Hey all.
Just wondering a little how the timing would work with a Darkness within+Suicide Squad combo.
As I read it, the damage from Darkness within is dealt before the action commences. Does this mean the Suicide Squad healing also takes place at that time, provided the figure taking the damage is knocked out? Would this negate the Darkness Within bonus somehow?

It seems like a very potent combo: Therefore, it probably isn't. So just tell me if I've gotten it right, and if possible how well it works...

I believe this combo works just as you imagine.

Here's the strategy that I've been planning to use with this: Chemo walks slowly towards the enemy. Starter-Wasp Thunderbolted to GL team carries a bunch of Lian Harpers behind Chemo. Chemo gets hit and takes a bunch of clicks of damage. Chemo uses Darkness Within to get a +1 to his ranged damage. This kills a Lian. Since Lian dies, Chemo heals d6-2 (min 1) clicks. Then, after he's healed up to full, he makes his attack.

And since this might not heal him up to full, there are a couple of things to consider. Before Wasp carries the Lians, have the Lians take move actions to get tokens. Then, next turn, have them move again to kill themselves to heal Chemo before he attacks.

It probably wouldn't hurt to have Probability control to help maximize the healing. Jinx would be good for this, since she'll also be able to mimic the SS team ability.

I asked about this on the judges forum... the answer is, it will not work. While the pushing damage is done before the attack, the healing roll for the Suicide Squad would come after the attack resolves.

Too bad too... it seemed like a neat strategy.

Still, not a bad way to keep Chemo bursting with sulfuric goodness!

Well, the combo still works, but it is only real useful on one fig at the moment (excluding wildcards): R Blockbuster. He peaks in the middle of his dial, so you can deal an excess amount of damage with a good AV, and then heal back to a click with Invulnerability, hopefully.
And of course, Shellhead can help out as well.

Having checked into it, I've realized that a few Avengers can have quite a benefit of it as well, via Thunderbolts. E Wonderman is a prime example, but the king must be V Submariner. If you land on the right click and use Darkness within, he can do a Flurry attack with 11 AV, 4 damage and Superstrength. And then heal up to Charge/Invulnerability - probably useful as the opponent is quite likely a bloody pulp by then!

Sorry to drag this up, but is the rule then that healing is done after the attack? You still get the healing roll, right?

Say V Enchantress has a Lian bystander next to her - she uses Darkness within, does one damage to Lian, the attack (with increased damage) resolves and then she heals?

Yes, though there are still a few lingering questions, like:

(1) Is Lian still on the board or not until the attack resolves?

This could matter if we substitute the Security Guard for Lian, and then need to know if the Guard can use his PD team ability to give the Enchantress a +1 to hit. However, I *believe* the answer is no, the bystander is removed as soon as it takes the 1 damage but the healing doesn't happen until the ranged attack is finished.

(2) Does the healing occur before or after pushing damage? Before or after "feat card" damage (such as the two clicks you take from Nova Blast)?

I believe the ruling used to be that the damage came after the Suicide Squad healing ability, so that you couldn't just have Emerald Empress use Nova Blast while carrying a bystander, take 2 damage from Nova Blast, and then heal since the bystander was killed.

However, if Suicide Squad does trigger after the action has been resolved (i.e., after all the damage has been given to characters, i.e., after push damage and feat-card damage), then maybe the Emerald Empress can heal herself the damage from Nova Blast.

I'm not sure what the answer here would be. Fortunately, you didn't ask this question.

It is very much a question of timing. I think the simplest way to interpret things is the following:
The Darkness within damage happens before the attack roll. If the figure is knocked out, it is immediately removed from the board - in other words, it cannot provide PD support.
The Suicide Squad roll happens after the attack has been resolved - in other words, if a friendly figure is KOed from attack damage, Suicide Squad will activate (and yes, Suicide Squad still works if you do a Pulse Wave)
The pushing damage is dealt at the end of the action - in other words, after the Suicide Squad roll has been made. Quite frankly, it's just simpler that way as it is less powerful...

Sadly, there still is a question on the judges forum on whether or not the figure is instantly removed.

Well, I know how I will play it. How anyone else plays it is up to them and their judges.

See, I would figure that all damage happens at the end of the action - including to the bystander token. Removing a figure in the middle of an action seems .... odd to me.

Then again, I don't have to answer the tough questions...

I hope this is resolved, soon. I've been playing around with this stuff for a while and I'd like to know what I can and cannot do.

Just wondering the latest word. This has come up - it's not just some question out of nowhere.

If a character with the Suicide Squad team ability and Darkness Within pushes for an attack but also kills a pog next to it, can you then use the SS team ability to heal after the pog dies? Just double checking, got a little confused.

Here's the order as I understand it:

(1) The pog takes 1 damage and is removed.
(2) The attack occurs.
(3) The attack is resolved.
(4) The attacker may use Suicide Squad to heal.
(5) Push damage occurs.