It's my pleasure to bring HCRealms another round of HOT TAKES courtesy of long-time forum member and friend to mutant-kind Hesster56.

Follow the link to see what he has to say about the common rarity figures in the latest HeroClix 5-figure booster retail release from WizKids, X-Men: X of Swords!

Editors note: read the following in the voice of Hesster56

Can you hear the clang of a hammer on steel? Smell the ozone of the forge? Can you feel the heat of the fire before the blade is quenched? Welcome, Bladesmiths! Here your strength, endurance, and skill will be tested, and only one of you will walk away from this challenge.

Sorry. My wife got me a class at a local metalworking shop and I just forged a knife this week. It was super fun, and I recommend finding a local option for you if you haven’t done it. Might become a new hobby of mine. All that said, welcome to the X of Swords Hot Takes. I had so much fun writing this for the D+ set that I decided to do it again. Hope you have as much fun reading this as I did writing it, and check out my Highlander scenario for a new slice of fun.

One major caveat: I don’t know quite how the Swords will be packed in the boosters. Same with the Tarot cards. I won’t address the Tarot at all in this article for that reason. For the Swords and Swordbearers, I’m only going to lightly touch on them. Cypher with the Seducer blade would play much different than Cypher with the Muramasa of course, and if I try to account for all the permutations, we’ll be here until Avengers Forever.

Stainless Steel. These figures are good enough to eat with, but not the type of thing you want to have your life depend on.Still, if you need to spread the jam or get a pickle out of the bottom of a jar, these aren’t bad to keep in your silverware drawer.

#001 Storm
Real Name: Ororo Munroe
Team: X-Men
Range: 5
Points: 45
Keywords: Marauders, Quiet Council, Wakanda, X-Men, Deity, Ruler

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 11 18 2

8 11 18 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

SWORD BEARER: +5 Points. This character starts the game with any Sword equipment equipped.
GALE FORCE WINDS: KNOCKBACK. // Force Blast as FREE. When Storm uses it, she may choose the direction of the knock back.

I have a hypothesis that I believe will see vindication by the time we complete this article. Somewhere in Wizkid’s labs, a decision was made to make bargain versions of the X-Men so they could be fielded as a swarm. Ororo is my first proof of many. I really like this version though. She’s a bit slow for a Goddess, but she’s got very consistent values, neat close combat powers, and can literally blow opponents all over the map. I’ve got to weep again for the lack of Knockback damage, but I’d be more than happy to put this dangerous woman in the front lines of my X-Teams.

#002 Cypher
Real Name: Douglas Ramsey
Team: X-Men
Range: 3
Points: 25
Keywords: Hellions, New Mutants, Quiet Council, X-Factor, X-Force, X-Men

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

8 9 17 2

8 9 17 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

KO KO KO KO

Sword Bearer +5: This character starts the game with any Sword equipment equipped.
Omnilingual Translation: Empower, Enhancement

The difference between knowing how to fight and reading a book about how to fight is the essence of Cypher. He’s super cheap, only 30 points if he’s holding an edge. His damage special is going to be very useful-a free buff to damage at either range or close is nothing to sneeze at, and certain formations are going to allow for some painful moments. But ultimately, at four clicks and a weak defense, he’s here to be mourned.

#003 Solem
Real Name: Unknown
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 3
Points: 85/45
Keywords: Arakko, Assassin, Past, Warrior

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 3

8 10 18 3

l l l l l l

8 10 17 3

6 10 17 3

6 10 17 3

6 10 17 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

+5 Sword Bearer: This character starts the game with any Sword equipment equipped.

Covered In Adamantium: Solem can reduce penetrating damage.

I don’t know exactly when it started, but the trend of long-dialed brawlers in the Common class sure is interesting. Solem here might be my favorite. She-Hulk, Hercules, Executioner, and now Solem. The stats are almost all identical through their dials, but Solem might be the most dangerous. Not only does his trait require Outwit to take a bite out of him, but he’s available in full strength and economy size. Engage with caution.

#004 The Fury
Real Name: various
Range: 5
Points: 50
Keywords: Robot

10 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 9 17 3

8 9 17 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

I try to be positive with these hot takes, but…By the cheese-filled beard of Alan Moore, this is disappointing. The Fury is a planetary-class threat, by which I mean it wiped out every superhero on Earth 238. It is an unkillable, unstoppable force of death, created by Mad Jim Jaspers, one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse. And we get this wee little cutesy wootsy version. This is not The Fury, this is a carbon copy. Still, it might be dangerous in the right hands.

#005 Sevalithi Vampire
Real Name: Various
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 25
Keywords: Monster

8 11 17 1

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

7 9 17 2

7 9 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

Blahd, blahd! I vant to suck your blahd! A 25-point stealth and tie-up piece that can bite well above its weight class, this little needler might be my favorite generic of the set. If you don’t stake this in one hit, it’s got a great chance to keep coming back on you. More dangerous than it looks, and I can’t wait to throw a swarm of these onto the map backing up some of the more traditional vampire pieces. A multi-passenger taxi dropping a few of these on someone guarantees that some misty falcons will always try to ice skate uphill.

#006 White Priestess
Real Name: Various
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 4
Points: 25
Keywords: Mystical

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

7 9 17 1

7 9 16 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

KO KO KO KO

I wish White or Green was more of a question, I really do. The Running Shot and Precision Strike that we get with White is not nearly as dangerous as the Enhancement and Probability Control we see here. She’s still got a short dial, but for 25 points, these are an amazing set of powers that will help make your team get the worship they so richly deserve.

#007 Green Priestess
Real Name: Various
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 4
Points: 25
Keywords: Mystical

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

7 9 17 1

7 9 16 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

KO KO KO KO

You’d have to be smoking the green to play this acolyte. No survivability with that short dial and ESD up front. No threat with RS and four range. All that Precision Strike really just gives something for a power-thief to use, because she’s not going to get a chance to use it. Mastermind fodder or sacrificial terrain at best.

#008 Lockheed
Real Name: Lockheed
Team: X-Men
Range: 6
Points: 50
Keywords: Excalibur, Marauders, S.W.O.R.D., X-Men, Animal, Mystical

8 10 18 2

8 10 17 2

6 9 17 3

6 9 18 3

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

KO KO KO KO

Fiercely Protective of my Friends: Defend. // FREE: Make an attack targeting an opposing character that missed a friendly character since your last turn.

Kitty’s special dragon friend shows up once more as an actual figure, and I like this one. He’s not a power piece, but his Defend special could be a surprise especially if you pair him with someone packing ESD or CR. I don’t think his 18 is going to prevent a lot of power pieces from hitting, but it does offer consistency if his allies get knocked down a bit. The free attack is perfectly suited to the character as well.

#009 Dani Moonstar
Real Name: Danielle Moonstar
Team: X-Men
Range: 6
Points: 50
Keywords: Asgardian, New Mutants, X-Men, Mystical

8 11 17 2

8 11 17 2

8 11 17 2

7 10 16 3

7 10 16 3

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

Rally (Opposing attack rolls 5): Mind Control. // FREE: Remove one of Dani Moonstar's RALLY dice to use Mind Control as FREE, but only to target a character she hit with an attack this turn.

DANGER. DANGER. FORGE HEAT EXCEEDING SAFETY THRESHOLDS. I was never into the New Mutants. I always have thought of them as the backup X-team and just didn’t care about them, even when they became X-Force. Dani here shows why that impression is dangerous. Rally 5 is maybe the most common way to stack up tokens. I played a game a while back where a buddy of mine had 13 Rally dice for Blade. Daywalker would not go away. Hold Dani back a turn, then toss her forward, let her triple-target mind control, and then start pulling Rally tokens off to have your opponent self-destruct. Dani might be able to KO an entire team in one turn.

#010 Colossus
Real Name: Piotr Rasputin
Team: X-Men
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: Excalibur, X-Force, X-Men, Armor

8 11 18 3

8 11 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 19 3

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

KO KO KO KO

Rally (Opposing attack rolls 5): FREE: Remove one of Colossus's RALLY dice to use Support as FREE.
Defending My New Way of Life: STOP. Defend.

If you haven’t read HoX/PoX/XoS, go do so. They’re great, paradigm-shifting books for the X-line. Colossus here maybe most of all. He’s basically abandoned his virtuous warrior mentality and gone to become a farmer again. This dial perfectly captures that. It’s also so different from typical Piotr dials that are just Charge/Strength/Reducer. My one complaint is that he needs a reducer on his last two clicks. Just because he’s a gentle giant doesn’t mean he’s easy to harvest.

#011 Orchis Soldier
Real Name: Various
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 4
Points: 25
Keywords: Sentinel, Robot, Soldier

6 10 17 2

6 10 16 2

5 9 15 1

5 8 14 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

KO KO KO KO

It’s nice to see these bigots finally show up in clix form so they can get cut to pieces. Still waiting on the gangs that Cameron Hodge ran, but I’ll be patient. The Orchis Soldier takes some of the weakness from the Green Priestess and turns it around. The four range is still sad, but the 11/3 attack line on his first two clicks can at least soften a target. Toughness should let him take at least one shot from an opponent, and really, that’s what an evil goon should do. Also that last click just makes me nostalgic for the pre-carded era.

#012 Iceman
Real Name: Bobby Drake
Team: X-Men
Range: 6
Points: 75/45
Keywords: Champions, Defenders, X-Men

10 11 18 3

10 11 18 3

10 11 17 3

l l l l l l

8 10 17 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Got Cold Feet?: When Iceman hits, each hit character modifies their speed -2 until your next turn.

Bobby leaves me cold. Hah. Jokes. Okay, not too cold, but a bit chilly. I love his attack power actually, it’s about time to see an Iceman do more than just give out tokens and place barriers. His ESD looks very fragile at first, but keep in mind what his -2 speed does. If he slides up and ices someone with a 10-speed charge, that five-square reach drops to 4. And that should keep people just outside of being able to shatter the ice block. He’s also got a cheap point value, which is an X-theme we’ll see a lot of in this set. Swarming with X-Men is going to be very viable.

#013 Cyclops
Real Name: Scott Summers
Team: X-Men
Range: 6
Points: 50
Keywords: X-Men

8 10 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 11 17 2

8 11 17 2

8 11 17 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

Great Captain: Leadership. When Cyclops uses it and succeeds, this turn, friendly characters with the (X-Men TA) may use it as FREE.

Do you ever think when we get two versions of a character in a set one of them is purposely hamstrung? For 50 points I’d rather have WoTR’s Hawkeye any day of the week. Even the free X-TA activation barely scratches the surface. This Cyke is Yike. Enjoy the 11/4 if you can get it to land, but be ready to hand 50 to your opponent.

#014 Gorgon
Real Name: Tomi Shishido
Team: Team Player
Range: 0
Points: 75/35
Keywords: A.I.M, Hydra, The Hand, X-Men, Assassin, Martial Artist

10 11 18 3

10 11 17 3

10 11 17 3

l l l l l l

8 10 17 2

8 11 18 2

8 10 18 2

8 10 18 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Sword Bearer +5: This character starts the game with any sword equipment equipped.

Can’t wait to run this guy with Arnim Zola again. It’s just so cheesy. Gouda puns aside, I’m very happy to see this character hit the map with an updated version. This is a much better version than the one we saw in Captain America back in the day as well. He’s missing his Medusa Gaze power, but all that outwit, a solid attack track, and flurry back at the end of his dial, he’s powerful. And of course with a smaller point version option, he can sneak onto any of his many keyworded teams. Perfect secondary/tertiary attacker and team player.

xmxs015 Magik
Team: X-Men
Range: 3
Points: 25
Keywords: Mystical, New Mutants, X-Men

8 9 17 1

8 9 17 1

8 9 16 1

8 9 16 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

KO KO KO KO

(Special) (+5 Points) Sword Bearer: This character starts the game with any Sword equipment equipped.

(Special) In and Out of Limbo: Phasing/Teleport. Passenger: 4, but only to carry characters that share a keyword with her.

Many of you like this figure. Many of you are wrong. Illyana’s only defense is the four friends she brings with her, and she’s gonna be taken off the map faster than you can say “The Legacy Virus was Marvel’s 90’s analogue for the AIDS virus.” All that said, my main concern is the sculpt reuse. If we had a New Mutants era Illyana sculpt for this dial, I’d be fine. But it’s Krakoan War Captain Illyana. Wizkids has taken a character that was raised by a demon in pseudo-Hell for seven years and given it a teddy bear of a dial.

#016 Roulette
Real Name: Jennifer Stavros
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 30
Keywords: Hellions, X-Men

6 10 16 2

6 10 17 2

5 9 17 2

5 9 18 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

KO KO KO KO

Luck, When Needed The Most: Once per game, Roulette may reroll a critical hit anywhere on the map. // Once per game, Roulette may reroll a critical miss anywhere on the map.

For 30 points, this little Hellion is going to hang out in the back end of your forces and swing the momentum of battle twice each game. She’s got some survival built into her dial and can maybe reposition an opponent that comes hunting for her, but don’t expect anything but blissful probability manipulation as you laugh away that crit miss.

Roulette might surprise people with a much-maligned power: Force Blast. Since she'll presumably be close enough to use PC, there's a chance she'll be in position to shove back an enemy who gets too close. And people keep forgetting FB works at range now...

-J

Don't sleep on 001 Storm for this very reason.

I've played Deep Cuts Invisible Woman enough times to be a huge fan of Storm's style of Force Blast. It can wreak havoc with your opponent when you pick their direction.

-J

Omg, I’ve got two article series published to the front page. I’m thrilled. Enjoy these everyone!

In our prerelease, Roulette’s FB saved her from Captain Britain. And also marked maybe the second time I’ve used the power in 20 years.

i actuakky really dig this cyk... but after 5-6 years I still havent been able to replace Rare Cyk from UXM (yes, the gimp-suit version from the mediocre Bendis run)


This guy might make 3rd place for me, after the aforementioned bondage-Scott and the X-Men Animated 70 pointer

Except for engaging in some minor banter about the "best way" to represent Cyclops' optic blasts in HeroClix (precision? concussive? explosive? ricochets?) (*1) I freely and willingly admit that as a character I've known since the 1970s, I feel that Scott Summers has often gotten a little too much undeserved respect from writers and readers.

I'll disclose my biases:

• Xmen v1 is of its era, and "deep character study" is not really appropriate, except in retcon.
• The post GSX up to blue/gold is essentially one long thesis on how Scott Summers is basically a whiny boy who wants (respect, love, leadership) but doesn't really give anything in return.

[at this point, maybe there was some ultra-deep demonstration of good qualities, but I dropped out of X-Men until...]

• New X-Men. Personally, I would have explored/accepted/explained the characters (kink) issues in a different way, but the pairing with Emma Frost (along with the measure of shame) I thought was the highlight... at least until the "power-of-three" era.
• "Cyclops was Right" As a twist, this was fine by me, yet I can't believe anyone actually followed this guy. I don't think Cyclops had ever been right about anything in his existence up to this point!

The HoX/PoX era with Cyclops being more openly accepting of his role as a lover and father is something I find very refreshing.

(*1) I also feel that certain eras of Cyclops should have a special version of Leadership: When Cyclops fails a Leadership roll, one other friendly figure is assigned 1 unavoidable damage. The guy was that bad.

#010 Colossus
Real Name: Piotr Rasputin
Team: X-Men
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: Excalibur, X-Force, X-Men, Armor

8 11 18 3

8 11 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 19 3

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

KO KO KO KO

Rally (Opposing attack rolls 5): FREE: Remove one of Colossus's RALLY dice to use Support as FREE.
Defending My New Way of Life: STOP. Defend.

I appreciate Hesster's take on this version of Colossus, but I don't like this dial at all for the cost even if I do like the sculpt. Part of my dislike is that Support is a power that is really unreliable, tying it to RALLY (top dial, anyway) makes it feel even more fickle. Super Strength is currently a pretty bad power (even if appropriate for the character), so the 50 points simply seems like a bad investment.

I should say: I almost like the idea of an Empowering figure that requires some amount of focused fire to hurt... and that it then switches to powers that benefit from (or require) adjacency. I'd much rather use the 50 points on the XMRF common instead. The X-Men have had a many year run in which 50-ish point pieces offer some sort of 'trick' that can help their team... I just don't think this figure's trick offers much utility.

I also want to comment on his (common) sister:

xmxs015 Magik
Team: X-Men
Range: 3
Points: 25
Keywords: Mystical, New Mutants, X-Men

8 9 17 1

8 9 17 1

8 9 16 1

8 9 16 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

KO KO KO KO

(+5 Points) Sword Bearer: This character starts the game with any Sword equipment equipped.

In and Out of Limbo: Phasing/Teleport. Passenger: 4, but only to carry characters that share a keyword with her.

I don't disagree with Hesster's assessment, but I still like this figure. There were plenty of (original run) issues of New Mutants where Illyana was not a combat force, so the dial doesn't offend me. I am slightly non-plussed that for her special passenger power, I would have preferred that her movement value not be negatively affected by the passengers.

The real benefit of the character is the low cost, which will allow her to join larger squads of New Mutants. He name will also allow her to trigger a couple of pretty good Team Up Cards with the HoX Cyclops. I think the 25-point character makes it possible to make a respectable 300-point Phoenix 5 (using the TUC) now. The Probability Control (and Leadership) on the lower-cost Uncommon can generally be more useful for teams, but maneuvering teammates (or only herself, when she has Empower) isn't at all bad.

I don't know that I'd invest the extra 5 points to give her a blade, but I think Mercy (Blades/Claws/Fangs. Once per turn, when this character is attacked, you may reroll the attack) would be my choice.

I’m confused. I thought the negative impact passengers gave to movement was “new ruled” away?

Well if it is, add it to the long list of "new rules" that I don't know about.

Don’t go by what I was thinking, I thought I read it, but I could easily be mistaken!

Nope, the machine is correct. Carrying no longer hurts movement.