From power rings to radioactive rocks, explosives to magical artifacts, every hero and villain has some equipment they just can't live without. And when you need to decide which of these weapons you need on your Heroclix team, it can be a pretty tough decision. I'm here to help.

This time on Object of Desire: Stepladder!

Greetings, my fellow Clixers! We’re going back in time. Yes, again. This time, instead of looking through a group of objects (since I had enough problems with running the Adventure Kit articles), we’re looking at one object that’s gotten better with age, and with the influx of elevated terrain in maps lately. I’m talking about the Stepladder!

snS001 Stepladder

Light: When this object occupies a square adjacent to a square of higher elevation, the squares are connected by a ladder. This object is not hindering terrain for movement purposes.
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Availability: The Stepladder was available in Sinister boosters, and is now available on the secondary market for next to nothing.

You know, this is a good example of an object getting better long after it retires and the company goes out of business. The Stepladder was originally next to useless, since maps didn’t have terribly much elevated terrain; in fact, the map you played on during the Sinister tournaments (the Prison map) had absolutely NO elevated terrain whatsoever! As a result, most Stepladders were banished to the trash can, since not a lot of players wanted an object that wasn’t worth taking on most maps. But that has changed with the advent of NECA and their overload of maps. We get something between 10-20 different maps during each year, and there are more of them with at least some elevated terrain on them. All of this, combined with the low number of chokepoints leading on and off of elevated terrain and some people’s desire to play something like HYDRA or SHIELD, which have a low number of fliers, the Stepladder suddenly becomes more important to your plans.

In Action

If you’re playing on a map with multiple elevations (especially with three or more different levels), you want Congo Bill/Congorilla on your team in the worst way. The big ape can pick up a Stepladder for you, carry it wherever you need it to get your team up the next level, and then flip him to drop it. The chokepoints up to elevated terrain can also be blocked by your opponent planting a figure at the top of a ladder (ramp, whatever), keeping your close combat beast from getting up to his ranged snipers that are wreaking havoc with your team. One Stepladder later, he can hop up and start doing what he/she does best. This item crosses over any kind of elevation with any other, meaning that if you need to jump straight from Elevation 1 to Elevation 3, you can do it. For complete reviews of maps to determine which maps this object works best on, follow the link here for an archive of saturnflight’s Map Review series.

Final Assessment

Once one of the worst objects in Heroclix history, the Stepladder has the chance to turn the tide in games now that more maps with elevated terrain have been printed. It just goes to show that you shouldn’t discount something that’s not good when it comes out; it might surprise you later.

That’s all for this article; come back next time when Alternate Team Spirit decides to look at the opposite of this article’s theme; that is to say, something awesome that became a stinker. Until then, happy Clixin’!

Wow I would never have called a step ladder next to useless.

It was one of the most popular light objects around in its day.

Not because it connects elevations (a fact many players bringing it forgot), but because its clear terrain for movement, but hindering for line of sight!

Step Ladders are stealth characters best friends.

The Stepladder was never one of the worst objects.
I will agree that is has become more useful.
I'd like to see an object that turns a space of hindering to clear so grounded figures could cut through some of those pesky spots where the tall grass trips them up.

I missed this object, now i have to find one. After this article i bet it will be hard to find, o well.

Fortunately since this isn't attached to a 3-D object, this special is available for print-and-play.

This was one of those objects I actively tried to seek out back in the day. I didn't play during any of the Sinister organized events, but I remember a couple of maps with awkwardly placed stairs/ladders depending on where you started, and the ladder came in very handy.

I just wonder if this object can make the Thanos map any better.

But wait, once you pick it up you can't put it down according to the rules. So it is still useful, but only where you place it.

That's why the article pointed out congo bill/congorilla - it was a POG/Bystander that had two sides. One side was the gorilla w/super strength. the other was congo bill - the bystander had a special power that let flip him to the other character. so the gorilla could pick up the ladder, place it and then flip back to congo bill thus putting the object where you wanted.

Dont forget TK. Thats my favorite way to re-arrange my objects!

Oh. I didn't understand that whole flip thing, but now I get it.

cool

On a related note, does anyone remember the last line of mini WWE figures that were made? Not the current one, but the previous one? They had 2 or 3-packs that usually came with a weapon like a table or chair or ladder. Those figures were about heroclix scale, and I always wanted to pick up the one that had the ladder to use as a 3D version of this object. Does anyone remember the name of the line and where one might still acquire them? I still want my 3D heroclix ladder!

Lawnmower

Stepladder is a gamechanger! Friend played it on the Avengers movie Hellicarrier map and it really helped out.

The Congo Bill/rilla trick can be done with basically any character that has only one click of Super Strength if you push them. Timing is a little rougher though. A friend of mine enjoys using rookie Paladin for this maneuver.

Nice topic. With all the elevated terrain these days, the step ladder is very useful.

Can you charge down from Elevated terrain using the stepladder, and then reach back and use it to bash somebody with? Seems like you can.

I had Fixer cobble one in a game once, but I honestly can't remember why. I'm sure it was to execute some devilishly clever move.