spawn10
03/30/2011, 07:16
Once we decided that we were going to make the trip to the Texas Clixmania event, we started testing various teams at the store. Our playgroup came in whenever they could and helped in testing anything and everything. We started with the obvious Killbox teams (Martial Artist Theme Team and non-Theme), tent-pole teams, anti-HSS teams (Kid Zoom, basically), Stealth/Gotham City Theme, and other wacky ideas. For about a couple of weeks, we had been trying to come up with an idea of how to beat the Killbox since we expected the metagame to be full of the little blue elf. When I found out that the maps played would only be on the new GSX maps, we kind of had a little more hope since we wouldn’t have to worry about playing on the Prison Map. We came up with the idea that Mystics feedback damage and high defense (especially when paired with Combat Reflexes) would be the best way. We went from Mystic-Wildcard Abuse to just having everyone with Combat Reflexes. After the dust settled, I figured that Deadman had a great game against Nightcrawler since he is nigh-impossible for NC to hit, especially with the White Lantern Corps ATA to back him up. I wanted to make it a full-on Mystics team so that he wouldn’t just drag the non-Mystics back and get an easy KO without any punishment for doing so. I knew I needed some of the supporting powers so Jason Blood was an automatic inclusion (can’t go wrong with Perplex and PC). I decided that Klarion was the best answer because he had front-end Perplex with a mid-dial PC to help if and when Etrigan got KO’d. He not only had that, but 7 clicks of life for a Mystics piece with back-end Toughness could really hurt the opposition. Here is the team I played:
Deadmen Walking
90 Deadman + White Lantern Corps ATA (BD)
90 Deadman + White Lantern Corps ATA (BD)
76 Klarion (CR)
44 Jason Blood (BB)
Objects: Telephone Booth, Shield Disruptor, standard heavy
Total: 300 points (Mystical Theme Team; 2 team PCs)
The hardest part for me was to get passed the Qualifiers and get into the Semis-Finals. I generally do not do too well in Sealed, but I had to go through it to get in. So, after playing in 2 Flights, I get in on points (since they took the highest 1-1 scores to fill out the remaining spots). I believe I was 22nd out of 24 when the Semis-Finals started. It was 3 rounds of Swiss, with a Cut to a Top 4, so that meant that there would be 3 undefeateds (3-0) and they would take the highest scoring 2-1 player for the 4th slot.
Round 1 – Omar
93 Sabretooth GSX
86 Nightcrawler WS
72 Captain America HT
35 Leech GSX
11 Amadeus (BST)
Objects: Mjolnir, Black Lantern, standard light
Total: 297 points
Since I had a Theme Team, I won the map roll and picked Madripoor. I set-up on the water end and he places his objects by the elevated building. He moves everyone up by the elevated building, with Nightcrawler carrying Captain America. Each Deadman carries a piece and I land Jason Blood onto the [Telephone Booth], giving him a free action to push. After a turn 2 Etrigan, we get things rolling. I clear my guys, double [Perplexing] Etrigan’s defense so that he would have a 19 defense against Captain America. Both Deadman and Klarion are on hindering. He decides to take a shot at the “easier” to hit Deadman (needing an 8) from behind the building and connects. Nobody can see him, naturally, so no team PC for me, Deadman takes 3 putting him on a relatively sweet spot. I maneuver a bit getting a bit closer and get Etrigan off the object so he can see more guys to use his PC. Leech is in hindering in the middle of the map so I have to be careful of where to place my guys so I can use powers. He spends the next couple of turns trying to pick up [Mjolnir], but only after realizing that he placed the object too close to Leech, so Leech had to move out of hindering, which gave me a shot at him and take him out for the first KO of the game. After more positioning, I [TK] Etrigan closer to start taking shots at Sabretooth, who also tried to pick up the object. I connect once and damage him for 2. I then [Phase] the full-powered Deadman to base Captain America to stop him from shooting. While they are occupied, Nightcrawler goes on the offensive and tries to take shots on my guys, but misses. Cap hits Deadman once, but that just puts Deadman on [Force Blast], which I use to knock Amadeus into a wall, KO’ing him in the process. Cap takes more damage as I [Force Blast] him into a wall as well, and at that point, Omar breaks away with Cap. He eventually pushes Nightcrawler to try and hit Klarion, and in doing so puts him past his [HSS] clicks. Sabretooth quickly goes down after shots from Deadman and Etrigan takes its toll. Captain America goes down soon after and it’s just Nightcrawler against my whole team, with my team at basically full strength. I eventually catch him and take him down from multiple attacks. Win; 297-0; 1-0 Record.
Round 2 – Ken
118 Ulik HT
99 Archangel GSX
73 Gamora SI
10 Nurse WS
Objects: 2 standard heavy, 1 standard light
Total: 287 points
I win the map roll again since he does not have a Theme Team, and I pick Madripoor again. I set-up in the same place as last game and on turn 1 he moves as far as he can with Archangel, carrying Ulik (that’s 10 squares!) and dropping him off in hindering terrain. He moves Gamora along the edge of the map in the alley way where the large blocking terrain is. I see my opening as he gets in close, but I am hesitant for fear of a trap. I go for it half-way as I push only 1 Deadman, [Perplexing] his attack to 11 and damage to 3 and use [Psychic Blast] to deal penetrating damage. After some confusion, it is ruled that penetrating damage trumps Ulik’s defensive special power. I still clear the other Deadman and after some contemplating, he decides to stay put with Archangel and clear. Ulik can’t reach my guys now (since he is on hindering) after taking 3-damage. I take another shot at Ulik, doing the same thing, this time with the other Deadman, and get the first KO of the game. He laments at his mistake in playing Ulik, but from what I saw in the tournament, there weren’t that many penetrating attackers. He won his first round game, too, so it’s not bad. Anyway, after Ulik goes down, he bases me with Gamorra, but I just [Phase] away, carrying Etrigan. I move the other Deadman to pin Archangel near the elevated building and proceed to Force Blast him into the wall. After a couple more attacks, he goes down. Next, he sends Gamora in, [Charging] and trying to hit Klarion, but misses. I send a Deadman over to take care of the Nurse, and after some missed attacks on both sides, Gamora goes down, eventually succumbing to the 18 defense with [Combat Reflexes] and PC from Etrigan, not to mention the White Lantern Corps ATA, keeping his attacks. Win; 287-0; 2-0 Record.
Round 3 – Ryan
276 Dr. Manhattan WM
10 Nurse WS
10 Nurse WS
Objects: Mjolnir, Eleha’al Vine
Total: 296 points
I win the map roll yet again since this is the third player I’ve played that is not playing a theme team, so Madripoor it is. I change my set-up a bit this game as I wanted to get as close to the Nurses as possible and get them off the board as I know his strategy is either to Phase back to them to heal, or use his Special Power (It Didn’t Kill Osterman) to automatically teleport back to the starting zone and heal that way. So, I put the booth up on the elevated building and set-up shop there, getting to Etrigan on turn 2 (as usual). He of course moves all the way up onto Mjolnir. After clearing I move my Deadmen on the edge of the roof, basically waiting for him to attack me. I [Perplex] each Deadman’s defense to 19 and pass. Instead of trying to pick up the hammer, he takes his shot at one of the Deadmans, I take off a token from the ATA to pump his defense to 20. He needs an 8 to hit, but he has PC, but so do I. After some re-rolls, he misses. On my turn, I take a shot at Manhattan with my Deadman using [Psychic Blast], each having their attacks [Perplexed] to 11, and after some re-rolls (my Etrigan PC vs his Manhattan PC), both connect and he takes 4. He decides it’s time to retreat and recover and he [Phases] all the way back to the Nurses, and one of them eventually heals him of 3 clicks. I rush over there to try and take the out, which I do, and Manhattan leaves yet again to go to the [Vine] for more healing if need be. I chase him down, position so Klarion is based with him so he has to try and take down a 7 click Mystics figure, and to give my Deadmans opportunity for pot shots at him with their [Psychic Blast]. Eventually, the penetrating attacks are too much, with help from [Perplex] and [PC] and he goes down. Win; 296-0; 3-0 Record.
Top 4
So, I make it in with a 3-0 record and wait to see what I will go up against. Everyone decides to play the same team that got them there (duh!) and I am feeling good at this point, but then my heart sank as I saw that the other three guys are all playing Nightcrawler Killbox teams. I know I have a fair game against NC, but in the Top 4, you know these are the cream of the crop, so anything can happen. I end up playing Joe first, who is playing a Martial Artist Theme Team.
Round 1 of Top 4 (4) – Joe
86 Nightcrawler
72 Captain America
70 Iron Fist
37 The Question
33 League Elite
Objects: none
Total: 298
This is the match-up I have been testing my team for: the dreaded Martial Artist Killbox team. We play on the Madripoor map and I do my usual set-up behind the blocking building by the water. After the Alter Ego change, he surprises me by moving all the way up towards me with Nightcrawler, carrying Iron Fist. He positions Cap behind the elevated building so he can take shots without getting hit back, and moves Question up close onto hindering terrain to stay in [Stealth]. I [Perplex] down Iron Fists damage to 1 with both Klarion and Etrigan, and he decides to [Leap/Climb] over to Deadman and Klarion. I take a shot with Deadman on Iron Fist and hit for 2. I then [Perplex] down his damage to 1 with Klarion again, and I keep this up for a couple turns while Deadman takes shots at him. He declines to attack with Iron Fist, opting to move NC over to attack Klarion. He misses a couple of attacks and Captain America eventually takes a shot, which also misses (the WLC ATA is so good). I don’t want to take more shots, so I [Phase] my other Deadman over to base Cap. After some battling, Cap gets hit for a couple of clicks, then gets [Force Blasted] against the building after he connects on his own attack on Deadman. Meanwhile, the Iron Fist battle ends as Deadman and Klarion take out Iron Fist. He sends the League Elite to try and take out Etrigan, but a good roll for nets me a 1-shot on the League Elite (5 damage). Question takes a shot at the other Deadman engaging Cap, and hits, but in the process, loses her Special Power. After another hit from Cap, and Deadman is on his [Live!] click. He decides now is the time for NC to try and take him out, but misses a relatively easy attack. A Regeneration roll later, and Deadman is back on his middle-dial. He eventually takes out Etrigan, but by then, Klarion, and the Deadmen are on his heels, quickly dispatching Captain America. All that is left is NC, and he can’t afford to take damage, so after a few more turns, Nightcrawler also goes down. Win; 298-44; 4-0 Record.
[B]Round 2 of Top 4 (5) – David
86 Nightcrawler
50 Johnny Quick
50 Johnny Quick
38 Cypher
37 The Question
35 Scarlet Witch
Objects: Eleha’al Vine, 2 standard heavy
Total: 296 points
From I am told, David is the best player in Houston, so I have my hands full already. The first thing I realize when we reveal our forces is that he has Cypher on the other side. That effectively negates my advantage as he is able to use my Mystics team ability. Then I see that he has the full on pit crew as he has 3 [Perplexers], an [Outwitter], and a dedicated PC’er to go along with his 3(!) [Hypersonic Speed] attackers. I win the roll and we play on Madripoor yet again. I really do not know how to approach this so I go away from my normal set-up and basically bum rush him, sending all 4 of my guys on the roof. He does his usual set-up, getting the Johnny Quicks and Cypher quickly on their 2nd click, waiting for me. He realizes that I might try and go for Cypher right away so he moves Cypher to the very back corner of his starting zone and huddles all three speedsters around him so I cannot base or attack Cypher. He comes up and takes a shot at one of the Deadman with JQ after some positioning, but he crit misses his first attack. That doesn’t faze him as he just sends NC next turn and drag back Klarion to his killbox. Klarion gets beat, but he has a deep dial with some back end [Toughness], so his guys are also taking a beating. I have no choice but to get in so I move the rest of my team for support. The pace of the game is very slow and deliberate and I have a tough choice to make as Klarion is on his last click. I have a chance to KO Cypher, but I would need to roll a 3 or higher on his BCF attack, but with Scarlet right next to Klarion, I’m not confident. If I roll anything less than 3, Cypher gets on his best click, and Klarion dies. If I [Regenerate], even if I don’t heal for anything, he still has to attack Klarion one more time, and take damage for it. So, I decide to [Regenerate], hoping to get on a Toughness click, but I roll a 2. Next turn, Question attacks, and Klarion goes down. At this point, Question has 2 clicks left, and his JQs all have taken at least 2 damage, and NC has taken 1. After a JQ runs up and KO’s Etrigan in 1 shot, I go after Question and she goes down. A key break away roll for Cypher means that NC is carrying him away from harm. After some chasing, I finally get to his team, but not before one of the Deadmans gets KO’d. It is my last Deadman against his 5 pieces, but they are all decimated at this point. I take out a JQ, and he pushes right back with his last JQ to put my Deadman on his [Live!] click, but JQ goes down due to Mystics and pushing damage. I [Regenerate] back 2 clicks and he pushes Cypher (who is on his last click) to X-Men heal NC back to his [HSS] click. With time running down, I have a chance to win the game, but I have to KO his Scarlet Witch. After some key break away rolls, I have a shot. I TK a heavy object, but miss, and the game ends after a few more turns of chasing. Lose; 175-210; 4-1 Record.
Round 3 of Top 4 (6) – Archie
86 Nightcrawler
38 Cypher
38 Cypher
59 M-11
74 Psylocke
Objects: Eleha’al Vine, Tombstone, Kinetic Accelerator
Total: 295 points
After playing a heart wrenching game where I lose to a Cypher, I now have to play against 2 Cyphers! We end up playing on Madripoor and I go back to my original set-up. After our customary activation turns, he inches his way with Psylocke onto some hindering. NC is on the Accelerator ready to strike with Cypher Perplexing back-up. I go on the roof again, but this time it’s on better positioning as he has moved closer to me as well (as opposed to last game where I was still far away from my opponent). He [Perplexes] Nightcrawler’s damage to 4 to try and go for a 1-shot on my Etrigan, but he rolls a 5, missing by 1. After he retreats with NC, I decide to take a shot at M-11 with Etrigan from the roof, trying to get rid of the [Tombstone] he was holding. After the Judge ruled that M-11 can decide not to get the +2 Defense (thus not “using” it), I roll a miraculous 10 to hit M-11. That was sort of bad as Etrigan now lost his Special Power. I also take a shot with Deadman from the roof, and he opts not to use the Tombstone again. I roll another miracle 10 and hit M-11 off his [Super Strength] and knock him back by the two Cyphers. I then go after the Cyphers with my other Deadman and Klarion by basing them. After we clear, he sends NC again towards Etrigan, and this time manages to hit and drags him back, where he goes down to a Psylocke attack. Klarion and the Deadmans take out both Cyphers and how I don’t have to worry about Mystics damage to my guys (!). I also underestimate M-11 as I don’t realize how deep his dial is. He has a full 8 clicks and I have to spend another attack taking him down instead of positioning next to NC. Klarion goes down quickly after, and I decide to make a run to the [Vine] to heal one of my weakened Deadmans. He follows suit with NC and Psylocke and the battle is tense. We miss a few, I heal, we hit each other, and I decide to use the [Vine] in an attack on Pyslocke, but miss. One of my Deadmans goes down and I take out his Psylocke the next turn with my other Deadman. It’s now 1-on-1, Deadman vs. NC, but NC is on his second to last click and Deadman is still in good shape. After some [Force Blasts], we both realize that he is actually up by 1-point since his team is only 295pts and mine is 300pts! He makes a run for it, but I am in hot pursuit. After he clears, I push with Deadman to attack NC. I need a 7 to hit and he needs to miss his [Super Senses] roll. I roll the 7… he misses the [Super Senses] roll and I KO Nightcrawler and win the game. Win; 295-210; 5-1 Record.
I was pretty happy with how my team performed against Nightcrawler teams. I went 3-1 against it for the tournament, so I’m happy about that. There might be a new trend in how to play Nightcrawler in that instead of having a “killbox” you can just play it like a Perplex-Bomb team (just load up NC with Perplex and 1-shot opposing figures). It will be interesting if this new style of play will catch on with NC players. The last two games were the best games I have been a part of in recent memory. The skill these players have is amazing and it’s just a shame that someone has to lose these games that are so close, exciting, and intense all at the same time. Since there are two of us who are 2-1, we go to the points. I end up with just enough points to edge out a win against David and claim Texas Clixmania Showdown 2011 Championship.
Tournaments like this aren’t about prizing for me, it’s about the competition and being able to play against the best players the game has to offer. It’s also a great opportunity to meet some really nice people as well as a great opportunity to gather the Heroclix community all in one place and have a blast. I have played in many high-level tournaments in other games, but Heroclix is just a different atmosphere altogether. Everyone has a great time, people are always smiling, and nobody is too competitive to have it ruin the fun. Mad props to Ahmed for running an incredible tournament and to Mike, Kevin, and Mark for judging and running a smooth tournament.
-Patrick
Deadmen Walking
90 Deadman + White Lantern Corps ATA (BD)
90 Deadman + White Lantern Corps ATA (BD)
76 Klarion (CR)
44 Jason Blood (BB)
Objects: Telephone Booth, Shield Disruptor, standard heavy
Total: 300 points (Mystical Theme Team; 2 team PCs)
The hardest part for me was to get passed the Qualifiers and get into the Semis-Finals. I generally do not do too well in Sealed, but I had to go through it to get in. So, after playing in 2 Flights, I get in on points (since they took the highest 1-1 scores to fill out the remaining spots). I believe I was 22nd out of 24 when the Semis-Finals started. It was 3 rounds of Swiss, with a Cut to a Top 4, so that meant that there would be 3 undefeateds (3-0) and they would take the highest scoring 2-1 player for the 4th slot.
Round 1 – Omar
93 Sabretooth GSX
86 Nightcrawler WS
72 Captain America HT
35 Leech GSX
11 Amadeus (BST)
Objects: Mjolnir, Black Lantern, standard light
Total: 297 points
Since I had a Theme Team, I won the map roll and picked Madripoor. I set-up on the water end and he places his objects by the elevated building. He moves everyone up by the elevated building, with Nightcrawler carrying Captain America. Each Deadman carries a piece and I land Jason Blood onto the [Telephone Booth], giving him a free action to push. After a turn 2 Etrigan, we get things rolling. I clear my guys, double [Perplexing] Etrigan’s defense so that he would have a 19 defense against Captain America. Both Deadman and Klarion are on hindering. He decides to take a shot at the “easier” to hit Deadman (needing an 8) from behind the building and connects. Nobody can see him, naturally, so no team PC for me, Deadman takes 3 putting him on a relatively sweet spot. I maneuver a bit getting a bit closer and get Etrigan off the object so he can see more guys to use his PC. Leech is in hindering in the middle of the map so I have to be careful of where to place my guys so I can use powers. He spends the next couple of turns trying to pick up [Mjolnir], but only after realizing that he placed the object too close to Leech, so Leech had to move out of hindering, which gave me a shot at him and take him out for the first KO of the game. After more positioning, I [TK] Etrigan closer to start taking shots at Sabretooth, who also tried to pick up the object. I connect once and damage him for 2. I then [Phase] the full-powered Deadman to base Captain America to stop him from shooting. While they are occupied, Nightcrawler goes on the offensive and tries to take shots on my guys, but misses. Cap hits Deadman once, but that just puts Deadman on [Force Blast], which I use to knock Amadeus into a wall, KO’ing him in the process. Cap takes more damage as I [Force Blast] him into a wall as well, and at that point, Omar breaks away with Cap. He eventually pushes Nightcrawler to try and hit Klarion, and in doing so puts him past his [HSS] clicks. Sabretooth quickly goes down after shots from Deadman and Etrigan takes its toll. Captain America goes down soon after and it’s just Nightcrawler against my whole team, with my team at basically full strength. I eventually catch him and take him down from multiple attacks. Win; 297-0; 1-0 Record.
Round 2 – Ken
118 Ulik HT
99 Archangel GSX
73 Gamora SI
10 Nurse WS
Objects: 2 standard heavy, 1 standard light
Total: 287 points
I win the map roll again since he does not have a Theme Team, and I pick Madripoor again. I set-up in the same place as last game and on turn 1 he moves as far as he can with Archangel, carrying Ulik (that’s 10 squares!) and dropping him off in hindering terrain. He moves Gamora along the edge of the map in the alley way where the large blocking terrain is. I see my opening as he gets in close, but I am hesitant for fear of a trap. I go for it half-way as I push only 1 Deadman, [Perplexing] his attack to 11 and damage to 3 and use [Psychic Blast] to deal penetrating damage. After some confusion, it is ruled that penetrating damage trumps Ulik’s defensive special power. I still clear the other Deadman and after some contemplating, he decides to stay put with Archangel and clear. Ulik can’t reach my guys now (since he is on hindering) after taking 3-damage. I take another shot at Ulik, doing the same thing, this time with the other Deadman, and get the first KO of the game. He laments at his mistake in playing Ulik, but from what I saw in the tournament, there weren’t that many penetrating attackers. He won his first round game, too, so it’s not bad. Anyway, after Ulik goes down, he bases me with Gamorra, but I just [Phase] away, carrying Etrigan. I move the other Deadman to pin Archangel near the elevated building and proceed to Force Blast him into the wall. After a couple more attacks, he goes down. Next, he sends Gamora in, [Charging] and trying to hit Klarion, but misses. I send a Deadman over to take care of the Nurse, and after some missed attacks on both sides, Gamora goes down, eventually succumbing to the 18 defense with [Combat Reflexes] and PC from Etrigan, not to mention the White Lantern Corps ATA, keeping his attacks. Win; 287-0; 2-0 Record.
Round 3 – Ryan
276 Dr. Manhattan WM
10 Nurse WS
10 Nurse WS
Objects: Mjolnir, Eleha’al Vine
Total: 296 points
I win the map roll yet again since this is the third player I’ve played that is not playing a theme team, so Madripoor it is. I change my set-up a bit this game as I wanted to get as close to the Nurses as possible and get them off the board as I know his strategy is either to Phase back to them to heal, or use his Special Power (It Didn’t Kill Osterman) to automatically teleport back to the starting zone and heal that way. So, I put the booth up on the elevated building and set-up shop there, getting to Etrigan on turn 2 (as usual). He of course moves all the way up onto Mjolnir. After clearing I move my Deadmen on the edge of the roof, basically waiting for him to attack me. I [Perplex] each Deadman’s defense to 19 and pass. Instead of trying to pick up the hammer, he takes his shot at one of the Deadmans, I take off a token from the ATA to pump his defense to 20. He needs an 8 to hit, but he has PC, but so do I. After some re-rolls, he misses. On my turn, I take a shot at Manhattan with my Deadman using [Psychic Blast], each having their attacks [Perplexed] to 11, and after some re-rolls (my Etrigan PC vs his Manhattan PC), both connect and he takes 4. He decides it’s time to retreat and recover and he [Phases] all the way back to the Nurses, and one of them eventually heals him of 3 clicks. I rush over there to try and take the out, which I do, and Manhattan leaves yet again to go to the [Vine] for more healing if need be. I chase him down, position so Klarion is based with him so he has to try and take down a 7 click Mystics figure, and to give my Deadmans opportunity for pot shots at him with their [Psychic Blast]. Eventually, the penetrating attacks are too much, with help from [Perplex] and [PC] and he goes down. Win; 296-0; 3-0 Record.
Top 4
So, I make it in with a 3-0 record and wait to see what I will go up against. Everyone decides to play the same team that got them there (duh!) and I am feeling good at this point, but then my heart sank as I saw that the other three guys are all playing Nightcrawler Killbox teams. I know I have a fair game against NC, but in the Top 4, you know these are the cream of the crop, so anything can happen. I end up playing Joe first, who is playing a Martial Artist Theme Team.
Round 1 of Top 4 (4) – Joe
86 Nightcrawler
72 Captain America
70 Iron Fist
37 The Question
33 League Elite
Objects: none
Total: 298
This is the match-up I have been testing my team for: the dreaded Martial Artist Killbox team. We play on the Madripoor map and I do my usual set-up behind the blocking building by the water. After the Alter Ego change, he surprises me by moving all the way up towards me with Nightcrawler, carrying Iron Fist. He positions Cap behind the elevated building so he can take shots without getting hit back, and moves Question up close onto hindering terrain to stay in [Stealth]. I [Perplex] down Iron Fists damage to 1 with both Klarion and Etrigan, and he decides to [Leap/Climb] over to Deadman and Klarion. I take a shot with Deadman on Iron Fist and hit for 2. I then [Perplex] down his damage to 1 with Klarion again, and I keep this up for a couple turns while Deadman takes shots at him. He declines to attack with Iron Fist, opting to move NC over to attack Klarion. He misses a couple of attacks and Captain America eventually takes a shot, which also misses (the WLC ATA is so good). I don’t want to take more shots, so I [Phase] my other Deadman over to base Cap. After some battling, Cap gets hit for a couple of clicks, then gets [Force Blasted] against the building after he connects on his own attack on Deadman. Meanwhile, the Iron Fist battle ends as Deadman and Klarion take out Iron Fist. He sends the League Elite to try and take out Etrigan, but a good roll for nets me a 1-shot on the League Elite (5 damage). Question takes a shot at the other Deadman engaging Cap, and hits, but in the process, loses her Special Power. After another hit from Cap, and Deadman is on his [Live!] click. He decides now is the time for NC to try and take him out, but misses a relatively easy attack. A Regeneration roll later, and Deadman is back on his middle-dial. He eventually takes out Etrigan, but by then, Klarion, and the Deadmen are on his heels, quickly dispatching Captain America. All that is left is NC, and he can’t afford to take damage, so after a few more turns, Nightcrawler also goes down. Win; 298-44; 4-0 Record.
[B]Round 2 of Top 4 (5) – David
86 Nightcrawler
50 Johnny Quick
50 Johnny Quick
38 Cypher
37 The Question
35 Scarlet Witch
Objects: Eleha’al Vine, 2 standard heavy
Total: 296 points
From I am told, David is the best player in Houston, so I have my hands full already. The first thing I realize when we reveal our forces is that he has Cypher on the other side. That effectively negates my advantage as he is able to use my Mystics team ability. Then I see that he has the full on pit crew as he has 3 [Perplexers], an [Outwitter], and a dedicated PC’er to go along with his 3(!) [Hypersonic Speed] attackers. I win the roll and we play on Madripoor yet again. I really do not know how to approach this so I go away from my normal set-up and basically bum rush him, sending all 4 of my guys on the roof. He does his usual set-up, getting the Johnny Quicks and Cypher quickly on their 2nd click, waiting for me. He realizes that I might try and go for Cypher right away so he moves Cypher to the very back corner of his starting zone and huddles all three speedsters around him so I cannot base or attack Cypher. He comes up and takes a shot at one of the Deadman with JQ after some positioning, but he crit misses his first attack. That doesn’t faze him as he just sends NC next turn and drag back Klarion to his killbox. Klarion gets beat, but he has a deep dial with some back end [Toughness], so his guys are also taking a beating. I have no choice but to get in so I move the rest of my team for support. The pace of the game is very slow and deliberate and I have a tough choice to make as Klarion is on his last click. I have a chance to KO Cypher, but I would need to roll a 3 or higher on his BCF attack, but with Scarlet right next to Klarion, I’m not confident. If I roll anything less than 3, Cypher gets on his best click, and Klarion dies. If I [Regenerate], even if I don’t heal for anything, he still has to attack Klarion one more time, and take damage for it. So, I decide to [Regenerate], hoping to get on a Toughness click, but I roll a 2. Next turn, Question attacks, and Klarion goes down. At this point, Question has 2 clicks left, and his JQs all have taken at least 2 damage, and NC has taken 1. After a JQ runs up and KO’s Etrigan in 1 shot, I go after Question and she goes down. A key break away roll for Cypher means that NC is carrying him away from harm. After some chasing, I finally get to his team, but not before one of the Deadmans gets KO’d. It is my last Deadman against his 5 pieces, but they are all decimated at this point. I take out a JQ, and he pushes right back with his last JQ to put my Deadman on his [Live!] click, but JQ goes down due to Mystics and pushing damage. I [Regenerate] back 2 clicks and he pushes Cypher (who is on his last click) to X-Men heal NC back to his [HSS] click. With time running down, I have a chance to win the game, but I have to KO his Scarlet Witch. After some key break away rolls, I have a shot. I TK a heavy object, but miss, and the game ends after a few more turns of chasing. Lose; 175-210; 4-1 Record.
Round 3 of Top 4 (6) – Archie
86 Nightcrawler
38 Cypher
38 Cypher
59 M-11
74 Psylocke
Objects: Eleha’al Vine, Tombstone, Kinetic Accelerator
Total: 295 points
After playing a heart wrenching game where I lose to a Cypher, I now have to play against 2 Cyphers! We end up playing on Madripoor and I go back to my original set-up. After our customary activation turns, he inches his way with Psylocke onto some hindering. NC is on the Accelerator ready to strike with Cypher Perplexing back-up. I go on the roof again, but this time it’s on better positioning as he has moved closer to me as well (as opposed to last game where I was still far away from my opponent). He [Perplexes] Nightcrawler’s damage to 4 to try and go for a 1-shot on my Etrigan, but he rolls a 5, missing by 1. After he retreats with NC, I decide to take a shot at M-11 with Etrigan from the roof, trying to get rid of the [Tombstone] he was holding. After the Judge ruled that M-11 can decide not to get the +2 Defense (thus not “using” it), I roll a miraculous 10 to hit M-11. That was sort of bad as Etrigan now lost his Special Power. I also take a shot with Deadman from the roof, and he opts not to use the Tombstone again. I roll another miracle 10 and hit M-11 off his [Super Strength] and knock him back by the two Cyphers. I then go after the Cyphers with my other Deadman and Klarion by basing them. After we clear, he sends NC again towards Etrigan, and this time manages to hit and drags him back, where he goes down to a Psylocke attack. Klarion and the Deadmans take out both Cyphers and how I don’t have to worry about Mystics damage to my guys (!). I also underestimate M-11 as I don’t realize how deep his dial is. He has a full 8 clicks and I have to spend another attack taking him down instead of positioning next to NC. Klarion goes down quickly after, and I decide to make a run to the [Vine] to heal one of my weakened Deadmans. He follows suit with NC and Psylocke and the battle is tense. We miss a few, I heal, we hit each other, and I decide to use the [Vine] in an attack on Pyslocke, but miss. One of my Deadmans goes down and I take out his Psylocke the next turn with my other Deadman. It’s now 1-on-1, Deadman vs. NC, but NC is on his second to last click and Deadman is still in good shape. After some [Force Blasts], we both realize that he is actually up by 1-point since his team is only 295pts and mine is 300pts! He makes a run for it, but I am in hot pursuit. After he clears, I push with Deadman to attack NC. I need a 7 to hit and he needs to miss his [Super Senses] roll. I roll the 7… he misses the [Super Senses] roll and I KO Nightcrawler and win the game. Win; 295-210; 5-1 Record.
I was pretty happy with how my team performed against Nightcrawler teams. I went 3-1 against it for the tournament, so I’m happy about that. There might be a new trend in how to play Nightcrawler in that instead of having a “killbox” you can just play it like a Perplex-Bomb team (just load up NC with Perplex and 1-shot opposing figures). It will be interesting if this new style of play will catch on with NC players. The last two games were the best games I have been a part of in recent memory. The skill these players have is amazing and it’s just a shame that someone has to lose these games that are so close, exciting, and intense all at the same time. Since there are two of us who are 2-1, we go to the points. I end up with just enough points to edge out a win against David and claim Texas Clixmania Showdown 2011 Championship.
Tournaments like this aren’t about prizing for me, it’s about the competition and being able to play against the best players the game has to offer. It’s also a great opportunity to meet some really nice people as well as a great opportunity to gather the Heroclix community all in one place and have a blast. I have played in many high-level tournaments in other games, but Heroclix is just a different atmosphere altogether. Everyone has a great time, people are always smiling, and nobody is too competitive to have it ruin the fun. Mad props to Ahmed for running an incredible tournament and to Mike, Kevin, and Mark for judging and running a smooth tournament.
-Patrick