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A while back, I listed my favorite clix of the 2010s after annually doing a top ten-or-so for each year since Heroclixin’s founding in 2009, and retroactively posted my picks for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008: my first full years as an active HeroClix player.

Now, to help mark HeroClix’s 20th anniversary, I thought I’d pick my faves of the figures released in the years before I started collecting but later quickly grew to be liked.

Here we go! (In alphabetical order.)

2002

LE Arthur Curry (Hypertime 138) (experienced Aquaman pictured)

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This could have been Vet Aquaman, the first single I bought. (It was during a trip out of town to celebrate my cousin’s graduation.) But I liked the slightly more subtle gameplay of this LE version of my favorite DC hero.

 

experienced Black Panther (Infinity Challenge 086) (vet pictured)

ic086

The Rookie was the meta favorite (thanks to his ability back then to autonomously move into Stealth position and Outwit from 10 squares out — neither possible today), but this Experienced version with Blades/Claws/Fangs to fight with along with the Stealth and Outwit (no TA though) reflected the character best of the REV set.

 

veteran Blizzard (Infinity Challenge 090)

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11 AV was rare at this price (53 points), and so was Pulse Wave.

 

veteran Dr. Doom (Clobberin’ Time 075)

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With a sky-high 12 AV, Perplex to aid his printed 3 damage, his old Minions of Doom wild card status and two clicks of Mastermind, he was my first power piece, part of the lot that got me in the game.

 

unique Elektra (Infinity Challenge 144)

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I liked her more for the sculpt than anything. Also was my first Unique.

 

unique Flash (Hypertime 128)

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i’ve always liked Jay Garrick. 20 Speed Hypersonic! Who cared if he only dealt 1 damage?

 

veteran Hawk (Hypertime 087)  (experienced pictured)

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Once activated, he got you 12 AV with Super Strength. I struggled to play him on teams in those days before keywords.

 

rookie Invisible Girl (Clobberin’ Time 043)

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18 Defend was really high in 2002.

 

veteran Logan (Clobberin’ Time 069) (rookie pictured)

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Great pose, long dial.

 

rookie Mandroid Armor (Clobberin’ Time 007) (experienced pictured)

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Cheap TK and an early “Black box” fill-in. Pretty sure Rhodey spent time in this suit between his Iron Man and War Machine years.

 

 

2003

 

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 experienced Fatality (Cosmic Justice 053)  (rookie pictured)

A “Black box” fig, she offered Telekinesis and offense alike. The Experienced version I preferred was a flier as well.

There was an event where she was intended to be the mainstay of my team, but the judge secretly had a scenario where we had to swap our team with our opponent … and she wrecked my face.

“Thanks for building such a good team,” my young opponent told me after he’d won … the little snot!

 

xp009

veteran Hand Ninja (Xplosion 009) (rookie pictured)

This generic has a surprising 8 range, making it the first I’d reach for in any ninja-themed force.

 

xp206

LE Jane Foster (Xplosion 206)  (experienced Paramedic pictured)

Medics were a staple at this time (thanks to possible 6 healing and crater-low defense values to make the Support roll) and she was the best. It took me years to actually get her.

 

in021

veteran Johnny Alpha (Indy 021)

There’s that TK again. But he also had an uncommon 11 AV, making him a solid fighter.

 

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LE Little Sure Shot (Cosmic Justice 201)

10 range for 15 points? Yes, please. He was also a provisional member of my Black figure collection back before I realized he was actually a Native American character.

 

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rookie Lobster Johnson (Indy 034)

Stealth Outwit AND wildcard status gave him a place on many of my teams in those early days, when all three of those abilities were VERY powerful.

 

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veteran Magdalena (Indy 030)

Like a lot of characters from this set, she was a dull Stealth+Blades  piece, so she made my list more for her sculpt than anything.

 

in053

 experienced Major Maxim (Indy 053)

Cheap Stealthy Super Strength. And a great sculpt.

 

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 experienced Moon Knight (Critical Mass 026)

Stealth was much better then. So was Super Strength. And with his Willpower and Avengers team ability (which qualified him for the Thunderbolts feat a few years later), he was a good pick.

 

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 experienced Taskmaster (Xplosion 065)

High, high AV. And Stealth. And Wildcard status. All for an economical cost under 60 points! The only thing wrong with him was the non-iconic costume.

 

2004

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LE Cameron Chase (Unleashed 201)

I really liked this sneaky-good LE. On top dial, she was just a Stealthy Police TA ally, but a couple of pushes later (or if an enemy tried to beat her up) and suddenly she’s also got Impervious and/or Outwit. Pretty good for the 36 points back then.

 

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LE Catwoman (Unleashed 222)

Possibly the only good thing to come out of the wretched Halle Berry film is this tiny mini of her.

 

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 experienced Doctor Fate (Unleashed 071)

He squeaks onto the list by being a key part of my first-ever tournament win in Heroclix. I’d built a team based on the lineup from the JLA/JSA: Virtue And Vice graphic novel and piloted it to victory, partly on the strength of his long-range Probability Control and Energy Shield/Deflection. He was a key part of my then-JSA completion streak.

 

mm039

veteran Havok (Mutant Mayhem 039)

At 44 points, this old vet version of Alex Summers was just a TK away from dealing a massive 4 damage, making him one of the giant-killers of his day. Hence his spot in this Top 10.

 

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unique Hulk (Ultimates 095)

Hulk SMASH! This sculpt is still one of the most beautiful things in HeroClix. And he was one of the first non-colossal figs to have a natural 6 damage on dial.

 

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unique Longshot (Mutant Mayhem 085)

With him being one of my favorite characters, I was really happy to get the lucky one into my collection.

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LE Manticore (City of Heroes 002)

This 10-ranged wildcard archer swiftly found a place in my heart, if not my competitive teams.

 

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unique Shazam (Unleashed 088)

Like Doctor Fate, he was part of the Virtue And Vice squad. Others preferred the more straight-up powerful Kingdom Come-based LE version of the Big Red Cheese, but this activation-clicked one was my jam.

 

ul042

veteran Spider-Man (Ultimates 042)

This piece was all about the Pounce feat, which, for an extra 15 points, gave him a pretty staggering 10-square reach to bash someone with Super Strength (then among the game’s best powers) and land on his Super Senses clicks to stay a tie up piece the rest of the game.

 

un095

unique Superman (Unleashed 095)

Boy, did I used to fear seeing this across the table from me. He was fearsome from 10 range with 5 natural damage, but hitting him only turned him into a Hypersonic beast that was very difficult to deal with. Still one of the best Superman sculpts ever made!

 

 

 

2005

 

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LE Captain Mako (City of Villains 004)

Being an Aquaman fan, I always had a liking for the swimming characters. This shark-inspired baddie grew into a favorite.

 

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LE Ghost Widow (City of Villains 002)

A flying medic with then-way above average 18 DV, Poison and equivalent of Mystics TA, this City of Villains citizen found her way into my all-time hall of infamy.

ff074
 experienced Invisible Woman (Fantastic Forces 074)
Early on, I valued nice sculpts and paint jobs more than playability, so this was my first favorite figure.
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veteran Marinna (Armor Wars 036)
“She’s still alive?”
Never got tired of hearing opponents say that as she soaked up damage down her ridiculously long dial. Surprisingly nice sculpt as well despite the nondescript pose.

 

lg018

veteran Mr. Terrific (Legacy 018)

One of my favorite figs ever, I fielded him to great effect using the Protected feat (which gave the ability to completely negate a hit once per game — fitting for a character who uses holograms to fool attackers). He was key to my first tournament victory as well.

 

ff091

unique Orphan (Fantastic Forces 091)

Was this the first Unique (the then-equivalent of Super Rare) I ever pulled? I think so. Mr. Sensitive here is a prime example of why I love HeroClix: D-listers like him get as much a slot in the character selection as the A-listers like Batman.

 

lg003

veteran Spoiler (Legacy 003) 

Although her low cost (22 points) and contribution of Batman Ally TA for wildcard teams were the meta reasons for her being on such teams, it’s always been the sculpt for me.

 

io048

veteran Superman (Icons 048)

My first REAL power piece. I pulled him in my very first sealed event and … chose not to play him. Even at that early date, I’d become leery of tentpole figures. Later, this incredibly un-F.U.N. figure — one that began a long series of changes to the Hypersonic Speed power — would factor greatly into defining my F.U.N. focus for how I approach the game. But that year, at least, this was definitely a big favorite of mine.

aw068-2

 experienced War Machine (Armor Wars 068)

This was the first kinda really OK piece for my Black team. Worked well with the old Thunderbolts feat that allowed Avengers symbol to pick any non-wildcard team ability for the duration of the game.

io032

 experienced Wonder Woman (Icons 032)

Like so much in the Icons set, Experienced WW here functioned as a budget powerhouse. Love the pose!

 ———
I was thinking of reviewing how these figs work in today’s rules, but opted to focus only on how I liked them THEN.
I might have a few more 20th anniversary Heroclix posts in me. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, what are some of YOUR favorites from the first three years of HeroClix? Post in the comments!

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In principle, legacy cards are a F.U.N. way to bring some old pieces back into Modern/Silver play, rework some old figs that never really worked right before (or don’t anymore due to rule changes).

In practice? Well, let’s see. After a a short break with the Disney Plus release, they’re back in X of Swords.

———

L020 Fabian Cortez
(X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga, 2019)

xdps020

THEN: Able to boost an adjacent pal’s stats for a term, at the cost of maybe dealing them a click, Fabe was almost pure support. SP Enhancement and Leadership was maybe the better use for him since the above trait was a POWER action. He also had a “Mutant Messiah” shared trait that allowed the likes of, say, Magneto to Mastermind to his followers.

NOW: He loses “Mutant Messiah” and his stat boost is now only limited to Attack Value and the chances of harming his ally are a bit lower. But it’s no longer a POWER so it’s easier to use. He gains Empower in his SP. And he’s a Mission Points character, racking up possibly 5 at a time — but only if he KOs a pal with his Overload trait.

F.U.N.? YES! It’s much more playable AND more comic accurate. The “Messiah” trait never quite fit him due to the character’s not-exactly-loyal nature.

———

L026 Leech
(Giant-Size X-Men, 2011)

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THEN: He was hell of a nerf piece, barring all Power Actions within 6 squares. Park him in Stealth (harder to deal with in 2011 than now) and hinder friend and foe.

NOW: He’s both more limited and more potent, keeping all adjacent characters from using any powers from any source. Easier for foes to get around but easier for you to weaponize.

F.U.N.? He’s a lot more comic accurate than before, which rates him high on the F.U.N. factor for us. But this is also a potentially mega-meta piece, especially in Silver Age, where he’s all asset and low liability due to his having a 3-point ID card with his name on it.

———

L039 Havok
(Mutant Mayhem, 2005)

mm039

THEN: At 44 points, this old vet version of Alex Summers was just a TK away from dealing a massive 4 damage, making him one of the giant-killers of his day.

NOW: He only drops a few points to 40. His gain: +3 attack if he hasn’t been moved or placed this turn. New keywords of Avengers and Starjammers round out his modest upgrades.

F.U.N.? He’ll take a little more finesse than before (no TK to get the AV bonus) but he’s still a giant-killer.

———

L042 Unus the Untouchable
(Mutations and Monsters, 2007)

mu042

THEN: An early Special Powered piece, he boasted a strong defense SP (Impervious AND Super Senses) but little else. His other SP just dealt knockback in close actions but without Charge or another TKer besides himself to get him in position, he’d never use it. A waste of 90 points nearly every time.

NOW: He slims way down to 50 points and his losses are zero: His defense SP keeps the ImperviSenses and adds a once-a-turn rider where if a foe would move or place into his 4 range, on a 1-3 d6 roll, they … can’t. And then his other SP just becomes KNOCKBACK — no qualifications needed.

F.U.N.? Yes, this piece is actually playable now. Could even have some minor meta use, but not enough to make him un-F.U.N.

———

L046 Warlock
(Wolverine and the X-Men, 2013)

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THEN: An overcosted mess of a piece. He had a nifty pick-a-power SP, but with no move+attack ability and really short 4 range, most of his options (limited to the Attack powers) were worthless for him. He also had traited Perplex with an option of +2 for himself and fellow New Mutants (except damage). Oh and then there’s his weird Dune Buggy trait to permanently turn into a vehicle that could Ram … which I suppose was intended to make up for his lack of move+attack. Not great for 164 points at ALL.

NOW: He gets absolutely SLASHED in price to just 80 points. What’s he lose for the savings? First, his Perplex, sorta: it only works on friendlies with a shared keyword and the +2 is gone. He also loses his attack-power-picking SP and his transform into a car trait. But despite costing less than half his original weight, he still makes gains: He can use ANY one power on his Perplex target’s card (including his own) and his SP grants him Giant Reach: d6.

F.U.N.? Yes, and actually effective now.

———

L051 Banshee
(Deadpool, 2014)

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THEN: Super overpowered! Like Leech earlier in this list, he could nerf powers up to 6 squares away (rendering all reducers to just Toughness and nixing Super Senses altogether) but only foes, not friends, who could take on the weakened target while he was safe behind a wall or something. Then he dealt extra damage to those who normally have better armor — not that his Penetrating/Psychic Blast even cared about most. And should he actually take damage (either pushing/X-Men TA/getting hit), he got an attack SP allowing him to Pulse Wave through walls. All this plus Improved Targeting: Elevated and PD TA, too? At 98 points, he was one of the more unbalanced pieces ever made.

NOW: He still bars Super Senses but now his sonic trait just keeps enemies from reducing damage to 0 and he doesn’t deal the extra damage when he attacks them. His SP is improved to deal full printed Pulse Wave damage instead of just 1 like everyone else. Points shave down to 75.

F.U.N.? Not really — he’s still in the conversation for being a top meta piece. (IT:Elevated is really top tier on ANY figure.) But at least he’s a lot better balanced than before.

———

L051 Iceman (Uncanny X-Men, 2016)

uxm051

THEN: A 110-point SR who saw much meta play with his Frozen Solid trait that basically gave him a no-cost close attack on a target he moved through. So he could get two attacks a turn (vs. different targets, though), then make the second of the targets Immobile and unable to act for a turn. Oh, and he also had Incap-lite as well (damage SP) and Barrier+Regen (defense SP).

NOW: Mostly the same, except he no longer paralyzes that 2nd hit target but keeps them from clearing tokens until his Ice Wall token is gone. He also gains Toughness in his defense SP along with FREE Barrier on top of his normal Barrier. And he only costs 60 points with all these upgrades???

F.U.N.? That is WAY too undercosted for this piece to still be this good.

———

L085 Forge
(Sinister, 2006)

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THEN: From the pre-card age, HeroClix’s first take on the inventive mutant was anemic even at the time, with then-average 9AV Running Shot but zero defense power to start. His Outwit worked from 10 squares but 84 points is a lot to ask. He could push to click 2 for Perplex (which wasn’t as good then, anyway) or, in mid-dial, become a Support piece before ending on Leadership. Not great at all.

NOW: He’s just 45 points, for a couple of new traits. One allows him to FREE remove objects 1 or fewer squares away to gain Tinker tokens, which he can FREE spend to boost his or adjacent friendly stats other than damage +2.

F.U.N.? Yes? He’s still not that good, though.

———

L129 Magneto
(Infinity Challenge, 2002)

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THEN: From the very first HC set, he was nothing but TK and Leadership and a bit of ESD to protect him for his hefty 103 points. (Well, OK, he has 4 damage to start.)

NOW: He gets a couple of traits: First, one that grants him Mastermind for defense and for offense, a +2 attack and damage when attacking Armor or Robot targets — and a FREE shot at enemies with those keywords. Second trait gives Brotherhood of Mutants allies the X-Men symbol. He also gains the X-Men symbol himself along with his original Brotherhood one. And he only cost 50 points!

F.U.N.? Yes, very flavorful. Heroclixin board member Chadd wishes he had this.

———

LG01 Sentinel Mark II
(Giant-Size X-Men, 2011)

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THEN: Despite his fearsome 300 point cost, this anti-mutant robot was never reliable. Its first SP required rolling doubles. Its next SPs in mid-dial, required A) KOing a foe — hard to do with just 10, 9 or 8 AV — and B) it to take fire to boost its DV … which sank about is much as it rose.

NOW: At top dial, it still has the same doubles-needed damage SP. That’s the only bad news. The good: It’s exactly half the cost at 150 points, and even better, its other SPs now populate a new 100-point start line. Those SPs are also markedly improved: one grants Running Shot and Force Blast — the latter with a FREE option — and the defense grants ESD and Toughness instead of a totally conditional stat boost. Add to that a free beginning-of-turn move similar to other Sentinels past and a new trait that heals it when it KOs targets, and you have a solid upgrade.

Oh, I didn’t mention the 30-POINT start line, which offers Running Shot, Pulse Wave, Invulnerability and Perplex for such low investment. Sure it’s only 9 AV, but still.

F.U.N.? Yes. Sentinels’ Great Size makes them easy targets. But you’ll never feel completely outclassed when using them.

———

LG02 Sentinel Mark V
(Giant-Size X-Men, 2011)

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THEN: This more advanced model of Sentinel worked better with an improved Incap SP (made a hit target immobile or gave it 2 tokens) and more solid defenses. But it also cost 400 points and its lower 200 level was an average Charge piece and the 8 range isn’t as good. Its Outwit SP that allowed it to counter multiple targets if they had 2 tokens (which worked well when it the Incap SP was also active) was pretty OK, though.

NOW: Like its Mark II brother, its cost is halved, with even lower price points of 125 and 40, respectively. It also shares the free move trait at beginning of turn and the heal traits. But it loses the multi-target Outwit in its Speed SP in favor of a more aggressive Running Shot + Plasticity + 3-square tie-up zone combo. More importantly, it gets starting click access to this SP on the 125-point line, along with its new Attack SP, which is like old-school Incap but better, because A) it works with ANY range attack, B) it gives Immobile and C) it deals 1 penetrating if they can’t be tokened.

Best is that all these powers are available on the 40-point line, too — also with Enhancement.

F.U.N.? Yes. Sentinels’ Great Size makes them easy targets. But you’ll never feel completely outclassed when using them.

———

LG03 Apocalypse
(Giant-Size X-Men, 2011)

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THEN: Apocalypse writ large was kind of a point sink. Sure, he couldn’t be Outwit and had traited Shape Change, but penetrating damage could and did tear through his dial. His Speed SP “You Appear More Worthy,” with which he could swap an adjacent wounded enemy for one of his teammates, was clunky and almost impossible to pull off, since he was 500 points and likely to either be alone on the force (either from taking up all the room or outlasting his allies — or both).

NOW: His max price got slashed to just 300, and along with his he loses a few steps. His Outwit is gone (replaced with the more team-friendly Empower, Enhancement and Prob Control) while his defense SP lost its old Invulnerability for Combat Reflexes and Energy Shield/Deflection. So he’s got a big soft spot middial. But it almost doesn’t matter: He can generate Horsemen Bystanders at the beginning of the game and when he rolls Leadership AND every time his dial passes a new starting line (or via a POWER action middial). Those pogs work well with his new traited Mastermind (usable at his range, too, not just adjacent!) and Leadership to go with his Shape Change — and, of course, his svelte price points of 300, 250, 200 and 100. He also gains the Deity and Warrior keywords.

F.U.N.? The pogs are his classic original 1980s X-Factor run Horsemen. That’s super F.U.N. But better still is that he can actually be played on a 300-point team!

———

 Hopefully all these cards will be readily available.

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The set’s basically here and so here’s the customary checklist.

This PDF link at the bottom gives you two copies of the main set checklist and one foldable copy of the tarot card list.

The former should be complete. The latter … PROBABLY is, too. But I haven’t figured how to do a proper set listing for the tarots.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

8/8/2022 UPDATE: Corrected a small error in the main list and completely overhauled the tarot card list

XofSwords Checklist

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So after looking at how my favorites improved (or don’t) with the 2021 rules overhaul, here’s a new look at some pieces — now retired but still playable in Silver Age — that Heroclixin’ panned in the past.

 

We’ll start with 2020’s trash.

Dr. Traci Simmons (Justice League Unlimited 024) 20 points

Screen Shot 2020-12-27 at 12.37.30 PM

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

She still has to get too close to use her trait to nerf enemy fliers and that little 3-click dial won’t live long. Worse, Perplex isn’t quite as useful as before, and she’s not doing enough to get any use out of her Willpower, either. So she’s EVEN WORSE

———

Dr. Emil Hamilton (Justice League Unlimited 023) 25 points

Screen Shot 2020-12-27 at 7.12.59 PM

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

He rates a bit higher now that generic themed teams are a better play and Empower is a more important power. SOMEWHAT BETTER

———

Aaron Davis (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 017) 30 points

Screen Shot 2020-12-27 at 12.38.41 PM

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

He’s still just 30 points of Perplex that opponents can even more safely ignore. He can’t even push himself to his Secret ID. Unless you can force the opponent to not ignore him, he’s EVEN WORSE.

———

Hawkgirl (Justice League Unlimited 100) 50 points

Screen Shot 2020-12-27 at 5.28.45 PM

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

 

Still bad for the -1 DV her special power deals to allies with no reward for this risk. Steal Energy’s healing puts you back on that click 1 over and over again — IF she’s doing well. EVEN WORSE because Super Strength is worse (now that knock back damage is history).

———

Iron Man (Avengers Vs Masters of Evil Battlegrounds 102b) 75 points

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Just five clicks for 75 points? I mean, 11AV Penetrating Blast with Prob isn’t bad, but this remains an Iron Man with no armor on its top clicks that can get one-shot (thanks to the missing STOP power seen on the front of his card). But he gets A LITTLE BETTER with those three clicks of Ranged Combat Expert boosting his attack and damage for shooting.

———

Superman (Justice League Unlimited 001) 100 points

Screen Shot 2020-12-27 at 12.28.23 PM

screenshot from Clixnexus.com

 

So the no Indomitable aspect is no longer a problem, and his ending Willpower could actually be beneficial. A LITTLE BETTER but still bad.

———

Singularity (Captain America and the Avengers ) 100 points

Screen Shot 2020-12-27 at 12.27.14 PM

Screenshot from HCRealms.com

Her points are still a waste for no move+attack ability until well into her dial when she’s lost her armor, but Power Cosmic Willpower might be enough to make up for the weakness sometimes. It’s too bad the nerfing of Pulse Wave causes a mid-dial sag in her potential even as the Hypersonic + Penetrating Blast combo makes for an end-dial spike. BETTER though still mediocre.

———

Zeke Stane (Captain America and the Avengers 029) 100 points

Screen Shot 2020-12-27 at 12.36.29 PM

Screenshot from HCRealms.com

Pushing is no longer a problem, though that means he can’t get to his SPs at will. (Perplex isn’t as good on him anyway.) Once he’s in middial, though, he’s got a lot he can do — attacking with two tokens, FREE drop of an action token, or Willpower. MARKEDLY BETTER.

———

Static (Justice League Unlimited 043) 100 points

Screen Shot 2020-12-27 at 12.35.17 PM

Screenshot from HCRealms.com

He was a mess before because TK on a 100-point piece was not a good value in build or action efficiency — and that’s worse now that the power doesn’t attack. But not having to worry about pushing damage to capitalize on his debris trait, and being able to Chain Lightning with close attacks — or triple target Precision Strike — he’s MARKEDLY BETTER if still not great.

———

Martian Manhunter (WizKids M19-004) 120 points

Screenshot from HCRealms.com

Screenshot from HCRealms.com
When a fig will almost never get to use its own first click of life, you know it’s bad. But does it get better with new rules?
  • At the beginning of each turn, he’s takes a click if there’s any Choco on the board. So he’s on click 2 ALREADY. That doesn’t change.
  • He MIGHT heal 2 clicks if he can pick one up (moving) or hits an enemy holding one (likely via HSS), but by then he’s already acted and will take another click of damage on his next turn, so … BACK to Click 2. Also the same
  • He can’t use range because he’s got Battle Fury which means he’ll have to venture deep in enemy territory to get Chocos. Same.
  • He doesn’t even have WILLPOWER to help keep himself going. Now here things improve. He could stay very active in a non-pushing game to at least stay on click 2 more often. Still…
  • There are 5 of these Chocos out there, which means 5 straight rounds of MM not being able to use his own Click 1 on his own turn. Ugh.
  • He’ll be taking fire while trying to get Chocos. Uggh.
  • Sometimes stuck with two tokens, having pushed, while taking fire AND the unavoidable Choco click. Ugggh.
  • The enemy can ensure there’s ALWAYS a Choco out there even after the initial five are gone. Uggggh.
  • His stats are mediocre without the Choco bonus.
UGGGGGH. STILL SO BAD
 
———
Mr. Fantastic (Fantastic Four 001)
Screen Shot 2020-12-30 at 4.44.53 PM
screenshot from Clixnexus.com
It’s just the most underwhelming version of Reed Richards possible. Like an old rubber band that you expect to actually stretch but instead it just cracks and breaks. Just … just POOR. And with Plasticity no longer stopping enemies in their tracks, Perplex no longer boosting damage, and the general worthlessness-for-the-cost of Incap and solo Leap/Climb, he’s poorer than ever. EVEN WORSE
———
 But how about the

Top Ten WORST HeroClix of 2019?

Hydra 011 [Earth X 011] 25 points

THEN: Taylor gave me an argument on this one because he loves Incapacitate and I …….. do not. But this Hydra chick ranks among the worst because she’s so much less effective than her Hydra 010 counterpart.

Hydras side-by-side

NOW: Incap is worse than ever and Plasticity is still a bad pairing with RCE. But the Willpower does improve her, so … MARGINALLY BETTER

———

Spiders Man [Earth X 013] 30 points

Screen Shot 2019-12-20 at 11.27.09 AM

THEN:  I rather like the SP. It’s half of what Incapacitate SHOULD be. But that short range and low DV and too-brief life are all problematic.

NOW: Not being able to push to the better second click might outweigh the benefit of no pushing damage. He’s unlikely to see any of his Perplex clicks and even late Willpower may not be enough. PRETTY MUCH JUST AS BAD

———

Winter Soldier [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 016] 45 points

Screen Shot 2019-12-23 at 12.01.11 AM

THEN: While his opening stats are good, him being vulnerable to Mind Control from being based is doubly bad due to him being a range piece. Especially with the chance of it being permanent. He’s just not good enough with just 6 range to make running him worth the risk.

NOW: The midlife Willpower and RCE could defray a little of that drawback, but he’s still PRETTY MUCH JUST AS BAD

———

Spider-Girl [Earth X 001] 50 points

Screen Shot 2019-12-20 at 11.30.05 AM

THEN: I hate Incap in general, and in particular when the range isn’t great and the Running Shot is missing. Maybe if she had Willpower to make up for the lack of first-strike capability, she wouldn’t be on this list, because the AV and 2x targets is what you want in an Incap piece and CCE thrives on pushability.

NOW: Her CCE makes her MARKEDLY BETTER even though Incap isn’t as good. But the two combo to make the Incap more effective as a melee option, especially with multiple targets.

———

Starfleet Admiral [Star Trek To Boldly Go 007] 50 points

Screen Shot 2019-12-20 at 11.34.39 AM

THEN: Outwit puts her too close to the action while using Mastermind frankly hurts more valuable figs than her. Sure, she has Leadership-plus, but the conditions attached to it makes it not much of a bonus.

NOW: She will almost never see her second click with the Prob (being unable to push) and likely end up on the less-useful Perplex. MARKEDLY WORSE.

———

Jessica Cruz [Rebirth 056] 65 points

Screen Shot 2019-12-20 at 11.36.19 AM

THEN: No move+attack and just 6 range both mean she’s just a taxi (and her “Leading the Charge” trait is likely wasted). But the no-cost TK is likely hindered by the fact that her lines of fire are blocked by her many passengers. Plus she’ll need to set up objects in prescient fashion to be able to use them well. 

NOW: That TK is no good for attacks at all, making it basically impossible to Lead the Charge. Add to that her back-dial RCE she might not see because she’s a soft but ignorable target, and you have a MARKEDLY WORSE piece.

———

Bumblebee [Rebirth 039] 75 / 50 points 

Screen Shot 2019-12-20 at 11.35.39 AM

THEN: She just doesn’t mesh together. Her SP offers a nice HSS option, but drops her damage to 2. Also, her 2 targets don’t work with Precision Strike and 10 AV is a little underwhelming at her full cost. So what about her 50 point line? Her AV jumps to 11 and she swaps the Precision for Incap, but her damage drops to 2 which means her HSS is wasted on the -1 damage penalty. Outwit isn’t on either top click.

NOW: Precision and 2 targets play VERY well together, HSS works with Incap, as does her end-dial RCE (again, with multi-bolts). All this and no pushing? She’s MARKEDLY BETTER.

———

Deathstroke [Rebirth 017] 75 points

Screen Shot 2019-12-20 at 11.29.10 AM

Incap works well with his Defiance trait that lets him maybe heal after hitting. What’s wrong is that his first and second clicks should be swapped to make him actually useful for his cost.

What was true THEN is truer NOW: He can’t even push to the better click. At least his late CCE is better. BUT STILL BAD

———

Maximus [Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 060] 90 points

Screen Shot 2019-12-20 at 11.38.06 AM

THEN: His plusses (mass Perplex of friendlies if you build same-name teams, incapacitating Mind Control, TK) are dragged down by his non-optional trait that has a 33% chance of Battle Fury-ing him (so much for that 6 range), or keeping him from costed actions.

NOW: That 3-4 result might be so much worse going forward. And both TK and Pulse Wave took a hit. So he’s WORSE going forward.

———

Professor X [X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga 035] 100 points

Screen Shot 2019-12-20 at 11.31.27 AM

THEN: I want to like him (ranged Leadership and being able to shoot/Outwit through walls is good) but losing his Influence upon clearing hurts him too much in early game and his dial’s so short.

NOW: His ability to self-clear is a double-edge sword, as he loses Influence! But being able to shift his Influence around if he frees up tokens OR opt to use old-school Colossal Stamina to press his Influence —and— manipulate his dial in a way most characters can’t anymore could be interesting. STILL BAD but maybe not worse.

———

But how about 2018’s worst?

No. 10

DevilDinoMoonBoy

Devil Dinosaur & Moon Boy [Avengers Infinity 016]

THEN: Not terrible, just not good for the cost at any point. You’re paying nearly 300 for base 3 damage, needing Blades/Claws/Fangs to get them to pull their considerable weight in a fight? Or worse, only 3 clicks of 3 damage at 175? Or worse, a whole dial of 2 damage at 75 points?

NOW: BETTER because of CCE working with more stuff, even though the above problems are still problems

———

No. 9 (tie)

GL039

Green Lantern [Batman The Animated Series 039]

THEN:

GREEN LANTERN POWER RING: FREE: Choose one: [Improved Targeting:  Destroy Blocking, Close Combat Expert, Ranged Combat Expert, Giant Reach: 3, -or- Barrier. Green Lantern can use the chosen power or ability until your next turn.

Looks good, right? Until you realize he — a GREEN LANTERN! — lacks the Willpower to actually leverage it. Nice to bolster his 10 AV with RCE or CCE but having to push off his 3 damage to then use, say, Barrier next turn is poor. And when pushed, the FREE action is totally useless as all five options require costed actions. Then his back half is 9 AV and 2 damage, requiring self-Perplex for middling results.

NOW: The pushing issue is a non-concern, making him WAY BETTER on his top dial. No longer a worst fig!

SpeedDemon

Speed Demon [WizKids M17-017]

Hypersonic Speed and 2 damage is not the worst, given his trait:

TURBO-CHARGED THIEF: When Speed Demon hits an opposing character and his attack total is at least 3 higher than that character’s defense value, anything equipped to that character that began the game as an object is KO’d.

Nice idea. Too bad his AV is just 10 so good luck rolling that 20 or higher to jank Exospex or whatever from anyone with 17+ DV.

Too bad it can’t also work on built-in equipment like Mjolnir on Thor [The Mighty Thor 061].

Too bad there might not even BE equipment in a given game, meaning you just wasted 65 points on this weak-HSS fool.

NOW: Nothing improved, really. JUST AS BAD, STILL A WORST FIG

———

No. 8

VisionFF

Vision [Avengers Infinity Fast Forces 005]

The Impervious-lite combo of Invulnerability + trait Super Senses is killed by a starting 10 AV that drops to 8, then 7. 125 points for this? Nope. This vision is blurred or something.

NOW: Despite some late-dial CCE to aid his punching some, he’s still JUST AS BAD.

———

No. 7

Catwoman013

Catwoman [Batman The Animated Series 013]

Cheap Stealth Perplex that goes to Flurry Blades is OK. But she’s only 4 clicks long and then her “Playing Both Sides” trait comes up and suddenly you’re fighting her cheap Stealth Perplex and Flurry Blades. She’s just awkward to use, which seems the case for nearly every Catwoman ever made. (Might be a future article in that)

NOW: Perplex is less useful so SHE is less useful. WORSE.

———

No. 6

xxs038

Magik [X-Men Xavier’s School 038]

THEN: So the point of playing her is to turn her into her Super Rare form. She does it by being a taxi and by damaging foes. But…

She’s a taxi so completely inferior to fellow New Mutant Lila Cheney [WizKids M17-015], with only Passengers: 3 and 11 Speed or lower, that WHY WOULD YOU EVER. She also can’t Carry fliers. No Willpower and 10 AV or lower and just 2 damage (so that her Blades has a strong chance at failure to damage) make it very difficult to raise the Corrupted tokens to MAYBE transform into her much better Darkchylde form.

xxs058

But is Darkchylde actually better? Assuming you got the 2 or more Corrupted tokens needed to MAYBE transform (it’s a one-time d6 roll that requires a final result of 8 or better), she goes to click 5: That’s just 9 AV and Super Senses and Prob. She’s an easy kill despite Mystics and 17 DV which could just as easily surrender an additional 40 points.

NOW: She can build up Corruption much more efficiently as a taxi — now carrying fliers! — even if her fighting ability is still poor. Her other form is just as bad on click #5 as ever, though. Marginally BETTER … but still not really.

———

No. 5

LockUp

Lock-Up [Batman The Animated Series 024]

THEN: A thoroughly confused design. He’s a Barrier piece with 0 range and trait Plasticity. So wait: Is he playing “keep away” or “stay here?”

And look at that Barrier SP.

LOCK THIS PLACE DOWN!: Barrier. Opposing characters adjacent to 2 or more of Lock-Up’s Barrier markers modify speed -2.

With only 4 range on his Barrier, that speed penalty is almost totally useless. He also has Incapacitate along with Exploit Weakness. Um, I know which one of those powers I’m using in close. So why even give him Incap? All it and that SP do is inflate his cost, which even at just 40, is too much.

NOW: Barrier now having a minimum 6 range makes his SP much better against Charge pieces. Incap being worse now makes it an even bigger point sink. And Plasticity got a bit of a nerf. STILL BAD

———

No. 4

BlackWidow

Black Widow [Avengers Infinity 003]

THEN: Stealthy Perplex is good if you can do something more. She does NOTHING more. So you have to push her. But then you lose the Perplex and she’s a Mind Control medic. So not useless, but not great. And so she’s not great. At all.

NOW: Perplex is way less useful than it was, and she can’t push to another role. She’s possibly now the worst figure of 2018. Maybe of all of Silver Age!

———

No. 3

Starfox027

Starfox [Avengers Infinity 027]

THEN: No armor. No mobility. Poor damage and AV, needing his trait to punch up at pricier foes, WHO WILL JUST KILL HIM AND TAKE THOSE POINTS. Mind Control is trash without great AV.

NOW: Being able to use both Force Blast and Mind Control at better range improves him considerably. STILL BAD but no longer maybe Top 5 bad

———

No. 2

xxs008

Artie [X-Men Xavier’s School 008]

THEN: 9 AV and 1 damage Shape Change means all he’s good for is Mind Control. 4 range Mind Control for 25 points. (If you’re going to pay that price, use the X-Student for a MC with a real chance of hitting). He’s junk. Not even worth running as an ID character — for FREE

NOW: Mind Control is markedly improved, so he’s SLIGHTLY BETTER.

———

No. 1

xxs049

Professor X, Dreamer [X-Men Xavier’s School 049]

THEN: Title Characters usually have powerful effects and long dials. He has neither. For +1 Plot Points, “Violence is Not the Answer” gives a DV boost to the team, but Prof needs to attack or take self-damage. With 7 range, 10 AV and 2 damage, he’s not good at it (though you can use his out-of-character TK to hurl a heavy). -4 Plot Points grants “Freeze Motor Functions” to immobilize and -2 DV a target in range/LoF. But you never want to use it because the -9 “Dream of Peaceful Coexistence” is the real one … that you can’t use until Turn 8 at the earliest — and that’s if you take the damage every turn he doesn’t have an attack opportunity, which is likely. But by the time he gets it, he’s on his last click and if he dies, it’s wasted. Worse than wasted: the team loses the quasi-armor “Dream” gives AND the enemy gets +1 damage.

And anyway, he’s likely using TK early on. So the chances of the Prof using any of these abilities are low. At 50 points, maybe you could build in X-Men batteries to build him up. But … why?

NOW: He can’t even use TK to attack anymore. Not even the improved Willpower mid-dial helps him And by the time he gets Mind Control, his stats won’t let it be great. WORSE.

———

BY THE NUMBERS:

12

are improved

9

are … not

10

are even worse

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Long ago, early in the life of this blog, I said the kids were all right.

One of the greatest comics Marvel's ever produced.

 

But although it was great to get them in ‘Clix back in 2008 and all at once,  the sculpts were lacking and the dials weren’t right, either.

Somewhat surprisingly, they got a remake in 2021’s Future Foundation, 13 years after their first versions. And they got a somewhat F.U.N. trait where they swap powers, something they could occasionally do in their comics runs:

WE SWAPPED POWERS AGAIN?: FREE: If you have 2+ characters with this trait and different names on your force, choose another of those characters. Until your next turn, Katie Power and the chosen character can’t use their displayed powers and instead can use each other’s displayed powers and range values, and can’t be chosen for, or activate, this effect.

But as one can see from their appearance on Heroclixin’s Worst of 2021 list, these kids still aren’t all right.

 

ffff016

Jack Power (Future Foundation 016) 25 points

With 18 DV, he’s got the highest printed defense of the whole Pack. That can be a 21 in hindering with his big sister Julie’s power set. He’s also a Sidestep flier (though he shouldn’t be … he’s a cloud) and thus can act as a taxi (though he shouldn’t; he’s a CLOUD) as well as Packing a bit of punch with Close Combat Expert (when he compacts his molecules to shrink while retaining his full weight).

———

ffff017

Katie Power (Future Foundation 017) 25 points

  • Energy Explosion and Exploit Weakness

She has the best damage potential, but it’s very modest and wasted on her. The youngest Power child might be the least useful of all.

———

ffff028

Franklin (Future Foundation 028) 25 points

He’s the one 25-point member who does NOT have the swapping trait. He’s here for completeness’ sake and for his Prob Control and Pack-centric Perplex. Which they need.

———

ffff029

Alex Power (Future Foundation 029) 25 points

  • Force Blast and Telekinesis

It’s kinda the wrong power set for him again (and the wrong costume), but whatever. Really, the oldest of the Powers is just here to either TK a sibling or swap his TK to another member so they can TK someone ELSE.

———

ffff030

Julie Power (Future Foundation 030) 25 points

  • Hypersonic and Energy Shield/Deflection

With the best offense and defense powers, the eldest girl is either doing most of the fighting or giving her ESD to the ones in front.

 

Speaking of the eldest, both Alex and Julie got young adult versions, too.

ffff034

Alex Power (Future Foundation 034) 50 points

In the wrong costume, he’s got Sidestep but no Flight like his younger self. He can fight a little more effectively, sort of, with triple Incap (though at very short 4 range) and defend a bit with Barrier — including a FREE 2-square version (that can’t be placed diagonally).

———

ffff035

Julie Power (Future Foundation 035) 50 points

She has HSS again, but a SP version that gives her a mid-move placement of fellow Sidekicks.

Too bad the 25-point Pack aren’t Sidekicks.

 Sigh.
In Golden Age, one could play them with one more character with their keyword:
gx026
Leech (Giant Size X-Men 026) 35 points
From way back in the early 2011 set, he kept all figs from taking POWER actions. That’s bad for uncommon Alex (Force Blast and TK) or both Julies (HSS) but maybe not the rest of the Pack.
But WAIT! Leech is coming back to Modern Age in August via LEGACY CARD! And this 25-point version’s trait is “Adjacent characters can’t use powers.”
So as long as he’s not next to his friends, Leech here could get TKed by Alex to open up a target’s defenses. Hmmm.
Maybe the kids COULD be all right.

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So while I was stuck home during lockdown, I came up with the bright idea to entertain myself with huge solo battles of my Favorites of the Decade, double elimination bracket style.

It was fun. So here’s a version where I pit my favorites of 2020 against those of 2021, which also got little live play due to the ongoing pandemic.

 

ww80054vs.jlu015

20 from 2020:

  • Absorbing Man (Captain America and the Avengers 073) 100 points
  • The Atom (Justice League Unlimited 059a) 40 points
  • Black Cat (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 005) 40 points
  • Black Widow (Black Widow Movie 100) 75 points
  • Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 009) 40 points
  • Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 025) 60 points
  • Human Torch (Fantastic Four 038) 40 points
  • Ironheart (Captain America and the Avengers 056) 85 points
  • Jolt (Captain America and the Avengers 031a) 25 points
  • Micron (Justice League Unlimited 059b) 50 points
  • Quake (Captain America and the Avengers 010) 65 points
  • Red Guardian (Black Widow Movie 016) 75 points
  • Reed Richards, Fixer Of Universes (Fantastic Four 056) 60 points
  • Spider-Hamurai (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 066) 60 points
  • Spider-Man (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 054) 60 points
  • Spot (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 042) 50 points
  • Sue Storm (Fantastic Four 062) 100 points
  • Superman (Justice League Unlimited 105) 125 points
  • Ultron (Avengers Vs. Masters of Evil Battlegrounds 110b) 100 points
  • Vixen (Justice League Unlimited 015) 75 points
  • (Sideline: FCBD Black Widow, Peter Parker)

= 1325 points

 

VS 2021’s:

  • Captain Britain (House of X 053) 80 points
  • The Commissioner (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 067) 50 points
  • Dr. Poison (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 045) 40 points
  • Harley Quinn (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 024) 50 points
  • Lex Luthor (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 056) 50 points
  • Loki (Empyre 026) 60 points
  • Maggott (House of X 051) 40 points
  • Master Mold (WizKids MP20-001) 375 points
  • Monica Rambeau (Empyre 041) 150 points
  • Multiple Man (X-Men Rise & Fall 007) 40 points x 3
    Multiple Man (X-Men Rise & Fall 007) 10 points
  • Onome (Empyre 015) 40 points
  • Rikki Barnes (Empyre 072) 75 points
  • Sentinel (X-Men Rise & Fall 008) 25 points x 3
  • T’Chaka II (Empyre 047b) 45 points
  • Teen Lantern (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 035) 75 points
  • (Sideline: Sentinel)

=1335 points. I messed up on the build, thinking 1335 was the goal to make the teams even. But I PROMISE that’s not an advantage to the 2021 team.

2020 went first, picking the Injustice Gang Hideout to gain some cover against the scary colossal.

Had a grand time, playing all these favorites. Nearly every one had its moment. A few disappointed me. And, of course, because it’s me, there were misplays — which keeps things interesting when running a solo game like this.
BY PIECE (alphabetically):
Absorbing Man (Captain America and the Avengers 073) 100 points

caav073
He’s underperformed in every game I’ve used him, and this was no exception. But at least he survived to the late game thanks to Stealth and Regens and Steal Energy Flurries instead of going down in a single turn like usual.

———

The Atom (Justice League Unlimited 059a) 40 points

jlu059a
A mistake with him probably cost his team the win. I aggressively went after Master Mold, “carrying” the tiny guy where he could Outwit the colossal robot.

I forgot Atom’s Perplex.

Most of the next few attacks on MM ALL missed by just 1. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

———

Black Cat (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 005) 40 points

svac005
I gave her the Avengers keyword, which got the number on the team to the minimum 3 required to make Quake’s “Avengers, Assembled” trait work. She otherwise did a lot of Underworld taxi work for fellow Rulers early on and scored a key KO of a German Soldier to keep her team in the game much later.

———

Black Widow (Black Widow Movie 100) 75 points

bwm_100
Her Hypersonic bike attacks got the Master Mold off his first click, and in the late game, she cut him off from Mastermind fodder in a sacrifice play to assist his ultimate KO. She also had a second life in the late going when FCBD Widow replaced her.

———

Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 009) 40 points
Bombshell (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 025) 60 points

svac009 svac025
This duo did things. First: Got an opportune Pulse Wave to deny Lex Luthor his Bizarro pog. Later, though both sorely hurt, they Sidestepped their way to eventually taking down Master Mold. And they were the last starting force pieces of their team to drop.

THIS IS WHY THEY HERE

———

Captain Britain (House of X 053) 80 points

hx053
I’m realizing I misplayed her, so maybe she shouldn’t have gotten one of those easy hits. But despite taking some big harm, she lasted well into the late game, scoring Reed Richards and keeping the pressure on the 2020 remnants.

———

The Commissioner (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 067) 50 points

067_file_1616294462
He didn’t get going until the late game, but oh brother did he make it impossible for the 2020 team down the stretch. I forgot his Outwit half the time because I didn’t need it. Enhancement and Mastermind works great with Sentinels (replacing his lost Rookie pog). And him sharing a keyword with Monica Rambeau paid dividends, either in Leadership moments or his “Do Or Die” ability to give her an extra attack.

———

Dr. Poison (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 045) 40 points

ww80045
I only got Leadership ONCE ALL GAME with her. But it was enough: That German Soldier she generated dealt SO MUCH Poison damage. I called her sneaky good before and she sure is.

———

Harley Quinn (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 024) 50 points

ww80024
She only got one good use of her Prob Control early in the going, but she survived into the endgame, where, on her last click, she scored a big KO of Sue Storm to nix any chance of a 2020 team comeback.

———

Human Torch (Fantastic Four 038) 40 points

f4_038
After early taxi duty, this random piece did a couple of Pulse Waves with a TK+Barrier assist from Sue. The first was successful, the second wildly not.

———

Ironheart (Captain America and the Avengers 056) 85 points

caav056
She was one of those who missed vs. Master Mold in that disastrous round in the first act. Never landing an attack all game (and so not getting to Barrier up a target), she acquitted herself later with a double-Perplex to help take down Master Mold.

———

Jolt (Captain America and the Avengers 031a) 25 points

caav031a
I wasn’t actually not sure her potentially endless Sidesteps still work, but I played as though they do. (UPDATE: They do.) Somehow the littlest member of the 2020 faves lasted into the endgame, where she scored and assisted in some KOs to give her fellows hope for an upset.

———

Lex Luthor (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 056) 50 points

ww80054
As mentioned above, he got Pulse Wave’d around his first pog (his STOP powers function through PW — his others don’t) but he got the literal Green Light to get into the fight later. Only a terrible crit miss by that pog cost Luthor a chance of survival.

———

Loki (Empyre 026) 60 points

affe026_file_1635284282
I got too bold with him in the very early stages, before a 2 ever got rolled to build up Rally dice, trusting his Stealth and Mystics to deter attacks.

Superman, who was Hypersonic and Invincible, was not deterred.

Loki was gone in a turn. (I’d have been more upset if not for a recent similar-sized game were he must’ve spawned 7 total.)

———

Maggott (House of X 051) 40 points

hx051
Mobile Poison with Meany got a lot of cheap damage on soft targets like Atom and Spider-Man. When the 2021 team was getting heavily outactioned, Maggott here kinda restored order. And once I got some Empower to work with, he and his pogs were wrecking.

———

Master Mold (WizKids MP20-001) 375 points

mp20001a_file_1620876541
I usually dislike this sort of mega-tentpole, but it was the only way for the smaller 2021 team to match the 2020 version’s build total.

Because the theme was “Favorites of 2021,” I played it with ONLY the 2021 Sentinels and its own bystander versions to generate. I only rolled successful Leadership ONCE the whole game. But that one generated was enough to take down Spider-Hamurai, who was seriously threatening Master Mold at the time, via MM’s retaliation — which was also instrumental in deploying the other Sentinels as needed.

Master Mold himself of course was dealing plenty of damage when he could get lines of fire.

Never did bring in Sentinels via the Factory Dial. But the Empower it gave them really enabled Maggott and his worm to deliver some mega KO blows that turned the tide for good.

———

Micron (Justice League Unlimited 059b) 50 points

jlu059b
He was one of the first to hit Master Mold. Unfortunately, that aggression got him targeted and taken down.

———

Monica Rambeau (Empyre 041) 150 points

affe041_file_1637638936
She was pretty unstoppable, able to essentially attack at will — and sometimes not at will, via fellow Police keyword teammate The Commissioner.

———

Multiple Man (X-Men Rise & Fall 007) 40 points x 3
Multiple Man (X-Men Rise & Fall 007) 10 points

xmrf007
These guys gave my team a surprising amount of healing via X-Men TA, keeping themselves healthy as tie-up and taxi (via Underworld TA) pieces and reviving Captain Britain again and again. And of course they spawned copies like mad when hit.

———

Onome (Empyre 015) 40 points

affe015
That double Outwit was really clutch in the midgame, just denying the 2020 squad so many powers it needed. She’s amazing.

———

Quake (Captain America and the Avengers 010) 65 points

caav010
She was a victim of bad dice throughout the game, despite scoring a couple needed hits to give 2020 some momentum. The whole point of Black Cat picking Avengers keyword was so Quake could use the Avengers, Assembled trait, but she almost never hit and the one time she did, the d6 failed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

———

Red Guardian (Black Widow Movie 016) 75 points

bwm_016
Unfortunately, he never got his Leadership roll at the opportune time to get the best stats. But he put in work “Fighting An Entire Squad.”

———

Reed Richards, Fixer Of Universes (Fantastic Four 056) 60 points

066-reed
He got to the enemy start zone and that Molecule Man pog was the last piece standing on the 2020 team. It kept the older pieces in the game down the stretch, big time.

———

Rikki Barnes (Empyre 072) 75 points

affe072_file_1638837794
In the early phase of the battle, when most of her 2021 cohorts couldn’t really get going, she was doing the work of 4 figs. Much later, she loomed as a threat because she could heal to her top click — and did. Fantastic fig that required a LOT of focused fire to take on.

———

Sentinel (X-Men Rise & Fall 008) 25 points x 3

xmrf008
Despite anemic 2 damage, these Invulnerable metal monsters were the thumb on the scale for the 2021 force. Whether carrying smaller folks or pinging soft targets or tying up attackers, they just kept coming — via their SIDELINE ACTIVE trait (or from the Factory Dial, in theory)

———

Spider-Hamurai (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 066) 60 points

svac066
I picked X-Men as his “Crow-nin Hunting Season” target but it maybe should’ve been Master Mold. Took a little too long to get him in the fight proper (though he could and did use Underworld TA to haul around Spider-Man and Vixen).

———

Spider-Man (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 054) 60 points

hc_msvac_054+s006
He didn’t do much, getting removed from the game pretty early and not scoring any hits. But his switch to Peter Parker absolutely gave new life to the 2020 team, with him ironically copying Sinister Syndicate to give Mom Bombshell his 11AV for those big late-game KOs.

———

Spot (Spider-Man and Venom: Absolute Carnage 042) 50 points

svac042
During the first few turns, his ability to Flurry poor Teen Lantern where she thought she was safe was pretty clutch.

———

Sue Storm (Fantastic Four 062) 100 points

f4_062
Although her Barrier skills were key throughout the game, maybe my biggest misplay was not getting her into the fight MUCH sooner. The 2020 team was down to its last 400 or so points before I made an offensive move with her and threatened to pull off one hell of an upset.

———

Superman (Justice League Unlimited 105) 125 points

jlu105
After scoring the game’s first KO, Supes got hit and stuck. But he soaked up a lot of a attacks.

———

T’Chaka II (Empyre 047b) 45 points

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This map and game was very good for his Distracting Banter trait, which ruined more than one key roll for the older team. Solid melee fighter, too, though it was unfortunate that he HAD to be one at that state of the game, forcing him to go into harm’s way and get taken out.

———

Teen Lantern (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 035) 75 points / 30 points

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She was very good in her role as team mega-taxi. She’d have been even better had I not mistakenly played her at her weaker 30-point line.

I’m so USED to playing her at that line. Didn’t even think to check until Turn 9 or something, when she’d been long KO’d.

———

Ultron (Avengers Vs. Masters of Evil Battlegrounds 110b) 100 points

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Another who missed that key round of attacks on Master Mold. He got counter-hit — off his Prob, most notably — and never quite recovered.

———

Vixen (Justice League Unlimited 015) 75 points

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Being carried to the fight by Spider-Ham, she scored some key blows to give her team an opportunity even after she was gone. I love her so much.

 ———
As I publish this, it’s almost time for Dragon Con and, shortly after, Heroclix Worlds 2022. A lot of Heroclixin is set to occur at both. Let’s GOOOOOO!

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Legacy cards are clearly here to stay. So far they’ve been a way to:

  • Bring some old pieces back into Modern/Silver play with a twist (L038 Thing, for example)
  • Make some old figs that never really worked right work better (L056 Hawkeye, L052 Human Torch)
  • Completely change the play style of some old figs (Ultimates Captain America)
  • Bring some now-unplayable-due-to-game-changes pieces into playability (X-Plosion Destiny)
  • Rework retired elements into the modern game (L003 Lockjaw’s nu-style “LAMP) or squeeze out retired elements of a piece’s design (L052 Cyclops’ ID card traits, for example)

Mostly they’ve been pure F.U.N., until the Fantastic Four storyline cards brought in a couple of truly meta entries.

What now of the War of the Realms?

———

L016 Piledriver (The Mighty Thor, 2017)

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THEN: A simple Masters of Evil brick who could knock back foes who had Charge and Combat Reflexes — both of which used to grant immunity to KNOCKBACK — and then run as many squares as the knock back dealt. He also had a quasi-Stealth from beyond 4 squares if he was in debris. At 75 points, he was overpriced for the utility — especially lacking Indomitable to defray the self-harm of the Masters of Evil team ability.

NOW: He gets a trait similar to WWE team ability: Can’t be Outwit or shot when on his top click or when he’s within 3 squares of debris — which he can make in spades with IM:Destroy Blocking. And if he’s next to a fellow Wrecking Crew ally and an enemy, he takes max 2 damage from attacks — which works fantastically well with the new MOE TA. All for 25 points less!

F.U.N.? Yes, but he actually might also be low-tier meta, especially paired with Mission Points Wrecker (War of the Realms 043b). But for some reason, this legacy card is the scarcest of them all, so good luck using it.

———

L018 Fandral (Hammer of Thor, 2009)

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THEN: For 101 points, he had +1 AV for each other Warriors Three on the map. Combine with a Flurry+Leap/Climb SP, he could eventually deal out some hurt if his Invulnerability held out. Top dial Outwit helped.

NOW: Shaved to 75 points, if he starts with exactly three Warriors Three on the map, this time he grants a game-long +1AV to ALL three of them. His SP is upgraded to Charge+Flurry+IM:Elevated. And traited Sidestep!

F.U.N.? Lots.

———

L023 Beta Ray Bill (Hammer of Thor, 2009)

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THEN: Boring, basic Running Shot for 159 points. No traits or SPs or even a team ability.

NOW: He gets the new Guardians TA, SAFEGUARD: Poison (for his soft middle dial) and can reduce penetrating damage. He also bears “Korbonite Resolve,” which allows him to take an attack meant for an ally.

F.U.N.? Reasonably. Nowhere near meta at his new cost of 125.

———

L032 Bulldozer (The Mighty Thor, 2017)

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THEN: Like Piledriver, he had quasi-Stealth from beyond 4 squares if he was in debris. His SP allows him to auto-breakaway when Charging. But also like Piledriver, he was 75 points and no good, even with Masters of Evil TA’s Colossal Stamina.

NOW: See Piledriver above. He gets the same trait abilities. His SP amps up to full-speed Charge if he’s on debris, plus KNOCKBACK.

F.U.N.? He’s 60 points now, so not quite meta. But yes, F.U.N.

———

L034 Hogun (Hammer of Thor, 2009)

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THEN: Like Fandral, he got +1 AV from each other Warriors Three on the map (even if there were four or maybe two). He also had a mid-dial SP that buffed his damage +1 for having an action token.

NOW: Like nu-Fandral, he gets Sidestep and gives all three (and ONLY three) of the Warriors Three a game-length buff: their damage dealt can’t be reduced below 1. His SP is now Close Combat Expert and Exploit Weakness. Cost is down from 96 points to just 75.

F.U.N.? Yes, but not as good as his brothers. His card also seems to be in low supply for some reason.

———

L057 Thor and Loki (Hammer of Thor, 2009)

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THEN: We wrote about this big duo figure — then considered the best — back in the day:

  • They start with Running Shot and 10 range … They bear Invulnerability through a trait so it can’t get countered and Shape Change to avoid attacks altogether.
  • They’re Mystic, so opponents won’t want to target them much, anyway.
  • They’re Indomitable, so they can push immediately next turn.
  • They’ve got Perplex to make their ensuing Duo Attack deal out a crippling 11 clicks, potentially.
  • They’re single-base fliers, so TK can yank ’em back or send ’em forth, depending, and they won’t have much problem maneuvering themselves.
  • Their AV never dips below 10. Their DV, 16. Damage is usually 4 or better.
  • Their only drawback is the DV SP, which saddles them with the range-killing Battle Fury. It also gives Exploit Weakness, so we’re over it.

NOW: Yikes, they used to cost 362 points! That’s chopped down more than 100 to 250.

They lose a LOT more than points. No more Duo Attack, Running Shot, Perplex, Super Strength, Shape Change, Exploit, Battle Fury or Quake. But a third of those aren’t any good for them anyway, and they got this:

A pair of  bystanders on their card from whom they can select all their powers: Thor’s Charge, Quake, Reflexes and CCE  -or- Loki’s Running Shot, Penetrating/Psychic Blast, Energy Shield/Deflection and Prob Control. Soooo … not really lost that much.

Standard powers on traits aren’t proof against Outwit anymore, so they get SAFEGUARDed from it via Cosmic Energy (and Avengers TA) along with Mystics with an upgrade to Impervious.

They also gain a bunch of reworked SPs granting Incap, FREE attack, FREE Barrier (1 square), Mind Control, Sidestep, Energy Explosion, Super Senses and, to their Outwit clicks, free healing when they use it.

Oh, and they have IM:Destroy and IT:Hindering+Elevated, TOO?

F.U.N.? I think they still get too outactioned to be competitive, so this is a squarely F.U.N. tentpole to try out.

———

L059 Volstagg (Hammer of Thor, 2009)

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THEN: Somehow this big boi got the same +1 AV as his other HoT bros. At least he distinguished himself by being Impervious instead of merely Invuln. His SP made it hard to break away from his immune-to-knockback bod.

NOW: Like his bros, he gains Sidestep. His buff to the Warriors: +1DV for the game. His SP is rewritten to Plasticity and Immobile on enemy turns — essentially the same.

F.U.N.? Much more than the original.

———

L060 Thunderball (The Mighty Thor, 2017)

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THEN: The smartest of the Wrecking Crew, for 100 points he brought Outwit to the team — and his Enchanted Ball & Chain equipment that gave him full damage Quake. He also had the quasi-Stealth from beyond 4 squares when in debris. His SP: Giant Reach 3 (swinging that ball) that -1 the stats of hit targets.

NOW: See Piledriver and Bulldozer. He loses his free equipment, though. To partly make up for it, he gets the same SP as before but with Quake added.

F.U.N.? At 75 points, he’s still the priciest of the new Crew. Definitely squarely in the F.U.N. zone.

———

L061 Thor’s Mighty Chariot (Hammer of Thor, 2009)

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THEN: Wow, he cost FIVE HUNDRED POINTS. For kinda nothing but Passenger:2, and Charge, and short-lived Defend+Impervious (but defend for WHO? He’s 500 points), and a few other SPs that really weren’t very good because his stats were poor or he had no defense.

NOW: He’s only 350 at most. Instead of giving Force Blast, his speed SP extends his Charge further down his dial. A weak “Drag” SP got reworked into a direct path MOVE that attacks multiple foes. And he can’t be Outwit thanks to Cosmic Energy.

F.U.N.? He’s still not good, so yeah. But at least he can now be played at 250 (so friends can use his before-now-wasted Enhancement/Defend/Passenger:Whatever on normal-sized teams)  or 75, where his Energy Explosion SP (which pumps his anemic 9AV by his targets’ combined action tokens) also acts as a quasi-Incap when he misses.

———

L065 Valkyrie (Avengers Defenders War, 2017)

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THEN: Brunnhilde here could Sidestep into position, then use “Aragorn, Charge!” to POWER move in a direct path through a bunch of people and slash them ALL, friend or foe, with Blades/Claws/Fangs, one at a time. She also had a Defenders TA-related trait that could heal pals.

NOW: She lost the “hit everyone” ability in favor of just picking one foe. But she adds the new Guardians team ability and IM:Characters (instead of only when using the above trait) for 25 points less than her original 75.

F.U.N.? Very.

———

LG001 Surtur (The Mighty Thor, 2017)

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THEN: A ridiculously meta Colossal Retaliator at 25 points who dealt 1 penetrating damage to every foe within 2 squares AFTER his retal  (even if he didn’t even make the attack for loophole-y reasons that have since been closed for Silver Age play). Oh, and a solo target couldn’t use defense powers against his attack. He had some other powers on his higher lines of 550, 350 or 150 points, but no one cared.

NOW: He’s lost his retaliation skills. So maybe his attack SP matters now (only seen on his 500, 350 and 150 lines), gaining PPB, Precision and EE instead of the old 3-bolt EE. At those costs, damage to the enemy also can’t be fully reduced. But his old Colossal Indifference, which kept him from attacking except via Retaliation, is gone on his 25-point click. So he can be a viable fighter now — one that can still be FREE placed next to an enemy that attacked, retal style.

F.U.N.? He’s not the bag of death meta that he was, but this piece could still see some competitive play.

———

LG002 Ymir (The Mighty Thor, 2017)

wotrLG002

THEN: The ice-based counterpart to fiery Surtur, he was never as good at their shared 25-point low cost, with a worse Colossal Retaliation (basically mass Incap without pushing? Worthless) and a vulnerability to the far more common Energy Explosion compared to Surtur’s weakness against Incap characters. On higher lines, he had a SP that was Incap plus his actual damage, so that was better. But still not great.

NOW: Unlike new Surtur, new Ymir still has actual retaliation but with actual damage this time, though it’s a POWER now and not FREE. On higher costs, he penalizes enemy speed and range the whole game.

F.U.N.? Kinda.

———

That’s got us caught up on legacy cards. The next set, Disney Plus, apparently has none. But I suppose X of Swords will more than make up for that with its buttloads of tarot-themed cards (rolls eyes).

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So I recently thought a LOT about what ID cards to add to this non-keyword theme. Here’s how it shook out.

Ambrose Chase (WizKids DP19-005) @ 90 points

Ayo (Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 021) @ 30 points

Dr. Claire Finn (The Orville 003) 25 points

Maggott (House of X 051) 40 points

Micron (Justice League Unlimited 059b) 40 points

Teen Lantern (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 035) @30 points

Spin (WizKids WK1x-s0xx) 5 points

Black Panther (NFID-002) 5 points

Cyborg (WFID-015) 5 points

Power Girl (WFID-009) 5 points

Spider-Man (MVID-009) 5 points

Storm (DOFP-005) 5 points

Synch (XID-015) 3 points

SIDELINE: Black Manta (Justice League Unlimited 068), Black Vulcan (Justice League Unlimited 072), Black Panther (War of the Realms Fast Forces 003), Cyborg (Rebirth 013), Power Girl (Rebirth 022), Spider-Man (SVC 018), Storm (WOTR L003), Synch (XXS 011) 

TOTAL: 298 points.

 

DAY 1, GAME 1 

Ryan’s Mysticals: Dr. Strange , Weapon Hex, Dark Britain, Felix Faust and three gems of some sort on Crossfire Canyon.

He baited me with Dark Britain, who I KO’d with ID Cyborg. Then I got Weapon Hex to death’s door with ID Power Girl for a slim victory. 1-0

DAY 1, GAME 2

Mike brought chase Spider-Man, prime Apocalypse and Samurai to “no-walls” Hank Pym’s Lab. Maggot got the soft ones with Poison, then ID Power Girl landed the big hits for the lead. 2-0

DAY 1, GAME 3

Andy had the legacy card Thanos build backed by Asgardian Mary Jane, celeb Mary Jane Watson, Marvella and Dazzler plus green Proteus on the Realm of Death map. I had no chance against his all-seeing Mind Control + Alchemical Fire tricks. Had to console myself with being the only player to even damage his force. 2-1

DAY 2, GAME 4

David’s Ruler theme: Valeria Von Doom, Demon in an Armor, Emperor Gladiator and Lord Doom, who nixed my Lt. Yaphit. On the new Manhattan Bridge map, I messed up and took a shot without setting all my Prob Controls up and missed. Went downhill from there and was lucky to not get stomped. 2-2

DAY 2, GAME 5

Blant’s Animals were prime High Evo, Maggott, chase Rocket, chase Beast, Ch’p. It was like my team: a GL tank but with Defend instead of Barrier. I’d need to play my best game to compete.

I played it wrong at every turn.

  • First I moved up to elevated terrain where his superior range could be a problem. I thought my Barrier would help. But it wasn’t nearly enough, because
  • I sidestepped Maggot just a little closer from behind the Barrier. That was the snowball that turned into an avalanche, because
  • he got EE’d and had stepped next to Yaphit. Bye, blobbie and bye Sidestep for my team.
  • I called in Power Girl, but: Wasted Perplex on her speed, because she was Colossal and didn’t need the +1 square of movement.
  • Used her to carry Micron for his Empower (cuz I forgot the objects I’D PLACED UP THERE TO USE) so he couldn’t follow up after her attack.
  • Which missed, BTW.
  • I poofed her before using her Outwit or Perplex or her Inspiration which made Meany miss
  • And the aforementioned Micron misplay cost me a chance to possibly TroubAlert in Black Vulcan.

It’s the not the worst couple of rounds I ever played, but it’s the worst round I’ve played in a LONG time. 2-3

DAY 2, GAME 6

Jonnybot had Avengers: Black Panther, Dr. Strange, Scarlet Witch, chase Spider-Man, Daredevil and a certain ID card. Put me on the wide-open Graveyard.

Somehow missed three attacks on BP, who didn’t even HAVE to roll Super Senses. Then I got Batman Primed (because that was his ID card) to hit myself and was just lucky the MC’d attacks mostly failed. Managed to come back for a pretty resounding win.

3-3

 

Hmm. This team functioned pretty well as a stress test for other builds, but found itself generally overmatched. By piece:

Ambrose Chase (WizKids DP19-005) @ 90 points

Was my ID launcher most of the time. Served well, never KO’d. But: maybe a bit wasted doing just that.

Ayo (Avengers Black Panther Illuminati 021) @ 30 points

Leadership and that’s all, despite her doing a bit of fighting.

Dr. Claire Finn (The Orville 003) 25 points

A weak link on this version of the team. TK was not as useful as usual.

Maggott (House of X 051) 40 points

Good, of course, but overshadowed by ID cards.

Micron (Justice League Unlimited 059b) 40 points

Still a linchpin but limited by the ID tech.

Teen Lantern (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 035) @30 points

Def. a weak point. Her carry speed is too low, and Barrier is almost a liability vs. some teams. Still too good to leave off.

Spin (WizKids WK1x-s0xx) 5 points

Always useful even though TK wasn’t, usually. Maybe I need to drop it now for the Emotional Modifier I’ll use in the future Modern Age version of this team.

Black Panther (NFID-002) 5 points

Never came in. Probably should have used him to Barrier up in Game 5.

Cyborg (WFID-015) 5 points

The long range PPB shot option was really good to have.

Power Girl (WFID-009) 5 points

She just swings games. Even in that disastrous turn, had I used her right, I could have turned that match around.

Spider-Man (MVID-009) 5 points

That mass Incap was not as good as I’d hoped.

Storm (DOFP-005) 5 points

Landed that anti-Thanos hit and turned tide on the final game.

Synch (XID-015) 3 points

Bought me a little more time vs. Thanos with a clutch heal in that game.

After the weekend, a few more Silver Age bans happened.

SHIELD Lvl. 1 and Lvl. 7 cards. So kinda forget about what I said about the Sam Wilson Caps before. Guess I missed my chance

Other Identities are also disallowed just like Real Names. So no more hope of Spectrum being playable via ID.