Feats have pretty much gone the way of the dodo outside of Golden Age games. As we look at the best, it becomes clear why WizKids scaled them back.
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#8
10 points. For a long time it was the only way to make Incapacitate a relevant power, due to Incap’s high cost for such little effect. This feat brought it into the limelight. Now, Stunning Blow is even better, allowing it to tack on regular damage on top of the penetrating variety available against pushed targets.
#7
5 points per character. This feat broke the game for a while there. Allowing a strong attacker nonstop actions round after round is beyond powerful.
#6.
20 points. What blocked line of fire? So frustrating to play against, so good to use. WizKids tried to redo this concept in a more balanced fashion with 2009’s same-cost Elite Sniper back when feats were still legal in Restricted (the Modern Age of the day) but no one uses that card anymore if this one’s available.
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Feats as bad as #8 probably contributed to the mechanic’s demise:
6 points. So ineffective — it has a penalty of -1 AV, can’t affect foes with Charge, Multibases, and now, Combat Reflexes — and for what? To get enemies a few squares away, only for them to just base you again? You’d have better odds at just making a breakaway roll. Overcosted by half at least.
#7
15 points. It’s a great idea: Take a cheap shot at a foe (with an AV bonus!) to rile them up into doing something rash. Two problems, though. 1) It was easy for opponents to get around the Taunt effect by taking every other action possible, thus eliminating the feat’s ability to REALLY manipulate his actions. 2) The card’s too dang expensive to not have a guaranteed effect. Bleh.
#6
20 points. This feat would’ve been great if it allowed the wildcard to still actually be a wildcard so that fellow wildcards could use the Siphoned TA. But to actually LOSE abilities while gaining more should cost a LOT LESS than 20 points.
Tomorrow: Some of the very best and worst of the feats.