Giant Sized X-Men Marquee Primer: Part 2 - Uncommons

[anonym0use]

<img src="http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=158&pictureid=14563" style="width:200px;padding-right:5px" align="left"> Giant Sized X-Men

Primer Review
Part 2:Uncommons
Domino (017) through Blob (033)

Do not change the channel, do not adjust your laptop… it is not April 1st, and you have not accidentally clicked on a past Primer for DC Legacy.
Anonym0use and AZS have teamed up to give you a Giant Sized review for Giant Sized X-Men!


Click "full story" below to find out how the Uncommons rate!

[AZS]

Standard disclaimers…

Welcome to a Sealed Primer review of [Giant Sized X-Men.]

As many long time HCRealms members know AZS has had a long history of providing Primer Reviews. I was asked to take over the Primers with Hammer of Thor, and like a clown's understudy, I know I have some pretty big shoes to fill. (http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4418979&postcount=18) I can only hope I continue to do the series some justice.

I'm continuing with AZS's format, specifically:
Please Read:

* These figures are compared only within the [GSX] set, only for sealed play at 300 points.

* There are only a few 1 or 5 ratings, based on their sealed play strength.
So even though your favorite character didn’t get five like you think it should, the ratings are only my recommendation. If you really like a fig, by all means play it.

* Everything written here is intended to be very broad in order to give a general idea of what may or may not work - These are not specific suggestions “you must play this!”
These are just my recommendations, and the combination of figures on a team can drastically affect a specific fig’s overall effectiveness.

*!!* Lastly, this review is just my opinion, and these are a lot of work to write - so I ask you very kindly, please don’t get angry at me for my ratings. I give reasonable explanations for each choice.
If you disagree (and you are welcome to do so), please try to do the same.


I'll be using shields to rate the figures.

:d-normal::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal: - Unplayable in a 300 point format.
:d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal: - Think twice before committing to this figure.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal: - There might be a better choice.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal: - an all around average figure
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal: - a good figure to build a team around
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable: - a winning figure!

Finally, the review is based on the initial dials spoiled here on HCR and posted in the Units section. Please let us know of any discrepancies and I will correct them.

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It's mentioned above, but it bears repeating - these reviews are based on the Wizkids standard 300 point build. I recognize some of you play 400, or even 500 point sealed games - adding 100+ points to a build total drastically changes the balance of some figures, like tentpoles who could otherwise be out-actioned or overrun by a smaller force.

Any figure can be great backed up with enough support. It's fine if you want to disagree with the rating, I encourage talking about how good a figure did for you - just be sure to clarify the circumstances behind your victory. What was your build total? How many people showed up at your venue? It's not saying much if you pop on and tell us you went undefeated with [Phoenix], leaving out that you only faced one opponent.

[AZS]

gx017 V Domino
Team: X-Men
Range: 8 :bolt:
Points: 69
Keywords: X-Force, X-Men
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(Attack) Lucky Shot: When Domino rolls a critical hit, modify her damage by +3 instead of +1.

Anonym0use - Domino's return brings up the age old Line of Fire rules absurdity - if she uses Stealth while in hindering terrain, she can't see herself to use PC on herself, an argument you should prepare to hear, if not make. EDIT: Not true - with B&tB the Players Guide has been updated so that any figure can draw LoF to itself. A solid secondary attacker, Domino's strongest spot is her 1st click with three damage overlapped with PC. Pushed off it and she's relegated to plunking weaker opponents for small change. While Cable's Gal Pal brings more to the table than just PC, she's twice the investment of Roulette. Consider that Dommy doesn't start with Super Senses, so even if an opponent has to roll twice to hit her, that second hit will stick. Real dial Blades would have been more than welcome overlapped with PC (turning a lousy damage roll into something amazing). As it stands I think I'd rather have seen this lucky lady with one less click for ~53 points (enough to team with the Cable/Deadpool duo).
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

AZS - A stealthy sniper with some support power, Domino mixes it up a little from her X-men teammates in this set. There’s not a lot of range in this set, and for what there is, not much over 6/, so an 8 range stealthy shooter who can Prob her own attacks is a pretty good asset. Her SP is kind of weak, and may never even come up in a game, but try to remember that it’s there just in case. Domino’s Attack and Damage values fluctuate in a somewhat uncommon manner, so pay attention and push accordingly to get her onto better clicks (ie, click #2… weak, push off that. Or better yet, use the X-Men TA to heal a teammate and get onto a better click.) All in all, people tend to love them some Probability Control, and shooting 8 range from Stealth is always a nice option. For only 69 points, Domino will see a lot of action.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:


gx018 E Caliban
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 93
Keywords: Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Morlocks, X-Factor, X-Force
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(Special) Mutant Tracker: Caliban can use Charge. If he hits a character possessing the Brotherhood of Mutants or X-Men keyword or team ability with a close combat attack, after actions resolve you may remove an action token from Caliban.

Anonym0use - This cellar dweller's dial comes in two flavors - annoyance, and powerhouse. 19 defense with Combat Reflexes and Stealth to protect him from ranged attacks and a power spike when he gets hit for the obligatory 3 damage. Played against the right targets, Caliban is a relentless pursuer of mutantkind, attacking every turn like a Master of Evil. Caliban easily pulls his own weight with superior defensive powers, damage output, mobility and token removing trait that helps
Caliban cannibalize opponents.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal:

AZS - This is going to be a fun figure to play in this sealed event. Caliban’s Trait grants him a full dial of Charge, but it’s the second half of the Trait that’s fun here: Remove an action token if he hits a figure with the X-men or Brotherhood TA, and there are plenty of them around for him to ‘feed’ on. Charge and Exploit Weakness are always a powerful combo, but Stealth as his actual Movement power is a nice twist. The back half of Caliban’s dial is interesting in that it has the combat values and powers you’d normally expect to see up front. On the one hand it’s great to help keep him alive and very playable on the back end. But on the other hand he’s vulnerable to taking a big (calculated) hit on click 2 or 3 and spinning right past the sweet clicks on 4 and 5. Even so, poison at the very end of his dial is neat, though it’s also a mixed blessing – you’ll want to put him in close combat to use poison, but that means putting him out there to surely get KO’d. Between all his pro’s and con’s, he comes out ahead as a great figure, but not so great he’s a ‘must play.’
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal:


gx019 E William Stryker
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6 :bolt::bolt:
Points: 57
Keywords: Purifier, Sapien League
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(Speed) Playing to the Crowd: Modify William Stryker attack value by the number of adjacent characters named "Purifier". If the target of his attack possesses the Brotherhood of Mutants or X-Men keyword or team ability, modify his damage value by the same amount.
(Special) Mutants are the Enemy: Characters can't use the Brotherhood of Mutants or X-Men team abilities.

Problem #1 - William Stryker's trait doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. Otherwise this hater is sure to come in handy in GSX sealed events. Too bad his SP practically insists he be played with Purifiers en masse. Big Bill may be useful as another source of Outwit, but it may as well be a bullseye because by the time he gets it he's one strike away from KO.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

Even if you do get a pair of purifiers to play with Billy, you’re still looking at 107 points to make a questionable strategy work. Will doesn’t have a lot of offense, or a very deep dial. If you don’t pull any purifiers, this character is relegated to just filler. (Yeah, you could take a hit to get to Outwit, but that’s risky, and pushing to get to outwit will take so long as to not be worthwhile.) His Trait has some limited use, but not enough to purposefully play him. Ultimately, he has a lot of potential, but none of which is likely to come up in a notable way in sealed.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable: :d-normal::d-normal::d-normal:


gx020 E Harry Leland
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 53
Keywords: Hellfire Club
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(Attack) Gravitational Focus: Harry Leland can use Incapacitate as if he had a range value of 4. If he hits with Incapacitate, his target's speed value becomes 1 and is locked until your next turn.
(Special) Mass Increase: Opposing characters within 4 squares of Harry Leland can't be given actions to use Charge, Running Shot, or Hypersonic Speed and halve their speed values when given a move action.

Harry Leland has an amazing board control trait that demands he be played with strategy because opponents will want to eliminate this overstuffed turkey asap. His SP will work well with Tabitha Smith's Timebombs, though I suspect those same 'bombs will be his undoing when
she's a foe.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

Harry is all about board control. Between his Trait, the SP, and Plasticity, he can reduce an opponent to sloth. That is, if he can be in range. Both his trait and SP have a range of 4, so he’ll have to get up kinda close and personal to use them. And there is enough range in this set that he can get picked off. Of course his high natural defense might be enough of a deterrent. Here’s the catch if you’re facing Leland; Do you try and attack him, and spend the effort for only ~50 points? Or do you just avoid him and hope he doesn’t muck up the works too badly? Well, 4 range may not seem like much, but since it’s a radius, you’re looking at an 8 square piece of map that’s a dead zone. Plant Leland somewhere mid-map and your opponent really won’t have much choice but to take care of him. The thing is, people tend not to like trick/strategy pieces, and prefer someone who is more straightforward. So Leland might catch a few opponents off guard. Either way, he can be fun if you have 53 points to spare.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:


gx021 U Tarot
Team: The Brotherhood
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 47
Keywords: Hellions
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(Special) Major Arcana: Once During your turn, you may roll 2d6 that can't be rerolled. Based on the result, Tarot can use the corresponding power below until she makes this roll again. 2-3=Death. Give Tarot a power action and make a close combat attack targeting each opposing character within 3 squares. Roll a d6 and subtract 1. Each character hit is dealt that much damage. 4-5=Hermit. Tarot can use Barrier as if she possessed a range value of 3 and Poison. 6-8=High Priestess. Tarot can use Defend and Probability Control. 9-10=Fool. Tarot can use Leap/Climb and Perplex. 11-12=The Devil. Tarot deals penetrating damage. Once, at the beginning of your turn, deal 1 damage to each opposing character within 3 squares.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this Deck of Many Things, though it looks like she'll be able to keep a power that's working for her indefinitely. Some of the powers are downright mean, others are purely support based, and it's the luck of the draw what you're getting and when. A glass jaw with no guarantees, I wouldn't put much stock in her cards, but I would play her for a whole lot of fun.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

Ugh. This is one of those characters that doesn’t translate well to clix, and is 100% defined by the convoluted and wordy trait. These are tricky to play, have limited usefulness, and almost always seem more clever than they actually are.
There is nothing about Tarot that will improve your team. Sure, you’re most likely to get Prob Control, But could just as easily end up with Barrier, or ‘Death’ that requires an attack roll.
This has some fun potential in a more structured game, but in this sealed event there are over a dozen figs at or below the same cost that are worlds better for your team than Tarot. I’d insert some witty tarot reading pun here, but this figure isn’t even worth the effort.
:d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal:


gx022 R Cannonball
Team: The Brotherhood
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 82
Keywords: Hellions, New Mutants
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(Special) Blast Field: When Cannonball uses Charge or the Move and Attack ability and moves at least 1 square, he can use Impervious until your next turn.

Comic accurate special power is one thumb up. Cost effective dial that all but destroys the AW REV/LE version is another thumb up. Sam Guthrie rises to the occasion as a pricey, brutish attack-taxi. I suggest using him like a bully, to charge in picking on figures that can't hurt him back.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

Have you ever read ‘The Long Walk’ by Stephen King? Odd story, but the crux of it was, as soon as you stopped moving, you were dead.
That pretty much applies to Cannonball. His Trait is very cool, but he can only keep moving 2 out of every 3 turns, and eventually he won’t be able to keep up his Blast Field and your opponent will jump on the chance.
Even so, the power is cool, and Cannonball’s overall dial is decent, if somewhat uninspired. The Transporter ability is a nice touch, but the -2 to AV cuts deep. He might be good as a clean up piece, or for bullying figures weaker than him, but he couldn’t go toe to toe with most of the figs in his price range, and shouldn’t try. For that reason, he’s gotta rate a little low.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal:


gx023 V Psylocke
Team: X-Men
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 74
Keywords: Exiles, Excalibur, Martial Artist, The Hand, X-Club, X-Force, X-Men
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(Attack) Psycho-Blast: Psylocke can use Penetrating/Psychic Blast as if she had a range value of 6.
(Damage) Psychic Knife: Psylocke can use Blades/Claws/Fangs and Exploit Weakness. When she rolls a d6 for Blades/Claws/Fangs, on a result of 1 or 2, give her target an action token in addition to the normal effects.

Psylocke will want to push to TK or swap clicks to get mid dial where her best AV and powers lie. Keep in mind Combat Reflexes' rider: you can opt to take knockback from most attacks which if used strategically will set Betsy up to make good use of Psychic Blast.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal:

TK? YES PLEASE!! There is not much TK in this set, and certainly not at this price point. If that were all Psylocke brought to the table, she’d still be worth consideration. But she has the added bonus of being a rockin’ good melee character to boot. Stealth and Combat Reflexes make for a good defense, and her combat values are solid as well. Consider pushing to get her into battle, or TKing friends, as her stronger elements emerge on click 2. In particular her awesome Damage SP which grants her B/C/F & Exploit Weakness. Plus a relief for the dreaded ‘low-BCF-roll’ – her rolls can deal Incap as well. Late dial PsyBlast, plus consistent and barely dropping combat values keep her playable and dangerous through her last click. I can’t imagine a team that couldn’t make good use of this scantily clad ninja chick.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable:


gx024 E Gideon
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 85
Keywords: Externals, Past
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(Damage) Wild Generic Template: Once during your turn, as a free action you may choose a standard power possessed by another character within 5 squares. Roll a d6. If the number of squares to the character is less then the result, Gideon can use that power and possesses that character's range value until your next turn.

Gideon's only as good as those he surrounds himself with, and he'll want to be close to make use of that power. Not a bad dial, but wholly unpredictable, and dependent on what else you and your opponent pull.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

This is a character that is defined by his SP. The Wild Genetic Template is just such a cool and powerful ability that it takes an already decent dial and enhances it exponentially. Use the SP to copy powers of your teammates; like Running Shot, and then go make an attack.
The thing about Clix strategy, like chess, is that you can look at your opponent’s figures and powers and have an idea of what they can do, and thus, what they may do. With something like Gideon’s SP, the variables increase tenfold. Yeah, if he’s standing next to HHS, that’s a likely copy. But what about Outwit vs Running Shot, or Perplex vs Impervious, which will you choose? Unpredictability and adaptability like that can be just as much a strategic advantage as anything else in the game.
Besides being tremendously powerful, this is also kinda fun. It helps too that Gideon is backed by pretty decent stats and base set of powers.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable:

[AZS]

gx025 E Elixir
Team: X-Men
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 51
Keywords: New Mutants, Reavers, X-Force
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(Damage) Healing Touch: Elixir can use Support. When he uses Support and his target is healed, also heal 1 damage on each friendly character adjacent to Elixir that was not the target of Support.

In simplest combat terms, Elixir is a speed bump, a door stop, a walking 3-D bystander for most of his dial. Translation: he's nothing to worry about in terms of offensive power. Anyone with Toughness or better has nothing to fear from this potion peddler. Sure Poison may surprise a few, but let's face it, Poison draws a bigger target on a figure more than Regeneration, which he also has. Use him to burn actions and keep trading clicks to a bigger hitter like Cyclops or Wolverine, just don't expect him to do *anything* else.
:d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal:

The thing about a sealed game is that you can’t design a team to do what you want. You have to work with what you’ve got. So putting a medic on a team specifically because you want a medic, may not work out as well as you’d hope. With that said, if you really do want to play a medic, this is one of the best the game has ever had to offer! At 50 points, it’s a bit of a build commitment to put him on your team, but he can pull his weight in the right situation. The real bonus is the way his support works, in that it can heal adjacent figures as well. This helps in 2 ways: He can heal someone who is adjacent to an enemy by targeting someone next to them and they get the healing ‘aura’ as well. Also, you can heal a figure that you might not otherwise be able to ‘hit’, but healing an adjacent fig with a lower defense value. Even then though, Elixir’s high AV is very good for a medic, and likely to hit. Also keep in mind the X-Men TA that runs rampant in this set and use it strategically with Elixir to move damage around before healing.
For a 50 point fig who’s only real use is healing, Elixir brings some decent new aspects to the party, earning his keep.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:


gx026 U Leech
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 35
Keywords: Generation X, Kid, Morlocks, Power Pack, X-Factor
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(Special) Power Negation: Other characters within 6 squares can't be given power actions.

Leech should frustrate many as a sort of "Kid Zoom, aka stick in the mud" piece. Unlike Kid Zoom, this Morlock can't use HSS to hit and run, and it won't take long for an opponent to chase down this one hit wonder. Played as part of a swarm team, and kept in the back row, he'll frustrate many, but guard him wisely because with those stats it's no wonder the Morlocks got massacred.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal:

Chances are, people would play a 2 click, 35 point figure for the Outwit alone, so everything else there is to say about Leech is just gravy. Of course that gravy is pretty rich, in the form of his Trait, which is very ‘meta’ for clix. Robbing the board of Power Actions for a 12 square diameter. Keeping in mind that this effect does not discriminate, friend or foe, this will prevent use of powers. The other hitch is that Leech only has a movement of 5, so it’ll take him a while to get into position unless he has some help. This encumbers yet more of your team build to make him useful. Then there’s the decision to put him in harm’s way or not. You can choose to use Outwit from a safe 10 square range, but have to move him in considerably closer to use the Trait. Keeping in mind, someone can initiate a Charge, Running Shot or other move/attack Power Action from outside his Power Negation range, and still come hit him.
For only 35 points, Leech does have some good uses; as long as you accept that you’ll be leaving those 35 points on the board, because Leech will get KO’d.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:


gx027 V Siryn
Team: X-Men
Range: 8 :bolt:
Points: 94
Keywords: Fallen Angels, X-Factor, X-Force
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(Attack) Sonic Scream: Siryn can use Pulse Wave. When she uses Pulse Wave and has no action tokens, each character hit also receives an action token.

Armed with an amazing special power that is sadly buried mid dial, this scream queen is otherwise forgettable at her cost. For twenty points (and a click of life) less I could overlook her glass jaw (probably sore from howling) and support her has a decent taxi/secondary attack piece. As it is this Irish beauty will need a lot of the leprechaun's luck to earn her points in a set where she's outclassed by a lot of figures in her cost range (Beast, HoA Wolverine, Caliban, Archangel).
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal:

Siryn has a lot of mobility and offensive potential, which is good. She also has only 6 clicks of life and a soft defense (no damage reducers, average defense value.) Sure, Super Senses has potential to avoid an attack, but odds are that eventually a hit will stick, and it’ll take a big bite out of her dial. Even just a push up front drops her defense from a passable 17 to an ‘anyone can hit’ 16. (Yes, 1 point does make a lot of difference in this case.) Siryn is formidable for almost her entire dial, and the SP that deals PW plus Incap is pretty neat (I like Incap). But PW requires her to get a little closer than is comfortable, putting her in a vulnerable position. I like her dial, and perhaps in a constructed game where I could protect her better she might be ok. But a soft defense like this invites every figure with 1 or 2 damage to take a ‘why not, might as well’ shot.
And if your opponent can deal a mere 6 clicks, they’ve just taken almost a third of your team.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal:


gx028 V Elsa Bloodstone
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6 :bolt:
Points: 73
Keywords: Mystical, Nextwave, Warrior
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(Special) Monster Hunter: Elsa Bloodstone deals penetrating damage to characters over 250 points. She modifies her attack value by +2 when attacking characters that possess "Giant Symbol", "Colossal Symbol", or the Monster keyword.

Elsa Bloodstone is a giant slayer in every sense, an amped up Kraven the Spider capable of dealing serious harm to a certain set of figures. In turn she may as well draw a target on herself when those opponents are present. Even without monsters to hunt Elsa is a formidable foe with solid attack and defense numbers throughout her 7 click dial and is capable of tacking figures two or three times her point cost.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal:

Pure offense is probably the best way to describe Elsa. Another would be ‘awesome pull.’ For only 73 points, Ms. Bloodstone is all whirling knives and death. Her dial is very straight forward, you can look at this and see her potential, her AV, her click with overlapping Charge, Blades and Exploit Weakness, and that her AV never really drops. Defense is good, since she’s meant to be up close the Combat Reflexes give her and advantage. Even her Trait has potential, since there are a few figs that’ll meet that criteria. There’s not a lot of trick to playing her, get her in and start slicing. Don’t be afraid to push to press your advantage; if Elsa goes down swinging, she’ll probably at least have taken someone with her.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable:


gx029 V Monica Rambeau
Team: Avengers
Range: 10 :bolt:
Points: 139
Keywords: Avengers, Marvel Diva, Nextwave
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Frontloaded Pulse Wave? Good. 1 damage? Bad. 13 movement? Good. No frontloaded move and attack? Bad. For someone with speed of light powers Ms. "Rambo" is going to take a long time entering the fight - the Avenger's former leader will want to push off her best defense spot to get to her HSS hit and run clicks, zipping around pot-shotting opposition before stopping next to a friendly ranged attacker so they can use her Enhancement. This delay gives opponents at least 3 rounds to set up a way to deal with her. Veteran players may do well with her, but at nearly half of build total rookie players may want to pick the next figure in the booster over this Nextwaver.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal:

In a counterbalance to how efficient Elsa Bloodstone is, Monica Rambeau is defiantly not. Because you essentially have to push off her first click to get to anything useful, she’s reduced to a 6 click fig for 139 points. (Plus you can’t use her until the 3rd turn of the game.) I suppose you could move her into position for a Pulse Wave, but that might keep you from using her HSS clicks for a while. 6 of one, half dozen of the other.
Pushed to her second click, her stats and powers are very good, but not “OMG! I must play her!” awesome. HSS and Invulnerability will help keep her alive, but you should be reluctant to push her and give up any more clicks. Monica isn’t terrible, even for the cost, but she is pricey. Ultimately, the hope is that you’ll get a figure that says “yeah, I definitely should play this” as opposed to Monica’s “Well, I think I can pull this off, she certainly seems to look good on paper, maybe, I hope…”
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal::d-normal:


gx030 E Rogue
Team: X-Men
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 128
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, X-Men
m-winga-fistd-shieldg-starburst10101739917389163810163791637916279152KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO
(Special) Power Absorption: Once during your turn, you may give Rogue a free action and choose an adjacent character and a standard power (other than Outwit or Perplex) that they can use. Until your next turn, Rogue may use the chosen standard power. If Rogue has no action tokens or the chosen character is friendly, deal 1 unavoidable damage to the chosen character.

Rogue loses out to Gideon in the "I can steal your power" department, but only because Giddy can take and use range. Still, this flying beatstick packs a few tricks (and bricks) up her sleeves (and inside her gloves), stealing some "shugah" to take a power and deal penetrating damage. Less powerful than the Captain, Rogue has the benefit of the X-Men TA.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

Rogue has a modest dial with a pretty cool Trait. The benefit of her Trait though, is that unlike Gideon’s SP, it can’t be countered. It also has the awesome effect of dealing unavoidable damage (under the right circumstances). Use this in battle to ping an opponent, but also keep it in mind at the start of the game to get a teammate off an activation click! Also keep in mind that you can use her Trait every turn, even if you don’t intend to give her any actions. Copy some opponent’s Defense, or Stealth, or whatever. Just get in a habit of using it whenever you’re adjacent to an enemy.
Dial-wise, Rogue is just ok. Her stats are pretty average, but also pretty consistent. She doesn’t have any major drops or vulnerabilities, so you’ll get fair use out of her for all 7 clicks. But that’s the catch, 128 point for 7 clicks. Her trait gives her a lot of potential, and her stats are all fine, but there’s something about her that seems overall ‘meh’ that I can’t put my finger on. Neither overwhelmingly good or bad, but really just ‘meh.’
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:


gx031 R Angel
Team: X-Men
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 50
Keywords: X-Men
m-winga-fistd-shieldg-starburst10916299162891617815177141KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO
(Damage) Master Aerialist: When using the Flight ability, Angel ignores negative modifiers from using the Carry ability, and doesn't halve his speed value when using Charge.

Angel arrives late for his First Class despite his amazing Charge speed. GSX's go-to taxi, This high flier will probably spend more time healing X-teammates or harassing opponents than throwing punches, though a little perplex will go a long way on "wingman" Worthington.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal:

It’s been a while since the game has had a figure that could be called a ‘taxi.’ When a figure is down around the 50 points range, sometimes being good at one thing instead of being ok at many things is ‘good enough.’ Angle flies, and he does that well. He’s more or less defined by his SP that lets him move his full speed value regardless. This has two very nice aspects; first he can carry a teammate without penalty, and he can also charge his full movement. Combine the two, and he can carry a teammate into melee, while charging! The best of both worlds. And good on that, since his combat values are pretty much the definition of average. Depth of dial isn’t very good either. However, for what he offers, good mobility for your team, with a bit of offense added in, he’s a value for his points. There are enough mid-cost melee figures in this set that Angel will be a valuable wing-man to his teammates.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal:


gx032 E Ch'od
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 101
Keywords: Monster, Starjammers, Warrior
m-dolphina-fistd-indomitableg-starburst710174710183711173610163691636916259152KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO

Ch'od smash! This abomination wannabe brings the pain as the uncommon's premier ground flounder pounder. Capable of taking a solid hit while still able to hold on to an object, Indomitable goes a long way in offsetting Sammy the fish-boy's little move and attack. Cost efficient, and with little opposition in his weight class, Ch'od could make the backbone of a promising team.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal:

Oh, the names they gave characters in the 60’s, so absurd. So fun. You’d never find a “choad” in a ‘serious’ book in modern times. Ah, the days gone by…
As for this gawky green guy, he’s a fairly standard ‘brick’ figure. Strong, tough, a dash of Charge and average stats. He’s fishy, and indomitable, and a fair number of clicks for his cost. His stats fluctuate a bit, so the first 3 clicks each have some highlighted stat, helping him be more than a ‘charge in with his best click and it’s all downhill’ type fig. There’s a lot of bruisers in this set, and almost as much PsyBlast, so his Invulnerability won’t stand up to as much as it might otherwise. But for a typical type of figure, he at least does ‘strong & tough’ pretty well.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

gx033 E Blob
Team: The Brotherhood
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 76
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Factor Three, Freedom Force
m-boota-fistd-shieldg-starburst89173791626916258162481514815147151KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO
(Defense) Layers of Extra Fat: Blob ignores all but 1 damage dealt to him.
(Special) The Immovable Object: Blob can't be knocked back, carried or moved by Telekinesis.

The Blob is an action sucking machine, a Gelatinous Cube meant to engulf opposing figures and force them to react to his girth. While the "Duke" can take the punishment (and the cake), fat Freddie can't dish out the damage, and will have to break away to grab an object and supplement those mid dial 2's. Suffice to say this is not an offense oriented piece and thus his teammates have to help carry his weight. Any combination of Outwit, Poison, or Flurry will cut big boy down to size faster than a stomach stapling, and getting lardo into position may be tricky so buyer beware.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

Trying not to discriminate against the mass-challenged… this clix is a fair piece for the cost. While the overall dial is decent, the standout power is his Layers of Extra Fat, which makes Blob very long lived. With all the penetrating damage in this set, damage reducers don’t mean quite as much as they could. By taking only 1 damage at a time, Blob guarantees that he’ll be a pain to KO. When attacking him, you have to decide if you want to waste a high damage attacker against him, when they’ll only be dealing 1 damage.
For offense, Blob’s charge is a good way to start off,bBut his Plasticity combined with the SP is the real strategic asset. Tie down an opponent’s big-gun with Blob and they have to spend several turns pinging away at him, or try the extreme odds to roll to break. At that point it doesn’t even matter if Blob does any damage himself, he’s serving his purpose as a fantastic tie up piece.
Of course, if your opponent has any Outwit, look out. Blob is also slowed down by his Trait that does not allow him to be moved by any means other than under his own power. So he’ll have to lumber into action on his own. After he’s taken some damage and his movement is down to just 4, he’ll basically be a sitting duck for 76 points.
In all, his pros and cons pretty much balance out. If you can build a well rounded team and take advantage of his strategic tricks, he can be useful. But if you have other more straightforward options for the points, consider them instead.
:d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal::d-normal:

[Mr. Cranberry]

These are the figures I'm hyped about, so glad they're Uncommons:

Psylocke, Elsa Bloodstone, Domino, Rogue, Gideon and Leech(now make Artie :grin: ).

[traitorarmor]

Good points, thanks for sharing.

That said I'm really suprised that M0use only gave Elsa a :d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-normal:.

Not a big deal a 4 rating means almost the same thing but I figgured she would rank a 'winning figure'. Stingy M0use!:p

[Jarimy123]

I kind of wish Leech's power didn't differentiate between friend and foe, as is Leech should frustrate many as a sort of "Kid Flash, aka stick in the mud" piece.
Mouse - you said you wish Leech didn't differenciate between friend and foe. Doesn't his power say "characters within 6 squares?" Meaning it affects everyone.

[mr-coffin]

'This is a character that is defined by his SP. The Wild Genetic Template is just such a cool and powerful ability that it takes an already decent dial and enhances it exponentially. Regarding the rolling aspect of the SP, if a figure is adjacent, you basically don’t have to roll.'

Gideon's power would still fail on a 1 if adjacent (and has a max raneg of 5), you might want to lower him a shield since I assume you thought the odds of success were 17% higher.

Great Review otherwise, I love the double review approach to give us a second opinion. I hope Tarot is as good as these other people are saying, I haven't seen her played yet. On a related note I won't be seeing any sealed in my area. All 3 venues were sold out the day the set released.

[specialmagic]

Having played against Tarot in one sealed, and having played her on my team in the next, I would give her 5 shields, no question. I can't believe anyone who has used her would give her 1 star. The potential of her trait is incredible. At worst, she has excellent support powers, at best, game breaking nastiness.

You don't have to reroll the trait until you want to, so you can wait and use the prob control or perplex on your turn, then reroll to see if you get death or devil. If you get that 11 or 12, she can do 1 penetrating damage to each opponent within 3 squares at the beginning of every turn (that's 48 squares of the map), making that 47 point figure someone your opponent MUST kill, which, if you have them tied up and positioned right, they won't be able to do, at least not easily.

She won a tournament for me, simple as that, and it wasn't a fluke. The only game I've lost in GSX so far was one in which she pretty much single handedly destroyed my whole team.

5 shields.

[UniqueLoginNamor]

Pretty fair for the most part but you guys are so off base on Tarot it's not even funny. She is one of the best of the set

[DrugSex]

Domino, Elsa & Angel are gold... the rest meh... But i will like a Cho'd to put my repaint IC Hulk sculp in his dial.

[AZS]

'This is a character that is defined by his SP. The Wild Genetic Template is just such a cool and powerful ability that it takes an already decent dial and enhances it exponentially. Regarding the rolling aspect of the SP, if a figure is adjacent, you basically don’t have to roll.'

Gideon's power would still fail on a 1 if adjacent (and has a max raneg of 5), you might want to lower him a shield since I assume you thought the odds of success were 17% higher.

Good point, I hadn't consciously broken it down. I still like him a lot though.

[AZS]

Having played against Tarot in one sealed, and having played her on my team in the next, I would give her 5 shields, no question. I can't believe anyone who has used her would give her 1 star. The potential of her trait is incredible. At worst, she has excellent support powers, at best, game breaking nastiness.

Even if I agreed with your assessment of her playability, 5 shields means anyone can pick this figure up and do very well with it. Even if she had better potential than I see, she's still a finesse piece that not everyone could have success with.

[Crow]

The big surprise for me is Azs giving Tarot one star. I don't think he's fully understood how she can be abused...

Let me explain: I just went 3-0 to win a tournament using her yesterday. Most of the time, she moves between having PC/Defend and L/C Perplex... but because you can do her roll at any time, you can start the turn using PC or Perplex for a key attack, and continue the turn potentially doing something else. Since her 2-3 and 11-12 roll powers are ridiculously good (I used DEATH to suddenly deal 5 damage to a Colossus/Deadpool that was busy fighting my team), there's almost no "bad outcome" to her rolls, and when she's not using her actions through tokens she can push to get Support on click 2, which she will be able to land thanks to the PC she often carries.

And once she gets the power you want, she keeps it.

Wrong on Tarot, dude. She may not be predictable, but she's guaranteed to be useful.

[Uberman]

Gah, is Blob a mis-marked rare or not? I got 7 rares and Blob in my brick.

Not that it changes anything about these reviews, which were lovely and comprehensive as always.

[El Poolman]

So, you can't TK Leech away?, even on your own team?

[specialmagic]

Even if I agreed with your assessment of her playability, 5 shields means anyone can pick this figure up and do very well with it. Even if she had better potential than I see, she's still a finesse piece that not everyone could have success with.

What defines a finesse piece? I think anyone with a reasonable level of skill at Heroclix who understood her trait could do well with her.

Are the ratings are aimed at the lowest level of player (i.e. "anyone"), or an average player?

[specialmagic]

The big surprise for me is Azs giving Tarot one star. I don't think he's fully understood how she can be abused...

Let me explain: I just went 3-0 to win a tournament using her yesterday. Most of the time, she moves between having PC/Defend and L/C Perplex... but because you can do her roll at any time, you can start the turn using PC or Perplex for a key attack, and continue the turn potentially doing something else. Since her 2-3 and 11-12 roll powers are ridiculously good (I used DEATH to suddenly deal 5 damage to a Colossus/Deadpool that was busy fighting my team), there's almost no "bad outcome" to her rolls, and when she's not using her actions through tokens she can push to get Support on click 2, which she will be able to land thanks to the PC she often carries.

And once she gets the power you want, she keeps it.

Wrong on Tarot, dude. She may not be predictable, but she's guaranteed to be useful.

That's what I just said... ;)

[AZS]

The big surprise for me is Azs giving Tarot one star. I don't think he's fully understood how she can be abused...

Let me explain: I just went 3-0 to win a tournament using her yesterday. Most of the time, she moves between having PC/Defend and L/C Perplex... but because you can do her roll at any time, you can start the turn using PC or Perplex for a key attack, and continue the turn potentially doing something else. Since her 2-3 and 11-12 roll powers are ridiculously good (I used DEATH to suddenly deal 5 damage to a Colossus/Deadpool that was busy fighting my team), there's almost no "bad outcome" to her rolls, and when she's not using her actions through tokens she can push to get Support on click 2, which she will be able to land thanks to the PC she often carries.

And once she gets the power you want, she keeps it.

Wrong on Tarot, dude. She may not be predictable, but she's guaranteed to be useful.

It wouldn't be a Primer Review if there weren't at least a few polarizing ratings. :)
If I was trying to avoid strong responses, I wouldn't give any 1 or 5 start ratings.

Plus, a lot of what I like about these posts are seeing how other people interpret figures and suggest strategies. Thanks for the feedback. I might not play her myself, but if I go up against one I'll try not to underestimate her either.

[Jarimy123]

Gah, is Blob a mis-marked rare or not? I got 7 rares and Blob in my brick.

Not that it changes anything about these reviews, which were lovely and comprehensive as always.

No the duo-figure takes up a rare slot.

[Jarimy123]

So, you can't TK Leech away?, even on your own team?

You could if he was 7 squares away, and then move him 1 square further. Woo!

Edit: Unless of course his trait is optional then you can option it off I think. Unless traits are no longer optional.

[adamical]

Blob will be great against a tentpole, not great against a swarm.

[daedalus25]

As I mentioned in the Commons Primer, Domino is a COMMON not an uncommon.

[bill4935]

I can see the difficulty in recommending Tarot to anybody. I can see the difficulty in recommending her in sealed, where 47 points gets you guaranteed Perplex from Madrox or Cypher, 4 DMG fire breath from Lockheed, or 10:a-fist: Mind Control from Empath. Those are some good choices.

But if you can deal with the randomness, you've got a chance at PC, Perplex, Barrier, and two of the strongest attacks I've ever seen. I would take that everytime.


There's only 4 Uniques in this set. And they all change the game, utterly. She's one of them.

Since there's only 6 GSX characters cheaper than her, I think she's gonna get used in Sealed a lot anyway, just because she's what fits.

[Timster73]

I guess I will now have to go and get some of the bricks that are left. I really did not want to chase after another set so close to the relase of DC75th, but there are some really good figs in this set.

[bullseye100]

These are the figures I'm hyped about, so glad they're Uncommons:

Psylocke, Elsa Bloodstone, Domino, Rogue, Gideon and Leech(now make Artie :grin: ).

Agree with you on this, Can't have Leech without Artie! please make this!!!

[jackstar7]

If Rogue can grab Imperv to add to her Invulnerability... she's quite likely worth the points. If only that was more reliable.

[HapPolnareff]

Monica got only two shields?
CRIMINAL. I almost took down War Hulk with her, the only thing that stopped me was the time-limit.
She earned me Third place easily, along with the Cyke/Jean duo.

[traitorarmor]

Monica got only two shields?
CRIMINAL. I almost took down War Hulk with her, the only thing that stopped me was the time-limit.
She earned me Third place easily, along with the Cyke/Jean duo.

Wait. :confused:

Your 3rd place team was Monica and Cyke/Jean(possibly a Purifier)?
How many people were at this event?

Not that it's not possible.....it just seems that the team would have some difficulty in 300.

[fearofanubis]

Is it bad I chuckled at the mutant massacre joke?

[Steelmage2000]

Domino's return brings up the age old Line of Fire rules absurdity - if she uses Stealth while in hindering terrain, she can't see herself to use PC on herself, an argument you should prepare to hear, if not make.


From the rulebook pg. 10:

A character can always draw a line of fire to itself or to the square it occupies, even with a range value of 0.


So I will probable need to ask the rules section, but it seems to me she should be able to prob her own rolls in hindering.

[psycho69]

As I mentioned in the Commons Primer, Domino is a COMMON not an uncommon.

yes she is.
this set has 17 commons, 16 uncommons, 12 rares, 9 super rares, 4 chases (duos), 6 colossal figs, 1 brick fig and 5 le's.
total: 70 figs and two objects.

thanks, Rob

[sae]

You could if he was 7 squares away, and then move him 1 square further. Woo!

Edit: Unless of course his trait is optional then you can option it off I think. Unless traits are no longer optional.Set up Leech 7 squares to the left/right of your tker and tk forward the full 8 squares.

Traits aren't optional though they can include effects that include 'may' to make them optional.

[psycho69]

steelmage.

psylocke can prob herself when when occupies hindering... as long as she cancels her stealth. otherwise the stealth power blocks line of sight.

[sae]

So I will probable need to ask the rules section, but it seems to me she should be able to prob her own rolls in hindering.From the PG:
Adjacency is not an issue when determining a line of fire to
a character using Stealth and occupying hindering terrain.
Powers like Probability Control, Perplex, and Outwit,
which use a line of fire to determine if the effect can take
place, cannot target a character using Stealth that occupies
hindering terrain, even if the character with the ability is
the character using Stealth itself.

[Fredwood]

Disagree about domino, she should do very well in Sealed, also I pulled and played Elsa at the release she absolutely destroyed. I had to face a Tarot, I think you're forgetting that she can choose not to roll every turn, so once she gets on a power you like, you can just keep it there. Also because of the lack of flyers in this set, Angel is basically a must play if pulled.

[SevenFeathers]

once i opened my brick and got a chance to sit down physically with some of the pieces, my opinion of this set has changed. i am still a DC fan, so most of my armies are going to be built around someone from that Universe, but this set has given so many good support pieces and for those that DO build mostly Marvel are going to find plenty of pieces that can center an army and be built around. Good job Wizkids, just please fix the distrubution problem...

[Tim Drake]

Once again, nice write-ups, guys! :)

Two things, though... In Leech's summary mouse refers to "Kid Flash." I believe you mean "Kid Zoom," sir. He's the one with the "STOP!" power ;)

And secondly, in mouse's review of Domino, he says she can't prob herself while in stealth. Check the latest players guides, fellas. A character can now always draw line of fire to itself and the square it occupies. A stealthed PCer can PC herself. It's been that way since after BatB. Norm made the clarification 'cause of the "open graves" squares.

[Tim Drake]

From the rulebook pg. 10:


So I will probable need to ask the rules section, but it seems to me she should be able to prob her own rolls in hindering.

Dang! Beat me to it, mate! :) +rep

[Tim Drake]

From the PG:
Adjacency is not an issue when determining a line of fire to
a character using Stealth and occupying hindering terrain.
Powers like Probability Control, Perplex, and Outwit,
which use a line of fire to determine if the effect can take
place, cannot target a character using Stealth that occupies
hindering terrain, even if the character with the ability is
the character using Stealth itself.

Which player's guide is that from? Not the current one...

[HapPolnareff]

Wait. :confused:

Your 3rd place team was Monica and Cyke/Jean(possibly a Purifier)?
How many people were at this event?

Not that it's not possible.....it just seems that the team would have some difficulty in 300.Clarification. We did 400 points, my team was the duo, Monica, Cannonball, and Roulette.
And yes, I would have had 3 straight wins before finals, taking out someone's Deadpool/Cable in a single turn, but the Krakoa map weighed in his favor and killed Cannonball and my Duo before I could land a final hit on Skullbuster. My dice didn't want to hit that 17.

[Steelmage2000]

From the PG:
Adjacency is not an issue when determining a line of fire to
a character using Stealth and occupying hindering terrain.
Powers like Probability Control, Perplex, and Outwit,
which use a line of fire to determine if the effect can take
place, cannot target a character using Stealth that occupies
hindering terrain, even if the character with the ability is
the character using Stealth itself.

On what page in the players guide?

[sae]

Which player's guide is that from? Not the current one...December, I guess I'm behind the times :o

[robedestroyer]

I agree with many of the ratings except Monica Rambeau. Yes she has a dial full of powers that make her seem like she has a bloated point cost, however, she will never come off her 2nd click after you push her onto it. I got to play her in a number of games thus far and she is undefeated. In sealed she's a monster. In constructed you'll lose friends.

Monica Rambeau + Captain America = Unstoppable

[WakandaMan]

Elsa Bloodstone = the new Gamora. Can't wait to team up those two bad girls (perhaps with Domino as well for the PC). :)

[Tim Drake]

Monica Rambeau + Captain America = Unstoppable

Not to mention Nextwave-accurate. "Now go make me a sandwich!" ;)

[larthosgrr8]

monica only getting 2 shields is crazy. played right on mandipoor she's a MONSTER. her first click is to run up your wolverine(or sabretooth,cho'd mindless one). she can then pulse wave(especially if you have wolverine) and possibly do lots of dmg while doing it.

the hss is just nasty. she never goes below a 9 attack. with all the range in this set she helps pieces like cyclops or domino just be nastier than they already. siryn getting 2 shield is crazy too. she has good range, and can push like it's nothing. she goes from having 3 dmg to hitting through any power in the game. ohh, she has x-men ta too. lord forbid she gets healed up. she'll never die. ss to keep her safe up front. i just don't see how she scores so low but other pieces are 'gold' to some. she eats elsa alive 10/10 times!

[TornMoon]

I think the Blob is better than you guys are claiming. Unless outwitted it will take a minimum of seven hits to take him out. He has plasticity to hold the big guys in place (most don't have leap/climb or phasing). You hold the big guy where you want him, someone with outwit to remove the defense (cause unlike my imaginary opponent, I don't leave home without it) have a ranged guy (say bullseye from wos, or even Cyclops) shoot him, and then have Blob attack. If you picked a good outwit guy (one with some range) you might be able to use him too. Now their 150+ "brick" or "strong guy" whatever is out and you pick off the little support people. I see how it may be difficult to pull all that off in a sealed match, but don't discount the Blob's awesome special power

[Tim Drake]

It seems to me that average rating for WoS pieces was higher than for this set... and that doesn't sound right to me, considering all the garbage in Web.

Of course, I might be wrong...

[larthosgrr8]

It seems to me that average rating for WoS pieces was higher than for this set... and that doesn't sound right to me, considering all the garbage in Web.

Of course, I might be wrong...

ppl rate stuff low because they usually don't see it for more than face value. they don't look at it and think of certain teams, etc. they just look at sealed and say, ''well i need this, and they don't have it, so it sucks. they would have been awesome if they had that, they're horrible''.

every piece can't be the equal to every piece in it's point value. point values can be made according to the potential. that HAS to be in the calculations. figures like namor are awesome, but cyclops eats him up if used right. this is how i think the cost is made. :nervous:

[AZS]

It seems to me that average rating for WoS pieces was higher than for this set... and that doesn't sound right to me, considering all the garbage in Web.

Of course, I might be wrong...

I think WoS had more variation. More 2's and 4's. This set is very well balanced. There aren't many figures that are bad, and practically none that plain stink. On the reverse though, there aren't many that are too powerful or 'must play' either. It actually strikes me that the set is very well designed and, for lack of a better description, balanced.

[larthosgrr8]

AZS, i wasn't talking about you guys per say in my above post. i actually think 98% of your reviews are accurate. when it came to monica, and siryn i couldn't disagree more. those two pieces are nasty when played well and in sealed will wreck ppl.

i was mainly talking about the ppl that comment on the figures. the ppl who make the ''why does wolverine still suck'' threads. you can hit almost every other wolverine and leave him to rot. you can't with the last two because he'll heal. it just trips me out that some ppl are quick to write a figure off because it doesn't have a power they wanted.

IMO no figure in this st deserves less than 3 shields. certain pulls will never work. thats the nature of sealed. i know you guys rate based on sealed, and 300 format, but i still think every figure in this set can be just absurd when used right. yes, even the blob.

[theanalogkid]

Good job...and a Long Walk shout out! One of my all time favorite Stephen King short stories. Sweet!

[szude]

I just wanted to point out that the 4 range means Leland has a 9-square diameter -- the square he's in, 4 up and 4 down (or L/R). It makes for an 81-square AoEffect. Not too shabby actually.

[NeckSnappingAdam]

So regarding Leech -
(Special) Power Negation: Other characters within 6 squares can't be given power actions.
From what I see, or don't see, this trait is optional - unlike Kid Zoom's.

What I see is that at the start of your turn, you always announce that Leech is cancelling his powers. You then can use your TK'er to launch him near that HSS'er and walk him into hindering. At the start of your opponents turn, the trait is turned back on.

The rule book seems to validate this however there is confusion; what rule am I missing or is this a valid strategy?

[UncannyAvenger]

So regarding Leech -

From what I see, or don't see, this trait is optional - unlike Kid Zoom's.

What I see is that at the start of your turn, you always announce that Leech is cancelling his powers. You then can use your TK'er to launch him near that HSS'er and walk him into hindering. At the start of your opponents turn, the trait is turned back on.

The rule book seems to validate this however there is confusion; what rule am I missing or is this a valid strategy?

I disagree- the power leaves no room for turning it on or off again - it's just a plain "can't". This way it becomes an equal opportunity offender, which is VERY comic accurate. This was a great exchange from last night when I was using a "Cyclops In Charge" (Cyke, Elixir, Roulette, Tarot, Empath) team when my opponent tried to bogart the board with Leech, Psylocke, Bonebreaker, and Sabretooth. Apparently, the previous opponent he had in Round 1 thought that Leech's power worked as you described and got boned because of it:

HIM: "Yeah, well I just moved Leech in so you can't have Empath MC anyone on my team into walking into Cyclops' blast range"
ME: "I can't use Mind Control with Empath? Yeah, well your Sabretooth ain't Charging out from behind Leech either! What's this?! Boney can't Running Shot either! I think you've outsmarted yourself..."
HIM: "Well, I'll just have Psylocke TK them out of there next turn..."
ME: "HTTN on that one, buddy! TK is still a power action! ... Plus, Empath's got a natural range..." [Perplexes with the Fool Power on Tarot, rolls and kills Leech w/ Empath] Please remove your Power Action canceller from the board- his services are no longer required. [pushes Cyclops to nail Sabes for 5 damage, misses, rerolls with Roulette, KOing him]. Oh look! Mr. Creed just joined him in unconsciousness!"
HIM: "I *#&%^ing hate you..."

:laugh:

[anonym0use]

Mouse - you said you wish Leech didn't differenciate between friend and foe. Doesn't his power say "characters within 6 squares?" Meaning it affects everyone.

Given the time constraints in writing this piece, I could have seen a truncated dial as it was spoiled (without full worded text on the SP) and thus the error. So, yeah - my bad.

[anonym0use]

It seems to me that average rating for WoS pieces was higher than for this set... and that doesn't sound right to me, considering all the garbage in Web.

Of course, I might be wrong...

These figures are only rated against themselves, and other figures from GSX. These ratings have no effect on other sets, or interaction as a whole.

[anonym0use]

I think the Blob is better than you guys are claiming. Unless outwitted it will take a minimum of seven hits to take him out. He has plasticity to hold the big guys in place (most don't have leap/climb or phasing). You hold the big guy where you want him, someone with outwit to remove the defense (cause unlike my imaginary opponent, I don't leave home without it) have a ranged guy (say bullseye from wos, or even Cyclops) shoot him, and then have Blob attack. If you picked a good outwit guy (one with some range) you might be able to use him too. Now their 150+ "brick" or "strong guy" whatever is out and you pick off the little support people. I see how it may be difficult to pull all that off in a sealed match, but don't discount the Blob's awesome special power

But how many figures will the Blob KO by himself? I agree he's a powerful tool, but his backup has to guarantee they can also deal damage. Your team example assumes Blob has outwit, and if you make that inference it's fair to give the other team outwit too, and with Outwit Blob folds like a triple chin.

[anonym0use]

Once again, nice write-ups, guys! :)

Two things, though... In Leech's summary mouse refers to "Kid Flash." I believe you mean "Kid Zoom," sir. He's the one with the "STOP!" power ;)

And secondly, in mouse's review of Domino, he says she can't prob herself while in stealth. Check the latest players guides, fellas. A character can now always draw line of fire to itself and the square it occupies. A stealthed PCer can PC herself. It's been that way since after BatB. Norm made the clarification 'cause of the "open graves" squares.

I will correct both. However, there was a time when what I said was the case. And I still live in that time. And I wear an onion on my belt, because it was all the fashion... now get off my lawn!


///is ancient and still plays with FCCF rules.

[NeckSnappingAdam]

I disagree- the power leaves no room for turning it on or off again - it's just a plain "can't".

I disagree. The game has rules pertaining to powers, including flagging when a power is non-optional. No where in this power does it include that term, specifically (NON-OPTIONAL). Thematic or not - unless there is a rule saying a player cannot cancel a trait- the trait can be cancelled. Once the trait is cancelled, the power is off.

[daedalus25]

I disagree. The game has rules pertaining to powers, including flagging when a power is non-optional. No where in this power does it include that term, specifically (NON-OPTIONAL). Thematic or not - unless there is a rule saying a player cannot cancel a trait- the trait can be cancelled. Once the trait is cancelled, the power is off.

Under the small paragraph for Trait Abilities in the rulebook:

All traits are non-optional and can't be countered.

[NeckSnappingAdam]

Daedalus25 - thanks man! I just saw that a minute ago!

[RavenProject]

Had to come back and comment on Tarot:

a) She did incredibly well for me in a Sealed game today, acting as support (albeit never Support) for Cable/Deadpool. I just kept trying every turn until I got powers I liked. In my first match she scored The Devil on the first turn, and from that point on my opponent had to go after her rather than the big duo. In other rounds I scored High Priestess and Fool, both of which proved remarkably useful.

b) I still agree that she's a :d-indomitable::d-indomitable::d-indomitable: figure at best, and only a piece for those willing to take risks. In one round I kept rolling Hermit over and over again before finally getting something useful. She also went down hard in two of the three rounds I played, since her dial is so short and vulnerable.

I got lucky twice... I drew a figure she made a great partner for, and the dice rolls came through eventually. But I also got unlucky quite a bit, rolling her most useless power many times and losing her two out of three times.

If you're looking to remove uncertainty from the game in pursuit of the win, this isn't a good piece for that. But if you like to gamble, she could pay off extremely well.

-J

[Oldguynewbie]

From the PG:
Adjacency is not an issue when determining a line of fire to
a character using Stealth and occupying hindering terrain.
Powers like Probability Control, Perplex, and Outwit,
which use a line of fire to determine if the effect can take
place, cannot target a character using Stealth that occupies
hindering terrain, even if the character with the ability is
the character using Stealth itself.

I'm looking at what's currently online at the WK-Neca site right now and this is how it reads.

Which player's guide is that from? Not the current one...

Dated 3/2011 in the doc title.

On what page in the players guide?


page 2-3 - Section 2 is Powers, the relevant portion is a bullet point under the sub-topic Stealth.

Seems pretty clear cut to me. Now, you want to talk about what can be done if the player turns stealth off before an attack, well, that's a different topic.

I really wish people would quit mucking up the rules. I see now where I can shoot a held object out of a Stealthed fig's hold. Needless complication if you ask me.

And it came up again a couple of weeks ago - a player coming back to the game (like I did last year) thinks the rule is an object destroyed creates a rubble token, so he parks his stealth character on it, only to find out the rules were changed to remove it completely. In my view, another unnecessary rule change, that wasn't worth the frustration it caused.

[Ignatz_Mouse]

Stealth
 Adjacency is not an issue when determining a line of fire to
a character using Stealth and occupying hindering terrain.
Powers like Probability Control, Perplex, and Outwit,
which use a line of fire to determine if the effect can take
place, cannot target a character using Stealth that occupies
hindering terrain, even if the character with the ability is
the character using Stealth itself.


Page 2-3 of the new guide. So the article was right.

I point this out because it was a fairly huge deal in one game I played in the Midnight release, with two Dominoes squaring off against each other.


...and while I was perusing the guide, beaten by oldguynewbie!

[T Rez]

Just read the article and was about to post the players guide on the stealth section. Thanks for saving me the time and effort.

I don't see how that is a problem for Domino anyhow. Just cancel her stealth during your turn so she can target herself with PC. The power automatically goes back into effect at the beginning of the next player's turn. Just remember to cancel her power before she takes an action because you cannot cancel during an action.

From the Blackest Night rulebook:

All powers are optional unless “non-optional” appears in their description; however, all powers (such as those activated by a specific type of action or attack) are assumed to be in effect during an action unless you canceled it at the beginning of that action. When a power is canceled, it remains canceled until the beginning of the next player’s turn.

BTW, I love these articles even more now that we have two perspectives. Great job guys.

[Ignatz_Mouse]

Just read the article and was about to post the players guide on the stealth section. Thanks for saving me the time and effort.

I don't see how that is a problem for Domino anyhow. Just cancel her stealth during your turn so she can target herself with PC. The power automatically goes back into effect at the beginning of the next player's turn. Just remember to cancel her power before she takes an action because you cannot cancel during an action.

From the Blackest Night rulebook:



BTW, I love these articles even more now that we have two perspectives. Great job guys.

It was only a problem because it exposed her to the other Domino's PC as well. If you were swinging for a high number, better to leave the stealth on and hope to get it in one hit, rather than off so you could PC it, but also risk having it PCed away.

[T Rez]

It was only a problem because it exposed her to the other Domino's PC as well. If you were swinging for a high number, better to leave the stealth on and hope to get it in one hit, rather than off so you could PC it, but also risk having it PCed away.

Oh yeah, that is a good point. Didn't think of that one.

[eshuroger]

So, now 'mouse put up the correction, on the stealth/line of fire issue, but the correction isn't correct. I know I went looking for it in the current PG, when I saw it mentioned, but only found the old rules still in force.

[Oldguynewbie]

BTW, I love these articles even more now that we have two perspectives. Great job guys.

THIS! EXACTLY THIS! (and has it been long enough since the last time I mentioned that I was the one who suggested this "Marquee" format to AZS in the first place all those years ago? Yeah, I'm still riding that tired horse; it's the only one I've got.)

[ultronMFer]

Angel should totally be a 5. He's one of the best ways to take down Magneto, or a Stealth fig without any damage reduction in sealed(or anyone really). Charge Angel in, and bring along a close combat buddy without penalty. Angel and Beast are a combo I HIGHLY recommend if you pull both figs(and a prob if possible).
I was actually able to take down a Magneto WITH a Hellfire Guard for Mastermind fodder and a Psylocke thanks to that combo(in the hands of a very skilled player, I might add. I was sweating bullets LOL). I was able to charge in, base Psylocke with Angel and Magneto with Beast. After that, I got my Domino in position to see Mags, and Beast's 17 Combat Reflexes and 3 damage Outwit did the rest.

But without Angel's CRAZY Charge/Carry SP, getting everyone into position would have been nearly impossible. They would have been eaten alive by 8 range TK Flurry on their way across the map. At a mere 50 points, he's almost better than TK since he also serves as a tie-up piece with Super Senses and 2 damage.

[Sharkbite]

For Elixir, it is worth noting that the Splash Heal effect when he uses Support is not actually Support, so it affects people who are adjacent to opposing figures. This means with proper placement, Elixir can be healing your big gun they're beating on, by vicariously healing somebody nearby.

[DemonRS]

the thing I like best of these reviews is when you guys give opposing views of a figure (one thinks it's great and one thinks it's meh or crap). I really like that, it gives great insight on a piece!

[iceman243]

"because with those stats it's no wonder the Morlocks got massacred. "

:laugh:I spit out my coffee on that one:laugh:

[AZS]

THIS! EXACTLY THIS! (and has it been long enough since the last time I mentioned that I was the one who suggested this "Marquee" format to AZS in the first place all those years ago? Yeah, I'm still riding that tired horse; it's the only one I've got.)

Coming back to this review format after some time away.. and I hate you even more for ever suggesting it! I forgot just how much work these things are!

;)

[AZS]

the thing I like best of these reviews is when you guys give opposing views of a figure (one thinks it's great and one thinks it's meh or crap). I really like that, it gives great insight on a piece!

I also got a kick out of reviews where one of us uses negative language, and the other positive, yet we both ended up with the same rating.