WK appears to be making these legacy cards a regular thing. It’s a neat idea.
So far WizKids has kept them balanced and F.U.N., never overbearing.
So far.
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L064 Captain America (Ultimates, 2004)
THEN: His Ultimates team ability-bearing Experienced and Veteran versions made this unaffiliated Soldier keyword Cap a shelf-sitter even though 72 points was the cheapest of the REV by far.
NOW: He gains Avengers TA, three additional keywords (Avengers, Past, Wakanda) and a trait granting both Close Combat Expert and a FREE close attack. AND a Sideline trait allows him to swap him in if a 50-point-plus Black Panther is KO’d.
F.U.N.? Pretty darn effective at his new price of 50. Possibly meta-level. But the Black Panther interaction is really Nerdcore.
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L035 Daredevil, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (What If, 2017)
THEN: This alternate timeline version of DD was mainly about extending SHIELD TA range. Had a Running Shot+Stealth+Sidestep SP to give it some slight combat ability.
NOW: The SP adds Charge+Flurry while shifting the Stealth to a trait to make this a proper DD fig. Otherwise identical.
F.U.N.? Yep.
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L056 Hawkeye (Avengers, 2007)
THEN: He was awkward because his attack SP, being a POWER action, didn’t work with Running Shot, and he lacked the Willpower to truly get the most from the SP by using it after getting into position. His later Smoke Arrow SP was never much good either.
NOW: He gets a trait boosting his either his range or his AV +2 while shooting. His attack SP now grants FREE Smoke Cloud or Barrier next to hit target(s) and his later defense SP, renamed “Arrow Down The Barrel,” gives him (with his putrid DV) and teammates a good evasion roll.
F.U.N.? One wishes the trait gave a +3 AV with range shots instead. But this is a game attempt at making this poor old figure … well, LESS poor, I guess
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L039 Joe Fixit (Incredible Hulk, 2012)
THEN: He had a couple of SPs that were interesting — and nearly useless because neither were top-dial and he rarely had opportunity to use them.
NOW: Along with a price slash from 115 to 75, he gains the same “carry the Fantastic 4, make an attack if carried by Fantastic 4” trait that some other FF figs have gotten recently. His click 2-4 damage SP is much better than the old version (he needed an object before), but still hindered because he can’t push to the power at will. His late-dial speed SP is better, too — gives him a whole attack instead of just Quake — but as said, it’s late-dial. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
F.U.N.? He’s OK. Much better priced than the original and much better costumed than the other current gray Hulk versions.
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L045 Namor (Secret Invasion, 2008)
THEN: We wrote, “It’s literally one of our favorite versions of the Prince of Atlantis: Strong enough to be a tentpole but never quite an unfair piece.”
NOW: He’s a mix of loss and gains. He loses the All-Winner Squad keyword while gaining Cabal, Dark X-Men, and Utopia. His “Avenging Son” SP lost Flight but now he gets full-speed Charge with Flurry. His “Atlantic Rejuvenation” SP gained Invulnerability instead of just the naked Regeneration when in water it had before — and it also gives him Regen proper. Finally, his top-dial Leadership SP lost the extra actions option but adds a POWER action to generate a 50-point Dolphin Speed fig twice per game from the Sideline.
F.U.N.? Though these are all upgrades, they’re pretty modest ones. I guess his ability to bring in up to 100 additional points onto your force was reason enough to not lower his price one bit. And so he’s still not an unfair piece.
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L017 Mockingbird (Sinister, 2006)
THEN: This Mockingbird stood out more for the bare-legged sculpt than anything, with the Vet’s 17 Reflexes DV, coupled with her Thunderbolts-feat-ready price tag, making her the choice if you had the points room. The Rookie made for cheap and mobile SHIELD TA.
NOW: She’s a SKRULL and we talked about her a while ago.
F.U.N.? Sure, but not good.
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L052 Scarlet Witch (Fantastic Forces, 2005)
THEN: Anti-Stealth Prob Control was really good (Stealth was always “on” back then, unless you turned it off … even for your allies. Game was dumb then). Too bad it was the Vet version who did that and not this Brotherhood of Mutants piece. You only played her A) for the autonomous move that team ability used to offer on B) wildcard teams that needed it and for C) her Prob Control only if D) Destiny was retired by now or E) you needed this Prob piece to be Stealthy/shoot sometimes.
NOW: A new trait adds Phasing with FREE Force Blast after she uses it. With her 10 range, that could be semi-useful sometimes.
F.U.N.? Yeah, maybe sometimes.
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That’s a wrap on the Empyre legacies. Next we’ll look at the Fantastic Four Storyline legacy cards, and whether they stay in the F.U.N. vein of these.
