Okay, this is info that's going to vary depending on your own personal interests and play style, so bear with me. But I want to get one more good post in on 75th before I take off for handling the holidays. Hope you enjoy this.
Qualifications for my top ten (what I considered):
1: Nothing over 200 points because I'm looking for playability in the 300 to 400 point formats. Something that absorbs over 50% of your team doesn't make the cut for me.
2: Tactics: What do they bring to the table and how does it weigh versus need for a themed team? Is it supportable or could it support a win condition? Or is it just too broken not to use (like Nightcrawler)?
3: Point cost versus what they do, comparable to the 200 point rule, but you get the idea.
4: No chase figures. I'm interested in listing figures you can reasonably get your hands on.
As I said, you may not agree with me, but I have my reasons and you have yours, so smile.
10: WARLORD: Surprised already? Warlord is an old favorite of mine from the comics and I'm really glad to finally see a figure for him. I once read a team up with him and Green Arrow, awesome. So why does he make my list? At fifty points, he's simple with an old school combo of charge and blades with a nice 11 attack. Combat Reflexes gives him an 18 up close for defense and might just keep him around long enough to do some nice damage. The only thing that would really make him better for his points is toughness. Sadly, one good hit can take him out. I see him going down easily from high damage, but used right he can soften up a heavy for you or play some great interception on other pieces. So he's simple in application, old school, good damage and attack, and his points make him fit very very well in your warrior themes.
9: ANIMAL MAN: Remember that combo I mentioned with Warlord? Animal Man has it even better with greater movement to make up a bit for the one point lower in attack. And he starts with even better defense. His trait makes him an excellent centerpiece for a big keyword for this set, ANIMAL. Team him up with Beast Boy or all the gorillas and duplicate their powers in Animal Man. The only drawback is that he can't use the power you name until the beginning of your next turn, but it still makes him an excellent tactical wild card. If you think ahead on your plays at all, you can make great use of Animal Man and he's only 79 points. He fits well with all the low cost animals.
8: BEAST BOY: For even less points than Animal Man (60) you get another wild card. Two of the interchangeable forms of Beast Boy are commons and I got extras in my case. Hypersonic speed in the cheetah or more charge blades combo in the bear? Super. Here comes more combo with Animal Man already. I also like that Beast Boy carries the Outsiders team ability for his low cost. There's some awesome tactical ability in being able to pop up and lock down someones stats so they can't be increased or decreased by any power or effect. Beast Boy rocks.
7: ISIS: Now why would Isis (granted she's under a hundred points) beat out Beast Boy and the animal theme? How about Charge, flight, telekinesis AND quake locked at 3 damage? Normal quake is 2 damage to all opponents in base contact with knockback for those who don't know. Raise it to three and surround her with animals for all I care. If she doesn't hit one for three damage, she'll hit them all for three damage. Very nice. And she doesn't stop there for her points with Probability control on the same place in the dial as her special quake, she has mid-dial regeneration and then higher defense with willpower and a jump in damage to 4. Isis also has the "mystical" keyword, another big one with this set. You want tactics that fit in small teams? Isis has that in spades.
6: DEADSHOT: Lets face it, sharpshooter as a tactic RULES. Ranged combat expert directly in the face is a beautiful thing. Deadshot gains the ability to use that and have it be penetrating damage. You don't want to let him sit anywhere for long, but getting up close won't help you. His 12 attack with all that make him a deadly threat. Never mind finally being able to fill out the vaunted Secret Six teams people have been wanting for so long.
5: GREEN ARROW: He only beats Deadshot for place on this list by 9 points and one tactic that I love. Running shot to the face. Green Arrow's sharpshooter ability allows him to pull off running shot on his second click right into base contact. Then his defense increases by 2 for up close (giving him an 18) to make him a deadly tie up piece. And he keeps Ranged combat expert for most of his dial, so he starts doing four damage at a time to that close up target. His range is one better than Deadshot too. I have to say I find the 9 range weird and rare since most go right to 10, but I hardly care for what I get. Awesome tactics.
4: BART ALLEN: Kid Flash is back and better than ever! You gotta love hypersonic that ignores figures and hindering completely. But it can't be countered? Really? Yeah! That means NO outwit and no powers that would shut down his speed. It's not even listed as Hypersonic speed officially so it's fantastic. He has a decent attack value at 10 and a 19 defense against ranged combat. His speed allows him to stay out of reach and maybe even out of direct range. His damage isn't enough to take down heavies, but he can sure run interference on everything else. And since his points fit so well (like the rest of the Teen Titans in this set) it's not long before he can be the finisher for a piece softened up by one of his buddies. And he's a common! That's why he's number four!
3: OSIRIS: This member of the Shazam family starts out with a combo that's been a win condition in a lot of tournaments. I'm talking about the mix of Hypersonic speed with Super strength. He's mystical and I really don't care about his 3 range. Put him with other mysticals or his sister, Isis and get ready for some beat down. Starting out with Impervious in defense isn't shabby either. Even when he loses hypersonic (yeah, he only has one click of it) he remains a warrior. He's also themed for Teen Titans, though he doesn't get the team ability. I see mean possibilities for a hypersonic Teen Titans arrangement that could make opponents dizzy. Three of them are one this list and together they are still under 300 points.
2: BARRY ALLEN: One of the best Flash figures yet. He comes to the table with 14 movement (hypersonic), 11 attack, 18 defense (super senses) and a whopping 3 damage for a speeder of his type. Worried about not having that phasing trick one of the last incarnations had? Why? Later in his dial you get to put him anywhere on the whole freaking map to pull a double swing attack with flurry. That's better than phasing could ever be. Tired of that pesky medic and it's out of reach? Not any more. There's no where to hide from the Flash. You want to know a sick team up? Nightcrawler and this Flash. Need I say more? Throw in Bart, still be under 300 and I don't care if its themed or not.
So it's time for NUMBER ONE: GREEN LANTERN: Surprised? Green Lantern of All Star Squadron, carrying the JSA team ability is totally, totally awesome. Let me tell you why. First off, he KILLS stealth. He ignores stealth for his attacks and when he hits someone with stealth, he turns it off so all his buddies can shoot at the target too! That's a TRAIT so it never goes away. He's mystical too and starts out with a combo power of psychic blast and telekinesis. He's got Idomitable so auto-will power, push him with abandon and impervious. His opening click alone make him a jack of all trades and all purpose tool. At 145 points, he's about the best costed Green Lantern you can get. He's going to fit that All Star Squadron team all too well. He'll make it deadly too. Yeah, he's a super rare, but if you get your hands on him, hold on tight. He's worth it! Did I forget to mention his Running shot and 8 range? Probably because they're just icing on the cake. Oh, let me mention a nice built in wicked combo on Green Lantern. Pulse wave later in his dial, versus a slew of stealth targets. He hits them all for one damage that they can't avoid and they all lose stealth for that round.
So I hope you enjoyed my little top ten list and that you got lots of clicky goodness for your holidays and the one to come.
