The impact a map can have on a game is often overlooked. A good strategy incorporates a tactically-sound map choice. But when it comes to locale, sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees. We're here to help you make smart decisions when it comes to HeroClix real estate.
Official Title: The Main Event
Environment: Indoor
Map on Reverse: Mayan Ruins
Dimensions: 24" x 36" (16x24 squares)
Set: 2014 ROC
Status: ROC Legal

All damage taken inside the orange lines causes knockback. If a character is knocked from the ring they take one additional click of damage.

Fun Fact: This Wrestling Arena was actually designed a little before they started doing ROCs, and was originally designed to be a 24x24 tile 4 player arena.

http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=442538

It's always been a little difficult to get 4 player maps, so this caught my attention instantly. When the map disappeared, I was a little disappointed because I'd always hoped to see it printed, and then the project kind of faded in to the background, only to show up later during the ROCs. The fact that you could only get it by winning a ROC was my original incentive for participating in the ROCs. Thankfully, while my ROC skills never won me one, it was released as part of the original 2014 ROC Map pack, which is currently a steal at 4 maps for $5 under the Shop button.




Making Yourself At Home:




So, with a fighting arena, you might assume that this is a good map for sluggers, and while it's certainly a dynamic map for heavy hitters, there's a couple of large problems for them in the style of the two strips of Elevated terrain around each starting zone. Not only that, but the lack of Hindering terrain as you approach the center means that there are plenty of open and unhindered lines of fire accessible from those Elevated fortresses, and the fact that the front row of the Elevated is naturally Hindering itself means that this is the perfect map for turtling and long range, sniper teams. Lastly, the fact that you're on the only group of Elevated for almost 20 squares means that it's not hard to simply take a step back when you're worried about taking damage (especially if you're sporting Sidestep).



Now, this still means that you'll need to take a short move to reach the edge of the ledge, unless you simply want to start on the staircase leading to the arena. However, movement probably implies more than the 1 square it's going to take to get in to position, so just remember you can get there with Sidestep, or even just getting carried with Sidestep. Even if you don't have Sidestep or another move and attack power, being so close to your starting area means that your opponent will probably have to take 2 to 4 turns to reach you. This works out better if you have something to do in the meantime like power up a resource or push a character to their second click. The reason for this is that if there's some kind of combo your opponent wants to avoid, this is a map to hide them on while your opponent rushes across a completely open field to try and shut it down.

So let's take a moment to talk about the arena itself. Now the arena is set up to create knockback with all successful attacks, and while there aren't a lot of places to knock someone in to, it does extra damage if you can knock them out of the ring. This means two things for sniper teams: 1.) That you can deal extra damage and knock your opponents around out of formation while you shoot them, and 2.) that you can possibly force them to take even longer to get to you by knocking them back towards their own starting area after you deal damage to them. This will only likely work against opponents who aren't paying attention, and likely only once or twice before they learn better. More likely, they'll cut through the announcer's booth and try to use it for a limited amount of cover, but don't underestimate the fact that the arena is large and kind of distracting, so occasionally it'll actually pull people toward it.

Now if you really want to stall them, spring for a tie-up or two. Flying character's wont have the problem of having to use the stairs, but for other characters it can mean a lot of time wasted after they've already wasted a lot of time trying to get up the stairs. Additionally, if you're worried about fliers coming in and invading your space, remember that each block of Hindering sniper cover is only 4 squares wide, and it forces them to walk further up if you use an entire firing squad to fill up those seats (perhaps with some Enhancement or Leadership on the row behind).

Ok ok, but enough about sniper turtle teams.



Now, if you don't mind moving along very specific lines of movement, this isn't a bad map for Stealth teams provided your opponent doesn't have any method of countering that. Sure, there's plenty of areas of completely unhindered lines of fire, but there's also long stretches of Hindering terrain making a clear path from one starting zone, around the edges of the map, and leading up in to the other side. This means that while your opponent will want to fight you, you'll still be able to get within a short or medium threat range without having to expose yourself.



Now, let's say you want to use this map as a smackdown arena, like the aesthetics imply. That's not a problem as long as your opponent doesn't have something to shut you down. First, use the arena itself. Draw people in to it if you can, or at least use it to force them to take the long way around. Getting the first strike is really important here, especially if you want to take advantage of those Orange rules. However, going in to the area means it's just as likely that your opponent will be able to do the same right back to you, knocking you around and dealing extra damage in the meantime. For that, I'd recommend bringing a Giant Sized or Colossal character or two. If they can't knock your character around in the first place, then it makes the Orange rules very one sided really quick. I've played a few matches here like this, and I've tricked a few opponents to walk right in to the arena, while the more wary ones realized it was a trap.

Stuck in a Lease:

The most likely reason you're here is because your opponent is planning on hiding out in the back and spinning the dial to lure you across. Be mindful of walking in to a trap, but there's little you can do to avoid it unless you've got some way of luring and flushing them out. If you can, it's not such a bad map, but if you're not prepared for dealing with long range teams, you're going to have a bad time. When you find out that you're here, take a moment to look at your opponent's team. Pay attention to things like range values, who can shoot through Hindering, and anyone that might get more powerful over time. If you've got no other options move up as far as you can without walking in to your opponent's Reach, take a moment to clear, and then move in to try and close the gap as best as you can. If they get lazy and leave themselves exposed, feel free to take pot shots, and if you don't have problems moving through Hindering, be sure to run through it for cover. Keep in mind that while they may generally have lines of fire, they won't always have action tokens. If they're going to use actions to fire, at least you can choose what they fire at before the rest of your team descends afterward.

When it comes to starting zones, they're practically identical. The announcers table means that the map isn't 100% bilateral, but it's about the same in every other way. Likewise, you can use objects to seal off your opponent's staircases, but if they're really planning on turtling here, then there's no reason for them to do it anyway. And while your eyes might be drawn to that ring in the center, don't walk in to it. There is no reason to be inside that ring unless you're lining up a shot for another person in that ring.

Vacation Spots:

This is probably a kinder map on casual play, and the arena lends itself to a lot of fun games like Battle Royale or King of the Hill. It's also a good map for getting casual players pumped, and I've had a lot of fun slug fests here.

It's Getting Kinda Crowded:

It's moments like this that make me miss this as a 4 player map. You can technically place characters on the corners, though the long lines of fire mean that people are going to be more worried about the people next to them than the people across from them. Additionally, you can place characters on the middle portions of the map, though those people are going to be fighting at an immediate disadvantage. This is one of those maps where you don't want to be in the center, and I'd recommend this map more for games without ranges, so that you can make it the slamfest you're probably looking for. Aesthetically, there's no issues with connecting this map to others, and it's very clean map for that kind of setup.

I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here:

I recently had an idea for fighting with Mistress Death, and she's pretty nice here with long lines of fire, the ability to ignore Hindering, and an incredibly low movement for getting in to position. Likewise, the more recent Hades is pretty mean here. If you're looking for something more themey, Brimstone does well here. Actually a lot of the Colossal Retaliation characters have some options here, but the fact that he can bring the pain, and has a less characters that can knock him around means that he's more primed for using the arena than most. And while he can't beat Ali, a lot of Supermans fair well here both for their ability to smash, their long ranges, and the ability to fly out of the stands, hit someone, and then run back in. Lastly, you can do a lot worse than Mystique. Sure her Force Blast doesn't have a lot of buildings to knock people off of, but if you can lure them in to the arena, you can use it to knock them wherever you like.


This Side Up:

Theme: 4/5

It looks good. It's a little cleaner than most arenas I go to, but overall it's a nice layout, and nothing feels like it doesn't belong there. That said, when they were converting the map from a 4 player to a 2 player map, I wish they'd have turned it sideways.



Then we could have included the really cool entrance platform that would have really put it over the top, and made there a little more difference between starting zones.

Clarity: 4/5

I get a lot of people who assume that the arena is Elevated terrain. Additionally, there was some confusion about whether the Orange lines and text were meant to be included on the map. Otherwise, it's pretty easy to see where everything is, and where it's going. It's a good map that makes great use of the layout.

Tactical Impact: 4/5

If you skipped over the rest of the review, this map heavily favors long range teams, especially those that ignore Hindering and might otherwise have difficulty in getting around. It also favors teams looking to turtle, and close and mid-range teams will feel pressured to hustle to shut them down.

Balance: 3/5

While there are options for close and mid range teams, they're fighting an uphill battle here, and the person who stays in their base the longest won't have to try as hard to get their shots in.

Terrain Diversity: 2/5

We have plenty of Hindering and a little bit of Elevated in a good enough layout to make a big difference tactically, but there's no Water, walls, or Blocking. Now, maybe there's not a lot of places you could have put those, but I'm just reporting it as I see it.

Overall: 4/5

I love this map just for the very bold choices it makes. Wizkids makes very few maps this open, and despite how open it is, it feels very specific in it's purpose. The Elevated is expertly used for how infrequent it is, and this is a map location that comes up regularly, but doesn't get a lot of love from Wizkids itself.

In the Neighborhood:

The Park
http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=302781

Stamford
http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=566295

The Arena
http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=312434

Shoutout to eMouse's Heroclix Atlas which is where I get the very easy to read map layouts.

The picture for this article is why I want a Muhammad Ali clix.

I thought they made a Muhammad Ali vs Superman clix. Or, if not made, then soon to be released.

http://comicsalliance.com/wizkids-al...ix-exclusives/