In my experience, there are 3 keys to winning a tournament. All 3 are equally important. If only two work for you, you probably won't win.

1. Team building The characters you use will largely determine your success. Use figures that are great value for their points, do lots of damage, or have great uses. Think about your team a lot, know their dials, and how they work together.

2. Strategy As seen the bulk of this thread. If you strategise better than your opponent you should be able to beat them.

3. Luck In the end, the dice determines a lot of your success. While there isn't an enormous amount you can do about it, using Probability Control helps out a lot, and using figures with high attack and defense values.

My addition to basic strategy: Line of Sight is everything! Always think about your LOS and your opponents. If you can get on high ground with you ranged attacker DO IT! If you can block their LOS with useless or stealthed characters DO IT.
Put L/C and Phasing characters on hindering if possible.

If possible try to assassinate their best figure at any time!!! Always take full advantage of all powers, and team abilites as that,s the key for winning.
One more thing, don't get into situations that you can't get out of . Use your head, It's HIGH-TECH CHESS!!!


I'm not 100%, MEDIC!!!!!

this game is like a the military! you have to have guys that can go into close combat and kick some ###! and you have to have some range combat experts to back them up. you always want to have blades/claws/fangs on your team. it is one of the best moves in the game. you also want some perplexers and some outwiters. by having this variety you will be ready for anything! God luck new timer!

Here is what I have learned since I started playing at the beginning :

1) Phasers that fly are the best. Slip through that wall and smack whoever you want with the figure you are carrying ( Usually Bane ). I use any and all versions of shadowcat now as she is cheap for phasing and if you tag her with Taskmaster then you can steal some life from her to jump right back into B/C/F.

2) Always .... ALWAYS check your space count. After you move, before you move, while your moving. There is nothing worst than moving the guy you want into position and realising right after you are done that his Bullseye can be flown into shooting position by that one space you forgot to count.

3) Know what you are going to do at least one round ahead of the one you are in. Try to stay on that train of thought no matter what happens after you get done with the present move. Then while you ropponent is moving you can plan out the move you will make after the next one.

4) Know the figures. I was getting pummeled on a regular basis in booster tourneys ... sometimes with good guys. Then I vowed it would not happen again. My son and I came up with the idea of writing every figures name a little pieces of paper and having boosters everytime we play. Draw out 4 names and pick them up like a booster. Replace the names and do it again. 300 points you get 2 boosters each ( or 8 guys ). It forces you to play with characters you never would have used otherwise. It helps believe me. Before this process I was 0 - 10 in booster drafts. 2 weeks ago for the Marquee I was 3 - 0 with only Taskmaster to carry the team.

5) Play the style you like and keep the guys you want to play with and just use supporting pieces to fill the gaps.

Well I hope this helps. Good luck to all.
Bulldog

Remember, remember,remember to use all your outwit, perlex, enhancement and leadership each and every turn. Don't forget to call on all your team abilities (like roll a die for skrulls to see if your opponent can even target your figure, use the highest attack of adjacent figures for sinister syndicate, use all your free moves with Avengers and Brotherhood, etc.).

When you successfully mind control a character, use all the abilities to your good. Heal yourself with the other guy's medics, perplex your guy with the other guy's perplexers and use his outwit to aid your cause. For one turn you completely own that character.

Make sure you use your attackers in the best order. Beat a big guy down with your heavy and then when your opponent's big guy is weak, hit him with your smaller people. There are many examples of what action to make first, what later. Think before you leap.

Use barrier to the best effect. If inside where there are narrow openings, stack the barrier (double it) so the bad guys can't blow a hole in it and then get you.

Too many tactics for anyone to list them all. Play, play, play and practice, practice, practice. You will make mistakes, good. Learn from them and do better the next time.

Most of all, remember, this is just a game. It is here for us to have fun playing it. The other clixers are your friends. After your tournaments, get together and brainstorm. Tell each other what you did wrong and right and discuss alternative tactics for what happened.

Thanks for starting the thread. It should draw some attention, especially with the stars. Maybe it will help some newbies to cope (which was your reason for starting the thread anyway.

Keep up the good work, interact and enjoy!
Penworthy

Doombots make invaluable taxis. An experienced Doombot can copy all your other team abilities, reduce damage with toughness and (if you get desperate enough), try the EE smack down.

I always try to bring at least three different teams for for my MOD to copy. Usually Avengers or Brotherhood, always Batman, and usually a Fantastic Four. That way they're always stealthed, move for free, and get a click of life back when one of them gets beaten down.

Since Taskmaster is also a MOD, he's a nice stealth/b/c/f for cheaper than Wolverine (although the U Wolverine is still the god of all pieces).

Mobility, as most people know, is key to your force. But that means it's key for your opponents force as well. Take out taxis, TKers, outwit Running Shot and Charge (or dilever them a blow that just gets them off of the ability, if you know your dials well). If they can't move and attack on the same turn, while you can, chances are that you're going to do some major butt kicking. In chess whoever has the control of the board, and whoever has more moves possible is pretty much dominating, and that goes for here too.

Rember to role for your leadership even if you do not need it.

Test your army against the Firelord cheese army with you playing both sides. If you can hold your own, going first or second then that army is probably ok.

I have noticed the "turtle strategy" being played in a few of the HTH tournaments I have played in. Basically keep the Invisible Woman with her 18 defense and ability to share it behind and adjacent to the bricks and blasters. they benefit from her high defense and she is ALMOST untouchable.

Honestly IMHO, I love when people use Invisible women and turtle. It's game over. Basically, I use Vet Bullseye for his 11 attack and then use 2 Hydras to get a 13 attack. I then use probability. With a 13 attack, even a 20 defense is beatable.

A lot of people around here played with Inv girl. And we just started killing those teams easily. So now it isn't the trend lately. If you build your team on defense alone it really is a bad idea because:

1.) it's boring
2.) You become immobile
3.) The best defense is offense

I also play a lot of group maps and if you turtle you just get left alone. But that means you don't get any additional points. Anyway if you want a defense Barrier is awesome, compared to let me sit and turtle while you come shoot me.

Someone said to always make sure you use the maximum points, that's a terrible idea. You want to be efficiant, not full.

If you can't fit it, don't feel like you need to squeeze a medic in. Some armies don't need them as badly as others.

ALWAYS factor in damage reduction, super senses, stealth, and taxis. Also, make sure you have some kind of outwith, stealth, and a taxi.

Getting the first strike is a very important concept, and don't be afraid to push. Keep in mind, you take a click when you push - but it's better than taking 6 clicks when they hit you because you didn't push.

Use the terrain to your advantage. Keep your peices in choking positions.

Focus on 1 peice at a time, and focus on him hard. Eliminate them 1 by one, putting allof the pressure on each peice. DON'T PLAY WITH INEFFCIANT PEICES! Each peice needs to be able to hold it's own if it comes down to it, so balance those points.

Make your army flexible, you'll face various types of armies - your build needs to be able to hold it's own against anything thrown at it.

Don't be hastey. Think ever move through.

Hypersonic speed is the best ability in the game. That means you need to keep an eye out for it, and kill those peices first if possible. It also means you should play with it if possible.

Get the most out of your team abilities.

Don't build armies based on one peice, because if that peice falls, you'll crumble.

Never underestimate incapacitate.

Use human shields if needed. Keep important peices out of the way of high powered range fighters. Also, if you're fighting range get right in their face, if you're fighing melee, keep your distance.

If you're playing DC, don't rely on super powers nearly as much as in Marvel, most good DC peices have outwit. Try to fit either a superman team ability peice, or a good blades/claws/fangs, something has to deal with all that stealth and batman ability.

Line of sight, Line of sight, Line of sight!

Lastly, if you don't have room for nightcrawler, you're doing something wrong.

i find it's a good idea NOT TO PUSH......contrary to what someone said earlier, i've pushed critical missed too many times to count.

it's smart to have a good chunk of your team with toughness or invinciblity.

and a "heavy hitter" to take out the opponents guys who do too.

again, be versitile. know your opponent if you can, watch his other games, see how they play.

don't let them force you to come to them.

-Figs witht he free movement teem ability (i.e. Avengers and JLA) work great if they have running shot and can fly. Use them as taxis for your guys and try to have the figs ur taxing have charge.

-Always plan your move during your opponents turn but play close attention to what they do because you may need to make some changes. This way you're always one move ahead.

-Watch out for medics.

-Knockback can sometimes be bad. Not that you can really change it but if u like praying it is sometimes best not to pray fro knockback. (you may knock your opponent into a medic).

- Watch your opponents face and look where his eyes look.

Hope this helps
~Concorde, CEO of Ralcor Worldwide Industies

No plan survives first contact with the enemy.

This is all for fun. If you only play to win, you have already lost.

Winning is usually more fun than losing, and if you don't play to win, you're doing your opponent a disservice.