As of now, four Trials have been played for the Western Regional tournament to be held in Costa Mesa on April 27th. Some clear patterns have emerged by looking at the First Place and Runner-Up teams. Before the last few Trials take place, I thought it would be a good idea to review the prevailing strategies and what, if any, can be done to counter them.
1) GCPD Cruiser Teams, AKA “Bumper Cars.”
• Profile: Two Cruisers are usually run with DKR Lt. Gordon and two GCPD officers from Batman Alpha.
• Variations: Some run this core team with a Piloted or Unpiloted GCPD Motorcycle. Others run it with Streets of Gotham Harvey Bullock (for Stealth).
• Strengths: With the right pilot, these Cruisers can run roughshod over the mightiest of heroes and villains. “Clear the Streets” not only deals 1-penetrating damage to opponents’ figures, but also allows valuable repositioning of said figures. That means Batman and friends can’t feel too safe in hindering as they much just find themselves pulled out into the light by the boys in blue.
• Weaknesses: On the right map, opponents can make it a nightmare for Cruisers to maneuver. Maps like Bizzaro World can slow them down temporarily, but other notable maps include Tamarata from the Infinity Gauntlet Series and Alien City from the Galactic Guardians Fast Forces. Those maps feature narrow ledges on the side of the map that are perfect for sniping at hapless cruisers with long-range attackers while they scramble to find a way to get to your figures.
• Counter: As mentioned before, much of your success will come down to picking the right map. If your opponent wins map choice, don’t fret. You still have a chance. Here are a few pointers: First, try to take out Lt. Gordon as soon as possible. A good player will not make this easy for you. Because Lt. Gordon will often be behind the Cruisers, getting a clear shot may not be possible. To give yourself an advantage, make sure you have a figure with the Sharpshooter ability that can ignore the Cruisers for line of fire purposes and potentially one-shot Gordon. Improve your odds further by ensuring you have the Avengers Initiative TA in order to see through hindering if Harvey Bullock is providing Stealth to his buddies. Secondly, on the right day, Calendar Man can prove a valuable asset in cutting down your opponent’s speed. The best part is that he is not a one-trick pony, like many other support figures. He also offers Probability Control every day and Outwit depending on the day. Make sure to consult your calendar before you commit to this figure! Thirdly, Mind Control the Cruisers with strong MC figures like Brother Voodoo or Professor X. When you successfully Mind Control a Cruiser, eject the Pilot. Make sure you have somebody to follow up and one-shot the Pilot! Show no mercy! Learn the dials of the most likely Pilots to ensure that your attacker does not allow the officer to limp back into the Cruiser on his turn. A Perplexed up Nightcrawler can be great for this. But really, anyone who is able to deal damage reliably should do (think WS Bullseye or CW Hawkeye or AVM Hawkeye from range or SM Superman, FF Supergirl or any Flash via Hypersonic Speed).
Next up we’ll take a look at double pulse wave teams to see what can be done to keep from falling prey to Dark Phoenix and her new best friend, Hobgoblin!
2) Double Pulse Wave Teams
• Profile: Two Pulse Wavers are usually run with a “Pit Crew” consisting of PC, Perplex, and/or TK. Last year’s surprise team in 300pt Modern consisted of two Sun Boys, Scarlet Witch @ 75pts, and Scarlet Witch @ 50pts. This year in 300pt Golden Age No Tactics, young Nate Ramirez surprised those he played at The Realm with the lethal combo of Dark Phoenix from Marvel 10th Anniversary and Hobgoblin Prime from Amazing Spider-Man. At less than 200 points, this leaves room for a Scarlet Witch @ 50pts or 75pts plus cheap support figures like Con Artist and Destiny.
• Variations: Brainiac @ 160pts from DC 10th, Black Canary @ 100pts from Birds of Prey FF, Ultron @ 160pts from Chaos War, Red Skull @ 170pts and Thor @ 150pts from Avengers Movie could also work. However, the lower the points, the more room there is for the support crew. But be careful: this usually means shorter dials.
• Strengths: Double Pulse Wave is LETHAL. Are you facing a Stealth team? Pulse Wave it. Impervious? Pulse Wave it. Super Senses with PC and Perplex? Pulse Wave it. Most of these teams will have plenty of Running Shot, Flight, and a TK’er or two for a longer swing. Double TK will allow for one deadly “yo-yo.”
• Weaknesses: Most figures will not keep Pulse Wave for the whole dial. Your opponent may be sufficiently familiar with the figure to know how many clicks it will take to neutralize the strength. In addition, low-point Pulse Wavers also tend to have short dials. Lastly, on a map with little room to maneuver, a Pulse Waver may not be able to take full advantage of a one-target Pulse Wave attack.
• Counter: As with facing Cruisers, map choice is of the utmost importance when facing Pulse Wavers. Make sure to choose a map with walls, blocking terrain, and narrow paths. If the Pulse Waver does not fly, elevated terrain should also be considered. Suggested map: Realm of Death from Galactic Guardians. Other suggestions for how to handle your Pulse Waving opponents: First, always ensure that you calculate the reach of the Pulse Wavers. Don’t forget to take into account the extra swing afforded by a TKer. And, don’t forget to factor in Perplex! The Perplex could increase the range AFTER it is halved. That means that a figure with 10-range could actually still reach your figure up to 8 squares away with three Perplexers! Second, positioning will be key! Make it as difficult as possible for your opponent to pull off a full-damage Pulse Wave. Stick to tight spaces. This isn’t always possible, so if that is the case, who are you willing to sacrifice? Don’t let your main attacker fall victim. Offer up a sacrificial figure instead. That might be enough to draw out an overly-confident opponent. Third, familiarize yourself with the most popular Pulse Wavers. How long are their dials? What are their Attack Values? Can they be Outwitted? Right now, the two favorites are Dark Phoenix and Hobgoblin Prime. Dark Phoenix @ 100pts is especially vulnerable with a 17 DV. What makes her tough are the potentially frustrating “Super Senses Light” and the Power Cosmic TA. Try to catch her when she has two tokens and cannot retaliate. For best effect, use a Pulse Waver of your own. A close second would be anyone with Psychic Blast or Exploit Weakness. Also, don’t forget that though you can’t Outwit her powers, you can Outwit her abilities. Outwit Flight while she’s in hindering and her usefulness is lessened greatly. As for Hobgoblin, his bag of tricks is a bit different from Dark Phoenix. His 11 AV makes him a bit more likely to connect on the attack. And if he does, woe unto those when he has no action tokens: he essentially Incapacitates them. Hitting him isn’t easy—Shape Change could render him unhittable. But at least he is Outwittable. If you have no Outwit on your team, Battle Fury could do the trick. Beware; if you get in close and are unable to take him out, he swaps Pulse Wave for Blades/Claws/Fangs. Fourth, Mind Control can surprise your opponent. Brother Voodoo will allow you to get in a surprise Mind Control attack to take over Phoenix who can then damage Hobgoblin off his own Pulse Wave. Even better, a Professor X team can give you multiple Scientist or X-Men options to proxy a Double Target Mind Control attack. This can not only be surprising, it can be DEVASTATING. Most people will be expecting a high damage Psychic Blast attack, so use that to your advantage.
good read!
only 2 things i wanna add.
1-when facing Dark Phoenix don’t forget that she can go Vampiric on ya, healing when she KO’s something. so shes not one to throw your expendable hurt at, all haphazardly, for tie-up or to block lof, without considering “the Darkness Within”. & vice-versa if your employing her services.
2-Nate didn’t play at the Realm Trial. it was Zero to Hero’s when he got 2nd. & yes i just wanted to bring up his strong showing!! lol