Review and photos by Scott Rubin
When it comes to Marvel Comics characters, there are few with as much popularity these days as the Merc with the Mouth, better known as Deadpool. In addition to all the other books he appears in he currently has several of his own titles, and of course the Fox film starring Ryan Reynolds (along with the upcoming sequel) hasn’t hurt either. And so it’s perfect timing for WizKids’ new Marvel HeroClix set: Deadpool & X-Force! This full expansion celebrates everyone’s favorite fourth-wall breaking mutant mercenary while also bringing players and collectors characters from hard-hitting X-Force teams over the years. There are also more sub-themes in the set people can’t wait to get their hands on like X-Statix, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and friends, and Mercs for Money. On release day there will be several different items on store shelves including a Deadpool and X-Force Fast Forces, Deadpool and the Mercs For Money Fast Forces, and a Deadpool Dice & Token Pack. Of course, the flagship item is the Deadpool & X-Force booster set, and today we’ll be cracking open a brick of those to see what you might find in this expansion!
As we’ve seen in promotional images the artwork for this set has changed at least once, and the final product features box art of the dynamic trio of Psylocke, Deadpool, and Wolverine slashing their way through enemies of mutants. Check out the set logo; in what appeared to be Deadpool & “X-Men” originally the Merc has covered over the last part with a “Force” banner studded with some of the team’s iconic weapons. The sides of the booster boxes feature 3D renders of figures from some of the set’s biggest themes including X-Force (Colossus, Wolverine, Cannonball, Psylocke), Mercs for Money (Stingray, Slapstick, Terror), X-Statix (U-Go Girl, Anarchist, Orphan, and everyone’s favorite Doop), and Squirrel Girl’s pals (Doreen plus Chipmunk Hunk, Tippy-Toe, and Koi Boy). The booster’s back panel directs you to the WizKids Info Network to find out where you can play HeroClix at a venue near you and win exclusive prizes.
Okay, here’s the good stuff: a Deadpool & X-Force brick unboxing video! As always, I show off the packaging first then skip over the boring stuff (opening packages, turning everyone to face forward) to give you a good look at all the crazy figure. Check it out, and then keep reading for an analysis of what I pulled as well as a full photo gallery of the figures here.
Here’s the breakdown of the figures in this brick (your results will vary of course):
COMMONS (including duplicates)
- 001a Deadpool
- 002 Wolverine
- 003a Foolkiller
- 003b Foolkiller
- 004b Madcap
- 005 Masacre
- 006 Mercenary
- 007 Ninja
- 008 Rogue Scientist
- 009 Chipmunk Hunk
- 010 Tippy-Toe
- 011 Asp
- 012 Grizzly
- 013 U-Go Girl
- 014 Cable
- 015 Attending
- 016 Dark Deadpool
UNCOMMONS
- 017 Deadpool
- 018 Domino
- 019 Dr. Killebrew
- 020 Hit-Monkey
- 022a Solo
- 023a Stingray
- 023b Stingray
- 024 Koi Boy
- 025 Diamondback
- 027 Fantomex
- 028 Psylocke
- 030 Anarchist
- 031 Tombstone
- 032 Angel Dust
RARES
- 033 Deadpool
- 034a Deadpool
- 037b Deadpool
- 039 Squirrel Girl
- 043 Marrow
- 045 Orphan
- 048 Living Brain
SUPER RARES
- 052 Mistress Death
- 057 Cannonball
- 058 Stryfe
Alright, let’s do a deep dive into the contents of this brick. First off, we see that this set includes a bunch of alternate “a/b” figures even beyond the Primes which explains the huge number of figures in the lower rarity slots. In the common slots we pulled seventeen out of the twenty possible (including the Prime), fourteen uncommons out of twenty, seven rares out of twenty, and three coveted super rares out of thirteen. And while we didn’t pull a chase this time around, we did get a cool Prime with the rare 37b Deadpool!
Speaking of the Merc, six of the figures we pulled have “Deadpool” in their names, and you can see his influence further in the alternate costumes of his Mercs allies. X-Force is very well represented in our pulls with Wolverine, U-Go Girl, Cable, Domino, Fantomex, Psylocke, Anarchist, Marrow, Orphan, and Cannonball. Squirrel Girl appeared, as did her buddies Chipmunk Hunk, Tippy-Toe, and Koi Boy, and while we didn’t get Doop we did find X-Statix’s U-Go Girl, Anarchist, and Orphan. You want Mercs? We’ve got Foolkiller (both versions), Madcap (Deadpool Corps version), Spanish-speaking Masacre, Solo (standard version), and Stingray (both). Then there are generics (Mercenary, Ninja, Rogue Scientist), heroes (Grizzly), villains (Asp, Attending, Dr. Killebrew, Diamondback, Tombstone, Stryfe), and some unique surprises (Hit-Monkey, Living Brain, and Mistress Death)!
Deadpool & X-Force has the new card style (making it easier to get into and learn the game) like the last couple sets, and most players have come around to it as they should. On the other hand, the set eschews some of the recent additions to the game like ClixFX bases (except for the chases) and sketch variants; these are fun and interesting but ultimately not make-it-or-break-it when it comes to purchasing boosters for most people. Meanwhile, the set brings back the rarest of all Ultra Chase (thus far unrevealed)! As for what’s new, this expansion introduces the “Headlines!” mechanic. All three X-Statix figures we pulled include separate cards with news headlines that can be used via traits and special powers. The “fake news” on these cards has some really fun in-universe and fourth wall-breaking references and jokes, and I can’t wait to see the card that comes with Doop!
While this is only a part of the expansion, the figures we pulled in this brick look really nice. They are a riot of colors and patterns thanks in no small part to the various Deadpool costumes and the variations worn by his Mercs as well as the members of Mike Allred’s X-Statix and more. Deadpool isn’t limited only to his red and black duds, but appears in a variety of colors, costumes, and outfits always in fun poses. Just in these pulls we’ve got Wade Wilson swinging swords, pointing finger guns, holding his head, reading an X-Men comic (complete with HeroClix ad on the back!) in his bathrobe, and bouncing in the air spraying bullets while wearing the X-Men version of his outfit. Deadpool Corps figures show up in different colored Deadpool-like costumes but are differentiated by things like crazy weapons (Foolkiller’s minigun), heads (Madcap’s yellow face and wacky hat), or special extras (Stingray’s winged suit).
There’s a whole bunch of characters I classify as “vicious,” standing in threatening poses or attacking like the savage Wolverine, dual-wielding Solo/Mercenary, Psylocke/Ninja with katana (mental-powered or standard), chainsaw-toting Dark Deadpool, Domino with two pistols, rampaging Tombstone and Angel Dust, Marrow, and Stryfe in a great “angry villain” pose. Guys and ladies like Cannonball, U-Go Girl, Asp, and Dr. Killebrew/Rogue Scientist show off a nice range of non-attacking possibilities in sculpts ranging from realistic-looking humans to heroes corkscrewing through the air and more.
Then there are some (appropriately or not) cute figures that even so show off great detail and personality like the bounding Squirrel Girl with her little animal friends, beefcake Chipmunk Hunk, and the ADORABLY tiny Tippy-Toe and Hit-Monkey. A few of my favorite looks from this brick are the regular version of Stingray launching into the air on massive wings, a super macabre Mistress Death standing in a pile of skulls, the hulking Grizzly, and the awesomely retro robot Living Brain.
As always, we’re not going to stop just with the pretty pictures… so here are a few reveals of the super fun figures in this set! First off we’ve got everyone’s favorite Great Lakes Avenger and friend to all animals Squirrel Girl leaping into the fray with two of her favorite animal companions at her side. An upgrade her previous 59 point figure, this new Doreen Green is 85 points with Improved Movement ignoring elevated terrain and three traits; “Chuk Chitty Chit Chit Chkk!” lets her summon a Squirrel bystander as a free action, “Squirrel Armor” removes three Squirrel bystanders in exchange for buffing all of the figure’s stats for the rest of the game, and “Fighting Squirrel Man!” sacrifices six bystanders to create the fearsome Squirrel Man with Charge, Super Strength, Impervious, and actions that don’t count against your total! Meanwhile, Squirrel Girl isn’t just about gathering minions. She has a highly effective dial with shockingly good attack values and the ability to get through damage reducers on every click. She starts with Charge, Toughness, and Exploit Weakness with a 3 damage! Mid-dial Doreen picks up a little Incapacitate and switches defenses to Super Senses, while late dial she gains Force Blast and Outwit. With her strong stats and powers in conjunction with her Squirrel summoning/Armor/Squirrel Man this Squirrel Girl can do a whole lot and is far more dangerous than she appears… just like in the comics!
One of the biggest surprises for me in this brick was the revelation of super rare Mistress Death. The long-suffering object of Thanos’ unrequited love, Death has appeared once before in HeroClix with a high-point slow-moving Psychic Blasting juggernaut. Now she’s back courtesy of 1998’s Deadpool/Death Annual with a fearsome visage as she stands upon a pile of skulls and reaches out toward her
next victim. Death has a team-friendly 100 point dial bringing with it the Power Cosmic team ability, a massive 10 range, and a trio of traits. The first is simple, letting you remove a token from Mistress Death every time a character is KO’d. The next makes her nearly immortal; so long as you have another figure on the board, whenever Mistress Death would be KO’d she comes back to life on click #3 with two action tokens but your opponent scores her. Lastly is the crazy “Touch of Death” trait that says characters hit by a close attack from Mistress Death get a Touch of Death token, and anyone with that takes DOUBLE DAMAGE from attacks! Death’s six-click dial starts with Phasing/Teleport, Pulse Wave, Toughness, and Shape Change, switching to Penetrating/Psychic Blast mid-dial, and at the end changing to Sidestep, Super Senses, and Outwit. This figure is going to be fun but challenging; with her incredible range and Pulse Wave and Psychic Blast you may want to use her as a mobile cannon… but Touch of Death requires getting in close and hitting in melee. Whatever you do, don’t tell Thanos that she’s hanging around with Deadpool!
Last, but certainly not least, is the Merc with the Mouth himself, Deadpool. Let’s check out the rare Prime 037b who’s leaping into the air with a sword in one hand and a blasting gun in the other. He’s a member of the new Shifting Focus club and so like his fellows is 75 points with a long 7-click dial. The similarities don’t extend much further as this one is all about movement, healing (himself and others), and team building with the X-Men keyword. His “Healing Factor on the Double” trait lets him heal half of d6 clicks EVERY TIME HE TAKES DAMAGE, and with the X-Men team ability he has access to even more healing even while helping his fellow mutants. Deadpool’s dial features starting Sidestep and Toughness, mid-dial Combat Reflexes, and end-dial Phasing/Teleport with Regeneration for even more chances to evacuate the danger zone and heal up. This Wade has little in the way of damage dealing potential, but that’s what those other Shifting Focus figures are for, right?
The Marvel HeroClix Deadpool & X-Force expansion officially releases on March 1st, with exclusive in-store only pre-release events happening the week before. That’s going to be your first chance to get a hold of the awesome figures in this set, so find a participating store near you and get all the info. In addition to all of the great pieces we showed off here are plenty more including Deadpool chases, a mythical Ultra Chase, and so much more. There are also not one but two Fast Forces in conjunction with this set and a Dice & Token pack featuring even more Wade Wilson.
Visit the brand new and improved HeroClix.com for even more info as well as downloads of rules and maps, and stay tuned to Figures.com as we continue our reviews of new HeroClix!
Review and photos by Scott Rubin
Review samples courtesy of WizKids Games
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