by Jay Solomon
Hello readers! Today, I’ll be bringing you a different sort of primer, in preparation for the upcoming sealed Wizkids Opens. With Secret Wars – Battleworld being the newest set, and therefore the one likely to be seen at these sealed competitive events, I thought I would go through the more complex rules interactions of the set, to clarify for those sealed players. I’ll also be including any powers that I’ve seen being misunderstood, just in case. I’ll be including the text of any traits and/or special powers that I’m referring to. I also recommend you check out PJ’s primer for sealed play here, to see what he recommends you play for these events: click here. That being said, on to the rules!
175 SWB007B Thanos
(Trait) INFILTRATE THE CORPS: Stealth. During force construction, choose a generic keyword or a Battleworld keyword. Thanos gains the chosen keyword.
This trait is mandatory, so make sure you include some note of what keyword you are choosing on your build sheet.
(Trait) TIME TO STOP MY DUPLICATES AND REVEAL MYSELF: FREE: Deal 1 unavoidable damage to another friendly character that’s adjacent to an opposing character.//Once per turn, when a character 25 or more points is KO’d by Thanos, give Thanos an Infinity token.
This trait allows Thanos to gain Infinity tokens, both by KO’ing a friendly character with the FREE in the first part of the trait, as well as by KO’ing characters in general, including opposing ones (or theoretically, friendly characters via Thanos’ Pulse Wave).
(Damage special power) TRAVEL BACK IN TIME TO TRY AGAIN: Probability Control. When Thanos uses it to target an attack that would have hit Thanos and it misses him (after all rerolling), generate Secret Wars: Battleworld #007a Thanos Duplicate on the click #1 that appears after the orange KO. This game it has a 0 point value for all effects (including scoring).
Since the Thanos Duplicates are considered to be 0 points for all purposes, they will not count as 25 points for the purposes of Thanos getting Infinity Tokens. Also, if you have a KO’d Thanos Duplicate in your KO area, you can reuse it to be generated by Thanos (as per the Comprehensive Rules Supplement, page 5).
55 SWB010 Crystal Warrior/75 SWB025 Crystar
(Defense Special Power) CRYSTAL SHELL: When an opposing character hits (character), reduce damage taken by 3 if the attack roll succeeded by exactly 1, by 2 if the attack roll succeeded by exactly 2, and by 1 if the attack roll succeeded by exactly 3. Protected: Outwit.
If the attack roll succeeds exactly, there will be no reduction. (Example, 10-Attack targeting the 17-Defense on Crystal Warrior’s click 1, attack roll of 7). Also, Protected: Outwit only prevents this power from being Outwitted, and is not the same as PROTECTED: Outwit, which is what a character with Power Cosmic would have, for example.
35 SWB014 Outrider
(Attack Special Power) GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TO GATHER INFORMATION: Adjacent opposing characters can only target themselves or Outrider with Outwit, Perplex, or Probability Control.
This power only affects the use of Outwit, Perplex, and Probability Control. It does not affect any other actions or anything else that the adjacent opposing character can do.
75 SWB017 Captain America
(Trait) EXPANDABLE HARD LIGHT SHIELD: Energy Shield/Deflection. FREE: Choose one to last until your next turn: Adjacent friendly characters modify defense +1 when targeted by a range attack -or- Choose a side of the square Captain America occupies. As long as Captain America occupies that square, opposing lines of fire drawn through that side of the square are blocked.
Outside of Pulse Wave, lines of fire through the chosen side of the square that Captain America occupies will be blocked, regardless whether the character is a giant/colossal, or using Improved Targeting: Lines of fire drawn by this character are not blocked by characters. The power just checks to see if the line of fire crosses through that side of the square, not if the line of fire is blocked by Captain America or anything similar.
70 SWB018 Spider-Man
(Trait) HEROES GET REMEMBERED, LEGENDS NEVER DIE: Spider-Man starts the game with 2 Stasis tokens. As long as Spider-Man has a Stasis token he has Immobile and can’t make attacks. At the end of your turn, remove a Stasis token from Spider-Man.
The main thing to note is what this trait does and does not prevent Spider-Man from doing/having done to him. It prevents him from attacking, not being attacked. He CAN use his Perplex, Leadership, (top-dial) Outwit, and (potentially) Theme Team Probability Control.
30 SWB020 Tony Stark, Inventor
(Defense Special Power) I’M NO ONE IMPORTANT: Opposing characters of 50 points or more can’t draw lines of fire to Tony Stark, Inventor unless he is the only character on your force.
This power only protects Tony Stark, Inventor from having lines of fire drawn to him. He can be the target of a close attack normally (although Giant Reach can’t be used since it requires a line of fire). Pulse Wave will also ignore this special power.
125 SWB022 Ultimate Thor
(Movement Special Power) MR. ULTIMATE THOR: Charge. FREE: Place Ultimate Thor adjacent to another friendly character within range that has the Asgardian keyword and “Thor” in that name.
As per this Rules Forum ruling (here) Thorus is not an applicable name for this power. However, every other “Thor” name in the set will work, including 009 Thor, 022 Ultimate Thor, 022 Boar Thor, 055 Dino-Thor, and both 059a/059b Destroyer Thor.
80 SWB023A She-Hulk
(Attack Special Power) THE GAVEL SAYS I’M YINSEN CITY’S THOR…: Energy Explosion with 6 Range and [2 Targets]
Outside of using this power specifically, She-Hulk does not have a range value above 0. This special power will allow her to use Energy Explosion with 6-Range and two targets, but (outside of throwing a light object) she cannot otherwise use her Running Shot to make a range attack. In other words, if she makes a range attack, it has to either be with the Energy Explosion or to throw a light object, she cannot use her 4-Damage for range attacks.
45 SWB030 Stick
(Trait) YOU FAILED… AGAIN.: When an adjacent friendly character misses all targets with a close attack, give them a Humbled token. Characters with Humbled tokens have “FREE: Remove all tokens named Humbled (from this character) then make a close attack. If this attack misses all targets, after resolutions deal this character 1 unavoidable damage.”
Although the character with the Humbled token needs to be adjacent to gain the token, they do not need to be adjacent to use the FREE effect that it gives them.
25 SWB031 Alex Wilder
(Trait) TRAITOR: Shape Change. Once per force, when Alex Wilder is KO’d, do not remove him from the game. Instead, after resolutions, place him in the square he last occupied on his starting click. He is now friendly to your opponent’s force.
(Damage Special Power) SEVERAL STEPS AHEAD OF YOU, YOU JUST DON’T KNOW IT: FREE: An opponent chooses two: Outwit, Perplex, Probability Control. Alex Wilder can use the chosen powers until your next turn.
The Traitor trait will cause the Alex Wilder that joins the opposing team to be a new character, and not the Alex Wilder that was KO’d, so any choices made for his special damage power will need to be remade, and until the FREE is activated, he will not have any of the powers that the opponent chooses.
40/33 SWB042 Jennifer Kale
(Trait) QUEEN OF THE MAN-THINGS: Friendly characters with “Man-Thing” in their name can use Regeneration. If they already can, when they use Regeneration increase the amount healed by 1.
This shouldn’t come up, since pulling multiple Jennifer Kales in sealed shouldn’t happen (unless it’s team sealed and even then, still highly unlikely). But, if you have more than one Jennifer Kale, and a Man-Thing uses Regeneration, the bonus (or lack thereof) depends on if the Man-Thing has Regeneration on its own, independent of either Jennifer Kale. If the Man-Thing is using Regeneration that it has due to Jennifer Kale, there will be no bonus. If it is using Regeneration from its own dial, it will get a +1 to the amount healed for each Jennifer Kale.
60 SWB043 Arkon
(Attack Special Power) BATTLE-BOLTS: Penetrating/Psychic Blast. When Arkon uses it to target a single character and hits, after resolutions each opposing character adjacent to the target is dealt 1 penetrating damage.
In order to deal the 1 penetrating damage, Arkon needs to just hit the initial target. He does not need to compare the attack total to any of the adjacent characters.
90 SWB055 Dino-Thor
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE!: When Dino-Thor takes damage from an opposing character’s attack, after resolutions Dino-Thor can use Earthbound/Neutralized until that opponent’s next turn.
Despite the word “can” being used to refer to Dino-Thor using Earthbound/Neutralized, it is not optional, since “can” is used in Heroclix to mean that the character has the power.
150 SWB056 Witch Queen Le Fay
(Speed Special Power) IT’S NOT YOUR MYSTIC DRAGON, ARKON: [Wing] symbol. Witch Queen Le Fay can use all standard speed powers except Earthbound/Neutralized and Stealth. When she misses any target of an attack, after resolutions she can’t use this special power for the rest of the game.
There are two main things to point out regarding this power. First, it giving Witch Queen Le Fay the flight symbol means that she cannot be carried by a character of the same size with Passenger: 1. Also, if a target successfully rolls Super Senses, it will count as a miss, and she will therefore lose the power after.
200 SWB058 Thanos
(Speed Special Power) DIMENSIONAL DESTRUCTION THROUGH THE BATTLEWORLD: Phasing/Teleport. When Thanos uses it, after resolutions roll 2d6. If the result is greater than the amount moved, this turn he has “FREE: Make an attack.”
After rolling successfully for this power, Thanos can take the FREE action to make the attack at any point during the turn. He could even be carried between using Phasing/Teleport and making the attack.
125/75 SWM059a Destroyer Thor
(Trait) BETRAYED BY AN UNTHINKING MACHINE: Once per game per opponent, when Destroyer Thor would hit a character on that opponent’s force, that opponent may choose to have the hit become a miss instead.
Since the Attack Sequence has hits determined after all rolling is done (and the attack roll finalized), this trait will kick in. All this is to say that this effect happens after any re-rolls, so it cannot be affected by any such re-rolling effect, such as Probability Control. You check to see if the attack hits, after all re-rolls, and then the opponent can decide if the attack misses. For reference, this is the attack sequence, which can be found on the last page of the Rulebook:
ATTACK SEQUENCE
- Determine targets
- Calculate attack total
- Determine hits
- Calculate damage dealt
- Damage sequence
- Knock back
- Attack resolves
250 SWB061 Black Panther
(Trait) NO TIME FOR SUBTLETY: Super Senses. Black Panther has PROTECTED: Pulse Wave. If Black Panther is 150 points, he is KO’d when he cross the red KO line.
The PROTECTED: Pulse Wave will prevent Black Panther from being targeted or otherwise affected by Pulse Wave at all.
(Trait) WIELDING THE GAUNTLET: FREE: If Black Panther is on click #1-6, turn Black Panther’s dial to another click from #1 to #6, noting his current click. If you do, at the end of your turn, return him to the noted click.
(Defense Special Power) RELEASE THE DEAD TO TURN THE TIDE: STOP. Combat Relfexes, Toughness. When this click is first revealed, after resolutions generate two Zombie Warrior bystanders. Black Panther can’t be healed.
RELEASE THE DEAD TO TURN THE TIDE will activate every time a click with it is revealed, so it could be activated as many as three times in a game, not just when the power is revealed for the first time. Also, if Black Panther uses his WEILDING THE GAUNTLET trait to turn to click 6, then pushes, he will generate the Zombie Warrior bystanders, and still return to the click he started on, since returning him to that click is not healing.
All characters with the Showdown Trait
(These are Crossbones, Gunslinger, Sheriff Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Bullseye, Elektra, Iron Man, Red Wolf, and Doc Ock):
SHOWDOWN: When (character) makes an attack and hits all targets, after resolutions roll a D6. 5-6: Remove an action token from (character).
When a character uses this trait, they will receive the action token from the action first, since that happens immediately after resolutions. They will then roll for the trait, so they may possibly push, if it was their second action token.. Also, if a character attacks more than once, this trait could be activated multiple times.
All characters with the Crack the Case Trait:
(These are Thorus, Thor, Ultimate Thor, Boar Thor, Dino-Thor, and Destroyer Thor)
CRACK THE CASE: Once per turn, when an opposing character within 4 squares and line of fire makes an attack, give (character) an Evidence token. // FREE: Remove two Evidence tokens to make an attack.
Whether or not the attack hits is irrelevant for the Crack The Case trait. It only checks to see if there was an attack made. Also, this is a “vanilla” attack, not a CLOSE or RANGE.
That’s all I have for you for this set. Thanks for reading, and good luck with your pulls at any sealed WKOs, and good luck in general for any WKOs you’re attending, whether sealed or constructed!
