Comic fans love arguing about who would win in a fight between favorite characters: Wolverine or Batman, Superman or Thor, and so on. Heroclix is the miniatures based game that allows fans to build their own squads and pit them against each other. Even for comics fans, the game is incredibly geeky, but I’ve also become incredibly addicted. The new set, DC’s The Brave and the Bold was just released, and here’s the top 20 figures in the set. For dials, click here. Here’s the list:
20. Superman – 9 attack sucks. I know, you know, we all know. 10 clicks, 8 with at least 4 damage, 4 HSS clicks, and 4 of 18 defense, 3 of which have impervious, then 4 more of invulnerability, along with the Superman Team Ability, 8 range and 2 targets mean that if played smart, 9 attack just means that there will be no support pieces around if you roll low, and that big pieces will die fast when you roll high.
19. Fire and Ice- Poison and Barriered poison are the calling cards here (anyone near a barrier marker is poisoned. Psychic Blast, Ranged Combat Expert, Toughness and duo all round the figure out, but this duo is all about the special power.
18. Jason Blood/Etrigan – Alter Egos are best played as if you’ll only get to use the normal human version and treating the transformation as a bonus. Jason Blood is, simply put, incredibly handy. Probability control at 44 points is rare and useful as is, but when combined with the Mystics team ability for Wildcards to copy, this is a very worthwhile piece. If only his move were better than a 5. Etrigan has a click of prob and perplex and lots of blades. Great if you can use it.
17. Checkmate Knight Black – 3 clicks buy you 9av, 10av, 9av, with toughness, meaning nothing but 4 damage is going to kill this 35 points. 2 of these clicks are 3dav Ranged Combat Expert, meaning this is some of the easiest 4 damage, from 8 range mind you, in the entire game. Add in that the 1 click that doesn’t have RCE in the middle keeps 2dav, but adds running shot for repositioning and you suddenly have a character easy to fit on almost any team, in multiples.
16. Wonder Woman – 108 points should have move and attack, I know, but 4 damage flurry to start is awesome and 108 allows for plenty of left over points to find TK to get her in there. If she’s hit, you get lots of Close Combat expert. Her one real weakness is her defend clicks, but at least those are 17 or 18 so she can share. Her lasso reposition into punch late dial lets any shooters (like that TKer perhaps) get an open look, even at someone in stealth.
15. Batman and Green Arrow- At first, play keep away with 10 range 2 targets and 12 attack. As soon as someone gets close, running shot into a close combat with Sharpshooter. You can duo the next turn, pushing into stealthed outwit. This comes with a 20 defense in close first, then 19. He eventually gets psychic blast that he can use in close with willpower. With slightly higher damage or Bat Ally, he’d be elite.
14. Bruce Wayne/Batman – Bruce Wayne is simply the best Alter Ego so far made. For 48 points, you get 10 attack and 2 damage with outwit to make it stick. Even if it doesn’t, though, the 17 defense with combat reflexes makes him a very hard to hit tie up. If he had Batman team ability, he’d be far higher, but even so, he’s the set’s best tie up and a great outwitter. The Batman clicks, should you get to use them, aren’t quite as good, but make a great bonus. The first click of perplex allows him to fall back to support, as stealthed perplex can really make a damaged brick perk up to usefulness again. That 11 attack with stealth will make opponents fear basing him. From there, we’re back to tie up, as close combat expert and good attacks allow him to crack invulnerability class damage reducers the rest of the way.
13. Amazon – 50 points for those values? 4 move charge for up to 5 damage (with a heavy object) and a 10 attack! Then when in close, goodluck hitting those 19 defenses (thanks to Combat Reflexes). Minion is just icing, as she can do it a second turn in a row via the ability granting her willpower. Amazon makes one of the better 50 point figures in the game.
12. Brainiac – One of the best ranged characters in the game. He can blast for 4 (or 5 with perplex) from 21 defense in hindering thanks to Energy Shield, while smacking anyone who dares to get close with a heavy object for 6 or 7. Late dial, he neuters anyone he can incapacitate, lowering their speed and damage by 2. Sure, it raises their defense, but if he hits last, they will be useless for their own turn attacking (especially great with Stunning Blow). Finally, regen gives him some lasting power, if you can land on it. If he was a flier, he’d move up like 5 spots.
11. Intertia – He halves move. He neuters all move and attack powers. What more do you need really? That 5 move charge is a 3! Hypersonic for 12 is now only 6… and all the while he still has his full hypersonic speed. Everything else about him is achingly average, but that ability absolutely makes him.
10. Metallo – Indomitable Bricks are always great, but at 182 points, grounded with only 4 range, he’s got numerous ways to be stopped. A cheaper Superman enemy helps things here by giving him an Outwit. He has 5 damage and superstrength and can charge. He poison’s whoever he’s next to and he has top notch damage reducers- impervious with 18 then invulnerability and finishing toughness. He’s a huge, hard hitting brick who needs TK which is sadly rare in this set.
9. Superman and the Flash – 200 points without a useful defense power for five clicks is tough. Those all have Hypersonic Speed with combat reflexes, which will only ever be used if HSS is outwitted. Even then, range is more likely. The trait is great, with the ability to replace the speed with whatever the top one is on the map. The first click with hypersonic for 4 damage, 6 with a heavy object, is absolutely deadly, but the real fun comes when you’ve picked off the support and get knocked past the fifth click when either Superman or Flash win the race and both’s dials change. For a swarm team, perhaps you’d use Flash with his Hypersonic and Supersenses and Outwit. For weakened big guns, Superman’s +2 to damage, Enchancement, invulnerability and charge might be a bigger help. The choice of what to play makes up for the weakness of damage reducers early.
8. Mr. Miracle and Oberon – 115 pts is a lot for tie up, but this is awesome tie up. Perplex, with charge (along with built in leap climb) gets you close, then indomitable gives you time to mess people up. 20 defense in close makes him hard to hit, then his offering free breakaway for opponents means while he keeps people tied up his teammates can reposition at will.
7. Checkmate Knight White – 29 points for 1 click of Enhancement, then 2 of outwit. The Enhancement means there’s absolutely no need to put her at risk early- she can hide behind your ranged attackers and give them a damage boost, then later when people are tied up, she can come out and Outwit. She’s an easy kill, sure, but played smart is more than worth her 29 points.
6. The Holiday Killer – This 43 point character is an essential Batman Enemy, wonderful with Wildcards and possibly the best stealthed outwit tournament legal. The second click is best, where his 11av can be shared with any Bat Enemy or Wildcard, he can outwit, and shoot with that great attack using his Willpower every turn. A slightly longer dial and this would be among the best in the game, not just the best in the set.
5. Talia – The Superman and Batman Team abilities make her absurd. Hiding in stealth, she can psychic blast to hurt anyone without a defense bonus or stealth messing people up. Any character in stealth can be Outwitted, especially useful for Outwitting Stealth to let ranged attackers fire free. Even after that, she has ranged combat expert to take shots at enemies, ensuring she’s never useless, even if at 86 points, she is expensive.
4. Mademoiselle Marie – Ranged or Close Combat Expert on Alertnating clicks, all through her 73 pt dial is awesome. Doing so from stealth means she’s hard to get too and toughness makes her last. The best part is the special power though, where if she kills someone, she gets an invigorate token and can change a later missed roll to an automatic hit. That’s a great way to deal with an extremely high defense and get rid of support characters. She’s among the most useful characters in the game.
3. Robin – A 43 point Bat Ally is always useful. Add in that he can Quake people into walls with 10 attack and has 18 defense in close for most of his dial thanks to Combat Reflexes and you have a useful piece. He has 2 clicks of Close Combat Expert, one for 4 damage, one for 3, so he can get past Invulnerability class damage reducers, and another Exploit Weakness click which can do that as well. The attack starts at 10 and never goes below a 9, but his real draw is that all of his middle clicks let him reposition the person he attacks anywhere adjacent. This is perfect for setting enemies up to be shot at or outwitted. He’s perfectly pushable and his special power is useful almost every game- what more could you need?
2. The Wizard Shazam – Quinessence and Mystics. Hit him, you hurt. He doesn’t take pushing and can’t be outwitted. That’s enough to be useful. Add in 12 range, a super Probability Control that effects the entire map, enhancement for buddies, psychic blast for his 3 damage and you have an incredibly useful character. After those first four clicks, the next four are a top class hypersonic brick with 4 damage, super strength, and Impervious. It’s a short dial but eternally useful.
1. Martian Manhunter – 202 points shouldn’t be this good. 3 clicks of invulnerability, then 4 of toughness and 2 more of invulnerability make him long lasting… if you can hit him… his trait grants shape change that can’t be outwitted. He starts out with hypersonic for 2 clicks. Of course, if that’s outwitted, he can still get away with built in phasing. After top dial, he has psychic blast to make his damage stick and mind control incase he’s dealing with someone else particularly annoying (MC a Power Cosmic figure, turn off their Power Cosmic and outwit their defense). At this point he can add a whopping 3 to his defense against either ranged or close combat attacks, meaning that you need to pack multiple outwits to beat him. His attack is all 10s and 9s, his damage is mostly 4ss with a few 3s and a 5. All of this makes him one of the best figures in the entire game… for 202 points.
