Irrelevant as it gets

In the recent set Age of Ultron, a storyline event set for Heroclix, there were a number of interesting pieces, as well as a couple duds. One of the more noticeable pieces was Warmachine. For 200 points, he brings a rather impressive array of ranged powers, 7 range and three bolts. His attack is rather standard with a special damage power that grants Probability control if he targets more than one characters. At first glance, he’s a rather solid tent pole for his value.

Except he lacks Indomitable.

That right there is the biggest reason he is so weak. His lack of Indomitable, or any kind of willpower, ultimately kills him. With a defense value of 17 printed that rapidly drops, and an attack that dips into 9 after the first four clicks, he tends to fall off rather quickly. But those can be mitigated by his traited ES/D. It’s that he has no willpower that he falters. 

With him being 200 points, there is no reason for him to not have indomitable, especially as an iron man figure. At that point value, he is essentially your team. In the standard sealed, you might have another 100 points to play with, or depending on the event, 200. For the Age of Ultron storyline, it really only went to 400 on the last month. So, for him to take up most your team and be unable to constantly push is what ruins him. He’d get outright out actioned, out positioned and out positioned. While you might get off an impressive alpha strike with him, he’ll have to clear the next turn or take one unavoidable.

Which at 200 points should never be an issue. Even worse that no other figure in the set at that point value is short for willpower. Compared to Thor, who at 200 points has a better defense value, clix number and attack values, Warmachine is just a piece you can skip. His low attack values on his back half of the dial and rapidly dropping defense values would be fine if he had Indomitable/Willpower because it’d take longer to hit it. But with his inability to keep up action wise, you’re more than likely going to see those low values after one or two hits.

Which trails into the greater design flaw. Tent pole pieces should not be missing Willpower. Any figure that high in value should not be wanting for willpower. Especially within the set of AoU, he’s the only figure in that range without willpower of any sort. Which means pulling him in your Wave 2 booster just meant you lost out on the infinitely superior Thor. Which is the disappointing part because he should have the willpower. He should be viable. It’s not like willpower would make him utterly unstoppable. His sole click of impervious and rapidly dropping defenses make it so he can be cut down once the pain gets going.

So, I figure why not write down my misadventures in table top gaming and the musings of it? After all, it’s what I sink most of my cash into, so why not put the thoughts of a mid-grade player onto paper!

So, today was my first Pre Release for World’s Finest. Recently, WizKids has started a pre release system where up to two weeks prior, people can get their hands on the packs via a sealed draft. Naturally, this comes at a slightly higher price point (17 or so vs 13) since it really covers the entry fee. That is fine, I can accept that. This is generally done on the two week or week prior marks of the set’s release, which allows you to essentially buy the packs a bit early. However, you can’t use them in any legal tournaments until the set is released. That is also fine, it makes sense.

I played in World’s Finest. We did a single booster draft, and at my suggestion to the TO, capped it out at 400 points instead of letting it be a Battle Royale play what you pull. This was a good idea since the guy next to me pulled a 250 point Joker along with about 200-300 more points in raw pain. Conversely, it did nothing to save the guy next to me who basically pulled about 220 points between five figures. Meanwhile, I sat at 355 myself.

If I were to do it again, I would simply have it be a two booster draft and avoid a pure sealed for this set. Reason being is the power distribution in this set. It’s all over the place. The high point power pieces seem to be reserved for the Super Rares, with a few mid range hitters in the Rare and Uncommon slots. But between them all is a solid littering of support and low point pieces. For blind buys, this is good. However, when your booster contains no piece with a point value higher than 70, and most of them are about 20 or 40, that’s where the problem rises. Granted, a draft is supposed to eliminate that issue, but having multiple boosters look like that doesn’t help. I believe a second booster for each with alleviate that issue by allowing more flex room for everyone.

That being said, it was fun and relatively balanced. Certain pieces can only be described as the ultimate clutch piece, while others just falter under their own weight. I’m not disappointed by the generics. Quite the opposite. I love the generics and what they can bring. I just find that pulling a pack of three of them, with a rare toymaster (30 points of support for robots) is not a good pack in a limited environment. Especially when the guy beside you busts World’s Finest (Duo Figure), and a guy across from you pulls Shazam!.

To trail into initial thoughts for this set, I like it. I know people complain that there’s just too much Batman and Superman, but I like how they handled them in this set compared to Superman and Wonderwoman. Shifting Focus is an amazing trait. It allows for a lot of versatility and strategy to be used. Especially with figures like Batman who can change from a stealth figure to a close combat master. Or Superman who can lay into an opponent and then pop behind his allies, becoming a defensive piece. Pulling any of the shifting focus pieces meant your team had at least one good piece. I even enjoyed the functions of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. Their double prob and perplex powers make them incredibly solid, even if only targeting themselves.

What I don’t like, however, are the Super Rare versions of Batman and Superman. They just feel pointless. Which is not what a SR piece should do. SR pieces should be interesting and unique to some degree. However, the SR versions don’t utilize the Shifting Focus trait, and don’t bring anything unique. For the former, it feels weird that they wouldn’t try to capitalize on the powers of the lower rarities. Even the Rare slot versions have the shifting focus trait, but their focus is solely in the realm of range combat. To look at the SRs and not see synergy with pieces you’ll likely get a number of is a shame. For the latter point, they’re just dull. They are very straight forward pieces that can’t get negative modifiers and can’t have powers countered. No special powers, just colors. Normally, that would be fine but it just feels lacking in the face of the Duo Figure and in the case of SR Superman, his chase is the exact same points and wins every time. They’d be good pieces to pull in limited, but they’re just boring. This also makes three super rare Supermen in a row from DC sets. I’d say that’s fine in normal circumstances, but while the first two are uniquely different in form and function, the third one is just a dull 200 point beat stick. Two slots that could have gone to two other characters that should be made for this kind of set, like Doomsday and Darkseid.