by Tiago Pinto da Luz
In the last article we stopped at the Ultron Drones from the Age of Ultron set, but there’s one more figure that we need to talk a little bit more in detail from this set, the Quinjet!
Age of Ultron: Storyline Organized Play
- Quinjet: The amazing prize from the Storyline this figure is one of the most anticipated pieces in the meta! Extremely difficult to take down because of its 17 clicks that can’t can reduce penetrating damage! When on the field it can also be used as a resource, and when paired with some Ultrons and the right ID cards one can easily make an aggressive team that has a huge defensive piece to back up! And don’t forget that Quinjet is also a vehicle, so if you have a good pilot with Pulse Wave like Proteus or an Age of Ultron Drone you can also deal a good damage using Quinjet as an attacker! Without a doubt this vehicle will hold in the top spot in the metagame for a long time!
Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
- FF Fitz & FF H.E.N.R.Y.: This duo appears in the Fast Forces and are both very good, you can raise the damage of any figure with H.E.N.R.Y. and Fitz helps you with the S.H.I.E.L.D. team ability, TK, a special power that gives Perplex to him and to a friendly character that shares a keyword in line of fire. And the best part of Fitz is if you use him you can use H.E.N.R.Y. from free!
Peggy Carter: One of the most used Primes in the current meta, the small Orange Power Battery! With good survivability due to Super Senses, Stealth and Shape Change, Peggy can be a pain in the ass for any opponent. The main reason she’s used is her special damage power that makes her choose a standard power or team ability and opposing characters within 3 squares of her can’t use what she chooses! - Union Jack Prime: Very underrated character in the current meta, but with his special trait that only works on characters with the Monster keyword he can make some special appearance in this worlds to KO some Zombies!
- Demonicus: Extremely fragile character for the point cost, with only 3 clicks and only Toughness Dr. Demonicus can be KO’d by nearly anyone. But even with this drawback he can be a very good piece, with the trait of summoning colossal figures with very high values he can turn the tide of any game!
- SR Nick Fury: Just one of the most expected figures in the current meta, ridiculous range, amazing trait, the special power of removing just anything he wants, one of the best improved targeting in the game. What more does a figure need? Ok, he can be called with the SHIELD LV 7 ID card for only 5 points, too.
- Nighthawk Prime: Another top meta figure, with a special trait the can shut down entire teams and a special defense power that can make him nearly untouchable. Nighthawk is a very annoying figure, protects his team from Mind Control, and doesn’t let non-adjacent opposing characters raise their values. He can just make some figures like Krang lose a big part of their potential.
- Avengers Sky-Cycle: The most aggressive of all the vehicles, with low point-cost, high speed value and a risky special damage power that can give +2 Attack with the right pilot, like KC Spectre, the Sky-Cycle can reach 14-Attack value!
- Captain America’s Motorcycle: Can be compared to a close combat version of the Sky-Cycle. Costs less points but has less clicks and doesn’t have an +2 Attack effect, instead of this it has Improved Movement: Ignores Elevated Terrain and if you use it adjacent opposing characters have -1 Defense value.
- LE Winter Soldier: Can be an unusual figure, but if you see him, you need to be careful, with 11-Attack, 3-Damage and Ranged Combat Expert that can target multiple characters, this guy can appear from an ID card and dish out some heavy damage to your team, and don’t forget of his trait that allows Scientists to use Mind Control on him. This also works with Rival to gain easy speed tokens!
Superman/Wonder Woman:
- Hat: Cheap Mystical character that can choose one power to use, but this power can be an Attack or Damage power. He can go from an amazing support figure to a character that can deal some damage since his top click is Force Blast, so a Pulse Wave from him can hurt a lot if used right.
- Brutaal: Another unusual character and can be risky since he takes up your prime slot, but Brutaal has really high values and can be a threat to nearly any figure in game. With Outwit protection and trait Super Strength he is an amazing figure.
- Red Tornado: Another good option for an ID Card, with a “free damage mechanic” Red Tornado can disrupt a team putting characters in bad spots.
- Superman Blue: Pulse Wave protection, need I say more? He can be called via ID for only 50pts and will give Invincible as inspiration and Pulse Wave protection, so if you need to hold the game a turn, this is a good way of doing it.
- R Wonder Woman: This is how a Wonder Woman should be, a ridiculous offensive close combat fighter, can turn any figure into dust in a single blow, with Sidestep, Charge and Flurry. 12-Attack with Super Strength she can deal heavy damage to anyone. If you try to fight back, she still has the Mystics team Ability and a very deep dial.
- Eclipso (equip): One of the new figures with the Equip Mechanics, and the one with the longer dial, aren’t as strong as the War of Light entities but can help a lot of figures get that boost.
- Mxyzptlk: This guy can end anyone’s day, with three very strong ways to win a game. Using a trait that can change dice roll in one of the most ridiculous things the game has ever seen. Another is a 9-Range Pulse Wave that only affects opposing characters and gives up to 2 action tokens to them, which is always pushing damage! And the last of his effects it’s the ability to change the size of a figure within 3 squares to any size you want, including Mr. Mxyzptlk himself!
- Brainiac (equip): Another Equip figure, but this guy biggest problem is the low dial, with only 7-clicks he can have problems if possessing a character with a longer dial. Besides that he has an amazing special damage power that can allow the figure to play like every turn!
- Red Son Wonder Woman: Another HSS user, but this time a very tough one, with an opening 19-Invincible and a trait that protects the rest of her team, this girl is a very good pair for the Nighthawk Prime!
- All of the Colossal Retaliation figures: The retaliation figures. They will appear in the meta for a long time, with no doubt this new mechanic is really good and if you’re not prepared to play against then you’re in serious trouble. Each of these figures has a different way to retaliate, you can only activate one per turn but they’re all very good, one thing that is important to remember about them, is that some of the Colossals can’t be KO’d by 1-damage Pulse Wave(!), since they have a Toughness that can’t be ignored!
World’s Finest:
- FF Nightwing: A character with two starting lines but is mostly used in the lower cost because he is a 25pt character that can move by itself by using Sidestep, stay safe with his Stealth, is a Wild Card (so you can make him Mystics), and has the Outsiders TA! Yes, Outsiders for only 25 points on a Sidestep + Stealth character!
- Shifting Focus Supermen: One with an enormous defense, another with good speed, a damage power house and a good shooter, all of this for only 90 points?! These guys already made an appearance in lots of top teams, even in the Limited format!
- Superman Prime: Flight, Indomitable, solid values for the point cost, a good trait to make a Themed Team and another trait to boost his values. He doesn’t hit as strong as Freddy Freeman but is cheaper and a more defensive HSS character.
- Elasti-Girl: 50pt character with 10/10/18/4; need anything more? With the new size rules, she can make a close combat attack 3 squares away from the target!
- Element Man: Outsiders, Shapechange, Super Senses, can choose attack and/or defense powers, the only problem is the lack of a good move and attack. Already has made a good appearance in the Canadian Nationals in a JL themed team! And can also make themed with Nick Fury since he has the Soldier Keyword!
- Mary Marvel: A really character that is really hard to stop, has a high point cost, 150, but the protection against Outwit, Perplex and Probability Control from lower point characters and a strong stop click makes her a character that we will see on winning teams!
- Klarion the Witch-Boy: This is my favorite character of the set, only 70 points, Mystics Team Ability, Probability Control, Psyblast, Sidestep, Stealth and Phasing! Can pop out a pog with Charge, Blades and Perplex! An awesome character that is a great support piece that can even do some damage!
- Metallo: I thought a lot about not putting this guy in the list, but after winning the Canadian Nationals it’s just impossible to not do it. A character that can have a 19-Defense on every click, or Pulse Wave on every click will fit somewhere in the current meta! His biggest problem is the low dial depth for the point cost, but his values with his trait are very good! A character with 9/12/19/5 for three consecutive clicks is strong and can deal a high amount of damage!
- KC Green Lantern: The three most expected KC Chases, the lower point GL has Perplex and Barrier, but in the full point cost an awesome 20-Defense with Invincible and a Themed Team with Nighthawk Prime!
- KC Shazam!: Make KC Flash a little slower but add power on him, you got KC Shazam! With 15-Speed HSS, 11-Attack and Super Strength this guy can stomp every figure in his way.
- KC Spectre: In the full point cost, a character that deals penetrating damage from 12 squares with 12-Attack and Probability Control can be dangerous to anyone. In the low point dial a Probability Control on near anywhere on the map.
- Streaky: 50pts for a cheap HSS character with 3-Damage and Precision Strike can be good to deal damage to characters like Mr. Mxy or to KO some weak support pieces.
Batman Versus Superman:
- 016 Superman: Can be easily compared to the Trinity Wars Superman, with less defense but much more aggressive; 25pts less than the TW version so you can add an Atomica! And the Improved Movement: Blocking can be amazing to find an opponent hidden behind walls.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
- Common Turtles: The four common turtles, with cheap point cost and very good values they’re all very good, but the one that appears more is Michelangelo, with the special attack power of giving action tokens when he hits and he has Flurry, so he can hold even the strongest character for some turns.
- Baxter Stockman: The new best friend of robots, with the ability to heal Robots with just a free action or giving +1 Speed and Attack to them.
- Monsterex: Very deep dial and can choose tons of powers to use, his biggest problem is the low values, besides that he can make some good appearance if someone finds a way of getting him better values to fight.
- Rat King: Just love this figure, 7-clicks for 65 points, can spam rats just every turn, and even after getting KO’d he can give Probability Control to a character with the Animal keyword!
- Krang: The new Super Skrull of the meta? Same point cost, special, power of choosing more powers, some kind of Outwit immunity and damages himself. But all this comes with a cost, you can give Krang +2 in every value, making him become a character with 12/13/20/6 and 7-Range! Howeber, if you do this, during the end of your turn, he will receive 2 unavoidable damage! Remember the Baxter from the same set, and Juston from AVAS?
Uncanny X-Men:
- FF Jean Grey: Here is the big deal in the Fast Forces, free action TK when she has no action tokens is just amazing! She can TK a character for free, the character hits, and then she can make a power action to TK him back! Or she can TK an Ultron for free, then it can use Sidestep and call in Nick Fury! That’s a 23-square shot!
- Colossus: For the low point cost Colossus is a big brick to take down, 18-Defense with Invincible in a low cost character is awesome, combine it with Super Strength and he can deal a high amount of damage even on high point enemies!
- Morlock: For just 15 points you can choose what starting line to use! Plasticity with Combat Reflexes is really good and can lock the main attacker of you opponents granting you some safe turns. Or you may pay only 10 points on him and equip Proteus on him, to make an easy Proteus on the map during the early game!
- Riptide: This 45-point monster has free action Pulse Wave after using Sidestep! This is just ridiculously good; he can just deal 1 damage to every character on your opponents team EVERY TURN! He can move 9 squares, and then Sidestep, then Pulse Wave! But what’s better? He isn’t unique, so you can use more than one of him, just the perfect character to do that last damage to a Super Skrull!
- Vanisher: Doctor Octopus’s new best friend! He can carry three characters, with good speed, moves with Phasing/Teleport, what more could you as for? For one, his move doesn’t count towards your actions total. Oh, and late Probability Control on the dial, for just 40 points, this guy is a monster! Imagine him carrying Doctor Octopus and Peggy Carter…
- Mystique: One of the biggest strengths on Mystique is that you can run lots of them! Since she isn’t unique; her first trait allows her to use free action Force Blast after a move action! Her second trait gives her some surreal protection, ignoring characters to move and she can only be targeted if the opponent started the turn adjacent to her, with Sidestep on her this is near impossible to happen, she is just amazing!
- SR Iceman: Nothing less than the most expected piece in the format from this set! This Iceman can win the game, not doing damage, but doesn’t let your opponent play! Whoever played against a Felix Faust knows how bad this can be; this character can lock you in some similar ways!
- Proteus: The new character that can become an Equip! But instead of the traditional entities Proteus doesn’t link the dials, and gives +1 to every stat of the character! That’s basically 5 Perplexes! He has two drawbacks, the first one is that he can’t be assigned to characters with more than 100 points, and every turn you need to roll a d6; on a result of 1 or 2 deal the equipped character one unavoidable damage. He is already looking good, but the last part is the best of it, every time the possessor is KO’d you “jump” Proteus to another character! When you don’t have no one to possess he becomes a character on his last click, and on his last click, Proteus is amazing with 5/11/18/4 with Pulse Wave, Probability Control and a special power that only allows him to take damage from close attacks, and this can’t be ignored or countered! He does very well when possesses Shifting Focus Superman or even the small Morlock.
- SR Quicksilver: Amazingly cheap Hypersonic Speed user that can deal high damage with his Flurry instead of an attack during the HSS! Sadly he doesn’t ignore hindering on movement, but for just 75 points he is great!
- R Sunfire: This guy reminds me of the Prime Abin Sur, 50pts, 6-Range, 3-Damage, but instead of a Wall construct, Sunfire has Pulse Wave!
- Sunfire Prime: The Prime version is a bigger version of the Rare! At 120 points he has Pulse Wave, Energy Shield as a trait, and if hit by a close attack he deals the opposing character one penetrating damage; his only problem is the mid-dial, which is weak for the point cost. I really think that a character with just Pulse Wave on EVERY single click can’t be bad, he has a very good chance of making a good appearance during Origins.
- AoA Sunfire: The best of the chases; soft dial, but starts with 11/11/18/4 for only 80 points! This is just the highest values for the point cost in the game! Has Pulse Wave on every click that isn’t the first. His only problem is that he doesn’t have any protection that isn’t Energy Shield, and his values drop really quick.
LE’s:
- Felix Faust: Whoever saw what Felix Faust did at Worlds last year knows what he is capable of doing, because of his trait can piss anyone off.
- Brainiac Skull Ship: Very tough figure that already made some appearances in the Itallian National alongside Pandora and Nighthawk prime!
- Koriand’r: Double Koriand’r and the Red Hood and the Outlaws ATA, you probably already know of this team, it appears a lot and will become even stronger when Super Skrull rotates out.
- Nightwing, Green Arrow, Red Hulk: All are awesome characters to be called via ID cards, Red Hulk hits hard and has the Poison inspiration, Green Arrow has a 12-Attack value and Nightwing has the Tony Zucco Pog!
- Supreme Intelligence: The cheapest resource in the current meta, since its “simple” and costs low points for giving 2 different powers per turn to a figure.
With this we end the Time to be Meta! These are the most expected figures for us see during the Origins Game Fair.
