DP054 Arnim Zola was one of the most interesting pieces to come out in the Deadpool set. He’s got a combo of Running Shot and Pulse Wave that AVX014 Magneto showed us was really good. Except Arnim doesn’t have Magneto’s defenses, or really his offensive firepower. Wait, why do I want to play this guy again? Oh yeah it’s his Trait:

YOU CLONED WHO?!?: Give Arnim Zola a free action to place a Gwen Stacy Clone bystander token as described on this card adjacent to him on the map. If there is already 1 friendly one on the map, this is a power action instead. If there are 2 or more friendly ones, this is a double power action instead.

Basically this trait can let him pop out a couple of XP001 Con Artists pretty effortlessly. Except, the Gwen tokens don’t need to be pushed to get to their Perplex and they don’t give the other team points when KOed. Pretty Cool. Unfortunately, the downside is that if you have two on the board, Arnim Zola needs a double power action to make another one. Because he lacks Willpower, a double action token means pushing damage. Can you imagine if the AVM016 Red Skull was still in modern? Between their two traits. you could set up a mad science lab in your starting zone.

That brings us my first (Silver Age) team:

Team Name: H.D.D.D. (Hydra Doomsday Device Division)

Theme: Hydra

Roster:

DP054 Arnim Zola

AVM016 Red Skull

AVM040 Hydra Technician

AVM040 Hydra Technician

FIB003 Damaged Warbot

FIB003 Damaged Warbot

Total = 300 Points

That’s a total of 4 Perplexes (two Gwens, two techs), two Enhancements, a Leadership, and Outwit. That’s a lot of support. The Warbots are there to hold off the other team while you are building. Backed up by that much support they can be dangerous. If The Red Skull can finish his doomsday weapon, then the other team is in for some real trouble.

Now that team was fun, but Arnim would take pushing damage if he tried to have more than two Gwen tokens on the board at once. If you could counteract the problem of Arnim taking damage from a double power action, you could flood the board with Gwen Stacy tokens. There would be no theoretical limit. 3? 6? 12? You can keep making them in your starting area until your opponent’s team shows up to make you stop. How many Gwen Stacy Perplexers would it take to give the mugger that murdered Uncle Ben a fighting chance against Spider-Man? With Arnim Zola you can find out.

There are two ways to offset the damage Arnim takes from his double power action:

• Granting him Willpower (Nul’s hammer, Bat belt, AVX007 Black Panther, SLOSH046 Superboy, WOL065P Parallax)
• Healing the damage he takes (WOL061P Entity, DOFP016 Moira MacTaggert, DOFP007 Franklin Richards, IM3008 Aldrich Killian, FFBM005 Alfred Pennyworth, BM031 Alfred Pennyworth)

Sadly, using Black Talon or Tony Stark to mind control him wouldn’t work because per the rules, “A double power action can’t be given as a free action.”

So when you put these pieces together with Arnim, you get a team like this:

Maximum Gwen

DP054 Arnim Zola

DP054 Arnim Zola

FIB003 Damaged Warbot

FIB003 Damaged Warbot

DOFP016 Moira MacTaggert

Total = 298 points

With two Armin Zola’s you can pump out an average of one Gwen a turn.  Moira is there to offset pushing damage. Unfortunately when the other team finally does come to find you, your mobility isn’t great and your primary attackers have only on click of running shot and no willpower. If you have a lot of Gwen tokens out, you should have a shot at taking down anyone. Good luck.

For  a team I might consider taking to a tournament try this one:

Arnim Zola, friend of Wakanda

DP054 Arnim Zola

AVX007 Black Panther

M10A004 Green Goblin

Total = 300 Points

Green Goblin can carry Arnim Zola around and help you avoid the other team a little longer. The longer you avoid them the more Gwens you have. With enough Perplex Green Goblin makes an awesome primary attacker. Perplex his attack by +3 and there is nothing he can’t hit. Perplex his damage by +3 and there will be not much left of whatever he does hit.