by Craig Landers
A Little About me: Hi! My name is Craig. I’ve been collecting since GSX, and playing since Teen Titans. I’ve been going to Origins and PAX: Unplugged off and on for the past five years, without ever playing in any of the individual tournaments for the past 4 years, for a simple reason, I did not, and on many levels still do not, think that I’m good enough to play. I went to have fun in the BRs, and to play teams with my friend and overall mentor in the game, the Boogey Man himself, Alan Mason. But this year was a bit different. I had lucked into a win at a WKO in my home area (Northern California), and having already pre-qualified for Nationals, I thought that I might as well enter into the event with a simple goal, make the top half, and qualify for the World Championships. I did not have high expectations, as I really never thought I was a great player, but I left for Ohio with my Vulture team in tow, thinking that with luck on the map rolls, I could probably clear three teams coming up from losing the first two games in the brackets, and maybe get the points necessary to make that top half.
That was the analytical thinking that I carried into the tournament itself. I thought that you had to be surgical in your thinking in order to make sure that you placed well. I had abandoned my idea that got me into Heroclix, actually having fun with small superheroes for just thinking that you had to play with a disregard of your feelings. But then something happened the day before the tournament. In sealed, I pulled a figure that I thought sounded like it would be a lot of fun to play in any game, little own the main event. But, like I said, I thought you had to have a good, straight forward competitive team to do well, not a fun team. Even after I saw PJ Bolin play the piece at a Win-A-Map online, I wasn’t sure of it’s qualifications. And yet, something happened. I had fun with the piece, AND did well in teams.
After talking with Alan, and various other people, I decided to abandon my original idea of an analytical meta team, and play a team that I would have fun with. I reached into my backpack for a box with the words “Emergency Team” scrawled upon in, and decided that win or lose, I was going to have fun the next day.
(Click to Buy!)
My Team:
-ABPI 069 Kobik (w/Hi, I’m Kobik) 115 Points
The piece that no one saw coming (except for those that played her of course) at Nationals (editor’s note: EVERYONE saw her coming as soon as she was spoiled), and everyone will see coming at Worlds. Just Kobik’s raw stats seem like a dream. 19-Defense in a world where the power reset wasn’t that long ago with Shape Change, Super Senses, Prob, and Perplex top dial along with Power Cosmic makes her a piece that your opponent wants to ignore. But her trait and the Cube make it impossible for her to be ignored. Mind Control at a 8-Range (with the ability to re-place her 3 squares or increase her Range by 2 while seeing through Hindering and over Elevated) is an eloquent way to get around the pesky colossal retaliators. She is next to impossible to lock down things to her cube being able to PLACE her 3 squares away for free. Plus a lot of opponents don’t even want to base her because she can just throw an action token on them that can cause unavoidable damage to double token’d characters instead. But with all of this going for her, her first trait, REWRITE AFFILIATIONS, is where she really shines. Taking away Power Cosmic/Quintessence not only allows for those figures to lose the Willpower that makes them monsters on the board offensively, but it also takes away their Protected: Outwit that makes them monster defensively. Gaining other TAs, like Mystics or SHIELD on your team can also provide that last second boost that can save your team.
The support piece among support pieces. When you play Kobik, the first thing you need to find is a good Outwitter for when you take away someone’s Protected: Outwit team abilities. Unseen not only provides a 21-square Outwit (thanks to Sidestep and Phasing), this Outwit sees through everything other than Blocking, can’t easily be Outwitted thanks to his Power Cosmic, and he also is hard to hit, has a very far reaching Prob, and nerfs those retaliators (can you tell that I’m not a big fan of that mechanic?). When you throw on that he shares a keyword with Kobik, and that he is a call-in battery himself, this choice was easy. I also heard some murmurings about 1,000,000 BC Black Panther, which Unseen can help to really hurt thanks to the new ruling on Smoke Cloud.
-ABPI 064 Collector (W/Bearer of the Reality Gem) 60 Points
So a little about my personally. I’m kind of a good-natured troll. Like the ones in Central Park, not the ones that eat someone, and are then going to eat me. So as part of this, I like to look for counters to the next step of the meta game. I really think that is finding someone that messes with equipment. I thought that Collector would be that piece (there was another piece that may have passed him slightly, but I will get to that in my tournament report). It seemed like a safe bet with someone that heals at the beginning of the game when someone has an extra game element (which in meta, who doesn’t), and can take that equipment off and steal it for himself. Not to mention that TK and Perplex are two things that you can’t have enough of.
Another troll piece, I firmly believe that if you’re going to rely on TK even in the least over the next two years, you need to have Mister Oz on your team. Not only does he provide the power, he nerfs it on others and gives a bonus to you unless you see him across the map, in which case he still blocks the nerf from happening to you. Oz also gives Kobik the second thing she needs to really shine, a piece with at least one TA that isn’t Power Cosmic or Quintessence. He also gives you a prob for over half the map, which is insane if you really think about it. The fact that he shares a keyword with Kobik is a happy coincidence.
-WK MP19-s101 Remaker 5 points
A word of advice that I’m sure many of you don’t need. If you’re going to play equipment that doesn’t start on a figure, and you don’t have an insanely high theme team or Ajak (I saw a theme of 11 over the weekend), you need to do your best to make the equipment Indestructible. I’ve seen enough Gas Canisters and Exospex be killed by a first turn Cyclops before happily Sidestepping off the map to make your head spin. The Remaker makes Unseen even less likely to be hit, while its Poison even gives him some offense to go with those chains.
ID Cards 14 Points
WK DCID-003 Harley Quinn (HQGG049 Harley Quinn)
I firmly think that this ID barely beats out Cyclops as the best ID in the game. If you have a figure on the board that is more than 59 points, she’s almost a must include in competitive play. Partner with her title character on your sideboard. Giving you the choice of either an Energy Explosion with a 13-Attack that can saw through swarms or back row retaliators, or a +2 Perplex when you have to hit makes her a Swiss Army Knife of pain. Don’t forget that her dial is 7 clicks long, all of them with a roll-out option, making your opponent less likely to want to attack her if you can’t get her off-map, and even if they do, a lot of times it will wind up as wasted actions.
WK MVID-018 Cyclops (XXS052 Cyclops)
Do you have a figure worth at least 50 points with Sidestep? Did you win map? Your opponent might as well hand you their beloved Exospex as you go up by 9 points while first turn immunity is still in play. Also, if you can get him halfway across the board, he can really put a dent in Gauntlet Black Panther if he doesn’t hit a 6 on Super Senses, or straight kill him if you have 3 Perplexes on his damage.
WK MVID-020 Jean Grey (XXS065 Jean Grey)
I have a nickname for Chase Jean Grey. The Starfox/Wolverine Killer. A lot of people see Jean simply as someone that can increase your swing immensely for one turn (which she does). Others see her as a piece that can help steal your opponents rather than destroying them like her ex-husband (which she also does). But not as many see her for what I used her a lot for, a piece that can saw through stop clicks almost as well as Grim Reaper. I’ve seen a lot of people smile when they turn happily to their stop Click after being Psy-Blasted by Jean, only to turn in horror to see that light object that they casually threw down at the beginning of the game being free TK’ed at their Wolverine’s face.
XXS XID-010 Chamber (XXS041 Chamber)
I’ll be honest with you, this was the single piece of my team I felt least sure about. Is Chamber a beast? (Penetrating) Poison, Psy-Blast, Enhancement, and the ability to move and attack mean a resounding yes. But the problem is the 70 point price tag. This means that on my team only Kobik can call him in, and if the opponent gets to him, they’re putting me in a big hole. He ended up being the right call, but more on this later.
The games:
(2019 U.S. Nationals was a 5-Round Swiss with cut to Top 32)
Round 1 – Mystical Theme Team:
RE 037b Black Adam 100
SWB063e Sheriff Strange 50
RE040e Raven 50
WKMP19-G001P Tri-Sentinel 30
WKMP19-G001P Tri-Sentinel 30
RE026e Billy Batson 20
EAXS006 Venom Symbiote
IDs
After winning map roll, my opponent took me to the Prison Tier map where his Sentinels could do some real damage. He also didn’t want to deal with the roll outs on Unseen, so called in Jean Grey to move his Black Adam to get out enough that he could grab my ring and get back to hide in a cell. But this actually proved to be a bit of his downfall as I moved Kobik and Unseen out as a pair, and dropped smoke all around her, wile leaving Oz and Collector behind walls where he could still Prob if need be. On turns that Black Adam was clear, I would give Kobik his Mystics and Quintessence while allowing him to have Power Cosmic, and when he had an action token, I would give him Oz’s Superman Ally and Hypertime so he would have to push to come after me. Eventually he burned through almost all of his IDs to come after me, and missed Kobik each time. Knowing time was short, he sent both Tri-Sentinels to destroy walls around Kobik and give her some damage. Unfortunately, this left one with two action tokens, and both adjacent. Kobik gave the double Token’d piece an action token to kill him, then called in Chamber to Poison the other Sentinel and a nearby Jonathan pog to his second death. His Iceman call-in was able to Pulse Wave Kobik to her last click, but she was able to Phase, and free place away as time expired. Record: 1-0.
Round 2 – Cosmic Theme Team:
ABPI074 Thanos 160
AI043 Unseen 65
AIG025P Groot 20
TMTG008P Flora Colossus 10
TMTG008P Flora Colossus 10
ABPIS005 Soul Gem 10
EAX006 Venom Symbiote 4
IDs
I lost map roll again here, and was taken to Amok Time to give him freedom to roam about. But instead of going for my Ring first turn, he equipped up Unseen and Thanos which allowed me to equip my Ring. Turn two, he crept up slightly, which would have allowed me to switch his Unseen’s TA, TK out my Unseen far enough to Outwit his defense, and then have enough room for my Kobik to be place 3, call-in Cyclops with one Perplex on Attack, and one on damage to kill him, but this was the time in the tournament that I got way to into my head and was too afraid of him hitting Shape Change, and so I just crept out as well, which would eventually cost me the game. The next round, Kobik and Thanos met for the most unlikely death match in the center of the map, as she kept turning off his Power Cosmic and giving him a token. But I got greedy (ironic after my missed first shot), and moved Unseen up to try to get in some Poison damage to Thanos as well. This allowed him to call in Iceman’s Chase at full and Perplex up his Attack twice with Skreet. After he Pulse Waved Unseen to death, I was at a major disadvantage with no Outwit on the board directly. I made a last ditch gasp by calling in Jean, and Outwitting his Invulnerability. Kobik had worked him down to click 4, and if I could Psychic Blast him for three, and hit him with a TK’d object, I would have taken out the vast majority of his offense by killing Thanos, but alas, she missed. From there he called in his own Jean and Perplexed down Kobik with Thanos, allowing him to Outwit her Damage power and Super Senses, which caused the little girl to fall against the Titan’s team. The only other thing of note was the funny moment when Collector was killed to drop the Remaker, Cosmic Cube, and Reality Gem all on top of each other. Record: 1-1
Round 3 – Ruler Theme Team
WI040 Goblin King
AIG025p Groot
EAX006 Venom Symbiote 4
So when you have a tent pole or OMA going against Kobik, buckle in for a bumpy ride. I lose map again, and am taken to Wakanda to boost up the Goblin’s Defense. He moves up to pick up the Symbiote, and then looks in horror as Kobik is place for free, makes it so that she can see through the Hindering and increases her Range to a 10. Mind controlling Goblin King, I kill his own Groot, but can’t break away from his Walking Wood. He picks up the Symbiote, but misses the Shape Change rolls of both GK and the Walking Wood as I move him towards the personified Cosmic Cube. After his Walking Wood fails on his suicide mission to kill Oz, I continue to switch Goblin King’s TA with Oz’s as I feed him a token per turn and Outwit his Defense with Unseen as well as Regeneration with Leslie when he isn’t token’d, and Poison when he is. The Poison and pop shots from Collector take him down as all he can do is take shots needing a 9 or 10 with three Probs surrounding him. Record: 2-1
Round 4 – Ghost of Meta Past and Prest Team: Dustin Seeders
JW053b Jakeem Thunder 140
WKMP18-005 75
ADW071 Iron Heart 25
ABPIs010 Infinity Gauntlet
AIG012r Tony Stark’s Car
IDs
So I lose map (yes, with a +4 against no theme), and am taken to King Arthur’s Castle, which allows Jakeem to get Cap’s Gauntlet and hide next to Tony’s Car. After getting the ring for Unseen, Kobik takes a quick shot at Iron Heart hiding behind the Convertible in the hope that he may have an terrible roll and KO one or the other, but neither happens. The next turn, Jakeem is on top of me at one of the towers, and things are on. I Cube out Kobik, and TK in Collector, who hits an Incap on Jakeem to cause him to drop the Gauntlet and give me just the opening I need. Even with Collector going down for the cause to Exploit shots from Jakeem and Lockjaw, I have the boy and his genie in trouble he never sees. Unseen has moved into position and Kobik is TK’d just a small bit away to call in Chamber, and the push to kill Collector, the two Poisons, and the 3-damage thanks to an Outwit assist from Unseen has Jakeem hurt. Thunder has to clear next turn, and Unseen is still on top of him so Lockjaw can’t Support, so Unseen Poisons Jakeem again next turn and calls in Harley, who double Perplexes up her Attack to make sure she hits with Unseen and Oz’s Probs in range. Lockjaw is down 2 tokens because of the Poisons as well and has to attempt to chase down Kobik, who takes another quick shot to take him down to 3. After Oz hits a lucky shot to take Lockjaw to two tokens, Unseen calls in Jean to shoot at Lockjaw for the fifth token, and TK and object at him for the 6th to finally put the puppy down. With only Iron Heart left to take own Kobik, Oz, Unseen, and a Cyclops call in, Dustin concedes the game. Record: 3-1
Round 5 – A Girl, her Cube, and a Monster Team
ABPI069 Kobik (w/Hi, I’m Kobik) 115
WB063e Sheriff Strange 50
RE052e Mister Oz 40
ABPI027 Everett K. Ross 30
TMTG006p Mangog 30
TMTG004p Carnage 10
IDs
This game was a back and forth from the beginning after I was shocked to win map roll and took us to Amok time to keep Collector’s lines open for a chance to take a shot at knocking off his Kobik’s Cube, but Louis was way too good of a player for that, and most of the early game was spent with our Kobik’s putting tokens on each other. He does have an advantage on me, as I have to keep taking away Strange’s Mystic’s TA instead of focusing in on Kobik’s so that he can’t force me to give his call in Joker Mystics damage to bring in Mangog for a big shot on my whole team. Eventually I was able to get his Kobik into position next to Unseen, and have to decide to take a risk or not. Having seen how that didn’t work out in game one, I decide to use Poison on his Kobik, and trigger the Retaliation from Mangog with an attack boost of 2 from Everett. The retal is enough to kill Collector, who has been damaged by a Joker call in, but thankfully Unseen hits his Super Senses to survive. My next turn, Unseen Poisons his Kobik and an Oz TK along with her move gets Kobik in range to call in Chamber for the third poison, and a punch to kill his little girl. With Mangog pulling the sword, I leave a plexed up Unseen to hold down Mangog as Kobik goes hunting Strange, who is on his STOP from an earlier Cyclops call in. Kobik calls in Jean, who misses the kill on Strange, but TKs a nearby barrel at his Oz, who misses the Super Senses and goes down. He has a bit of bad luck as Carnage is killed right after he misses on his retal, and the Symbiote is Poisoned. In the end, Strange and Everett can’t get to Mangog in enough time to support him as time ran out. Record 4-1
Top 32 – Whales Alive Team
TMNT3033 Mini Shredder 90
AIG017R Giganto & Namor 50
AIG017R Giganto & Namor 50
TMTG004P Surtur 25
AIG025P Groot 20
TMT004P Carnage 10
TMT004P Carnage 10
TMT004P Carnage 10
TMT004P Carnage 10
Iceberg Lounge Map Bonus 5
IDs
So when I lose map roll to a team that I have a +4 on, a team that has a +5 on me really beats me and takes me to his Iceberg Longue and has Seals all over my Ring. I ignore the loss, and instead Mind Control one Whale to hit the other off of Invincible. As the seals keep missing Collector (thankfully to my probs), the next turn Kobik Mind Control the second Whale to hit Mini Shredder. As Kobik keeps on the move to avoid Mini, he sets his sights on Collector. But thanks to the healing, I instead focus on the retaliators in the starting area. Oz TKs out Unseen, who is able to call out Harley with just enough room to use her Candy Gram to kill two Carnages and Groot. As Shredder moves in, Collector hits him onto late dial, and Carnage crit misses his retal on the owner of Howard the Duck and company. After the Whales miss the Quake roll, Collector kills the little guy with some Prob help. Placing him next to Unseen, I call in Jean who hits him onto his last click, put misses the TK throw of the light to kill him. Surtur comes in to retal, but Kobik survives on her last click, leaving Surtur next to Mini, and the ability for Kobik able to be placed next t both for a Chamber Call in as he Poisons both Mini and Surtur to death and then Psy-Blast the injured Whale to his STOP click, where some Perplex to Oz’s Damage kills him off. Just to be safe, Oz begins chasing around Carnage and Outwitting Colossal Retal. The second Whale is able to colossal push to kill Kobik, but the injury sets him up on click 4, so Collector can hit him to his STOP click, and Oz collects his second Whale of the day. His final gasp is for a crit hit from the Firestorm he gained from all of his misses, but eventually a Cyclops call in finishes him off. With Unseen continuing to outwit Carnage, eventually Collector gets a clear shot to finish him off.
Top 16 – Kobik’s True Partner Team: Matty G
ABPI069 Kobik (w/Hi, I’m Kobik) 115
ABPI048 Astronomer (w/Gem) 80
ABPI050 Trader (w/Gem) 50
RE052E Mister Oz 40
IDs
As I’m sure some of you are now aware, Kobik and Trader are a nasty combo. By getting them next to each a piece, they can swap the cube, turn off a victims Power Cosmic/Quintessence if they have it, and give the piece two action tokens each turn by swapping the cube, pushing them with no actions to themselves and just slowly punishing their team. I had the plan of trying to get Matt to come after Unseen by moving him up, and moving Kobik a different direction to hopefully go after Fury, and save my Cube while giving Collector a shot at Incapping Trader, and getting him to drop his equipment to hold off his trick. Alas, I miscounted the squares Kobik went out, and Matt is a much better player than I as they were on top of Kobik, giving her two tokens and taking her Cube at the beginning of the game. I attempted to TK out Collector in an attempt to Incap Trader, but couldn’t get him in position before Astronomer was able to shoot him to death. It was just a matter of time then.
So overall, I finished in the Top 16 at Nationals following the age old saying about Heroclix. We’re just a bunch of grown adults trying to have fun with little plastic heroes. After watching a number of rage out moments, and swearing, and even figures being broken in anger, I encourage people to remember that, and build a lot more for fun, rather than analytically thinking what they need to do to play a team that they in the end, won’t enjoy.
