Sometimes the basics aren’t enough. Sometimes you need a little something extra when it comes to your choice of team ability. And when that happens, you need an Alternate Team Ability. But which one suits your play style, and why should you even play it? Hopefully I can help you with that.

This time on Alternate Team Spirit: Shadowpact!

Greetings, my fellow Clixers, and welcome to the first issue of Alternate Team Spirit! You may be asking yourselves, why have I decided to take on a second article series, and where the @*&# is the Object of Desire article? It’s simple: I knew I was going to run out of stuff to write about doing solely objects, so I decided to alternate Object of Desire with the other game element that comes out with roughly the same amount of content each year and doesn’t have an article series around it: Alternate Team Abilities. Object of Desire will return in two weeks, alternating with this article. A little history to follow . . .

History and General Rules of Alternate Team Abilities
In the Fantastic Forces set, we were introduced to a pair of feat cards that offered us some variety in how we play certain figures: Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four, available to replace the Avengers and Fantastic Four team abilities respectively. Never mind that these two cards were ridiculous; this marked the beginning of the ATA era. Alternate Team Abilities were released in many of the sets that followed, offering us alternatives to the same standard team abilities at the cost of not being able to use said team abilities. Some seemed destined to fail (like the Society card, which was released into an environment where only one non-Golden Age figure had the team ability required to play it), while others offered helpful alternatives to thematic teams that simply didn’t have any use for their standard team abilities (like Legionnaires before Crisis gave us Legion-keyworded characters with non-wild card team abilities, or Green Lantern Honor Guard whenever you play only the Corps). At some point between Brave and the Bold and Web of Spiderman, the decision was made to redo Alternate Team Abilities as their own separate type of game element. From that point onward they were based off of keywords instead of standard team abilities, allowed your characters to keep their preexisting team abilities, and no longer counted towards the 10% point cap for feats, all at the cost of only being able to use one per team. Several older ATAs were reworded to tone down their effects, and most that cost no points to use now required you to invest some points in order to essentially add a new team ability on to whomever you happened to be playing in a given week. And that’s the story of how Iron Man and his buddies used to be able to use the Batman team ab – I mean, the history of ATAs.

Well, now that that’s out of the way, let’s take a look at this ATA, shall we?


Pretty self-explanatory, right? The Shadowpact ATA lets you ignore the Mystics team ability whenever one of your Shadowpact characters attacks a character with that team ability. This means that you don’t have to worry about getting hit with that point of damage that Mystics unleashes on your attacker, which is always a good thing. It only costs one point to play on each character you have with the keyword, and is an extremely thematic way to represent their almost exclusive combat against mystical foes.

Unfortunately, it’s not all roses. Mystics isn’t what you might call a terribly prolific team ability, showing up on only 62 characters so far. Wild card abuse is certainly something to consider, but there’s not really that many teams running around whose only purpose is to wild card Mystics and run around taking hits. There’s also the fact that only 9 (nine!) characters have the Shadowpact keyword, making your team a little limited in the team-building phase. Still, if you have the urge to play a Shadowpact team, the ATA is definitely worth the tiny investment you make for it.

In Action
So you want to build a Shadowpact team, do you? Well, it’s not hard; only nine characters can qualify for the ATA, which makes it a lot easier to build this team. I really didn’t want to have to go comic-accurate, since that’s other people’s domain, but it seems like the only option for this team. I’m going for the team that fought the Specter and Eclipso in the end of Day of Vengeance because, well, it’s the only team we’ve got. There’s no Warlock’s Daughter or Zauriel with the keyword, and it seems highly unlikely that we’ll get any of the other Shadowpacts that showed up in the end of the series. It’s a 700 point team, so hang on.

an034 E Black Alice
Team: Mystics
Range: 6
Points: 94
Keywords: Mystical, Secret Six, Shadowpact, Teen

7 9 17 3

7 9 17 2

7 9 17 2

7 9 16 2

6 8 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Attack) Magical Thievery: Black Alice can use Outwit. If she counters a standard power on a character with the Mystical keyword that she can't already use, she can use that standard power until the beginning of your next turn.

Black Alice seems pretty expensive. Five clicks full of support powers for almost the same cost as Blue Devil? But then you realize that she has almost a full dial of Outwit on top of all her other powers, and she starts looking better. She can also use her Outwit to steal a Mystical character’s standard powers for a turn, which makes her even more desirable. Swiping damage reducers, Steal Energy, or Regeneration all make her a more survivable piece, and taking away someone’s Psychic Blast or Pulse Wave is a nice way of cutting through damage reducers the rest of your team might be having problems with. Still, if you need to pare down the point size, she should probably be one of the first to go.

cd045 V Blue Devil
Team: Mystics
Range: 8
Points: 100
Keywords: Mystical, Shadowpact

10 10 16 3

9 9 17 1

9 9 16 1

8 8 16 2

8 8 15 2

8 8 15 2

7 7 14 2

7 7 14 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

The brick of the team, Blue Devil has a decent dial, considering his age. He has a pretty solid dial for the points, though it would have been nice to see him with a higher damage on those first two Psychic Blast clicks, clicks two and three. There’s also the chance that he might not get to use that Super Strength on his first click, unless Black Alice uses her power to steal Telekinesis early on, or if you decide to use the less expensive version of Enchantress to start with Telekinesis, though I wouldn’t recommend that for simple want of a powerhouse figure. Late-dial Regeneration keeps Blue Devil in the game longer, which makes him that much more survivable. And did I mention he has the Mystics team ability?

an024 E Detective Chimp
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 62
Keywords: Animal, Detective, Mystical, Shadowpact

7 9 18 2

6 9 17 1

6 9 17 1

5 8 16 1

5 8 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Special) No One Touches the Monkey: Detective Chimp can use Leap/Climb and Super Senses.

(Damage) Occult Investigator: Detective Chimp can use Perplex. If he targets another character with the Mystical keyword with Perplex he can use it normally or modify any combat value by +2 or -2 except damage.

Detective Chimp is wild. He starts with Stealth and Outwit, a potent combination, as well as a high defense and permanent Super Senses and Leap/Climb. Once he takes damage (which isn’t going to be often, considering how hard it’s going to be to catch and hit him), he gains a version of Perplex that, when the conditions are met, can help everyone else on the team except Nightshade, or can hinder opposing characters with the Mystical keyword. It’s hilarious when your opponent has to hit Ragman with a 19 defense (or possibly its equivalent, if they’re Mystical) while he sets up to smash their face with an object, no? He also ends his dial with Plasticity, which can be used to tie up an enemy while waiting for an ally to come in and save the day. This is one of the figures that you want to keep no matter what, as his powers make him invaluable to the team.

jl52016 R Enchantress
Team: Mystics
Range: 8
Points: 250
Keywords: Justice League, Mystical, Shadowpact, Suicide Squad

11 11 18 4

11 11 17 4

8 10 17 4

8 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

9 9 17 3

9 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 15 1

KO KO KO KO

(Special) Defeating the Justice League: Enchantress modifies her attack and damage values by +1 when attacking a character with the Justice League keyword.

(Attack) Storm of Witches' Teeth: Enchantress can use Poison and Quake. When she uses either one, all squares with a range of 2 squares and line of fire are considered adjacent and damage dealt cannot be reduced below 1.

(Defense) A Force Not to Be Trifled With: Enchantress can use Invulnerability and Willpower.

While I was a bit leery about pushing the point cost of the game high enough to use this figure (which will have to be proxied for now), the older one makes the team come out to a number only slightly higher than an even hundred, meaning that this version is the only way to balance out point values. She’s certainly worth her points, with a host of powers that make her effective both at close combat (especially with Storm of Witches’ Teeth) and ranged combat, she’s extremely hard to take down. This does have the problem of pushing the game’s point total up to where some of the other figures are just decoration, so if you want you can abandon June’s use of the ATA and play her at the 50-point level, which makes her a short-lived support piece instead of the focal point of the team. Your choice.

an022 E Nightmaster
Team: Mystics
Range: 0
Points: 69
Keywords: Mystical, Shadowpact

8 10 17 3

8 9 16 2

7 10 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 8 15 2

7 8 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Special) Mystical Guardian: Nightmaster deals penetrating damage to characters with the Mystical keyword.

Even after all this time, I’m still not sure what to make of Nightmaster. While Toughness and the Mystics team ability make him a nasty piece to try and kill, he has no move-and-attack powers to get him charging right into battle. Okay, so none of the close combat characters have move-and-attack powers, but the others have something going for them in the movement department, right? That first click has the annoying 3 damage with Blades/Claws/Fangs situation, and his trait is useless against a lot of characters. Leadership might have been nice in lower-point games, but he still manages to balance it all out. He’s still one of the ones that should go if you’re trying to shrink this game, but useful in his own way.

aa026 E Nightshade
Team: Mystics
Range: 6
Points: 50
Keywords: L.A.W., Shadowpact, Suicide Squad, Spy

9 9 16 2

9 9 16 2

9 9 15 2

8 8 15 2

8 8 14 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Attack) From the Land of Nightshades: Nightshade can use Smoke Cloud. If an opposing character ends its turn occupying a square containing a hindering terrain marker placed by Nightshade, that character is dealt 2 damage.

Nightshade is one of those figures that requires a little practice to use fully. While her transporter icon means you can use her as a mobile attacker and taxi (which only she can do on this team), her special power makes her more useful as a way to protect against ranged attacks; it’s what we expect from Smoke Cloud. It’s also going to be the primary way you damage your opponent with her, as it deals 2 damage to any enemy ending its turn in one of the terrain markers placed by her. It makes all grounded characters rethink how they’re going to get around a chokepoint while the hindering terrain markers are up, and can be used to direct the flow of the game away from an area you might be having a little trouble with, or to one of your more combat proficient characters, like any of the guys except Detective Chimp. And did I mention she has Barrier, just in case your opponent can ignore hindering terrain? All in all, a great piece for controlling where and when you fight, as well as being the only taxi on the team.

cd006 V Ragman
Team: Mystics
Range: 0
Points: 58
Keywords: Mystical, Shadowpact

9 9 17 2

8 9 16 2

8 9 16 2

7 8 16 2

7 8 15 2

6 8 15 1

6 7 14 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

I always liked Ragman as a character; there’re simply not enough Jewish heroes in comics these days. As a figure he’s not bad, packing the Mystics team ability for a little retaliation and a nearly full dial of Steal Energy to represent his suit sucking the souls out of enemies to help fuel his powers. It’s unfortunate that we can’t fit Pounce on this team, as it would go a long way to getting him into the game, but he’s still surprisingly effective without it. If you want to go with a smaller build for the Shadowpact, this is definitely one of the figures you want to keep.

So what we’re looking at is:

Black Alice – 94 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Blue Devil – 100 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Detective Chimp – 62 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Enchantress – 250 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Nightmaster – 69 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Nightshade – 50 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Ragman – 58 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Total: 690 points

This team can use feats, and a Protected on Enchantress can make her just that much more dangerous and survivable. You could also go with the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, which costs half of your leftover points and is awesome when placed on damage reducer-less Ragman or movement power-less Nightmaster, and choose a feat that fits from there. What does this team look like at a lower point level? For 500 points, we can just reduce Enchantress by 201 points (this change in point cost factoring in the loss of the ATA) and end up with this:

Black Alice – 94 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Blue Devil – 100 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Detective Chimp – 62 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Enchantress – 50 points
Nightmaster – 69 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Nightshade – 50 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Ragman – 58 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Total: 489 points

Simple, right? It makes the team waaayyy more close combat oriented, so you might want to pack some Darkness and Deep Shadows battlefield conditions if you choose to go this route. It’s also not a theme team, which makes it a little harder to make sure the map is right for your team. You could also drop Blue Devil and Black Alice to get to the 500 point mark, which looks like this:

Detective Chimp – 62 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Enchantress – 250 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Nightmaster – 69 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Nightshade – 50 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Ragman – 58 points
-Shadowpact – 1 point
Total: 494 points

This team loses one of the Outwits and a close combat figure, but remains more balanced than the first shrinkage. Still, it’s up to you which of these teams you want to play. In the end the game is about choices; I’m just trying to help.

Final Assessment
While a little narrow in focus, the Shadowpact ATA is certainly invaluable when the right conditions are met. Mystics damage is extremely annoying, and this allows for a cheap solution to that problem.

That’s all for this one; come back next time when Object of Desire tries to determine if all that glitters truly is gold. Until then, happy Clixin’!

Very interesting article concept, and it helps that you start it out with one of my favorite teams as of late. I'm liking where this is going!

I love one point ATAs. They can be great add ons for teams, especially if one point is all you have left in the build total. This team for instance:

149 SI Dr. Strange
50 Nightshade
100 Mindless One
1 Shadowpact ATA

On that Mystical theme team, why wouldn't you play the ATA? For one measly point you've protected yourself against some unwanted damage. And what else were you gonna do with that leftover point?

You know - I keep meaning to get around to buying more Shadowpact. Despite owning a complete run of the comics, I never seemed to get around to picking them up.

Wave it in my opponent's face and laugh at them. "Look, look, I don't need all my points to beat you! NYEH!"

It's a sad thing they removed shadowpact in the last Player's Guide, it was my favorite ATA D=, i'll still use it in casual play though

Say what?! Is it a documented intentional removal of the ATA, or is it a copy/paste mistake?

That will also help protect you from Cypher.

They didn't remove the ATA, they just changed the errata in Section 7. It's still in the complete listing of all ATA's in Section 17.

Black Alice, Nightmaster and Detective Chimp are great pieces to use if you have someone in your group who relies a little too much on Mystical keyword theme teams.

I once played a nice tidy little Shadowpact team that would have been murder against anyone with the Mystical keyword or Mystics TA. Unfortunately nobody played any. Still, my team did okay that day.

Black Alice 94
Nightmaster 69
Detective Chimp 62
Nightshade 50
4 x Shadowpact ATA 4

Total: 279 points

I think I also played some feats or special objects but I don't remember what they were.

I like Shadow Pact a lot, but they are tricky to play.

I really enjoy teaming them up with my other favorite team of supernatural fighters, the B.P.R.D.

If you cant afford Pounce then Lunge on Rag and Devil carry well.

This is one of those teams I really wanted them to round out and I still do. The modern Enchantress does not easily fit and as noted above there is very little move and attack powers on these pieces. As a general rule I'm not a fan of remakes, but many on this team need it.