-Scott Rubin
We’re back today with another exclusive HeroClix preview courtesy of WizKids Games, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Last time around we got to share the news of a Colossal Carnage and while this time we’re a little bit more down to Earth we get to reveal one of my favorite Marvel Comics characters of all time. Joining the Marvel HeroClix The Mighty Thor set is none other than Beta Ray Bill and his mystical hammer Stormbreaker!
Here’s a quick primer if you’re not familiar with my man Bill who debuted in the pages of Thor in 1983. When the Korbinite species lost its home to demonic forces it underwent a mass migration across space but needed a guardian while its people slept aboard their spaceships. Bill was the mightiest of his people’s champions and for his role of protector was enhanced with a powerful cyborg body incorporating physical attributes of creatures from his homeworld (hence the somewhat horse-like appearance).
When the Korbinite fleet was detected near Earth Nick Fury had Thor investigate, and due to a misunderstanding Beta Ray Bill and the Asgardian began fighting. During the battle Bill separated Thor from his hammer for more than a minute and due to the limitations of the enchantment the Asgardian reverted to his mortal Donald Blake persona and Mjolnir to a mere cane. Examining the weapon in disguise the Korbinite smacked the seemingly worthless item against the hull and triggered the enchantment. Indeed, Beta Ray Bill was worthy of its power and received the full powers of Thor! Bill would travel to Asgard, receive his own magical hammer Stormbreaker from Odin, and become a sworn battle brother of Thor and his people.
Back in the real world, Beta Ray Bill has appeared a few times over the last 15 years in the game of HeroClix with some really cool versions. Now he’s back thanks to the 2016 HeroClix World Champion Patrick Yapjoco. One of the boons for winning the championship is the ability to design a HeroClix figure, and when Patrick selected Beta Ray Bill it was a perfect choice to join the Mighty Thor set! Bill arrives at #063 (seemingly a Chase) while Stormbreaker is an equippable Heavy Object at s011.
The figure’s sculpt, seen here in 3D render, looks incredible and captures the unique look of the character that Walt Simonson designed to be shocking: an alien monster wearing the trappings of Thor. Bill wears the classic “space”-themed outfit complete with heavy boots, discs on the breastplate, shoulder pads, bare arms, thick gloves, and flowing red cape. His head resembles a yellow horse skull with blank white eyes, and it’s topped off with the classic winged helmet. Beta Ray Bill wields Stormbreaker, holding it up with one hand and summoning lightning that arcs down into the ground beside him. Meanwhile, the separate Stormbreaker object captures the unique shape of the weapon as it rests on a bit of rocky ground.
Alright, let’s check out the dial. Beta Ray Bill at full strength is a whopping 225 points, 66 points higher than his most powerful previous figure at 159. Right off the bat he comes with Flight, Indomitable, a short 4 range with two targets, and two traits. The first gives him Stormbreaker, naturally, which provides Bill with Energy Explosion, Quake, and maybe most notably for this figure +2 to range. Bill’s second trait, “Korbinite DNA,” lets him reduce penetrating damage! That’s huge, especially when facing the kinds of threats he can expect to see at his point level.
Bill starts out as a ranged attacker with Running Shot paired with Precision Strike on top of good stats (especially that 12 attack), and Invulnerability may seem a little soft until you factor in his DNA trait. The starting special power “Weather Manipulation” gives Bill Probability Control and limits opponents to attack the Korbinite and adjacent allies with only figures who start the turn 4 squares away or less or are hitting with a close attack. It’s a really interesting take on the “thunder god” powers of Stormbreaker that Bill has used to great effect in the comics.
Once Beta Ray Bill takes some damage he upgrades to Impervious, gives up on the range game, and moves in close for melee action with Charge and Super Strength. Late dial he alternates between Weather Manipulation and Close Combat Expert, drops to Toughness, and regains Precision Strike. It’s not easy to take out an Asgardian-relic empowered Korbinite cyborg warrior, and on his last click (#8) Beta Ray Bill gets support from his warship/best friend Skuttlebutt!
Bill gets Phasing/Teleport to relocate to a safer place along with a STOP special power granting Toughness, Regeneration, AND the ability to use Regeneration for free after a move action. With a little luck Bill will be able to reposition and heal up to his heavy duty mid-dial for more pummeling!
Beta Ray Bill also comes with the option to play at 125 points starting on click #4, and he has an excellent suite of keywords: Annihilators, Asgardian, Omega Flight, Cosmic, Robot, and Warrior.
Finally, let’s check out Stormbreaker. The special heavy object can be played separately from Beta Ray Bill for 10 points. It’s indestructible and can be picked up by any figure given a power action when holding it or in its square and when that happens it grants Energy Explosion, Quake, and +2 range making it perfect for dealing with swarm teams. The range bump is great for any figure, whether it’s boosting an already long reach to ridiculous levels or giving a 0-range melee fighter some brand new options. Lastly, Stormbreaker is dropped when unequipped so that someone else can pick it up later.
This is a fantastic update on Beta Ray Bill (not to mention a great looking figure), and I have to take a second to thank Patrick for his excellent work on what happens to be one of my favorite characters! You can get your hands on the Marvel HeroClix The Mighty Thor expansion set when it hits comic book and game stores on August 30th. Check out all of the up-to-date info on the set and the other products coming out along with it on HeroClix.com, and keep your eyes on Figures.com for more HeroClix previews including a Mighty Thor brick unboxing in the coming days!
-Scott Rubin
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