It's new set time once again clixers.
Follow along our primer to dominate all nine realms of sealed play. Saturnflight and Jruffing return to wage a war of words once again. Which figures are worthy of your force? Who should be cast back into the booster to learn a lesson in humility? Do either of these writers know what they're doing? Does anyone actually read these things? Read more to find out!!!

#001 Thor
Real Name: Thor Odinson
Team: Avengers
Range: 0
Points: 75
Keywords: Asgardians, Avengers, Deity, Warrior

10 12 18 4

10 12 17 4

10 11 17 3

9 10 17 3

9 10 17 3

9 10 18 3

9 11 18 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Shifting Focus: Son of Asgard: FREE: If Thor began your turn on the map, replace him with another character with this trait on the same click number.
SF: Sometimes I run statistics on a set, and sometimes it's enough to just fudge some trends. I think it's safe to say that Thor has exceptional attack values here. On the flip side of that, his method of attacking- Charging 5 squares- isn't all that inspiring for a 75 point figure. Long-term, he'll be an excellent asset for the full Shifting Focus suite; but in sealed, I'm hesitant to run this Thor without another variant.

JR: Thor brings some solid enough values to the table, but honestly the feature that I think is most likely to get him on the team is that he gets to be the bridge between two of the most frequent keywords in the set. If you can manage a theme in this set it's probably either Avengers or Asgardians. He's not a figure to start your build with, but if you're finishing it with him you're doing OK.


#002 Captain America
Real Name: Steve Rogers
Team: Avengers,S.H.I.E.L.D.
Range: 6
Points: 60
Keywords: Avengers, Invaders, SHIELD, Past, Soldier

10 11 18 3

10 11 17 3

9 11 17 3

9 10 17 2

9 10 16 2

8 10 16 2

8 9 15 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

SF: There are some sets where a dial like Cap's would be an all-star, but this is not that set. Energy Deflection may shield him on the approach, but there's hardly a dial in this set that isn't equally or more competent in close quarters; and 3 damage will struggle to overcome prevalent damage reducers. Invaders fans will welcome a new option for the theme, though as Invaders is largely a golden age keyword anyway, this Cap may not win out against prior versions.

JR: SF isn't really wrong on any of his points about this Cap. He won't be tearing up the battlefield. But there is value in both Leadership and the SHIELD ta he brings. He shouldn't be your 'big gun' but he's good enough to be a tagalong kid to that attacker if he can buff their damage/range and maybe pull some tokens. Basically it's his turn to be someone's Bucky.


#003 Vision
Real Name: N/A
Team: Avengers
Range: 6
Points: 65
Keywords: Avengers, Robot

8 10 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 18 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

Shifting Focus: Vision: FREE: If Vision began your turn on the map, replace him with another character with this trait on the same click number.
Come in Like a Wrecking Ball: When Vision is given a MOVE action, after resolutions you may deal an adjacent opposing character 1 damage.
SF: Perhaps you missed this concept when it first appeared in Avengers/Defenders War. If so, I won't begrudge your excitement, as a Vision who shifts density is a very cool design. Unfortunately, this dial would have been welcome in the ADW era, while that dial would be welcome now; we live in an era where 50 point dials are all the rage, and an awkward 65 needs to be compelling. JRuff's about to harp on this one hard, so I'm gonna go easy and let you feel okay if you like him. After all, he wins in a fight against 002 Cap...

JR: Luckily for the denser half of Vision, my main issue with SF Vision is with the design as a whole. Any roll free damage is worthy of note, but in this set reducers are fairly common. Thicc Vision still isn't a stellar pull, but he has uses.


#004 Scarlet Witch
Real Name: Wanda Maximoff
Team: Avengers
Range: 4
Points: 30
Keywords: Avengers, Latveria, Young Avengers, Mystical

10 10 17 2

10 10 17 2

9 10 16 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

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

What I must do, I can't do on my own: Phasing/Teleport. Passenger 3, but only to carry characters that share a keyword with her.
SF: I'm firmly in the camp that's holding out for a powerhouse Wanda, but I don't mind seeing a few incredible supporting Witches along the way. This is yet another one of the latter. I can't imagine building a sealed team and not finding room for Wanda; for that matter, I can't imagine building a Latveria or Young Avengers team without seriously considering her. Now enough of these support dials!

JR: If you're playing even 1 figure that shares a keyword with Wanda then she's just too much utility to pass up.


#005 The Executioner
Real Name: Skurge
Team: Masters of Evil
Range: 0
Points: 90
Keywords: Asgardian, Masters of Evil, Brute, Warrior

10 11 18 4

10 11 17 3

9 10 17 3

9 11 18 3

9 11 18 3

8 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

8 11 18 4

7 12 18 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

SF: Power Common
Executioner puts melee to work, with enough damage to viably split it between 2 targets and mid-dial Flurry to maximize your opportunities to Steal Energy. With a single click of attack below 11 and a 9 click dial that's likely to see some healing, I am absolutely ready to pay 90 points for this figure.

JR: I'm baffled to see "Power Common" attached to a figure so run-of-this-particular-mill. Skurge has good dial length and reducers, but neither are at all rare in the set. If he gets hit past charge on the approach before he can close the distance, it's gonna be way too long before such a signficant chunk of your force actually gets to attack.

#006 Black Panther
Real Name: T'Challa
Team: Avengers
Range: 4
Points: 45
Keywords: Avengers, Fantastic Four, Wakanda, Ruler, Warrior

9 11 18 3

8 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

7 11 17 2

7 11 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 (1): Friendly Attack Rolls: Leadership. // When an opposing character uses Leadership, you may remove one of Black Panther's RALLY dice to replace the d6 result.
SF: While this is far from a groundbreaking Black Panther, it's an incredibly solid one. Fans of Black Panther- and the themed teams he reps- may not find reason to change their T'Challa of choice; but in a sealed environment, straight 11s and an 18+Combat Reflexes make a compelling case for the points. Leadership is a valuable power in the Modern era; Black Panther not only gives it to you, he strips it from the enemy.

JR: If he finds himself in a close combat scrap, T'Challa can certainly hold his own. My hesitation is whether he can get that fight without any move-and-attack. Stealth is nice, but his threat level and sphere of influence are both small enough that it could make him easy to ignore or avoid instead of dealing with.


#007 Loki
Real Name: Loki Laufeyson
Team: Mystics
Range: 6
Points: 50/10
Keywords: Asgardian, Deity, Mystical

9 10 18 3

8 11 17 2

8 11 17 2

8 11 17 2

l l l l l l

9 10 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

Illusions and Trickery: During force construction, you may only add a WOTR #007 Loki at 10 points if you also have a WOTR #007 Loki starting at 50 points on your starting force. // For all characters with this trait:
*2-4 WOTR #007 Loki on your force, Action Total +1
*5 or more WOTR #007 Loki on your force, Action total +2.
SF: If you haven't noticed the trend yet, characters in this set are not dropping into the single digits. Typically, that would be a selling point for Loki here; instead, I've got to critique his front-loading a 10. Probability Control is, of course, always welcome- but spending 50 points on a character who isn't contributing to the fight until someone hits him is a real sealed liability.

JR: The god of mischief won't stand for this insult! Loki's prob will help you hit more attacks than his 10 attack will cost you. Stealth (with an actually decent range) and Mystics make him a pain to deal with. 1 Loki is a good pull, 2 is just phenomenal!


#008 Spider-Man
Real Name: Miles Morales
Team: Spider-Man
Range: 4
Points: 60
Keywords: Avengers, Champions, S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Man Family

11 11 18 3

11 10 18 3

10 10 18 2

10 10 18 3

9 11 18 2

9 11 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

Movement: Elevation
Pardon Me, Swinging Through: Super Senses. // Friendly characters that are adjacent or have the Avengers keyword can use Super Senses.
SF: The New Cheese
I may be more excited about Miles than any other figure in this set. Avengers is, thankfully, exceedingly common among Champions and S.H.I.E.L.D., giving Miles maximum flexibility for themes moving forward. But this is a Primer, so how do we think he'll fare in sealed?
My money's on Miles becoming the most hated common of the set.

JR: Miles' dial itself isn't really anything particularly special. His prospects rely mostly on that trait. Super Senses is an easy appealing add-on for anyone that doesn't already have it. It won't completely change up your game plan, but every little bit of added defense helps.


#009 Hulk
Real Name: Dr. Bruce Banner
Team: Avengers
Range: 0
Points: 70
Keywords: Avengers, Brute, Monster, Scientist

9 10 17 3

10 10 17 3

11 10 17 3

11 10 18 3

12 11 18 4

9 12 18 4

9 11 17 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Stand Firm, Remain Strong: Invulnerability. // Friendly characters that are adjacent or have the Avengers keyword can use Toughness.
SF: Remember how I tore into Loki for leading with his 10? Hulk does the same, but it's twice as egregious because you absolutely need him to land hits. That's his entire role on the team! Traited Invulnerability is a huge boon that can be easy to overlook; and at the end of the day, Hulk is probably still worth running when your team shapes up nicely around him. But this is far from first pick material. An acceptable consolation prize.

JR: Hulk is an odd dial in a lot of ways. Besides the usual (for Hulk at least) late dial upswing in attack and damage and awkward starting Side Step Hulk brings an interesting choice of shared power. Toughness is certainly appreciated on reducerless figures, but Hulk's power is pretty useless for a significant swathe of the set that already pack a reducer of their own. There will be otherwise fragile teams who consider the jade giant a godsend, but this set isn't particularly suited towards him.


#010 Nebula
Real Name: Nebula
Team: Guardians
Range: 6
Points: 50
Keywords: Guardians of the Galaxy, Pirate, Robot

8 11 17 3

8 11 17 3

7 11 17 2

7 10 16 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

Constantly Improving: FREE: Heal Nebula One Click
SF: In a set full of reducers, the Psychic Blaster is king. For a low investment, you can add this early threat to whatever else you're pushing at your opponent. Plant her in some hindering whenever possible; when she takes odd damage, she can take cover and heal back to a ranged threat the following turn.

JR: Nebula's admittedly a useful attacker. Her healing eases any concerns over the checkerboard dial. But I expect most opponents to get through her 5 click dial in a single turn anyway. She's a problem for you opponent, but a problem too easily dealt with to justify a perfect score

#011 Black Widow
Real Name: Natasha Romanoff
Team: Team Player
Range: 4
Points: 50
Keywords: Avengers, Champions, Martial Artist, S.H.I.E.L.D., Spy, Thunderbolts

8 10 17 3

7 10 17 2

7 10 17 2

8 10 18 2

8 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

Movement: Characters
Wait for the Perfect Opportunity: Stealth. // Friendly characters that are adjacent or have the Avengers keyword can use Stealth.
SF: When this dial was previewed, I was ecstatic. This is an excellent Black Widow, one with a definitive role to play on any of her possible themes (historically, Black Widow dials have struggled to feel 'necessary' to any team). But while I expect to get plenty of mileage out of Natasha going forward, I'm less enthused about her in sealed because of that lower-than-average attack track. (I really hate saying that, I sound like an elitist- or a meta player!) Hiding your whole team might be worth it, but you'll have to assess that for yourself.

JR: Odinsleeper
The set poses a problem for a lot of higher cost supposed tanks: How can I trust Impervious/Invulnerable when there's Penetrating/Psychic Blast on darn near every team? Black Widow. They can't Pen/Psy you if they never get to draw a LoF. Natasha is your left tackle, your Blind Side. She protects that expensive tentpole. Take it away Sandra Bullock!


#012 Hawkeye
Real Name: Kate Bishop
Team: Avengers
Range: 8
Points: 50
Keywords: Avengers, Martial Artist, Spy, Young Avengers

8 12 17 3

8 11 17 2

8 11 17 2

8 11 16 3

8 12 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

Sneak a Peek: Running Shot, Sidestep.
SF: Like Nebula, Hawkeye is a must-play simply for the incredible threat she presents for a mere 50 points. Not nearly as durable, Hawkeye makes up for it with better reach- some of the best reach you'll see in the set- and the ability to duck back behind cover with the right placement.

JR:Power Common
This. Anyone planning on centering their team on one of the 100+ tentpoles needs to keeps this dial in mind. Not only that it exists, is incredible and 50 points, but Kate is common enough you will see more than one in a day of sealed. Play her, play more than one if you're that lucky!


#013 Blade
Real Name: Eric Brooks
Team: Team Player
Range: 6
Points: 60
Keywords: Avengers, Midnight Sons, Monster, Mystical

9 11 18 3

9 11 18 3

9 11 18 3

8 10 17 3

8 11 17 3

8 10 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

Rally (6): Opposing Attack Rolls. Steal Energy. // When Blade would be KO'd by an opposing character, you may instead remove one of Blade's RALLY dice. If you do, turn him to click #6. Protected: Pulse Wave.
SF: I still have a default association of Blade and uninspiring dials cemented by Infinity Challenge and Mutant Mayhem, but the special power era has done wonders for Eric Brooks. We don't see any vampiric traits this time around- he's not healing above his starting line, nor is he specifically better against Monsters- but he does stand out for his incredible durability. Snagging even 2 Rally dice should make him a target not worth pursuing.

JR: Blade should bide his time. Placing him aggressively w/out a Rally die could see him dropped in a turn for a nice chunk of points. And if your opponent makes that mistake you should definitely capitalize on it ASAP, cause those 6's will stack up faster than you think!


#014 Hercules
Real Name: Heracles
Team: Guardians
Range: 0
Points: 100/65
Keywords: Avengers, Champions, Defenders, Deity, Guardians of the Galaxy, Heroes for Hire, Warrior

11 11 18 3

11 11 18 3

11 11 18 3

l l l l l l

10 10 18 3

10 10 18 3

10 10 18 3

9 11 17 3

9 11 17 3

9 11 17 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Destroy Blocking
SF: Hercules swaggers in with a host of keywords just dying for new characters, which might make him the most universally welcome addition to the setlist. But is he packing a dial that's worth a slot on those rosters? In both cases, I worry he's too expensive for what you get.
100/65:
JR: Herc's too expensive for a close combat brawler. And he cannot go the distance. Unless you're playing in the labyrinth someone is gonna zap him past charge on the approach and he's hero to zero, just like that.
100/65:

#015 Lady Sif
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 55
Keywords: Asgardian, Avengers, Deity, Warrior

8 11 18 3

7 11 18 3

7 11 18 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 17 3

7 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 (1): Friendly Attack Rolls. Flurry. // FREE: Remove one of Lady Sif's RALLY dice to make a close attack.
SF: Lady Sif's here to show you how it's done! Her Rally watches for epic failures so she can slide in and close the deal with free attacks. In addition, she has traited Flurry, which amplifies her already-potent dial. I'm pained by the extra 5 points tacked onto the standard 50 point dial, but I still think Sif is going to surprise opponents with her potency.

JR: None of Sif's raw combat values are particularly impressive, but between flurry and that Rally die effect, she just gonna throw out so many attacks that many statistically superior figures may find themselves overwhelmed by her offense.


#016 Spider-Man
Team: Spider-Man
Range: 6
Points: 75
Keywords: Asgardian, Scientist, Spider-Man Family

9 11 18 3

9 11 18 3

8 10 17 2

8 10 17 2

7 10 16 2

7 10 16 2

6 9 15 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Improved) Movement: Elevated
Shield and Magic Helmet... At Least I Think It's Magic: Energy Shield/Deflection, Toughness.
SF: Nothing. About this dial. Is what I want in a Spider-Man. It's also not the sort of dial I want to spend 75 points on. This should have been cut down to 50 points, trimming clicks 1 and 7 to compact the design. Or better yet, they should have just skipped this one altogether.

JR: Spidey here is packing one of the features I most like to see on my Parker dials: multiple layers of defense. Packing three defense powers at any given time should keep Peter on the field longer than opponents will expect. He's one close attacker I don't see getting blasted to bits trying to close the distance. He may even want to use that spiffy new Exploit/Quake combo to keep some distance in fact. His stats suffer some disappointing drops in the late dial, but better hurting than KO'd

Good write-up. I find this set to be the best of what we have seen since the rules changed, however, that isn't a major endorsement.

I am in agreement with Miles earning the "New Cheese" award.

This gentlemen is certainly looking forward to playing alongside him.

Excellent review as always!

Like you two, I was struck with Katie being THE piece to beat at common. Very few pieces outside of SR have her kind of reach and safety. She makes every 80+ point 0-range Brick, like Herc, look worse just by existing at common. Every player should be looking at every reducer-reliant piece and asking "how does this thing look if it eat 6 penetrating damage before it get to make an attack roll?", as that's a threat Ms. Bishop definitely represents with her 14 square alpha strike range, 12 attack, and ability to dance in and out of cover.

One thing I was surprised wasn't in this review (and fair enough given the random nature of sealed) is that Katie is also the #1 best abuser of the rest of the common Avengers power-granting. She's one of the only ones that doesn't already have Stealth, Super Senses, or Toughness (or better), so she can benefit from any of the three and Odin help anyone who manages to assemble all four characters together in sealed. In particular, the synergy on Kate and Natasha (on top of Nat's ability to make folks like Thor and Hulk and Blade and even Herc a lot more playable in this surprisingly long-range environment) has me also thinking she's a sleeper and some fine cheese in this set. I'm way more worried about Hawkeye + Black Widow than I am about Hawkeye + Miles.

Glad to see these making a comeback. A team up of Scarlett Witch, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye (which is entirely possible to pull) is only 200 points.
Black Widow Outwits them.
Scarlett Witch tosses Hulk into the frey.
Hulk SMASH
Hawkeye mops up.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

And you still have 100 points left over to fill in any needs.

Nothing I would really disagree with.

I like many of the commons. With a taxi, I am definitely playing Hercules just because he is Hercules and isn't made enough times - but his lack of side-step was a misstep in design.

I think Black Widow is more of a must play than Black Panther, personally. Starting Outwit, good. Giving Stealth, good. Taking away an action can be solid in sealed but I am not counting on that 18 defense to protect him from getting shot - because no one is going into hindering and allowing him to get adjacent.

I like that Cap, too. It depends on what else is pulled, of course, but I like the idea of getting 4-6 of these pieces from which to build from.

Oh, and Hulk would definitely be one I'd REALLY want to use just to try him out.

Looking forward to more...

Glad to see I'm not the only one planning to let Blade hang back and build some Rally dice before coming in, with some life insurance, to clean things up.

And really glad to see the primers coming back. I know these take a tremendous amount of work from both of you, but they're always a great read and a crash course in how others will likely be using these pieces.

Thank you! I appreciate the acknowledgement! It was disappointing to miss Empyre, but the timing was just bad.

Uncommons will be up tomorrow. We are slow rolling as we evaluate the late reveals at upper rarities.

I always love these primers, thanks, guys!!