It’s time for another F.U.N. Friday column. Usually I review a team or figure that fits the F.U.N. acronym: Friendly (not annoying overpowerful for the other player), Useful (not annoyingly weak for yourself) and Nifty (possessing some amusing quality or theme about it). This time, though, I’ll be looking at the new 1 vs. 1 rules designed for the brand new Street Fighter set that released this week.

Here’s a link to the 1 v 1 rules,but here’s the short version:

• Higher-point characters get minus half the point difference for KOing cheaper opponents.
• Lower-point characters get PLUS half the point difference for KOing pricier opponents.
• Wins don’t matter. POINTS DO.

So yeah, a player could field Galactus in 1v1 rules and KO all foes and still lose because he’d get the same 0 points and thus tie the game, forcing a roll-off for the win. Therefore, it pays to not be a powergaming jerk in 1v1 games. That’s the Friendly part.

‘Course, there are some very effective low-point figures who could really shine in this setup, and they actually have a decided advantage against higher-cost pieces that might not be as efficient. I suppose that’s the Useful part.

Finally, the Nifty thing about 1v1 rules is the new play dynamic, shifting HeroClix from a team-oriented game to…something else. Will it prove as fun, or as balanced? Only moves made, tokens placed and dice rolled will tell!

Here are some definite DOs and DON’Ts in playing 1v1:

DON’T: Play high-point tentpoles, now that you’re certain of not getting swarmed. Not only will you hurt the play experience for your opponent, you probably won’t even win since victory is based on points, not KOs.

DO: aim toward using cheaper figs. If you build too high, you’ll struggle to score the points needed to win. Lower-cost figs who KO higher ones get a huge points advantage.

DON’T: field characters who need others to work best. Mastermind, Superman Enemy, Support, Enhancement, HYDRA/PD, Fantastic Four, Defend, wildcards…all these and others are abilities that are just so much wasted points in this format. Consider your fighter carefully.

DO: field characters who can push. Whether they use Willpower or just get better down the dial, being able to take action more often will yield dividends.

DO: field characters who can heal themselves. The most fun (and, IMO, balanced) way to do 1v1 rules is to not heal damage between each match. To that end, being able to Regen or Steal Energy can be a good advantage to have. Finally…

DON’T: play characters who can’t break through Invulnerability. The last thing you want is to need a critical hit just to ping a powerful enemy, particularly in a must-win round of the tournament (i.e., getting knocked out would surrender more points than you can gain back later). Whether it’s through penetrating damage, either of the Combat Expert powers, Outwit, Super Strength or just plain 3+ damage value, make sure most of your clicks can fight!