DEEP DISH THEMES:
BY THE SLICE:

ORIGIN: Once the servant of the being known as Shuma-Gorath, Nightmare realized that his power was far too great for him to be a mere servant. When he noticed this, he escaped Shuma-Gorath by diving into the Splinter Dimension known as the Dream Dimension. Once there, Nightmare took over the dimension and grew increasingly in power with every Nightmare he cast into a mortal mind. Without knowing, Nightmare soon became dependent on the fear he caused, and soon after he required fear to live.



PROS: Holy Sh*t-snacks! Is that a 14 attack on this guy? You bet it is! I love bringing this guy out of retirement every now and again just to hear phrases like the one above. I remember just starting to play this game when it was brand new and it took me FOREVER to get this figure. I wanted him really badly, too. There were only four figures in the GAME at that point that even had Enhancement, and three of them were just the REV of Dr. Strange. Nightmare was the ONLY one to have it top-dial, and he has it for a good long while after that as well! The other straws in his cap include a VERY long dial that has some impressive damage reducers at the top of it and stats that (At least at the time) were impressive and hard to crack (While he didn't have trouble at all with that opening attack). His defense does dip down quite low by today's standards, but at the time his 14 defense that he ended up with at the end of his dial had a fair chance at the end game attack values that you'd see sometimes that could be between 4-8 (yes, seriously). So while there is a lot of rust on this dial now, he was kind of a beast back in the day.

CONS: He always has and still does seem to be far overcosted to me. It has long been believed that Incapacitate was a costly power, and having a very high attack was believed to only add to the cost of the figure. Well, this figure still holds the record as being one of the highest opening attacks of a single based figure ever and his dial is LOUSY with Incapacitate, so it only stands to reason that he would cost as much as he does, but at the same time, even after Incapacitate has undergone some changes and improvements over the years, I still would be far less likely to use that power over going for straight damage with him. While I'm on the subject of damage, though...only a three? That's the highest it goes? If he had ANYTHING else going for him like Penetrating/Psychic Blast (Which wasn't a power back then) or Mind Control, I could see him maybe costing that many points and having only a three base damage, but without them, I'm usually at a loss as to why to play him. Don't even get me started on the zero range...

Other Players' Comments/Reviews: Using the Inline dial system, just click on the word bubble next to the character's name and it will take you to the units section comments!


*110 Point dial begins on Click #4

PROS: This was such a long overdue and needed remake it wasn't even funny. It had been since the very first HeroClix set ever that they had made Nightmare and he wasn't exactly all that he could be. THIS version really changed that, though. He is playable at both 217 and 110 points, and you really get a lot out of him no matter what points you play him at. He has two traits and an attack special power at his disposal which only adds to the awesome powers he already wields like Outwit, Probability Control, and Pulse Wave. His first trait, called MY NIGHTMARE - OR YOURS? is reason enough to play him as it is. Want to go first in a game? Chances are, you'll be able to if you play him. The trait says: If an opponent wins the roll to determine the first player and does not choose Nightmare's controller to be the first player, characters on that opponent's force modify their attack value by -1 as long as Nightmare is on the map. There is only one other figure in the game that I know of that does this and it's the Kyle Rayner Parallax from the War of Light set. Nightmare here can do it at both point costs and does it for cheaper than Kyle either way. His other trait, called FEED ON YOUR FEAR AND DESPAIR allows him to mitigate the lack of damage reducers by allowing him to heal occasionally...even more if playing an opponent who is prone to a lot of pushing. It says: Once per turn, when an opposing character takes pushing damage, you may heal Nightmare 1 click. It's going to keep your opponent thinking twice about pressing the advantage knowing that this beast is getting healthier if they do. Finally, his attack special gives him access to Penetrating/Psychic blast with a twist. He has a very large eight range and it gives him +1 to attack for each action token among targeted characters and he has a printed two lightning bolts. He could get a potential PLUS FOUR to attack (Which would of course cap off at +3). This could give him an effective attack value of FIFTEEN on his top click! Good luck getting out of THAT! He does have access to this special power on his 110 point dial, but it's only for the first click of that dial's life. If you can spare the good chunk of points it takes to play the full dial, I recommend it...however, I've had plenty of good times and good games playing the 110 point dial as well.

CONS: He certainly is capable of healing a lot, but no matter what point total you play him at, it's a LOT of points to invest in a character that is as squishy as this one. I've never played him and NOT gotten my points out of him, but that certainly has to be the exception and not the rule, right? What kind of experience do you all have with him? Did he get wasted as much as it looks like he should? He only has three clicks on his dial that has any kind of damage reduction ability at all and two of them are EASILY blown past at the end of his dial. Clicks #2-6 on just begging for a low cost character with Poison to come base him and not even have to deal with trying to hit his decently high defense stats. There is a metric TON to love about this piece, but it is to be played with caution as it can certainly be a point sink if not guarded or defended properly!

Other Players' Comments/Reviews: Using the Inline dial system, just click on the word bubble next to the character's name and it will take you to the units section comments!

KEYWORD THEMES: (Named Keywords are in bold)

Mystical: I couldn't think of a better MYSTICAL theme team using this character to put together than an Arch Enemies of Dr. Strange team. If only it were one point less, it would actually come out to a 666 point team (Minus the Eclipso) so I guess that would make this team the neighbors of the beast
Given the variable point costs of everybody on this team, you could expand or contract it to fit your needs as well, but I think it might work best at the point cost that I have it set at...I think you'd be living dangerously and courting getting out-actioned playing only three characters at a much higher point cost, though. You could pull it off anywhere from 400 points to 1,600 points.

Force Build 9023885 0
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
ASM	042	Nightmare		217	$6.95
SMWW	055P	Eclipso		25	SELL
WKM	M-G001R	Shuma-Gorath		200	SELL
WKM	M17-G001E	Dormammu		250	SELL
Force Total:				692	$6.95

Psychic: As I've said before in other articles, this keyword is all but dead. The most recent time it was given out was to the Flash set Gorilla Grodd, and I think that might have been a mistake as it is since it had been dead for so long before that. There are some gems in that keyword, though, and with some skilled playing, it can still be a keyword you can get some mileage out of. They may be some aged figures as there is nobody with this keyword that is in Modern Age any longer, but here is what I could come up with.

Force Build 9023885 1
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
IC	142	Nightmare		163	$1.48
FL	056	Gorilla Grodd		175	$16.99
MU	009	Cuckoo		40	$3.99
MU	009	Cuckoo		40	$3.99
MU	009	Cuckoo		40	$3.99
MU	009	Cuckoo		40	$3.99
Force Total:				498	$34.43

Ruler: Got a HUGE game coming up? Maybe something in the neighborhood of 1,600 points? I went through and tried to find anybody that I could that would be viewed as something of a ruler of a demonic/hellish type of dimension. I wouldn't be surprised if I missed somebody in the list, and it could be expanded to WELL beyond the point total that I have here. Hell, (Pun intended), you could add demons, belphagors, and all manner of winged or demonic creatures to this to fill out it's ranks. The legion of the accursed is many in number, and it's coming for you!

Force Build 9023885 2
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
IC	142	Nightmare		163	$1.48
TMT	G001R	Surtur		150	SELL
SFSM	046	Mephisto		130	SELL
SMWW	046	Lord Satanus		155	SELL
SMWW	045	Lady Blaze		145	SELL
SMWW	057	Hades		235	SELL
TT	G001R	Trigon		300	SELL
WKM	M17-G001R	Dormammu		150	SELL
TMT	053A	Hela		150	SELL
Force Total:				1578	$1.48

Monster: I love the concept of Nightmare assaulting you with his horde of Nightmare-inducing creatures! The Undead set was PERFECT for just such a team. I started out with Nightmare (Of course) and then added just a ton of different monsters from that set. I came up with a about 13 points shy so I began looking for something to fill the void. Characters with the monster keyword that are 13 points or less are either old Moloids...or colossal Carnage. Seeing the CLEAR winner here, I decided that gooey space aliens attached to serial killers are far scarier than cave Gollums...so I went with that. I can't say that it is something that would definitely do well, but I can say that it will look 100% awesome, and it'll probably be a BLAST to play.

Force Build 9023885 3
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
ASM	042	Nightmare		217	$6.95
UND	004	Demon		30	SELL
UND	006	Vampire		25	SELL
UND	009	Ghost		30	SELL
UND	019	Frankenstein's Monster		60	SELL
UND	014	Werewolf Alpha		50	SELL
UND	012	Skeleton Champion		50	SELL
ASM	006	Zuvembie		25	$2.19
TMT	G004P	Carnage		10	SELL
Force Total:				497	$9.14

Deity: Never have I more badly wanted a Sandman set than I do right now. I'd love to play two Dream Lords together as a team, but that does give me a bit of an idea...I could always use Nightmare as a STAND-IN for Dream/Morpheus. While I'm at it, let's see if I can create some other stand-ins for the Endless and use the Deity keyword to do so. It's not a perfect fit by any means, but there is a solid foundation of an idea going on here. Who would YOU use for your stand-ins for the Endless? I once again had the points to add in Eclipso to shore up the defense on Nightmare...and in case you were wondering...Nightmare: Dream, Mistress Death: Death, Spectre: Destiny, Dark Phoenix: Destruction, Mephisto: Desire, Rat King: Delirium, and Desaad: Despair.

Force Build 9023885 4
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
ASM	042	Nightmare		217	$6.95
SMWW	055P	Eclipso		25	SELL
DXF	052	Mistress Death		100	SELL
WF	066	Spectre		130	SELL
WF	023	DeSaad		75	SELL
M10A	021R	Dark Phoenix		100	SELL
TMNT2	024	Rat King		100	SELL
SFSM	046V	Mephisto		45	SELL
Force Total:				792	$6.95

NON-KEYWORD THEMES:

Lords of the Splinter Realms
Fear Lords (When/If they make any of them)

DEEP DISH DO-IT-YOURSELF:

In this section, I share with you my own homemade dials for these poor characters that have only ever had one or two versions of themselves realized. I'll try not to get too fanboyish with them, but I'm not making any promises! I also invite any of you who like to make fan dials to please share your versions of these characters as well by using the DIAL GENERATOR in the units section on HCRealms.

#073 Limited Edition Nightmare
Real Name: N/A
Team: Mystics
Range: 8
Points: 150
Keywords: Deity, Monster, Mystical, Ruler

9 12 18 4

10 11 18 4

8 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

10 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

10 9 16 3

9 9 17 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

The stuff of Nightmares: Mind Control. When Nightmare uses it, Place a Nightmare token on the cards of any hit characters. Opposing characters modify their combat values by -1 for each Nightmare token placed by him. An opposing character may be given a power action to remove all Nightmare tokens from that character's card.

100% Nightmare Fuel: Nightmare gains the following powers when adding up all the Nightmare Tokens on all opposing characters' cards:
1-2 tokens: Toughness
3-4 tokens: Invulnerability
5-6 tokens: Impervious, +1 to all combat values
7-8+ tokens: Invincible, Power Cosmic Team Ability, +2 to all combat values

Illusory manipulations: Shape Change, Outwit

This wraps it up for this installment of Deep Dish Themes: By the Slice. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to read it! Feel free to post what you think about the article and just like regular Deep Dish Themes, feel free to nominate a character for an upcoming edition of Deep Dish Themes: By the Slice! Join me on 6/6 when I bring you the inside scoop on the character that so many were saying "WHO?!" to in Avengers Infinity: Maxam!

IC Nightmare was my very first Unique!

Love the Nightmare fuel! Give this man some Octopus arms!

Nightmare was in my IC Starter Kit (way back when the game just gave you a number of random figures from the main set in a Starter), and he became my sister's go-to character if only because she enjoyed saying "I AM NIGHTMAAAARRRRRRE!" in as strange a voice as she could manage. I will always think back fondly on that guy for that reason alone.

I think that defense special power shouls be an damage special power.

My favorite combination was playing a mystical theme team with SR Nightmare and SR summoned Skull. I'd use that to always get an all water map so I could get up to shenanigans.

Ha-Ha! Correct! That'll teach me to try to put finishing touches on an article and get it posted while the wife is saying that it's past our bedtime!

With IC Nightmare, once opponents get over their fear of his 14 attack... they realize that he is no threat and he is quickly defeated. That has to count for comic accuracy of some sort.

That's about as accurate as I can think of!

I always wanted to play Nightmare, but it's hard to find teammates for him that are comic-accurate because the character does not play well with others.

He apparently has teamed with Dr. Strange, so there's a connection there. Shuma Gorath is a good one. I don't expect HeroClix of all the Fear Lords, but it seems like we're missing Nox because she's the mother of Phobos and Deimos. Phobos is clixed, but we could use Deimos maybe. D'Spayre is a character that pops up now and again that we could use. Nightmare's son Trauma is also a character I've been wanting for about a decade!

If doing a cross-universe theme of characters that manipulate fears and dreams, it would be interesting to see a team-up of Nightmare, Dr. Destiny, Phobos, Queen of Fables, Freddy Krueger, Yellow Lantern Scarecrow, Sinestro and Parallax.

My final thought on using Nightmare is that it might be fun to create a special multiplayer scenario where the GM controls Nightmare. The goal of the hero players would of course be to defeat Nightmare, but he could spit out an endless stream of HorrorClix and Undead HeroClix, with special attention to nightmare fodder such as clowns and sharks.

The Trick w/ U Nightmare is to run him w/ a Yellow Lantern, give him a Sniper Rifle and that's a mean 175 points. Whether adding 125 or 225 to that he's at least competitive. Keep a medic w/ a high attack and/or a Nurse construct to give him Regen once you're on power 2.

I always wanted to play Nightmare with Arcade so l am almost guaranteed to play on Arcade's Arena. It would have to be a higher point game to make use of getting the map, once you pay for both Arcade and Nightmare, but it would be sweet.

I've seen it done. And it's very effective

What about:





223

Raven moves, so Nightmare can be placed like a RS. Witch provides boosts and will get carried by one of the following:



OR



263 or 273

You're paying more for Dr. Strange, but you can retreat with Nightmare and whichever one of the other two is still alive after your alpha strike. His two non-flying versions get you an 18def or the same damage power as Dr. Fate. Dr. Fate just increases Nightmare's damage and allows for another construct or 2 IDs.







283 or 293

and 1 of the 6 pointers (and the 10pt Nurse if you play Dr. Fate)


OR

OR


You can also drop the 6pt and the Mallet and add the Nurse and just accept Witch wont live long enough to get one on turn 4.

In 400+ where you can play a full Battery and a medic... Tons of fun.

EDIT: Also if you can get the -1 Perplex on 3-4 pieces fast enough the opponent may have a lot of issues doing damage.

EDIT2: In "Silver" Age swap out Nightmare for sr Shiklah