Ever face a figure or team you can't seem to take down? Then this is the series for you. We take a deeper look into those problematic pieces and Exploit their Weaknesses! In this edition, we take a look at a woman behind enemy lines you don't want to cross paths with!

Click "Full Story" below as we analyze this awesome figure and Exploit her Weaknesses.

Thanks for joining me in another installment of Exploiting Weaknesses! As with the other articles' precursors, Pulse Wave will not be discussed as it is almost always effective. If it isn't effective, I will point out why.

Here is the dial for reference.



Things that tell me I need to be on the look out:

- Behind Enemy Lines Trait
- Saboteur
- Move and Attack Powers
- SHIELD TA

Exploiting Peggy's Weaknesses

It may come as a surprise to some why a 60 point piece is featured in this article. In the right hands, Peggy can do some damage as a support piece as well as a tertiary attacker.

One thing to be aware of is many players utilize her as an ID Card call in using the SHIELD Level 7 ID Card. The qualifications for that card is 50 or more points and has SHIELD keyword. It is easy to fit many figures into a team using this ID Card but what makes her so unique as a call in is the "Saboteur" trait which I will go over shortly.

Starting with "Behind Enemy Lines", we see a very useful and annoying power for Peggy. If she is close enough to the opposing starting area, she will get both Stealth and Shape Change which is very difficult to deal with if we aren't expecting it. IT: Hindering, Avengers Initiative TA, and Supes Ally TA are good ways to start off dealing with her no matter where she is. Getting rid of chances for using hindering against you by choosing a map that lacks these features may be beneficial as well. The Shape Change is a little more difficult. Being these are provided from a trait, outwit isn't going to work so Battle Fury is what helps us easily get past the Shape Change. The con for BF is no ranged attacks but the pro is the same because when we are adjacent, we can now attack with BF and don't have to deal with stealth since that deals with lines of fire.

Now "Saboteur" is where it is at for this dangerous lady! I love using these figures with powers that say "can't use" because it is much stronger than outwit. Unlike SR Nick Fury, she can't use her full range for this version of "can't use" and must choose a standard power. It is still very useful and will decimate your team when used right. She creates a sort of area of effect since the power says opposing characters within 3 squares can't use the power. Notice how it doesn't say "line of fire"? This is the key as you can run her in behind a wall or blocking and still affect the opposing characters on the other side. Think of it like she invaded the enemy base at night and turned on the spotlights outside to show her friends where to shoot next. Now the very reason she is good is also her downfall. Because it is an area of effect, we need only to move out of that area to gain the use of our power again. Alternatively, we can use outwit to get rid of "Saboteur", provided she isn't hiding behind a wall or in stealth. Another way is to just damage her enough. She only has it the first 3 clicks so in theory we can hit her off of it fairly easily (baring Super Senses of course).

Her constant ability to move around and attack is a great asset. Starting with Running Shot, then Sidestep, and finally Charge, she will be able to get into a good position to attack more often than not. Her threat range is only 10 for Running Shot but that's plenty for a 3rd or 4th attacker. Charge range is lower at 4 but that's a very common Charge distance. So staying outside 10 squares should be your goal, especially since she will want to be closer for the "Saboteur" power. Baring that stealth, you can outwit all 3 of these to keep her in place. You can also use blocking and elevated to keep your distance as she can't shoot through those even if "Saboteur" can.

Lastly is the SHIELD TA. We have covered this before but wanted to put it here as a reminder. Boosting adjacent friendlies range and damage is dangerous and must be accounted for. She can Running Shot or Sidestep next to a friendly and they will get the latent boost to range for their follow up attack. She can also gain a boost from the SHIELD TA on another friendly character but doesn't increase the range for "Saboteur" since that doesn't use her actual range.

So, what are we doing to Peggy?

- Stealth busting can work at range but close combat with Battle Fury will get rid of both Shape Change and the Stealth.
- Moving out of 3 range, damaging her with 3+ damage, or outwitting her will get rid of Saboteur.
- Staying out of 10 range, 8 range, and 4 range will keep you safe from Running Shot, Sidestep, and Charge respectively. Outwit and using terrain features to block lines of fire are other great ways to keep her at bay.

How do these tactics help or hinder us against the rest of her team or other teams during the same tournament?

- Stealth and Shape Change are becoming pretty popular so having a way to deal with both will allow you to adjust as needed.
- Outwit and damage are great ways to get past problem powers but can be hard to pull off the later if you don't know the dials well enough.
- Staying out of threat range is key in any match so just count and double count what they are showing and add in any perplexes or other modifiers that would normally catch you off guard.
- Terrain can be a huge determining factor so if you can swing it, pick a map that hurts the other team. Planning for a 60 point piece is dumb so take the team as a whole and find what you think will help you against the entire team.

That's all I have this time! Until next time, always look for the chinks in the armor and Exploit your opponent's Weaknesses!

To add to the discussion I've found recently that using Pandora's Box with a Wrath relic seems to do the job of getting around opposing Shape Change without the need for Battle Fury or its drawbacks.

Stealth is 'becoming' popular?

Yes as in there are 314 figures in Modern age with Stealth with 73 of those coming from the most recent releases.

And it's also gaining popularity in the tournament scene as it is relied on more than before.

Nice choice! I like the idea of occasionally shining a spotlight on lower-point figs that can transform a team or create a serious headache.

The piece is no longer in Modern, but the version below of Peggy's niece can be an incredible boon for Avengers teams, particularly as there is less IT being handed out now. Want to see but not be seen? Avengers Initiative+CW Sharon is the way to go:

'Becoming popular again' probably would have been a better way to put it. Stealth definitely lost a lot of its value for a few years with all of the improved targeting, but since that has slowed down stealth is extremely strong again.

Stealth's viability is directly related to how many teams can bust it. When the Utility Belt was around, it was possible but pricey. When the Batteries were around it was easy. Now we're getting less figures that can naturally bust Stealth, and less consistent ways to give someone the ability to bust it. I absolutely wouldn't have played a Stealth team a year ago, but it's worth some consideration now.

I'm a little confused. Doesn't call in help require a power action? So essentially, wouldn't it end the "beginning of your turn"and hence not allow her to use the Saboteur trait?

WK ruled that ID Cards power actions bypass the typical trend of power actions ending the beginning of turn phase. It's confusing, but you can still call in things like Red Hulk and then use Poison.

the "beginning of your turn" ends with the first non-free action that doesn't specifically say it occurs at the start of your turn. ID cards fall under the bolded exception

Can you do AOU Black Panther next? Pretty please?