High time for a new cosmic set.

Not long after I posted my view on Gatecrasher's Technet, I got the news that there is a new space faring Marvel set coming. Now, Hulk is slated for December and that's nice, but I'm far more excited about a new Galactic Guardians set. I'm a big fan of the cosmic forces and they really need the overhaul given to other pieces repeatedly so far. Hulk already has new pieces since the restart of Heroclix. Thanks to those we have Green Scar, Hulk as a horseman of Apocalypse, Golden age hulk, Red Hulk, Rampaging Hulk; and don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have a new set for Hulk. I'll take it. But the overhaul for our space age friends is far more overdue. Not only could we use more of the Technet to fill out a pesky keyword issue, but check out the following:

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: Specifically the original team. Starhawk could really use and upgrade as could Vance Astro or Aleta. We've also never had Capt. Charlie-27 or Martinex. There are some great character possibilities here and I would love to see them done.

JACK OF HEARTS: Here's a cosmic hero in dire need of a redo. Not that his original piece isn't good, but with all the new mechanics of the game, he could be awesome.

THE INHUMANS: I would really like to see a better Black Bolt and replacements for Medusa and Crystal. Upgrading Lockjaw wouldn't hurt either since we have the "pet Avengers" keyword floating around. Give Lockjaw the transporter ability without the pesky -2 to movement. After all, he could transport his whole team across the stars!

The NOVAs: There are two of them. One is the female, Frankie Raye:

And the other is,

Let's see them both.

STARJAMMERS: What space faring set would be complete without a relaunch of the Starjammers? Corsair, Hepzibah and Raja are all great choices. I would also like to see them actually worth playing. Sorry, but the last time we saw Hepzibah, she wasn't.

DRAX THE DESTROYER: I don't care which version we see, but make him. Please give him the keywords for Guardians and Infinity Watch. He should fit in both or it's just not right.

SHIAR IMPERIAL GUARD: Since the Annhilators keyword is getting introduced, follow through and remake Gladiator. You may as well give the keyword to a replacement of Silver Surfer as well. Too bad they'll likely never count as a theme team under the new rules. Points are probably going to be way too high. I still want the characters though. Isn't that funny?

SKYMAX and SUPERSKRULL: While we are looking at heroes, like Skymax, let's be sure to give the bad guys some room too.

Super Skrull is a great start. Want to know another awesome idea? Besides Thanos, try this guy:

That's right, Tyrant. Consider yourselves challenged Wizkids!

Todays feature: Superman/Silver Surfer

Duo figures are interesting. I think they could be better if not so watered down on some points, but they are interesting. Watered down as in the minus one damage that all of the duo figures suffer even if it really makes so sense in regard to the characters. You simply get better damage and attack capability by fielding two characters instead of one. Still, I made a slew of double figures myself. On one side, I did it to rebel, ha ha, because of all the complaints I saw about double figures. On the other hand, I saw possibilities for some pretty cool figures.

How I made my doubles is very simple. I just took two pieces and glued them to the same base. Well, it sounds simple, until you realize that getting them to fit right can be like doing a small jigsaw puzzle. But I've enjoyed making them, so that's what really matters for me. I also constructed house rules for playing them and you can do that as well. Today I'm going to tell you about a favorite of mine, one you won't see made anytime soon. I'm talking about the Silver Surfer and Superman.

The idea comes from a comic cross over event that I read several years ago. I used a veteran Silver Surfer base and glued on an extra flier post. I had to adjust Surfer's post over slightly to make room. The Superman is from a limited edition that had the Batman Team ability. You might recognize him. His base was missing anyway. One of my kids lost it long long ago. Oh well. I think these two look great together. As for play, I play them at 400 points. You might think that's too high, but let me tell you what other house rules apply here.

First of all, they get the Superman team ability on top of Cosmic. If that's not enough for you, try this. They don't suffer the minus one penalty to damage dealing when they make a duo attack. Still not enough for you? How about the idea that they can do a duo attack with any attack they do? Running shot? Yep. Hypersonic speed? You bet. Any attack they make gets a second attack for free. And if that's still somehow not enough to validate that 400 point price tag, I also play their dial at +2 to all numeric stats except range. That means their move is a 14, attack is 12, defense is 20, and damage is 6! Six damage without the minus one! Are they worth 400 now? I think so. But that's just how I play them. You might have other ideas. I know they can wreak havoc on my table. I've tried them out.

I really do think that the duo attack ability should not carry that minus one penalty for all figures. Some of them just don't make sense with it. But that's a story for another time. Hope you enjoyed Supes and Surfer!