Tag: Shadowcat

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Marvel HeroClix: X-Men - Days of Future Past Preview

Marvel HeroClix X-Men Days of Future Past: Sprite and Ariel!

Greetings HeroClix Fans!

Today’s preview from the upcoming Marvel HeroClix: X-Men – Days of Future Past gravity feed set is 2 of the same character, but one is from the past and one is from the future! The characters we bring you are Ariel and Sprite, let’s take a closer look!

020-Sprite

Sprite starts at a spritely 55 points and possesses Improved Movement ignores hindering terrain, blocking terrain, and characters for movement purposes. This can be potentially useful with her four clicks of Sidestep and her starting click of Exploit Weakness. She also has Willpower for her first 3 clicks so getting into place to push with Sidestep from behind a wall, or character will be a breeze. If she comes up short movement wise she does have a single target 4 range to attack with as well.

Sprite has two traits, we’ll start with I’ve Seen a Future Clouded in Death which states Sprite can use Super Senses. If Sprite was placed on the map through the Battlefield Promotion ability, she can use Outwit and Perplex.  That leads us to her other trait.

Sprite has the trait Sent From the Future to Save the World Battlefield Promotion: When Sprite hits one or more opposing characters, after actions resolve, place a Promotion token on her character card. You may then roll a d6 that can’t be rerolled and add 1 for each Promotion token on her character card; on a result of 6 or higher, you may remove all Promotion tokens and replace this character with DofP #002 Ariel on the same click number. This leads us to our other character, DofP #002 Ariel.

002-Ariel

Ariel also flies in at 55 points as well. She doesn’t have the Improved Movement her counterpart has, but she does start with her 2 first clicks with Phasing and Precision Strike. This is really a great representation of these two same but different characters, both having a lower damage value, but having that X-Men training to cut through defenses! She also has the Transporter foot speed symbol, so not only can she use the Move and Attack ability, but the Carry ability as well to get her teammates in or out of the fray!

On her 2nd, 3rd, and last clicks, Ariel has Support with a 10 attack value, so keeping her away from the main fight could be a good strategy to let her be a support character. She could Move and Attack in carrying an X-Men TA teammate, use Precision Strike to cut through some defenses. Let her teammate do the damage and take the hits then heal the teammate up with the X-Men TA, potentially taking damage to get to her 2nd click with Support.

Ariel gets Stealth and Toughness on click 3, but remember, this one will halve her movement if she moves off of hindering terrain. Putting her in hindering terrain on her 3rd click could be a good support strategy, she has Support still and a 6 range single target with one damage, but only 1 damage, so your opponent may not see her as much of a threat and may leave her alone. Both of these characters have the X-Men keyword and X-Men Team Ability, but Ariel has the keywords Days of Future Past and Future as well.

Ariel has 2 similar traits to Sprite as well. The first trait is I Bring Dark Tidings from the Future states Ariel can use Super Senses. If Ariel was placed through the Battlefield Promotion ability, she can use Probability Control. If this did happen, being able to reroll your Support rolls is a fantastic thing!

Her other trait is Visions of the Past which is a Battlefield Promotion too. It says when Ariel hits one or more opposing characters, after actions resolve, place a Promotion token on her character card. You may then roll a d6 that can’t be rerolled and add 1 for each Promotion token on her character card; on a result of 6 or higher, you may remove all Promotion tokens and replace this character with DofP #020 Sprite on the same click number.

Thanks for reading and be sure to continue to check back as we preview more figures from the upcoming Marvel HeroClix: X-Men – Days of Future Past gravity feed set because we are all fired up about the next weeks character!

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Marvel HeroClix: Wolverine and the X-Men Preview SwitchClix Team Bases

Marvel HeroClix Wolverine & the X-Men: Shadowcat and Phoenix!

Greetings HeroClix Fans!

Today we continue our series of previews for the upcoming Marvel HeroClix: Wolverine and the X-Men set!  As promised, we are pleased to show you the figures that can be played on the Excalibur team dial.  We start with a former X-Man on Muir Island recovering from wounds she suffered at the hands of the mutant-hunting Marauders, Kitty Pryde (aka Shadowcat)!

 003-Shadowcat

Shadowcat has an Improved Movement ability called Don’t Worry, Professor…which lets her ignore elevated, hindering, and blocking terrain when she moves.  This, combined with Shadowcat’s Transporter ability, allows her to move about the map with ease, reposition herself and a teammate, and make an attack when the opportunity presents itself while getting there.  Shadowcat starts with the first four clicks of her dial representing different aspects of her phasing ability.  First, Stealth shows her ability to get to and hide in places she ought not to be.  Next, Super Senses shows her ability to avoid attacks by being intangible.  Lastly, Exploit Weakness shows how Shadowcat can hurt someone by phasing through them.

Shadowcat ends her dial with powers that mostly utilize her training in martial arts by Wolverine after her possession by Ogun.  Precision Strike demonstrates her ability to hurt an opponent in close combat, while Combat Reflexes showcases her agility in a melee.  Lastly, Shape Change shows her ability to throw off an attacker by phasing through walls or into the ground.

Shadowcat is playable on the Excalibur team dial and when her face appears on the asset dial, Excalibur can use Super Senses.  Shadowcat comes in at a mere 56 points, making her a good fit on any Excalibur, Martial Artist, or X-Men theme teams.

Next up, we have a team member from a future where mutants have been hunted to near extinction.  Trained as a Hound to hunt her fellow mutants, Rachel Summers eventually escaped to our present in an attempt to stop her future from ever happening.  In the present day, she took on her mother’s surname of “Grey” as she had the same cosmic force enhancing her power.  But whether she calls herself Rachel Summers or Rachel Grey, she is Phoenix!

045-Phoenix

Phoenix maintains the same power set over her first three clicks.  Running Shot allows her to position herself and take advantage of her printed 8 range with one target, while the Flight ability allows her to take a friendly figure with her.  Psychic Blast makes it so damage reducers are bypassed.  Phoenix also has a special power called Psionic Purging, which gives her both Shape Change and the ability to use Outwit but with a twist:  Phoenix can use Outwit normally, or she can counter the same power on all opposing figures within range and line of fire.  Defensively, Impervious allows Phoenix to reduce damage dealt to her or potentially ignore it entirely.

The next three clicks of Phoenix’s dial also have the same power set, this time with more emphasis on close combat.  First, she can take the fight right to opposing figures with Charge.  Poison allows Phoenix to deal a click of damage to opposing figures at the beginning of the turn.  Super Senses gives Phoenix the ability to possibly evade attacks and Probability Control lets her force an opponent to reroll their dice when she is attacked.  Phoenix’s dial ends with her gaining the ability to hurt any figure she hits with Precision Strike.  Meanwhile, Energy Shield/Deflection gives Phoenix some added protection from ranged combat attacks.

At 154 points, Phoenix fits perfectly on any Excalibur, Future, Phoenix Force, Starjammers, and X-men theme teams on which you choose to include her.  Phoenix is also playable on the Excalibur team dial.  If Phoenix appears on the asset dial, the team character’s powers can’t be countered.  Also, Excalibur modifies its damage value by +1.

Thanks for reading and join us Friday as we close out our preview of the Excalibur team with the three figures included with the team dial.  And come back next week as we are sure to have more previews from Marvel HeroClix: Wolverine and the X-men.  Until next time, keep your Clix of their KO’s!

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Marvel HeroClix: Wolverine and the X-Men Preview SwitchClix Team Bases

Marvel HeroClix Wolverine & the X-Men: Excalibur Team Base!

Greetings HeroClix Fans!

And welcome back as we continue to explore the upcoming Marvel HeroClix: Wolverine and The X-Men set.  Today we dive into a team created out of the X-Universe -Fall of the Mutants story line.  Two X-Men recovering from injury, along with a pet dragon, a former mutant-hunting refugee from the future, a mystically empowered hero of England, and his shape shifting girlfriend united to form the British team of super heroes known as Excalibur!

T003-Excalibur

Excalibur can be played at three point costs, 320, 270, or 170 points, bringing their fully loaded point costs to 350, 300 and 200 points when all six characters are attached.  The team base has one keyword to build with, Excalibur, naturally.   Additionally, the Indomitable combat ability will allow them to act without fear of pushing damage.

Excalibur begins play with an opening click of Charge to take the fight right to their opponent.  They also have a special power called Still Crazy After All These Years, which allows them to use Perplex, but only on themselves, and with the stipulation that when you choose the combat value to modify, you roll a d6.  On a result of 1, modify the combat value by -1, and on a 4-6, modify it by +2.

On the next click in Excalibur picks up another special power called Cross-Time Caper, allowing the use of Phasing/Teleport.  Also, when another character uses Probability Control, the dice are rerolled twice, and then you choose the result from among the two rolls.  This power will switch every couple of clicks with Outwit, letting you counter a key power on an opposing figure, for a good length of the dials.  Invulnerability will offer some solid damage reduction for this run of the dial.   On the last click of this section of the dial, Excalibur switches tactics, now able to use Running Shot, to maneuver to a position to best utilize their 8 range and two targets, or to get the most impact out of their printed 4 damage Pulse Wave.  And Toughness will provide a bit of damage reduction.

Click number 5 is the starting point for Excalibur’s 270 point starting line.  It begins as before, with Charge, the Still Crazy After All These Years special power, and Invulnerability, but this time, brings a click of Telekinesis, to allow some map manipulation, or an easy way to make range attacks against opposing figures hiding in Stealth.  The next couple of clicks also look familiar, changing to the Cross-Time Caper special power, as well as still alternating Outwit with Still Crazy After All These Years, and again, changing from Invulnerability to Toughness, though a click earlier than before.   This time, Excalibur again adds something new, this time another special power called Widget! Stop Doing That!  This power can be used once per turn when you make an attack roll.  If the result of your attack roll is lower than the click number of a target of this attack, that target modifies their combat values by -1 until your next turn.   The last click of this section again brings Pulse Wave, Outwit and Toughness to the dial. 

The 170 point starting line on Excalibur begins with the same powers as on the 270 point starting line, Charge, the Still Crazy After All These Years special power, Telekinesis and Invulnerability.  In fact, clicks 9 through 12 are laid out with the exact same power set as clicks 5 through 8, with the exception of Outwit missing from the last click, but the inclusion of Running Shot.

The last four clicks of Excalibur’s dial have full runs of their Cross-Time Caper and Widget! Stop Doing That! special powers, as well as the addition of Energy Shield/Deflection, to make them harder to hit with range combat attacks.  And on their last two clicks, a new power shows up on their dial as Close Combat Expert will allow Excalibur to pummel an opposing figure into submission.

T003-Excalibur Asset Dial

The asset dial on Excalibur offers a good bit of defensive powers, a way to avoid pushing damage, and ways to deal more damage.  Captain Britain allows you to not place an action token on Excalibur.  Instead, when Excalibur takes damage, after the action resolves, roll a d6 and turn the asset dial that many times to the left.   Meggan allows the team the use of her mutant shape shifting power with Shape Change.  Nightcrawler brings his heightened reflexes to Excalibur via Combat Reflexes.  Phoenix brings a bit of the Phoenix force to her team as she makes it so Excalibur can’t have their powers or abilities countered, and, she modifies their damage value by +1.  Shadowcat brings her intangibility to the team with Super Senses.  Excalibur also has a special power on the asset dial, referencing the title of their first adventure together, The Sword is Drawn, allowing Excalibur to use Blades/Claws/ Fangs when they make close and ranged combat actions.

As an addition to the Excalibur team base, Lockheed is a SwitchClix figure as well!

080-Lockheed

This version of Lockheed costs 16 points to play on his own, and has a 5 range with one target and the flight ability.  Energy Explosion will allow him to damage multiple foes with one shot, and Energy Shield/ Deflection will make him harder to hit with range attacks.  Lockheed also has a special power called My Human, allowing and adjacent friendly figure named Shadowcat or Kitty Pryde to roll a d6 when they are chosen as the target of an attack.  If the result is either 5 or 6, she modifies her defense by +2 until your next turn.

Lockheed can be played on the Excalibur team base, with a restriction.  He has a trait called Distraction, which allows him to be attached to the Excalibur team, but he can’t be selected for the Solo Adventure ability.   Also, as he isn’t on the asset dial due to this, he just allows Excalibur to use Energy Explosion as if they had 1 target.

That is all for today.  Be sure to join us on Wednesday as we continue to explore the upcoming Wolverine and The X-Men set, as we check in with a pair of best friends who have fought the future, for and against the Shi’ar Empire, and eventually went back to school to be teachers.  Until then, keep your Clix off their K.O.’s!