by AJ Pfeifer
Welcome back, Apex Insiders! In the next few days, I’m sure quite a few of you will be traveling to the Majestix Open Series ROC Regional taking place on April 1st and 2nd in Santa Ana, California! I’m here today to help you get in the game with another event prep. What pieces should you expect to see? What are the big players, the small players, and the new comers? What had Deadpool & X-Force added to the list? Let’s take a look!
The Capos – The Leaders of the Pack
Nick Fury – Make no mistake about it, Nick is and will always be a threat in the competitive environment, and limited is where Nick truly thrives. With less game elements to stand in his way, it’s much harder to get to eyepatch without getting gunned down in the process. Without a doubt, you should plan to face Nick at least once, and more if you make it to Top 8. With the announcement that he’s not retiring this year, I would expect to see a rekindling as players realize they get another year to abuse him.
Jakeem Thunder – Is there anything Jakeem can’t do? Returning to the days of Super Skrull dominating events and taking wins, Jakeem is the new hotness. From WKO’s to ROC’s, Jakeem has shown that he is indeed the king of the castle. There’s probably a better chance that you’ll play Jakeem more often than you’ll play against Nick, and his adaptability makes him a tough piece to plan against. If you can find a way to defeat him that he can’t get around, you’ve already beaten a good portion of the competition.
Krang – We’ve finally seen the big robot take some wins, and like Nick, Limited is Krang’s time to shine. Without fear of retaliators and resources pumping defenses, and Faust to muck up his plans, Krang is an almost unmatched force that can easily decimate even the strongest opponents. It’s probably in your best interest to figure out how to get to his backline and survive his alpha strike; he’s seeing much more play here than in the one or two showings in WKO events.
Green Lantern – What a surprise this guy has been. With an incredibly efficient dial and possessing a somewhat better wall construct for a steal of 35 points makes Green Lantern an almost must-have piece, with some teams running two or three of him. From taxi, to tertiary attacker, to Stealth-buster, there’s so much rolled up in a support-level point cost. Don’t sleep on him.
Klarion the Witch-Boy – While we didn’t see much of Klarion pop-up during the Winter WKO’s, he’s made quite some noise again showing he’s another king of limited. With Teekl and his amazing mobility, Klarion has proven just how much of a steal he is for 70 points. He’s another piece that players are utilizing as a double as you just don’t get much more value in the form of a secondary attacker.
The Muscle – Pieces You’ll Most Likely See
Shredder Elite (Mini, Clone, Claw, Shark) – The Shredder goons made quite an impact upon release and it’s easy to see why. Free damage is always a good thing and these guys accomplish this task just by moving around making it very easy to pile penetrating pings onto their opponents. Clone Shredder probably has the most play under his belt, but the others have made a showing in Top 8’s as well.
Bizarro Green Arrow – It’s hard to argue with a 50 point piece that shuts down range as hard as BGA does. From countering Nick Fury almost completely to working as a decent tie-up piece thanks to his double STOP clicks, Bizarrow is sure to see some play. When paired with Jakeem, it’s a pretty deadly power couple that makes it even more difficult to bypass his already stellar setup.
Bizarro Joker – Although we’ve only seen one win with Bizarro Joker, he’s absolutely worth mentioning. There’s simply no better tie-up piece in the game right now, and Joker clocks in at under 50 points making him an easy addition to most teams. He’s hard to kill, hard to hit, and STOPS twice like his archer counterpart. Let’s not forget about his reverse Poison that keeps him healthy while he bases your force.
Joker’s Wild JSA Friends (The Flash, The Atom, Hawkman, etc.) – With the prevalence of Jakeem, it’s easy to see why these incredibly efficient attackers are making a splash in limited. Naturally fitting with him for easy theme teams and high map rolls, they all but ensure Jakeem gets to pick where he plays. They’re no slouches either; Flash can cause chaos for a backline, The Atom can hit for a surprising amount of damage, and Hawkman serves as a decent bruiser/taxi. Oh yeah, and Green Lantern can be themed as well, which adds a whole other level of yuck to these guys. There’s a reason we’re seeing so many JSA teams these days. Don’t take their tiny dials lightly.
Doctor Octopus LE – The good doctor took some time off, but he’s back with a vengeance. Like Fury and Krang, Doc Ock loves Limited and although he losses access to possession to keep him safe, he can deal quite a large chunk of damage in a single turn. At only 80 points, he’s easy to fit on teams, and has decent keywords to build theme around. A good bait piece should do wonders against him as you can strike while he’s at that pitiful 16 defense.
Sinister Syndicate (Speed Demon, Chameleon, Overdrive, etc.) – The Syndicate is actually quite strong in the Limited environment and have seen a bit of play. Naturally, they theme well with Doc Ock, and unlike the Bat villains of Joker’s Wild, they all share keywords. There’s a lot of versatility in these teams, and they tend to do okay if one member gets taken down quickly to something like Jakeem. Don’t take them too lightly as there’s more aggression here than it may look like. Chameleon is of special note as every set that releases gives him plenty of new disguises (you’ll see one here!).
Peggy Carter – Great keywords, a low point-cost, anti-swarm, and an area of effect ‘can’t use’ power makes Peggy a wonderful addition to many teams. Lately, she’s been paired with Shredder Squads as a way to deal with any powers that stand in their way of causing complete destruction. She’s also a wonderful disguise for Chameleon, however, since she’s a Prime you luckily won’t see her with Jakeem.
The Wiseguys – Smaller Players to Keep an Eye on
Nighthawk Prime – Chances are if you don’t see Jakeem or Peggy on a team to fill the Prime spot, you’ll see Nighthawk. There’s just no denying how efficient he is and how hard he shuts down certain pieces like Krang. With an uptick in the big robot and him actually seeing wins, there’s a decent chance that Nighthawk will see some of that uptick as well. However, there’s a new-comer that might put him to bed competitively.
HAHA Joker – A popular member of Team Undying at the Winter WKO’s, The Joker saw a win in Limited a couple weeks ago and frankly, it’s pretty easy to see why. Where else are you going to get this many clicks of health for his low point cost? While Bizarro Joker might be the best tie-up piece in the game, HAHA Joker comes in as a close second, and with his insanely wild dial, there’s so much that he can do. He’s almost always going to be a tool that you can use to your advantage and one of the few pieces that can spit in Krangs face and just laugh it off.
Mystique – The blue shapeshifter is seeing quite a little comeback in recent weeks, and it’s actually a bit odd to see this. With Jakeem being such the power piece that he is, Pulse Wave is easily accessed which is Mystique’s one weakness. Still, if she’s lucky enough to not play against him, she can cause so much havoc, knocking pieces around and lining up shots for teammates. Normally I would give her a pass, but you can’t deny the spots she’s seeing in top 8.
Morphing Hank Pyms – With only two months left in their competitive lifespan, I’m surprised we’re not seeing more of Hank. If you’re looking for versatility, Hank could be the mascot as his multiple forms bring just about every support power to the game. His ants are wonderful tie-up pieces and disposable allies that clog hallways. He saw a little play at the beginning of the season, but hasn’t seen much lately. Still, I wouldn’t count him out.
The Penguin – Although Devil Dinosaur is all but extinct, Penguin is still seeing some play. At less than half the cost of the big red dino, The Penguin is just a little more playable and can easily make it onto a team as a tertiary piece. He’s a bit slower to churn pieces out, but the buff he can give out to a penguin is kind of a big deal. Again, he’s another piece that hasn’t seen much play lately, but I wouldn’t count him out.
Shifting Focus Superman – There’s simply no reason to count this group of Supermen out as they’re one of the most efficient heavy-damage pieces out there. Sure, they’re 90 points, but look at all the tricks you get for those 90 points. Recently taking a second place victory puts them on the radar, and I think more people will start to look into Superman again. Plus, he’s probably the cheapest piece on this list to get ahold of, so players who aren’t looking to break the bank may pursue him.
The Earners – Deadpool & X-Force Pieces
Deadpool, Merc With A Mouth – I mentioned that a newer piece might see the end of Nighthawk Prime, and that piece is the new Title Character Deadpool. With a completely new mechanic that changes him from simple attacker to veritable nuisance, Wade here is quite the piece. Only 5 points more than NHP, an almost exact replica ability, a killer dial full of hurt, and not taking up your prime slot might earn him the dedicated anti-number spot. I would expect to see him quite a bit.
Fenris – PJ Bolin showed how good of a piece Fenris is with his winning team the other week. With fantastic numbers that stick through most of their dial and the option of either dealing penetrating damage or knockback makes Fenris a bit more versatile than some might give them credit for. At only 60 points, they’re a great pick for a ranged attacker. They’re also a killer new disguise for Chameleon.
Hammer – Swarms can be a big problem, and Hammer is undoubtedly the answer. As recently uncovered by a WizKids rules forum answer, Hammer can deal unprecedented amounts of damage to grouped up characters. How would you like to deal 5 damage to every one of the JSA members grouped around Jakeem? That’s what this guy does, and at only 50 points making him a very good ranged piece, and again, a great disguise for Chameleon.
Wiz Kid – While he’s a Prime and we’ve already established that there are multiple excellent Primes on this list, Wiz Kid is a killer piece. Triple Perplexing any adjacent character is a big deal and can really add on quite a lot of damage. With the Pym Particles getting around the annoyance of his flight, he’s a solid investment. With Jakeem running around, there’s a low chance to see him, but he’s absolutely worth the points.
Hulkpool – The amount of damage that Hulkpool can put out makes him a big deal, and having top-dial Prob on a big melee piece only increases his value. What’s crazy is that his killer stats and power combinations only cost you 125 points, and if a player comes equipped with all (or almost all) of the comic panels, Hulkpool has a bit of adaptation he can go through to keep him alive based on who he’s facing.
Venompool – Although he has no inherent durability and a lack of move and attack, Venompool is worth mentioning strictly for the ability to completely gut Probability Control. Like Hulkpool, comic panels will make him shine, and his point cost makes him a cost-effective option for secondary attacker. While he might not see play yet, there’s a chance someone will figure out how to abuse him.
Deadpool Ultra Chase – Sure, for the same points, you could run Jakeem, but the Ultra Chase is actually quite a strong contender, and those that don’t have Jakeem and pulled a fresh pony might look to him as the new hotness. His numbers are incredible, he’s got penetrating damage in both close and range, he’s got Mystics, can attack for free, and locks people down once he hits them which can really screw up someone’s game-plan. Imagine hitting Jakeem first with Deadpool and keeping that monster locked from dealing with Wade. There’s no guarantees that he’ll see play, but he’s worth mentioning.
Roscoe’s and Biscuits – Equipment Rocks in Limited
Pym Particles – Coming in at only 2 points and dropping anyone down to tiny size for easy taxi or growing them to giant size to shoot whomever they want is a big deal, and many of the top 8 teams are running the particles. While you can’t really plan against them, I would count on seeing them an awful lot.
Weapon Drop – This thing has seen a massive uptick in play along with Jakeem as it just strictly makes him better. Since possession isn’t an option, the Weapons Drop gives Jakeem (and others) more powers to play with.
Hulkbuster Parts (Mainly Torso) – They’re expensive, but there’s no denying how great it is to give someone Invulnerability for the entire game for just 10 points. While the Torso sees the most play, some of the limbs are being played as well. Don’t count on a piece having no reducers as your answer as it’s just 10-points-easy to make that problem go away.
Symbiote – The amount of benefits this thing grants is crazy; Plasticity, automatic breakaway, and Shape Change are all fantastic assets to give to anyone. With ability to potentially pump ability scores as well, the Symbiote is perhaps the most deadly of the equipment that will see play.
That wraps up this look at the limited scene and Majestix ROC primer. I hope you got some value out of this list and that it aids you a bit in what you’re building/bringing with you. Did I miss some pieces that you think might be worth covering? Something that I gave too much credit to? Let me know below! Good luck and I’ll see you next time!
