Here’s the formal rules:

KEYWORDS

Keywords are special descriptors that help categorize a character and may allow a character to synergize with other similarly keyworded characters. Keywords are located on a character’s card, under the character’s name. A keyword can either be generic or named. Generic keywords appear on the character card in italics. Any keyword that is not generic is a named keyword.

If a character gains or loses a keyword, it does so for the rest of the game, even if that effect is later lost.

THEMED TEAMS

Themed teams are forces of HeroClix characters that have experience working together or common fighting styles and have extra synergy. This familiarity is represented by characters sharing a keyword.

SIDEBAR: Characters in your Sideline are not part of your starting force and do not count for a Themed Team.

In order for a starting force to become a themed team, during step 1 of the beginning of the game phase, it must include at least 2 characters, and all characters on it that aren’t bystanders must have a shared keyword that you choose. Once a starting force becomes a themed team, it remains so for the rest of the game, regardless of KOs, replacement characters, gaining or losing keywords, etc.

SIDEBAR: An effect that says “During force construction, friendly characters gain the Mystical keyword.” If you choose that keyword, that force is a generic themed team because the effect was able to be used during force construction. If the effect instead says “At the beginning of the game, friendly characters gain the Mystical keyword.” then that keyword could not be chosen (unless all characters on your force already had it) to make a themed team because the effect was not able to be used during force construction. You could still use effects during the game that reference the Mystical or “a shared” keyword, even if the character with that effect is KO’d.

THEMED TEAM BENEFITS

Initiative Bonus: Just after establishing themed teams, when rolling for first player, a player with a themed team increases their result by +1 for each character with the chosen keyword on their starting force.

SIDEBAR: This is the only benefit for a generic themed team.

Themed Team Probability Control (TTPC): If your starting force is a named themed team, it can use TTPC. TTPC allows any character on that force to use Probability Control, up to X times per game. X is equal to the number of characters on your force with the chosen keyword when it became a themed team, with a maximum of 5.

In addition, a character using TTPC:

Must have the chosen keyword.

Must target a character other than itself.

Must have 0 or 1 action tokens, and immediately after resolutions is given an action token.

SIDEBAR: Note that a character that has already used Probability Control (“normally” or not) can’t also use it again in the same turn, because of its inherent once per turn restriction.