The Best at What They Do: Plasticity

[saturnflight]

http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=680&pictureid=8117

Sometimes, the powers on the Powers and Abilities Chart can seem altogether too common. Charge seems to show up on everyone these days. Toughness is a bore. And Super Strength is that guaranteed power you'll see on every big brick, always leading to the same tactics. Plasticity, however, is not one of those powers, and finding the best of Plasticity is starting from a small pool and shrinking quickly.

To see who's left when all's said and done, come on in and read about the power that's nearly impossible to run away from!

[saturnflight]

Plasticity is defined in the Fantastic Four PAC as follows:

This character breaks away on break away results of 2–6. Opposing characters must roll a 6 to break away from this character. Adjacent opposing characters that can
use Plasticity ignore the effects of each other’s Plasticity.

Positioning is a major part of the game of Heroclix, and one that's often neglected. So when the not-so-common Plasticity specialist hits the map, it can really bog down the opponent.

We've already looked at a few figures who sport Plasticity as one of their tools: Hammer of Thor's Venom, Secret Invasion's Hercules, and the Spider-Slayer are a few of the highlights. While these are fine figures with Plasticity, they were (in my mind) better defined by other powers they had. Let's take a look at the figures who define Plasticity!

Budget Plasticity

http://www.hcrealms.com/units/svB002.jpg
Coming in at the bottom of the list, points-wise, is Space Phantom. For 9 points, you get a one-hit tie-up whose Shape Change has a slim chance of keeping him around for a few attacks. If you have a range-heavy team with little mobility, Space Phantom might be the perfect Feat alternative to give you a few rounds for a few rounds. If you know what I mean.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:7gFglSd5AV-psM:http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/surrealmonkey_wedding/worstblogever/JoeytheMorlock1.jpg
ul002 E Morlock
Team: Morlocks
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 19
Keywords: Morlocks, Mutant
m-dolphina-fistd-starburstg-starburst77141671316612156111KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO
If there's a Morlock that actually looks like the one Wizkids gave us, I'm unaware of him. For 19 points, though, you can land one of these generic mutant tie-ups. A little more life means he can take a hit or two before he drops, and the Morlock team ability, which appeared only in the Ultimates expansion, can boost attack in close combat. Since you can no longer find the ability in the PAC, I've listed it below.
When this character makes a close combat attack, it receives +1 to its attack value for each friendly
character that is both adjacent to this character and the target character.
Wanna catch an opponent totally off guard? Use Thunderbolts to snag this team ability!

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/8190/664620-11280_400x600_thumb.jpg
ba015 R GCPD
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6 :bolt:
Points: 20
Keywords: Gotham City, Police
m-boota-fistd-starburstg-starburst89162881528814278141KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO
But if you have no wildcards, pay the extra point and nab this highly-trained upgrade.

The Dedicated Diversion
Sometimes, your team is built around a fragile character (see last week's Mind Control article), and you need your team to cover for them. When this happens, a designated tie-up is your best friend. Most great Plasticity figures fall into this category.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:QqQN8lwPCg0YVM%3Ahttp://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/thumb/2/24/Super-Apes_(Earth-616).jpg/200px-Super-Apes_(Earth-616).jpg
sv019 R Super Apes: Igor
Team: Minions of Doom
Range: 4 :bolt:
Points: 50
Keywords: Animal, Super-Apes
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No, I just want the little one! Leave the other monkeys for another day! Igor has versatility with his Wildcard team ability, as well as Perplex mid-dial. While he doesn't start with Plasticity, he'll be hard to run away from even before he gets it. This little monkey can be used to great success, and all the while amuse that juvenile side of you that loves seeing heroes trying to get monkeys off their backs.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/35698/833174-shadow_20demon_thumb.jpg
cr224 R Shadow Demon
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 60
Keywords:
m-winga-fistd-starburstg-starburst10917299172891628816278152KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO(Speed) The Darkness is Alive!: Shadow Demon can use Plasticity, Phasing/Teleport, and Stealth.
A lot of Plasticity figures seem to be generics... which really isn't something to complain about. Shadow Demon brings mobility and safety to the Plasticity figure, as well as being a relatively big threat with Blades, Poison, and Exploit Weakness. For 60 points, you're hard pressed to find a more useful tie-up. Just watch out for big damage figures who can put him down in one good shot.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/33806/1066262-clayface_dome_by_ayanimeya_thumb.jpg
ba009 V Clayface
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 60
Keywords: Brute, Gotham City
m-boota-fistd-starburstg-starburst7916369163681635815258152681426714267142KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO
Plasticity is a power that sports a lot of the same characters serving very different roles, and Clayface opens that up with appearance one of two. This Clayface focuses on keeping his opponent in place for a long time. Shape Change gives him some defenses, but most of his endurance come from a long dial of Toughness. A great alternative, depending on your needs.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/7658/365467-18706-copperhead_thumb.jpg
or031 R Copperhead
Team: Batman Enemy
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 60
Keywords: Gotham City
m-boota-fistd-starburstg-starburst89163891628815278143781336713367122KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO
Copperhead is our other multi-entry character. Here we're looking at the rookie as a designated tie-up, but really any version of Copperhead is fantastic for this role in vastly different ways. High defense up close is just what you want from a Plasticity figure, and the Batman Enemies team abilities is a wonderful perk.

The Plasticity Attacker
Some great combatants use Plasticity to keep their opponent nearby. When you can't afford to chase your opponent all day, here are the grapplers!

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:Xs0Y1Pq_SHb10M%3Ahttp://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/77/167510-94805-miek_large.jpg
mu016 E Miek
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 60
Keywords: Animal, Ruler, Warbound, Warrior
m-boota-fistd-starburstg-starburst89173791727101627916269152681426714367133KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO(Speed) Chemming: Miek can use Charge and Plasticity.
Though Miek doesn't get Plasticity until the end of his dial, the simple breakaway it provides for his Charge easily makes it his defining feature. At the same cost as many of the diversions of the last section, Miek can take a different role on your team while still locking down the opposition.

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:NPdODDNEZdItbM%3Ahttp://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l36/purlenaxula/197794-elektra_400.jpg
si048b V Elektra
Team: Skrulls
Range: 4 :bolt:
Points: 80
Keywords: Skrulls, Spy
m-boota-fistd-starburstg-starburst7101727101727916269162691526814258142KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO(Special) : Elektra possesses the Skrulls team symbol. She doesn't possess the Hydra team symbol.
(Speed) Hand of the Skrulls: Elektra can use Charge and Plasticity.
Speaking of Charge and Plasticity, it's the one thing Skrull Elektra has over her human counterpart, and it can be a big deal. Elektra has stats that can't be ignored, and powers that manipulate her foes to do just that.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/37320/776209-copperhead_thumb.gif
or033 V Copperhead
Team: Calculator
Range: 2 :bolt:
Points: 88
Keywords: Animal, Society
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Copperhead's second appearance marks the veteran level as a legitimate threat with high defense and a Wildcard team ability. As I said earlier, every level of Copperhead is worth mentioning; this one's simply the most combat oriented.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/34475/878626-fight0164_b_thumb.jpg
cd220 LE Ultimate Clayface
Team: Batman Enemy
Range: 6 :bolt:
Points: 99
Keywords: Brute, Monster, Mud Pack
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For our transition from one category to the next, Clayface's second appearance mixes active aggression with passive attacks. The alternating between the two roles isn't the smoothest, but his defenses work well to keep him where he is, minimizing those transitions.

Stuck in a Toxic Relationship
One of the most enjoyable combos with Plasticity is Poison; your opponent can't run, he takes damage each turn, and you don't have to do anything.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:6zN1iladrY1kqM%3Ahttp://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/77/159301-129283-plasmus_large.jpg
aa015 E Plasmus
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 80
Keywords: Brotherhood of Evil, Brute
m-boota-fistd-starburstg-starburst8101738101738916279162791527814268142KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO(Attack) Burning Touch: Plasmus can use Poison and Quake.
Okay, we get it, if you're made out of muck you're hard to run from. Plasmus is apparently also poisonous. That makes for a situation that's more than irritating for your opponent.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/31499/749433-man_thing_00_thumb.jpg
mm063 V Man-Thing!
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 119
Keywords: Monster, Mystical
m-dolphina-fistd-starburstg-starburst6101436914368132681426814267132571325712256122KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO
(You had to know this was coming!) Man-Thing is one of the biggest jokes in Heroclix, due in large part to his silly name. But part of that ridicule is right on; Man-Thing doesn't protect himself. His weaknesses shrink in water, especially with Submerged. And by making his moves slowly and carefully, he can last a lot longer than expected. Man-Thing does best one-on-one, and even without Armor Piercing he can penetrate defenses with Exploit Weakness. Man-Thing is a lot of fun to play with, and surprisingly capable of handling himself.

I apologize for the above paragraph.

That does it for Plasticity! Did I miss anyone? Check back next week when we look at the best Force Blasters in the game!

[Stainawarjar]

It's a shame we can't give Pym Particles to Man-Thing...

[Batmandu]

Though he's bound to turn up in the Super-Strength article, SI Hercules deserves an honourable mention, as the easier time he has with breaking away is one of the (many) reasons he is awesome...

[bugleboy]

Great article for an oft overlooked power. But, how can you leave off our new Plasticity King, VENOM. His combo of Plasticity, Shape Change, and Super Senses makes him Royalty.

[saturnflight]

I absolutely mentioned Herc, who's bound for Super strength.

Didn't do a tactics section, my mistake! Might come back and do that when I have time.

[saturnflight]

Venom also got mentioned, but was more defined by his full dial of Leap/Climb.

[AgentP]

Thanks for the article. I always look forward to read your stuff, Saturnflight.

Entangle feat is a must on a Plasticity character, I think. 60 points is too much to pay, if tie-up is his only purpose. On the other hand, if the character also is a capable attacker, then it's another matter. Also, a tie-up character in my opinion needs to have Leap/Climb (or be a flier) so he can get up on that elevated terrain or move past other opposing characters, and Plasticity is on that same click-slot (except on SI Elektra) as L/C.
I'd rather put my money on Hercules with Pym Particles, Entangle and Takedown. Or take Saturnflight's suggestion Gotham City PD (ba015 R GCPD), who's cheap and has a good TA and can take hit.

P.S. We need better Plasticity characters, do you listen WC? ;O)

[Batmandu]

I absolutely mentioned Herc, who's bound for Super strength.

Didn't do a tactics section, my mistake! Might come back and do that when I have time.


Ooops, that's what I get for skimming over the introduction, and leaping straight into the article itself... :nervous:

Excelent work again, by the way.

[Iago]

So many of these best plasticity figures don't have it front-loaded, so it's harder/less tempting to build plasticity strategies.

Four feats have plasticity as a prerequisite. Takedown and Entangle are fairly obvious assets for the harder to hit tie-up pieces (especially the ones who are actual threats). On rarer occasions you might get use out of Running Start on a plastic man. Not many plasticity figures have the range or ranged damage capability to optimize Trick Shot, but if you want Ralph Dibny to be able to perplex or prob control through stealth that pricey option is there.

[saturnflight]

GCPD is from Alpha; as such, no TA. Sorry. Grab that Morlock.

[AgentP]

A nice combo: R Triplicate Girl 35 + Drag 5 (and Wild Card her to Klarion's Mystics TA).

[malger]

I thought for sure that HoT Venom would show up. I couldn't roll the required 6 to break away and every time I tried to attack he either rolled Shape Change or Super Senses, allowing the rest of his team to beat down my HoT Thor. 12 attack is worthless against a character that either can't be attacked or can't be hit. SN Super Skrull is even more devastating eith the addition of the Skrull TA.

[saturnflight]

See, Venom's just an awesome combo. Even in your Plasticity story, you talked more about his Senses and Shape Change. I saw Leap/Climb as the defining attribute of Venom. He was in that article.

[theanalogkid]

Good article. I love the Phantoms!

[jackstar7]

Plasmus rocked my socks in a recent Battle Royale-type thing I ran. He had AP on him and just tied up and remained nearly unhittable while taking down a Throg and a few other contenders.

Such a powerful, jerky piece. He and Venom are my go-to pieces for infuriating opponents.


I love seeing these articles each Thursday! Awesome work, sir.

[Vevilaughs]

No mention to the Plastic Mr. Fantastic? Or Plastic Man (at least the Transporter or the E version)?

But honestly, a nice review of an underused power.

[anonym0use]

Plasticity may be my all time favorite power.

Hello. I'm here. Deal with me.

[bugleboy]

Venom also got mentioned, but was more defined by his full dial of Leap/Climb.

Gotcha. I see him in the header now.

[Jarimy123]

R Triplicate girl w/drag and Mr. Mind has always been one of my favorite team ups. Not as great with the -2 to movement when carrything though. But this gives Mr. Mind a cheap transporter and wildcard for his TA to get the outwit, and dragging people around with an easy breakaway roll caught people off guard

[saturnflight]

I wish there was a Mr. Fantastic that people used for Plasticity... I'm afraid he's waiting for a certain damage power...

[Repulsor rage]

I wish there was a Mr. Fantastic that people used for Plasticity... I'm afraid he's waiting for a certain damage power...

The ct one gets hit into invuln or outwit if you wanna sink the points lol.

[CheeseWiz]

Plasticity is underrated and overlooked. I particularly like the Yellow Ring Gorilla Grodd LE with Trickshot, though I totally understand why he didn't make the article. Plastic Man missing, however, is inexcusable :)

[Mr. Cranberry]

Meik, Plasmus & Man-Thing?! I'm loving this list! I've used all these figures on a regular basis save for Vet Copperhead which I don't have.

But this list is missing a couple of figures, Stature, Rita Farr, Chemo & Plastic Man. Their Plasticity helps when paired with Shake Off, even moreso when AP is added.

[jak7890]

Good article! While plasticity isn't one of my favorite powers, I do have a piece that I thought could have made the article:

AA Yellow Lantern

No, seriously. Stop laughing; he's good.

His dial is long enough that he's not likely to get one-shot into oblivion, and if he is then your opponent has just likely made a tactical error. He has a dial full of ranged-only powers and gives your opponent a serious quandary: do I go base to base with him to shut down his damage potential, and then deal with having tied myself up, or do I let him run amok popping EE or PW as he pleases?

With his combination of plasticity and running shot, his controller gets to decide the answer!

[Quebbster]

Good article! While plasticity isn't one of my favorite powers, I do have a piece that I thought could have made the article:

AA Yellow Lantern

No, seriously. Stop laughing; he's good.

His dial is long enough that he's not likely to get one-shot into oblivion, and if he is then your opponent has just likely made a tactical error. He has a dial full of ranged-only powers and gives your opponent a serious quandary: do I go base to base with him to shut down his damage potential, and then deal with having tied myself up, or do I let him run amok popping EE or PW as he pleases?

With his combination of plasticity and running shot, his controller gets to decide the answer!
What's nice about Yellow Lantern is that his Plasticity is there for the 'other reason' - he has it so he can break away easily and use his RS and ranged powers.
I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up in the Running Shot article though.

[Cyaegha]

Entangle feat is a must on a Plasticity character, I think. 60 points is too much to pay, if tie-up is his only purpose. On the other hand, if the character also is a capable attacker, then it's another matter. Also, a tie-up character in my opinion needs to have Leap/Climb (or be a flier) so he can get up on that elevated terrain or move past other opposing characters, and Plasticity is on that same click-slot (except on SI Elektra) as L/C.

That's what make every version of Copperhead coming in when I want tie-up : the guy can just be an insane pain in the butt when well played, or with the good back up. The V is one of the most horrible DC 2nd attacker on can find. Even his 2 Range can surprise a lot.

[flakbait]

It's weird, but one of the very few figures I use that I get to employ their plasticity with often is Morph, though I don't particularly care for the character.

mu020 E Morph
Team: X-Men
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 90
Keywords: Avengers, Exiles, X-Men
m-winga-fistd-starburstg-starburst99162891628916288162781527714266142KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO
(Attack) Omnimorph: Morph can use Perplex, but he can target only himself.

Move him into charge range (perhaps employing Camouflage to protect him from snipers), then push to charge. Even if he only pings someone for 1 click, he's now pinning down an opponent with an 18+ defense and shape change. He's got a predictable, fun, pushable dial that looks strange, but I've always gotten his value out of him.

In general I wish Plasticity worked against Leap/Climb and Hypersonic Speed. I would probably use it more instead of it being so situational.

[saturnflight]

Agreed; I've always hoped for a reworking of Plasticity that held HSS. L?C I don't care about, but HSS should have to roll 4-6 to leave.

My Morph is modded to look like AoA, and now I actually use him.

[Top10]

A great feat to include is Takedown especially if you have supersenses to avoid any attack roll made.

When your opponent tries to fight off the tie up piece they may be dealt an extra action token.

[thanosrules]

Man, I used to LOVE slapping "trick shot" on CT V Mr Fantastic. I'd always catch people off-guard w/ a ranged attack.

[Dark_Knight]

Great article that shines light on an often overlooked power. However, to me there is only one figure with plasticity that I feel triumphs over all. Granted the figure is extremely high in point cost (250,) but if you were to play a game of say only plasticity pieces, this guy would SMASH FACES!

You know whom I speak of, arguably the best piece from Mutations & Monsters ... APOCALYPSE! Depending on the point build you can add on Trick Shot (20,) Automatic Regeneration (12) and a cheap TK'er like Super Apes: Peoter (50) or Marvel Girl (50) and domination is inevitable ... :-)

[saturnflight]

I would have loved to include Apocalypse or Super Skrull:Illuminati, but if you're using either's Plasticity it means things are not going your way...

[Invis-slayer]

Gotta be giving a shout out here to my favourite plasticity piece, hailing all the way back from HT is Swamp Thing [personally like the exp, but they are all great].
Waddle this puppy over to..well..whoever and thug away. Never will you here so often 'he's dead now right?' Never underestimate the value of a full dial of clix for 83 points!

[Amora's_best_friend]

Anaconda is a favourite plasticity piece of mine.

[saturnflight]

Anaconda's a favorite phaser of mine, as any serpent society figure should be considered. ;)