by Patrick Yapjoco
$1k Primer
The first $1k of 2020 is upon us, and there are more different types of teams than ever before, especially with the newly released Captain America and the Avengers set injecting even more fuel to the metagame. Almost all the winners of the Trials had different teams, and functioned differently (not just a plug and play option). We have data on what the metagame going into the weekend will be with our Most Played lists, so let’s take a look at what we can expect in the Main Event.
Robots, Constructs… and Constructs Everywhere!
The breakout archetype of the format in this Round of the Trials saw the X-Men Animated Series constructs (Magneto, Sabretooth, Mr. Sinister) take a stranglehold of the tournaments. Whether it was Green Power Battery or Star Sapphire Power Battery, these hard-to-kill pieces wreaked havoc all throughout. Being Robot Themes gives them a good Map Roll Bonus, and just the angles of attacks are just tough to deal with. With Magneto + Ophidian dealing out maximum Pulse Wave damage to all his single-based targets, Sabretooth Flurrying up close, ISAAC generating attackers, and Tri-Sentinel cleaning up, this team basically has all the tools to compete with the very best. A point-denial/undying style of play combined with quick KOs has made this team the one to beat.
However, they don’t all play together at once. We have seen Magneto on other teams like Juggernaut, and Red Battery teams as well. The hard-to-kill nature of the constructs means they can easily be put on other point-denial teams as well. Expect to see plenty of these guys in the event.
WWE
After Tony Rodriguez won the last $1k with WWE figures, many players have explored more pieces. Eddie Guerrero has made an impact recently with Van Van Tassel’s team. In a format where there is a plethora of Pulse Wave, as well as a lot of range-based battles, WWE has the perfect protection. This format also has plenty of Special Objects, which their Grand Entrance helps them keep tempo as they can advance/develop their position, pick something up, and still stay relatively protected. Power Batteries and Phoenix Forces will be seen with the wrestlers.
Call-In Batteries
I lumped a lot of archetypes in here, as long as their main focus is to call something in (usually big) to attack, while staying protected. Teams like Juggernaut, Quinjet, and Mojo are the likely candidates. They are tough to take down (either through sheer click numbers, or hard to pin down), but they can call in all the best ID Cards in the format (SHIELD Level 7, Green Arrow, Storm, Magneto, Batman). A lot of these teams normally have one (maybe two) angles of attack, but they make it count.
Pingers
These are like your DOT pieces (for you MMO fans out there). They damage you over time, one at a time. Although it can take a while, they normally don’t require dice-rolling. Shredders Elite, Red Power Battery, and even the new Captain Marvel super rare are prime candidates for this style of play. Captain Marvel can even be used as a call-in to get that extra ping. These teams are typically hard to take down as well, since they need to survive long enough to ping their opponents to death. If the constructs remain highly played, expect more pinging strategies to counter that.
Monsters, Animals, Mysticals (or just Wendigos)
These teams are your basic Modern Age teams ported over to Bronze Age. They usually have one or two “main pieces” that go up to the front, get hit, then start the chain of retaliation. Lydea Mallor, Mini Shredder, Immortal Hulk, Mojo, Alyosha Kraven, and the like are all options for these types of teams. They are normally paired with Power Batteries, and have the colossal retaliators just hanging out in the back until something gets hit. Lydea is a hard counter to Resources, Immortal Hulk makes sure you get to retaliate, and Alyosha makes sure you get your Animals in position. These teams will have a high Theme count (6+), and the one common component in all of these teams: Wendigo! One of the more versatile pieces in the format, Wendigo works well on any of these Themes, and can heal a lot (especially with Black Power Battery). He can get a natural enemy of the constructs as the Wound tokens will remain on-board for them to keep healing!
Tent-Pole/OMAs
The old staple of Heroclix, the “easiest” of the archetypes to play: the Tentpole/OMA. We are talking full Goblin King with Yellow Battery, Lobo with anything, fully loaded Uni-Mind, Zombie Super-Skrull, etc. These teams might not be at its best right now, but if one is not prepared, this archetype can just take over a game and get free wins.
Alpha Strike
Another staple in Heroclix, this is the opposite of the Tentpole/OMA. This relies on getting across the map in one turn and getting its attacks off. Pieces like Sam Cap, Vulture, and TMTFF Hulk are the ones we will most likely see. Early in the format, these teams were everywhere, but the format has adjusted and this as slowly been pushed aside. The format might be ripe for a return of this archetype, who knows?
Nighthawk Prime
We always have to have a spot for this guy. This is the one piece that holds the format together, so to speak. Although this piece hasn’t really won a Trial recently, it is still the #10 Most Played figure of the last Round of Trials! That means that people are still keeping this guy as a threat to any teams that get out of hand with stat boosts. Also, with the release of Maria Hill, and the unending possibilities she brings to the format, Nighthawk stops her cold. We might not see this at the top tables, but Nighthawk is always lurking, keeping things in check.
That’s just a sample of the near-infinite number of archetypes we could see in the Main Event. Match-ups and Sideline choices will determine the success of many teams. Now, for my predictions. Immortal Hulk, or a WWE figure will win it all. My Dark Horse pick would be Quinjet. We have not seen it in a while, but I feel that the time is right or it to make its triumphant return. We are less than day away before it all goes down. See you next time, and when in doubt, Perplex the Attack!
