Welcome back to Chase or Pass, a series that talks about the expensive pieces from sets and whether or not you should chase these pieces down or pass them up. As this set has been out for a bit, there’s already buzz about these Chases, but with initial hype dying down, which do you hunt?

Well, the Chase theme was short lived with just one set (X-Men Animated) getting a full themed line. This time around, we have six characters that have Clix FX markers and… that’s it. 4 are Avengers while 2 are Avenger villains, so you could say that the theme is still Avengers-ish similar to Avengers Assemble or Avengers, Black Panther, and The Illuminati.

Theme might not be strong, but that’s certainly not the case for the dials on these pieces. It seems Chases have been heating up more and more in the last few years (at least for Marvel sets), and while this set already pushed the envelope that is power creep, the chases seem to be the definitive dying wail for anyone who still believes there’s a point formula. Even the “bomb” chases in this set are still very good, merely overshadowed by the two absolute destroyers that are Thor and Ultron.

Since this series has been going for quite some time, no need to explain in detail what we’re doing. 6 Chases, two ratings each, and your decision whether I persuade you enough to Chase or Pass said piece.

75/50 Points, 7/5 Clicks, 0 Range (Single Target). Defenders Team Ability. Atlantis, Avengers, Cabal, Defenders, Illuminati, Invaders, and Ruler Keywords.

Namor has been getting a lot of love in the last few years with at least one figure a year and all of them are quite strong. While Namor doesn’t live up to the hype of our two heavyweights in this set, he’s no slouch by any means with – he’s a hyper-aggressive melee monster with some big stats for a surprisingly cheap package. While most of his stats seem a little average for a Chase and his 17-defense value with no way of rolling out or evading is harsh, his 12-attack is incredible for his cost. That 12 may drop quickly, but Namor averages an 11 attack throughout the dial, and he’s always capable of punching pretty hard. Sure, that 17 might look small, but Namor’s ability to bring his bucket of water wherever he is every turn means he’s always going to have that +1 against ranged attacks, and thanks to his free Smoke Cloud that’s actually water, his trait gives himself and all his allies that share a Keyword, or love the water, +1 attack when hitting targets. It takes some planning, but I’m not going to complain about a follow-up attack with a big 13-attack value for 75 points. Keep in mind the water that he pumps out will also do a fantastic job of slowing down the enemy team. Once Namor does take a hit or two, he has a solid four clicks of Regeneration to help himself stick around a bit longer, and the Flurry + Battle Fury clicks at the end will make you sorry if you cross his path on his way to the briny depths.

Namor’s problem is his marketability and the perception of his dial. Invincible up front helps Namor stick around a bit longer, but it’s only there for a single click before dropping to Invulnerability, and his lack of protection from Outwit means much cheaper figures can quickly turn him into sushi. One good hit onto a naked 17-defense means Namor is already starting death in the face with just Toughness to back him up. Hand-in-hand with his defensive issues is how bland he is on the back of so many good Namor’s in the last year or two. Avengers, Black Panther, and The Illuminati had an incredible Namor, as did Earth X. It’s hard to justify another king of Atlantis that doesn’t really bring anything new or fresh to the table (then again, this humble writer’s opinion is that he has as much character as an empty yogurt container), especially when he’s a Chase.

This guy might not be at the top of everyone’s want list for Chases, but he’s a lot better than he seems on paper. Defenders teams will love the brutal dial for how cheap he is, as will virtually any theme team that isn’t Avengers since they obviously have much better options these days. If you end up with this guy, give him a try before pawning him off.

Casual: Absolutely worth picking up. He’s strong but certainly not invincible, even if his defense up top says otherwise. The +1 attack aura is strong enough to pull aggro while his dial doesn’t scream overpowered.

Competitive: Ruler is seeing a big uptick in play, but Namor just isn’t strong enough to make the cut, even with that 12-attack and team buff. I could maybe see him popping up occasionally on Avengers and Ruler teams as a 50-point taxi/Leadership figure just for the ability to slow down his enemies and buff his allies.

125/75/50 Points, 9/6/4 Clicks, 7 Range (Single Target). No Team Ability. Asgardian, Avengers, Deity, Ruler, and Warrior Keywords.

I talked about Thor earlier this year, but let’s analyze him a bit more. This guy is absurd, and I believe one of the best examples to show what power creep is. Thor kicks things off with a brutal ranged click with a ton of reach and the capability of decimating practically anything he wants thanks to his 12-Pen/Psy and 5-Probabilty Control. Chances are Thor is going to hit you, and he’s going to do irreparable damage when he does. Once Thor does hit, he can place his Lightning marker and call upon the heavens to strike the same square with a free Energy Explosion giving him a whopping 7-damage by himself on click one, assuming his target doesn’t have a large reducer through the first attack. And it’s not like it’s easy to hit him; the god of Thunder kicks his dial off with 18-Invincible and as long as the Lightning marker attached, he’s also rocking ES/D giving him a 20-defense from range with that amazing Probability Control to back him even further. Unlike a lot of primary attackers out there, Thor doesn’t have to hope he hits first – he’s most likely going to since you’ll need to land a 20 twice. If his enemies want to deal with that 18 from melee and avoid the ES/D, they’ll instead need to deal with Poison and Mystics against melee attacks.

If you do manage to wound the thunderer, he’s still incredibly good with at least an 11-attack all the way down to click 6, 18-defense with Invincible or Impervious through click 5, and Probability Control throughout the dial. Even if you manage to shred through his dial and knock him to his 50-point line on click 6, he turns on the heat and goes into full melee-mode with a huge Charge range, great attack values, and still great defenses with a damn STOP click to make sure you aren’t going to down him easily. Keep in mind that you get that Lightning marker no matter what point value you play him at, so that STOP click means he’s still probably going to be sitting at a 20-defense from range.

The only weak points to this dial are two-fold: do you throw out the Lightning marker and lose those fantastic defenses for a free attack ever as the advantages seem much better keeping it on him, and his mobility does tend to suffer after just one damage. Only two clicks of Running Shot is a little worrisome, but then you remember that this guy is somehow only 125 points, not even half your team, and what the hell is this dial doing anyway, how does it exist?

Casual: I would advise against using Thor in casual games. It’s not so much that he can’t be beat (the lack of Outwit protection hurts), it’s that you still have so many points to play with that Thor will quickly become a hated piece that just feels totally undercosted.

Competitive: While this dial is incredibly powerful, I don’t think he’s competitive. It’s easy to counter-play him in this format, and other than a big cannon, he isn’t doing much. Most figures that are drafted into competitive do something incredible while Thor is just very efficient for what he is. But there’s better primary attackers with more protection that do still outshine Thor. He’s perfect for bigger LGS games though.

70 Points, 6 Clicks, 3 Range (Single Target). Mystics Team Ability. Avengers, Mystical, and S.H.I.E.L.D. Keywords.

Robbie’s first outing into clix is pretty successful and continues the tradition of Ghost Rider being a powerful character in the game. Like Namor, the Rider has a strong melee-focused dial that’s a little shallower and more team-friendly, but the similarities are clear. Both dials have high speed, 4-damage for a couple clicks, Quake, 18-Defense, and a fat chunk of Invulnerability. While Namor has flight, Robbie just moves through hindering and elevated a la his car which is noticeably missing on the gorgeous sculpt. Aside from his top click, Ghost Rider is a little average though and doesn’t seem worthwhile until you dig into his traits. His first gives him the game mechanics of his Hellcharger without giving us a larger sculpt and is quite impressive with Passenger: 3 (can carry fliers) and a sweet Ram ability that doesn’t deal damage back to him and speeds him up. Keep him mind you can use Ram without making any attacks to increase his movement value. His other trait gives any target of a successful attack a bleed effect that will continually hurt them until they miss their targets in an attack. That’s a great added benefit for some good lasting damage that they can’t stop without risking themselves.

The issues with this dial is that nothing seems to jive all that well. Charge is neat, but dropping into Running Shot on click three hurts if he’s based. His 3 range is likewise pretty good for a scrapper, but Giant Reach: 3 would have been a helpful addition to make sure Robbie can do what he needs to no matter what the situation. His stats also dip pretty quickly with two stats dipping on click two, and continuing to drip until he hits his second win on clicks five and six thanks to some sweet Steal Energy clicks with big stats. Honestly, if he had Giant Reach, those two middle clicks wouldn’t feel so strange and hard to play around. Thankfully Robbie should be a little risky to attack thanks to so many reducers and the Mystics team ability.

Casual: Robbie will do great in a casual environment where he can serve a dual purpose taxi/secondary attacker for theme teams. He’s easy enough to hurt fairly heavily that people shouldn’t be too upset to see him across the table.

Competitive: I wouldn’t count on seeing Ghost Rider in this arena. He’s just not bringing enough firepower for 70 points.

75 Points, 6 Clicks, 8 Range (Single Target). Mystics and Power Cosmic Team Abilities. Avengers, Defenders, Illuminati, and Mystical Keywords.

I think Stephen is by far the biggest head-scratcher and divided Chase in the set – not great, but not bad either.

Strange brings his signature full-powered dial with some excellent stats to back up another cheap dial at just 75 points. The doctor is your one-stop shop super support thanks to Probability Control, Telekinesis, Defend that jumps to a 19, and granting his allies Phasing/Teleport with a +2 modifier. Thanks to his Mystics, Stealth, Super Senses, and Power Cosmic, he’s also incredibly hard to deal with, and chances are good that Stephen will stick around for a good portion of the game. It’s not like he’s weak either; half of his dial has an 11-attack and once he does take a click of damage, he goes into full-on aggression mode with a massive Running Shot range, Pen/Psy, and a higher damage value. His other clicks are quite good as well with Perplex and Support filling his damage track.

Dr. Strange isn’t without his issues though. Sure, Stealth helps to keep him safe, but since he doesn’t fly, he’s dependent on his Phasing/Teleport to get him into play. That’s great, except it can’t be used if he’s adjacent to an enemy making it very difficult to run if he gets cornered. This is also a problem when he hits his Running Shot/Force Blast clicks as he’ll probably be very slow to stroll out of hiding. He might seem like a super taxi, but his inability to carry his allies actually makes him worse at the job as he’ll eat up your team’s action tokens to take advantage of his portal. In addition, your teammates will need to be adjacent or in the same square as the portal in order to gain the benefits. Thankfully your fliers will still be able to carry your pals into battle through the walls. His last clicks also feel like the largest burn-out of any of the chases so far. Force Blast continues the tradition of Dr. Strange being a slow-poke, and Support isn’t exactly the way I want my Prob/Perplex figure to go out – I’d much prefer some Outwit. Thankfully that 10-Precision Strike with 8-range gives him a nasty sniper dial before he bites it.

Casual: This will be the only place you’ll see Strange show up. His gorgeous sculpt will be enough to push him into some fun games, but compared to Sherriff Strange and golden age figures like the Shifting Focus Stranges, this guy just doesn’t stand a chance.

Competitive: Not a chance. He’s just too expensive and cumbersome for what he brings to the table. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not bad – just nowhere near competitive level.

100 Points, 10 Clicks, 2 Range (Single Target). Masters of Evil Team Ability. Lethal Legion, Masters of Evil, and Wrecking Crew Keywords.

A single glance of this dial might make you scratch your head and wondering why any dial like this with declining stats would be worth 100 points, especially when he ends up with such throwback values like an 8-attack and 13-defense. Once you look at his trait though, you get an idea of how versatile and annoying this guy is, and how he can adapt to any team. Picking up hindering terrain gives him a whopping 13-attack, Regeneration on a MASSIVE dial, and Stealth. Blocking terrain lets him burst through walls, Super Strength, Close Combat Expert, and 19-defense. Obscuring and water will be harder to claim but grant similarly strong boosts. It’s incredible just how powerful each of these terrain buffs are and how much they improve his dial. He can be a massive tank that’s incredibly hard to burn through, or a brutal melee attacker that can continually heal himself through practically any attack that hits him. Most figures aren’t going to be able to chew through 10 clicks with reducers in a single turn, all the while he’s empowering his allies to hit harder while engaging in the fight with him.

Of course, a massive dial with lots of adaptability can be good, but Absorbing Man’s issues are that most his adaptations buff one thing rather than spreading out his options. You’ll almost always choose hindering or blocking terrain for his buff, but that only makes him good at one thing: attacking or taking hits. Both of those are just fine with this dial length for the points, but the greater problem is that he has to be adjacent to the terrain he wants to absorb. This makes counter-play somewhat easy. Carl can be lured out into the open where he has no other terrain to absorb and he’ll be stuck with whatever he chose. Since his defenses are lower, moving him into the open with TK is pretty easy to do, and once you either Outwit his reducers or just hit him a decent enough times, you’ll be looking at a click from around 2004. Thankfully, there’s no stipulation that the terrain must remain, so teaming him up with someone who can terraform the board will do wonders.

Casual: Oh yeah, this guy will be really fun to play. He’s not dynamite or overpowered, and would probably seem very very good in another set, but he is fun and stronger than he seems. This will be a great environment for him.

Competitive: Honestly, I could see Absorbing Man as a pocket pick as a hard to kill ID battery. Though Immortal Hulk outclasses him for the same cost, there’s something to be said of a character that can this much resilience. In older games, the Red Power Battery could be deadly with Carl. Who am I kidding, this guy is strictly for fun.

150/100/50 Points, 10/7/4 Clicks, 8 Range (Two Targets). Masters of Evil Team Ability. Lethal Legion, Masters of Evil, Robot, and Ruler Keywords.

And now we come to the high-profile Chase that everyone is searching for. It’s easy to see how big of waves this guy is making and I’m not gonna beat around the bush. 14-attack, three STOP clicks, Masters of Evil team ability for continuous attacking, free Mind Control against hit targets, huge reducers, Outwit… the list just goes on and on. Ultron has so many tools at his disposal and the inescapable stats that shatter the definition of any previous figure under 300 points. In order to drop Ultron quickly, you have to have some crazy good luck and you better hope that that he doesn’t get to you first, something he’s probably going to do. Once Ultron gets to you, there’s no escaping him as this monster has a 12-attack or more until he hits click 6. While the ‘bot doesn’t have Outwit protection, his STOP clicks aren’t just your typical prevention – they’re equipped with protected Impervious and Regeneration to help him potentially get back to his top click at any point in the game, unless you launch him down into the depths of clicks 7 through 10. Perhaps the best part of Ultron is that he’s so incredibly playable thanks to his multiple point lines and a brilliant 50-point dial which will absolutely see play.

Looking for weaknesses on this dial isn’t as hard as it seems though. This isn’t the untouchable dial that some might see. His mobility suffers after just one click of damage dropping to Sidestep on almost every click. His damage is also lackluster by itself with an average of 3 throughout the dial, and some 2’s present near the end. Ultron may hit easily, but he’s not doing it very hard. He’s surgical, but not a cannon. Outwit also strips him down to a triple-tap threat, though still one you have to dance around to stay safe. And of course, a lot of his issues can be offset by equipment, even more so than most figures out there. Something like Exospex or practically any of the Infinity Stones cranks up the heat and makes Ultron basically unstoppable, and a single Perplex to his damage helps offset his lower damage.

Ultron isn’t quite the god that people are making him out to be, but he is absolutely an artist at slicing through the enemy team.

Casual: Probably not a good idea to play Ultron with your friends unless he’s 50 points. His attack values alone will surely cause chaos and challenges about broken figures.

Competitive: Absolutely the winner of the bunch and will be seen in competitive play.

What are your thoughts on these Chases? Do you think I hit the mark or did I make a complete goof? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for joining me for another article. I’m doing okay at keeping up with the bi-weekly schedule and while Clix Fix hasn’t gotten any love lately, I’m happy to keep providing some excellent content for you all regardless of where it’s posted. As March ramps up, I’ll probably be missing a week, but I’ll do my best to keep things consistent.

Until then, remember the real fun begins when you’re Two Clicks From K