[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a quick series of local game announcements for SouthEast Michigan Clix’ers before we go back to our regular programming!! We’re running a Scenario called Heroclix: The Gathering, obviously inspired by the eternally popular CCG Magic: The Gathering. Each month is based–very loosely–off of an existing Magic expansion. We then weave everything together with an ever-evolving narrative that changes based on the results of our local tournaments. Think of this as a “What If” Magic: The Gathering story told through Heroclix! Read about the Month One posting here, and the Month Two scenario here!]

 

HEROCLIX: THE GATHERING: MONTH TWO: NEW PHYREXIA!!

The Guildpact has been shattered. Szadek, Parun of the House Dimir, stands triumphant as the supreme leader of Ravnica. Long may he reign…

Except that his ascension and the fall of the Guildpact has attracted the attention of the predatory plane of New Phyrexia, who have opened portals to Ravnica in pursuit of conquest and resources. 

As the Phyrexian legions pour in, the city of Ravnica is quickly overrun. The Boros Legion meets the Phyrexians head on, but their lines are quickly broken and Razia, their angleic Parun, is impaled with her own sword by the leader of the invasion, Praetor Sheoldred.

But just as Phyrexian Compleation seems inevitable, Momir Vig, Simic Guildmaster, unveils his secret weapon:  Experiment Kraj, a gigantic, mutated Ooze. 

Kraj rolls through the City, absorbing Ravnican and Phyrexian alike, until the Phyrexian legions are left decimated and forced to retreat as the surviving Paruns regroup in the vast smoldering ruin of the Azorius Senate…

 

HEROCLIX: THE GATHERING: MONTH THREE: TIME SPIRAL!!

“I thought I might find you here.” Glissa the Traitor flicks her wrist, and behind her bursts a portal to New Phyrexia. 

The surviving Paruns react defensively, but Glissa waves them off. “Please,” she smiles, “I’ve not come to fight. I stand before you a humble ambassador.” Her eyes narrow ever so slightly. “With a message.”

“Then speak it and be gone.” The voice of Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Parun of the Izzet League boomed and echoed against the remains of the Senate Chamber.

“You Ravnicans have done well to defeat our scouting party. Sheoldred in his arrogance believed your plane conquerable with just a tenth of our forces. But your oblivion will not be stopped. Compleation awaits this world,” Glissa takes a step into the portal. “And we will see you soon.”

For a moment, there was silence. Finally Szadek’s rage broke forth.

“We will not stand by and let our city be taken by such filth! I would tear the city of guilds apart before I see it fall to the twisted metal tendrils of New Phyrexia!”

A puff of fumes erupts from Niv-Mizzet. “And tear it apart you have, little vampire. But what would you do to stop them?”

Momir Vig steps forward. “Perhaps I am being overly analytical, but if The Traitor was being truthful about the size of the next invading force, then perhaps this is not a question of tactics, but one of numbers.”

Szadek directs his gaze to the Simic Guildmaster. “Explain.”

“Given the current state of our houses, not to mention that Boros is all but wiped out, we simply do not have enough warriors to mount anything but a token defense of our land.”

“Obviously. So what do you propose?”

“There is a spell, Szadek. Old magick that predates even you. I doubt any but the ancient Firemind may remember its existence. But recently I encountered records of it in my research. It’s called a Time Twister, and if executed correctly, we could pull the greatest warriors of Ravnica’s established past and possible futures to fight for us in our current, well… present.”

“And if executed incorrectly?”

Niv-Mizzet shifts his weight and lowers his gaze to Vig. “If executed incorrectly, our world will be ripped from the multi-verse and experience temporal folding until we cease to exist. I remember this magick. I also remember why its practice was banned. It is dangerous beyond understanding.”

“Yes,” Vig replied, “but it may also be the only chance we have to survive.”

“Well then… ” Szadek smiled. “It seems we have some work to do.”

 

Okay!! Hello fellow Clixers, and welcome to Month Three of Heroclix: The Gathering, exclusiviely at Comics & More in Madison Heights, MI!! Month One ended with Roberto Ty piloting a House Dimir team to victory (with noted Spy Nick Fury standing in for Szadek!), which is why House Dimir came out on tops in our Month One recap story.

However, in Month Two, Matthew Wenderski used a Simic Combine squad to triumph over all comers (which is why Momir Vig saves the day in this month’s story!).

But the Phyrexian war machine will not be denied, so the Ravnican Paruns have turned to some dangerous magick! The Past and the Future are merging in the present, so you know what that means. It’s time for:

The Game: Heroclix: The Gathering: Month 3: Time Spiral!

The Build: 500 Points (an even bigger conflict means even bigger armies!!), GOLDEN AGE, No Tactics (No Resources, ATA’s or Relics.)

(Since time itself is being ripped open and the past is once again present, this game is now GOLDEN AGE!!)

No figure larger than a peanut base. No Call-Ins.

Possession pieces are okay to play. (Basically the Heroclix version of an Aura Enchantment, right?)

You must choose a Guild or other faction from the chart below. Once you’ve chosen, your army must be built around the generic keyword pairings associated with that Guild or faction. This means that everyone on your force must have at least ONE of the two generic keywords listed.

All characters friendly to your force can use the associated Guild Team Ability (GTA) or Faction Team Ability (FTA).

NOTE: After the sundering of the Guildpact, the Guild Team Abilities are all your figures have to fall back on. This means that ANY OTHER TEAM ABILITY POSSESSED BY YOUR PIECES CANNOT BE USED. Note that characters still POSSESS whatever Team Abilities are printed on their base and card; they just cannot USE them.

And that’s not the only change. Some of the Guilds have had to adapt to their changing environment to survive. And another Guild didn’t make it out of Month Two…

 

List of Ravnica Guilds (Guild descriptions provided by MTGSalvation.com):

 

AZORIUS SENATE

The Azorius Senate functions as the government of Ravnica and creates Ravnican laws.

Keywords:  Politician, Ruler

Azorius Senate Team Ability: At the beginning of the game, place an Immunity token on the character card of one character with the highest point value of those using this team ability. When a character with an Immunity token is within 8 squares of an opposing character’s starting area and is dealt damage, it may be given an action token to remove the Immunity token from its card and ignore the damage dealt. When a character with the Immunity token on its card is KO’d, you may place the Immunity token on the card of the remaining character on your force that is the highest point character that can use the team ability.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: The Azorius Senate was all but destroyed following the events of Month One. Their leader, Augustin IV was murdered and their guild hall was decimated. They are still rebuilding. Therefore, the Azorius Senate MAY NOT BE CHOSEN for Month Three builds.

 

BOROS LEGION

Ravnica’s security force, the Boros Legion is both Ravnica’s constabulary and standing army. Their numbers will be sorely tested when the New Phryexians invade…

Keywords:  Police, Soldier

Boros Legion Team Ability: When a character using this Team Ability is adjacent to a friendly character making a ranged combat attack, modify the target’s defense value by -1 if the target is within line of fire of this character.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: The Boros Legion lost its Parun in Month Two and its morale and numbers have been decimated. The Boros Legion may NOT be chosen for Month Three.

 

HOUSE DIMIR

In practice, little information on the Dimir is known. It is, however, known that the Dimir are involved in assassinations, criminal activity, and espionage on a contractual basis.

Szadek has led his House to victory, but the celebration is short lived. Even if he can muster enough strength to repel the invaders, the other guilds may use this new conflict as an opportunity to take back what was taken from them. 

While subtlety will always be the primary tactic of House Dimir, the time has come to step out from the shadows and remind everyone why they should be afraid of what stirs in the night…

Keywords:  Spy, Assassin

House Dimir Team Ability: A character using this team ability can’t have their defense power countered if they occupy the lowest elevation of terrain.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: The House Dimir Team Ability has not changed since its revision in Month Two. While their presence in the shadows of Ravnica is now common knowledge, they are still very hard to deal with if encountered on their home turf–Ravnica’s sewers and Underbelly…

 

GOLGARI SWARM

Denizens of Ravnica’s agricultural and waste management sectors. Run by Gorgon sisters. And creepy fungal sewer monsters.

Keywords: Monster, Assassin

Golgari Swarm Team Ability: Characters using this team ability can use Stealth on their starting click. If that character can already use Stealth on their starting click, lines of fire may not be drawn to that character by opposing characters while on that click.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: No change to Golgari Swarm.

 

GRUUL CLANS

Ravnica’s foresters, gamekeepers, park rangers, wildlife officers, and wildskeepers. But with the wilds declining, the role of the Clans has also diminished, and many Gruul Clans members have adopted an anarcho-primitivist ideology and become Ravnica’s defenders of nature, intent on destroying civilization.

Keywords: Animal, Brute

Gruul Clans Team Ability: All successful attacks made by a character using this Team Ability generate knock back. Knock back generated by a character using this Team Ability cannot be ignored.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: No change to Gruul Clans.

 

IZZET LEAGUE

Ravnica’s formative and physical scientists and engineers. The Izzet League are known to perform magical experiments, ever with reckless abandon and sometimes with spectacular but severe results.

Keywords: Scientist, Mystical 

Izzet League Team Ability: When a character using the Izzet League Team Ability takes damage from an attack, roll a d6 that can’t be rerolled and consult the chart below for the resulting effect.

1: This character takes 1 additional unavoidable damage and gets an action token after actions resolve.

2: This character takes 1 additional unavoidable damage.

3-4: The attacker is dealt 1 unavoidable damage.

5: The attacker is dealt 1 unavoidable damage and gets an additional action token after actions resolve (if able).

6: The attacker is dealt 2 unavoidable damage.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: No change to Izzet League. Once normal Mystics was turned off, this GTA worked extremely well (instead of being EXTREMELY overpowered).

 

ORZHOV SYNDICATE

Nearly every business in Ravnica ties back to the Orzhov in some devious way or another. Whilst they bear the facade of a religious group and may well have been a true faith at the signing of the Guildpact, they now worship only profit and power.

Keywords: Mystical, Politician

Orzhov Syndicate Team Ability: Characters using this Team Ability can’t be the target of an opponent’s Outwit or Perplex unless they’ve been targeted with an attack previously in the same turn.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: No change to Orzhov.

 

CULT OF RAKDOS

Founded by Parun Rakdos, an ancient demon, the Cult of Rakdos attend to menial labor and the services industry, which includes some less-than-savory offerings, such as assassination, as well as more agreeable ones, such as the catering (i.e., food service) and entertainment industries.

Using the strife of the end of the Guildpact as a distraction, acolytes of Rakdos have finally managed to raise their Parun from the depths of darkness and despair. But will Rakdos choose to fight the invaders or decide to use this opportunity to thwart Szadek and seize Ravnica for his own?

Keywords: Monster, Mystical

Cult of Rakdos Team Ability: Whenever a character using this team ability is KO’d, you may roll a d6 and subtract 2 (minimum 1). Deal that much damage, divided as you choose, among any number of opposing characters adjacent to the square the KO’d character occupied.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: No change to the Team Ability, but please note that the return of the demon Rakdos has slightly altered the Cult of Rakdos keywords. Now a character must have either the Monster or Mystical keyword to be eligible for the Cult of Rakdos (I mean, they just awakened their demon overlord, so, yeah… )

 

SELESNYA CONCLAVE

Despite their superficial appearance of being a “good” and “peace-loving”, in truth the guild is just as hypocritical and as sinister, if not more so, as other Ravnican guilds. The Selesnya Conclave often employs its quietmen and other members to silence the civilians of Ravnica from up close and wreak havoc.

Keywords: Brute, Spy

Selesnya Conclave Team Ability: When characters using this Team Ability roll doubles on a successful close attack roll, that attack generates no knock back; instead, that attack cannot be evaded, damage dealt can’t be reduced below 1 and any hit characters get an action token.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: No change from Month 2.

 

SIMIC COMBINE

The original purpose of the Simic Combine was to preserve the health of all Ravnican life-forms. They were devoted to the study of life, medicines, and biomancy. But just as life can adapt, so did the Combine. Momir Vig, the Simic guildmaster, was dissatisfied with this original purpose and formed a new purpose: to improve upon life-forms of Ravnica.

Keywords: Animal, Scientist

Simic Combine Team Ability: At the beginning of your turn, choose one option to last until the end of your turn for all friendly characters using this Team Ability. All friendly characters using this Team Ability ignore Shape Change; or all friendly characters using this Team Ability ignore Stealth this turn.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: The Month 2 change helped this Guild quite a bit (indeed, both players in the Championship game were playing Simic), so it will stay as is for now.

 

NEW PHYREXIA

It came not in the form of a noble struggle, a fair contest of warriors clashing will against will, but as a wave of unstoppable slaughter. Mirran partisans resisted bravely, using their wits and magic to fend off the onslaught that originated from inside their own world. But their efforts were for naught. Phyrexia is victorious. Mirrodin now goes by a different name: New Phyrexia.

And New Phyrexia hungers…

Keywords: Robot, Armor

New Phyrexia Team Ability: Characters using this team ability can use Perplex, but only to target a character with the Armor or Robot keyword. This use of Perplex may not modify damage values, and no character may be targeted by this ability more than twice per turn. This use is in addition to any other uses of Perplex.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: No changes to the unstoppable New Phyrexia faction. They were a popular choice as well last Month.

 

TIME SPIRAL

From Ravnica’s forged Past to its many posssible Futures come the warriors caught in the Time Spiral. But even if they are able to turn the tide of the war with New Phyrexia, what will become of them once the invasion is over? And if the sundering of the Guildpact awakened the interest of New Phyrexia, whose attention might the spiraling of time itself attract?

Keywords: Past, Future

Time Spiral Team Ability: Characters using this Team Ability may use
Probability Control. When a roll is ignored because of this
team ability an action token must be placed on a friendly
character on the battlefield or the roll is not ignored.

GAMEPLAY NOTES: The latest faction to join the fight, the time-displaced warriors of Ravnica come packed with the ability to manipulate time themselves…

 

Alright! There is your Month 3 Scenario! Hope to see everyone at the game!