This begs the question, what ARE the best non-theme teams?

The first post's one is good. Here's another. More?

105 R Shazam (almost a no-brainer)
8 Protected
40 R Wendigo (cheap, a click of regen, great to suck up Malice tokens. 3rd string attacker)
35 Scarlet Witch
40 R Marvel Girl (toss out Shazam of course)
45 Speedy (your anti-SUB fig, tie-up, 2ndary attacker)
27 E Mockingbird (tie-up, 2ndary attacker)
=300

My Planet Hulk dial-winning team is downright nasty and non-themed.

The Leader - 116
w/Monster Hunter - 3
OOTS Batman - 75
w/Thwart - 15
Ultimates Wasp (from Avengers) - 49
X-23 - 35
Val Cooper (pog) - 7
= 300

Wasp is the only one vulnerable to a non-Ultimate/Superman Ally, so taxi in Batman and drop him in front of her. The Leader moves to one of her sides and X-23 to the other. Val can't do anything (3 moves). Next turn, use OOTS and Thwart whatever feat you choose. If you Thwart Fortitude, you've got 2 Outwits to burn the target with. Not to mention the fact that one of the Outwits sees right through Stealth.

If the Leader gets hit for 3, Mastermind it to Wasp to put her into Stealth too!

This team wasted a feated-up Maestro with Marvel Girl and a feated-up Green Scar. If I didn't have that Thwart, I would have lost both of those games in all likelihood. It went 3-0, and swept every match. I think I took more clicks from pushing than from my opponents.

For best non-theme, if you were not using Shazam I would say this core:


88 Lightning Lad
+AP
+Prot
83 Batman OotS
+Prot
72 Ghost Widow
+AP
+Prot
17 Lois Lane
-------------------
260


+40 pts left for your preference.

Of course they do. There is plenty of cheese around yet.
Scarlet Witch, Shazam R, Johnny Quick, Batman OotS, etc and ad nauseum.

Thing is: theme teams still have limits on what to pick and specially in Floor format, non-theme teams have a nice chance of getting the prize. I guess, closer to retirement theme teams will be much more powerful and then weak after it, due to greater choice (just before) and lack of choice (just after), but anyway, a cheese team has chance against themes. And that´s pretty much the choice now, or you pick a cheese or a theme.

The thing is, what you just said about theme teams (having greater choice before retirement and less choice afterwards), is also true for non-theme teams.

Non-theme teams will always have more choice in figures than a theme team. However, the question is going to be will that choice allow them to consistantly defeat the BFC Ignore/Map Choice/Extra PC benefits that a theme team will have in a long competative tournament.

This is where I believe that non-theme teams cannot consistantly win.