It's new set time once again clixers.
Take a trip through the galaxy with us and the X-men. Saturnflight and Jruffing return once again to bicker their way through yet another primer! Who will rise to the occasion in sealed? Who will see you fall through the rankings? Do either of these writers know what they're doing? Does anyone actually read these things? Read more to find out!!!

Saturnflight: If House of X dealt with mutants' place in the world, Rise and Fall is about the X-Men's place in the stars. The Shi'ar return with perhaps the most support we've ever seen for the keyword; the Starjammers pick up real choices for their roster; and we continue to populate the Krakoan nation.

This set is notable for a few different reasons.

First, it continues a new trend in WizKids game design of thematically-connected sets. We saw this with heavy ties between Fantastic Four and Future Foundation; many of the same keywords and mechanics were present, but the camera had just shifted to a different corner. This is a great way to keep older sets relevant.

Second, it's the first Marvel set to follow the massive rules revision introduced in WW80. Controvertially, that includes the temporary cycling out of some standard PAC powers, meaning a few characters received some unique power interpretations this set! Some of these changes dramatically change the value assessments that JRuff and I fell back on while writing Primers- the increased compatability between powers and the removal of the pushing mechanic in particular have thrown our rules of thumb out the window! I expect a lot more disagreement between us, and in the comments as well!

Finally, Rise and Fall introduces a new mechanic that we expect to see a lot more of in the future: Rally. Here's a rules recap:

Let's break this down quickly:
1. Rally triggers when an attack roll is finalized. (In this set, ALL Rally abilities trigger during opposing attack rolls, aka- Red Rally.)
2. If the Rally number (in this set, it's always a 5, aka- X) is shown on one or both of the dice, you can place a matching dice on one of your Rally character cards.

While I was leery about this mechanic when it was first previewed, I've come to appreciate it and am actually looking forward to putting it on the table. For the custom dice collectors out there (and there are many), you finally have a chance to use all those highly-specific character dice you've acquired.

More importantly, from a character representation angle, the Rally mechanic makes them better at doing the core thing the character does. Wolverine SHOULD regenerate; Rally ensures he's successful at it at least once. Longshot SHOULD roll critical hits; Rally makes that so much more likely. Havok SHOULD use Energy Explosion; Rally makes your attacks more reliable when you do.

Also note-worthy, fan-favorite Primer awards return to grace your screens yet again!

Awesome, But Impractical
Best Rally
Boring, But Practical
Inflated Ego
Irresistibly Bad
Keyword King
Oddly Specific
On the Rise
Point Breaker
Power Common
The New Cheese
Too Dangerous to Live
Unfortunate Fall
Worst Rally

Enough setting the stage. Let's get this show rolling!

#001 Wolverine
Real Name: Logan
Team: X-Men
Range: 0
Points: 45
Keywords: Avengers, Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, Weapon X, X-Men

10 11 17 3

10 11 17 3

10 10 17 3

9 11 17 2

8 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

RALLY [5]: Opposing Attack Rolls: Regeneration. When Wolverine uses it, before rolling the D6 you may instead remove the RALLY die to use it on the result.
SF: From time to time, we need a basic version of our major characters. I'm extremely satisfied with the Wolverines we got in HoX, so this is as good a time as any for a super basic version. That said, basic doesn't mean ineffective: Charge, Blades, and Exploit are a proven combo that's made better on a cheap dial. This isn't the sort of dial I'm counting on for survival, but Regeneration is a welcome bit of gravy for moments when Logan finds himself on Flurry without an adjacent target.

JR: Sometimes even saturnflight gets 'em right. Wolverine is basic, but dangerous.


#002 Darwin
Real Name: Armando Munoz
Team: X-Men
Range: 0
Points: 30
Keywords: X-Factor, X-Men

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

7 9 16 1

7 9 16 1

7 9 16 1

6 8 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Instant Defensive Adaptation: Opposing characters targeting only Darwin with an attack can't have their attack or damage values positively modified. // Darwin has SAFEGUARD. Pulse Wave, Poison.
SF: I'm at a complete loss as to why this dial even exists. Is Darwin an X-Men healing battery? I can't even make a proper paragraph theorizing about roles for him. Inútil. Useless.

JR: A definitive Darwin dial! Truly the apex of the "adapt to survive" mantra! Can't get KO'd if you never see the tabletop in the first place!


#003 Marvel Girl
Real Name: Rachel Summers
Team: X-Men
Range: 6
Points: 30
Keywords: Excalibur, Phoenix Force, Starjammers, X-Men,Future

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

8 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

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

RALLY [5]: Telekinesis. FREE: Remove Marvel Girl's RALLY die to use Telekinesis as FREE.
SF: I spent some time trying to be a contrarian hipster, but it's time to let that drop: TK is cool again. With everyone able to move one turn and attack the next, the ability to do both in one turn remains essential. TK is the next step in that escalation: your move and attack is now a full move action's reach. Rachel has a role to play on every team. For a budget-conscious 30 points, I can't imagine turning her down.

JR: Just cause SF claims it's cool again doesn't mean TK has returned to it's former glory. The main thing about the TK heyday was that it was dominated by tentpoles. Flinging your 1 good figure forward for first hit on their 1 good attacker makes a lot of sense. A swarm heavy environment like this is less friendly to the Leroy Jenkins attitude. She's playable, but nowhere near the essential SF claims.


#004 Warpath
Real Name: James Proudstar
Team: X-Men
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: Hellions, New Mutants, Weapon X, X-Force, X-Men, Warrior

9 11 17 3

9 11 17 3

9 10 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

RALLY [5]: Stealth. // FREE: Remove Warpath's RALLY die to make a range attack with 5 range using Improved Targeting: Ignores Hindering.
SF: A variant of Wolverine's dial, Warpath ditches the Regeneration I said I wasn't going to use in favor of versatility. Warpath can take to the shadows with Stealth, and using a Rally dice, he can surprise an opponent with a thrown knife. Warpath's value is going to vary wildly based on what your team is already capable of; but if you see him across the table, you'll need to be careful.

JR: Just like Wolverine, Warpath is a capable damage dealer. I'm not seeing how his value is dipping.


#005 Havok
Real Name: Alex Summers
Team: X-Men
Range: 6
Points: 35
Keywords: Starjammers, X-Factor, X-Men

9 11 18 3

8 11 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 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

RALLY [5]: When Havok uses Energy Explosion, you may replace a die in the attack roll with his RALLY die.
SF: While some may see this dial as too bland for Havok, it's nonetheless effective. With an 11 attack and a Rally dice, Havok can guarantee a hit on a cluster of 17 defenses.
Boring, But Practical

JR: It is too bland, but dang do I want EE on my team in this set.
Boring, But Practical


#006 Hellfire Guard
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 25
Keywords: Hellfire Club, Soldier

6 10 17 2

6 9 16 1

6 9 16 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

9 11 18 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

We Have Names, Y'Know: : Adjacent Friendly Characters with the Hellfire Club keyword can use Mastermind, but only to choose Hellfire Club Guard
Demonic Transformation:: Charge, Flurry.
SF: Don't let that 9th click fool you; the Hellfire Guard has no inherent hidden potential to unlock. What they do have is a budget Running Shot/Psychic Blast combo that gives them a role to play as an attacker. If you pull a Hellfire Club character, Hellfire Guard's stock goes to the moon.

JR: You need a strong Hellfire Club character and plenty of carry to justify the guard. Besides the usual middling stats we've come to expect from minion types, he's just so slow. He desperately needs a ride, but doesn't justify prioritizing one for him based on his own merits. Save him for constructed.

#007 Multiple Man
Real Name: Jaime Maddrox
Team: Underworld, X-Men
Range: 0
Points: 40/10
Keywords: Hydra, Maggia, S.H.I.E.L.D., X-Factor, X-Men, Detective, Spy

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

| | | |

8 10 17 2

7 10 17 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

8 10 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Reabsorption:: Multiple Man isn't a standard character. // If Multiple Man started the game on click #9, he has a 0 point value for all effects (including scoring). Protected: Pulse Wave.
Creating New Dupes: : Multiple Man takes a maximum of 2 damage from attacks. // Whenever Multiple Man takes damage during your opponent's turn, after resolutions generate a #007 Multiple Man on click #9. (Damage taken is the result after effects that reduce or otherwise affect damage are applied). Protected: Pulse Wave.
SF: I'm not a rules expert, but I believe Jamie needs to be standing after taking a hit to generate a Dupe. As such, the 10 point dial should be viewed on its own merits, and not assuming it will create any other copies. That said, the full 40 point dial should also be viewed that way, because this is a Primer and likely you're opening your very first Rise and Fall boosters at this event. So is Underworld team ability worth that much to you? Do you need a Leadership roll? Do you have 10 points left over? All of these are value considerations that you'll need to undertake. Inherently, I don't see much incentive to run this piece.
40:
10:
JR: I do concede that in sealed, Leadership and Carry are the main reasons to consider Madrox. I just think SF is undervaluing them.
40
10

#008 Sentinel
Real Name: N/A
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 25
Keywords: Sentinel, Armor, Robot

10 11 17 2

10 10 17 2

9 9 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

Responding to the Mutant Threat: :SIDELINE ACTIVE: Once during your opponent's turn, if they hit with three attacks - or - two attacks made with characters with the X-Men keyword, after resolutions you may place a #008 Sentinel from your sidelines on click #1 in your starting area.
Return for Repairs: When Sentinel is KO'd, instead of putting it in your KO area, turn them to their starting line and add them in your sideline. (They are still scored.)
SF: Kids, don't run Sentinels. Put them on your sideline and you get them for free!

JR: Not only do you not want to play these in sealed, you don't want to play them at all! Just to show I'm a nice guy I've set up a service to dispose of all those completely unwanted Sentinel figures! Send them all to PO Box #JRUFFHEARTSSENTINELS*
*We will also take Brood
**Shipping and handling fees will apply


#009 Shi'ar Soldier
Real Name: various
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 20
Keywords: Shi'ar, Solider

7 10 17 2

6 9 16 2

6 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

KO KO KO KO

For the Empire! : POWER: Generate a Shi'ar Flag light object.
SF: In the near future, these are going to be essential pieces for any Shi'ar team. They're going to be money commons that people hoard. But today is not that day. Tuck your fine feathered friend back in the box and move on.

JR: If nothing else the light objects can help boost damage even if you don't have the Shi'ar presence you need in your boosters. Is it a fantastic gimmick to hang your fancy alien hat on? No. But, if it's down to other theme breaking filler for your last 20 or so points it might just be worth giving the Shi'ar soldier an edge.


#010 Raza
Real Name: Raza Longknife
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 35
Keywords: Starjammers, Pirate, Robot

9 11 17 3

9 10 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

KO KO KO KO

Salvage: : FREE: If Raza occupies or is adjacent to hindering terrain, roll a D6 and place it on this card [MAX:1]. // If Raza has a die on this card, he modifies by +1 the listed combat value(s) matching the number on the die.// When he makes an attack, after resolutions remove the die.
3-4: Attack
5: Damage
6: Attack and Damage
SF: After HoX's strong showing, any Raza was bound to feel inferior. But this is an uninspiring dial by any measure and I want nothing to do with it. Remember that Raza has a 1:3 chance of failing his Salvage roll, and when he does he has to attack and burn that failed dice before he can try again!

JR: Not nearly as potent as HoX version, but boy are they cheap! Go ahead and mentally fill that in for every Starjammer repeat we come across. I view the Blades as a red-herring, Raza should be using that range. Range makes it easier to stay by/in the hindering and use Salvage continuously rather than a one-off boost before getting tied down in close combat.


#011 Impulse
Real Name: Unknown
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 40
Keywords: Imperial Guard, Shi'ar, Soldier

8 11 17 3

8 10 17 3

8 9 17 2

7 9 16 2

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

KO KO KO KO

Containment Suit...Ruptured!: Energy Shield/Deflection, Toughness. // When Impulse takes damage from an attack, after resolutions deal an adjacent opposing character 1 penetrating damage.
SF: Impulse packs an absurd amount of value into a 40 point dial. Whereas in the last mutant set keyword themes were as assumption, here they're a choice- and Impulse may be a compelling enough reason to forego that theme.
Power Common

JR: It's obviously great figures like this that make me regret when SF gets to go first. Containment suit rupture feels like the power that normally would include friendlies as a built in drawback, but crucially it acts only as a deterrent for opponents, no risk of friendly fire. Unless a synergistic themed team sprouts fully formed from your boosters, Impulse merits strong consideration.


#012 Smasher
Real Name: Vril-Rokk
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 100/30
Keywords: Imperial Guard, Shi'ar, Soldier

7 11 17 3

7 11 17 2

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

6 10 17 2

| | | |

6 10 17 2

6 9 17 2

6 9 17 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Exospex Technology: : FREE: Choose a listed power to use this turn, then roll a d6. 5-6: You may choose an additional listed power to use this turn.

• Charge
• Flurry
• Quake
• Poison
• Exploit Weakness
• Empower

SF: It's important to note that Smasher has no options to improve his defense, a notable soft spot on this otherwise impressive dial. The price is right for what you get, but if you expect a brick you can toss in the fray and forget about, you're going to pay for that mistake.

JR: At 100 points Smasher's best and worst qualities are both that he demands your opponent prioritize pummeling him. As good of a swiss army knife as he is, his reach and defenses are poor enough that you may feel you hardly got a chance to use him by the time he's KO'd. 100 is a lot to pay for a diversion. At 30 you either get a better bargain for that diversion or maybe your opponent feels less threatened and he actually gets to do some damage. The better deal either way.
Too Dangerous to Live
100
30

#013 Colossus
Real Name: Piotr Rasputin
Team: X-Men
Range: 0
Points: 75/50
Keywords: Excalibur, Utopia, X-Force, X-Men, Armor

10 11 18 4

10 11 18 3

| | | |

9 11 18 3

9 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

RALLY [5]: When Colossus uses Impervious, before rolling the D6, you may instead remove the RALLY die to use on the result.
Huh, your best was not enough : Impervious. Protected: Outwit.
SF: Colossus' guaranteed Impervious roll is one of the coolest Rally effects in the set. Impervious is one of those powers that never seems to come through when you need it to; and making durability Colossus' defining trait is so incredibly on-point. If you're not already building around extensive use of the Rally mechanic, Piotr's value jumps. The 50 point dial loses some prestige because I don't want to gamble with Blades (conceptually, I think of this as Colossus rolling critical hits, and not actually clawing people).
Best Rally
75:
50:
JR: Despite his many years of experience, SF is making a rookie primer mistake with Colossus. These figures do not exist in a vacuum. In a different set he might be right to bank on Colossus' durability. But penetrating damage is in no short supply in Rise and Fall. In the commons alone there are 7! figures that deal penetrating damage top dial. Maybe you'll roll over some poor sod who didn't manage to pull any penetrating damage, but Colossus is not a fig to bet on to go 3-0 against the better built teams.


#014 Brood
Real Name: various
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 15
Keywords: Brood, Animal, Monster

9 10 17 2

8 9 16 2

7 9 16 1

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

SF: You're going to get an over-assessment of this figure's value from JRuffing. Don't believe it. This is a solid use of 15 points, but it's still a filler piece, only slightly above its peers for Flight and a chance at decent damage from Blades.

JR: Am I biased toward Brood? Absolutely. Is the Brood a filler piece? That is also true. But it is a phenomenal filler piece and you'd be unwise to forget it! A 15 point flier to carry your best attacker up and body block with Stealth. Stop looking a gift insectoid in it's horrifying ravenous mouth!


#015 Blob
Real Name: Fred J. Dukes
Team: Brotherhood of Mutants
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Freedom Force, Brute

8 10 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 18 2

7 10 18 2

7 9 17 2

6 9 17 2

6 9 16 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

SF: I mean, that's a long dial. And that much Impervious on a 50 point figure is a premium asset. But would I kill a theme team for this figure? Consider Blob a solid option if you've actually pulled the right figures for a Brotherhood theme.

JR: As mentioned with our last tanky boy, don't get hung up on the Impervious. Blob does get use a better point per click deal, so he may hang around for a bit even when they do bypass his reducers.


#016 Skinless Man
Real Name: Harry Pizer
Team: Brotherhood of Mutants
Range: 0
Points: 30
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants, Weapon X

8 11 18 2

8 10 18 2

8 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

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Elastic Body Horror: Toughness, Super Senses. When Skinless Man uses Super Senses and succeeds, after resolutions may give an adjacent opposing character an action token.
SF: Someone out there is excited for yet another unmade character, but beyond that, there's no reason to prize this pull. Skinless Man is booster filler that shouldn't make the jump to team filler.

JR: In years past, Skinless man would have gotten high marks as a tie-up piece. But point deflation and power creep have put the squeeze on that role lately. One of the key benefits of the tactic is temporarily removing an expensive piece from the game with a much cheaper one. With drastically fewer expensive tentpoles around and the emergence of legitimate threats in this point bracket it's harder to get the killer deal you once could.


#017 Sabretooth
Real Name: Victor Creed
Team: Brotherhood of Mutants
Range: 0
Points: 60
Keywords: Brotherhood of Mutants

11 12 17 3

10 11 17 3

10 11 17 3

10 10 17 3

9 11 16 2

9 11 16 2

9 12 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

RALLY [5]: When Sabretooth uses Blades/Claws/Fangs, before rolling the D6, you may instead remove the RALLY die to use it on the result.
SF: Isn't this the dream, right here? A guaranteed 5 on Blades/Claws/Fangs transforms this from 'yet another Charge/Blades/Exploit in the Commons slot' to 'primary threat I can bank on'. Rally characters inherently make terrible Alpha Strikers, but if you can keep them busy with an initial assault and let Sabretooth jump in later, you'll devastate most anyone.

JR: I love this dial. Even with a 5 rating SF hasn't gone far enough. Not only is he 5, he's our Power Common folks. But WAIT, there's more! He would be the common to beat even without his spectacular Rally. Sabretooth's strong attack values coupled with his powers will make him the most reliable KO machine in the set.
Power Common

Another epic, epic article. Thank you both so much for all your hard work!

Nice work as usual. Going full Leroy Jenkins is ALWAYS the right choice.

Thanks! I love these write ups!

Great job! This was very informative.

These are a must read folks! Thanks for doing these write ups when new sets drop :-)

Isn’t Salvage new too?

What a weird Colossus dial. This is one of the figures from the set that has me most interested.

The Protected: Outwit on Impervious is IMO really smart; the RALLY effect has the potential to be crazy good. Aside from being "the strong one" for a generation of X-fans... his signature power has always been his ability to shrug off (most) damage. I'm perfectly fine with the movement track. Together, the defense and movement tracks are every I'd want from Colossus, at reasonable point values.

The attack and damage tracks are where things start to get weird. I'm completely happy with the raw numbers and the damage track powers... but the attack track (specifically the BCF) seems REALLY out of place given the passive effect of CCE to boost damage. I can almost grok the combination of BCF, printed 3 damage and CCE as a hedge against Outwit... but it seems like overkill and point cost inflation to me. Frankly, I would rather have seen Quake all the way down the dial, or 0 printed on the dial top instead of BCF.

In any case, because of the (top dial) point cost and the dial construction, this version will certainly be taking the spot of 'default Colossus' from the 50-point Uncanny X-men version...who took it from the 100-point WatX version.

In sealed play: I would be sorely tempted to leverage the top-dial Empower. This figure isn't an auto-play for me, but if my force is going to have another figure susceptible to penetrating damage, and I will be using close attacks I have to believe I would try to fit this figure on the build. I prefer the longer dial of the 75-point version.

I just assumed that they were trying to do something different with the blades on his dial, and also sometimes a planned inefficiency is fine for variety. I will probably just ignore them most of the time when they show up, and that's totally fine.

Salvage is a repeated special power, while Rally is a keyword you need to look elsewhere for explanation.

I only look for new dials on figures that compliment the theme teams I like. But I'm not a fan of the size difference when playing an older figure next to a new one.

Blob and Sabretooth are the two that I am most interested in from the commons. Their dials look better then the old DoFP (Blob) and GXM (Sabretooth) dials which I've used for years. Depending on how bad the size difference looks when next to the rest of my Brotherhood team. I'll probable end up sculpt swapping them out so they look closer in size to the rest of the team.