Greetings players and welcome back to another installment of Slade’s Top 5!

In case you’re not familiar, Slade’s Top 5 is where I examine various elements of HeroClix (and other related materials) and rank them according to my top five in a given category. Simple enough right? Great! Click on the full story link below and we’ll get this thing started.

With a game that offers so many reiterations of characters, from time to time I like to take a named character and rank my favorite five. Now that there are enough options to work with, it’s time to give the Mad Titan his due.

The conditions for this list are simple. The character must have the moniker of “Thanos” and be playable as part of a standard 300-point force.

Do people read this stuff or just skip right to the rankings? Hmmm.


#5 gg045

Pros: Awesome opening stats, Power Cosmic, 9 range with dual targets, Two nasty traits and late dial regeneration. Playable at 300 or 150.

Cons: Costly, limited move and attack capabilities and Stealth will be an issue for him. Not having Impervious or a better damage reducing power on his first clix really hurts him.

Why he’s #5: His traits and deep dial are ultimately what makes him still a viable option. Being able to shut down healing for other characters is huge in its own right. Add that he heals when opposing characters are KO’d combined with that 13 attack and P/PB for 5 damage, and you can see why he’s a threat. Unfortunately, his combat values drop like they're hot when damaged and I’m not sure how viable he is at 150 in today’s environment.



#4 aiG018v/e/r

Pros: Some great powers across his entire dial, Power Cosmic, 2 optional traits, good mobility due to Giant size. Playable at veteran, experienced or rookie in 300-point format (I prefer the Exp. version best with one or both discretionary traits).

Cons: Being giant sized makes him an easy target and his combat values are a little underwhelming for his cost.

Why he’s #4: If you spend for the extra traits, you bring up his costs and he really needs those traits to be a true threat. Since the traits are subjective to rolls and misses you have no guarantee how effective he performs. A lot of fun to play, but there’s just too many factors holding him back from true greatness.



#3 gotg047

Pros: Playable at 300 or 200 points, great selection of powers and traits, starting running shot with 8 range and dual targets with Front loaded outwit, Pulse Wave and Power Cosmic (Sheesh!).

Cons: While he does have some mobility, he is still a grounded character (excluding his phasing clix of course) so maneuverability can be an issue for him. He can’t be assigned relics & resource, so no bells and whistles; this Thanos simply rolls as he is.

Why he’s #3: While he is a viable option in a standard game at either 300 or 200 he’s a pricy option in either case. His “Choose” trait is potentially damaging, but there is no guarantee its impact will be truly effective.


#2 swb058

Pros: Excellent combat values and powers, Power Cosmic, 8 range and his Dimensional Destruction trait grants more mobility than most on this list mobility.

Cons: Not a whole lot. Like any Thanos on this list Stealth is problematic for him and his Dimensional special power relies on a roll to work.

Why he’s #2: This Thanos has so much going for him, it was really tough to decide between him and one other on this list. Ultimately, I think one other Thanos is just slightly a better pick over this one.


And #1 is…



#1 swb007b

Pros: Multiple fantastic traits, a full dial of powers with solid combat values that can be raised during gameplay. Power Cosmic and the one thing no others on this list appear to have, Stealth.

Cons: Like the others he’s grounded, and Stealth will be an issue for him.

Why He’s #1: Simply put, not only is this Thanos as capable as the others on this list, he slightly less expensive; making it easier on team building, or equipping him with special objects. Stealth can go along way keeping him safe from ranged attacks, but once he starts KO’ing characters of 25 or more (even teammates), his Combat values get quite the boost. Truly a Nasty customer.

Well there you have it. Now it’s your turn. Which is your favorite version of Thanos and why? Share with your fellow players and let your thought be known.

Until next time, good gaming!

-Slade

I haven't had a chance to play the battleworld versions, but the other three are excellent choices.

This list makes me want to play some Thanos...

This one does.

Regarding Stealth

Worth noting that as the only one with Pulse Wave, GotG Thanos is also the only one who can deal with Stealth in his own way.

058 Thanos can also just Phasing next to someone and smack them if needed, bolstered by the whole 'Phasing for 1, then get carried' shtick

I'm a huge Thanos fan and I really enjoyed the article. I'll definitely agree with your top pick, that prime Thanos is a huge threat. I've been playing him with one 25 and two 50 point duplicates and, so far, it's been just short of unstoppable. The duplicates are decently scary in their own right, and can't really be ignored. Once Thanos starts getting infinity tokens it just snowballs out of control.

Thanks. A friend of mine is stopping by tonight and we are going to try some SWBW characters. Ill be using SR Thanos.

Very true. However they have to put themselves in striking distance to work, so it could get crazy quick.

played a 300 point team with the SW Prime Thanos and three duplicates. The amount of probability and constant attacks were brutal. (for him, I had a blast)

The Prime has Pulse Wave too.


Also, I'm sad that there's no Thanosi on this list Disqualified on grounds of not technically being Thanos?

Yep. The name got em.

I'm not sure about putting a common prime as #1. At best I would put it 2nd more likely 3rd. Also I would never put gg045 ahead of the chase GG049 from the same set.

My top 5 would look more like this.

5. aiG018v/e/r - for the same reasons you mentioned.
4. gotg047 - great dial but Its missing the minions of Thanos keyword.
3. swb007b - I can never put a common in a #1 slot with all these great chase and SRs.
2. gg049 - A great chase who wears the infinity gauntlet and has a great sculpt. Just needed the Minion of Thanos & Black Order keywords to be the best ever.
1. swb058 - I consider him the best one who can lead a "Minion of Thanos" team to do some great evil.

Great article!

Can I request Doctor Octopus for the next article?

Yeaaaaaaaaaah here's the thing about that lower point value.

When your goal is to kill 25 point or higher figures, there's a WORLD of difference between 3 and 4 damage. 3 damages will cripple that 30 point, ever appealing BTAS Common Joker. 4 will one shot it.

For 35 points you get a straight upgrade in values and powers (other than that Pulse Wave) to make sure when you DO get knocked onto those clicks, you have an Infinity Token or two backing you up.

Roundabout way of saying "I don't ever consider 140 point dial", but there it is.

Yes, you can.

A friend and I both played SRBW Thanos against each other today but not on purpose. We both were trying out the figure for the first time. I have to put him on top. The Colossal Stamina made a huge difference in his play. He almost Ko'd Spider Queen in two turns. Overall both versions in the new set are great, I think it comes down to the situation.