Concluding our listing (not ranking) of the past year’s top F.U.N. figures:

Molly Hayes [Secret Wars: Battleworld 015]

Taylor, Sceritz and I argued a little bit over this little girl’s inclusion.

RKJS: … Should Molly Hayes be one of our FUN figs or nah?

TAYLOR: Soooooo

TAYLOR: The short answer: no

TAYLOR: Long answer: no, but it breaks my heart

TAYLOR: Her utility is even more limited than the last molly, but she’s more accurate with her powers and abilities

TAYLOR: She is actually a little frustrating to use honestly

SCERITZ: Omg

RKJS:  See, I was coming from the perspective of her being too good

RKJS:  Natural 4 damage on her turns, 18DV tie up when tokened

SCERITZ: She’s strong lol

TAYLOR: But she NEEDS a taxi

TAYLOR: Badly

RKJS:  That’s what makes her F.U.N. and not unfair

SCERITZ: She’s… 25 points…

SCERITZ: With 4 damage…

RKJS: Yep. So incredibly Useful

I promise this is not how all our discussions over these year-end lists go. Like, hardly at all. But it was too funny this time, and, as it happens, spot on.

Yes, Molly may be on the edge of unFair with her ultra-cheap cost and sky-high damage potential. Yes, she is highly difficult to run without a lot of taxi or TK help. Yes, she is Useful anyway as tie-up threat, etc. despite her inability to push (her Sidestep while near enemies is key). And yes, she is one Nifty girl.

The Phantasm [Batman: The Animated Series 051]

Only 10 AV keeps her from being a terror to see on the map. Granted, that AV becomes 12 vs. 74-point foes — with Blades. And granted, she also gets a SP-Perplex against foes on clicks 2, 3, 4 and 6. And granted, she can effectively FREE move every turn with her Smoke Cloud trait:

YOUR ANGEL OF DEATH AWAITS: Smoke Cloud as FREE // FREE: Move but only through squares with her smoke cloud markers. After resolutions, remove each of these markers she moved through.

The Friendly thing about this is that she can’t park herself in Stealth with her own Smoke and she has 0 range so she can only go about 3 squares at a time and hope she can hide BEHIND a Smoke Cloud with her Stealth. Great F.U.N. based on one of the best stories of the 1990s Batman TV show.

Phat [X-Men: Xavier’s School 048]

Taylor suggested this one, and saved me the trouble of a writeup:

“At 75 points, you get a close combat brick the X-Force and X-Static teams desperately needed. A nice niche character, he fits the F.U.N mold like a glove. What sets him on the F.U.N List is his Headline token trait use (through his attack power) and his “It’s More Than Just A Name […]” trait.

Starting with 11 attack, he can acquire Headline tokens easier than most of his teammates, and then spend them to gain Giant Reach 2+X for a turn. This means he could potentially have Giant Reach 5 for a turn, thus making his limited movement a non-problem.”

It’s as he says. The die roll makes his effect a bit random for maximum F.U.N. while the SP ensures he’s useful.

Photon [Avengers Infinty 056]

10 AV is not what you want to see from your 12 Hypersonic attacker, but it will put your opponent at ease — she’s not that scary. But she gets more useful when you make that Leadership roll to suddenly gain up to 5 or 6 extra squares of swing (via her balanced and Nifty SP to place her within X squares in line of fire with a good Leadership and Shape Change roll). 19 Super Senses DV is darn good, too, if the SC roll fails. She also has the Avengers Infinity trait that boosts her attack and damage when targeting 100+ pointers. Finally, her late dial has Defend and Prob to help the team.

Sprite [X-Men: Xavier’s School 039]

Her AV is not great at 10 and lower, blunting the threat of her starting Charge+Exploit Weakness. Her true utility comes with her 33% chance at running through foes (she ignores EVERYTHING for movement) and giving them an action token. 18 Super Senses is a decent defense, but even better is her Nifty trait dealing 2 penetrating damage and an action token to whoever KOs her. It’s a good deterrent, especially on her late dial where she has Senses AND Shape Change to make her a good tie-up (though she’s lost her stunning SP by then. She’s also another with the X-Student trait.

X-Student [X-Men: Xavier’s School 006]

So with only 1 damage, 2 clicks of life and practically no defenses at all, X-Student is not a scary piece to face. He’s almost overcosted at 25 points and, at 15, could end up on a dial you didn’t plan for. But every one of those dials is useful: One is a medic, another grants cheap TK, and Plasticity+Poison is never bad. Arguably his worst dial is 11 AV Mind Control, which is actually one of the best MC clicks in the game for the cost.

———

One more list to go: Taylor’s, Sceritz’s and Rurouni KJS’s personal favorite figures of 2018. Next for that!

We’re doing it differently this year: We’re not ranking them. We’re just listing them. Then YOU rank them.

We’re still using our F.U.N. acrostic, though:

• Is the figure FRIENDLY and FAIR? That is, if your opponents see this figure on your team, will their hearts utterly sink at the prospect of dealing with it? If so, it’s not F.U.N.
• Is this figure still USEFUL and full of UTILITY anyway? If so, it may be F.U.N. But it shouldn’t run TOO high on this scale, or it may overwhelm the Friendly portion!
• Does this figure have a NEATO or NIFTY or NICHE or NERDCORE appeal that goes beyond its just having good stats and powers? Does it have a special place on a team outside of the usual keywords? And does this clix capture the character’s appeal? If so, it may be F.U.N. But the answer can’t JUST be, “I like this character.”

Here we GOOOOO (in alphabetical order)

———

Apache Chief [Batman: The Animated Series 070]

Of all the Troubalert trait Superfriends, Apache Chief is the most F.U.N. He’s fair in that he’s only got printed 10 AV at best (contrast with most of the others who get at least one 11) and lowish Speed. But his Usefulness and Nifty aspects are wrapped in his “Inuk Chuk” trait. Gaining Great Reach helps out his poor Charge swing and once he grows beyond colossal size, he gets bonuses to AV and damage. Though his “Occasional Weakness” is Tiny figs, how often are they going to be a major problem? And the weakness is superNifty as well. Big Man is big F.U.N.

Batman [Batman: The Animated Series 040]

At full points, maybe Bats’ 12 AV isn’t the most welcoming, but lacking opening Charge or Running Shot at all — or even natural range — makes him quite fair at 125 points. Now he sort of gets range with his Nifty auto-equipped Batarang Special Object granting Improved Targeting: Everything But Blocking but with a 2 damage. Still, not a scary Batman. But with that Batarang being FREE instead of RANGE? That’s pretty Useful. You can also get Utility from his Outwit and later his Perplex along with Flurry, Exploit, and his DV SP that thwarts Mastermind on his close attacks.

Dust [X-Men: Xavier’s School 056]

Low range and total lack of armor make Dust a fair piece, if only barely: Smoke Cloud as FREE is always Useful. Hers is better still because it doubles as offense:

At the end of each opponent’s turn, deal 1 damage to each opposing character occupying or adjacent to a Smoke Cloud marker placed by Dust.

That almost looks like no fun at all for the opponent (and, if in a Battle Royal game, she’s meta-level broken). But her 17 and lower DV needs bolstering by her SP to +1 that stat for each SC token next to her, making it harder to use that offense-minded trait. It’s a balance that keeps her as Friendly as a 50-point fig with 11 AV and 3 damage can be, even with just a 4 range. Finally, you can’t overlook the “X-Student” trait that nerfs enemy defense when she rolls a 5 on a d6 in attacks.

Her F.U.N. factor is nothing to sneeze at….even if she is Dust. 😉

Giant-Girl [Avengers Infinity G001]

Coming in at anywhere between 10 to 250 points, this big gal is about as F.U.N. a figure as you can face or field in HeroClix. With a damage value that never tops printed 3, she’s not titanically strong. Her ability to use Colossal Retaliation through her dial is tied to a POWER action, so she can’t do the double-tap attack that many of her colossal fellows can. But being able to squeeze into any build makes her super Useful, if only as an extra taxi. And that trait is also extra Nifty. She’s a rare F.U.N. fig that also became a meta piece.

Golden Skull [Avengers Infinity 040]

With just 4 range and 10AV and lower and only Mastermind as a defense, no one’s worried about this 50-pointer for a high Friendly level. But his Utility level is also strong, with his SP packing Leadership for that +1 action, Perplex for that +/-1 stat you need, and an auto +1 AV for adjacent pals. Oh, and we can’t forget two of those pals: autonomous Deathbot pogs generated at game’s start with Sidestep, P/PB and Toughness for him to either Mastermind to or take shots with.

The pogs are the Nifty element that rate him F.U.N. on Heroclixin’s scale this year.

Magma Man [Secret Wars: Battleworld 011]

Sceritz got me to add this generic to the list.

Being a generic, Magma Man isn’t great shakes: 10 AV, mediocre 7 Speed, 0 Range, Toughness. He’s perfectly fair. But then he gets close and is suddenly a Poison + Quake threat. Who, again, has Toughness. But so many pieces have Toughness or better, so who cares about Poison? But then he pushes to hit with 3 damage. And now hes on a click with Exploit Weakness. And the Poison never goes away, not even in his late dial, which piles on with Plasticity. Add the fact that his “Untamed Weirdness” trait keeps modifications from working against him and you’ve got a figure that’s more useful than expected. And of course Sceritz noticed.

———

Next time: The rest of the F.U.N.

The top 5 worst clix of 2018. Hope you don’t get nauseated reading on.

———

No. 5

Lock-Up [Batman The Animated Series 024]

A thoroughly confused design. He’s a Barrier piece with 0 range and trait Plasticity. So wait: Is he playing “keep away” or “stay here?”

And look at that Barrier SP.

LOCK THIS PLACE DOWN!: Barrier. Opposing characters adjacent to 2 or more of Lock-Up’s Barrier markers modify speed -2.

With only 4 range on his Barrier, that speed penalty is almost totally useless. He also has Incapacitate along with Exploit Weakness. Um, I know which one of those powers I’m using in close. So why even give him Incap? All it and that SP do is inflate his cost, which even at just 40, is too much.

This prison guard needs a shanking

———

No. 4

Black Widow [Avengers Infinity 003]

Stealthy Perplex is good if you can do something more. She does NOTHING more. So you have to push her. But then you lose the Perplex and she’s a Mind Control medic. So not useless, but not great. And so she’s not great. At all. No wonder she got a makeover into a redhead after defecting.

———

No. 3

Starfox [Avengers Infinity 027]

No armor. No mobility. Poor damage and AV, needing his trait to punch up at pricier foes, WHO WILL JUST KILL HIM AND TAKE THOSE POINTS. Mind Control is trash without great AV, and so Starfox. Is. Trash.

———

No. 2

Artie [X-Men Xavier’s School 008]

9 AV and 1 damage Shape Change means all he’s good for is Mind Control. 4 range Mind Control for 25 points. (If you’re going to pay that price, use the X-Student for a MC with a real chance of hitting). He’s junk. Not even worth running as an ID character — for FREE

———

No. 1

Professor X, Dreamer [X-Men Xavier’s School 049]

Title Characters usually have powerful effects and long dials. He has neither. For +1 Plot Points, “Violence is Not the Answer” gives a DV boost to the team, but Prof needs to attack or take self-damage. With 7 range, 10 AV and 2 damage, he’s not good at it (though you can use his out-of-character TK to hurl a heavy). -4 Plot Points grants “Freeze Motor Functions” to immobilize and -2 DV a target in range/LoF. But you never want to use it because the -9 “Dream of Peaceful Coexistence” is the real one … that you can’t use until Turn 8 at the earliest — and that’s if you take the damage every turn he doesn’t have an attack opportunity, which is likely. But by the time he gets it, he’s on his last click and if he dies, it’s wasted. Worse than wasted: the team loses the quasi-armor “Dream” gives and the enemy gets +1 damage.

And anyway, he’s likely using TK early on. So the chances of the Prof using any of these abilities are low. At 50 points, maybe you could build in X-Men batteries to build him up. But … why?

MAGNETO WAS RIGHT

———

And that’s that. Next installment: Heroclixin’s Ten Most F.U.N. figures of the year.

We love the F.U.N. of HeroClix here at Heroclixin’ but some figures are not Fair, Useful OR all that Nifty. And while it’s harder than ever to find truly awful clix anymore, some still get some shade from us.

No. 10

Devil Dinosaur & Moon Boy [Avengers Infinity 016]

Not terrible, just not good for the cost at any point. You’re paying nearly 300 for base 3 damage, needing Blades/Claws/Fangs to get them to pull their considerable weight in a fight? Or worse, only 3 clicks of 3 damage at 175? Or worse, a whole dial of 2 damage at 75 points?

This is a dial of dino-sized poop that even an apeman like Moon Boy wouldn’t hurl.

———

No. 9 (tie)

Green Lantern [Batman The Animated Series 039]

So he’s a rare version of John Stewart that’s less than 100 points. He has this SP:

GREEN LANTERN POWER RING: FREE: Choose one: [Improved Targeting: Once per range attack, this character can draw a line of fire through one piece of Blocking terrain. Immediately after the attack resolves, destroy that piece of Blocking terrain., Close Combat Expert, Ranged Combat Expert, Giant Reach: 3, -or- Barrier. Green Lantern can use the chosen power or ability until your next turn.

Looks good, right? Until you realize he — a GREEN LANTERN! — lacks the Willpower to actually leverage it. Nice to bolster his 10 AV with RCE or CCE but having to push off his 3 damage to then use, say, Barrier next turn is poor. And when pushed, the FREE action is totally useless as all five options require costed actions. Then his back half is 9 AV and 2 damage, requiring self-Perplex for middling results.

This soldier deserves better. But he’s rivaled in badness by this dude:

Speed Demon [WizKids M17-017]

Hypersonic Speed and 2 damage is not the worst, given his trait:

TURBO-CHARGED THIEF: When Speed Demon hits an opposing character and his attack total is at least 3 higher than that character’s defense value, anything equipped to that character that began the game as an object is KO’d.

Nice idea. Too bad his AV is just 10 so good luck rolling that 20 or higher to jank Exospex or whatever from anyone with 17+ DV.

Too bad it can’t also work on built-in equipment like Mjolnir on Thor [The Mighty Thor 061].

Too bad there might not even BE equipment in a given game, meaning you just wasted 65 points on this weak-HSS fool.

———

No. 8

Vision [Avengers Infinity Fast Forces 005]

The Impervious-lite combo of Invulnerability + trait Super Senses is killed by a starting 10 AV that drops to 8, then 7. 125 points for this? Nope. This vision is blurred or something.

———

No. 7

Catwoman [Batman The Animated Series 013]

Cheap Stealth Perplex that goes to Flurry Blades is OK. But she’s only 4 clicks long and then her “Playing Both Sides” trait comes up and suddenly you’re fighting her cheap Stealth Perplex and Flurry Blades. She’s just awkward to use, which seems the case for nearly every Catwoman ever made. (Might be a future article in that)

Put this cat out the house

———

No. 6

Magik [X-Men Xavier’s School 038]

So the point of playing her is to turn her into her Super Rare form. She does it by being a taxi and by damaging foes. But…

She’s a taxi so completely inferior to fellow New Mutant Lila Cheney [WizKids M17-015], with only Passengers: 3 and 11 Speed or lower, that WHY WOULD YOU EVER. She also can’t Carry fliers. No Willpower and 10 AV or lower and just 2 damage (so that her Blades has a strong chance at failure to damage) make it very difficult to raise the Corrupted tokens to MAYBE transform into her much better Darkchylde form.

But is Darkchylde actually better? Assuming you got the 2 or more Corrupted tokens needed to MAYBE transform (it’s a one-time d6 roll that requires a final result of 8 or better), she goes to click 5: That’s just 9 AV and Super Senses and Prob. She’s an easy kill despite Mystics and 17 DV which could just as easily surrender an additional 40 points.

Leave her in Limbo.

———

Check tomorrow for the bottom half of the barrel.

 

Our countdown continues.

No. 5

is the law in Battleworld:

Sheriff Strange [Secret Wars Battleworld 063] 100 and 50 points

Starting Probability Control, Leadership and Perplex (the latter two via trait) are all welcome powers but his anti ID card trait forcing double power actions to call in help is what makes him meta — and his Attack SP to shut off Equipment effect when he blasts with his Penetrating/Psychic Blast. At his 50 point level, he swaps Prob for RCE and the SP for Precision Strike. He’s unarmored with only Energy Shield/Deflection or Super Senses for defense, but there’s a STOP click to save him. At top points, that power allows complete rearrangement of his allies’ formation in range, each 3 squares from their current spot. Indomitable and Mystics TA rounds out what’s a solid package at either level and we rate the fifth-best figure of 2018.

 

No. 4

is something of the polar opposite, one that is really only good at one price point.

Groot [Avengers Infinity G025] 20 points

That’s not to say the 150 or 250 dials are bad. But they are pricey for a piece that will have a little trouble getting into the mix. And so we look only at the Retaliation click for the Top Ten. Normally, his inability to fight non-colossal foes would invalidate this one, but Groot’s ability to immediately add two Walking Wood pogs with Sidestep, Plasticity, Flurry, Shape Change and Toughness more than makes up for that shortcoming. Plus he’s the game’s cheapest Leadership, usually gets a +1 to DV and can generate more Walking Woods with each Retaliation hit. The fact that he gives opponents a weak, slow Outwitter isn’t enough to offset all these boons. And so pre-Guardians Groot is our No. 4 clix of the year.

No. 3

Unseen [Avengers Infinity 043] 65 points

With zero AV and damage, this latest version of Nick Fury has no fight skills.

No one cares.

He’s Power Cosmic with 9 range Prob and Outwit that sees through everything except blocking from Stealth. Need to reposition to gain LOF around blocking? He’s got Phasing/Teleport, and when he uses it, he can no-cost Smoke Cloud to give himself cover. Even if he’s caught in the open, he has with Super duper Senses (4-6) to dodge attacks.

On top of all that, he’s an anti-Colossal Retaliation piece, nerfing the big guys’ AV -2.

That’s a lot of support ensuring that the meta remains a home to Fury — and our Top Ten list at Heroclixin.

 

No. 2

is that cosmic doggo…

Lockjaw [WizKids MP18-005] 75 points

The latest representative of the Don’t Die archetype of meta HeroClix strats, Lockjaw’s Infinity token mechanic means he has to take 6 attacks to die. Meanwhile, he also fits the Pick A Power archetype of meta HeroClix by being able to use any power, then d6 roll to a matching click number. There’s no bad click, either; almost all are solid offensively and defensively (with a +1 stat boost if he lands on a power he picked already).

Supreme versatility paired with supreme survivability makes Lockjaw nearly the best of GOOD BOYS.

 

But in the end, there’s only one who’s the best at what he does.

No. 1

Wolverine [X-Men Xavier’s School 053] 150 and 50 points

It was tempting to put him lower on the list because some of his advantages are only good on teams with other X-Men:

• Trait Perplex for X-Men teammates,
• a free mini retailation if a foe hit and hurt an X-pal,
• a no-cost addition of a Student ID card to the force

Even his trait Leadership is best for an X-Men squad since his only other keyword is the sparsely populated Weapon X. But an extra action is an extra action.

Then you have to look at his defense. Not only does he have Combat Reflexes (when on his side of the map) and either Toughness or Regen all the time, but the latter power is on his STOP clicks.

Yep, plural. Up to THREE of them.

But he’s not one to stay on his side of the map forever. Not with Sidestep to creep ahead before exploding forward with his Charge and Flurry (on the enemy side of the map) with Blades — through hindering terrain, no less.

All that for just FIFTY POINTS (and still a worthy piece at full power). He only gets better with other X-Men on the force, but doesn’t depend on that aspect to be effective. This is a perfection rendition of the X-Men star that absolutely commands respect every time he’s fielded. And that’s why he tops Heroclixin’s picks of the Top Ten figs of 2018.

———

We’ve looked at the best. Next time we look at the worst HeroClix had to offer in the 2018. Hold your nose and check it out.

 

Happy Christmas holidays, readers! Here’s our gift to you: Our annual look back at the year’s HeroClix.

———

After the gargantuan year of releases seen in 2017, we’re glad to have a normal rate of sets in 2018. Consequently, we’re doing a much scaled back look at the year’s top figures, using the usual rules/guidelines:

• We’re looking at Modern Age only.
• We’re considering the 300-point game, which filters out certain high-cost pieces that might otherwise dominate the list.
• Figures only. Despite the overwhelming effect of resources and equipment and ID cards, they’re not being considered for a Top Ten Clix list.
• By the same token, any fig that needs a resource or equipment to be strong isn’t making the list. And that goes for ID card characters as well.
• But the top characters also need to be able to handle the presence of such tactics as resources or ID cards.

Enough talk. Let’s get to the list!

No. 10.

Batgirl, Shadow of the Bat [Batman: The Animated Series 052] 70 points

With only 10 Attack, she’s at the bottom of the list. But you play her for her swing: up to 14 squares (via her -2 Plot ability to no-cost Charge at her Outwit victim) with Improved Movement: Elevated & Hindering to help her go over the hills and through the woods at her target.

Aside from her aforementioned middling AV, her weakness is that she’s soft, needs to Outwit for best results (making her weak to Stealth and Power Quintessence types), and she can be easily caught in the open after her punch, hit or miss. But her opening Probability Control and  surprisingly long life can help, as will her +1 Plot Perplex.

She’s a solid combo of lead/secondary attacker/support piece that steps out of her mentor’s shadow and into our marvelous list.

No. 9

is surprisingly low on our list…

Starfox [Avengers Infinity 048] 80 points

All the chases of spring’s Avengers Infinity set got similar pluses: high AV, Flurry, immunity to multi-target, Power Cosmic, Super Senses, and a STOP click with Mastermind. But ‘Fox’s SP granting +2 Perplex makes him best both alone and on a team. Also, his ability to heal possibly a whole team when he rolls a 4 while attacking is a solid bonus.

Why he’s not higher on the list: Heroclixin’s rule against equipment. With the Mjolnir special object, he’s tops by being able to use that Flurry from an ultra-safe distance (esp. with only Senses as a defense). But without the hammer, he’s decidedly less dangerous. Still among the best, though.

 

No. 8

is a hell of a deployment piece

Hellion [X-Men Xavier’s School 013] 40 points

He is here and on every team for one reason: to Sidestep and TK then TK then TK then TK one more time in just one turn. But he’s not quite a one-T(ric)K piece with two clicks of starting Leadership to keep your actions up by one until the turn after he makes his last mass slingshot. And even after that, he still has regular TK with Willpower. There’s no better piece for positioning your team and so he’s our No. 9 top piece of 2018.

 

 

No. 7

made a huge splash this past year:

Giganto & Namor [Avengers Infinity G017] 50 points

Although I wanted this colossal piece because I’m an Atlantis completeist, I had to be persuaded to include it in the conversation for our Top Ten list by Sceritz back when he, Taylor and I started discussing 2018’s best. Of us three, he’s always had the best eye for the meta, and his take was borne out when a Giganto duo-led squad took runner-up at this October’s ROC World Cup and won a Worlds Championship title in November.

Now, naturally much of that success was due to the player, not the pieces alone. But when you have an Indomitable colossal figure that can full-move Quake while wrecking terrain on the way with 18 DV Invincible and a STOP click to protect from the inevitable fire coming at it, along with the ability to shoot with Energy Explosion+Incap SP or clobber with Super Strength AND Colossal Retaliation for just 50 points?

Well. Color me convinced. And so Imperius Whale commands his place among the 10 best clix of 2018.

 

No. 6

only got in a few hands until the final weeks of 2018

Starro [WizKids DP18-001] 100 points

The alien starfish is here not for its 300, 200, or 125-point dials (though each point is notable for the Tentacle Attack damage SP that allows FIVE close attacks that can either heal Starro or reposition hit targets), but for the completely separate 100-point Mind Control-focused fourth dial. Using generated Starrophyte pogs to essentially extend its MC range indefinitely, Starro requires a lot of finesse to use. But it’s powerful finesse.

Starro is also notable for the ability to get free attacks from Willpowered “Starro’s Minion” allies at any price point except the Colossal Retaliation click. Speaking of which, Starro’s long range Retaliation is pretty unique in the game. All this compels Heroclixin’ to allow Starro to conquer the No. 6 slot of the Top Ten.

 

———

OK, that’s the first half. Join us next time for our best 5 of 2018.

So we at Heroclixin’ tallied up our favorite figures last year. And then we aimed to play them against each other as a force.

MINE (Rurouni KJS)

Miss America [WizKids M17-009] 95

Moon Knight  [Avengers Defender War 062] 110

Troll [The Mighty Thor 039] 60

Elijah Snow [Elseworlds 046] 120

Muhammad Ali [WizKids DP17-004] 75

Sand [[Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 060] 35

Hulk [Avengers Defender War 052] 160

Bat-Knight [WizKids WizKids DP17-006] 60

Uhura [Star Trek: The Original Series 038] 75

Peace Machine [What If 043] 50

Robin [Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls 030] 40

=880 points

TAYLOR’S

Molly Hayes [What If 011] 50

Nice Minoru [What If 031] 75

Groot [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 002] 30

Tippy Toe  [Deadpool+X-Force 010] 25

Squirrel Girl  [Deadpool+X-Force 039] 85

Throg [The Mighty Thor 033] 45

Batroc [Avengers Defenders War 050]  40

Ms. Marvel  [The Mighty Thor 037] 90

Spider-Gwen [WizKids MP17-005] 65

Iron Heart [Avengers Defenders War 071]  25

Hulk  [The Mighty Thor 020] 110

Rachel Cole-Alves [Avengers Defenders War 070] 90

Colossus [Deadpool+X-Force 056] 150

=880 points! EXACT MATCH

Taylor got map and picked Wakanda.

HOW THEY DID

Bat-Knight: “Bat-Knight is the worst,” Taylor says, and he’s right. My team’s ranged attacker and taxi, the robot was indispensable for my effort. A good Regen roll was key, as well.

Batroc: “Zee Leepair” served as early-game tie up for Taylor to delay my attack.

Colossus: In addition to drawing my fire early on, he lived to KO my Troll.

Elijah Snow: He was useful for his Barrier in the early game, then later hindered Taylor’s force with his Chill In Your Bones trait. A late Incap scored a KO of Rachel.

Groot: He was a problem with his Enhancement and later Poison. He KO’d Ali for the title belt of fighting outside his weight class!

Taylor’s Hulk: Aside from a key Impervious roll, she underperformed. In truth, she was a poor man’s substitute for Taylor’s REAL favorite, Pirate Deadpool, which he does not own because he is a poor man.

MY Hulk: Landed totally awesome hits including KOs of Hulk and Colossus to get the heals.

Iron Heart: Her armor broke on the first push! Heartbreaking!

Miss America: She was a second wave fighter, landing no KOs but leading that 2nd wave to victory.

Molly Hayes: Taylor’s favorite Runaway was an eventual factor but was hindered by Snow too long to truly sway the outcome.

Moon Knight: He completely underperformed aside from being an expensive Perplexer. Lucky to even survive.

Ms. Marvel: Her Outwit and free healing made her hard for me to deal with and a real boon to Taylor’s force.

Muhammad Ali: In a game with Peace Machine, somehow The Greatest still ended up a swift KO.

Nice Minoru: She gave Taylor all the flexibility he wanted but lacked the firepower he needed in the end.

Peace Machine: Absolute key to my team not dying fast. Had a close call, though.

Rachel Cole-Alves: Dangerous! She put my Hulk on his poorest clicks for much of the game. Taylor really loves how her mix of offense and support reflects the greatness of HeroClix as a game.

Robin: Thrilled by the kills, he was a nuisance for Tay.

Sand: That free Force Blast SP scored Groot, Batroc and absolutely kept Shulk from a comeback.

Spider-Gwen: She was completely easy points for me here.

Squirrel Girl: Got her Squirrel Armor to easily set up Troll for KO.

Throg: Definitely Taylor’s MVP with his Perplex.

Tippy Toe: Was a minor threat to my soft Stealth folks, but I worked around the squirrel. Still, as Taylor said, “Never underestimate the little guys.”

Troll: She was a secret weapon with her ability to grant my Outwitters anti-Stealth skills at the right times early on.

Uhura: She was late into the fight, but a survivor.

Thus ended Round One of the Duel of the Faves. But both of us wonder how much better Pirate Deadpool would do for Taylor’s team than the Hulk he substituted. We’ll have to rematch once he gets one.

 Next: Sceritz!

HIS TEAM

Thor Odinson [The Mighty Thor 049] 175

Beta Ray Bill [The Mighty Thor 063] 125

Hawkguy  [Avengers Defenders War 067] 65

Wiz Kid [Deadpool & X-Force 0059b] 25

Merc With A Mouth [Deadpool & X-Force 060] 70

Doctor Strange [Avengers Defenders War 001] (and Doctor Strange [Avengers Defenders War 019] and Doctor Strange [Avengers Defenders War 035] 50

Doop [Deadpool & X-Force 060] 35

Iron Man [Avengers Defenders War 053] 125

Enchantress [The Mighty Thor 055] 80

Gertrude Yorkes and Old Lace [What If 037] 50

=840 points. I had an edge in build because Sceritz got to run multiple title characters on his force of favorites.

I won map and picked Halfworld.

HOW THEY DID

Bat-Knight: Being a Stealthy giant with 8 range was really helpful for me.

Beta Ray Bill: But OMG his ability to shut off range was hard for me to deal with.

Shifting focus Doctor Strange: Possibly the linchpins of Sceritz’s strategy. Unfortunately, the map conspired to hinder the good doctor.

Doop: Similarly, Doop was rarely able to leverage his Prob Control before I KO’d the annoying little bean.

Elijah Snow: I never seem to remember to use his Chill in Your Bones trait at the right time because I’m afraid to waste it.

Enchantress: Her ability to scoot figs about was problematic for me.

Gertrude Yorkes and Old Lace: was not much of a factor in our game.

Hawkguy  [Avengers Defenders War 067]: shot his shot but died soon after.

Hulk: scored a lot of damage for me once in the fight.

Iron Man: Constant TK or Outwit or Prob was problematic for me.

Merc With A Mouth: The merc got stuck on Halfworld’s building for most of the game. And then he got stuck in the ground.

Miss America: She put in that Space Portal work, getting the squad to jump on Odinson.

Moon Knight: Speaking of which, he absolutely beat bloody the thunder god. But he himself barely escaped alive.

Muhammad Ali: They always shoot Ali first. Whyyyy

Peace Machine: His TK was the only way to deal with BRB, so of course he was key.

Robin [Elseworlds 030] got killed. And that was kinda the turning point of the match, as the enemy got all tokened up and aided my tempo.

Sand: Couldn’t get into field fast enough, got shot easily.

Thor Odinson: Shockingly missed easy shots. Then he was one-turned even with Peace Machine on the field. Truly the biggest disappointment for Sceritz.

Troll [The Mighty Thor]: Poor Troll was KO’d quick. But she drew the fire from more important targets.

Uhura [Star Trek: The Original Series 038]: Game ended before she could put in work

Wiz Kid: So annoying, making attacks hurt and hit more. HE HAD TO GO

Round 2 was a victory for me as well, despite all those title characters. But after the game, I realized there was a piece missing from Sceritz’s team: His No. 3 pick, Dr. Strange, Earth’s Guardian [Avengers Defenders War 051].

Looks like another rematch gonna have to happen down the road.