7 Attachment(s)
ADVANCE LOOK: WizKids DC HeroClix World’s Finest Booster Brick
Brick Unboxing, Video, Photography, and More!...
We’re only a couple weeks into 2016 and already WizKids is unleashing a new HeroClix expansion set that has players and DC Comics fans heady with excitement. Just a couple months ago we got the Superman/Wonder Woman set and now comes the second part of a one-two punch with DC HeroClix World’s Finest! The set is named for the dynamic pairing of Superman and Batman, and they feature prominently in the expansion along with some super cool sub-themes including those heroes’ enemies, mystical characters, Metal Men, Doom Patrol, and more. World’s Finest hits comic book and game stores in two weeks on February 10th, but players have the opportunity to get their hands on these cool figures early with an exclusive pre-release program happening this week! If you’re interested in that log onto the WizKids Event System at HeroClix.com and find an event near you.
Alright, so let’s check out World’s Finest. Boosters for this set come in two varieties, both sharing powerful images of Batman and Superman; the only difference is their orientation. The sides of the boosters show off some of the themes of the set with the Metal Men, mystical figures, Doom Patrol, and duos of Batman/Superman and Joker/Lex Luthor. The back panel of each box points players to HeroClix.com to sign into the event system and get involved with everything happening there. After looking over the brick and booster art I pre-opened the boosters to get right to the action, which you can see in the video below. Make sure to scroll down to get the full breakdown of what was in the boosters, and check out the complete photo gallery of all the figures [link to gallery please]!
Here’s the breakdown of the figures in this brick (your results will vary of course):
COMMONS (including duplicates):
- 001 Superman
- 002 Superman
- 003 Batman
- 004 Batman
- 005 Robotman
- 006 Mr. Nobody
- 007a Poison Ivy
- 007b Poison Ivy
- 008 Booster Gold
- 009 Iron
- 010 Tin
- 011 Creeper
- 012 Occultist
- 013 Black Cat
- 014 Druid
- 015 Witch
- 016 Warlock
UNCOMMONS (including duplicates):
- 018 Batman
- 019 Crazy Jane
- 020 Mento
- 021 Negative Man
- 022 Alura
- 023 DeSaad
- 025 Copper
- 026 Lead
- 027 Blackbriar Thorn
- 028 Blue Beetle
- 030 The Wizard
- 031 Apprentice
- 032 Demon
RARES (no duplicates):
- 034 Batman
- 035 Elasti-Girl
- 037a Nightwing
- 038 Condiment King
- 039 Crazy Quilt
- 041 Mary Marvel
- 044 Doc Magnus
- 047 Ragman
SUPER RARES (no duplicates):
- 052 Monsieur Mallah
- 055 Metallo
- 058 Alloy
JUSTICE LEAGUE ID CARDS:
- WFID002 Batman
- WFID019 Katana
I was definitely pleased by the collation and figures pulled in this brick. It contained at least one of all sixteen commons plus thirteen out of sixteen uncommons, eight rares (no duplicates), three super rares, one prime, and two of the new Justice League ID Card elements. There are many Batman and Superman figures in this set, and I pulled both sets of the commons as well as Batman at both uncommon and rare levels. With all of the mystical figures it’s hard NOT to get a solid collection of them out of a brick, and I got many of the generics along with named figures of Blackbriar Thorn, the Wizard, Mary Marvel (a fantastic surprise!), and Ragman.
Teams are going to be interesting and challenging to collect in World’s Finest with figures spread across the rarities including super rares. With that said this brick gave me a solid start to the Doom Patrol with Robotman, Crazy Jane, Mento, Negative Man, and Elasti-Girl, leaving at least the Chief to find. Meanwhile, from my beloved Metal Men team I got Iron, Tin, Copper, Lead, Doc Magnus, and the super rare Alloy (missing Mercury, Gold, and Platinum presumably). Then there are the wildcards like the fantastic duo of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, Creeper, Supergirl’s mom Alura, DeSaad, and Nightwing. The rares include some truly obscure/strange characters and among them this brick had the wacky Batman villains Crazy Quilt and Condiment King. Lastly there were great super rares of Metallo and Monsieur Mallah and the common prime Poison Ivy with green skin and a powerful abilities. This brick did not include a chase, but hopefully yours will!
The pieces in this set look great, starting with and featuring the different Batman and Superman figures with iconic poses. Each one represents a different aspect of the hero that’s mirrored in the sculpt like Superman’s superspeed blurring beside him or Batman hiding and studying his enemies. Metallics shine from figures like the Metal Men and Robotman while the generic mystical figures offer creepy and dark silhouettes for your games and collections. Some of the coolest looking figures I’ve seen so far have included the beautiful Poison Ivy, the dashing Wizard, Demon straight from the underworld, Ragman with his impressive cape, the lifelike Doc Magnus, and Metallo with his detailed robotic sculpt and exploding Kryptonite energy. Even the wacky characters like Mr. Nobody, Creeper, and Condiment King look great with really detailed paint jobs. Finally, the two giants in this brick, Elasti-Girl and Alloy, are appropriately super-sized and look awesome on their own or on the battlefield towering over their opponents.
I noted above my love for the Metal Men, so let’s take a look at a couple of new dials for that team! The robots named for different metals are creations of the brilliant Doc Magnus, whose responsometer allows for fluid movement as well as unique personalities. Each member of the team has his or her distinct metallic properties that come into play in their looks, demeanors, and powers. The World’s Finest figures follow that aesthetic with figures that look like they stepped right out of Duncan Rouleau’s 2007 Metal Men run including the female Copper. The creator of these superpowered robots returns as well, and for our first preview let’s look at Doc Magnus. The 25 point rare figure has two traits; he makes it so that Metal Men move actions don’t count toward your action total, lets them carry him, and gets a bonus of Sidestep and +1 to his Support healing when nearby his creations. The doc’s four click dial starts and ends with Stealth to keep him safe, offers some Mastermind and Willpower, and centers on a full dial of Support with solid attack values (though zero damage). Magnus even has the Metal Men keyword so he can activate the traits of his creations!
Joining the classic lineup of Metal Men in World’s Finest are the later addition of Copper and a very special robot character who’s familiar to longtime HeroClix players: Alloy. A gigantic robot created when the Metal Men fuse together, Alloy first appeared in the Kingdom Come storyline and has since shown up in standard continuity a couple times, always when things seem dire for the metallic heroes. Alloy has also been made into a HeroClix figure before, way back in the DC Giants set of 2006 (along with World’s Finest co-star Elasti-Girl, then called by her real name Rita Farr). This new figure is a towering giant striding across the battlefield ready to smash anything that stands in its way, and a combination of sculpting techniques and paint colors really bring out the different “elements” of its body. Alloy’s dial gets a major upgrade from the old version at 275 points with alternate starting lines at 200 and 150 for easy team building options. Alloy is a giant in the game with Indomitable, a 4 range, and a sturdy dial with Charge, Plasticity, Super Strength, alternating Shape Change and a special power with Shape Change and Perplex, Impervious, and Invincible. On its last click it’s the Metal Men’s “Time to Go Solo!” as you stop turning when taking damage and replace Alloy with Metal Men figures from your sideline on their last click (the number depending on which starting point value for Alloy you used)!
Lastly we’re going to take a look at another super rare from World’s Finest and a distinctive character who’s been away from HeroClix for far too long: Monsieur Mallah! A former scientific rival of Dr. Caulder used cutting edge experimentation to increase the intellect of a gorilla, naming him Mallah and employing him as assistant and friend. Caulder conspired to kill the duo but only succeeded in mortally wounding the scientist and then transferred his living brain into a containment unit. Mallah rescued his creator and the two embarked on a career of supervillainy as Monsieur Mallah and the Brain. They would go on to create the Brotherhood of Evil and fight against Caulder’s Doom Patrol as well as the Teen Titans. Mallah and the Brain first appeared in HeroClix in 2006’s Collateral Damage separately and together in the old Rookie/Experienced/Veteran system. Now the two are back with a really cool sculpt featuring the gorilla character standing on a rocky base leveling a pistol at heroes who would try to contain him. Of course Mallah wears his traditional red beret (he and the Brain are French) along with a black outfit, bandolier, and knife. Brain is a separate, removable 3D element that slots into Mallah’s base.
Their 150 point dial has Indomitable, a 6 range with two targets, Improved Movement ignoring elevated and hindering terrain, and a trait that gives Monsieur Mallah Penetrating/Psychic Blast and Super Senses when Brain is attached (and rules for detaching and re-attaching him). The gorilla’s high movement has a full dial of move-and-attack options with Running Shot, then Sidestep, and finally Charge; similarly he transitions through Energy Explosion, Super Strength, and Blades/Claws/Fangs. Defensively the simian is protected by starting Invulnerability, a run of Toughness, and late-dial Combat Reflexes. A starting special power gives Mallah Leadership and Perplex with the bonus ability to remove a token from himself on a successful Leadership roll if Brain is attached; later he gets standard Perplex and then Battle Fury. On its own, Brain is a bystander figure with a trait that lets you choose what happens when he’s KO’d - either he’s gone or you can re-attach him to Mallah and deal the figure 1 unavoidable damage. Brain has Mind Control, Penetrating/Psychic Blast, Super Senses, and Outwit.
So there you have it folks, a detailed look at a brick of boosters from the upcoming DC HeroClix World’s Finest set. The expansion releases to stores everywhere in a couple weeks on February 10th, but if you’re itching to get your hands on these figures sooner you can participate in the exclusive pre-release program starting this Wednesday. Go to HeroClix.com, click on the Event System link, and find a venue near you. You should also check out the WizKids Facebook page where you can see a brick unboxing in individual videos by my friend Scott Porter. Good luck with your pulls!
Visit 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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