I wanted to put this out before the prereleases so you guys could have a chance to get my opinion, and maybe a little idea of what to do when you open your packs this coming week. I’ll update it as figures get revealed. For the chases, I’m not as worried about getting them up there right now. If you pull a chase, play it. So far they’re all great, and not so broken as to be impossible to take down. The most important thing for the prerelease is to find supporting figures from your pool, and to have fun! If you have any comments or questions, post them at the bottom and I’ll get back to you.

If you want to look at the dials, check out this thread on HCrealms, where a bunch of hardworking people have been keeping up with all the reveals for those of us who might not be as hardworking:

http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=572753

Shared Traits- There are three major shared traits in this set, so lets take a closer look at them and see how they’ll affect sealed and constructed.

The first of the shared traits is Defenders Together, which for the most part, functions identically to the Justice Society trait from Joker’s Wild. The only thing differing these two traits from one another seems to be the far better benefits that the Defender’s give each other, like Dr. Strange reducing damage, or Man-Thing’s trait that allows characters to reduce penetrating damage and ignore mind control. These benefits make it much more playable in sealed, but bring a ton of potential for constructed too. Man-Thing and Valkyries trait’s especially deserve to be built around, giving your team easy access to some powerful effects.

The second is the Marvel Knights shared tra it. The slightly confusing aspect of this trait is, at the beginning of the game you choose one option for all characters on your team, rather than pick and choose who gets what. Regardless, this essentially gives your characters the choice of never having their attack value drop, or making them wildcards. As much as I like this trait, and both options are fantastic, the choice is almost always going to be immediately obvious. Is there a good team ability that another character on your team has? Make them Wild Cards. If there isn’t, keep your entire teams attack up.

The final trait is one that’s appeared in the past, Shifting Focus/Costume Change. With the amount of shifting focus in this set, sealed will become very interesting. Without certain shifting focus versions of a figure, others lose a lot of value. This is especially noticable in the close combat Elektra who relies on the Sidestep/Stealth version to get in close. At the same time, if you pull any of the Dr.Strange’s, the specificity of their design will allow them to be useful regardless. It’s because of this that I’m going to suggest that you try a draft for this set. With the amount of figures that rely on other figures to increase their utility and effectiveness, draft becomes a much more interesting format where you might take a passed Wasp just to insure that the person you’re passing to doesn’t have the entire costume change set to fight with. It also helps insure that Dr.Strange’s end up with more Dr.Strange’s as those who have one are more likely to take another, and those without are less likely to pick one up.

001 Dr. Strange

What an incredible first figure. For 50 points you’re getting a great taxi with the potential for more if you pull other Dr.Strange’s. Even without them, he does enough to insure that you’re going to want to play him if you pull him. With the amount of Defenders in this set, you’ll have no trouble building around him, and his Defenders shared trait is one of the best, re-rolling a single die can make hitting your characters almost impossible depending on the initial roll. This figure insured that the shifting focus Dr. Strange’s will see play in competitive.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

002 Daredevil

Daredevil is a pretty standard close attacker, but he has a few things that seperate him from the rest. The best thing about Daredevil is his Improved Movement, which lets him ignore most terrain during his Charge. With 11 attack and 3 damage for that charge, he’s able to get a few surprising attacks off against players unaware of his movement. The other defining feature of Daredevil is his four range double targets, which gives him a little bit of ranged firepower and pairs perfectly well with his Incapacitate at the end of his dial. With the Marvel Knights trait, he can benefit from the defense of whichever Defender you pull, or be able to move without worrying about your action total with the Avengers team ability. Competitively there’s nothing to make him worth playing, leaving him in the awkward positio n of being a decent figure that can’t really hold his own against more specialized figures.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

003 Hulk

Hulk might not be the most exciting figure to look at, but damn is he worth 80 points. 7 clicks of life with great values for almost the entirety of his dial, and some awesome reducers, Hulk is a threat on every click, and with the right support from other Defenders, he’s very difficult to hit for any real damage. If you don’t feel like depending on the other Defenders, Hulk’s tough enough that it’s likely you can drop him into the middle of things with his free Quake and shrug off enough attacks to survive until next round where he can use the heavy object he has, or Flurry for 6-8 damage. There’s just so much strength on every click of his dial that I can’t not recommend playing him if you pull him. He’s not quite the Batman of Joker’s Wild or Cable from Deadpool and the X-Force, but he’s hard to deal with in his own right.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

004 Hawkeye

So Green Arrow wasn’t good enough? Really Wizkids? Everything that I said about Green Arrow in Joker’s Wild is equally true about Hawkeye, but more so. Hawkeye is identical to Green Arrow except he’s 10 points less, leaving you with a 6 range, 10 attack, 4 damage ranged attacker for 1/10 of your total points. There is no reason not to play this fantastic figure. There can’t possibly be a better common in this set can there?

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

005 Wasp

Wasp isn’t quite as exciting as Hawkeye, but for a 40 point Incapacitater, she’s excellent. She has everything you want when you’re working with Incap: 2 targets and Running Shot. With 19 defense top -dial and Tiny Size, Wasp is impossible to hit, especially at range. There’s not much else to say about her, like all the other shifting focus (or costume change in her case) figures, she gets better the more of her you pull, but by herself, she has enough tools to be useful.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

006 Vision

Remember when in UXM, we all thought it was incredible that a 50 point Colossus could have Invincible, but were disappointed when it didn’t have Willpower? Well, welcome to the Vision zone. With no range, average attack and low movement with Sidestep, Vision isn’t the most mobile character, but with two clicks of Invincible and three of Impervious, he’s incredibly defensive, and if he can get up close he’s Exploiting Weakness, or using his Close Combat Expert to boost his damage to a max of 5. There’s nothing bad about this Vision, and if you manage to pull the other Vision as well, it’s even better as it grants him a higher defense, and ranged attacks. This Vision will be blocking for your characters, or being carried in to wreck someone, I think he’s the best close-combat common, aside from maybe Hulk.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

007 Black Panther

30 point Outwit in the common section. He also has the Avengers team ability so you can move him without worry. Very, very good in sealed. If you pull him, play him. The rest of his dial is boring, and he can always shift to the decent close attacking #018 if anyone gets close to him. In constructed there’s a chance after the new rules that any Outwitter will be viable, especially one that becomes a decent 30 point attacker in a pinch.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

008 Luke Cage

Luke Cage is the best tie-up in the common slot, but as a close attacker he doesn’t really compare to Daredevil and Hulk. His defense power lets him reduce penetrating damage, but when one of the most dangerous ranged figures in this set is a common that can do 4 damage, it won’t really matter too much. This Luke Cage isn’t offensive enough and isn’t defensive enough to set him apart from the other close attackers in this set.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

009 Punisher

50 points for 4 damage at 8 range. Well, Punisher won this set. This is an insane common figure, and with the ability to put out that much damage at such a high range, he’s making any figure in this set with 3-4 clicks of life incredibly nervous. Punisher is the meta for sealed, every figure in this set will be compared to him for his point value. As a common he’ll be showing up in in likely 2-3 boosters in each brick insuring you’ll see him. The fact that on top of that, Punisher can be a Wildcard and shift into other versions giving him even more flexibility, makes this 50 points figure one of the most dangerous in the set.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

010 Iron Man

Iron Man’s dial is definitely a little lacking compared to the other figures in this set, but he does provide a reliable ranged attacker for a common, and that’s a great reason to play him. His dial is a mix between close combat and ranged combat, with very little ranged powers, and in the end of his dial, a great combo with Close Combat Expert and Super Strength. His trait is what makes him really reasonable, as it doesn’t leave him defenseless when he wants to regen, and gives you more direct control over what click he’s on during the game. Iron Man isn’t exciting to me in the least, but he’s kind of a work horse who can do whatever you need him to do on your team.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

011 Captain America

In a set with so few characters, you’re going to need more than three actions, and Captain America is giving you an extra action every second turn. Combat-wise his average range and values allow him to be a threat, but aren’t high enough for him to be relied upon. With no reducers down his dial, a clever opponent will be able to find a way through his powers, leaving him vulnerable. You need him for his Leadership power, especially if you’re playing an Avengers team. Remember when he rolls a 6 his powers don’t say “each other” allowing him to take a token off of himself. Competitively, he has a minor chance of seeing play on an Avengers team. Being able to pull tokens off of your entire team if they’re all within 5 of him is incredible, and giving an extra action 50% of the time isn’t shabby either.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

012 Iron Fist

Looking at Iron Fist’s dial I know he isn’t bad, but for some reason I can’t get excited about him. He’s a really decent close-combat figure, and maybe I’ve already become a little exhausted by the close-combat options in the common slot. If Iron Fist attacks you, he’s getting through reducers and Super Senses, but he’s only doing 2 damage, limiting the affect he will have, especially in a set where a majority of the figures are around 5 clicks long. The rest of his dial is Sidestep and Close-Combat Expert, allowing him to boost his damage to a reasonable 4. I wish his defensive powers were switched, as Super Senses could help him get in close, and Combat Reflexes fits better with his Sidestep/Close Combat Expert clicks. Finally he has Regeneration to get him back to the top dial potentially. He in particular benefits from the Marvel Knights trait, as his last two clicks of 9 damage don’t pair particularly well with his 2 damage, and you’ll be wanting to put as much into damage as possible. I think the Combat Reflexes top dial spoil this figure, as Punisher or Iron Man will have little trouble smashing him as he approaches.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

013 Whiplash

He’s certainly cheaper than a majority of the commons, but he doesn’t really seem to do much. As a ranged character, his range is too low to abuse, and a lack of move and attack outside of Sidestep gives him the same issues the rest of the close combat figures have. His special damage power isn’t reliable, and his attack values are too low to reliable hit a lot of this set. Whiplash can’t survive when he has a single click of 10 attack. Does that mean you shouldn’t ever play him? No, if you’re playing sealed and you NEED some range, he does have 3, but if you’re needing to play him, something has gone very wrong in your sealed pull.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 1/5

014 Wakandan Warrior

Wakandan Warrior takes the place as the worst common to pull in your pack. Without a Black Panther to go along with them, Wakandan Warrior isn’t doing enough by themselves to make up their 20 points. With Black Panther they’re a lot better with Willpower and Precision Strike, giving them the power to hit most characters. Without the Sidestep, I would completely pass on these guys, but not taking an action from your pool to move them gives them a little boost, not enough for me to heartily recommend them, but enough to not be a complete wash, yes, I’m talking about Mercenary. As I stated in the Punisher review, his 4 damage means that Wakandan Warrior is insanely vulnerable to a large percentage of teams (because seriously who ISN’T going to run Punisher?)

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

015 Hand Ninja

Well, not every generic can be good, as Hand Ninja proves here. He is a cheap source of Empower, but I’d rather pay 15 points for H.E.N.R.Y every time. If you’re running one in sealed, it’s solely for that Empower boost. This figure is just so confusing, his damage power Outnumber you from the shadows is a Unique Modifier, meaning only a single Ninja can Empower a friendly character a turn meaning that, while they might outnumber you from the shadow, that means as much as if there were two of them.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 1/5

016 Atlantean Warrior

Atlantean Warrior isn’t a bad generic, but he is a little vulnerable for 25 points. He’s a decent close attacker, and can reliably deal damage with his Close Combat Expert, but he won’t be anything more than filler on your team. 25 points isn’t too much to spend on him in sealed, but he definitely doesn’t have the legs to stand competitively. His damage potential is more than his points might suggest, but he’s just so darn vulnerable if he’s not up close, that I can’t easily recommend him.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

017 Elektra

This version of Elektra is the mobile version. With Sidestep and the ability to ignore hindering and elevated for movement, she can easily get places the other versions can’t. That being said, for 50 points, she’s more than strong enough to stand on her own without anyone to shift into. 19 Defense up close with Stealth and freedom of movement means that she can get close with very little to worry about, and offensively she can get through reducers with Exploit Weakness. All of this for 50 points is astounding. For the Marvel Knights trait, it’s definitely more useful to have Wildcard to copy the Avengers or Defenders team ability than the minimum 10 attack, when her attack only reaches a 9 on her last click. There just isn’t enough Perplex or effects that lower attack values to worry about being limited, especially when the Avengers team ability gives her so much versatility at 50 points. Watch for this in sealed and in competitive, as it’s just crazy for it’s 50 points.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

018 Black Panther

Black Panther is dangerous for 30 points, with a high attack and Blades or Exploit Weakness, even hitting once will more than likely make his points back. He’s also instantly killed by Punisher. Leaving him more than vulnerable. With other Shifting Focus figures, he’ll be easier to play, without them, he’s straightforward; he’s dangerous up-close but incredibly easy to pick off if you leave him overextended.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

Uncommons

019 Dr. Strange

First a pretty good taxi, and now an amazing protector. Shifting Focus Dr.Strange is looking like a fantastic figure to pick up. Carrying up two characters, and then giving them 18 defense and allowing them to heal after taking damage combos fantastically with stop-clicks, and offers some really unique protection to your characters. Even if Dr. Strange does end up taking damage from healing, he’ll have done his job in getting them up there. If they happen to be defenders, Dr. Strange is even better, reducing the damage their taking by 1 (only for one of the characters though) before the healing, which adds up to a potential 2 damage reduction to attacks. With the Super-Rare Swamp Thing, who has the Mystics team ability and a stop-click, Dr.Strange could force opponents to hit him to that stop-click a minimum 5 times, or force them to deal with his 18 defense first. This is a fantastic figure for sealed, don’t be surprised when you see him protecting a hoard of smaller point figures. Especially those with Energy Shield/Deflection, or Combat Reflexes, as those modifies stack on-top of the replacement value from Defend.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

020 Daredevil

This dial kind of makes me mad. We had a decent Daredevil in the common slot, and having an uncommon that’s cheaper but really doesn’t do anything different is a waste of a slot in my mind. This Daredevil isn’t bad, but he’s boring as anything. I understand the whole “reminiscent of the REV” dial design philosophy, but unlike Hawkeye, where they added an interesting and fun mechanic to the more bare-bones dial, both of the Daredevil’s have been unnecessarily straight-forward. Looking at the dial, it’s pretty great for 30 points. He’s still very vulnerable, but Super-Senses gives you a chance to survive most things. I’m finding it hard to find things to say about this figure, there’s so many close-combat figures, and while he’s not bad, he’s also so cheap that you might as well play him.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

021 Hulk

I’m really excited by the Hulk dials in this set so far, both are cheap but still feel like Hulk. I love the negative anger tokens that he gets, not just because it’s flavorful for grey hulk, but because I can already see my opponents trying to hit him over five turns, leaving the rest of my team to move up. To ko him with anger tokens, you have to hit him for 5 turns in a row, which just isn’t likely in sealed. After five turns, you would hope that Hulk would already be dead. When you’re facing this Hulk, Outwit his Invincible and then destroy him, it’s much easier than worrying about anger tokens. Regardless, this Hulk is insane for 75 points, with six clicks with excellent reducers and 4 damage down his dial. Make sure you watch out for Outwit, because it destroys him, aside from that, force your opponent to try to hit him every turn for five turns, while he tears apart almost any figure in this set.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

022 Hawkeye

This Hawkeye is clearly an upgrade to the common one, but this upgrade comes at a steep price increase of 25 points. The major upgrade comes in the form of the trick arrow power, that can give him Energy Explosion, Penetrating/Psychic Blast or Incapacitate. With 2 damage, a lot of these powers aren’t a ton better than his Ranged Combat Expert, but they give him some flexibility in dealing with different situations, and Energy Explosion is definitely useful in a set with such low point values, and filled with characters that rely on being adjacent to each other. Incapacitate is the power I’m most excited about him getting, because with his two targets, he can really screw up your opponents tempo, and shut down their biggest figures for a turn or two. This Hawkeye also gets a boost in damage, as it never falls below two, keeping him decently offensive throughout his dial, and with a click of Running Shot, he can stay mobile, though since this doesn’t work with his Ranged Combat Expert, it does reduce his offensive power. I’m a little more likely to play the 30 point common, even with his reduced power set and mobility, just because of the huge points difference that doesn’t quite add up to the

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

023 Wasp

Wasp is a nice little ranged attacker with Penetrating/Psychic Blast, Sidestep and an incredible 21 defense from range. On-top of that, Wasp has Leadership as if she was 100 points and on a roll of a 6 she adds two actions to your total. Play her. There’s absolutely no reason not to play her if you pull her, she’s everything you need from a figure. Difficult to take down, powerful enough to be dangerous, doesn’t take actions to be moved, and she has an incredible support ability. If you pull the other Wasp, who I also rated fairly highly, I would field both of them, because you can roll for Leadership, then swap out, and then as a free action the following turn, swap back and roll for Leadership again. Absolutely incredible.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

024 Vision

Well, If you thought having two amazing Wasp’s in this set was already too much, wait until you see this Vision. This is the ranged offensive Vision, and with the Sidestep from the common, He’s great. He also flies, so that you can use him as a taxi. Aside from that, without the other Vision he’s a little more on the average side, his high defense makes him hard to hit, but his offensiveness can be outdone by other uncommons. He’s worth playing, but he’s not going to be a game-changing figure.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

025 Swordsman

Swordsman isn’t a particularly frightening close attacker, but with the amount of swarm in this set, he can easily sneak in to hit with Blades, while protecting everyone else from your opponents blades. He’s not someone to build a team around, but his Sidestep lets him keep up without taking tokens, and his avengers team ability lets him place himself in a position to strike.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

026 Black Widow

This is the third figure with Incapacitate in this set that has 2 targets. They are also all lower points than Killer Moth. Thanks for further rubbing in what you did to Killer Moth. Anyways, Black Widow is a decent Incap user, with Running Shot, and she has the protection she needs from Stealth. The back half of her dial is weirdly similar to Vision, except with Close Combat Expert. There’s nothing here that makes her worth playing, but there’s also nothing offensive either.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

027 Karen Paige

This is a really, really cool idea for a figure. Just needing to be within 3 squares of an opposing character to modify the attack of all friendly characters insures that Karen will see play in every possible format. In sealed, you’re going to want to use her with a taxi, so that the taxi can move in, drop her off, and get the boost to their attack, but, even 20 point Perplex isn’t bad if you just want to push her to that. Competitively, I see her working out well with a OP Kit Dr. Octopus and Dr. Killebrew team. Dropping her off with the Doctors will result in a double flurry for 4 damage per attack. With any team, putting her in danger is giving you atleast one turn of +1 attack, and forces your opponent to deal with her, while the rest of your team works them over. She’s just excellent.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 5/5

028 Ben Urich

So far in this set there isn’t much Shape Change or Mastermind, making Ben a little lackluster. If you’re thinking of using him as a counter to characters running the Symbiote or Jakeem choosing Shape Change, don’t bother. Jimmy Olson does the same thing, but also removes Super Senses and on-top of that has Perplex. Ben’s for the most part, useless outside of blocking shots.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 1/5

029 Black Panther

This Black Panther looks a little less impressive after seeing Elektra, but with top-dial Outwit and strong values down his dial, he’s a sealed bomb. He benefits from the minimum 10 attack part of the Marvel Knights trait, and with the triple defensive combination of Stealth, Toughness and Super-Senses, he’s difficult to deal with, and with Leap/Climb he can reliably get into position to use his Outwit. Without any move and attack, he’s not going to be an aggressive figure. Outwit in sealed is always important, and in a set with a figure like Klaw, it’s even more important, as this single Uncommon figure can make a lot of the big tentpole figures incredibly vulnerable. In competitive, Black Panther doesn’t really have the powers or values to be consistent, and will get left behind for strong attackers, or more flexible support.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

030 Punisher

This is the Punisher to deal with close attackers. If anyone bases the common one, switching to this one will ruin their day, and keep him protected against close and ranged attacks. Not a great figure on his own, but is a fantastic addition to the Punisher arsenal. Don’t play him by himself, it’s probably not going to be worth it.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

031 Zaran

Zaran is an arguably better version of the common Hawkeye, with higher values, more Sidestep and traited damage powers, so that they can’t be Outwitted. Unfortunately, Zaran also only sports 3 range, which is a big difference to Hawkeye’s 6. That being said, Zaran definitely is worth the 30 points your spending on him, as he’s able to pump out 4 damage on every single click of his dial, regardless of whether your opponents are up-close or far away. With no defensive powers though, you’ll have to be careful Punisher doesn’t find him in his crosshair.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

032 W’Kabi

W’Kabi is another figure like Wakandan Warrior that really benefits from the presence of Black Panther, but unlike Wakandan Warrior, W’Kabi functions as a middle ranged ranged attacker in sealed. With 4 movement, 4 range Running Shot, he’s not good at threatening opponents, but he has the values to get through the defensive powers he needs to. He’s not your main attacker, or your first choice, but there’s a lot worse you could spend 60 points on. With Black Panther, W’Kabi can move up adjacent before Black Panther makes his attack to make an attack himself. This is pure value, and the +1 defense for Black Panther isn’t terrible either. Hopefully you pull a Black Panther other than the uncommon one, as the lack of move and attack makes activating his trait unlikely.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

033 Kirigi

Kirigi’s a hard character to judge. With six clicks of life, and a stop click for 65 points, it’s clear he’s playable in sealed, even if it’s rare you’ll use his free action to hurt your friendly Hand characters. The other problem is his first two clicks of Super Strength, Stealth and Leadership. With no Willpower, Kirigi’s going to have to push to use an object in a close attack, and with only Toughness protecting him, there’s a good chance he won’t even have the option to use the object. The nice thing about this is, if he does get pushed to his stop-click after moving up with an object, that object will provide him the hindering terrain for his stealth. It’s hard to say no to him, especially with the Exploit/Blades combination on half his dial, and for 65 points, I have to say tentatively to play him. Even if he’s only tie-up, he’s impossible to ohko, and his 18 defense with Stealth on his last click could keep him going for a while.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

034 Elektra

While this Elektra is great, I find it a little disappointing that she fills a similar spot to the last one. Yes, the last one did have Sidestep to set up this versions multiple close attack power, but, I would honestly prefer her 3 Exploit Weakness damage to rolling Blades most of the time. In saying that, I know this Elektra isn’t bad. In the Uncanny X-Men pre-release, I pulled the uncommon Sabretooth, who has a similar power, but, unlike Elektra, he also has Charge. This is my biggest issue with this figure, without a better movement power than Sidestep (and that’s only if you pull the common), I’m not sure that she will ever have the chance to use it against multiple figures. There’s a lot of potential in this figure, but I don’t think there’s enough support for her in this set to make use of it.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

Rares

035 Dr. Strange

The last shifting focus Dr. Strange is a supporting attacker who can boost up your allies as well. This is my least favourite version of the shifting focus Dr. Strange because his powers are straight-forward, but in a lot of ways it’s the most effective version too. His damage power is similar to that of Wiz-kid, but Wiz-kid isn’t also simultaneously a taxi, and a protector as well. This Dr. Strange is a powerful attacker, and an excellent support piece, who will be excellent for Hawkeyes and Punishers to crowd around before killing your opponents entire team. Competitively, I can see this being played, as it’s just another great dial, and more flexibility for an already great support piece.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

036 Swordsman

This is 50 points that I want to spend. Swordsman’s a slow, unprotected close attacker, but with Penetrating Blades/Claws/Fangs, you could do a lot worse. All his options for his blades are excellent, but Penetrating is going to be what you’re looking to do most of the time. Perfect for the Swordsman ID Card.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed 3/5

037 Black Widow

Imagine the last review I did for Black Widow, and imagine that she didn’t have two targets, and had three damage and Charge instead of Running Shot. Not loving it? Me neither. This rare Black Widow for the most part is worse than the Uncommon, with the exception being her last three clicks where her Close Combat Expert has a printed 2 damage instead of 1, and her having the Marvel Knights trait. Oh, boy. She’s not bad, but what a disappointing rare. I’d prefer the uncommon.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

038 Jessica Jones

Come on Wizkids… I’m not even upset that this Jessica Jones blows away in a mild wind, or that she her punches for most of her dial can’t even hurt someone who’s “tough”. I’m upset that this is a rare. It’s not that it’s particularly awful, she has one job, and she does it well, no one near her has Stealth. She can survive a lot of punishment for 15 points forcing your opponents to over invest their figures into taking her down. It’s just disappointing that at a sealed event, someone is going to pull Count Nefaria, and someone is going to pull Jessica Jones. There is some Stealth in this set, but it’s not nearly as bad as Deadpool and the X-Force (I’m still salty about playing against Cable), making Jessica not particularly useful in the sealed environment. Competitively I don’t think you’ll see much of her either. There’s still characters that ignore hindering for targeting, and only if Stealth comes back in a big way, will Jessica ever get a chance to shine.

Sealed: 0/5

Constructed: 2/5

039 Purple Man

Purple Man is one of my most wanted figures from this set, and it’s not entirely because he has the Thunderbolts keyword, a keyword that I must have all of. Purple Man can be unreasonably difficult to kill once he starts going, with the right support, Purple Man’s 12 attack Mind Control will effectively shut down any chances of killing him without Precision Strike, or a mass of characters to get through the Pheromone Tokens quickly. With two targets on his Mind Control, he’s dangerous without considering the tokens. This set has a lot of close-combat figures, and Purple Man can turn them back on your opponents, or just force them to move their entire distance away, so that you’ll have to waste a turn getting back in there. That being said, Purple Man has two major weaknesses: being based, and being hit before he gets tokens out. If Purple Man is based, he isn’t able to use his two targets to get out Pheromone Tokens and that leaves him more vulnerable. If he’s attacked before he gets the chance to attack, his only defense is Masterminding to a friendly character. Even with these weaknesses, if Purple Man can get a taxi to take him into the thick of things, he’ll have no trouble ruining your opponents plans. As soon as he has a token on him, he can freely base characters and block line of sight, and your opponents only way around it is Pulse Wave, Precision Strike or killing their own characters. In constructed he might not be as good as he is in sealed, but if he can get a hit off first (which is difficult without any mobility) he can force your opponent to deal with him.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

040 Count Nefaria

I never thought Count Nefaria would be this powerful, and a rare. If you pull Count Nefaria, play him. You have 100 points for support, you get three clicks all of super Regeneration. Not only that, but if he has one token, he can more than likely heal to or past another healing click. Watch out for Outwit and Count Nefaria will do the rest, and if you’re really worried about it, plant him in hindering and wait for them to come to you. Unbelievably powerful in sealed. He has a little less luster in constructed but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see him in some competitive events just due to how difficult it is to kill him.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

041 Foggy Nelson

Hello darkness my old friend…I’m not going to repeat what I said about Jessica Jones, because it all applies here too. Foggy Nelson might be a better figure than Jessica Jones, his power boils down to making an adjacent figure of 150 points or less a KC figure, which is really beneficial, but it’s a really crappy rare to pull in sealed. Please don’t do this Wizkids, sealed is not only half of the competitive WKO’s, but it’s supposed to be a casual format for new players. Figures like this help neither of those scenes.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 3/5

042 Gladiator

It’s been a while since we’ve seen ranged Blades/Claws/Fangs, and when the new rules come around, Melvin Potter here gains none of the buffs to Blades with his ranged attacks sadly. He’s maybe a bit over-costed for what he does, but he can deal some significant damage at range, and deal with some of the tankier close-combat figures, while being decently tanky himself. He’s at the whim of the rolls, but more than likely, he’ll be taking some points with him when he invariably is taken out. This is the definition of a middle of the road sealed piece. He does one thing pretty well, and if you can get him to do that thing in your games, more than likely he’ll make back the points you spent on him.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

043 Machete

He’s a cheap Blades user. Get him into adjacency, and let him swing away with a better than normal chance to get a 6. He’s also very, very fragile, so if you want to have a good time at your sealed release or prerelease, watch out for Punisher.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

044 Gargoyle

Gargoyle is a good addition to the defenders roster, and as a taxi he’s awesome. Since he does have Probability Control, it’s almost better to push him to reach it rather than stay on that top click. He’s a decent close attacker, no better than Swordsman, but don’t be distraught if you pull him, the high defenses in this set mixed with his Probability Control can be game changing.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

045 Nighthawk

What’s with all of the 8 movement Charge?? It’s really hard to deal with, especially when you’re dealing with an 8 range Punisher. Nighthawk has some great values, and some great powers making him a must play if you pull him. His Flurry, Outwit allows him to easily kill a lot of smaller characters in a single turn. Stealth keeps him from being picked off from range. Excellent attacker in sealed, just keep him top-dial for as long as you can.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

046 The Owl

The Owl is a average close attacker, that gets a significant sealed boost from his top-dial Outwit. If he didn’t have that Outwit, I would find it difficult to recommend him over any of the many other close attackers, but in sealed Outwit is a must. Traited Toughness makes him better at taking damage than he initially looks, but for the most part, you’re playing him for Outwit. Keep him safe, and use his flight to get him into position to take away your opponents powers.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

048 Nuke

Nuke is a very plain dial for 70 points, with all of his complexity coming from his trait. I love the concept of the pills, but for the most part you’re going to be choosing the Blue Pill top-dial, the White Pill when you clear tokens, and the Red Pill when you’re using his late dial charge. There’s a little more complexity then that, but for the most part the choice of pills will be obvious to you at the beginning of your turn. Nuke’s biggest strength is the combo of Energy Explosion and Precision Strike, which lets him more easily spread out damage to groups. Later his Super Strength, paired with a pill, can get past either Super Senses or Shape Change, giving him some nice variability. Overall Nuke is really straightforward, but his values never get low enough to be disappointing, but never get high enough to be outstanding. In sealed Nuke is one of the figures that I love to pull, as he can consistently push out damage and respond to different situations easily. With the ability to heal on-top of that, Nuke quickly becomes a workhorse for your team, and an easy include on any team you make.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

049 Porcupine

While I’m happy Porcupine finally got clixed, he’s neither a strong figure, or particularly comic accurate (no range?really?) Porcupine is a very basic tie-up figure that wants to be hit by your opponents biggest figure. He doesn’t have a reliable way to get up close, and after taking a hit, he loses his Plasticity and his ability to tie-up. Porcupine wants to put himself against characters that don’t want to take any damage, especially to knock figures off their top dial. Watch out for any ranged attacks, and maybe he’ll make back his point value. Tie-up is always useful in sealed, Porcupine can fit that role, and he is a little bulky for 40 points, but with a focus on forcing people to attack him, Porcupine doesn’t offer enough to be chosen over another figure.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

050 Batroc

Batroc is the most annoying 40 point figure possibly ever made. Batroc can reliably make an attack every turn he’s alive, until he’s knocked onto his last two clicks, where he picks up Exploit Weakness. Batroc will be the figure that tears away at your opponents protected supporting crew by moving up as far as he can, Sidestepping twice, and making a free attack. Every turn Batroc should be using his double Sidestep to get into position and making an attack, as he only needs an action token on himself to do this. Turn one, give him a move action, then Sidestep twice, turn two Sidestep twice, attack and clear. Turn three, make an attack, Sidestep twice and make another attack, Repeat infinitely. I can’t wait to use him to completely disrupt my opponents while the rest of my team gets into position. Underestimate Batroc at your own peril.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

Super-Rare

051 Dr. Strange, Earth’s Guardian

If you’re worried about another Deadpool, Merc with a Mouth, you don’t have to; Dr. Strange isn’t as good as he was. That being said, Dr. Strange is very, very far from being a bad figure, and with some healing, it’s likely he’ll make it up to 6 tokens before you can get to him, giving a global re-roll while he lives. That -6 power is the main reason Dr. Strange will be played, but he actually has a really great dial to go along with is. It starts off with Penetrating which changes to Exploit Weakness, insuring he’s unafraid of reducers, and his last two clicks make him more of a taxi and outwit supporter. When he’s not attacking, he’s wearing away at his dial giving adjacent characters higher damage, or the Mystics team ability; This is Dr. Strange’s biggest weakness, without the ability to heal like Deadpool, his 6 click dial is drained very quickly as he stalls for his -6. You need to play him with healing if you want to get that far, because it’s unlikely you’re going to be waiting until he can attack to start using his title character powers. With the right possessors, he’s going to be a pain to deal with in constructed. Once he gets to his re-rolls he can re-roll without line of sight or range, and it doesn’t count as using Probability Control, so Venompool can’t shut it off. I think in sealed he suffers a lot more from losing a click each time he activates, as it can quickly put him in a position to be ohko’d.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 4/5

052 Hulk

This is a more straight-forward Hulk than the last two, but even he has a few original ideas on his dial. Outwit and Perplex on a Hulk, let alone any big tent-pole is impressive, and his ability to heal when he ko’s an opposing character will definitely come into play. He’s a little lacking in the movement department with only three clicks of Charge. In sealed there’s no way you’re not playing this figure, with his long dial and useful supporting powers. In constructed there’s a good chance he’s outclassed for his points, but I can’t help but feel that he has a little potential. Maybe after the next, next rotation, Hulk will have a chance to shine, but as usual, tent-poles have a hard time in this game.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

053 Iron Man

Iron Man is a fantastic pick-a-power sealed pull. Throw him at your opponents weakest figures and pick them off with Hypersonic and Perplex or Precision Strike. Remember that as of right now you can’t choose the same powers you have on your dial, as you “can’t use his possessed speed, attack, and damage powers” meaning that even if you choose to use Running Shot, the “can’t use” cancels that out. He has a chance in competitive to be able to make a go of it. But with no wing symbol, he’s going to be outshined by other pick-a-power pieces.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

054 Captain America

Old Man Steve is a great support figure, especially when his movement actions don’t take from your action pool. With Perplex, Outwit and Leadership, he’s one of the best figures to pull for sealed, giving you all the support you need in a single 50 point package. His trait is a little, strange, and not just because the Doctor is one of the few figures who can heal other characters in this set. It’s useful, I just don’t know how to build around it. In constructed, there’s probably better figures to spend 50 points on, but his ability to take tokens off of characters of 200 points or less, and when their healed, help him synergize with tent-poles like Krang or Jakeem. Now when Jakeem pushes, if you have an action to spend to heal him, you can take off a token, and have him do it all again next turn. What really scares me is this trait with figures that heal automatically, like the Luke Cage from the Fast Forces, who heals whenever a second token is placed on him. That’s a never ending cycle, it’s just sad that Luke Cage probably won’t be seeing a ton of play. On the other hand, Deadpool, Merc with a Mouth will be seeing play, and his ability to heal, and then remove a token might just make this Steve meta.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

055 Man-Thing

Man-Thing is a bug bulky tank that’s going to be a centerpiece for any Defenders teams. His first two and last click are unexciting, with Phasing/Teleport, Poison, Toughness and Exploit Weakness. These powers don’t do anything for me, they’re fine, but it’s going to require you to move Man-Thing up, and offer him up for an attack and then utilize his Exploit Weakness. His middle 4 clicks are more offensive with higher values, 5 range and Penetrating/Psychic Blast. Man-Thing has three big things going for it, the first is its stop-click, which is excellent with its second hoon, the Mystics team ability. With Mystics, Man-Thing’s bulkiness is offensive, forcing attackers to take damage while he reduces that damage with his defensive powers. Finally Man-Thing’s shared trait is a double whammy that reduces penetrating damage and completely negating Mind Control. With other Defenders he’ll be a fun figure to run, without them, he has enough damage to push through figures while wearing them down with Mystics.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

058 Black Panther

I love characters that generate bystanders and other figures, but I just can’t get behind this Black Panther. The Wakandan Warrior figures are only okay, and they come at a steep 20 points. If you pull them in at their last click, you’re basically giving your opponent 20 points for free, as their 10 attack Precision Strike with no move and attack and no range isn’t going to be threatening. Even if you roll a 6 and bring in a figure on click 1, they’re only dealing 1 damage, but Sidestep helps insure you don’t have to pay to move them. I don’t see how this Black Panther works in sealed without pulling any Wakandan Warriors too. Kind of a disappointment all around.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 2/5

059 Klaw

Klaw is a strong sealed figure that Defensively, Klaw has a lot of protection either taking 2 damage or none with Super Senses, insuring his continued access to his special movement power. His movement power is similar to the teleporting shifting focus Deadpool, but unlike that figure who’s movement was an addition to an already powerful set of powers, Klaw feels limited by it. The potential for failure is so much more damaging on a 110 point tentpole figure, and if you don’t roll successfully, Klaw’s turn is wasted. Even with these failings, the potential for Klaw to teleport 6 spaces and Pulse Wave for 4 damage is impressive, and insures he’ll see play in sealed. If you face him in sealed, use his restricted range against him and attack him with a few smaller figures. All you need to deal with Klaw is two hits that deal atleast two damage, and his options will be completely restricted aside from Telekinesis.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

060 Dormammu and Loki

Coming in at either 220 or 150, Dormammu and Loki will be taking up a majority of your team. The biggest issue with playing them at 220 is that they don’t have any protection from Outwit, leaving them vulnerable to losing the 70 points you’re spending on their first 3 clicks. Besides that, either point value is giving you an impressively strong tent-pole figure that pumps out fantastic Mindless One bystanders. Every game you’re going to get atleast three bystanders as long as you remember to place down your objects at the beginning of the game, and on-top of that you’re going to get one if any of your figures die, or if any opposing character is replaced. That’s not going to happen in a set with like 10 shifting focus figures is it? There is some immense value here. In constructed, the Mindless One tokens activate after an I.D call in as well, or whenever someone brings in a bystander, giving your team even more value, especially if you can block line of sight to Dormammu and Loki with the newly placed bystander. Of course, they’re also a pretty mean attacker with 8 range, making them worth playing even if you aren’t getting Mindless Ones, but you are definitely getting Mindless Ones.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

062 Moon Knight

What a disappointment. Atleast for me, this Moon Knight just doesn’t do anything to add up to 110 points. His trait lets him remove tokens when your figures that damage from attacks, and when a figure is K.O’d he’s placed in the space they were in. Nothing in that trait is particularly useful or broken. I’m just confused honestly, he’s just so many points for a middling brawler with a stop-click. He’s a pretty decent pull in sealed, but doesn’t offer himself a lot of protection. Why doesn’t he have Stealth? Ugh. He’s a pretty straight-forward figure, hopefully he’s always taking tokens off of himself (or maybe not if that means your team is being smacked around), and he can push out damage every turn. There’s not going to be a lot of complexity here.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

063 Ant-Man

80 points might seem steep for a figure with limit offensive potential, but with the ability to be carried, and catch rides with opposing characters, while using his Perplex power to stop them from attacking him, he can be a hugely irritating character. It only becomes dangerous for him when he ends up in the middle of a group of your opponents, as he doesn’t have enough protection to survive any amount of focused aggression. Keep him beside your opponents biggest figures to slow them down while you tear away at them, insuring they can’t hit you. Ant-Man requires precise choice to make effective, but the payoff can be huge if done right.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

064 Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider is pretty great at all point values, but you’re probably going to want to run him at 75 points to get the benefit of his longer dial, and his special full movement ram style power. His 75 point option also gives him the same 11 attack as his 100 point line, but also a higher defense. The best thing going for Ghost Rider is Indomitable, something few characters have in this set. If he can use his Sidestep to catch a few figures off guard, he can quickly mow through through your opponents team, especially in this set that’s dominated by close attacker, Ghost Rider’s full movement can place him far enough away to ensure he can’t be attacked back. Use the placement from his power to further line up your opponents figures for the next turn. In constructed, I could see his 75 and 50 point lines being played. Moving 9 squares and dealing 2 Penetrating damage is pretty great, and if you’re only spending 50 points to do it it’s probably worthwhile to concider.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

065 Valkyrie

I know there’s going to be a lot of mixed opinions on Valkyrie, but I absolutely love her. If you’re playing any other Defenders, her shared trait gives everyone more survivability, and with the Wing Symbol and Sidestep she can act as a transporter for your other Defenders characters. Outside of the Valkyrie has a incredible trait that allows her to move in a straight line, and after moving through characters making attacks against each of them with either her 3 damage or a Blades/Claws/Fangs roll for each character. The quality of the trait is lessened by the way peanut base movement is ruled (you choose one square of her base to move from),but this does let her threaten twice the area of a single base character. For the most part, her opponents don’t even need to be grouped up, just in a 9×2 area infront of her, and with Sidestep, that offers a lot of options. I see Valkyrie being paired with Doop, who can rearrange all characters within 4 spaces of him to set up your opponents perfectly for Valkyrie, and on a the roll of a 5, can give her Willpower for a turn. Valkyrie is a killer in sealed, but suffers from a lack of willpower and reducers, but when you’re paying 75 points for a figure that can murder everything in front of them, there needs to be a downside.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

066 Black Knight

Black Knight is very similar to Valkyrie and Ghost Rider, except when he runs across his opponents, he can use Exploit Weakness. 3 Penetrating damage is better than 2, which makes Black Knight possibly better than 75 point Ghost Rider, atleast on the first few clicks. Flight makes him a decent taxi. Everything else is basically the same as Valkyrie, except his trait heals himself instead of other characters. I prefer Valkyrie’s Blades over his Exploit, just because the damage from her doesn’t fall as she takes damage, but with a Perplex, the Exploit is far more reliable.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5