While Cosmic Clash marked the official return of the Fantastic Four after 8 years, Marvel HeroClix: Fantastic Four reintroduces their entire mythos and adds true team-building options to the keyword. The world they came back to may be in an exceptionally strange place, but even without official organized play to support a Sealed Marquee Event, we've still got a Primer for you!

A quick recap before we begin!

First, if you missed the Commons yesterday, jump back and start there!

The Commons laid an interesting foundation for the set. Most of them live within a range of 40-50 points, with the spikes only reaching 75. Based on the Commons alone, your team might have 5 or 6 people on it! We'll see how far up the rarities that trend continues.

Saturnflight is looking slightly more generously on this set, having given out an average rating of 3.5. JRuffing's averaging a 3 rating, so basically he's remaining neutral.

What we both agree on is the Moloid is a 1 in Sealed. We have no award for 'Charming but Useless', so the Moloid is also the only minion to go home with nothing. Sorry.

Speaking of awards, here's a recap of what's been handed out so far!

#017 Mr. Fantastic
Real Name: Reed Richards
Team: Fantastic Four
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Illuminati, Scientist

9 11 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 17 2

7 9 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

Reforming The Fantastic Four: Once per attack, you may force the attacker to reroll a 4 in an attack roll targeting Mr. Fantastic.
Elastic Finger Squeeze: Plasticity. Giant Reach: 4. When Mr. Fantastic hits with a close attack and has not been moved or placed this turn, until your next turn a hit character modifies attack -1 and considers Mr. Fantastic adjacent for the purpose of breaking away.
JR: A decent enough upgrade in terms of rubbery fisticuffs over the common, but Reed's primary appeal remains that big brain. Every team likes having Outwit, but some teams will need Leadership. Choose accordingly.

SF: More interesting than the common, but still not exciting. Combining the tie-down role with the disruption role is a risky proposition, but he might be able to manage it if you can leverage his Giant Reach.




#018 Invisible Woman
Real Name: Susan Richards
Team: Fantastic Four
Range: 4
Points: 50
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Celebrity

8 9 19 3

8 10 18 3

7 10 18 2

7 10 18 2

7 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

Reforming The Fantastic Four: Once per attack, you may force the attacker to reroll a 4 in an attack roll targeting Invisible Woman.
Form The New Fantastic Four: At the beginning of the game, you may replace up to 4 friendly characters with the same number of characters from your Sideline on their starting clicks. All replacement and replaced characters must have the Fantastic Four keyword and different names. The total points of the replacement characters can't exceed the total points of the replaced characters.
Protective Instincts: Barrier, Super Senses. Barrier as FREE, but only to generate markers in squares adjacent to friendly characters with the Fantastic Four keyword that were attacked since your last turn. (Normal Barrier placement restrictions still apply).
The One Saturnflight Will Insist is Good
JR: I know Saturnflight will gush over any free Barrier regardless of any practicality so let me clue you in first. That Protective Barrier is not gonna work out nearly as often as he thinks. Protection from close combat requires your opponent to have not seen it coming and placed diagonal. Her short range means she needs to be practically on top of her allies to use it effectively, and you'll need to be wary of adjacency and hindering to keep those options open. Depending on team you could be giving up more than you're gaining when you set up for it.

SF: Seriously guys, I play more than just Barrier.
But he's right, I'm about to tell you why you'll spot this Invisible Woman on all my Fantastic Four rosters. Sue demands that your opponent finish what they start, or they may not get a chance to. Also, she doesn't need to rely solely on the free Barrier. She can use it normally, or act as your team's mobilizer. Ideally, this is your Indoor Map Invisible Woman, and you're facing a balanced team that can't easily focus fire. Keep in mind that red suit Sue isn't the ideal answer to just any team, which is why her ability to reconfigure the Fantastic Four from your sideline is so powerful.




#019 Human Torch
Real Name: Johnny Storm
Team: Fantastic Four
Range: 6
Points: 50
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Celebrity

10 10 18 3

10 11 17 3

9 11 17 3

9 10 17 2

9 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

KO KO KO KO

Reforming The Fantastic Four: Once per attack, you may force the attacker to reroll a 4 in an attack roll targeting Human Torch.
Flame On!: When Human Torch moves, after the resolution of each move, you may immediately generate a hindering terrain marker in a square he moved through. At the beginning of your next turn, remove those markers (even if this is lost).
JR: UC Johnny will be a handy fig to have. A simple but serviceable attacker and Flame on will give him some board control top dial.

SF: Hypersonic Speed answers my personal hang-up with range oriented Human Torches. Now I can play him as a close combatant if I want to- though Energy Deflection encourages me to at least hit and run. I love that the stats on this one make Johnny more than a soft target.




#020 The Thing
Real Name: Ben Grimm
Team: Fantastic Four
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Celebrity

9 11 18 4

8 10 18 3

8 10 18 3

7 10 17 3

7 9 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

Reforming the Fantastic Four: Once per attack, you may force the attacker to reroll a 4 in an attack roll targeting The Thing.
Oooh... Did That Hurt?: Impervious. When The Thing uses it and succeeds during a close attack, after resolutions deal the attacker 1 penetrating damage. // Once per turn when The Thing rolls a 4 for impervious, he may roll again.
Point Breaker
JR: Now here is an ever loving blue eyed Thing! Ben can go toe-to-toe with just about any 75 or 60 point figure in the set.

Point Breaker
SF: 50 point bricks have come a long way- and personally, I've come to adore them. It's an ideal point bracket for a close combat beater, if you ask me. That Indomitable feels like an unnecessary gift. I nearly gave all four Uncommon F4 members a 4- rating, but if Ben gets a bonus Indomitable tossed onto his sweet dial, so does his rating.

#021 Unique Dr. Doom
Real Name: Victor Von Doom
Team: Minions of Doom
Range: 6
Points: 95/45
Keywords: Cabal, Latveria, Armor, Mystical, Politician, Ruler, Scientist

9 12 18 3

9 11 18 3

8 11 17 3

| | | | | |

8 11 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(+5) Why Do All Your Robots Look Like You Again?: When placing characters during game setup, place Dr. Doom on this card and generate two #005 Doombots in your starting area.// This game, when a friendly #005 Doombot is KO'd, you may immediately place Dr. Doom from this card into their square, and must do so if no other friendly #005 Doombot is on the map.// While Dr. Doom is on this card, #005 Doombots can use Leadership.
My Robots Often Confuse My Foes: Leadership, Mastermind. When Dr. Doom uses Leadership and succeeds, instead of the normal effect, you may generate a #005 Doombot.
JR: If his bots are unimpressive without a Doom to protect than that goes double for the man himself. While top dial is good offensively, he lacks the defense to expec-**BZzzzKt**- ENOUGH OF THIS FARCE!!! Doom has suffered this fool for too long! The simpleton requested Leadership and Doom has provided it. If you are simply too incompetent to pull a pair of my Doombots it is no failure of Doom's!

SF: (... well how do you follow that?!)
Everything about this dial is glorious. I never would have expected Enhancement on Doom, but that's clearly MY OWN FAILING, for DOOM IS BENEVOLENT AND GENEROUS! What's that? An award? Surely! Doom is deserving of all accolades! See how it acknowledges his sovereignty?
Keyword King
95:
45:



#022 Nova
Real Name: Frankie Raye
Team: Power Cosmic
Range: 8
Points: 125
Keywords: Cosmic, Herald

12 11 18 4

12 10 18 3

11 10 17 4

11 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

10 10 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

My Conscience is Clear, Surfer: When an opposing character is KO'd, after resolutions, heal the highest point friendly character 1 click (You choose it there's a tie).
JR: ....Ow. Anyway that is a steep cost when you consider how much we can get for 75 or less in this set. Too rich for my blood.

SF: Yeah, that point cost really came as a shock to me too. Not that I don't think this dial has 125 points in it, but I'm concerned that I may not be able to maximize her in this environment. On the other hand, she may be just enough to overwhelm opponents who are just doing the best they can with their pulls. If I opened her, I'd take a look around the table and see if anyone can reliably crack those heavy defenses. Nova is exactly the sort of figure who could make the most of an opportunity.




#023 Skrull Warrior
Real Name: Various
Team: Skrulls
Range: 6
Points: 30
Keywords: Skrulls, Warrior

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 17 2

7 9 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

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Hindering
DROP DISGUISE FOR COMBAT: Running Shot. // FREE: Until your next turn, modify attack +2 and Skrull Warrior can't use Shape Change or the Skrulls team ability.
JR: When you absolutely, positively need a figure on their last legs KO'd before turning the reigns back over to your opponent, accept no substitutes. Call the Skrull Marines.

SF: I don't even know what JRuff is saying there. This is a dull dial that can function just fine, but won't swing any games. His inclusion in your team is simply a matter of happenstance and a lack of alternatives. I can't imagine compromising anywhere else to fit him in.




#024 Hulk
Real Name: Bruce Banner
Team: Fantastic Four
Range: 0
Points: 75
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Monster

7 11 18 4

7 10 18 3

7 10 17 3

7 11 16 4

7 10 17 3

7 10 16 3

6 9 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

A NEW KIND OF FANTASTIC TEAMWORK: When Hulk hits with a close attack, until your next turn other friendly characters with the Fantastic Four keyword can use Charge.
THE NEW FANTASTIC FOUR: Passenger: 1, but only to carry characters with the Fantastic Four keyword. // Once per turn, when Hulk is carried and placed adjacent to 2+ opposing characters, after resolutions he may make a close attack.
GUESS I'LL SMASH...: Charge, but does not halve speed.
JR: Strong and versatile. Whether carrying or being carried Hulk has options for first engagement and the muscle to make it hurt. Downside, he makes my man Parker look bad by comparison.

SF: Don't blame Hulk. Parker's making himself look bad without any comparison needed. After an initial Smash, Hulk looks a lot more intimidating. So make sure that opening hit lands. By click 3, Hulk looks worse than the 50 pointers in the set.

#025 X-23
Real Name: Laura Kinney
Team: Team Player
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: All-New X-Men, Fantastic Four, Weapon X, X-Force, X-Men, Detective

10 11 17 3

9 10 17 3

9 10 17 3

8 11 17 2

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

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Hindering
Circle of Four: If X-23 hasn't been moved or placed this turn, modify attack and damage +1.
Healing Factor: Toughness. // At the beginning of your turn, if X-23 has 2 action tokens, heal her 1 click.
Hunter And Tracker: Flurry, Sidestep, Stealth.
Direct Upgrade
JR: Small changes all add up to make this Laura substantially sturdier than her common counterpart. Deadly enough when she's coming in hot, but no one wants to dig in for a protracted battle with this mutant.

SF: I actually like the Common more, but it's not because the Common is better. It's because I think the Common will fly under the radar, while the Uncommon has a target on her back. The lack of Stealth on her opening click really puts Laura in a bad spot as she tries to approach.




#026 Ghost Rider
Real Name: Robbie Reyes
Team: Fantastic Four, Mystics
Range: 4
Points: 80/40
Keywords: Fantastic Four, S.H.I.E.L.D., Mystical

10 11 18 3

10 10 17 3

9 10 17 3

l l l l l l

9 12 19 4

9 11 19 4

9 11 18 4

9 10 18 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Hindering
GHOST OF UNCLE ELI: If Ghost Rider is 40 points, he is KO'd when his dial clicks past the red KO line. Protected: Pulse Wave
FOUR S.H.I.E.L.D. BEAST HUNTERS: When Ghost Rider is given a MOVE action, after resolutions remove an action token from him and he can use Stealth until your next turn.
HELLFIRE PORTALS: Phasing/Teleport. When Ghost Rider uses it and moves 4 squares or less, after resolutions he may make a close attack.
PENANCE STARE: Energy Explosion, Pulse Wave. Once per turn, when Ghost Rider hits an opposing character that damaged a friendly character since your last turn, after resolutions deal that opposing character penetrating damage equal to their action tokens.
JR: 80 points or bust. Half price for among the easiest KO's in the set is no deal. Full cost for a figure your opponent has to play around or they'll regret it is.
40:
80:
SF: I make it a point to disagree with JRuffing as often as possible, but that's not an option here. Ghost Rider has nothing to offer for 40 points. Run this speed demon at 80 or leave him in the box.
40:
80:



#027 Valeria Richards
Real Name: Valeria Richards
Team: Fantastic Four
Range: 5
Points: 40
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Latveria, Scientist

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

7 9 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

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Let's See, What Can I Make With This?: FREE: Choose a standard attack power. Valeria Richards can use that power this turn.
Here, Uncle, I Built This For You: Perplex with a range of 8. UNIQUE MODIFIER - When Valeria Richards uses Perplex to target another character that shares a keyword, she may instead modify a value except damage by +2.
JR: Valeria is the exac SILENCE OAF!!! Doom is speaking now!
...
Bright Girl. Terrible taste in parents.

SF: If this dial was TK and Perplex, I'd probably play it. As TK-or-any-other-attack-power and Perplex+, I'm ecstatic to find her in my booster. The Fantastic Four has waited long enough for these children to join the roster. They're soon to become indispensable.




#028 She-Thing
Real Name: Sharon Ventura
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 75
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Frightful Four, Monster

8 11 17 4

8 11 17 4

8 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

7 10 16 3

7 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

Frightful Four: If You Don't Want Me: UNIQUE MODIFIER - Friendly characters with the Frightful Four keyword modify damage +1 when attacking only characters that share a keyword with them.
Coming After Those That Hurt Me: Leap/Climb. When She-Thing uses it, after resolutions she may make a close attack.
JR: Frightful damage, but far from fantastic fortitude. Field her if you've found further Frightful Four figures to fortify her flagging numbers.

Inflated Ego
SF: Look, you can hate She-Thing all you want, but compare this dial to Hulk's and you'll see that Sharon is a contender. No longer filler, the Uncommon is a full-on force targeting the two most common keywords in the set. She-Thing really has no right to be this good.

#029 Klaw
Real Name: Ulysses Klaw
Team: Masters of Evil
Range: 6
Points: 75
Keywords: A.I.M., Frightful Four, Masters of Evil, Scientist

10 11 17 3

9 11 17 3

9 10 17 2

9 10 17 2

8 11 17 2

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

Frightful Four: Sonic Wave: Friendly characters with the Frightful Four keyword can use Energy Shield/Deflection.
Overwhelming Blast Of Sound: When Klaw is KO'd, roll a d6. [4]-[6]: Deal 2 penetrating damage to all opposing characters within 4 squares.
Can't Touch Us! Barrier, Invulnerability. When Klaw uses Barrier, he may count range and draw line of fire from the square of a friendly character with the Frightful Four keyword.
JR: Klaw wants to be a ranged cannon. Klaw will be getting based and made less impressive. I'm probably only running Klaw if I'm going all in on Frightful Four.

Already Irrelevant
SF: I'm not sold on Klaw either, but I'm not as down on him. Probably because he has a cool Barrier. (I'm capable of admitting my own bias.) Those are some decent attack values, and even if his defenses don't hold up, Klaw stands to deal damage on the way out. Unfortunately, Klaw has some really excellent options in the game already, and the truth is I'm unlikely to use this one over those. He really needed to hit a lower point bracket; as is, he's just an echo for Modern Age.




#030 Firelord
Real Name: Pyreus Kril
Team: Power Cosmic
Range: 8
Points: 150/40
Keywords: Nova Corps, Cosmic, Herald

10 12 18 4

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 3

| | | | |

10 11 18 3

9 10 17 3

8 10 17 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Cosmic Heat Beyond Compare: Energy Explosion, Poison. When Firelord uses Energy Explosion, after resolutions deal X damage to each hit character, where X is the number of other opposing characters adjacent to that character.
JR: Firelord at 150 is a trap. His theoretical maximum damage is absurd, but it will remain theoretical unless your opponent is actively trying to lose. His actual realistic damage output will be about on par with 75 point characters in this set. 40 points is a steal though.
150:
40:
SF: Like Nova- perhaps, as we move forward, we'll find this is a Herald thing- Firelord could steal a tournament if the field is right. If you don't think you can pilot him to victory at 150, there's probably room on your team for a 40 point Hypersonic Speedster with reduction and high stats.
150:
40:



#031a Punisher
Real Name: N/A
Team: Power Cosmic
Range: 0
Points: 30
Keywords: Cosmic, Herald, Robot

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 10 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

Unrelenting Flurry of Punches: Flurry. When Punisher uses it, if each attack hits a different target, he may make an additional close attack.
JR: Too bad the award wasn't for dull but deadly Uncommon. Watch out for him on a team with multiple Perplexes, he can deal a disproportionately huge chunk of damage for the amount of support put into him.

SF: I mean, there you have it folks. That's Punisher. He does what he does. Can you make use of that? ¯\__/¯




#031b Prime Punisher
Real Name: N/A
Team: Power Cosmic
Range: 0
Points: 125 / 75
Keywords: Frightful Four, Cosmic, Herald, Robot

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 4

9 11 18 4

l l l l l l

9 11 18 3

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 10 16 3

7 11 16 3

7 12 16 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

FRIGHTFUL FOUR: STRANGE HEAVILY-ARMORED BEING, HALF-ROBOT, HALF-ALIVE!: Friendly characters with the Frightful Four keyword deal penetrating damage to opposing characters with 2 action tokens.
MERCILESS, HARD-CORE MASS OF MAYHEM: Close Combat Expert, Colossal Stamina, Giant Reach: 2.
HE'S UNSTOPPABLE!: Charge, Flurry.
JR: You would think a prime slot and a bevy of damage dealing options would make this Punisher an auto-play. I'm still somewhat hesitant to invest heavily in him unless I can protect that investment with more shared Frightful Four traits.

SF: Man, everything about that flavor text makes me hate this guy. How hideously corny. Why am I predisposed to dislike Punishers? So of course he's good. I'd have to run him if I opened him. And if I suggested Nova and Firelord could run away with tournaments, should the opportunity present itself, then I have to concede the same is true of Punisher here. All he's missing is a range value.




#032 Triton
Real Name: Triton Mander-Azur
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 40
Keywords: Inhumans, Soldier

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

7 9 17 2

7 9 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

Ally To The Seas: When establishing themed teams, choose a friendly character with , Triton gains that character's keywords.
Attack From The Depths: Charge. Hypersonic Speed, but only if Triton occupies water terrain when activating it.
JR: Cheap Prob. You know the drill.

Direct Upgrade
SF: Triton has sat around 75 points for his entire history in the game. Triton regularly doesn't make the cut on my Inhumans teams because I'm not allocating that many points to him at the expense of Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Karnak, or Gorgon. Triton is now 40 points. Also, it doesn't feel like he had to compromise at all to get there. Unless points are no object (at which point Earth X merits consideration), F4 Triton is now THE Triton in my book.

Hmmmm.......have to say, Klaw not getting the 'Designed by the intern' award for his superfluous click of ESD is the biggest surprise so far

2 figures (Valeria and Triton) I'll pick up as singles have 5 stars...cool.

First, a couple of the awards:

This Klaw brings something extra to Frightful Four teams, and while there are other Klaws out there, only the ADW SR and the LE are in the discussion for being "better" in my opinion.

The former I would say is clearly better, but it also costs 35 points more, so it won't always be practical.
The latter is 10 points cheaper, but isn't as tough... I would argue that this Klaw is more a direct upgrade of that LE than it is already irrelevant.

Dr. Doom? Keyword King? I don't think so. Never mind the other few figures that I would put in the running, but to me the presence of Doom 2099 prevents this figure from being king.
They both share 6 keywords, but where this one adds Cabal, Doom 2099 brings SHIELD and future to the table. Cabal is not so major a keyword as to overcome the value of those two, and I would argue that SHIELD alone (58 MA dials listed in units, not including this set) has more value than Cabal (15 MA dials listed in units, not including this set) does.
Oh, and SHIELD has 7 figures, I think I counted, in this set compared to the Cabal's 2.

Again, this isn't even considering some of the other figures that have several solid keywords of their own, but this Doom simply can not get my vote because the other Doom does the keyword thing better.


Now, onto some other figures I want to give mention to:

On Firelord I agree with Saturnflight. The 150 point dial may not be as efficient as the 40 point dial, but I like the defenses, especially when backed by the Power Cosmic TA.
He should have staying power on the map and he has a dial worth keeping there, whether he manages to squeeze any extra damage out of his energy explosion trick or not.


Nova I am giving . Again, the PC TA is a big deal here.
She has good defense powers if not great numbers, and most opponents will have no choice but to have to work through them.
4 clicks of HSS up front with respectable attack and damage values backed by 2 more of 10A, 3D RS/Pulse Wave. Perplex on her first two clicks and, while I am not paying 125 points for a support figure, the literal support she has could be worth spending an action on.
125 might not be cheap, but there are enough cheap, but still quality, figures in the set to build a good team around her. You are not necessarily having to make great sacrifice to fit her (or the full cost Firelord) onto your team.


Valeria's a support piece extraordinaire. I mean, 2 clicks of super-perplex followed by 2 clicks of perplex are a great start, but to then let her pick any attack power she needs?
TK is going to further that support status, but she can switch it up if she needs to.
That 5 range of hers make P/PB, pulse wave, and precision strike options if you need to finish someone off or otherwise discourage them from getting too close, and maybe a little steal energy will help her extend her short dial.

That is, of course, her drawback. Maybe the two clicks of ES/D and the two clicks of mastermind will help keep her around, but you just have to be aware that there are several pieces, even at this level, that can remove her in one shot.
But for 40 points? I can't say that she is an 'automatic' install on my team, but she absolutely is going to be in consideration, and if I can get her one or more Fantastic Four, Latverian, or scientist playmates it certainly doesn't hurt her cause.


And, finally, the FF themselves:

Reed is a nice upgrade for 10 points over the common. You lose the leadership that the common opens with, but you get outwit and the special is pretty good.
The giant reach is potentially a big deal.
As I mentioned yesterday there isn't a lot of stealth-busting in the set, so being able to make close attacks at range is a bonus, never mind the general advantage of being able to hit (and tie-up) some of the set's many close-combat bruisers without them being able to hit you back.

to shields is a good rating, so you disagree a little, but it's easily chalked up to rounding.


Sue is, in my opinion, not an upgrade.
Sure, she has the 19D to open and free barrier tricks, but she doesn't share her D with her friends and the free barrier is limited.
I mean, obviously she has to have a Fantastic friend for it to work at all, but then you are dealing with her 4 range as well which means that everyone is going to need to be packed tight.
If you are playing some of the commons then that close formation stuff is useful, but how much value does that opening TK lose if she feels compelled to keep her Fantastic friends within her free barrier range?

This one definitely has the offensive edge over the common, though. I would give her , but I am perfectly fine saving the 10 points, using the common, and looking for my offense elsewhere.


With Johnny I think that you are getting your points' worth, but if points are a concern I am more than comfortable using the common.
An extra here, along with a HSS click and some end-dial barrier replacing ES/D, but that's about it.
If the poison is supposed to be a deterrent that keeps some of these close attackers away from him, I think it fails. By the time it shows up he is one hit from just about anyone in the set from being KOd, and there are plenty of tanked-up bruisers that won't care about the poison anyway.

The Flame On! trait is an extra, though. That hindering terrain marker, or two if he used HSS, could be a life-saver.

I hold him at , same as the common.


Ben? Oh, Ben is pure gold. Penetrating damage is a concern, but 3 clicks of improved impervious and two clicks of invulnerable are things I put more stock in than 3 clicks of toughness and a conditional STOP click. Besides, this set doesn't have a ton of penetrating damage, particularly on opening clicks.

As I said in the evidence thread when I coded this dial: It's amazing what 10 points can buy you these days.

You both rated him and I won't argue with that. I don't know how any sane person could.

Point Breaker? I'd have to look ahead to review what all is left, but I won't argue with that, either.

This is my main section for figures I want from this set. Nova, Firelord, X-23, & Ghost Rider I have already pre-paid for. Valeria is another I'll probably go after and possible the 4 red suited FF. Just cause there in red.

My personal opinion, She-Think is the best of the Uncommons. She could easily one shot most figures in this set on that first Clix, and has a long movement to get there.
However l must be missing something with Doom. I heard others say they like the Uncommon Doom but l am not seeing it. Especially in sealed. What am l missing?

Deadly, makes deadly minions, valuable leadership in a low point set, good powers, wacky trait that means he shows up whenever he wants to, take your pick

Even though they may not pull their weight in a sealed event, I will be playing the hell out of Nova and Firelord!

I think JR is underestimated how hard it will be to hit UC Invisible Woman with that printed 19, Super Senses, AND the Reforming the Fantastic Four trait rerolling a 4 in the attack roll against her. True, she doesn't do much unless you push her, but the TK could he very useful, and once in combat she does have a printed 3 damage to crack reducers. I probably wouldn't give her more than 3 shields myself, but I'm willing to back SF on her.

Nova and Firelord are primary attackers in a set full of cheap, efficient figures and higher rarity figures that outclass them in their role. The 40 point line on Firelord is absolutely a steal in limited, but could wreck if played carefully.

I think Nova should be able to pull her weight and then some. HHS is king and her trait healing your highest point figure will generally result in her healing.

Not the most efficient use in constructed, but she should do well in sealed.


The one thing I like about Firelord at full is he will force your opponent to not group up and makes carrying a riskier proposition.