AdamWarlock
03/02/2003, 21:43
Well, I've gone through all the X-plosion stats currently posted three times now and I am formulating my first opinions (which very rarely shadow my final opinions) of the figures here. I'm rating everybody up there except for the new REV Daredevil, as I feel that his E & V versions will totally alter my opinion on it, or at least I hope so...
My rating levels and a figure from older sets to compare them to:
REV ratings
GREAT: Exp Ultron, Black Panther,
GOOD: Firelord (Almost great but flawed in one way)
DECENT: Above "Ok", but not quite up to "great" consideration: Sabretooth
OK: Usable, but in limited situations; Vet Puppetmaster
UGH...: Bad but not beyond redemption; Kang
DEAR, GOD...: Let's just say "Black Manta"
Now, what categories do I feel that the posted REV Xplosion guys fall into?
GREAT: Paramedic (CHEAP support with good AV *for a support figure*), Mystique (Just a few points more than Vet Riddler with an extra click of perplex, a better team ability, and generally is all around useful), Abomination (Great beatstick), Beast (Perplex, support, great DV & toughness), Psylocke (Affordable, keeps her AV pretty solid, sports good amounts of rare, very useful ability *enhancement*), Silver Samurai (Phasing, NICE AV and retains numbers fairly well, affordable), Mandarin (Where Iron Man SHOULD be. Tons of good abilities, great range, good AV, 4 clicks of outwit... mmm.)
GOOD: Con Artist (cheap perplex will alter how tournaments are played), Destiny (the villains get Probability control and it is good), Boom-Boom (Good enough AV for a discount-bin figure; especially with how lethal EE is), Shadowcat (Cheap phasing taxi... mmm), Iceman (Affordable taxi, barrier *Avalanche proved how crucial that one is*, 3 damage RCE, all around useful), Doc Samson (HUGE potential damage, but his AV drops off pretty quick), Crimson Dynamo (HUGE damage; AV not as high as it could be but makes up for it with how it doesn't drop off like Iron Man's), Taskmaster (Mimic team ability = great figure no matter what, it seems. Curious to find ways to abuse Taskmaster's abilities comboed with that), Storm (Not THAT effective, but for her points she's a bargain)
DECENT: Hand Ninja (ranged-combat one), Viper (Weaker Red Skull; her MM doesn't allow her many possibilities for guys to shirk damage onto; much better when used in bulk or with red skull than alone), Gambit (Good assortment of abilities and LOTS of EE) Colossus (Great damage, X-men ability helps him get off his starting "human" click, but AV is poor)
OK: Hand Ninja (close-combat one), SWAT Specialist, Typhoid Mary (BCF on a figure costing under 20 points is nice, but not really worth it when the figure's pitiful AV makes it so that Typhoid will be relegated to dicing up thugs and not much more), Scorpion (He's tough sure *7 clicks of it*, but his damage is pitiful and he's royally dull on the attack possibilities)
UGH...: SWAT Officer, Iron Man (He's got a great assortment of abilities, but his AV is vomit-inducingly low. For 161 points, he's a ridiculous investment; not being able to connect with the 18 DV of his fellow mega-expenses. His AV is barely above Typhoid Mary's for heck's sake! 161 points is multiple TIMES too much for a figure who's AV makes it so he'd have to roll a 9 to hit the average figure's starting DV (16) for most of his clicks where his AV is 7, max. It's sad.)
DEAR, GOD...: Thankfully, none are THAT bad.
And now, the uniques... rated with letters because I really can't think of any other method...
SHADOWCAT: "B". Good cheap taxi, and a phasing one to boot, but just a very few clicks of damage reduces her use exponentially. Still a phasing taxi, but with a speed of 6 or 5, she won't be taking people very far.
ELEKTRA: B+. There's nothing at all wrong with her. 8 clicks of Super Senses & Perplex are astounding. It's just that 160 points is a mighty hard cost to swallow.
DEATHBIRD: A-. She's an all-around useful figure. Good AV, solid 2 damage most of the way around, 13 range (w/running shot), 4 damage at range with RCE, 3 clicks of BCF... and a taxi to boot.
APOCALYPSE: B+. He's affordable as monsters go; his DV is low but its stable, and he's tougher (damage reducing-wise) than just about everybody else in the game short of Superman & Thanos.
GREEN GOBLIN: A-. His AV and attack possibilities seem poor at first glance, but with 3 clicks of perplex and constant willpower... he can try, try again without ever taking push damage, and he can also taxi figures two turns in a row without taking damage; a HUGE plus.
LEADER: B. 4 clicks of Perplex is great, and he's the only figure I can think of that hac MC and willpower at the same time; taking maximum advantage of the enemy's resources (so long as his targets are under 100 points). He's just kind of hard to use, both in a combat sense and an army building sense: 116 points, slow moving, short range.
SAURON: A. This guy is great. He's affordable, a taxi (at least), he's got toughness all the way around, Steal energy while his AV is still decent, mind control... a bit of everything for nearly any form of play.
LADY DEATHSTRIKE: B+. As a unique, she's dull. However, compare her to her cheap BCF cousins. Rookie Wolverine & Sabretooth are very sturdy figures, especially for their affordable pricetage. Deathstrike is their principle to the max.
SPIDER MAN: B+. 4 clicks of outwit, 6 of super senses, lots of leap / climb. His super strength gives him some more damage-inducing offence (as in anything other than incapacitate), but his AV doesn't start as high as some of his other versions and also drops a lot faster. At first glance, he really doesn't seem THAT threatening; I feel; but I think that he can be played to much stronger effect than some would expect if used by the right player.
SAVAGE HULK: A. Behold the game's ultimate Beat-stick. This guy puts Veteran Superman to shame. The AV never drops below 10, he's got 7 clicks of invulerability, 10 clicks of life total, constant super strength & leap / climb, 2 clicks at 5 damage and twice that with 4 damage... and, unlike IC's REV hulk, he can be taxi'd all the way around the board and his dial, as he never gets battle fury. Be wary of Mind controllers, however.
PHOENIX: B+. She's pretty much the ultimate taxi; Moondragon with more mobility potential but less offensive. Good movement, 3x as much telekinesis, some toughness to help keep her at the top of her game... and an astonishing range; letting her lay cover fire for her taxi-faire better than anybody else in the game. Finally, as an X-men member, she makes up for not having Moondragon's regeneration.
WEAPON X: B-. Maybe he just suffers from being a unique in the same set as Lady Deathstrike; a better "dull but good for her points" unique of the same "affordable BCF figure" variety. He can NEVER be taxi'd, his AV is a tad low... however his willpower/BCF combo could be interesting. I'll have to see him in use (at least a month) to see how well exactly he'll work on those clicks. Just like Red Skull, however, his AV may be poor on those clicks, but the willpower ensures that he'll never be penalized for TRYING to connect.
Curious what others think on these guys. Perhaps there's something I"m not considering for the likes of Iron Man, who, by abilities alone should by all means be considered a powerhouse, but who I see as a piece of garbage.
My rating levels and a figure from older sets to compare them to:
REV ratings
GREAT: Exp Ultron, Black Panther,
GOOD: Firelord (Almost great but flawed in one way)
DECENT: Above "Ok", but not quite up to "great" consideration: Sabretooth
OK: Usable, but in limited situations; Vet Puppetmaster
UGH...: Bad but not beyond redemption; Kang
DEAR, GOD...: Let's just say "Black Manta"
Now, what categories do I feel that the posted REV Xplosion guys fall into?
GREAT: Paramedic (CHEAP support with good AV *for a support figure*), Mystique (Just a few points more than Vet Riddler with an extra click of perplex, a better team ability, and generally is all around useful), Abomination (Great beatstick), Beast (Perplex, support, great DV & toughness), Psylocke (Affordable, keeps her AV pretty solid, sports good amounts of rare, very useful ability *enhancement*), Silver Samurai (Phasing, NICE AV and retains numbers fairly well, affordable), Mandarin (Where Iron Man SHOULD be. Tons of good abilities, great range, good AV, 4 clicks of outwit... mmm.)
GOOD: Con Artist (cheap perplex will alter how tournaments are played), Destiny (the villains get Probability control and it is good), Boom-Boom (Good enough AV for a discount-bin figure; especially with how lethal EE is), Shadowcat (Cheap phasing taxi... mmm), Iceman (Affordable taxi, barrier *Avalanche proved how crucial that one is*, 3 damage RCE, all around useful), Doc Samson (HUGE potential damage, but his AV drops off pretty quick), Crimson Dynamo (HUGE damage; AV not as high as it could be but makes up for it with how it doesn't drop off like Iron Man's), Taskmaster (Mimic team ability = great figure no matter what, it seems. Curious to find ways to abuse Taskmaster's abilities comboed with that), Storm (Not THAT effective, but for her points she's a bargain)
DECENT: Hand Ninja (ranged-combat one), Viper (Weaker Red Skull; her MM doesn't allow her many possibilities for guys to shirk damage onto; much better when used in bulk or with red skull than alone), Gambit (Good assortment of abilities and LOTS of EE) Colossus (Great damage, X-men ability helps him get off his starting "human" click, but AV is poor)
OK: Hand Ninja (close-combat one), SWAT Specialist, Typhoid Mary (BCF on a figure costing under 20 points is nice, but not really worth it when the figure's pitiful AV makes it so that Typhoid will be relegated to dicing up thugs and not much more), Scorpion (He's tough sure *7 clicks of it*, but his damage is pitiful and he's royally dull on the attack possibilities)
UGH...: SWAT Officer, Iron Man (He's got a great assortment of abilities, but his AV is vomit-inducingly low. For 161 points, he's a ridiculous investment; not being able to connect with the 18 DV of his fellow mega-expenses. His AV is barely above Typhoid Mary's for heck's sake! 161 points is multiple TIMES too much for a figure who's AV makes it so he'd have to roll a 9 to hit the average figure's starting DV (16) for most of his clicks where his AV is 7, max. It's sad.)
DEAR, GOD...: Thankfully, none are THAT bad.
And now, the uniques... rated with letters because I really can't think of any other method...
SHADOWCAT: "B". Good cheap taxi, and a phasing one to boot, but just a very few clicks of damage reduces her use exponentially. Still a phasing taxi, but with a speed of 6 or 5, she won't be taking people very far.
ELEKTRA: B+. There's nothing at all wrong with her. 8 clicks of Super Senses & Perplex are astounding. It's just that 160 points is a mighty hard cost to swallow.
DEATHBIRD: A-. She's an all-around useful figure. Good AV, solid 2 damage most of the way around, 13 range (w/running shot), 4 damage at range with RCE, 3 clicks of BCF... and a taxi to boot.
APOCALYPSE: B+. He's affordable as monsters go; his DV is low but its stable, and he's tougher (damage reducing-wise) than just about everybody else in the game short of Superman & Thanos.
GREEN GOBLIN: A-. His AV and attack possibilities seem poor at first glance, but with 3 clicks of perplex and constant willpower... he can try, try again without ever taking push damage, and he can also taxi figures two turns in a row without taking damage; a HUGE plus.
LEADER: B. 4 clicks of Perplex is great, and he's the only figure I can think of that hac MC and willpower at the same time; taking maximum advantage of the enemy's resources (so long as his targets are under 100 points). He's just kind of hard to use, both in a combat sense and an army building sense: 116 points, slow moving, short range.
SAURON: A. This guy is great. He's affordable, a taxi (at least), he's got toughness all the way around, Steal energy while his AV is still decent, mind control... a bit of everything for nearly any form of play.
LADY DEATHSTRIKE: B+. As a unique, she's dull. However, compare her to her cheap BCF cousins. Rookie Wolverine & Sabretooth are very sturdy figures, especially for their affordable pricetage. Deathstrike is their principle to the max.
SPIDER MAN: B+. 4 clicks of outwit, 6 of super senses, lots of leap / climb. His super strength gives him some more damage-inducing offence (as in anything other than incapacitate), but his AV doesn't start as high as some of his other versions and also drops a lot faster. At first glance, he really doesn't seem THAT threatening; I feel; but I think that he can be played to much stronger effect than some would expect if used by the right player.
SAVAGE HULK: A. Behold the game's ultimate Beat-stick. This guy puts Veteran Superman to shame. The AV never drops below 10, he's got 7 clicks of invulerability, 10 clicks of life total, constant super strength & leap / climb, 2 clicks at 5 damage and twice that with 4 damage... and, unlike IC's REV hulk, he can be taxi'd all the way around the board and his dial, as he never gets battle fury. Be wary of Mind controllers, however.
PHOENIX: B+. She's pretty much the ultimate taxi; Moondragon with more mobility potential but less offensive. Good movement, 3x as much telekinesis, some toughness to help keep her at the top of her game... and an astonishing range; letting her lay cover fire for her taxi-faire better than anybody else in the game. Finally, as an X-men member, she makes up for not having Moondragon's regeneration.
WEAPON X: B-. Maybe he just suffers from being a unique in the same set as Lady Deathstrike; a better "dull but good for her points" unique of the same "affordable BCF figure" variety. He can NEVER be taxi'd, his AV is a tad low... however his willpower/BCF combo could be interesting. I'll have to see him in use (at least a month) to see how well exactly he'll work on those clicks. Just like Red Skull, however, his AV may be poor on those clicks, but the willpower ensures that he'll never be penalized for TRYING to connect.
Curious what others think on these guys. Perhaps there's something I"m not considering for the likes of Iron Man, who, by abilities alone should by all means be considered a powerhouse, but who I see as a piece of garbage.