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!

Day 5! If you missed my filler episode yesterday, stop by and check out a few Fantastic Four rosters showcasing your favorite First Family members. And of course, the prior rarities:

Commons
Uncommons
Rares


The awards are filling up! Here are the current standings:


The rares finalized the main representations of the Fantastic Four, along with giving us our first taste of alternate reality versions. We've also seen a steady growth of the Frightful Four roster, a keyword that's really received extensive support rivaling their heroic counterparts throughout the setlist. Keyword-wise, don't expect anything to change at the Super-Rare level.

As a disclaimer, you can expect the Super-Rares to all score well, which is understandable- this is a premiere rarity level. Don't get discouraged by that; due to their rarity, it's unlikely to see multiple Super-Rares on one team.

#049 Unique The Thing
Real Name: Ben Grimm
Team: Fantastic Four
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: Earth X, Fantastic Four

7 11 19 3

7 11 18 3

6 11 18 3

6 11 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

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Buzz and Chuck: At the beginning of the game, generate a Buzz and a Chuck bystander. If your force is a Fantastic Four themed team, those bystanders have (autonomous symbol) this game. // The Thing can't attack unless Buzz and/or Chuck was KO'd.
Clobber You? What Kinda Unsophisticated Slob Do Ya Think I Am?: Perplex. When The Thing uses it, he may modify attack values by -2 instead of -1.
Settled Down With Alicia To Raise A Family: Defend, Invincible.

#049bta Buzz
Team: Fantastic Four
Range: 0
Points: 0

6 10 18 2

#049btb Chuck
Team: Fantastic Four
Range: 0
Points: 0

6 10 18 2

JR: Way back in the commons we talked about how great Sue was with an end dial 19 defend. Front load that and toss in two chips off the old block and it should be obvious why sweater-vest Thing earns full marks.

SF: Three Things for the price of half of one! Now that's a family value! The limitation on Thing's ability to attack is hardly a penalty at all, as he's going to take plenty of time to get into the fight. Papa Grimm is armchair coaching his allies into better defenses, correcting their form when they throw a punch, and occasionally taunting the opposition. Ben's not worried; he's earned his rank 5 Dad Legend already.




050 Ms. Marvel
Real Name: Kamala Khan
Team: Team Player
Range: 3
Points: 60
Keywords: Agents Of Atlas, Avengers, Champions, Inhumans, Celebrity

10 10 18 3

10 10 17 3

9 10 17 3

9 10 17 2

8 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

Quick-Thinking Polymorph: Shape Change.// FREE: Choose one to last until your next turn: and modify combat values +1 -or- Perplex, Plasticity.
Waiting For The Right Time To Be A Hero!: Sidestep, . Hypersonic Speed, but only once per game.
Inflated Ego
JR: This is a sneaky dial. It knows Kamala shouldn't be this good for this cheap. So they hide all that utility in a trait and a special and hope you'll be too distracted by the run of the mill printed stats to notice. HSS in particular seems like a stretch.

SF: I really love the Mighty Thor Kamala, so at first glance this dial was a disappointment. But JRuff is right, there's more than meets the eye here. The biggest thing is remembering everything she's got going on: she's a standard figure, but on click 1 she's actually tiny, but she can choose to be giant instead (but never standard sized, until click 2, when she can't be tiny anymore). It's enough to make Hank Pym's head spin! I do think she's going to be very playable, but I take issue with any implication that she's more playable than she deserves!




051 Silk
Real Name: Cindy Moon
Team: Fantastic Four, Spider-Man
Range: 6
Points: 75 / 30
Keywords: Agents of Atlas, Fantastic Four, S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Man Family, Reporter

10 11 18 3

10 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

l l l l l l

9 10 17 3

9 10 17 2

9 10 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Elevated, Hindering
FOUR S.H.I.E.L.D. BEAST HUNTERS: When Silk is given a MOVE action, after resolutions remove an action token from her and she can use Stealth until your next turn.
SILK SENSE: Super Senses but succeeds on 4-6. Protected: Outwit.
Boring, But Practical
JR: The dial is fine, just seems like it could have easily been a rare or lower and I wouldn't have blinked. Solid team player, but unlikely to ever be the star.

SF: I... dang it, he's right; she does feel like rare material... JRuff, that's 3 for 3! You take a day off and now you've got "insight"? I will dispute the part about this not being a star dial. That's a long dial in today's game, and with 50/50 odds on the Super Senses, she's going to stick around. If your map has elevated on it, she'll do much more than that.
75:
30:



052 Dragon Man
Real Name: N/A
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 120/75
Keywords: Circus of Crime, Enforcers, Frightful Four, Negative Zone, Monster, Mystical, Robot

10 11 18 4

10 11 17 4

| | | | |

10 11 18 4

9 11 18 3

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 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

Frightful Four: Property Damage: Friendly characters with the Frightful Four keyword have "FREE: If this character is adjacent to a printed square of blocking terrain, generate a light object."
Mystical Breath And More: Energy Explosion, Penetrating/Psychic Blast, Super Strength.
Recharge The Batteries : Invulnerability. FREE: Heal Dragon Man equal to the number of adjacent squares of printed blocking terrain, then destroy that terrain.
JR: Dragon Man on a map with ample blocking terrain for his trait and healing could be a real contender. Dragon Man without those is certainly still playable, but nothing particularly special. You know your map prospects better than me, plan accordingly.

SF: Trogdor was just a dragon, but Dragon Man is a ROBOT! (Seriously, what was the thought process here?!) Defying the first rule of Fright Club- we are all equals here- Dragon Man overachieves with a 120 point option, and at that point you need to get a lot out of him. On the other hand, his 75 point dial looks reasonably solid, even if you can't get him firing on all cylinders. Being a giant is honestly his biggest liability- though it does wonders for his Quake.
120:
75:

#053a Ghost Rider
Real Name: Alejandra Jones
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 4
Points: 50
Keywords: Codex, Fantastic Four, Monster, Mystical

9 11 18 3

8 11 18 3

8 11 17 3

7 10 17 3

7 10 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

Temporarily Sent Back By Johnny Blaze, King of Hell: When Ghost Rider would be KO'd for the first time, instead turn her to any click # from 1 to 5. The next time she takes damage from an opponent's attack, KO her. Protected: Pulse Wave.
The Guardian Phantasma: Energy Shield/Deflection, Toughness, Willpower. // Adjacent friendly characters of equal or lower points or that share a keyword with Ghost Rider can use Energy Shield/Deflection.
JR: Shareable ES/D on an already solid cheap dial? Sign me up! If you're looking at a Fantastic Four based team, and I think by now we should both know most people will be, Ghost Rider demands a spot on the roster.

SF: This isn't a character I needed in my collection, but it's certainly a dial I need. Who approved her for shared Energy Shield? At 50 points?! Forget the Fantastic Four, this Rider is getting recruited by Monsters and Mystics! Fierce!




#053b Prime Ghost Rider
Real Name: Alejandra Jones
Team: Mystics
Range: 3
Points: 100/40
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Mystical

11 11 17 3

10 11 17 3

9 10 18 3

| | | | |

8 11 17 3

7 10 17 2

6 10 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

Movement: Elevated, Hindering
Circle of Four: If Ghost Rider hasn't been moved or placed this turn, modify attack and damage +1.
Spirit of Vengeance: POWER: If no other friendly character has been placed this turn, choose an opposing character that attacked a friendly character since your last turn. Place Ghost Rider such that she can make a close attack targeting the chosen character, then do so.
Sin Manipulation: Poison, Steal Energy.
Saved By The Spirit: STOP. Invincible.
JR: Prob is an auto play. Mystics + Reducers +Healing means a pain and a half to KO. Everything about Prime Rider is screaming for you to play her, I'm not really even sure why you need me to chime in on this one.

SF: Just because you got to lead on this section, doesn't mean you're right and I'm just following suit. I come to my own conclusions, people! I swear!




#054 Unique Wolverine
Real Name: James Howlett
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 75
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Weapon X, X-Men

7 11 18 2

7 11 18 2

7 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

6 11 17 3

6 12 16 3

6 12 16 3

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 Wolverine hits with a close attack, until your next turn other friendly characters with the Fantastic Four keyword can use Flurry.
I Don't Stay Down Easy: When Wolverine would be KO'd except by this Trait, instead put him on this card with 4 Healing tokens. At the beginning of your turn, remove a Healing token. When you remove the last one, place him on the map on click #6 within 4 squares of a friendly character with the Fantastic Four keyword. If you can't, KO him. Protected: Pulse Wave.
The New Fantastic Four: Passenger: 1, but only to carry characters with the Fantastic Four keyword. // Once per turn, when Wolverine is carried and placed adjacent to 2+ opposing characters, after resolutions he may make a close attack.
Bloodthirsty Barrage: Charge, Flurry, Sidestep. // When Wolverine KO's an opposing character, after resolutions remove an action token from him.
Should Have Been Prime
JR: Wolverine scares me. On a full-on Fantastic Four theme team nothing less than total victory will permanently remove the canuckle-head from the board. A never dying figure is something I think should be a prime on principle alone, but that is far from Wolverine's only trick. Those low speed values belie movement options that are actually quite aggressive. And his Fantastic Teamwork has the potential to double the damage output of your various Things and Hulks. Play Wolverine.

Too Dangerous to Live
SF: There was a time when Blades and Flurry overlapped briefly on Logan's dial, and it was a big deal. That same set put Blades and Flurry onto an otherwise abysmal Spiral, and she was deemed competitive. Now, Wolverine gets 7 straight clicks of that combo, with mobility to boot. An unlucky man will tell you not to gamble on a dice roll for damage, but with this many chances at it, I say let the dice fly and see who's standing in the end. I anticipate a lot of preemptive strikes on Wolverine that end in a dead Logan and an overextended enemy, turning into a win for Wolverine's team.




#055 Agent Venom
Real Name: Flash Thompson
Team: Team Player
Range: 6
Points: 75/50
Keywords: Codex, Fantastic Four, S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Man Family, Thunderbolts, Monster, Soldier

10 11 18 3

10 10 17 3

| | | | |

9 10 17 3

8 11 17 3

7 9 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

Movement: Elevated, Hindering
Circle of Four: If Agent Venom hasn't been moved or placed this turn, modify attack and damage +1.
Call In Help From... Me!: Once per turn, when another friendly character that shares a keyword with Agent Venom hits, after resolutions you may roll a d6. 3-6: Place Agent Venom adjacent to a hit opposing character.
Symbiote: Plasticity, Shape Change.
The Venomest: Adjacent friendly characters can use Shape Change.
JR: As much as range and first strike are worth having I still find myself gravitating toward the cheaper option on Agent Venom. Those two clicks aren't even a bad deal for the points you're paying, but used as a tie-up Thompson is just so much more dangerous than any of the Mr. Fantastic's managed to be.
75:
50:
SF: I definitely value the shared Shape Change too much to pass up on the 75 point version. This is a Venom I'd turn to for several keywords, and like Silk, see him as a major threat on a map full of Elevated terrain. Attack values falter toward the end of the dial, which might come at you pretty quick; but if you can roll Shape Change well, you'll get a lot of mileage out of the front end of that dial.
75:
50:



#056 Hulk
Real Name: Amadeus Cho
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 150/40
Keywords: Agents of Atlas, Avengers, Champions, Fantastic Four, Illuminati, S.H.I.E.L.D., Monster, Scientist

11 12 18 4

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 4

10 11 19 3

10 12 19 3

| | | | |

10 11 18 3

10 10 17 3

9 10 17 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Hindering, Blocking (Destroy)
Four S.H.I.E.L.D. Beast Hunters: When Hulk is given a MOVE action, after resolutions remove an action token from him and he can use Stealth until your next turn.
The Totally Awesome Hulk: Leap/Climb, Super Strength
Keep Fighting The Monsters: STOP. Invulnerability.
Ninth Smartest Now: Outwit, but Hulk may use it X times per turn, where X is 1 plus the number of opposing characters he's damaged this turn.
JR: As with our various heralds I simply have to urge you towards the economy version. At less than a third of the cost he can accomplish pretty much every thing the luxury model can do besides absorb hits. Awesome Hulk is here to dish out the hits, not take them.
150:
40:
SF: JRuffing has been wrong about the Heralds all along, and he's wrong about Cho too; this is a dial that's going to give your opponent fits trying to crack. Get in and let off some steam!
150:
40:

#057 Annihilus
Real Name: Annihilus
Team: Power Cosmic
Range: 9
Points: 175/125
Keywords: Negative Zone, Armor, Cosmic, Monster, Ruler

11 12 18 4

10 12 18 4

| | | | | |

10 11 18 4

10 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

10 12 17 3

10 12 17 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Endless Resurrection… : POWER: Heal Annihilus equal to to his number of Negative Energy tokens.
…Can't…Stop…Living… : Invincible. When this click is first revealed, give Annihilus a Negative Energy token.
Anti-Particles: Outwit. // When Annihilus is attacked, any positive modifiers of the attacker's attack value become negative. When Annihilus attacks a single character, any positive modifiers of the target's defense value become negative.
JR: Annihilus' durability is high risk, high reward. He wants to get as close as possible to KO without actually getting there. Are you a planner? Are you sure you've thought through how many attacks will find their way to your costly tentpole next turn? The better game plan will win a match with Annihilus regardless of which side of the field he's on. There are safer gambles in the set.

Envy of Doom
SF: Usually, I'll steer you toward a cheaper version of a figure in sealed, but my conventional wisdom has gone out the window with this set due to a pervasive baseline point cost and the prevalence of long range and Power Cosmic on the tentpoles. Annihilus can keep his social distance while still spreading the Anti-Particles of the Negative Zone. Speaking of Anti-Particles, with modifiers all the rage in the modern game, Annihilus is in prime position to tackle built-up defenses. Of course, it's the Negative Energy tokens that get all the buzz; they're a neat addition to his dial, but I wouldn't put too much stock in a Regeneration roll with guaranteed results. For that guaranteed result to be the 3 or 4 we all dream of, you need to be pretty close to death.
175:
125:



#058 Super Skrull
Real Name: Kl'rt
Team: Skrulls
Range: 0
Points: 100/75/50
Keywords: Frightful Four, Skrulls, Cosmic, Soldier, Warrior

9 11 18 3

9 10 18 3

| | | | |

9 11 18 3

8 10 17 3

| | | | |

8 11 17 3

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

7 11 17 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

The Powers of The Fantastic Four: At the beginning of your turn, choose two. Super Skrull has the listed effects until your next turn.
…..Invisible Woman Sidestep, Stealth, Barrier as FREE but only to generate one marker.
…..The Thing Charge, Impervious, Close Combat Expert.
…..Mr. Fantastic Plasticity, Super Senses, Giant Reach: 4.
…..Human Torch Running Shot, Energy Explosion, range of 6.
JR: For all the flexibility he offers I see myself going for rocky, rubbery fisticuffs 90% of the time. He just becomes a brawler that few could hope to match at that point. Extremely hard to put down and capable of really laying the smackdown with those stretchy bits o' granite. That I could pile even more on with some shared Frightful traits has me salivating.

SF: I'm super excited for a Super Skrull remake, but I will admit that this isn't quite what I'd hoped for. Don't get me wrong, this is a great dial that will perform well. But I don't care for Pick-a-Powerset when it's off the dial, and this one piles up 6 total powers to keep in mind, 6 powers that will change each turn. It's a lot to keep up on! In Constructed play, please bring markers representing the 4 and place the 2 active copies on the card (I hear a photoshop project).
100:
75:
50:



#059 Blastaar
Real Name: Blastaar
Team: Power Cosmic
Range: 8
Points: 150/75
Keywords: Frightful Four, Negative Zone, Cosmic, Ruler, Warrior

10 12 18 4

9 11 17 4

9 11 17 3

| | | | | |

9 11 18 3

9 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 11 17 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Targeting: This character can make range attacks while adjacent to opposing characters. (May target adjacent or non-adjacent opposing characters.)
The Forceful Ruler Of Baluur: Force Blast, Super Strength
Concussive Blast Flight: Charge, Running Shot. FREE: Make a close attack.
The Living Bomb Burst: Energy Explosion. When he uses it, the character(s) Blastaar originally targeted are dealt penetrating damage.
JR: Selective penetrating really boosts the usefulness of EE in this set considering the occasional bricks (budget or otherwise) we've seen. Concussive Blast Flight is a cool power, but not enough to double my investment. I'd rather be making the most of my range to keep my points safe than rushing in recklessly to try and justify my point splurge.
150:
75:
SF: Blastaar is unusually flexible, able to bring the fight up close or at range with equal fury. If you settle for his 75 point version, however, he prefers range and struggles with his damage output. For that reason, I can't recommend the cheaper alternative.
150:
75:



#060 Doom 2099, Revolutionary
Real Name: Victor Von Doom
Team: Minions of Doom, Team Player
Range: 7
Points: 125
Keywords: Latveria, S.H.I.E.L.D., Armor, Future, Mystical, Politician, Ruler, Scientist

8 11 18 4

8 10 18 4

10 11 18 4

8 10 18 3

7 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

7 10 16 4

7 11 15 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Title Character: When Doom 2099, Revolutionary is KO'd, an opponent chooses a number of standard powers equal to your friendly characters on the map. Characters on your force can't use those powers until the end of your next turn.
(+0) Deposing Tyger Wylde: FREE: Make an attack that deals 1 penetrating damage instead of normal damage. If the attack hits, gain 1 plot point. If the attack hit the highest point (or tied) opposing character on the map, instead gain 3 plot points.
(-1) Stealing The Shipment As Part Of The Zefiro Resistance: FREE: Choose an adjacent opposing character. If the aren't equipped, they modify defense -2 this turn. Otherwise, unequip that character's equipment.
(-7) One Nation Under Doom: FREE: For the rest of the game, for each opposing character, the first time each turn that opposing character would be given a CLOSE, RANGE, MOVE, or POWER action, you may roll a d6. 3-6: That character can't be given that type of action that turn.
Starting Plot Points: 1
JR: Now personally title characters have never been my....
...


Sorry about that, they've never been my favorite mechanic. As soon as you think you've found your groove with them Be SILENT!!!
..darn
Doom brings dire warnings from your future
I have three questions
Keep your forked tongue behind your crooked teeth! Doom has not journeyed through time and what you call the fourth wall to bandy words with a wretch like you! The Future of title characters is ruled by Doom!!!
It is pointless to resist.
That is all.

SF: The penalty for the death of Doom is steep, but temporary. That's usually the first thing I consider when looking at a Title character. Doom has extremely flexible attack options, though I worry a little about the lack of tricks on the defensive- no Mastermind, no dice rolls, just straight reduction. That leaves it up to your opponent to hit their attack roll, and lets them plan precisely how they want a successful attack to play out. I worry that Doom's promise is just political bluster.

I must say that JRuffing has been simply nailing his reviews of the Doom figures in this set. Such wisdom! Such insight! Such an instinct for self-preservation!

Saturnflight, however..."political bluster"?

We're watching you, Saturnflight...if that's even your real name.

On the topic of Hulk, it's worth noting that armor penetration is few and far between in this set, just a lot of Outwit, which Hulk does have Stealth to help with. It should make his top dial more attractive.

I'll be honest, I'm drooling over every super rare in this set bar Ms. Marvel.

5/5 all around, and a 6/5 for that Super Skrull

It's not.

The "s" is lower case.

Since I have downsized my collection from owning everything since 2002 to just under 500 figures, I've only kept the best one or two versions of each character I like. I also haven't picked up any SR's from the last few sets since I already had a version of those characters that I liked better.

But this sets SR's has me very interested in getting a some of them. I hope I can find for sale or trade both the A & B version of Ghost Rider. But I do believe the sculpt on the A version is the same sculpt used as the 2015 con ex. M-026 version.

Also the Amadeus Cho Hulk is another I like since I don't have a version of Cho's Hulk in my collection. I think it may be the best Cho/Hulk version we've even gotten.

Good reviews from both JR & SF on all rarities from this set. I've already pre-purchased some of the characters I wanted the most and your reviews have me interested in some others.

Great review! I've already got my Skrull Power Tokens planned out, just need to print them.

I'm gonna hate paying $30 for that SR Super-Skrull on release day. But I'm still gonna.

Let's hope that the sky-high prices for Wolverine and Ghost Rider (the rest of the Top Three SRs in this set) mean lower prices for the villains I'd like to get.

I enjoy the fact that DOOM is a Tolkien fan.

If you are getting the F4 token pack, that could work too.

Smart people use the F4 token pack.


But COOL people find images of Super Skrull showcasing each of those powers and print them on tokens for the prestige.

I plan on using up a rock, a chewed up piece of bubble gum, a lit match, and a clear shot glass to represent each of the F4's powersets