No. 4
Rag Doll [The Flash 015]
MOBILITY: Rags here is a relatively zippy 9 Speed, though he lacks Improved Movement. Worse still is that he’s dangerous to taxi due a trait that harms both friend and foe — he deals unavoidable damage to anyone leaving an adjacent square. If you carry him, that character may need to keep carrying him.
UTILITY: At 3 damage, Rag Doll has the highest opening value of any TUF of the list so far. He’s also a supreme board control piece in tight quarters thanks to his trait — it even works against Improved Movement. So he’s supreme even against characters who can’t be tied down. Don’t forget he’s a wild card.
SURVIVABILITY: Solid 17 DV + Reflexes with Shape Change scattered down the dial is par for the course. He’ll need it all to guard his short 5 clicks.
EXPENDABILITY: At 60 points, he’s beginning to push into high cost, but his superiority as a TUF makes him worth it.
MUSEability: 8 of 10
No. 3
Scarecrow [Invincible Iron Man 022]
MOBILITY: On the surface, he’s nothing special with 8 Speed. But he has the ability to generate his own taxi service in his Murder of Crows trait, effectively giving him a little bit of Improved Movement from being carried by his birds.
UTILITY: That same bystander token gives Mr. Crow a few more options in carrying out his TUF role. For one, it has Poison. It also bears ESD, to potentially limit lines of fire on Scarecrow. As for him, late dial he gets Blades and Flurry, making him positively dangerous.
SURVIVABILITY: the same clicks also have Regen, though, so one may wish to try for the heal than the hurt. Hopefully, Scarecrow’s 16 Reflexes and Shape Change do enough to keep him from seeing those late clicks.
EXPENDABILITY: 61 points is on the high end for a dedicated TUF.
MUSE METER: 8 of 10
MOBILITY: He’s got a staggering 12 Speed, which would vault him to the top of the list if he had any Improved Movement at all. Even his 25-point level boasts the next-best value of 11.
UTILITY: The dog is also a great taxi, able to cart 2 pals or 1 normally unCarryable ally. His double base also increases the number of foes who could be tied up.
SURVIVABILITY: Defense value is a problem — it’s 16 or lower, so he’s going to get hit by most anyone who targets him. But he’s a whole NINE clicks long, with 3 of Toughness on top. He’s not dying in less than 3 really BIG hits of 4 or more. The 25-pointer only has 6 naked clicks, but for the cost, it’s good enough.
EXPENDABILITY: Whether 50 points or 25, Lockjaw’s not taking up much of your team.
MUSE level 8 of 10
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Who’s the top TUF? Next time reveals all. Plus, a few more that didn’t make the list but are still good at the role