As far as wants for my collection, Gamora, Pick-a-power Valkyrie and Dr. Strange fall into the pull 'em and keep 'em pile. Otherwise, I find this group very disappointing either through character choice or dial design - again for my collection.

Prime Destroyer is a microcosm for what is wrong with this game if you want some strategy / mental stimulation. He is the Easy Button that makes the chatter about "Worlds" or "Meta" a laugh-riot as players are just strapped into the car-seat as the figures just do the driving.

Dr. Strange is an absolute disappointment - and the reason I would keep him is only because I have none in my collection. That is an Uncommon dial design and has no business being in a SR slot.

I am of the rule: If you pull a SR, you play it so if my venue runs a sealed game I would play whatever I pulled but as far as constructed - buying loose boosters / bulk / singles - Commons and Uncommons are really the only thing that interests me for the most part.

I do shudder to face these things, though - I just can't stomach the idea of playing them in constructed.

We had a very small 8 man tournament prerelease and the guy that pulled Destroyer SR, used him to perfection and wiped everyone he matched. I think in the hands of more experienced players he’s tough.

Thor 056 ran roughshod against all three teams this week. Just a beast.

#050 Dr. Strange
Real Name: Dr. Stephen Strange
Team: Defenders,Mystics
Range: 8
Points: 50
Keywords: Avengers, Defenders, Illuminati, Mystical

8 11 18 3

8 10 18 2

8 10 18 2

7 11 18 3

7 11 17 3

7 10 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

Targeting: Hindering
Recruiter: POWER : Choose a character with the Mystical keyword in your KO area that hasn't been chosen for or generated by a Recruiter effect. If you do, generate a character with the Mystical keyword from your Sideline that has a lower point value than the chosen character. This game, the generated character can't be replaced and your opponent scores them immediately instead of when they are KO'd.
Mentor in the Mystical Arts: FREE : Once per turn for all characters with this trait, choose a friendly character with the Mystical keyword. This turn when the chosen character attacks, after resolutions deal a hit character 1 penetrating damage.


I want to express my dislike for this Dr. Strange dial, especially because it is a super-rare.

First, what I like. I like the 8 range. The Sorcerer Supreme is one of the characters that should pretty much always have minimum 8 range. I like the Improved Targeting. I like that most of the dial has 3 damage. I like that it brings a somewhat classical version of the 616 character into Modern age. I like the Mentor... trait (see below)

Now, for the criticisms.

Why "waste" any (but especially top-dial) slots on Phasing/Teleport when the figure could just be given Improved Movement? I'm not necessarily crying out for a move+attack, but NOT being guaranteed to "get away" on the back half of the dial (where the Enhancement is) strikes me as very bad choice for a SR.

Why stop at Improved Targeting: Ignores Hindering? This IS Dr. Strange, I think he merits at least the ability to Ignore Characters as well. Both the Defenders TA and Enhancement require adjacency to friendlies, so some fraction of what he could otherwise target is going to be blocked if he tries to use those features of his dial. Also, why only 8? I can get behind the choice, but compared to other "Mystical" characters who have multiple ranged targets with a point cost of 50-points or less, I feel like we could have fit it onto this SR.

Late-dial Enhancement is an unreliable power. IF this had to be the dial design, why were we not given a lower-cost starting line? Sidestep plus plus Enhancement IS a good top-dial combo, but it is far less useful mid/end-dial. It wouldn't have been the end of the world to offer the option that allowed us to play this dial BACKWARDS like JLTW Zatanna at the same cost. Frankly, I like the backwards dial more than the forwards dial.

Can we just agree that the Defenders TA is essentially meaningless? Why not try to give it a modicum of respect and give Dr. Strange an 18 all the way down the dial?

Why Incapacitate plus 3 damage? Who wants that option?

Now, about those traits... I find myself wondering if these are really enough to make this figure a super-rare.

Mentor in the Mystic Arts is fine although a little problematic. It shouldn't trigger Mystics feedback, but I foresee arguments. I like that it works on himself, and that it offers a way past many STOP clicks. It adds tiny value to the nearly worthless Incapacitate. Combining it with Energy Explosion is a nice touch. Personally: I don't know why this game effect would only work for Mystical keyword characters, as this sort of thing feels like it ought to be able to boost any of his allies with whom he shares a keyword. It strikes me as being weirdly limited for a SR.

Recruiter falls into the uncomfortable intersection of constraining force builds... you need to build a starting force with at least one other Mystical character on the force, or have one that can be called in by something other than Recruiter... and then finding a Sideline character ready to call in that satisfies the requirements. This is so overly constrained that it screams out "find a way to bring this figure to the metagame." There is also the strategic issue of handing points to opponents immediately upon recruitment. I would gladly lose this trait to get just about anything else I asked for above.

TL;DR I'm not swayed by this dial. For my points, all of the value is tied up in this figure's ability to use the Mentor in the Mystic Arts on itself.

I think he's OK, if only because Mentor is a very strong trait.

Yes, he's pushed toward a Mystical keyword build, but what he does for them is solid.

That trait definitely won't trigger Mystics and any argument should be easily resolved by pointing out that Mystics triggers on an attack, and the bonus damage is not in any way an attack.

Recruiter is indeed pretty lacking, mostly a hail Mary game mechanic. Strange however has one of the best keywords to use it on, since there are some nasty cheap Mystical characters. He's about the only recruiter I care for so far.

Here is another pull, that has me doing a double-take:

#051 Crusader
Real Name: Sarah Rogers
Team: Avengers,X-Men
Range: 6
Points: 125/75
Keywords: Asgardian, Avengers, Battleworld: Other, X-Men, Soldier

12 12 19 4

12 12 19 4

12 11 18 4

10 11 18 4

l l l l l l

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 3

10 11 17 3

9 11 17 3

9 11 18 3

8 10 18 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Targeting: Ignores characters
Mjolnir and Dad's Shield: FREE: Choose one to use until you choose again.
*Close Combat Expert
*Energy Shield/Deflection
Speed and Power: Sidestep, Flurry.
Bring Peace or Die Trying: Leadership, Empower.

I am flabbergasted at this dial for (either) cost. the SWB (Battleworld: Other) Maestro was 175 points for 8 clicks (albeit with Steal Energy), did not have team abilities, no printed range, and also lacked other named keywords. Not that long ago I would have wept tears of joy at the sight of a 125-point Colossus with that dial (removing and 6).

Well, I pulled 3 of her if you are interested....

Play all three with the XMRF Apocalypse, with each figure on the 75-point starting line.

It does occur to me that the HoX SR Jubilee might be a decent Modern Age recruitment for Dr. Strange, if the point values are correct enough to allow her to be called in. (NB: when using In-Line, Shogo's dial starts on click 6, not click 7... I am using in-line to link to the characters in the units section.)




Shogo/Jubilee should have a good chance at retaliating against one (or more) enemies. Dr. Strange will be adjacent when she is generated, and can be carried by Shogo/Jubilee should she decide to use 8 Running Shot Penetrating 4-damage (5 with Dr. Strange's Enhancement, +1 from Mystic Mentor... possibly to two targets)

The extra 50 points (from the call in) is a LOT to hand over in a game that is going back-and-forth, but if the game is past turn 4 for the Dr. Strange team, Jubilee can immediately pull off the Shogo transformation. The biggest pitfall of this strategy is that you have to have lost a figure of 51+ points, and there is typically (for me) a significant point gap between the (often exactly) 50-point Mystical keyword figures and the next set of such characters that I would consider.

I don't lean towards building forces with generic keywords for the sake of generic keywords, but there are some crazy good 51+ point-value Mystical keyword characters that I would consider putting on a force (backed up by this SR Dr. Strange). For example, The 90-point WotR Donald Blake is crazy-useful against most hard targets (who typically have their damage reducers/avoidance on the defensive track)... if he can get to them. Donald Blake strikes me as the sort of figure on my team that I would be likely to (eventually) lose anyway, which is why it comes to mind for this nefarious glorious purpose.


It isn't immediately clear to me if Donald Blake also gets past STOP clicks. The STOP click check happens during the "Attacking" phase (when dials are turned), which is presumably why it has a Protected: Pulse Wave addendum on the PAC. My instinct is that a revealed STOP click (on the defensive power track) would NOT be able to be used during the damage taken from Donald Blake.

Donald Blake does indeed get past stop clicks.

Some good blind pulls has me taking a closer look at a some SRs:


The "benched powers" Thor is one I am glad I pulled, because it falls squarely in the intersection of being strong, being (super)rare, and being (as was written) "a trap". This is exactly the classic sort of figure that folks pull, think they have hit gold and will be reluctant to part with. I own other versions of the character that I'd probably prefer to play (keep reading!)

Anyone who has been in the game long enough knows how this figure will be played (at full cost). This is basically a modern version of Unleashed Black Adam or DKR Superman... at a better cost with more staying power and an expanded bag of (welcome) tricks like being able to move through blocking and target through characters. You play this figure you basically commit to a certain strategy and you build the rest of the force around some combination of executing that strategy and keeping this figure from falling trivially to Outwit. I really like the traited Defend, even though Defense values don't really vary that much in modern dials.

I like the dial a LOT more at 100 points, as this feels more like a "team up" Thor. The peculiar combination of traits look to work very well for a character that will very likely spend most of its time in close combat. The Lightning Storm power is quite nice.

Which versions of the character would I rather play? The CAAV chase would be my go-to at either 125 or 50 points. The stats still hold up, and that chase has several things going for it that feel like Thor. I also think that at 75-points, the option to play the WotR Shifting Focus Thor is a solid choice... you get more points to add to your force, and having options as the character takes damage (or gets hit with Outwit) is a reasonable strategy.

Another SR pull included Hela:


First off: I really like the sculpt. The character had fallen into a sort of rut with respect to her 3D representation. Her power set(s) and progression are respectable, even if her raw damage is low. Her TARGETING: Characters goes a long way towards making her less likely to be easy pickings... with her 125-point cost, she has plenty of options for team building. Is it wrong that I think she is a better Queen of the Borg than the Borg Queen, The One Who Is Many? I also like that she can double-up with WW80 Hades at an even 200 points... leading an army of resurrected Doombots (or Skrulls, or Kree, or...)

I also appreciate the twist on her mechanism for generating BSTs. In some ways it is weaker than other similar powers, but I like that it gives agency to the controlling player.