Greetings everyone and welcome to release week for Avengers: Infinity! Last week I put out a colossal-sized set review on our sister site, so today is a little mellower with a review of the Fast Forces set. Is this one worth picking up or passing by?

WizKids is very hit or miss with the Fast Forces sets. Some like the Avengers/Defenders War set are remarkably good with virtually no bad figures, whereas sets like What If… stayed true to the overall set with a head scratcher and begging the question of who would purchase it knowing the dials. We know that the Infinity set is pretty darn good with some really fantastic pieces, but does the Fast Forces follow through on this?

A reader recently asked why I use a 5 point system on Two Clicks From KO and a 3 rating system here (Yes Please!, Seems Good, and No Thanks), and my answer was that the target audience for Two Clicks is a bit more competitive than I think my own audience is, hence the broader range or scores. However, I don’t think that’s really fair to you, the reader. So effective immediately, I’ll be using the same 5 point system here as I do on Two Clicks From KO. I don’t think I have to tell you this, but here’s how the rankings break down:

1: Poor – This figure is just not good. Either they’re too expensive to field, their dial is a hodgepodge of power combinations, their values are bad, or a combination of all these things. 2: Okay – This figure isn’t terrible, but there are a lot of better options. Just below what a decent figure is. 3: Average – Your run-of-the-mill figure with decent stats, good power combinations, and they tend to pull their weight. Most of the Uncanny X-Men 5 clicks for 50 points formula figures fit into this category. 4: Good – This figure is above average and has some teeth that make it very playable. Perhaps this figure has very good powers and values, or it’s terribly efficient for what it does.

5: Excellent – This figure is stellar and will effectively give you a huge advantage. Typically these figures are vastly more powerful than their point cost leads them to be, or they have an effect that makes them terrifying to play against.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the actual review! First up, the shared trait for these figures.

Shared Trait: Keep It Moving, Avengers

This is a dynamite trait, and really does a lot for these figures. Sidestep is already one of the most powerful abilities in the game as it doesn’t cost anything and can always be used. Adding another version of this onto a figure that could potentially already have Sidestep is a very powerful asset. If this trait sneaks its way onto other figures down the road, it will be a very powerful tool Score: 5/5

001 Iron Man

150 is a lot to pay for a dial that is your average Running Shot piece. Is this an Iron Man dial, or a War Machine dial? The only tricks in Tony’s book are the Stealth Busting improved targeting and his power rerouting Perplex. While I love the flavor here and it makes a lot of sense, it’s just not that great at his 150 point line. With no attack or damage powers, Tony is a very bland character. At 50 points, he could be a bit of a menace. Sidestep out for a shot, pump to 11 attack and 4 damage, then move two back into cover, which he can do twice comfortably. It’s a quick dial to burn through, but not terrible for that cost. Score: at 150: 2/5 | at 50: 3/5

002 Black Panther

This is a decent dial for T’Challa, but I have a hard time choosing this dial over the Shifting Focus we got last year for Outwit and 20 points cheaper, or the common from the main set for 10 points more. The Stealth and Sidestep will help him keep up in safety, but his values really aren’t that great. The trait does help him a bit so that he can jump in and out of Stealth for attacks. The real issue here is that this dial doesn’t offer anything new. T’Challa is begging to get the Batman treatment where all his dials do the same exact thing: Stealth, Blades, Super Senses, and Outwit. He scores lower than average simply because you have to commit to a full Fast Forces to get him. Score: 2/5

003 Black Widow

For the same points, Widow is a bit better than T’Challa as she has more options on her dial. True, she doesn’t have Outwit, but she does have two targets and Incap, and the same Stealth and Sidestep to keep her safe. If someone closes the gap on her, the Close Combat Expert will really help to land a crucial hit. I like the Combat Reflexes on top better than Super Senses as well since she’ll almost always want to stick in the shadows. She does age worse than Panther though as her last three clicks are very subpar. Score: 3/5

It’s remarkably hard to find an image of Hawkeye in this outfit, so I cheated and used the same image twice.

004 Hawkeye

Hawkeye has gotten a pretty decent hype since the dials were revealed, and some of you will probably not like me for this; he’s not that great. Sure, he gets the typical 11 attack value to make him really sting along with the 9 range, but look at all the things that don’t work together on this Hawkeye compared to just the common from the main set. He has no improved movement, no Running Shot, no Precision Strike, and his attack values drop a lot quicker. Now the good sides are that he has a longer range with Ranged Combat Expert to potentially hit very hard and he has more powers. But what really bugs me about this Hawkeye is that his Curved Arrow power is gimmicky and weak. With no Precision Strike or improved targeting, and this being a POWER that can’t stack with Ranged Combat Expert, it doesn’t really accomplish anything. I would gladly play the main set common over this guy, and I don’t have to get a full set to do it. Score: 3/5

005 Vision

Looks like we’re back to Vision with terrible values. For a character that is extremely hard to land attacks on, he sure has a habit of running a lot of 17 defense values. His attack values are pretty much the same with half of his dial being under 10 and ending on a freakin’ 7. One click of Pen/Psy and Running Shot up top make Vision lose all of his footing after just 1 attack as he’ll have to close the gap now (with only an 8 Charge). Even when he clicks into his Close Combat Expert clicks with Sidestep he isn’t useful for the points because his attack and damage are so low that you’ll never be able to risk the numbers for big damage if you actually want to hit. His last click is just comical. Score: at BOTH values: 1/5

006 Giant-Girl

We all know that retaliation is a big deal, so including one in a Fast Forces pack might just make the whole thing worth getting. Dial-wise, Janet isn’t anything to write home about. Her values are pretty mediocre at whatever value you start her at, and she has a ton of clicks with just Willpower on defense. With the colossal size, that’s going to hurt her a lot. The real value with Janet is on her 10 point click where she has retaliation and an 18 defense, but her retaliation is a bit different because it can be used in addition to other retaliation powers used in the same turn. With Janet and any other retaliator on your force, you can dish a TON of damage out for free.

Score: at 300: 1/5 | at 150: 1/5 | at 50: 3/5 | at 10: 5/5

Release LE Figure: 100 Rocket Raccoon

Rocket has quite the strong dial for just 75 points. A natural 12 attack with Running Shot and 8 range that sees through hindering and characters is pretty efficient. Shape Change and his ability to run for free after being hit are both very good additions to his kit to keep him around a bit longer than other snipers. His defenses are low, but the ES/D on top should help him stay relatively safe. His second half of his dial is very good, giving him the ability to pump out at least 3 damage on every click of his dial, and his attack values stay above a 10 for 4 of his 6 clicks. I like the Prison Break attack power that he has; that can be really busted if you win map roll and pick a map with tons of walls to give you a clear advantage. This is a pretty strong outing for Rocket. The only thing I don’t like is that his only Keyword is Guardians of the Galaxy. No Animal Keyword is simply shocking.

Score: 4/5

As is the case with a lot of Fast Forces sets, there’s only 1 figure really worth getting and that’s Giant-Girl. The rest are very bloated for their cost or are simply not as good as the same characters you could open in a booster pack. I would say it’s worth passing on this set and hunting down Giant-Girl by herself as you’ll most likely be able to get her for less than the cost of the set. However, she could make this set fairly rare and hard to get ahold of, so it might be in your best interest to buy one if you see it and simply do away with the other figures (or donate them to your local LGS for freebies).

What are your thoughts on this Fast Forces? Do you think I rated some of these figures too harshly, or was I actually too easy on some of them? Are you upset with my viewpoints on Hawkeye? Let me know in the comments section below!

When we return here in two weeks, I want to share a nifty game type that I’m working on since it’s been forever since our last Game Type article. If you’re a fan of World of Warcraft, you’ll probably dig it. See you guys next week over on Two Clicks From KO!