Ever since I saw the classic scene using the piece in Apocalypse Now, I’ve loved Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.” So when we got a new set of Valkyries in Hammer of Thor, I set about getting a new set of the Sinister set’s versions to run this team.

SR Valkyrie 145 + C. Plan 12 + Protected 8

E Sin. Valkyrie 60 + Unstoppable 5

HoT Valkyrie 38 + Invigorate 10

= 500 points.

FIRST, I faced Paul’s Warriors Three (again), V Wildcat, E Jean Grey (Infinity Challenge), V Avalanche (Infinity Challenge), V Pyro (Infinity Challenge), Amanda Waller (Crisis) and Lian Harper. I picked the Junkyard map and assembled my team behind and upon the elevated portion of it. This gave SR Valkyrie a safe place to perform Move & Attack attacks from — with a decent AV thanks to Contingency Plan — and, because that ability is not a power action (but a move action), I could use Invigorate to remove the token afterward.

That allowed me to immediately remove Jean Grey’s TK threat and greatly reduce the Warriors’ attack ability. Even when Fandral came to the roof to Outwit her Leadership, he soon took 4 clicks to the face.

Unfortunately, despite deep damage, Jean, Fandral and Volstagg all managed to get away from my encroaching Valkyries. I only scored a KO on Wildcat and lost Brunnhilde, for a narrow victory despite my dominance of the game. 1-0.

THEN, I went against Conrad’s HoT Thor, Fenris Wolf, Gharskyght and HoT Spider-Man. I used the same strategy against the boy, with similar success despite Thor being a FAR more dangerous piece to this team than the Warriors Three, whom I was able to hold off by camping on a rooftop. That wasn’t an option against Thor. Fortunately, Thor failed his alpha strike on big Val and it was my game to lose. KO’d Thor, Gharskyght and Spidey and lost zip.

FINAL: 2-0. This was actually a nice redemption for a failed 200-point version of the team run about a week earlier:

Brunnhilde 69 + Unstoppable 5

HoT Valkyrie 38 + Invigorate 10

= 198 points.

Lenny played SI Iron Fist + Protected + Lunge, V Mantis, V Mockingbird and Swarm. Paul ran Jimmy Woo and 4 HoT Ninjas. Conrad’s team was V Nocturne, Shatterstar, R Blink and R Sprite. Basically, Paul and Conrad fought while Lenny decimated my Valkyries despite my potential action advantage. A Lunging Iron Fist was utterly unstoppable. I was the loser, Lenny the winner on points.

(we now return you to the event dials and Atlas articles in progress.)