Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Stran Tannish]

Ok, I promised I'd keep up with the previews for this next set, so here I am. I already talked about the special Superman LE available just for New Guy Night. Last week they released the stats on the Brick LE, Krypto the super dog! I'm very excited about this piece. 100 points with front-loaded charge and super strength. A range of six allows him to use his heat vision in the same way that Superman does, and the Superman Ally team ability means he's always got someone in his sights. Farther down the dial he gets battle fury, so he can't use his range anymore, but he gets flurry, as he simply jumps on someone and rips them apart with his teeth. On his very last click he loses battle fury and gets psychic blast, which shows that this dog will go down fighting no matter what.

This week they put out two previews. The first one they talked about the new object tokens that will be released in boosters. These special objects can be substituted for the regular objects placed during setup, and each one has special rules attached to it, kind of like the 3D objects released way back when. I'm not gonna talk about these too much, you'll just have to go to www.wizkidsgames.com and check them out yourself.

Today they released the stats for one of the REVs that will be in CD...SUPERMAN! But Superman as he hasn't been done yet in heroclix. Who remembers the (in my opinion) crappy storyline where Supes became a being of pure energy? Well the rookie is Superman Blue, the experienced is Superman Red, the veteran is blue but supposed to be after they combined again, and the LE is blue but named Clark Kent. So we finally  have a Clark Kent LE. It only took them 6 sets to do it. Thats worse than not having a Bruce Wayne until the 4th set. Regardless, these figures are pretty decent. Instead of the usual charge and super strength combo, the R has phasing and lots of pulse wave, switching periodically to running shot and psychic blast. The damage reducer combo doesn't appear either. Super senses and toughness trade off with a click of energy shield followed by a click of regeneration at the very end.

The E steps it up a bit, being more aggresive. Front loaded psychic blast gives way to energy explosion halfway down the dial. Phasing and running shot still trade off. This one has invulnerability and toughness, rather than super senses, and keeps the one click of regen at the end. He also has a couple clicks of shape change at the end of his dial, just to make him that much harder to hit. Both the R and the E also have the supes ally team ability, and are actually meant to be used on the same team.

The V changes to the JLA team ability and represents when red and blue combined into one being again. As such he has pretty much almost every power that appeared on the previous two, with a little extra. He starts with hypersonic speed, which then gives way to the phasing/running shot. Psychic blast up front goes to energy explode, then pulse wave. Invulnerability, toughness, and super senses all make an appearance, followed at the end by two clicks of regen instead of the usual one. Somewhere in the middle of the dial he also gets ranged combat expert for a couple of clicks. At 168 points he's pretty damn affordable for any kind of team over 300 points.

Clark Kent is only slightly less powerful than the V, at 127 points. Running shot into phasing, psychic blast into energy explosion and back to psychic blast, toughness front loaded with one click of regen at the end. He brings back the shape change from the E version, but also has some leadership in the beginning. Overall, all of these new supes figures are pretty affordable and pretty effective.

The only other thing I'll talk about now, are the feats and battlefield conditions that were put up on the site. They didn't really make a big deal about these, even though in my opinion each of them are very effective and should be in everyone's collection. Battlefield conditions are Debris and Proximity Mines. Feats (which aren't complete yet) are Inspiring Command, Flashbang, Ambush, and Movethrough. If you want more information go check out the site, because I think I've wasted enough of your time. 

To be continued...

[Stran Tannish]

HUZZAH! THERE'S MORE!

Today they released a buttload more characters (well, 4, but whatever). The biggest one out of all of them I'd say is Elongated Man/Ralph Dibny. A JLA member through and through, only the LE doesn't have that team ability. The rookie starts pretty modest, not very many clicks of life, but a bunch of powers. Leap/Climb gives way to Plasticity, with one click each of super senses and toughness. A few clicks each of Shape Change and Incapacitate round him out both offensively and defensively. Incap is a regular thing for him, and I can just imagine sticking the Stunning Blow feat on him, because he's got a pretty consistent damage.

The Experienced is really more of the same. The one click of toughness is swapped out for another click of super senses instead, and after shape change he gains some outwit, which is always useful. Stats get stepped up some, and let's face it, even nowadays a 17 defense is nothing to sneeze at. The veteran, while even more of the same, steps it up even more. Toughness comes back after super senses, and both of those powers have two clicks each. And on his first click he has charge, which then gives way to the leap/climb and plasticity. The Ralph Dibny LE on the other hand, is 5 points less than the veteran but just as effective in my opinion. No charge, and no outwit, but that's ok. He gets perplex, which can make all the difference.

Ralph wasn't the only new JLA member introduced though. They also brought in Fire and Ice, otherwise known as Green Flame and Icemaiden (in their rookies). Ice is pretty straightforward. Lots of incapacitate and barrier, with some defend showing up in her E and V versions. Fire's a little more complicated. Her R version is completely vanilla, ok stats for only a 17 point figure, but no powers whatsoever. Once she changes from Green Flame to Fire, however, things get interesting. Jumping from 17 to 50 points, the E brings all of her powers into play. Ranged combat expert, deflection, and energy explosion are the main ones. But in the middle of the dial she gets some poison, and at the very end she gets pulse wave. Finally the V, while losing poison, gets some running shot on top of everything else for a decent 60 point ranged attacker.

Last but not least (or maybe he is) is the new unique figure Ambush Bug. Just from looking at him he seems pretty useless. The sculpt itself is pretty funny, it's got him holding a newspaper in front of his face, but there's a face-sized hole in the paper that seems to have been burned out. His stats and powers really aren't anything special. Sure he's only 50 points, but so was the E Fire, and she seems pretty effective. No team ability, lots of phasing and super senses, and he switches off between outwit and shape change. The outwit is the only reason I'd ever use him, seeing as how the super senses and shape change make it just a little bit harder to hit him. But in my opinion there are much more cost effective outwitters out there that aren't just a one-trick pony.

That's all for now, but you never know what tomorrow will bring.

[Stran Tannish]

Oops, I goofed. Seems like I misread the powers on Ambush Bug, and he's not AS useless as previously stated. Yes he's got phasing and super senses. His whole dial is full of them. But instead of alternating between outwit and shape change like I thought, it's actually outwit and probability control. That free reroll can definitely get someone out of a tight spot, especially if your opponent just rolled a critical hit.

That's it for now.

[Stran Tannish]

It's been a few days, and more characters have been released. Let's jump right in.

In every set there's a special mail-away LE, besides of course the one for the brick. Usually it's offered through Wizard magazine. This time around, the figure is Ultimate Clayface. The figure looks awesome, with him bashing through a wall holding a safe in one hand and a construction beam in the other. At a solid 99 points, he starts with charge, poison, toughness, and shape change. For his speed he switches between charge and plasticity, while attack goes to super strength then back to poison. After he loses shape change he gets some exploit weakness at the end of his dial, which is always useful. An incredible 18 defense makes him even harder to hurt.

Another unique released was Jonah Hex. This figure is pretty kewl, especially for only being 49 points. Willpower for his whole dial along with some ranged combat expert and one click of running shot. He may not have many clicks of life, but you can just keep him in the back and fire away round after round.

They finally created another generic figure, considering the last one was way back in Unleashed. The HIVE Troopers bring an interesting mix of abilities to the field for very few points. Each one has different powers, which could make them very fun to utilize in a mass battle. The R starts off pretty simple at 17 points. His whole dial has stealth and he's got a couple clicks of smoke cloud. A harrassment piece through and through. The E is completely different, starting with energy explosion and enhancement, and getting flurry one click in. So no matter if you toss him into the thick of things or keep him back as support, he can probably make a difference. The V, at 26 points, mixes and matches a little bit. The biggest difference of course is the addition of flight to this figure. He starts with stealth and willpower, gets energy explosion a couple clicks in, but halfway down he gets earthbound. Decently well rounded set of henchmen if you ask me.

Probably one of the more interesting REV sets to be released starts with the R Monsieur Mallah. Pretty much a big monkey with a gun. Starting with charge and toughness, he switches to leap/climb after one click. Farther down the dial he chucks the gun and goes berserk, with battle fury and flurry. The E changes gears and is The Brain. The diminutive consciousness is actually pretty effective, starting with mastermind and outwit, switching to perplex and willpower, and gaining psychic blast. The V brings the two together, and Monsieur Mallah and The Brain turn out to be a pretty a pretty decent combination. They start with running shot, toughness, and outwit. Psychic blast, flurry, perplex, and even some exploit weakness, all make an appearance on this dial, making this terrible twosome a force to be reckoned with. The LE goes back a bit and presents simply the GeneGrafted Brain. This figure is interesting, starting with hypersonic speed, telekinesis, and ranged combat expert. After all of that it switches to outwit, barrier, incapacitate, and charge. So all around, this entire set of figures can be quite dangerous when used effectively.

That's it for today.

[Stran Tannish]

More stuff!

Last night they released another character, and two more have been released today. Last night was the REV for Ragman. This is a very interesting piece in my opinion, centered around an ability that not that many figures have: Steal energy. The R gets it 2 clicks in, and backs it up with leap/climb, willpower, and a click of exploit weakness at the end. Throw in the Batman Ally team ability and he's great for low point games. The E and V switch team abilities to Mystics, always useful. The E loses the willpower and exploit weakness, but gains a few clicks of stealth to offset the team ability switch. Finally the V brings it all back, with a single click of super strength up front before switching to the steal energy halfway down.

Next you have Azrael. Aside from being a hot sculpt (literally, his feet are on fire) this guy's amazing in close combat. Leap/climb and charge trade off, while starting toughness gives way to combat reflexes. Halfway down his dial he gets some blades/claws/fangs, so just stick him next to another Batman Enemy (did I mention he's got that team ability?) with a high attack and he'll just kill things. The E switches sides (to Batman Ally for those of you a little slow on the uptake) and kicks it up a notch. Charge and leap/climb, with a final click of flurry. Blades only comes after a couple clicks of super strength. A starting click of super senses gives way to toughness, with a click of willpower to finish off (with the flurry, great combination); and a random click of close combat expert one click in. And just think, he's not even the strongest one. The V starts with charge, toughness, and close combat expert, switching to leap/climb and combat reflexes later on. The super strength comes after the blades this time around, but the most interesting part of this figure is definitely his last two clicks. By this time he's got charge back, and a little combat reflexes left, but his stats all get jacked up and they throw in support, which means he can always be a help to your team no matter where he is on his dial.

Another unique released today was Felix Faust. Another member of the Mystics, this guy is all about hitting multiple targets with a single action. He's got barrier for protection, with perplex and probability control to frustrate your opponents, but his shining aspect are all of his attack powers. He starts with energy explosion, then one click down he gets psychic blast with a damage of 2. If he perplexes up his damage he can take some hefty chunks away from other figures. Later he gets some force blast, followed by quake, and finally pulse wave for one click. Definitely not a nova blast candidate, pulse wave is on his last click and he's only got 1 damage at that point anyway. Unless of course you have a couple other perplexers on the squad and want him to go out in a blaze of glory.

Finally two more feats were released today, which brings the total to 6, which may be all we're getting from this set. The two new ones are Running Start, which allows characters with plasticity or stealth to move out of hindering terrain at their full speed value, and The Society. This card is great in my opinion, it finally makes members of the Injustice League not suck. It's an alternate team ability for anyone from IJ, that gives them a 50% chance to ignore outwit. For no points! That's right this little feat card has no point value. When an IJer is targetted with outwit, if you roll a 1-3 you ignore that use of outwit. My old Braniac 13 figure can finally get some good unrestricted play! Does this mean we'll get some more IJ members in Collateral Damage? I sure hope so, because the showing so far has been downright pathetic.

See you tomorrow for the official weekly preview.

[Stran Tannish]

Hey Hey it's Unique Day!

Okay so the rhyming sucked, however I have not one, not two, but three new uniques to share with you today, as well as two more REVs, one of which has an LE. First let's do the REVs, starting with Vixen. This girl knows how to scrap. She starts off with flight and charge, clicking into super senses. After that, though, she gets earthbound, but gains shape change so that she has two opportunities to avoid an attack. Once she loses super senses she first gets some combat reflexes, then finally a click of regeneration; all this combined with the JLA team ability. The E gets ticked and joins the Suicide Squad. No more flight but she gets leap/climb that trades with plasticity. One click of blades on her first click allows her to hit hard right away, while combat reflexes gets turned on and off as she goes. She also trades off between battle fury (no range, which means it's only useful to keep her from getting mind crontrolled) and close combat expert. Finally, the V goes back to the League and gets a makeover, with a whole lot of stealth followed by a click of flurry. Poison is followed by blades, and she has front loaded super senses with one click of combat reflexes at the end. She has a couple clicks of exploit weakness in the middle of her dial, but that's followed once again by a click of battle fury.

The other REV is the eagerly anticipated Dr. Light. Two words, Pulse Wave. The R starts and ends with it, with some incapacitate in the middle and front loaded energy shield and ranged combat expert. Throw in the calculator team ability for some extra fun. This E also joins the Suicide Squad, but it represents and even weaker version of the character, only one click of pulse wave at the end of his dial, and much lower combat values. Other than that though the same powers make their appearances. This figure's only 40 points, as opposed to the V's hefty 82! Incapacitate and pulse wave trade off a  lot more, and more clicks of energy shield and ranged combat expert add to this figure's impressively high combat values. Not to mention he goes back to being a calculator. The LE, Arthur Light, takes a step back in numbers, but is otherwise the same.

Now for the Uniques. Three came out between the last update yesterday and this one. First you have Dr. Psycho, who in my opinion is DC's weaker answer to the ultimate Professor X. A range of 10 with three targets, and that's just getting started. The guy is full of mind control and incapacitate, as well as mastermind. Halfway down his dial he gets battle fury, which means he can no longer utilize his insane range, but he also can't be mind controlled himself. Surround him with lackeys, and have fun.

Next, two brothers. Guys that heroclix fans have been clamoring for for a while now. That's right, Orion and Kalibak have finally been released. Darkseid's feisty offspring make quite a showing in heroclix. Both being quite powerful. First you have Orion, decked out in his Astro-harness, he flies in with running shot and energy shield before going into the thick of it with invulnerability, charge, and super strength. Invul gives way to toughness and he gets earthbound, but that's ok because he gets a couple clicks of close combat expert. After that he loses his temper, getting battle fury, charge followed by flurry, and a few more clicks of invulnerability at the end. On his very last click he has exploit weakness, so he can go down swinging. Combine all of this with the JLA team ability for some great mobility.

Then you have Kalibak, not nearly as full of finesse as his brother. He's got daddy's boom tube shunting him around (phasing) then switches to charge, and later flurry. Super strength fills half his dial (which is 11 clicks deep) while quake fills the other half. Invulnerability gives way to toughness for some decent defense. Kalibak doesn't have nearly as much control over his temper as his brother though, and has a whole lot more battle fury. He just likes to hit things, and you'll like having him hit things. Trust me. It's no surprise that these two are arch anemies.

See you tomorrow.

[Tiny]

The other REV is the eagerly anticipated Dr. Light. Two words, Pulse Wave. The R starts and ends with it, with some incapacitate in the middle and front loaded energy shield and ranged combat expert. Throw in the calculator team ability for some extra fun. This E also joins the Suicide Squad, but it represents and even weaker version of the character, only one click of pulse wave at the end of his dial, and much lower combat values. Other than that though the same powers make their appearances. This figure's only 40 points, as opposed to the V's hefty 82! Incapacitate and pulse wave trade off a  lot more, and more clicks of energy shield and ranged combat expert add to this figure's impressively high combat values. Not to mention he goes back to being a calculator. The LE, Arthur Light, takes a step back in numbers, but is otherwise the same.

Walter I know you are a hero clix fan but are you a DC comics fan? I see you noticed that the E version of DR. Light was 40 pt and the V was 82, but you did not mention that R was more then the E costing 57 and the LE was 63. My question is do you know why they did this?

R 57
E 40
V 82
LE 63

If you don't I would recommend you read the recent release of DC comics last huge story line "Identity Crisis".

[Stran Tannish]

Oh I am fully aware of the lower cost for the E as opposed to the R. Hence when I said that it represented a weaker version of the character. And I have read most of identity crisis, which is why I was so happy to see both Dr. Light and Elongated Man in this set, with their Vs being arch enemies no less.

Stay tuned later today for another preview from yours truly.

[Stran Tannish]

Holy crap, they're getting a little happy with the stat releases now. I've got 4 new REVs to share with you, and one in particular I know is going to make Tiny VERY happy.

First we've got Black Mask. Standing on a wrecked balcony pulling a pistol out of his jacket, this Bat-Enemy starts with some stealth and mastermind, gaining some outwit one click in. Pretty straightforward figure really. The E becomes a brilliant tactician candidate with the addition of perplex after his outwit, and he gets willpower on his first and last clicks, surrounding the mastermind. Finally the V really steps it up as a big boss, letting his lackies go to town. He starts with leadership, then clicks into perplex, and finally into outwit. Mastermind fills the first half of his dial with willpower in the second half. Stealth, however, doesn't show up until his last two clicks, so he really belongs in the back of your force.

Next we've got another of the more anticipated figures, Dr. Mid-nite. Can anyone say medic? The guy is a perfect support piece at every level, of course what would you expect from a surgeon. The R has support right up front, with a whole lot of smoke cloud and stealth to keep him protected. The E gains the JSA team ability, as well as some willpower up front. In addition to everything else, after his first click of support, the guy gets a couple clicks of perplex before going back to support. The V, still in JSA, has a whole lot more of the same, but not he has defend up front before switching to willpower, so not only can he lend his higher defense to weaker JSA members, but to any weaker character on the force. Everyone's gonna want one of these figure's on their force as much as possible.

Third you've got Blue Devil. Flying high with his mighty staff of beat-you-upside-the-head. The R starts right off with some super strength and toughness, holding onto those for a while before losing them. He's got regeneration on his last click too, so you can keep him around. The E keeps everything the R had, but has the addition of some probability control randomly on his dial, as well as a couple clicks of psychic blast right at the end. No matter what, he's hitting pretty damn hard. The V switches a few things around, joining the mystics, losing flight, gaining leap/climb, and having some more psychic blast after his first click. He also gains invulnerability on the first click, and has an extra slot of regeneration for a total of two. Finally, on his second and third slots, there's some close combat expert, which are the same slots he's got psychic blast, so no matter if he's in close or at his 8 range, he's hitting hard. The LE, Dan Cassidy, joins the JLA, gets flight back, and loses invulnerability and CCE, but he's got charge, so it's ok.

Finally, the one Tiny's been waiting for. Green Lantern! Kyle finally makes an appearance in heroclix. He puts on quite a showing too. The R starts at 80 points on the Titans. He's got running shot, telekinesis, barrier, ranged combat expert, deflection, and energy explosion. Pretty much the staples of every figure from the corps released so far. The E jumps to 121 points and joins the JLA. Phasing makes an appearance at the end of the dial, but his attack powers get switched around a bit. Energy explosion comes in first, followed by tk, and then incapacitate. Deflection and barrier trade off, and ranged combat expert still shows up, but only after a couple clicks of perplex. The V gets even mightier at 167 points, joining the GL Corps, and the sculpt even changes, showing him holding a green energy sword and shield. He doesn't lose his range though, which is an amazing 12. All the same powers show up, with the addition of willpower at the very end. Last but certainly not least, the Kyle Raynor LE drops to 135 points, rejoins the JLA, and gains some force blast after his running shot to push people around. Energy explosion is once again front loaded, followed by TK. His range also drops to a 10, which is still incredible.

Merry Christmas Tiny!

See you all next time.

[Stran Tannish]

Doing this early today since I may not be able to get back to a computer later on. As such I only have two REVs to show you today, but both have an LE attached, so it's ok.

First you have the Emerald Empress. This calculator team member is pretty impressive if you ask me, and also, can you say Nova Blast? Every version except for the LE is a prime candidate for it. The R starts off pulse wave (shock me), invulnerability and running shot with a damage of four. After the nova blast pushing damage (hehe, I can't get that out of my mind) she switches to toughness, energy explosion, and force blast; then later down the dial gets some deflection. The E is pretty much the same, but keeps pulse wave just a little bit longer. It's only a few more points, 90 from 83, so you don't expect much change. The V only goes to 102 from there, so the only thing that really changes are the numbers and how deep her dial is. The LE, however, shakes things  up completely. The Emerald Eye of Ekron is decked out with mind control, psychic blast, mastermind, probability control, and outwit. For only 93 points you get this monstrosity. She can definitely do some damage on par with her nova blasting predecessors.

The other REV is Red Tornado. Another low point bruiser, he starts with telekinesis and deflection, but changes quickly to force blast and smoke cloud. At the very end of his dial he get's a bit of quake to really shake things up. The E, after joining up with the JLA, takes on more of the qualities of his name (his sculpt changes so the lower half of his body is a tornado). All the same powers show up, with the addition of willpower after his deflection. The V gets a little more powerful now, willpower shows up right away, switching to deflection, then back again. He's got even more force blast, and quake comes after TK this time, with smoke cloud coming last. Also at the end of his dial, he gets a bit of close combat expert, just in case he missed anyone with his quake. The LE, Tornado Tyrant, jumps up in power level to 92 points, as opposed to the V's meager 63. Phasing gives way to running shot and force blast, then back to phasing again. TK surrounds a bit of quake, with no smoke cloud. Super senses also surrounds some toughness, and he's got a crapload of ranged combat expert from the very beginning. This guy's a definite loner, and it's not hard to see why.

Hopefully I'll be able to get to a computer later if there's more. If not, see you (hopefully) tomorrow.

[Stran Tannish]

So both Wizkids and I took a few days off. But now we're all back with a vengeance, as I have somewhere around 14 different figures to review for you today. A whole lot of REVs, most of which have LEs attached, and a couple of uniques too. I won't waste much time, so let's get right to it.

First up we have Trickster. This guy's name says it all when you're trying to figure out what to do with him on the battlefield. He starts with leap/climb, goes to running shot, then back to leap/climb. His attack powers include energy explosion, incapacitate, and smoke cloud, in that order. His defense is nothing special, especially with no powers to back it up. Of course what do we expect from a simple 31 point figure. His last click, however, is something to look closely at. He's got both force blast and perplex, as he's trying desperately to keep people away from him. The E steps it up to 50 points and joins the calculators for some wildcard action. If possible, I think his dial gets smaller, but his powers are a little more interesting. Force blast shows up earlier, but is the only speed power he's got. Incapacitate gives way to poison, and he's got some front-loaded deflection. Finally on his last two clicks he's got some shape change, to make him harder to hit. The V steps it up even more to 58 points. Deflection and shape change stick around, but he starts with running shot, later going into plasticity. Energy explosion starts things off, going into poison, and finally into incapacitate. He's a definite nuisance piece, that'll keep your opponent's occupied for as long as he's around.

Up next is a classic villain in Captain Cold. The 40 point R has the two basic staples of the "cold" oriented characters in heroclix: incapacitate and barrier; but he's got the addition of plasticity to freeze people in their tracks so they can't get away. The E jumps to 68 points and sees the addition of running shot to all the other powers. By the way he also joins the calculators. The V is even tougher at 82 points and just a whole lot more of the same. Is it just me or does this guy seem perfect for stunning blow? The LE, Len Snart, drops to 77 points, but still has everything the others did as well as a click of leadership. There's this wierd spot on his dial in which the only power he's got is plasticity, but after a click or two he gets both barrier and incapacitate back. I probably missed that comic, but Wizkids does everything for a reason...I think.

Next is the supercomputer that's caused such problems lately: OMAC. Yet another calculator member, for only being 59 points the guy's pretty beastly. Leap/climb and plasticity trade off, while toughness gives way to combat reflexes with an ending click of regeneration. His damage powers really shine, though, with perplex followed by exploit weakness and shape change. At 83 points, the E is even worse. Power additions include stealth, outwit, psychic blast for one click, and pulse wave (don't bother with nova blast, its only 2 damage and it's near the end of the dial). All of the other powers make an appearance as well. The V, at 102 points, becomes more of a combat machine. Say goodbye to leap/climb, pulse wave, combat reflexes, and perplex. But say hello to flight, charge, super strength, stealth, and energy explosion. Psychic blast sticks around, as does exploit weakness, so no matter what he's hurting you. And two clicks of regeneration at the end ensure he'll stay in the fight. If possible the LE, OMAC 5674, is even more powerful at 124 points. A lot of things get switched around. He's earthbound for his first click, but after that he gets force blast, psychic blast, and outwit. Once those go away he gets plasticity, blades, and toughness, followed closely by poison and exploit weakness. On his last clicks he gets outwit back as well as some pulse wave. No wonder this guy was so dangerous lately.

Now for the uniques, we got three of them. First is Eclipso, as in, the girl. Yeah, that's right, they made her, what's it to ya? Not half bad at all, this 138 point mystics member starts right off the bat with stealth, psychic blast, and invulnerability. After losing psychic blast for a bit and dropping to toughness, she gets psychic blast back as well as some mind control and then some pulse wave. She becomes earthbound on her last click, but it's ok because of the two clicks of regenerate that will allow to get back into the air and do more damage.

Yet another calculator member is Captain Boomerang. Energy explosion, running shot, super senses, incapacitate, and willpower. All pretty much expected of a guy like him. He's got a little surprise at the end of his dial, however. For one click, and one click only, the guy's got hypersonic speed, allowing him to jet away so that he can fight another day.

Finally for today, we've got the CSA's Owlman. This Batman ripoff is perched easily on the tombstone of one Joseph Chill, the detail of which makes this sculpt pretty darn kewl. He's got everything you'd expect from an alternate Batman: leap/climb, stealth, incapacitate for a click, smoke cloud, willpower, and outwit; as well as a few surprises up his sleeve. Flurry makes an appearance in between the other speed powers, and he starts with a click of toughness. The outwit gives way to close combat expert and then to exploit weakness. Overall a pretty good figure. If you know how to use Batman, you know how to use this guy.

In conclusion I just have one thing to say. We're almost done with this set, and we have yet to see any good Injustice League members. They even put out an alternate team ability for them, and yet most of the members retired back in Hypertime. The only real candidates right now are The General and Queen Bee from Unleashed, and possibly the E Joker from Legacy. So come on guys, give us some more IL members. I'm beggin' ya.

Until tomorrow, with the next official preview from Wizkids.

[Stran Tannish]

GAAAAAHHHHKLDFJLAJSDHAOIBHHOHVOREHGUAHV;DC *froths at the mouth*

Translation: They have now released the identities of this years convention pieces, and I couldn't be any happier. First and foremost, the normal size figure is going to be Parallax. One of the more powerful single-base characters ever created at 270 points (Ares tops him at 275), Parallax is definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with. But not as much as this year's oversized figure.

What do mothers in the DCU tell their children to get them to behave? "You better settle down Timmy, or the Spirit of Vengeance will come and get you." Ok, so they probably don't say that, but regardless the Spectre himself is this year's oversized figure, and the biggest one created so far. Fourteen inches tall, the sculpt is beautiful, with angry spirits swirling around his lower body. He'll have three versions: Hal Jordan with the Mystics team ability, Jim Corrigan of the JSA, and the Spirit of Vengeance with the brand new Quintessence team ability (most likely on par with the power cosmic). Just like Galactus and Dark Pheonix, you'll be able to play him either as part of a force (a really BIG force) or as a scenario, in which he'll release angry spirits to plague the heroes.

Nothing else has been released about these two figures, no stats no nothing, except that they will be available at Wizkids attended conventions this year. I highly doubt that'll include us at DEXCON, but a guy can dream. Tiny care to try and make my dreams come true?

[Stran Tannish]

Ok, even though I'm still in awe over the Spectre announcement earlier today, I've still got a preview for you today. Only one REV/LE, but I don't really expect much more after finding out what this year's con pieces are going to be.

Today we've got the release of Metamorpho. In keeping with most other shapechanging characters, this guys got all sorts of random powers all over his dial, but for a 46 point piece, the R isn't all that bad. He starts off with shape change, incapacitate, and plasticity, but after one click he jumps into exploit weakness, phasing, and smoke cloud. Two more clicks and he gets plasticity and incap back, with an added click of toughness. Then shape change comes back and on his very last click he switches from incap to poison. The 70 point E joins the outsiders and gets a little more interesting starting with only plasticity and toughness and gaining poison and shape change after one click. Later on he loses toughness and shape change, and switches to phasing, incapacitate and super senses. Then on his last click he loses everything and gets willpower and shape change, so he can get away in a hurry. The V is only 10 more points with a healthy mix of all the powers from the previous versions. This one, though, has a good dose of regenerate on his last two clicks, keeping him in the fight a little longer. He does have range by the way: 2. I smell a taunt candidate. The Rex Mason LE is only 2 points less than the V and joins the JLA for added mobility. In my opinion he's actually a little bit better and more of a team player in this version. Phasing surrounds plasticity, poison is followed up by incapacitate, super senses comes on either side of toughness, and he's got one click of expoit weakness right up front. The team player aspect comes at the very end of his dial when his defense shoots up to 17 and he gets defend. Combine this with the phasing he's got anyway, and he can go anywhere to lend a helping hand.

See you next time.

SPECTRE!!!!!!!!

[Stran Tannish]

Ok, after having only one REV/LE to give you yesterday, I've got a whole bunch to give you today, as well as a little surprise at the end. No it's not the stats for Spectre or Parallax, as much as I'd like to say it is, but I think you'll like it just the same.

First, Katana. Dual-wielding the blades of her namesake, this 37 point outsider member R is packed with pretty much what you'd expect: stealth, blades, combat reflexes leading to willpower, and close combat reflexes leading to exploit weakness. The blades clicks are places kinda funny, with one up front and then another a few clicks down. The E is 45 points, loses willpower, but has more of everything else. The clicks of blades are put together now too. Finally the 58 point V becomes a Batman Ally, so instead of stealth (which she now has automatically) she's got a few clicks of charge to back up her blades and exploit weakness. No more close combat expert either, but on her very last click she has a surprise for whoever's up close: steal energy. You definitely don't want to get anywhere near her at any time.

Next is Black Lightning. The 48 point R is actually pretty decent. Starting with running shot and incapacitate, after he loses those he gets some charge with exploit weakness. The E, at 65 points, joins the outsiders and gains a click of willpower, but is otherwise exactly the same. For the 88 point V, none of the powers change, he just gets more of each. More running shot, more charge, more incapacitate, more willpower, and more exploit weakness. So it doesn't matter where you are, ranged or melee, he can find you and most likely hurt you. The Jefferson Pierce LE drops down to 64 points and loses the outsiders team ability but most of his powers and stats are around the same as the E, with the prominent exception of incapacitate switching to energy explosion halfway through.

So, do you guys remember the Ultimate Clayface LE I talked about before? Well, the REV has finally been released, along with yet another LE. These are very similar, scaled down versions of the Ultimate LE, but that doesn't mean they're not as good. Point for point, I'd say all of them are pretty useful, especially when the 57 point R starts with a 17 defense. Other than that, he's got the usual plasticity, super strength making a sandwich out of blades, toughness, shape change, and a little exploit weakness. The E is more of the same, except at the end of his dial he's got a few clicks of battle fury, just for his protection since he doesn't have range in this version. The 89 point V doesn't have the battle fury, but he's got a front loaded click of charge, as well as a 2 range. All the other powers are still there. The LE, Basil Karlo, is only 2 points less than the V and could possibly be a little better. Super strength surrounds not just blades, but also some incapacitate, and he's got a click of invulnerability before switching to toughness. The only thing he's missing is exploit weakness.

Next we've got Geo-Force. Yet another outsiders member, this guy's pretty diesel. The R, at 71 points, starts with super strength, toughness, and ranged combat expert, gaining charge later on, and has a click of quake at the end. The E steps it up to 113 points, gets running shot in addition to charge, leadership up front, and close combat expert at the end. He's also got a click of invulnerability before his toughness, while super strength still leads into quake. The V gets even tougher at 136 points. He loses leadership, but that's just to make room for everything else. All of the same powers are here, with a much stronger showing from quake. The LE is Prince Brion Markov, 3 more points than the E and a slightly different power breakdown. Leadership sticks around for 2 clicks, followed by one slot each of ranged and close combat expert. He still has invulnerability and toughness, as well as running shot and charge. Quake starts things off this time, switching to super strength and back. He's earthbound on his last click, but after all that, does it really matter?

Now for the surprise. They've released all of the bystander tokens today so I'm just going to give you a quick rundown on who to expect to see when you get one of those little green cards in your booster pack. We've got Detective Chimp (YAY!), Eddie Flyers, Sue Dibney (RIP), Ted Knight, Uncle Dudley, Linda Park-West, and the Marquee participation prize is Oberon. Now, Oberon is fixing to be this set's uber-pog. For 10 points, he's got both willpower and close combat expert. Sure he's only got one click of life and his base damage is only one, but given the chance he can do some damage.

That's all for now. I don't know if they'll release anything tomorrow or not, but if not, everyone have a safe and happy new years.

[Stran Tannish]

So I've been away the past few days for New Years, and Wizkids decides to release a whole bunch of figures. Don't know if I'll actually review them all in this particular post, or come back later tonight to do the rest, but I'm just going to start and see how much I can get done.

First I have to say, that they've revealed the characters to be included in the DC Heroclix: Giants collector's set. There will be seven figures, all giants (obviously). They are Atom Smasher, Chemo, Validus, Rita Farr, Colossal Boy, Giganta, and from the pages of Kingdom Come, Alloy. As of now no stats have been released for any of them. But it's only a matter of time.

Now on to the new REVs. First we have Speedy, as in the girl who took over for Arsenal. I'll say this right now, she got much better treatment than he did. The R is 18 points, but has stealth into leap/climb and a couple clicks of ranged combat expert. The E, at 35 points, joins the titans and adds some incapacitate to the previously mentioned powers. The R jumps to 46 points and has pretty much the same power breakdown, just a little more of each.

After her you've got a member of the Legion of Super Heroes in Shadow Lass. This girl's pretty decent with a 44 point R featuring lots of stealth, smoke cloud, and defend. Sure her defense isn't that high, but in a game where you're using characters that are around 44 points, neither will anyone else's. The E changes her name to Umbra and goes up to 56 points. Her powers stay the same, the only thing that changes is her starting defense, at a 17, makes a much better use for her defend power. The V is 10 points more and her dial gets a little deeper, but there's not much difference.

Up next we've got Manhunter. No not the things that go after green lanterns all the time, but the woman who hunts men. The 37 point R is pretty good, with leap/climb, exploit weakness, toughness going into combat reflexes, and some incapacitate in the middle of the dial. She's also got a single slot of psychic blast on her very last click. The E is 44 points and throws in a "berserk" click in the front, with super strength and battle fury. Leap/climb still has a strong presence, and combat reflexes and toughness trade off with a click of willpower at the end. She still has incap, and that click of psychic blast at the end along with a click of exploit preceded by close combat expert. The V, 52 points, has just about everything still, except for battle fury and close combat expert. Exploit has a bigger showing, as does psychic blast; and leap/climb sticks around for the entire dial, something it didn't do in the other versions. The Kate Spencer LE is 47 points and becomes more of  a close combat fighter. While there isn't any close combat expert like in the E, there's still the leap/climb, incap, toughness, exploit, combat reflexes, and willpower. In the last two clicks, however, she goes berserk again with battle fury and flurry. Always a fun combination.

Another powerhouse of the DCU, Mary Marvel finally makes an appearance. The R is 99 points, with an earthbound activation click that leads into hypersonic speed, quake, and toughness. Quake gives way to super strength one click later, and charge and exploit weakness both show up. The E jumps to 169 points, loses the activation click, and starts right off with charge, quake, invulnerability and a single click of outwit. After that first click charge changes to hypersonic and quake gives way to super strength. Again, charge, exploit, and toughness all show up at different points, as well as two ending clicks of quake once again. The V is the real powerhouse, at 224 points with the JLA team ability. She starts with hypersonic, quake, impervious, and outwit, then goes down to the usual progression of powers that we've seen in previous versions. The LE, Captain Marvel, goes back to 166 points. She is very similar to the E, except for the fact that quake doesn't show up until the last three clicks. If you want the power of Shazam!, but can't pay the points, Mary Marvel is a definite substitute.

Now that I'm done with REVs, I may as well just keep going with the uniques. Each of the ones that were recently released are pretty low-key. First there's Guardian. At 47 points he's loaded with speed and defense powers. Charge surrounds flurry, while toughness gives way to a single click of combat reflexes, finally ending on willpower. Just get him in and keep him there as much as possible so he can continue to do damage. His stats are all pretty consistent, so that plan shouldn't be much of a problem.

Crimson Avenger makes an appearance for the JSA at 53 points. She's pretty straighforward. Starting with phasing and psychic blast, she loses both of those just to get ranged combat expert. Then she loses that to get psychic blast back as well a final click of regeneration. No matter what, she's most likely doing some damage. Keep her in the back and use her dual-target 8 range to take pot shots at your opponent.

Finally, we've got Adam Strange. A little more than the other uniques at 88 points, this guy is filled with ways to either hurt the other guy or help your other characters out. He starts with running shot, deflection, and leadership that gives way to ranged combat expert. His deflection changes to support with a 17 defense while he loses RCE and his damage drops to 0. He also has phasing at this point so that he can quickly get back to the support line and protect the others. After that running shot and RCE come back with a bit of willpower and he ends with yet another click of phasing.

That completes the entire set of Collateral Damage. All REVs and Uniques have been announced, as well as the bystanders, feats, battlefield conditions, and object tokens. At this point all we're waiting for are the Giants, as well as of course the Parallax figure and the Spectre. When any of those come out you can expect me here talking about them.

Until then, see you when they announce the next Marvel set!