It's at the same time overpowered and underappreciated. It can completely shut down most teams, and yet isn't considered a team-builing staple. Right on the heels of the conclusion of its five minutes of fame, today we'll take a look at who makes the best use of Barrier.

Barrier is an odd defensive power, in that it's one of the few defensive measures that requires an action to use For this reason alone, a lot of folks see Barrier as a losing tactic; how can you afford to use entirely self-preserving actions in the place of dealing damage, and then make that into anything but stalling? Obviously Barrier is an ability best left to supporting members of the team; the rest of your force will have to compensate for the lack of offensive contribution from your Barrier character.

Worse yet for Barrier's reputation, the ability continues to make its way on to high-cost dials, and front-loaded on many of those. Look at the Green Lantern Corps for proof. While Barrier provides much more protection than standard damage reducers or Super Senses, it comes at the high cost of an action, meaning anyone using the ability to protect themselves is doing so in place of an attack.

THE BEST Barrier tactic is to have a low-cost, dedicated Barrier figure who doesn't need the protection themselves, and use their Barrier to protect a major threat on your team.

While most of you readers know this, it apparently isn't always obvious to game designers. It's also not always obvious to folks who go up against the Brotherhood of Mutants for the first time (hint: they will be on this list).

So, what makes Barrier worth giving a slot in your supporting lineup? When should you leave Telekinesis behind in favor of the light blue defensive ability? Why did saturnflight just use the Brotherhood as an example of a team to be feared? Because Barrier is the original Protected; spend an action to put up walls that must be attacked (with 3 damage, no less) prior to being able to attack your characters. Oh, and it prevents movement. And can cut off adjacency. And there are 4 of them.

Judging a Barrier piece is a straight-up game of numbers. Barrier is always a power action to use, so it has no compatibility with other powers. It's always 4 squares of Blocking Terrain that last until the beginning of your next turn. And the only stat that has an impact on it is your range value. As such, this list won't have as much variation to it, nor will it be as long as other lists.


ct104 LE George Tarleton
Team: Hydra
Range: 6
Points: 16
Keywords: A.I.M., Scientist

6 8 14 2

5 7 13 2

4 6 11 1

4 4 11 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

KO KO KO KO

The man who would be MODOK doesn't really show us why he was chosen to become a giant head. He doesn't sport any of the usual 'brainy' powers. But what he does have is the cheapest Barrier in the game. Thrown in the middle of a line of HYDRA comrades, Georgie Boy can toss up a protective wall in front of them every other turn, easily guarding the fragile soldiers. Or, protect your general from that close combatant that found him hiding in a bush. Moves like that will get you promoted to head of AIM (pardon the pun).


xp037 R Iceman
Team: X-Men
Range: 6
Points: 26
Keywords: Champions, Defenders, X-Men

8 7 14 .

7 7 14 .

6 6 13 .

5 5 12 .

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

KO KO KO KO

For 26 points, you can get your Barrier two ways. Iceman is the light side of the black-and-white cookie.. He has 6 range, limited attack capabilities, and the X-Men team ability to save a friend- or maybe mooch off of one. Flight is his final contribution, making an excellent taxi option.


ct032 E Avalanche
Team: The Brotherhood
Range: 6
Points: 26
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Freedom Force

8 8 15 2

7 7 14 2

6 6 14 1

5 6 13 1

5 5 12 1

4 5 11 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

The yang side of the black-and-white cookie is Avalanche. Also 26 points and also packing a 6 range, Avalanche does the same meager damage up close as at range. He also brings Energy Explosion to the table, which can find occasional uses against swarms that venture too close. I personally don't care for free move team abilities, butwith a crowd of similarly-costed pals it might actually see some use. Avalanche is a great alternative to Iceman.

Or, as Seinfeld would suggest, you can 'look to the cookie' and use them both for a Barrier every turn.


ic091 R Pyro
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 8
Points: 27
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Freedom Force, Reporter

8 7 16 1

6 6 15 1

5 5 13 1

4 4 12 1

4 4 11 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

Pyro takes both of the aforementioned mutants and combines them into a dial that, remarkably, only costs 1 point more. At the cost of flight and a team ability, Pyro has both ranged combat options, but ups the ante with 8 range. As if you need any of that; 8 range will keep Pyro far away from the enemy while he maintains a protective wall between your primary attacker and your opposition.


ic090 V Blizzard
Team: Master of Evil
Range: 8
Points: 53
Keywords: Thunderbolts

8 11 16 1

6 9 15 1

5 7 14 1

5 6 13 1

4 6 12 1

4 5 11 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

Juggernaut may have slept with She-Hulk (or did he?), but Blizzard is apparently cool enough that She-Hulk will be seen in public with him. That's because Blizzard can do incredible things with the help of a lady. An 8 point lady, to be specific. Thanks to the Masters of Evil team ability, a long stretch of Barrier, and a low defense value just a few clicks in, Blizzard can maintain a Barrier indefinitely. Just keep pushing him, healing via Paramedic when necessary. If Jericho had him, it never would have fell..


jl007 R Icicle
Team: Injustice League
Range: 6
Points: 72
Keywords: Injustice Society

8 9 17 2

8 8 16 2

7 8 16 2

7 8 15 1

6 7 15 1

6 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

(Defense) Copcicles: Icicle can use Barrier. When three or more barrier terrain markers placed by Icicle using Barrier are adjacent to a target opposing character with zero or one action token, given that target an action token.
(Damage) Not a Nice Guy: Icicle can use Mastermind.
Barrier's biggest weakness is that it uses up an opportunity to attack. But when it instead becomes a way to attack without making an attack roll, Barrier quickly becomes incredibly powerful. That's where Icicle chose to start breaking ground. Copsicles lets him push opponents while he traps them, making it easy to deal damage to characters way above his attack capabilities. Lock down that Speedster and take a piece out of him at the same time! For most Barrier pieces, using the power aggressively makes them very vulnerable. But Icicle has Mastermind too, letting him shift attacks off onto less useful pieces. He almost had to be this good, because with his lame visual dynamic and C-list villain status, no one would consider him otherwise.


ha037 V Songbird
Team: Avengers
Range: 8
Points: 83
Keywords: Celebrity, Masters of Evil, Thunderbolts

10 10 16 2

10 9 16 2

10 9 15 2

9 8 15 3

8 8 14 2

7 7 14 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

(Speed) Screaming Mimi: Songbird can us Running Shot and Force Blast.
(Damage) Punch Through!: Songbird can use Barrier. Each time Songbird places a blocking terrain marker and before she places her next, remove all blocking terrain markers placed by other characters adjacent to the marker she just placed.
Songbird is an awesome, underutilized character in Marvel comics. And despite 4 very usable clix interpretations, she doesn't show up on most people's radar. When it comes to Barrier, however, Songbird is a girl you want to meet. Songbird's Punch Through will not only win out against opposing barriers, but was (up until a recent errata) one of the only ways to take down a Structural Integrity Field team. Melissa takes board control to a new level, removing opponents' efforts to do so while asserting your own attack-blocking tactics. Granted, in the current gaming environment you may never disassemble an opponent's wall. But Songbird offers enough other abilities to switch roles as needed. As higher-cost Barrier figures go, Songbird offers something unique.


bb050 E Fire and Ice
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 8
Points: 131
Keywords: Checkmate, Global Guardians, Justice League International, Super Buddies

10 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 9 17 3

8 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 16 1

7 8 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Defense) Freeze'r Burn: Fire and Ice can use Barrier, Poison, and Toughness. When this figure uses Poison, it may treat all opposing figures which ended the previous turn adjacent to one of Fire and Ice's blocking terrain markers as adjacent.
Ordinarily, Poison on ranged figures is meant to be seen and not used. That whole adjacency element doesn't mix well with the ranged combat mantra. But what if you could Poison a figure without having to base them? Well, then you'd be Fire and Ice, one of the most playable Duo figures to date. At their cost, they need the Poison Barrier to make the cost of an action worth paying, which is why Fire and Ice are one of two in their weight class to make this list.


wm022 E Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan
Team: Watchmen
Range: 8
Points: 150
Keywords:

12 10 18 2

11 9 17 2

10 10 16 2

9 11 16 2

8 11 16 2

8 10 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 15 2

7 8 15 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Speed) You Will Return to Your Homes: After the resolution of an attack by Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan using the Duo Attack ability, you may place any target successfully hit by the attack in a square of unoccupied terrain up to a number of squares away from Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan equal to their speed value.
(Attack) Nice of You to Come on Patrol with Me...: When Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan use the Due Attack abililty, do not modify their damange value by -1 for the second attack.
(Defense) Atomic Fabrication: Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan can use Barrier and Super Senses. Once per turn, they can use Barrier as a free action, but can only place two blocking terrain markers.
I never thought a list of Heroclix would get to include either of these characters, but it's my honor to speculate that this duo will become known for their Barrier. A small group of figures can claim the ability to use Barrier as a free action, and among those only Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan can do so reliably and without meeting certain criteria. Time will tell, but this odd couple has all the makings of a stand-out Barrier builder.

That does it for this week! Chime in with your favorites, your discredits for those above, and your best Barrier tactics! Then come back next week for another Best Of!

Nice work, Saturnflight!

That George Tarleton figure has always been a fun one.
I think I traded him away.
Ah well.

My favourite Barrier fig in the game is V Trapster, though I still call him Paste-Pot Pete. Mobile, versatile, high defense on hindering terrain.
And always ignored.
And kind of silly.
Sounds like my perfect storm for a figure.



sn015 V Trapster
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 8
Points: 59
Keywords: Frightful Four, Scientist

8 9 17 2

8 8 16 2

7 8 16 2

7 8 15 1

6 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

There is already a figure that can use barrier as a free action like Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan.


aa028 E Arkillo
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 8
Points: 126
Keywords: Brute, Sinestro Corps

8 9 18 3

8 9 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

6 10 17 3

6 9 16 3

6 9 16 3

5 9 15 4

5 8 15 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Speed) Hungry For Battle: Arkillo can use Charge and Flurry.

(Defense) Outta My Face: Arkillo can use Toughness. Once per turn, Arkillo can use Barrier (as if he had a range of 4) as a free action, but he can place only up to two blocking terrain markers.

Arkillo could be seen as a charge or flurry piece but then again, SS&Dr.M's focus seems to be on their board controlling duo attack special power. I would say Arkillo is the best at barrier because not only can he use it as a free action when he gets it, he isn't defenseless by any measure and has some staying power with those clicks of his special and flurry/steal energy.

I know about Arkillo (definitely Flurry first and foremost), and I know about Grodd (following a Force Blast). I think that SS&DM have nothing else competing for the attention to Barrier; they have 5 clicks of the power; they still open with Barrier; and they can still make their board-controlling attacks.

Yeah Arkillo should have been mentinoed. He is awesome.

Booster Gold rookie is my favourite Barrier-user.

George T is a great Barrier piece and I think he was the first LE I ever won from Marvel.

I like Rookie Raven from Icons.
8 Range
54 points
Barrier on first 2 Clicks (so you can push and not loose Barrier)
Prob Control
Support (useful for her whole dial)
regen
Phasing: need to get into position don't you

One important aspect you mention is that the Barrier piece doesn't need to protect themselves too much. With Prob Control and regen Raven can take care of herself a little bit.
She is useful her whole dial which make a figure important for me.

Glad to see Songbird made a list. She needs some more time in the spot light.

I know that people will try to throw digital tomatoes at me for saying this, but I think that Big Barda and Mr. Miracle's "Miracle Constructs" is pretty clever and could have been an honorable mention. Yeah they botched the dial pretty bad but the special power is still pretty sweet.

My favourite figure.

BB&MM's issue is in how inaccessible that special is; placed poorly for a relatively short length of the dial.

Excellent article. Almost every team I ever made had a Barrier piece on it, to the point that the people I played regularly were caught off guard if I left it out. Very often it was either E Blizzard or E Pyro, depending on how many points I had to spend. I never got much use out of R Pyro because Barrier is really all he could do. For 8 more points, you got an 8 AV (minimum AV for any piece to be useful IMO), 17 Def (almost impossible to hit late game when everyone used to drop off late dial), and two targets for your EE.
Either R Raven was a great option too, but her usefulness in other areas made it hard to do full time barrier with her, plus being a healer she was a bit more of a target.

barrier makes it to most of my team makn, sometimes a stall is what u need to get into position at the right moment. i also dig fc construct. make sticky barriers

Raven. Push to put up barriers. Heal you friends. Heal yourself. Wash - rinse - repeat. Blizzard is awesome. Avalanche is what I have though, so Avalanche is what I use.