Marvel HeroClix Deadpool: Shang Chi and the Cat!

Greetings HeroClix fans!

We’re just days away from the release of Marvel HeroClix: Deadpool! Today’s preview brings us to one of the Marvel Universe’s top martial artists and his Prime counterpart in the set. We are pleased to present the Master of Kung Fu Shang-Chi and the master thief known as the Cat! First up, let’s look at Shang-Chi and his dial:

Shang-Chi is a 90-point close combat machine with a set of attack values that never dip below 11. The rest of his numbers are fairly consistent as well. Shang-Chi also has an Improved Movement ability called My Journey Never Ends which lets him ignore elevated terrain and outdoor blocking terrain when he moves.

The star of Shang-Chi’s dial is a trait called Counter-Block that lets his deadly hands of kung fu pound away at an opponent. Each time an opposing character targets and misses Shang-Chi with an attack, place a Counter token on his card. Shang-Chi can be given a free action to remove all Counter tokens and make that many close combat attacks. These attacks have a locked damage value of 2. At the end of your turn, remove all Counter tokens. Counter-Block appears on the first four clicks of Shang-Chi’s dial.

Counter-Block works well with the other powers found on Shang-Chi’s dial. On the front half of Shang-Chi’s dial he has Charge to quickly get him into the thick of combat then attack. On the first four clicks of Shang-Chi’s attack slot he has a special power called The Greatest Martial Artist of Our Time, which grants him the use of Close Combat Expert and Precision Strike.

Move Shang-Chi adjacent to an opposing character with Charge, then make a close combat action as a free action. Follow that up by using a free action to use Counter-Block and keep punching away. With the Precision Strike from The Greatest Martial Artist of Our Time, Shang-Chi’s attacks from Counter-Block can’t be evaded and the damage dealt can’t be reduced below 1 or transferred.

Defensively, Shang-Chi has a full dial of Combat Reflexes and a consistent set of combat values that make it difficult to land close combat attacks on him. On his opening click, Shang-Chi has an effective defense of 20 against close combat attacks. Shang-Chi also has the Indomitable combat ability, which lets him use Willpower to follow up with his attacks without fear of taking pushing damage. Shang-Chi has shared his vast martial arts knowledge to other heroes so Empower appears on his first and last two clicks, allowing him to boost the damage value of an adjacent friendly character when that character makes a close combat attack.

Shang-Chi has an array of named and generic keywords to aid you in incorporating him on themed teams: Avengers, Heroes for Hire, Martial Artist, Marvel Knights, and Spy. With a point cost below 100, Shang-Chi leaves plenty of room for other heavy hitters or support characters on your force. You may want to team up Shang-Chi with the Daughters of the Dragon, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight (LINK TO THAT PREVIEW HERE), for the bulk of a themed Heroes for Hire force.

Now that we’ve seen what Shang-Chi brings to the battlefield, let’s take a look at the dial for his Prime counterpart, Shen Kuei (aka Cat).

Cat comes into play at 81 points and shares the Heroes for Hire, Martial Artist and Spy keywords with Shang-Chi. Cat also has the Wild Pack keyword for an additional theme team building option.

A master thief whose martial arts skill rivals Shang-Chi’s, Cat hits the battlefield with an aggressive power set and a trait called Replaced it with a Broken Forgery that can really foil the plans of an opponent who relies heavily on relics and resources. When an opposing character with a relic or resource attached to it makes an attack, after actions resolve that player rolls a d6 that can’t be rerolled. On a result of 1 or 2, that player then chooses to either remove the assigned relic from the game or remove an item attached to resource from the game.

Moving on to the rest of Cat’s dial, he has a special power scattered throughout his speed slot called Coolest Cat in the Whole Darn World, which lets him use Charge, Flurry, and Stealth. Regular use of Charge appears on the rest of Cat’s clicks.

Cat’s dial starts with an attack value of 12 and ends with 10s on his last two clicks. On Cat’s first two clicks he has Quake, which works in combination with the Charge power. Speaking of combining powers, Cat has a special power on the first four clicks of his damage slot called Equal of Shang-Chi and Iron Fist that lets him use Close Combat Expert as a close combat action. This means Cat can use Close Combat Expert with the Flurry and/or Charge granted by his Coolest Cat in the Whole Darn World special power. Cat’s last two clicks feature Exploit Weakness to help his damage get past opposing characters’ reducers. You won’t be able to use Close Combat Expert from Equal of Shang-Chi and Iron Fist with Cat’s Quake as each power requires a close combat action to activate.

Defensively, Cat alternates between Super Senses and Combat Reflexes on his first three clicks. He then ends the rest of his dial with the latter power.

Like Shang-Chi, Cat has a very consistent set of combat values. In his damage track alone, Cat sports nothing but base values of 2 which are supplemented by either Equal of Shang-Chi and Iron Fist or Exploit Weakness. Cat makes a viable choice as a secondary attacker and should find his way on many forces as a close combat threat.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy your chimichangas and join us next time as we uncover more secrets from upcoming HeroClix sets.

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