While the Coronavirus is shutting down a lot of things, Clix Bait rolls on! Thanks for joining me this week, and feel free to join us by following the link to the Facebook page and tell us what you think of all the latest news and events! That page has a lot of links to previews to the new Justice League Unlimited set, which looks like it’s going to be fantastic!

I could spend a whole day writing about what I’ve seen in the set so far, but honestly, there’s a lot more going on to talk about. If you haven’t caught the big news yet, WizKids has announced the next rotation (which you can see the announcement by following this link), and the biggest takeaway seems to be the end of the ID card era. I can’t say I’m sorry to see them go, but the change is going to drastically change the tournament landscape, and make us seriously reevaluate the value of certain pieces. For example, as Ares Edge pointed out, the Tri-Sentinel becomes a bigger threat, since the Cyclops ID won’t be there to give teams an easy way to reach out and touch someone. On the flip side, Sheriff Strange will probably be a less popular team choice as his trait is rendered useless.

I joked about the Coronavirus above, but the truth is, it IS having an effect on events. Look out, as venues have been canceling prereleases due to the growing threat of infection, and you may need to travel to get in an advance look at the set. I am on the fortunate side of this, at the moment, as the Regional at the Rusty Scabbard in Lexington at this moment appears to still be on, and will have the prerelease running when the top cut is made for the event. Based on the turnout for the most recent Win-A-Map in Fairborn, OH, at the Bookery, we are hoping for a truly solid turn-out for the event. I will say, plan accordingly, however. This event could run late, and you may want a place to stay rather than driving home at night.

Speaking of the Bookery, the event yesterday was fantastic (thanks to Chad Birdsall for running a quality event and keeping the trains running, as it were, on a tight schedule), and it was nice to see a field of 13 for a Win-A-Map. It was also a pretty solid field consisting of players like Tylor Spees, Jay Major, Randy Carter, and Steven Clark. Again, the variety of teams in the field was impressive, although the top two teams were Immortal Hulk teams. Congratulations to Jay Major for edging out a win over Steven Clark in the finals after taking down Tylor Spee’s Whales the round previous.

What did I learn from the event? Well, I was short a few points of making the top cut, and I figured out my team needs to be a bit more offensive. I was thinking of sharing the build this week, but I know it needs tweaks, and I want to test those tweaks some more before sharing. I will say that I was pleased to hear a common comment being, “That John Stewart is better than I thought he was.” I also learned the new set-up for ROC events could probably use some tweaking. The 13 players called for five rounds of Swiss, which really pressed us for time, but also made later seating difficult to avoid repeat match-ups. I get that you want to avoid locking players out that have done well, but there’s not going to be a solution that appeals to everyone, and I tend to agree with what Jay Major said on the subject; “Score more points.”

Anyway, I don’t want to go on forever here about the event – I don’t like writing the blog overly long. If you have questions, feel free to ask them on Facebook and I’ll do my best to answer your questions. As for what I’ve got for you this week, we’re going to look at what Jaylen Major brought to Lexington a few weeks back to show us what the Mandarin can do. We’re also going to talk about the Immortal Hulk and how best to approach him. I’ve got some more customs from Goldeeh Hon to show you, and we’ll have a little fringe for you. So let’s get this party started!

Team of the Week – Mandarin’s Mystics

One of the great things about the WKO I was at in Lexington was the diverse field there, and the fantastic teams on display. I’ve already shared a few of the builds here, but I feel compelled to give you some more, as there were ideas to be tweaked into winning combinations, and I hope I can help you get there. Mystical teams are nothing new, but Jaylen Major’s take on it, making use of the new Mandarin, got him into the top eight, and definitely has the potential to go further!

Link: Jaylen Major – Mandarin Mystics

So Mandarin’s got some versatility to him, with all the rings at his disposal. He may be a bit soft, but he can do a lot for the 85 points you’ve invested in him, and since you want a lot of walls in your map choices, good placement can do a lot to protect him. And how I love all the support built into the team! Between Alex, Strange, Raven, and the Mandarin, you’re loaded with plenty of Perplex and Probability Control. Colossus and the Tri-Sentinel will take down walls and dish out damage while doing it, and Mandarin can use Zero to make more walls to dish out more damage. Raven helps to keep the team mobile, and the Wendigos give a great back-up offense if Mandarin, call-ins, and wall breaks don’t get you there.

Based on the sheet, I can tell Jaylen was a bit rushed in putting things together, as while the primary elements are great, he left a lot of holes on the sheet, and may not have used all his options to the best of the possibilities. First off, he had not Trouble Alerts, and a lot of empty spaces on the sideline. I like Magneto’s Wanted Poster over Wolverine’s. Using his placement ability on the colossal Tri-Sentinel, Colossus, or a Wendigo can stretch their reach by two squares, which is pretty significant. The two map choices are very similar, and I would have like to see something different in a third map choice, just to deal with unexpected needs. There are a lot of soft targets on the team, and a lot of colossals that will only take a hit to get them out of the game, but there’s a lot to consider, and it’s a difficult choice in figuring out the most dangerous threat on the board (I speak from experience – I had to play him, and it sucked!).

Still, knowing Jaylen, he’ll have these details ironed out before the Regional on March 28th. I’m scared to see what he has planned with a non-rushed version of the team. Scared, and filled with a bit of anticipation, because I think it’s going to be pretty cool.

Strategy Bytes

I think everyone’s gotten the memo now that if you’re going to play modern, you have to have a plan to deal with Immortal Hulk. He’s definitely very efficient for the 100 point investment, and he’s a lot more versatile that you might think, but he does have some drawbacks and some pieces that can potentially cause him problems. Since I needed to be prepared for him, myself, I decided to study the piece a bit more in depth, and thought I’d share my insights with you (even the ones you probably already know).

So first and foremost, he’s a damage sink. While he’s only five clicks deep, that stop click on the second click slows you down as you work through his dial. And you have to go through that dial three times, working through not only the stop click, but Invincible and Impervious too. Also remember the entire time you work through his dial, he’s building up Vengeance tokens, which will enable him to charge for free later.

You might think this means ignoring him is a good idea, but if you do that, you allow him to position himself for some of the best call-ins in the game. It also means he can build up Vengeance tokens as you attack the rest of his team so that he can push to get off that first click if necessary to make use of those free charges. Since he ignores elevation and hindering terrain for movement, there’s not a lot that’s going to stop him from getting to where you are.

Finally, he also serves a support role, as most of his dial has Outwit, and the back half gives him PROTECTED: Outwit. That makes it even more difficult to tear through his dial, and hinders some of your ability to hurt him back, as he uses Outwit to shut down your best counters. Add in great keywords, and it’s no wonder he’s an all-star.

There are some things he doesn’t do so well, though, and these weaknesses can be used to help balance him out a bit. His mobility, even with the improved movement, is not great, and so most people will use Telekinesis to get him into position. With this in mind, if you win map, your choice can hinder his ability to be placed. Walls definitely can help, but don’t discount the usefulness of elevation in causing line of fire issues. Also take care with your placement, and be aware of what’s on the opponent’s sideline. He may not be able to get where he wants to be on his own, but a Magneto or Phoenix can get him in a good spot early on.

Since that STOP click comes in a very inconvenient spot, pieces that can overcome that are nice. Green Arrow is not used as often as he once was, but with Hulk becoming an issue, he may make a bit of a comeback. Surtur as a retaliator will most likely see some play, as a couple of Perplexes to his damage will go through a full Hulk dial, and knock him off his first click on the new dial (assuming Hulk attacks, of course – but the Surtur threat will most likely lead to a more cautious approach, which can be to your benefit, as well). Psylocke on the sideline can help out with this defensive problem to some degree, and Possessor can Outwit Hulk if you decide to go that route.

If you do feel he’s more trouble than he’s worth to take down, then watch your placement as attacking the rest of the team. Hulk has to be able to draw line of fire to the character attacked (not the attacker) in order to gain a token, so walls, elevation, and even other characters can keep him from building up charges. If you choose to do this, you also need to be aware of what he might call in against you, and how your placement will help or hinder that call in. Damage has to come from an attack in order to trigger the token, as well, so Poison, Force Blast into a wall, and things along those lines will keep Hulk token- free.

That’s all I have on insights into the Immortal Hulk. My last word on the topic is that he is 100 points, so he’s not even half your opponent’s team, and you need to be aware of what the rest of his team does to make him a more impressive threat. He may be the star of the team, but don’t let him distract you from taking advantage of opportunities.

Miniature Mutations

Yep, I feature a lot of work by Goldeeh Hon, but man, it’s good! That, and John Murillo shares a lot of the stuff he commissions with me, and I’m more than happy to show off what he shares. Of course, I don’t every recall Beverly Crusher looking like this…but on the other hand, there were a lot of *ahem* adult adaptations of the show, and this might have come from one of those. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’. Still, I cannot imagine the amount of work that went into making this sculpt, as it looks like it was pretty well made from scratch. At least, I can’t figure out what piece might have laid the groundwork for the rework, and the level of detail on the paint is just short of miraculous. While I prefer my customs to generally represent the character on the dial (or create a new dial to fit the new character), I still have to admire the work and say that this is simply beautiful.

This Spidey, on the other hand, is right up my alley! This looks like something straight out of the pages of the comic with the pose, and the paints are every bit as remarkable as Hello, Nurse! pictured above. I am just astounded by the pose on this character, and how what is literally an awkward physical pose is not at all awkward in the sculpt (as it wouldn’t be awkward for Spider-Man at all!). Combine that to the muscle detail and how long it must have taken to paint all the lines in the suit and I will continue to be in awe of what Goldeeh is capable of. He may have used a hobby knife to lightly etch the lines and then used a black wash to get that level of detail in the suit (just a guess on my part), but even that takes a superiorly steady hand, and is every bit as impressive to me as hand painting the details.

After John sent me the images of his latest commissions, I got to talking to Goldeeh on Facebook some about his work and what I’m looking for (I REALLY want a RWBY team base – but I need money to commission it), and he mentioned to me someone else had commissioned a character from the show. He wasn’t pleased with the picture itself, but even this picture shows how utterly grand his Weiss sculpt is, and makes me more anxious to see if he can doe the team base I’m after! If the person who commissioned this piece is reading, send me a better picture, please! I’d love the chance to admire it more fully!

And if anyone else would like to send me some customs they’ve made or commissioned, send me an email at clixbait@digitaledengames.com and share them with me. If you didn’t do them yourself, please tell me who created the pieces, so I can give credit where it’s due. Thanks!

View from the Fringe

So, maybe it’s too soon to consider a piece fringe from a set that hasn’t been released yet, but I feel like this girl isn’t going to get much love, and I wanted to point out why I think she’s pretty good. So let’s take a look at S.T.A.R. Labs Assistant!

I’m going to flip the script here and start with the negatives. No one likes to look at a blank dial, and she really doesn’t do much outside of support for your team. On top of that, the support she provides is random – you need to roll to figure out what she’s going to do for you! The low attack value makes you wonder why she was given two damage on the top dial, and the three clicks means she’s destined to die if your opponent has the whim to kill her.

So why waste 15 points? Well, first off, there are SO many keywords, she can serve as filler on any team. And the random isn’t as random as it might initially appear, especially if you run more than one. You are not required to roll at any time for her power, so if you land on what you’re looking for, you have no reason to roll for the rest of the game. Maybe you didn’t want Empower on your first turn, but that second turn you hit Perplex, and you’re OK with that for the rest of the game. Even better, if you roll Empower that first turn, if you have two more Assistants, then you can use their FREE to roll again, and if one gets Perplex, they ALL get Perplex. So for 45 points, you get three Perplexes, or Outwits, or Probability Controls. Fun!

She’s not going to set the tournament scene on fire, but she’s better support than you might expect, especially for the low cost of 15 points. With a lot of retaliators rotating out, and her theme flexibility, she’s got a home on a lot of teams, so think about it while you’re considering what’s worth having in the new set!

So we’re done here! Thanks for reading, and as always, you can reach out to me on the Facebook page, or send an email to Clixbait@digitaledengames.com and let me know about things there. For now, I need to continue my plan to finally get a Regional win. Take care!