Hello and welcome back to our blog! DC Heroclix: Justice League Unlimited set release is just around the corner and we are very happy to kick off the previews for this exciting new addition to the game. We have FIVE previews today (including two team up cards), so let’s dive right in!

First up we have the CEO of Wayne Powers, also known as Blight.

Blight is an interesting take on what a poison character could be. At a glance, he looks like a decent secondary or tertiary attacker. He has Penetrating/Psychic Blast along with Stealth and Sidestep, which helps him get into position and stay safe from being shot at by characters with bigger range values. This may make opposing players want to close the distance and take a swing on Mr. Powers, however, that would likely be to their detriment as Blight also sports Shape Change and should he make that roll, he will be able to retaliate on his next turn via Exploit Weakness. But what makes Blight super scary to be next to is his trait, “Walking Nuclear Disaster”.

Blight has the ability to Poison characters within 3 range and line of fire. Aiding him in that, he gets to use Improved Targeting for characters and elevation when determining who is adjacent for his Poison. To make matters worse, once a character is Poisoned by blight, are given Rad tokens, which increase the Poison damage they take as well as lower their defense values (making it easier to hit with that Exploit Weakness). As Blight works through his dial, he stays a relevant threat, gaining Ranged Combat Expert and eventually Pulse Wave combined with Force Blast (one of my favorite combos). Team building with him is very promising due to his awesome keywords (especially Monster) and his Underworld Team Ability which will make him easier to carry and/or allow him to carry other characters. If you can find a good partner with the Batman Enemy Team Ability, you can even bump his 10 attack to something more substantial. This character looks like a lot of fun and I think that Batman Beyond fans will be happy with the accuracy of the character.

Next in line, the man who takes his name from a nursery rhyme. It’s one of my favorite characters. It’s Solomon Grundy.

The first thing we notice about Grundy is that he has two different dials. One dial has blue numbering and one has red. As is typical with dials of this type, Grundy can alternate between them. He does this by utilizing a FREE action to turn to a click with the same number but different color. Additionally, the first time Grundy would be KO’d, you instead turn him to either click #1 and he loses the trait for the rest of the game. This effectively means you will need to KO him twice, which is fitting because Grundy is a fairly straightforward melee piece that will need to close the distance in order to get in the fight. It is also fairly accurate to the character. Solomon Grundy’s red numbered dial will probably be best to get him into the fight since it has a higher Speed value along with Sidestep and Invincible (meaning it will be just that little bit harder to KO him). Once you are close enough, swap him over to Charge and let him hit with that big 11 Attack and 4 Damage. Late on both dials, Grundy picks up Steal Energy which can help keep him in the fight before having to utilize his undying ability.

Grundy also has the Injustice League team ability and shared traits. The team ability will make it so that when Grundy hits, if he rolls high enough, he can keep tokens off of himself and keep attacking turn after turn. The trait is especially effective and a pretty cool way to keep your opponent from out-actioning you. If you roll a 6 on a d6 at the beginning of your turn, you can choose and opposing figure that’s 100 points or less and give them an action token. There is no range or line of fire requirement for this, so it will be a big nuisance for opponents to deal with. I’m definitely going to be putting this guy to work.

Now let’s get into some trouble and check in with one of my all time favorite Flash villains. He is the nefarious Gorilla Grodd!

Outcast from the advanced civilization of Gorilla City, Gorilla Grodd has been a thorn in the side of various Justice Leaguers for a long time. This Grodd is no different. The first thing you might notice about Grodd is that he has a short dial and a lot of text. So let’s break him down. Grodd is a competent short-ranged attacker that leans towards melee if you are looking at just his standard powers and values. But his utility shines through in his traits and special power. Starting with his special power, Grodd has the ability to use Leap/Climb and Mind Control. When he uses Leap/Climb, after resolutions he can use either Quake or Mind Control at no cost. WOW! already a solid inclusion at a measly 40 points! Even more a value at 10. After you have leaped into action, you can take Revenge on Gorilla City and use a FREE action to either hand out action tokens or deal 1 penetrating damage to opposing characters within 4 squares and occupying hindering terrain.

Grodd’s first trait, “Let’s Cause Trouble!” may seem familiar. Much like the Batman: The Animated Series had the Troubalert chases, it appears that Justice League Unlimited will have these “Troublemaker” chases. If you remember that Troubalerts helped when you missed attacks, these Troublemakers are the opposite. They can be brought onto your field from the sideline when a your character either rolls a Critical Hit or makes the third attack in one turn that hits a character. Grodd, specifically, comes in on his last click and is 10 points. He has all of his relevant traits and abilities there, so a small price to pay if you are able to get one (or more) extra attacks in a turn. On the downside, at the beginning of your turn, you have to roll a d6 to see if Grodd sticks around. On a 4-6, he returns back to your sideline (meaning he is not scored). Grodd also gives bonuses to characters using Hypersonic Speed when they attack or are attacked by him. Whew! That’s a lot to read through, but definitely worth it! I can’t wait to see these guys dominating the sidelines on swarm teams with tons of attacks!

Now we take a look at the cool new mechanic debuting in the Justice League Unlimited set, Team-Up cards! If you are unfamiliar with what these cards are, pause and read this design insight article and then come back and take a look at what we have to show you! First up, The man of Steel, Superman!

Team-up cards are bonus cards included in the Justice League boosters that are additional ways to play your favorite characters from the set. This Superman has a Themed Team Up that gives him extra bonuses when part of a Kryptonian themed team. This bonus gives Superman Leadership and when he uses it to remove a token from a friendly Kryptonian, he gets to heal them 1 click! Additionally, Superman has the Justice League shared trait, which is essentially a different take on Leadership. If Kal rolls a 6 at the beginning of his turn, he can take a token off of a friendly Leaguer that is 100 points or less. Just like Grundy, there is no range or line of fire restriction for this, so he will be able to do this from anywhere on the map. Complimenting this ability, Superman has a third trait that allows him to, once per game, guarantee he rolls a 6 for his Justice League trait! WHOA! So for sure, you will get that one extra action when you really need it!

Looking over at Superman’s combat dial, he is a straightforward close combat machine. His values are consistently good and he has a big charge in order to get into the fight. His reducers and 7 click dial make sure he hangs around, and should your opponent damage you, he can punish them with his Flurry and Precision Strike. Superman Ally team ability is great for Wild-Cards and for his limited for range (or throwing objects) at opposing Stealth users. His JLA team ability gives him +1 when taking MOVE actions, allowing him to go further by himself or not be hindering if carrying a friendly character. It will be interesting to see what other Kryptonians are in this set to make this Team-Up card shine, but I can see that extra token removal being a real asset.

Last, but certainly not least, let’s preview Superman’s Arch Nemesis, Lex Luthor.

This team-up card requires Lex to team up with Solomon Grundy. If he does, Lex gains Invulnerability, making his short dial quite a bit stronger for the low cost of 50 points. Lex is quite an effective mid-ranged attacker thanks to Running Shot combining with his Custom Made Ray Technology which let’s him choose from a bevy of RANGE-centered combat powers. Once in position, Lex can hand out extra damage in the form of Enhancement and can even utilize his Superman Enemy team ability to add another Outwit to your team, even if only for a turn.

Lex sports a formidable 18 defense and further has Energy Shield/Deflection, making him especially hard to damage at range. If you are clever, you can have Solomon Grundy nearby to help out if your opponent decides to close the range on Lex so they don’t have to deal with his big ranged defense. Lastly, Luthor has the same shared Injustice League trait as Grundy, meaning you can now hand out more action tokens to your opponents just for having the insolence to stand against the Injustice League!

Wow, these previews have me ready to dive into this next set! If you are as excited as I am, head over to the Wizkids Info Network and look for pre-release events near you beginning March 25th. DC Heroclix: Justice League Unlimited hits shelves everywhere on April 8th! That’s all for today. Thanks for reading and remember that the real fun begins when you’re Two Clicks from KO!