Voices From the Field:

You’ve all been waiting for it. You’ve all been yearning for it. Now the time has come. We are going to delve into the new and unexplored 300pt Modern Age metagame. With the new Watchlist Rules and new sets, this is an exciting time for the format. It is largely unknown because there has not been a major high-level event with this format in quite some time. Well, that is about to change. In a few, the best players on the West Coast will gather for a day of fun and competitive Heroclix, and we get to see what the best teams, pieces, and strategies in the format will be. But first, we will take an advanced look at what we can expect to see come Saturday, December 7th.

With four different Resources to choose from, the options are endless in how to build your team. Gone are the days of just throwing some figure and slapping on the Gauntlet. Now, you have to actually think about your team and see just which Resource is right for you. I expect almost everyone to be using a Resource of some sort, with the remaining few opting for Team Bases, solely. Below is a sample of possible archetypes we could see at the Main Event.

Infinity Gauntlet (Tentpoles): Count Nefaria, Absorbing Man LE, M10 Iron Man, Malekith

It’s definitely possible that people take the chance and run tent-pole IG teams. The top 4, in my opinion, are above. Obviously, teams like these are going to be a high-risk, high-reward gamble as you are putting all of your eggs into one basket, so to speak. Getting out-actioned is a real threat, but if you don’t miss a crucial attack, or roll that Time Gem at the right time, these tent-poles could really be real contenders.


Count Nefaria benefits immensely from the Gauntlet as he will have Willpower and his powers and abilities won’t be countered. Invincible will make it really hard to deal massive damage to him, along with his 11-click dial; the Soul Gem will be his best friend, as he will use it to keep him on his HSS clicks, as well as that insane third click. Did I mention he has that amazing Trait that prevents him from taking any damage once per game? Needless to say, he will be a tough one to crack, especially since he can use the Space Gem to get out of harm’s way while ticking up that Gauntlet. He has some great attack and damage values and a great power set that change in each of his “phases.” The back end is particularly brutal when used with the Soul Gem as he will have Charge and Flurry to heal back to his HSS clicks.

While Count Nefaria will be taking up almost all of your points, Absorbing Man LE with the Gauntlet will only absorb (sorry for that) less than 2/3 of your team. The obvious benefit is that he will have Willpower so he won’t take that pushing damage. His defensive power is probably the best in the game. Not being able to ignore or counter it means that you really have to get lucky. Characters essentially have a 1/6 chance of even damaging him. By the same token, the Soul Gem won’t be nearly as effective here as he will also have a 1/6 chance of healing clicks. The stats aren’t that impressive, but with the right object on his card and getting to Level 2 or Level 3 on the Gauntlet will more than make up for that. He will also have the Time Gem to help in protecting him from taking damage in the first place. Since you will also have about 100 points left, you have to think about what you could fill out the team with. These could range from secondary attacker, or just pieces that disrupt other strategies like Aldrich Killian, or Brother Voodoo, or even a Barrier team. The worst thing, however (if you are playing Absorbing Man), is you rolling that “5” after getting hit for 5-clicks of damage on the first attack.

The quintessential tent-pole with Gauntlet is M10 Iron Man. I’m talking about BIG Iron Man, the 225pt version. An easy pair with him is Aldrich Killian, who can disrupt opposing ATAs as well as provide cover (Barrier) and healing (Support) in case Iron Man gets hit. Since his Trait will most likely disrupt over 90% of the field (I suspect), you can put him out there with relative security that he will survive. The Pulse Wave/Energy Explosion combination means he can deal some serious damage and the IG means his powers and abilities are safe from being countered. Of course, the problem is if he runs into another M10 Iron Man without a Resource or Relic... that will be a quick game.


Malekith poses one of the few threats in the format against Absorbing Man. Not being able to use his amazing Defensive Power means that he is an overcosted/low stat figure. Malekith is a more finesse piece as he only has 7 clicks of life, so managing his health a huge task. Invincible helps, but getting out-actioned is his number one weakness, since he can go down quite fast. Still, his great offensive stats and powers means he can really bring the pain.

There are a slew of different options for Belt teams, but these are just a few I believe we will see. With the addition of the 8 Con LE belt items, the Belt just got stronger. Of course, availability and cost are a factor in playing optimal Belt teams, but at a high-level event, you should expect the players to have all the necessary pieces. The main 3 items that really gave Belt teams a boost are Nightvision Goggles, Med Kit, and Kryptonite Ring. Stealth teams can no longer hide against Belt teams and Kryptonian/Superman Ally teams just become obsolete. Add to that the fact that Belt teams can have healing without a dedicated healer (ie Donald Blake), to free up points nonetheless, and I believe that Belt teams are the ones to beat in the format. Batman’s Utility Belt really DOES have all the answers!

The old stalwarts are Catwoman and Iron Man teams. These are basically your standard anti-Resource teams. Iron Man can be run in pairs (one having the Belt, the other not) to deal with opposing Iron Man teams and Catwoman can be run in a variety of teams, especially the teams that run the GCPD ATA. There are too many different approaches to these types of teams, but one thing is certain: they are there to be the “silver bullet” in the format.

DC10 Lex Luthor is a relatively newer piece added to the metagame, ever since George Massu unveiled his team at the Modern Age Worlds. The old strategy was to copy/abuse the GCPD ATA so that Lex never gets an action token while being “permanently” on a +2 to stats click. That doesn’t really hold up anymore because you have to roll the Belt after any kind of attack made, whether it was a free attack or not, but the fact that you can keep Lex protected by the GCPD Cycles and available for other actions is still a threat.

An old strategy came back with the recent Wolverine and the X-Men set, albeit with a new look and feel. Fantomex is the best imitation of the old Professor X teams made famous by Roland Wellington (first ever Open Series $1K) and Stephen Plasco (Dexcon). With added firepower and mobility, Fantomex with the Belt really becomes a serious contender. He has a great dial, great combat values, and a cool look! However, Fantomex’s biggest problem is dealing with Stealth, something that Nightvision Goggles deals with quite nicely in this situation. He also can just stay back and can be protected by Barriers, while EVA goes out there and does the real damage. Look for Fantomex variants (even some with Shatterstar for alpha strike capabilities) to be a big player in the tournament.

Belt teams with semi-tentpoles exist in a way, in the form of pieces like Ghost Rider and Big Barda. These are older strategies, and with the new rules kind of “nerfing” their true effectiveness, these big hitters can still deal serious damage, especially when paired with a piece like Bat-Mite. Overall, players might shy away from a toned down Bat-Mite and a toned down Heroes For Hire Ghost Rider, but variations do exist of big hitters such as these.


The quintessential swarm strategy in the format, the Book of the Skull is a skill piece in terms of team-building as well as decision-making on the battlefield. The BoS can really make mediocre pieces into true powerhouses, with a big boost in Attack Values as well as a move and attack ability and other combat ability bonuses. Cheap fodder before are now threats against “larger” pieces and tent-pole teams. When one is KO’d it’s not too bad as the relatively cheap cost means that you aren’t losing too much from your team’s potency at all. The one thing we have to realize when looking at the BoS teams is that is actually a 50 point resource, making it the most expensive resource thus far. This is because you will always include Splitlip on your team to make the strategy work. The main problem with these teams is M10 Iron Man. Since the entire team is assigned the BoS, you have a very slim chance of taking down Iron Man. It’s the chance you take when running something as powerful as this.

There really is no clear cut way to play the BoS, but Ultron is as good a start as any. The first thing that benefits her is that 4 of the hammers will grant her Running Shot to go along with her Penetrating Blast. Next, she can make Ultron Drones or Iron Man Drones to add to your force (at cost to you!), so you can have enough figures on the board to equip all of your hammers. It might seem a bit slow, but in reality; you can have half of your hammers equipped by turn 2 and barely taking a non-free action in the process. This swarm type of strategy greatly maximizes your BoS’s effectiveness because you now have enough figures to utilize the entire BoS and you aren’t taking many actions in doing so. The same strategy can be applied to almost any cheap and efficient pieces like Werewolves, Vampires, and Asgardian Trolls.

Of course, you don’t need to go with a straight swarm team; you can also go with a mid-range team, with 4-5 pieces as opposed to 7-8 (or more). You would only need to equip 3-4 hammers and use the rest for (free) Quake purposes. Some options here are DC10 Blue Beetle, M10 Iron Man, Alyosha Kraven teams, and Mole Man teams. Blue Beetle is cheap enough where you can play 2 of him and a support piece or two, while Iron Man can be used in conjunction with a secondary attacker and a supporting piece. Alyosha/Lizard teams can use the added mobility of the BoS to get to the opponent and start attacking (and spinning the dial) faster. Mole Man teams will also have a bit of a boost as now Mole Man will be able to use Running Shot or Charge granted by the Hammers to use his Mind Control on his own characters. It gives added mobility to his already great power.

Power Plant: IIM Iron Man, Lex Luthor, Hawkeye, Brother Voodoo, any great ranged piece

The new kid on the block still has some secrets. Players have been hard at work trying to find some strategies with the new Resource. It has the same drawback that the BoS does against M10 Iron Man, but has a different strategy as a whole. For one, you can just stay in the back and start equipping rings to your figures whereas the BoS requires you to go out in harm’s way, 5 squares out. Next, the Rings are meant more for ranged combat pieces, especially Sharpshooters. The Power Plant also has the best option for cheap TK, with the Vortex Beam. Even your little bystander token can have TK! Besides cheap TK, the rings can provide temporary boosts in combat or enable an offensively used Outwit. Lastly, all of the rings have some amazing powers that just scream abuse, with the Disintegration Ring being a catch all against other Resources (if you’re lucky enough to roll that 10!).


DC10 Lex Luthor works really well with the Power Plant. Once again, you’d need to be able to copy the GCPD ATA to maximize the potential, but with his Special Speed Power, Lex can theoretically not ever “clear” and keep stacking those rings! Of course, that’s putting all of your proverbial eggs in one basket. The more effective approach, in my opinion, is to spread the Rings around and give certain rings to augment the capabilities of characters. This includes having the Electro Blast on a piece like Brother Voodoo so he can have 2 bolts for his Mind Control, Flame Blast on a character with 3 bolts for crazy Energy Explosions, and Matter Rearranger on a powerful ranged figure that can’t deal with Stealth. There are also great supporting powers in the Power Plant, like having the aforementioned cheap TK with the Vortex Beam, Matter Rearranger against Barriers, and Black Light for some Stealth on your own team.


It goes without saying that the format is a wide open format. There are a variety of ways to go about how to build your team and what you are going for. Whether you are using the BoS or the Power Plant, teams still have to have a plan. Here are some of the expected strategies:

Fantomex variants/Barrier teams

I’ve touched upon this earlier, but Fantomex poses the easiest way to play a “safe” game. This is because he doesn’t have to move out of his starting zone and can strike virtually anywhere on the map. Teams will probably opt for a double-Barrier team to protect him while EVA goes out and does most of the dirty work. Similarly, Barrier teams are also a relatively safe strategy as you are protecting your main attacker(s) from harm until you can get your first attack in (ie, protecting Lex Luthor or Iron Man). Expect to see many forms of this, as well as counter strategies.


Even though we don’t see too many great alpha strike teams nowadays, there are still some out there. Big Barda is still a viable option, along with maybe a piece like War Machine Prime. A piece like IIM Iron Man can do pseudo alpha strike because he ignores blocking and hindering terrain. All it takes is a TK piece to get Iron Man into position and fire away. He deals high damage and has Precision Strike to deal with Super Senses pieces (like Brother Voodoo).

Team Bases

In this format, Team Bases aren’t as strong as before, but are still a threat. It would seem that Justice League is good again, but the fact that Kryptonite Ring exists means that you are taking a huge risk if you opt for the JLTB. X-Men Blue is still a beast in this format. They probably have the best Solo Adventure pieces, and adding any one (or two) pieces to your force the first couple of turns greatly increases effectiveness, not to mention the best trait: X-Cutioner Song! New Mutants is still strong, and the 100pt version just got better with the new rules. Add Sunspot to the mix when they Solo Adventure and you have a Pulse Wave piece that is very difficult to KO. Since they take up so little of your points, you can easily build around them. Hellfire Club isn’t as talked about as much, but at the full value, they are hard to deal with. With a strong first click Asset Dial and Mastermind for when you Solo Adventure Black King(!), Hellfire Club is tough base to deal with, but the low Attack Value means they will have a hard time hitting opposing characters themselves.


M10 Iron Man and DC10 Catwoman might have just gotten a boost in effectiveness, with four different Resources to choose from now. They are the “catch-all” pieces, and it’s a simpler way to deal with the unknown of Resources. The threat of these two brings a bit of balance to the format, but I have a feeling that many players just won’t care and play a Resource anyway, which makes these two pieces that much more effective.


In recent times, swarm teams have not been as viable because of the high point cost figures have been getting. However, there has been a trend that has seen quite a few cheap and effective swarm pieces, ranging from Werewolves, Asgardian Trolls, and even Mage Spawn. The best way to capitalize on these great pieces is using a Resource like the BoS, making these cheap fodders into potent attackers. Like I’ve mentioned before, since you are playing cheap pieces, if one or two go down, it doesn’t hurt too much in your overall strategy.



These are your quintessential heavy hitters and will most likely be paired with Infinity Gauntlet. Malekith, Count Nefaria, and 255pt Hulk (Movie Avengers) are all possible pieces that fit into this strategy. The obvious downfall is that they will most likely get out-actioned in games.

• Silver Centurion - deep dial and an amazing trait; could be a way to deal with M10 Iron Man and still have a Resource
• GCPD Cruiser – with the nerf of the Clear the Streets Trait, players have mostly ignored this piece; it is still an effective piece, just not “broken” anymore
• “Cloak” Iron Man – his trait is one of the toughest to deal with; good offensive values and powers
• Absorbing Man LE – a lot of hype around this guy, but how many will actually take the chance and play him? Only time will tell
• Spiral – even with her trait being almost useless, this is still a great piece; play BoS on her an watch her use her 8 clicks to great use


Now we’ve come to the part that a lot of people have wanted to know. What will people play? Here is a list of pieces that I believe will see the most play and have the most impact on the format:

• GCPD Motorcycle – best cheap transport in the format; has great supporting abilities (Barrier and Police team ability) and an amazing ATA (GCPD)
• Batcycle – best cheap transport next to the GCPD Motorcycle; great in either piloted or autopilot mode; virtual perma-Stealth for your team
• Brother Voodoo – the best combo secondary attacker/support piece in the format; the most disruptive piece to play against, and at an affordable point cost
• CW Scarlet Witch – what else can I say about Switch that hasn’t already been said?
• Enchantress – if you want a secondary attacker/support piece on the cheap, Enchantress is a quick and easy solution; can’t go wrong with either her or Switch (above)
• Skadi’s Warbot – arguably the best cheap secondary attacker; Indomitable, Penetrating Blast, Super Senses and great stats; cheap enough to fit onto almost any team
• Splitlip – with a lot of Book of the Skull expected to be played, this Asgardian is a must for all of those teams, and he also gives Enhancement!
• Fantomex – great stats all throughout the dial, nice mix of powers and hard to hit (Stealth, Shape Change, Super Senses); able to strike from almost anywhere
• Cerise – Amazing secondary attacker for cheap, nice stats; good support powers (Police team ability, Empower, Enhancement)
• Mole Man – so many targets to pair him with; cheap Outwit and a way to give Monsters “multi-attack”

As you can see, most of the top characters are supporting pieces as you can easily fit them into almost any team. It will be interesting to see what the format will bring and if there is something completely new that takes the format by storm! Tune in this weekend to see what the new metagame will be!

Good write up my friend

Not into playing meta 300 myself but I do find it interesting to see what gets played and what wins. Glad it's not all team bases and hired heroes anymore. Nice article! Look forward to reading about the tournament saturday

Very good write up. Covers many of the bases. Maybe I'm crazy, but I am still slightly surprised no one is even mentioning the 60's Batman Villains pieces. Elaborate Deathtrap is ridiculously good.

I'm getting very excited to see how this weekends event plays out!

Dont forget about grunge for anti resource teams... he pimp slaps them off...

Grunge will be great against BoS or Power Plant, but does nothing to resources...

@spawn10: great write-up!

@jragon: am I missing something about Grunge? It seems he affects characters with relics, but a resource is not a relic.

Splitlip and some cheap Armor pieces.
There are a lot of great ones 100 points and under.

What are the cheapest ones with RS and see into Stealth?
Hammer Industries Drone 55 points
RS and PB, Hammer gives him 11 attack, ATA gives 12


And then there is :

Steel 50 pts
Iron Man Mk7 ( Wildcard )
Deathmask ( Wildcard )
Hornet and/or Prodigy ( with Dusk on the sideboard is awesome pairing )
Socialist Red Guardsman 78 points with Enhancement
Ultron at 90 points
Blue Beetle 94
Batman Chase at 83
Lex Luthor ( Wildcard )
even a Black Knight for MOE

There are so many things to do with Armor.

Whatever you think is your biggest meta challenge,
Armor might have something that usually beats it.

Also, a team could come out of nowhere that nobody has seen before
that can mess up a lot of people.

Shatterstar
Doctor Phosphorus
Silver Samurai
Book and Hammers
Splitlip

There are some "good" players who are almost lost
when playing against something they have never seen before.

As always, the dice can be a cruel mistress to anybody.
Even the best player with the best team.

A great article, but I think you have forgotten that the Phoenix Resource
and the Cyclops and Namor Fragments are legal now.

Edit: Corrected by The Atom and spawn10. Thank You guys.

its funny to see this because i was just talking to razzed one about exactly these things in these situations. great minds...