We may be living in an Avengers world now, but the 90s belonged to the X-Men! HeroClix turns back the dial to Saturday Morning on Fox, where mall rats and mutants collide with angry mobs and towering robots (who occasionally forget to unplug themselves from the charger). If that theme song isn't playing in your head already, we'll make sure you leave with it...

From the House of Heroes in downtown Oshkosh, saturnflight, JRuffing, and Alucardrules deep dive into 90s nostalgia for this Primer! JRuffing and saturnflight will share dueling reviews of the standard 300 Sealed format, while Alucardrules will continue to give you the Battle Royale perspective.

Our journey into HeroClix: X-Men the Animated Series continues (finally) with the Super-Rares.

With the downtime caused by the server crash and the extended release timing of these Primers, we thought it'd be a good idea to take a moment to direct you folks back to any of the Primer articles you might have missed so far. Here's what's come before:
Part 0: Introduction and First Impressions
Part 1: Commons
Part 2: Uncommons
Part 2.5: Fast Forces (Play at Home contest)
Part 3: Rares
Part 4: Uncommon Colossals
Part 5: Rare Colossals
Part 6: Super-Rares (this article)
Part 7: Chases and Fast Forces (including Play at Home winners!)


Schemers. That's the theme of the Super Rares, who, by the way, represent the most figures crammed into one graph, so take those numbers with a grain of salt. You'll be exceedingly lucky if you pull 2 of these, so for all that, say, Psychic Blast is very common here, that doesn't represent a heavy presence of it in the set (as Leadership among the Commons did).

Super Rares have less mobility, but higher stats. They lurk in shadows and strive to fight *smarter*, not longer.


All of the powers come out to play, but the ones that seem most prominent are the ones that get past defenses. Unlike the Answers we found in the Colossal Rares, the Schemers take some work to get right. They're opportunistic. And when you see a figure who could be a solo act, expect to find the lower levels more appealing- they carry less risk of being outplayed.

Willpower and Reducers are again pushing at the barriers of the graph. Colossals so frequently carry those two abilities- as do Super Rares- that it's decidedly more notable when they DON'T.

Final note: Legion bumped most of the stats up by 1. Whether or not he actually gets to use Hypersonic Speed is going to depend on your opponent.


I mean, I might as well have not even graphed those numbers. Stats are through the roof all the way across. As for keywords, this is another rarity belonging solidly to the Brotherhood. X-Men have decent keyword representation as well, but that's to be expected; when the villains show up nearly as much as how heroes, it's a win for them. The Sentinels who once loved the colossal booster slot have given up at this point, and the Acolytes added Colossus instead of Colossals.

#034 Archangel
Real Name: Warren Worthington III
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 5
Points: 100
Keywords: X-Men, Celebrity

12 11 18 3

11 11 18 3

11 11 18 3

11 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

10 10 16 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

11 12 16 4

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Characters
Obsession: At the beginning of the game, choose the opposing character with the highest point value. // At the beginning of your turn, if Archangel is within range and line of the fire of the chosen character, note Archangel's current click number and turn him to click #11. If you do, this turn, when making attacks he can only target the chosen character and, at the end of your turn, return him to the noted click number.
Nothing Can Take Away My Desire for Revenge: When Archangel moves at least 5 squares in a direct path, he can use Sidestep and Energy Shield/Deflection until your next turn.
JR (300 sealed): Don't let those click #11 stats fool you, Archangel's obsession is a potential weakness to be played around not an advantage. I want Warren zipping around the battle field using that P/PB and benefiting from ES/D. I want to actually get to use Regeneration if I'm low on health. I don't want to die from a crit miss (thank god there's no Mystics TA in the set). I don't want opponents to Outwit my charge while just out of adjacency and deprive Warren of attacks completely. The possible Side Step he could pick from his other trait could help us try and avoid triggering his feral rage ourselves, but if an opponent moves the target of his obsession closer of their volition there isn't really much we can do before the non-optional feral rage triggers. I'll grant you his "normal" dial makes him a solid attacker. And perhaps not every opponent you face will even have the capability to manipulate Warren so, but someone will and truthfully I'm uneasy with my opponent being able to force me to do anything.

SF (300 sealed): Oh no! My opponent wants to make me awesome! Whatever shall I do? Look. I'm competent enough to plan my positioning for either outcome. If JRuff feels it's too hard to shift gears to Close Combat when a juicy target presents itself, that's his own problem. He's only looking at click 1 anyway; imagine that rage click as an alternative to click 5 instead. (Not that click 5 is bad... in fact, I can't find a bad click on Archangel.) Be flexible, be aggressive, just stay mobile and Warren will earn his points.

AR (battle royale): Warren has been getting some pretty solid dials, lately. This one is no exception. Pretty straightforward, he's a highly mobile threat with ways to make damage stick on all his regular clicks. The trait makes him even harder to pin down or hit from range, and he can heal back up with regeneration if you think he has room to breath at the end. The switch to angry brick against the highest opposing character can be very handy, since he has 12 attack, printed 4 damage, super strength to make it 5-6, and battle fury to get around shape change. There's all the pros. There aren't really any true cons, he just suffers from having bigger than usual opponents running around. His trait helps with that, but only the single highest opposing character among your opponents, and based on precedent, if two or more opposing characters start the game at the same highest point value, you don't get it at all. And while he has decent defense numbers to start, and Invulnerability followed by super senses, if he gets ganged up on in close, or on a turn he has to rest, he's not exactly hard to double tap. I might almost call him a liability if he wasn't so mobile and didn't have that opening RS/PPB to be hitting 2×2s that will cause him trouble. If you pull a generic Sentinel and this, I would take Archangel, but I think I would still end up taking the average 2×2 over him.


#035 Professor X
Real Name: Charles Xavier
Team: X-Men
Range: 9
Points: 100
Keywords: Illuminati, Shi'ar, X-Men, Scientist

6 9 17 2

6 10 16 2

5 11 16 2

5 11 17 3

4 12 18 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Cerebro Enhances My Ability to Locate Mutants and Humans Alike: Colossal Stamina, but only if a character has his Influence token. POWER: give another character within range an Influence token. // When Professor X clears, remove all of his Influence tokens.
Open Your Mind, Absorb What Cerebro Has to Offer: When Professor X uses Leadership, characters with an Influence token are considered adjacent. When Professor X uses Mind Control, Incapacitate, Penetrating/Psychic Blast, or Outwit, he may target characters with an Influence token regardless of line of fire.
Violence Will Solve Nothing, We Must Use Our Gifts to Bring Peace to Mankind: Incapacitate, but only if a friendly character has been hit this game. Penetrating/Psychic Blast, but only if a friendly character has been KO'd by an opponent's attack this game.
We Must Not Let Hate Prevail: Leadership, Outwit, Shape Change.
JR (300 sealed): *sigh* Xavier's dial is likely to be more of a headache for you than any of your opponents. Sure, given more points and a constructed format maybe something could be figured out. And I was tempted to give him a star just for the Outwit, but 100 points is still a lot and not every opponent will be vulnerable to it. I have neither the time nor the inclination to spend my turns trying to coax the fighter out of Xavier when across the map there is gonna be something ready to fight now. A pacifist is just a coward patting himself on the back, and Charles' change of heart after allies are KO'd and he's almost dead is too little too late.

SF (300 sealed): This time I agree with you, Ruffian. Charles Xavier walks into a battlefield with a towering monster of a threat to the world, and he *doesn't* unload with his full psychic powers? There's a time and place for dials that escalate, and XtAS Sealed is neither! One point for Outwit, though. Let it be said that saturnflight is generous.

JR: Walks?
AR (battle royale): Talk about a piece that is far better in constructed compared to sealed, especially Battle Royales. On a quick side note I am happy to see Illuminati keyword here, showing some cross set love, despite neither recent Beast getting it(grumble, grumble, Wizkids, grumble, title Deadpool, grumble). That aside, Charles here has some of the only starting outwit in the set, one of the higher point values and right keyword to make his leadership useful, and shape change on every click to help protect him. But until his last 2 clicks, shape change is the only thing protecting him, he is very easy to double tap, and you're down 100 points. He does have mind control with a massive 9 range for offense to start, and can pick up Incapacitate, followed by Psychic Blast, but those are off limits until a friendly character has been hit or KO'ed respectively, and if you think a savvy opponent will leave Charles alone and go for one of your other characters, you are mistaken. Silver lining for the incapacitate, it works if he has been hit, and his attack goes up as he takes damage, but we're again in danger of him straight up dying before he can do something useful. Look, just pass this until 3rd pick or so, at which point his leadership and outwit capabilities should be helpful to your actual attacker(s), and if you do get him, use him for the outwit, and try to use his massive range and mind control to good effect, but with a smaller map area, he just isn't going to be able to build himself up in safety, since ideally he would be pushing every turn to get to his better clicks.


#036a Legion, Fractured Savant
Real Name: David Haller
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 85
Keywords: X-Men

9 11 18 4

8 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Title Character Abilities: When Legion, Fractured Savant is KO'd, Each opponent chooses two standard powers. Until your next turn, characters on that opponent's force can use those powers. Starting Plot Points: 1
+1: I'm Not in Control: FREE: Choose two different standard powers, then an opponent chooses one of those two. Legion, Fractured Savant can use the power chosen by your opponent until your next turn.
-1: I'm Trying to Maintain Control: FREE: Choose two standard powers. Legion, Fractured Savant can use the chosen powers until your next turn.
-4: I Am Control: FREE: Legion, Fractured Savant can use all standard powers except Earthbound/Neutralized and Battle Fury until the end of your next turn.
JR (300 sealed): A title character has always been a calculated gamble, their impressive power for the cost and what they can build to weighed against their penalty when KO'd and how well you can keep them safe. Legion's got the power and that -4 plot ability is absolutely phenomenal. But this is also a very hard set to be confident that you can keep anyone safe. If Juggernaut decides he wants to come for David, there's little you can do to stop him. The good news is that OMA will get very little benefit from his KO benefit. Legion's KO effect only lasts until your next turn, so anyone spending their last (or only) action to finish him off will be underwhelmed. David is a thinking man's piece who'll require several decisions from both you and your opponent. Start with the easy one, what do you want out of David? If you're going to try and get that -4 ability he'll need to be played with a fair amount of caution, probably picking defense abilities mostly. Or you can play him aggressively, get as much from him as you can as quick as you can so you're not left disappointed when he dies on turn 3. The potential is undeniable, but I don't like a piece this complicated giving my opponent one hand on the wheel. Let's see what the B dial has...

SF (300 sealed): I don't like pick-a-power. It slows games down by overwhelming with options. It also throws out the whole benefit of a dial with constantly changing abilities. I also dislike Title Characters. They slow down games with complex rules and bookkeeping. So there was basically zero chance I was going to appreciate this figure. Luckily, Legion comes packaged with a second dial, and I promise you I won't be choosing this one over that one. Does he have merits? Is his dial solid? Probably, but I don't want to go home after the tournament and realize I forgot to place a Plot Point token, or I chose the wrong power, and it cost me the game.

AR (battle royale): I'm going to review these separately, since I think you could only use one, but I may be mistaken. Anyway first off we have our Title character Legion, who is pretty versatile, due to all his title abilities dealing with picking powers. You either let your opponent choose one of 2 for +1, you choose 2 for -1, and ALL standard powers except EBN and BF. He starts with 1 plot point, and pretty decent numbers for his cost, and always has at least sidestep and toughness. While I'm sure PAP has a lot of people sick of it by now, it is kind of Legion's thing, and being tied to Plot abilities balances it a bit. Frankly, aside from the turns you need to go -1 or even -4 to go off and try to really hurt someone, it will be best to use the +1 and choose 2 defensive abilities(impervious, shape change, super senses, probability control) and let your opponent pick which one will annoy them less. Don't forget you need to attack to not take an unavoidable damage at the end of the turn if you use a plot ability. I would really try to keep him on click 1 for those great opening attack, damage, and defense values, but he's still capable of hitting someone after that. Be careful, though, if he dies all of your opponents will get a turn with 2 standard powers tacked on to all their characters, and that could get really ugly, so there is definitely a risk to go with his rewards. Kind of like Random in the role he plays, but with less reliable defense and a huge downside if he dies.


#036b Legion
Real Name: David Haller
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 75
Keywords: New Mutants

8 11 18 1

6 9 16 1

5 10 15 2

7 11 17 2

7 11 18 3

8 12 18 4

9 12 19 5

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

9 12 19 5

We Are Legion: At the beginning of your turn, roll a d6, then you may then add or subtract 1 from the result. Then turn Legion's dial to that click number. (He does not return to his initial click. You can't access click #0 in any other way.)
Escapee #2: Chain: AUTONOMOUS, . When this character hits with a close attack, after resolutions generate a Chain bystander.
Living Voodoo Doll: When Legion takes damage from an opponent's attack (while this power is displayed), after resolutions deal the attacker damage equal to the amount taken by Legion.

#036bbt Chain
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 0

6 9 16 1

Escapee #2: Chain: AUTONOMOUS, . When this character hits with a close attack, after resolutions generate a Chain bystander.
JR (300 sealed): Much better! I'm much more willing to trust lady luck than my opponent to have a say in decisions. Click #0 is obviously where we most want to be, click# 7 is good too. #5 and #6 make me the most nervous, but we can avoid either. Click #4 still runs the risk of being an easy kill for a heavy hitter, but the parting shot is a nice consolation prize. While 7 is technically the closest to death I trust that 19 and Prob far more than an extra click or two. #2 and #3 are super situational, but mostly safe from being one shot. Besides trusting the dice, you'll want to keep a good idea of just how much damage your opponent can do. Know if you want more clix or the best possible defense, we're not worried if they can almost kill us, next round we can reroll again if we so choose and start the game all over. Legion gets better the longer we keep him alive, with fewer attackers and lower damage numbers being able to KO a figure who can change his click each turn becomes a bigger and bigger hurdle. Legion B is still a gamble, but I like this game better.

SF (300 sealed): Dials like these are my argument against Pick-A-Power in most circumstances. Sure, there are some people who should legitimately be able to choose any power to use. But often, I feel a creative design using the existing Clix mechanic is more enjoyable. Pick-A-Click is SOOOO much less obnoxious than Pick-A-Power. Preferences aside, Legion B naturally has the powers you'd be choosing on the A-Sides dial. More than that, however, he has the STATS. Legion competes well at his 75 point bracket, where his durability and powers stand out in a set where both are rare. Just... keep in mind what JRuff'n'Stuff said about watching your dial length.

AR (battle royale): While we have a much more random dial here, I feel inclined to like it a little more. If you roll anything high, he becomes stronger and more capable of dishing out and avoiding damage, and your opponent will have to kill him for a regular attack to mean anything. You also get to adjust the roll +/-1 so you have some degree of control. You're most vulnerable at click 3 or 4, because if your opponents can boost damage and hit you, they may be able to bypass all those strong clicks at the end. If at all possible get to click 0 since it is one of the best offensively and your opponents will probably not want to deal with 7 more clicks and taking feedback from the defense power. It is definitely possible the dice won't cooperate with you, and you'll keep rolling 2. It is also important to note that in Battle Royale, there will be more chances for enemies to attack him, since you have 3 opponents. However, I think by the nature of his dial and the strength of it, he should serve you well. Don't forget that on click 2 he himself has autonomous, adding to your already reduced action pool, and then so does Chain, the bystander you get to make. For 10 points less than the a version, you give up Title abilities and straightforward design for much greater durability and possible firepower, and no fear of the KO penalty. I would probably play this one over the Title version here. I think I would take this over any 1 star 2×2, and maybe some 2 stars. 2nd pick this is amazing.


#037 Colossus
Real Name: Peter Rasputin
Team: Brotherhood of Mutants,X-Men
Range: 0
Points: 75
Keywords: Acolytes, Excalibur, X-Men

9 11 18 4

8 11 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 18 3

7 10 18 3

7 9 18 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Mutant Messiah: At the beginning of the game, for all characters with this trait, choose a friendly character with the Acolytes or Brotherhood of Mutants or X-Men keyword. That character can use Mastermind, but only to choose characters with this trait.
Temporary Traitor: When Colossus is KO'd, don't remove him from the map. Instead, turn him to click #1 and an opponent places him adjacent to a character on their force. He is now friendly to that opponent's force. For the rest of the game, when Colossus would take damage, instead remove him from the game without scoring him. (He's scored normally when first KO'd.)
Defend the Defenseless: Defend, Invincible. During an attack, adjacent friendly characters that replace their defense value with Colossus's can use Invulnerability.
JR (300 sealed): Nice solid brick Colossus. Defend the Defenseless could be fantastic if shoring up defenses on a swarm, though many of the figures I'd hope to run have little need of his Invulnerable or 18 Defend. Between the chance to turn traitor and only having his special defense on the top 2 clicks I'm not sure I'd ever choose him as Acolyte Mastermind fodder, heck I might even choose him as the figure that gets the Mastermind if I'm really benefiting from that special. Colossus is a great figure to tie together a team of similarly costed attackers who's defenses he can boost. If you're building around a 175-225 point tentpole however I encourage you to pass on him. A figure in that cost bracket worth playing should have strong enough defenses that Colossus can't boost them, and a team with only one other attacker will be extra inconvenienced having to use that attack on Colossus when he turns traitor.

SF (300 sealed): Personally, this is a LONG awaited take on Colossus. And any time Colossus has Defend, I'm a happy camper. So this is a slam dunk in my book, and I'd definitely build a team around him. Should you? Colossus glues a team together, but as JRuff noted, he does little for a big tentpole, and might even become a liability. Mastermind can drastically reduce the chances of betrayal; a strong 2nd Acolyte can make all the difference in this figure's prospects. Though I've broken my 'no consideration of synergy' rule often thus far in this review, due to the risk of the Traitor mechanic, I can't give the 4th shield this time.

AR (battle royale): I like Colossus, usually very durable and/or a decent bruiser in clix. He sometimes suffers from low attack values, but usually very good defense powers, and sometimes values. While this may be a niche version, aside from the traitor trait on KO, this plays like a solid, standard Colossus. Good defenses down the line, an 18 all the way down is great, and he starts with invincible, defend to share that sweet 18, and even gives Invulnerability if a friendly did so. The offenses are solid, starting very good with 11/4 with super strength, just losing 1 damage after click 1, maintaining the 3 damage the rest of the dial and at least a 10 attack every click except 6 where he has a 9, but gains perplex that click. In a set with Colossals and giants, he's not walking around like his Collosernaut version, but he should provide plenty through decent to good offense and protecting your other figures. He has 2 good TAs, and 2 of his keywords are the most common in the set. That traitor trait does give me just a little pause, since that top click can be dangerous, especially if the game has gone for a little bit and he could potentially kill something before you can tap him away, since it just takes 1 damage to get through to get rid of him, though only your opponent will get any points for him. I really like this Colossus, I just think he's not able to shine here like he would in a normal set. In my heart he's 4 stars, but I think I have to be realistic. I'm not taking him over a solid 2×2, but if this is my 2nd pick I am over the moon.

#038 Mystique
Real Name: Raven Darkholme
Team: Brotherhood of Mutants
Range: 6
Points: 60
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Freedom Force, Assassin, Spy

8 11 17 2

8 11 17 2

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

6 10 17 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Shapeshifter: Shape Change. FREE: Give a standard opposing character a Shapeshift token, removing it from anywhere else. // When Mystique uses Shape Change, if there is a character with her Shapeshift token and the attacker doesn't have line of fire to them, she succeeds on a result of 2-6. (A character always has line of fire to themself.)
My Mutant Brothers and Sisters: Once per turn when an effect other than clearing removes an action token from Mystique, after resolutions heal her 1 click.
JR (300 sealed): Much like Magneto, Mystique's Leadership can do double duty as a source of healing for her fellow mutant brothers and sisters. She sadly lacks Mag's mobility, she'll need a ride to keep up with bigger or more mobile foes, but her dial does have powers to make her damage stick. In another set Shapeshifter may have been a game changer, here it's merely a possible bonus. OMA's and many tentpoles will obviously have an easier time, specifying standard characters also hinders her in a set loaded with 2x2's.

SF (300 sealed): JRuff is too hung up on what Mystique can't do that he fails to see what she *can*. So she can't impersonate a colossal! If they have even 1 ally and you can block LoS to one of their guys (admittedly, that is gonna be map or teammate dependent), you can still evade detection. To that end, I'd pair Mystique with any 2x2- but ideally a Brotherhood 2x2- and have them fight back-to-back, making the most of Leadership too. Precision Strike is that invaluable penetrating damage we keep pushing you toward, so even though I'd like to see a 3 damage on her, I can still rely on her. She's more likely to be avoided than attacked, but if she *does* happen to take damage, an unusually long 6-click dial will be one more surprise for enemies looking to score her 60 points.

AR (battle royale): In a set where there wasn't a non-standard character in every booster, and most of them being able to see over smaller characters, her special shape change could have been amazing, especially since she doesn't need to be in range or LOF, and you can keep changing it. As is, it's still cool, especially if you pick a support character of the opponent opposite from you, so least likely for any enemy to see. As for the printed powers, solid tie-up and harasser. Starts out just plinking with precision strike, but starts being threatening with BCF, and on the last 2 clicks EW to go with it. The RCE mid-dial is not to be forgotten since there she has sidestep and a printed 6 range, which you may not have expected. If you can manage to keep the fight the way she wants it, in close with hindered lines of fire, she'll be all but impossible to kill, while she's either chipping at you or going for a big Blades attack. The leadership is nice to start with, at least increasing your action total if nothing else. If anyone has battle Fury or IT:H, she might be in trouble, but for the most part it is going to be very hard to pin her down. She doesn't start too scary, but capable of chipping at pretty much anyway and gets more dangerous when hurt, hard to dislike. Still not a first pick kind of figure, but 2nd or later she should earn her keep. I find it hard to rate lower given the value, and the relatively low amount of points given up if she dies.


#039 Pyro
Real Name: St. John Allerdyce
Team: Brotherhood of Mutants
Range: 6
Points: 50
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Freedom Force

8 10 17 3

8 10 16 3

8 10 16 3

7 11 17 2

7 12 17 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

My Mutant Brothers and Sisters: Once per turn when an effect other than clearing removes an action token from Pyro, after resolutions heal him 1 click.
Too Hot To Handle: Energy Explosion, Poison. When Pyro uses Energy Explosion, you may choose that he has -or- after resolutions, he can use Barrier at no cost.
Anyone Bring the Marshmallows?: FREE: Destroy an object within range. // Whenever Pyro uses a RANGE Destroy Action to destroy a piece of blocking terrain, after resolutions remove an action token from him.
JR (300 sealed): Pyro's best asset is that even at 50 points he is capable of threatening teams at both ends of the spectrum this set provides. I don't need to tell you that EE can ruin a swarm, but 3 damage or Pulsewave the whole dial means he's always capable of contributing to bringing down a giant threat. Anyone Bring the Marshmallows gives him perhaps the easiest time healing out of our Brotherhood figures, and that RCE top dial will punish anyone who doesn't make Pyro a priority. Relative frailty is his only real downside, 5 damage is not unheard of in this set. Still an attacker this versatile for 50 points is a real hot commodity.

SF (300 sealed): Barrier for free after attacking! SOLD!

AR (battle royale): I want to like Pyro more, he has some cool tricks and options, the FREE barrier after EE can help hide him from close combat, and he's got a good defense at range. He can heal thanks to his trait through leadership, the BoM TA, or his damage special, and the pulse wave with higher attack values end dial could prove a threat. But starting with his running shot, EE and 10/3 is not super impressive and won't do much against many of the 2×2s, though he does have RCE top-dial, but it will take effort to use it. He's fine, and with synergistic pulls he could be really good, but I'm seeing just a relaxing, reliable campfire, and not a raging inferno.


#040 Sauron
Real Name: Karl Lykos
Team: Brotherhood of Mutants
Range: 0
Points: 85
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Savage Land, Animal, Scientist

11 11 17 3

10 11 17 3

10 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

9 10 17 2

9 9 16 2

5 10 15 0

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

My Mutant Brothers and Sisters: Once per turn when an effect other than clearing removes an action token from Sauron, after resolutions heal him 1 click.
Absorb Your Life Force: Poison. When Sauron uses it and damages one or more opposing characters, after resolutions remove an action token from him.
Dr. Karl Lykos: STOP. Support. When Sauron uses it and heals a character, after resolutions heal Sauron 1 click.
JR (300 sealed): If you don't have a reducer and you aren't big enough to break away automatically then Sauron will be an absolute terror. Absorb Your Life forces coupled with Mutant Brothers and Sisters would make him nigh unkillable to such a foe. Unluckily for Sauron, this is not a set where that can be taken for granted. He's still not bad, but when we go in assuming he'll have to fight someone with Invulnerability+ it becomes obvious we have to temper our expectations. Against that kind of foe Sauron is sadly rather average.

SF (300 sealed): I love all the healing, and flying Charge figures without Super Strength are honestly favorites of mine. That said, JRuffioooooooo and his Lost Boys know the Savage Land is the place for Sauron. He's better off fighting enemies with spears and loincloths, not guns and armor. When his isn't the longest reach in the battle, then like a vampire, he's at risk of being picked apart before he gets a real rhythm going.

AR (battle royale): Last time we got this guy, it was with a vampire style "wild dial", and we've gotten several solid examples of that recently, despite it being a little weak historically. Instead, we got a solid dial in itself with no buildup, just LOTS of ways to heal. The now familiar Brotherhood shared trait, a poison trait that removes action tokens from him(and thereby healing), steal energy on 4/7 clicks, and a STOP at the end with Support, which if you use and heal someone, he heals too. So this is going to be a hard figure to put down and will be doing something most turns. He also flies, has indom, starts with shape change and Invulnerability and charge/blades to start. He never has more than a printed 3 damage, attack value is solid to fine(the 10 on that STOP makes it easier to successfully Support and heal). The battle fury after a few clicks will help against the shape change and mind control in the set, without affecting his ability to carry. It is important to note the clicks of Mind control because he'll only be able to use it as a CLOSE action since he also has battle Fury those clicks, which is a little frustrating, but he wants to be close for the poison, so you just have to deal. I really like the dial, but his defences besides the early shape change are not great, even on the top with Invulnerability his defense value tops at 17, 19 at close with combat reflexes, but he only has those on his weakest clicks before the STOP. I think in a normal set I might have rated him 3 or better, but with high ranges, and 2×2s reducing the space for more vulnerable figures to base, and them being able to use giant reach to potentially hit you without him getting to attack back or use poison. He won't necessarily be easy to finish off, but if he gets hit hard before he can enter the fray, he's just going to be limping along with not much to do, but not die. I would take him over Pyro, but he is too vulnerable compared to Mystique without a high damage potential (aside from BCF at the start and the dream of basing a bunch of figures without reducers) to warrant a 3.


#041 Spiral
Real Name: Rita Wayword
Team: Brotherhood of Mutants
Range: 4
Points: 80
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Freedom Force, Mojoverse, Celebrity, Mystical

12 11 18 3

11 10 17 3

10 10 16 2

10 10 17 3

10 10 16 2

11 10 17 2

12 11 18 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

My Mutant Brothers and Sisters: Once per turn when an effect other than clearing removes an action token from Spiral, after resolutions heal her 1 click.
Interdimensional Talent Scout: Phasing/Teleport, Plasticity. When Spiral uses Phasing/Teleport and moves 5 squares or less, after resolutions she can use both Incapacitate and Telekinesis at no cost, in any order.
Change the Focus to a Soft Blur, or Sharpen it to Crystal Clarity: Perplex, Probability Control.
JR (300 sealed): Spiral is a good figure with an interesting dilemma. While using Interdimensional Talent Scout and Incapping and TK'ing she can actually be an exceptionally mobile figure, but eventually if she wants to deal damage she will have to plant her feet and remain stationary. Especially true mid dial when she picks up Flurry and Blades and loses Talent Scout. And once again this set makes that a notable weakness when there are plenty of figures who don't need to break away from figures. If Spiral was just an attacker this weakness would be enough for me to lose interest, but she's also a fantastic support figure. Even against a with Sidestep (who has no reason to ever let her use that Flurry/Blades) that Prob and Perplex combo keeps her a valuable asset to the team so long as she's not the last woman standing.

SF (300 sealed): Spiral is hands-down the most mobile TKer I've ever seen. She sets a new bar for what a TKer can do-and on a team that benefits GREATLY from extra help in the mobility department! In Sealed, you'll see less of that synergy, but still find plenty of use for her. Remember object attacks as an option! With a long dial and great stats, Spiral will take effort to put down while demanding a response.

AR (battle royale): Been a while since we had a Spiral, the last one had a game-breaking effect that ended up getting errata'ed and people remember her more for that than anything else. Right away, with her special movement power we see she wants to get into the action and tie someone up with her plasticity, or move just enough to get the FREE TK and Incap in any order you like, and while she only has 4 range, she has 3 bolts for that Incap. Her defenses are pretty good with a solid 18 to start with the ever frustrating super senses/shape change combo to start and end with. Her middle dial definitely wants to be in the thick of things with flurry, blades, combat reflexes and a nice special damage power with both probability control and perplex, both great support powers and rare here, especially PC. She's got 7 total clicks for 80 points, though no reducers, but with her evasion it'll be even harder to kill her. She does lack indom, so don't push her recklessly, but if you are on click 2 or 5 and have 1 token it might be good strategically to push, particularly from 2 to 3 after phasing up into someone's business. With the evasion, dial length, decent battle prospects, and combat potential in the middle, I think she'll really get some work done and be more trouble to your opponents to kill than she's worth.

#042 Cassandra Nova
Real Name: Cassandra Nova
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 8
Points: 150
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Sentinel, Ruler

7 11 18 3

7 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

6 10 17 3

6 12 18 5

6 11 18 4

6 10 18 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Improved Targeting: Characters
The Mind Field: Mind Control. When Cassandra Nova uses it, for each character she hit, after resolutions those that attacked and hit get an Approved token, and otherwise they get a Rejected token. // Characters with (one or more) Approved tokens modify attack +1 when on your force, and characters with (one or more) Rejected tokens modify attack -1 when not on your force.
Can Only Be Attacked on the Astral Plane: Super Senses, but succeeds on 4-6. Close attacks deal a maximum of 1 damage to Cassandra Nova.
Leader of the Clear Mountain Institute: Leadership, Perplex, Shape Change. When Cassandra Nova uses Leadership and succeeds, instead of the normal effect, you may generate #005 Guard Command.
JR (300 sealed): This set is absolutely lousy with telepaths, can't throw a stone without hitting three figures telling you they knew you'd do that. And of all those telepaths, Cassandra is by far my favorite. Right off the bat her Mind Control comes with the long range and that we always like to see alongside the power. It also comes with a handy buff/debuff combo. An approved token is just icing on a hit and a rejected token means I'm not even upset by a miss. But more importantly, Cassandra is not beholden to Mind Control's usefulness, she also brought P/PB and decent damage values with Perplex. But wait, there's more! Let's talk defense. Most figures get that Shape Change/Super Senses combo and call it a day, Mrs Nova is not most figures. Toss some top dial Stealth on there, buff the Super Senses roll to 50/50 and capping close combat damage at 1, means that Cassandra Nova fears no alpha strike. She just smiles that creepy smile of hers and whispers "bring it on."

SF (300 sealed): I don't care if damage is reduced to 1, I'm basing Cassie ASAP. Letting her do her thing unchallenged isn't gonna pan out for me. It's that painfully obvious response that has me uncertain about the merits of spending half my points on Ms. Nova. The best case scenario is certainly amazing, but the worst case scenario sees this piece struggling to do what it wants the entire game.

AR (battle royale): This is what you wish you pulled if you pulled Professor X. This lady is going to be an absolute PITA. This is the single highest point single base figure in the set, and she has the dial length, stats, and powers to justify it. First off an impressive 8 range with 3 targets and IT:characters. This goes wonderfully with her traited Mind Control which makes the characters hit either stronger when you Mind Control them again, or weaker while not. It was already going to be amazing to triple target Mind Control through characters, but that's putting it over the top. Besides that she has a full dial of PPB with starting 11 minimum 10 attack and minimum 3 damage bumping up to 5 and 4 at the end. This is all before looking at her defences, which are excellent. First off she starts with stealth, so she'll be hard to target in the first place without going for close combat. What's that? Once you actually can attack her she has shape change as part of her special damage power, and super senses on 4-6 on her special defense power, but wait! She also only takes a maximum of 1 damage from close attacks with that defense power as well, nerfing the best route of attack on her, without IT:H or if she just isn't in Stealth OR not hiding behind another character. You're not guaranteed hindering, and if you take her first, you may not get passed a 2×2, the best bet for a meat shield. But if you pass her, the person you passed to probably took a 2×2, and now they have a super strong attacker and support piece to back it up. She's not unkillable, but she's definitely very hard to kill, has amazing offence for this set, and even some support with leadership and perplex most of the dial. The only thing I really can't gush over is her movement, either just stealth, sidestep, or nothing, but honestly this is one of the strongest things you can pull, even factoring in 2×2s, unless your 2×2 is Nimrod or Juggernaut, DON'T PASS HER.


#043a Mister Sinister, Rogue Geneticist
Real Name: Nathaniel Essex
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 100
Keywords: Marauders, Savage Land, Past, Scientist

7 11 18 3

7 11 18 3

6 10 17 2

6 10 17 2

6 10 17 2

6 10 17 2

5 9 16 2

5 9 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Title Character Abilities: When Mister Sinister, Rogue Geneticist is KO'd, deal 1 unavoidable damage to each other character on your force. Starting Plot Points: 0
Leader of the Nasty Boys: The bystanders printed on this card are "Nasty Boys".
+1: Collecting Genetic Material: FREE: This turn, when Mister Sinister, Rogue Geneticist or a Nasty Boy hits, give a hit character a DNA sample token. If that character already has a DNA Sample token, gain 1 additional Plot Point.
-0: My Plans Come to Fruition: FREE: This turn, when Mister Sinister, Rogue Geneticist attacks a character with one or more DNA Sample tokens, modify attack and damage +X where X is your Plot Points.
-1: Nasty Boys... Attack!: FREE: Generate a Nasty Boy bystander. Each distinct Nasty Boy bystander has [MAX 1].

#043abta Slab
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 0

6 10 17 3

#043abtb Gorgeous George
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 0

8 10 16 2

Fluid Body: Incapacitate, Giant Reach: 4.

#043abtc Ruckus
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 0

7 10 17 3

Listen Up, Boys: Leadership. When Ruckus uses it and succeeds, instead of the normal effects, he may remove an action token from an adjacent friendly bystander.

#043abtd Hairbag
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 0

7 10 16 2

JR (300 sealed): What Mr. Sinister needs more than anything else is time. Give him time to build up Plot points, spread DNA sample tokens and generate Nasty Boys and Sinister can start producing damage on par with figures far above his weight class. Can your team give him that? Time is not necessarily something you can take for granted in this set, and he won't be able to build himself properly hiding in the back row either. Pity he couldn't do a summer internship or something with the Brotherhood or Acolytes, Mutant Messiah would go a long way here. Between the slow speed and the fact we want him attacking as much as possible you will want to get him a taxi. These are all valid considerations when deciding to put Sinister on your team. But that siren song of hitting +3's from "My Plans come to Fruition" is just too strong. In spite of myself I don't think I can resist trying him out. He's got reducers and stealth, how hard could it possibly be to get two hits off to build 3 plot tokens before Juggernaut turns me into genetic paste...

SF (300 sealed): I have to set aside my prejudice against Title Characters in this instance. Nathaniel Essex basically uses Plot Points like any other token-tracking special power- which is, pretty much, to buff his stats and generate lackeys for damaging enemies. Even ignoring Title Character abilities, Mr. Sinister has a solid dial that's dense, sturdy, and packed full of high-value powers.

AR (battle royale): Before even touching on his title abilities, the reliability of his defenses, offenses, and dial length would make him formidable here. He's also one of the few characters in the set with starting outwit, and he starts with stealth himself to help protect him. As for offense has has precision strike and/or RCE until his last 2 clicks which have regeneration, which you should definitely use because his defense is low and he really only has stealth to defend himself there. On to the title abilities, mostly you'll be using them to slowly generate his Nasty Boys bystanders. All of which are good. You'll need to use his +1 to be able to have any points to spend to make Nasty Boys, but while you generally want to attack to avoid the title penalty, and his +1 encourages attacking, you don't HAVE to attack with him at all before making a bystander. The KO penalty certainly hurts, but it's one and done, no boosts to opposing figures. Basically keep him in hindering if possible, take pot shots, spawn Nasty Boys. Seems pretty solid to me.


#043b Unique Mister Sinister
Real Name: Danger Room
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 7
Points: 40
Keywords: Marauders, Robot

10 10 18 3

9 10 18 3

8 10 18 3

7 11 17 4

7 11 17 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Targeting: Hindering
Danger Room Construct: When Mister Sinister makes an attack, give him an Error token for each "1" in the attack roll (maximum 3). // If Mister Sinister has 2 or less Error tokens, characters take a maximum of 1 damage from Mister Sinister's attacks, Mister Sinister takes a maximum of 1 damage from opponent's attacks, and he can't be healed or chosen for Mastermind. Protected: Pulse Wave
Lessons from the Danger Room: Mister Sinister: If Mister Sinister is KO'd by an opposing character, for the rest of the game, that character has PROTECTED: Outwit.
Sinister Schemes and Logistics Processing: Phasing/Teleport, Sidestep, Stealth.
Secrets and Mysteries: Outwit, Shape Change.
JR (300 sealed): Another Danger Room prime, another ridiculously good value. A 40 point Outwit who'll take 5 hits to KO would make Sinister one of the rare figures who could pay for himself without ever making an attack. The fact that he's also a usable attacker who can still crack reducers just piles on the value. He's even got good defenses! And if Sinister was your only Outwitter, a fairly likely scenario, then his KO bonus doesn't even matter either!

SF (300 sealed): The cheapest of the Danger Room Simulations, Mr.Sinister.exe (seriously, don't EVER open a file with a name like that!) is all about the Outwit. He has aggressive options as well, though not nearly as many as Magneto (and according to popular opinion, Sabretooth). But you're including this figure primarily because he has Outwit, and that's enough.

AR (battle royale): Our last Danger Room Construct, this one is less impressive while still in "safety" mode, getting stronger as he takes damage. I really like how this one is designed. Early on he is hard to hit from range, but is protected anyway by his trait, until you're on the back dial where he has actual invincible, PPB, running shot, and higher damage. He also starts with phasing and poison, making him a good tie-up, along with the outwit and shape change on his damage special. This will be an extremely annoying piece for your opponents to try and deal with and even if they do finally kill him, they only get 40 points and while protected: outwit is nice, there isn't much in the set, and he's one of the ones that has it to start, so you've probably already done the most damage with it already. He's also one of the few characters with IT:hindering, so he's one of the only figures that can actually take on Cassandra Nova. While I wouldn't take this over one of the best 2×2s, this is a very strong piece that will be hard to deal with, and offers very few points for your opponents' trouble.

#G021 Krakoa
Real Name: Krakoa
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 600/400/150/70
Keywords: Monster

10 12 20 5

9 12 20 5

9 12 19 5

9 12 19 5

8 11 19 5

8 11 19 4

8 11 19 4

| | | | | |

9 12 19 4

8 11 19 3

8 11 19 3

8 11 18 3

8 11 18 4

8 11 17 4

8 11 17 4

| | | | | |

8 10 18 3

7 10 18 3

7 10 18 3

7 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

| | | | | |

7 10 18 3

7 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

7 9 16 3

7 9 16 3

KO KO KO KO

The Flora Needs To Feed: Steal Energy. Opposing characters that occupy or are adjacent to its hindering terrain markers must break away as if breaking away from Krakoa, and it may target them with a close attack regardless of adjacency.
Entangling Vines: Flurry, Phasing/Teleport, Plasticity.
Colossal Retaliation: The Living Land: FREE: If no friendly character has been placed this turn, choose an opposing character that attacked Krakoa or damaged a friendly character since your last turn. Place Krakoa such that it can make a close attack targeting the chosen character then do so using Quake at no cost. If you did, after resolutions generate hindering terrain markers in all squares Krakoa occupied at the beginning and end of this action.
JR (300 sealed): Krakoa is an interesting beast. With so many figures suffering from the general inability to tie up Colossal figures it's a bit interesting to be confronted with a figure who almost specializes in the role. Krakoa's actual movement is bordering on glacial, it will rely on Colossal retaliation as it's main method of starting engagements. Steal Energy stretches out the dial and more and more patches of Krakoa brand turfing will give it increasing board control as the match goes on. The two options available in 300 each have different cons to them that give me pause before investing in real estate. At 70 Krakoa is not too difficult to remove before growing into a thornier problem. At 150 we have a sturdier crop, but at that point all those printed 10's really start to erode my confidence.
150/70
SF (300 sealed): Man, do I wish I could use those upper values. They just taunt you...
Krakoa is gonna be my new buddy when it comes to Monster teams, just like Giganto the Whale and Giganto the Mole Monster before him. There's a delightful absurdity to this hulking mass of real estate come to life. I wouldn't be able to resist running him at 70, just to try him out. But I can't say I'd expect big things of him. With the right roster, the 150 dial could be a good decision. He's durable and deals a good amount of damage once he gets past his starting click. But it would take a clever player to go 3-0 with him. There are abilities to break here, strategies to master... but you may not have the time to get there at the very first event he's legal in.
150/70:
AR (battle royale): 11 clicks with at least toughness on all, and better than that on most of them. He's strictly a close combat piece, but with giant reach 3 and the reduced battlefield size of BR, that isn't the drawback it might have been. Traited steal energy will also make it hard to wear him down, and his terrain markers generated from his retaliation stay and extend his reach(and tie-up potential). Speaking of retaliation, while it isn't traited, he does have it as a damage power for MOST of his clicks. It's mostly just quake, but that's not bad as FREE, and where he starts and ends he generates hindering, thus spreading his influence. Living Tribunal help your opponent if they knock him to those clicks with his special movement power where he has flurry, which along with BCF on most of those and his traited steal energy, he's dangerous and liable to heal back those precious clicks you tried to take from him. No outwit immunity or much defense from range attacks are really the only thing holding Krakoa back from being as intimidating as the Juggernaut.


#G022 Mojo
Real Name: Mojo
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 7
Points: 250/175/75
Keywords: Mojoverse, Celebrity, Monster, Mystical, Ruler

8 11 18 4

8 11 18 4

7 11 18 3

8 11 18 3

| | | | | |

8 11 18 4

7 10 18 3

7 10 17 3

8 10 17 4

| | | | | |

8 11 18 3

7 11 18 3

6 11 17 3

5 11 16 3

5 10 16 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Characters
Behind the Scenes: Mojo can't be targeted by opposing characters 5 or more squares away.
More Action!... Ratings are Dropping!: Whenever a character misses all targets of their attack, give Mojo a Bored token. // FREE: Remove 2 Bored tokens to either place Mojo anywhere on the map -or- make an attack.
Keep the Cameras on Them!: Sidestep. When an opposing character uses Sidestep, after resolutions Mojo may move up to 2 squares.
JR (300 sealed): "Mojo. Baby. How are you doing? So glad we could do lunch. No I don't care that you started without me. Calm down, of course I want you in this picture. Don't listen to those gossip mags Mojo. You're my guy on this, it's just... look, I can't have you as the leading man. Mojo, you don't want to be the leading man. Those big contracts, everybody will be tearing you apart. You can't work behind the scenes like that. You wanna last in this business what you oughta be is an executive producer. Help wrangle the cast, hop from place to place and boost those ratings. Let someone else take the lumps for you. Yeah, sure I know you put on weight for the role. Listen everybody's doing that method actor crap in this set Mojo, that 2x2 body ain't impressing anybody. Have you seen Nimrod's headshots? Yeah I know I'm right, listen I'll have my people call your people and we'll get that deal set up."
-----------------
"Sheila, Mojo's in. Put him down as an executive producer for now, stick him in a B-plot if you can't sign any decent big names. Just keep his name off the Marquee. Cancel my 2 o'clock. I've got to take a shower, guy's like the 3rd slimiest creep in show business."
Leading Role (250)
Assistant Director (175)
Executive Producer (75)
SF (300 sealed): I mean, I'm not gonna solo the guy. JRuffalo has enough experience in the business to call that one correctly. And he's also right that 75 is pretty much an auto-inclusion; who could resist all that Perplex, opening TK, Sidestep, and long range? It's the middle that he's overselling. 175 point Mojo actually gets LESS reliable as an attacker, dropping to a 10 with 1 hit after his budget dial kept his 11 nearly the whole dial. Then there's that poorly placed Energy Deflection, leaving him vulnerable to a close attack that's likely to follow. Ratings Are Dropping gives him a cool shot at extra attacks, and that's hard to argue against, but it's simply not enough. Mojo is playable, but his budget is too big- especially when you consider what he can do with a low budget. Don't let him talk you into a summer blockbuster or personal project, keep him in reality tv.
250:
175:
75:
AR (battle royale): I really wasn't expecting him to be as intimidating as I am now feeling. He has a point line at exactly 175, and he's going to be quite strong there. Starting PPB with 11/4 and probability control to back it up. He has the shared trait that prevents others from targeting him from more than 5 away, so despite him having just sidestep for movement*, he can probably engage on his own terms. The * before being because of his trait, which is absolutely nuts here, since it triggers off ANY and all characters missing. He gets a Bored Token each time a character misses, and as FREE he can remove 2 to be placed anywhere on the map, or make an attack. So even when he has 2 action tokens and needs to clear(since he's only giant, not colossal), he can either run to safety or attack. With 4 total players this mean he could be really racking up those tokens. His movement special, aside from sidestep itself, lets him move 2 whenever someone else sidesteps, plus he has IM:characters, so he is surprisingly mobile, and even Krakoa isn't tying him up. Honestly it's going to be very difficult to chase him down, and he's not exactly doing nothing while you attempt to do so. This format is While Nimrod or Juggernaut might still be overall better, I find myself quite impressed by this dial.


#G023a Shadow King
Real Name: Amahl Farouk
Team: Power Cosmic
Range: 8
Points: 700/500/300/150
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Monster, Past

10 12 19 6

10 12 19 6

11 12 18 5

| | | | | |

11 11 18 5

12 11 18 4

12 11 19 4

12 11 19 4

| | | | | |

10 12 19 5

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 4

11 11 18 4

11 11 18 4

| | | | | |

11 11 18 4

11 11 18 3

9 11 18 3

9 11 17 3

9 10 17 3

10 11 16 3

10 10 16 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Targeting: Hindering
A Being of the Astral Plane: Shadow King can reduce penetrating damage.
Behind the Scenes: Shadow King can't be targeted by opposing characters 5 or more squares away.
You Belong to the Shadow King Now: Mind Control, Phasing/Teleport. Once per turn, when Shadow King uses either, after resolutions he may use the other one at no cost.
A Being of Pure Psychic Destruction: Penetrating/Psychic Blast. When Shadow King KO's a character, after resolutions deal 1 penetrating damage to each opposing character that was adjacent to that character.
JR (300 sealed): Much like Juggernaut, Shadow King's best features aren't necessarily what he can do as much as it is what your opponent can't. Between Power Cosmic and Being of the Astral Plane, Shadow King will have opponents who thought they were ready to fight the bigger threats flummoxed. P/PB and Outwit of his own give him those same advantages he deprives opponents of. Stats don't really stay at Juggernaut levels for long, once you drop off that first click his attack, defense and damage all drop that crucial point from impressive to merely above average and never climb back up. Opening Side Step at 300 points is rather disappointing, though Behind the Scenes and his own long range do mitigate that somewhat. The special movement at 150 will be great against everything except the OMA's. Not unbeatable, but he gives most other figures in the set a heck of a tough time
300/150
SF (300 sealed): I can only imagine Shadow King is smiling inside that astral construct of his when he watches your opponent's face fall at the sight of him. The Nope is strong with this one. And while you're not going to move and Pulse Wave under any circumstances (well played, Clix Designers), the looming threat of a Move-Into-Mind-Control/Next-Turn-Pulse-Wave is terrifying enough. Usually, big guys like this go down by creatively circumventing their defenses. Shadow King won't afford that opportunity, so you'll get to enjoy the. whole. dial. There's hardly a safer investment in a solo act available in this whole game, much less this set, much less this set SEALED. Shadow King is a winner.
300:
150:
AR (battle royale): Yet another 2×2 you can't target from more than 5 away, he also can reduce penetrating damage, so he's not going down quickly. That movement special is pretty mean, allowing a full movement followed by Mind Control(for which he has 8 range and 3 bolts), or vice versa. Otherwise he starts with pulse wave, 11/4 and probability control. On his middle clicks he also has PPB which deals an additional one to characters adjacent to someone he just KO'ed, but while that's cool, it's a WIN-MORE effect that probably won't come up too often. Great as he is and hard to deal large damage to, he never has invincible (to cap damage taken) or Impervious (at this point level, to potentially stonewall an attack) and he quickly downgrades to toughness, and then regeneration at the end. If you get the chance to Regen you get to extend his dial, but until your turn he is his most vulnerable there with only the Behind the Scenes trait to protect him. Strong offenses and solid defense, with some tricks, but ultimately not TOO hard to put down with that dial length and simplistic defenses.

#G023b Prime Storm
Real Name: Ororo Munroe
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 8
Points: 300/225/150/25
Keywords: X-Men, Deity, Monster, Ruler

11 11 18 4

11 10 18 4

10 10 18 4

| | | | | |

10 11 18 4

10 10 18 4

10 10 18 4

9 10 17 3

| | | | | |

9 11 17 4

8 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

7 11 17 3

11 10 16 3

11 10 16 3

| | | | | |

7 11 18 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Targeting: Lines of fire drawn by this character are not blocked by characters. This character can make range attacks while adjacent to opposing characters. (May target adjacent or non-adjacent opposing characters.)
Summon a Vortex of Wind: Energy Shield/Deflection. // FREE: Choose up to 3 opposing characters within 6 squares and line of fire, then roll a d6. Knock back each of the chosen characters a number of squares equal to the result.
Colossal Retaliation: Mind Warp: FREE: If no friendly character has been placed this turn, choose an opposing character that attacked Storm or damaged a friendly character since your last turn. Place Storm such that she can make a close attack targeting the chosen character then do so. If she hit, after resolutions she can use Mind Control at no cost as RANGE, modifying attack +3, to target the hit character and up to two others (within range and line of fire).
This New Host Pleases Me, I Wouldn't Want to Lose It: STOP.
JR (300 sealed): Storm as ID call-in Retaliator has a guaranteed future in competitive constructed clix, but this is not a Primer for scoring figs for your next WKO team. At every point value Storm's retaliation trait is her best feature. It is an excellent retaliation and having it her whole dial is a tremendous advantage, but as you increase your investment in Storm some weaknesses start to show that it needs to make up for. Lack of Indomitable or Power Cosmic is notable amongst her fellow heavy weights (and makes me a liar regarding my earlier comments about Nerd Juggernaut, curse these late reveals!). Storm's stats never reach the loftier heights of the set. There's no 5 in her damage slot, 19 defenses or 12 attacks here. Quite a few 3's, 10's, and 17's though. Her retaliation and Vortex of Wind will still let her tear swarms apart, but Storm could start to fall apart in a real heavy weight fight against opponents she can't put down quickly. Find her a strong ally or two at least and let her be the rock star of a team.
300/225
150
25
SF (300 sealed): When I realized that this figure was NOT a colossal, or even a giant, and that the specter of Shadow King was merely visual representation while the dial size represented her area of influence, I was thrilled. They even went the extra mile with Improved Targeting to conceptually place her in the air above everyone, looking down as she summons nightmare weather. I can't say I'm thrilled with all the Toughness of the dial, but that has to be one of the strongest attack power rotations in the set. The Leadership that alternately disrupts her Outwit is unfortunate, as I doubt Storm is feeling very friendly toward anyone in this incarnation- but it does make for interesting gameplay. Her biggest weakness- bigger than all the Toughness- is a lack of Willpower, which lets her get out-actioned quickly. My personal taste is for the 150 point dial, but you'll be tempted to play the 25 point Retaliator, and that's not a bad decision either.
300/225:
150:
25:
AR (battle royale): First off, the fact the name of this piece is "Storm" and not Shadow King and Storm is going to make the value go through the roof as an ID call in. But that's not what we're focusing on atm. She has a 150 point line, so already starting kind of strong, she's the only 2×2 with no access to willpower, which honestly is probably good because the attack/damage potential is already high and she has solid defenses to start with 3 clicks of invincible, tainted ESD, and a STOP at the end to make your opponent have to double tap her. Along with the traited ESD she can as FREE choose 3 opposing characters in range and LOF and roll a d6 to knock them back each that amount, keeping enemies at distance, disrupting formations, and hopefully dealing damage. She starts with running shot/pulsewave with 11/4 and 8 range, AND the oh so useful outwit. She also has a retaliation trait that allows a close attack(and she has an 11 attack most of the time, and at least 3 damage and sometimes precision strike), then if she hits that she gets +3 attack and gets to do Mind Control at no cost to the character she hit and up to 1 more. So while she doesn't have indom, she still has scary offensive potential. She even has IT:characters, and "This character can make range attacks while adjacent to opposing characters. (May target adjacent or non-adjacent opposing characters.)", to help with that Mind Control and to generally make it that much harder to tie her up and force close combat. She's not as hard to pin down as some others, and the lack of indom hurts, but this is still a force to be reckoned with.


#G024 Madrox
Real Name: Jamie Madrox
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 400/300/200/100
Keywords: X-Factor, X-Men, Assassin, Celebrity, Detective, Pirate, Police, Politician, Reporter, Scientist, Soldier, Spy

8 11 18 4

8 11 18 4

8 11 18 4

8 11 18 4

8 11 18 4

8 11 18 4

| | | | | |

8 11 18 3

8 11 18 3

8 11 18 3

8 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

| | | | | |

7 10 18 2

7 10 18 2

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

| | | | | |

7 10 18 1

7 10 17 1

7 10 17 1

7 10 17 1

KO KO KO KO

I Can't See the Bottom of the Pile Yet: At the beginning of the game, generate a number of Madrox Dupe bystanders corresponding to his point value.
400 = 4
300 = 3
200 = 2
100 = 1
If Madrox would be KO'd while adjacent to a Madrox Dupe, instead KO one of those bystanders and turn him to click #22.
The Original Multiple Man: When Madrox is hit by an attack or hits with a close attack, after resolutions generate a Madrox Dupe bystander. (Using Flurry may generate 2 bystanders in a turn.)
The Copies Have Been Learning on Their Own: Madrox and his Madrox Dupes can use the standard attack and damage powers that opposing characters adjacent to them can use. (They lose the power as soon as the opposing character is no longer adjacent.)
Argh! Stop Making New Layers!: Shape Change. When he uses it, on a roll of 5 generate a Madrox Dupe bystander, and on a roll of 6 generate 2 Madrox Dupe bystanders. Protected: Outwit.

#G024bt Madrox Dupe
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 0

6 10 16 0

JR (300 sealed): Madrox will certainly be a fun figure, but that does not always translate into a good one. At the 300 or 200 point option where Madrox and his merry Madroxes want to be most or all of your team they will sometimes be devastatingly powerful, and sometimes they will get absolutely creamed. Taken on his own terms Madrox is a strong figure at either of those values, but he has an abundance of terrible match ups within the set. Figures that kill dupes en masse with Pulsewave or Quake or Energy Explosion. Figures fast enough and big enough that Madrox has literally no chance of ever catching them with Side Step or tying them down with Plasticity. Figures like the Wendigo or Dark Phoenix who will actually be made more powerful by an abundance of easily hit low hanging fruit. There's just too many opponents that immediately put Madrox at a disadvantage for me to want to invest heavily in his Pyramid scheme plan. Really it's a pity that his 100 point dial has such weak stats and short length, I'd like to rate a dial this fun highly somewhere. But paying the highest price per click for the weakest stats leads to a more manageable mini Madrox mob for your opponent.
300/200/100
SF (300 sealed): Are you a meme guy? Do you just LOVE to irritate inefficiently? Is a game well lost better than a game poorly won? Then Madrox is your dude! And hey, why not go all in? If you're gonna do it, do it right!
For the rest of us, leave him alone until you've had time to practice with him.
300: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
200: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
100: (つ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)つ(つ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)つ(つ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)つ(つ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)つ
AR (battle royale): I have to admit I was mad at this being the last SR, and not an uncommon, but I actually quite like it, especially for the keywords. However in this format you'll only get to use his last line which only has 4 clicks and no damage reduction. The only thing keeping him from being an easy 100 points for your opponent is ESD and shape change, which if successful will give you a Madrox Dupe, which is what keeps him relevant. He can't even get the 2nd one from a roll of 6, since his dupes are MAX 1 at this point value. This is all before considering he has minimal move and attack capability, or even damage, since he only has a 1, and even if you make the Dupe, it's 2 from the empower. He'll be much better in constructed, but here he's just points waiting to be taken.
( I really can't advise taking this over any rare or higher figure, even Professor X is so much better here)

#G025 Iceman
Real Name: Bobby Drake
Team: X-Men
Range: 0
Points: 300/200/100/15
Keywords: Champions, Defenders, X-Factor, X-Men, Armor

13 13 18 5

12 12 17 4

11 12 17 4

| | | | |

11 12 18 4

10 11 17 4

10 11 17 3

9 11 17 3

| | | | |

11 12 18 3

10 11 17 3

9 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

6 9 17 3

| | | | |

5 11 17 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Chill, It's Just A Giant Ice Sword: Blades/Claws/Fangs. When Iceman KO's a or character, after resolutions he can use Charge at no cost, but may only attack a character with or . (He may repeat this.)
Colossal Indifference: Ice Robot!: STOP. If Iceman started the game on the 15-point starting line, he can't attack smaller characters except via Colossal Retaliation.
Colossal Retaliation: Glacier Fists: FREE: If no friendly character has been placed this turn, choose an opposing character that attacked Iceman or damaged a friendly character since your last turn. Place Iceman such that he can make a close attack targeting the chosen character then do so. After resolutions, he can immediately use Incapacitate at no cost, but may target smaller characters.
JR (300 sealed): Bobby is a surprisingly straightforward figure for a Colossal Super Rare. Take away the Colossal Retaliation/Indifference powers and you're just left with his standard powers, traited Blades, and a potential free attack that can be used once per game at best in this format. As appealing as Exploit Weakness and those top dial attack and speed values are, I can't see using either of his higher costed values. Even with that impressively fast charge speed, most of the long range colossal will get first hit on him. Which brings me to the next problem with making Bobby your whole team, those defenses. Bobby has entirely too many 17's, everybody will be hitting him! And if they hit him onto those Flurry clicks before he's managed to close the gap, the wasted turn will be painful. But drop him down to a more affordable 100 and the Iceman loses shockingly little other than clicks of life. He's still got a good charge speed and high attack, if a fuzz lower on both. Exploit for Outwit is a fair enough trade in this set, especially with a team supporting him. And of course it'd be insane to try and tell you 15 points for that retaliation isn't a good value.
300/200
100/15
SF (300 sealed): I want that first click, but I can't have that first click. It's not a good idea. The 100 point dial, however, IS a good idea. So good, in fact, that I'm actually going to tear down the Colossal Retaliation dial- it will have its role in the meta moving forward, but today- TODAY!- is 100 point Bobby's day, and he will slay that titan by God. GO FORTH, Champion, Defender of... X-Factor... and EARN THY TITLE!
300:
200:
100:
15:
AR (battle royale): Icy Voltron here is the colossal killer among Colossals, EW on several clicks, traited BCF, BIG starting charge range and a massive 12 attack and even outwit to boot. He also gets to charge as FREE against another giant or colossal when he KO's one. He's vulnerable from range, but starting 18 with Impervious is pretty good, and he can probably charge at just about anything from top click. The STOP is nice, but nothing extra on it, the retaliation is only on that last click and isn't particularly special. He's dangerous and not too vulnerable, but you're hoping to get the first hit in, or wait until you can go for a kill and keep charging. This is one I have a tough time deciding between 2 and 3 stars on, but with the possibility of killing multiple things and the high attack, outwit, EW, and/or the traited BCF, I think he's got enough of an upper limit with decent defenses to barely merit 3.

Unless I'm missing something, Madrox only STARTS with 1 dupe, but can generate as many as it wants with successful hits, surviving hits in battle royals.

I'll be damned. That helps a lot, but it still only bumps him to 1 star for me at that 100 point line. Maybe 2 if things go your way.

You can’t call storm in as id right? Her power says no friendly character can have been placed.

Played Mojo on Wednesday and I can attest to that 4 star ranking on the 75pt line. Free move or attack with the Bored tokens is so fun. The extra movement when an opponent sidesteps can be huge and fun...makes people think twice. Great piece!

Mojo is actually one of my big picks for just being good........but not vs all these heavyweights. There's a lot of easy potential to just amass tokens with this guy and get, like, 5 attacks off and then a move. But that requires time and constructed, both of which will not be found here.

I know you lot were downplaying Professor X and giving him no shields, but I can say one of you is wrong.......Saturnflight. He totally does deserve no shields because in this set having only Shape Change to protect you from 5 damage (something very feasible) and hitting at you from outside your range (again, very feasible) just puts a giant target on 1/3rd of your team that needs time to wind up. Yes outwit is great but what are the odds of X not getting swarmed by weenies or instantly disassembled by a Colossal that can shoot from so far out. Not to mention that nasty Behind The Scenes is lurking around. Yes I know I'm not telling you things you don't already know, but sometimes Outwit isn't worth the generosity

Well I got bad news for you...

I was definitely aware. I just don't think it's viable.

Not at 100. 200 and you "may" have a shot at flooding the map with them, but unlikely.


Had the chance to play him today, and passed.