drop19
05/13/2008, 00:54
For a 600 point DC-only tournament I've decided to go with a Crisis Darkseid team working around the Apokalips keyword. There isn't a whole lot of variety in options to work with, especially with a 30 point cap on feats/bystanders.
The first component to the team is of course Darkseid for 210. With the amount of outwit floating around DC sets it would be incredibly foolish not to go with Fortitude. It hurts to eat up 5/6 of the feat cap but it's worth it to protect the boss. Figuring 235 for his cost.
I just bought a Kalibak figure who is pretty likely to make the team as well. (Yes, I know he doesn't have the keyword :) ) His attack and damage scores are pretty solid. His biggest negative is the phasing up front rather than charge. For 140 points he makes a decent secondary attacker to brawl on someone while his Dad does the real damage. Also, Darkseid can carry Kalibak around and use him for mastermind fodder if need be. Cost 140
Granny Goodness is a piece I'm really on the fence about. Darkseid & Kalibak already put me at 375, Granny would put the team build really high for 3 figures. Disciplinary Motivation seems very tough to justify using on either of the first two characters. Granny's attack scores are really strong, perhaps more so than Kalibak, but the 2 damage towards the end of the dial makes her pretty unappealing. Unless I could afford some armor piercing on her she just doesn't seem worth the 158 points.
Desaad is a really fun piece that isn't likely to be too useful in this environment. A second outwitter is always a massive boost to any team. The guy just has such a glass jaw that his outwit will serve as a minor nuisance at best. The late dial support would be a boon if not for the fact that his attack score is a measly 6. At best he'd have to roll an 11 to even heal Darkseid. It mainly comes down to whether the 47 points is worth glass-jawed outwit.
Parademon Scouts vs. Parademon Warriors: I have several rookies and exp of each, with only one vet on the Warrior. If I play Granny and Kalibak then there would be good reason to have a few scouts on the team. Otherwise, one scout should be enough to get Kalibak around if Darkseid isn't dragging him around. The warriors have a lightly better attack & slightly better damage for only 3 points more. Too bad I don't have any of the Parademon Newsies.
Rookie Big Barda is only 55 points so I'm not writing her off entirely. The best strategy I can see for her is to put her on a phone booth in round 1, then have her as a TK option for the next few rounds. That said...55 points for a delayed TKer is really stretching it to make her work. Energy Explosion with a 9 attack would be decent if not for the 4 range. Force Blast would be okay for knocking enemies out of stealth. The low damage output combined with mediocre scores makes me think I'd be better with 3 Scouts.
The other wildcard to decide on would be Vet Intergang Agent & Medic. I only have one of each so it's not much of a decision. Agent is 3 points more than an EX Parademon Warrior and lacks the incapacitate, but his Team Ability could be Monster Society-ed into potential poison. Darkseid could carry him around as block terrain, use the omega effect to shoot through him, and maybe the Agent could even poison someone. The Medic isn't likely to use the team ability but what is there to lose? His 8 attack score with Support could be worth it late game if one of the others make it back to him.
There are a lot of variables to consider with most of the options above. Incapacitate could do a lot of good in this format against some of the bricks like E2 Supes or Trigon. Against colossal figures it's worthless though. Monster Society is a cute ATA, but how many characters in a 600 point tournament are likely to be poison-succeptible?
The final draft I'm most likely heading towards is:
Darkseid (+Fortitude) 235
Kalibak 140
Granny Goodness (Monster Society) 158
V Intergang Medic (Monster Society) 29
E Parademon Scout 19
R Parademon Warrior 19
600 Points
The first component to the team is of course Darkseid for 210. With the amount of outwit floating around DC sets it would be incredibly foolish not to go with Fortitude. It hurts to eat up 5/6 of the feat cap but it's worth it to protect the boss. Figuring 235 for his cost.
I just bought a Kalibak figure who is pretty likely to make the team as well. (Yes, I know he doesn't have the keyword :) ) His attack and damage scores are pretty solid. His biggest negative is the phasing up front rather than charge. For 140 points he makes a decent secondary attacker to brawl on someone while his Dad does the real damage. Also, Darkseid can carry Kalibak around and use him for mastermind fodder if need be. Cost 140
Granny Goodness is a piece I'm really on the fence about. Darkseid & Kalibak already put me at 375, Granny would put the team build really high for 3 figures. Disciplinary Motivation seems very tough to justify using on either of the first two characters. Granny's attack scores are really strong, perhaps more so than Kalibak, but the 2 damage towards the end of the dial makes her pretty unappealing. Unless I could afford some armor piercing on her she just doesn't seem worth the 158 points.
Desaad is a really fun piece that isn't likely to be too useful in this environment. A second outwitter is always a massive boost to any team. The guy just has such a glass jaw that his outwit will serve as a minor nuisance at best. The late dial support would be a boon if not for the fact that his attack score is a measly 6. At best he'd have to roll an 11 to even heal Darkseid. It mainly comes down to whether the 47 points is worth glass-jawed outwit.
Parademon Scouts vs. Parademon Warriors: I have several rookies and exp of each, with only one vet on the Warrior. If I play Granny and Kalibak then there would be good reason to have a few scouts on the team. Otherwise, one scout should be enough to get Kalibak around if Darkseid isn't dragging him around. The warriors have a lightly better attack & slightly better damage for only 3 points more. Too bad I don't have any of the Parademon Newsies.
Rookie Big Barda is only 55 points so I'm not writing her off entirely. The best strategy I can see for her is to put her on a phone booth in round 1, then have her as a TK option for the next few rounds. That said...55 points for a delayed TKer is really stretching it to make her work. Energy Explosion with a 9 attack would be decent if not for the 4 range. Force Blast would be okay for knocking enemies out of stealth. The low damage output combined with mediocre scores makes me think I'd be better with 3 Scouts.
The other wildcard to decide on would be Vet Intergang Agent & Medic. I only have one of each so it's not much of a decision. Agent is 3 points more than an EX Parademon Warrior and lacks the incapacitate, but his Team Ability could be Monster Society-ed into potential poison. Darkseid could carry him around as block terrain, use the omega effect to shoot through him, and maybe the Agent could even poison someone. The Medic isn't likely to use the team ability but what is there to lose? His 8 attack score with Support could be worth it late game if one of the others make it back to him.
There are a lot of variables to consider with most of the options above. Incapacitate could do a lot of good in this format against some of the bricks like E2 Supes or Trigon. Against colossal figures it's worthless though. Monster Society is a cute ATA, but how many characters in a 600 point tournament are likely to be poison-succeptible?
The final draft I'm most likely heading towards is:
Darkseid (+Fortitude) 235
Kalibak 140
Granny Goodness (Monster Society) 158
V Intergang Medic (Monster Society) 29
E Parademon Scout 19
R Parademon Warrior 19
600 Points