SPECIAL POWER SPOTLIGHT
and mini review
featuring...
FLORONIC MAN & FIREFLY

Welcome to another Special Power Spotlight.

Last week we examined 2 Arkham wunder-kids with Special Smoke cloud powers. Today we're looking at more Arkham Asylum figures that put a twist on Smoke Cloud. First up is Floronic Man.

#005 E Floronic Man
Team: Injustice League
Range: 0:bolt:
Points: 47
Keywords: Scientist, Secret Society of Super Villains

8 9 17 2

8 9 17 2

7 9 17 2

7 8 17 2

7 8 16 2

6 8 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Attack - Wild Plant Growth: Floronic Man can use smoke cloud as if he has a range of 4; when he uses smoke cloud, he can place up to 8 hindering terrain markers; if all markers are placed 2 or fewer squares from him.
Damage - In Touch with the Green: Damage dealt by Floronic Man is increased by 1 if the target of the attack occupies or is adjacent to hindering terrain



Judging by his sculpt, Floronic Man got the short end of the stick somewhere in the design process. For those unfamiliar with the character - Floronic Man normally has legs - this particular sculpt depicts him rising out of the ground as though he was forming his body from plant material.

Also representing Plant Growth on his dial: zero range Barrier. It won't come in handy much, but it's there. Perhaps of more use is WILD PLANT GROWTH, which gives Flo-Joe Smoke Cloud at a range of four. Smoke is a misnomer really, as FM is really creating hindering terrain by making things like weeds and grass grow to tangle up movement and obscure vision, something that defies logic on the Space Map.

What's really interesting about the WPG SP is the ability to lay down 8 hindering terrain markers with the restriction that all 8 must be placed within 2 squares of Floronic Man. This makes Floronic Man a living smoke machine, clogging the battlefield and obscuring his allies. Offensively, the power could be combined with Krakoa to dish out some extra damage. 8 squares of Smoke Cloud is also a good defense against HSS'ers like Zoom who must end their movement upon entering hindering terrain.

Finally, Flobie has another SP: IN TOUCH WITH THE GREEN that gives him a modest damage bump when his opponent occupies or is adjacent to hindering terrain. Floronic Man may not be a game winner, but he's no slouch. His 9 attack with 3 potential damage will certainly leave a mark when he hits, and if nothing else, his 6 click dial ends with Regeneration, so he may prove handy as Mastermind fodder for a fellow Scientist or Injustice Leaguer.

For added fun pair him with Mr. Mxyzptlyk who has a sort of mega-incapacitate SP called OBJECT ANIMATION. This power gives Mxy a 3-6 chance of giving a token to anyone on or adjacent to hindering terrain, which may wreck Swarm teams when combined with the Floronic wonder.

Next up is the long awaited flying Batman Enemy:

#027 E Firefly
Team: Batman Enemy
Range: 6
Points: 68
Keywords: Armor,Gotham City

8 9 16 2

8 9 16 2

8 8 16 1

7 8 15 1

7 8 15 1

7 8 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Attack - Flamethrower: Firefly can use Energy Explosion. He can use it normally, or use it as if he possessed only one and after the attack resolves use Smoke Cloud as a free action, but he must put the first hindering terrain marker in the same square as the target.




Epalicki said it best when he described this piece: Firefly has the biggest "cool sculpt to horrible dial ratio" in Arkham. Gotham's resident pyromanic may not be great (3 damage and maybe a split ES/D-Toughness SP would have gone a long way here), but he's not too shabby either. 16 ESD gives him a respectable 18D at range, 19 on hindering. 3 clicks of Running Shot make him an expert run & gun piece, and Dual targets is nice, especially when combined with Energy Explosion from his FLAMETHROWER.

What's better than Dual target EE? Try single Target EE with a free action Smoke Cloud! Like Floronic Man, Firefly benefits from (if not commands you to use) the Krakoa BFC to zap a crowd for 1 damage, then burn them extra crispy via the purple cardboard. Firefly defines crowd Control with Krakoa in play. Also like Floronic Man, the fire-bug is best served as a harassment and support piece - a taxi for fellow Bat Villains and a secondary attacker.

What could make Firefly better?

Aside from friends with Perplex, Enhancement and/or higher AVs with the same TA there's not much to add to Firefly without making him a bigger point sink. In an unrestricted setting Armor Piercing gels nicely with the 2 target EE. He really isn't the type of figure to build a team around, unless you could devise some kind of kooky Smoke Cloud strategy like...


The Thank You For Smoking team:

Firefly 68
Floronic Man 47
+ Flashbang 3
Anarky 70 (free Smoke when he moves!)
Mr. Mxyzptlyk 107
Total 300

BFC's - Inferno, Exhaustion, Krakoa.

Please note: This is a team to have fun with. By no means do I expect it to win anything but fellowship.

Thanks for reading! Share your thoughts on these underdogs below!

don't forget, OOtS batman works great for this as well. Oh look Hindering terrain, *pop* Punch!! WHAT THE HECK WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!!!!

great write up!!

i like firefly. he provides good harassment on evil bat dude teams.

ahh another 2 pieces i have used once and will never use again... firefly at least did some damage, but floronic man is a waste...

You also forgot Robin from Arkham. Nice little Smoke Cloud with free Incap that ignores hindering Terrain.

Come to think of it, there was as much Smoke Cloud in Arkham as there was in Alpha.

Actually, Robin Was last week's review.

Good review. I too wish they hadn't cut down Jason Woodrue. Just because your first enemy was the Atom doesn't mean you only need half a sculpt.

Mouse-repped.

Instead of saying Floronic Man's useless, and dwelling on the zero range Barrier, we have a real review here. Everyone knows he's not an easy piece to play, but there are options and relevant strategies here to make him useful. Well done.

I like FF. Bat Villains finally have some more mobility. I like to play FF with GC Detective boosting his running shot to a 10Attk and 3Dmg. He makes the harasser a little less ignored.

Very fun review!

I used Floronic Man to great success in sealed play with the Deep Shadows BFC. It was like having a permanent 3 damage all the way down the dial. Even though it may or may not be entirely legal, the judge ruled that it worked that way.

Nice review!

I've tried telling myself that Fluoronic Man is a good figure. He's clearly a specialty piece, and I'm sure he has his place in the game.

With this write-up, I'm going to force myself to use him (at least once anyways).

I WILL play this team just based on the name alone (that movie was GrEaT ).

I cant remember if I have Krakoa though...

I have to spread some rep around too...

Floronic man gets a bad rap. Granted he is no show stopper but he does have some support uses.


8 smoke cloud markers could be a real useful tactic with any Batman or stealth based team.
I am curious to try him with a Moleman and Moloid team. Especially the old school Moloids.

The sculpt could be cooler.