by Jay Solomon
With the ROC World Cup being so close, everyone that will be going is going over recent results of events to determine what will be showing up in the big event. What is unknown at the moment is what the 300 Modern Limited competitive scene will look like. The Semi-Finals will be played in Limited, and this will be the first showing of the format since retirement. What I will endeavor to do in this article is to prepare you for what figures to expect and plan around for this part of the World Cup, as well as what will show up afterwards, when ROC events shift to Modern Limited from November to April. A lot of what I expect will show up is stuff already seen in Modern, but made more potent by what is not going to be played due to the format. I will also go over any types of teams that are made less effective by the Limited format.
As a reminder, the Limited Format includes:
Not Allowed: Resources, Figures bigger than a Peanut base, Constructs, Relics, ID Cards, Feats, BFC’s, Event Dials & Characters Equipped during force construction
Allowed: Theme Teams, ATA’s, Special Objects, Word Bubbles, & Bystanders
Of all these restrictions, in my opinion, no ID cards may be the most notable and impactful. Even disregarding the ID card based resources, ID cards are played on the majority of teams simply because they are so effective and can still be used with a resource. If you have the points leftover and already have a resource, there’s no reason not to use an Atom ID for the colossal, or a Level 7 ID for Nick Fury or the myriad of options that the card provides. Their absence in the Limited Format will also impact what teams and figures will be played, such as Ultron Drones, as ID cards are a large part of what they are used with. These changes in the format will cause an increase of certain things, and the following are things that I anticipate seeing more of in the format:
While Nick Fury has had a presence in Modern, it has been limited by the fact that it’s more effective to use him with the Level 7 ID card. Without that option, there will absolutely be more play of Nick Fury as a regular character. Teams will need to be prepared with his Watcher’s Eyes special power, with him being on the map for the whole game as opposed to being a one turn equivalent of a tactical nuclear strike. His shutdown abilities will affect the whole game, as opposed to being a one-time shutdown of a defense power for an attack.
Also, with there being less reason to play Ultron Drones due to the lack of ID cards, it will be harder for opposing teams to utilize them as protection from Nick Fury’s trait bonuses against the single highest point opposing character.
Krang is already known as a threat in the competitive scene, and the shift to Modern Limited will make him even stronger, as his difficult match-ups disappear, and some other factors contribute to his being an even bigger threat. The Quinjet’s deep dial and ID card focus is a particularly bad match-up for Krang, and without its presence, he will be able to do even better in Limited. ID Cards can also be a problem in general, as although he may be able to deal devastating and effective attacks, if an ID character can be brought in, they will be undamaged and able to effectively attack Krang. The absence of Pandora’s Box is also good for Krang, as without the Combat Reflexes and Energy Shield/Deflection that the resource provides, his high attack values and Probability Control will ensure that he is able to hit.
With the lack of equipment during force construction, Eclipso and Brainiac will not be usable as equipment in Limited. This will ensure that almost all reducers used by characters in the format will be possessed, so Doctor Octopus’ Outwit and multiple attacks will ensure that damage will stick. With Overdrive as a themed taxi, Doctor Octopus will be able to get where he needs to go to attack and deal up to 12 damage, leaving little left to retaliate against his team. However, with Eclipso and Brainiac out of the picture, Doctor Octopus will also not be able to get reducers for his own protection as easily, outside of the Hulkbuster Torso special object.
With all bases bigger than a peanut out of the picture, Stilt-Man will be the only Colossal Retaliation left in the Limited Environment. Also, unlike other colossal retaliators, outside of a Pulse Wave, he will not be able to be one-shot as easily due to his “I can’t feel my legs” Trait. Sinister Syndicate is also a keyword to watch out for, with the OP LE Doctor Octopus and Chameleon also being good choices in the format.
Also, with War Wheel out of the picture, Stilt-Man will be one of the few and more effective ways to serve as a taxi for Devil Dinosaur, should the need arise.
Chameleon will shine in the Limited Environment with Nick Fury being more played, and they share the Spy keyword. It is a surprisingly usable keyword, with FF Atomica already having it. Chameleon’s particular ability to turn into a different character while maintaining theme will be especially useful, as map is so important to Nick Fury. On a map without blocking terrain, there is nowhere to hide from him. Ensuring that a Nick Fury team has a good map roll bonus is key, and Chameleon’s flexibility will help out his Spy teams immensely.
As previously mentioned, the Sinister Syndicate keyword will also be relevant, and Chameleon will help a Doctor Octopus team immensely, being able to turn into Peggy Carter to use her shutdown abilities on opposing defensive powers.
Superman Blue will be more relevant in the Limited Environment due to one of the bigger threats, Krang, having access to it. He could also see play with Shifting Focus Superman for the defense bonus, like in the recent Dice Addiction Super Qualifier. The Reporter keyword has also gotten a small boost with Superior Foes, such as with more Reporters with the “World needs to know” special powers, as well as SR Spider-Man.
With Nick Fury’s presence in the Limited format set to increase, game effects that prevent characters from being seen, besides Stealth, will be more valuable. The Midnight Sons ATA takes this a step further by preventing lines of fire from being drawn, and the Pulse Wave protection that provides will also be valuable.
There are a fair amount of great characters that are wild cards with top dial Stealth that will be useful, such as Taskmaster (as was seen being used by Aaron Cantu in the US Cup), chase Question from The Flash, Spider-Man Noir (also seen in the US Cup, used by Dustin Hall)
NFAOS Blackout
With the anticipation of an increased presence of Nick Fury, I can see people turning to Blackout to give their teams the protection that Nick Fury fears. Blackout also serves other roles that a team will need as well, including taxi as well as tertiary attacker, with his 3-damage Penetrating/Psychic Blast.
While there will be some new faces some and some more established teams/strategies that will be the big threats in limited, there are some that the format will affect in a negative way. Some figures that will take a hit due to the limitations of Limited include:
Robot swarms – Although Ultrons are still good pieces, the absence of Brimstone and Solaris mean that the Ultron/robot swarms will take a hit. The ability to retaliate after an Ultron Drone is KO’d is important to the team, and losing that is important. That isn’t to say that they will not be played, but that, along with the lack of ID cards, will impact how much Ultron/Robot swarms are played.
TW Lex Luthor should also see less play, as he will not be able to use his usual tactic of ID Card call-ins to do the work for him. Alone, his damage output is not sufficient to carry a team to victory, as once he does his 4-damage Pulse Wave, he will lose his Subterfuge protection. Also, with Krang being a big threat and Lex Luthor being vulnerable to Pulse Wave, he should be seeing much less play.
Devil Dinosaur may see slightly less play, as the strategy of using his pogs to trigger the Round Table/Teleporter’s dial turning will not be usable. His best taxi, War Wheel, will also be unusable, so that will also affect him somewhat. I still anticipate him being played a fair amount, just with different and new strategies being used with him, and possibly a smaller number of him in the Limited environment.
With the Modern Limited part of the World Cup being the first time that the format will be played this season, everyone, including the best players, will be trying to figure out what exactly to play. I hope that this article helps you put together your team for the big event, and remember that before that big event, practice makes your team better.
