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| Yes, I've used this picture before. But it illustrates my point nicely. |
After lots of thought, some trial an error, a couple practice games, and a few best guesses, here is my new team:
Hulk, Green Goliath – The centerpiece of this team. I buy him as soon as possible, which is usually my second turn. Best case scenario, I have him out on my third turn, ready to trigger damage and control the board.
Hulk, Green Goliath – The centerpiece of this team. I buy him as soon as possible, which is usually my second turn. Best case scenario, I have him out on my third turn, ready to trigger damage and control the board.
Black Widow, Tsarina – UXM has some counters for her. That doesn’t worry me, because my team doesn’t revolve around her. She’s a great 2 cost character to support my heavy hitter. If my opponent is focused on my Black Widow, then they are focused on the wrong character.
Namor, Atlantean – He fills two niches for my team. One, being he’s an Avenger, so he gets the bonus attack power from Nick Fury being in the field. Two, being he cancels active action dice when he blocks. Cerebro is going to be an absolute b%$&@ to deal with for the foreseeable future. I need a way to get rid of it, and it looks like the only ways are to use Cerebro Cybernetic Intelligence. itself (I have no X-Men on my team) or block with Namor Atlantean. It’s not full proof, but it is an answer. Also, if someone tries to pull Imprison on me to lockdown my Black Widows, Namor could come in handy.
Nick Fury, Patch – My team centers around Hulk clearing out all defenders, and letting him and Black Widow rush for the win. Now add Namor to that list. Giving them double their attack power when unblocked gives me the win, doubly fast. I’ve won a fair amount without having Patch fielded once, but he just makes Hulk so much more lethal, he has a very secure spot on this team.
Professor X, Trainer – I feel a little dirty, because I know EVERYONE is going to use him. And maybe I shouldn’t bring him just for that reason. But it’s a much more reliable way of getting 6 dice on my second turn to buy Hulk, and this way I don’t have to take any damage from Silver Surfer. I know he’s going to be trendy, so I guess that makes me trendy… damnit. The thought does linger in the back of my head to leave him off, and bring my Green Goblin Norman Osborn instead. If he’s going to be so popular, I can just use my opponent’s global. But if they don’t bring him, then I’m in the tough spot of needing 2 sidekicks and a bolt on my first turn to guarantee 6 dice on my second turn. Right now, I can’t take that chance. I think I can gain more by bringing him than what my opponent will gain.
Magneto, Sonderkommando – “No Villains for you!” You know, like the Soup Nazi. Because I can make you reroll your Villains with Magneto’s global. But Magneto’s not a Nazi. He was actually persecuted by Nazis. He hates Nazis actually. Damn Nazis. But seriously, Villains are much more popular in UXM and this could instantly nullify a lot of headaches my opponent could give me. It’s almost unfair how much he cripples Villain teams… But I’d be stupid not to include him.
Iceman, Too Cool For Words – Here’s my new self-damage engine. I use Iceman’s global to pay 1 bolt, and turn as many of my sidekick dice to their bolt sides as I’d like…
Molnjir, Thor’s Hammer - …and then pay 2 bolts to deal Hulk 1 damage. Ta-da! It takes 2-3 dice to pull off, but all I need is 1 bolt, and 2 other sidekick dice in play and I can do it. My old damage engine, Green Goblin Norman Osborn needed a sidekick in play and 1 bolt energy. My opponents started to get wise though… they would pay 1 bolt and sacrifice their own sidekick to knock out my sidekick, making me unable to damage my Hulk. This one is much harder to stop. And it goes with my subtle Avengers theme. (Which is kind of funny, because I’m not an “Avengers” guy at all. I thought the movie was great… but when it comes to the comics, I’m an “X-Men” guy 100%)
Invulnerability – I’ve been bringing this just for its global for a couple months now. I absolutely love it. But now I have Iceman… Hmm… Pay 1 bolt energy and get lots of bolt energy? Sign me up! Especially since I could pay 3 bolts to give an Avenger +3A. If they go unblocked, that’s an extra 6 damage. Invulnerability could bite me in the butt… but it hasn’t yet. If my opponent purchases it, and uses it, and attacks with everyone, even if I block with Hulk and get his sweeping damage to trigger, I wouldn’t knock out any opposing characters, thanks to Invulnerability. I might switch it out for Enrage if that ever happens.
Feedback – If Hulk is going to be sweeping for damage, knocking out multiple low defense characters, I might as well make my opponent take damage as well. Plus, this is an excellent first turn purchase at only 3 cost. That leaves one energy leftover. Just make sure it’s a mask for Professor X’s global during your opponent’s turn. (If I play 2 Feedback dice, does my opponent take 2 damage for every character I knock out?)
Check out the full team on DiceMastersDB.com.
Who missed the cut?
Storm, Weather Witch – It came down to her and Namor for my last spot. Storm’s global could let me pay one mask energy to counter my opponent’s Cerebro Cybernetic Intelligence, and choose a new character to knock out, every time their chosen X-Man is fielded. But that’s not stopping the problem, that’s merely finding a way to live with it. Also, if I brought Storm along for her global, that would only give me 3 fieldable characters, and the rest are just along for their global abilities. Granted, I could work one of those other characters in to my fieldable strategy, but none of them are Avengers. Namor Atlantean has decent stats, a way to get rid of Cerebro, AND he is an Avenger. Also, about Storm’s global, the only action I would be purchasing is Feedback, which doesn’t target a single character, so having this global on the table would not hurt me at all. Still, I think Namor slightly edges her out, on my team.
Iron Man, Philanthropist – With no longer needing Silver Surfer’s global to help get dice in to my prep area, my need for life gain is less critical. While he may be on the bench to sub in for Namor if I ever find that Namor just isn’t filling the roles I hope him to, the fact is that Iron Man is now riding pine.
Green Goblin, Norman Osborn – If I realize that I don’t need to bring Professor X along because enough other people do, then that opens up a spot for Green Goblin again. There’s also a possibility that I may just replace Mjolnir with Green Goblin. I will still have my Professor X to guarantee my early ramp, I’d still use Iceman to potentially give me tons of bolts to pump in to Invulnerability, and then Green Goblin to inflict damage on Hulk. But for now, Mjolnir gets the nod.
Professor X, Powerful Telepath – This is a character that I think will be played a LOT in the future. This is the counter to the new Professor X’s global. This is the uncommon Professor X from AvX that forces your opponent to pay 2 life if they want to play any globals that turn. Now, if I see the new Professor X getting played frequently, and have no need for my own, then taking out Professor X Trainer and Molnjir for Green Goblin Norman Osborn and this Professor X, could be a very viable option. Although, I’m probably months away from that decision.
Black Widow, Killer Instinct - This one is a late addition. After reading Nick's article over at Dice Anon, I really think I may switch out Tsarina for Killer Instinct. (This also let's me say that my team doesn't include any Super Rares... and that's pretty important to me, to be perfectly honest.) The inclusion of Killer Instinct would set up...
Imprisoned - This isn't typically my style of play. I like a smash mouth strategy. I'm a fan of strength. In football, there's nothing more beautiful than stacking everyone on the line, sitting in the Power I formation, and running the ball straight ahead. The other team knows what's coming... but they can't stop it. That's part of why I like Hulk Green Goliath. There's nothing coy with having Hulk in the field. Power I. Run straight ahead and let them try to stop it. But I cannot deny the effectiveness of Imprisoned, especially if it captures would-be blockers, allowing Hulk to get through. This would replace Feedback.
Black Widow, Killer Instinct - This one is a late addition. After reading Nick's article over at Dice Anon, I really think I may switch out Tsarina for Killer Instinct. (This also let's me say that my team doesn't include any Super Rares... and that's pretty important to me, to be perfectly honest.) The inclusion of Killer Instinct would set up...
Imprisoned - This isn't typically my style of play. I like a smash mouth strategy. I'm a fan of strength. In football, there's nothing more beautiful than stacking everyone on the line, sitting in the Power I formation, and running the ball straight ahead. The other team knows what's coming... but they can't stop it. That's part of why I like Hulk Green Goliath. There's nothing coy with having Hulk in the field. Power I. Run straight ahead and let them try to stop it. But I cannot deny the effectiveness of Imprisoned, especially if it captures would-be blockers, allowing Hulk to get through. This would replace Feedback.
Force Beam – If I find that’s just too difficult to trigger Hulk’s ability with my globals as often as I’d like, I might take out Feedback and bring back Force Beam. It’s also a 3 cost basic action, and could just as easily start the game by buying Force Beam, and having a leftover energy for Professor X’s global.
Relentless – Just for the global. Pay 1 mask and target character cannot block this turn. That could be great for getting my Avengers through unblocked for double damage, but I think it could hurt me just as much. If my opponent uses that global on my Hulk, and attacks with everything, they can get through and damage me, before Hulk’s ability would trigger. I won’t bring it, but I will keep an eye out for it, and be sure to take advantage if my opponent does.
Well, what do you guys think? I would really love to hear some thoughts and comments on this one. So, be sure to write something down in the comments section. Next week, I’ll lay off the strategy talk, and get back to my comic-based roots as we look forward to who we might see in the upcoming Age of Ultron set, with some input from Katie as well. Until then, .
This looks really cool.
ReplyDeleteHave you fieldtested this team yet?
To me it looks like it might spread to thin.
You dont have any extra mask dice to fuel proff X. You dont have any bolt dice extra to fuel iceman.
You are going to count on that thoose sidekick dice are gonna fuel both buying hulk, bolts for hammer and masks for proff x.
What is magneto needed for?
Is he a counter to Nasty boy?
Regarding the extra mask needed to pull off Prof X's global: I only need a mask on my first turn. Prof X is essentially only on this team for my first turn, ensuring I can roll 6 dice on turn 2 to buy Hulk. If I can use it later in the game, so be it. But that is not the intent.
DeleteRegarding the extra bolt needed for Iceman's global: it's no different than needing a bolt to use Norman Osborn's global, and I wasn't using any bolt characters then either.
Yes, Sidekick dice will fuel Prof X's global on turn 1, buy Hulk on turn 2, and trigger Mjolnir's global, after triggering Iceman's global. Sidekick dice will do all of these things on multiple turns.
Magneto is used to counter any Villain I don't want my opponent to have fielded. Loki, Mister Sinister, Pyro, Magneto, Toad.... Any of them could be rolled away back to the reserve pool with a single mask energy.
Awsome, cant wait to try this team out :D
ReplyDeleteOne of these days I need to try playing with Hulk as the win condition. Excellent write-up as always, Randy. Just a couple of thoughts...
ReplyDeleteNamor only works when he blocks - you don't have any way to force your opponent to attack. Since Imprison requires your opponent to damage you, they'll just build up enough damage to swing through in one hit, even with Namor present. He'll be more effective against removing Cerebro, but still suffers from the same issue. I encourage you to do some playtesting with him against those cards and see what happens, but I don't think he'll be able to trigger reliably to make it worth it.
Why Magneto - Sonderkommando over Holocaust Survivor? This is being extremely nitpicky (like deciding which Silver Surfer to play even when there's never a plan to purchase him), but that +2/+2 to all other villains will only be relevant if your opponent brings Takedown or Uncanny Iron Man. Holocaust Survivor can at least be more than just a blank six-cost villain.
Good luck with the new version of the squad. I'm interested to hear how it does.
Thanks!
DeleteNamor isn't a perfect solution. And yea, Imprisoned could wreck me. I have always though about running Mister Fantastic or Phoenix just for the global forcing a character to attack. It would be one more way to trigger Hulk's ability on my opponent's turn. (Force something to attack, block with Hulk, when he takes damage he sweeps for 2-3 damage himself.) Definitely something to consider.
Sonderkommando or Holocaust Survivor, it makes no difference. He's just there for the global. I acquired Sonderkommando first, so that's who I've always played it. But they are totally interchangeable. After taking a look at them, Holocaust Survivor is probably the slightly better option. On the off chance an opponent is wrecking me with an Archvillain team, it would be more useful to field Holocaust survivor and be able to spin him up to keep him alive. But the chances of being wrecked with an Archvillain team while I have that global are slim.
I can see IronMan's "make you a villain" global hurting this team to a large degree. Hulk would go bye bye very quickly. I would also probably switch out Tsarina for Killer Instinct. I like her "spin to level 1 when fielded" ability a lot more than Tsarina these days. The wall that you need to be prepared for against this team is Magik, Illyana Rasputin - big defense, low field cost, and potential for re-emerging even when KOed. Hulk blasts will generally not get through her. Also Emma Frost SR kills this team. Although I think the Magneto global sort of deals with her. It's counterintuitive, but I think a heavy villain team with Magik and Vision would give this squad problems.
DeleteAgree with Magik. The other squad I'm working on is built around Magik Illyana Rasputin, Ant-Man Pam Particles, Kitty Pride Ariel, and Cerebro Cybernetic Intelligence. It does pretty well against this team. Add SR Emma to that and it could be serious trouble.
DeleteDidn't think about Iron Man turning characters to Villains, then using my own Magneto global against me. If that happens, I can use Iron Man's global as well and no one will be able to keep a character fielded.
Yes, which is why I was thinking that counterintuitively, a villain heavy team might give you trouble - it would be just too many characters to deal with. You'd be tempted to save masks of course, but then that'd eat into your PXG ramp. Also Archvillain mechanisms might end up being troublesome. The main point is that rolling away any one villain opponent isn't too bad for your opponent, but you losing Hulk is disastrous.
DeleteYea. I need Hulk in the field until I'm ready to win. Seems like maybe my best option would be to drop Magneto, Tsarina, and Feedback to add a global that forces an attack, Killer Instinct, and Imprisoned. Imprisoned would be a nice play to nullify Magik. ...at the end of the day, I'm realizing that UXM really opens up this game. Just about everything has a weakness or counter and you can't plan for everything.
DeleteImprisoned would be deadly to Magik. Trapped in Limbo! Totally agree about UXM - it's great how everything really does now have a viable counter. Great example being this Hulk concept just totally destroys Gobby teams, which is always fun to see.
DeleteAnd now I'm thinking about teams that could really crank on targeted villain elimination with IronMan and Magneto on the same squad - what type of teams would benefit from a game environment like that? Hmm. Brimstone Biker to bring guys back from used? Transfer Power? Pyro global to empty your bag? Gambit Cardsharp to just sling guys out of your bag? Punisher uncommon that searches itself?