TMNT 3 is out, so once again it’s time to review the set! Let’s take a look at the pieces that I believe are worth picking up.

TMNT 1? Awesome, very well received. TMNT 2? Pretty good. Not as impactful as the first set but still neat with good pieces. TMNT 3? WOAH, wait a minute! We’ve only had one set release since the last TMNT set! What gives, WizKids? Deadpool & X-Force was bumped for a third Turtles set? Wow.

WizKids seems eager to pump out more and more Turtles product. This could be for many reasons, but I believe that they’re trying to get all the money they can while they still hold the license. Since the Turtles sets are a bit smaller, it doesn’t cost as much for them to produce a set like it does a full 60-70 piece Marvel or DC set, so it also saves them money while building more hype for something different. However, it has to stay different to keep that hype going. The issue with Turtles now is that we’ve gotten 3 sets in less than a full calendar year and they’re running out of steam; half of every set is the same with two copies of the four brothers, Casey Jones, April, Splinter, Shredder, and Foot Soldiers. When the formula is so similar, you start to feel a heavy burn-out, and that’s what the consensus seems to be for this set, even though some of the best Turtle pieces yet can be found.

Like all my other reviews, I’m going to cover each rarity and what pieces are actually worthwhile to pick up for normal constructed play. I’m also not going to review every piece – just those that I believe are good for constructed play. Let’s face it, there are a LOT of generics in this set. I’ll at least list them so it doesn’t seem like I’m leaving numbers out. Those that aren’t worth it will just end in ‘Pass’. I also won’t be able to add links to the pieces since they haven’t been uploaded into the units section of HCRealms. Instead, I’ll just link you to the thread where you can see all of the dials.

Commons

001 Raphael – Raph seems to be a reoccurring powerhouse for the brothers. Although he lacks damage reducers or defense boosting, he does have Super Senses to flat out dodge attacks. With Charge, Blades, and 11 attack with 3 damage, he can certainly be a thorn in your side. He’s also Indomitable, the only one of the four commons to possess it which is odd, but adds to his strength over the others. I still like the Mirage version better from the first set, but he’s solid. All four of the common brothers have the same trait that trigger off a different turtle, but grant the same bonuses. For Raph, you’re probably not going to want to taxi with him.

002 Michelangelo – Eh. He’s fairly weak. With Sidestep and the trait, he’s a good dedicated taxi that has the opportunity to deal some decent damage. Pass.

003 Donatello – Donny has kind of gotten a little shafted in my eyes in terms of power level; he’s never felt on-par with any of his brothers since he’s not really offensive, but his points are usually too high for his level of support while still being somewhat fragile. This version is pretty good. He’s got the taxi trait which is nice since you probably won’t be attacking with him, and he pushes to Outwit. The top-dial Plasticity is really awesome as well since we haven’t seen that before on the bros.

004 Leonardo – He’s like Raph, but with a damage reducer, Leadership, but no Indom. I’ll take Raph instead. Other Leo’s are much better. Pass.

005 April O’Neil – In my opinion, she’s very sub-par for 40 points. Her special attack is okay, but not worth her cost. Her end-dial is neat, but not really worth the investment. Pass.

006 Fugitoid – I haven’t liked any Fugitoids that have released, but it’s worth nothing that this is the only piece in all three sets to have Telekinesis. He’s also got Prob. However, he’s 65 points with virtually no use other than TK. For constructed, Pass.

007 Foot Tech (Katar) – All of these Foot Soliders are easily the best yet. With their insane Invisibility Tech trait that lets them cloak and avoid anything but close attacks and the Scientist keyword, they’re absolutely a steal for 35 points. With that in mind, the Katar is decent with Blades that can deal penetrating damage. The Charge makes him worthwhile since he can run into hindering to proc his ability and swipe you for up to 6 penetrating. Pretty good.

008 Foot Tech (3-Segmented Staff) – This guy is my least favorite, but still good. With Running Shot and Energy Explosion, but only 3 range and one target, he’s going to reveal himself to do minimal damage. You really want to push him into his staff power, but that’s still somewhat mediocre compared to the offense the other three bring.

009 Foot Tech (Shuriken) – Wow. A sniper for 35 points that when he hits, the target gets a -1 to attack and defense until your next turn. How is this bad? With 9 Running Shot and the cloak to keep him safe, he’s going to nail you and it’s going to hurt. This guy is a big play-maker.

010 Foot Tech (Twin Katana) – This guy is the money! 9 Charge with Blades that you get to roll 2d6 and choose which result you use. There’s no way he isn’t going to pull his low-level weight of 35 points. I made sure to get 3 of them because they’re just A+ for henchmen on any theme team. I expect to see them pop-up in competitive if any of the cloaking Foot have a shot.

Uncommons

011 Casey Jones – I honestly don’t like this version of Casey. The others that have come before are just so much better. His free Quake is nice, but only one click has a 10 attack. Pass.

012 Splinter – 25 points gets me 11 attack, Empower, and when he hits, he boosts all my attack values by +1?! If you can keep this Splinter alive, he’s going to be a deadly little rat. While I really like the first Splinter we got, this guy is just incredible. His lowest attack is a 10! For 25 points!

013 Purple Dragon – Not only do we get Foot (yes, they’re amazing), we also get Purple Dragon’s. For 5 more points, you get Splinter. Pass.

014 Mohawk Punk – I mean, if Morlock isn’t your thing and you want Blades, then sure. Otherwise, Pass.

015 Kraang – Front dial Outwit is about all he’s got going for him. For 45 points, I don’t see myself or anyone I know actually using this piece in constructed. Pass.

016 Bebop – Why does human Bebop have an 11 attack and 3 damage? That’s really confusing. His trait is very gimmicky and will probably never go off to get the value out of him. Without looking at his name and just the dial, his numbers and power suite is decent. 11 Precision Strike and 3 damage is pretty nice. Still, I just don’t like him. Pass.

017 Rocksteady – Same feelings here as Bebop, but he does feel slightly stronger and he might be able to trigger his trait a little easier since he’s ranged. Still, Pass.

018 Rocksteady (Rhino) – I just don’t see why you would play this piece over the TMNT2 version. The STOP click is neat, but he’s borderline useless after that aside from dedicated healer. Those mid-clicks just punish you for his cost. Pass.

Note – I really don’t like the uncommons this time around. I feel like a lot of them are just too gimmicky, or are lame follow-ups to already strong versions of the characters.

Rares

019 Nobody – I like this piece quite a bit, and looking over her again, I’m a little bummed I didn’t order her. With melee-only Hypersonic speed, Super Strength, Invul, and Leadership that also removes a token from herself, she can be quite the annoyance for only 70 points. She declines rather quickly, but those first two clicks are pretty sweet. I’ll have to pick one up.

020 Malo – He feels like a worst version of the common Mikey from the first series. That’s actually exactly what he feels like. But he’s a rare. Pass.

021 Mona Lisa – Very cool sclupt on her. Her powers and numbers are really strong, with 9 Running Shot, 11 Energy Explosion, 18 Toughness, and 3 Ranged Combat Expert. If she’s with Raph, she doesn’t count against theme and if they’re adjacent, that 11 attack goes to a 12. Pretty nice. Her last four clicks have a special attack that gives her Blades, Flurry, and Giant Reach: 2, and the first two clicks she has that, she’s got Charge. That’s a lot of damage she can pump out. She’s a tad on the expensive side, but I can see her being a force to be reckoned with at an LGS, especially with a good Raph.

022 Bebop – He’s a rare? Rocksteady is an uncommon, does almost the same exact thing, and this guy is a rare? Ugh. Pass.

023 Shredder Clone – Perk up, boys and girls; welcome to broken-town. Where do I start with this guy? 75 points, Stealth, 12 Blades, 18 Energy Shield, 2 Leadership and three traits. His first is a little restrictive as it it requires a Chase to make use of it, but it allows him to be replaced with a big ‘ol shark once per game on click 4 upon death. His second trait is what really breaks this piece:

Duel of Twisted Honor: At the beginning of the game, choose an opposing character that isn’t the lowest point character on that force. Opposing characters that weren’t chosen modify their attack value by -2 when attacking Shredder Clone unless the chosen character has been KO’d.

What… the hell?! You simply pick someone that isn’t their cheapest piece (which is pretty easy to do and has less of a chance of not working than Fury’s highest-point-profiling), and as long as that character isn’t attacking the clone, every other piece on their force gets a -2 to their attack value. What have attack values been doing recently? Averaging at 10, peaking around 11, and rarely hitting 12. With his 18 defense, this guy is going to suck to play against. Keep in mind that this also works on ID characters since they aren’t the chosen piece, so Mr. Nick Fury will have a 9 attack targeting him! Oh, and we’er not done yet. How about that third trait?

Shredder Elite: Shredder Clone can use Sidestep. When he moves, after actions resolve deal 1 penetrating damage to each adjacent opposing character that wasn’t adjacent at the beginning of the move.

Traited Sidestep is always good, but when this guy moves (not is given a move action, just moves) he deals 1 penetrating damage to whoever he didn’t start that move adjacent to. So not only do you nerf their attack values, you also get to dish tons of free penetrating damage for the low cost of 75 points. Plus, you also get 12 attack with Blades. How is this piece not a Super Rare or a Chase? I guarantee you will see him in competitive.

024 Sliver – 130 points and no Indom is a tell-tale sign, and top-dial Toughness is pretty weak. Those last four clicks are neat, and tough to deal with, but I just don’t ever see anyone playing him outside of sealed (which he’s a beast in). Pass.

025 Raphael – The first of the space turtles! These guys are just plain good. The Zero-G Ninjitsu trait gives them Flight, let’s them ignore knockback damage, and when they’re given a non-free action and they’re adjacent to blocking or higher elevation, they get a +1 to attack and movement. That’s a really nice trait that buffs them quite a bit. With Charge, and the option to dish 2 penetrating damage and give an action token, and Indom, this is going to be a pretty deadly Turtle. Oh, he’s also got 3 clicks of 11 attack and Battle Fury. Super good.

026 Michelangelo – With 11 Running Shot, 10 attack, 18 Toughness, and 3 Prob, this Mikey is just tops. His powers get a little wonky in that he immediately drops from Running Shot to Plasticity to Charge, back to Plasticity for his dial, but if you can keep him on click 1 or deposit him next to blocking terrain on click 2, he’s going to rock your socks off. He’s also got a second trait; he can use Smoke Cloud as a free action which already makes me stoked, but when he does, friendly characters in those smoke markers can use Sidestep for the turn. How is he 75 points?! With 4 range, and his ability to give himself Sidestep, he’s got a freaking 12 square swing! Giving all your pieces Sidestep is the bees-kneez.

Super Rares

027 Donatello – Once again, Donny gets the short end of the, uh, bo-staff. He’s not bad by any means; he still gets the amazing Zero-G Ninjistu trait, and he has a special damage power that let’s him use either Outwit or Perplex and doesn’t need a line of fire if his target is within 4 squares. The issue with Donny is his front-dial Energy Shields to protect him, his lack of move-and-attack (Mikey grants Sidestep, so it’s a waste on him), and his low attack values. To be honest, he should have been the rare and Mikey should have been the Super Rare. Still good, just wait for his price to drop, because it will.

028 Leonardo – Are you done reeling from the Shredder Clone? Good, cause buckle-up, we’re going back to OP town. Leo has some wonderful powers and numbers, with 10 Running Shot (11 with his trait), 11 Pen/Psy, 17 Toughness, and 3 Leadership, which bumps to a freaking 12 attack on click 2. He’s also got 7 range, the longest of the space Turtles, so he’s going to be waaaay in the backfield taking pot-shots. His mid and end dial are both great too. The big reason Leo is insane though is his second trait.

Racing for the Pieces of the Black Hole Generator: When an opposing character would be equipped or begins the game equipped, you and that character’s controller each roll 2d6 that can’t be rerolled. If your result is higher, remove that equipment from the game.

Hahahaha….. what? How would you like to start the game with 25-35 points without doing a single thing other than rolling 2d6? Oh, you want that? Cool, Leo does that for you. Remember that possession has become an equipment effect, meaning Eclipso, Brainiac, Jocasta, and Proteus can all be removed via this trait. If your opponent sits down with 2 possessors on his team, you have a 50/50 shot to instantaneously remove those possessors from the game and score them. If they have the Symbiote, or Pym Particles that are necessary to make their team work, as soon as they equip them, you have a 50/50 chance to remove and score them. How about the D20 Doctor Strange who needs Eclipso to make Midnight Sons work? 50/50 chance to completely nuke his strategy. This is without-a-doubt the best version of Leo ever made. If you have a chance to get him, do it. Again, this piece will see competitive play.

029 Lord Dregg – A neat token producer, Dregg is a little upsetting in that he’s 180 points with only a 17 defense, meaning he’s going to go down pretty hard. His Robug generation is pretty good and his awesome Perplex allows him to buff virtually your whole team on anything but damage. I can see him being good on the right team.

030 Savanti Romero – His top click fairly meh, but he gets pretty strong on clicks 2-5. With the ability generate Flying, Blades, Energy Shield pogs, and Pulse Wave, he’s like Penguin but with a bit less utility and a lot more staying power. His special damage gives him Prob, and whenver an opposing character is KO’d you place a token on his card that once per turn can be removed during an opponents turn to use Prob a second time. With his Impervious to keep him alive and dino’s to fly him to safety, he’s a good pick for 100 points.

031 Wyrm – I’ve heard some talk about this piece and what his potential can be. While his dial is wildly out of control with a starting attack of 8 with Smoke Cloud, Plasticity his entire dial, and never going above 2 damage for 150 points, he looks like a pretty rotten piece. However, his traits are where his power truly lies. He begins the game with 3 wish tokens and once per turn, an adjacent friendly character can be given a free action to make a wish and remove a counter. You roll a d6 and depending on the result, they’ll get +1 to one combat value, all their combat values, or they can use any standard power of your choice which all last until your next turn. When he has no wish tokens, he gets pretty broken, dealing 1 unavoidable damage to each adjacent character. His second trail gives him Phasing/Teleport, Prob Control, Shape Change, and his powers can’t be countered. If you play this guy, you want to get those wishes off as quickly as possible, base him to your opponents team, and push him to click 2 and watch the fun being. He’s right on the cusp of being competitive, but I think his 150 point cost will keep him from seeing tournaments. Still, he’s a great piece.

Chases

032 Claw Shredder – Each of the four chases have two traits that they all share: Mystical Worms which let’s them resurrect to click 4 once per game, and Shredder Elite which we say back on Shredder Clone. Both of these traits are amazing and really add a huge boon to these chases. Claw Shredder is a great melee monster. With 7 Charge, 11 attack, 17 Toughness, 3 Exploit, and Indom, he’s got a pretty nice setup for 90 points. His special attack gives him Giant Reach: 2 and the ability to flat out stop a character he’s hit from making an attack. What’s nasty about him is that 3 of his 6 clicks have that 11 attack and after his initial click of Charge, he picks up Flurry. However, if it weren’t for his traits, he would be fairly average. Thanks to those, it catapults him into greatness.

033 Mini-Shredder – This guy got a ton of hype because he was the first to show the Mystical Worms and Shredder Elite traits. Even so, he’s still the best chase in my opinion. His special movement up front and on the back end give him Plasticity and Stealth, and although he’s tiny, it’s still nice to give a -1 to breakaways to normal characters. He does have 4 freaking clicks of 11 attack Precision Strike, and his defense is 18 Toughness for two clicks. With his free damage via Shredder Elite and Plasticity to help him break away, he’s going to get up in their faces and just keep whittling them down. A really fantastic piece.

034 Shiva Shredder – I honestly don’t really like this piece as he feels like an LE-Doctor Octopus, but heavily limited. Again, same traits with Mystical Worms and Shredder Elite, and his dial is 8 Charge, 10 special attack, 17 Toughness, and 4 damage. His special attack is triggered off a close combat action (meaning you can Charge and use it), locks his damage value at 2, and he makes four close attacks using his printed attack value. It’s that last portion that just makes him very meh. I just don’t see why you would play this over Doc Oc for 10 more points. Sure, he has resurrection, Sidestep, and free penetrating damage, but it’s harder for him to get the job done and easier for them to retaliate. Pass.

035 Shark Shredder – 9 Charge, 12 attack, 18 Invulnerable, 3 damage with a special power, and giant, this Shredder clocks in at 130 points. The damage power is a pretty cool ability that nerfs opposing characters making an attack within 6 squares and line of fire (yay, giant!). You basically roll a d6 for each of their combat values that’s higher than their printed value and he has a pretty good shot of either locking them at printed value, or locking them at a -1 from printed. That’s really cool and unique. Starting on his second click, he gets a special attack that gives him Blades and Steal Energy, and when he hits an opposing character, they can’t be moved or placed until your next turn. That’s really good, too! The big draw to Shark Shredder is that if you plan on running Shredder Clone, you get this guy for only 10 points once he bites the dust, and with his Steal Energy power on click 4, there’s a decent chance you’ll be able to heal up to a full, 130 point beast.

There you have it. Feel free to comment on what you think makes sense or what pieces you feel should be picked up or passed on and why.I hope you liked this review and it helped swayed you on certain pieces to pick up and avoid. Those of you attending WizKids Open’s this week and moving forward, watch out for some of these pieces as they’re now legal!

See you Thursday!