Top Ten Wednesday:

Top Ten Reasons to use Superman Prime...

...instead of Earth-2 Superman.

Welcome to another Top Ten list. Okay, to be fair this really isn't Tuesday and "Top 10" is more of an honorary title as there's not a great way to catagorize the bullet points listed below. Who's to say #9 is any better or worse than #6? This article is more of a "10 reasons Superman Prime is better than Grandpa' Supes despite Monday's article that told you to"Stop Playing Superman Prime."

Before we begin, we'll need a frame of reference to judge by.

Take a look at the dials.

(CHASE "E2") SUPERMAN: 317 points, 10 range


Trait: Superman does not take pushing damage.

SUPERMAN PRIME: 318 points, 10 range


Trait: Superman Prime may not use the Carry ability.


Faster than a speeding bullet
The old man might be a smidge little faster than Prime when it comes to Charge, but Prime's got the speed where it counts. Front loaded HSS gives SBP a marginally better first strike range by granting him the ability to make a ranged attack. Sure SBP's Speed dips lower than Grandpa's, but overall it's also higher. Prime has 3 natural clicks of 12 movement compared to the geriatrics's 2.

More powerful than a locomotive
Who needs a full dial of Super Strength when you have powers like Ranged and Close Combat Expert, Psychic Blast and Exploit Weakness? Everyone knows it's better to deal penetrating damage than watch some Impervious opponent shrug off an attack and return the favor on their turn.

This is a Job for Superman Prime!
Grandpa gets tired fast, suffering a steady downward spiral of AVs. The more Prime gets hurt, the more pain he dishes out. He may open with an 11, but he quickly amps it up to a 12 for 3 clicks in the middle of his dial at his sweet spot.

Kryptonian Might
E2 has 2 clicks of 5 damage. Superman Prime has only 1 click of a natural 5, but makes up for it with 7 clicks of 4 damage (compared to E2's 3 clicks). At his lowest, Prime deals 3 damage - but he backs it up with Psychic Blast and Exploit Weakness, making sure the damage sticks. Die Already, indeed.


Battle Armor
E2 may have more damage reducers, but Prime can soak up more damage overall, thanks to 3 clicks of the Special Power Invincible. It doesn't matter how much damage he takes from one attack. Galactus could shoot prime for 12 clicks of damage and Prime laughs, reducing it to one. Take that World Eater!

Under a Yellow Sun
Prime's ability to regenerate is legendary. Two clicks of the black power at the end of his dial could keep him in the game by indefinitely. Once E2 Superman gets hurt, he stays hurt.

Who needs X-ray vision?
Because Prime is not hindered by a Team Ability he never has to worry about Dissent, or other abilities that Cancel TAs. He also has a few nasty options available for Battle Field Conditions. For starters, Prime should always use the Disbanded! BF, and won't have to worry about a Mistrust penalty.

Who needs teammates?
Prime's Trait that counters his ability to carry isn't a hindrance - it's a benefit. Now Prime can play Poor Teamwork, Grounded, and High Gravity to slow down the competition as they rush to chase him down.

Who needs free attacks?
The Chase Superman's free attack SP is good, so what could be better? Try the I'M A HERO! Special Power that gives Superman Prime Charge and Flurry. When he uses Flurry, he deals penetrating damage. With a 12 AV Prime can dish out 16+ clicks of irreducible damage in 2 turns! By comparison Earth-2 Superman has no way to bypass damage reducers. Conceivablly Kal-L's could hammer away for hours and never break Impervious. Prime kills figures dead. Basically, he's the Tasmanian Devil. Point him in the direction of some opposition, wind him up and watch as he disintegrates his enemies.

Feats
Shellhead might not work for SBP, but LUNGE will grant him some extra speed on his second and third clicks (and he *will* get knocked to click #2). RCE is a prereq for TRICK SHOT, so if he's really worried about Stealth he can pack the feat. Trick Shot is better than Superman Ally TA anyways, because in addition to negating hindering it lets him avoid characters when drawing lines of fire.



It's plain to see then, Superman Prime has some redeeming qualities (at least on the map). Is it enough to win a battle with? Stay tuned as "Prime week" continues. Tomorrow we take a look at how to run a one man army!

Thanks for reading!

You know, you are really sending mixed signals! Very well-reasoned articles, though. I've enjoyed all three so far.

But I though that I shoudn't..... I was sure I needed to... what the deuce!

I'm waiting for the 'Top 10 reasons not to play either' article

Nice article. But I wouldn't play with Emosuperboy if you payed me.

I hope we see the best ways to Box It Up with Prime. I never thought of Trick Shot, but adding that to Fort, R. Shield, and the rest... well, it could actually make him a force to deal with, but those two clicks would have to be the luckiest of all.

Great Read!!!

Where are the articles on how to get E-2 or Prime without mortgaging your house?

The article on how to get a Chase SUperman was posted in the General Topics thread.

here's a recap: Go to the FLGS, shake the boosters until you find the heavy one. Buy it. Is there a SUperman inside? If yes, you're a winner. If you picked up a Trigon or Spectre by mistake, sell it for the price of another booster. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I'll answer that
Auto Regen
Alias
Trick Shot
Lunge
and in case you're playing a thousand point match
Fortitude
Repulsar Shield
Protected or Shell Head

I don't see where any of the Supermen are so good that they should cost almost 100points more than V Hyperion from SN.

Prime must be played by an experienced player. But if played correctly, he is a beast.

Yes, Outwit kills him. Outwit kills any brick, even E-2. But that HSS + range + 5 damage is deadly.

Play Prime like Icon Supes (at first) and just run, hide, and pick off your enemy. Its more important that prime run out of range rather than charge (until his penetrating clicks that is).

Give Emo a tombstone while he runs around as well. Makes that weak 17 into a solid 20 at range.

And a regen "6" is pretty priceless when it happens.

Take that sinestro-bats !

thanks for the write up. it all comes down to play style. if you're a person that doesn't work well under pressure, and gets trapped easily, then don't play prime.
if you're good at positioning and thinking two moves ahead, play prime.

why do i say this. if you're worried about his shortcomings, then you'll probably lose with him or any other fig you play with. if you play this game kinda like a chess match, then you should do fine with prime. you know he has a huge target on him, he's made to handle it though. he should always be moving and hurting your opponent. whoever is chasing him should be getting hit with every step th take toward prime. can't wait to see what the next two days bring.

I already had problems not playing Prime...you're not helping.

And these are pretty much all the thoughts I had yesterday about it. Really, if you prefer an aggressive playstyle... SBP is your boy.

A little more conservative... well, take E2.