I know this is super subjective, but indulge me with your opinions, please.

Just got into this game since my sons (13 and 10) and I are all very into games and comic book[movie]s. We got 100 commons for $20 and three starter sets for $20, too. Pretty reasonable price for all the figures, I think.

The first starter set was from the Marvel Universe set released May 2004. The rules seemed a bit odd in places, like iirc Super Senses only had a 1 in 6 chance to save you. The second starter set was from the Legion of Super-Heroes set released in June 2007. Seemed like they cleaned a lot up, though there are still some weird things like the wording of Perplex seems to say that it only works until the end of your turn, so you can't increase friendly Def or decrease enemy Att/Dmg. Maybe an errata for that has come and gone in the intervening 14.5 years! (The third set was a Fast Forces pack which didn't include a rulebook.)

Anyway, when I look rules up online, I usually get the 2017 rules which seem to be very well designed and thought out, but at the same time are a big departure from the 2007 rules with respect to powers like Outwit, Perplex, Probability Control and so on. Then occasionally I see the 2021 rules update which seems to say "We have too many rules! Let's cut them down." My knee-jerk reaction to this is: more options = more fun, not less.

So... Which is the "best" set of rules for 3 very rules-savvy gamers with a limited pool of commons to draw from? And if it's not the most recent one, is there a document I can print out to calcify those rules?

Overall 2017 is the best but you can take and change and adapt things from 2021 and also previous ones

But i think a mixture of 2017-2021… with the way figures are made now with :indomitable: it’s difficult ignoring the change to willpower and pushing damage, but just make pushing damage optional

You could also tweak how hindering works if you wanted to or different PAC changes from before to fit to your liking for home games

I 100% agree with pokolo

Just ignore the 2021 rules.

Welcome to Heroclix! It's a great game.

Yeah 2017 is very good.

But guys which is the rules set that still had heavy objects as hindering but light objects weren't? I'm thinking those might be my favorite overall.

2018/2017 with slight update (as 2017 with heavy object hidering LoF but not being hindering themselves IIRC).

The new (2021) rules are the best the game has had, and are the easiest to pick up. I would strongly recommend using them, as unpopular an opinion as that is on realms.

The 2021 rules did away with a number of mechanics that were often stumbling blocks for new players but could be exploited by experienced ones, and that's earned it criticism from some segments of the community. The tournament scene loves the new rules though, and if you ever decide to move outside of your kitchen table to an organized event, it's best to be familiar with the ruleset used there.

Welcome to the game!

I would say that the best rules are the ones that you make/choose to use. It sounds as if you will be enjoying some great fun with your kids at home, and thus you are free to mix and match whatever rules you seem fit.

If you particularly find the rules from the 2017 overall the best for example, then use them... but if some of the older or newer versions of particular powers/core rules suit your tastes better, by all means incorporate them into your games too.

You are free to modify and adjust Heroclix's nuances to best suit your playstyle. The customization of the rules is one of the greatest strengths and charms of this cool game.

That's the beauty of home play: It's your home, your games and ultimately your rules...!

2021 rules, for a few reasons:

If there's ever a chance you and/or the boys play outside the home, you'll want to be up on the current rules

if you get around to buying newer figs, you want to play the rules they're designed under

And if you're paying attention to this site, most figure discussion is going to be under the current rules.
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But it appears you're primarily doing homeplay, so you're of course free to tweak the 2021 rules as you like, incorporate old rules, etc. Certainly, 2004 rulebook won't do much for you since it is missing pink powers and other elements introduced since then.

The 2021 Core Rulebook looks so nice that it's very tempting. But every time I notice a beloved part of the game that they eliminated it makes me want to quit. I guess, like many have said, we can always house rule those things back in.

Also, what's up with team powers? The main site says "Click Here For Team Abilities" and it goes to a forum page where team abilities are listed in (mostly) basic text. These are actually growing on me, as the "without using one of your actions" powers weren't very useful or thematic. But isn't there a nicer version of these?

The 2021 Core Rules are basically a quick starter to play the figure in the box. It missing a lot of things.
For an actual functioning rule book, you should go with Comprehensive Rules.

There hasn't been a Team Ability Card for a few years now. All we got is the Rule Forum post, that gets updates.

I kind of agree with custom rules now that 2021 blew things up. Before that I tried to stay current. I mean it somewhat depends on the figures you have too. 2017 rules are perfectly good if you never get anything past the WW80 set. Once you do that you have to adjust. If you ever go to venue play you'll need to know current rules but if not, no need.

My philosophy is there's no wrong way to play as long as you're having fun. That said, if your kids ever want to do tournament play & you're not using current rules, it will be an adjustment but it's an adjustment every time they change the rules. I kept adapting & kept adapting but like I said, 2021 really screwed the pooch for me HOWEVER if you start there & that's all you know, I figure it works just great.

I actually go back & forth a bit myself too. If I'm playing ALL pre-WW80 set figures, I play pushing rules. Once I introduce any figures from beyond that era, I don't play pushing rules. Figures play best within maybe 3-4 years of when they are made. Beyond that and you're mixing different point costing & such. I mean REV era figures are outright crap against today's figures. You just have to figure it all out by trial & error I guess.

According to my realms join date, I've been playing for at least 15 years now and that's still what I'm doing, learning by trial and error.

That's my analysis.

Yep. Couldn't have said it any better.

2017? No thanks. I'll take 2016, please.

I'd prefer that my Mind Control, Energy Explosion, Precision Strike, Invincible, and rules for objects not be ridiculous.

I think going forward, 2021 is the best rules to play with, assuming you're buying any amount of new product. Figures are designed with these rules in mind, so some things will come off really different if you're playing with older rules. If I were to suggest any two changes to these rules it'd be optional pushing, and keep knockback damage (although maybe make it so it's 1 damage regardless of the type of knockback). All in all though, I think it's a pretty smooth play experience, and much better for newer players.