Team Tactics – Why Don’t I Play This Piece? – Johnny Quick – Jay Solomon

 by Jay Solomon

Hello and welcome to another installment of Why Don’t I Play This Piece?, your source on analysis of fringe figures and why you should consider them. This week I will be going over a figure that’s popular in my local area, Toronto, but one that I haven’t seen much elsewhere.

Johnny Quick possesses Improved Movement: Ignores Hindering Terrain, Ignores Characters, and the Crime Syndicate team ability, which reads:

CRIME SYNDICATE – Characters using the Crime Syndicate team ability can use Probability Control. When a roll is ignored because of this team ability an action token must be placed on a friendly character on the battlefield or the roll is not ignored. Uncopyable.

Competitive players will be familiar with this team ability, as it is why JLTW FF Atomica is played. Probability Control is a great power to have on a character with Hypersonicspeed, as they will, most likely, be unable to be seen by your other friendly characters. Also, unlike Theme Team Probability Control, the action token can be placed on any friendly character, regardless of range or line of fire, and bystanders can also be given the action token.

Johnny Quick has the Speed Force trait that is common to DC speedsters:

SPEED FORCE: When Johnny Quick moves at least one square and hits one or more adjacent characters, you may place a Speed token on this card after actions resolve. Increase Johnny Quick’s speed value by the number of Speed tokens on this card.

This trait allows Johnny Quick to get faster the more he hits, which is especially good considering how good his speed values are.

A DIFFERENT CONNECTION TO SPEED: Give Johnny Quick a free action, remove a Speed token and he can use Perplex until your next turn, but may only use it to target an opposing character. That character can’t use speed powers until your next turn.

This trait allows Johnny Quick to use his Speed tokens to shut down opposing speed powers. While shutting down speed powers can be useful, Johnny Quick would need to be within 6 squares of an opposing character to do so, and that is not a position that he wants to be in.

WHAT A RUSH!: Give Johnny Quick a free action when he has no action tokens and choose 1 or 2. Increase his combat values by the amount chosen until your next turn and at the end of your turn, deal him unavoidable damage equal to the amount chosen.

This power is what makes Johnny Quick so good. Like Krang, Johnny Quick can pump up his combat values in exchange for taking damage later. His stats are average to start, but on his top dial, he can then have a 14-Speed with Hypersonic Speed, 12-Attack, and 5-Damage, with his own Probability Control. With that sort of speed and some TK, Johnny Quick can cross the map easily. For 82 points, Johnny Quick can have some very high combat values, and that is what makes him worth playing.

Neither of Johnny Quick’s keywords are particularly useful, and Johnny Quick only has access to the Flash Family keyword. The Speedster keyword has some very good character, but a team of all HSS characters with no Outwit or other “tactical” powers would not necessarily be the best team to run. I made a non-theme team for Johnny Quick this week, for that reason.

Johnny Quick 82
FF Jean Grey 50
Night Nurse 20
KC Green Lantern 30
Felix Faust 80
S.T.A.R. Labs Technician 33
295

This team is designed to get Johnny Quick in the fight and back as quickly as possible, protect him from retaliation, and heal him of any damage that he will take from his special power. The S.T.A.R. Labs Technician is there for two reasons, one being Telekenesis, and the other being her special power:

SPECIALISTS IN EVERYTHING: Give S.T.A.R. Labs Technician a power action, choose an adjacent friendly character and either Precision Strike or Toughness. That character can use the chosen power until your next turn.

The ability to give Johnny Quick Precision Strike is great, as it allows him to easily deal with smaller threats that need to be dealt with, but have Super Senses to possibly avoid an attack. Juston Seyfert is the most dangerous example.

KC Green Lantern is on the team for Barrier, as well as to use Perplex to make Johnny Quick even better. Felix Faust’s Perplex, along with Green Lantern’s ensures that Johnny Quick can have +3 to his Attack and Damage. Felix Faust also does what he does with his D20 to disrupt the opponent, while Night Nurse will use Support on Johnny Quick to heal back the damage from his trait.

That’s all I have for this week, and until next time, take a second look at that fringe character, and remember that practice makes your team better!