Games 52 through 54, or "Knife to a Gun Fight."

I found out last night that today's tournament would be 600 points with no prime restrictions. This let me run a largely comic accurate roster:

Power Princess 150
Sasquatch 119
Morph 90
Blink 86
Spider-Man 2099 80
Longshot 75

However, with only 5 players today and my getting a bye on the 2nd round, I did not fare so well.

Game 52

My first opponent went in with the following:

Mon-El 175 (Prime)
Captain Atom 130 (Prime)
Loki 120
Brother Voodoo 79 (Prime)
Abin Sur 50 (Prime)
Green Power Battery, Ring, Spotlight, Shield, Net, Stop Sign, and Decoy

I won map roll, so we were at the WizKids Office.

The game went poorly. Between the Battery's shutting down free actions and making Outwit almost useless, I managed to get the first KO of the game, but that was it. Brother Voodoo jumped into the middle of my formation, Mind Controlled Longshot, and promptly smacked Spidey. He then got jumped by everyone else, with Blink's getting the KO.

However, Morph had run interference on the rest of the team and couldn't make any Shape Change attempts to stay alive. He ended up falling to Loki. Then, things got real: Captain Atom crushed Spidey, who had already been injured by my Longshot, Loki flatlined Power Princess, and Mon-El finished off Blink. Time got called, and I lost, 406 to 79.

Game 52
Morph, Spider-Man 2099, Power Princess, and Blink KOed
Exiles KOs: Brother Voodoo
Total Exiles KOs: 180 in 52 games
Win-Loss Record: 35-17 (67.30%)

Game 53

I got the bye on the 2nd round. Technically, that's a game with a win, zero points, and zero KOs. Yayyyyy.


Game 53
No Exiles KOed due to a bye round
Exiles KOs: None
Total Exiles KOs: 180 in 53 games
Win-Loss Record: 36-17 (67.92%)

Game 54

And then I was paired up against another old friend who came packing heat.

Nick Necro 111
Pandora 100 (D-006)
The Question 100 (064)
John Constantine 90
Wiccan 90
Brother Voodoo 79
Loki 30

at the Parking Garage.

I was walking into a Stealthed, Mystic-toting, multiple-Probbing, Outwitting shooting gallery. I missed my opening swing with Blink (a 5, on Loki, when I rolled a 4). This led to me rushing in Power Princess and Sasquatch to attack The Question. Power Princess missed the 18 (needing a 6 and getting a critical miss). Sasquatch missed, as well (needing a 7). Brother Voodoo Mind Controlled Power Princess and crushed Sasquatch, and, after getting some help, Loki took down Blink, who was staying Outwitted defensively.

After a moment to study the game state--my opponent's almost completely being token free, and my being completely tokened up--I conceded rather than to deal with the beatdown from which I certainly couldn't return. My only possible attack would be Morph on Brother Voodoo. Not only would I have had to make SIX successful swings of an 8 to have one stick at the time with all the Probability Control in position, he would've then had to have failed Super Senses, for all of 2 damage. It was pointless to continue.

Game loss by concession, 600 to 0.

Game 54
Game loss by concession
Exiles KOs: None
Total Exiles KOs: 180 in 54 games
Win-Loss Record: 36-18 (66.66%)

All in all, this just wasn't my day for HeroClix. In another situation, I might've done okay, but against the stuff my friends came to the tables with. . . meh. Here's hoping for better results in other upcoming games.

Game 55, or "Why did I teach this guy how to play Guardians of the Galaxy again?"

After a resounding win with the Invaders at 300 points (which I'm about to update after this post), I ran a 400 point game versus the same friend while we continued watching the original V miniseries with Marc Singer. I tried something new, and doing so is usually the bane of my existence.

Mimic 148
Sasquatch 119
Blink 86
Nocturne 35
Thug 10
Dr. Jeremiah Arkham 2

vs.

Star-Lord 110
Gamora 100 + Alias 3
Angela 94
Killraven 76
Guardians of the Galaxy ATA 16

at the Bank Heist map.

We met roughly in the middle. I sent Mimic in early, needing a 7 to tag Killraven and missing the opening ranged shot. The Thug and Nocturne thus got thrown under the bus as interference to save him for the time being. Gamora called "Deadliest Woman" and then smoked Nocturne.

Star-Lord circled around next and Energy Explosioned, dropping the once-pushed Thug and Dr. Arkham.

Gamora set up Sasquatch next, and Killraven took the kill; Angela, Gamora, and Killraven then turned on Mimic.

Blink tried a valiant defense, but she missed a second Flurry swing on Gamora and was then dropped by said green woman.

Game loss, 400 to 3 (I scored the Alias, at least).

Game 55
All Exiles KOed
Exiles KOs: None
Total Exiles KOs: 180 in 55 games
Win-Loss Record: 36-19 (65.45%)

Game 56, or "History repeats itself."

700 points of Exiles vs. X-Men at Jean Grey's School, Indoor/Outdoor.

Spider-Man 2099 160
Sasquatch 119
Power Princess 107
Morph 90
Blink 86
Longshot 75
Nocturne 43
Thug 10
Penguin Resource 10

vs.

Wolverine 115
Jean Grey 100
Blink 86 + Contingency Plan 12 + Lucky Break 5
Emma Frost 80
Nightcrawler 80 + Heightened Reflexes 10
Colossus 50
Cyclops 50 + Contingency Plan 12
Sunfire 50
Thunderbird 50

Two Contingency Plans. Emma Frost. That's a constant +2 or +3 to attack all around, every turn. I hate to mention this at the start, but I simply could NOT deal with 12s and 13s on almost every single attack.

Sasquatch got the first KO, crushing Wolverine with an ultra-heavy, at least. Afterward, Exiles started dropping; Sunfire KOed Nocturne, Thunderbird sacrificed himself to knock Sasquatch back dial, Nightcrawler took out a crippled Power Princess, Jean obliterated a Thor-clicks Spider-Man 2099 with a single Psychic Blast, and my opponent's Blink finished off Sasquatch.

OUCH.

Longshot, at least, KOed Cyclops before the beatdown resumed.

Sunfire then Pulse Waved Morph into oblivion, and my opponent's Blink crit missed to death while attacking my Thug. Good Thug.

My Blink then finished off Nightcrawler. . . and Emma swatted my Thug. Poor Thug.

Longshot managed to finish off Jean, and then Sunfire roasted Blink, and Longshot pushed out trying to Regenerate at the game's end.

Game loss! This losing streak has to stop some time already. . . .

Game 56
All Exiles KOed
Exiles KOs: Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and Jean Grey
Total Exiles KOs: 184 in 56 games
Win-Loss Record: 36-20 (64.28%)

I understand I'm still above my usual 60% win/loss ratio, but I'm tired of losing so many games in a row.

Game 57, or "Back in business!"

600 tonight of Exiles vs. Serpent Society!

Spider-Man 2099 160
Power Princess 150 + And Stay Down! 6
Morph 90 + Entangle 8 + Takedown 6
Blink 86
Psylocke 84
Thug 10

vs.

Cottonmouth 100
Anaconda 90 + And Stay Down! 6
Diamondback 74
Cobra 69 + Entangle 8 + Takedown 6
Black Mamba 60
Rattler 60
Sin 57
Thug 10

And reviewing the math, there HAD to be another 60 points somewhere, or I wrote something down wrong, or something. :/

Yup. My opponent was impressed by Entangle and Takedown, and he happened to have the same 6 points open at the end. He chose And Stay Down! on his own after I had already made up my mind.

I won map roll, surprisingly, so we ended up at Stamford; I hadn't played on it before tonight.

I took up position in the crater almost immediately, setting up a defensive position after blowing out one of the rocks near a square of hindering that Psylocke ended up in. My opponent closed in on the rim of the crater. We both cleared up, and he jumped Anaconda down into the fray.

Poor Anaconda. She got slapped by Power Princess and then taken out by the Thug.

The Serpent Society settled around the rim, still, slowly creeping in. Cottonmouth jumped in, smashing Power Princess but not taking her out. Meanwhile, Blink tagged the enemy Thug for 3, putting him to his last, as well. Diamondback, on the rim, took a couple taps from a closing Morph, getting KOed by Psylocke's Mind Controlling the last-click enemy Thug to shoot her. That's when Cottonmouth gave Psylocke a nasty hit, taking her almost out.

That same enemy Thug pushed out trying to attack Spider-Man 2099, who'd taken up position near Morph, leaving an injured Power Princess back at the original setup zone near a nearly dead Psylocke and a top dial Blink and Thug. Blink then Flurried Cottonmouth with the help of Betsy's back-dial Empower, crushing the poor guy.

Spidey, meanwhile, got a click of health back thanks to Morph's X-teaming, then whacked the Rattler.

This is when Cobra finally got in the mix, attacking a very injured Morph. Morph tried to Themed Team Probability Control out of the hit. That failed; the hit put him to his last click, and the TTPC pushed him out. This is also about when Black Mamba closed to the center of the map and Poisoned out Psylocke.

Power Princess, who'd been slowly healing up the last few rounds (having escaped to the back lines behind Blink!), now came back with a vengeance and a Bookcase, smoking Black Mamba. Blink zipped in and took down a mid-dial Sin. . . and that's when my opponent called it, being down to his top-dial Cobra against a mid-dial Spidey, top-dial Blink, top-dial Thug, and second click Power Princess.

Game win, based on the above revewing of my opponent's points, would be 540 to 188. :/

Game 57
Morph and Psylocke KOed
Exiles KOs: Anaconda, Diamondback, Cottonmouth, Rattler, Black Mamba, and Sin
Total Exiles KOs: 190 in 57 games
Win-Loss Record: 37-20 (64.91%)

All in all, I'm glad I finally got a win again with the Exiles. It's about time! Granted, it was my opponent's first time running Serpent Society, but we talked over some strategy after the game, and he seems pleased with their progress so far. Here's hoping the good luck with the Exiles continues!

Game 58

400 points in the Pacific Ocean against a team of Soldiers!

Spider-Man 2099 160
Sasquatch 119
Blink 86
Nocturne 35

vs.

Brandt 78
Falcon 75 (#103)
Deathlok 75 + Lucky Break 5
Captain America 65
Bucky Barnes 50
General Lane 40 + Contingency Plan 12

This went much better than I thought. I was worried about being outnumbered, primarily, but Cap was the centerpiece, and Sasquatch one-shotted him with a Computer Terminal on my second turn.

That took a load of stress off.

Spidey jumped in to tie up Deathlok and Falcon, taking some initial hits; Nocturne came in after him to take heat off Spidey, which led to Deathlok's dropping her.

That's when Spidey went into his Thor clicks. Miguel promptly mauled Falcon and Deathlok in short order, while Sasquatch took down Brandt, then Bucky, and then the General.

All along, Blink was doing her part, tagging people and setting them up for KOs, but she didn't take anyone out herself.

Game win!

Game 58
Nocturne KOed
Exiles KOs: Brandt, Falcon, Deathlok, Captain America, Bucky Barnes, and General Lane
Total Exiles KOs: 196 in 58 games
Win-Loss Record: 38-20 (65.51%)

That's a nice return to form, I think!

Three more Exiles games tonight! Sort of. More like 2.15 or something.

Game 59

500 points vs. Soldiers!

Power Princess 150
Mimic 148
Morph 90
Blink 86 + Contingency Plan 12 + Book of Destiny 4
Thug 10

vs.

Jet Black 110 + Inside Information 4
Batroc 100
Steve Rogers 99 + Contingency Plan 12
Winter Soldier 95
Captain America 65
Little Sure Shot 15

at the Technodrome, since I lost the map roll.

In short, this was an Exiles massacre. Initial misplacement on setup meant I was constantly playing catch-up, and I was also horribly outranged in a wide open killing zone. Morph and the Thug tried to zoom in for interference while Blink hung back with Mimic and Power Princess, but a tag team of Captain America and Jet Black smashed Morph to goo, and then Batroc one-shotted the Thug.

Ouch. That's a bad way to start the day.

Mimic, at least, dropped Steve Rogers in two hits after injuring Little Sure Shot, but that's when the Soldier team closed the positioning up tight. A three-way smash saw Power Princess falling to Batroc, my giving up the Book of Destiny in a desperate gambit to keep Blink around, and then Jet Black mauling Mimic and Batroc finishing off Blink.

Game loss, 500 opponent to 111 me.

Game 59
All Exiles KOed
Exiles KOs: Steve Rogers
Total Exiles KOs: 197 in 59 games
Win-Loss Record: 38-21 (64.40%)

Next up? 400 points vs. the Birds of Prey at the Manhattan Bridge, since I won map roll.

Game 60

Mimic 148 + And Stay Down! 6
Morph 90 + Proteus 35
Blink 86
Nocturne 35

vs.

Black Canary 100 + In Contact with Oracle 10 + Protected 8
Huntress 100 + In Contact with Oracle 10
Batgirl 85 + In Contact with Oracle 10
Oracle 50
Oracle 27

One would think that against THIS much In Contact with Oracle (3 uses, plus the instances on Black Canary's and Huntress's traits) AND two different Oracles, one on the ICWO card, I would be in major trouble.

One would be right.

I at least got set up a little back from mid-map before Black Canary got slingshotted in, Oracle style, for an opening Running Shot/Pulse Wave tag on everyone but Blink. Thank you, Dynamostat, for providing coverage.

An incoming Batgirl managed to smoke Nocturne early on, while an interfering Morph got in some licks but ultimately fell to Huntress.

That's when Proteus moved on to an already battered Blink. Shortly after, Mimic dropped Huntress. Black Canary pushed out, taking a themed team Probability Control token for the team so that Batgirl could KO Blink.

KOing Blink set Proteus loose, adjacent to Mimic. Proteus set up Batgirl for a Mimic-sponsored KO.

This left me with Proteus on final click and a mid-dial Mimic against a back-field 50 points Oracle.

The opponent conceded at this point. Game win: 500 me, 211 opponent.


Game 60
Blink, Morph, and Nocturne KOed
Exiles KOs: Huntress and Batgirl
Total Exiles KOs: 199 in 60 games
Win-Loss Record: 39-21 (65%)

So that's an unexpected win.

After supper, and two games of Carcassonne, and Creepshow and Creepshow 2 and The Blues Brothers, we tried for another game. This one, though, would be interrupted by my friend's friend getting off work much earlier than anticipated.

Game 61
Mimic 148 + Automatic Regeneration 12
Sasquatch 119
Blink 86 + Contingency Plan 12 + Lucky Break 5
Longshot 75
Nocturne 43

vs. the Serpent Society. I lost map roll, so we ended up in Prison 42.

Sin & Crossbones 158 + Alias 3
Cottonmouth 100 + Alias 3
Viper 91 + Alias 3
Sin 75 + Alias 3
Anaconda 60 + Alias 3

I set my objects (Desk, Computer, and Dumpster) into one of the little rooms on the bottom center of the map. That's where I took my pieces on my first pass, and that's where Anaconda and Cottonmouth came in. Cottonmouth ambushed Sasquatch with a 7 clicks Exploit WHACK from the top. Thanks, Ultra Heavy Object. . . . This put her on final click. Mimic managed to force Cottonmouth to burn his Alias, then tagged him for 3. Longshot didn't get a swing in on Anaconda thanks to her successfully Shape Changing for a turn.

My opponent picked up his pieces to start his turn, but he then got a message on his cell phone. He had to go pick up a friend from work earlier than usual and didn't know it. "Why don't we just call this and redo it later?" "Umm, dude, I'm up 3 to nothing. That's a game win." "Daaaaaang." And he had JUST remembered that we were forgetting about Sin & Crossbones's Chaos trait, too, which could've been a big game changer, as I was heavily grouped together.

Game win, 3 to 0!

Game 61
No Exiles KOed
Exiles KOs: None, but Alias was scored
Total Exiles KOs: 199 in 61 games
Win-Loss Record: 40-21 (65.57%)

We might just have to rerun that last game and see how it could play out!

Game 62: Exiles vs. Soldiers at Paradise Island, 600 points!

Spider-Man 2099 160
Power Princess 150
Blink 86
Psylocke 84
Longshot 75
Nocturne 35
Penguin Resource 10
Light object, 2 Ultra Heavy objects 0

vs.

Jet Black 110 + Inside Information 4
Winter Soldier 95
Domino 94
Nomad 80
US Agent 80
Captain America 65
Peggy Carter 60
Harvey Bullock 12
Computer, Bookcase, Soda Machine 0

Having lost map roll, I was playing outdoors at Paradise Island, a beautiful map with, really, two lanes of traffic: beach or rooftop. I went beach, while my opponent tried to hold his corner of the world down from the roof nearest him. With the beach at the bottom, I was coming from the right hand side.

I got an early couple taps on Jet Black and Nomad, but Captain America slammed down a meddling Nocturne from his rooftop sniper spot next to Winter Soldier. They proved problematic paired together for most of the game.

Ultimately, though, while US Agent and Peggy Carter tried to hold down Longshot and Spider-Man 2099, Power Princess leveled Nomad and then Jet Black. She took some considerable hits, though, and had to retreat, soon landing a 6 on Regeneration for 4 clicks back and then healing 1 more from her trait: top dial for wave two!

That's good timing. After Blink jumped in and out to tag Harvey Bullock (Domino's Shape Change is no fun), a dog-piling group effort of Peggy Carter's eliminating the use of Spidey's Power Cosmic saw Winter Soldier Outwitting Miguel and taking him down. Afterward, US Agent polished off a troublesome Longshot.

This left Power Princess, Psylocke, and Blink against the rest of the world.

Psylocke ran interference along the rooftop, tying up Cap and presenting herself as a target for Bucky. Blink ended up stranded while going after Domino (darn Super Senses), so, while Power Princess flatlined Peggy Carter, Domino dropped Blink with help from Cap's and Bucky's Outwits.

This left a back-dial Psylocke and a first click Power Princess.

A lucky roll to break of a 5 saw Power Princess Charging away from an injured US Agent. Exactly 5 squares later, and one swooped up Computer Terminal from under Bucky, she swung with a 12 on a 16 for 6 after. One smushed Winter Soldier!

1st click Power Princess vs. an injured Cap (thanks, Psylocke!), injured Domino (thanks, early game hit from Longshot!), and injured US Agent (thanks, mid-game hit from, I think, Spidey!).

That last hit, though, burned out Penguin, and US Agent tagged Psylocke to take her out.

In turn, Power Princess was able to take down the remaining threats of US Agent, Domino, and Captain America without getting hurt. Cap got dropped by a thrown Soda Machine at the last.

Game win, hard fought and fun!

Game 62
Blink, Spider-Man 2099, Psylocke, Longshot, and Nocturne KOed; Penguin resource exhausted
Exiles KOs: Jet Black, Winter Soldier, Domino, Nomad, US Agent, Captain America, Peggy Carter, and Harvey Bullock
Total Exiles KOs: 207 in 62 games
Win-Loss Record: 41-21 (66.12%)

Game 63: Exiles vs. Invaders, 500 points at Convention Center Plaza

Tonight, I went to town to hang out the new, local shop; one guy there was someone I'd taught to play maybe a week ago, and he likes the game, so I loaned him my Invaders for a second match. I pulled out Exiles, and we went at it.

Spider-Man 2099 160
Morph 90
Blink 86
Psylocke 84
Longshot 75
Gamma Bomb 5
Stepladder, Dynamostat 0

vs.

Captain America 150
Namor 140
Winter Soldier 95
Blazing Skull 70
Miss America 45
Computer, Bookcase, Soda Machine 0

I set the Gamma Bomb on his half of the map, basically. This game, though, proved to be a long one: he added about 10-12 clicks back to the Bomb, almost nullifying it.

Morph threw himself in the mix as a sacrifice play, tying up the opposing team for a round until Cap dropped him. Longshot followed suit, coming in for a successful Running Shot, but he fell to Blazing Skull (who had, by this point, been Mind Controlled once by Psylocke to smash Winter Soldier with a bookcase).

Not a great way to start the day, though. Blink, at least, took down Miss America in two hits.

Ultimately, my opponent pressed his way across the walkway, injuring Spidey (knocking him to his Thor clicks) to the point where Psylocke pushed out healing him back above the stop click to buy him a turn to rest. Blink then pushed out swinging unsuccessfully on a mid-dial Namor, being surrounded by Namor and Blazing Skull; she was going to be Poisoned to death by Blazing Skull if she didn't push out, anyway.

That's when the Gamma Bomb finished off Winter Soldier, and Spidey managed to KO Cap.

This left an end-dial Spider-Man 2099 against Blazing Skull and Namor. Spidey went on the run, trying to put some distance between them, but he ultimately fell not to damage but to a critical miss on his last swing of the game.

Game loss! However, both of us had a blast playing, so I'm pleased with the outcome overall.

Game 63
All Exiles KOed
Exiles KOs: Winter Soldier, Captain America, and Miss America
Total Exiles KOs: 210 in 63 games
Win-Loss Record: 41-22 (65.07%)

Game 1 tonight saw the Exiles vs. the Marauders at 500 points, on the Rooftops of Gotham City!

Game 64

Mimic 148
Sasquatch 99
Blink 86 + Contingency Plan 12
Spider-Man 2099 80
Longshot 75
Bookcase, Computer Terminal, Desk

vs.

Mister Sinister 95
Mystique 86 + Contingency Plan 12
Sabretooth 75 + Vampirism 12
Blockbuster 65
John Greycrow 60
Arclight 50
Lady Mastermind 45

The game started poorly; I got my team into position quickly with Blink, but Longshot got torn apart in two turns by John Greycrow.

That's when the Marauders got a little too close. Blink and Mimic started going crazy on them. Blink finished off the injured Greycrow, and then, on following turns, Mimic flatlined Blockbuster AND Sabretooth. Spidey got in the mix to finish off Arclight.

That's when my opponent called the game; Spidey was on second click, and, other than Longshot's being KOed, no other Exiles had taken damage.

Short game!

Game 64
Longshot KOed; win by concession
Exiles KOs: John Greycrow, Blockbuster, Sabretooth, and Arclight
Total Exiles KOs: 214 in 64 games
Win-Loss Record: 42-22 (65.62%)

Game 65 was today: 600 points at Brazil (I lost map roll) against a friend I've not gotten to play recently.

Exiles....

Nemesis 300
Sasquatch 119
Blink 86
Longshot 75
2x Thug 20 (One Sketch, one not)

vs. some Assassins!

Deadshot 150 (vs. Sketch Thug)
Talon 120
Winter Soldier 100 (Sniper Nests)
Merlyn 80
Elektra 75
Gamora 73
Franklin Richards 2

The Sniper Nests were setup in the river near my starting area, the center of the hole in the map, and roughly five or six squares from the far corner from my starting area. My opponent put Bucky in the middle of the hole and moved up Merlyn and Gamora.

The Exiles then played differently from usual. I sent the Sketch Thug up to the river token to clear it out. Nemesis zoomed in to Running Shot Gamora down four clicks from top, and Sasquatch called her once per game Hypersonic to zoom in, send Bucky poofing away from his token, AND flatten Gamora the rest of the way in one shot.

That's my first turn.

Deadshot managed to KO the Non-Sketch Thug who was running interference, and Talon, who was reasonably nearby, tagged Longshot to mid-dial. Meanwhile, Nemesis took a little damage, though not too much, from Merlyn before he managed to obliterate Merlyn with Running Shot/Pulse Wave on a single target. Blink then jumped in to finish off Elektra.

So, with Winter Soldier basically useless in a corner, Talon part of the way down his dial, on his Mind Control clicks, and Deadshot staring down a distant, angry Nemesis (who had just rushed up on Winter Soldier and put him mid-dial), my opponent conceded the game of his own volition. Short game, again!

Game 65
Thug KOed; win by concession
Exiles KOs: Gamora, Merlyn, Elektra
Total Exiles KOs: 217 in 65 games
Win-Loss Record: 43-22 (66.15%)

Exiles Game 66 happened tonight: 500 points at the Parking Garage while watching episodes from seasons 3 and 4 of WKRP in Cincinnati.

Game 66!

Before we started, I point-blank asked my friend, who had his team built ahead of time, if he felt he could take down Hyperion at 275. I was willing to back down and run something else if he wanted. He said he thought he could, so I said, "OK," and we went with it.

Hyperion 275
Spider-Man 2099 80
Longshot 75 + Proteus 35
Nocturne 35
Bookcase, computer, soda machine 0

vs. X-Factor!

Archangel 99 (Angel of Death)
Beast 95
Havok 92
Longshot 75
Quicksilver 75
Wolfsbane 64
2 light objects, 1 ultra heavy object 0

He won map roll and volunteered to run on the Parking Garage I had brought with me. My track record on this map hasn't been very good, particularly against him. I started on the right side, in the street; he started on the left, in the garage. I slowly moved just south of the middle, almost. He tried to advance, sending some of his team through the garage and some toward his nearby exit. On my second turn, Spidey shot out one of the squares of blocking, and Hyperion zoomed in with a Computer to crush Quicksilver.

One failed Super Senses roll later. . . .

Hyperion went back home to his friends. Beast, Longshot, and Archangel came out to play; my Longshot softened them up, having made a series of good Proteus rolls to not take any burn damage, and then Hyperion crushed the meddling Outwittting Beast with a Bookcase.

This is when Havok finally came Running Shotting into the game; he finished off Nocturne, who'd hurt herself X-Men-teaming Spidey twice after he'd been tagged by Archangel. Wolfsbane came out to play, as well, all raged out and ready to fight.

However, Longshot got a lucky KO shot on her when she failed her roll for avoiding damage and resetting her dial. This led to an immediate and accepted game concession, since Archangel and the opposing Longshot were nearly KOed and Havok was the only top-dial threat left against a top-dial Hyperion.

Game win!

Game 66
Nocturne KOed; win by concession
Exiles KOs: Quicksilver, Beast, and Wolfsbane
Total Exiles KOs: 220 in 66 games
Win-Loss Record: 44-22 (66.66%)

Game 67 tonight while watching Fifth Doctor episodes of Doctor Who!

400 points vs. Gotham City

Mimic 148 + Infinity Gauntlet 40 + Automatic Regeneration 12
Spider-Man 2099 80
Longshot 75
Nocturne 35
Thug 10

vs. a lot of Joker's Wild pieces and a Penguin resource!

Batman 75
Deadshot 75
Joker 75
Harley Quinn 60
Killer Croc 50
Penguin 25
3x Joker Thug 10 (30)
Penguin 10

I won map roll by luck, so we ended up in the Prison.

My early turns were spent playing extremely far back in my start areas, bouncing from cell to cell to build up the Gauntlet and stay well clear of any potential oncoming threats. By the time the Gothamites rounded the nearest corner, Mimic had an ultra heavy and a Gauntlet nearly on the 1's.

Penguin burned out early due to a mistaken move by the Joker. Mimic then smashed an overextended Harley, one-shotting her. Afterward, while two Joker Thugs closed in on Spidey, Mimic dealt with one of those, too. The Joker came next; by this point, the Gauntlet allowed Mimic the use of Precision Strike, so that cut the Joker's Super Senses out of the question and let Mimic crush him.

Deadshot managed to snipe my Thug who was, by this time, on his final click and tying up Croc. This gave Spidey the time to roll a 6 on Blades against a wounded Batman, taking him out. However, Croc then turned on a last-click Nocturne; she had spent her turns acting as tie-up and as themed team Probability Control fodder. Longshot KOed Croc.

This left a top-dial Mimic (on a rolled-over Gauntlet; I overshot the 3's, sadly), a top-dial Longshot, and a second-click Spidey against a top-dial Deadshot and a hurt Joker Thug. Back in the other starting area were a top-dial Joker's Thug and top-dial Dealmaker Penguin. At this point, the other player conceded the game.

Game 67
Nocturne and Thug KOed; win by concession
Exiles KOs: Harley Quinn, Joker Thug, Joker, Batman, and Killer Croc
Total Exiles KOs: 225 in 67 games
Win-Loss Record: 45-22 (67.16%)

What has this taught me? Simple. Mimic's only REAL fault is that he doesn't have access to Willpower by default. No Outwit ever even had the chance to target him (not that it would've been doable thanks to the Gauntlet), and the constant barrage of hits on 2 out of 3 turns was dangerous, indeed. Most of the Gauntlet's powers never even came into play much, either.

This reminds me and further encourages a) my need for a Hyperion, as well as King Hyperion to finish off my Exiles and b) my hope that the What If? set includes some Exiles.

Got all the Exiles to date, here, who have the keyword. Definitely sharing the same hope for more Exiles in the What If? set!

Games 68 to 70 today in an 800 points Golden Age tournament with 6 total players!

I went in with the following:

Hyperion 275
Spider-Man 2099 160
Mimic 148 + Infinity Gauntlet 40
Blink 86 + Contingency Plan 12
Longshot 75 + Inside Information 4
2 Ultra Heavy Objects, 1 Light Object

Game 68, Round 1

The first match of the day was against a pretty high-powered X-Men team.

Magneto 200 (AvX)
Sabretooth/Wild Child 130
Cyclops 100 (AvX)
Banshee 98
Doop 95
Sunfire 80
Jubilee 56
Jean Grey 40

I won map roll somehow, so we went to the Prison. I felt that the tighter spaces might give me a small edge. They didn't really help. Both of us took time to set up with my opponent taking up position in the central vertical hall while I burned a few turns getting Mimic's Gauntlet a little more powered up. The hits started hard and fast when Cyke led the way against Hyperion; a couple quick slams later, Sabretooth and Wild Child dropped him.

This left Sabretooth and Wild Child open to a retaliatory strike by Mimic, KOing them.

Banshee then brought up the next wave; a series of swings left Spider-Man 2099 out cold, and that's when time was called.

Game loss, 435-130.

Game 68
Hyperion and Spider-Man 2099 KOed
Exiles KOs: Sabretooth/Wild Child
Total Exiles KOs: 226 in 68 games
Win-Loss Record: 45-23 (66.17%)

Game 69, Round 2

Round 2, Game 69, felt a little more my speed, even if I was horribly outnumbered by Outsiders. I lost the map roll, so we ended up on the Duelist Kingdom Forest.

Geo-Force 160
Jade 151
Batman 120
Looker 100
Black Lightning 75
Captain Boomerang 73
Nightwing 50
Looker 45
Eagle 15 (Horde Token)
Weapon Drop 8
Harley's Hammer 3

This game went much better than the game against the X-Men. While the Outsiders were clumped up in the hindering, my opponent neglected to make great use of Geo-Force's barrier tokens, which meant I had a little more leeway on movement than I should have gotten. Hyperion got the opening slam to drop Jade after a Telekinetic throw thanks to Mimic's Gauntlet. Blink then tagged Black Lightning a couple of times for that finish.

This put me in a pretty good position: minimal damage overall and able to press the initiative. Mimic flattened poor Looker Prime, and Longshot dropped the first Eagle token of the day. Others would respawn after being KOed, so Blink took out the second to free up Mimic for moving again in a couple of turns.

Spidey, now on his back-dial Thor clicks, obliterated Boomerang, while Longshot finished off a third Eagle token. Hyperion dropped an injured Nightwing (Grayson had spent a few turns of using Themed Team Probability Control, whittling himself down). The final KO of the game, though, before time was called was Geo-Force getting a final ranged blast on Longshot.

Game win, 494 to 79.

Game 69
Longshot KOed
Exiles KOs: Jade, Black Lightning, Looker Prime, Captain Boomerang, Nightwing, 3x Eagle tokens
Total Exiles KOs: 234 in 69 games
Win-Loss Record: 46-23 (66.66%)

That was a relief and an unexpected win! A few minutes later, on to Game 70, round 3.

Game 70, Round 3

Round 3 game after a short break of a few minutes to establish pairings, and I found myself playing against a guy who'd run two Nick Fury pieces against me a couple weeks ago, to my chagrin. Today, he was running six Speedsters.

Flash 195 (KC)
Professor Zoom 150
Zoom 150
The Flash 149
Dark Flash 110
The Flash 35

I lost map roll, so we ended up at the WizKids Office Map.

Honestly, this was probably the most fun I had all day; the first game was nearly a blowout on my end, the second one for the other player. This one, though, was a pretty balanced, heavy duty back and forth. My first two swings missed--one due to Zoom's multiple Probability Controls a turn, the other due to Super Senses. This left Blink and Hyperion momentarily stranded! However, Hyperion did get the first KO shortly after, flattening the 35 point Jay Garrick.

That was an OK way to start things off. However, over the next couple of turns, Spidey took some massive beatings, with Zoom dropping him. That put me behind again. Mimic made up some of the difference by KOing Dark Flash, the subject of my earlier missed swings, but then the KC Flash took out Blink.

Things were not looking good for the Exiles. At this point, though, Mimic was starting to kick into a high gear: I had been getting some fives and sixes on the Gauntlet rolls, so he was ramping up quickly. Mimic thus KOed a nearby Professor Zoom. However, this left Longshot open to assault, and KC Flash felled him, too.

Mimic got the last KO of the game in the final 30 seconds or so, taking out the 149 point Flash.

Game win, 444 to 337!

This left me at the end with a 3rd place finish out of 6. Not bad given some of the teams around the shop for the tournament.

Game 70
Spider-Man 2099, Blink, and Longshot KOed
Exiles KOs: The Flash (35), The Flash (149), Dark Flash, Professor Zoom
Total Exiles KOs: 238 in 70 games
Win-Loss Record: 47-23 (67.14%)

And that's the story of how the Exiles survived some totally unexpected Speedster action!