3rd Place at Worlds: Batarang’s 2015 Origins Adventure

Part 1: The Journey

2015

I lose my second game in round two of the Heroclix World Championship to 2014 National Champion Adam Friedman, finishing 20th place. It is not until after the event that I learn the judges incorrectly ruled my Takion’s Pulse Wave range. Had they ruled it correctly, I could have ended the game in less than 10 minutes by rolling a 3 with the assistance of two Probability Controls. Infuriated by these circumstances, I swore thatwould be the Year of the Batarang, and that I would redeem myself at the next World Championship.

FEBRUARY 2015: I finish 6th place at the last no-tactics ROC in my area. I used Super Skrull, Prime Abin Sur with Catapult, Headpool, and an Autopilot Batcycle. 69 players were in attendance. After the event, I begin spitballing my teams for 2015 Worlds.

My general team building philosophy for the current age of Heroclix is that there are two primary strategies a team may embody: STONE WALL (supreme durability) or BLITZKRIEG (ferocious offense). Generally, unless you are fielding a one man army or team base (neither of which fit my play style), it is difficult to fall in the middle of the offense/defense spectrum without ending up mediocre in both departments.

If you have ever played a game against me, you will know full well that my play style embodies offense. It is rare that I will play a team that does not give me the ability to strike you in your starting area within the first two rounds. Furthermore, I am almost incapable of fielding a team that does not utilize the Power Plant. In my opinion, it is by far the best resource in the game. The Power Plant gives you a myriad of options, literally at your fingertips, to control the board, strike with incredible force, and protect your pieces. Finally, it is very difficult for me to create a team that does not have Pulse Wave and Probability Control (the two best powers, IMO). With these things in mind, let’s take a look at the teams I initially compiled…

Quote : Originally Posted by Double Talon-Star 73 WXM010 Shatterstar + 25 WOL063P Ophidian

73 WXM010 Shatterstar + 25 WOL061P Entity

60 DP043 Black Talon

13 DP018 Blind Al

30 IIMR100C Power Plant (complete)

299

Analysis: Pretty simple strategy here. Mind Control the Shatterstars to jump in your opponents face, slice/dice, or use one of the other powers that my Entities/Power Plant supply. You can drain a ring on Shatterstar for +1 stats, increase his damage with Ophidian, Perplex his damage with Blind Al, and drop an Impact Beam on him (all in one turn). Then Black Talon Mind Controls Shatterstar to free Action X-Portal adjacent to an opposing character. Shatterstar Pulse Wave/Impact Beams; deals 5 damage with Pulse Wave, and up to an additional 3 penetrating from knock back. In most cases, the Lazarus Pit is the best map to choose for this team.

Quote : Originally Posted by Black Banshee-Star 98 DP051 Banshee

73 WXM010 Shatterstar

60 DP043 Black Talon

25 FFJLTW007 Atomica

13 DP018 Blind Al

30 IIMR100C Power Plant (complete)

299

Analysis: This team thrives much less on free-action abuse than “Double Talon-Star”. I love being able to steal my opponent’s damage reducers and Super Senses with Banshee while Shatterstar slices and dices, assisted by Atomica’s CSA TA. Banshee can use PD TA to knock down Shatterstar’s defense to help my Mind Control hit. I can booby trap Banshee onto click two with Blind Al to give him his awesome Pulse Wave/Destroy blocking terrain SP. My favorite part, however, is the simplicity it offers–what I like to call “Look, Ma! No Entities!” The simpler the team you play, the easier it is for you to make your moves quickly and prudently, and the less mentally exhausted you will be as the rounds drag on. Latveria is a great map for this team.

While these are both incredibly strong, versatile, blitzkrieg teams, they did not satisfy me. Why? Because after I unleashed my alpha strike, my forces were left over-extended or vulnerable. How could I possibly create a blitzkrieg team that could prevent me from exposing myself after my alpha strike? The answer to my question was the king of modern age tentpoles–FANTOMEX.

Quote : Originally Posted by Fantomercica 142 WXM042 Fantomex + 25 WOL063P Ophidian

50 FFDP006R Mercy + 25 WOL062P Ion

25 FFJLTW007 Atomica

5 AVAS Ronin ID Card

28 IIMR100 Power Plant (no White Light ring)

300

Why Ophidian? Because I refuse to leave home without Pulse Wave.

Because I refuse to leave home without Pulse Wave. Atomica? Extra prob control that any character on my team can carry.

Extra prob control that any character on my can carry. Ronin ID? Close combat capability that can slice and dice with BCF/Flurry (assisted by 2 Probs and 4 Outwits) when Fantomex is wounded.

Close combat capability that can slice and dice with BCF/Flurry (assisted by 2 Probs and 4 Outwits) when Fantomex is wounded. Mercy/Ion? Mercy starts on click 4, thus she can use Ion’s Force of Will, supplying my entire team with Willpower. The character this assists the most is my EVA bystander, as it allows her to spend consecutive turns moving across the map to give me a bead for my 6-damage pot shots. Mercy provides the means to escape, carry Fantomex to safety with Flight/Phasing, PC to help me hit, and Barrier/TK to help me control the board, and direct my Mandarin rings towards offense.

For the next few months, I practiced this team relentlessly on Crow’s Online Heroclix Program with the friends I have made in the forums of this website, and those I have met in person in Realms Open Championship events in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. I have to give shootouts to all of the people I played with–I could not have gotten as far as I did without them. I’ll include their HCR tag next to their name…

Drew King (Vanilla Thunder), Stephen Spiteri (weezer_10), Kyle Page (MopedKid86), Michael Smith (michaels3241), Erik Atkinson (dreamer2928), Easton Brock (Eastb11), Jordan Beers (pupulesurfer), Kyle Cooney (Superman117), and Michael Crone (LanternMike).

Part 2: The Qualifiers

THURSDAY

Round 1

Opponent: Chris (can’t remember last name–he was from Lexington, KY)

Chris (can’t remember last name–he was from Lexington, KY) Team : Amazo/Ophidian, Juston Seyfert/Entity, Atomica/Adara, Orange Battery

Chris played his team incredible well, and left very few openings for me to attack him without facing the wrath of his d6 evasion rolls. It was a very close game–Chris netted my Atomica, while I netted his Seyfert.

WIN, 75 points, 1-0

Round 2

Opponent: (can’t remember name)

(can’t remember name) Team : Super Skrull/Black Hand (BLC ATA), Lydea Mallor, Orange Battery

I KO’ed his Lydea while he netted my Mercy and Atomica. Because he continued to choose PW with his Greed Spectrum, I was forced to deal with Skrull’s food tokens, Shape Change, Skrull TA, etc. Not once during the game did he take a click of damage from Super Skrull trait. And we made our moves very fast, our game lasted well over 15 rounds.

LOSS, 79 points, 1-1

Round 3

Opponent: (can’t remember name)

(can’t remember name) Team : Jenny Sparks/Parallax, x2 Weasel, Iron Legion, Yellow Battery

I tossed a Barrier each turn with Mercy and moved out my EVA. My opponent advanced his forces. By round 2 it became open season–EVA Outwitted whatever was in my way, and Fantomex started blasting for 6 penetrating damage (+1 damage from Entity, drain ring for +1 stats, Electro/Flame Blast rings assigned). The game was over in less than 10 minutes.

WIN, 296 points, 2-1

Round 4

Opponent: Kevin Afrooz

Kevin Afrooz Team : Zombies (300 points)

Kevin moved up his ZTB. I dropped an Electro Blast ring on Fantomex, drained a ring for +1 stats, and chose +1 damage from Ophidian. I TK’ed out Fantomex with Mercy, whereupon he Running Shot Pulse Waved the Zombies for 6 damage. Fantomex then dropped EVA behind him, who carried him to safety behind blocking terrain near the rest of my team. Kevin knocked out my Atomica and Mercy, I knocked out his Super Skrull and Magneto. Time ended.

WIN, 300 points, 3-1

FRIDAY

Round 1

Opponent: Bob Murdoch

Bob Murdoch Team : 225 Brainiac Skullship, Atomica/Adara, Indigo Battery

I TKed/RS/PWed with Fantomex, and carried him to safety via EVA with the rest of my pieces hiding in Black Light. When Bob based my team, I would carry them away with Mercy, and repeat the process. Eventually, Bob pushed to base me and Brainiac unleashed hell with Colossal Stamina. It was now time to go for broke–I drained my rings, and an all-out, guns-blazing, slugfest ensued.

WIN, 300 points, 1-0

Round 2

Opponent: Easton Brock

Easton Brock Team : New Mutants (200 points), Felix Faust, Orange Battery

Easton ran his solo adventures across the map to engage my forces. Fantomex attacked one of the Solos, and ran across the map, while Mercy and Atomica perished. Fantomex took heavy fire from Faust and the TB; but he eventually knocked out all Solos and the base itself. Faust missed his attack to KO Fantomex, and time was called.

WIN, 383 points, 2-0

Round 3

Opponent: Roland Wellington

Roland Wellington Team : Zombies (300 points)

He moved out his ZTB, I opened up with a 5 damage PW, and EVA whisked Fantomex away behind Mercy’s Barrier. Electro blasted my Barrier and Super Skrull pounded Fantomex. When my turn came around, my dice simply quit on me for the rest of the match. He swept my team, but I was fortunate enough to net his Super Skrull.

LOSS, 170 points, 2-1



Round 4

Opponent: Ryan Morgan

Ryan Morgan Team : New Mutants (200 points), Faust, Green Battery

This was a chess match. We struck each other for damage here and there, but gave each other no openings to seize points. Time was called, and we rolled 2d6 to determine a winner.

WIN, 0 points, 3-1

Part 3: The Championship

Round 1 (Swiss)

Opponent: Roland Wellington

Roland Wellington Team : Zombies (300 points)

Roland passed, I tossed up a Barrier, his team base moved up, solo’ed Sabretooth/Super Skrull, and squashed my Mercy. Fantomex slugged Super Skrull, and EVA carried him and Atomica to safety. Roland moved up his team base and missed his attacks against Fantomex. Atomica TKed Fantomex who RS/PW KOed Super Skrull–and EVA whisked him away to safety. Roland chased me for the rest of the game, I KO’ed his Sabretooth, and landed two sizable blows to his TB. Time was called.

WIN, 260 points, 1-0.

Round 2 (Swiss)

Opponent: Kevin Afrooz

Kevin Afrooz Team : Banshee/Ophidian, Scarlet Witch/Entity, Atomica/Adara

Kevin moved up his team, I unleashed a PW/Impact Beam blast, knocking half his team off elevated, dealing a total of 9 damage. We spent the next couple rounds shooting at each other; I continued using my PW/Impact Beam combo. He only managed to KO my Atomica.

WIN, 300 points points, 2-0

Round 3 (Top 16)

Opponent: Brian Galley

Brian Galley Team : Grasshopper, Lydea Mallor, Arcade, Faust

I tossed up a Barrier. Grasshopper Hyper jumped. I passed. Grasshopper landed, poisoned my team, and Lydea moved to the middle of the map in Hindering. I TKed Fantomex, and one shotted Lydea with a 6 damage Pulse Wave. Grasshopper KO’ed Atomica next turn and Faust dropped an Airstrike on my team. EVA moved up to Faust, and Fantomex unleashed a 14 attack 6 damage RCE blast, one-shotting him. Fantomex spent the remainder of the game cleaning up what was left of his team.

WIN, 300 points, 3-0

Round 4 (Top 8)

Opponent: Patrick Yapjoco

Patrick Yapjoco Team : Banshee/Ophidian, Scarlet Witch/Entity, Atomica/Adara

I tossed up a Barrier moved Fantomex 0, spawned EVA, and passed. Patrick assigned constructs and passed. Atomica threw up Barrier (Ice Blast), and I passed. Patrick assigned his 2nd construct and positioned his team against the vertical border of the map, hiding behind a square of blocking. His force was about 10 squares from mine. Mercy shot the blocking terrain protecting him, EVA moved in, and Fantomex Pulse Wave/Impact Beamed his team for a total of 7 damage. Banshee shot Fantomex, Fantomex returned fire with a critical hit, KOing Banshee, and disintegrating Pat’s Orange Battery.

WIN, 300 points, 4-0

Round 5 (Top 4)

Opponent: Paris Gordon

Paris Gordon Team : Spiral/Parallax, Faust/Entity, FI Loki (30 points), Phoenix Force (3 frags on base)

Each turn Paris’ Faust restricted me to one of the following action types: move, free, close combat, and range combat. There was nowhere to run from his TK/Running Shot Pulse Wave, I never had targets for Close Combat attacks, my free actions did me no good against Pulse Wave, and I only got one opportunity to use a ranged combat action–one shotting his Loki. Paris incinerated my team in less than 10 minutes, while I watched helplessly.

LOSS, 30 points, 4-1

Overall, it was an outstanding, unforgettable experience. Wizkids did an extraordinary job running this event; their professionalism was immaculate. While I didn’t finish first like I had hoped, I can confidently say that this year I have had more fun playing Heroclix than all the other years combined.

2015 truly was…