by Jay Solomon
Hello, and welcome to another iteration of Why Don’t I Play This Piece?. This week, I’ll be taking a look at a character from a long-awaited Elseworlds story, the Robin chase from The Dark Knight Returns.
Robin has the Batman Ally team ability, which gives Stealth, along with two traits:
(Trait) COMPUTER CLASSES, DUH: At the beginning of the game place adjacent either the Batcycle or Batwing bystander. When that bystander is KO’d, after actions resolve place the other bystander adjacent.
The Batcycle Bystander comes with Passengers: 1 and 4-Range, along with 8-Movement, 0-Attack (to be replaced with the pilot’s), 17-Defense with Energy Shield/Deflection, and 3-Damage with Shape Change (to be able to do DESTROY actions).
The Batwing has Passengers: 2 and 6-Range, and the “Wing” Symbol, along with 9-Movement with Sidestep, 0-Attack, 18-Defense with Super Senses, and 3-Damage.
This trait is mostly why Robin is here. The ability to make other characters better by making them the pilots of these vehicles is a great tool to have, such as using the Batcycle, paired with a ranged attacker that is missing Running Shot. You could also throw a support piece into the Batwing, allowing it to use those support powers in addition to being able to carry. An example would be a cheap Perplex piece, such as JW002 Harley Quinn.
(Trait) THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: GET SEEN AND YOU’RE FIRED: When Robin occupies clear terrain, she can use Shape Change. When she occupies hindering terrain, she can use Perplex but only to target another character occupying hindering terrain.
The Shape Change when in clear terrain can be useful, such as if your opponent has a lot of ranged attackers that ignore Stealth, or if she’s somehow knocked back out of hindering (assuming her Combat Reflexes somehow does not prevent this. Most of the time you’ll want her in hindering terrain for that Perplex.
The rest of Robin’s dial is not very notable, with the exception of her defenses, being reasonable numbers with Combat Reflexes. Without Perplex or very low numbers, she won’t be hitting on her Support, but it is nice to have just in case, with the current minimum 2 healing. Late-dial Enhancement is also nice, but her dial is so short that you probably won’t see those last clicks. Even so, the possibility of Perplex and Enhancement is very good.
The team that I’ve made for Robin this week uses all of her abilities, to get the maximum efficiency from her points as possible:
45 EW048 Robin
130 WF066 Spectre
50 WI037 Gertrude Yorkes & Old Lace
25 SMWWG004 Solaris
15 FFNFAOS099 H.E.N.R.Y.
5 WKDP17-008 Boxing Ring
5 WFR100 Justice League Teleporter
-5 WKMVID-010 Swordsman
-5 NFAOSNFID-007 S.H.I.E.L.D. Level 7
-5 WFWFID-013 The Atom
-5 WFWFID-004 Green Arrow
-5 WKDCID-004 Lex Luthor
Sideline: ADW036 Swordsman, ADW067 Hawkeye, NFAOS052 Hulk, NFAOS056 Nick Fury, JW022 The Atom, SMWWG001 The Atom, EW049 Green Arrow, WKD16-004 Green Arrow, HQ066 Lex Luthor, God of Apokolips
This +4 Themed team is all about maximizing KC Spectre’s effectiveness, using the Batcycle bystander. In addition to giving him Running Shot (essentially), you will also be able to bypass Spectre’s inability to have his stats modified by non-KC figures, since you are not using him, but giving the vehicle his stats. You could have the vehicle attack, taking his stats, Probability Control, and a Perplex on damage as well as using H.E.N.R.Y.’s Enhancement, making it a 4 square Running Shot with 12-Attack and 6-Damage, or 13-Attack and 5-Damage, with Penetrating/Psychic Blast instead of Probablity Control, if you choose to up Attack once instead of damage a second time. Gertrude Yorkes & Old Lace will also be able to roll Leadership on the bystander, since it is 0 points, to further maximise damage output. In addition to the Spectre’s offenses, you have Old Lace for more offense, along with the Boxing Ring to protect Gertrude Yorkes and Robin, while also using Robin’s Support on Gertrude Yorkes, once she takes the damage from her trait. If the Batcycle does get KO’d, you have the backup of ID cards, as well as possible use of the Batwing. Otherwise, you have Solaris to retaliate along with calling in JW The Atom on Outwitted defenses (thanks Adam Kohl for that trick), along with long range Outwit.
That’s all I have for this week. Thanks for reading, and remember that when playing either the established competitive pieces, or an unknown Fringe piece, practice makes your team better.
