by Joshua Essex
What’s going on, Heroclix Fans! It’s Josh from Snaggles Gaming with my first article for Majestix. I managed to win the Provincial Championship on November 16th at Game Knight Games & Cool Stuff in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was an eight-man tournament with three rounds of Swiss and a cut to top two. I had noticed in the weeks leading up to the tournament that the two archetypes dominating the format were the Avengers Bomb and Onslaught Monsters. That being said, I’ve always considered myself more of a pilot then a builder, so after playtesting some home brew I turned to the King of Pauper Jesse Côté for a team. The team he built and I played was:
(Avengers Theme +8)
50 FF Hulk
50 Voyager
50 Crystal
40 Medusa
40 Beast
20 A.I.M. Red Squad
20 Giant-Girl
10 FF Giant Girl
5 WWE Ring
5 Iron Avengers Assemble!
Maps: Stark Tower (only map I ended up using) and WWE Arena Indoor (for the Juggernaut match up)
Between Hulk’s quake after he moves and the free attacks from Medusa and Crystal after being carried combined with empower from A.I.M. Red Squad this team has impressive alpha strike capabilities. The real strength of the team though is its high theme which almost guarantees you map choice in this format. Barring the appearance of full point Juggernaut, I always take my opponent to Stark Tower. Stark Tower allows you to advance up enough to ensure you get the alpha strike while keeping the team safe from ranged threats with a large swing (e.g., Onslaught). It also allows you to maintain pressure on your opponent by generating Iron Avengers so they can’t just sit back and wait for you to expose yourself.
Round 1: Travis Rotmark
125 Onslaught
100 Undertaker
70 Mankind
5 I keep the Trains Running
I won map and took us to Stark Tower. We spend the first few turns sizing each other up while I make Iron Avengers to push Crystal to Perplex as well as trying to apply pressure. Trav finally moves up positioning in a way that limits my attacks and available theme Probs and uses his free Incapacitate on Beast. I move in making attacks with Hulk, Living Hair, and Crystal, missing all 3, and realizing that I made a big mistake in forgetting to Perplex down Onslaught’s Defense. Trav attempts to Mind control with Onslaught but luckily I was able to theme Prob him out of it. He does, however, manage to use Mankind’s signature move to double token Hulk and uses Undertaker to kill Crystal. I respond by killing Undertaker with attacks from Beast, Living Hair and retaliation from both Giant-Girls, also knocking Onslaught off of his top click with a Close Combat Expert from FF Giant-Girl. Trav Mind controls Hulk and uses him to kill Beast. I use Bolt and Living Hair to kill Onslaught. He tries to kill Hulk with Mankind but I hit the Impervious roll. I push Hulk to try and cripple Mankind with his heavy object but miss, killing Hulk. I then Charge with Giant-Girl who crit misses, killing herself. After a couple turns I manage to chase Mankind down with Living Hair and Bolt to end the game. Final score: 300-160 for me.
Round 2: Matthew De Paz
75 Starter Sasha Banks
70 Starter Finn Balor
70 Eddie Guerrero
70 Starter Triple H
10 Blood Axe
5 WWE Ring
I won map and took us to Stark Tower. Pretty typical opening turns as I move up into position. Matthew uses Grand Entrance to get all 4 of his figures into the Ring. Finn Balor equips the Blood Axe, Triple H, and Sasha Banks pick up light objects, and Sasha Perplexes up Eddie’s defense. I start my turn by pushing Crystal onto click two for Perplex by making Crimson Sage. I move Hulk up to quake Sasha, Triple H, and Finn Balor which he theme Prob’d with Sasha to set her up for her signature move. In retrospect I probably should have just single target Quaked someone seeing as I have no range so taking them off their top click did’t matter. Crystal attempts to Quake and misses. I double Perplex down Eddie’s Defense and attack him with the Living Hair dealing 4 which he theme prob’d to set Triple H up for his signature move. Matthew starts his turn by using Triple H’s signature move to kill Crystal which he theme Prob’d to set Eddie up for his signature move. He follows it up by using Finn Balor to Flying Leap Medusa which I manage to theme prob him out of, but he finishes his turn by Sidestepping Eddie up to use his signature move on A.I.M. Red Squad to kill him. I start my turn by retaliating with Giant-Girl on Finn Balor for three and then hit Triple H with the Living Hair for three followed by Crimson Sage shooting him for two and then I finish him off with FF Giant-Girl retaliating on him. Beast chooses +1 combat values and Battle Fury and Charges Sasha Banks using the light object hitting her for five. Matthew uses Eddie and Sasha to both submission hold on Medusa dealing two and then clears. I start my turn by having Hulk smash Finn Balor with a heavy object for five and push the Living Hair to finish him. I generate another Living Hair that kills Sasha Banks. Giant Girl Charges Eddie and knocks him to his STOP which he immediately heals from, then Beast Charges in hitting him back to his STOP click and then I retaliate with FF Giant-Girl to finish him. Final Score: 300-125 for me.
Round 3: Brett Turgeon
100 Juggernaut
45 Amelia Vaught
50 Danger Room Magneto
45 Danger Room Sabertooth
30 Dune Buggy
25 Phoenix
3 Leech I.D.
I won map and took us to Stark Tower. I knew going into this match up I had to do two things: 1) take out Phoenix because my team is usually token’d up early so her retaliation could be devastating and 2) kill the Dune Buggy to limit his damage output. I start with my typical positioning but the key was being able to roll an Iron Avenger, which I did. I generate Tank and position him so that on turn 2 he could charge Phoenix (if he survived). Brett starts his turn by charging Tank with Sabertooth, killing him, but there was a one in the attack roll so also taking an error token off of Sabertooth. He then pilots the Dune Buggy with Magneto and moves it up. I start my turn by using FF Giant-Girl to retaliate on Sabertooth positioning her to be able to then Close Combat Expert Phoenix, killing her. I then carry up Medusa, A.I.M. Red, and Crystal with Voyager setting up near the Dune Buggy. Hulk moves up the Dune Buggy taking the Empower from A.I.M. Red hitting for five damage. I then follow up with an attack from the Living Hair for the kill. Brett starts his turn by shooting A.I.M. Red and Hulk for one each, knocking them back.
He then moves Juggernaut up and single target Quakes Crystal, killing her. Brett then Charge Flurries Hulk with Sabertooth missing both attacks and rolling a one in each activating Sabertooth’s trait so he can now take full damage. I start my turn by retaliating on Juggernaut with Giant-Girl taking empower from A.I.M. Red for four damage. Beast uses Outwit on Juggernaut’s defense. I generate a Living Hair and finish off Juggernaut by taking Enhancement from A.I.M. Red and hitting for four. Brett moves Amelia Vaught up and clears. I start my turn by
carrying up Medusa and A.I.M. Red with Voyager setting up near Amelia Vaught. Voyager Outwits Amelia’s special defense power and Hulk moves in, Quakes Amelia for four, and I follow up with the Living Hair to KO her. I move Beast up to Outwit Sabertooth’s Charge then clear. Brett responds by using Running Shot with Magneto to kill my FF Giant-Girl and dealing damage to the other Giant Girl. He then moves Sabertooth into position to be able to Flurry Medusa next turn. On my turn I use two attacks from Living Hairs to kill Sabertooth and then deal damage to
Magneto with both Beast and Giant-Girl. Brett responds by Pulse Waving with Magneto, killing both Giant-Girl and A.I.M. Red. At this point Magneto is double token’d so I spend the next two turns sinking attacks into him to finish the game. Final Score: 298-100 for me.
Finals: Kevin Richard
125 Onslaught
100 Undertaker
30 Dr.Frankenstein
20 Proteus
10 Blood Axe
5 Dune Buggy
5 The Living Spirits Will Guide Us
3 Kitty Pryde I.D.
I won map and took us to Stark Tower. Kevin and I spend the first couple turns dancing around the map trying to find an opening. Kevin finally moves up to about the halfway point of the map, allowing me to carry over Medusa, Crystal, and A.I.M. Red with Voyager. I attempt to Quake with Crystal but Onslaught hits his Shape Change. I then generate a Living Hair and hit Onslaught for four damage with the Empower from A.I.M. Red. I take +1 combat values and Battle Fury with Beast and then Charge to KO Proteus. Kevin Phases away with Onslaught carrying
Frankenstein. Frankenstein then uses his free support on Onslaught healing him back up to top dial. Onslaught then Mind Controls Crystal to take a shot at Voyager but misses. Undertaker uses his signature move on Crystal killing her. I start my turn by retaliating on Undertaker with Giant-Girl taking the Empower with A.I.M. Red for four damage following it up with a retaliation from FF Giant-Girl and missing even after burning some theme Probs. I attempt to Quake Frankenstein with Hulk but roll a crit miss forcing me to theme Prob with FF Giant-Girl which
killed her. Luckily the Quake hit, killing Frankentein. Onslaught then Mind Controls Voyager, Hulk, and A.I.M. Red – Voyager moved and dealt Medusa one damage but all other attacks missed. Then he clears Undertaker. I start my turn by moving Voyager up to outwit Undertaker’s Defense. Medusa moves up and generates a Living Hair to attack Undertaker but misses. Hulk uses his heavy object to then hit Undertaker to his stop click and Giant-Girl comes in for the kill.
Kevin starts his turn by attempting to triple target Mind Control with Onslaught but misses. He then attempts to triple target Psychic Blast but I theme Prob him into a crit miss getting Onslaught back off that hard to deal with top click. On my turn I attempt to attack with Living Hair and miss. I take +1 combat values and Battle Fury with Beast then Charge in hitting Onslaught but he makes his Super Senses roll. Onslaught starts his turn by Mind Controlling Hulk and Medusa. He uses Hulk to kill A.I.M. Red Squad and moves Medusa away. Onslaught then shoots both Medusa and Beast for two damage. I move in with Hulk to attack and roll a crit miss. I then attack with Living Hair dealing two damage to Onslaught and then follow up with an attack from Giant-Girl, and roll another crit miss, killing her. Onslaught mind controls Hulk and attempts to kill Beast but rolls a crit miss, killing Hulk. I start my turn by attacking and missing with Beast. Medusa breaks a wall so Living Hair can push to shoot Onslaught for two knocking him to his last click. Medusa then generates a second Living Hair that attempts to finish him but Onslaught hits his Shape Change roll. I then Sidestep Medusa and the Living Hair behind a wall to protect them. Kevin Pulse Waves with Onslaught killing both Beast and Voyager leaving me with Medusa on her last click and Living Hair. I Sidestep out from behind the wall with Medusa and the Living Hair. Living Hair shoots Onslaught, who misses his shape change and super senses, to end the game. Final Score: 298 – 240 for me.
If you wish to check out any of the games they can be found on the Snaggles Gaming Youtube Page. Hope you enjoyed some insight into the Avengers team and tournament. Take care and remember that sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
