HeroClix by Wizkids Games

Agents, it’s time. The forces of Hydra are amassing, and we’re calling in all active members of S.H.I.E.L.D. to prep for deployment.

Welcome to an exciting look into the espionage filled world of the upcoming Marvel HeroClix: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. set! Today, we’re going to examine the Fast Forces pack for the set featuring the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and a special trait shared by the characters called Field Team Backup.

The best place to start, of course, is at the top – and the best man to lead any S.H.I.E.L.D. incursion is Cheese himself, Agent Coulson! The Son of Coul features a split dial, and can be played at 75 points with 6 clicks of life, or at 50 points with 4 clicks of life. He begins with a trait called Call in the Reinforcements, which allows for Agent Coulson to be given a power action, letting him choose another friendly character of equal or fewer points that shares a keyword with him and has no action tokens. You’re then able to place that character adjacent to him! It’s a twist on the special power possessed by the original Agent Coulson figure, but this one sticks throughout the entire dial. Coulson also comes equipped with an array of powers that make him a worthwhile opponent in the field, including Running Shot, Penetrating/Psychic Blast, Toughness, Combat Reflexes, Outwit, and Close Combat Expert.

Where Agent Coulson and the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Field Team really start to show their strengths, however, is when you take into account the aforementioned Field Team Backup trait. Each character possessing this trait will be granted the use of Probability Control if they meet some specific criteria – namely, if another friendly character with the trait is attacking a single character, another character can use Probability Control if they have a clear line of fire to the target of the attack.

This alone makes a team of relatively low point characters a force to be reckoned with – there’s a boat load of both Outwit and Perplex on the characters possessing the Field Team Backup trait, so the opportunity to reroll a missed attack and make the slightly middling damage values stick can really tip the scales in your favor. And, of course, when you have characters like The Cavalry (a.k.a. Agent May) and Fitz, you’re starting to form a really strong squad.

Agent May, like Agent Coulson, can be played at both 75 points for 6 clicks of life, and at 50 points for 4 clicks of life. She’s loaded with move-and-attack powers on her first four clicks, with Running Shot and Charge, as well as closing out with two clicks of Sidestep, allowing her to attempt to readjust her positioning on the fly for free when she’s neck deep in bad guys. She also brings Energy Explosion, Super Senses, Exploit Weakness, and Perplex for her basic powers, but where Agent May really shines is her special defensive power on her final four clicks of life. Called Never Outnumbered, this power calls for May to modify her defensive value by +1 for each adjacent opposing character – meaning, when Agent May is moving and is charging in to attack opponents, she could conceivably bump her defense to a 20 on click 4 if she’s near 3 opposing characters.

Of course, every good assault team needs tactical and technological support – and that’s where Fitz comes in! Fitz is primarily a backline supporter, utilizing his powers of Sidestep, Stealth, and Energy Shield/Deflection to keep him hidden or defended. Of course, Fitz being Fitz, he’s also been working with some Experimental Tech, so he can use his drones (You know, Happy, Dopey, Sleepy, Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful, and Doc) to give him makeshift Telekinesis. Fitz also has a special power on his the final 3 clicks of his damage called Tech’s Ready Now, Sir! This ability grants Fitz the use of Perplex – but, in addition to that, he can also be given a power action, allowing any friendly character within line of fire that shares a keyword with him the ability to use Perplex.

And then, of course, there’s H.E.N.R.Y.

H.E.N.R.Y. is a one-click piece that Fitz can summon at the beginning of the game at no cost via his trait Good for One Free Monkey. But, since everyone wants to have a holographic monkey on their team, H.E.N.R.Y. can also be added to your force sans-Fitz for only 15 points. Being a holographic monkey has its advantages – he can use both Phasing/Teleport and Super Senses, and possesses a special power called Fitz’s Helper Monkey, granting him the usage of Empower and Enhancement.

The Field Team Backup trait makes for a solid foundation for an unassuming team. And the good news is that you won’t have to rely on just the five characters in the Fast Forces set possessing the trait to utilize it – there will be additional characters in the main Marvel HeroClix: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. set that also possess the trait.

That’s it for today, and this message is for your eyes only. Destroy all traces of its existence after reading, and prepare for deployment as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. Until next time, stay safe, agents. The many heads of Hydra are everywhere.