ADVANCE REVIEW: WizKids Games Marvel HeroClix Infinity Gauntlet Month 7 Prize Kit

**JeffSaylor** · 06-22-2012, 09:57 AM

The Grandmaster and His Mind Gem are the Final Step Before Thanos...

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HeroClix players everywhere are preparing for the final months of the most intense tournament series ever devised by WizKids: the Infinity Gauntlet! A glove combining the power of the six Infinity Gems, the Gauntlet grants near limitless power to its wielder in the comics... and in HeroClix! Each of the first seven months of the Infinity Gauntlet series gives participating tournament players a piece of the relic (the basic Gauntlet and then one gem per month) and the chance to win an exclusive figure from the classic Infinity Gauntlet storyline. A few weeks ago we took a look at the Collector and Reality Gem from Month 6 (see it HERE), and today we’re excited to reveal July’s Month 7 Grandmaster and Mind Gem!

Another Elder of the Universe like the Collector before him, the “Grandmaster” is really En Dwi Gast. While his “brother” chose to spend his time accumulating possessions and specimens, Gast chose to master games of skill and chance. Yes, he’s the ultimate gamer! And even though he loves to play, he also loves to win and is known to cheat when things aren’t going his way. Also like the Collector, the Grandmaster’s schemes have involved Earth and humanity. He particularly enjoys using teams of metahumans as pawns in his contests against other cosmically powerful beings, notably fielding the Defenders (Hulk, Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, and Namor) against the Collector’s Offenders (Red Hulk, Terrax, Baron Mordo, and Tiger Shark).

The Grandmaster resembles the Collector, both of them being small blue men with strange outfits. Slightly taller than his fellow Elder at 1 ¾ inches tall or so, Gast stands in a regal pose with one arm outstretched as if summoning his latest game pieces or making his next move. The Elder wears a decorative robe with a thick front panel, flared shoulders, and another huge collar. His colors are a bit more muted; the Grandmaster’s blue skin and white hair contrast nicely with the light green of his costume with its matching gloves and groovy slippers! The figure has a very good sculpt with the usual special attention paid to his clothing in the form of creases and the decorative neck piece. The Grandmaster’s head is pretty cool too with a stern expression and unique pointed hairdo.

Click Each Card Image For A Larger View

One of the more powerful of the Elders of the Universe, the Grandmaster costs 250 points. Like the rest he has the Power Cosmic Team Ability so he can act two out of every three turns and doesn’t have to worry about Outwit. His double-sized base has a built-in post for the Mind Gem, and he can start the game with it attached so long as you pay its cost (and gets a solid +1 to his attack for doing so!). The Grandmaster brings solid numbers to the table and a host of great powers. Opening Stealth lets Gast attack from the shadows, and it overlaps with his special power “Match Your Luck to Mine” that lets him try to avoid getting hit by attacks. After two clicks Grandmaster swaps that out for Penetrating/ Psychic Blast, though it returns on his final three clicks.

Click Dial Image For A Larger View

On the defense track the Elder alternates between Impervious and Invulnerability for much of his dial, switching to Regeneration at the end to get back into the game. Those final clicks also have Phasing/Teleport so he can escape from battle to heal. Grandmaster has two Damage track powers that alternate on every click: the ever-useful Perplex and the special power “Let’s Play an Honest Game” that grants him Outwit and protection from opposing Probability Control!

Click Mind Gem Image For A Larger View

For his part, the Grandmaster was once in possession of the Mind Gem, one of the ultimate relics of the universe. The sixth and final piece to add to your Gauntlet is identical to the others: a translucent “gem” atop a white column-like pillar that stands 1 ¼ inches tall. The Mind Gem is a deep blue that completes the rainbow of green, red, orange, purple, and yellow. When used as a special object on its own, the Mind Gem is a 10 point relic that can be picked up with a roll of 5 or 6. When held it grants its wielder both Mind Control and Telekinesis! As previously mentioned, the Grandmaster can begin the game with the Mind Gem; in addition to its usual powers it also grants him a permanent +1 to attack. Of course you’ll most often see this gem, along with all of the others, attached to the Infinity Gauntlet.

Each Infinity Gauntlet Month 7 kit comes with twenty Mind Gems to be given out as participation prizes and four copies of the Grandmaster figure for 1st place, 2nd place, fellowship winner, and the judge. In addition, this kit comes with the maps you’ll need for the final two tournaments! On one side is the Month 7 Mental Plane, a mind-bending checkerboard battlefield with interspersed hindering and blocking sections (including one that’s already been damaged). The other side is the much-anticipated Shrine to Death where you’ll be competing for Thanos himself in the final month of the tournament series.

July’s event has a WizKids-suggested format of a 300 point Sealed tournament in which each player gets two boosters from the new Chaos War expansion set (due out July 11th). Check with your local venue to find out when it’s holding the tournament, or check out the “Find a Store” feature on HeroClix.com to locate a game near you. July is your last chance to earn the participation points you need to compete in Month 8 for Thanos, so get out there and play to win; the Grandmaster and his Mind Gem are waiting!

Check out Figures.com next week for an exclusive HeroClix review!

Review and Photos by Scott Rubin

Review Sample Courtesy of WizKids Games