(The main article with pictures is in Critical Hit Issue 8)

Inside The Mox Box: Wordplay
By Steve Luzader

Well, as we all know the summer tournament season is finally upon us. That wonderful time of year where we put away the kid gloves, whip out our game faces, and carve a path of domination on the road to a championship. We have seen a couple of Wizard World championships already and have an idea of what’s winning these days. It appears to me that one concurrent theme among nearly all competitive teams is the theme team, as now an incorporated staple since the Avengers set last year. You can’t really deny the efficiency of this. Theme teams allow some significant advantages to the game. Although the benefits are plentiful, the bonus of the extra Probability Control rolls seems to be nearly the most pivotal. Also, we’re noticing many of these theme teams are taking full advantage of the elusive Warbound feat card, which is certainly a massive advantage when you consider your biggest weapon can shake off action tokens to other figures and go all day and all night. So, in typical fashion, I always want to stay with the theme of the issue, but I wondered how I’d do that this month? I thought since keywords were the soup du jour, I spend my article this month examining a few keywords that can build some very formidable forces.

Spy: Probably one of the biggest theme teams I’ve gotten wind of is the Spy team, and when you break things down, it’s no wonder why. Any team that can bat leadoff with Winter Soldier(V) has got to be in good shape. With his great opening stats, solid attack values, mobility, long range and low cost, he’s a great figure for any team. If you prefer more direct procedures, Warskrull(V) is a solid option as well. He’s a little more short range than Winter Soldier, but he offers up more close combat powers like Super Strength and Blades/Claws/Fangs. Protected by a constant double barrier of Shape Change and the Skrull team ability makes him hard to hit. When you add a little Stealth and some high early defense values, he’s a solid contender. The little bit of Outwit he gets through his Megamorph special ability gives him a little more utility. Mockingbird(R) is still legal and still a ridiculously cheap and ridiculously solid piece. For more support options, Nick Fury(U) and Agent Brand(E) both provide valuable powers like Leadership and Outwit. While Fury has more firepower, Agent Brand is a little cheaper. Bronze Tiger(E) offers some of the best up front close combat power available with those great attack and defense values, Willpower, Charge and Close Combat Expert. Iron Widow(E) is able to carry other figures, which does seem to be a small weakness, and has oodles of firepower with various amounts of Psychic Blast and Ranged Combat Expert. She also defends herself well with Invulnerability, Mastermind and some late-dial Stealth when her attack values skyrocket again. Plus, Ultimates team ability is good for Stealth-heavy teams…like this one. You can flush out the small points with figures like Spymaster or S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent(V) from Sinister and Green Flame(R) saw so many tournament teams it was insane, but you can’t be a cheap flyer that moves for free and carries the spy keyword.

Detective: While this may not be top tier, the fact that this keyword contains a couple of high-level tournament figures makes this a keyword to be mindful of. The guy at the top of this list is Batman(V) from the Justice League set. Already a nuisance of tables everywhere, his solid values, team ability and Outwit makes him oh-so-useful. Oh, yeah, and there’s that Out Of The Shadows special power that makes him nearly impossible to pin down. And with a 75 point price tag, it may not be surprising to see two of these on a team. Also playing for this team is Question(R), who was one of the most pivotal figures of last year’s teams. He’s still not to be overlooked; 40 points for easily accessible Outwit and the Batman team ability and Combat Reflexes to keep him well protected. Not great offensive values, but just enough to fight back. The Crisis set introduces two more very powerful characters into this mix with Robin(V) and Nightwing(V). Robin provides more utilitarian options while Nightwing can flat-out press the offensive because of his near-indomitable defenses. If you still need more, the Origin Batman(U) does fit this team and brings a solid, low-point figure into your mix, although devoid of a typical Batman’s utility. A heavy dose of Stealth and plentiful Outwit can be enough to frustrate your opponent heavily, but figures like this are still notoriously fragile. Thankfully, Bright Lights is not currently legal.

Martial Artist: Martial Artists are not about clever tricks. Their job is to get in your face and punish you. Some of the best close combat options include Shang-Chi(E), Karate Kid(E), and the aforementioned Nightwing(V) and Bronze Tiger(E). Ronin(R) is a low point piece and does have some good damage values. Green Arrow(V) from the Crisis set plays one of the best ranged combat games out there and does add a second dimension to your offense. Deathstroke(U) not only gives you a little bit of Outwit, but has some phenomenal numbers in all the departments and always seems to have the right power right when you need it. Still great role players are Robin(V) and Batgirl(E) from the Crisis set. Much like Detectives, with all the Batman team ability and wild cards floating around, you can your team hard to deal with since you almost always should win a close combat contest.

Teen: While probably not a championship level team, there are certainly enough teens around there to mix and match some solid teams. Now, you’re going to find that most teens fall in two groups: Titans and Legion of Super Heroes. However, this is not a bad thing. There’s still a nice chunk of solid Legionnaires from the starter set like Lightning Lad(E) and Cosmic Boy(E). If you don’t mind the extra points, even Timber Wolf(E), Ultra Boy(E) and Young Superman(R) are all really solid offensive threats. Dawnstar(E) from Crisis is becoming a tournament staple with her flight, Willpower and her special abilites, which grant limited Hypersonic Speed and allows you to target a single figure for systematic destruction. Looking at some of the Titans the new Kid Flash(R) is absolutely ridiculous for his 45 points with his ridiculous Hypersonic Speed/Phasing combo power and his mixture of Charge and Flurry around the dial. Plus, he still sports 17’s and 18’s for defense. Klarion(R) can bring the Mystic team ability, but is also a remarkably solid piece in both offense and utility. We can still add Crisis’s Robin(V) and Batgirl(E) or go back to Origin and grab the really powerful, but really expensive, Supergirl. On the Marvel side, I’ve often toted the praises of X-23(R) and we all know how dangerous Cuckoo(R) is in large groups. Bucky(R) is a fantastically solid piece and many have underestimated the utility of Wiccan(R), including myself. You can get a myriad of low point figures, which means lots of Probability Control, but watch out for that tank, as many of these figures aren’t fully developed yet and do lack some longevity.

So many other keywords exist, but so many of them do lack a wide variety of figures from across the point spectrum and the utility spectrum. Hopefully, as we see future sets releasing, more and more options will be available to make more average keyword teams into more formidable teams. Nothing is worse than a stale tournament environment, as illustrated in other games a hundred times over and I don’t think a tournament dominated by two or three keyword themes is good for the game either. Still, it is a valid part of the system, and I accept it for what it is. Me? I’m holding out for some good celebrities. After all, what fun is building a Hollywood Squares theme team without enough celebrities? Until next time!