his much-needed Outwit to soften up the opposition. I like that he never becomes useless, ever, being able to break heavy armor all the time. I never got his Mind Control to work, though, and I really wanted to. Result: I’ll play him again sometime.

Hulk (Avengers Movie 014): I used him horribly, completely forgetting his top-dial SP granting Flurry. When he starts with a fairly putrid-for-140-points 9 AV, you can’t neglect free attacks like that (and it probably cost me a sweet 1-2 KO of Ms. Marvel)! I still might’ve gotten some good use out of him if I could’ve made either of those breakaway rolls, but I got a 2 each time. Result: I’ll play him again sometime…I must redeem myself!

Skrull Infiltrator (Avengers Movie 207a): Double FAIL here. A) I picked the wrong dial, using the “A” version instead of the Stealthy “B” version. Consequently, I B) completely forgot the sweet SP guarding against range attacks. Still, this 40-pointer did well to tie up an enemy Thor for quite a few turns. Result: I’ll play him again in a Skrull team for sure, even using this inferior dial.

Vision (Chaos War 205): More double FAIL: He’d gotten knocked to his last click before I realized he was Indomitable, and I’d illegally used him as a flier (he’s not). I made up for it with a full Regen roll. Result: I’ll play him again on a Young Avengers team if the points work out.

Eowyn (Lord of the Rings 017): Though deservedly reviled as the worst HeroClix figure of 2011, the White Lady of Rohan proved that even terrible figures can be highly successful. On a large team like this one, she always had ample targets for her conditional Perplex. And she made more than one healing roll with her also-conditional Support. Finally, her Willpower gave her some actual attack opportunities in the endgame. It’s saying far too much to call her an MVP, but…well, she was in the running. Result: Far better than expected.

Merry & Pippin (Lord of the Rings 022): I’d intended to hold them back with Eowyn to maybe do some big-time triage healing tricks with their epic power. But it was awkward to try because they’d have to be healed first, and their top-dial Willpower and Shape Change make it less likely they’ll need healing. So I instead used them as a sacrificial tie-up piece to buy more important fighters some time. Result: a bit of a letdown for this chase. Say no to drugs, kids!

Super Skrull (Galactic Guardians 034): The heavy hitter of the team and one of its few taxis, SSkrull lasted until the last vestiges of the game. Result: I’ll always be torn between him, the 100-point version and the Supernova classic. 

Skrull Assassin (Galactic Guardians 202): Another one that held on through nearly the whole match (thanks mostly to a heal from Eowyn), Assassin did OK. Result: I probably won’t use her if I’ve got the AVM Infiltrators instead.

Ronan The Accuser (Galactic Guardians Fast Forces 006): The 100-point level was what I could fit on the team. He worked all right. Result: I’ll play him again with Inhumans.

Hulk (Infinity Challenge 199): His low, low stats relegated old Hulk to mere tie-up status in the vain hope that he could get hit into his powerful clicks. Once it happened, though, he was easily KO’d before he could even push to attack.  Result: I’ll never play him again unless I need a cheap Hulk — and the upcoming 10th Anniversary one will fill that bill soon enough!

Infected Marine (Halo 020): His poor 8 AV buffs up to a potential 11 when tokened enemies are nearby, making this Monster a bit of a push-ready terror (especially with a dialful of Steal Energy). Wound up being something of the secret weapon of the team.  Result: I’ll play him again sometime on a Monster team for sure, provided there are enough “Silver” Age games to do so.

About a week later, I was able to get in a 200-point match to finally field this Monster-ous little crew of Halo figs:

Infected Elite (Halo 021): Of the unofficial “Flood” theme, this one is the mobile attacker (Charge) and Stealth shield for the others. If only I’d used him as such. :( A surprisingly long dial for a trim 55 points means … Result: I’ll try it out again sometime.

Flood Carrier (Halo 025): Free attacks after melee attacks, hit or miss, was a lot of fun in spite of the minimal damage and attack values. Fortunately, my target was soft. In the future, Armor Piercing will make this putrid-looking dude dangerous. Result: I want to get a second one.

Flood Infection (Halo 011): They’re designed to move more or less in unison, so each attacking one can get +1 AV for each adjacent ally. So what’d I do? Each one of the two I was running was basically alone when they attacked. They died even before they could Poison anybody. Result: Far better than the way I played.

The team was rounded out by a final cheap Monster, Dinah Soar (Chaos War 012): A superb cheap taxi, even without being on an Avengers team.

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A problem with playing tons of unplayed characters is that I make a lot of errors simply based on not being aware of powers and whatnot. Whereas the powergamers who use the same stupid 20 overpowered characters over and over again have another advantage in knowing those same stupid 20 overpowered characters inside and out.

I mean, there’s thousands of figures to play with. THOUSANDS!!!!!!