by AJ Pfeifer
In just a couple weeks, the ROC U.S. Cup will be held at Majestix and we have a really exciting new format with ROC Age! For folks out there like me that aren’t familiar with older pieces that are legal in this event, or for those looking to get a little refresher on some of the staple pieces, look no further; your primer awaits!
For today’s Primer, I want to run through the actual pieces/teams that are either likely to be seen or played, and in a decent amount of these cases, characters or resources that were often paired with them. This won’t be an article going into a combination of how older winning pieces interact with newer releases as frankly the combinations are endless. Instead, this will sort of be like a time portal to the last few years of competitive Heroclix and what you can expect to see.
Highfather/Hope Summers
Highfather, when coupled with a couple Blind Al’s from the Deadpool set, was amazingly good at creating a highly-mobile Pulse Wave force with his later transformation into Takion. Combined with Hope Summers, players can replicate this effect and essentially drown the opposition in uncatchable, unavoidable damage dealers.
One-Man Army Sinestro Battery Teams
While I don’t want to get into details about resources, there have been a large chunk of very playable, high-cost characters that have had their time in the sun, or never got to dabble in the Yellow Battery once it rotated. Pieces like Elseworlds Chase Superman, Trinity War Superman, or even Colossal Con Sinestro are all prime One-Man Army pieces that will be brutal to face against with a -2 to all your attacks. Combined with a boxing ring makes this a devastating setup.
Alpha Class Sentinel
This guy is a seriously big deal and has a good chunk of high-level 2nd place wins under its belt. Played at 250 points and often with the Phoenix Force and a Spider-Bot, you get a brutal +2 theme team that’s very difficult to burn through with its deep dial. With access to Multi-attack and reflecting damage back on the attacker (along with Mystics from the resource), this is another One Man Army that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Fantomex
There haven’t been too many pieces out there that have been this good at making ranged attacks. With his ability to snipe pretty much anyone anywhere while staying safe in his starting area and turtling up, Fantomex can put the beatdown on many teams. While Nighthawk Prime counters him pretty hard, he’s still a devastating force to play against. There’s some great Spies that have come out recently that could really drive him home and help to neuter his opponent.
Banshee
Very few pieces can stand against the awesome might that Banshee brought to the game. With a ROC World’s win via Isaac and his ability to melt literally anyone he attacks including pick-a-power pieces, Banshee is a terror to face. No reducer is safe against him, and once he’s on his second click, he can Pulse Wave through walls! Typical players with Banshee were the LE Scarlet Witch, FF Atomica, or Despotellis, but two of those were used when Possession could still be used on tiny characters. Still, there are other ways in the game to get his defense high.
Spiral
Even with her errata, Spiral is still a force to be reckoned with. 2015 saw a victory at Worlds with Paris at the helm for this six-armed lady. Able to move your entire team across the board for 106 points is a big deal and could really start up some shenanigans with some newer pieces out there that are fragile on the approach. While Faust might be banned, there are some other pieces that could help fill that void to a degree to make Spiral a big player again.
Double Koriand’r
Everyone probably knows this team as Koriand’r is still being played today, albeit a lot less often. It’s still very deadly and very viable, and with so many of her allies and old resources coming back to play, there’s a good chance that she’ll make a showing. Also, her cost-to-play ratio in terms of financial burden is fairly low, so she’s a great option for those on a tight budget.
Kyle Rayner LE
I can’t think of another piece that did more work when I got back into the game than Kyle Raynor. Back in 2015, I remember seeing this guy everywhere, and for good reason; he’s simply disgusting to deal with. With a possessor of choice and a battery at his back, he’s very tough to deal with and lands on one of the best STOP clicks the game has ever seen (if not the best). There’s simply no way Kyle doesn’t make a showing.
TW Lex Luthor
A nearly impossible to hit character that can call-in 200 point pieces seems too good to be true, but Lex was doing work as late as a few months ago until his retirement. This guy is cheap to buy and somewhat easy to pilot as you really don’t need to worry about where you go and what you do since you can’t be hit.
The Quinjet
Once War of Light rotated, the Quinjet rose like a phoenix and proved how utterly devastating it really was. Seeing as how it just rotated along with Lex and a bunch of ID cards, there’s probably a lot of players who still have their Jet/Ultron teams sitting around, and this could be a very easy option for them to play as they know the team well. Not to mention it’s incredibly strong and versatile. However, this team should fear the return of LE Doop as he can completely dismantle the plan.
Shatterstar
Another very strong Alpha Strike team that can get wherever it needs to go. When combined with friendly Mind Control like Black Talon, you can dish out a lot of damage in a single turn to pretty much any square on the map. He’s another pretty cheap option, as are the pieces that are usually played with him.
Shriek
Any piece that limits what your opponents can or can’t do is always going to be a consideration. Shriek not only stops ranged attacks, but also negates carry for anyone within her range. With batteries playable, she can easily jump to a 10 range, and her Monster keyword pairs incredibly nicely with some newer pieces, along with everyone’s favorite anti-battery piece, Lydea Mallor.
Silver Centurion
While Shriek limits what your opponent can do, Silver Centurion limits what your opponent can do to you, while throwing out an untargetable torpedo that can explode in your face for up to 7 damage. He’s a little expensive and does take your Prime slot, but like Shatterstar and Koriand’r, he’s cheap to purchase and can be a very nasty primary attacker.
Undying
Yes, Resurrection man is banned, but that doesn’t mean that the idea of Undying is. With Doop, Gluttony, Dead Man, Mystique, and the new Prime Deadpool all being legal, there are plenty of options to make point denial a reality. There’s so many options in this new format and a lot of side toys for them to pair with.
Honorable Mentions
CAWS Agent 13
The ability to limit free actions and shut off defense powers makes her a very good piece to run on your team. There will probably see a good resurgence of her.
White Witch
Another piece that limits free actions could see some play as well. Both of these two, combined with the Green Power Battery should make you question your teams reliance on free actions.
Lydea Mallor
Able to crush Batteries or yank resource pieces makes Lydea a very strong candidate as folks try to counter the elements that put out so much trouble in the last couple years.
Blind Al
13 points for Perplex in your starting area and the ability to ‘activate’ characters like Highfather is a steal. The new Shifting Focus Deadpool will probably be stoked that she’ll be legal.
Skadi’s Warbot
During the Fear Itself days, this was one of the most deadly pieces in the game at just 30 points. Those that kept their pogs will probably prove why that was the case again.
Splitlip
Free Action relic equipping is guaranteed to see some play, if not strictly for the resource he’s so commonly paired with. Omega Drive, Cosmic Control Rod, and so much more become highly playable with this fowl-mouthed Dwarf.
Doop LE
As I mentioned with the Quinjet and Undying, Doop isn’t just a terror to KO. He also completely muffs up a good chunk of resource and relic options. There’s a pretty good chance he’ll make a showing.
Gluttony
Who doesn’t like a piece that has STOP clicks on his entire dial, stops all healing effects, and has the Mystics team ability? For those that can’t handle him, he’ll be a terror to face against.
Engineer
While she was more of a side character in her glory days, she’s one of the only pick-a-power pieces that’s legal in the format. Something tells me that there will be some showings.
Exodia
Don’t forget about Yu-Gi-Oh! Exodia is a monster in the sense that he’s hard to deal with and can completely nuke teams. Thankfully, his point cost will probably keep him from showing up, but there’s always a chance, and most teams that can’t handle his huge numbers will burn under his gaze.
Bioshock Infinite Slate
Slate boasts a 9-square Pulse Wave that can block his own targets in to ensure he gets a single target. His dial is lackluster, but he’s worth it just for this ability alone. Willpower is icing here, and he’s only 75 points.
DOTA 2 Razor
Traited Pulse Wave is almost enough to earn him a spot, but it’s the second part of his trait that gets him on the list. Good ol’ Razor here flat out ignores your characters for Pulse Wave, meaning for just 75 points, you can pull of some terrible shenanigans with pieces like H.E.N.R.Y. and other folks modifying his combat values until he can just decimate an opposing force.
There’s so much more that I could probably go on for a whole other article, but I’ll leave you with this. The key is to not get caught up in thinking that these are the only threats you’ll see. In my opinion, the best option you have is to build a team that you like and is strong, as there’s simply too much to plan against in this kind of format. Unlike Modern where a handful of pieces rule the scene and virtually every team has to include a some way to deal with them, ROC Age has literally 6 years of pieces to choose from.
I hope this list helps you determine what it is you’ll be playing if you’re planning on going. What are your thoughts about these pieces/teams? Did I miss something that was truly worth mentioning, or was there an aspect of these pieces that I didn’t cover?
For those of you attending the event, I’ll be there and I look forward to meeting more of you. I managed to speak with a good handful of people in Hanford for States and it was fantastic to actually speak with you! See ya next time!
