It's Prime Time!

Despite the stated random nature of mutation in the Marvel Universe, there seems to be an unwritten rule that, if mutants are related, their powers will be related as well. Cyclops and Havok both fire energy blasts (that, incidentally, counteract each other); Nocturne blends Nightcrawler's powers with Scarlet Witch's; and Feral and Thornn are pretty much just two copies of the same cat girl. True to their limited character distinctions, the HeroClix versions of Feral and Thornn are extremely alike. How do you decide which one to use?

Prime Time is a bi-weekly focus on the most exclusive members of any team. How does the A-side compare to the B-side? Should you track down both? Just how well does that Prime justify the green ring? The answers are all inside.

First, a few comments from the writer. Prime Time has been seeing inconsistent publication because I've been too busy outside of HCRealms. My apologies to those of you who look forward to this series. I'm trying to get it back on track, but I can't make any promises.

In my last article, I implied I'd be reviewing Manhunter. I have tried to maintain a DC->Marvel rotation, but found that one reason I was pushing off the next review was because I didn't have anything to say about the generic Manhunter. So I'm skipping that one, and diving into our latest set instead.

I'm looking for feedback on this article series, and if there are any ways to improve it: additional statistics, a different form of evaluation, a formal points system, a team build suggestion. If you have any thoughts, please comment below.

Thanks for reading! Let's get on with it!

Feral and her sister Thornn are a pair of Liefeld creations with ties to the X-Force comics (it was painful for me to have to use so much of his art in this write-up, but very few writers have done anything with these girls since). Rare additions to the Morlock keyword, the Callasantos sisters meet this set's quota for feline females (Tigra, you can sit this one out) with the traditional dial design that role brings. In a set already full of Charge and Blades and Liefeld creations, it's easy to overlook them, even with a green ring to draw your attention to Thornn. Do they deserve another look?

Besides their similarities in powers, the Callasantos sisters also have nearly identical stats and largely similar power layouts. Also, while Thornn doesn't Charge or ignore characters for movement, her Sidestep and special movement power can often achieve the same effect.

Let's talk keywords for a moment here, because this is an instance where they make all the difference. First, the elephant in the room: Feral probably should have gotten that MLF keyword, while Thornn would have quickly found a home if she'd been given the appropriate Brotherhood of Mutants keyword. When we're looking at a 50-60 point figure, we're not building a team around them, which makes their keywords one of their best assets. Feral and Thornn don't stand out much with the Animal crowd (though Thornn is far from a weak pick for such a team). In contrast, the small roster of available Morlocks makes both of these look essential. The Mutant Liberation Front is hardly a team.

Feral has a big keyword advantage simply because she has X-Force, which has a heavy presence in the latest Deadpool set. In true Liefeld fashion, X-Force is a team with a lot of guns, so a cheap melee piece has strategic value. For those who use Additional Team Abilities, this gives Feral another form of improved movement as well.

A-Sides: Feral
Unique Keywords: 1
Point Allocation: 20%
Role: Tertiary Attacker and Tie-Up
Reason for Use: Defense penetration, damage output above her pay grade, distraction



So where do my allegiances lie in this sister rivalry? Feral has more relevancy in the current Clic climate, thanks to her X-Force keyword. Her best abilities are up front (Charge/Precision Strike/Exploit Weakness) or a push away (Flurry/Precision Strike). And the has the X-Men team ability to support a friend, should her expertise become unnecessary. Despite all this, I'm bothered by her inefficiencies, and feel like those extra 10 points over Thornn really break the bank. Thornn isn't flashy as Primes go, but she does have an absurd survival rating, thanks to Shape Change that, mid-dial, works 66% of the time. While Feral pushes to her ideal click and hopes to avoid retaliation, Thornn is likely to land on hers after taking a hit, leaving her in position to use it immediately. Thornn is significantly hindered by her keywords, but in my eyes, she's a likely candidate for inclusion on any of them, whereas Feral struggles to make the cut on my X-Force builds. Thornn takes this one by a radical 80s hair.

Thornn is all alone as a Prime in the Modern Age animal kingdom, and represents the first Prime for both Morlocks and Mutant Liberation Front. If we expand our view to Golden Age, Thornn encounters a bit of resistance...

Animal
Alyosha Kraven might be one of the most beloved Primes in the game. Appearing in the second batch of the new green-ringed power pieces, Alyosha defines any Animal team he joins, pushing them from a casual Timmy team to a potential tournament sweeper. Thornn just can't compete with that (though she'd love to get a Prime exemption and join him!)
Kraven

Cheetah was our first Prime cat-girl, and she took a different route to differentiate herself: while Thornn went low, Cheetah went high. I wouldn't say she isn't worth her 90 point price tag, but it's hard to justify spending that much on a character with so many conditions on their powers. She can Leap/Climb into an attack, but can't use her Exploit Weakness, but can use her Blades. She has 19 defense, but only up close, and can Shape Change out of attacks, sometimes. And when she gets hurt, she can use Outwit, but only on double-tokened enemies, and Poison them, if she got rid of their damage reducers... Just give me Thornn's Flurry/Blades already!
Thornn

That's all for this week! Next time, I'll try to evaluate a DC Prime (I'm open to Modern Age suggestions!)

I suggest Manhunter/Manhunter for the next article.

I'm going to assume you're joking, because this:

If you're not joking, I don't like you.

Another good take on the Prime Time! For a Liefeld thesis on "how to make catgirls more alluring to fanboys in the 90s", I'd say Feral and Thornn have a pretty solid Clix outing behind them. I still need to acquire Thornn to abuse that Better Alone power ;-;

Unfortunately, there's a lot to say about Manhunter for the Suicide Squad, but not much to say for the generic...which is unfortunate. Other Primes of generics have had more to do with their connection, but Manhunter's is a rather literal "in name only" connection. It makes for a dilemma when talking about them.

Fun article as always. I'd come into it with the opposite opinion from the conclusion you drew, but I think you've swayed me to your case. These Prime Times are a treat to me- not an essential part of my HCRealms diet, since by the time they drop I've usually decided that I do or don't need a given figure. More often they cause me to take another look at an A-Side I'd cast aside...

That said, I'm always interested in a team-build suggestion, if only to have something to put a spin on in the comments.

Thornn is definitely the best Animal-based Prime, in my opinion. Both her and Feral are excellent, and the most efficient melee "cattackers" in their class.

I like Feral better, overall. An extra 10 points isn't that much to pay for an TA (X-Men) and Improved Movement (no need for the Uncanny ATA). In a cat lady "free for all," she can best all other feline fatales thanks to top-dial PS.

Soooo.... Much..... Liefield........ Art........

...well s**t, I should really read the intro more thoroughly.

April 1st, couldn't be sure...

At least there's slightly-well-done feet.

Thanks for the article. Even beyond the kw snafu, the flavor of thornn's dial far better matches feral. They really got these two mixed up something fierce
What baffles me is that there was a far more interesting a-dial candidate, a perfectly good, unclixed character that shares the exact same costume and name as the generic chosen and would've fit in with the jsa thanks to the all star squadron . Then again, given how jw turned out, he's better off waiting for a later debut

As to Thorn's keyword issue... well, I grant that this one's an almost given cop-out, and not everyone's gonna have access... BUT... 062 Magneto has PLENTY of room for her on any X-Men squad he's part of, just as that means to attach a keyword, forge theme, and well... you know.

Great article, as always. I had not been very excited for Thornn, but pulled her in my case, so now that I have more info on her, I might be more ready to consider her for a team soon. Suggested builds would be nice for those that drive builds or have few options. I would suggest Deadpool DXF 001a and Dreadpool for the next article, but I know how much you dislike Deadpool, lol. So I will suggest Flash/Rival, Joker Thug /Anarky, Captainarvel/Dr Minerva, or Brotherhood Magneto/ Age of X Magneto.