Confused as to which Street Fighter pieces are shining stars, and which suck like a supermassive black hole? Click on Full Story to find out as we focus on the figures available in the new Starter set.

Welcome, one and all, to my series of articles taking an in-depth look at the new Street Fighter HeroClix.

In reviewing these figures, I'm assuming a Golden Age, mixed-universe format. If your venue house rules that Street Fighter figures are Modern Age legal, and you're playing in a Modern Age event, you should be able to simply ignore any comparisons to Golden Age figures and still have something useful to go on. If, on the other hand, you're playing in a Street Fighter-only format, the recommendations change dramatically and you're outside the scope of my articles.

For a primer on the Team Ability please read the Street Fighter vs. Charge article. Here's a quick review:

Street Fighter
Give this character a power action to move up to 3 squares and
then make a close combat attack. Uncopyable.






#101 R Ryu
Team: Street Fighter
Range: 4
Points: 50
Keywords: Martial Artist, Warrior

7 10 16 2

7 10 15 1

7 9 16 1

6 9 15 1

6 9 15 1

6 8 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

Overview
Ryu here has all the right powers, and some respectable numbers for the points to go along with them--all except for one. Unfortunately, that one number is a puny 4 range that makes it all moot. You could remedy that somewhat with an investment of 3 SHIELD pieces--but you probably shouldn't be designing so much of your team around the limitations of a 50 point piece.

Compare to:
In Martial Artists, look at using V Universe/IC Bullseye (43) or V Shi (47) instead. In Warriors, V Shi (47) is again an option, or R Blackfire (48). Out of keyword, Danger Room Storm (40), V Havok (44), and Collateral Damage U Jonah Hex (46) are all likely to outshine him in the role of 40-50 point ranged piece.

Tactics
If you really must use him, try to pair him up with a close combat flyer (like GSX Angel (50) or CA Falcon (79)), base a target with the flyer diagonally and drop Ryu on the straight line so that even a two range would be enough to reach the target. It's often a good general strategy, and Ryu can do it as well as anyone--it's just unfortunate that it's about the only strategy to get decent use out of Ryu's top dial.

Verdict:

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#102 R Blanka
Team: Street Fighter
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: Martial Artist, Monster

8 10 17 2

8 9 17 2

7 10 16 2

7 9 16 1

7 9 15 1

6 8 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

Overview
Plasticity and Poison are a great combo, as is Plasticity with a move-attack power. Unfortunately, Blanka has no way to deal with Invulnerability until click 4, and then only via the unreliable BCF. Armor Piercing would seem to fix this, especially in light of the Poison, but 10 points is a steep investment for a 50 point piece with weak defenses.

Compare to:
In his point range, there are better Poisoners than Blanka--Cheshire (24-44), Viper (33-48), and R Cloak (47). In his point range, there are better Plasticity pieces than Blanka--LE Blanche Stizxnski (48), Ragdoll (46), and GCPD (20). And in his point range, there are many better close combat pieces than Blanka. But in his point range, nobody does all three the way Blanka does, and especially not in his keywords.

Summary
That said, if you're not playing a Monster keyword team, if you can spare the points, and if you don't specifically need to Poison, spring for Karate Kid (63). You'll be glad you did.

Verdict:

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#103 R Dhalsim
Team: Street Fighter
Range: 3
Points: 50
Keywords: Martial Artist, Mystical

9 10 16 2

9 10 16 2

8 10 16 2

8 9 16 1

8 9 15 1

6 8 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

Overview
Dhalsim is in an awkward place. He can only do two things--attack the enemy at very short range/close combat, and block line of fire/tie up. The fact that he can't break Invulnerability on any click means he's not very reliable at the first, regardless of his good attack values. And if you discount that, there are pieces cheaper than him that tie up much better.

Compare to:
In fact, most of the time E Shadow Thief (47), Phantom Girl (40), or R Cloak (47) will do everything Dhalsim does, but better or cheaper. If you don't need to hit anybody, R Ghost (22) or any version of Vanisher (18-25) will do the trick at a substantial discount.

Keyword Edge
If you want to stay in the Martial Artist keyword, consider R Iron Fist (39), R and E Nightcrawler (36-47), or Brave and the Bold Robin (43) as likely superior pieces. If you want to stay in the Mystical keyword, however, there's nobody cheaper who can fill his role. If you're willing to spend more than 50 points, Karnilla (64) or E Iron Fist (55) will considerably outshine him, though.

Verdict:

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#104 R Chun-Li
Team: Street Fighter
Range: 3
Points: 50
Keywords: Martial Artist, Police

8 10 16 2

8 10 16 2

8 10 15 2

8 9 15 2

7 9 15 1

6 8 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

Overview
At first glance Chun-Li looks like a great piece. She knows her role (close combat), her defense is good when she's there, and as long as she's not facing an Invulnerable+ defense, her offense is good. Even that's not as dire as Dhalsim, because while Perplexing Dhalsim's damage to break Invulnerable will generally lead to only 1 total damage, Chun Li's flurry means you can usually count on 2 total damage, and if they lose their damage reducers after the first hit you can get up to 4. Not bad!

Compare to:
The problem begins when you make the obvious comparison to Secret Invasion Spider-man (50) for the same points. Spidey has substantial gains in mobility, defense, damage, and range, with a wildcard to boot. Whoops. So right off the bat we know we won't be using her outside of a keyword team, or else we'd be using Spidey. And if for some reason you can't use Spidey, she's still likely outclassed by Secret Invasion Captain America (49).

Keyword Edge
In Martial Artists, BatB LE Diana Prince (43) has a good leg up on her as well. And when it comes to Police? Here's where she truly shines. Not only is she unchallenged in her role on a Police keyword team, she's one of the best 50 and under pieces with the Police keyword, period.

Summary
So, in the end, she's a #1 choice for one of her keywords, a #2 choice (for her role) for another (and the #1 is an LE that many people may not have), and even out of keyword there's only a couple of pieces that are out and out better than her. That's pretty darn good.

Verdict:

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#105 R Guile
Team: Street Fighter
Range: 4
Points: 50
Keywords: Martial Artist, Soldier

7 10 17 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

6 9 15 2

6 10 15 1

6 8 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

Speed - Flash Kick: Give Guile a power action. Move him up to 1 square and then make a close combat attack with a locked damage value of 1. A hit character receives an action token.

Overview
Guile starts his dial with ok numbers (except range, which is poor), and no powers at all except a special power. Unfortunately, it's awful. First of all, it doesn't work at range, so that's out. Now it's a close combat Incap that lets you move a square beforehand, and does 1 damage.

But wait, there's more (downside)! Since moving is not an optional part of the power, even if you choose to move 0 squares, you'll still have to roll for breakaway or waste your action. Since that's not even close to a good risk in the vast majority of situations, the only time this power is likely to get used at all is if you're not based, and there's an enemy exactly 2 squares away. Even then, you're choosing to trade 1 damage for a token--sometimes a good trade, sometimes not. All in all, you'd be better off with normal Incap, especially since using this special power leaves you based, and... For some reason, after 2 clicks of damage, Guile turns into a ranged combat piece! With his, aforementioned, 4 range. I'm having flashbacks to Ryu. Let's review.

Compare to:
In Martial Artists, look at using V Universe/IC Bullseye (43) or V Shi (47) instead. Out of keyword, Danger Room Storm (40), V Havok (44), and are all likely to outshine him in the role of 40-50 point ranged piece.

Guile trades the Warrior keyword for the Soldier keyword, so that part of the recommendation has to change. Thunderer of Qward (50) and Collateral Damage U Jonah Hex (46) steal his thunder as Soldiers.

Verdict:

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#106 R Ken
Team: Street Fighter
Range: 4
Points: 50
Keywords: Martial Artist, Warrior

7 10 16 2

7 10 15 1

7 9 16 1

6 9 15 1

6 9 15 1

6 8 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

Overview
Ken, like Chun-Li before him, looks pretty good at first glance. He starts out as a very competent close combat piece, and whereas 4 range was a major hindrance on Ryu and Guile, it's pure bonus on Ken. If Ken takes a hit that'd put him on his 4th or 5th click, choose to use the knockback power of Combat Reflexes to get a little distance, then light them up with RCE. Alternatively, if he's not based yet and he gets knocked to those clicks, stay where you're at if they're within range, or if you can get knocked back out of their range, consider doing that so he's not a sitting duck.

Compare to:
In the Warrior keyword, Warlord (50) is the only piece that can come close to Ken's close-combat ability without relying on Minion powers. Above 50, we have Gharskygt (61) or R Black Knight (54) who might outdo him, but not without trade offs.

In the Martial Artist keyword, R Katana (37), The Caped Crusader (50), BatB LE Diana Prince (43), or E Mantis (50) could potentially fill in for him, but none of them out and out beat him. Going up from 50, Shang Chi (58), E Iron Fist (55), Karate Kid (63), Bronze Tiger (60), and Timber Wolf (60) all give him a run for his money--but at a cost.

Ignoring keywords, Ben Reilly (38), She-Thing (50), or V Mockingbird (34) might also get the job done, but again none of them are out and out better than him--mostly due to the Street Fighter TA.

So in every case, Ken may very well be the best piece for your needs. High praise indeed.

Verdict:

Thank you for reading!

Acknowledgments:
SteelMage2000, for his work gathering all of the Street Fighter dials in one place as they were being spoiled.
SimonMoon5, for pointing out how useful Combat Reflexes' optional knockback is for Ken.

I remember reading this a while back. Good read, and I agree with the reviews. Shame about Ryu, even a 6 range would have gone a long way to increasing his playability.

agreed: Ken and Chun Li are both REALLY solid figures; among the better ones from all of Street Fighter even; not just the starter.

And the rest... are dust gatherers. I see a flicker of potential in Blanka but know in my heart I'd never use him. Guile... I WANT to like his special power a bit more (yay semi "stunning blow"), but you're right, and I'd somebody never realized how his power is completely useless if he's based.

Ryu, I wouldn't say is HORRIBLE... I mean, dealing out 4 damage for just 50 points isn't THAT common... but it IS very difficult to pull it off with his 4 range. I'd be generous and give him a 2.

As for Dhalsim... I just don't see any reason whatsoever to use him. The 100 point Dhalsim is one of my favorite SF pieces, but this one... he's just got next to nothing worthwhile going for him when there are SOOOO many truly great pieces out there for the exact same cost.

I thought all of these were not so good, but thanks for showing Ken & Chun Li are good.

good stuff here!
although i think this set specifically doesn't really lend itself well to the world of heroclix. they really do shine more when they're used as just SF characters.

and yea, sorry Ryu, but you are a chump in this set. his RCE makes absolutely no use of his SF TA (which really only comes to play on clix 4&5). Ken on the other hand, rocks the SF TA

again, nicely done and a good read. Thanks tenketsu!

Thanks for the review. Ken is definitely the best figure out of the starter set.

Yeah, I preordered this set for the new rules/pac only to find that I just paid $15 bucks for some paper and 2 useable figs.
Wizkids, I am very in you

When I saw who did this I was "OH NO" but it looks like his opinions have changed since we were discussing it. Only one I would disagree with is Guile because of the Flash Kick ability. I would give him 3 out of 5.

True, the flashkick can be useful if you aren't based. If you play Starter Guile with 95pt Guile they can use their "Incap" type abilities to push someone...possibly to death, but unlikely.

Chun-li is my fav out of the starter because of the flurry possibilities.

Agreed, 100pt Dhalsim is far better; TK and PC are great for SF only format. Toss in his super senses and phasing/teleport and he is great for positioning others.

The figures just decorate my game shelf, but it comes with an actual rule book and powers card. Since I had long since lost mine this was the sole reason I bought it!

So how do the maps and extras look? A new rulebook is good. I am really curious about the maps though. I heard they were smaller, but are they good for quick brawls?

The only good piece in the set is Chun Li. They should put 1 really strong charachter, 2 good characther and 3 fillers but in this starter all look like fillers.

Here's my full top 10 from Street Fighter (from my top 10/20 of each set thread), though it needs update as at the time I'd somehow overlooked chase Cammi, and my #1 pick of Chase Blanka has royally disappointed me after thoroughly testing him out. But this shows starter Chun Li AND Ken both placing. And Akuma needs to move up also.

STREET FIGHTER (Gravity Feed & Starter)

10. Evil Ryu What can I say; I love those 4 straight top clicks. Stealth, 3DaV, perplex, solid AV and a range attack all combine to make him a pretty nasty and VERY annoying piece. 6 range is easy enough o keep out of though; so you'll have to have a taxi or TK piece on board who can bring him close enough to use his SF-TA to “charge” people who are playing keep away. At 170 points he's a hefty investment for being a piece with such problems (easily avoided, top-out 17DV), but bear in mind he DOES have 4 top clicks of stealth that can be great protection in conjunction with invulnerability, PLUS a full dial of “charge”. After the top 4 clicks he's still a solid threat (especially within SF-only games), but too easily taken down. Make the most out of his special power and plasticity/poison on those last 4 clicks if you wind up there... but ultimately, play to his strengths and keep him on those top 4 clicks as long as possible; doing as much as you can with stealthy range attacks. BEWARE OF NIGHTCRAWLER.
9. E. Honda I've become a sucker for flurry, and E. Honda sports 3 clicks of it (one top dial with the key 3DaV), plus 3 clicks of UBER flurry where he can make THREE attacks. After the top click he can only flurry OR uber flurry for 2DaV, but with a bit of friendly perplex boosting his DaV, he could potentially become quite brutal; especialy while using “Super Killer Head Ram”. He's a bit difficult to pull off as the uber flurry can only be used while he's got no action tokens and your opponents will avoid basing him (especially since he's easily taken down from range). So unfortunately, he's a piece you really have to go out of your way to build around in order to get much out of him outside of SF-only games. I'm pretty sure it could pay off sometimes though (in casual play mostly...). Finally, even without perplex or armor piercing to make his after-top-click damage stick, he could still be a terror at wiping out your opponent's support pieces.
8. Dee Jay He really doesn't look like much at first, but on close inspection one notices just how stable this piece's AV and damage output are. For just 75 points he's a solid tie-up piece who also sports a nasty bite with 3 straight clicks of CCE followed by 3 of Exploit Weakness. L/C or SF-TA get him into adjacency where he can tie pieces up and clear, hoping super senses will keep him safe; and if senses don't allow him to dodge, he'll survive and still be a significant threat even if he got whallopped for 4-5 damage, so long as it doesn't knock him back out of adjacency. Or you could do that same thing but NOT just wait to clear; you could push him. He's quite pushable with DV that hangs around at 9 or 10 for 3 clicks each; all of which able to bust invulnerability. He's nothing too fancy but actually surprisingly efficient. Don't forget the 3 range; he can bust invulnerability from range on click 4 (surprise!).
7. Akuma This piece will dominate in SF-only games, and will be alright in clix proper. His damage output is nice enough, though actually a bit on the low side for a massive 170 points. I like the top clicks' combo of invulnerability and shape change (plus its return on click 5), and absolutely LOVE the sneak attack teleport potential in “Goshoryuken”, but double power actiona are a bit awkward. If you can pull it off, do it; but don't plan your actions on clicks leading up to that power around it. Make the most of his running shot or charge with 4DaV, and certainly also out of his 3DaV with RCE or CCE. I like his “Judge Death” style dial rerun with 2 similar iterations of the same themes throughout the dial. He's got a great deal of damage potential, but I'd ultimately be just a tad nervous to run him competitively as he's just a tad weak for the better part of 200 points; especially with topping out at 17DV.
6. Fei Long There's a great deal I like here. Top dial 3DaV flurry; 3 clicks of quake that have the option to deal 1 penetrating damage to all targets rather than 2 regular, solid AV (4 clicks of 10 or better), solid tie-up potential, and that handy “Block” trait (which can make him an even better tie-up piece). For 75 points this is a pretty nice package. Get him into adjacency ASAP (easily done between the SF-TA and 3 clicks of L/C) and start tying up and beating things up. Don't hesitate to push off the top click; you're losing his best damage but he's still viable all down the dial. Click 7's combo of L/C and special Quake with 10AV and willpower could prove somewhat brutal.
5. Vega This piece is a lot more imposing than he looks at first glance. Not that he's non-theatening looking, with 5 straight clicks of BCF. But BCF can be unrelaible, and at 80 points that can be a problem. Vega's worth the risk. His full dial is great tie-up with every click sporting a great way of getting in and out of adjacency (SF-TA, 5 clicks of L/C, 2 of HSS), decent defense values with a full dial of defense powers in 4 clicks of combat reflexes and 3 of super senses, PLUS the “Block” trait boosting his already solid defense. Get him into adjacency and clear on click 1 and he's got a 19DV up close until he attacks; and he can take his time in doing so. But once he does; it should by all means hurt. Vega has the potential to bust invulnerability on every click with either BCF or exploit weakness, and his AV is reliable and strong all the way down; his top dial's 11AV being among the highest in SF-clix (certainly the most cost effective piece with it, at least). He's expensive for tie-up, but he does it REALLY well, and has solid damage output all the while, whereas most modern tie-ups have decent damage potential for 2-3 clicks but flounder for the 2nd half of their dial.
4. Ken #106 / Starter Like the starter Chun Li, Ken is also a solid 50 point piece worth considering use within his keywords outside of Street Fighter games, who sports solid damage output AND tie-up means. Unlike Chun-Li, he can be a bigger threat against people with damage reducers thanks to CCE, but he's also less stable as he drops to 16DV on click 2 and loses the 10AV faster. SF Starter Ken and Chun Li are necka nd neck for who is the better choice as they are tied in cost and are both solid, but all things considered I find myself prefering Chun-Li just a bit. Still, Ken is quite good and is quite pushable as his damage output doesn't really flag; though he does shift from close combat to range combat prowess. Luckily, he deals out enough damage to perhaps kill a piece he's based by, pushing in doing so, only to enjoy range powers once he's free from being based and has cleared.
3. Chun Li #104 / Starter For just 50 points, this is a pretty strong figure on multiple fronts. With 5 clicks of combat reflexes (the top 2 with 16DV for 18DV total in close combat), she's strong tie-up; especially since her TA helps her get right into combat. She's also cheap and efficient abuse against your opponent's pieces who don't sport damage reducers thanks to her 3 straight top clicks of 10AV and flurry with 2DaV. She's surprisingly brutal and quite pushable for the cost. Definitely worth consideration outside of Street Fighter-only games within her keywords. Could be a BEAST with a little friendly perplex boosting her damage output.
2. Dhalsim #004 For 100 points, this piece possesses a handy toolbox of utility powers for his themes and could be a major asset to a non SF-only team. His dial's length plus abundance of super senses make him not TOO vulnerable for the cost; especially since he's designed to hang back in the early game and boost your other pieces by throwing them around with TK and helping them to reroll their failed attacks (and dodge successful attacks). If needed, he's also got invulnerabilyt-busting 3DaV on those top 2 clicks. Don't go out of your way to throw him into combat so soon, but if you must; there it is. And after those top 2 clicks, he's a strong combatant once he gets into the fray (quite doable with phasing on click 3 and the SF TA), thanks to 3 straight clicks of exploit weakness. His last 2 clicks are a bit weak, but one of them brings back prob and both sport phasing so he can get away to a healer, or to just deny your opponent victory points. All around, this piece's combination of strong top dial utility and decent top through mid dial damage output make him a very well rounded piece that I'm sure will see some use outside of SF games.
1. Blanka #003B / Chase / Mirror This piece is pretty darn awesome. Whereas the other “mirror” chases are great within SF-only games, this one can actually bring significant fear to the table in a larger-scale game. The others are decent enough for their points but are ultimately too fragile or just don't really sport high enough damage output for their costs. Blanka is an exception and is a terror, with his 6 total clicks of BCF (the top 4 with charge and the bottom 2 with exploit weakness); ALL WITH WILLPOWER. Willpower + BCF can be sick if the dice don't betray you. This is, flat out, a very well designed piece with his full dial of move-and-attack, lots of damage reduction, means to bust invulnerability on all clicks, reliable/stable AV, and all for under 150 points. Though he'd play very nicely at 157 with Vampirism tacked on. Or at 155 with armor piercing to maximize on the poison and to hedge bets on BCF to make sure your 1-damage rolls still stick. Grant him a bit of range cover fire (readily available now within Martial Artists) and go to town. I'm going to wind up buying some more of this set just in the hopes of getting this guy and will try to not complain too much when I pull a different mirror chase instead.

HONORABLE MENTION

M. Bison I want to like this piece more, but I just can't. In SF-only games he will DOMINTATE. In clix proper... not so much. For the better part of 200 points, he's just not overly impressive and has too many counterintuitive aspects to his dial that turn into massive point sinks. His top 2 clicks are impressive enough with outwit and high damage to take away targets' damage reducers before he does a hit-and-run attack, but after that... he's a massive waste of points. “Nightmare Booster” is clever and handy with its means to deal penetrating damage to multiple targets without needing to roll for it, but its being a double power action makes it really awkward to pull off as the odds of having zero action tokens once he lands on it after taking damage is pretty slim, and even when he does get to use it, it's pushing him through his mastermind clicks; which are his only salvation from certain doom. PLUS, if he's based, he has to roll to break away to use Nightmare Booster; so it's easily shut down. I love the top 2 clicks, but Rookie Shazam from Origins can do more damage thanks to super strength for 75 points less (sure he's got an activation click, but it's worth it). After the top 2 clicks, there's nothing to him to justify his hugely bloated cost. Nightmare Booster is some justification, but it's too hard to pull off, too risky more often than not, and easily shut down. After Nightmare Booster he's got flurry for 2 or 3 DaV, some poison, some CCE... hardly impressive for the cost. 180 should get you more damage output, more reliability, more lots of things. Still, when I'm buying some more hoping for a Blanka chase, I'd be happy to have one of these just to have one... I'd surely try him out in causal play eventually.

I actually have Blanka as My MEtron Killer in Golden Age Games:

Blanka+Armor Piercing and Protected...totally worth it