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REVIEW: WizKids DC HeroClix War Of Light Lantern Corps Power Batteries
Embrace The Emotional Spectrum With A Rainbow Of Resources...
Right now, HeroClix players are contending in the biggest, most epic storyline OP (Organized Play) event ever to come to the game with the DC Comics’ War of Light. Each month packs are bought, sealed games are held, and lucky and skilled players go home with cool prizes featuring some of the most iconic characters from the Green Lantern end of the DC Universe. As in previous WizKids Games storyline events, War of Light included a brand new resource given to players in the first month, the Green Lantern Corps Power Battery. In each subsequent month participation prizes offer new Green Lantern Constructs that interact with the Battery, and certain figures bring even more of these items into the mix. Released just recently is a trio of War of Light Lantern Corps Power Batteries two-packs that fill out the ROYGBIV rainbow of Lantern flavors! Read on to see what these packs contain, what you can do with them, and how cool they look.
If you haven’t read a Green Lantern-related comic book lately (like in the last eight years), you may be unfamiliar with the Emotional Spectrum of the DC Universe. It turns out Green isn’t the only color harnessing an “emotional” state from the cosmos into a power that can be tapped. Indeed, all seven colors of the rainbow have their own Lantern Corps, emotion, and attendant Power Battery and rings. These are Red for rage, Orange for greed, Yellow (Sinestro Corps) for fear, Blue for hope, Indigo (Tribe) for compassion, and Violet (Star Sapphires) for love. These different Corps have waxed and waned in the comics over the years, though all still play an important role and are part of the current Godhead crossover event with the New Gods. Oh, and there are actually two MORE Lantern Corps when you add in the necromantic Black and the seemingly all-powerful White light of life.
Seeing as how Green is the central Lantern Corps in any big story, it’s obvious why that one was War of Light’s main resource given to players. For the other groups, which have their own popularities but nothing like Green, it’s up to the fans and players to spend a little money to get their own Power Batteries. These come in three different two-packs featuring paired colors from across the spectrum: Red & Violet, Orange & Indigo, and Yellow & Blue. As the comics have taught us, these matched pairs represent the Corps closest, mid-way, and furthest from the central balance of the light, Green. The further out you go the more control the Ring has over the individual, with rage and love dominating the personalities of Red Lanterns and Star Sapphires respectively.
Each set comes in the same packaging, a wide window box showing off the Batteries and their slew of Constructs. The box has great artwork from the Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night events, featuring Hal Jordan and Sinestro on the front panel and the iconic members of each color Corps on the back. The latter is also where you’ll find a description of the OP event, a rundown of what you get in each box (two Batteries, fourteen Constructs), and info pointing you toward HeroClix.com and the WizKids Event System to find participating venues near you. It’s a pretty slick package that looks great on a shelf; just remember to look inside carefully so you know which colors you’re buying as the box itself is the exact same for each set.
In the comics the different Lantern Corps work like this: members utilize Power Rings which are charged by a personal Power Battery, which are in turn charged by the unique Central Power Battery. In HeroClix the Lantern Power Battery resources act a bit like a combination of the two power sources, pumping out Constructs to your forces as well as other benefits. The Batteries take the form of 3 ½ inch tall lantern-shaped edifices on 2x2 dials, all sharing the exact same sculpt (nitpickers will point to different Batteries with different shapes in the comics, but designs have varied with different artists and the costs to create all of those different molds would have greatly increased the price of these affordable sets). It’s a sturdy piece bearing the traditional dual flanged lantern look we’ve seen in GL forever with flaring top and bottom, and spherical center. The HeroClix piece has translucent lenses on the lantern part, neat sculpted elements like the round nubs where a handle would attach, and an earth-like terrain bit at the base. Naturally each version has its own unique color in metallic paint with a glossy sheen. Each one is immediately recognizable as its Corps color, and frankly they look awesome.
Probably the most famous hallmark of the Green Lanterns is their ability to create energy Constructs, willpower and intellect-based weapons, utility items, and more. Just about all of the different Corps have used Constructs to one degree or another, though often in different ways. In HeroClix, lantern Constructs are 3D special objects on small bases. Each object is translucent plastic in its Corps color, most flying into the fray atop a swirl or whoosh style effect. The Power Batteries all come with seven Constructs, six shared among all of them and one unique to its color. They all have the Crossbow, Catapult, Scissors, Decoy, Nurse, and Boxing Glove. Beyond those, Red has the Axe, Orange the Mallet, Yellow the Wall, Blue the Bulldozer, Indigo the Spotlight, and Violet the Stop Sign.
So besides looking cool, just what do these Power Batteries and Constructs do? Glad you asked! The Batteries are resources, which means you can add one and only one to your team. They have their own four panel rules cards that explain their use including Force Construction, Corps Members, Setup, Attacking the Power Battery, and Battery Powers. The resource can only be played with a Power Ring (these are found in War of Light boosters) and at least one Construct attached to it. The Battery exists on the battlefield, sitting in your starting area. While it doesn’t count as a character it does block line of fire and can be KO’d by an opponent using the “Attacking the Power Battery” option as described on the card. Once the game begins the resource can be used to assign Constructs to figures on your force, which also adds them to its Corps and lets them share other benefits like the ability of its Ring.
All of the Batteries have the same dial which has a high defense and flat 0 damage with standard powers of Barrier, Perplex, Outwit, and Probability Control. The same trait gives them all range equal to its current click number, and a succession of special powers and notations let them lend out Constructs, swap Constructs, replace Constructs with new ones from outside the game, share Construct powers to all Corps members, modify Corps members’ combat values, and use Support. The only difference between the Batteries is the second trait that activates when the resource, Ring, and Constructs used are all the same color; these “emotional spectrum” traits do amazing things like give your Corps Giant Reach, provide them with free rerolls, prevent line of fire to Corps members from long range, boost the range of your Corps members, etc. The Batteries on their own are incredibly useful support pieces, and adding in the Ring power and your choice of Constructs make them really flexible and fun.
Lantern Constructs work differently than most other special objects that work with resources as we’ve seen in the past like Utility Belt items, Infinity Gems, Hammers, etc. Constructs can not be used on their own normally, though certain figures from the War of Light set with the “Construct” ability can begin games with one attached (by paying its cost). They can also use the ability to swap out their Constructs with other from outside the game, which is really cool. So right off the bat, if you get a Power Batteries pack you’ve increased the usefulness of any Construct figures you own by a huge factor. Then, as you could tell from the previous paragraph, Constructs are also used on the Power Battery resources themselves. There are six slots around the base of each Battery for mounting the items (you must have at least one to run the resource) which you can assign to your figures, swap between them, replace with others from outside the game, etc. while playing.
Costing between 4 and 10 points, Constructs do a variety of things, mainly giving a figure or Corps members a standard power like Exploit Weakness, Shape Change, Regeneration, etc. They range from defensive to offensive and utility powers, furnishing you with a range of options for many different scenarios. Is your team lacking move and attack capability? Use the Catapult for Telekinesis! Facing a stealthy team? Summon the Spotlight to gain Improved Targeting ignoring hindering terrain!
The three different War of Light Lantern Corps Power Batteries packs are available now, and for most players the most difficult part is deciding which one to buy! With an MSRP of only $25 per pack they’re very affordable, and if you and a friend happen to like a paired set of Corps you can easily split one. Lots of War of Light Month 5 and 6 tournaments are allowing these (make sure to check the WizKids Event System for participating venues near you and their specific build rules), so now is the perfect time to grab the ones you like. [Edit: It has been brought to our attention that in some areas there have been allocations of these Power Battery packs. Stay tuned for updates from WizKids about further availability, and check to see if venues have the packs before heading out to buy them.]
Note that there are more Batteries and Constructs out there than these sets. The Green was given out in Month 1 with green Constructs coming in each month, and lots of stores still have extras so ask around if you missed it. The Black and White Batteries came in a similar pack, but were only available at conventions, WizKids Opens, and some online sales. Finally, there were more Constructs for each color Battery (other than Green) that came in the Con In Your Store event; these are pretty tough to find now, though.
Visit HeroClix.com for even more info as well as downloads of rules and maps, and check Figures.com regularly as we continue our exclusive reviews of new HeroClix!
Review and Photos by Scott Rubin
Review Samples Courtesy of WizKids Games
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Re: REVIEW: WizKids DC HeroClix War Of Light Lantern Corps Power Batteries
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Re: REVIEW: WizKids DC HeroClix War Of Light Lantern Corps Power Batteries
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