I’m often asked what staple figures does someone need in their collection for Modern. While a lot of solid figures and staples for competitive play are money pieces like Chases and Primes, there are still a ton of budget-friendly figures that are 100% must-haves.

Rotation is getting closer and closer which has always meant a shift in direction for the game and teams that see competitive play. While we haven’t seen Avengers: Infinity release yet, I figure my set review will cover what pieces are necessary to pick up there, so I figured now would be a good time to do this article. Today is all about looking over budget figures that are solid investments for your gameplay in the coming 2018/2019 Modern Age.

Before I get into the figures, I want to define what I mean by ‘budget-friendly’. Obviously anything that’s rare or lower (excluding some Primes) is budget-friendly as nothing in that category should be tough to get for over $10. Regarding Super Rares, there are some like Wolverine from X-Men: Xavier’s School that are just too high for my liking. I’ll try and keep these out, but if I feel something is doable around the $20 range and it’s a very solid figure, I’ll include it. Chases are right out. Even low-value Chases are too expensive for my tastes in a budget article.

Okay, so let’s take a look at what Modern is like right now and see which figures are worth picking up for your collection.

Civil War SLOP

While I really enjoy this set, I don’t believe anything from it is truly worth tracking down.

Superior Foes of Spider-Man

Thug 005 – Everyone should have 2-3 Thugs in their collection. They’re fantastic tie-up pieces with surprisingly good stats for their points and are great for theme teams. While they don’t see much competitive play, I still recommend owning a few.

Overdrive 029 – Get this guy and never get rid of him, even after rotation. Overdrive is the best taxi we’ve ever seen in the game, and it will take an awful lot to dethrone him. For 35 points, you get to carry pretty much your entire team around, and he can’t be one-shot.

Speed Demon 040 – Hypersonic attackers are always good, and while Quicksilver shoved this guy out pretty hard, the mutant is rotating out while Speed Demon is not. With the Sinister Syndicate team ability, there’s some nice buffing for him, and he has a very good dial.

Mephisto 046 – Any figure that can serve either as support or primary attacking roles is always a solid in my book. Mephisto is still a secret power piece that is very tough to deal with. He adds so much versatility and is very tough to KO. On bystander teams, he’s downright brutal.

Frog-Man 048 – So much utility and free damage in a tiny point cost. Frog-Man might look like a meme figure, but he’s actually incredibly efficient. Learning to master him can make him worth 2-3 times his cost.

Baron Zemo 051 – While he hasn’t been a competitive figure, he’s disgusting on a theme team and solidified Thunderbolts teams. Giving your entire team Sidestep and +1 to attack along with Leadership and Outwit is a hell of a package. If you like theme teams, Zemo is A+.

Devil Dinosaur 054 – It isn’t too difficult to burn through Devil’s dial as it was when he first came out, but the big dinosaur is still brutally efficient for what he costs. He’s cheap, easy to build around, and can make a very good Animal theme team.

Chameleon 056 – He might be a challenging figure for newer players, but the versatility that Patrick’s champion figure brings is absurd, and the fact that he changes every time a set comes out is just fantastic. You will never not see your value back with him.

TMNT: Heroes In A Half Shell

Rat King 024 – With a very recent WKO win under his belt, Rat King has once again shown just how brutal he is for just 100 points. He’s terribly difficult to deal with and feels like you’re playing a much higher cost piece. In my opinion, the definition of a fantastic budget piece.

The Joker’s Wild!

The Joker Thug 003a – Just like the Thug from Superior Foes, everyone should have 2-3 of these guys. While they don’t play as nice on theme teams, with any Joker, they’re very annoying.

Anarky 003b – A very cheap prime with a fantastic dial and gimmick. Anarky creates a very interesting game and with newer pieces like Enchantress that move your opponent’s pieces around, you can really make work wonders.

Batman 016 – We haven’t seen a Batman like the Super Rare from Trinity War (and we probably never will again), but this guy comes close. The Outsiders team ability is icing on the cake, and he has a very superb dial.

The Atom 022 – JSA will continue to be a very brutal team comp, and The Atom is perhaps the biggest weight puller of the group. This guy punches WAY above his weight class every chance he gets. Probably the best 25 point attacker every made.

Hawkman 025 – Another JSA member, Hawkman has incredible stats for only 40 points. Huge movement and Flight makes him serve two roles, making him worth his points every game.

Vicki Vale 028 – One of the cheapest Probability Control pieces in the game after pushing, and an Outsiders-light trait make her a solid support piece.

The Flash 036 – No tricks here, just incredibly efficient for a Hypersonic Speed piece. JSA rounds him out as an all-star. So good I own 2.

Dr. Fate 042 – Skipping a few JSA pieces in the set, Dr. Fate is the best of the rare slot “defensive” pieces. With either Enhancement or Empower with high mobility and flight, Fate is always a go-to taxi for JSA or Mystical teams. Efficiency is huge here.

The Penguin 050 – A cheaper Super Rare that people love to toy with and find out new ways to break him or newer pieces. For only 40 points, you get a lot of what Devil Dinosaur does, but a bit more options than the dino, and he’s not as big of a target.

The Riddler 051 – “Can’t Use” abilities are going to get a huge hit after rotation, priming The Riddler to become a breakout support piece. It’s tough to say whether he’ll see competitive play, but I think it’s a good bet to pick him up. He’s seriously under valued.

The Joker 059 – Mark my words, he will make a big comeback after rotation. Once Nick Fury is gone to ruin his day, this Joker will be a powerhouse. His dial is insanely good and he has tons of control. Tricky to master, but brutal in the right hands.

The Penguin 004 (Fast Forces) – The +1 to attack and range are very good and look to be one of the only resource-style elements left in the new Modern age, but it’s the ability to trigger free attacks on your characters that make this Penguin a huge piece. At $3 right now, he’s an absolute steal. Get one. Now.

TMNT 3: Shredder’s Return

Shredder Clone 023 – Yes, you do need Shark Shredder to really make him amazing, but the Clone is still incredible by himself. As the only Shredder in the budget category with the best-trait-ever-made “Shredder Elite”, everyone should have this guy in their collection.

Michelangelo 026 – The Space Turtles are sort of expensive (as are all the Rare/Super Rare Turtles), but Space Mikey isn’t too bad, and adds so much value to your team. He’s got a great dial along with Probability Control, and movement for your allies. Terribly efficient and a great asset.

Deadpool and X-Force

Shifting Focus Deadpool (all versions) – Deadpool has 6 different versions making him the most versatile of all the Shifting Focus pieces, so his 75 points cost seems very cheap for what you get. Biased for the character aside, none of his dials are really that bad. If you want to cut any, you can probably dodge Bathrobe Deadpool as he’s just too expensive to be a team support piece, but it does allow him to cheat onto different theme teams. Danger: the Rare Prime might still be fairly expensive.

Ninja 007 – 15 points for Stealth and the Hydra team ability makes this a worthwhile support generic. If she does hit from hindering, that’s huge.

Cable 014 – Perhaps the best common ever made. This dial is ludicrous for the cost and plays like a Super Rare. It’s amazing this is only a common. Playing two makes you a very mean person.

Princess Python 040 – Bystander producers seem to be a running theme on this list, and for good reason. Princess isn’t any different with a really good Plasticity pog that she can pump out, and then give it free actions of any kind.

Doop 046 – At 35 points, Doop is a supremely good Probability Control piece with a fantastic first click of Invincible that actually made him even stronger with the new rules. Great keywords round his kit to make him the Prob piece of choice for support lines.

Fenris 049 – Delicate? Yes, but boy are they brutal. Fenris had a month or two where they saw competitive play, and for good reason. They hit hard for just 60 points and have some great utility. With Nighthawk Prime rotating out, you don’t have to worry about them being stuck on a 9 attack in some games.

Mistress Death 052 – Just under my price threshold, Mistress Death is a figure that everyone should own. She screams combo and while she is borderline broken with Mjolnir, it’s not necessary to use with her.

Wiz Kid 059b – I’ve seen his price drop pretty hard, so if you can snag him under $20, go for it. Wiz Kid adds pound-for-pound the most number buffs out of any piece in the current format. Frogjolnir is a great way to cart him around since the Pym Particles rotated last year.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Groot 002 – lots of buffs for 30 points on this tiny guy. The ability to ignore elevation for your allies within 1 square is the real winning portion here.

Avengers / Defenders War

Shifting Focus Dr. Strange (all versions) – Dr. Fate was the taxi of choice for Mystical until Dr. Strange came out. Not only does Stephen serve has a great transport, he can defend the hell out of your team and shift into a very good ranged attacker/support piece. A very good trio of characters.

Shifting Focus Vision (both versions) – While certainly not competitive, this is the best Vision they’ve ever made and both dials are extremely generous for the points. You won’t ever feel bad playing this piece. Clix Fix Guaranteed Fresh!

Black Panther 007 – Yes, he’s Shifting Focus, but it’s this dial in particular that’s the gold mine. Outwit became perhaps the best power with the rules revision, and with this dial you get Outwit and Stealth for just 30 points with the Avengers keyword.

Captain America 011 – With the rework to Leadership, this is perhaps the best figure to have that power. On Avengers teams, he’s going to lead the hell out of them and turn the tide to borderline unfair.

Hand Ninja 015 – 10 points for Stealth and Empower with the Hydra Team Ability? Sign me up!

Karen Page 027 – I’m not sure how many of you remember the old Con-Artist. If you dn’t Karen is basically that same piece but WAY better. She pulls so much weight for 20 points. If you like Perplex, she’s your pick.

Jessica Jones 038 – Stealth can really ruin your team, so what’s not to love about a piece that turns Stealth off and has a 10 attack on all three clicks and Toughness for 15 points?

Batroc 050 – I’ve always loved perpetual motion clicks and Batroc redefined that dial-type. He’s incredibly cheap, never stops attacking, and is pretty annoying to take down. Value is his game and he plays it very well.

Klaw 059 – Pick-a-power is normally an expensive ability money-wise, but Klaw is pretty cheap. Sure, he isn’t Jakeem or even the Super Rare Iron Man from this set, but he is actually pretty darn good. If this is your style of play, he’s a very efficient piece.

Fast Forces – Honestly, this entire set was very good. Each of the figures has a way to heal themselves which is fantastic on 75 point attackers. Daredevil and Punisher are the standout characters, but you won’t be disappointed with any of them. Again, absolutely not competitive, but just solid figures for budget collections.

Wonder Woman

Raven 009 – Character placement is VERY good, and adding this ability to the Mystical Keyword is big. While Nightshade is my preferred placement piece, Raven is a great budget option.

Whew, holy cow this is a lot bigger than I thought! My original intention was to make this one article, but I can’t believe how many pieces are budget-friendly and are really quite good! Next week, I’ll cover the remaining sets with What If?, Elseworlds, Undead, The Mighty Thor, Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls, Star Trek Away Team, and X-Men: Xavier’s School, which means you’ll need to visit Two Clicks From KO to get the rest of this list!

From what I’ve covered so far, do you think I included figures that shouldn’t be here, or did I forget someone in the budget category that you think should be here? I’d love to hear your thoughts! I know there’s going to be at least one or two figures that you guys are surprised I didn’t include, so sound off below.

See you guys with part 2 next week on Two Clicks From KO! Have a good one!