No. 3

Cerise [WATX 023b]

60 points buys you a figure that is:

• A superb support for ranged allies thanks to Police TA and Enhancement. But she needn’t be only thus, because she’s…
• An attacker with 11 AV and Running Shot and Penetrating/Psychic Blast and, sometimes, Energy Shield/Deflection, thanks to her trait giving her her choice between it, Empower and Blades/Claws/Fangs. With only 5 range, though, she’s not going be a main sniper and will get based soon. But fear not. She’s also…
• A great tie-up character due to Combat Reflexes and, sometimes, Blades/Claws/Fangs (i.e., when she no longer has need of ES/D). And on those turns when she isn’t free to act due to pushing or tokens, she’s…
• A good support for melee fighters thanks to, sometimes, her Empower.
• She’s also a decent taxi amidst all these roles.

60 points is a pittance to pay for all this. More than almost any figure in the game, inclusion of Cerise on a team makes the rest of the team better AND she’s very capable on her own. No. 3 HeroClix of 2013.

Honorable Mention:

Batman [Batman Classic TV 001] gets a nod because he starts with Outwit and Perplex, two of the key “pit crew” abilities, Precision Strike, a trait making most of his doubles rolls into critical hits, and, most especially, his defense power “A Batman Tool For Every Occasion” giving him use of a defense power based on the color of an attacker’s standard power. THAT’S NUTS. So if he’s targeted by, say, Mandarin [Avengers 061] on click #2, who has use of Energy Explosion, Incapacitate, Mind Control, Willpower, Outwit, Barrier, Force Blast, Quake, Smoke Cloud, and Telekinesis, Batman can get:

• Toughness, to soften the blow
• Barrier, to build walls on his next turn
• Willpower, to push freely next turn
• Regeneration, to heal next turn if he’s hurt
• Combat Reflexes, for better melee defenses next turn
• Invulnerability, to REALLY soften the Mandarin’s blow

Because this is a defense power and he’s a rare Batman without Stealth, it’s vulnerable to Outwit, keeping him well off the list. But like many an Honorable Mention, he’s just a relic or resource away from being strong.

Deathstroke [AO 020] is the beefiest version of the character yet at 195 points. That high cost coupled with a fairly short range holds him down off the Top Ten and relegates him to also-ran status as he’s a tad outmatched in his own weight class — especially being a big wild card that needs a helpful team ability to leech from but only has about 100 points to get it. Despite all that, this is a monster of a figure that can win some games even as a tentpole with careful team construction and play.