300/500 point: Suicide Squad - Blackest Night

[tidge]

The "Danse Macabre" 3-part crossover between Suicide Squad (in their 'resurrected' issue 67) and Secret Six (issues 17, 18) just finished, so now it is time to collect build some of the teams seen in the series.

For most of the series, the Suicide Squad is defending Belle Reve prison (first from the Secret Six, and then from Black Lanterns). This force can be easily represented at 300 points:

74 AA Count Vertigo
60 JL Bronze Tiger
+5 Lunge
53 V Silver Sable (my stand-in for Rick Flag (http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/album.php?albumid=666&pictureid=7981))
50 AA Nightshade
+8 Protected
49 E Karma (as Virtuoso, successor to the Fiddler)

= 299 points

Virtuoso (or Fiddler for that matter) is little more than a one-note character, so I opted for a multi-target Mind Control figure that fit on the team under 300 points.

ff038 E Karma
Team: X-Men
Range: 8 :bolt::bolt:
Points: 49
Keywords: Madripoor, X-Men
m-boota-fistd-starburstg-starburst71014169141691315813157121KOKOKOKO

The offensive stats are respectable enough in the modern game I suppose. The Vet version fits on the team (without feats), but the ten range is really pushing it IMO, and the feats serve important functions: Lunge is really important for getting Bronze Tiger to strike who he needs to, and Protected is the only thing that keeps Nightshade from being an early first strike victim..and it makes her more of a late game threat if she still has it available.

You can bring the above team to 500 points and represent the 'reunited' Squad in the battle outside the House of Secrets by playing:

75 AA Amanda Waller
74 AA Count Vertigo
64 AA Manhunter
60 JL Bronze Tiger
+5 Lunge
53 V Silver Sable (as Rick Flag)
50 AA Nightshade
+8 Protected
49 E Karma (as Virtuoso)
30 AA Multiplex
30 AA Multiplex

= 498 points

The above is one of those teams that opponents are not likely to know what to go after first, so it should be pretty good for fun play. Not having a true theme team (for map choice and BFC shennigans) always hurts the Suicide Squad.

I leave it to others to make teams for the Secret Six:

Scandal Savage (not deployed)
Jeannette
Bane
Ragdoll
Deadshot
Black Alice
Catman

or for the Black Lanterns:

Atom/Adam Cray, killed in Suicide Squad (Legerdemain)
Fiddler, killed in Secret Six/Villains United?
Manticore, various versions usually killed by the Suicide Squad
Psi, killed in Suicide Squad/Doom Patrol crossover
Punch, killed in Infinite Crisis?
Ravan, killed in Suicide Squad (by Kobra)
Shrike, killed in Suicide Squad (Ogaden mission)
Twister (a.k.a. Twisted Sister) killed in Suicide Squad 2008
(apparently) Windfall, killed in Suicide Squad 2008 (with Twister)
Yasemin, killed by Deadshot in issue 67

[Owlman]

Punch, killed in Infinite Crisis?

Killed in Checkmate vol. 2 issue 6. Jewelee was not a happy girl.

The Secret Six, consisting of Catman, Bane, Ragdoll, Deadshot, Jeanette, and Black Alice, can fit perfectly into a 500 point team using substitutes for Ragdoll, Jeanette and Black Alice.

I like using rookie Copperhead for Ragdoll, as plasticity and combat reflexes fit him well. Liberty Belle is a great stand-in for Jeanette as she's a brick who can use pulsewave at the end of her dial, reflecting Jeanette's Banshee wail. In order to make the points fit nicely here, I'm using Klarion for Black Alice since he's a mystic with a variey of powers, much like Alice.


Catman- 64
Deadshot- 71
Scadal Savage- 60
Ragdoll (Copperhead)- 60
Bane- 85
Jeanette (Liberty Belle) - 84
Black Alice (Klarion)- 76

Total- 500.

I'd love to see how a fight between the Squad and the Six pans out.:classic:

[2 Gun Kid]

I used Nico as a Black Alice stand in, Copperhead with Rag Doll, and Baldur for Jeanette.

Also try Captain Ben Dynamo from Horror/Hero Hellboy as Flagg.

[flatmatt]

Since tidge mentioned this thread at our game today, I thought I'd throw in my two cents on the current Six lineup:

Jeannette - She's been hard to find a dial for. A dial like the aforementioned Liberty Belle could be fairly appropriate, but I can't get behind a dial with HSS on it. My current pick for her is V Blue Devil. Balder is also an interesting suggestion who will require more thought. Might be too much damage reduction for me.

Black Alice - Many possiblities for her, but none of them are all that impressive a match. There's Nico Minoru on the one hand, but the problem with her is that Black Alice doesn't get to choose whose powers she copies unless that person is present. The best choices I've found are ones whose dials can represent three distinct known magic-users. My top choices at this moment are High Evolutionary (Dr. Fate or Zatanna, then Spectre, then Raven or Shade) or rookie FF Dr. Strange (Dr. Fate, then Alan Scott, then Zatanna). So she'll depend on how the points work out. I haven't looked into possibilities to imitate the specific folks she copies in this story. I suppose you could just throw a Giganta or a Nightshade on the team if you want!

Ragdoll - I was convinced a while ago that E Copperhead is the best choice for him, and since I have a mod of him he's locked in for me.

That leaves me with the following two teams, depending on whether one includes Scandal with the team at the prison or not.

Prison team only (500 point build)
V Blue Devil (Jeannette) = 100
R Dr. Strange (FF) (Black Alice) = 82
E Copperhead (Ragdoll) = 79
V Deadshot = 71
Bane (Alpha) = 70
V Cat-Man = 64
Total: 466

Plenty of room for feats there. If you prefer fewer points devoted to feats (as I might), the E and V Bane are also possibilities, but the Alpha one is the only one I have.

Combined team (600 point build)
High Evolutionary (Black Alice) = 143
V Blue Devil (Jeannette) = 100
E Copperhead (Ragdoll) = 79
V Deadshot = 71
Bane (Alpha) = 70
V Cat-Man = 64
Scandal Savage = 60
Total: 587

Fewer points left for feats here, but some wiggle room can be created if you want by downgrading someone like Deadshot or Bane.

[tidge]

Great suggestions on the Secret Six!

If there is a need to increase the Suicide Squad point total to 600, I can always add three more Multiplex (IIRC, I have 5) but IMO that is past the point of diminishing returns...so rather than a fifth Multiplex I would be adding Double-Time, Armor Piercing and maybe even Thwart.

[2 Gun Kid]

Another advice, it doesnt work as well on 6 teams as much as squad but Red Arrow has Squad keyword so I broke mine off and glued on a Deadshot.

Also I cant find mine but look at Exp Omac for Jeanette. Toughness, outwit, Exploit and Reflexes while in brawler mode and near the end she gets Pulse Wave and hten Regen for when she Banshees. Plus shes a wildcard

[flatmatt]

Having just read the last issue of this arc, I would revise my combined Secret Six team for this particular issue. I'm swapping my Black Alice stand-in for Nightshade, as those were the only powers she had (and even those didn't last long). The Secret Six also had a gargoyle on their side (barring a slight attack on Cat-Man...), so I'm putting in a R Icons Wonder Woman for it. With and without the gargoyle, 500- and 600-point teams are available.

Combined team (500 point build)
V Blue Devil (Jeannette) = 100
E Copperhead (Ragdoll) = 79
V Deadshot = 71
Bane (Alpha) = 70
V Cat-Man = 64
Scandal Savage = 60
Nightshade (Black Alice) = 50
Total: 494

I would probably pop Vendetta on someone like Cat-Man to help attack values on this team or take a page from tidge's playbook and put Double-Time on Nightshade/Black Alice.

Combined team (600 point build)
V Blue Devil (Jeannette) = 100
R Wonder Woman (Icons) (gargoyle) = 84
E Copperhead (Ragdoll) = 79
V Deadshot = 71
Bane (Alpha) = 70
V Cat-Man = 64
Scandal Savage = 60
Nightshade (Black Alice) = 50
Total: 578

A little more room for feats there, so you can do what you want with that. Elite Sniper makes Deadshot play even more like Deadshot in the comics, but I'd be hesitant to spend 20 points on it.

[2 Gun Kid]

Not bad, but the best bet for the gargoyle would have been Dragon Man...also instead of Karma try a Vertigo.

[I Am The Game]

I'm looking at the dials... is Silver Banshee's wail closer to Psychic Blast or Steal Energy? If it's Steal Energy, I wouldn't mind hunting down a Zombie Hulk to scrap... his dial is perfect! :laugh:

[2 Gun Kid]

Its not anything like Steal Energy, its more like Nova blast because it take a lot out of her to do it, she goes psycho after she does.

[tidge]

I just played this lineup at 500-points:

75 AA Amanda Waller
74 AA Count Vertigo
64 AA Manhunter
60 JL Bronze Tiger
+5 Lunge
53 V Silver Sable (as Rick Flag)
+2 Infiltrate
50 AA Nightshade
+8 Protected
49 E Karma (as Virtuoso)
30 AA Multiplex
30 AA Multiplex

= 500 points, characters in red were the fallen.

It was a game against a seven figure "Seven Soldiers" as the bye (so no BFCs). The Squad pulled out a victory. It took some special objects (Separation Field Generator) and map choice (Original Marvel Indoor) plus a key missed attack by Bulleteer, but they did it.

The Multiplexes were knocked out early. I *might* have been able to keep one alive for one more attack, but some bad positioning allowed one to be incapped/pushed prior to KO.

Virtuoso/Karma didn't have the opportunity to do much, but her presence did force Mr. Miracle to base her (to prevent her from using MC).

Flag/Sable was a good soldier, and makes a decent figure to pair with Waller. Infiltrate was simply a way to NOT use a pair of Lian Harpers, it serves no purpose on this team. Bronze Tiger finally came through for me, never missing an attack. Mystics was the only TA that ever came into play for me.

I'm convinced that more than any other team, the Suicide Squad needs mobility. Vertigo and Nightshade are golden. I was lucky in this game to have an Outwit (Waller's) to cut through damage reducers, and the Manhunter worked out quite well despite unfortunately missing a key steal-energy ranged attack (pushing to KO).