So I guess this is a regular feature now: looking at how legacy cards might be a F.U.N. way to bring some old pieces back into Modern/Silver play or rework some old figs that never really worked right before (or don’t anymore due to rule changes).
Here’s the latest batch, from the first set of 2023, Batman Team-Up.
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L001 Batman
(Batman, 2012)
THEN: At 200 points, he had a “Team Leader” trait that gave Batman Ally TA to cheaper allies who share ONE keyword of his choice (Batman Family, Gotham City, Justice League, Justice League International, Outsiders). He also had a 100-point line without that trait, starting with his “I Will Not Fail Gotham” SP that gave him +1AV when he had 1 token. The main thing that made him special in 2012 was his then-new Improved Movement. Overall, he was kinda cool but overcosted, even with his long 10- or 6-click but barely armored dial(s).
NOW: He’s slashed to half his original price, completely losing the Team Leader trait and all his IM but upgraded to Flight, so not really much of a loss, especially since the new trait gives his passenger Bat Ally for a turn. He also gets Senses and Willpower from another trait. And his old SP now gives Precision and Smoke Cloud, with a rider allowing him to jump from hindering to hindering for FREE. Speaking of hindering, he can now see through it. And he has 60- and 30-point start lines for budget play.
F.U.N.? This is a pretty solid and definitive Batman, even if the Flight ability is bit much in our opinion.
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L011 Commissioner Gordon
(Batman The Animated Series, 2018)
THEN: At 35 points, he was offensively a weak Incap Leadership piece with a chance at double-tokening if he hit. More useful was his Barrier.
NOW: He swaps the Incrap for the MUCH more useful Telekinesis instead — especially with the FREE version for fellow Gotham City, Detective and Police keywords.
F.U.N.? This piece will help Police swarm teams a lot. But it has meta potential as well. One to watch.
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L019 Crazy Jane
(World’s Finest, 2016)
THEN: She snuck onto my faves lists that year with her literally random dial. From 2016’s writeup: “She has a great support-style click with TK and Perplex (click 2) but it’s unlikely to get to it to actually intentionally use it. Likewise, her great melee tie-up click is buried at no. 4 and she has the exact same chance of landing on the range-centric Click 6 — and near death. Her starting click, for its part, is completely weak, emphasizing attack avoidance with almost no real attack ability.
The key to Crazy Jane is to go crazy with her. Roll her die (it’s optional) and use what you get. Push her with impunity; she resets to her original click anyway at turn’s end (again, optional). Each of her non-starting clicks have some aspect that can potentially boost teammates even when she’s double-tokened. And even if she gets KO’d, she’s a low 2d6 roll away from dodging death.”
NOW: She’s even MORE random than before, since her d6 is no longer optional. And she also has no resurrection ability like the original. But she’s cut down to just 50 points instead of 75. Or 40. Or 30. Or 20 or 10, all via a new trait to pick her cost. Instead of taking damage, she loses life tokens until KO. So at 50 points, she has to be hit 5 times to get KO’d. Or just once at 10 points.
F.U.N.? This looks really nifty — but the random factor keeps her from being busted. We like it.
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L031a The Question
(Justice League Unlimited, 2020)
THEN: He was a 40-point die replacer; maybe the most balanced because he had to POWER to make his die, not starting the game with the d6 on his card. He also brought Outwit and could make his own Stealthy smoke to hide out. Finally, he had the Justice League Unlimited trait to have a 1/6 chance of taking a token off a fellow JLUer.
NOW: His die replacement gets a boost and a nerf at the same time. He no longer has to burn actions to get the d6, but must wait for the enemy to use Prob or Perplex or Outwit within 6 squares. That’s a nerf. But he no longer needs LOF to mess with the attack roll results. That’s a boost. Beyond that, he gets actual Smoke Cloud now (instead of the 1-square end-of-turn version from before) that he can also use FREE to drop in one square, usually his own. All for 10 points less!
F.U.N.? Good question. And he’s a good Question.
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L029 Nightwing
(Crisis, 2008)
THEN: He had a Speed SP giving him Titans and Outsiders team abilities and symbols (instead of just, y’know, actually printing them alongside his natural Batman Ally. WizKids was weird about certain things) and a Defense SP granting Reflexes, ESD and Leap/Climb. Later he got a Flurry SP so he could have normal Leap/Climb. At the time we loved him because he was great for wild cards to copy two of his TAs, despite his slightly unwieldy 79 cost.
NOW: He no longer wastes SP space to temporarily get his dual memberships, instead gaining fight-ready Charge+Flurry+Leap/Climb. In defense, he gets Super Senses with the ESD and Reflexes. And his later SP boosts AV +1 if he’s on elevated terrain. Oh and he’s got traited CCE and Empower. All this for way LESS points: 50.
F.U.N.? He’s quite a bit more definitive but not overbearing.
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L037a Riddler
(Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, 2014)
THEN: Though only 55 points, pretty much all he brought to the table was Perplex versus enemies. Well, without needing range or LOF, too, so that’s pretty OK.
NOW: He drops 10 points and gains normal Perplex that ignores LOF (but not range anymore). Perplexed foes get Puzzled tokens, which another trait counts to rack up Mission Points.
F.U.N.? Mission Point characters are always on the F.U.N. end and this is no exception.
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L039 Joker
(Icons, 2005)
THEN: Back when we looked at the legacy card for Lockjaw, we mentioned the LAMP strat. Joker here was often the Poisonous, Masterminding and Armor Piercing aspect of it. Even better: he had the Stealth and Outwit to REALLY make the combo work. Sure, it cost more than half your team (10 for Armor Piercing feat card — think Precision Strike but for damage only — 38 for Lockjaw, 107 for Joker) but this was a championship-worthy strategy.
NOW: He no longer needs the old feat card. He has a trait that does the same thing, with a second half that makes him heal when he lands a KO and use Poison even if he moved. Another trait keeps him from being multi targeted — making him immune to Energy Explosion, Mastermind’s hardest counter — and also gives him SAFEGUARD: Outwit, Mind Control and Poison
F.U.N.? He’s completely built to relight the LAMP in a modern game. Not sure how F.U.N. that’ll be, but we’ll see.
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L042 Atrocitus
(DC 75th Anniversary, 2010)
THEN: He had a trait that nerfed Impervious into Invulnerability, and Invulnerability into Toughness. Later in his Charge+Super Strength/BCF and Battle Fury-laden dial, he got a SP that allowed him to move 1 square after landing a hit (with the equivalent of IM:Characters) and free attack a different target. At 202 points, he left a lot to be desired.
NOW: Slashed to 125 points, his new traits A) turn off STOP clicks and healing on adjacent enemies; and B) give him Close Combat Expert and Prob. The SP now is a retaliation-style power. He also has a new 75-point starting line.
F.U.N.? Very thematic and WAY more playable. We look forward to raging out with this guy.
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L051a The Chief
(World’s Finest, 2016)
THEN: He could give Sidestep a single ally within 6 and LOF. He could Mastermind to any friendly adjacent character of any cost. He could use Outwit and Perplex from keyword-sharing pals’ square IF they were within 6 squares — or, if he didn’t use Outwit, he could pick a keyword ally and give them SAFEGUARD: Outwit. And like his Crazy Jane teammate, the Weird Resurrection trait could save him from KO. Not bad for 50 points back then.
NOW: He’s a keyword cheater who can turn Celebrity, Soldier or Robot pieces into Doom Patrol keyword with the normally uncopyable Outsiders TA via trait. He can now POWER to move an adjacent Doom Patrol up to 5 squares … kinda like a friendly mind control. he can now Mastermind within 4 range and LOF … but only with keyword pals. Finally, he has Leadership that can grant SAFEGUARD:Outwit … IF a friendly uses Outsiders TA on themselves. Oh, and he now actually HAS Outsiders TA himself this time. No more Weird Resurrection, though. But for 40 points, can’t have everything.
F.U.N.? We don’t like the idea of non-Doom Patrol characters just getting to become a Doom Patrol team at the expense of the actual team. But for said actual team, I like it.
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L051b Batman Beyond
(Justice League Unlimited, 2020)
THEN: He was loaded with stuff: a once-per-game semi-FREE/teleport, immunity to range when next to blocking, SP granting Precision Strike plus a choice of range and close attack powers; another SP with Leadership and a choice of a number of damage powers. His 125 and 75 point costs were a little unwieldy, though, and realistically some of those pick-a-power options were pointless. What’s never pointless: IT Hindering.
NOW: He loses a lot: The teleport, the super-stealth, the array of standard attack and damage powers he could pick. He also lost a lot of points, now weighing only 75 or 50. Instead, his Attack SP keeps Precision with a FREE attack against an Outwitted target. His other SP grants that Outwit regardless of LOF (note that range is still needed) if he’s in hindering terrain. Finally, defensively he gets traited Super Senses with +1 if he Outwitted the attacker last turn.
F.U.N.? He’s now MUCH more like the Terry McGinnis of the show proper.
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L052a Hal Jordan and Sinestro
(War of Light, 2014)
THEN: A full 300 points, this pair had the duo symbol — Duo Attack (POWER: Attack a single enemy, then attack a single enemy but -1 damage [Minimum 1]); a Speed SP with Running Shot + Duo Attack as RANGE but having to pick a different target from the first; and an Attack special to pick a power (but not the same two in a row). At their lower 100-point price, they lost the duo symbol and both SPs, but both levels have a common trait granting Willpower and 66% chance of immunity to Outwit and Perplex.
NOW: In the wake of the duo symbol’s old — and overcomplicated — Split and Merge abilities, these legacies are doing something special in homage to it:
When Hal Jordan and Sinestro is KO’d by an attack, before removing them from the game, you may generate a character named Hal Jordan and/or a character named Sinestro from your Sideline on their last non-KO clicks, then heal them each 2 clicks. The total points of the generated characters must be equal to or less than Hal Jordan and Sinestro’s point value. If Hal Jordan and Sinestro is 75 points, only generate one of the two characters instead.
I like it. Meanwhile, their Speed SP gets upgraded to Hypersonic Speed plus an extra attack after resolutions, while their Attack SP now copies the standard printed attack and damage powers of adjacent pals — which could work VERY nicely given their new Green Lantern TA to carry 8 allies and their much, much cheaper 175 top price. They cost just 75 at their lower value and their Willpower-based trait is unchanged from before — except that it also works against enemy Prob.
F.U.N.? I never understood why they didn’t get the GL TA back then. For that alone, this seems like a F.U.N. fig. Time will tell if the upgrades are too competitive for our taste.
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L052b Batman
(DC 75th Anniversary, 2010)
THEN: This true “year one” 1930s Batman had a trait allowing him to FREE move around or next to elevated terrain — IF he didn’t have tokens. Not bad. He was also a Transporter (an old symbol giving Passenger:1 and a nerfed version of Hypersonic Speed) and sported the usual Gotham City and Detective keywords along with the more niche All-Star Squadron and Justice Society keywords. Finally, he ended with a SP “I Used Guns … Once” that gave him 8 range. At 80 points, though, he was a little pricey for little impact on a team or game.
NOW: While his “Rooftop To Rooftop” trait still requires zero tokens and being on elevated terrain, now he’s not limited on his destination. It also blocks LOF to him when he’s on the rim of elevated while he has Stealth on his dial. He upgrades to the Wing symbol, allowing him to carry a pal with him as the sculpt suggests — a slight nerf from Transporter — and Batman Ally TA along with his original JSA TA. A final downgrade: His guns SP is only 6 range now. But it also grants RCE, so he’s better able to hit and hurt his target. All not bad for a much more reasonable 50 points.
F.U.N.? This is a right well-done legacy that fills a nigh-unforgivable problem of the original (not having Batman Ally).
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L058 Harley and Ivy
(Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls, 2017)
THEN: These gals started with a Sidestep+Stealth SP and another that gave Incap, Smoke Cloud, and Poison (plus immunity to it) with a rider allowing FREE Incap to a target in their Smoke Cloud. They also had a later damage SP that boosted AV and damage against a solo target with action tokens. A Batman Enemy and wild card, they wrapped up their 125-point package with IM:Hindering.
NOW: In return for shaving down to 75 points, they lost duo symbol along with Duo Attack. But upon KO, they can get replaced by a cheaper Harley or Ivy or combo of both. Their new Speed power is WAY more aggressive: Charge, Flurry, Stealth. The attack SP drops Incap entirely and offers a 2-square FREE Smoke option. It also spreads the SAFEGUARD: Poison around to all friendlies in their 6 range. That mid-dial SP now boosts attacks against multiple targets.
F.U.N.? Much better and straightforward piece. Can’t wait to try them!
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L059 Lex Luthor & The Joker
(World’s Finest, 2016)
THEN: A 200-point duo fig, they had a Mastermind trait that granted the Underworld TA to friendlies 20 or higher. A Speed SP gave them double Sidestep (which unfortunately didn’t work with Underworld back then) and in the damage slot was SP Perplex and Outwit in addition to Superman Enemy TA Outwit. Finally, they couldn’t get Outwitted or their stats nerfed — and with 11 AV and 4 damage with Duo Attack, that was kinda OK. Their three-click 75-point line was focused on Poison and lacked the Speed SP (but still had Sidestep).
NOW: Trimmed down to 150 and 50 points, they lose the blanket immunity-to-Outwit/stat-nerfing trait (for a weaker SAFEGUARD:Outwit as long as no Superman Ally/Batman Ally enemies are in range+LOF) and the Outwit-plus SP (swapping it for one that has +/-2 Perplex and makes adjacent pals into Superman Enemies). Their old double Sidestep is gone, too; instead, when an adjacent pal non-free moves, they ride along and can attack afterward for free — and because it’s a placement and not carry, they can do a non-free action as well. Finally, after getting KOed, this duo can be replaced by a cheaper Lex or Joker (or both, if you used the 150-point full dial) two clicks from KO.
F.U.N.? Clever reworking of the old duo abilities. We like it.
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L060 World’s Finest
(World’s Finest, 2016)
THEN: They had three point costs: a big 300-point one which offered Colossal Stamina (but at 2 damage cost instead of 1), immunity to Outwit/stat-nerfing, and a free extra attack if they missed a non-Duo Attack attack. At 200, they lacked the Stamina trait, and the low 75 price didn’t get the bonus attack roll. All price points had a late dial DV SP of Combat Reflexes and Toughness and both the Bat and Superman TAs.
NOW: Like their archenemies above, upon KO this duo can be replaced by a cheaper combo of Batman or Superman (or just one if you used the 60-point dial) two clicks from KO. They lose the extra attack attempt trait for a much better FREE attack against a foe that made an attack or Outwit since last turn. And unless an enemy is more points, World’s Finest have a 50% chance of only taking 1 damage from hits. Finally, the DV SP is heavily upgraded to Invincible+Super Senses — the latter improving with their number of action tokens. That’s a lot better for a lot less points: 175, 125 and 60.
F.U.N.? The retaliation-style trait alone gives this piece competitive potential.
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L096 Green Lantern
(Legacy, 2005)
THEN: With 10 range, RCE, 20 DV with Willpower, KC Alan Scott here was fearsome on those first two clicks — and difficult to knock off them, especially with him being a prime candidate for the old Trick Shot feat granting him Improved Targeting: Characters and Hindering. Basing him to stop him lighting up your force was tough, too, thanks to the Kingdom Come team ability (then functionally the same as today’s Hypertime TA). He also had TK, which was mostly useless on him because he was the main attacker and TK was for hurling main attackers out for fighting.
NOW: He gets slimmed down to 175 points but only makes gains: Traited Invincible and a choice of either BCF (that light sword is no longer for show) or Super Sense/2-square FREE Barrier. He also adds Justice Society TA and a ton of keywords to his original two generic Future and Politician ones: Armor, Gotham City, Green Lantern Corps, Herald, Justice League, Justice Society and Mystical. But in similar fashion to other Kingdom Come-themed figs, he has a lower price point that has a very different character and play style: At 20 points, he starts on his ending two Defend clicks with a trait giving him Leadership and the ability to use it or Defend or JSA TA up to his range and LOF. It also, once per turn, boost a friendly’s DV from +1 to +3 (based on a d6 roll).
F.U.N.? The low dial for sure. The top dial is just pricey enough that it’s not too unfriendly either.
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Long time reader of your blog, first time poster. Your Legacy reviews are good stuff, just like your legacy of maintaining this blog. Keep on, keeping on!
Glad you like them! They are getting harder and harder to write lol