AZS
02/27/2003, 09:49
This article and content are property of the Author and is not to be redistributed or reposted in whole or in part without the Author's approval. However, feel free to link to the list page here (http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16280) Thank you.
Welcome to my reviews and thanks for reading.
I’m writing these to start discussions, have some fun, and I hope you will too.
These reviews look at stats, cost, playability and strategy in the context of 200 and 300 pt games. Also, while I have nothing against mixing sets, to make this a little easier, these are only discussed in relation to the Marvel Universe.
Feel free to object or agree with anything! If you have a valid point, I’ll be more than happy to back you up.
Today’s Infinity Challenge character is: Controller
Who’s even heard of the Controller? Has anyone seen old prune face around the comic stands in a while? Nope? Well, being the geek I am, I actually remember him. And I have to say his Clix version is a pretty good representation. He’s middle points, to represent that he’s a mid-weight villain (at best), and he used his ‘control disks’ to control his opponents and gain strength from sucking their psyches. So there you have it.
But how does the sour puss rate as a playable clix fig?
Well he starts off with a fairly low Mind Control attack, and a fairly high Defense for who he is. Then the two trade places. As he pushes (or takes damage) his attack value goes up while defense falls. The saving grace of the defense though is that a few clicks into any version he gets toughness. In Hulk-like fashion, his damage and movement also increase as his attack value goes up. Also in Hulk-like fashion, the Controller also gets a single click of Regeneration towards the end of his dial to heal back up to his hard hitting clicks, or if you roll really well, his Mind Control clicks.
The Controller is definitely one of the more underrated figures in the game.
For me, one of the reasons I overlooked this guy to begin with is because I kept pulling so damm many of them. I’d look at him (before I really knew the game well) and say, ‘what is this pathetic character doing in the game, and why do I keep getting so many of them!?!’ So every time I’d pull one in a sealed booster tournament I’d just shrug and toss him aside. Until I learned the game a little better and realized how versatile he was, especially in sealed booster games.
But he’s largely overlooked because he has no printed range for his MC attacks, and because he’s not straightforward enough for a lot of players. Many people are very reluctant to push their figures, and for the most part, rightly so. Because some of the best attackers in the game are top heavy 1 (or 2) click wonders that drop if you push, and really fall off the cliff if you hit them. Many players forget that Mind Control has an inherent range of 4. So while its not on par with Prof X (anyone use this guy anymore?), Moondragon, or even R Gorilla Grodd (man, I miss all the psychic monkey jokes), a range of 4 is still better than zero.
There are a few other inherent benefits to the way the Controller’s dial is set up. He gets stronger on each click (at the beginning.) So while a 9 isn’t the best attack value in the world, it is still ok, but the real benefit is that he is the perfect candidate to MC 100+ pt figures! Don’t bother pushing to get to the better clicks, just seek out a big gun on the table and MC him. If you succeed, not only do you get to make your opponent do nasty things, but you’ve put Prune Face on a better click in the process. There are no other MCers in the game that will get better as they control 100+ pt figures.
The Controller also has more clicks of MC than some figures that everyone considers Mind Controllers like Moondragon, Enchantress, and Grodd (again), and he can afford to push.
Since the guy’s name is the Controller, its easy to talk about his Mind Control, but he’s still playable mid dial after he loses MC. After a few good pushes (or one good hit) Controller sheds the manipulative Mind Control and just goes for the straight up brawling. Two or three clicks in, Sour Puss picks up Super Strength from sapping the minds of hapless Thugs and Thanoses (Thanosi?), and gets a boost to his base damage and attack value. Topping out at a 12 attack value, Controller has one of the highest in the game. His damage tops out at a reasonable 3, but if you want to pick up an object to increase damage, the option is there.
Across all the versions, he doesn’t have a tremendously deep dial, but he’s not all that shallow for his points either. And since he’s pretty much playable down the whole dial, he gets maximum use out of the clicks he does have. One of the major shortcomings is that he does not start the dial with toughness. So one good hit, heck, even a mediocre hit can put him right past his mind control and into the super strength clicks. And if you were looking for a little MC mayhem, you’re SOL at that point. However the lack of a defensive modifier is slightly offset by a defense that is strangely high for this guy.
Yet another clever use for this guy is to mix it up with Stealthed figures. Stealth is one of the biggest frustrations for an MC strategy because those guys aren’t meant to mix it up in close combat. And if you miss the MC attack, you’re based with a foe that’s about to beat the heck out of you. But for this guy, he says bring it on. Even if he misses the initial attack and gets whacked in response, he just gets better, and can then return the favor with a pummeling of his own. So there is a lot of depth to the strategy of using this ugly guy.
For a super cheap 31 points, the Rookie is one of the cheapest effective mind controllers n the game. His staring attack of 8 is nothing great, but it does go up to a 9 on the second click. If you are patient enough to keep him back or to go after smaller targets at the beginning of a game, you could bring him in mid game to MC a 100+ pt fig with a lowered defense (can you say ‘Ultron’?) and get him to do something nasty while Controller clicks up a notch in the process. Also later in the game the Controller’s 3 clicks of damage can really cut it up. For the points, you’re getting maximum bang for your buck, and an effective cheap MCer, but don’t count on MC being a key part of your strategy because he’s too easy to hit, it is too easy for him to miss, and he’ll have to get right into the thick of battle to be in range for MC. However since he is useful even later in the dial, not all is lost if he get the wits smacked out of him.
Exp Controller is still very cheap at just 50 points and gains a lot over the rookie. He has an extra click of MC and a better starting and overall attack values, plus a better starting defense. This makes him inherently more playable, plus the facts that his AV tops out at an impressive 12, he has more clicks of 3 damage, his final click of MC also overlaps with a click of toughness, and he finishes off with a click of Regen at the end that can easily put him back on a dangerous click or all the way back to a good MC click.
The Vet is again 19 points more, but there is far less advantage. Most of the stats and powers stay the same, with minor variations and improvements. The big cost comes from the addition of the Masters of Evil team ability. Where, unless you are looking to specifically build an MoE team, I say steer clear of the vet and stick with the Experienced version.
For overall playability, Controller is best if you pair him with a taxi. It might seem like a good idea to have him lumber across the board on his own to push and get better, but at some point your opponent will notice this easy lonesome target and smack the crud out of him long before he gets anywhere near 4 squares away from a good target.
Sour Puss fits well on any team, especially if you are looking to round out or add depth to a strategy. MC is always a nice addition, and the playability through the whole dial is an added bonus. But its pretty clear that even on a low point team, the Controller is not really set up to be a front runner because he doesn’t hit hard enough, doesn’t have range, and is too inconsistent to actually build a strategy around himself.
Check out my other reviews at these links:
Marvel Reviews (http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16280) . . . DC Reviews (http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14015)
Welcome to my reviews and thanks for reading.
I’m writing these to start discussions, have some fun, and I hope you will too.
These reviews look at stats, cost, playability and strategy in the context of 200 and 300 pt games. Also, while I have nothing against mixing sets, to make this a little easier, these are only discussed in relation to the Marvel Universe.
Feel free to object or agree with anything! If you have a valid point, I’ll be more than happy to back you up.
Today’s Infinity Challenge character is: Controller
Who’s even heard of the Controller? Has anyone seen old prune face around the comic stands in a while? Nope? Well, being the geek I am, I actually remember him. And I have to say his Clix version is a pretty good representation. He’s middle points, to represent that he’s a mid-weight villain (at best), and he used his ‘control disks’ to control his opponents and gain strength from sucking their psyches. So there you have it.
But how does the sour puss rate as a playable clix fig?
Well he starts off with a fairly low Mind Control attack, and a fairly high Defense for who he is. Then the two trade places. As he pushes (or takes damage) his attack value goes up while defense falls. The saving grace of the defense though is that a few clicks into any version he gets toughness. In Hulk-like fashion, his damage and movement also increase as his attack value goes up. Also in Hulk-like fashion, the Controller also gets a single click of Regeneration towards the end of his dial to heal back up to his hard hitting clicks, or if you roll really well, his Mind Control clicks.
The Controller is definitely one of the more underrated figures in the game.
For me, one of the reasons I overlooked this guy to begin with is because I kept pulling so damm many of them. I’d look at him (before I really knew the game well) and say, ‘what is this pathetic character doing in the game, and why do I keep getting so many of them!?!’ So every time I’d pull one in a sealed booster tournament I’d just shrug and toss him aside. Until I learned the game a little better and realized how versatile he was, especially in sealed booster games.
But he’s largely overlooked because he has no printed range for his MC attacks, and because he’s not straightforward enough for a lot of players. Many people are very reluctant to push their figures, and for the most part, rightly so. Because some of the best attackers in the game are top heavy 1 (or 2) click wonders that drop if you push, and really fall off the cliff if you hit them. Many players forget that Mind Control has an inherent range of 4. So while its not on par with Prof X (anyone use this guy anymore?), Moondragon, or even R Gorilla Grodd (man, I miss all the psychic monkey jokes), a range of 4 is still better than zero.
There are a few other inherent benefits to the way the Controller’s dial is set up. He gets stronger on each click (at the beginning.) So while a 9 isn’t the best attack value in the world, it is still ok, but the real benefit is that he is the perfect candidate to MC 100+ pt figures! Don’t bother pushing to get to the better clicks, just seek out a big gun on the table and MC him. If you succeed, not only do you get to make your opponent do nasty things, but you’ve put Prune Face on a better click in the process. There are no other MCers in the game that will get better as they control 100+ pt figures.
The Controller also has more clicks of MC than some figures that everyone considers Mind Controllers like Moondragon, Enchantress, and Grodd (again), and he can afford to push.
Since the guy’s name is the Controller, its easy to talk about his Mind Control, but he’s still playable mid dial after he loses MC. After a few good pushes (or one good hit) Controller sheds the manipulative Mind Control and just goes for the straight up brawling. Two or three clicks in, Sour Puss picks up Super Strength from sapping the minds of hapless Thugs and Thanoses (Thanosi?), and gets a boost to his base damage and attack value. Topping out at a 12 attack value, Controller has one of the highest in the game. His damage tops out at a reasonable 3, but if you want to pick up an object to increase damage, the option is there.
Across all the versions, he doesn’t have a tremendously deep dial, but he’s not all that shallow for his points either. And since he’s pretty much playable down the whole dial, he gets maximum use out of the clicks he does have. One of the major shortcomings is that he does not start the dial with toughness. So one good hit, heck, even a mediocre hit can put him right past his mind control and into the super strength clicks. And if you were looking for a little MC mayhem, you’re SOL at that point. However the lack of a defensive modifier is slightly offset by a defense that is strangely high for this guy.
Yet another clever use for this guy is to mix it up with Stealthed figures. Stealth is one of the biggest frustrations for an MC strategy because those guys aren’t meant to mix it up in close combat. And if you miss the MC attack, you’re based with a foe that’s about to beat the heck out of you. But for this guy, he says bring it on. Even if he misses the initial attack and gets whacked in response, he just gets better, and can then return the favor with a pummeling of his own. So there is a lot of depth to the strategy of using this ugly guy.
For a super cheap 31 points, the Rookie is one of the cheapest effective mind controllers n the game. His staring attack of 8 is nothing great, but it does go up to a 9 on the second click. If you are patient enough to keep him back or to go after smaller targets at the beginning of a game, you could bring him in mid game to MC a 100+ pt fig with a lowered defense (can you say ‘Ultron’?) and get him to do something nasty while Controller clicks up a notch in the process. Also later in the game the Controller’s 3 clicks of damage can really cut it up. For the points, you’re getting maximum bang for your buck, and an effective cheap MCer, but don’t count on MC being a key part of your strategy because he’s too easy to hit, it is too easy for him to miss, and he’ll have to get right into the thick of battle to be in range for MC. However since he is useful even later in the dial, not all is lost if he get the wits smacked out of him.
Exp Controller is still very cheap at just 50 points and gains a lot over the rookie. He has an extra click of MC and a better starting and overall attack values, plus a better starting defense. This makes him inherently more playable, plus the facts that his AV tops out at an impressive 12, he has more clicks of 3 damage, his final click of MC also overlaps with a click of toughness, and he finishes off with a click of Regen at the end that can easily put him back on a dangerous click or all the way back to a good MC click.
The Vet is again 19 points more, but there is far less advantage. Most of the stats and powers stay the same, with minor variations and improvements. The big cost comes from the addition of the Masters of Evil team ability. Where, unless you are looking to specifically build an MoE team, I say steer clear of the vet and stick with the Experienced version.
For overall playability, Controller is best if you pair him with a taxi. It might seem like a good idea to have him lumber across the board on his own to push and get better, but at some point your opponent will notice this easy lonesome target and smack the crud out of him long before he gets anywhere near 4 squares away from a good target.
Sour Puss fits well on any team, especially if you are looking to round out or add depth to a strategy. MC is always a nice addition, and the playability through the whole dial is an added bonus. But its pretty clear that even on a low point team, the Controller is not really set up to be a front runner because he doesn’t hit hard enough, doesn’t have range, and is too inconsistent to actually build a strategy around himself.
Check out my other reviews at these links:
Marvel Reviews (http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16280) . . . DC Reviews (http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14015)