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OK,
you've saved and scrounged up enough dough to buy yourself a pretty good
collection of figures. You've read and reread the rulebook, Powers and
Abilities Card, and even the FAQ at www.wizkidsgames.com
Now it's time to play! This week I will give some opinions on a few of
the better powers to try to incorporate into your team.
Offensive Powers/Strategy:
Energy Explosion: This power,
used correctly, can devastate your opponent’s team early in the game.
And you don't necessarily need to spend big points to get it, either.
The Infinity Challenge Veteran Boomerang is a great example of a lower
cost figure with EE that is, in my opinion, a MONSTER. He is one of my
must haves, and the guys I click with seem to go right after him when I
put him out there, most likely from having this little 43 pointer
destroy major parts of their team.
Super Strength: This is
another staple of the game. Not much in Heroclix land is quite as sweet
as having Hercules or Bane smash a nice, heavy object on the skull of
your opponent. Remember, when your player with Super Strength has an
object, you cannot voluntarily put it down, and it MUST be when you are
base to base with an opponent. Many SS'ers can toss that object at their
foe, and that is an option, but if you are in a situation where you have
an SS figure with an object in BtB (Base to Base) with an opponent, the
object MUST be used in the attack. Super Strength can turn the tide of a
game by itself.
Ranged Combat Expert: This
power alone is why Firelord is a GOD in Heroclix. That little red color
in the damage slot of the dial can strike fear into the hearts of
enemies from afar. Having at least one RCE on your team is a great way
to spend points.
Running Shot: This ability does not work with RCE (above), but for
some players like Thor, they can decimate an opponent with a running
shot and their base damage. Nothing like your opponent thinking he is
safe, and having your attacker run half his speed and blast him!
Mind Control: It is hard to
describe how sweet it is to have your White Queen Mind Control an enemy
and attack. You are using your opponents figures against himself. Not
only a great attack strategy, but a good demoralizing tactic (for him)
as well.
Hypersonic Speed: If you have the points, get a HS attacker. It is
great fun to have Nightcrawler run up to someone, pop 'em for 2 clicks,
and then bust a move right past them before the even know what hit!
better yet, when BtB, a continuous Hypersonic attack that is successful
can bring down even the heavy hitters in the game.
Blades/Claws/Fangs: See
Logan. 'nuff said.
Leadership: In a high point
game, this is an absolute must. The chance for another action in a turn
can make or break your assault.
Telekinesis: A great way to
move that Battle Fury limited juggernaut or Spiral into close combat
with your opponent. I like to take Spiral and a Mandroid Armor, keep
them in the back as a last line. If someone is getting too close, use
Mandroid to get Spiral right up into their face, for some serious BCF
fun!
Taxis: A taxi, in 'Clix
lingo, is a flyer that carries around an attacker. A good cheap taxi
would be Man Bat, Vulture or the Clobberin' Time Yellow Jacket. Unique
or Veteran Wasp is another great taxi, but for a few more points.
Veteran Steel is an example of a higher point taxi that can do some good
damage on his own, so you're not just using someone to carry around
another figure. With a good taxi/attacker combo, you can literally cover
the entire length of the map.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Team ability: I
have evolved into a HUGE SHIELD fan. I like to have at least 2 SHIELD
members on every team I build. The Team ability SHIELD brings can make a
regular Energy Explosion attack into a crippling blow.
Spider Man/Minions of Doom/Legion
of Super heroes team Ability: As wildcards, the members of any of
these teams can copy any team ability that any friendly figure has.
Truly scary, when you have even one SHIELD member on your team.
Avengers/Brotherhood/JLA Team
Ability: A free move is a free move, and when it is a flyer making
that free move and taxiing an attacker, look out!
Superman Ally: That pesky
Black Panther or Batman stealthed up? Not a problem for these X-ray
vision wielding buddies of the Big Blue Boy Scout. they can shoot away
to their hearts content, no stealth for you!
Defensive Powers/Strategy:
Probability Control: This
power can win or lose not only a roll for you, but sometimes an entire
game. Keep your PC'er within range of as much as possible, but make sure
they have a bodyguard nearby, as PC'ers tend to be attack magnets. Most
experienced players, when faced with a Scarlet Witch or Juggernaut, will
try and take out that blasted Witch first, so that when they DO hit
Juggy, she can't make them re-roll.
Outwit: One of the most evil
powers in the game, period. Have a Superman bugging you? Outwit his
Impervious and smack him with the Hulk. He'll fly away whining like a
scalded dog, but only thanks to the Outwit unleashed on him first.
Another great tactic is to Outwit your opponents Outwit, so he doesn't
get a chance to use it. And it can be stacked, so if you have say,
Flash, Batman, and Darkseid, you get to Outwit 3 different things. Evil.
Barrier: A well placed
Barrier can be the difference between life and death in a game. And you
don't need line of sight to where you want to place it. It only has to
be in the range of the figure placing it, be 4 squares, and be adjacent
to each other. A real life saver, available for low cost from Avalanche
& Blizzard.
Incapacitate: This is one of
the more expensive abilities, and many players don't give it the credit
it deserves. But think about it: You can basically remove one of your
opponents figures from their next turn, or force them to push that
figure if they want to use it. And a multi target Incapacitate from
Medusa can really limit your opponents options on their turn, by locking
up more than one figure.
Invulnerability: beat on me,
and I'll stand there and take it, minus 2 clicks. This power makes it
awful hard to KO some figures. And helps keep some of your heavy hitters
around into the late rounds.
Impervious: It's like
Invulnerability on steroids! Beat on me, and I'll stand there and take
it....maybe. And even if you hit, I'll be glad to subtract 2 clicks from
that damage, thank you very much.
Regeneration: So your
opponent has concentrated his efforts on your Hulk, Thanos, or Logan.
That's fine, because most likely they have been giving as well as
they've gotten. And just when he sees the light at the end of the
tunnel, you toss a die, and viola', your figure is now back into what I
like to call his "happy place," and they have to go about
trying to destroy them all over again, another great way to demoralize
and depress your opponent.
Plasticity: Want to tie up a
foe for a good long time? Park a Plastic man or Clayface next to them.
They will go nuts trying to roll that 6 needed for breakaway, or at
least spend some attack time killing off that stretchy pest.
Mastermind: Want to keep that
evil Dr. Doom around longer? Let him taxi around a Sandman or Hulk. No
one will take a shot at him, and even if they do, he gets to push it all
off on the lower cost figure, with Invulnerability or toughness coming
in to play to boot. Doom looks at you and laughs that evil, metallic
laugh.
Support: Send out your
forces, let them lay waste to your foe. If some of them get beat down,
run or taxi them back to your clinic for a quick shot of healing. Now
they are fresh and ready to rejoin the fray.
Batman Ally: A must have for
any team, can be obtained cheap with a rookie Robin, and copied by the
wildcards mentioned above. It is frustrating for your opponent to want
to take that shot at you, but not be able to because of that dang Batman
stealth training.
Skrulls: So your opponent
targets your Dr. Doom? That's fine. Before an attack roll can be made,
first you get the chance to negate the entire thing. Maddening to him,
potentially Doom saving to you.
So, there you have a few ideas on what to try to have on your teams. It
sounds like a lot, but if you build it right, you can field a team with
all or at least most of these abilities, or at least a nice mix of them,
and be a true force to be reckoned with. Experiment with any or all of
these abilities, play what works for you, but most of all, have fun
doing it. It really is just a game, not a way of life, isn't it?
As always, make sure to check out www.wizkidsgames.com
or www.hcrealms.com for the latest
in Heroclix news, sneak peeks, and rules updates. If you have any
questions, feel free to email me (eMail
HeroKlass).
Until next time, happy
clicking!
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