Harley and Ivy added to post 3.

I understand Miraclo's rating low duo figures, but I generally like to give it it's due beyond 'just' my opinion of it. Even though, I will actually rate it higher if I WONT buy it in these tough economc times. LOL...as a sort of thank you.

Heh. Generally understood. I'm really winging it with the grading of the SRs in this set, rather than what I'll usually try to do, which is to attempt to quantify each element. Even that usually falls apart a little because the sculpt component is often off from what I'd actually give a piece in hand, which I wouldn't have until after the ranking of the set's mostly done.

Also, I usually try to throw an extra curve to the rarity level choice, which should in these cases help each of the SR Duos out because I'd give them a little more for being less desirable pieces at a higher rarity, making them a kinder choice for something that will be relatively difficult to pull, but I couldn't bring myself to hold to that here.

It's a silly thing, of course, as what I write here isn't going to influence anyone's approach to collecting the set, so I may as well exercise 100% intellectual honesty. I can't bring myself to pumping up the rankings for the Duos, though.

I recognize that some (many?) people want these various Duos and so will seek them out, and I understand some of the drive. I like Ivy and I like Harley and I like the idea of having them teamed up in a game. However, I'm convinced that a Duo is not the way to do it. This really is just a marketing ploy to offer visual variety more than anything else as they cycle through many of the characters for the second, third, etc. time. Do I find it simple-minded that people who might complain about seeing a couple of new Flashes, even ones with Traits or SPs that allow them special advantages when played together, would be excited about seeing an "iconic" Duo of Flashes, even when the combination turns them into a single target and sharply limits what they should be able to do as the two, separate characters they are? Yes.

After all this time I'm at peace with what we know about this set -- it'll be a relief to not feel driven to put much money into this expansion -- but I am concerned that if this set does very well we're likely to see more Duos, and perhaps a Team-Up set for Marvel, which would disappoint me. However, if they do decide to do it with a Marvel set I hope they stand on the strength of this set design's convictions and make all of the SRs in that set Duos, too.

Post #4 updated with the Hal & Ollie piece. It's getting easier by the announcement for me to feel good about skipping the SRs from this set, and so to save myself most of the expense.

Well, post 3 updated with GL and GA.

Miraclo, I won't comment (negatively) on your personal style of ranking again. I couldn't keep my objectivity on this one.

Post #4 updated with Power Girl. The image was too small for me to want to comment on the sculpt, so I didn't. Very nice to see a non-Duo again, and some of that may have helped my rating of her a fraction. I'm beginning to worry a little more about the designer(s) of this set, though.

Power Girl added to post 3. Sigh.

Post #4 updated in light of the significant change to her card. A Super Strength Trait helps hugely.

Post 3 with Power Girl UPDATE!

Updated post #2 with my scores for Power Girl & Green Lantern and Green Arrow. And my overall excitement on this set is clocking in at a low (for me) 6.

Post #4 updated with a prolix look at Metallo. Not a large push up, but still a gain for the average.

Hopefully the coming week will give us at least one piece from the Common/Uncommon range.

Middling Metallo added to post 3.

024 Mikron O'Jeneus - 5
033 Metallo - 8
035 Power Girl - 8
038 Inertia - 6
043 Kid Zoom - 8
047 The Flashes - 4
051 Green Lantern and Green Arrow - 2
053 Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy - 1
056 Black Hand - 1
059 Nekron - 1

----------------------------------
Running Excitement Meter: 4.5

024 Mikron O'Jeneus - I've been waiting for this character for years, to finish the Silver Age Fearsome Five, the main opponents of the Teen Titans when I was collecting the comic. Unfortunately, a) they gave him the modern costume, so he doesn't fit with the rest of the team, and b) they gave him a very limited SP which doesn't represent the character at all (the power should either be multi-use, or the devices he creates should last the battle, or both...they chose to give him neither). BIG disappointment.

033 Metallo - Yet ANOTHER character I've been waiting for, and he's very solid. His points cost isn't exactly low, but he can bring the pain. Unfortunately, he has a shallow dial, and a small amount of move and attack, so he's going to need some sort of taxi to be most useful. The worst thing about him (and what keeps him from being a 10) is his lack of keywords. Metallo DOESN'T only work with robots! He's part of the Superman Revenge Squad, the Injustice League, the Secret Society of Super Villains...he should have had at least ONE of the keywords of the teams he's worked with, AND Metropolis, so he could team up with Lex and some of the other Superman villains. VERY frustrating.

035 Power Girl - Another character I've waited years for, because I was never satisfied with the original. She seems pretty playable, fairly accurate (though the 7AV stinks), and priced correctly. I would have loved to see Indom., but of course she'd be over 200 pts then. I like what I see in the sculpt...it's dynamic, and the detail doesn't look too bad (though it's gotta be in hand to tell for sure). I'm pretty happy wtih her.

038 Inertia - Yet another character I've waited years for, and he's not a bad representation. His keywords are disappointing, because it limits his usefulness and implies that the rest of the Titans East aren't a priority. That really killed the buzz I had about him.

043 Kid Zoom - I like the character, though that SP doesn't seem accurate in that it screws over Zoom, discouraging their use together, which isn't accurate. I still like what the SP brings to the table.

047 The Flashes - I'll try to get one so I can pull off the sculpts to put on real flash dials.

051 Green Lantern and Green Arrow - I'll try to get one so I can pull off the sculpts to put on real GA and GL dials.

053 Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy - I don't even want it for the sculpt. And it's not just the paintjob...the concept is terrible. Not all comic book panels/covers are meant to be figures in a miniatures battle game! Very annoyed with this piece, and the Martian Manhunter sculpt (though at least that one I can use an earlier sculpt on if the dial is good).

056 Black Hand - I was really looking forward to getting a powered-up Black Hand, since he's one of the main men in the biggest DC storyline in years. He's got a dececnt sculpt, and a cool, inventive dial. Unfortunately, he's a fricking chase figure, so I'll never get a chance to play him. BOOOO!

059 Nekron - I wasn't looking forward to Nekron, as much, as I expected him to be in the 300+ points range, with the Quintessence TA. So I'm surprised at his dial. Decent sculpt, nice dial that looks terribly inaccurate for the character. He's a chase, so like Black Hand, I'll probably never see one. BOOOOO!

Overall, I'm pretty meh about the set (at least relative to my normal excitement for a DC set!). Since I'm slightly more of a DC Heroclix fan and really look forward to every set, that's disappointing. So far it seems like this set suffers from a design team that doesn't know very much about the comics the characters come from, and there seem to be a LOT of wasted slots on duos and alter egos. The only saving grace is that the SR slots are all taken up by pretty worthless (to me) duos, so it'll be relatively easy to collect all the figures I actually want from this set. Probably won't be buying more than the initial case my brother and I go in on (unless my venue runs sealed events, because I genuinely love sealed).

Wow, after adding in the chases, the excitement meter actually DROPPED. I wouldn't have thought that was possible after giving the set the lowest average I've ever done for one of these threads... :P If we find out the chases are 1/case though, that would shoot my excitement meter way up (they'd climb to 8s or 9s, pushing the average up quite a bit. I'd also buy more.

Added Metallo to post 2, and had my average bumped slightly.

Added Black Hand and Nekron to post 2, and my rating took a huge nose dive. Not because I think their bad, but because they're terrible figures to show up as chases. I'm honestly not sure that I'm going to even bother ranking anything past these 2 characters, since knowledge of their existence has all but soured me to this set, that I was already on the fence about.

Black Hand and Nekron added to post 3.