Here’s a keyword team with some meta implications. It’s based around two powerful team up cards. The first for Rachel Grey reads, “TEAM UP: EXCALIBUR THEMED TEAM  If 4+ friendly characters with the Excalibur keyword are on the map, they can’t be targeted by opposing characters 5+ squares away.” This is the same thing as the “Behind the Scenes” trait from the XDPS, but it will protect your entire team. It’s also superior to what Prime Bishop can do because he lets opponents target from 1 square further away and only prevents attacks instead of all targetting.

The second team up card is for Rogue. It states “TEAM UP: , CAPTAIN BRITAIN, GAMBIT, JUBILEE, RICTOR If 1+ listed friendly characters are on the map, Rogue and listed character’s Excalibur, Mystical Protectors trait also triggers with close attacks. If 3+ are on the map, when they hit, after resolutions heal the attacker 1 click.” With Rachel Grey forcing the other team into close quarters this team up is a must. Also, we’ll be using three of the listed characters, so they will heal a click whenever they hit any opposing character.

Here’s the team I had in mind:

• Theme: Excalibur +6
• HoX068-70 Apocalypse (Krakoan) (70 points)
• SVACs002 Illusion Generator (10 points)
• HoX036-60 Rogue (60 points) – with team up
• HoX052-50 Gambit (50 points)
• WKMP19-s107 Incandescence (Mandarin Ring) (5 points)
• HoX001.01 Rachel Grey  (40 points) – with team up
• HoX063 Mother (35 points)
• HoX053-30 Captain Britain (35 points)
• Total = 300 points.

Here’s what each piece brings to the team:

HoX068-70 Apocalypse (Krakoan) – This is an Excalibur keyword theme team, but each piece also has the Xmen keyword and is lower points than Apocalypse. That’s not an accident. It’s so that Apocalypse can use his Krakoan Revival trait. If your opponent wants to KO any of your pieces, he will need to KO Apocalypse first. That’s no easy task because of Apocalypse’s stop click that offers immediate healing the first time it’s revealed and when it shows up a again it has invulnerability and mastermind. Because these powers appear on the stop click they can’t be outwitted or bypassed via pulse wave. A single target pulse wave can be redirected via mastermind and a multi-target pulse wave will have it’s damage reduced to zero by invulnerability. Additionally Apocalypse can be healed easily with the Xmen TA and anyone he masterminds damage to that would be KOed can simply be revived. Also, every time he is hit activates his mystics TA. KOing him is not impossible, but it’s a puzzle that some teams may not have an answer for.

SVACs002 Illusion Generator – Since you know Apocalypse will be the prime target, you might as well give him as much protection as possible. This gives shape change (which can’t be outwitted due to Apocalypse’s cosmic energy) and every time he makes the roll an autonomous bystander is generated that you can put in the opponents line of fire. These bystanders will make opponents waste even more actions killing bystanders instead of what they are really after.

HoX036-60 Rogue – Aside from bringing her team up card to the team, she is a hypersonic harasser with battle fury and she brings a special trick that your opponent may not see coming. “TURNS OUT, I DON’T NEED THE GLOVES: FREE: Choose an adjacent character and a standard power they can use. Until your next turn, Rogue can use that power and has that character’s printed range value.” Also, like Apocalypse she has the mystics TA.

HoX052-50 Gambit – He’s the best character in the set for killing opposing bystanders and you know opponents are going to be running bystanders because you will be giving them bystanders with Krakoan Revival. Aside from KOing bystanders Gambit is just an excellent attacker whose triple target energy explosion will be able to target large numbers of enemies at the same time. He also has the mystics TA.

WKMP19-s107 Incandescence (Mandarin Ring) – Use this to super charge Gambit’s attacks. It turns him into a damage dealing machine.

HoX001.01 Rachel Grey – Aside from her excellent Team up card she can be a decent super figure with her Enhancement and Telekinesis. She’s also useful for healing with her Xmen Team Ability and on the latter half of her dial she can be a decent attacker.

HoX063 Mother (35 points) – Keep her in your starting area and just continuously use her first +1 title character ability.  Depending on what the other team is doing you will probably just use her -3 ability on turn 4 and let her be killed by damage at the end  of that turn. You’ll give your opponent 35 points and let them damage one of your figures and place it in your starting area, but the trade off is worth it. After turn 4 all of the remaining 5 figures on your team will be able to use perplex for the rest of the game. This will take your team with otherwise average attacking stats and just supercharge them. It’s just a ridiculous advantage. Thanks to Krakoan Revival, your opponent can’t do anything to stop this unless they KO Apocalypse first, and that’s just not going to happen by turn 4.

HoX053-30 Captain Britain – On a team with 6 people leadership is a must and her leadership can potentially remove 2 action tokens in a turn. Aside from that, she brings outwit, mystics TA, and could be a capable attacker if someone increases her attack value via perplex. Rachel Grey is already ensuring that opponents will be in charge range and that’s where she Captain Britain thrives.

That’s it for today.

Just like my previous article about Apocalypse Prime (and my article about Maggott that got debunked on Facebook), here’s another build about a top piece from House of X HoX067 Old Man Phoenix.

Here’s the team I had in mind:

• Theme: Xmen +5
• HoX067 Old Man Phoenix (160 points)
• SVCS004 Carnage Symbiote (10 Points)
• HoX003b Bishop (40 points)
• HoX006 Cypher (35 points)
• xdpG020p Dark Phoenix (30 points)
• HoX044-25 Magneto w/ Xmen Team up HoX044.03 (25 points)
• Total = 300 points.

Here’s what each piece brings to the team:

HoX067 Old Man Phoenix (160 points)– This is your primary attacker. He enjoys flurrying, using his claws, and healing whatever damage opponents throw at him. He’s powerful, but also very straight forward so not a ton to write about here.

SVCS004 Carnage Symbiote (10 Points) – Assign this to Old Man Phoenix. It grants him Shape Change (that can’t be outwitted) and even more healing because more healing is always a good thing. Also Plasticity means that when he says “I go where I want to go”, no one will argue.

HoX003b Bishop (40 points) – The last thing you want to do is get your Shiny new Wolverine shot full of holes from across the board. Bishop will make sure that opponents will have to stay close in order to hurt you and that’s exactly how Old Man Phoenix likes it. Plus he makes a good second attacker and his outwit could come in handy.

HoX006 Cypher (35 points) – So the combination of Cyber and Prime Bishop should hopefully let your Old Man Phoenix get the drop on on opponents despite having a zero range. The combo of sidestep and TK is perfect for firing your primary attacker into battle. As bonus the perplex is handy and the special barrier will remind you a little of Valaria Von Doom in her prime. What I mean by that is that since Cypher can see through characters he can literally put his barrier behind an opposing character and then automatically knock that opponent into it. He can also use barrier to surround an opponent on all four sides because of his improved targeting.

xdpG020p Dark Phoenix (30 points) – She’s a long range attacker and currently the games best retaliator in modern. You opponent is going to need a lot of hits on Old Man Phoenix to KO him, and Phoenix is a great (and thematic) distraction that will hopefully  give him time to heal some of his wounds. Also if you up her damage to 4 with Cypher she will heal if she does that amount of damage to (or KOs) an opposing figure, and that will be a huge headache for your opponent.

HoX044-25 Magneto w/ Xmen Team up HoX044.03 – Magneto brings a ton of options for a very low point cost. Like Phoenix he’s a long range attacker and retaliator at the same time. But when he retaliates he can be placed anywhere that he can make a ranged attack on his target. With his long range and improved targeting that’s almost anywhere on the board. He ignores characters for targeting so he can target the most vulnerable opposing character even if that figure is behind someone. Or he can target your opponents whole team at once with his triple target energy explosion. Additionally his teamup states, “When Magneto attacks only characters with the Ruler keyword or that can use Leadership, after resolutions remove an action token from him and give each hit character an action token. (After revealing forces, you may replace character cards with their alternates. You can’t choose a Team Up card if your starting characters share a name).” That can make him a tokening nightmare and combines well with his brotherhood TA.

That’s it for today.