Elementry my dear watson

Hey,

        Short blog post. Spiderman has been spoiled for a bit. I think it will be like gsx or hot in popularity. I'm glad there is no vehicles.

     If Sherlock Holmes played clix he would tell us the following....

Watch the combination of your opponents figure.
Have a confidant to talk to.
Your greatest nemisis knows you well.

Most importantly the little details is what wins games.

Nite,
Darklogos sleepy phone-droid from the future

Chop Shop or 187 on an undercover cop car.

Hello,

           I hope everyone was able to watch the big Dan Vs Alex match this weekend. If not please digest the links below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uUi97LEvRA&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-JK1iCLE8I&feature=plcp

You will notice the power of the GCPD Cruiser that I've said for a while is super strong...so strong. With that being said one listener pm'd at hcrealms asking how do we deal with the Cop car. Well lets really look at how to realistically deal with the Cop Car.

First things first you need to figure out if you are dealing with Cop car focused team or just Cop car support team. The first is designed to constantly run you over and many times operates with 2 cop cars. The second is there to run over and put a figure into a follow up volley position. The Cop Car focused teams have problems putting out burst damage. The Cop Car support team is the most dangerous.

The next thing you need to find out is Lt. Gordon on the team. If so then there is no place safe on the map after turn 2. Lt. Gordon's "Get these men into Position" is by far one of the strongest movement powers in the game. Just wait for a figure that can replace speed values or use the kinetic accelerator with Gordon and then you have some real abuse. Gordon means that a Cop car can move, run a figure over, and attack in the same turn.

You have to see how much someone has invested in their setup. If they invested 25 points for GF Batgirl then you don't have to worry about cuffed to the bumper from jump. If they play 30 point GCPD Officer then they are going all in. So they spent at minimum  98 points on pilot and the car. If they do Gordon then it is another 68 points. This means that there is little room for pure prob and they will have to run theme team and use theme team prob unless their heavy hitter has prob.Their other support elements will be very very very limited. So they will need mid tier attackers with upfront support powers on clicks 1 or 2.

SO HOW DO YOU BEAT IT? Right now there are very few setups in general tech that can beat it for several reasons. The first is that most teams are to afraid of the UB and Gauntlet and are set up to kill that. The second is that you have build a team with pure aggression and damage to over come the cop car.

The best solution is not to try to rush to the kill the cop car. You will need to burst down the other members of the team before dealing with the cop car. You have to remember that if you can't kill the figure in one turn then don't go after it. The main reason is that the injured figure will just end up being the pilot next turn. So you have to be able to focus down and do 8 clicks on average per turn.

The money click to consider is click 7 on the Cop car. Click 7 the car is the least effective. It no longer has will power or perplex. It is stuck with enhancement and crappy attack values. You need to do 11 clicks to kill the Cop car. Magog with the the UB charge flurry can do it. Really as long as you can flurry for 6 damage you can kill the Cop car with one go. This means any figure with a base damage of 3 can work. The reason a figure with a base of 3 damage can work is that you only need 1 perplex with the utility belt to cap your damage.

My top recommendations are as follows...

10th Cap 63
10th Thing 82
CW Cap 60
AVM Frost Giant 80
GF GG Namor 100
IH Lyra 88 ( Best pow for your points)
Hulkmairner 115
GF Bat Batgirl 88
JL ff Wonder Woman 100
SM Chase #55 Superman
Bt #8 Nightwing 72 (charge flurry)
NML Batgirl 67 (charge flurry)


All of  these figures can kill a cop car for cheap and serve other aggressive functions with the utility belt.  Another option is is Moleman,FF Bizzaro, and IG with the power gem. Tk up Bizzaro, have him RCE from power gem for 6 damage. Then mind control him to RCE again.

The biggest thing you must remember is that you may have to offer up a piece to die to kill the Cop Car. Don't be afraid of this. Listen to the podcasts about coming from behind and sacrificing pieces.

Hope this helps,
Edward Shelton aka darklogos

Road split in two.

Hello,

           I've had an interesting conversation with a listener and made come back and think about a looming issue from last weekend's post. I feel I honestly asked to look again where fun and competitive meet. If you read the "Rough Weekend" post you will see that I had some advice about not treating your figures like an issue of a comic book. I would like to stand by that position, but I would like to expand that thought. Play your favorite figures well. It is a simple thought but means a lot.

       Many times people think that just because their favorite figures are on the field then any action they do is a good one. Or even worse that the situation may be loaded against that figure. How many times in comics does one person take down whole armies alone. Now ask yourself how do you make that character into a balanced heroclix figure? You can't. That is why Supes can get owned by Captain America with the help of Black Panther. Just because Power Man runs in head first every comic through a brick wall to hit the first guy he sees in the throat doesn't mean that you should do that tactically. Also if the version of the figure are playing is range glass cannon and you want to play it as an in your face brick because you feel that is the true nature of the character I'm sorry you will have problems. The key is to understand and separate your desired fantasy from consequences.

     Just like people clix have layers. No good character is one dimensional in their attitudes. The same goes for many heroclix. Take time to learn the tempo of your favorite figure because that is their personality. You have to be careful because if you force to much of your plans on that figure that don't work with the nuance of the dial then you are going to struggle. I can't tell you how many times lately I wanted the cop car to move just a few more squares. In that focus I have ignored its attacking or perplexing abilities. See the figure for what it is not what you want it to be.

    Think on how the actual team dynamic works. If in the comics there is a poor team dynamic and they fumble through their missions guess what is going to happen in clix. Also what type of missions did that comic team do. If they are a stealth team that snuck in and took out one evil dictator the whole time they would have problems against the super x-ray squad and their bombs of doom. Take for example X-Force. That team plays exactly as it reads in the comics. The problem is that it  is not flexible in the amount of situations it can deal with.  That is why Justice League, X-men, Avengers, and the like are the most popular theme teams. Not because everyone likes those teams or books. They might enjoy them but it is mostly for the tactical options.

   Now this leads us to some very shaky ground. I want to make it clear that this is not a "casual" versus "meta" conversation. We can see that some theme play is easier than others.  Some people think theme play is better because there is a disadvantage. That is not true. Some thing that min-max has a total sum of efficiency, that is not true as well. The first thing to note is that you can make a killer Gencon level Justice League team or Avengers team right now. Their are ton of high and low meta tech options to deploy. At the same time you get theme team bonus to map and theme probs. That is a really good deal. But it takes guts to make the needed decision to say that you are not playing the exact line up from your childhood with the figures that correlate to your favorite issues. I know players like that. On the opposite end look at Push to Regen's Avenger team from the 2v2 and you will see a monster team that is theme.  Just because you min-max it doesn't mean you have a superior edge. The thing about min-max is that in the end the mechanics are very obvious and simple. You can't do anything complicated or subtle with min-max thinking most times. Min-max limits options so you can most effectively do 1 or 2 things. That is the one element people forget. There is very little psychological trickery or edge to be gained. Alex Avilla taught us that mind games of heroclix have yet to be cracked. His world teams played on the two biggest weaknesses of min-max thinkers. The first is that the highest point piece is the most important. The second is tempo/timing manipulation. Do you kill the 160 point support piece or the 77 point real damage dealer? What do you do when you can't get all your major effects lined up and you are taking damage?

   You can see how labels can get us into trouble. Some times the labels will disarm us and make us not think. We categorize so that we can make judgements quickly. But I would challenge you to slow down at the beginning of each round and rethink through your opponents team.

   I may do a podcast on morale, or not. I don't know yet. I will not be going to K.C. this weekend so I will have to assess some stuff. I hope you can see with this post that fun and competition are not two separate paths. I also hope you saw the weakness in some of the common community thinking in heroclix.

   If you have any show or blog post ideas hit me up.

Check you later,
Edward Shelton aka darklogos

Worked really late

Hey,

          I ended up working really late today. Later then normal. Today we are going to look at the pro's and con's of hyper agressive teams.

The pro's of hyper agressive teams is that you can apply massive bursts of damage. Alpha strikes ruled the game for a long time because burst damage could end the game in a matter of minutes. Getting the opposing major attackers off the map in one or two turns can be a big acomplishment and be the only major action of a game. Hyper offense lets you deploy fast and hit hard.

The cons are simple. If you fail to deliever damage once you are behind. If you fail to deliver twice the game is over. Hyper agression has nothing hidden from view. Your opponent will see you coming.

I know that this is simple but it is something many players don't actually think about when they set up their teams.

Check you later,
Edward Shelton aka darklogos

Cold and have a cold.

Hello,

          I have a cold and am very cold. My apartment is like fifty degrees. Today we are going to look at a classic piece. Not many people remember le Hal Jordan from Unleashed. He is a figure from meta's past that has long since been forgotten. It is from him that we get the foundation of the gl tank.

        All you needed was trickshot and tons of fodder that helped you modify your stats to godhood. With six damage you can k.o. lots of old figures with ease. We can't forget that wit 3 pd orb hydra figures you could have + 3 to your attack. This meant you were in auto hit territory. The only downside is that you could only pack one cheap attacker to hedge your bets.

     What caused this figure to fad from the lime light? V Hawkeye from Fantastic Forces and thunderbolts feat. With a way cheaper cost and higher mobility this figure was a better gl then any corps member.  You could pack way more with Hawkeye and dink figures from far away. Hal Jordan le not only bought the farm but started singing Old McDonald.

   Lessons to learn. Cheaper versions of a role player can make a lot figs go from manditory to situational. Next the support elements for gl tank did not disapear and were still viable and could be expanded. Lastly the high mobility factor of Hawkeye trumped Hal's pushability.

Thanks forb reading,
Edward Shelton aka darklogos

Rough Weekend

Hey,

            I had a rough game weekend. I went to two tournies and just had a blast. The biggest thing I learned this weekend is to know how to build a team synergy to protect your morale. I saw a young man give up 2 rounds in a row because he picked figures based on what he liked. This is one of the worse ways to build a team for competitive play. He lost hope and his only win came from the bye. He is a player who is on the verge between staying in the game and leaving. I feel there are a lot of people like him. They like their figures and see their figures more along the lines of personal heroes. This is hard to break . Most of the newer players at the venue when looking at my team didn't get what the point was. The powerful Ziran the Tester was the only perceived threat. But that was far from the fact.

        Never worship your pieces. Don't see them as your turn to write your favorite comic in real time. The dues ex machina of good always winning, aka your team being good, doesn't work in real game play. This does not mean you can not enjoy the game but make sure you keep things in context.

Check you later,
Edward Shelton aka Darklogos

Weighed down by options

Hello,

           This blog post is inspiried by building for a game this weekend. I am a bit bogged down by options for a 1500pt game. Add on golden age and feats and the sky is wide open.

       I know first hand the paralyzing element of choice. We are under the illusion that more options the better. But that is not true.  We find that with more choices we are given the braain actually starts to shut down and makes worse choices.  If you ever talk to some one who came from  communist Russia era you must ask about their first time in a super market. I know one lady who stopped dead in her tracks in the cereal isle. 

     Few people can process lots of options thrown at them. We fail to understand that we make many choices based on experience, cultural morals,taboos, and expectations. It's amazing what we can do in a matter of moments.

    I'm working on my team selection and I see my old habits come strong in my team building. It's hard to change because of uncertainty. Destiny is golden age crack for those of us who used her for several years. I get a bit concerned when I think I need 5 or more probs over 700pts.

     Time for a new playbook...or at least some revised pages.

Let's up our game,
Edward Shelton aka darklogos

When your apartment smells like a chain smoker

Hello,

         After a long day of work what do you do? You go to a lobbyist party serving prime rib and lobster soup stuff. Good times. Anyway today's blog post will be about the spoliers on hcrealms from the Spiderman set. We know that we are getting an Iron Spider chase. More importantly we are getting a Brother Voodoo and a Sorccer Supreme Dr Voodoo prime. I am happy. I will wait to see the dial.

       Let's focus on a question today instead of a piece. What does it mean to grow. I was listening to a sermon in which the speaker stated something profound. Most people fall apart when they reach their destination. The question is what do we do after we have reached a bench mark in gaming growth? It is a question that many people have just before they quit the game. Many people look at heroclix at some point in time and state they have done all that has been done. The other end is that people fell that growth is impossible to do. They through up enough things against the wall and found very little to stick so they don't stick around if the casual randomness of things does not tickle their fancy.

    I feel that one thing we are are seeing in the open stage now is that people would like some direction in knowing were game design and the game our going other then taking money from their wallet. I also think that people have started to look at the game and say that it is way more complicated then it is worth at times. That is why we need to look at growth as little steps down the path forward. We must never "arrive" at the top or what we view as the top. The top is an illusion we create. If one gets to the top of the mountain there are still the stars. The next step is to go down the mountain to build or find a space ship.

    Plan to make steps to see the top of many mountains. When you are done shoot for the moon.

Check you on Mars,
Edward Shelton

Thining about some raw tech

Hello,

           Back again after another gaming weekend. Learned a lot about a team a ran also a specific map. The first thing I learned is that, for myself, a highly technical team with lots of figures is not my strength at this moment. I will also say that the Batman FF set map on the Buddhist temple is a bit bunk but forces people to think differently.

       I went 3-0 this weekend and I brought home a Batman and Nightwing. I didn't win the other tourney just because I didn't kill enough points over the whole tourney. Oh well.

      I would encourage people to share their finicial plans for how they will be buying sets this year. I would really like to hear folks ideas.

      If you like the Master Mold picture and want more like them comment below.

Thanks for reading,
Edward Shelton aka Darklogos

Thatns no cake but u can be served!

Real post coming soon!

Posts, updates, and stuff

Hey,

       Episode 44 is up. It took me a while to get it done. More then I care to admit. I'm at the public library.  It is sad that you get a faster speed when you proxy the library connection through your phone as a hot spot. Oh well. Today's figure to look at is Manchester Black.

      Manchester Black is on my mind because if you listen to the new episode you will see that his name escaped my mind. He is a great figure that has long been forgotten. So lets dig deep and look at his pro's and cons.

     The pros of Manchester Black are quite good. The first advantage is his trait. KILLING IS THE ONLY OPTION: When an opposing character is KO'd, you may remove an action token from Manchester Black. If the KO'd character was 100 or more points, heal Manchester Black of 1 damage. This means he works best in a highly aggressive team. Superman, Black Adam, and Magog from the Superman set really loved this piece.  The next edge is his special power RUTHLESS TELEKINETIC: Manchester Black can use Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Telekinesis. This power is paired with running shot and very solid damage values. This makes Manchester Black a good cleaner for mid and end game after he finishes tk'ing out figures. With five clix of move and attack he does a lot. If you are looking for a good Wildcard abuse figure for Suicide Squad I would pick this figure out.

    The con's of this piece are not that big of a deal but are evident. When your man job is to tk and attack Dark Phoenix for a few more points is going to take your job every time. Having only two clix of 3 damage is a bit bad. Also his attack goes down to an 8 at it's worse. Manchester Black really lacks when it comes to keywords. Other then that there is very little that is lacking.

    Thanks for reading ,

Edward Shelton aka Darklogos

After failure...

Hey,

       I originally had a podcas for you all but my equipment glitched and failed to rercord. I played the Gotham team and lost to a Capped Crusader team. The swing with tk perplex and FF Oracle is to much to stop. I willl say I've learned some weaknesses to Cape CRusader. The first is map. He needs an open map. Second is a cop. Car bones his improved movement with a gcpd or gordon pilot.

     It is not a lot but something. Work has me busy. Add on car trouble and trying to catch up with people time snow balls.

Check u later from my phone,
Edward Shelton aka darklogos

Lessons learned from last nights game...when 2:1 feels like 0:3

Hello,

           I'm writing this post before my second heroclix game this afternoon. I'm really struggling over a team idea for a No Mans Land month 2 with a constructed DC only modern age 5 dollar buy in. Even while I think of this upcoming event I can't help but to focus on last night.

         Last night was 450 consturcted DC only and 150 was from either a 5 figure booster or 4 single boosters. This part doesn't matter much other then the fact that someone gave me a DKR Marquee Batman because team packs were not allowed and I thought they were.

       The first game was challenging but I didn't really focus on it to much. The second game is where my mind focuses on. My team was as follows

ff Oracle 50

Big Barda 148

Wonder Woman 100

UB 10

Green Lantern 72

Void 70
Batman 105
GCPD Detective  on the outwit.

I faced the following...

Marquee Batman
GCPD Cruiser piloted
GCPD Officer
LT. Gordon
Parsite
Enchantress
OOTS Batman

           Both teams are strong. Placement was key. I messed up. I had my Green Lantern missed placed 1 square back. I also double powered action Barda carrying Wonder Woman WITH +2 AND FLURRY. I didn't have Barda attack first and I Wonder Woman attack first. Those two mistakes cost me the game. I got zero points from the game.

          Those two mistakes cost me and gave me a bit shell shock. Please understand I never have the mindset that I deserve to win. But when you know that you lost over something minor that had major consequences it makes you reflect. Do you push forward or go back to what you know. My goal with my team above was to be more aggressive since that isn't my style.  No one told me that I had to push myself. I decided to push myself. It cost me. That is a good thing. We can't think that substantial growth will be easy or cheap.

        My current challenge is anxiety. The desire to really get that piece you want but do you press forward or go to the tried and true.  Here are the teams I'm looking at for the 300 pts modern age DC only event for Batgirl

Team 1

Magog 172

ub 10

Beast Boy Dolphin 60

Enchantress 50

Team 2

batman 105

Batman 63

UB 10

Lucius Fox 35

Lt Gordon 68

gcpd bike 19 auto pilot

        Team 1 is tried and true tech of Magog death machine. You have Magog do a double power action  to flurry. Enchantress moves up by being carried by Beast Boy.  The general idea is that after Enchantress TK'S Magog she can get get carried by Beast Boy to be within prob range.

        Team 2 is more risky it feels. I have to be more on my placement, which is my weakness, then the other team. Lucius Fox is the one that powers the machine.   Gordon can also take tokens off of DC 10th Batman, Fox, and the GCPD bike. The 10th Batman has the Utility Belt Because Gordon can give him the ability to move and he can get into position anywhere before he flurries. Also he can outwit after he moves. The problem is 3 actions and 5 figures and lots of will power.

       Growth is a big thing. But it is amazing how one moment can make you feel like you hit the bottom and then you rebound in a whole new direction. We are forever learning and re-learning.

       I will try to record this weekend. I'm a bit tired and I may have a cold.

Check you all later,
Edward Shelton aka Darklogos

I got a SOG Chase!

Hey,

         I "picked" well from a Streets of Gotham display at a Vintage Stock. I bought the 2 team packs and got Dove, GCPD Officer and Bane Bats chase. Guess whats going up for trade? Bane Bats I never knew you. I got the Assassins and Wildcat Packs!

        Tactically we are going to go back a little bit to Chase Ice Cap from Captain America set. This figure sort of disappeared with all the sealed events, IG events, and just pure and simple time. Let's look at his pros and cons.

       The pros over all is his low cost and great stats. If you look at the starting 12 attack and 3 damage for less then 75 points it is an awesome deal. The other thing that is noticeable is that you can fit him on any Avengers team. He is a great filler piece. The last pro is you get his best abilities and stats on his first useful slot. He has a lot great keywords. Don't forget he has 4 clix of running shot.

       The cons are a bit obvious. The first is the countdown mechanic. While the countdown mechanic makes Ice Cap lower points. At the same time he is not able to do anything until a couple of turns in. After he takes a hit his stats consistently go down. The six range is a bit crappy.

      You should be able to pick up one for under 20 bucks.

      Thanks for reading. Sorry for the late posts lately. I've had a really busy last few days.

Check you later,
Edward Shelton aka Darklogos