HeroClix: Incredible Hulk figure reviews!

I wrote the following in the hopes that it would help me remember, play and face the dials that I might see in the Infinity Gauntlet Month One Event for HeroClix. As that tournament was a sealed event using boosters from the Incredible Hulk set, this information really is only useful now in such a setting. However, leftover product from said expansion is so inexpensive that recreating such an environment amongst friends for funds is now entirely feasible! (Note: I apologize to those who were brought here whilst searching the names of characters mentioned herein, but were looking instead for information concerning them in a non-HeroClix context.)

Common Hulk has nine clicks. His best clicks are four and five – so try to hit him for two or three, and then hit him again hard. Consider Outwitting Charge first because he has no range, and then he won't be able to move-and attack. Offensively, Perplex down his defense – and defensively, Perplex down his damage.

Bruce Banner has five clicks. He only has Outwit and Toughness on his first click – so unless your opponent plans to transform him on his final three clicks, just finish him off quickly.

AIM Agent has four clicks. He has Perplex on his first two clicks, and gets Support after that – so do two damage quickly, because Support is only of limited usefulness in this set.

Hulkbuster Soldier has four clicks. With Armor Piercing versus figures that have four or more damage, he's a nuisance piece for sure – so knock him past his first two clicks of Running Shot and Toughness at your first opportunity.

Humanoid has four clicks. With no range, and no move-and-attack abilities (although he gets Willpower with The Leader), he can be safely ignored in the early game.

Hulk Robot has nine clicks. He's got Willpower, and his powers can't be Outwitted. His best clicks are clicks three, four and five, because he gets Charge. Try to just hit him for one, and then follow up with a big hit for four. Shape Change on his first click will make him hard to hurt at first. On click five, he loses Invulnerability and gets Toughness instead – so get him there quickly.

She Hulk has seven clicks. Although her best click is her second, she's going to bring the pain on each and every click. She loses move-and-attack on click three, and also only has Toughness for defense – so try to use that to your advantage. Hit her for four damage straight up, or Outwit her first-click Invulnerability and hit her for two.

John Jameson has five clicks. Your opponents will probably have already pushed him once to get to his Toughness and Super-Strength on click two by the time you get to him – so you will probably have to hit him for at least four to put him down for good. He's only 39 points though, so outside of him throwing objects for a long-range attack – or an opponent planning on transforming him into Man-Wolf on clicks four and five – he can safely be ignored.

Man-Wolf has seven clicks of life. Whatever you do, don't land him on clicks three and four! You'll just be doing your opponent's work for them. Either hit him for four up front, or hit him for just one and then follow up for three or more afterwards. If you've got Outwit, use it on Charge for his non-Star God clicks – then you can just avoid him. If you end up needing to get rid of him quickly however, remember that he gets two chances to dodge on his first click with Super-Senses and Shape Change.

Charging Punisher has six clicks. His defense is completely bare on clicks one and three – so try to either hit him for three twice; or for one, two, and then three. Don't let him base you, though, because he gets Blades on his last three clicks! Outwit his Charge to keep this from happening – or Blades, if it's already too late for that...

Psychic Blast Punisher, with six clicks, is the bane of our existence in this tournament. Eliminate him immediately – preferably by throwing objects at him, because he's got Combat Reflexes on clicks one and four. He loses Psychic Blast by click three – so make him your primary target until you whittle him down to that point.

Thundra has seven clicks. She'll be after your big gun with her special power – so do everything you can to keep her from basing your best figure. She drops down from Invulnerability to Toughness on click three – so either hit her for four up front, or Outwit her Invulnerability if you can. Be aware that she picks up Outwit on clicks five and six – and although she won't be a threat alone by that point, she can use it to make the rest of her team that much more dangerous.

Abomination has nine clicks. As one of the few figures with Aquatic in this set, he's going to be one of the characters to beat in tournament play. Defensively-speaking, the very first thing you should Outwit is his move-and-attack abilities (whether Charge, or Special Power); with Indomitable being a very close second. Offensively, he loses Invulnerability on click four (and Super-Strength on click five) – so barring a timely assist from Outwit, try to hit him for at least five up front. His final two clicks, clicks eight and nine, feature Regeneration – so either finish him off if you can, or Outwit it if you're able.

The Leader has six clicks. He's a very unusual character in this format. He's got an entire dial's worth of Outwit, a natural range of seven, and ranged attack powers on every click but his second. On his first click, he can use TK to move based characters away from him – so be cautious when not Charging to base him. He's also capable of dealing penetrating damage on his final four clicks (even up close, with Pulse Wave, on clicks three and four) – so he's always a potential threat until he's been eliminated. Take out his Mastermind fodder first, if at all possible – then hit him repeatedly for as much damage as you can.

Skaar has seven clicks. His dial's unusual in that, while his best clicks are his first two and his final two, the middle of his dial is relatively weak for the points. Every effort should be made to knock him onto his third click – on clicks three, four and five, he can safely be ignored. Be mindful that his defensive powers get bumped up a notch whenever he's adjacent to blocking terrain – which potentially gives him a chance to dodge on clicks one, two and seven. Oddly enough, his best click – click six – is his second-to-last: Charge, Blades and Exploit Weakness! Defensively-speaking, you should Outwit Charge whenever it appears.

Lyra has eight clicks. She's incredible for the points – and because of her Marquee write-up, everyone will be using her. She gets conditional Probability Control to re-roll her own attacks on her first four clicks! She's capable of dealing at least three damage for a whopping six clicks straight – and she doesn't lose Charge until click four. Barring Outwit to remove her first-click Invulnerability, you're going to need to hit her for at least five up front to really even weaken her. Defensively-speaking, always Outwit her movement powers... even Leap/Climb on clicks four through eight!

AIM Renegade has four clicks. Although he's a generic figure, you shouldn't under any circumstances underestimate the threat that he represents to your team! If your opponent places him next to a character that has range, this figure will be sharing the Hydra team ability and Enhancement on clicks one and four; and if if this figure is out on his own, he'll be pushed onto clicks two and three for cheap Outwit! Either way, eliminate him quickly – and always try to make room for this figure on your own teams.

A.I. Marine has four clicks. Although he can't hurt any figure with Invulnerability or better, he might take some players by surprise on this map with his Aquatic movement. After an initial click of Toughness, his defense on clicks two through four gets significantly better in close combat with Combat Reflexes – and he gets a chance to dodge on his final two clicks with Shape Change! Note that, although he becomes a significantly greater threat once transformed, he also loses Aquatic on Movement. However, he also boosts the AIM Marine Hulk's Attack value – so the likelihood both would be played together if pulled is also high.

Black Tarantula has seven clicks. He is capable of damaging figures with Invulnerability or better on every click except for clicks two and seven. He's got a single starting click of Invulnerability himself – so consider either Outwitting that, or else just hitting him for three (arguably his worst click). He loses Running Shot on click three, and picks up Charge instead – so Outwit Charge to keep him from basing you, or Blades if he already has. Outwitting his Special Power on Movement on clicks five and six is a no-brainer if he's already in base-to-base contact; otherwise, Outwit Regeneration on clicks six and seven, so that he can't heal. Don't forget that he's also got a range of six!

White Tiger, with six clicks (and the possibility of four more), is going to be a difficult figure to deal with in this format. A Stealth'ed Perplexer (albeit one with no other defense) on clicks one and two, your first inclination might be to baenseer – but beware, because she becomes an insane close-combat juggernaut on clicks three through six! At that point, your best option will probably be to peck away at her from a distance with thrown objects, etc. Try your best to get her onto click five as fast as you can, as soon as you can – if your opponent still has some other good figures in the game, then he'll be a lot less likely to bring her back into play! If you wait until she's the last figure standing, however, he'll get no penalties for having done so...

Uncommon Daredevil has six clicks. Knocked past his first click, he loses Outwit – which, with only two Damage of his own, he'll be using exclusively to help out the rest of his team. He loses move-and-attack by click three – and with his range of four, you can afford to save him for last until you've dealt with the rest of your opponent's team (although he does regain Outwit briefly on click five). There are several reasons why it would be best to attack him from range (Combat Reflexes, Close-Combat Expert and Super-Senses that deals damage if you miss) – but you shouldn't let that keep you from finishing him off if you get the chance.

Matt Murdock has five clicks. Only his first two clicks have Outwit – so try to hit him for at least two damage if you can. Beware of opponents planning to transform him into Uncommon or Rare Daredevil on clicks four and five! There are, however, two sets of circumstances under which you might want to consider playing Matt Murdock yourself: 1) he ends up being your only real option for cheap Outwit, and keep Uncommon Daredevil on the sidelines to potentially transform into; or 2) you can play both him and the Rare Daredevil together!

Uncommon Punisher has six clicks. Outside of clicks four and five, which both have Ranged-Combat Expert with two Damage, this Punisher can't even hurt the Invulnerability plus set – of which there will be many in this format. Remember that he has has an eight range though, so that you can keep your more fragile pieces out of harm's way. Needless to say, just keep him away from clicks four and five – and ignore him until all greater threats have been eliminated.

Jigsaw has five clicks. With an entire dial's worth of Willpower, he can act two out of every three turns – which makes him great on your own teams for just 35 points, but not so hot on your opponent's. Try to keep him off clicks three and four, which have Blades – otherwise finish off bigger and better figures first, because they're worth more points.

Rick Jones has four clicks. He's a wildcard, which is worth remembering if your opponent plays him alongside either Rare Daredevil or Ghost Rider. Although your opponent will probably push him to get Perplex on click two, remember that it will only take three damage to eliminate him at that point. After Toughness on his first click, he picks up Combat Reflexes on clicks two and three – by which point it would be best to either hit him from range, or ignore him outright. Absolutely consider playing him with A-Bomb, if you pull and decide to use the latter.

Hercules has eight clicks. He only has a single click of Super-Strength – so either Outwit his Invulnerability before you attack, or try hitting him for only three damage. He gains Impervious on clicks three and four, but he loses move-and-attack abilities on those same clicks – which means that, although you'll be safe from reprisal, you'll probably still have to eliminate him to win the match. He regains Charge (but drops to Invulnerability) on clicks five and six – and he also picks up Willpower on clicks six through eight, to keep attacking you turn after turn. Do everything you can to stay out of base-to-base contact with him – which may mean Outwitting Charge instead of Invulnerability on the clicks that he has both.

Amadeus Cho has five clicks. He has Outwit on all of them, except click four – he gets Probability Control on that click (and potentially on his first two clicks as well). He's got an entire dial worth of Energy Shield/Deflection – making hitting very difficult to hit at range. On clicks two, three, and four, he has Psychic Blast with a range of seven for one damage – which makes him dangerous, even for your figures with damage reducers. Although you shouldn't ignore immediate threats in favor of him, you should still try to eliminate this figure as soon as you're able.

Red Hulk has eight clicks. He's dangerous all down his dial – albeit somewhat less so when he hits his final two clicks, clicks seven and eight. Top dial, you'd have to hit him for seven up front (or six if you've got Outwit) to even decrease his threat level to an appreciable degree. He's got Outwit and full-movement Charge for his first three clicks – so if you can hit him for four up front (or three after Outwitting Toughness), you could land him on his least-dangerous click. Clicks five and six, however – with Charge, Impervious and Super-Poison – are his very best... so keep him off of them at all costs!

General Thunderbolt Ross has five clicks. I can't imagine that anyone would use him except in conjunction with the Red Hulk – but if they should, he's completely useless by click three when he uses Willpower. He can transform into the Red Hulk on clicks four and five, though – so be careful not to do your opponent's work for them.

Doc Samson has eight clicks. Again, it is highly unlikely that your opponents would use him in this format – but there are some things you should be aware of about him, just in case they do. He grants nearby friendly characters immunity to Outwit throughout his entire dial – so it may be worthwhile to take them out of the equation first. He doesn't gain his Super-Mind Control power until click three – and with zero range and no move-and-attack powers until his final two clicks, he can safely be avoided until you're ready to face him. Remember that Mind Control has a default range of four – so hang back further than that, and try to hit him from range if you can. And don't trust that your opponent wouldn't willingly take feedback damage just to Mind Control your big guns either!

Rare Daredevil has seven clicks. This figure is going to see a lot of play thanks to his glowing Marquee reviews write-ups – so your need to learn his dial will be two-fold. First, and most obvious, is that he's a Mystic – so if you're going to trade clicks with him, you'd better be damn well sure that you're doing more than just one damage! With a range of zero (except for clicks four and five, when he picks up Mind Control), and an entire dial's worth of Exploit Weakness, you really need to attack him from range if at all possible (even if you have to use up an object to do so)! By click four he loses Leap/Climb and Super-Senses – but he does pick up Toughness, so keep that in mind. His best click is his second, which your opponents will probably push to – so attack him with impunity from that point forward.

Shanna the She-Devil has five clicks. The thing about her is, her potential damage output is much higher than her point cost of 45 would otherwise suggest – so you underestimate her at your own risk. You'll have to attack her in base-to-base contact on her first two clicks if she's in hindering terrain – but she's got three clicks of Blades, and boosts her damage by one when you do so... However, she's one figure where it really pays to play keep-away: She has no way of dealing damage from range on her first two clicks, and can safely be avoided on those. She does pick up Charge and Willpower on clicks three and four, however...

Tiger Shark has eight clicks. With Aquatic movement, and move-and-attack powers on ever click (the first four of which being full-move Charge), he is absolutely one of the three figures to beat in this tournament. If you do end up facing him, Outwit his Movement powers each and every turn if you can. He loses Invulnerability by click three, and finally drops down to just Super-Senses by click seven – so don't be reluctant to press the attack... especially considering that, with the Masters of Evil team ability, he can attack you each and every turn that he's in play!

Man-Beast has eight clicks. He's got such an unusual dial layout and set of powers that he's going to be the most difficult figure to get a handle on how to play well against in this tournament. Absolutely be sure to eliminate his Mastermind fodder before you attack him, if you can! It's a toss-up as to whether your opponent will keep him in Stealth, with Blades, on his first click; or opt for Outwit, Psychic Blast and condition-specific Mind Control (with a range of six) on his second click; but either way, his Defense gets bumped up to Invulnerability on clicks three and four! When he finally loses Outwit on click five, he's much less dangerous – but you shouldn't count him out entirely just yet! On clicks six, seven and eight, he alternates between Psychic Blast, Blades and a final click of Psychic Blast, respectively – so try to hit him hard on his first two clicks, and then beat a strategic retreat.

Wolverine has six clicks. At only 70 points, with two opening clicks of Exploit Weakness, he could potentially be this set's giant-slayer... if he got a move-and-attack ability before click four, that is! As is, with zero range you can safely ignore him while keeping him from basing you, and/or just attack him from range. When you do hit him, try to do just three damage (two if you've actually bothered to Outwit his Toughness) – he picks up Charge and Blades on clicks four and five! Speaking of Outwit, be sure to Outwit his Regeneration on clicks five and six – that way you can knock him out and gain victory points for having done so.

Joe Fixit has eight clicks. At fifty points less than the Common Hulk, he does still bring some interesting powers and stats to the table. His first click is his best click by far – it has Charge, Super-Strength, Invulnerability, 4 Damage and 11 Attack – so when facing him, knock him off his first click immediately. Beware his ability to throw objects with an added Incapacitate effect on clicks two, three and four! He's got a move-and-attack ability on every click except for three, four and eight – so it may be worthwhile to Outwit these to keep yourself safe. Don't help your opponent by knocking him onto click eight, which has Regeneration – you'd just be doing him a favor! Get him to click four, where he trades Invulnerability for Toughness, and you shouldn't have much more trouble out of this figure for the rest of the match.

Ghost Rider has seven clicks. Like Rare Daredevil, hes got the Mystics team ability – but unlike that figure, you may actually want to target this character first. Here's why: If you didn't damage any of your opponent's other figures the turn before, then the Penance Stare Special Power doesn't work. This figure's best click is his third – it's got high combat values, Charge, and Invulnerability. With only Toughness to protect him on his first two clicks (and again on clicks five and six), try your best to bypass his Invulnerability clicks (clicks three and four) entirely. Don't forget that Ghost Rider, despite not having his bike, has a range of four – and that he gets Regeneration on his final click, click eight!

Spider-Man has seven clicks. The Spider-Man team ability could make him a nuisance to deal with if he's been paired with either Rare Daredevil or Ghost Rider. He does have a range of four with two bolts – and he's got Leap/Climb on every click except his last one, click seven – so you will have to decide whether or not it's more advantageous to attack him from range on the fly. Beware clicks four and five, which have double Incapacitate – it's got the potential to rob you of actions, and can hurt even Impervious figures that are still vulnerable to pushing damage. Outwit Super-Strength on clicks one and seven; Incapacitate on clicks four and five; and Super-Senses when you need to be sure of hitting him, and you'll be fine.

Caiera has seven clicks. With four opening clicks of Charge, she's immune to knockback damage for more than half of her dial. She's also got three clicks worth of Impervious, followed by four clicks of Invulnerability – which means that she reduces all damage dealt to her by two, when she doesn't avoid it outright. She's got Indomitable – making her a threat on two out of every three turns. She can make otherwise mediocre figures exponentially better by giving them and 18 Defense when in base-to-base contact – and that's a Trait, which can't be Outwitted. She picks up Perplex on click three; Steal Energy on click four; and Close-Combat Expert on click five. She even has a range value of three – so be sure not to forget about that!

A-Bomb has eight clicks. Like Caiera, his entire dial features Invulnerability or better (Impervious on clicks one, two, and three; Invulnerability on clicks four through eight) defense. He's also got protection from ranged attacks (but not from Outwit) whenever he's adjacent to walls or blocking terrain. In addition, he gets straight-up Stealth on clicks three and four – and Exploit Weakness on clicks three, four, and five, to make sure that the damage he deals up close actually sticks. With a range of zero, it's crucial that you Outwit his Charge on clicks one, two, five and six if you can. By clicks seven and eight, he drops down to Leap/Climb – so attack him from range at that point, because he can break away automatically from your big guns. Also try to remember that he does not have Indomitable – so try to use that to your advantage.

Ka-Zar has six clicks. With a range of five, he can't simply be ignored to start out with, like Shanna the She-Devil can. Two clicks of Stealth up front guarantee that he's going to be planted firmly in hindering terrain – but he's even more dangerous up close, due to an initial click of overlapping Blades and Combat Reflexes. His most vulnerable clicks are clicks three and four: He keeps Blades, but picks up Leap/Climb to break away – and he only has Super-Senses to protect him. Take care not to knock him onto clicks five or six – he gets Stealth back, and has a wicked combo of Psychic Blast and Close-Combat Expert to ensure that he's dealing damage at range or up close. Try not to forget that he has the Duo attack ability available to him as well.

Black Bolt has 10 clicks. He leaves room on a team for 107 points worth of other figures – as if he wasn't dangerous enough on his lonesome! With flying, three bolts, 9 range and Sharpshooter, he is absolutely one of the top three figures to beat in this tournament. Even Outwitting his Silent Scream Special Power on clicks one, three and five is no guarantee of safety – he can simply push to pick up Psychic Blast on clicks two, four and six! Basing him is no good – Pulse Wave ignores adjacency, and the Sharpshooter ability ensures that he can even make a ranged attack in base-to-base contact. With two starting clicks of Impervious – and Invulnerability on clicks three, four, five and six - it's going to take everything you have to defeat him. Be sure to Outwit his defense before launching an attack against him with your big gun – you don't want him to avoid a big hit for six or seven by getting his Impervious roll, after all!

Outback Hulk has 10 clicks. If you remember nothing else about this figure, it should be that you must not, under any circumstances, land him either on or near click ten! I don't care if you've got to push to KO one of your own figures, it'll be worth it if you can knock him past that last click. The rest of his dial's no slouch either: He's got Indomitable; he can hit at range or up close for penetrating damage on clicks two, three, four and five; Toughness doesn't show up until click six of his dial; and he regains Impervious on clicks four and five! He's got move-and-attack abilities on his first four clicks – though it may be prudent to Outwit his defensive powers (which are as follows: Impervious on clicks one, four and five; Invulnerability on clicks two and three) and eliminate him as quickly as possible.

Red King has 10 clicks. Remember that, as a giant, you should always have line-of-sight to him for Outwit and/or ranged attacks. He treats figures up to three squares away as though they are adjacent – which is crazy-go-nuts with his special knockback power that deals two damage to any figures who bump into each other on clicks two, three, four and five! In order to keep yourself safe, you should Outwit his Charge first on clicks one, four and five; and then his Impervious on clicks one through three, and Invulnerability on clicks four, five and six (in that order). Remember that he does not have Indomitable – so if you take away his move-and-attack abilities, he's going to have to push to even damage you, if you keep a safe distance away from him!

Cosmic Hulk has 10 clicks. If you see one of your opponents pull this figure, then pack as much Psychic Blast and/or Exploit Weakness onto your team as you can. Remember also that his Power Cosmic team ability renders all your Outwit useless – so don't overpay for that ability, just to have it on your team! He's got a range of five, and Running Shot with a 10 on Speed for his first two clicks (and Hypersonic Speed, of all things, on clicks five and six) – so do everything in your power to keep your big guns at least eleven spaces away from him, if he can take an action next turn (and with the Power Cosmic team ability, he probably can)! His least-dangerous clicks are clicks five and six – although he's still doing four damage at range with Hypersonic – and remember that, with no other figures on his team, there's absolutely nothing stopping him from using Pulse Wave on clicks three, four, seven and eight! He also finally loses Impervious on click five – dropping down to Invulnerability instead – so if you can wear him down to that point, then at least he'll no longer be able to avoid any damage you deal to him entirely... You've got an uphill battle ahead of you – so good luck, my friend!

(Note: I ran out of time to compose brief write-ups for the set's chase figures: the Hulked-Out Heroes.)

My Dark Side deck for Decipher's Star Wars Collectible Card Game!

(last edited 6/25/11)

(Note: The following casual deck is NOT intended for use in serious tournament play. Also, it hasn't been play-tested yet!)

Dark Side

Starting (8):
Hoth: Ice Plains (v)
Prepared Defenses (v)
All Wrapped Up (v)
Combat Response (v)
Rise Of The Dark Lord (End This Destructive Conflict v)
Vader's Bionic Limbs (Physical Choke v)
Vader's Cape (v)
Vader's Mask (Vader's Eye v)

Locations (10):
Hoth
Hoth: Defensive Perimeter
Hoth: North Ridge
Coruscant
Coruscant: Imperial City
Coruscant: Galactic Senate
Dungeon (Jabba's Palace: Dungeon v)
Jabba's Sail Barge: Passenger Deck
Tatooine (Premiere)
Tatooine: Marketplace

Characters (19):
4-Lom
Boba Fett, Relentless Bounty Hunter (Quick Reflexes v)
Bossk (v)
Commander Praji (v)
Coruscant Guard (v) x2
Cyborg Commander, Hunter Of Jedi (Twi'lek Advisor v)
Darth Maul
Darth Sidious
Darth Vader, More Machine Than Man (Darth Vader v)
Dengar (v)
General Nevar (Commander Gherant v)
Guri (v)
IG-88 (v)
Jabba The Hutt (v)
Keder The Black (v)
Prince Xixor (v)
Veers (v)
Zuckuss (v)

Starships/Vehicles (12):
Blizzard 1 (v)
Blizzard 2 (v)
Blizzard Scout 1 (v)
Devastator (v)
Hound's Tooth (v)
IG-2000
Jabba's Sail Barge (v)
Marquand In Blizzard 6 (Prepare For A Surface Attack v)
Mist Hunter (v)
Punishing One (v)
Stinger (v)
Vader's Custom TIE

Weapons/Devices (5):
AT-AT Cannon (v)
Dark Jedi Lightsaber (v)
Darth Vader's Lightsaber
Fett's Blaster Rifle (Double Back v)
Maul's Lightsaber

Interrupts (3):
Double Back
Trample
Walker Garrison (v)

Events (3):
An Enemy Of The Republic (Dead Jawa v)
Bounty (v) x2

My Light Side deck for Decipher's Star Wars Collectible Card Game!

(last updated 6/25/11)

(Note: The following casual deck is NOT intended for use in serious tournament play. Also, it hasn't been play-tested yet!)

Light Side

Starting (7):
Tatooine (Premiere)
Harvest (v)
Tatooine: Lars' Moisture Farm (v)
Lars' Hydroponics Station (Hydroponics Station v)
Lars' Vaporator (Vaporator v)
Maneuvering Flaps & Nick of Time (Maneuvering Flaps v)
Squadron Assignments

Locations (10):
Coruscant
Coruscant: Galactic Senate
Hoth
Hoth: Defensive Perimeter
Hoth: Echo Corridor
Hoth: Main Power Generators (v)
Hoth: Snow Trench
Spaceport Scoundrels Guild (Tatooine: Anchorhead v)
Spaceport Street
Tatooine: Watto's Junkyard

Characters (20):
Bail Organa, Father of Rebellion (Palejo Reshad v)
Beru Lars (v)
Biggs, Rogue Legend (Biggs Darklighter v)
Chewie (v)
Dack Ralter (v)
General Carlist Rieekan (v)
Han Solo, Courageous Smuggler (I've Got A Bad Feeling About This v)
Lando Calrissian (v)
Luke Skywalker, Rebel Hero (Captive Pursuit v)
Luke Skywalker, Strong In The Force (A Jedi's Concentration v)
Master Qui-Gon (v)
Mirax Terrik
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padawan Learner (v)
Owen Lars (v)
R2-D2 (v)
Senator Leia Organa (Princess Organa v)
Senator Mon Mothma (Mon Mothma v)
Senator Padme Amidala (I've Decided To Go Back v)
Wedge Antilles, Legendary Rogue (Wedge Antilles v)
Zev Senesca

Starships/Vehicles (9):
Alderaan Consular Ship (Masanya v)
Booster in Pulsar Skate (Pulsar Skate v)
Gold Squadron 1
Red 2
Red 3 (v)
Red 5 (v)
Rogue 1
Rogue 2
Rogue 3

Weapons/Devices (6):
Dual Laser Cannon (v)
Luke's Bionic Hand (Bionic Hand v)
Luke's Blaster Pistol (v)
Luke's Lightsaber
Planet Defender Ion Cannon (v)
Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber

Interrupts (4):
Beru Stew (v)
Desperate Tactics
Houjix
Sorry About The Mess & Blaster Proficiency

Effects (5):
A New Secret Base
Credits Will Do Fine
Echo Base Operations
Haven
Sai'torr Kal Fas (v)

Randomly-Offered Musings!

Although I was actually born in the mid-Seventies, I consider myself to be a child of the Eighties (and since my earliest recollections stretch back no further than 1979 at most, it would be disingenuous for me to claim otherwise!). And what a great time it was to be a kid! We (by which I mean boys... and all of the coolest girls, of course!) had the best action figures; the best cartoons, which were based on those action figures; and even the real Indiana Jones and Star Wars in movie theaters!

Now it's not as though I'm somehow completely unaware of the fact that subsequent generations have also enjoyed many of the same things that I did when I was younger (chronologically speaking, at least - I'm still just a kid at heart) - '80s nostalgia is seemingly still big business today, if modern filmmakers (and toy-makers - and um, clothing-makers? - and...) are any indication! But there is one facet of Eighties life which is fast becoming just as foreign a concept as 8-track tapes were in my own time: that most endangered species amongst dying breeds known simply as... the arcade.

Right about now you're probably thinking about that one mall you still occasionally go to whenever you find yourself getting bored with those other three malls - it contains a small arcade, after all! But there's a big difference inherent in its floorspace usage and the all-important price-per-play ratio therein.

I mean, when you really think about it... isn't that place pretty much overrun with over-sized cabinets easily two or three times the size of one standard arcade game? To say nothing about the similarly-huge gimmicky controllers (I haven't forgotten about old-school machines like Super Hang-On and After Burner - but back then those were the exceptions to the norm)...

And how much would you be willing to pay to play that racing game - a dollar... possibly more? Better get your quarters in order before you begin, in any case - you'll have to chip in again whenever you don't cross the finish line in first place (W. A. Stokins from Fuldigan, HA called - he wants his money back)!

No, I'm talking about real arcades here - the ones where your parents would give you a five-spot and set you loose every year on your birthday... and you'd never even play the same game twice, if you could possibly help it (and although I've also heard the horror stories about shadier establishments which would deal *ahem* mind-altering substances out of the back room, I was fortunate enough never to encounter any of them myself)!

Particularly-astute readers have probably already guessed that this series isn't exclusively based on any actual arcades from that bygone era. No, the focus is instead on the types of games that were typically contained therein - and what really needs to be said is that emulation doesn't have to be a dirty word!

First thing's first though - your keyboard just isn't going to cut it when it comes to taking on these classic ROMs! And to that end, might I recommend Tomee's SNES USB Controller? Sure, it might not accurately emulate the actual arcade experience without either a true joystick or those shiny red buttons (the jolly candy-like buttons!) - but I got mine so I could play console games that I already own on my home computer (but that's a discussion best left for some other time)!

So to start with, here are my Rules of Responsible ROM Usage - Arcade Edition (more like recommendations, really - but would you buy a list called "Suggestions of Responsible ROM Usage"?)!

(Note: I might have unintentionally left out something important - so I'll remove this notice once I've figured out whether or not I actually remembered everything I really wanted to include...)

If - after successfully cross-referencing Wikipedia's "List of arcade games" article with arcade-museum dot com's Killer List of Video Games (better known by the acronym KLOV) - you've determined that the following criteria have (or have not, as the case may be) been met, it is morally permissible (if not always, in the strictest technical sense, legally well-advised) to download arcade game ROMs for personal use in emulation:

1. You already own a legitimate copy of the ROM in question.

Although this applies just as much to arcade games as it does with console titles, it's not going to come up quite as often. I mean after all, why would you ever play something on your PC when you could just as easily do the same on your big-screen TV - and with an Xbox 360 controller to boot? Still, the option's there if you need it - and I actually have a practical, real-world example of the same:

I own a copy of Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 for the Playstation 2. However, the spindle inside the case was just too big - which created small fractures radiating outwards from the middle of the disc. This, in turn, effectively rendered the game unplayable - but when it was working, it gave me the ability to play the twenty included titles in emulation on my PS2. Shouldn't those rights also extend to my laptop as well?

2. At no point has the game ever received an official release, in any format whatsoever, for your current country of residence.

Basically what it all boils down to is this: Is there now, or has there ever in the past existed a means by which an average individual might reasonably have rendered payments due to all responsible parties for the rights to play this particular game?

Here's one qualification which is actually easier to investigate with arcade games than it is for those titles only intended for home use. Could it have ever conceivably appeared at your local arcade - and if not, was it ever ported over to any of the home consoles? Well, that last part's gonna be a little bit trickier.

First thing's first: You're gonna want to check out Wikipedia's "List of Playstation Store games;" the "List of Xbox Live Arcade games;" and the "List of Virtual Console games," in addition to the two sites mentioned previously.

This rule also applies to Neo-Geo titles as well. I know that it's tempting, what with those games being so expensive otherwise - but the fact remains that none of SNK's home systems have regional lock-outs. What this means is that any Neo-Geo console can play any game ever designed for the system - regardless of where the title was first manufactured and/or distributed.

3. The game was released for arcades in your area - but it was never made available for home use (or else it was only ever offered as such in other countries).

As the old saying goes, "I would if I could - but I can't, so I won't." To better illustrate my point, I offer by way of example my all-time favorite video game (that's including both arcades and home consoles): Taito's Night Striker.

If some place nearby still had that machine... well then, I probably wouldn't even be writing this right now! Instead, you'd always be able to find me right there - spending all my time, and most of my money on it. I love Night Striker so much, in fact, that I even imported it for the Japanese Playstation... despite my having no way of actually playing it!

Clearly the issue here isn't my unwillingness to pay... it's my complete inability to do so. Emulation represents my only viable option for playing this game at present - it isn't even available on any of the Taito Legends compilations!

So don't let considerations such as these keep you from ever experiencing what are some truly incredible titles - for instance, all the best shoot 'em ups ("shmups" to those in-the-know) were only ever released for Asian markets...

4. The available home versions are all vastly inferior to the arcade original.

This one's clearly debatable, because so much of it is based on personal judgment. Caution, however, is always advisable in any situation such as this...

Before the release of Midway Arcade Treasures 2 in 2004, I'd always considered NARC to be the unofficial poster-child for this particular phenomenon. Perhaps the title should now be passed onto 1981's Vanguard? But just in comparison to its Atari 2600 counterpart, of course.


Thanks for reading - and please, keep on reaching for those high scores until the next big installment of Randomly-Offered Musings!

Dinky Reviews!

My sealed "brick" of Giant-Size X-Men HeroClix (+ 1).

It should have been terrible - in fact, I half-expected that it would be.

But before we get into that, let's talk for a moment about super-boosters. "Super-boosters" are the width and depth of two regular boosters - and they take the place of the same in each brick (you can also buy additional super-boosters separately - thus the aforementioned plus one). Each super-booster contains one of six possible over-sized HeroClix figures - so the more that you buy, the greater the risk you run of unwanted duplication.

So why were my expectations so low in this particular instance? Simply put, I'd done even better on my last go-around than I ever could've hoped for - and with the unwritten law of universal averages being what it is, I figured that my 'luck' was due for a downturn.

Now because any expenditure in excess of a hundred dollars isn't an inconsiderable one for me personally, I actually prayed extensively regarding the contents of both this brick and my previous one of DC 75th. This time however, my pleading was different: Instead of requesting the exceptional, I merely asked for acceptable.

The first and most obvious thing was the contents of my super-boosters. Would the same excitement for these over-sized characters that led to my ordering one extra turn around to bite me by my receiving two of the same non-generic figure?

No. I pulled Apocalypse - my first instance of said character. And Onslaught!

But what about the standard-sized boosters? Well, when my third of such yielded SR (Super-Rare) Magneto ("Playtime is ended," indeed!), I literally said to myself, "I don't even care what's in the rest of my packs!"

But somehow, I managed to open the rest of the packs anyway - and my efforts were rewarded with SR The Captain from Nextwave (however, I didn't get every character I need for the complete team - I'll have to pick up Monica Rambeau at some other time), and the SR Cyclops/Phoenix duo figure (or, if you prefer, Scott Summers and Jean Grey)!

So not too shabby, all things considered!

Dinky Reviews!

My sealed "brick" of DC 75th HeroClix.

In HeroClix, a "brick" is a sealed set of ten unopened booster packs - in other words, half a case's worth of figures. HeroClix itself is a game wherein players use pre-painted miniatures representing popular comic book heroes and villains to square off against one another. As its name implies, the DC 75th expansion is a celebration of DC's seventy-five years of continued publication - albeit with an additional focus on the Blackest Night company-wide cross-over storyline.

As a customer, the brick that one receives is random - however, there is now a fixed structure of figure selection and rarity distribution within each individual pack therein as well. This is a relatively new advent with HeroClix releases - and, in my opinion, it is also a good one. For me, my reasoning behind this is simple: With the last expansion that I bought a brick from, DC Crisis, the contents were truly random. This turned out to be a problem for me because with that set, I only received two Super-Rare figures instead of three (which was the stated average amount). Not that big of a deal... until you realize that whoever bought the other brick from the same case as me ended up receiving a whopping five or six Super-Rares at my expense!

With DC 75th, I not only received three different Super-Rares - but I also got my guaranteed one-per-brick chase figure as well! However, this newly-fixed distribution within the bricks themselves has had regrettably unfortunate consequences for some other individuals, in that they purchased multiple bricks - only to find out later that they'd unwittingly bought the same one twice... right down to character selection and figure placement within every pack! For those like myself with limited budgets - those who only intend to buy a single brick - it shouldn't be a problem; but for anyone intending to procure greater volumes of product for themselves, I recommend proceeding with all due caution. There have also been reports of quality control issues concerning merchandise arriving in damaged and/or incomplete condition. I myself have, thankfully, seemingly sidestepped this issue in this particular instance.

I'm pleased to report that, overall, I'm quite content with my brick of DC 75th HeroClix. Although I'm a confirmed fan of the cosmic titles produced by both DC and Marvel, I knew going in that - realistically speaking - I would not be getting every Green Lantern-related character in this set. Now that I know which ones I already have on-hand, I can simply pick up additional figures on the secondary market. As far as Super-Rares go, I got: the Golden Age Green Lantern, Allan Scott - insanely good, gameplay-wise; the Golden Age Wonder Woman, one of the best versions of said character in HeroClix; and the first non-lantern, non-Crisis on Infinite Earths, non- Starro-slave incarnation of Barry Allen as The Flash. And, speaking of The Flash: My chase figure, Barry Allen as a White Lantern, has been described by authoritative HeroClix website HCRealms dot com as the "Best. Flash. Ever."

Additional musings:

Received two of every generic - except for, unfortunately, the Zamorons.

Six non-generic duplicates: 4 commons (Donna Troy, Crimson Avenger, Bart Allen and Green Arrow) and 2 uncommons (Queen Aga'po and Detective Chimp). Fortunately, whenever I get duplicates of non-generics, it usually makes up for one of the two having a truly horrendous paint-job (and thankfully, I didn't get any triplicates this time around).

Two common Dominators - yet no uncommon Ruling-Class Dominator to lead them. Similarly, no Solovar to guide my Gorilla City Warriors into battle. This situation will have to be remedied.

One of my two Easy Company Soldiers was in the same pack as Sargent Rock. Groovy.

One of these days, I'm going to need to pick up the super-rare Wonder Twins duo figure from this set in order to round out the Super-Friends!

I'm still missing three of the variously-colored Lantern guardians from the set. This includes, obviously enough, the super-rare Sinestro - I haven't got either of the Yellow Lantern incarnations of this character, and so Sinestro Corps Mongul will just have to suffice. I am therefore going to end up breaking down and purchasing Indigo-1, Carol Ferris and - sadly enough - a character that I totally love, Saint Walker, from the secondary market.

The issue isn't that I ended up getting Black Lantern guardian Scar - it's that, because of the overwhelming scarcity of other members of the Black Lantern Corps (at a rate of one in every sixty packs - that's a single figure per three cases! - from a previous HeroClix expansion, The Brave and the Bold), I'll probably never be able to build an actual team with two or more Black Lanterns...

I already owned all the good versions of Kyle Rayner, save for the limited-edition figure of the same name from the Collateral Damage expansion set, prior to this - however, the benefits available to this new version (post- Sinestro Corps War uniform, free telekinesis) guarantee that the new one will see some play from me.

Some Magic: The Gathering cards I happen to own

These are just some of cards that I'm lucky to own. I'm always tickled to pull good cards from the packs I buy, because I typically only buy six or less boosters per set. In the near future (it's 8/14/13 as of this writing), I'm hoping to both update and condense (removing the less impressive cards I included from every consecutive just for completion's sake) this list. Again, if you were brought to this site while searching for any of the cards listed herein, and were hoping for something more substantial, I do apologize.

Updated 10/5/09

Revised: Black Vise (Uncommon)
Fourth Edition: Hypnotic Specter (Uncommon)
Fifth Edition: Armageddon (Rare)
Sixth Edition: Archangel (Rare)
Magic 2010: Shivan Dragon (Rare, foil)
Portal I: Personal Tutor (Uncommon)
Fallen Empires: Hymn to Tourach (Common, x4 – all four illustrations)
Ice Age: Pox (Rare)
Alliances: Lake of the Dead (Rare)
Mirage: Flash (Rare, x2)
Visions: Tithe (Rare)
Weatherlight: Lotus Vale (Rare)
Tempest: Humility (Rare)
Stronghold: Mox Diamond (Rare)
Exodus: Curiosity (Uncommon)
Urza’s Saga: Tie – Opal Archangel (Rare), Wildfire (Rare)
Urza’s Legacy: Tie – Delusions of Mediocrity (Rare, foil), Mother of Runes (Uncommon)
Urza’s Destiny: Academy Rector (Rare)
Mercadian Masques: Charisma (Rare, Chinese text)
Nemesis: Tie – Parallax Wave (Rare), Daze (Common, x4)
Prophecy: Tie – Veteran Brawlers (Rare, foil), Avatar of Hope (Rare)
Invasion: Coalition Victory (Rare, foil)
Planeshift: Skyship Weatherlight (Rare, foil)
Apocalypse: Spectral Lynx (Rare)
Odyssey: Tie – Braids, Cabal Minion (Rare), Nantuko Mentor (Rare, foil)
Torment: Cabal Coffers (Uncommon, x2)
Judgment: Silver Seraph (Rare)
Onslaught: Polluted Delta (Rare)
Legions: Akroma, Angel of Wrath (Rare)
Scourge: Goblin Warchief (Uncommon, x3)
Mirrodin: Solemn Simulacrum (Rare)
Darksteel: Tie – Chromescale Drake (Rare, foil), Pulse of the Fields (Rare)
Fifth Dawn: Veldalken Shackles (Rare)
Champions of Kamigawa: Isamaru, Hound of Konda (Rare)
Betrayers of Kamigawa: Umezawa’s Jitte (Rare)
Saviors of Kamigawa: Choice of Damnations (Rare)
Time Spiral: Tie - Shadowmage Infiltrator (“Time-shifted” Rare), Flagstones of Trokair (Rare)
Planar Chaos: Tie – Life and Limb (Rare, foil), Gaea’s Anthem (Rare)
Future Sight: Pyromancer’s Swath (Rare)
Shadowmoor: Sunken Ruins (Rare)
Eventide: Balefire Liege (Rare)
Planechase: Grave Pact (Rare)
Unglued: Blacker Lotus (Rare)
Unhinged: Swamp (foil)

Magic: The Gathering - The Basics, Part 1:

In Magic: The Gathering, players take on the roles of opposing Planeswalkers: god-like beings who can, under their own power, travel between worlds and - as their name implies - other planes of reality. As a Planeswalker, you tap into the land itself to summon little dudes - called "creatures" (and yes, human is just one of many creature sub-types) - to fight your opponent. Creatures also serve the dual role of blocking your opponent's creatures when they attack you, in return.

Both players start the game with a sixty-card deck; a seven-card opening hand; and twenty life points (which, as you might well expect, can go either up or down during the match). When one player's life points are reduced to zero (or any of the other victory conditions - albeit rare [such as running out of cards to draw] - are met), they lose the game!

The most basic resources in the game are land cards. Roughly one-third (and sometimes more!) of any good Magic: The Gathering deck is made up of lands. In this regard, deck design is somewhat easier than it is in other collectible card games...

Players "tap" (turn sideways, in order to show that it's been used this turn) land for one of five different colors of "mana" (a term you're undoubtedly familiar with if you've ever played the Diablo video games) - which is magical energy that's required to cast spells (comprised of all the other non-land card types). There are five different basic land types (although of course, there's plenty of other non-basic lands, too) - each with its own associated color of mana. Naturally, certain colors work better together than others - and while I've listed enemy colors, they are not in fact impossible to play in tandem (just more difficult).

The colors are, in order:

White mana
Basic land type: Plains
Allied colors: Blue and green
Enemy colors: Black and red
Largest creature type: Angels. Every set has at least one angel in it (and sometimes more) - most of them rare.
Most ubiquitous creature type: Human.
Strengths: Healing, damage prevention and redirection; lots of small creatures that are fast to bring into play (which have been nicknamed "weenies" by players)
Weaknesses: White has trouble, both with being able to deal much damage, and to deal it fast enough.

Blue mana
Basic land type: Islands
Allied colors: White and black
Enemy colors: Red and green
Largest creature type: Pretty much non-applicable, since it's a built-in counter-balance to blue's overall power in other aspects of the game. While blue does have a few large creatures, most of them have severe built-in drawbacks to their use.
Most ubiquitous creature type: Wizard (be they Merfolk, Faerie, etc.)
Streghths: Countering opponents' spells entirely; drawing lots of extra cards. Blue is often considered to be Magic's most powerful color.
Weaknesses: It is also the slowest. It takes longer to get the ball rolling with blue than it does with any other color.

Black mana
Basic land type: Swamps
Allied colors: Blue and red
Enemy colors: White and green
Largest creature type: Demons, Vampires and Djinns. Those three are among the rarest creature types in the game, though - sometimes years go by without new instances of the same!
Most ubiquitous creature type: Zombies, Skeletons etc.
Strengths: Forcing opponents to discard from their hands; bringing their own stuff back from the discard pile
Weaknesses: Black is the only color to have no way to deal with two powerful card types - Artifacts and Enchantments.

Red mana
Basic land type: Mountains
Allied colors: Black and green
Enemy colors: White and blue
Largest creature type: Dragons
Most ubiquitous creature type: Goblins
Strengths: Dealing damage directly to an opponent (bypassing blocking creatures entirely); destroying cards that are already in play
Weaknesses: Red often sacrifices caution for speed - many of its spells damage their players as much (sometimes more) as they do their opponents!

Green mana
Basic land type: Forests
Allied colors: White and red
Enemy colors: Blue and black
Largest creature type: Too numerous to list! Green is the color that's known for its big creatures.
Most ubiquitous creature type: Elves
Strengths: Fast mana production; lots of extra mana production; big creatures
Weaknesses: Green is the most average of Magic's five colors - but what it might lack in flashiness, when compared to the others, it more than makes up for by having no real glaring weaknesses...

There are also multi-colored/"gold" (the color of their card borders) spells. These require at least two, and possibly as many as five different colors of mana to cast! They typically combine the strengths of their respective colors, albeit usually not quite so powerful as in their uncombined forms. For example, a multi-colored black and blue spell might force your opponent to discard cards, while you yourself draw an equal amount of cards. Gold's largest creatures are the Elder Dragons.

Magic: The Gathering

As of this writing (8/14/13), the list which follows is terribly out-of-date. In addition to judging respective power levels of all the cardsI've obtained in the intervening years, I'm also considering nominating the best (or best few) cards that I own of each possible multi-colored combination. If you were brought to this site while searching for any of the cards listed herein, and were hoping for something more substantial, I do apologize.

Updated 10/5/09

The following is an ordered list of my best Magic: The Gathering cards (playability-wise) thus far, by color. For simplicity's sake, no Commons are included.

White: Armageddon (Fifth Edition, Rare); Akroma, Angel of Wrath (Legions, Rare); Parallax Wave (Nemesis, Rare); Serra Angel (Fourth Edition, Uncommon); Akroma's Vengeance (Planechase, Rare)

Blue: Evacuation (Stronghold, Rare); Equilibrium (Seventh Edition, Rare); Serra Sphinx (Planar Chaos, Rare); Azumi, Lady of Scrolls (Champions of Kamigawa, Rare); Fatespinner (Mirrodin, Rare)

Black: Braids, Cabal Minion (Odyssey, Rare); Infernal Tribute (Weatherlight, Rare); Hypnotic Specter (Fourth Edition, Uncommon); Grave Pact (Planechase, Rare); Sengir Vampire (Torment, Rare)

Red: Savage Beating (Darksteel, Rare); Relentless Assault (Eighth Edition, Rare); Shivan Dragon (Magic 2010, Rare); Flametongue Kavu (Planechase, Uncommon); Skullscorch (Torment, Rare)

Green: Sylvan Library (Fifth Edition, Rare); Gaea's Anthem (Planar Chaos, Rare); Azusa, Lost but Seeking (Champions of Kamigawa, Rare); Enshrined Memories (Betrayers of Kamigawa, Rare); Eternal Witness (Fifth Dawn, Uncommon)

Multi-colored/Gold: Shadowmage Infiltrator (Time Spiral, "Time-shifted" Rare); Void (Invasion, Rare); Eladamri's Call (Planeshift, Rare); Stormbind (Time Spiral, "Time-shifted" Rare); Fires of Yavimaya (Planechase, Uncommon)

Artifact: Mox Diamond (Stronghold, Rare); Umezawa's Jitte (Betrayers of Kamigawa, Rare); Cloud Key (Future Sight, Rare); Black Vise (Revised, Uncommon); Crucible of Worlds (Fifth Dawn, Rare)

Land: Lotus Vale (Weatherlight, Rare); Undiscovered Paradise (Visions, Rare); Gemstone Mine (Weatherlight, Uncommon); Sunken Ruins (Shadowmoor, Rare); Heart of Yavimaya (Alliances, Rare)