Commons

001 Cyclops

For 50 points Cyclops is an incredible value for the commons in this set. He’s a really incredible ranged attacker who can reliable hit high defense targets or blow through short dials with his choice of 11 attack or 3 damage. The end of his dial is way weaker, as he loses Penetrating/Psychic Blast but picks up Force Blast. The most interesting aspect of Cyclops is his trait. If he hits with the first attack on a turn he modifies damage on friendly x-men, since that happens on the hit of the attack, I think it should also modify Cyclops, increasing his damage to a massive 4, for a 50 point character. He’s just full of useful tricks throughout his dial, and with the massive amount of Telekinesis in this set, his 10 range swing will easily be able to hit whoever he needs to. You couldn’t ask for a better 50 point common than this Cyclops.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

002 Marvel Girl

This is a good start to the commons in this set. Telekinesis gives her a lot of uses as a support figure, and she gets bonuses for throwing objects, giving her a little variety. Her First Class trait is one of the weakest, granting a meager +1 Range to your other X-Men. Her end dial gives her some extra purpose with Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Support. She’s not a fantastic figure, but 50 point Telekinesis is more than enough to make her playable.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

003 Beast

Beast is a fairly safe close attacker with a disappointingly low damage value, potentially boosted from his trait. Outwit makes him a great addition to any team, especially with his Leap/Climb getting him into the places he needs to be to use it. As he takes damage, he loses the all important Outwit for more damage dealing powers. At no point is Beast a slouch of a close attacker, he just doesn’t do a lot to be excited about. He’s a solid 60 point figure that has no major weaknesses, lots of clicks of life and Outwit, making him a suitable addition to any team looking for a secondary attacker.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

004 Iceman

Iceman is another really decently priced figure like the last two characters. With Running Shot, Iceman gives a lot of valuable ranged attacking potential to the common slot. His first two clicks give him a fun triple Incapacitate, where his last four give him the fantastic Sidestep/Pulse Wave combo. He, like the last two x-men we looked at isn’t a really exciting character, but he doesn’t have a single bad click on his dial, making him another great investment if you need a ranged attacker at a cheap price.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

005 X-Trainee

Compared to the X-Student that follows, X-Trainee is a little weak. But there’s a lot of good options for her 25 point dial, with both flavors of Combat Expert, Charge and Super Strength of Hypersonic Speed, there’s a lot of good options. As a 15 point figure she actually fares better than her successor, as any of her clicks could be good offensive additions to your team. If you’re choosing, you’re going to want the Ranged Combat Expert or the Hypersonic clicks, as both give you a bigger swing, and easier potential to harass your foes with a puny 25 point figure. Just don’t give them the chance to make attacks against them, as a naked 16 defense doesn’t give much chance for survival.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

006 X-Student

The student follows the multiple power convention that was started by Morlock and followed by numerous other generics. I love the design that gives you the choice of allowing your opponents to choose the starting line in order to save 10 points, or paying 25 points for the exact figure you want. In this case, unless you’re running 15 points low in a sealed game, you’re going to want to pay the 25 points for them. You’re first choice of powers will always be either the Sidestep/Support clicks or the Force Blast/Telekinesis clicks, both of which are steals at 25 points and will almost never be chosen by your opponents. Next comes the weakest powers, Super Senses and Mind Control, which will almost always be the click opponents will put you on, and finally, the middle of the road Plasticity and Poison which gives you a tie-up figure that’s easily dealt with. I love this figure for his low costed Telekinesis, but it’s pretty rare you’re going to take advantage of the 15 point line solely because Mind Control and Super Senses will rarely add to your game plan. Even then, the shared X-Student trait helps him add a little support to your team, even if it’s not too often you’ll roll a single 5 and miss a target, making those 6’s into temporary 7’s.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

007a Moira MacTaggert

Moira is another very solid common figure for sealed. With Leadership and Perplex (even with it’s x-men limitations) she can reliably help a majority of sealed teams that will have to feature atleast one member of the X-Men. You’re also getting a free 3 point ID Card and she can easily push to Outwit, giving you 2 of 3 of the support power trinity. There’s nothing to not like in Moira, and if there’s any constructed viable X-Men, Moira will be able to see constructed play too.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

007b Moira MacTaggert

For a 40 points figure, Moira packs a serious punch. Perplex keeps her useful, but what makes her truly dangerous is the increasing amount of powers to choose from as the game winds to an end. Pick a power characters traditionally find a lot of use in every Heroclix format, but Moira feels balanced. Giving her more support options with Outwit or Probability Control can make her a serious contender for best support figure in this set, and with the right powers available, she can even be a fairly threatening ranged attacker. Her trait can potentially help some Mind Control figures, which there are a ton of in this set. One of the best uses is with the X-Student at 15 points, giving him an incredible potential that your opponent most likely won’t see until it’s too late.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

008 Artie

Artie is another figure that can benefit from Prime Moira’s trait. Artie is a very straightforward 25 point figure that uses Mind Control and very little else. His tiny size helps him with mobility, but more often than not in a set with such low costs, you’re not going to have the action economy necessary to make attacks with this guy. If need be, carry him around to tie-up opponents figures, using him when absolutely necessary, and leaving him to be fodder the rest of the time.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

009 Husk

Husk is a lot better than she has any right to be. 40 points for a tie-up figure that has Regeneration, Invincible and Impervious based on the situation at hand is an absolute steal. High defense values and Shape Change make Husk a must play tie-up figure if you need one, and her trait is icing on the cake, allowing her to move and attack up to 7 squares away if you include her Sidestep. With a Perplex she might be one of the most fearsome commons in this set. She is more vulnerable to Outwit than other figures like her due to her short dial, but she’s a strong asset to any team, and requires very little finesse to get the most out of her.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

010a Celeste Cuckoo

Celeste is a decent Mind Control figure that becomes a hard to remove close combat attacker. With the right synergy, Celeste won’t ever be your opponents first target, because it’s impossible to deal with her with a single attack, leaving her out there to Mind Control as much as she wants, or until she becomes a target for your opponent. She’s not making big moves on the map, but she’s a nice annoying threat that has a surprising amount of protection.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

010b Mindee Cuckoo

The second of the Cuckoo’s is a pretty strong figure for 50 points, with a Stop-click and everything. Her top-dial gives her some strong ranged attacks, which switch to Mind Control, and finally end up on her Impervious Stop-click. Mindee might not have the same mobility or level of offensive power that other figures have had so far, but the investment it takes to bring her down is enough to make her worth playing. First your opponent has to waste 4 damage pushing her to her Stop-click, before trying to get through her Impervious. Mess up your opponents plans and make them waste attacks on Mindee while the rest of your team gets to work on the figures beating her up. Willpower might seem weak as a defense power, but it’s perfect for what you want her doing. Sitting in place and either pinging or Mind Controlling opponents figures to the point that they’ll have to go through the ordeal of removing her. If you manage to pull another Cuckoo the self-Perplex is a nice touch, but it’s a lot of points spent on two figures that do similar things.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

010c Phoebe Cuckoo

Just in-case you were worried that there wasn’t enough Telekinesis, Phoebe is here to dispel that worry. She’s somewhere in-between her two sisters, and she’s not even close to the best Telekinesis figure in the common slot, but once again, she’s hard to remove, and can do enough good to make her worth playing. 6 Range and 2 damage would usually be unimpressive, if not bad, but in a set with so few reducers she can even utilize that.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

011 Synch

Synch isn’t as incredible as Husk, but the potential for choosing useful powers makes him atleast a consideration for your team. His biggest issue is that one power and potentially Perplex doesn’t give him a ton of value, due to his dial’s average values and only having Willpower. His trait gives him a useful move and attack to pair with a good defense, but Synch is let down by only being able to have a single power. He doesn’t have the versatility to be a great addition to your team unless you just want to double up on support powers like Perplex, Probability Control or Telekinesis. Even then, Synch is a very easy figure to remove, with 4 clicks of life.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

012 Anole

Anole has a lot of potential, but it’s really difficult to access it. Every time you use Regeneration and roll higher than a 2, he’s increasing his combat values by +1. If you can somehow access it, and roll well three times, Anole’s is rocking a 13 attack, 20 defense and 5 damage. The question you have to ask yourself is if there’s a chance that you can pull it off. If not, Anole is a sink of 30 points. 5 clicks gives him a lot of leeway for taking hits, and Regeneration can ideally keep your opponent churning through those, but it’s still hit and miss. Atleast for 30 points, you’re not wasting a lot of points on the chance.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

013 Hellion

Hellion is the newest version of the Fast Forces Jean Grey, but without a lot of the utility she brings, and for 10 points cheaper. His double Telekinesis at the small cost of 1 unavoidable damage is exceptional for a common, and his two traits allow him to get useful as an offensive figure in a pinch. He’s another good option for Telekinesis in a set full of good Telekinesis options. The biggest issue with him is that, since his second Telekinesis happens as his first resolves, it’s impossible to yo-yo someone with him. On the other-hand, Hellion can keep using Telekinesis as long as he has the power and takes a damage, allowing him to TK up to 4 times in a single turn for a single action, but he is placed on his last click. It won’t be useful often, but it’s a nice tool to have on occasion.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

014 Rusty

Rusty is a cheap ranged attacker in the same vein as Cyclops 001. With a potential swing of 10 spaces, a better version of Penetrating/Psychic Blast and fairly solid stats for a 40 points figure, Rusty is, you guessed it, another fantastic common in this set. Rusty’s weakness comes from his single click of Running Shot and only having Barrier as protection. He suffers from pushing, but for a 40 point figure, he’s able to be incredibly punishing to a figure who has no action tokens on them, forcing them to take atleast 2 penetrating damage from his fire tokens. If he doesn’t have any way to get in range (which is unlikely with all the Telekinesis in this set), he can use Barrier to block off line of sight against the rest of the powerful ranged attackers in this set. For such a small investment, there’s absolutely no reason not to play him in sealed. There’s rarely a figure with this much power for 40 points, so don’t go passing him up.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

015 Skids

Skids might not be as exciting as Rusty, but her combination of Barrier and an 18 Defend make her a very useful figure if you pull her. In a ranged heavy set with a lot of low defenses, she’s insuring your team is very difficult to hit, both by granting 18 base defense for characters with Energy/Shield and by blocking off any lines of fire with Barrier. Keeping her alive is very important, as her value increases the more time she stays on the map. Each time your figures get hit and lose their defense, she’s going to need be there to protect. Her unique attribute is her ability to knock-back adjacent opponents at the beginning of the turn potentially setting them up for a free knock-back damage. This does require an entire turn of Skids moving up adjacent to a character that can be knocked back, surviving your opponents turn, solely to move them into a different square. It’s unlikely she’ll use it defensively, as most characters getting adjacent to her will either have protection from knock-back or won’t place themselves in a way that the knock-back will affect them. This forces her to Sidestep into adjacency, putting herself in danger, and moving away from the figures she needs to protect. Luckily, this set has less Charge in it (due to the move and attack She’s a useful figure, boosting the fairly low defense values in this set, but her tricks aren’t always as useful as you would want.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

016 Mystique

Mystique’s hidden identity of Foxx gives her some useful close combat potential. Charge and Blades makes her a pretty straight forward close attacker, and her damage power gives her some much needed protection, with the combo of Super Senses, Shape Change and her inability to be attacked by non-adjacent characters when she is adjacent. If she can get adjacent then she’ll be a serious annoyance to any of the Cyclops or other ranged attackers in this set. Her biggest let-down is her single click of Charge, leaving her without mobility if she’s pushed off of it. In sealed she’s a great workhorse figure that’s hard to deal with and can tie-up and eliminate a lot of the squishy ranged attackers, while dodging ranged fire. In constructed her damage power doesn’t give her enough protection for her to see serious play.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

017 Beast

If the concept of a 3 damage Quake is enough to make you consider playing Beast, than his Perplex, decent values and dial length and excellent trait that boosts attack values for X-Men if he makes the first attack, won’t stop you. Beast is a pretty straightforward close attacker, with little to protect him from range, a big issue in this set, and a dial that becomes less and less useful as he takes damage. The biggest issue with him taking damage is losing Charge, but if Beast can get adjacent before he dies, his Combat Reflexes can keep him alive long enough to stop a few ranged attackers from getting off attacks, and Empower allows any other close attackers with him to benefit from his presence. Not a game changer by any means, but with the right Telekinesis, Beast can completely decimate the fragile ranged attacks of this set with a well placed Quake.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

018 Iceman

At first, Iceman looks like a Incapacitate figure with a single target, making him a fairly ineffectual secondary attacker, but with three damage, five range and Running Shot, Iceman is great at dealing considerable damage. Incapacitate is just added benefit, and his special Incapacitate can also help “ice-olate” close combat figures by giving them Immobile. Furthermore, he boosts defense on all x-men when he hits, giving him an 18 defense if he makes the first attack. It’s not quite the boost that Cyclops gives, but Iceman is no slouch and is another strong secondary ranged attacker.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

019 Cyclops

This Cyclops doesn’t have the mobility of the common, but he does have a longer range, higher damage output and a much longer dial, that retains effectiveness throughout it. The biggest weakness Cyclops has is his lack of reducers, or any effective defensive powers. Willpower keeps him going, but a 17 defense won’t keep him safe from the multiple powerful ranged attackers in the set. If you can reliably roll 5’s he’s hitting like a truck, but it’s not a reason to play him. He’s a little bit of a liability, but with his Stealth busting capabilities and his long range, there’s definitely a space for him if you haven’t pulled a better ranged attacker.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

020 Jean Grey

Jean is an excellent uncommon Telekinesis figure for sealed, and offers a lot of value as an attacker with her X-Factor trait that can semi-reliably boost her damage to 3. Leadership insures that her Telekinesis won’t be taking up an action from your team, and end dial Perplex keeps her useful down her dial. She doesn’t have a bad click at any point on her 6 click dial, and will be a powerhouse in sealed teams. The only problem that she has is a comparison to Jeanette. Jeanette is cheaper, better at attacking and harder to remove from the board. Jean is an excellent addition to any sealed team, but is outclassed by Jeanette and the fast forces Jean Grey and because of that won’t see too much constructed play.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

021 Cypher

Cypher has two starting lines, one with 2 clicks of life for 35 points, and one with 5 for 70. The 35 point option gives your team protection from Outwit, which isn’t running rampant in this set, but is potentially useful. The 70 point gives you the Outwit protection for two clicks, and then a stop-click followed by two clicks of Invincible. With high values, and a fantastic reducer, Cypher is very, very hard to remove.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

022 Karma

Karma’s big plan is to hit three opposing characters at once with Mind Control, and while that’s not a terrible plan by any means, her short dial does make it a little difficult for her to achieve with no protection outside of Shape Change. The New Mutants shared trait is a little perplexing. Healing 1 click isn’t bad, but giving up all attacks to do it is a little much, especially when Karma can’t really do anything besides that. It’ll be useful on turns you need to clear and not much else, especially when Karma’s 4 click dial can be dealt with in a single hit from a lot of the more powerful figures in this set.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

023a Magneto

Coming in at 50 points, Magneto is a little bit of a disappointment after that amazing uncommon Magneto from Uncanny X-Men. That being said, Magento isn’t a pushover, being another decent Telekinesis user (if you didn’t get one in your common slot) and having reasonable value as an attacker. He also comes with Leadership and Perplex, but only for New Mutants figures, making him a perfect partner for Rusty. If you don’t pull any New Mutants is pretty hard to recommend him, even if he has potential. There’s just better 50 point figures out there. In constructed he brings along a free ID Card. This might make him absolutely killer, or it might be worthless, we’ll have to wait and see what kind of student ID cards there are, and what figures they can call in.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

023b Magneto

Magneto is an interesting prime to pull because there’s a good chance his most powerful abilities are completely lost on you, as there are so few figures in this set with the Hellfire Club keyword. That being said, he’s got a pretty solid 75 point dial even without the benefit of those powers. His trait activates on almost every figure in the set boosting his damage to 5, which gives him the power to kill a lot of the commons in this set with a single attack. Telekinesis and Sidestep give him some support capability, and pushing onto Running Shot and Pulse Wave is never bad. His biggest issue is the unavoidable damage he takes when dealing with most of the figures in this set. It’s a more of a hindrance than a dealbreaker, especially when it only triggers off of KO’ing them, but it’s something to keep in mind. In constructed Magneto could have some significant power boosting the values of his Hellfire friends, it’s too bad there’s no competitive Hellfire Club figures to boost. He’s powerhouse without a home.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

024 Leech

Everyone knows that Outwit is one of the best powers in sealed, and Leech is the best Outwit ever. For 30 points, Leech can Outwit every character within 4 spaces, completely shifting the match. His trait helps control pick-a-powers, which has some limited use in sealed, but it doesn’t matter at all. That Outwit is just too good to pass up, and there’s absolutely no reason to pass it up when it’s 30 points. Leech is an absolute must play, if you don’t have room, make room. If you want Leech to be even better, get him a transporter so he can get in the best possible position.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

025 Mercury

Mercury is everything you could ever want in a tie-up piece in the most affordable package ever. She can keep people next to her, threaten them with decent attack powers and values, and has enough protection with Super Senses and Shape Change to discourage opponents from attacking her. If she does get hit, her damage potential goes way up with Blades/Claws/Fangs and Exploit Weakness. She’s a simple, effective tie-up piece with more than enough damage potential to act as a serious threat for your opponent. It’s more than losing the mobility on one of their more useful ranged attackers, it’s having that figure take damage each turn, or waste attacks on a 35 point figure.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

026 Jubilee

Jubilee’s effectiveness revolves entirely around her Energy Explosion which, if you can pull it off, both helps you protect your own figures by lowering attack values and allows you to more easily follow up on hit characters with their lowered defense. It’s not a guarantee, as her range and attack is average at best, but two targets makes her Energy Explosion easily able to hit more than two figures with a single action. A single click of Running Shot makes her mobile but also leaves her vulnerable if she pushes, but it does give her Perplex. There’s no point on the dial where Jubilee is strong, but being able to push to trade mobility for Perplex gives you a little choice when you need it. The Generation X trait really isn’t going to come in handy with a character almost exclusively built to attack from range, but it gives her some mobility as a close attacker if things come to that. Jubilee isn’t a strong ranged attacker, and she’s easily outclassed by a lot of the common ranged options, but she’s different enough to be a second choice, especially if you’re running figures with low attack values, and need a Perplex.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

027 Mondo

Mondo is a surprisingly different take on the close combat beatstick piece. Generation X gives him a traited Charge that can’t be Outwit, and on-top of that, he’s able to jump five spaces from hindering to hindering, giving him a massive 10 possible movement Charge, or allowing him to move and attack into a square of hindering, and teleport out of it. Either way, Mondo has a lot of surprises in his dial. He’s also more points than the rest of the commons and the uncommons in the set, but he makes up for it with strong reducers. Remaining in hindering gives him Invulnerability, but with the right map choice, he’ll easily be able to access adjacent blocking terrain giving him Impervious. Either way, he’s able to reduce a majority of the damage aimed at him by most of the ranged attackers and only really need to worry about those that can deal penetrating damage. The second half of his dial is a little lackluster, but have access to Close Combat Expert makes his low values more agreeable, and will always have access to a 5 square move and attack.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

028 Penance

I really like the design of this figure. Every single element of her dial is built around her Generation X trait. While Leap/Climb doesn’t work with it, her Blades/Claws/Fangs does, giving her access down her entire dial to a 5 movement Blades no matter how much damage she’s taken. Leap/Climb gives her a little mobility so she can get within move and attack range, and Battle Fury keeps her hitting the figures in this set that rely on Shape Change. The thing that brings Penance down is her cost. 75 points is just a little bit too expensive for a figure that entirely relies on being within 5 spaces of her target, and rolling high on a Blades roll. Her high attack and Invulnerability gives her a little more value, but with the huge amount of powerful ranged attackers in this set, she’s going to need to work hard to get that value out before being blown away.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

029 Skin

Skin is very, very similar to Anaconda from Superior Foes of Spider-man. He has a traited move and attack, ranged Plasticity and Giant Reach, giving him some use as both an attacker and a tie-up figure. Ranged tie-up isn’t as useful in a set full of ranged attackers (as being stuck two squares away doesn’t stop them from making ranged attacks), but it slows down all figures that depend solely on close attacks, and Skin himself is no slouch as an attacker either. With his trait and Giant Reach, he has a surprisingly capable swing for a close attacker. Shape Change and Toughness give him enough protection, but not enough to discourage attacks. Skin isn’t the best tie-up in this set, but he’s the only tie-up with such a variety of options at his disposal. At the end of his dial he still has Plasticity, but nothing to protect him, instead he brings Barrier and Close Combat Expert, giving him more options for your team. Mercury will always be the better figure to stop movement and discourage attacks, but she doesn’t have the mobility or variety that Skin brings with him.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

030 Surge

It’s wonderful that there’s a Hypersonic character at uncommon rarity, it gives a lot of mobility to a Telekinesis heavy sealed set. Surge has two ways of going about her business on her first two clicks. She can either make ranged attacks at an attractive 6 range, or she gets 9 movement Hypersonic Speed, which is pretty fun for a 40 point character. Surge definitely suffers from a lack of reliable defense powers making her a figure that needs to hit before she gets hit, but that’s not a bad thing in a set full of ranged attackers with no protection from close attacks. Surge and a telekinesis figure is the scourge of most of the commons in this set, pushing them off of their first clicks with no trouble, and leaving your opponents team weak, and unable to counter attack. Like the figures she easily counters, Surge also suffers from taking any amount of damage, but you really can’t expect more from a 40 point figure. It’s a set filled with squishy figures, and a figure that can easily get in and out and push them to their worst clicks is more than worth its points.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 2/5

031 Oya

Oya’s a powerhouse ranged attacker with no way to defend herself, and too short a range to keep up with the rest of the set. More than likely Oya will end up being a Barrier figure, and that means she has some potential for your team, but aside from that Oya doesn’t have the reach to threaten the other ranged attackers without leaving herself incredibly vulnerable. She’s not bad, and in other sets, she would be downright playable, but with the way this is built, the focus on cheap ranged attackers with large swings and solid values, Oya is left in the open with little benefit for her price tag. Being able to give out a token and a penetrating damage is fantastic, in a set where there are lots of reducers and with larger point figures, sadly that’s not this set.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

032 Kitty Pryde

I love the special movement power, it’s so unique, but also so flexible and useful. Kitty Pryde can hide behind a wall, creating terrain that is simultaneously blocking for line of fire and free for movement. With the right figures this can make an incredible safe space to plan attacks from that is virtually unreachable by your opponents. She’s also a useful support figure with Perplex and Leadership for all X-men figures, making her very useful on almost any sealed team. She’s unlikely to be tremendously effective as an attacker, but she brings enough to the table to almost always have use on your team.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

Rare

033 Angel

He’s not a hugely impressive figure at first glance, but his values keep him more effective than other figures at his point value. 12 movement and 18 defense are high for this set, and the choice between 10 attack, 3 damage or 11 attack, 2 damage allows Angel, like the uncommon Beast, access to decent damage output. He also gains Perplex later in his dial giving him some more flexibility with combat values. Finally Precision Strike helps Angel deal with the few figures in this set with reducers or Super Senses. He’s a solid close attacker that can boost the movement of the rest of your X-Men with his trait. It might not be the most useful of the First Class traits, but an extra movement in a Running Shot or Charge can be a big change.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

034 Storm

Storm is a godsend in a set with very few taxi’s. Carrying 3 figures will insure you have the best positioning in a set where positioning requires either a Telekinesis throw or an action to move, and with the low point costs in the set, the action token economy is going to be tight. On-top of being a taxi, Storm grants an extra action with Leadership and a Perplex to assist anyone she carries. She’s also one of the few figures in the set you might want to push, as she becomes a fairly effective ranged attacker with Ranged Combat Expert, 6 Range and Sidestep. The best thing about it is, if you do want to get that transport power back, she just needs to push some more, as it appears at the end of her dial as well. She’s a solid rare pull to insure that your horde of figures gets where they need to be, when they need to be. In constructed, her only hope is if there are enough good X-Men to be competitive, and looking at this set there might just be.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

035 Darwin

Darwin is definitely a figure you want to pull, but he might not be the figure you want to play. Darwin’s biggest strength is the damage he does to figures that pick a power. In this set, that’s limited to the Prime Moira, Husk, Synch, Surge and himself. He’s doing this damage to all other figures, so even your team isn’t safe from it. Aside from that Darwin is just a tough 35 point figure that might be able to block shots or unreliably tie-up opponents. With two stop-clicks, and the ability to choose any defense power when attacker he’s going to be really hard to deal with. At the same time, unless your opponent has one of those pick a power characters (especially Surge who has to choose), Darwin has trouble making much of an impact. His X-Student trait gives him a little support value, and his 2 damage can make him trouble for someone, but aside from that he’s just going to kind of sit there. In constructed he’ll be a massive issue for Goblin King and Jakeem, dealing them damage each time they choose powers. In fact, at 35 points, I imagine he’ll show up a lot even in casual games. There’s a lot of figures, like some of the Batmans that have very limited pick a power, and dealing 1 damage to them every time they do is worth the 35.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 5/5

036 All-New Wolverine

Laura is a real mean close combat figure with a ton of useful traits, but struggles due to her high point value and low damage values. With new Blades/Claws/Fangs, having a high damage value is still useful, but with a 2 on her top click, Laura is entirely relying on the roll of the dice to deal damage, and Charge to get close. For protection she can heal 1 click per turn, and can summon Jonathan to block shots on her. With 6 clicks of life, and the numerous amount of strong ranged attackers in this set, Laura is kind of stuck in the middle of the map. Low mobility, low payoff for getting close and poor protection makes this 100 point figure a bit of a miss. Jonathan is her saving grace, as she is able to move her full distance, call him out, and Charge with him, but that is a big chunk of your actions for the turn. She has a lot of fun traits and combinations, but it just seems unlikely she’ll make her points back in this sealed format. In constructed, I could see her being used as a Call-in to get Jonathan on the field, but usually a 100+ point figure would be able to hit harder than her, and after she leaves and her Jonathan trait is off the map, Jonathan loses the ability to ignore being KO’d; at the same time, 3 points and an action to call in two 11 attack Blades figures, with one of them staying behind isn’t bad at all.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 2/5

037a Professor X

Professor X

With two point lines spread between 5 clicks, Professor X is a little squishy, but he brings a lot of value to his team with an 8 range Mind Control that can target every character within range (not line of sight) and move them half their movement. He’s the ultimate re-positioning character, able to remove adjacency bonuses, Ignore Stealth and place characters into vulnerable positions for his team to exploit. On-top of that he has Outwit, Perplex, Leadership and an 18 Defend at his 75 point dial. I find both of his point costs risky, 75 being a lot to spend on 5 clicks of support and 50 being too easily killed in a single shot by a Telekinesis thrown ranged attacker. I personally find the 50 point starting line a little more to my liking, as he doesn’t lose much effectiveness. In constructed he’s still useful, but with more mobility in what tends to be a faster format, he’s much harder to protect, making him more of a 75/50 point liability.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

037b Professor X

Broodfessor X has a lot of weird stuff going on in his dial, but I don’t dislike it at all. Like the non-prime version, he has two point values, one a little higher at 90, and one with three clicks at 50. At either point cost you’re getting access to the Royal Egg trait, which triggers off the death of any opposing or friendly New Mutant character, and gives you a Royal Hatching Bystander. These bystanders are pretty fantastic, they can Carry, Mind Control and Blades/Claws/Fangs giving them a ton of options for a free bystander. Like all the other Headmasters, he has Leadership and Perplex, his specifically targeting the New Mutants, which aren’t too rare in the set. His two starting points give him vastly different roles on the battlefield. His high point value makes him a triple target Mind Control figure, and it shares the highest attack and damage values between all hit characters. On his lower point cost, he’s a pretty powerful ranged attacker, with all the extra bells and whistles he comes with. There’s nothing bad about this figure, at every point in his dial he can do something useful, and even when he’s just on the field, he’s pumping out Royal Hatchlings to do work for you. He’s still a great figure in constructed, but he doesn’t quite have the effect that his prime status needs. He’s hard to compare to Jakeem Thunder or Nighthawk, even with his strong combat abilities.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

038 Magik

75 points is a lot for a transporter, but in sealed, it’s going to make a big difference. Magik herself has a lot of value in her carrying ability, but as an attacker she’s pretty weak. She relies entirely on Blades/Claws/Fangs to deal damage, and her attack value is pretty low for a 75 point figure. Defensively she’s doing a little bit better with Invulnerability, and she does pick up Probability Control halfway down her dial, giving her some great support value. The best thing to do with her is push her by carrying until she gets to it. The biggest issue of playing Magik is that all of her power comes from her ability to be replaced by the Darkchylde SR, and if you didn’t pull her in sealed, Magik doesn’t have the potential that should would have. So it’s your decision, pay 75 points for a figure who’s whole value you won’t have access to, or skip over a really great transporter that has Probability Control. In constructed, you’re dealing with a similar issue. Are you willing to pay 35 more points for a Vanisher that has the possibility of turning into a Super Rare when she dies? It’s definitely a possibility, but it’s probably not worth the cost.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

039 Sprite

I love the amount of tricks Sprite has up her sleeve. It makes her a fantastic close attacker with a lot of potential for shenanigans. The best thing Sprite can do is ignore everything for movement. Nothing slows her down, and that can lead to some pretty surprising attacks where she Charges through walls, off of elevated terrain or past characters that would normally be a hindrance. On-top of that, when Sprite does move through a character, she has a 1/3 chance of giving it an action token. With Exploit Weakness as the cherry on-top, Sprite can Charge through anything, moving through her intended target giving them a token, and finally make a penetrating strike against the next target. With an 18 defense and Super Senses, Sprite is also a pretty defensively strong figure, and her trait allows her to further disway attacks, as anything that does kill her is taking a serious amount of penetrating damage and an action token. There’s only one issue with Sprite and it’s her fourth and fifth clicks. Neither has her useful powers, or any real way of dealing damage, and if your opponent gets her to one of them, they don’t have to worry about killing her and taking the damage, they can leave her alone, content that she won’t be able to do anything useful. In constructed she could be a decent ID Card call in, especially if you have a Perplex.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

040 Banshee

Banshee is a Running Shot/Pulse Wave figure with all the benefits of the Headmaster trait, making him a must play if you manage to pull him. There’s no point in even considering playing him at his lower point value, as it doesn’t have that first amazing click. His middle dial is his weakest point, with no mobility and an okay power that gives action tokens when he hits lower point figures. At 75 points thats all the commons and uncommons, but it’s still so limited in effectiveness. That being said, a ranged attacker with that many useful powers is almost a must play, and Pulse Wave makes him unique in this set.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

041 Chamber

Chamber isn’t particularly good at any one thing. If he’s close to you he’s using penetrating poison, and if he’s far away he’s shooting you with penetrating blast, the problem being that getting within range of either is hard without any move and attack. Force Blast is hard to enjoy when knocking a character back will either put them out of range, or out of adjacency, either way limiting the effect of Chamber. He’s also not too hard to put down, with a measly 5 clicks for 70 points. On-top of all that Chamber has his Generation X trait, letting him move and make close attacks, something he rarely wants to do. He’s just not the focused attacker you’re looking for in a set with a lot of very focused attackers.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5

042 M

The reason to play M is the first click of Hypersonic Speed. With that, M becomes a powerful mobile attacker, and with Invincible keeping her safe, it’s hard to get her off of it. On-top of that her special damage power gives her access to Outwit and Perplex if they were used by your opponent the turn before. Perplex is almost a give with the massive amount of Headmasters in this set, and Outwit isn’t uncommon enough to make this power worthless. If she gets pushed off of that first click, M loses what makes her special and becomes another semi-beefy close attacker. She’s worth playing solely for that top click, and for the Outwit and Perplex she can potentially bring, but she’s anything but reliable. In constructed she’s not doing anything outstanding, making her a weak Hypersonic option with the potential for some support powers.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

043 Icarus

Compared to the Angel’s in this set, Icarus is a little bit of a disappointment. The potential for a penetrating Quake is intriguing, but it’s impossible to rely on. His movement power is just a nicer Charge with Willpower, which is never bad, but his low attack and damage values don’t make that a nice option either. The main thing Icarus has going for him is being a flyer. Taxi’s are limited in this set and Icarus can carry someone up, and then Charge without pushing, giving him a little flexibility. The middle of his dial is a strange Mind Control/Perplex combo, with Energy Shield/Deflection, which leaves him strangely vulnerable if he takes damage after Charging. Overall he’s going to be worth playing in sealed solely because he can carry someone, and maybe he’ll be able to do enough with his Quake against the squishier figures in this set.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 1/5

044 Rockslide

I’m a huge fan of Rockslide, unlike his teammate Icarus, but strangely, they work very well together. The biggest challenge in playing Rockslide will be positioning. He doesn’t have a lot of movement, and his defense power (like Mondo’s) heavily relies on being adjacent to hindering or blocking terrain. That being said, the benefit of being adjacent to blocking is very, very strong. Impervious and healing makes a lot of trouble for the lower damage values in this set, and his very high damage values can absolutely crush any figure he hits. Rockslide even gets Pulse Wave at the end of his dial, strange for a 70 point close attacker, but not unwanted. He really only has one weakness, and that’s his fairly low defense values. If your opponent has an Outwit, you need to be careful with Rockslide, he’s only a single Outwit away from becoming fresh meat for your opponents. He suffers from the same issues in constructed, but he also has a lot more access to blocking terrain when you’re choosing the map.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

045 Broo

I’m not particularly impressed with Broo but I can’t really figure out why. For 25 points he’s a tiny Outwitter that can be carried around, and has the X-Student trait to help whoever’s carrying him around. For 25 points more that figure gets two stop-clicks where he loses Outwit in favor of a pretty decent set of close combat powers. Charge, Blades, Exploit Weakness and Battle Fury makes Broo a pretty scary close attacker and with Combat Reflexes giving him a 19 defense up close he’s not easy to hit with attacks, and even if you do, you’re just pushing him to his next stop-click. There’s very few 50 point figures with the ability to take as much punishment as Broo.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

046 Goldballs

Okay, even though Goldballs might not be the most mobile or best pull for sealed, I love his design, and I would be happy to pull him. Goldballs is a ranged attacker who’s focused on making ranged attacks to knock-back characters and place Goldball objects to limit your opponents power. The best part of this power is the constant effect. Without destroying the objects or using them in an attack, they’re not leaving the battlefield and are constantly mucking up your opponents plans by lowering their values. He also synergizes well with the amount of Telekinesis in this set, which allows the placement of the gold balls or the use of them as an attack. I’ll admit that his effect on the battlefield can be quite limited, but with every attack he makes, he just gains more and more value, making a very useful ranged attacker.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

047 Prodigy

Like Darwin, Prodigy has a lot more use outside of the sealed environment, but has some potential with the few pick a power characters in this set. His Outwit gives him some purpose on your team, and Support at the end of his dial can always be useful. On-top of that he’s got Willpower and the X-Men Team Ability, allowing him to heal other X-Men. Hopefully if you’re playing him your opponent is letting you give powers to him and a friend, otherwise he’s not doing much. I think of the three anti-pick a power figures, Prodigy is the weakest. He doesn’t discourage offensive pick-a-power figures as much as he does defensive ones, and outside of the trait, Leech has a far better dial.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 3/5

048 Phat

Phat’s a cool close attacker with Giant Reach and a constant, but uncontrolled, modifier to his stats. Even with the random modification, he’s going to have surprisingly high values. As a close attacker he doesn’t have the most protection, but Invulnerability, Charge and Giant Reach are going to get him places, especially pared with Telekinesis. My favourite part of his dial is his headline trait. Everytime he hits he’s growing his ability to stretch out and surprise your opponents with a long range slap. This is especially potent on his last two clicks with Close Combat Expert. With his modifications he can be hitting for as much as 5 damage, and if you’ve been consistently hitting, he can hit upwards of 5 spaces. Plasticity makes him an okay tie-up piece, but with only Toughness, he’s more likely to be a target for the character he ties up than a hinderance.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

Super-Rare

049 Professor X, Dreamer

There’s been 7 title characters to this point (including Prof) and this is the first that’s just not good. The professor is a support figure with 5 clicks of life that requires him to attack to offset the cost of activating his best abilities, and when he dies you’re penalized by increasing your opponents damage by +1. On the other hand, he does have Telekinesis. Oh wait, there’s 8 or so characters in the common slot alone with TK. His title character abilities aren’t bad at all, granting +1 defense, or shuting down an attacker within range are both useful to have, but the cost of using them is pretty outlandish for a figure that’s already vulnerable. There’s absolutely no way you’re getting to his -9 power without some serious support and luck, and even then, it’s not game changing in a way that will matter 6+ turns down the line. Professor X is a dud in every conceivable way, and hopefully, will be the worst title character for the rest of the mechanics use.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 1/5

050 Magneto, Realist

Magneto isn’t the title character you were looking for either, but he’s atleast better than Xavier. In truth, Magneto is a scary sealed pull, and has an immense dial with high values and good powers for a relatively cheap 100 points. Magneto’s title character abilities are the reverse of Professor X’s, first giving higher attack, then giving friendly characters mobility, and finally increasing damage by all characters by +1. With 7 range and Running Shot, Magneto isn’t going to have a lot of trouble making attacks to offshoot the cost of activating his abilities, especially when his +1 increases his attack to a 12 top dial. Magneto’s downside is a -1 damage to your team for the rest of the game, but I think Magneto is bulky enough to hopefully keep himself alive, atleast until the point that his death means you’ve already lost. He’s a little more vanilla than I expected from a Magneto title characters, but I think he gives enough value to a swarm team to be considered playing, and he’s one of the strongest attackers in the sealed format.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

051 Angel

The X-Factor Angel is a pretty amazing close attacker at both his 50 and 60 points values. He ignore characters for moving, allowing him to avoid pesky tie-up figures during his 6 movement Charge. Without his damage power, Angel is just a straightforward, good for his points, close attacker with a lot of mobility and a very high defense value up close. There’s almost no reason to not play him at 60, as he’s getting an extra 2 clicks of life for 10 points. Now, lets look at that damage ability. For a free action, Angel can either remove a token or heal an X-Factor character. The potential power level there is incredible, as Angel can single-handedly insure an X-Factor character never has to spend a turn clearing. In sealed this is incredible, and it keeps your force dangerous every moment of the game, especially when Angel himself is no slouch if your opponents get close. In constructed it suffers some due to the restriction to X-Factor characters, but with the fantastic Iceman, Quicksilver and Deadpool, Merc with a Mouth, there’s definitely the potential for him to be a key part of a team.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

052 Cyclops

Cyclops is built like the duos from World’s Finest, with an incredibly high point cost with a ton of clicks, or a low one with very few, but with a similar power level to his high cost. The biggest issue with Cyclops is that 150 point level. 100 points for 4 clicks of life is a steep cost, especially when he doesn’t have any reducers and has very few solid defense powers on his dial. The dial itself has respectable values, and some useful powers, but I can’t see 150 points of value in it. That being said, the 50 point dial has all of those issues, but is much more acceptable as 50 points. The thing about Cyclops is his value all comes through traits. With his traits he has access to Sidestep, Leadership, Perplex and Penetrating/Psychic Blast or Energy Shield/Deflection depending on what side of the map you’re on. On-top of that, he can shoot through blocking terrain and can make free ranged attacks against anyone who hit an X-Men character. I still don’t think that with the traits, Cyclops is dependable at 150 points. Without Indomitable, he has to depend on the clicks where he has Willpower, and if anyone bases him, he’s losing a lot of value as a ranged attacker. You can play him at either value in sealed, but it’s going to be down to the rest of your figures to determine whats best. If you’ve pulled a lot of TK and not a lot of great attackers, he’s coming in at his huge 150, but if it’s the opposite, he’s a big threat at 50, especially with his Leadership and Perplex. In constructed he’s going to be an ID Card Call-in, and his ID is going to be worth a lot.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 4/5

053 Wolverine

Wolverine is the close attacking version of Cyclops, but he has a few more tricks up his sleeve, making him a much better figure to play at 150 in sealed. The big difference between Wolverine and Cyclops is that range is just better in Heroclix, especially in regards to their Stay Away From My Students trait. Cyclops just has to be within 8 range to retaliate, where Wolverine does need to be adjacent. Cyclops also has the benefit of Precision Strike, where Wolverine will be making a straight attack without the benefit of his powers. That being said, to make up for that weakness, Wolverine has three separate stop-clicks keeping him alive, and two of them can chain together to put him back on his top-dial. He also has all the other traits that Cyclops had, giving him Sidestep, Perplex and Leadership, as well as Combat Reflexes or Flurry depending on his positioning. Wolverine is a beast in sealed where he’s incredibly hard to put down, and can easily tear apart any other figure in this set, and plays well at either point value. Like Cyclops, he’ll see a lot of play as an ID Call in. 5 points for an 11 attack, Flurry Blades is too good to pass up, and will be a staple on aggressive builds. Even on the field Wolverine has a long enough dial and a ton of stop-clicks making him a mean character to face.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 5/5

054 Gateway

Gateway is the new uber taxi, but I think he might be too late to make much of an impact with the amount of choices in the format. If you pull him in sealed, play him, there’s no reason not to. 8 Passengers and Probability Control fills the gaps in this sealed set, and will almost insure you have the best chance of success. In constructed he’s going up against Renet Tilley who can’t carry as many characters, but has a better Probability Control and Green Lantern, who doesn’t have PC, but can potentially allow characters to take actions. Neither of these characters end the turn after they move either, giving them a further step up. I think the fact his movement ends the turn is what will make him too weak to see play. It’s fine for initial placement, but after that, any amount of carrying is putting you into worse and worse positions.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 2/5

055 Old Man Logan

There’s something about Old Man Logan that really excites me, and it’s his trait that grants you an extra turn, an effect that I don’t think has ever existed in Heroclix. It excites me because it signals that Wizkids might be making more “out there” powers, that are fun to build around, regardless of their difficulty to trigger. It’s seriously hard to trigger this one. If you get him into your opponents starting area, they’re not going to attack him, so you’re going to be forced to either push him to death, or use other abilities that can hurt your friendly figures. Either way, a 7 click dial for 75 points takes a long time to push to death. Of course, that trait is only a very small aspect of his dial. He’s got traited worse Regeneration, and a damage power that grants Combat Reflexes to adjacent friendly characters of less points. Old Man Logan also has very offensive values, but a lack of mobility. This is less of a problem than you would expect as he’s the character everyone wants to carry. By getting him and your taxi adjacent to your opponents, they’re looking at a 19 defense on him, and potentially higher on your taxi, keeping both safe from attacks. He’s a fantastic figure to bulk up a swarm team, and in sealed he’s keeping every one of your figures safe from close attackers.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

056 Dust

Dust is a fantastic secondary attacker/support figure, and I think destined to be played in constructed and sealed. The best thing Dust has going for her is how effective she can be without taking anything but free actions. Dust’s Sidestep and free Smoke Cloud allow her to advance slowly across the map, keeping her at a 19 defense, and slowly tearing apart opposing characters who don’t have reducers. Paired with anyone with Stealth, Dust is exceptional at giving them cover, and still doesn’t ever need to take a costed action to do so. Now, let’s say that you have the action economy for Dust, now she can get to where you need hindering terrain, or make solid attacks with her Precision Strike. Dust does everything you could possibly want from a free action Smoke Cloud user, and does it without having a negative effect on your action economy. I know i’ve mentioned that a ton, but it’s surprisingly important and always useful. Play Dust, just do it.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

057 Kid Gladiator

Kid Gladiator is basically a more expensive and better version of M. He’s got the Hypersonic Speed to make him a must play in sealed, but also gets some range, Impervious and Protected: Outwit from most, if not all, of the Outwit in this set. He’s also got the potential to snowball out of control with his trait that boosts all his values everytime he kills something, until another friendly character kills something. Kid Gladiator is going to start each game as a precision support killer, able to strike deep into enemy territory, smash their weakest figure to death, and retreat with a boost to his values. If you can keep doing this he becomes a massive threat, with a potential 7 damage, willing the game singlehandedly. If he doesn’t manage to reach these heights, he suffers from the exact same issues as M. After losing Hypersonic Speed he becomes a pretty basic figure with inconsistant values and less useful powers. Keeping him top-dial and boosting his values are a surefire way to win the game. In constructed, Kid Gladiator suffers from a lack of Willpower, and just is generally weak compared to other Hypersonic figures. He’s a little disappointing for a 120 point figure.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 2/5

058 Magik

The SR version of Magik is a pretty fantastic pull in sealed, and is pretty big threat everywhere else. Her movement power gets her where she needs to be with little effort. Stealth and Invincible keeps her very safe from attacks and Steal Energy keeps her top-dial even with the lack of Willpower. She’s a hard to kill, powerful tank, with Mystics to hurt anyone who dares attack her. She makes the rare Magik a lot better, and is going to be a menace of the sealed environment. She eats characters with low damage and low clicks of life with little trouble. Her trait is an issue, as it can deal damage when she KO’s a character, luckily it’s just stopping her from healing from Steal Energy, and won’t be a debilitating effect.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 3/5

059a Emma Frost

There’s no doubt that Emma Frost is a stinker, especially for a super-rare, and especially in sealed. Unlike the other headmasters that give you something to make you want to play them, Emma’s traits make her sole purpose leading a Hellions team. She grants them the always useful Colossal Stamina, as well as being able to Perplex them. Besides that, you’re getting 50 points of nothing. 18 Defense with Shape Change and Willpower make her an easy target for anyone, and offensively she’s either Mind Controling or Outwiting. Her dial is just so average, especially if you don’t have a team entirely consisting of Hellions. If you do, than maybe she’s good enough to warrant a play, if you don’t leave her in the plastic.

Sealed: 1/5

Constructed: 2/5

059b White Queen

White Queen is a lot better than her non-prime counterpart. Sidestep, Mind Control and Stealth make her a much more dangerous ranged attacker, and her extended range Empower and Enhancement make her a decent support figure. She the normal Headmaster trait, this time for Generation X, which is a pretty common keyword in this set. I think 100 points is a little steep compared to some of the other figures in this set, especially when she doesn’t have a ton of protection beyond her acceptable defense values. She certainly isn’t the most interesting Prime ever created, but she’s certainly an effective pull in sealed, and has enough tools to allow her to make a difference in constructed. A boring Super-rare Prime, but not an inherently bad one.

Sealed: 3/5

Contructed: 2/5

060 Venus Dee Milo

There’s a lot going on with Venus here, and all of it good. Venus is a decent ranged attacker with Running Shot and Penetrating/Psychic Blast, as well as a taxi, and a healer. Venus is going to mainly want to make attacks to build up Headline tokens, which can be removed to let her use Telekinesis for free. This opens up the awesome combo of using Running Shot to move into position, making an attack, and using Telekinesis to move her back into her original position, giving her a self yo-yo. Her top-dial sports a 20 defense from range, and there’s not a single click on her dial that’s bad. Beyond that she’s got almost every possible variety of Improved Movement. Venus Dee Milo does so many things, and does them so well, there’s no reason in sealed to pass her up. In constructed her options are still fantastic, and there’s very few figures at her point value that have as many possible uses.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 4/5

Chases

061 Angel

The first of the chases is a pretty unexciting pull. He’s a fine close attacker, with Perplex to keep his damage acceptable, and can act as an okay taxi, but he also lacks all of the mobility you would expect from Angel. Until his last click he’s a pretty basic taxi, with nothing out of the ordinary. His last click gives him a stop-click, and the power to blow himself up to deal damage and destroy blocking terrain. It’s not penetrating damage, but it’s enough to threaten a lot of the weaker figures in this set. Like all the other chases, he has the Survivor of the Age of Apocalpyse trait, something that gains value the more chases you play. For Angel, the revenge tokens push his damage and attack to acceptable if not high levels, and his ability to sacrifice himself gives him some control over activating the last part of his trait. Angel’s a little lackluster, but at 60 points, he’s doing just enough to be worth it.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 2/5

062 Dark Beast

Beast is very similar to Angel, but offers a lot more value as an attacker. Outwit and Perplex are sprinkled throughout his dial, and he’s easy to add to a theme team of X-Men. Stealth, Sidestep and Leap/Climb give him a ton of mobility, and let him get into position for Outwit, and Steal Energy at the end of the dial can keep him alive longer, giving him more chance to activate his trait. I still don’t think he’s much of a chase, but he’s easily able to make back his points, with a little work.

Sealed: 3/5

Constructed: 3/5

063 Cyclops

6 clicks for 100 points is a big investment, but Cyclops has a huge amount of range, and high values, making him a dangerous figure to go up against. The later half of his dial is a little straightforward, but if he’s been knocked to it, his offensive values are going to be sky high. Cyclops is one of the most dangerous ranged attackers in this set, and with useful powers down his dial he always remains a threat. He’s definitely vulnerable to Hypersonic, but his trait does help deal with any figure that blitzes him. There’s a lot of power in this short dial, and even though he has a lower point value, it’s far more useful to get more clicks to activate his trait, and have his two clicks of Running Shot, than four clicks for 60.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

064 Iceman

Iceman is the most expensive chase in the set, and he has the longest dial, best powers and most useful traits. It’s hard to believe that the rest of the chases in this set were designed by the same person who made this amazing Iceman. As an attacker, Iceman’s Running Shot/Pulse Wave give him an exceptional damage potential, and Impervious keeps him safe. He’s hard to hurt at every point on his dial, and he never loses his useful offensive powers, even on his lower point cost. Iceman’s coolest ability is his Ice Clone trait, that lets him create bystanders at the end of his turn almost every turn. The Ice Clone’s are amazing, with Sidestep, Incapacitate, Toughness and Shape Change. On-top of that Iceman can consume his bystanders to boost his attack and damage for a turn. With the combination of that and his Survivor trait, Iceman can easily boost his attack and damage by +2 whenever he wants. Iceman is going to be a terror in sealed and in constructed, with no apparent weaknesses, and a lot of power in a 175 point dial.

Sealed: 5/5

Constructed: 5/5

065 Jean Grey

It’s definitely hard to accept a 90 point Chase starting with Willpower as a defensive option and nothing else, but Jean might have enough useful tools to make her worth playing. I’d personally avoid the 90 point starting line in favour of the 60, as it provides the same utility, with Telekinesis, Outwit and Running Shot, but for a conciderably cheaper cost. This Jean might not be as good a Tker as the Fast Forces one from Uncanny X-Men, but the utility of free Telekinesis, even if it’s a mediocre 3 square one, cannot be understated. It can extend Jean’s own reach to a massive 16, or allow her to reposition after making an attack, or can help get characters with limited mobility closer to where they need to go. If Jean takes any damage, she’s going to end up on her special damage power, giving her some protection with free Barrier, but by placing a single marker, it’s not emmensely useful. Jean Grey feels like a figure that was almost the next big meta threat, but at the last moment was weakened. If her Telekinesis and Barrier weren’t limited, she would be amazing, but as it stands, she’s only good.

Sealed: 4/5

Constructed: 3/5

066 Mister Sinister

If Jean was weakened at the end, Mister Sinister was completely evicerated. His dial doesn’t make a ton of sense, and his movement power is incredibly limited by it’s drawback. Invincible helps pull off his trait more, but he’s really just a jumble of missed potential. I really can’t understand how anyone thought he was worth 100 points with the pricing of the rest of the chases, but it doesn’t matter because it happened. Bleh.

Sealed: 2/5

Constructed: 1/5