A lot of folks liked this series last year, and now that rotation has been announced for 2019, I think it’s time to make this article series a tradition. If you’re wondering what figures you can pick up that won’t cost a lot of money, this is your defacto guide!

The timing of these articles is a little strange; I like to get them out as close to the rotation announcement as possible, but there’s usually the first spring set right around the corner. Luckily, just like last year with Avengers: Infinity, my DC: Rebirth set review will do a good job of covering which figures I think are worth having, and the set will be featured in this article in 2020. As with last time, today is all about looking over budget figures that are solid investments for your gameplay in the coming 2019/2020 Modern Age.

Let me clarify what “budget-friendly” means in my book. Usually this means figures found in the Common, Uncommon, and Rare slots with some occasional Primes, and maybe a few Super Rares if I feel they’re cheap enough on the secondary market. Last year, I kept this around the $20 and under range, but looking back that means most Super Rares fit that category, so I’m going to drop that down to around the $10 mark as I think that’s truly a budget figure, especially when you typically don’t need a ton of them. As was the case last time, Chases will not be included. They’re too expensive and hard to track down.

Finally, this will work the same as last year, but flip-flopped. The first article was featured last week on Two Clicks From KO, and this is the second article, so if you haven’t read the first part, make sure you go check it out. It had some changes from last year and went through Avengers: Infinity. I like doing cross-promotion between our two sites.

Try to keep in mind that these figures are purely from a gameplay perspective. If I don’t feature a figure that you feel is a strong contender for this article, feel free to post it in the comments section.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Unplugged (TMNT)

Foot Soldiers – These are the best Foot we got out of the four different waves of TMNT clix, and some of them have been seeing some tournament play as of late. If you’re okay with swarms, these are fantastic figures.

Shredder Illusion 005 – These are fantastic damage/tie-up figures that don’t need Shredder to be good on their own. Blades with Shape Change for 20 points is no joke and they have the ever popular Mystical keyword.

General Traag 021 – Surprisingly good with some great stats and powers. In the right situation, the General can dish out 7 damage in a turn. The best part though is his resurrection trait that unlike some of the others puts him on some seriously good clix at the end of the dial.

Fast Forces Turtles – All four of these Turtles are extremely good and warrant tons of damage to actually put down. I’ve seen first hand how brutal these guys are and just how difficult it is to chew through them in 45 minutes.

Batman: The Animated Series

The Joker 003 – Probability Control is usually an expensive power, so this is a fantastic option if you just want to add Prob to your team. Thankfully he also has some great tricks up his sleeves like Sidestep, Smoke Cloud, and a nice click of 3-damage. 4 Clicks for 30 points is pretty great.

Suited Henchman 005 – Filled up your team with ID cards and equipment, map bonuses and terrain, or anything else you need but you still have 5-10 points left over? Throw in some Henchman! These guys are awesome as they can carry each other around (or anyone else with Underworld), and they count as more figures for ID cards. Fantastic filler.

Alfred 006 – If you like playing Batman, this is a must-have support figure for him. Alfred is basically a figure you pay 20 points for and always give Batman +1 to damage.

Batman Beyond 016 – Stellar common with some fantastic options for 100 points. Terry has a slew of powers to pick from and the Stealth/Shape Change combo is highly annoying to deal with.

Maxie Zeus 025 – The ability to pop out two Harpies that can attack every single turn (attack, push, generate a new one, rinse and repeat) all for free is stupid good for only 40 points. We’ve seen just how good autonomous bystanders can be triggering figures that work based on making attacks (or misses like the Super Friends), but Maxie ups the game with some seriously good bystanders.

Batman 040 – Get this Batman and then never look back because he’s more or less the best Batman ever created. At either point level he can hit for so much damage for free and can throw down some free attacking after being carried. I’ve never lost with this Batman.

Bruce Wayne 048 – You’re basically getting a possessor for 40 points giving someone on your team Prob when they miss once per turn and Outwit. His STOP click makes him a force to be reckoned with if your opponent is foolish enough to rush him.

Man-Bat 057 – I’m amazed he’s a budget figure now. Throw in some Perplex and Man-Bat can turn any team into a killbox bringing your prey to you. Two roll-outs gives him a ton of protection and even though he has Willpower, he’s extremely push-friendly. My favorite figure from the entire set.

Hawkman & Hawkgirl 060 – Barely budget at exactly $10. I think I’ve seen this figure actually KO’d once. Stupid amounts of health and some fantastic abilities for a steep cost. The reach that these two have is quite absurd and it makes life difficult for your opponent trying to dance around their threat range. 12 clicks of health for 125 points is pretty damn good.

The Joker 103 – Unkillable figures are very good. While this guy doesn’t stand up to HAHA Joker, he’s still amazing and tough as nails to KO. Add Probability Control and the potential to do some obscene damage and you have a wonderful Joker that doesn’t feel as broken as HAHA Joker did.

Poison Ivy 104 – A fantastic starting click that doesn’t tax your actions and able to throw down two big autonomous bystanders with Flurry and Giant Reach. All three phases of her dial are quite good and the Mastermind/Smoke Cloud protections add up to a strong dial.

Secret Wars: Battleworld

Thanos Duplicate 007a – A little short in health for 50 points (or 25 points), but these are fantastic figures with great stats and damage output. They get surprisingly buff after taking a hit and work great as a budget Thanos.

Worldbreaker 013 – Pretty much the pinnacle of melee figures at this level. Worldbreakers are incredibly difficult to take down with a whopping 6 clicks of Invincible and tons of damage to boot.

Outrider 014 – I’m not a huge fan of tie-up only figures, but Outrider is pretty fantastic. They can get pretty much everywhere, force the trinity of support powers be used on them, and have two different roll outs for only 35 points.

Molly Hayes 015 – 5 clicks with 10-attack, 18-defense, 4-damage, and Super Strength. Who cares what the down sides are to her. Molly shatters what 25 points can do.

Tony Stark, Inventor 020 – A fantastic figure that stops lines of fire being drawn to him or anyone behind him. Tony is a great figure to carry around with your primary attacker if they fly with Perplex to help out. Basically a super-secure Enhancement figure.

Ultimate Thor 022 – He brings a Thor dial that is usually relegated to a Super Rare or even Rare, but at an Uncommon level. He can bust Stealth, has Outwit (!), and hits for a ton of damage. Team him up with another Thor and he’s amazing.

Maestro 028 – I still believe that Maestro is the best Uncommon we’ve ever gotten. This dial is absurd at both point levels and the Baron trait adds so much fuel to the fire. If you truly want to be a god, get two of them and play them at 100 points each and laugh as you creep up with two 20-Impervious figures.

Stick 030 – There’s no better figure to bring with you in a melee fight basically granting Probability Control for your buddies in fisticuffs. Stick also has an absurd melee dial for just 45 points. This set did a great job of basically torching point averages.

Alex Wilder 031 – Potentially the best support figure in Modern. Alex gives so much for so little points. It’s no problem that he changes teams when he’s KO’d because he’s easy to snatch back up which puts him back on your team again. Play him on literally every Mystical team.

Nico Minoru 045 – Pure TK Pieces aren’t as big of a deal as they used to be, but Nico is pretty great. Stealth keeps her safe which a lot of TK figures lack, but what really puts her over the edge is Prob. To make that even better, she can use Prob twice in a turn and prevent any further re-rolling.

Dino-Thor 055 – Hypersonic with some great values and a huge dial with lots of healing, and the ability to make some additional attacks. The big reason to pick him up though is his ability to siphon combat values from an enemy and give them to an ally which is a cruel and amazing trick.

Witch Queen Le Fay 056 – Her movement power is absurdly good and gives her access to every speed power in the game sans two as long as she doesn’t miss. With 18-Mastermind up front, she’s quite the pain to deal with as well. She’ll take some mastery to use properly, but once you get the hang of her, she will demolish any team she fights.

Earth X

Lizard 003 – The Sinister Six took the Secret Six trait and made it so much better by getting some legit great dials. Lizard becomes a shockingly undercosted dial if you can get 6 figures on your team which shouldn’t be hard.

Rhino 005 – Not quite as strong as a 50-point Worldbreaker, but the Sinister Six United trait gives this tank some serious numbers. Another fantastic 50-point figure.

Sandman 006 – Easily the best of these three. Sandman brings some pick-a-power, although limited, and feels way undercosted when his trait is fully active.

Tinkerer 007 – Empower and Enhancement with Stealth is already really good for 30 points. Tinkerer can also generate objects which makes him great with a Super Strength figure.

Black Panther 014 – If you want a de-facto Black Panther dial that isn’t a chase, this is your ticket. He’s got some great values and powers is plays just like Black Panther should.

Karnak 016 – Able to break any defense as Karnak should, he also brings Perplex and Probability Control. He’s an amazingly efficient melee figure that requires some thought in positioning rather than push and punch.

Vulture 019b – I honestly believe that this Vulture is the best figure on this list (and Part 1). There’s more insane damage you can put out with this figure than 99% of the figures in Modern. Check out my team build with him here. I played that team and wiped my opponent’s force on turn 3.

Fancy Dan 021 – You can build an insanely cheap team that can attack after being carried with a couple of Fancy Dan’s and a quadruple set of Ox (with some Leadership too). This guy is the start to a pauper tournament-worthy team.

Ox 023* – You only need him if you have Fancy Dan, but these two are quite the pair. Make sure if you build this team you utilize Overdrive before he rotates.

Electro 024 – Electro is a character that usually makes lists as a must-have figure, and Frances is no different. With the Sinister Six United trait active, she’s an impressive sniper that can KO entire groups of figures in a single turn.

President Osborn 029 – Even if you have to stay within 4 squares of him for his effect to stay active, the President gives any character that’s cheap enough (or with the right keyword) double Perplex, and he can generate Hired Flunkies for Sinister Six teams to keep their numbers at 6 members.

The Skull 030 – Another must-have budget figure for competitive play. The Skull is one of the best silver bullets to Colossal Retaliation figures, as long as he can win map roll. Perhaps his best trick is throwing the Pym Pocket Tank all the way across the map.

Namor 033 – The old Secret Invasion Namor was a force to be reckoned with, and this guy is pretty much the reincarnation of him. In water terrain, he’s nearly untouchable and puts out a ton of hurt.

Doctor Octopus 034 – In my opinion this is the best Doc Oc we’ve ever gotten, even more so than the LE because he can do more than just hit people for lots of damage. Otto is one of the only figures in the game that can self-equip on turn 1, and if he manages to become fully powered from the Sinister Six United trait, he’s going to feel WAY more powerful than 75 points.

Beetle 035 – Beetle is only amazing on a Sinister Six team, but the real reason you should pick him up is for his astoundingly good Beetle Pod equipment. Flight, +2 to speed, and Toughness is fantastic for so many figures.

Alistair Smythe 036 – Chances are if you’re a budget player, you get destroyed by lots of expensive equipment. Alistair and his spider-slayer are the anti-equipment so you should absolutely grab him. His dial is pretty damn efficient too.

Loki 058 – Mark my word, Loki will see some competitive play. This guy has some crazy potential and can force two different re-rolls a turn. With some mobility equipment, Loki has some serious potential to be a cannon.

Medusa 060 – I have never seen a figure do so much for team positioning. I’ve played Medusa twice now and both times I felt like I had so much ability to change the board with little-to-no cost, and I still felt like I could have done more. She is incredible, and with Leadership in addition to her abilities, she’s a solid pick for any team.

Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel 001/010 (the rare is about $12) – I know this breaks the rule of $10 caps, but you need both versions of this figure to make her worthwhile. Shifting Focus Carol is fantastic and gives a ton of utility for only 100 points. She has great keywords so she’s easy to build around, and she gives you great firepower for both range and melee.

Skrull Technician 005 – TK, Outwit, Stealth, and an anti-support field of 11 squares is a fantastic little support package. I have yet to try this Skrull but I have a feeling I’ll really like them.

Phil Coulson 009 – Phil gives your team some extreme equipment hate by adding on the ability to auto-equip an opponent’s equipment if you can destroy it or make them drop it. With ID cards, you can potentially grab an opponent’s equipment on turn 1. Phil can also use his own damage and range to shoot your own object and give it to an ally. He’s a bit hard to hit, too.

Minn Erva 011 – Her defense is a little low for 75 points, but her powers more than make up for it. You can’t complain about a cheap figure with Running Shot, Pen/Psy, Invincible, and Prob. The end-dial Regen is really nice too.

Yon Rogg 015 – Yon can put out a ton of damage thanks to his Ranged Combat Expert, but he’s also an incredible support figure with Empower and Enhancement, and the ability to give any adjacent ally +1 to their attack when targeting someone with Stealth or Shape Change. I love that his dial doesn’t change much and both sides are quite strong.

Skrull Scientist 017 – Another figure that’s very good against equipment-based teams. The Scientist can get to any equipment within 13 squares and automatically KO it, and he brings Perplex to your team with some nice clicks on the end of the dial. A little expensive, but great to use when a meta event is coming up.

Ronan 020 – Stupid damage output from our favorite accuser this time around. Ronan can either decimate melee swarms or Sidestep up and snipe for 4 penetrating damage. His dial is long and fierce, and his retaliation power puts him over the top.

There you have it! Another budget list to prepare you for rotation that’s coming on June 1st. Keep in mind that some figures that you’re thinking why they aren’t on the list are most likely vacant due to price so they didn’t meet the criteria. I’m sure there are other figures, common, uncommon, or even rare, that you probably feel should be on here but I left off. I wanted to try and keep this list a little short so people reading it didn’t feel like they needed to order hundreds of figures.

What are your thoughts on this new version of my must-have budget figures for the upcoming year? What would you add? What would you remove? Do you like have this as an annual article series? Let me know in the comments section!

Next week, I’ll have the Rebirth set review up over at Two Clicks From KO, so I hope you all visit for that. I’m not sure if you’ve been paying attention to spoilers but this set is… well it exists, let’s leave it at that.

See you guys next week over on Two Clicks From KO. Take care!