rock810
05/27/2008, 23:23
(The main article with pictures is in Critical Hit Issue 8)
DE-FEATED
By Kurt Barr
You strut into your favorite gaming establishment carrying your ginormous tackle box filled to the brim with a cornucopia of heroclix goodness. Your head is held high as you start to acknowledge those around you, giving winks and pointing your fingers like they were imaginary guns. You rock. If you were going in slow motion, a cool Cars or Boston song would be playing in the background. You start to unload your gear when you realize that something is missing. Oh no…where are they…WHERE ARE THEY?! After all your gear is strewn about around you, it finally sets in. You left your feat cards at home on your dresser between your Captain Reynolds Action Figure and Dumbledore Alarm Clock.
What are you going to do?! You look around the room at the different teams and you start to feel woozy at the sight of the sea of orange-bordered cards that surround you. It’s okay…breath. Here, take some drammamine. Stop freaking out. It’s unbecoming and children are starting to cry.
You can still make some nasty teams without the little orange buggers. Heck, some Clixers hate feats and refuse to use them and week in and week out still manage to make highly competitive teams. Now, nine times out of ten a ‘pure’ figure team facing a ‘feated out’ team is facing an uphill struggle, but there are some surefire ways to level the incline.
To play competitively without cardboard, you’ve got to be prepared to face the big guns, namely Protected and Fortitude.
Protected. The 8 point juggernaut that has become a staple for tournament players over the years, gives a figure a ‘free pass’ when the victim of a successful attack. When constructing your team, don’t rely on one or two high cost ‘tanks.’ Instead, try to evenly disperse your points on a good mix of lower cost pieces that can dish out a ton of damage when they gang up. You’re also looking for figs that can support as well as dish it out. You want a good mix of the old standbys; perplex, probability control, telekinesis, charge and running shot. If you’re playing a higher point game, the newest Green Lantern (Hal) is a great anti-feat figure. He’s got TK, perplex, willpower and he kicks major booty. Also, try to put some leadership on your team. You’re going to need all the actions you can use on every turn to come away the victor.
Before you start playing your game, really study, which figures have ‘Protected’ on them. The more you face, the harder the game’s going to be, but sometimes there’s just one or two. Patience is the key. If your opponent uses ‘Protected’ on a big close-combat fig like Green Scar, one technique is to use some of your figures as bait. Since your team consists of numbers, think of all of your pieces as expendable. If you lose one or two, it’ll be worth it to not only get rid of the 8 pt. card, but take out the fig as well. Remember, this is all about timing and every game is different, so there’s no exact science to this method. Every time the ‘Protected’ fig gets closer to your bait, the bait does its job. The goal is to set up triangulated fire on the ‘Protected.’ When the ‘Protected’ gets close enough to your liking, you want to base the figure with one of your own, whether your target has leap climb, phasing, hypersonic speed or not. The reason for this is when you gang up on the figure, it might lose the movement ability and be unable to get away from your tie-up piece. A figure with Flurry or CCE is good for this. The Starro Flash is a perfect figure for this. Perplex his damage up to a 4 and he can force the opponent to choose between the ‘Protected’ or taking the damage with just the first attack of Flurry. If the game is ‘unrestricted,’ dig around some of your old tackle boxes and pull out an experienced Hercules. If he picks up an object and takes 5 damage, he can then dish out 5 more to his attacker. Not too shabby for the 67 pt. ol’ fella. The overall goal is to use multiple attacks on the figure in one turn, so the ‘Protected’ becomes sort of a non-issue. That is, of course, if you make all of your attack rolls and the Green Scar doesn’t annihilate your entire team. Hey, anything’s possible.
If the ‘Protected’ is on a fig with a high range, try to focus on the rest of your opponent’s team. If you take out some of his/her pieces and try to stay out of range of the ‘Protected,’ your opponent will probably keep moving him closer…just where you want him. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Sorry.
Also, if the ‘Protected’ is on a figure with an impressive first click, try to get your opponent to use the card when it would give that figure pushing damage. Push it real good. Again, sorry. Recently, I’ve seen a lot of games where ‘Protected’ was used on the latest Green Arrow (Ollie). If he pushes to use the ‘Protected,’ it takes him out of stealth and that can be a killer. Outwit can also be very useful in ganging up on a ‘Protected’…..unless….
Ah, ‘Fortitude,’ the card that keeps on giving…and taking away; 25 points that can render Batman useless and end marriages. Okay, so maybe not the marriage part, but Batman really hates this card. He told me. We’re boys.
‘Fortitude’ makes sure that the figure equipped with it can’t be the target of Exploit Weakness or Outwit. What do you mean I can’t outwit Bizarro?! He’s an idiot! Whilst Exploit Weakness can’t be used against ‘Fortitude,’ the card says nothing about Psychic Blast or Pulse Wave. As you’ve already made a team of smaller feat-killers, try to include these 2 powers. Felix Faust is great for this, as he’s got Perplex, Energy Explosion, later gets Psychic Blast and on his last click, Pulse Wave. He’s also a Mystic in case you’ve got a few friendly wild cards on your team.
When building a team, try to make a ‘Theme’ team. Not only does it give you a certain amount of Probability Control and lets you ignore a single Battlefield Condition once per tourney, but most importantly it gives you map choice. On the Supernova Space Map, a character with Running Shot and Pulse Wave and a range of 8 can isolate a single target with Pulse Wave for full damage from only 2 squares away. Emerald Empress and Banshee are two figs that come to mind. Also, don’t rule out Force Blast. Force Blast can manhandle a ‘Fortitude’ fig without a damage-reducing defensive power. A good dose of knockback damage or a nice shove off of elevated can really ruin a figure’s day. The Crisis Blue Beetle can be a ‘Fortitude’ nightmare, as he can do this from range and through friendly figures. On top of that, he’s Blue Beetle. Blue Beetle rocks.
Of course, there are other feats out there that can ruin an un-feated team’s day. ‘Saboteur’ is one for you wild card lovers out there. DC’s Crisis set really fed the wild card appetite with nasty Mystic, Batman and Legion of Superheroes figs. ‘Saboteur’ can make your reliance on team abilities fly out the window along with your win. So make sure if your team has wild cards, they’re more of a bonus than the backbone of your squad.
‘Nanobots’ is another little bugger with some power behind it. Sometimes that one good hit can turn the tide of a game…until, that is, your target heals back to his starting position just by performing a move action. STUPID OBJECTS! I’ve seen the ‘Debris’ battlefield condition played with a ‘Nanobots’ team and it ain’t pretty. Here’s just one more reason to make a ‘Theme’ team and give you a chance to ignore a battlefield and get out of a sticky situation.
The last one I’m going to mention is ‘Armor Piercing.’ This can be a difference maker if you rely too heavily on damage reducers, but there are plenty of great defensive powers out there that won’t make ‘Armor Piercing’ too big a deal. Combat Reflexes can be great, especially for a tie-up piece. Check out the Hydra TA Jessica Drew from Armor Wars: Charge, Super Strength and Combat Reflexes with a 17 defense on her first click. She’s 65 points of butt-kickery…and sexy. OOH and she’s Hydra! Hail Hydra!
Most of the time when you win a game against a cardboard team, luck is going to play its part. However, there’s nothing wrong with making your own luck. Take your time and don’t feel the need to rush into the battle. When playing just for fun, try to practice your positioning. Good positioning is the key to ramming head first into a feat team. Run some drills. Try ‘First Hit.’ That’s when the winner is the first to successfully attack an opposing figure. There’s so much ‘cat and mouse’ going on in one of these that after a few games, before long you’re going to be a positioning master.
Be patient, use finesse and fer the love a’ Pete, be creative. If feats are the only cardboard you oppose, there’s always the Battlefield Condition ‘De-Feated’ and some great bystander tokens. SPACE PHANTOM! Respect. If you get completely fed up with the feats but want to fight fire with fire, there’s always ‘Thwart.’ Batman told me he likes that card. Boys, remember?
So don’t sweat it, big spender! Turns out all you need is your dice. You’ve got plenty of figures in that behemoth of a tackle box to help you climb the mountain of orange cards blocking your path to glory and the prize at the end.
Wait…the prize today is what? A feat card? Nuts.
DE-FEATED
By Kurt Barr
You strut into your favorite gaming establishment carrying your ginormous tackle box filled to the brim with a cornucopia of heroclix goodness. Your head is held high as you start to acknowledge those around you, giving winks and pointing your fingers like they were imaginary guns. You rock. If you were going in slow motion, a cool Cars or Boston song would be playing in the background. You start to unload your gear when you realize that something is missing. Oh no…where are they…WHERE ARE THEY?! After all your gear is strewn about around you, it finally sets in. You left your feat cards at home on your dresser between your Captain Reynolds Action Figure and Dumbledore Alarm Clock.
What are you going to do?! You look around the room at the different teams and you start to feel woozy at the sight of the sea of orange-bordered cards that surround you. It’s okay…breath. Here, take some drammamine. Stop freaking out. It’s unbecoming and children are starting to cry.
You can still make some nasty teams without the little orange buggers. Heck, some Clixers hate feats and refuse to use them and week in and week out still manage to make highly competitive teams. Now, nine times out of ten a ‘pure’ figure team facing a ‘feated out’ team is facing an uphill struggle, but there are some surefire ways to level the incline.
To play competitively without cardboard, you’ve got to be prepared to face the big guns, namely Protected and Fortitude.
Protected. The 8 point juggernaut that has become a staple for tournament players over the years, gives a figure a ‘free pass’ when the victim of a successful attack. When constructing your team, don’t rely on one or two high cost ‘tanks.’ Instead, try to evenly disperse your points on a good mix of lower cost pieces that can dish out a ton of damage when they gang up. You’re also looking for figs that can support as well as dish it out. You want a good mix of the old standbys; perplex, probability control, telekinesis, charge and running shot. If you’re playing a higher point game, the newest Green Lantern (Hal) is a great anti-feat figure. He’s got TK, perplex, willpower and he kicks major booty. Also, try to put some leadership on your team. You’re going to need all the actions you can use on every turn to come away the victor.
Before you start playing your game, really study, which figures have ‘Protected’ on them. The more you face, the harder the game’s going to be, but sometimes there’s just one or two. Patience is the key. If your opponent uses ‘Protected’ on a big close-combat fig like Green Scar, one technique is to use some of your figures as bait. Since your team consists of numbers, think of all of your pieces as expendable. If you lose one or two, it’ll be worth it to not only get rid of the 8 pt. card, but take out the fig as well. Remember, this is all about timing and every game is different, so there’s no exact science to this method. Every time the ‘Protected’ fig gets closer to your bait, the bait does its job. The goal is to set up triangulated fire on the ‘Protected.’ When the ‘Protected’ gets close enough to your liking, you want to base the figure with one of your own, whether your target has leap climb, phasing, hypersonic speed or not. The reason for this is when you gang up on the figure, it might lose the movement ability and be unable to get away from your tie-up piece. A figure with Flurry or CCE is good for this. The Starro Flash is a perfect figure for this. Perplex his damage up to a 4 and he can force the opponent to choose between the ‘Protected’ or taking the damage with just the first attack of Flurry. If the game is ‘unrestricted,’ dig around some of your old tackle boxes and pull out an experienced Hercules. If he picks up an object and takes 5 damage, he can then dish out 5 more to his attacker. Not too shabby for the 67 pt. ol’ fella. The overall goal is to use multiple attacks on the figure in one turn, so the ‘Protected’ becomes sort of a non-issue. That is, of course, if you make all of your attack rolls and the Green Scar doesn’t annihilate your entire team. Hey, anything’s possible.
If the ‘Protected’ is on a fig with a high range, try to focus on the rest of your opponent’s team. If you take out some of his/her pieces and try to stay out of range of the ‘Protected,’ your opponent will probably keep moving him closer…just where you want him. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Sorry.
Also, if the ‘Protected’ is on a figure with an impressive first click, try to get your opponent to use the card when it would give that figure pushing damage. Push it real good. Again, sorry. Recently, I’ve seen a lot of games where ‘Protected’ was used on the latest Green Arrow (Ollie). If he pushes to use the ‘Protected,’ it takes him out of stealth and that can be a killer. Outwit can also be very useful in ganging up on a ‘Protected’…..unless….
Ah, ‘Fortitude,’ the card that keeps on giving…and taking away; 25 points that can render Batman useless and end marriages. Okay, so maybe not the marriage part, but Batman really hates this card. He told me. We’re boys.
‘Fortitude’ makes sure that the figure equipped with it can’t be the target of Exploit Weakness or Outwit. What do you mean I can’t outwit Bizarro?! He’s an idiot! Whilst Exploit Weakness can’t be used against ‘Fortitude,’ the card says nothing about Psychic Blast or Pulse Wave. As you’ve already made a team of smaller feat-killers, try to include these 2 powers. Felix Faust is great for this, as he’s got Perplex, Energy Explosion, later gets Psychic Blast and on his last click, Pulse Wave. He’s also a Mystic in case you’ve got a few friendly wild cards on your team.
When building a team, try to make a ‘Theme’ team. Not only does it give you a certain amount of Probability Control and lets you ignore a single Battlefield Condition once per tourney, but most importantly it gives you map choice. On the Supernova Space Map, a character with Running Shot and Pulse Wave and a range of 8 can isolate a single target with Pulse Wave for full damage from only 2 squares away. Emerald Empress and Banshee are two figs that come to mind. Also, don’t rule out Force Blast. Force Blast can manhandle a ‘Fortitude’ fig without a damage-reducing defensive power. A good dose of knockback damage or a nice shove off of elevated can really ruin a figure’s day. The Crisis Blue Beetle can be a ‘Fortitude’ nightmare, as he can do this from range and through friendly figures. On top of that, he’s Blue Beetle. Blue Beetle rocks.
Of course, there are other feats out there that can ruin an un-feated team’s day. ‘Saboteur’ is one for you wild card lovers out there. DC’s Crisis set really fed the wild card appetite with nasty Mystic, Batman and Legion of Superheroes figs. ‘Saboteur’ can make your reliance on team abilities fly out the window along with your win. So make sure if your team has wild cards, they’re more of a bonus than the backbone of your squad.
‘Nanobots’ is another little bugger with some power behind it. Sometimes that one good hit can turn the tide of a game…until, that is, your target heals back to his starting position just by performing a move action. STUPID OBJECTS! I’ve seen the ‘Debris’ battlefield condition played with a ‘Nanobots’ team and it ain’t pretty. Here’s just one more reason to make a ‘Theme’ team and give you a chance to ignore a battlefield and get out of a sticky situation.
The last one I’m going to mention is ‘Armor Piercing.’ This can be a difference maker if you rely too heavily on damage reducers, but there are plenty of great defensive powers out there that won’t make ‘Armor Piercing’ too big a deal. Combat Reflexes can be great, especially for a tie-up piece. Check out the Hydra TA Jessica Drew from Armor Wars: Charge, Super Strength and Combat Reflexes with a 17 defense on her first click. She’s 65 points of butt-kickery…and sexy. OOH and she’s Hydra! Hail Hydra!
Most of the time when you win a game against a cardboard team, luck is going to play its part. However, there’s nothing wrong with making your own luck. Take your time and don’t feel the need to rush into the battle. When playing just for fun, try to practice your positioning. Good positioning is the key to ramming head first into a feat team. Run some drills. Try ‘First Hit.’ That’s when the winner is the first to successfully attack an opposing figure. There’s so much ‘cat and mouse’ going on in one of these that after a few games, before long you’re going to be a positioning master.
Be patient, use finesse and fer the love a’ Pete, be creative. If feats are the only cardboard you oppose, there’s always the Battlefield Condition ‘De-Feated’ and some great bystander tokens. SPACE PHANTOM! Respect. If you get completely fed up with the feats but want to fight fire with fire, there’s always ‘Thwart.’ Batman told me he likes that card. Boys, remember?
So don’t sweat it, big spender! Turns out all you need is your dice. You’ve got plenty of figures in that behemoth of a tackle box to help you climb the mountain of orange cards blocking your path to glory and the prize at the end.
Wait…the prize today is what? A feat card? Nuts.