For this week’s team build, let’s take a look at a theme that works for both Marvel and DC. It’s a theme that most people don’t really pay much attention to. Yep, we’re diving down into the depths to Atlantis!

I’ve made it pretty clear that I’m a Marvel guy. Aside from Batman and a few other key DC characters, I don’t really know much about that universe. That doesn’t stop me from playing DC pieces in Heroclix, as they’re still comic characters and I did really enjoy the Justice League cartoons in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. So I thought I would use a theme today that uses both of these universes.

Let’s be honest; both the poster children for Atlantis for Marvel and DC have some connotation, be they true or not. Aquaman has always been called useless and is the constant ass of jokes when it comes to superheroes. You can tell that DC has been trying to change this image of Aquaman for quite some time as the cinematic version is played by a much more ‘masculine’ actor (Jason Momoa) and he looks more savage and brutal. Namor on the other hand, is a dick. Pure and simple. The guy is a total seahorses’ ass and I really don’t know anyone who actually likes the character. When I pulled that gorgeous NFAoS Namor sculpt, I found myself trading him because I really don’t like the character. He’s pompous, he’s full of himself, and he often rushes into things forgetting that, ya’ know, he’s a king of a race of people. Good job invading Wakanda, douche.

These feelings lead a lot people I know to shy away from the Atlantis keyword in Heroclix. When you do a quick search on HCRealms, you’ll see that there is really only a handful of pieces to pick from, and they don’t seem too powerful on their own. However, when you build a theme team is when they really take off and become quiet powerful. Let’s jump into the builds as we aren’t highlighting a single piece today. As usual, we’ll do a 300 point, figures and ATA’s only build first.

300 Points Modern Atlantis Theme Team, Figures and ATA’s only

CWSLOP Namor 111 + Atlantis ATA

WKD16-011 Aquaman + Atlantis ATA

SMWW 042 Lori Lemaris + Atlantis ATA

SMWW 022 Mermaid + Atlantis ATA

Yep, that’s two LE’s on this team, and there’s a reason why. In the last couple weeks, I detailed how good both the Civil War Namor and the OP Kit Aquaman are. If we’re going to build an Atlantis team, why not use these two magnificent pieces. Namor is about the best thing to happen to Atlantis theme teams as he grants everyone the Zemo effet of boosting their attack values by +1. On top of that, he pumps out bystanders with Charge, Combat Reflexes, and Close Combat Expert. There’s no way we’re going to play an Atlantis theme team without the legitimate lord of Atlanis. Aquaman is an obvious choice because of his Leadership to grant more actions, his JLA team ability to not count against your total when taking a move action, and his overall insane damage. Can’t pass up a 12 attack and 7 damage (Hello Ultra Heavies!).

So we’ve covered those two in pretty good detail from their previous spots in articles, along with why they’re so good for this build. Let’s talk about those other two. Lori Lemaris and Mermaid kind of go together, and although you’d ideally want to run more than one Mermaid, it’s a tight build. Lori has 6 range and triple bolts along with a special Mind Control which essentially lets her forgo feedback damage, while Mermaid has 5 range and Incapacitate. Both of these pieces have an 11 attack, which means Namor boasts them to a 12, meaning everyone but Namor that you’re paying points to use has a 12 attack. Lori also has Willpower to ensure she can keep mind controlling people and she gets harder to hit when she’s in water terrain. Also, she turns herself and the Mermaid into bombs when they die

THE SEA SINGS OF THEM: When Lori Lemaris or a friendly character named Mermaid is KO’d by an opposing character, opposing characters within 5 squares of the KO’d character that are occupying water terrain are each dealt 2 penetrating damage.

Now, I would actually advise picking a map that’s ALL water, like the Pacific Ocean, because Aquaman is increasingly harder to kill when he’s in water and his enemy isn’t, picking up Combat Reflexes and blocking line of fire to himself. With your +4 to map roll, there’s a decent chance you’ll win, so I would choose something like Flooded Wakanda, which is mostly water, but has some dry spots. If you happen to lose map roll, you can place 7 squares of water terrain from Aquaman’s trait. As for the Atlantis ATA, it just grants a +1 defense boost for your characters if they’re in water. A nice point filler and a decent benefit. Oh, and no special objects because we want two Ultra Heavies for Aquaman and Namor’s later dial.

So this team has a little more bite than it would seem. You get a near infinite supply of attackers while your mermaids lock down the opposition and make them punch themselves, while Aquaman comes in heavy, able to KO most pieces in one hit. Let’s dive into (hehe) the larger build and see what we can do a little differently.

Did I Play it? Not yet unfortunately. I need to get some Mermaids and Lori so I can test this one, but I really want to try it out.

400 Points Modern Atlantis Theme Team, Figures and ATA’s only

CWSLOP 111 Namor

WKD16-011 Aquaman

JLTW202 Mera

CWSLOP 033 Namorita

WKDP16-007 Shark

Okay, almost everyone here is a limited piece of some kind, guilty as charged. Like I said, Atlantis is a fairly tough keyword to build around, but has a lot of strength if you play them right. We’ve extensively gone over Namor and Aquaman and their strengths greatly outweigh any other choices here, so let’s look at the three other pieces.

Mera is a really fantastic piece, when she’s part of an Atlantis theme team and she’s in water terrain. Granting Prob and TK are huge, especially on such a restrictive theme, but it’s her special defense that really earns her a spot on this team.

SAFETY FROM THE LAND DWELLERS: Mera can use Energy Shield/Deflection. When Mera is part of an Atlantis themed team and occupies water terrain, she can use Barrier as a free action, but only to place 2 squares of blocking terrain.

Hello, Ms. Wall Construct! Mera can wall up corridors and tight spots to force your opponents to move into your ocean pits of death. With her TK, she can either do the usual thing of throwing Aquaman or someone else out for an alpha strike, or, because she has a +1 attack thanks to Namor and Prob, you can TK an opponent in to a killbox and wall of their escape/backup. To top it all off, she has Mystics, so she’s going to punish anyone that tries to hit her.

Namorita is a great secondary attacker on a team like this because of her defense countering, which lets Aquaman hit for even more damage. Kingdom Come piece sitting on the other side of the map with Invinicible? Smack ’em with Namorita first and watch Aquaman drown ’em. With her flight and sidestep, she becomes a wonderful taxi as well, and since Aquaman has Leadership, she can carry him out and have her token removed the following turn.

Lastly, how about that shark, eh?! If you saw the Surfing Batman purchasable Con LE, you saw this shark. Normally a funny little piece to get some giggles, this guy is downright mean in water terrain. Thanks to Namor’s attack boost, if this guy is swimming around, you get a 7 movement charge, 11 Blades for only 30 points. His toughness and 4 clicks will keep him from dying too quickly and serves as a great tie-up piece. Combined with the free barriers from Mera, and the half movement for non-swimmers and flyers in water terrain, that’s a lot of movement and board control you’re bringing to the map.

Once again, two Ultra Heavies are needed here. As for a map, I would probably opt for something that’s complete water this time around. Aquaman’s bonus is really great, but the free barrier can protect him and the TK into your team is going to end up dropping your opponents into water anyways, so I would take something that’s nearly impossible to deal with if you don’t have Dolphin or Flight. Flooded Wakanda would still work here, but maybe there’s another map that could work better as I think the Pacific Ocean sort of cancels the half movement (I could be wrong; I’ve looked at mine once).

Did I Play it? Sadly no. Not only am I missing the Mermaids and Lori, I’m also missing Mera. Atlantis keyword characters haven’t been on my radar, but they sure as heck are now!

I hope you enjoyed these somewhat different builds. Sure, they aren’t cheap, but we’re not looking at possessors, ID cards, resources, chases, etc. Namor is really your most expensive piece.

Let me know what you’d like to see next! I’m not sure if I’ve been running too many Marvel teams, and things like The Metal Men and the Serpent Society are cool topics, but they’re pretty cut and dry ‘pick which ones you want’. Do you like theme teams, or should I do more builds like Devil Dino and Carnage where I highlight one figure and make them really brutal? Comment below and I’ll work that into the rotation!

As always, sharing is most appreciated! See ya next week!