Commons

001 Iron Man

I’m surprised that Black Panther wasn’t the first character in a set with his name on it, but I can’t be too upset about it, this Iron Man is just killer. With Hypersonic Speed and Running Shot all throughout the first part of his dial, Iron Man is a mobile attacker with really high values, starting with 11 attack and 4 damage. His last two clicks give him some survivability with a special Regeneration, that lets him make an attack after using it. This is the figure you’re going to want to prepare to see, since he’s a common, and he’s just incredibly strong. Without something equally mobile, or some Outwit, he’ll easily run circles around your team. The best way to deal with him is to smack him for 1 or 2 damage, pushing him to Running Shot, before basing him with one of your close combat figures. Even then, every click of dial is powerful, making him a very well-rounded figure, and a great addition to any team, and for only 90 points!

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

002 Captain Marvel

I can’t be the only one who sees this dial as a killer, under-costed common, as this version of Carol starts with Hypersonic Speed and 6 range for a measly 45 points, and pushes onto Sidestep and Ranged Combat Expert. She may only have 4 clicks, but with a top-click like that on a cheap, easily accessible dial, she’ll be a menace. The biggest failing of Captain Marvel is her lack of Willpower, which forces her to make the tough decision of pushing off of her first click to Sidestep and Ranged Combat Expert. I really wouldn’t use the reality gem on her, if you’re lucky enough to pull both together, as Captain Marvel is too fragile to consistently use it for a game. Keep it on a character who’ll get better use of it. 45 points is too good to pass up for a Hypersonic figure who can carry your characters into the middle of the battle, and take pot shots at your opponents figures all at once.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

003 Elektra

Elektra is an unexciting, but fairly effective figure, that has the classic combination of Stealth and Combat Reflexes. Elektra is also the first figure to get two different sets of Shifting Focus figures, which is stunningly weird to me. How have they created 5 figures of Elektra with shifting focus and none of Iron Man? Ridiculous. Anyways, Elektra is a close attacker with decent values and powers, and if you don’t pull anything you want to play, she’s a solid choice. Keep her in Stealth and she’ll be an annoyance to all your opponents, and with her 11 attack with Blades/Claws/Fangs and Exploit Weakness, she’ll be able to make a big dent in anyone she gets her knives into. Sadly, once again, she doesn’t have Willpower, but her dial is very pushable. If you do pull other Elektra’s to play with her, her value increases, but not as significantly as you might think. The Elektra’s don’t have a ton of synergy amongst them, so, while they grant more choices, they don’t give you better ones. Finally, if Elektra manages to kill a character, she’s able to heal herself, giving her a little bit more survivability with her 6 clicks of life.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

004 Dora Milaje

The first generic in this set isn’t a bad one, but is a little pricey for what they bring. Dora Milaje have 4 clicks with decent powers like Close Combat Expert and Exploit Weakness, with pretty average values, such as a single click with 3 damage. They’ve also only got four clicks of life for their 40 points, making them average at best. I really like the collection of powers, especially the 18 Defend at the end of their dial, but I’m really not excited by the price tag. Even with the added bonus of the two traits (one which heals other characters when they bite the bullet, and the other grants her Willpower if she has a Black Panther on the field with her, and grants the Black Panther Mastermind to channel damage to her. Maybe with some Willpower, these guys might be strong enough to earn their keep, but their low damage and average attack value makes their powers less useful than they could be.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

005 A.I.M. Red Squad

The Red Squad generic is basically 3 clicks of either Enhancement or Empower (or both) for 20 points. The thing that makes this figure is his top-dial Sidestep, which allows you not only to move him for free, saving your from spending actions solely to move him into position, and allows him to be in two different spaces, for two different attacks in the same turn. Cheap figures with Enhancement or Empower haven’t traditionally been great in sealed, as they eat away at actions, and require a lot of finesse, for small benefit, but I feel like Red Squad might just be good enough to be played.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

006 Dora Milaje Midnight Angel

This mouthful of a generic figure has a strangely put together dial that certainly isn’t bad, but takes a bit to figure out how to play. The Midnight Angel’s biggest value is as an attack booster for friendly characters. It does require a lot of set-up, but without any other access to Perplex, you have to take what you can get. If you can get them adjacent to an opponent, they can use Close Combat Expert, but without any protection, and only Willpower on their dial, they’re not able to reliably survive. With a taxi, they can be an easy source of an attack boost, and a significant threat when dropped next to an opponents figure, or they could just be a 30 point waste, that’s taken down in a single hit. These also have the first appearance of the Wakanda Forever shared trait, that heals a friendly character when she dies, and if they happen to be part of the Wakanda team, also boosts their attack and damage. It’s not much to build around, but it’s a nice enough bonus when she is killed.

Sealed 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

007 Wakandan Scientist

15 points for Empower that works on Wakandan’s within 3 of him is a truly good deal. He’s really not doing anything besides that, so on a dedicated Wakandan team, he’s an all-star, and anywhere else he’s just some really cheap close combat support.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

008 Nakia

Nakia’s got Perplex for 45 points in a set that’s just dying for Perplex. She might only have it for her first click, but it’s better than nothing, and the rest of her dial is all gas, with Running Shot, or Sidestep, Blades/Claws/Fangs and Exploit Weakness. If you pull a Malice, Nakia’s dial is also extended by up to up 5 clicks for a single payment of 5 points, pushing her up from a decent Perplex user to a long dialed monster.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

009 Black Panther

While this isn’t T’Challa, Kevin Cole is a really great figure, bringing more Perplex for 45 points, but with the added bonus of the Police Team Ability. Kevin’s also got a great 6 range with Stealth, and 10 attack with 3 damage, allowing him to be a decent threat while hiding away in hindering. Like Nakia before him if you pull his counterpart, he can get a lot more clicks of life for a very small investment, making him an all-star in a sealed pack with both of them. This is my favourite figure in this set so far, he’s got great stats, great powers and is a fantastic support figure all for 45 points, or 50 if you get lucky.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

010 S.H.I.E.L.D. Diplomat

Here’s some more cheap Perplex in the common slot, something I’m truly excited for, and for an absolutely bargain price at 20 points. On-top of his Perplex he’s passing out his 18 defense to his friends, almost making him the best 20 point support figure in the game. His only downfall is his Perplex forcing him to modify the same value on an opposing character, something that’s not nearly as big a deal as it seems, as most teams have atleast one figure who won’t benefit from the boost. Against a tentpole, he’s going to be far less useful, but most of the time you’ll throw the bonus onto your opponents Diplomat or Black Widow, minimizing the effect. In constructed S.H.I.E.L.D Diplomat would be fantastic, if Billy Baxton didn’t exist. Billy doesn’t have the 18 Defend, but his stop-click and special power put him higher than the lowly diplomat. That being said, every S.H.I.E.L.D team will be turning to this guy, and his powers certainly don’t make him unplayable, or even arguably worse than Billy. This guy will definitely see some play, but his impact isn’t quite as big having been proceeded by a similar character with no drawbacks.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

011 Ant-Man

The newest member of the traitor club is another incredibly aggressively costed close attacker with the ability to turn other characters tiny. This might seem like a questionable boost, but it makes it so much easier to transport your team, allowing another figure to be carried by any standard sized figure. Even though Ant-Man’s damage value dips after his first click, he’s always going to be earning his points back, even if he is KO’d. This figure will see some play in even competitive scenes, as he’s just such a cheap addition, and the Tiny Size can confer some important boosts to teams like Hulk/Korath, that need a character to be carried in order to function.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

012 Crystal

Crystal is one of the best commons, let alone figures, in this set. You might be thinking, how is a 5 click long Smoke Cloud user with worse than normal Smoke Cloud good, or even playable, but Crystal has one trick that pushes her over the edge, free Quake. With Crystal’s trait, she is able to move up to 11 squares before Quaking an enemy for atleast 3 damage with knock-back. Or if you want to carry her up, she can Quake after being carried. If she ends up adjacent to an opponent on her turn, she can make two attacks, and if she pushes to do it, she picks up her own Perplex. She suffers a little bit on her lower clicks when her damage falls below 3, but she does pick up Close Combat Expert to hit harder than her values suggest, and she still can Quake for free. I’m a huge fan of figures like this who can extend out farther than your opponents expect, and with some Perplex behind her, she can deal a lot of damage with a little build around. I don’t think she’s a figure that you’re always going to want on a team, but she has game changing potential, and I don’t think 50 points is too much to pay for that.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

013 Black Widow

What you’ve got here is a 35 point Perplexer with some minor offensive capability who can wildcard other team abilities if you’ve got any good ones. It’s not exciting, but it is playable, most characters under 40 points with Perplex are. I’m certainly not looking for her to be my new Black Widow in constructed, but it’s hard to pass up a strong body with a good support power for a low price. Like Captain Marvel, Black Widow can equip the Space Gem if you happen to pull it with her, and she does make for a decent taxi, but you’re more than likely to play the Iron Man it came with over her. In constructed she can be a really decent 40 point taxi when she’s given the space gem. With the amount of keywords she has, she’ll be filling a niche roll on a lot of those theme teams. The only reason she’s not fantastic at it, is because her two most played keywords (Avengers and Cosmic) have a new taxi in Voyager.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

013b Black Widow

I’m very impressed with the common prime in this set. Black Widow is a fantastic character with a split dial, and a surprising amount of protection at either starting line. Black Widow’s main purpose is to get up close and use her special defense power to remove an adjacent characters defense power, even if they have Protected: Outwit. At 60 points, she’s got Plasticity to keep them adjacent, and Close Combat Expert to punch them herself, while at 30 she’s less of an attacker, and more of a dedicated Outwit figure with a surprising level of defense with Stealth, Shape Change and Combat Reflexes. If you’re feeling uncomfortable with the level of offense on your team, you’re going to want to play her at 60, and if you’re got a solid team, her 30 point level will be a fantastic addition. Either way, she’s an absolutely irritating character to have around, messing with your strongest figures defenses, and keeping them locked down while a bigger attacker comes by to end it. In constructed I could see her 30 point dial being a possible addition to a lot of teams, especially as more Power Cosmic characters show their faces in the constructed scene.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

014 Hulk

This Hulk comes in at a massive 125 points for 8 clicks of life, with reducers all the way down his dial and not a single click with an attack lower than 10 or a damage lower than 3. Hulk’s also got incredible damage powers on every click, changing between Outwit and Perplex every two clicks, making him a great team-player as well as a close combat beast. Hulk’s got Improved Movement: Blocking and ends his dial with a 6 range Penetrating/Psychic Blast. This Hulk is an absolute monster and would be a must play figure, but he has a slight drawback. When Hulk takes damage from an attack,he is given a rage token that reduces all of his values by 1 until the end of your next turn, but heals him one when they are removed. It makes Hulk’s dial a lot denser than it already seems, as he basically further reduces damage dealt to him by 1, but it also makes it much easier to get through Hulk’s dial in a single turn, and leaves him vulnerable after being hit. I love the way this Hulk is created because it forces your opponents to either go all in on Hulk, insuring they’ll be safe from his rampage on your next turn, or try to whittle away at him with a single attack each turn, hoping that’s enough of a reduction to his strength to keep him from killing them. As long as you don’t overextend with Hulk, he’s going to be a wrecking ball, running through walls to get the first hit on unaware opponents, and if you do, he’ll be a lackluster close attacker, with a really, really long dial.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

015 Yellowjacket

Hank Pym is one of my favourite Marvel characters ever, and this Yellowjacket, while not the best Yellowjacket ever, is a strong addition to my Pym team. Yellowjacket, for the most part, is a medium ranged attacker with more of a lean towards close attacks than ranged. He starts with Charge and Super Strength, followed by three clicks of Exploit Weakness and Incapacitate with 5 range and two targets. While he has the variety of ranged and close attacks, he’s limited by his 2 damage, forcing him to use his Incapacitate when he wants to make ranged attacks. Yellowjacket’s special powers are what makes him better than the average figure. On his first and last clicks, he’s got a special power with Leadership and the choice between Outwit and Perplex, both fantastic powers in sealed, and on his middle three clicks he picks up Willpower and Tiny Size, leaving him vulnerable from a defensive stand-point, but easily carried in to be an annoyance. He’s not the best Perplex or Outwit user in this set, but they’re powers that you need to have, and he certainly has them, and brings more to the table as well.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

016 Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier is the traitor mechanic turned up to 11. Opposing characters adjacent to him can use Mind Control to target him, and when they roll a 10 or higher when doing so, he joins their force for good (or until you do the same thing to him). That’s a huge, huge liability if an opponent gets a small tie-up figure adjacent to him, and attempts it a few times. A 10 or higher happens 1/6 times, so it’s not that unlikely either. That being said, Winter Solider is an incredible dial for 45 points with Running Shot, or Sidestep/Ranged Combat Expert, putting out serious damage at range, and a massive 11 attack on his top dial. He’s probably worth the risk because of his high impact for such a low cost, especially if you pull a lot of lackluster attackers with him. If your opponent want’s to waste attacks using Mind Control on him, you should have enough of a team left to punish them for doing so.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

017 Voyager

Voyager is the first of the Elders of the Universe in the set, and the first occurrence of the I Sense a Greater Challenge trait. In sealed the trait’s not going to be too impressive, as only 3 rares and 3 super-rares come with objects, so Voyager is more than likely starting on click 1 instead of click 0. The big difference between the two is Outwit instead of Perplex, and honestly, I’d more than likely rather start with Perplex at the beginning of the game anyways. Voyager is mostly a taxi, being able to carry Avengers, Elders or other Cosmic characters, and up to 3 at a time, including Flyers and Giant Sized characters. When she’s not dragging your team around with her, she’s using her absolutely incredible Telekinesis which let’s her throw characters without needing to see the destination square. This means TK through walls and through characters. This might seem like a small boost, but it’s actually incredibly useful, and makes her one of the best Telekinesis users in the entire game. Voyager will see play in sealed and in constructed, especially if if the strength of the Avengers keyword keeps up. Even on teams where she can’t carry that Telekinesis is just so good, and I think it will definitely see play.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

Uncommons

018 Iron Man

The uncommon Iron Man isn’t as good as the common, but he’s got Perplex, Outwit and acts as a taxi. He’s only got 4 clicks of life for 50 points, but if you somehow pull two, than you can extend the life of one of them by 1-3 clicks by giving your opponent 50 points. It’s not a great trade, but it can help out in a pinch if your opponent’s on his last legs, and you just need a little bit more power to finish them off. Finally, the best reason to play Iron Man is his Leadership. Taking tokens off of characters up to 6 spaces away can be a godsend, especially if you want to keep AI Iron Man out of danger. Once again, he’s got Perplex and Outwit, so there’s reason to play him, but he’s not the best source of them.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

019 Captain Marvel

It’s nice to have another member of the original Thunderbolts, but this Moonstone as Captain Marvel isn’t my favourite take on the character, and might not see play on my Thunderbolts teams. Karla isn’t going to be winning any awards for being the best figure in this set, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her own role to play in sealed. She’s a little overcosted, but she starts with two identical clicks of Perplex/Penetrating Blast/Running Shot, giving her a lot of offensive prowess to start, and when she takes damage she’s moving to Sidestep which lets her punch through walls, Outwit and Super Senses and Willpower, which pairs well with her Steal Energy. Finally, Captain Marvel has the rarely seen Masters of Evil team ability which gives her Colossal Stamina. It once again works well with Steal Energy, allowing her to keep attacking every turn, and healing through the push damage. Sadly, she’ll never be my first choice, but she’s not without interest.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

020 Elektra

Our second Shifting Focus Elektra is a ranged variant with Running Shot and a massive 4 range to use with it. It’s not…ideal, for sure, but her high defense, and end of dial Ranged Combat Expert makes her fairly useful, even with her low range. The best thing Elektra has going for her is her trait that lets her make 1-3 attacks the first time she KO’s a character in a turn. If you get this off in the right situation, it can end the game for your opponent, but I don’t think it makes Elektra worth playing. An 8 range swing is really not exciting me, and she really doesn’t do anything if she’s not making ranged attacks. If you have the common and her, then I can imagine using Running Shot to get into hindering to make the attack, and then shifting into the stealthy common one to protect yourself from retribution. It’s a lot of work, but it makes her playable. I wouldn’t use this one if you didn’t pull the common.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

021 Ayo

For the third round of traitor-style mechanics, we have Ayo, a decently strong close attacker for either 20 or 30 points, with the same dial for either point cost. The only difference between the two is that, when Ayo dies, and you paid 20 points, she comes back as an agent for your opponent. With 4 clicks of life, top-dial Leadership and Sidestep + Blades/Claws/Fangs, Ayo is no slouch as a combatant. At the end of the dial, Ayo picks up two clicks of Regeneration, which is a little strange for a 4 click figure, but isn’t unwanted. She might be killed in a single hit, and be brought back to your opponents side, but I think even at 30 she’s a worthy secondary or tertiary attacker for your team, and at worst she provides Leadership.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

022 A.I.M. White Squad

A.I.M. White Squad is a support figure with the choice between Outwit or Perplex at the beginning of the game, or both if you have him on a theme team. Choose whichever you don’t have on your force, and then you have a cheap support figure who actually has Support and pairs it with Defend so you’re only ever having to roll a 6 to hit with it. A great addition to any team, and possibly the first part of a strong constructed Avengers or A.I.M team after rotation.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

023 Aneka

Aneka is making you pay 50 points for 4 clicks of decent values and powers, and nothing else. Even with an 18 defense top-dial, the only reason she’ll see play is as a taxi for the rest of your team. I think Aneka will have the dishonour of being the worst figure in the set, with end of dial defensive powers that you’re unlikely to see, and a mild front dial making her a huge meh of a figure.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 1/5

024 Shuri

Why would I want to pay extra points for two clicks of start-up on an average close attacker? I wouldn’t, and neither should you. Shuri has a decent selection of powers, and good values, but they’re haphazardly strewn around her dial with no one great click. Her first two clicks are just rotten, with only Enhancement giving it value, the next two give her Charge and Blades/Claws/Fangs, but only Willpower for protection, and the most average of values, finally her last two clicks have great values, Outwit, and no move and attack, leaving her stuck in place when she’s at her strongest. Her saving grace is her trait that lets her borrow standard powers from other friendly characters with the Wakanda keyword, and on the right team that can be of great use, but it’s not worth building around, as no matter what, you’re starting off with a 9 attack, 16 defense and 1 damage, and any opponent who knows your dial isn’t letting you get to your last clicks.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

025 Malice

The second half of Nakia is a mean close attacker who’s built to take other Wakandans down. Without considering her anti-Wakandan abilities, she’s a close combat attacker with Charge+Blades/Claws/Fangs, and Poison, dealing a decent amount of damage. As she takes damage, she picks up Stealth, Steal Energy and Regeneration, increasing her dial length by a bit. When she does bite the bullet, she deals a penetrating damage to any opposing character, and if they happen to be Wakandan, they modify their values by -1 for the rest of the game. She’s also got a damage power that increases her attack value by 2 when she attacks a Wakandan. It’s pretty niche, but it’ll be sure to happen a few times in a tournament. I think Malice is an incredible addition to Nakia for 5 points, but by herself I think she’s at best playable. She’s a close attacker with some healing at the end of her dial, and the benefit of Poison. She deals some damage when she dies, and can wreck some Wakandans, but for the most part, she’ll be a average Charge/Blades character. Still, she’s a must play with Nakia.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

026 White Tiger

The second half of the fake Black Panther is similar to Nakia in that his dial isn’t really as good as his common half, but he brings a lot of mobility and high defense to be a decent ranged attacker on a team desperate for options. Like Malice before him, he’s a must play with Black Panther, and a good enough figure to see play without, even if he’s not winning any awards.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

027 Everett K. Ross

Hmm…30 points for 4 clicks of double Perplex? Seems pretty good. Even though Everett takes damage most of the time he uses his double Perplex, he’s far too good to pass up, as not only does he Perplex, he also has the S.H.I.E.L.D team ability to boost their range at the same time. Just remember, using two of him won’t let him modify the same character, as his special Perplex is a unique modifier. This guy is going to see play all over the place, in sealed and in constructed, as he’s tied for the cheapest Perplex with Big Tony, both bringing a single modification for 15 points.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

028 Black Ant

It’s been a long time since Eric O’Grady was made in heroclix, and this does click does him justice. The only thing I don’t like about Black Ant is the lack of Thunderbolts. (even though I know this is the robot version, I STILL WANT IT) Black Ant is 6 clicks long with a stop-click, and average to decent values down his dial. Black Ant’s trait is what makes him really great, giving him Stealth and the ability to choose Tiny Size, as well as move with opponents who he’s adjacent to. He’s a real bother to have adjacent as well with Poison, and an 18 defense with Shape Change and Toughness to keep him safe. Even if you do hit him he picks up either Outwit or Blades/Claws/Fangs+Exploit Weakness, to tear through whoever he’s next to. Finally, Black Ant’s stop-click gives you the choice between healing back up, or killing himself in a massive Pulse Wave. Either way, he’s a pain to have around. He’s a decent close attacker who’s easy to get into battle, has Hydra team to help your other figures, and can hold his own when he’s there with your opponents. He requires a little more finesse than the best characters in the set, but is a solid inclusion.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

029a Black Panther

The first thing you’re going to notice about Black Panther is his ability to equip any gem or gauntlet item, and while that’s pretty cool, the only gem you’re likely to equip is the power gem, as I think Black Panther is slightly, slightly better than the Namor it comes with. Either way, this is never going to be my go to Black Panther. For almost 100 points, he’s got 6 clicks of life, with admittedly a great defense power on his first click, and Perplex and Outwit throughout his dial. He’s also relying on Charge and Quake to deal damage, with no range, and no protection outside of his top-dial Invincible. In a set with less Outwit that Invincible would give him a lot more credibility. His one saving grace is his ability to activate Quake as FREE if he took damage on his previous turn, but it doesn’t make him worth his 95 point price tag, especially when his last two clicks are so weak. I’m very mixed on Black Panther, he’s got a lot of good powers, and 4 clicks of 18 defense, but I just don’t see him making a 100 point impact on the battlefield.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

029b Black Panther

The prime T’Challa has some interesting powers and a way to generate bystanders without needing to take an action, but has a strange middle section of his dial where he loses his mobility, and gains Mind Control that can target through everything but characters. With a minimum 4 range, the Mind Control doesn’t seem quite as useful in action as it does on the card, but it can catch some opponents unaware, if there’s a map with a lot of walls or blocking. As I mentioned earlier, the real reason to include this Black Panther on a team is for his bystanders. Whenever he uses his traited Probability Control, and no other character re-rolled the roll, he generates a fantastic Ancient Warlord with Charge and Blades/Claws/Fangs with a massive 11 attack. Black Panther is going to want to be in a place to use his Probability Control every single turn he can to generate as many of these attackers as he can. Even if he didn’t generate these, he’s a character with Perplex and Probability Control, and enough offensive prowess to be a decent sized threat to your opponent. If you pull him he’s a must play.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

030 Medusa

Medusa is an even better Crystal, with the ability to freely generate a bystander with the same values and powers as Medusa and who’s actions don’t take from your action pool. Since it’s basically a copy of Medusa, it allows Medusa to move her whole movement, and attack with it, without spending a second action, giving her a massive 13 range swing. If she survives the turn, than the turn after, she can push her Living Hair to make an attack, killing it, and create a second one to make a second attack, and then potentially make a third attack with Medusa herself! Medusa also gains some fantastic powers for her Living Hair to copy as she moves down her dial, including Plasticity, Blades/Claws/Fangs and Exploit Weakness. The only problem with Medusa is that, a Perplex on her values won’t affect the values of her Living Hair, limiting the effectiveness of modifiers for her attack, and you can’t Perplex the hair before it gets into position. Medusa is one of the strongest secondary attackers in the set, and doesn’t need any support to be that strong. If you can keep her on the board, and keep your opponents at arms length with her Living Hair, you’re going to have a figure that acts as multiple figures, for a single 50 point investment.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed:4/5

031 Thor

Thor is a straight-forward offensive character with a long dial, decent mobility and range and great values except for an attack value that slips to 10 after taking some damage. Thor starts off with Running Shot, and has a trait that lets him turn the regular damage of a ranged attack into penetrating damage once per game making him a huge threat to any character relying on their reducer to survive. He also starts with Energy Explosion, allowing him to deal with the cheaper figures in this set easily. You’ll want to use his penetrating trait sooner rather than later, as his last three clicks pick up Battle Fury, completely neutralizing his ranged attacks, and because of that, his trait as well. Thor is the opposite of a finesse figure. He hits hard, and he takes hits hard and he really doesn’t do anything else. His Enhancement and Empower can be worked around, but it’s not necessary for him to do so and make his points back.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

032 Eitri

If you pull three characters with objects, and decide to not play them so that you can use Eitri to his full potential, you deserve the loss coming to you. Eitri’s main purpose for a team is to bring in equipment to your starting area, minimizing the risk in picking it up, or leaving the objects out to be destroyed. It seems strong, and I can already see people comparing him to Splitlip, but that he is not. He may be giving you a free object, but he’s a 35 point Perplexer with the late dial ability for a 50/50 heal of an armour or robot character. With the upcoming Mandarin rings, I can see his value rising, but as it stands, I don’t foresee him getting a ton of play, as he’s just a little bit too expensive. In sealed he’s an extra Perplex if you need one, and perhaps some healing for an Iron Man. I wouldn’t play him solely for his healing, but If he’s the only Perplex in my packs, he’s going on my teams.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 3/5

033 Possessor

Possessor is a ranged attacker with limited mobility and protection, unless your opponents have an object on their force. At 95 points, he’s a risky investment, with the chance to start with a mediocre 18 Toughness and Sidestep. What makes him tick is his special Penetrating/Psychic Blast that heals him or gives his target an action token when he hits (Note, this won’t let him heal back up to his Running Shot click, as it’s considered past his starting line.) and his special Outwit that let’s him remove Protected: Outwit from your opponents. Suddenly the figures in this set with Power Cosmic are a little more worried about engaging, and it’s what makes him worth the investment. There’s so much Power Cosmic in this set, and the Possessor will be a great hard counter to those figures.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

034 Proxima Midnight

Proxima Midnight is very similar to Possessor, a ranged attacker with a special Penetrating/Psychic Blast. Proxima differentiates herself with Running Shot, a lack of Willpower and a close combat oriented back half of her dial. She’s about equal to Possesor, lacking the Outwit and Willpower, but picking up Running Shot and a longer more varied dial. Finally, Proxima has the Black Order trait, reviving it from the old Guardians of the Galaxy set. When Proxima would die, however much damage was dealt to her by the killing blow she returns to her attacker, forcing your opponents to be very careful when they go to hit her. Compared to Possessor, her lack of Outwit puts her at a slight disadvantage, but she’s a solid ranged attacker who can immobilize her targets, and is dangerous on every click down her dial.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

Rares

035 Rescue

I think they forgot a few clicks on this dial…4 clicks for 70 points? On what’s basically a pacifist dial? Honestly, what Rescue actually does isn’t terrible. Outwit and double target Incapacitate with Running Shot isn’t a bad combination at all, and on the defensive side she’s got an 18 Defend with Invulnerability and Energy Shield/Deflection. After taking some damage, Rescue picks up Support, and that’s a nice thing to have, but none of this makes him worth 70 points. The only saving grace is the special effects her Running Shot provides. The first allows her to knock-back opponents 3 spaces, even with Incapacitate. It’s a nice addition, but it doesn’t really make or break this character. The second, and more interesting element is a once per game ability to deal D6 damage to each hit character. One turn with an Incapacitate, knock-back and pseudo ranged Blades/Claws/Fangs could be a devastating turn, but she’s also just as likely to be dealing a single damage to each target with a bad roll. This dial is in no way worth it’s point cost. It’s a ton of defensive powers with 4 clicks of life in a set with a ton of Outwit, yet, I still think it’s playable. There’s a lot going on here, and a lot of it is really interesting. It’s an interesting addition to a team that already has enough heavy attackers, and need’s some weird support.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

036 Doctor Minerva

Minerva is once again inexplicably overpriced. A ranged attacker with 5 clicks of life and no 11 attacks is never going to be worth 75 points. Minerva isn’t even a good ranged attacker either, with a puny 4 range, and no attack power to use with it. That can be changed with her trait though, as she can select a standard attack power an opponents figure can use, and for the rest of the game she shares it with nearby Kree, including herself. Even Pulse Wave on this figure isn’t going to save her from being over-costed though. The saving grave for Minerva is her Outwit and double defensive powers of Super Senses and Invulnerability. She’s surprisingly hard to take down, even if she is always going to be vulnerable after making attacks. I don’t recommend playing her, but she’s also not unplayable either, she’s just an absolutely boring, over-costed figure.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

037 Elektra

Okay, the final Elektra does only a single thing. When one of your other Elektra’s dies, you can replace it with her and extend their dial by a few clicks at the cost of her Shifting Focus. As a Shifting Focus figure her only value is the Regeneration and Steal Energy at the end of her dial, allowing you to get back to the better clicks on the other Elektras, as this one has no mobility, no good values, and no protection. Don’t play her unless you’ve got one of the other ones, and even then, she adds so little to your team.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 1/5

038 Okoye

Bystanders are one of the strongest mechanics in sealed, as they give you more bodies to use to tie-up or block shots, and don’t cost you anything. Sealed also rarely has any way of removing multiple bystanders in a single turn. Okoye makes great bystanders who can carry Wakandans, and is a strong close combat figure aside from that. The only issue here is that her bystanders are always generated in your starting area rather than adjacent to her, forcing you to play a slower game to allow your bystanders to get to the battle easier. It’s not a big deal when you’ve got two extra surpisingly strong close attackers that your opponents will have to deal with. If you pull her and build a defensive and slow team around her, you can sit in your starting area for the whole game, summoning rhinos to do your dirty work until your opponent comes to you. In constructed, Okoye will be killer if the Wakanda keyword gets enough support, and as of right now, I don’t think they do.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

039 A.I.M Blue Squad

The final member of the A.I.M squad brings Leadership and Probability Control to the battlefield for 40 points. His dial isn’t bad either, with Barrier, Sidestep and Penetrating/Psychic Blast on his later clicks, giving him a lot of reason to push. His trait pairs up well with his Enhancement and Empower, allowing characters with A.I.M to be considered adjacent to characters with Enhancement/Empower/Leadership/Support if they’re within 3. Sadly there’s no really great A.I.M members for him to work with. 40 point Probability Control is definitely playable, even if there’s not much else going for him. Play him for the Prob, and hopefully his other positives keep him useful if he takes damage.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

040 Enigma

Enigma is the counterpart to Rescue, with an odd dial that provides value in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. Enigma is a taxi, who can carry flyers, a tie-up figure that just needs to move through a character to stop them from moving, and a tank with Super Senses, Shape Change and Impervious if she didn’t move. Enigma isn’t a great attacker, but can deal some on any of her clicks, and regardless of proximity to her target. Enigma isn’t making or breaking any teams, but her ability to give out Immobile is more than a trick, it’s a way to completely neutralize any close attacker in the set, keeping them back while your force picks off the rest of your opponents team. She’s just a strange figure, as nothing she does pairs with the rest of her abilities. If you’re carrying someone, she’s not immobilizing, and if she’s doing either of those things she’s not getting access to her Impervious. She’s kind of a mess, but a potentially effective one who can shut down expensive figures without needing to roll a single die. I think she’s got some potential in constructed, as handing out Immobile is absolutely amazing, especially paired with another figure who can do it, like Proxima Midnight or Barbatos. She suffers from the same issues as she does in sealed, but her effect is so unique, that there’s a chance she could see some serious play.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

041a Falcon

60 points is not a lot to pay for two characters with Hypersonic Speed, both of whom cannot be killed in a single attack. Falcon is a strong and cheap attacker with a ton of mobility and solid values for the course of his 6 click dial, making it hard to think of any scenario where you wouldn’t play him. Redwing provides a secondary attacking body with Hypersonic Speed and Precision Strike to annoy your opponents, forcing them to waste actions targeting him while he pokes them off their best clicks and takes tokens off of Falcon. In fact, Redwing is a better leader for Falcon than almost any character in the game, being able to remove tokens 50% of the time, rather than Leadership’s 33%. Falcon might only have Hypersonic Speed for two of his six clicks, but he’s also got a special power that lets him copy powers from a friendly Captain America, other Falcon, or Redwing, giving him access to Super Senses and Precision Strike when he has Hypersonic Speed and Hypersonic Speed when he doesn’t. Finally, Falcon’s last click is a stop-click that gives him the rare Immune, stopping everything from effecting him on the turn he’s knocked to it. It also lets him heal for free, pushing him back up to his deadlier clicks. Remember, this is all for 60 points.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

041b Falcon

Prime Falcon is 15 points more than non-prime Falcon, and for that price brings Leadership, Charge that can be combined with Close Combat Expert and a Redwing who has Autonomous to save your action total. If you happen to pull a Captain America with this Falcon, he’s also getting Autonomous, making him one of, if not the strongest autonomous figure in the game. My only problem with Falcon is his somewhat low printed values. They aren’t awful, but I’m always worried about a close attacker with 2 printed damage, even with his Close Combat Expert. He’s very similar to the non-prime, and if you pull either in sealed, I’d definitely play them. I don’t really think he’s doing anything that’s worthy of the prime spot, but he’s certainly not bad either.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

042 Black Bolt

Black Bolt has the distinction of being the first character to come with an object in this set, and honestly, you need to play it, and him, if you pull them. Black Bolt’s dial is a glut of offensive options with a ton of mobility in his Running Shot, and a powerful attack power with his special Penetrating/Psychic Blast. His attack special is the reason you want to run the gem with him, instead of targeting two characters with his Penetrating/Psychic Blast, he’s able to target every opponent he can see, and then, instead of splitting damage, he’s dealing 3 to each of those characters that he hits. With a 12 attack, 6 Running Shot, and 6 range, it’s more than likely he’ll be able to get the first attack off with his power, and put a huge dent in your opponents team. This is at his 145 (150 with the gem) point line, but he’s got a 95 point starting line, that gives him Sidestep+Pulse Wave+Perplex. It’s not nearly as useful in sealed where you’re more than likely using the Reality Gem he comes with, giving him Perplex, a power he already has access to on his dial. It does also give him Telekinesis, if you need it on your team. Honestly, if he only had the 95 point line, he’d be absolutely playable as a decent attacker with Telekinesis, the only reason I don’t suggest using it is because of how good his 145 point dial is. So either way, this guy is great.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

043 Captain America

It’s wonderful to see the trait from the Avengers vs X-Men’s Captain America return in this set. Being able to choose between Energy Shield/Deflection and Combat Reflexes is not only a strong trait, but it really fits Captain America as well. This Captain America has another trick, the Time Gem, giving him full dial Probability Control and an extra point of range, which pairs fantastically with the Sidestep/Running Shot (and Charge) available in his special movement power. If he’s got the Time Gem, it also improves his Leadership, allowing you to remove an action token from any friendly character, anywhere on the map when he succeeds. This might be the single best Leadership power ever? No need for range, line of fire, keywords or point costs. With a 20 defense from range or up close, as well as a Probability Control, this guy is going to be nearly impossible to hit, and he’s a strong attacker with 12 attack top-dial, and 7 movement for his move and attack, regardless of its a Charge or a Running Shot. This guy has the powers and the values to be an overwhelming pain for your opponents to deal with.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

044 Namor

Namor is the last rare that comes with a gem, and the gem he comes with increases his damage, and gives him Close Combat Expert. It’s too bad Namor just isn’t worth playing in sealed, especially at his lower 75 point starting line. At 75 he’s got 4 clicks of life, with two clicks of Charge, and two clicks of Flurry and Regeneration, it’s hard to believe Namor could survive more than a few turns in the thick of battle, especially if your opponent has Outwit to get rid of his Invincible. The only thing keep Namor in consideration is his special damage power that increases his damage, and makes it penetrating when he attacks a character with 5 or more range. It can lead to huge blowout attacks where Namor easily deals 6 penetrating damage to a character, potentially killing them easily, but he’s still only using a 5 movement Charge to get in there. At 110 he gets three more clicks and they’re really not any better, as he loses his special damage power for a special attack power that only works if he’s holding the Time Gem, which he shouldn’t ever be given, unless you pick it up from your opponents KO’d Captain America. If you don’t pull any other offense, or want to play a risky attacker, his 75 point option is the definition of a glass cannon, it shatters easily, but when it goes off, it hits it big.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

045 Spider-Man

Iron Spider is back in a big, big way. With a trait that grants the protective combination of Combat Reflexes and Stealth, or the full-out offense of Flurry and Giant Reach (or 3 targets for his late dial Incapacitate), Spider-Man is a huge threat on the battlefield. The lynch pin of his offensive suite is his movement power that allows him to move his full movement and make a close action. Paired with Giant Reach and Flurry, Spider-Man gets a 9 range swing that can deal upwards of 8 damage in a single turn, and that’s at his 85 point dial. I personally prefer him at 85, as I feel 60 points for 2 clicks of life is way too rich an investment for me, but as a friend of mine has pointed out, the two clicks you get are sensational. One his first click at 145 he’s got a 12 attack, 4 damage and Invulnerability+Shape Change+ his traited Super Senses. If you choose his Stealth and Combat Reflexes, it makes Spider-Man a very difficult figure to approach, but you lose out on his Flurry. I’m always taking the 85 point line with Perplex, but I don’t think there’s really a wrong option with this Spider-Man.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

046 Enchantress

It seems like we’ve hit a trend of very strong rare figures, that can easily stand up to the strongest super-rare and chase figures. Enchantress is the next member of this club with a long dial of power, and two different point values to choose from. Her 135 point value is a bit expensive for what it brings, but the Running Shot makes her a serious contender as a ranged attacker. Her 90 point dial doesn’t have the same mobility, but it’s far from being weak, as it still gives her access to her special damage power that allows her to use Perplex, Outwit or Probability Control, and potentially more than one of them a turn. She’s every good power in a single character with traited Mind Control and Shape Change on-top of it all. You have to play her if you pull her, and if you don’t pull another offensive figure, you can spend a little bit more for her to take that spot.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 2/5

047 Titania

Titania breaks the chain of strong rares for a very boring close attacker. Titania might be a better user of the Power Gem if you get unlucky enough to pull her and Namor together. The best thing I can say baout her is that she’s got a lot of reducers. At her core she’s a figure with Charge that hits people fairly hard, and does absolutely nothing else. Pass.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

048 Astronomer

11 Range with Improved Targeting: Elevated and Hindering. The rest of Astronomer is basically irrelevant. He can sit in the back of your force, and pick off your opponents force one figure at a time, and never be threatened by your opponents. If you’re looking for something more, of course he has it. Double Telekinesis that boosts the defense of cosmic characters who are TK’d by him and Probability Control as well. If you pull a gem and don’t want to use the figure it came with, this is the guy to put it on. This is definitely a figure that could see play in competitive constructed events. He’s got the range, the power and the potential to be an incredible annoyance for any opponent who’s unable to get to him in the first few turns.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

049 Gardener

Gardener is the signature finesse figure in the set with a trick that lets him create hindering terrain, and then make attacks against characters occupying it for free, and then give that hit character Battle Fury to stop them from attacking. It’s a really, really good trick, and his free generation of hindering as well as his Smoke Cloud pair really well with it. Even though it requires a lot of finesse and forethought, Gardener’s low point cost, and impactful abilities, make him a great addition, especially when you can force an opponents character to remain in his hindering with a tie-up figure, so that Gardener can make his free attack from anywhere on the map consistently. There’s a ton of fun things he can do with his powers, and it doesn’t require the resources most 50 point figure do. Don’t play Gardener if you don’t want to spend your entire game thinking of ways to utilize his powers, because if it’s a style of gameplay you’re not interested in, he’s going to be a dead weight on your team.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

050 Trader

Trader’s value is to switch his equipment with an opponents, and he doesn’t come with Equipment, so you’re going to have to weaken one of your figures in order to use him to his full potential, and then only if your opponent has an object as well. This is all to say, don’t play him. In constructed, he could be an interesting figure if paired with a mediocre or bad object, and used to weaken your opponents biggest figure with their great object, but I think the SR Collector is better at that than Trader is, leaving him as a below average figure with a below average ability.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 2/5

051 Corvus Glaive

My first reaction to Corvus Glaive was one of distaste. He’s a close combat figure with a bunch of cool special powers that only exist at the end of his dial, and he’s not even a particularly good close combat figure at the start of his dial. But those last three clicks are so good if you can land on them and survive a turn. His attack power lets him destroy a piece of blocking terrain and create an object out of it. He can then Sidestep to pick it up from the space he generated it in, and then use his special defense power to destroy said object and use Regeneration for free. It makes him absurdly hard to kill, especially because of his Cull Obsidian trait, which opponents won’t want to send high damage attacks into in fear of the retaliation. This is all great stuff, but he’s always going to be let down by his first clicks of Charge+Blades/Claws/Fangs, a combination you really don’t want to spend 90 points on. He’s a great close attacker with a long dial, and some interesting Regeneration shenanigans, but he’s still a close attacker.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

Super-Rares

052 Iron Man

The first of the super-rare gem bearers is Iron Man, and he’s got a long dial full of stuff…and it’s absolutely fine. Iron Man’s best attribute is his mobility, especially with the Space Gem, giving him a massive 7 movement Running Shot, with 7 range. The gem also boosts his Energy Explosion, stopping it from being rendered void by reducers, and hitting characters an extra space away from the original target. It also makes him a decent taxi who can carry two characters on your team, giving him a lot more flexibility than is immediately apparent on his dial. Even if you had the reality gem, it wouldn’t be worth playing on Iron Man, as it basically only provides him with a Perplex and a slightly better Shape Change on his last three clicks. Iron Man is a lot of point, and he doesn’t have any big tricks up his sleeve. He’s going to be the major investment on your team, and it’s going to force you to play around your opponents Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Outwit, as either can make quick work of Iron Man. With his mobility, you should be able to get the first hit off, but it doesn’t seem to me that the first hit will cripple your opponents to any degree. He’s an incredibly solid figure that would be a must play if he was 20-25 points cheaper.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

053a Dr. Strange

The bearer of the soul gem is another expensive ranged attacker with good powers and mobility. Dr. Strange’s 6 clicks of life for 115/120 points might seem a little vulnerable, and it is, but with the soul gem giving him Steal Energy, there’s a good chance your opponent will have to do 8-10 clicks to him to finish him off. Aside from the Steal Energy, the Soul Gem is also boosting his defense, giving him a 21 from range on his top-click and a 19 up close. Dr. Strange is also one of the only characters that can shoot through hindering, eliminating the protection on a lot of commons and uncommons who rely on their Stealth. His special Perplex is an interesting power, as it lets you borrow a damage power from whoever you’re using the Perplex on. It’s a surprisingly hard power to build around in sealed, as you’re going to want a figure with a great damage power that also isn’t a waste of a Perplex. Look for strong attackers like Hulk or the Elders of the Universe to pair with Dr. Strange, to get the biggest bang for your buck. He’s not perfect though, he’s relying on a 10 attack top-dial, and has no Willpower, which is balanced with the Steal Energy, if he can hit with an attack. He doesn’t seem like he’s making the impact a 120 point figure should, but if you can keep your opponent away from him, it seems like he’ll be a strong primary attacker for a team. Just watch out for the Hulk, as he’s easily able to kill Dr. Strange in a single hit. I think with his suite of powers, and the potential for a long lasting dial, he’s worth playing, but he’s nowhere near as easy to play as Iron Man.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

053b Baron Mordo

Baron Mordo isn’t as mobile as Dr. Strange, losing out on Running Shot for Sidestep, but he’s got a few more tricks, with a trait that steals objects from opponents that miss him with attacks, a second trait that lets him re-roll any roll targeted by opposing Probability Control, and he’s got Probability Control on his dial, letting him re-roll something twice in a single turn. His attack power is a weird mix of Precision Strike and Incapacitate that deals half his damage when he uses it. With 7 clicks of life, Mystics, and solid values, he’s not easy to take down either. He’s a great attacker with Probability Control, and a trait that will make opponents think twice about attacking him with their equipped figures. For constructed, I don’t think he’s really worth the prime slot, his defense, while high, is easily broken through with either high values, or an Outwit, and Mystics can be more of a liability than a boon to your team.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

054 Loki

The last of the super-rare gem bearers brings the Mind Gem to bear on your opponents. Loki’s coming in with two different starting lines, but bringing Shape Change and Stealth on either. At his 120 (125) point line, he’s starting with Energy Shield, which doesn’t pair particularly well with his Stealth, but offers some protection when he’s outside of the hindering terrain, or against a character who can see through hindering. Loki pushes to Charge/Sidestep and Outwit, with his weird special Blades/Claws/Fangs that has an incredibly powerful affect, if your attack roll is a 10+ and your blades roll is a 5-6. It’s not going to happen, basically ever. His dial is weird, it doesn’t have a ton of mobility front-loaded, but it picks up Charge and Sidestep as he takes damage. At the end of the dial he gets Mastermind and Perplex, making him a real devil to deal with if he’s got other characters to Mastermind to. If you want to pay 50 points more, he gains 3 clicks, each of them with Super Senses and higher values. With two ways to roll out of damage, Probability Control and an 18 defense, Loki at 170 is a tough customer. With the Mind Gem he’s also got access to Mind Control with his two targets, and a boost to his attack. Loki’s biggest failings are his lack of Willpower and mobility. If you pull Loki you’re best best is going to be placing him in the middle of everything in hindering, forcing opponents to come to you, while hopefully weathering his attacks. Like his two predecessors, he’s missing something for his point cost, but with some luck in Super Senses and Shape Change, he’ll be unstoppable, especially against ranged attackers.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

055 Captain Britain

Captain Britain is a pretty strong close attacker with a 90 point starting line that you definitely don’t want to play, and a 135 point starting line with Hypersonic Speed that you really want to play. With his higher point line, he also gains more protection with his trait, that stops lower point characters from Outwitting him. He’s got some support potential with Leadership and both Empower and Enhancement, but his real boon is his long dial of reducers, and two clicks of Regeneration. Without access to Penetrating/Psychic Blast at the right time, Captain Britain is an absolute slog to get through, especially when hitting him for the wrong amount of damage can put him in a place to heal for free. If you can keep him top-dial, he will be an absolute menace, as taking any amount of damage pushes him off his Hypersonic Speed to an average Charge with a mediocre 10 attack. Ideally, Captain Britain has the longevity to survive your opponents strongest figures, and fight his way into an end game where your opponent is down to attackers who have no hopes of getting through this beefy dial.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

056 Kang, The Conqueror

Kang, like a lot of title characters, has an incredibly strong dial for his cost, with great powers on every click, and all the best damage powers throughout his dial. Kang fails in mobility though, with a 6 movement with his top-dial Running Shot, letting him move and attack a measly 3 squares. Luckily, Kang’s title character powers are all about mobility. His first lets him place Time Portal’s on the map, which he can teleport to while healing with his second ability. This one-two combo let’s Kang utilize his title powers without worrying about taking too much damage from not attacking. In fact, Kang wants to be putting as many markers out as possible so that he can make attacks across the map. Being able to teleport to a marker and heal back a click, before making a power attack can keep Kang top-dial while eating away at your opponents. His final power lets him teleport to any number of his time portals and make an attack at each. This can end a lot of games if you’ve set up enough portals in the right places, making Kang a real threat. Of course, it’s not all perfect, as his top-dial only has Energy Shield/Deflection to protect him, and he doesn’t have Willpower. I think he requires a lot of thought to play successfully, as he can’t position himself well enough to be a very threatening ranged attacker, but when he goes off, he goes off big, keeping your opponents entire force threatened by the sudden appearance of him and his 11 attack Penetrating/Psychic Blast.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

057 Rune

Rune might be my favourite vampire dial ever, but atleast since Bombshell Batgirl. Rune’s dial isn’t going to win any awards for creativity, with a Charge/Blades starting point that doesn’t change much as he takes damage. Yet, as he deals damage he heals to progressively more and more powerful clicks like every other vampire dial, yet, he’s better at it than ever before. When he deals damage to a character who’s over 100 points or has the Power Cosmic team ability, he heals an extra click, and that’s a high percentage of this set. When he heals two clicks he picks up Probability Control and Hypersonic Speed, with high values across the board. Usually it’s tough to get vampires to survive on their lower clicks too, but Rune has that under control with Shape Change that can be re-rolled on a 2-4, giving him a double roll-out 3/4 of the time. He’s not the high impact super-rare you expect, but with a set full of high impact figures, he can really make an impact as a well costed, all-around close attacker. He can also wield any of the gems or gauntlets too, making him a very fun casual figure.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

058 The Hood

Here is a figure that desperately wants an infinity gem to use, as it empowers his attack power to incredible heights, making him a fantastic taxi, or a incredibly mobile attacker or even a Stealthy character that can generate his own hindering terrain. Sadly, the Hood comes with no gems, leaving him with a special movement power that reads: Phasing/Teleport. It’s not ideal for a nearly 100 point figure with little more than Telekinesis and carrying for him to do on his first click, but it does get better as he takes damage or pushes. In the middle of his dial he picks up more mobility and better offensive powers, but he loses his reducer. He’s not my first choice in sealed, but if I pull a Namor with him, that gem is going straight onto the Hood as fast as possible. In constructed, The Hood can have access to all of his movement power options, as well as a trait that lets him switch out which gem he currently has. I think this makes him pretty great as it doesn’t take up any of your sideboard, and can make him incredibly hard to deal with. The only let down is actually the opposite of what hurts him in sealed. With only a single starting click with his special movement power, it becomes far too easy to knock him off of his most versatile click, leaving him as a fairly second rate attacker. I think with the right team, he could be amazing, but as he is now, he’s just a little bit too expensive for what he brings.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 3/5

059 Lockjaw

…Lockjaw is a really good figure, but I don’t like him, and here’s why. With modern rotation coming around, everyone is looking for a new taxi to replace the awesome Overdrive. Lockjaw is a great answer for that, with a long dial, free attacks, solid damage values and a dirt cheap point cost; He’s even got a stop-click! Now you might be wondering why this bothers me, and it’s because, Overdrive was an uncommon, and Lockjaw is a super-rare. Overdrive, one of the most played figures, was a simple uncommon that was easy to gain access to, and was a deliciously simple figure. He carried, and that was it. Lockjaw is a super-rare who, for the most part, doesn’t do much more than Overdrive did, and arguably doesn’t do it better than him either. Lockjaw has a some great decorations, with his free Incapacitate and his ability to be a decent attacker and tie-up figure when he gets in, but at his core, he’s just the newest form of Overdrive, and I think that’s boring. He’s a great figure, a great taxi, and a great addition to the Inhumans, and he’ll be an incredible addition on a sealed or constructed team, but I find him boring. Of course he’s good, he can carry 4 figures for 40 points. It doesn’t matter if he takes damage when he does, or that he has any of the powers on his dial, his trait is all he needs to be good.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 5/5

060 Maximus

Maximus is as weird as you would expect from someone called Maximus the Mad, but before we get to his strange trait, let talk about his dial a bit. Maximus has a dial that leans towards support with a special Perplex that can target multiple characters that share the same name, Telekinesis to get characters into combat, with Stealth and a Mind Control that gives two action tokens when he hits with it. His Mind Control is especially damaging, as he can target two characters with it, and can potentially do it two turns in a row, shutting down a major portion of your opponents team. The end of his dial picks up Pulse Wave and Outwit, giving him a serious level of threat if left unchecked. His trait throws all of this for a loop however. You are forced to roll for his trait at the beginning of your turn and 1/3rd of the time he gets Battle Fury, limiting his Mind Control potential, 1/3rd of the time every character within 6 can’t be given costed actions if they have a token (yup that includes him) and the last 1/3rd of the time he can remove a power from any opponents figure regardless of range. That last one is a powerful ability, but the rest can be incredibly debilitating. When he has a token, 1/4 of the time he’s not going to be able to use his 6 range Mind Control, and when you see your opponents figures standing in an area with a single token on all of them, there’s only a 1 in 3 chance that you can actually do anything about it. I don’t think he’s terrible, but I think he’s 90 points of liability. If you want to take the risk and make galaxy brain sized plays, this is your guy to do it with, but I think more often than not he’s going to be getting in his own way. In constructed he’s got the same problems, but being able to shut down a team for a turn in the right circumstances is too close to Faust to pass up without serious testing. In the right hands I could see him being a menace, but I think he’ll require a lot of work for a little success.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 3/5

061 Taskmaster

I love Taskmaster, and I love all the Taskmasters we’ve got since Chaos War (it’s been two, but they’re both awesome), and this Taskmaster is no exception. Pick-a-power figures have always been good, but luckily, Taskmaster isn’t going to be breaking anything when he arrives in this set, as he’s a very balanced figure. With 6 clicks of life for 100 points, Taskmaster is a little on the fragile side of things, but he’s got solid values, especially with his 18 defense top-dial and being able to pick Combat Reflexes or Energy Shield (or both) can keep him safe from any range attackers. What makes Taskmaster really interesting is his ability to remove the powers he chooses from any character he targets with an attack. It allows him to punch through Combat Reflexes or shoot through Energy Shield, or even better, remove the targets powerful combat powers like Flurry, Charge or Running Shot. This guy is a jack of all trades, like Taskmaster should be, and will be a serious threat for your opponent regardless of what click he’s on. In constructed his variability isn’t quite as great, as everyone has access to Exospex now, but he’ll be a solid contender on any team, theme or not.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

062 Challenger

Challenger has an incredibly beefy dial with 8 clicks of life that becomes 9 if your opponent has any additional game elements. With Power Cosmic and strong powers and values, Challenger is definitely worth with hefty 175 point investment. He even has a stop-click at the end of his dial that lets him make 4 close attacks for free, something that will pair well with the Soul Gem if he can get his hands on it. Challenger might seem like a strange choice for me, as I don’t tend to like characters who start with Charge, but he’s got a 7 range, and three clicks of Running Shot further down his dial. Challenger also has one more trick up his sleeve, and it’s a complicated one. At the beginning of the game, you and your opponent place 5 total Pyramoid markers on the map. Whenever Challenger would take some damage, you can remove a Pyramoid marker from within 6 of him, and he ignores all that damage. This means with the right forethought and positioning, Challenger will have his incredibly strong 8-9 click dial, and can on average, ignore 2-3 attacks per game as well. Your opponent’s only way of dealing with this is to swarm him with attacks, or to use their characters to move on-top of his markers, and give them a power action to remove them. It’s a slow process, but it’s weak to characters who can generate bystanders, or a figure like Medusa who can generate her bystander on-top of a marker, and than remove it for free. Take advantage of your opponents extensions to get your markers, and smash them with Challenger when they get ahead of themselves. I think it’s very possible to go through a whole tournament without Challenger dying as long as you hold him back, and place your Pyramoid tokens behind your battle line. In constructed it’s much easier to build around Challenger, especially giving him ID Cards to utilize. Against tentpole teams, Challenger will definitely be able to avoid taking damage 3 times, making it a long, drawn out fight against your team. Pulse Wave is still a worry for him, but with his long dial and his stop-click it’s certainly possible to keep him safe.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

063 Champion

If Champion didn’t have Power Cosmic, I would be a lot cooler on him, but with it he’s a pretty tanky close combat figure with Charge and pseudo Flurry with Close Combat Expert with his second attack. Champion has 6 clicks of life, with a seventh click if your opponent has an object on their team. Without that seventh click, Champion is a lot worse, having only two clicks of Charge, with Impervious top-dial, making him a great target for a Penetrating/Psychic Blast. If you’re playing Champion, you’re playing him for his first 2-3 clicks, where you’re looking to do atleast 10 damage on a single turn. If you can get him in close, and keep him on those first three clicks, and insure he hits both his attacks, you’ll win the game almost certainly. Pair Champion with Telekinesis or a taxi, because if he’s just running up of his own free will, I don’t think he’ll be surviving long enough to bring value to your team.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

064 Collector

Collector is a great figure that you do not want to pull in sealed. I know you’re thinking “my friend just pulled Chase Captain America, and I can’t wait to spoil his fun with my attack power!” and I can’t argue with that logic, but before you play him, just think about the hoops you’re going to have to jump through to steal their objects. First, Collector will have to get in range of them by being carried or moving, then you’re going to have to wait a turn. Next turn you’re going to have to attack that character with a standard attack, and if you hit, then collector can steal that object. Then the Collector is left out, with a chase nearby that you didn’t do any damage to, ready to respond. Looking at the Collectors dial without the power it’s definitely worth the 55 points, with solid values and decent powers, but with no move and attack, and if you need a cheap ranged attacker, then there’s no reason to pass up the Collector, but if you’ve got a bunch of strong commons and uncommons, and you pull Collector, I don’t think it’s worth giving them up for him.

In constructed, Collector is the new biggest threat against object teams. As long as he can get there first, he’s going to be able to grow his collection in almost every game. Against a prime Vulture team, he’s able to weaken the team considerably by stealing the Octopus Arms. Opponents are going to be worried about putting their equipped characters near him as well, as they don’t want to lose their objects, especially not to a 55 point character. He’s a finesse figure that has the width to see play on every single cosmic team.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 5/5

065 Grandmaster

Oh Grandmaster… you were so close to being great. Maybe I’m overreacting, but Grandmaster doesn’t seem quite as good as his point cost would suggest. Without looking at his special power, Grandmaster is a ranged attacker with Sidestep and Probability Control, making him an almost instant play in sealed, where Probability Control is king. 85 points is a lot to spend on 6 clicks without much mobility, but if he picks up his extra click from the I Sense a Greater Challenge trait, he’s looking a lot better, with Impervious top-dial. It’s just hard to recommend that dial when there’s so many strong, far more mobile, ranged attackers in the common and uncommon slots for a similar point cost. Grandmaster does have a special power, as I mentioned before, and it’s an interesting one. Once per turn on an opponents turn, you may guess whether an attack within range and line of fire of him is a hit or a miss, and if your right that characters takes 1 unavoidable damage, and your Grandmaster heals a click. If you’re wrong, the opposite happens. With only a single activation per turn, I don’t think it’s as impactful as it initially looks. It’s also only on Grandmasters first 3-4 clicks, leaving him high and dry when he needs to heal. The one thing I like about it, is if an opponent buffs their character to massive levels to insure they hit, Grandmaster can turn that against them. I don’t think his special power is worth playing on it’s own, so if you’re team needs his dial, minus the special power, than play him, because his special power could definitely be useful. I don’t think Grandmaster will have much of a place in constructed where dealing a single damage is grounds for free retaliation. I could see someone building a cool team around it, maybe with Trelane to insure people are missing, but one damage per turn, only against characters he can see, is probably not going to be worth his 85 point price tag. Imagine if he didn’t have the once per turn limitation.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

066 Runner

Runner is the last of the Elders of the Universe in the set and while he seems pretty fun, it seems weird to make him a super-rare. Runner at his core is a basic close range Hypersonic piece with a ton of movement and literally nothing else. Seriously, Runner has Hypersonic Speed and defense powers and that’s it. His Hypersonic Speed is special, as it increases his attack or damage, or both depending on the highest speed value on your opponents force. The only figure that can challenger runner is Voyager, who’s a common and very playable so sadly it’s not that unlikely that Runner will lose those bonuses, though your opponent will have to push Voyager to get that value. Hypersonic Speed is always good, and with Runner’s huge movement, it’ll be good here too. What makes him impressive is his 65 point price tag, leaving a lot of room for more meaty attackers and support. Like Captain Britain before him, Runner takes a big dive when he takes damage, losing his 10 attack and 3 damage, really forcing you to take away your opponents fastest figures in order to get the most out of Runner. He’s very low impact for a super-rare, but he’s also very cheap, and is easily able to knock around a lot of the squishy support figures, making him a decent pick in this environment.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

067 Ebony Maw

With 6 clicks of life for 100 points and only Stealth and Super Senses to protect him, Ebony Maw is a squishy dude, which definitely fits the character. Even though he’s fragile, he brings a lot of power with his 8 range, triple target Mind Control that deals a damage to each hit character, through his special Poison. Ebony Maw also brings Perplex and Outwit to the table, with the potential for either to be doubled when used against an opposing character. If you’re worried he’s not doing damage, well don’t be, as he can use Telekinesis to throw objects at characters, but not before modifying his attack by +2 and the damage dealt by 1, giving him a 13 attack with 4 damage when using a heavy. Opponent’s aren’t going to want to kill him with one attack either since, as a member of the Black Order he has the Cull Obsidian trait, dealing back damage equal to the attack that knocked him out to the attacker, even Hulk isn’t going to be a fan of taking 6 damage to the face. Ebony Maw’s flaws all relate to his lack of mobility and fragile nature, and the only thing he really needs to solve that is a taxi. Even if most of the time he’s just a Perplex and Outwit figure who threatens your opponent with power TK attacks or game changing Mind Controls, he’s probably going to make his points back. He’s got enough range, and enough support and offensive powers to win games on his own, as long as you can keep him safe.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

Chases

Like usual, instead of rating the chases on a 1-5 scale, I’m going to rank them from best (1) to worst (6), as all of them are great figures that are more than worth their points. I’ll be rating them as if they were equipping the objects that come with them, and I’ll review the objects themselves later.

068 Red Skull

It’s been a while since we’ve got a tent-pole character like this. Red Skull is a long dialed, Power Cosmic terror with a ton of special powers and useful traits, on-top of the fantastic Cosmic Cube that comes with him. Red Skull’s trait is a unique form of retaliation, allowing him to generate a decent close combat bystander adjacent to a character who attacked him. The Artificial Being has 11 attack with Quake and 3 damage, as well as 17 Combat Reflexes, allowing you to tie-up a figure who’s out-of range of Red Skull to stop further attacks. Schmidt himself starts with Running Shot+Pulse Wave, and a special damage power that gives him Perplex and Leadership, with the special clause that when he succeeds, he may remove a token from any opposing character in order to use Mind Control on them for free regardless of range or line of fire. This makes Red Skull a figure who can threaten your opponents across the map, and up close at the same time, forcing your opponents to come to you, or be torn apart by their own figures. As he takes damage he loses a lot of his ranged prowess and goes to Charge and Outwit, with a special poison that deals extra damage for each action token they have on them. Of course, Red Skull has the Cosmic Cube as well. His version of the Cosmic Cube is interesting. Using it forces your opponent to choose between the four combat types, and modifies the chosen one by +1, then you choose a power that isn’t of the type chosen and gain that power until your next turn. Usually you’re opponent is going to choose speed, as it has the lowest impact on the game and stops you from choosing any mobility powers, which have a huge impact. This does give your the chance to double up on defensive powers, or Probability Control. Sadly, the Cube doesn’t work well with Red Skull, as it has a clause that causes you to drop it if you don’t have the cosmic keyword and roll a 1-2 at the end of your turn. I’d almost say that Red Skull doesn’t need the cube, and to play it with another cosmic character who can use it better. It’s decent on him, but if you’re worried about the risk of dropping it, just save those 15 points.

Ranking 3

069 Kobik

6 clicks of life for 100 points might seem a little weak, especially with no reducers, but with a 19 defense, Super Senses, Shape Change and Probability Control, Kobik is surprisingly hard to hit. Kobik isn’t around to do damage, but instead has numerous tricky things she can do to tear apart opponents teams, while the rest of your figures deal the damage. From her dial alone, Kobik has two of the strongest support powers and Mind Control with 8 range and two targets. When she takes damage she loses that for Incapacitate. Her traits are equally interesting, with one that lets you swap the team abilities of a friendly and opposing character, stealing Power Cosmic or Mystics for something way less useful like Avengers, stealing away Protected: Outwit and Willpower from some of the strongest characters, and she doesn’t need range or line of sight to either character to do it. Her last trait lets her swap out a character on your force for one on your sideline with the same name and equal or lower points, giving you some flexibility regarding your force. This isn’t great in sealed, and abilities like this haven’t traditionally been super usable in constructed, but options are never bad. Of course, Kobik has the other Cosmic Cube as well, and unlike Red Skull, Kobik want’s to use hers. It offers her three choices of free actions each turn, and each of them are excellent. The first lets her place herself with 3 squares, giving her a small move and attack, the second gives her improved targeting for hindering and elevated as well as a double boost to range. Finally her last option is a free Incapacitate against an adjacent character, except that you don’t need to roll to attack. That last power is incredible, especially since it can be used to deal penetrating damage to characters with two tokens. Kobik can move up to vulnerable characters, deal them a damage, and then teleport away next turn. I love Kobik, and I don’t see a way she won’t see play in sealed and constructed.

Ranking: 2

070 Iron Man

Iron Man has a surprisingly bare dial for a guy with a super advanced armoured suit and an infinity gauntlet, but it’s got enough stuff to keep you going for a while. Iron Man starts life with three clicks of Invincible keeping him safe with his Power Cosmic team ability, and as he takes damage he just picks up other great reducers. The strangest thing about Iron Man is his lack of mobility. He’s only got two clicks of Running Shot, and he has to push to get to them. His dial is pretty uneventful otherwise, with above average to average values. Iron Man’s strength comes from his object, because his 135 point dial without it is a little underwhelming. His Infinity Gauntlet let’s him pick a power ever turn with equal chances of picking a second power, or taking an unavoidable damage. Iron Man definitely needs the access to stronger attack and movement powers, and with a long dial full of reducers, taking a single damage every once and a while isn’t going to kill him. When Iron Man eventually dies, he can give up the gauntlet in order to heal back two clicks, giving him 9 clicks in total. 150 points is a lot to spend on him, but with the potential powers he can get from the gauntlet, he can hold his own in sealed, or constructed, he’s just not quite at the same level as most of the chases.

Ranking: 5

071 Captain America

6 clicks of life for 135 or 150 might scare you, and that’s understandable, but Captain America’s trait insures he’s not going down easily. With his trait, he not only gets Barrier as FREE (for one marker), it ensures he only takes a single damage from an attack. Suddenly 6 clicks of life is looking a lot better when an opponent can only ever deal one to him at a time. His dial is a little restrained, which is understandable given his trait and equipment, but it doesn’t lack for power. He’s got consistant stats down the dial with both Ranged Combat and Close Combat Expert appearing at various times. He’s also got a special attack power that’s absolutely nuts. It gives him knock-back, and when he knocks back, he increases the distance by 10 spaces. Cap does not want people sticking around him. His object, the second gauntlet, provides Power Cosmic, and it gives protection from a variety of things including the big one, Pulse Wave. Using it to protect yourself slowly limits the amount of protection it provides and can potentially hurt Captain America, which is a big concern when you’ve got 6 clicks of life. I don’t think you need to activate the protection, as his trait is already protected from Pulse Wave and he’s only taking 1 damage from other attacks anyways, so just having the gauntlet provide him with Power Cosmic is worth the price. Captain America is so hard to take down, and unlike a lot of figures with abilities like his, he’s also able to heal. I think he’s a little slow for a lot of competitive teams, but he’ll find a place in the classic “don’t die” strategy.

Ranking: 1

072 Black Panther

When Black Panther is in hindering terrain, there is going to be no way of getting him out of it. His super Stealth stops improved targeting and Pulse Wave, making him immune to any ranged attacks when he’s hiding. Getting up close isn’t going to be too easy either since he’s got a 19 defense to keep him safe from other attackers. Offensively he’s got a great combination of Precision Strike and Battle Fury minimizing the roll-outs on opponents characters, and two clicks of Hypersonic Speed to get him in and out, never leaving him stranded without hindering terrain. Black Panther is going to be a perfect candidate for equipment, as 19 defense is high, it’s not impossible to crack. Having Shape Change or another defensive power will definitely be beneficial. When he takes damage he loses his Hypersonic Speed and picks up Charge, which pairs well with his traited Blades/Claws/Fangs. Like the rest of the BC Avengers, he also stops opposing characters from using BCF near him, which won’t matter too often. His trait is what makes him a must have piece, there’s just no way to approach him without getting up close. This guy will be the centerpiece of Wakandan teams until he rotates.

Ranking: 4

073 Starbrand

Well, we saved the worst for last. Starbrand isn’t bad of course, he is a chase, and he’s got great values throughout his dial, but I’m not particularly interested in a 140 point Charge figure. Starbrand’s big trait triggers when he’s KO’d, and boosts the values of a random character within 6 spaces of him by +1 for the rest of the game. Since he’s a close attacker, he’s probably going to be up close with your opponents when he croaks giving them a good chance of getting the buff. Starbrand’s best trait gives him and characters within 3 squares protection from Hypersonic Speed, which is certainly cool, but probably not worth playing a 140 point close attacker for it. He’s mediocre, expensive and niche, which is not a combination you want if you’re aiming to be the best chase.

Ranking: 6