Unless you are attacking a figure whose defense goes up as they take damage (like Blastaar or Hulk).

1. Sometimes it is better to disable than to kill. When your oponent has run out of Medics, don't waste your effort on models that can barely hurt you; concentrate on the models who have not taken damage.

2. Minimize the effects of the dice. Use high attack values, high defense values, Probability Control and damage-reducing powers (like Invulnerability) where you can.

3. Be careful how you place object tokens. Think about how your opponent may use them against you.

4. Speed is life. Hit first and hit hard.

5. Control the centre of the map. This will give you the initiative.

6. The goal is to do as much damage to him while taking as little
damage as possible. Thus, push your models when you can do more damage to him than you will take. Have Medics to improve your ability to take damage. Retreat if you are likely to take more damage than you can dish out.

7. Kill the models with Mind Control first.

8. Kill the models with Outwit first.

9. Don't let him run back to his Medic.

More Basics:

Field characters that can do 3 damage or more for fighting. This is good both from the perspective of dealing with invulnerability, and from the perspective of dispatching figures quickly.

Pushing is your friend:
In my experience, pushing to attack is more often a good idea than a bad one. This includes pushing to taxi your fighters in.

Have a game plan:
Every move should take you closer to a goal.

Know your own weaknesses:
Your opponent will try to exploit them. They also make the best bait for traps.

You don't have to attack first:
It's often not in your favor to attack first.

Know which piece to use for bait:
People like to go after medics, take advantage of it. Medics are generally cheap and not particularly effective fighters.
Cheap taxis are also often good bait pieces.

Don't discount your support figures:
Many of the support figures can give you that extra click or two of damage that you need to finish someone off.

These aren't so much strategy as general advice:

Maintain a level head, and good sportsmanship:
This can improve your play a good bit.

Try to clarify any questions about the rules before the game.

Don't roll on the map.

Use the same dice as your opponent.

Announce when you are about to roll thedice, and what you're rolling them for.

It's not bad sportsmanship to get a judges ruling.

Have all of the rules on hand in writing.

Check to make sure that your opponent's army is legal, and that the figures are who they appear to be.

The main thing i would say to a new player is to have a game plan when you come to a tourney. Find teams that work well for what you want to play, offence or defence.
Unless you play a melee , then go with several heros with high damage capacity.
As far as team building the best way to learn is , believe it or not , is with the 100 point games. One of the othe post mentioned this but didn't elaborate. for instance:

Team one
U- catwoman 85pts
r- vulture 15
with this team you have a few possibilities can. you fly the cat in to do the big damage or incapacitate.

Team two
U- spider-man 67 ( six armed )
E- wasp 33
with these two you got two incapacitates , free move and flurry latter on.

team three
U-spiral 56
V- boomerang 44
with this final team you have flurry and B/F/C with spiral and energy explosion with three targets and R/C/E

the thing to remember is that each of these is an effective team in itself. you notice they have no medics but when deploied properly they don't need them.
ofcourse there are thousands of team possibilities and when you get advanced you can munipulate the stipulations of the game better.
Remember this is basically chess with stipulations.
take care.

Be aware of what you're paying for and try to make use of it. (If you took pyro over avalanche for barrier, use his RCE and energy explosion or atleast convince your opponent you intend to. Don't take a solo x-man/synister syndicate/moe if someone else can fill the role as well without costing you points for a useless team ability)

Alot of games are decided by the first shot. Make sure you get it or can absorb it.

when in doubt choose higher stats over more powers. Course this is less necessary now that perplex is turning up alot now.

Good point.

A rule I try to use is attack with a 3-1 point advantage. I try to attack a 50 point figure with 150 points, but that isn't always possible. A good rule of thumb none the less.

The one thing to really know is to play your game, you go in with a strategy and you dictate the play. Even if that is to let your opponent come to you or to trap them, play it your way. Don't get worried if their first strike ends up taking out one of your guys, just keep on your strategy. Clix is a long game, and one man down is not the end of the game. Remember balance is key (danielson), have more than one heavy hitter, and more than one way to win. Range, Power, and Speed. Give your opponent a lot to think about and even if you lose, make them earn it. Even in the "interest of Futility" good things happen. Like a 6 point R Thug smacking Dr. Strange for two points of damage. (Hand to the lord, you might just roll the 12) don't count on it, but don't count it out.

Study the maps.

If you don't own them yourself, go to Heroix and look at them.

If you are able to choose the map, then you can choose one which gives your team the advantage and/or puts your opponent at a disadvantage.

In you can't choose the map, then you at lest know which edge gives you an advantage, and how to play from there.

Consider how the map will affect your strategy. You can not play the DC Starter Indoor map the same way you'd play the Marvel Starter Indoor Map.

Remember you can break a wall by doing three damage.

If you want a "worst case scenario," play on the house map from the Indoor Adventure Kit and send an opposing Batman/Wildcard team inside.

This is GREAT! This is EXACTLY the kind of thing people like myself need to know. I wish to suggest to whoever's in charge of the forums that they REALLY ought to compile these tips/pieces of advice/ideas/etc and place them in a PERMANENT thread (sticky, stays at the top so that people who just need this kind of advice-- LOTS of us, actually-- will see it before they just post a silly question). I myself will be keeping a hardcopy of all these things, and intend to study these strategical tips as much as possible. If there's more to add, PLEASE add it! So far this has been one of the best boosts to my HeroClix career since... well... since Six months. Heh. That's when I started playing. Anyway, you guys are REALLY helping me out. THANKS!!

see opening post...

Just to elaborate on this. It is important to identify key figures or a single key figure and try to disable or remove them from the game ASAP. If your opponent is playing with a very expensive figure such as Thor or Dr. Doom then eliminating it will give you a huge edge. Sometimes it is not as obvious but you have to try and identify these figures that would cause trouble and get rid of them.

Move and shoot is a must either through RS, taxi or TK, you pick.

I've found that most games have three phases.

The first phase I call the Maneuvering Phase. In a ten round game, this might be the first one to three turns for each player. During the Maneuvering Phase, you are moving your figures into position, using your taxis to move your ranged attackers into range, or moving certain figures into defensive positions (for example, Stealth characters into hindering terrain). Sometimes this phase will last for many turns, as players play cat and mouse, neither wanting to present too much of an opening. During the Maneuvering Phase, most or all of your actions will be Move Actions.

The second phase is the Battle itself. This phase begins as soon as the first attack roll is made. This is the exciting part of the game, where battles are joined, bullets and dumpsters fly. During the battle phase, most of your actions each turn should be attacks.

The third phase of the game is the End Game, or Aftermath. In a ten round game, this might be the last one or two turns. The End Game represents the part of the game where the Battle has essentially been won or lost, where one side has triumphed over the other. The End Game for the winning player will be spent tracking down and KO'ing as many weakened opponents as possible to pad the score card. For the losing player, the End Game means staying out of harm's way, trying to hold on to as many victory points as possible.

Of course, these three divisions aren't clearly cut in any game. In some games, there is no maneuvering, as one opponent may rush across the board in a single turn to engage the enemy, starting the battle immediately. In some games, players may maneuver near endlessly, until near the end of the time limit, and then suddenly strike. In any case, the above sequence is intended to represent the general flow of a normal game.

Just an add on....
In swiss rounds remember you have a time limit instead of a turn limit , so usually two players who have an idea of what they want to do will move quickly and as a result you may get more than ten turns , so use the extra turns to your advantage.

Remember the most basic rule of Heroclix - it is a game, and it is a fun game.

So have fun.


(Note: having fun while playing may reduce your amount of bad sportsmanship, make you a fun person to be around, and increase your chances of winning a fellowship award).

Another thing: Check if your enemy has any perplexers or a TKer right behind the 'bastard', if you neglect to do that, you can be screwed. Happened to me once.