Greetings HeroClix Fans!
Happy release day and welcome back as we take a look at the upcoming DC HeroClix: Justice League Trinity War set. Today we’ll look at some team builds utilizing the stars of the set, the Crime Syndicate. First up, a refresher of the Crime Syndicate team ability. They have an uncopyable team ability that allows a character using it to use Probability Control. When they do, they have to place an action token on a friendly character or the roll isn’t ignored. Having some cheap CSA members on your team or some bystanders on your force can help a lot with this team ability.
Let’s build a quick 300 point team. For a primary attacker, let’s use #041 Deathstorm at 150 points. He starts with Running Shot, 2 targets at 7 range, and the Improved Targeting ability to ignore Elevated and Hindering terrain. He has a special power called Human Experimentation that lets him use Perplex, and when he does he can modify a combat value other than damage by +2 or -2 if he targets a charter 75 points or less.
Let’s get him a friendly figure under 75 points to target. #013 Atomica is 64 points. Is a solid close combat figure for her points. Stealth will allow her to hide, Super Senses helps her avoid attacks, Combat Reflexes makers her harder to hit in close combat and Poison allows her to do passive damage at the beginning of her turn. Later in her dial, she has a special power called Hidden Loyalties that allows her to use Shape Change. If the attacker has a shared keyword, she modifies her roll by +2.
Lastly, she has trait called Twisted Couple that says if she is adjacent to a friendly figure named Johnny Quick, they both modify their attack value by +1. So let’s get a friendly Johnny Quick figure.
#043 Johnny Quick comes in at 82 points, bringing our total to 296 points. Johnny Quick has 4 clicks of Hypersonic Speed for a lot of hit and run attacks. If Atomica is adjacent to the square where he will attack from, her trait will help him. His first two clicks also have a power called What a Rush that’s let him increase his stats by +1 or 2, and he takes that many clicks of damage at the end of his turn. Precision Strike and Exploit Weakness will make sure he can damage most foes.
Next, let’s build a 400 point team focusing on the members of the CSA who started the invasion of Earth-Prime.
The first member to reveal herself as a traitor to the Justice League and JLA was Atomica, and we will again use #013 for 64 points. Again, she is a solid tie up piece who makes a decent secondary attacker. She revealed to Cyborg that the sentient being in him was #042 The Grid, at 115 points.
The Grid has damage reduction on every click, as well as Shape Change, either as a standard power or as part of a special power,Ttaking Over Cyborg’s Frame. This power lets him use Outwit and Shape Change, and if a character that has a power countered by him tries to target The Grid his Shape Change works on a 4-6. He has a trait called Justice League Data Hoard that makes it so opposing characters with the Justice League or Justice League of America keyword can’t use Outwit, Perplex, or Probability Control to target The Grid or adjacent characters friendly to him. His Have A Nice Day special power makes it so opposing characters within 6 squares can’t ignore pushing damage. Pulse Wave will do damage to anyone it hits, and Mind Control will let you use your opponent’s figures against him.
Next it was revealed that Pandora’s Box wasn’t referencing the Trinity, but Earth-3. And it was opened to bring forth the CSA by The Outsider.
#031a The Outsider is 66 points. He helps your use of the CSA team ability being able to be dealt 1 unavoidable damage instead of placing an action token from a use of Probability Control with his A Different Kind of Butler trait. Stealth will let him hide and Outwit will counter a power on an opposing figure. Later in his dial, he can also remove you figures from danger with his Dimensional Portal special power. He is given a power action to place two friendly figures adjacent to him, and then he can use Smoke Cloud as a free action. Characters placed this way can’t be given non-free actions until your next turn. He can then use Support on his next turn to heal one of them.
The first member of the CSA to come through the portal was #014 Sea King. He promptly died, but at 135 points, he is a solid close combat figure. At the beginning of your first turn, his trait, Travel to Prime Earth kicks in, allowing you to place up to 6 squares of water terrain on the map at least 5 squares away from any starting area. His Indomitable combat ability will let him act two turns in a row without fear of pushing damage, and his Swimmer Transporter ability lets him carry a friendly figure while ignoring water terrain for movement purposes, and giving him a less powerful use of Hypersonic Speed.
Except for clicks 1 and 3, which have Sidestep, all other clicks have Charge, giving Sea King the ability to move and attack on every click. The front half of his dial has Super Strength to pummel foes with objects, and most of the last half of his dial allows him to try for more than his printed damage with Blades/Claws/Fangs. Sea King has Leadership on the front of his dial to pull action tokens off of friendly adjacent characters, and on the back of his dial, he can help them do more close combat damage with Empower. Defensively, he starts out with Invulnerability, then switches to Toughness, and when he does his defense value raises to its highest pint. A closing click of Regeneration may keep him in the game longer.
This brings are total to 380 points, plenty of room to throw a couple bystander tokens on the team.
Next up we’ll build a pretty simple 500 point team of the three leaders of the CSA. First up, we’ll use #025 Ultraman at 225 points.
A full dial of move and attack will keep him moving. Hypersonic Speed and Charge, both with Super Strength, and Running Shot with Penetrating/ Psychic Blast, with his 8 range, give him plenty of attack options. A full dial of damage reduction, from Invincible to Toughness, will give him protection from most attacks. Ultraman has an Improved Targeting ability that lets him ignore Hindering terrain, as well as a trait that makes it so his powers and abilities can’t be countered if he occupies hindering terrain.
Next up is #026 Owlman at 116 points. Combat Reflexes on every click of his dial, weather from the standard power or from his special power Training and Technique, also giving him Toughness and Willpower, will make him harder to hit in close combat where he should be when his Stealth can’t protect him. Owlman also has some clicks of a special power that gives him Outwit, and makes it so opposing figures within 6 squares can’t use Outwit on higher point figures. A few clicks of Perplex can help his team, and most clicks on his dial have either Precision Strike or Exploit Weakness, letting him do some damage to pretty much any figure.
Lastly for this team build is #027 Superwoman at 143 points. On the front end of her dial she has Charge or Sidestep (with Super Strength on these clicks) to move and attack with added damage, and Flurry on the back of her dial to get two attacks for one power action. Exploit Weakness on her first two clicks will make sure damage reducers are ignored, and Close Combat Expert lets her modify her attack or damage by +2 or both by +1. A couple mid dial clicks of Empower help her teammates do more damage. Damage reducers on every click help keep Superwoman safe. She also has a trait that says adjacent opposing characters within 6 squares that share a keyword modify their defense by -1.
This brings the point total to 484 points, leaving enough room for a few bystanders.
Lastly we’ll build a team with al 7 main members of the Crime Syndicate at the lowest point level we can get them all on, 600 points
#025 Ultraman will be used on his 125 point start line. Ultraman will start with Charge and Super Strength, with Range Combat Expert as a range attack option, before moving to Running Shot with Penetrating/ Physic Blast. Late dial, he has Hypersonic Speed, and will transition from Impervious to Toughness for damage reduction.
Next is #026 Owlman at 50 points. Starting with Charge before closing out his dial with Flurry, he can ignore some damage reduction on all 3 clicks with Precision Strike before going to Exploit Weakness. An opening click of his Smarter Than You Know Outwit power is on this section of dial.
#027 Superwoman added 100 points to this force. Opening clicks of Charge and Sidestep with Super Strength before switching to Flurry and Close Combat Expert give her a lot of close combat damage potential. Superwoman has damage reduction with Invulnerability and Toughness, and she still has her You Will Betray Each Other trait.
Next we’ll add some figures we haven’t used yet, starting with #044 Power Ring for 70 points.
Power Ring has a trait called The Ring Is Killing Me, that makes him roll a d6 after he is given a non-free action other than a move action, and on a 1 or 2, he takes a click of unavoidable damage. He has Running Shot to help him move and attack, Phasing/ Teleport to move around with ease, and a special power called We’re Going Somewhere? That lets him use Phasing/ Teleport and carry up to 3 friendly figures that share a keyword ignoring their move symbol.
Sprinkled around his dial is another special power called Power of Volthoom’s Ring, letting Power Ring use Perplex, and making it so opposing figures can’t target higher cost figures within 6 squares with their own Perplex. On the front half of his dial, alternating clicks of Telekinesis will let him control the map some, while Pulse Wave will damage anyone it hits. Clicks of Energy Shield Deflection will make Power Ring harder to hit at range, and Willpower lets him act 2 turns with little fear of pushing damage.
We are going to use some figures from the DC HeroClix: Justice League Trinity War Fast Forces pack to round out or team. First we’ll use #005 Johnny Quick at 100 points.
Johnny Quick has an Improved Movement ability called Up and Over, ‘Round and ‘Round letting him ignore Elevated terrain for movement. He also has a trait called Mainlining the Juice that lets him use Hypersonic Speed if he has no action tokens, Charge if he has 1 and Sidestep if he has 2. Johnny Quick has Plasticity to keep enemies close or help him break away easier, as well as Flurry, giving him two close combat attacks for one action. A couple clicks of Shape Change will give him some protection from attacks. Johnny Quick also has a defensive power on the front of his dial called The Juice is Loose, allowing him to use Super Senses and Willpower. Also, when he is given a second action token, you can roll a d6 that can’t be rerolled, on a 1, deal him 1 unavoidable damage, on a 5 or 6, remove an action token from him.
Next on this team build is #006 Deathstorm at 125 points.
Deathstorm has a trait called Matter Separation, that allows him to be given a double power action to remove an assigned relic or resource attachment from an opposing figure within range and line of fire and place it in that figures square and it follows all game rules as if it were a relic.
Deathstorm has a lot of move and attack with Running Shot transitioning into Sidestep. He has Energy Explosionon almost every click of his dial, either from the standard power or a special power called Destroying Central City, which now adds Precision Strike to his power set. The middle of his dial has a special power called Owlman isn’t the Only Smart Guy in the CSA, which lets him use Perplex. It also lets him remove up to 4 hindering or blocking terrain markers within range and line of fire as a free action if he doesn’t have 2 action tokens. Energy Shield Deflection will make Deathstorm harder to hit from range and Toughness will give him some damage reduction. On his last 2 clicks, Deathstorm has Outwit and Regeneration to keep him useful and in the game.
Last on our force is #007 Atomica at 25 points, bringing our build total to 595 points.
Atomica has the Tiny Size ability, modifying her defense by +1 against range attacks as well as letting her be carried by bigger friendly figures. She also has Plasticity on all three of her clicks. She has a click of Precision Strike followed by a click of Exploit Weakness. On her first two clicks, she has a special power called Traitor to All But My Homies. When Atomica isn’t part of a Crime Syndicate themed team, each time you use Themed Team Probability Control each opponent adds one use of Themed Team Probability Control to their pool if they have a named themed team and haven’t already added one this turn from this effect. On her last click, she has Super Senses.
Thanks for joining us as we conclude our look at the DC Heroclix: Justice League Trinity War Crime Syndicate!
