As I imagine it, a Kid Zoom Nerf strategy involves building a team based around his Stop! special power. You want to deny your opponent Hypersonic Speed, but because it's important to keep Kid Zoom safe, you probably can't make optimal use of his Hypersonic Speed either. He needs to be kept out of Outwit/attack distance, which means that you'll effectively be down 87 points against HSS-heavy opponents. Alternatively, you have a tactic that allows Kid Zoom to make HSS attacks and yet almost guarantees that he won't be counterattacked.

(Against an opponent without HSS you don't need to protect Kid Zoom as much, so he can be used normally.)

So I imagine that a Kid Zoom Nerf team needs to have good KOing ability even if he's not being used, and obviously contains no other HSS characters. What would you build in 300 to 600 point games?

bb043 U Kid Zoom
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 87
Keywords: Future

13 9 18 2

12 9 17 2

11 9 16 2

10 8 15 1

9 7 14 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

KO KO KO KO

Timeline Push Kid Zoom can use Incapacitate. He can use it normally, or he can use its close combat attack as a free action instead of a close combat attack while using Hypersonic Speed.
Stop! (non-optional) Other characters can't use Hypersonic Speed.

Here's a simple 300 point team, which qualifies as a Future thematic team:

AA016 Batman - 64
JL048 Dream Girl - 50
BB043 Kid Zoom - 87
.........Protected - 8
LS001 Lightning Lad - 70
.........Armour Piercing - 10
.........Nanobots - 10
Total - 299

Lightning Lad deals most of the damage, with Armour Piercing to Energy Explode through damage reducers to to split his attacks and still make them stick. Batman provides a team ability to copy and additional Outwit (helpful in case of Super Senses or move-and-attack powers). With Lightning Lad's generally superior range, copied Stealth, and the absence of Hypersonic Speed on your opponent's team, you should be able to deal signficant damage before your opponent can even reach you.

Good Battlefield Conditions would include Debris, Poor Teamwork, and Loyalty.

Kid Zoom 87
Spider-Man 50 + Lunge 5
Spider-Man 50 + Lunge 5
Batman 75 + Alias 3
Lightspeed 25
= 300

It's not a bad team, but I'm not fond of it overall because it lacks damage potential. Batman and Lightning Lad will have to carry the weight of the team, and both are extremely fragile (though Stealth helps, it's more or less delaying the inevitability of getting based and thumped). Dream Girl & Zoom just lack enough damage potential for my tastes. At the very least I'd want some Perplex to help the Kid crack Invulnerability.

I'd almost suggest the BFC Grounded when using this team to further limit an opponents mobility.

I think if you're stuck to using keywords, you'll never get the MOST use out of this piece. Kid Zoom will excell when used with a number of figures that remain mobile without HSS.

Transporters in general will mesh well with his style. Use Alpha Flight & Vendetta on Two Gun kid to get a +2 AV bump that negates the move and attack penalty. The Communications Breakdown BFC can also negate that bump, as well as the Outsiders TA. In Particular, SR Valkyrie (or Lobo) has a high enough Base Attack that it might make her worth playing with the Kid.

I contend that running this sort of team will put an opponent on a ranged attack offensive. Because TK and Running SHot may help them get to the Kid, I'd suggest further BFC movement crimpers like Shrunk or Deep Shadows. This will force an opponent into close combat, and as long as you can stay on the move.

Figures like Pip or OotS Batman who are "placed" also work well.

I'd just build normally. I very rarely use HSS, so he doesn't bother me at all.

If I were to build a team specifically to counter him, it would most likely include a character with Running Shot and long-ish range with two or three targets. That way, I can target KZ and another opposing character. If I miss KZ (or he makes his Super Senses roll), well, that is what the other target was for. If I do hit, big hurt on KZ.

I really love talking strategy, so I'll chime in again, though the point may be moot.

at ~ 90 points KZ is a bit too bloated for my taste in 300 point games.

Consider that by using KZ players will be spending 30% of a build total on a 9AV/2damage figure that they may well want to keep away from an opponent. That means the other 70% of KZ's team will have to be that much better to deal with the rest of the opposing force.

If you want to use KZ as an attack piece, well, he'll need Perplex to be effective, and again - with no range he'll need to get up close, which increases the odds that he'll get KO'd in a counterstrike.

He's a nice counter to a Ms. Skrull-ville team, but even with the HSS, he'll also need someone to bust her Stealth. This piece may be a staple in bigger games (500+), but you really have to squeeze the most from a min/max playbook to work him at 400 & less and make him earn his points. The easiest way to do this is by Eschewing theme, at which point you're giving up a lot of options (most importantly BFC control).

I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays, especially in sealed events.

I too rarely use HSS, so this doesn't worry me very much.

Kid Zoom also has a bit of a glass jaw with only five clicks of life. He needs to make a SS roll, otherwise a Charge/Superstrength or BCF character can KO him in one hit. That's almost 1/3 of your build gone in one shot on a gamble. If your opponent doesn't have HSS, you essentially have an overpriced HSS piece on your team. Then again, if your opponent has no HSS, no need to protect Kid Zoom very much. And unless there's a lot of blocking terrain on the map, he won't be able to hit and run effectively without getting hit back.

In larger point games he will have more merit(500+). But for now, there are better pieces to use. I would like to see a sealed event with Kid Flash vs the Flash Duo figure.

-Immortal_Raven

In 600 you could do Immortus, Rip Hunter, and Kid Zoom with filler. Future themed and your opponent can't use outwit, pc, or HSS

They could use Outwit just fine... especially on the powers that prevent PC and HSS.

Rip Hunter's SP only protects against Outwit when he is adjacent to a character AND only on standard/named powers. SPs are fair game.


If you want to try and protect as many powers as possible, you are better off placing Outsmart on Immortus or Rip Hunter (probably Rip Hunter since he should be adjacent to friendlies anyway).

Get Danger on the team and I'd call it the Prevent Defense.

I'm thinking he'll slow down the Alpha striking of those bis HSS bricks. So even if you have to give up your PC figs it may be worth it.

In sealed? He'll be like pulling a Gypsy in JL. Cheap enough to add on a team, but what she does she brings in spades. How many figures in B&B have HSS? This piece effectively takes away their move and attack options. If you hear someone pulled Kid Zoom will you be playing those HSS figs? Or will you play the RS/Charge/or whatever else figs?

I think Inertia may be more important to the tournament scene in the long haul. Not only is he more economic, at nearly 20 points less than KZ, but his power effects all movement not just HSS. This will frustrate Charge pieces the most, followed by HSS, and then Runnng Shot.

I agree that Kid Flash is too expensive and too vulnerable for him to have a huge impact on tournaments; he's certainly not the next rookie Shazam. However, with his effect on the metagame I think that we will see people try to exploit Stop!, and as such a particular team archetype may emerge. I'm canvassing team builds for a "Kid Zoom Nerf" strategy not because I particularly want to play it, but because I'm interested to see how competitive they can get.

I feel that sacrificing theme is a big deal; I'd hesitate to do so unless very confident about my force.

Can you suggest a non-theme Kid Zoom force that doesn't have to be concerned about your opponent's BFC choice? If so, I'll certainly reconsider.

I'm hesitant to suggest anything at this point without seeing what else is in the B&tB set. Unrestricted/Retired pieces are the best place to start Min/Maxing for Perplex and the like.

In a Restricted environment, I'd almost suggest some tactic that uses LE Edward Nigma.

Something like:

Ultimate Iron Man
+ LE Nigma
+ Kid Zoom

That totals 301, so it's a hair too expensive, but it demonstrates my point from a mechanics standpoint: IM can use Riddler's "A Man Reborn" to act every round and Running Shot (into Stealth) with HUGE range (and Enhancement!), while KZ uses hit and run tactics. This team will be hard to catch without some kind of TK or uber-taxi. You could easily sub in Iron Widow, though she lacks the range I want from an attacker with this tactic.

But anyway, something to that effect. Huge Range + The ability to act every turn + The ability to see through Stealth = Win!