So it’s been some time since the heavily anticipated Black Panther and the Illuminati set dropped, I thought I’d try something a little different. We totally missed publishing a top 10 for Rebirth due to reasons that don’t really matter to most of our Heroclix readers. So while you are spending countless hours thinking about who wears what piece of Infinity bling best,  here’s a little something to entertain you. Since this article is months late, lets skip the honorable mentions (Prez Rickard, Dolphin, Lex Luthor, Nightwing, Billy Batson) and just go right into the Top 10.

10. RE044 Shade, The Changing Girl (45 points) – She’s a one trick pony, but it’s a heck of a trick. Her special white power reads “SHE JUST KIND OF SHOWS UP: Phasing/Teleport, Plasticity. POWER: Place Shade, the Changing Girl in any square with an (unheld) object.” On turn 1 an opponent’s team is completely immune to any shenanigans, but there are no rules protecting objects on the field. So if you get the first turn you can teleport to the opposing team’s best equipment and sit on it. She has 6 clicks and traited shape change to (hopefully) survive the fury this will generate in your opponent. And if she’s backed up by her friends AIG025P Groot or TMTG006P Mangog, it may be better for your opponent to just let that equipment go.

9. RE013 Cyborg (75 points) – There’s no special trick or combo with this guy, he’s just really useful on the battle field and well rounded on both offense and defense. He’s a great secondary attacker that brings support options as well. There is something useful for him to do on every click. He’s the definitive version of the character for me. Did you hear that Wizkids? You got this one right, no need to make any more of him. (unless it’s the “Teen Titans go” version)

8.  RE031 Batman (85 Points) – It’s not very often you get an affordable playable figure with the Outsiders TA, but this one fits the bill. He will be completely untargetable at range on any map you’d likely ever choose to run him on. He’s not going to to be a big damage dealer with only 3 printed damage, but his combination of outwit, Outsiders TA, and double target incapacitate means that your opponent can’t just ignore him. This is a Batman that beckons opponents to follow him into the shadows. I really like that flavor.

7. RE001 Deathstroke (100 points) – This figure was the M.V.P. on many sealed teams during the Rebirth release tournament. He’s a great offensive figure with options to use both running shot and charge. Even better he’s got the ability to deal penetrating damage while using either one. His defense is nothing special, but the ability to heal two clicks after KOing an opposing figure should definitely come in handy.

6. RE068 Barbatos (200 points) – This is the only one of the Dark Knight Metal chases that I would run at full points. His ability to phase through walls and attack with Psychic Blast is just devastating on indoor maps or around terrain like the boxing ring. Especially if an opposing team can’t see through stealth to make any attacks in return. His special damage power is also ripe for abuse. It reads, “SO FALLS THE REALM OF LIGHT: Opposing characters within 6 squares that can use Outwit, Perplex or Support can use Battle Fury.” His biggest downfall is that he is a giant and thus can’t have equipment.

5. RE063E The Dawnbreaker (75 points) – He’s a capable secondary attacker and brings the monster keyword their best taxi ever thanks to his Green Lantern TA. His starting invincible and “WE WILL NOT HIDE IN THE SHADOWS ANYMORE” trait will *hopefully* keep him safe. But, the real reason to run him is “NIGHTMARE CONSTRUCTS: Barrier. Whenever an opposing character generates one or more bystanders, after resolutions you may generate the same bystander(s). These bystanders you generate modify combat values +1 this game and have [MAX 1].” Medusa hair bystanders, walking wood, Dawg, and Skreet are some of the competitive tokens out there that are seeing play on popular teams and now they can be your opponents Nightmare (see what I did there). 

4. RE037BE Black Adam (100 points) – To quote hcrealms user BionicBoy, “This is a highly effective and mobile starting line. Very easy to heal back up to full as well.” He got that right. This guy saw some tournament wins when he first debuted leading some JSA teams. Now that the Jokers wild set has retired from Modern he’s lost some tools, but he’s still an effective attacker and ID summoning virtuoso. The ability to move up to 8 and still summon an ID call in after that is unmatched in modern.

3. RE062E The Murder Machine (100 points) – Everyone knows about ADW Hawkeye and Earth X Vulture, here’s DCs version of those killing machines. The big difference with this guy is that he doesn’t to move after he attacks and kills something, so his next target better be nearby. What he gets in return are something the other two can’t boast – a defense that doesn’t wilt at the first sign of being attacked. He’s also got prob control and that big starting 4 damage to go along with his 7 range and improved targeting: blocking  terrain. His ability to use energy explosion and dual targets should not be overlooked because KOing even the weakest bystander will allow him to attack again.

2. RE055E Starfire (50 points) – Obviously this isn’t a very long dial, but her stop click will make the dial long enough that your opponent will likely aim for a better target. If you ignore her, you’ll face her running shot and pulse wave combo. If you don’t ignore her, you could land her on that stop click and face flurry with 4 damage! She also had Quintessence at 50 points before the Elders of the Universe came along and made that sort of thing seem normal. Look for her to be a popular second (or third) attacker on cosmic teams.

1. RE052E Mister Oz (40 points) – Part Unseen and part God of TK, Mister OZ gives your team unparalleled TK while simultaneously nerfing that same power for your opponent. If you’ve got an attacker without good movement abilities then this is your guy to fix that issue. And once your attacker makes it into battle, his 12 range prob control that sees through everything will help make sure the battle goes your way. Expect him to be a staple of cosmic teams for years to come.