Here are the honorable mentions:

5. F4027 Valeria Richards (40 Points) – She’s a key support figure if you are going to run a Fantastic four team. Her attack special reads, “LET’S SEE, WHAT CAN I MAKE WITH THIS?: FREE: Choose a standard attack power. Valeria Richards can use that power this turn.” Which means she can pick a power like TK one turn and then the next turn choose Pulse wave. Add to that her double Perplex and she is a must have uncommon from this set.

4. F4039 Franklin Richards (65 points) – Franklin is kinda a mix between WXM038 Legion (Whom I used to really enjoy playing) and EW017 Green Lantern (The power battery is draining). Just like those guys he can gain any power, but there is a serious drawback. His Special attack power reads “EVERYTIME I USE MY POWERS, I GET CLOSER TO LOSING THEM: FREE: Choose 3 standard powers. Franklin Richards can use the chosen powers until your next turn. // At the end of your turn, if Franklin Richards activated this power or made an attack, roll a d6. Deal him unavoidable damage equal to half the result.” So you won’t be picking powers every turn, but if you pick and choose your turns carefully, you will get way more that 65 points worth of value from him. His stats and incredible 11 click dial length further increase his value. As does his ability to grant the Power Cosmic TA to all Fantastic Four figures within 4 squares. Smart Players are really going to be able to abuse this guy.

3. F4048 Karnak (40 points) – The Inhumans are back and this guy is going to try to put them into the competitive scene. Combined with a taxi like ABPI059 Lockjaw he can outwit the most stubborn of defenses. His special damage power reads,
“IN EVERYTHING, A WEAKNESS: Close Combat Expert, Outwit. When Karnak has no action tokens and uses Outwit, adjacent opposing characters can’t use Protected: Outwit or PROTECTED: Outwit until your next turn.” Combine him with the aforementioned lockjaw and ABPI030 Medusa to make a great one-two punch.

2. F4055E Agent Venom (50 or 75 points) – Whether you run this guy at 50 or 75 points really depends on the rest of your team. Both are good options. From the moment he was previewed players have been going nuts over his trait, “CALL IN HELP FROM… ME!: Once per turn, when another friendly character that shares a keyword with Agent Venom hits, after resolutions you may roll a d6. 3-6: Place Agent Venom adjacent to a hit opposing character.” Add to that the usual Symbiote tricks (Plasticity, Shape Change) and his ability to grant shape change to others at 75 points or his Perplex/BCF combo at 50 points. 

1. F4054 Wolverine (75 points) – A very offensive minded Wolverine that has Flurry and BCF on every click. He starts with a movement special that states, “BLOODTHIRSTY BARRAGE: Charge, Flurry, Sidestep. // When Wolverine KO’s an opposing character, after resolutions remove an action token from him.” He also makes a decent taxi with his sidestep and THE NEW FANTASTIC FOUR trait that grants him Passenger:1. On defense he starts with 18 toughness and a trait that will ensure he remains a threat all game as long as you still have fantastic four pieces on the board. It reads, “I DON’T STAY DOWN EASY: When Wolverine would be KO’d except by this Trait, instead put him on this card with 4 Healing tokens. At the beginning of your turn, remove a Healing token. When you remove the last one, place him on the map on click #6 within 4 squares of a friendly character with the Fantastic Four keyword. If you can’t, KO him. Protected: Pulse Wave.” It’s worth noting that click 6 for Wolverine has 12 attack to go along with his BCF and Flurry. So if you can get him to come back into play next to an opposing figure, that figure is in for a world of hurt.

Here’s the Top Ten:

10. F4053B Ghost Rider (40 points) – This is as mean of a 40 point dial as you will ever see. Alejandra has a starting click most other 40 point characters could only dream of. Hypersonic Speed, precision strike,  Invulnerability,  probability control, and Indomitable mesh well with her better than average stats. Her dial is short at 3 clicks, but her stop click and healing from steal energy will make the dial feel longer. The Mystics TA will mean that the very least the opponent will receive some vengeance for attacking her. Add to that her unusual Retaliation trait and you get a lot for very little point investment.

9. F4047A Silver Surfer (150 points) – I’ve seen him played on competitive teams at 75 points, but I think he has what it takes to to be played as a full 150 point Primary attacker. I know I’ve said that 150 points is a lot to pay for a single character in a 300 point build (like when I talked about CAAV074 Ultron), but I think the Surfer has everything he needs to be successful at that point cost. He has the Power Cosmic TA, Hypersonic Speed on every click, lots of damage reducers, and a 9 click long dial. His damage values are a little low for a 150 point character, but that’s where Dawn Greenwood helps. She is a free bystander the Surfer gets at the start of the game that has both enhancement and perplex. Even better, if she is killed by an opposing attack, the Surfer gets +1 to all his stats for the rest of the game. She just needs to watch out for poison and pulse wave.

8. F4049 The Thing (50 points) -So the first thing everyone sees with they see this dial is BUZZ AND CHUCK. I say ignore them, and then take another look and you’ll see the the most unique support figure in the game. He has sidestep, a special traited perplex, empower, and 19 defend. The 19 defend in particular is very rare and beneficial to any team that runs him.  But, he also has something that no 50 point support figure has ever had… four clicks of Invincible. Being the toughest support figure ever can be especially helpful in games where opposing figures are dealing penetrating damage via traits (like widows recruit). Unlike most support figures he’s not bad in in battle so make sure to push Buzz or Chuck to KO as soon as possible so the Thing can attack.

7. F4053A Ghost Rider (50 points) – I predict that this version of Ghost Rider will see even more play than the prime version because of her special starting defense. It reads, “THE GUARDIAN PHANTASMA: Defend, Energy Shield/Deflection, Toughness, Willpower. // Adjacent friendly characters of equal or lower points or that share a keyword with Ghost Rider can use Energy Shield/Deflection.” So for any team that matches her keywords, she is worth consideration due to the extra protection she provides. Imagine giving that bonus to Onslaught or a bunch of Wendigos. Add to that her special version of a stop click and you can she why I think she will be on a variety of teams. 

6. F4034 Invisible Woman (60 points) – Every Susan Richards in the set shares the same trait for subbing in sideline characters, but this version of Sue is the only one with the the Shield and Avengers Keywords. That trait says, “FORM THE NEW FANTASTIC FOUR: At the beginning of the game, you may replace up to 4 friendly characters with the same number of characters from your sideline on their starting clicks. All replacement and replaced characters must have the Fantastic Four keyword and different names. The total points of the replacement characters can’t exceed the total points of the replaced characters.” Although if you are facing characters that use stealth or that can’t see through stealth, you are probably going to want to leave her in play. Just like the Ghost rider that shares ESD, Sue shares something with her teammates as well. Her Trait reads “YEAH, MY POWER SET IS REALLY GOOD FOR ESPIONAGE: Stealth, [Improved Targeting: Hindering]. Adjacent friendly characters that share a keyword (with her) can use Stealth and [Improved Targeting: Hindering].” That could be a huge boon against the right opponent.

5. F4021 Dr. Doom (45 points) – Here’s the Doctor Doom that we’ve been missing for the past few years. I’ve been excited to build around this guy ever since he was previewed. His Doombot making trait is the best reason to play him. It reads, “MY ROBOTS OFTEN CONFUSE MY FOES: Leadership, Mastermind. When Dr. Doom uses Leadership and succeeds, instead of the normal effect, you may generate a [F4] 005 Doombot.” That’s a 33% chance of getting a free F4005 Doombot at the start of each turn. That’s pretty good, but you can take that up to absurd levels by assigning him the the Reign of Terror map bonus. It reads, “(+5 points, or 0 points if every character on your starting force has the Latveria keyword). LOCATION: At the beginning of the game, choose a friendly character. Once per turn, when that character rolls for Leadership you may reroll the result. If that character is named Dr. Doom, they increase their roll for Leadership by +1. CONSOLATION: Once per game, when a friendly character would roll for Leadership, they automatically succeed.” That 33% chance to generate a Doombot then jumps to a 75% with the map bonus. For even more fun throw in fellow scientist TREKRF014 Ensign Crusher.  Beyond making Doombots, this Doom supports them with Enhancement and starts with a nice Running Shot/Energy Explosion Combo.

4. F4058R Super Skrull (50 points) – Super Skrull is making people take notice with his trait. It reads, “THE POWERS OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR: At the beginning of your turn, choose two. Super Skrull has the listed effects until your next turn. INVISIBLE WOMAN: Sidestep, Stealth, Barrier as FREE but only to generate one marker. THE THING: Charge, Impervious, Close Combat Expert. MR. FANTASTIC: Plasticity, Super Senses, Giant Reach: 4. HUMAN TORCH: Running Shot, Energy Explosion, range of 6.” Most of the time that means you will be picking Mr. Fantastic and the Thing to become a nearly unhittable brawler. Especially when combined with his starting Shape Change and Skrull TA. Combine 5 of him with a F4040 Skrull General and you’ll have your own 280 point secret invasion ready to go.

3. F4013B Black Leopard (50 points) – Black Leopard has a game breaking trait the likes of which we haven’t seen since NFAOS059B Nighthawk . It reads, “TO FIGHT FOR EQUALITY IN RUDYARDA: The maximum attack, defense, and damage values of opposing characters within 6 squares and line of fire are each equal to Black Leopard’s printed value of that type.” Beyond that he’s got a long six click dial and (thankfully) lowish stats to go along with his starting Perplex and Leadership. He’s the first character your opponent will want to KO, which means your whole game plan should revolve around protecting him.

2. F4063 Valeria Von Doom (30 points) – She features leadership, Perplex, and very good defenses for her point cost. But it’s her trait that is making her see meta play (including on the winning ROC National team). It reads, “HUNTING ANOMALIES FROM OTHER WORLDS: FREE: Roll a d6 and place Valeria Von Doom up to that many squares away. // When an opposing character is placed within 4 squares and line of fire, after resolutions deal them 1 penetrating damage.” The first part of the trait combines well with her sidestep to let her move up to 8 squares as a free action. But it’s the second part of her trait that has everyone excited. It obviously affects opposing pieces like retaliators that are placed close to her. But it also affects things like the Telekinesis power and Knockback.  So equipping her with something like the WKMP19-S103 Spin (Mandarin Ring) lets her place any character in within a range of three into an adjacent square and do a penetrating damage to that character after actions resolve. That’s really good for a 30 point investment.

1. F4061R God Emperor Doom (100 points) – This is a character we’ve been begging for since the Battleworld set came out. At 100 points he’s got a short 4 click long dial and Battle Fury on two of his 4 clicks, but I love this guy. He features IMPROVED TARGETING: Hindering to go along with his running shot and superb 9 range. He also has a starting 12 attack and Probability Control because missing attacks is for mortals. He defense is nothing special with a 17 defense value and invulnerability, but when he does get hit he has 2 STOP clicks to protect him from being KOed. He should be able to rely on Doombots for defense or heal with steal energy and the new improved Minions of Doom TA if he does get hurt. He’s the leader of Battleworld and gets this unique trait, “GOD OF BATTLEWORLD: When establishing themed teams, God Emperor Doom gains all Battleworld keywords. // Leadership, Perplex, Colossal Stamina. When God Emperor Doom uses Perplex to target another character with a Battleworld keyword, you may instead modify a combat value except damage by +2 or -2.” His last trait makes him one of the best figures in the game to deal with equipment. It reads, “HMMM… AND DO YOU HAVE AN INFINITY GAUNTLET NOW?: FREE: Choose an opposing character within range and line of fire. That character can’t use the EFFECT of Equipment until your next turn.” It is especially important in the post ID card era.

That’s it for this set review. Leave a comment below to let me know what you thought of my picks.

Some notes about the set:

• Most of you won’t get to see this set until well after it’s release date due to COVID-19. So, hopefully my descriptions will do it justice. Also, this set is already in the units section of HCRealms.com.
• This is the sequel to the Batman the Animated series set in both flavor and substance. Even the Chases continue the Super Friends line-up along with some of the villains getting in on the fun.
• This set introduces team up cards and I am torn on their effectiveness. I  like the mechanic for the most part, but the execution was a bit off. Let me explain. Because the cards cost 0 points, the figures were assigned point costs that are about right if you are using a team up card, but the figures that have team up cards as possibilities seem over-costed if you aren’t using any cards. And you aren’t always going to have the team up cards you need or even any team up card choices at all. I opened a brick and only got 4 cards. So a lot of pieces like Superman 001 in this set I didn’t have any card options for, not even bad options. Superman 001’s dial costs 100 points, but on it’s own I’d guess it’s probably worth closer to about 80 points. What I think the designers should have done is assign point costs to the team up cards so that the characters in question are still reasonably costed even if you don’t have any team up card options. This isn’t true for all the figures that can use team up cards in the set, but it is for a lot of them.
• Between this set and X-men animated late last year, it’s a good time to be a fan of animated super heroes. I was a huge fan of this show.
• This set doesn’t have a lot of good attackers, but it has tons of great support characters.
• This is the last set to come out before ID cards are retired from modern. Good Riddance!

And now on to the honorable mentions:

5. JLU045 Hawkgirl AND JLU045.03 Team Up: Batman (60 points) – Unlike what I talked about in the notes about the set, Hawkgirl does have team up options and is worth her point cost even without using a team up card. Charge, flurry, 12 attack, and 12 movement make for a great secondary attacker. Because her starting defense is combat reflexes, she is vulnerable to being attacked at range. That’s why I’ve picked the Batman card to use her with. The stealth and extra movement it brings are very good bonuses for her. She would do well with the Green Lantern Team up card, but I really don’t like any of the Green Lantern dials made since the soon to be retired Elseworlds set. She also has the option of using a powerful Episode team up card that grants the Mystics TA to her Superman, Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, Aquaman, Amazo, and Vixen. Unfortunately, most of those characters don’t have great dials.

4. JLU046E Martian Manhunter AND Episode Team Up JLU046.11 (50 points) – He has average attack and damage stats, but defensively he’s a powerhouse. He features Impervious, Super Senses, and Shape Change on his first click. However, his best feature is his powerful Episode Team Up card. It reads, “EPISODE TEAM UP: SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN, BATMAN, THE FLASH, GREEN LANTERN, HAWKGIRL: If 1+ listed friendly characters are on the map, Martian Manhunter and the listed characters take a maximum of 1 damage when on their starting click. If all listed characters are on the map, they and Martian Manhunter have [Teen Titans team ability].” Unlike Hawkgirl’s episode team up card, most of the characters listed on this team up have great dials and the ability to add essentially a stop click at the front of those dials is huge.

3. JLU018E Superman (10 points) – Wizkids did something unique here and created a generic character dial inside of the dial of a named character. At 10 points this dial isn’t really Justice Lords Superman, it’s actually the dial for one of his many Superman Robots. I love the idea of a single figure that can represent both a unique person and a generic character based on what point level you use. I hope Wizkids does more of this in the future. 

As for the dial itself, it’s not ground breaking but for 10 points it’s very good. It’s single click features indomitable, Close Combat Expert, sidestep, toughness, the Justice Lords trait, and the Superman TA. I can see myself running several of these on competitive robot teams to carry figures like I.S.S.A.C. and danger room sinister, or just to fill points after ID Cards leave modern.

2. JLU050 Solomon Grundy (75 points) – This is a great showing for Solomon Grundy that’s very reminiscent of the Hawkman/Hawkgirl figure from the BTAS set. It features a 10 click long dial that essentially has a stop click in the middle. His trait reads, “THE LIFE AND DEATH OF SOLOMON GRUNDY: FREE: Turn Solomon Grundy’s dial to the same click # of a different color. // The first time Solomon Grundy would be KO’d, instead turn him to either click #1 and he can’t use this trait for the rest of the game. Protected: Pulse Wave.” Looking at his dial unless you need the extra movement from sidestep on the red dial, you’re just going to want to leave it on the blue side and then choose blue again when he resurrects. With his damage reducers, long dial, steal energy, and high attack value it’s hard to believe this guy is only 75 points.

1. JLU062 Ultra-Humanite (25 points) – For 25 points you get a solid TK piece with sidestep and willpower. It also has my favorite trait of the set that reads, “INJUSTICE LEAGUE: At the beginning of your turn, roll a d6. 6: Give an action token to an opposing character that’s 100 points or less.” So there is a 1 in 6 chance every turn that this 25 point piece can give an action token to an opposing figure anywhere on the map. What I’ve mentioned so far should already be enough to justify his point cost, but he also comes with a special mind control that reads “FAR EASIER TO USE MY SUPERIOR INTELLECT AND MENTAL POWERS: Mind Control, Sidestep. When Ultra-Humanite uses Mind Control, his range value becomes 8 and he has [Improved Targeting: Hindering, Elevated, Blocking, Characters].” He can target through any type of terrain. Walls, a mountain, and the jungles of Wakanda won’t stop his mind control. If he had any defense or other support figures in the injustice league to pair him with, he would have definitely made the top ten.

Here’s the Top Ten:

10. JLU035 Superman (175 points) – Potentially the toughest Superman the game has ever seen. Defensively he features 7 clicks that all have reducers, protection from outwit, limited self healing, and 3 stop clicks. But what really makes him so impressive is his long range and huge offensive stats located around those stop clicks. Click 4 has 12 attack and 5 damage. click 5 (his first stop click) has 13 attack and 4 damage. Click 6 has 12 attack and 4 damage.

He’s a one man army. He’ll have to be, because unfortunately at 175 points he takes up most of a 300 point build. Still this is a very powerful character with all the bells and whistles, so don’t underestimate him.

9. JLU105 Superman (125 points) – Now we get to what I believe is the best Justice League Primary attacker in the set (although he’s actually from the fast forces). The reasons why I like him better than the 175 point superman is that he has a lower cost, starting hypersonic, high attack his whole dial, and the ability to make a second attack if he hit with the first. He’s not as tough as the 175 point version, but he still has two stop clicks at the end of his dial. The large amount perplex available to Justice League team will come in really handy here because his second attack isn’t just limited to printed values, so you’ll get twice the bang for your buck when you increase his damage with perplex. Also, this character greatly benefits from WKMP19-S001 Exospex because he has no range and sidestep as his movement power on every click except his first.

8. JLU053 Booster Gold (80 points) – This is the best Booster Gold ever made. His 10 Attack and 3 damage are underwhelming, but they are bolstered by his special damage power that reads “SKEETS, BOOSTER GOLD’S BIGGEST FAN: Perplex, Probability Control. When Booster Gold uses Perplex to target himself, he may instead modify a combat value other than damage +2.“He’s got running shot and invulnerability on his first click. He also has a trait that lets him protect himself  and his team from ranged attacks. It reads, “CROWD CONTROL: Barrier. Barrier as FREE, but only to generate 2 markers.” He makes a perfect secondary attacker on a Justice League team.

7. JLU040 Amanda Waller (35 points) – An Incredible support figure for Justice League teams with leadership, outwit, and perplex all at the same time. Defensively she has both Stealth and Mastermind. In addition, she brings an awesome trait to the table the reads, “BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDS A BATMAN: During force construction, choose a friendly character of 125 points or less with the Batman Family keyword. That character has the Future keyword. // At the beginning of the game, choose a combat value. This game, that chosen character modifies that combat value +1.” But that trait is only as powerful as the best Batman Family figure you can use with her, which means the next character on this list must be…

6. JLU005B Batman (40 points) – No figure has been getting more buzz than this one since being previewed. He has the ability to target everyone in range at the same time with his trait “SOMETHING WHEN GONE, YOU CAN NEVER REGAIN: FREE: For the rest of the game, Batman can’t use the Batman Ally team ability and whenever he occupies a clear square and is given a RANGE action to use Incapacitate, Mind Control, or Penetrating/Psychic Blast, he can use [Improved Targeting: Hindering, This character can make range attacks while adjacent to opposing characters. (May target adjacent or non-adjacent opposing characters.)] and may instead target all opposing characters within line of fire.” Combine his targeting with his 12 attack and his uses of incapacitate or mind control can easily hit a whole team at once. At the back half of his dial is psychic blast that has been in debate online about whether his damage is divided among all hit targets or not. Regardless of the outcome of that ruling, opponents are going to target him first on your team so you won’t get to use those last few clicks very often.

He’s very good if you want to center your team around using him effectively, but he’s not someone you throw on a team without a plan.

5. JLU058 Ace (60 points) – An incredible support figure with tons of powers. On offense she got a special mind control that reads, “DRIVE YOU INSANE: Mind Control. When Ace uses it, after resolutions give a hit character an Insanity token. // When a character with an Insanity token attacks, modify their attack -2 and then remove one of their Insanity tokens. If they missed all targets with that attack, after resolutions deal them 1 unavoidable damage.” She’s only a 6 range, 10 attack, and no way to move and attack, but if she hits with that it will probably stop the next attack that character makes. But, the real reason to play her is her game breaking trait, “WARP PERCEPTIONS AND REALITY: Shape Change, ProbabilityControl. Other characters (friendly and opposing) can’t use Probability Control except for Themed Team Probability Control.” Of course your opponent could try to take her out, but her last trait will punish them for it. It reads “BATMAN MUST TALK HER OUT OF HER FINAL PSYCHIC BACKLASH: When Ace is KO’d by an opponent’s close attack, deal 1 unavoidable damage to that character. When Ace is KO’d by an opponent’s range attack, deal 1 unavoidable damage to each opposing character. Protected: Pulse Wave.” Her biggest downfall is a Lack of good keywords. Project Cadmus is probably her best team choice.

4. JLU059A The Atom (40 points) – With Perplex, Outwit, and the ability to make other characters tiny it’s easy to see why he makes a good support character. But he’s more than your average support character. Making other characters tiny is great to allow you to carry a figure that you wouldn’t normally able to carry. ABPI011 Ant-Man has a similar power and I learned to use to great effect when I won a WKO sealed tournament last year using Ant-Man. Atom can also use shrink an adjacent opposing figures to deny them the ability to use their equipment until you next turn, or make it easier for another character to break away from that character, or to open up a line of fire. He also has a special movement power that reads, “RIDING ALONG UNDETECTED: Leap/Climb, Stealth. When an adjacent character is given a MOVE or POWER action, after resolutions you may place The Atom adjacent to that character.” He can use this to tie up opponents and take advantage of of his 19 starting defense. He can also use this to be move along with friendly units that couldn’t carry him because they were using hyper sonic speed or carrying someone else. And because he isn’t actually being carried he can still take a non-free action after being moved. Someone would have to do something absolutely crazy to be a better Justice League Support character.

3. JLU031B Crimson Avenger (30 points) – So this is a Justice League support character that does something crazy. Just like ABPI069 Kobik he can give an action token to an opposing character as free action. So no having to roll dice, or worrying about defense powers, and he can do it after moving or being carried. Unlike Kobik he doesn’t need to be adjacent, he just needs to be within 5 squares of the character he’s giving the token to. His trait reads, “KNOCKOUT GAS:Smoke Cloud as FREE, but only to generate 4 markers. When Crimson Avenger uses it, after resolutions choose an opposing character occupying or adjacent to one of his Smoke Cloud markers and give that character an action token.” He can also use his smoke cloud to hide friendly characters when he’s not in range of an opposing character. Aside from his trait he also has perplex, stealth, poison, and combat reflexes. This guy is low-key powerful and not many people have caught on to him yet.

2. JLU012 Amazo AND JLU012.05 Team Up: The Flash (125 points) – Amazo is the best primary attacker in this set and he has 5 different team up cards as options. The Flash team up is by far the best. It grants Hyper Sonic Speed and Super senses. He can also use his power adaption trait to get more powers. It states, “POWER ADAPTATION: At the beginning of your turn, you may choose a character within 4 squares and line of fire and up to 2 standard powers that character can use. If Amazo is 100 or 125 points, you may choose 3 standard powers instead. Amazo can use the chosen powers and has the printed range value of that character until he chooses again.” And all of these powers he acquires work with his defensive trait that reads, “INVINCIBLE ANDROID BODY: Amazo takes a maximum of 1 damage when attacked by a character that can use a power other than Willpower that Amazo can use. He can’t be healed, equipped, or chosen for Mastermind.” I should note that his team up card also has an additional disadvantage built in. You can’t have characters on your sideline except those for the Amazo Team Up Cards. (You need to declare what effect your Sideline game elements are for during game force construction.) So that means no ID or trouble alert characters. Obviously he’ll hit his stride after ID cards are retired in a few months.

When I first saw this guy I thought he’d make a perfect primary attacker for the danger room pieces from the last X-men set. Or, he’d at least head up a really nice team of robot pieces from various sets (Ultron, I.S.S.A.C, Cyclops Sentinel, etc…) He could also be part of a very good Cadmus Labs teams with JLU058 Ace, JLU040 Amanda Waller, and JLU051E Batman Beyond. But honestly, any team could use a piece that is a great attacker and only takes one damage from opposing attacks. So lots of opportunity for this guy.

1. JLU069E Brainiac (10 or 0 points) – This set introduces a new form of sideline active characters with a new trait called “LET’S CAUSE TROUBLE!: SIDELINE ACTIVE – Friendly characters have “FREE: If this character critical hit this turn or made the third attack this turn to hit all opposing targets, place a character from your Sideline that can use a Let’s Cause Trouble! trait adjacent on its blue starting line.” // At the beginning of your turn, if Brainiac started the game due to the Let’s Cause Trouble! trait, roll a d6. 4-6: Return Brainiac to your Sideline.” Brainiac is clearly the best of those 4 characters, but they are all worth having. He starts with 11 attack, triple target incapacitate, outwit, and a special phasing power that works like running shot. He also has a trait that says “THE EARTH…IT’S DISAPPEARED!: Once per turn for all characters with this effect, roll a d6. 3-4: Give each opposing character within 4 squares of Brainiac that occupies elevated terrain an action token. 5-6: Deal each opposing character within 4 squares of Brainiac that occupies elevated terrain 1 penetrating damage.” So imagine you roll a critical hit on your turn and you put this guy out for free, you can then incapacitate up to three opposing figures, use his trait against elevated figures, and use outwit on someone’s defense power. That’s a really good deal for 0 points and and could be a huge change in momentum in a game.

Because this character lives on your sideline and doesn’t cost points or affect your theme team bonuses, there is absolutely no reason to not put him on every sideline of every team (not featuring Amazo) for the next two years until he’s retired. And that’s why he’s the best character in this set.

That’s it for this set review. Leave a comment below to let me know what you thought of my picks.

Hi guys. Critical Missives got a brick of the new set and I’d like to share all of the pictures with you. Of the 10 packs I got 1 Prime, 1 Chase, 3 SRs, and 5 packs with just rares (although four of those packs contained Team up cards). I’m a big fan of this set and I’m happy with my pulls. So without further Ado…

Pack 1 (Prime Batman)

Pack 2 (Stripe)

Pack 3 (Amanda Waller)

Pack 4 (Green Lantern Team up, Blight)

Pack 5 (Lex Luthor Team up, Static Shock)

Pack 6 (Gorilla Grood Chase)

Pack 7 (The Atom)

Pack 8 (Green Arrow Team Up, Amazo)

Pack 9 (The Flash Team Up, Shade)

Pack 10 (Ace)

As usual, you can find all these dials in the forum section of hcrealms.com. Good luck with your bricks!

Some notes about the set:

• The Avengers and Shield keywords did well. The Masters of Evil were pretty good. The Thunderbolts were refugees from a previous set where the power level wasn’t quite as high. They would be decent 3 years ago, but not now.
• The espionage trait is my shared favorite trait in a long time, and it is all over this set. It makes a lot of useful figures in the lower rarities.
• Speaking of rarities, some of the SRs and Chases are the most powerful we’ve ever seen. Especially the Avengers and SHIELD pieces.
• We got the best versions of some of the marvel mainstays (Thor, Hulk, Spider-man) that we’ve ever seen.

And now on to the honorable mentions:

5. CAAV062E Baron Zemo (45 points) – At 45 points he does everything you need him to do. He’s a stealthy outwit character, who grants your whole team the Avengers Initiative TA, and makes your whole team into one named keyword. If the core Thunderbolts were better,  he would be in the top 10.

4. CAAV018B The Captain (45 points) – The first character on this list with the living legend trait that reads, “LIVING LEGEND: The first time each game The Captain would be KO’d, instead turn him to his last non-KO click, then roll a d6 and heal him equal to half the result. Protected: Pulse Wave.” In the captain’s case that likely means that he will come back on his support clicks, but that’s still a really good deal. So for his 45 points you get 6 clicks, then the trait essentially acts as a stop click and gives you at least more click of life after that. Your opponent is going to spend at least 3 good attacks KOing this guy and he’s only 45 points! Beyond that the designers just decided that he deserved 11 attack on every click. All of them. I have never seen that before. At the beginning of the game he’ll also pick up the Marvel TA of your choice (like Avengers Initiative, Masters of Evil, Underworld), or become immune to probability control!

3. CAAV007 Nick Fury (75 points) – This is a great showing for Nick Fury that I am sure will show up on a few winning builds before long. He’s the first character on this list with my favorite new trait “Espionage” that combines well with his starting outwit. It reads, “ESPIONAGE: Stealth, Improved Movement: Hindering, Improved Targeting: Hindering.” Beyond that, he’s able to make his own strike team of very capable SHIELD agents by hitting his leadership rolls. Should he come under fire, he also has one last trick up his sleeve. A special stop click that reads, “LIFE MODEL DECOY: STOP. Mastermind. When this click is first revealed, after resolutions roll a d6. Place Nick Fury up to that many squares away from his current square.“

2.  CAAV006 Sharon Carter (35 points)  – Bringing leadership, perplex, the shield TA, and possibly outwit to your team. She’s guarded from ranged attacks by both ESD and the Espionage trait. With a starting 10 attack, 5 range, and 2 damage she’s a capable 3rd string attacker from the safety of hindering terrain.

1. CAAV053A War Machine (100 points) – How is a guy that can attack twice in a turn most turns (“60% of the time, it works every time”) not be in the top 10? Well this is just an extremely powerful set and there is a guy a little further up the list that is almost the same as him, but slightly better. That being said, War Machine is no slouch. In another set he would be challenging for the top spot. He’s an Offensive powerhouse who can ignore hindering terrain for targeting. He also features running shot, psychic blast, and a self-perplex he can use to add to his starting 11 attack and 4 damage. In addition, he has a trait that reads “MINI-GUN TARGET LOCK: When War Machine hits, after resolutions you may give a hit character a Target Lock token, then remove all other Target Lock tokens. // FREE: Make a range attack using War Machine’s printed attack and damage values, but only to target the character with his Target Lock token.” His real weakness is defense. He does start with 18 defense and invincible, but his 6 clicks of life will seem rather short when he comes under fire from opposing forces.

Here’s the top 10:

10. CAAV049 Taskmaster (60 points) – At sixty points with stealth and perplex he makes a great support figure for Thunderbolts or SHIELD  teams. But labeling him a support figure would discount his starting 12 attack, blades claws fangs, and the ability to gain charge or flurry. He’ll hide as support figure until the opponent gets close enough for him to pounce and embarrass a higher cost figure in one-on-one combat. Sneaky good.

9. CAAV071 Ghost Rider (70 points) – for only 20 points more than ABPI017 Voyager you get a figure that can move your whole team AND kicks a huge amount of butt for his point cost. You’ll lose the starting outwit that voyager has, but gain in every other category. His biggest draw is his trait that reads “THE AVENGERS HAVE A SWEET NEW RIDE: Passenger: 3, but only to carry character who share a keyword regardless of [Wing symbol]. // Ram. When Ghost Rider uses it, he modifies speed +3 and does not take unavoidable damage from it.” He’s the first clix in the game to be able to use ram and not take damage from using it. So your opponent needs to constantly worry about how many characters they have across from this guy or they risk him attacking 2 or 3 at a time from up to 13 squares away.  Offensively, he starts with charge, exploit weakness, and 4 starting damage! On Defense he has a full dial of damage reducers and the rarely-seen-these-days mystics team ability.

8. CAAV052 Spider-Man (85 points) – PlayStation Spider-man comes in at number 8 with an impressive dial. Defensively he’s a stud with a Stealth Mode dial that would make even Batman jealous. It brings a special movement power that reads, “TAKING OUT FISK’S OPERATIONS ONE HIDEOUT AT A TIME: Sidestep, Stealth. // FREE: Place Spider-Man in a square of hindering terrain within 4 squares and line of fire.” Combine that with his toughness, shape change, and super senses that succeeds on a 4-6 (it’s also immune to outwit) and you have one of the hardest characters to damage we’ve ever seen. Which means he should make it to his target untouched. That’s where he switches to Fight (AKA instant-kill) mode. The main attraction of that mode is his higher attack values and his damage power that states “THE RIGHT GADGET FOR THE JOB: FREE: Choose one: Outwit, Perplex, Close Combat Expert, or Exploit Weakness. Spider-Man can use the chosen power until your next turn.” So Spidey has better gadgets now than Batman does. Wizkids will be hearing from Bruce’s Lawyer.

7. CAAV075E Peggy Carter (50 points, but more likely 0 points) – She has 4 clicks of life that are bolstered by the Living Legend trait . This is important because she may be KOed when she first comes into play and get use out of that trait right away. She also brings out a Becky Barnes bystander when she comes into play and Becky is a skilled close combat attacker with willpower and 18 defense bolstered by combat reflexes.

It was hard to pick which spot on my list this lady should get, because 99% of the time she’s played she will be coming into the game from your sideline for the low cost of zero points. I can 100% say she is worth the zero points you are paying for her. But she is only as good as the best Captain America or Steve Rogers you can play with her, which means the next character on this list has to be:

6. CAAV038 Steve Rogers (50 points) – From the moment this guy was previewed people online have been theory crafting teams based around his trait which reads, “WE’LL TAKE ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET, IF YOU’RE WORTHY: Leadership. During force construction, you may choose a standard character of 50 points or less. That character loses its printed keywords (for the entire game) and then gains either the Avengers -or- S.H.I.E.L.D. keyword (choose one).” Most of the Internet settled on Prime Vulture being the best new Avenger, but teams with Mr. Oz, Danger Room Magneto, and (if I get my way) Super Friends Hawk Girl are also possibilities. Besides his trait he’s also a capable support figure with perplex, leadership and the SHIELD team ability. Defensively he features combat reflexes and the Living Legend trait.

5. CAAV074E Ultron (100 Points) – The go-to figure for robot or Masters of Evil Teams. Yes, I am aware that Ultron has a higher cost dial with a 14 starting attack. This point level is where I envision him being played the most. He still has a great starting attack of 12, perplex to help his team, sidestep that works well with equipment like the power stone, psychic blast, his ENCEPHALO-RAY trait, and 2 of the 3 stop clicks that the 150 point dial has. But most importantly the 100 point dial gives him what he needs most – room from other characters on your team. 150 points is a lot to use on one figure in today’s 300 point meta.

4. CAAV070E Thor (75 points) – The best Thor we’ve ever seen and just like Ultron I like him best on his mid dial rather than his full dial. He’s the most efficient 75 point ranged secondary attacker I have ever seen. The number on reason is the extra powers his lightning marker gives him while attached. “CRACKLING WITH ELECTRICITY: When Thor has the Lightning marker attached, he can use Energy Shield/Deflection and Poison. // When Thor has the Lightning marker attacked, he has Mystics team ability, but only for close attacks.” Poison in particular is super useful against characters like Q or Kobik that have great defenses, but no reducers. Beyond that trait his starting dial has running shot, 11 attack, 4 damage, invincible, and probability control. As an added bonus, this Thor is also the first one I can remember having a stop click.

3. CAAV058 Immortal Hulk (100 points) – The reason why is most people are using him is that he is a nearly-immortal ID card launcher. So he can just walk up to the other team and starting summoning out cards like 100 point Colossal Iceman or 85 points Asgardian Storm and there is not much that the opposing team can do about it. They can’t kill him and if they try it will likely only make things worse. But on the other hand the longer the game goes on, the more powerful Hulk will become. Thanks to his trait which reads, “POWERED BY SADISTIC VENGEANCE: When a friendly character within line of fire is damaged by an opposing attack, put a Vengeance token on this card. FREE: Remove two Vengeance tokens to use Charge at no cost.” So late game after Hulk has built up 2 or more vengeance tokens you can just push Hulk yourself to transform him and you can still make a charge attack that same turn with his starting 12 attack value and 4 damage value. That’s his secret. He’s always angry.

2. CAAV054E Captain Marvel (95 points) – Despite her protests, her cat being a Flerken is the best part about this piece. Chewie the cat has a special movement power that reads “MAYBE IT IS A FLERKEN: : Flurry, Plasticity, Giant Reach: 2“. That goes along well with his blades/claws/fangs, super senses, and perplex. And the best part is that Captain Marvel can put out the Chewie bystander as a free action. Captain Marvel also has a special movement power that reads “HIGHER!: Hypersonic Speed. When Captain Marvel uses it, after resolutions deal 1 penetrating damage to an opposing character she moved through. If that character is a vehicle, deal it 3 penetrating damage instead.” So in the same turn she can move through a person to damage them, make an attack with hypersonic speed, and then drop a Chewie bystander (who gets to use his Flurry and BCF). Beyond everything I mentioned, she has starting probability control and two stop clicks (the 2nd of which is very strong). This makes her a very well rounded character deserving of the 2nd spot on this list.

1. CAAV053B Punisher War Machine (90 points, but you should only play him at 95) – Like I mentioned earlier in War Machine’s entry this guy is very similar, but better. An offensive powerhouse the likes of which we have never seen before. He can attack twice two out of every 3 turns with his trait that reads, “THE WAR NEVER ENDS: Colossal Stamina. // If Punisher War Machine has two action tokens, he has FREE: Make an attack.” And if he wants to burn clicks of life by using colossal stamina, he can make two attacks every single turn (even if he started the turn with two action tokens). His special attack is not limited to his printed values, so increasing his damage with a power like perplex is twice as useful on him. He also has the ability to see through hindering to go along with his starting 12 attack and 4 damage value. On defense he has a trait that reads, “(+5) THE MAN INSIDE IS THE REAL MACHINE: During force construction, you may include a character named “Punisher” of 75 points or less on your Sideline. When Punisher War Machine would be KO’d, instead replace him with that Punisher on its last click then roll a d6 and heal that Punisher half the result. This game, that Punisher can’t be healed any other way. Protected: Pulse Wave.” So just when opponent thinks they are done with this nightmare there is a still a little more to go. Add it all up and this is definitely the best character in the set.

That’s it for this set review. Leave a comment below to let me know what you thought of my picks.