001 Spider-Girl

Spider-Girl is a decent start to the set. She’s not the first character you’re going to want to add to your team, but her power set is far from useless. Sidestep is going to let her keep up with the rest of your team without using your actions, and her IM Elevated and Hindering insures she can always get into the position you need her in. She has two purposes on your team, using her two targets and Incapacitate to throw tokens at your opponents 5 squares away, or get up close and use her Close Combat Expert to deal up to 3 damage. The multiple options of engagement make Spider-Girl a great filler figure, but she’s pretty low impact. She’s better than a lot of Incapacitate users because of her somewhat strong close attacks, but she needs to use it on damage just to compete with the rest of the set. With high defense values, Spider-Girl isn’t a bad tie-up figure either, and can keep herself safe on the front-line and as a wildcard, she’ll be able to pick up the best team abilities you have.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

001b Venom

This prime doesn’t excite me as much as I wished it did. There’s just nothing particularly special about a close figure with the obligatory Alien Symbiote trait. That being said, she’s a decent enough pull in sealed to make her worth playing. The 18 defense with the double roll-out from Super Senses and Shape Change makes her tricky to hit, and her average values keep her somewhat threatening as she ties up your opponents. Her two special powers are interesting, if not particularly useful, the first allowing her Incapacitate to target other characters nearby the original target, and her defense power granting Improved Targeting: Hindering to herself and adjacent allies. It’s too bad there’s nothing here to make her extraordinary, or worthy of a prime slot, because as it stands now, she’s more like a middling uncommon figure. Useful in the right circumstance, but far from the must play she should be.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

002 Silver Sable

Silver Sable is the definition of sealed filler. She’s got an incredibly average dial, with almost no protection, and a mix of ranged and close attacks throughout her dial. What makes Silver Sable fantastic, is her trait that lets her take named keywords, to complete theme teams. In a format where re-rolls are almost impossible to come by, theme team Probability Controls are a godsend. Silver Sable can be that last addition to your team, giving you a 50 point body with Leadership, and just enough strength to be an asset on your newly minted theme team. If she didn’t have that trait, she would be a space-filler for sealed teams, her dial just doesn’t do anything particularly well. Mastermind works well with her trait, but is there a lot of figures that you would rather take the damage?

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

003 Lizard

Lizard is a very straightforward close attacker with two traits that benefit him greatly. Just looking at his dial, Lizard is a middling close combat figure with an extended 6 click dial for his 50 point cost. None of his clicks are too exciting, and with only a single click of Charge followed by two with Sidestep and his low damage requiring the use of Blades/Claws/Fangs at every point on his dial. Luckily, Lizard has two traits to offset this. The first is the shared Sinister Six trait (a copy of the secret six trait from Harley Quinn and the Gotham Girls) which grants him an increasing amount of abilities as your force grows, capping off at a exact 6. For Lizard, the Stealth and IM: Hindering help a lot, giving him a little more protection to get into the fight, and no figure is ever going to turn down +1 to all stats, but overall the trait doesn’t raise his stats to incredible levels. His defense can be hard to deal with (17 Combat Reflexes and Stealth), but he’s still relying on a roll for damage, and still doesn’t have the mobility to make use of it. His second trait let’s him heal a click if he’s on an even click number, and he has no action tokens. It’s so niche that you might never get a chance to use it, especially since Lizard has Willpower, but It’s a fine thing to have around when it actually can be used. Lizard just misses the mark, and becomes another below average close attacker.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

004 Morbius

The next Spider-Man villain we’ve got another close attacker, and the first common vampire we’ve seen in quite some time. As a vampire dial, Morbius has a lot of potential, being able to heal up to a 12 attack, 19 defense and 4 damage click is everything goes the way you want it. The thing about vampire dials is it almost always goes the way you don’t want it to. Morbius is a mixed bag in this way. He’s got the move and attack and Willpower you want to get him to that top-dial, but he doesn’t have any protection on his starting click, and is depending on a 17 defense to keep him alive. That being said, he’s also got the always useful Outwit on that starting click, meaning that even if he can’t get in to make an attack, he can be useful for your team. The one thing that pushes Morbius into being a playable figure is his flying. There just aren’t many taxis in this set, and having one in common that can Outwit, and become a strong close attacker on a rare occasion is too good to pass up. With all the powerful figures like Black Bolt around, you’re going to want an Outwit, and here it is, stapled to a weird close attacker with paper thin defenses.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 1/5

005 Rhino

Rhino has more mobility, reducers and damage than Lizard, but has no Willpower and less clicks. You choose what you would rather have, but Rhino always having Knock-back and IM: Blocking pushes him over the top for me. He might not be able to act as consistently as Lizard, but he packs a bigger punch, can get where he needs to be easier, and can take more hits (as long as Outwit isn’t around). For my money, he’s the better option than Lizard, but neither would be my first choice, unless I’m building Sinister Syndicate. That being said, Rhino’s probably worth the investment for the few times he can run through a wall, and surprise your opponents, while hiding in the newly made hindering terrain. With +1 he’s actually a real menace, with Stealth to avoid Outwit, and a massive 4 damage with knock-back, but I don’t see having that bonus consistently without a character who generates bystanders.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

006 Sandman

Sandman is a weird figure with incredibly limited pick-a-power, that could make him a great cheap common for every team. When Sandman has no tokens, he’s a treasure trove of possibilities, with access to every power on his dial. Most often I imagine you’ll be choosing Invulnerability, to keep him safe on that top dial with Shape Change and Super Senses as he Sidestep’s into the fray, but when he needs to get in, his Charge + Sidestep gives him a surprisingly long swing. He’s even a decent tie-up figure with access to Plasticity on every click, and the double roll-out to protect him. His values are the definition of average, but with his collection of powers and the potential of his trait, he’s a decent 50 point option.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

007 Tinkerer

Look, he’s got Empower and Enhancement for 30 points and an 18 defense and Stealth to keep him safe. That’s probably already worth your time, but he’s got more! Perplex at the end of his dial, and the ability to generate objects! Tinkerer is the addition to your Sinister Syndicate teams, or any team that needs to fill 30 points.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 25

008 Vulturion

Here’s a cheap taxi for your less cheap figures. 20 points for 8 movement with a Sidestep makes him another great addition to your team. Does he do anything else? No, but he doesn’t need to. In constructed, it’s a new taxi for your Sinister Syndicate teams, and they love taxis.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

009 Police Sergeant

The next generic is surprisingly similar, with focus on close attacks and Incapacitate. Police Sergeant does a lot of stuff, but that stuff doesn’t really work together. He’s got half of a Plasticity, with Charge, making him decent up-close, but he wants to be up there with others so they can benefit from his Empower. If he’s up close, then his Police team ability is being wasted beyond having it copied by a wildcard. In one way it makes him good no matter where he has ended up, but in another much more real way, it makes him fairly lackluster.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

010 The Hydra

In the third installation of “Is this generic any good?” we’re looking at the hive mind themselves, The Hydra. For 20 points, The Hydra’s coming up with 4 clicks of life, with surprisingly dangerous figure with Exploit Weakness and Super Strength at the top of his dial, and Close Combat Expert and Plasticity at the end. With his trait, he’s also got a great attack value, with an 11 up top and a 10 throughout. The big let down is his defense. With a awful 16 Willpower, The Hydra is almost a liability with how easy he is to hit and kill. If you’re applying the right amount of power with the rest of your team, throwing a guy who can hit through reducers adjacent to an opponent can steal a victory. If you send him up at the wrong time, you’re just handing away 20 points. There’s value here, but if you’re not confidant about using it correctly, don’t put him on your team.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

011 The Hydra

The second Hydra generic is worse than the first, with a focus on ranged attacks, but with only Incapacitate and Sidestep on their top-dial, there’s very little chance they’ll be doing much. To the later half of their dial they pick up Ranged Combat Expert, and there’s nothing bad to say about that. It’s paired with Plasticity, a strange combination, and they’re still as fragile as the previous The Hydra, not giving them a great chance at doing anything during a game. The only use I see is in modifying friendly Hydra members attack, and that’s only if you pull another good ranged attacker for Hydra.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 1/5

012 Red Union Jack

Holy crap, how is this only 30 points? Red Union Jack is an incredible 4 clicks of life for a very low price. He starts out with two clicks of Running Shot and a special Energy Explosion that deals 3 damage instead of 2, ensuring that they can break through reducers. With Running Shot, Red Union Jack has a 13 range swing, and even if he’s just hitting a single target, hes doing enough damage to make his point value back. After taking some damage, this generic is picking up Perplex and Smoke Cloud, insuring that the 30 points you spend on them doesn’t stop working for you. Red Union Jack is a surprisingly real threat in this sealed environment where his Energy Explosion can deal enough damage to cripple weaker enemies, while still chipping away at powerful ones.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

013 Spiders Man

Spiders Man’s value is shutting down Outwit and Perplex after hitting with an attack, or any other free action available to his target. That being said Spiders Man has a mediocre swing of 6 with limited damage potential. Maybe he’ll have value, but I don’t think he can be put into positions to be of use before being easily removed. He’s true value comes from his second and third click Perplex. 30 points for a Perplex that you have to push for is a stretch, but any support powers you can get in sealed are worth it. There’s a good chance that I’d put him on a team for that Perplex, but he’s no Red Union Jack.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

014 Black Panther

Black Panther isn’t quite on the level of some of the power commons in previous sets, but he’s just got so much on his dial, that he can’t possibly be bad. His biggest positive is the combination of Stealth, Super Senses and Combat Reflexes that he’s got on his first two clicks. In hindering it makes him nearly impossible to ferret out, and with his Outwit and super Leadership, he can sit in there while assisting the rest of your force, until he wants to leave safety to roll some dice. With Precision Strike and Blades/Claws/Fangs, he’s an incredibly dangerous close attacker. On-top of all of that, he’s able to ignore hindering and elevated, making him an even better Outwitter who can easily get into prime position to use it. This is a fantastic figure that will be a real threat in sealed, but won’t completely break the format either.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 2/5

015 Spider-Man

Spider-Man might not be as agile as he used to be, but with his new physique, he brings a whole new array of toys for you to make use of. At 30 points, Spider-Man is a pretty acceptable support figure, with access to the Police Team Ability, Support and Perplex on his dial. Furthermore, Spider-Man can move out to pick up friendly characters as if they were objects, and place them adjacent, rescuing them from dangerous situations or carrying them into one. As an offensive character, Spider-Man is worthless; Even as a support figure, Spider-Man’s kit is niche, and hard to pull off. He’s got a unique role as a finesse support figure, who’s abilities don’t quite add up, but can all be incredibly useful if used correctly.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

016 Karnak

Karnak is another average close attacker, but one who’s downfall is his low damage value. Precision Strike keeps him dealing damage, but it means he’s the figure to start the attack, not the one to finish it. His special power furthers this line of attack, removing opposing characters modified defense values, making him particularly useful at getting rid of Combat Reflexes on characters hidden in stealth. What makes Karnak a fantastic figure though, is the awesome support powers throughout his dial. Perplex and Probability Control make him an almost must play figure, and with the Inhumans shared trait, he’s potentially able to double Perplex himself when he’s not on his starting click. While I don’t love that trait, I can see it being useful in drawn out games.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

Uncommons

017 Jackal

Jackal is a weird figure with a lot going on, but at his core he’s an expensive 75 point support figure with a semi-useful healing ability. Before we dive in on his trait, let’s look at his dial. Without range or move and attack, Jackal isn’t much of an attacker. His special damage power gives him Outwit and Shape Change and lets him use his Outwit against any Spider people regardless of range and line of fire. This power is paired with Stealth, Combat Reflexes and Poison, making him a defensive figure that you want to stick in hindering, and force opponents to come to. After taking damage he loses it all in favor of Sidestep and Perplex/Close Combat Expert, leaving him high and dry. Jackal’s trait is the most exciting element of his kit, but I don’t think it’s going to be as good as it looks. He is able to heal a friendly character up to 3 clicks, but when that character takes damage, they take unavoidable damage equal to the amount healed. It’s good for insuring your figures are on their best clicks, but it doesn’t actually stop them from being killed, beyond allowing them to use their better reducers more often. It’s a cool concept, but I don’t foresee it being game changing without a specific character to pair it with. As it stands, Jackal is an expensive option, but bringing a hard to remove Outwit to the table is more than worth the points, especially when he can bring a new level of efficiency to his teammates dials. Now it doesn’t matter if someone knocks your beatstick off of their best click, Jackal will return them to it.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

018 Ezekiel Sims

Ezekiel is the second coming of Karnak, an average close attacker with a really useful support power. Ezekiel is an easy to access to Probability Control, and that’s all he needs to be to see play. Outside of his re-rolling capabilities, Ezekiel is a straightforward Charge/Super Strength figure that turns into a Plasticity/Close Combat Expert to tie-down anyone that he’s gotten close to. That being said, hopefully Ezekiel isn’t on the front-line, because that’s putting his Probability Control in danger. If it sounds like I’m putting too much emphasis on the one power, you’re wrong. This is a necessary power in sealed. Ezekiel’s last trick is his special traited Barrier that lets him use it, and create a single extra barrier adjacent to a Spider-Man Family character, including himself. This just helps protect him, and keep that sweet re-rolling around.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 2/5

019 Vulture

Toomes is another great Sinister Syndicate member, and one who can carry everyone else. He’s got some good close combat powers, and picks up Outwit at the end of his dial. With the bonuses from his trait, and the bonus of having Energy Shield when targeted by a character with the boot symbol. He’s a taxi that provides enough power to be a worthwhile close attacker even if he doesn’t have anyone to carry.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

019b Vulture

The Prime Vulture is a mean 50 points, that will absolutely destroy swarm teams on his first few clicks. As long as your dice are hot, Vulture will be the scourge of bystanders and colossals alike as he chains together Charges from character to character. With Super Strength, Charge and the potential for two Sidesteps, Vulture is a danger to a lot of figures in this set, and can move a massive 9 squares to attack for 5 damage with knock-back. The only problem with Vulture is that after his first two clicks, his dial becomes far less congruous with his trait, losing the printed 3 damage in favor of Close Combat Expert, making the follow up Charge far less effective. For 50 points though, he’s about as good as you can get for a close attacker. That being said, he’s still a close attacker and isn’t a must play figure in sealed, unless your opponent is running a lot of weak generics.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

020 Crime Master

4 clicks of life for 40 points doesn’t bring a lot of confidence, but Crime Master is way better than he looks on paper. With the triple combination of Shape Change, Stealth and Mastermind, Crime Master is a lot harder to get rid of than he should be, especially when he can make his own bystanders to mastermind to. The shared New York Crime Boss trait provides Leadership that can either remove tokens, or generate Hired Flunkies, bystanders that can deal penetrating damage and carry other characters with their Underworld Team Ability. So now Crime Master has the benefit of being a potential taxi for characters he shares a keyword with, on-top of having Outwit top-dial and Empower later. Finally, if you can get through his bystanders to him, he’s going to be giving away his Shape Change to another friendly characters, making your team even harder to deal with. I like him for the Outwit and for the bystanders to block up lines of fire and tie up opponents, and I think he’s almost guaranteed to see play on my team if I pull him.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

021 Fancy Dan

Fancy Dan isn’t much more than a 30 point body with Ranged Combat Expert strapped to it, and a decent trait that makes it much easier to make him part of a theme team. If you manage to pull enough Enforcers, he can let them make free attacks, but just having him doesn’t mean you should play other Enforcers. Fancy Dan can do enough himself to make him worthwhile that you don’t need to include other below average Enforcers to make use of his damage power. He’s really nothing more than a solid secondary attacker. In constructed he might have some value by allowing free attacks from other Enforcers, especially powerful characters who can take keywords like Eternity.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

022 Montana

Montana is almost the exact opposite of Fancy Dan, as he’s a 30 point figure with almost no impact on the battlefield, and no real way of dealing damage, and instead relies on his special power to lower the combat values on his target. Rarely is that better than actually dealing damage, but maybe he’ll surprise you. He’s got low values, bad standard powers and tends to be a waste of an action.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 1/5

023 Ox

Ox is another member of the Enforcers, and he lands somewhere between Fancy Dan and Montana, as a cheap close combat figure with surprisingly high values, he can be a real annoyance with the potential to break through reducers, and Willpower to keep up his threat. The second half of the dial turns him into more of a tie-up figure, with all the powers you would want on a figure adjacent to one of your opponents. He’s a great filler figure for a aggressive team, forcing your opponents to waste resources on a 30 point figure instead of your bigger pieces.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

024 Electro

Electro is a pretty straightforward ranged attacker with a big trick up her sleeve. With 7 range, and a 4 movement Running Shot, she’s able to get her impressive penetrating Energy Explosion 11 squares away, cutting through everyone who doesn’t have Invincible. She’s got a great range, useful powers down her dial, and better than average values. On-top of all that she’s got the Sinister Six United trait, giving her Stealth to back-up her average defenses, and the potential for some incredible stats if you’ve got 6 figures on your team. This is a figure that anyone would be happy to pull in sealed. It’s cheap, useful, and easy to keep safe from your opponents. Even without building a six figure team, Electro has a lot going for her.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

025 Luke Cage

Luke Cage is a bulky tank with a lot of tools for a extensive 100 points. He’s a close combat bruiser with Charge and buffed Quake, while also being a decent support with Leadership and the Police Team Ability, as well as a tie-up figure with Plasticity. Even with all of that, I just can’t recommend this Luke Cage. He’s surprisingly fragile with 17 defenses down the dial, and with the amount of Outwit in this set, he’s a single turn from being killed. Even in constructed, he’s not someone I’m going to be looking to add to my Police team, as he doesn’t benefit from the Police team ability, he’s expensive as anything, and he can’t be smacking people with his Quake if I’m using him for the Leadership. He’s just too expensive.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

026 The Hydra (Falcon)

Falcon is a close combat taxi that has a combination of powers that I never enjoy, Energy Shield/Deflection and Charge. Getting him up close is just insuring that his target can smack him back without much worry, and his awesome taxi trait is limited solely to other Hydra members. With his shared +1 defense against ranged attacks, he’s going to be awesome for Hydra constructed teams, but as the close attacker he is in sealed, there’s no point in considering him if you don’t need a taxi. He’s worth playing solely because of his Flight symbol, and even though he has absolutely no protection up-close, he’s dealing enough damage, and causing enough disruption at the end of his dial to be valuable.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

027 The Hydra (Sharon Carter)

While I’m not a huge fan of Running Shot and Combat Reflexes, it’s a good defensive power to keep people off of your ranged attackers. What doesn’t make sense is her special damage power. It requires her to be adjacent to stop characters from healing. Why would you want your ranged attacker to be adjacent to anyone? Regardless, Sharon is a 60 point ranged attacker that plans on giving out tokens and dealing chip damage with Precision Strike. With move and attack only on her top-dial, she’s not the most aggressive figure, but with the follow up combination of Reflexes and Stealth, she’s actually an decently hard to kill figure that can output enough damage to be an annoyance. She’s also got Perplex and Improved Targeting: Characters to make her a surprisingly great addition. I went into this write up with significant distaste for this dial, but I wouldn’t mind throwing her up front into some hindering and force your opponents to deal with her, or let her ping them with Precision Strike. With her trait, she’s sitting at a massive +3 defense against close attacks, making her a difficult figure to get out of hindering.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

028 Blue Union Jack

Like the Red Union Jack, Blue here is a decent ranged attacker for a reasonable price. With Running Shot and Penetrating/Psychic Blast, Blue Union Jack can be a real threat to the bigger figures in this set, if he can hit. With a meager 10 attack, that steadily falls as he takes damage, Blue isn’t going to reliably hit without assistance. Even if he’s not the best attacker at 50 points, Blue brings with him Enhancement and a special Leadership that grants friendly characters +1 attack when it succeeds, giving a much needed boost to your team 1/3 of the time. In sealed I think there’s no reason to pass him up when he provides a secondary attacker and some minor support in a single package. It’s incredible how much a +1 attack helps when you’ve got limited support powers. In constructed I could see some fun janky teams built around a two or three of them, since their Leadership power isn’t a Unique Modifier, giving you the potential for a +2 or +3 attack for your entire team.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

029 President Osborn

I think President Osborn might be up there with the best figures in the set. He’s a 50 point figure with the New York City Crime Boss trait that generates the bystanders, something that’s never bad to have on a team, plus he can choose a character of 75 points or under or who has the Sinister Syndicate keyword, and Perplex two of their values as long as they’re within 4 of him. With the new Sinister Syndicate trait, you’re going to be looking for ways to get up to a force of 6 characters, and Osborn makes it easy with his henchmen. His dial isn’t anything special, it starts bare, and becomes a below average close attacker as he takes damage, but it doesn’t really matter because his two traits alone make him worth playing. So many of the figures in this set are middle of the ground attackers, but with a +1 to attack and damage, they become incredible. President Osborn makes it all possible, just play him.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

030 The Skull

I really, really like The Skull, and I’m one of those people that hates the new Mind Control rules. The Skull has two ways of using Mind Control, the first is with 3 targets at a measly 4 range. The other is with one target, at infinite range. So as long as The Skull can see someone, he can Mind Control them. He’s 40 points and he’s got a 12 attack, and on the right map, there’s nowhere where you’re safe from him. He’s also got two stop-clicks with Mastermind and a Perplex at the end of his short 3 click dial, making him hard to take down as well. The reason I’m so excited, is the thought of using him against colossal retaliators. When your opponent has two retaliators, it’s going to be extremely fun to grab one of them and smash it into the other one, or grab a nearby figure and hit a retaliator with them. Even if you trigger their retaliation, unless its Surtur, there’s no way for them to kill The Skull, as his stop-clicks will keep him alive. The biggest issue with him are his keywords, or more accurately keyword, Earth X. It doesn’t provide enough support for the rest of his team at this moment, and without a theme team, it’s unlikely you’ll be getting the maps you need to make him shine.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 5/5

031 King Britain

The King is the figure that benefits most from the Stiff Upper Lip trait with his long dial full of reducers, and decent offensive prowess. Sadly, King Britain also suffers from a really weird mid-dial where he loses all his mobility, and his values become as average as they can. That’s why King Britain isn’t going to be anywhere near a must-play. Against a good player, King Britain is a 120 points of liability. Knock him for a few damage, and he loses a lot of his potential threat, with no range and no mobility, knock him one more time, and he’s more dangerous, but almost dead. Mystics helps make him a less than ideal target, but I really don’t like his dial. His defense power gives his whole team a boost if he’s the closest ally to your opponents starting area. It’s nice that it boosts his defense to a 19, but it’s also making him a major target. If you can balance his aggressive nature with his slightly lackluster dial, maybe he can work for you, but I would pass him up most of the time.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

032 Black Knight

Black Knight has a lot of text on his card, yet it really doesn’t mean very much in the long run. His dial is pretty short with only 6 clicks of life for 100 points, and his attack never get’s high than a 10. Even with Terrigenesis Twice and his own Perplex, it’s limited to the end of his dial where he’s only got Regeneration to protect himself. It’s also where his Pulse Wave hides out. There’s more synergy here than I initially thought, but he’s still far too expensive for what he provides.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

Rare

033 Namor

If there’s water on any of the op kit maps, Namor is going to be killer. With a 5 movement Charge/Flurry on his 130 point dial, followed up by Poison, he’s able to crush through a lot of the squishier foes in a single turn. With access to water Namor becomes a true pain, sitting at a massive 20 defense. I probably would pass up the lower point value because of it’s lower impact. Either way, without water, I really don’t plan on playing Namor. Without that boost to his defense, he’s not much more than your average bruiser.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

034 Doctor Octopus

Doctor Octopus is an absolutely fantastic addition to the Sinister Six regardless of what point value you play him at. If you’re lacking for an Outwit, pay the extra 25 points and get the bonus to his attack and defense, as well as access to Mastermind. I like the Outwit, but I’d much prefer the Combat Reflexes, especially combined with the Stealth from his trait. Either way you’re getting access to a wonderful collection of powers Doctor Octopus has access to. Energy Shield/Deflection, Carry 2, Free movement, or Flurry, are all amazing options, especially when he gets the boost from his trait and with his access to Sidestep. With all of his options, he’s just too good to pass up.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

035 Beetle

Beetle’s a nice follow-up to Doctor Octopus as another split cost, 4 clicks for 50 points figure. He might not have the options that the doc has, but his incredible 6 or 7 movement Running Shot with a 6 range, gives him an incredible reach, and his Perplex insures he can get through reducers. He’s going to be a mainstay in Sinster Syndicate teams where his Leadership trait insures that his team can get to a massive 12 attack. With Super Senses, Toughness and Stealth, Beetle is even tough to hit for a significant amount of damage. His values are a little iffy, but with the Perplex and the potential +1 from his trait, he can be a surprisingly strong attacker. In constructed his Beetle pod brings some interesting possibilities as equipment, even if it’s not the strongest in the set. Flight helps characters with grounded Hypersonic Speed and Running Shot and the Toughness is a nice bonus for some characters. The biggest boon in my eyes is the +2 Speed for characters with Charge and Running Shot. An extra two squares of movement can really bring the power level up on those powers.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 4/5

036 Alistair Smythe

Alistair Smythe is a 50 point close combat figure with Charge, Flurry, Blades and Outwit, for two clicks of his 50 point dial. Yeah, he’s incredibly powerful for his cost. The last two clicks of his dial aren’t anything special, as he becomes little more than a tie-up figure, but I don’t think there’s much more you can ask from 50 points. His anti-Spider-man family trait is going to see a lot of use in sealed where Spider-men and women are everywhere, and an extra penetrating damage regardless if you hit or miss them is incredible. Finally, Smythe comes with the Mini-Slayer, an object that grants him Super Senses on a 6, and when he hits, he forces it on your opponent, slowing them down, and equipping their objects. Then he can create another one to do it again. He might not have many targets to remove equipment from, but the added protection and the speed modification make him a real threat for a cheap price point. The Mini-Slayer is my favourite piece of equipment in the set. It provides minor protection and the bonus of taking away opponents equipment when it hits, then slows them down for the rest of the game.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 5/5

037a Spider-Man

This is a pretty exciting take on Spider-Man with a ton of mobility, and good values throughout his dial. He’s one of the few Spider-Man figures to start with Running Shot, and with 4 range, and 3 damage, he’s not a pushover either. Probability Control and Perplex give him value as a support figure, and his Improved Movement let him get in and out of anywhere. Spider-Man also has a retaliation ability that lets him be placed next to anyone that attacked, not even damaged, a Spider-Man Family character (including himself), letting him make two attacks a turn consistently. This is an insane trait that lets Spider-man get into battle from a huge distance away and make an attack, even if the only attack made by your opponent was an attack that you rolled out of with Spider-Man’s Super Senses. On-top of all of that, he comes with a equipment that gives him Incapacitate that can Immobilize your opponents if you don’t want to give out tokens. There’s so much going on here, but is it worth 90 points? I think it just manages to be. In sealed there’s no question that a mobile ranged attacker that makes free attacks and has Probability Control is a must play figure. In constructed that 3 damage is low, and 6 clicks of life makes him really vulnerable, but that free attack could push him over the edge into competitive territory. Either way I think he’ll find a home on almost every Spider-Man family team.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

037b Spider-Man

We are never going to get a Miles Morales figure with the Champions keyword I guess. In fact, the keywords on this Miles are completely wrong, almost as if Miles wasn’t originally going to be the prime. I mean, Exiles? The team with Spider-man 2099? Regardless, Miles has a great dial with strong values and traited Super Senses keeping him safe. He’s stuck as a close attacker except for his last two clicks that feature Ranged Combat Expert, but his choice between Stealth and +1 attack on his first three clicks keeps him safe from a majority of the set. His trait Venom Strike has two options to choose between, the lackluster modification of hit targets attack values, or the much better option of giving Immobile to any character he hits. Combined with Quake, he has a really mean combo, where he runs up, knocks-back a few figures, and then traps them there for a turn. While I don’t think Miles is particularly worth of a Prime slot, he’s a really solid dial that is the best Miles we’ve gotten to this point.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

038 Stegron

I’ll admit I’m incredibly biased towards figures who create bystander; I just love swarming the board with free attackers who slow your opponents down, and force them to waste attacks, and Stegron is a very strong addition to that style of play. For 75 points you’re getting a 7 click dial with average-ish values, and below average powers. You’re also getting 3 bystanders with useful powers and abilities, that are giant and colossal, and can act as slow moving taxi’s for the rest of your team, and one of them has Mystics. The bystanders would be better if they had better movement values, and could act as more consistent taxis for your team, but with a 10 attack and Blades, a colossal Quake, and a bystander that has MYSTICS, all for 75 points, it’s hard to ask for more. As these bystanders die, Stegron can generate more, insuring that your team never thins, and this pairs perfectly with the Sinister Six, who are dying for ways to insuring their trait is at it’s maximum potential. Somehow, that’s not all, as he has one final trick up his scaly sleeve. He can be given a double power action so that he and all of his dinosaurs can move for free and then make an attack, letting them either double their movement or double their attacks for a turn. I love figures that provide consistent value on a team, and that’s exactly what Stegron is. He doesn’t need support, or synergy to make playing him worthwhile. Just add him to a team, and it’ll make it better than if they didn’t have him.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

039 The Rose

The Rose is the opposite of Stegron, a figure that needs other figures to be really effective. That being said, The Rose is one of my favourite figures in this set for sealed and constructed. For 40 points you’re looking at a figure with Stealth, Shape Change, Combat Reflexes, Mastermind and Probability Control. Have fun wasting attacks getting rid of him, while he uses his New York Crime Boss trait to pump out bystanders. In sealed this bystanders are worth their weight in gold as they tie-up opponents, and use their Exploit Weakness to get through reducers. They’re also taxi’s, and if The Rose gets attacked and manages to roll out of it, they’re getting free movement to carry and to get more aggressive. Probability Control makes him a must play as it is, but don’t overlook just how good two extra bodies can be, even if they just stand in-front of characters to protect them.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

040 Mr. Negative

Mr. Negative is the slightly more offensive version of the Rose with Outwit instead of Probability Control, and some really strong values for 65 points. Like The Rose, his biggest boon is creating the bystanders who swamp the field after a few successful Leadership rolls, but with an 11 attack, 3 damage, Outwit and the choice between Sidestep and Stealth, Mr. Negative hits way harder than you would expect. After taking a hit or two, he’s picking up a strange combination of Empower, Exploit Weakness and Support, making his bystanders and other team-mates stronger, while also allowing for his Steal Energy to work it’s wonders. He ends it all off with Regeneration, giving him longevity, and making his quite a dial for 65 even without the ability to generate bystanders. I think he’s a solid figure on any one of his clicks, and is a must play in sealed.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

041 Fancy Dan

Fancy Dan is a straight up ranged attacker who wants to shoot at you from a distance and be shot at from a distance, especially with his +3 Energy Shield/Deflection keeping him at a 20 defence on his top dial. As a figure he’s fine, he’s got Running Shot and decent offensive values, as well as Ranged Combat Expert and Sidestep later in his dial. I love his ability to move threats adjacent to your characters with his special Precision Strike, especially against tie-up figures, but I wish it worked regardless of hitting your target. He’s not a must-play by any means, but he has value as a secondary attacker.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

042 Montana

Montana is a figure that you cannot break away from, even if you do roll a 6. With his trait Ride Em Cowboy! Montana is placed adjacent to any character that moves through a square adjacent to him, and as per the new rules, all squares occupied during the movement, including the first, are considered moved through, allowing Montana to follow anyone across the map. Montana’s attack power also lets him grab characters from 4 squares away and place them adjacent to him. It’s a cool combination of powers, but Montana doesn’t really do much besides that. He doesn’t have the damage you need to do much, and when he does get it with his Flurry/Precision Strike combo at the end of his dial, he loses his ability to tie-up, and instead becomes a kind of annoying attacker who slowly wears away at whoever he’s next to, or until they decide to end his life. Even though tie-up can be useful, I don’t see him being worth the 50 points.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

043 Ox

For a 50 point close attacker, I really like Ox. He’s got a 10 movement Charge if he moves in a straight line, with Super Strength to increase his damage and knock-back his target, and then he further increases his attack and damage if your target has any red powers on their dial. He’s got a decently tough dial with Invulnerability for a majority of it and a surprising 18 on the top. With the Underworld team ability, and the Animal keyword, he’s got a lot of characters he can carry, and a 9 movement Charge with a carry is something beautiful. He’s nothing too impressive, especially after he takes some damage, but for 50 points, he’s a pretty impressive package.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

044 Clea

Clea has a combination of powers and abilities that make her one of the most powerful in this set. Her trait, allows her to ignore Shape Change, something that’s everywhere in this set, paired with her Outwit and Improved Targeting: Hindering, she can punch through almost all of the different powers one way or another. The only problem being that her Running Shot doesn’t come until the second click of her dial, forcing her to push. The best strategy for figures like her that can out-shoot the competition is to carry up a character she can use as a body shield and put herself within range of your opponents force. Next turn she can follow up with a shot and push herself to Running Shot or, clear and keep the potential threat of her 8 Range Penetrating/Psychic Blast up for another turn. As she takes damage, she loses a lot of her dangerous powers and values, but picks up an 18 Defend, that also let’s her heal off of the damage done to characters sharing her values, potentially putting her back to her dangerous clicks. It’s not something to rely on, but at it’s worst, she’s sharing an 18. For constructed, I don’t see her having much that other people don’t do better.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 1/5

045 Madame Hydra

Madame Hydra is an absolutely strange dial, but one that I’m really excited to try out. She’s a close attacker without much to protect her on her top-dial, and without much mobility. When she does get up close, she makes a huge mess. Her Quake gives tokens to hit characters, and then she can Mind Control one of those characters to do even more harm. As she takes damage she picks up a powerful defense power that limits the amount of damage she can take from nearby opponents, as well as providing Energy Shield/Deflection, forcing your opponents to decide between risking the high defense, or dealing 1 damage at a time. Her values aren’t all that high, but she’s got a long dial, and is dangerous to be stuck next to, something she is exceptionally good at. I think she’s hard to pass up in a sealed team, as a tank that’s hard to put down when she gets in, you just need to make sure she gets in first.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

046 Man-Wolf

Man-Wolf is one of the rares you really don’t want to pull in sealed, but he’s not actually that bad either. Sidestep + Charge gives him a pretty big swing, and Blades + Battle Fury helps him carve through the smaller figures in this set. The bonus of not taking knock-back damage seems…weird, since there’s only a single click he doesn’t ignore knock-back and even with an Outwit he’s got toughness for a majority of his dial, limiting the amount he would take in the first place. He picks up Flurry and Probability Control, leading to some pretty serious value if he takes the right amount of damage. Finally he’s got a special power if he lands on his very last click, that lets him do a surprise 3 penetrating damage to anyone within 5 of him, catching a surprise kill while also killing himself in the process. More than likely he’ll be killed before getting it off, but it’s a nice thing to have. I don’t want to pull him in sealed, but I’m also not screwed if I do.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

047 Black Bolt

From the worst rare to the best, Black Bolt is almost unfair to pull in sealed, as he just runs the game with a massive 13 movement swing with 5 damage. Even with his 150 point cost, Black Bolt is a must play, and is almost unstoppable without a cleverly used Outwit. Even a single Outwit won’t be too useful against Black Bolt who’s 8 range and massive attack and damage values keep him powerful regardless of his power selection. That Outwit also doesn’t matter when Black Bolt has no action tokens, as all lines of fire to him become blocked. Even after Black Bolt takes damage, he picks up Perplex making his Teregenesis Twice trait extra important. Finally he picks up a special Pulse Wave that lets him easily single target, and with his Perplex always activating his trait, he can deal an absolutely massive 7 damage, or 5 with a 13 attack. Black Bolt needs to be removed immediately if you face him. Lock him down, and Outwit as much as you can, hoping you can take him down before he kills your team.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

048 Triton

The Inhumans have the best rare, and now the worst. Triton is best where there’s water, picking up Hypersonic Speed on his first three clicks, but as another close combat figure he’s got a few tricks putting him above the rest. His second trait makes all of his close attacks into pseudo-Incapacitates, that do even more if the target occupies water. If you’re not going to reliably be on water maps, Triton is better off as a secondary attacker on teams with lots of Perplex to activate his trait. With his own Perplex, he’s providing more for your team than a lot of close attackers, but it comes at the price of 4 clicks of life. I like everything he does, and I love that he starts with Perplex on his 75 point line, so he can double Perplex himself 1/3rd of the time, but I just can’t get over those 4 clicks. One Outwit or Penetrating/Psychic Blast, and you’re down an attacker, and without Willpower, those 4 clicks are looking a lot more troublesome.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

Super-Rares

049 Lady Octopus

It’s hard to imagine that this is 50 points. Charge, Flurry, Super Strength with Giant Reach 2, is a lot going on, and she’s got decent values to back that up. Her defense is limited to Energy Shield/Deflection and Shape Change, which isn’t ideal for someone who wants to mix it up with close attacks, but it’s hard to fault that dial. Outwit and Perplex are nice to have, and keep her useful even after she takes damage or pushes. She’s far from a sure thing in sealed, but it’s hard to beat the level of power she brings for the price she has. In constructed her figure is nothing compared to the arms she comes with. Flurry and Giant Reach: 2 are some desirable powers, and for 10 points they’re probably going to see some serious play. I don’t think they’ll be the most used equipment from this set, but they’re a nice boon to a lot of close attackers.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

050 Green Goblin

Green Goblin is another winner in sealed with an impressive amount of mobility and lots of power in his 75 and 50 point dial. With his Goblin Glider, Norman has Running Shot and Hypersonic Speed, as well as his Sidestep on dial, leaving him mobile even after an Outwit. With Perplex and Outwit down his dial, he’s got a lot of use, even if he can’t use his Perplex on himself, or other Sinister Syndicate figures because of his trait, which protects him from the power he has access to at that moment. He’s even got a stop-click with Regeneration and a power that lets him deal massive damage at the cost of his glider, as a last resort to end games. I’d probably be more likely to play him at 50 over 75, as the dial is almost as good on either, but the 50 comes with Perplex instead of Leadership, and with the stop-click the 4 clicks of life really isn’t a big deal. If you do have the 25 points the extra two clicks definitely aren’t bad. In constructed there’s going to be a lot of people excited over the Goblin Glider, but I don’t think it’s going to make a big dent in the constructed format. Flying and Running Shot are big boosts and the potential for Hypersonic Speed cannot be overlooked, but I see it as a cheaper alternative to Expospex and not a major competitor in the space. That being said, it’s worth picking one up in-case there’s a figure that really needs some more mobility and flight.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 4/5

051 Venom

Venom isn’t nearly the figure he should be. Regardless if you play him at 75 or 50, he’s got the same values and powers, making him a reasonably priced, or overpriced Charge/Blades figure. Later in the dial he picks up some Steal Energy and Perplex, but really isn’t doing enough to keep him alive at the end. Of course, with the Symbiote he’s a little meaner as he picks up the abilities we’ve come to know from the symbiote wearing anti-hero, and of course as a member of the Sinister Six, Stealth and the boost to values can make him a lot meaner. He won’t impact the game like a lot of super-rares, but he’s strong enough to see play and replace a common member of the sinister six. In constructed the Venom Symbiote is just a better cheaper version of an already heavily played item. This is clearly the best equipment in this set and is a must get for anyone interested in the competitive scene.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 5/5

052 Captain America, Resilient

Title Characters aren’t always the best for sealed, but this Captain America certainly does a lot for a limited investment. Without considering his title abilities, he’s got seven clicks of life with strong values, decent mobility and Perplex for three clicks. If he dies, your opponent is getting a free re-roll on one of your attack rolls per turn, something that’s far from game-breaking, but certainly annoying. With only those two things taken into consideration, Captain America is worth playing, but what pushes him over the edge is his title abilities. His first ability lets him move up to one square and make a free attack, allowing him to be a fantastic figure to carry up, as he can follow up with a 4 damage attack. He’s also able to move your entire team around, protect them from Mind Control, or teleport across the map and smash an opponent. For less than a third of your total build this guy is just mean, and can become unstoppable if he get’s up close.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 5/5

053 Spider-Woman

With Spider-Woman you’ve got 2 clicks of Hypersonic Speed with Energy Shield and then four clicks of Charge and Poison. I actually really love the placement of powers on her dial, as she starts by weakening your opponents with quick movements and small attacks, and then finishes them with her Poison that works after moving. She’s hard to hit, potentially really fast with her trait, and has the right powers to make her a real threat in sealed. If she hit a little harder she would be a must-play figure, but as she stands, she’s the perfect figure for cleaning up your opponents remaining figures as the game reaches it’s end.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

053b Spider-Woman

This is the figure you want to pull in sealed, and I love it. Spider-Woman isn’t a instant win by any means, she’s just a solid 6 click figure with mystics for 80 points. With a dial full of all the powers you could possibly want, Spider-Woman is the dream in sealed, where having a single support power makes you worth playing, let alone all 3. She’s got great values, every power you could want, and a nice bonus in her team abilities. She’s even a taxi for the rest of your team. This is a figure that will do work as long as she’s on the field, and it doesn’t even matter if she takes damage.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

054 Daredevil

Daredevil is the newest figure from wizkids “don’t die” line, and he’s an absolutely wonderfully fun addition. Daredevil requires at the minimum 2 attacks to kill him (3 if you’re opponent doesn’t roll critical hits often), and that’s an absolutely best case scenario. It’s more than likely that Daredevil will take five or six attacks to remove him from the board, and hopefully those attacks are coming from your opponents biggest attacker. That’s the issue with Daredevil, all attacks made against him are of equal value, regardless of attack and damage values. It means that a 300 point Goblin King is as powerful as a Leslie Evans bystanders bystander when attacking him, and that a swarm of weak things will easily tear him apart. He’s also really weak to Probability Control, as yours can’t be used to re-roll the 6’s that kill him, but your opponents rolls without 6’s can. With some proper finesse, Daredevil is a invincible wrecking ball with Hypersonic Speed to get into the battle, Sidestep and Blades to be a danger, and Plasticity and Poison to be a nuisance. He’s got Perplex after taking a push on any of his clicks, and is just enough points to call-in the most important figures. This doesn’t mattered much for sealed, but there’s nothing to say about him in sealed except just play him. This guy is a must-play.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 5/5

055 Hulk

This is a really cool concept for a close attacker. He’s a very difficult to kill 150 points that never gets action tokens, and can easily get access to Protected: Outwit, Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Exploit Weakness. He’s got high values, good powers, and so much protection, he’s almost impossible to get through. He’s also got a 14 defense bystander that deals him increasing amounts of damage when he dies, depending on the amount of action tokens you have decided to spare him. The bystander has Perplex, but is little more than a liability you have to protect. If you can keep Bruce alive, then Hulk will win you almost every game you play in sealed, and if you can’t he’s little more than a bulky overpriced tent-pole. In constructed, Hulk’s got even less of a chance of keeping Bruce alive, and probably doesn’t quite have enough bulk to keep him safe regardless of Bruce’s livelihood. He’s strong for sure, but he’s still a 150 character that relies on Charge.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

056 Iron Man

Iron Man’s an expensive bystander generator who becomes a pretty strong ranged attacker after he takes damage. He starts the game with two amazing bystanders of your choice, and can continue generating them for power actions. There is a 1/3 chance he takes a damage when one dies, but it’s a small price to pay for the power level on these. He’s got a choice between tiny size Running Shot/Psychic Blast, normal size Sidestep/Ranged Combat Expert with 7 range, or a giant size Sidestep Close Combat Expert, and all three have the Flight and Indomitable symbol, making them excellent taxis (except the tiny one). On-top of all that, Iron Man has a 7 range Barrier, which definitely could come in handy. You’re going to want to sit back and generate as many bystanders as possible until he takes 2 damage, where he’ll end up on his stop-click and picks up Running Shot, Colossal Size, and a power that generates even more Iron Avengers when he hits with attacks. He’s even got Pulse Wave on a few of those clicks making him even more dangerous. He’s a must play in sealed because you almost don’t need to pull any more offensive figures to make a complete team with him. In constructed he’s strong, and certainly has potential for the competitive scene. With the map that comes in the starter kit, he can freely generate more Iron Avenger bystanders every turn, which also allows him to take more potential damage. If you find a decent way of keeping him healthy, I think the pure strength of the Iron Avengers makes Tony worth considering, even if it’s much easier to strike his starting area.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

057 X-51

This is a weird dial, but I don’t think it’s a bad one completely. At first X-51 is a below average support figure with a trait that reduces the attack values of Colossals and characters with Power Cosmic. He’s got Support, but besides that he has really nothing going for him. After taking some damage however, X-51 becomes a dangerous ranged attacker with 8 Range and Perplex, Outwit and Probability Control. You’re going to have to push him, and force opponents to attack him to get there, but all three of the best support powers in the game makes him a dangerous guy to have around. He’s not quite worth 75 points, but I still think he has value in sealed, and is probably a must play if you didn’t pull a glut of other figures with Perplex, Outwit and Probability Control. I really wish those first three clicks were better. I don’t want him to have a high defense or Stealth on those clicks, because I want him to get pushed. 75 points for a regular Support just isn’t good enough.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

058 Loki

Holy cow does Loki have a lot of text on his card. Before I go through it, let’s see if Loki’s dial is worth playing without any of that stuff. He’s got Mystics, but no Willpower with a massive 8 range, and a split dial of five or seven clicks of life, for 125 or 150 points. Even though Loki loses the Sidestep on his top-dial, I’m pretty much always going to pay the 25 for the extra two clicks of reducers and Probability Control. He’s got decent values all down his dial, and all the support powers you could want, making him a great play even without the mobility he desires, and that’s without the traits, which push him over the top. His first trait lets him roll to affect the game in a lot of weird ways. From modifying your friend characters values, to modifying your opponents, Loki’s roll is just weird. It’s more than likely going to help you out more than your opponent, making it worth rolling each turn. I especially like 4 result that lets him place 4 blocking terrain markers within range and line of fire, because, unlike Barrier, it doesn’t require adjacency. Free Barrier is always great, but being able to place four separate pieces of blocking in four separate areas is fantastic. This trait doesn’t bring a ton more value to his dial, but it’s a fun thing to do. His second trait is even better, bringing Shape Change, Stealth and an even better Probability Control that: 1. Can’t be Outwit, 2. Only works on lower point characters (he’s 150/125, so that’s most of this set and most characters people play), and 3. Re-rolls a single die of the attack. If your opponent needs a 7 and rolls a 2 and a 5, they’re going to need to roll that 5 and hope for a 5 or 6 to hit, reducing their chances from above 50% to 33%. This guy is a must-play in sealed, especially if you have a taxi for him, he boosts your team, re-rolls twice a turn and is very hard to remove from the board. He’s strong in constructed, but the lack of mobility and Willpower can make him a bit of a liability. Mystics can be harmful as well, as it can trigger the retaliation from colossal retaliators. He’s the king of the friendly game, but probably not the strongest figure in the competitive scene.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

059 Gorgon

Gorgon is the evolution of Ox, with a higher price tag, Improved Movement, better values and more damage. I don’t think Gorgon is quite worth the 125 points for 7 clicks of life, but with the ability to Charge 11 squares through blocking and deal up to 6 damage with a Quake, he’s no slouch either. As an Inhuman, Gorgon has the Terrigenesis Twice trait, but doesn’t have the Perplex to make it extra dangerous. He also has access to a trait that increases his defense against Charge and Hypersonic, something that might come in handy, but more than likely, Gorgon will already be amongst your opponents by the time they have a chance to charge. His biggest threat is his special Quake that does a pseudo Blades/Claws/Fangs to one hit figure. The end of his dial is really boring and he becomes a very basic close attacker, but hopefully you’ll have a few Perplex’s to keep him healthy. Play him at 125 if you’re missing Perplex on your team, and if you’ve got a lot of it, use his 75 point starting line to get the best usage of his trait.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

060 Medusa

I wish we had a great Medusa, because sorry guys, this isn’t it. First things first, Medusa’s movement power does not provide her with the Improved Movement, or Passenger: 2 for her regular movement, only when she activates her free 3 space movement. So she’s really not a great taxi for Inhumans or Earth X, as she can only carry them 3 spaces, even if it’s for free. Medusa’s most valuable aspect is her free action Telekinesis, which as we’ve seen from the chase Jean Grey, is incredibly powerful. Medusa’s is nice because it pairs well with her movement power, allowing her to move 6 squares before attacking, or to move 3, attack, and then retreat 3. Giant Reach: 3 works wonderfully with Quake, giving her a lot of power against swarm teams, and she’s got the Terrigenesis trait, making Perplex even better. She’s also 5 clicks without Willpower for 75 points. Her powers and values just don’t reach what they need to in order to make that 75 points worthwhile. I love her tricks, but a 3 movement free carry, and a squishy dial just don’t make me excited to play her.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

Chases

Since all the chases are great in sealed, I’ll be ranking them instead of giving them ratings. 1 being the best chase and 6 being the worst. All of the chases have access to two shared traits, the first being the Alien Symbiote trait we saw first in Superior Foes of Spiderman, which is just pure value. The second is the Call in Help from the Venomverse, which is a fun idea that won’t have a huge effect on the game, and promotes owning more characters with venom in their name.

061 Venom Black Panther

The first chase is a good representation of all of the chases. Solid figures with one or two useful abilities, but nothing groundbreaking. Black Panther’s biggest assets are his Stealth and Outwit. With his venom trait he’s got Shape Change and Plasticity, on-top of the Super Senses on his dial, creating a pretty hard to deal with threat, all for a mere 75 points. He’s also got a special attack power in the middle of his dial that grants him another three powers, Poison, Quake and Steal Energy. With those three, and Regeneration at the end of his dial, Venom Black Panther has a lot of longevity. Combining all of the powers he has access to on a dial with average to above average values, makes a really strong figure, even if he doesn’t have Willpower. I’m not really excited by him, but he’s got the value to make him worth the chase spot.

Ranking 3/6

062 Captain Venom

Captain Venom comes in at either 75 or 50 points, and he’s got a pretty boring dial with lots of close combat powers, and decent values. Honestly his dial almost doesn’t matter because of his damage power and trait. The most important aspect of Captain Venom is that he makes monster theme teams in to named theme teams, granting them access to theme team Probability Control. On-top of that, his damage power gives him Leadership and modifies all of your monsters attack values if he’s made an attack. He’s a 50 point boost to monster teams that make them even more powerful than they already are. Even then, I have a feeling monster teams aren’t going to be incredibly popular without a few more powerful monsters.

Ranking 1/6

063 Venom Gwenpool

Gwenpool’s coming in at 100 points, but she has Probability Control, Energy Shield and the ability to share Energy Shield with adjacent characters. Besides that she’s another pretty straightforward attacker with an added bonus of a poison like trait that heals her at the cost of dealing an adjacent friendly or opposing character a damage. She’s nothing special, and she’s overcosted compared to the previous two chases, but she’s a nice addition to the usual close combat based monster teams.

Ranking: 5/6

064 Venom Iron Man

Venom Iron Man is a little different from the other chases, as he’s more of a ranged attacker with Running Shot at the top of his dial. He gets a boost against characters with action tokens, and then gets some Steal Energy with a trio of defense powers. At 100 points I really don’t think I’m going to be playing him much. His values aren’t that high, and his mobility isn’t nearly what I would expect from a 100 point chase. He’s kind of a bummer, except that the sculpt is awesome.

Ranking 6/6

065 Venom Rocket Raccoon

Rocket Racoon’s a pretty great chase to pull, with lots of mobility, Outwit on his top-dial, and two clicks of Running Shot/Pulse Wave that he can push to. He’s also got a trait that lets him collect Rummage tokens when he destroys blocking terrain, something he can do easily with his Improved Targeting, and use them as a Perplex for his attack, damage or range. 100 points is expensive, but he’s got some mobility and strength to make it worthwhile. I think the combination of mobility, his trait and his improved targeting can lead to some really powerful turns where he Pulse Waves for 6 damage.

Ranking 2/6

066 Venom Spider-Man

Venom Spider-Man is one of the stronger close attackers, and he’s got Willpower and comes in at 75 points, making him a great chase to get in sealed. Spider-Man’s big trick is his special Blades/Claws/Fangs that lets him make another close attack if he rolls a 5 or 6 with Blades. It’s a nice thing to have, but It’s certainly nothing to depend on. At the end of his dial he picks up a power almost identical to Gwen’s except it cots him a power action, making it a far less efficient way to heal, even if it does do 2 damage to opposing characters instead of 1. He’s a solid close attacker, and definitely undercosted, but he doesn’t quite do anything unique enough to be a must buy figure. He’s kind of plain honestly.

Ranking 4/6

Ultra Chase

067 Captain Marvel

I love the design of this ultra-chase. He’s got a unique, incredibly flavorful ability that can completely change games, and a decent dial for 100 points. He’s also not something that everyone needs, making him perfectly formed for his rarity. Bringing every character back from the dead once, including himself, is a huge effect, but it’s also one that’s hard to take advantage of. If you pull him, play him for fun, because I can’t see a game with him in it not being fun, just don’t expect him to win any competitive tournaments, because that’s not why he exists.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5