ADVANCE LOOK: WizKids Marvel HeroClix X-Men The Animated Series, The Dark Phoenix Saga Unboxing Latest News August 26, 2019 Review and photos by Scott Rubin From the depths of space and the most recent Star Trek expansion HeroClix returns to earth and one of the all-time greatest and most popular cartoons: X-Men The Animated Series! The early 90s cartoon brought the mutants of the Marvel Comics universe to kids and adults in a whole new way, boosting the popularity of characters like Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, and more. Those and many more are now hitting the tabletop in the WizKids Games Marvel HeroClix X-Men The Animated Series, The Dark Phoenix Saga expansion set, available first in exclusive pre-release events starting on September 4th before the official release on September 11th. Inspired by the show, this set includes heroic X-Men, classic X-Men villains, and tons of characters never before clixed. The Animated Series set also returns to the Colossal Boosters with every single booster containing four regular-sized figures and one 2×2 colossal! Today we’re going to unbox a booster brick and check out the accompanying X-Men The Animated Series Dice & Token Pack and Fast Forces. First debuting with last year’s Avengers Infinity set, Colossal Boosters are quite different from their usual tall and thin five-figure booster cousins with square boxes. These are decorated on the front with artwork from the titular animated series featuring X-Men Gambit, Jean Grey, Storm, Rogue, Professor X, Beast, Jubilee, Cyclops, and Wolverine. The sides show off some of the main themes in the set with colossal X-Men (Iceman, Colossus), the Hellfire Club (White Queen Emma Frost, Black Queen Jean Grey, Black King Sebastian Shaw, Mastermind Jason Wyngarde), more X-Men, and Sentinels (including a new Nimrod). Lastly, the back of each booster points you to the HeroClix community and the WizKids Info Network. And beware, the Dark Phoenix arrives to threaten all of reality on the top of the booster box! As usual we’re going to leave the unboxing videos to the professionals like Scott Porter and get right to what we do best: awesome photography! Check out the contents of each booster, then keep reading for tons more info and a full photo gallery of all the X-Men The Animated Series figures we pulled. Booster 1 001 Wolverine 011b Magneto (Danger Room) 017 Graydon Creed 029a Morph G002 Sentinel Okay, let’s dive right in. It’s appropriate that the very first figure out of the box is none other than Wolverine (common), claws extended and ready for battle. He’s joined by a figure from a really cool sub-theme: a holographic Magneto (uncommon) as projected by the Danger Room for training X-Men! Uncommon Graydon Creed of the Friends of Humanity is here to stir up anti-mutant hysteria, while rare Morph is displaying his powers by copying his friend Logan. The big figure in this booster is a generic common, red and purple Sentinel with a fearsome blast erupting from its hand! Booster 2 005 Guard Command 006 Friends of Humanity 023b Sabretooth (Danger Room) 027 Frenzy G004 Proteus The X-Men better watch if there are many boosters like this one! While rare Frenzy (making her HeroClix debut) has been an X-Man she’s also served alongside Magneto’s Acolytes, and she’s joined by the Brotherhood of Mutants grunt Guard Command (common), mutant hating Friends of Humanity (common), and the holographic Danger Room version of Sabretooth (uncommon). The big boy here is the disturbed mutant Proteus who takes the form of a giant orange humanoid that’s captured in a really cool translucent orange look. Booster 3 002 Rogue 007 Bolivar Trask 015 Cable 020 Fabian Cortez G019 Vange Whedon Mutant heroes get a boost with this booster starting with common Rogue who’s joined by uncommon Cable who’s all 90s with his huge gun and vast array of pouches. Sentinel inventor (common) Bolivar Trask is up to no good, and uncommon Acolytes member Fabian Cortez seems helpful… but at a cost. In the 2×2 slot is rare Vange Whedon, an awesome dragon figure of the shapeshifting X-Men lawyer. Booster 4 005 Guard Command 011a Magneto 014 Jean Grey 033 Mesmero G002 Sentinel Booster #4 gives us some more generics for our swarm teams with second instances of common Guard Command and colossal Sentinel. They’re joined by classic X-Men villain Magneto (common), this time the regular version, one of the founding members of the heroic mutants Jean Grey (uncommon), and mind-controlling menace Mesmero (rare). Booster 5 007 Bolivar Trask 008 Scanner 013 Cyclops 042 Cassandra Nova G005 Exodus We’ve got a duplicate Trask on board and then all new figures with booster #5. The Acolytes Scanner takes up the other common slot, while X-Men leader Cyclops (long before he ever went rogue) is an uncommon. Our last regular-sized figure is our first super rare in Cassandra Nova, and Acolytes champion Exodus appears on a 2×2 base flying above broken debris. Booster 6 003 Beast 012 Deadpool 015 Cable 019 Amelia Voght G018 Wendigo Booster #6 starts off with everyone’s favorite blue-furred bouncing Beast as he appeared in the cartoon, and he’s joined by common Deadpool, uncommon Cable, and uncommon Amelia Voght of the Acolytes. The colossal here is rare Wendigo! Booster 7 002 Rogue 008 Scanner 021 Blob 032 Phantazia G022 Mojo Rogue and Scanner appear again, good for trades or giveaways, before the uncommon Blob weighs down the rest of the booster. Also on hand are rare Phantazia of the Brotherhood of Mutants and classic X-Men foe Wendigo is a rare colossal with a super cool sculpt. Booster 8 010 Kleinstock Brothers 012 Deadpool 021 Blob 023a Sabretooth G017a Eugene Torbit Witterspan The Acolytes get triple powered with the Kleinstock Brothers, a trio represented by one common figure with multiple dials and increasing powers when you field them in multiples. He shares a booster with another Deadpool and Blob, along with a standard Sabretooth in an uncommon slot to go along with the Danger Room version we pulled previously. The 2×2 here is Eugene Torbit Witterspan from the animated series, a nerd who temporarily gains the powers of the Juggernaut. Booster 9 004 Assassin’s Guild 009 Callisto 016 Belladonna 025 Gambit G008 Sasquatch Booster #9 is deadly with not one, not two, but three figures with the Assassin keyword! In a common slot is the generic Assassin’s Guild figure that will be fun to collect and play in swarms, uncommon Belladonna is here to get hitched, and in the rare slot is the fan-favorite Cajun Gambit. They’re joined by Morlock leader Callisto (common) and a fantastic Sasquatch of Alpha Flight that uses the same sculpt as Wendigo. Booster 10 004 Assassin’s Guild 006 Friends of Humanity 018 Senator Robert Kelly 036 Legion G009 Green Dragon Puff Assassin’s Guild and Friends of Humanity are duplicates but welcome since they’re generics perfect for playing in multiples. Uncommon Senator Robert Kelly is back again to stoke the fires of anti-mutant sentiment, and we’ve got our next super rare with Legion! This iconic X-Man comes with not one but two different dials so you can choose how to play him. Last but not least is the fearsome and yet also adorable Green Dragon Puff that shares a sculpt with Vange Whedon… but differentiated with the addition of a tiny Lockheed! Here’s the full breakdown of the figures in this brick (your results will vary of course): COMMONS (including duplicates) 001 Wolverine 002 Rogue 003 Beast 004 Assassin’s Guild 005 Guard Command 006 Friends of Humanity 007 Bolivar Trask 008 Scanner 009 Callisto 010 Kleinstock Brother 011a Magneto 011b Magneto 012 Deadpool UNCOMMONS (including duplicates) 013 Cyclops 014 Jean Grey 015 Cable 016 Belladonna 017 Graydon Creed 018 Senator Robert Kelly 019 Amelia Voght 020 Fabian Cortez 021 Blob 023a Sabretooth 023b Sabretooth RARES 025 Gambit 027 Frenzy 029a Morph 032 Phantazia 033 Mesmero SUPER RARES 036a Legion, Fractured Savant 036b Legion 042 Cassandra Nova COLOSSAL UNCOMMONS (including duplicates) G002 Sentinel G004 Proteus G005 Exodus G008 Sasquatch G009 Green Dragon Puff COLOSSAL RARES G017a Eugene Torbit Witterspan G018 Wendigo G019 Vange Whedon COLOSSAL SUPER RARE G022 Mojo Let’s check out the collation as we see it here in this brick. We pulled at least one of each 12 commons (including the a/b for Magneto), 10 of the 11 uncommons (including the a/b for Sabretooth), 5 of 10 possible rares, and 3 of the set’s 10 super rares (but sadly no chase). Among the 2×2 colossals we pulled 5 of the 10 uncommons (there are no common colossals), 3 of the set’s 10 rares, and one of the 5 possible super rares. Altogether not bad, though it would’ve been cool to see a chase. Going through the figures let’s check out the commons. As usual these set the stage for most of the set’s themes, starting with the iconic animated X-Men themselves and Wolverine, Rogue, and Beast. They need opponents, and so the bad guys at this rarity include “father of the Sentinels” Bolivar Trask, “real” Magneto of the Brotherhood of Mutants, Danger Room hologram Magneto, and generics of Assassin’s Guild, Guard Command, and Friends of Humanity. Acolytes get special mention since this set really makes them a playable team, and along with Magneto the commons provide Scanner and the Kleinstock Brothers. Lastly there are dubious X-Men “allies” in the Morlock leader Callisto and the always confusing Deadpool. The uncommons follow along the same basic themes starting with the awesome Cyclops and Jean Grey, who are joined by their son from the future Cable! Their support is nonexistent at this rarity level, though, in favor of Sentinels supporters Graydon Creed and Senator Robert Kelly, Brotherhood of Mutants Blob and Sabretooth, Danger Room Sabretooth, and Acolytes Amelia Voght and Fabian Cortez. Lastly the assassin Belladonna is here to hunt down a husband. In the higher rarities things continue to tilt in favor of villains as the rares feature Gambit and the sometimes-good Morph and Frenzy (who joins the Acolytes). Then there are Brotherhood of Mutants members Phantazia and Mesmero. Super rares add the mentally disturbed Legion who comes with two very different dials, and the evil Cassandra Nova who plays well with the Brotherhood and Sentinels. Behold, the 2×2 colossals in this brick! Once again, the tide of good vs. evil is a bit skewed, and the only heroes you’ll find here are Alpha Flight’s shaggy strong man Sasquatch, Lockheed’s sometimes love interest Green Dragon Puff, and the draconic lawyer Vange Whedon of the X-Men. We only pulled one Sentinel (two times), along with the shape-shifting Proteus, Acolytes messiah Exodus, Juggernaut wannabe Eugene Torbit Witterspan, cold weather killer Wendigo, and the undisputed master of his own realm and all media therein, Mojo! It was very interesting to see how WizKids translated the colorful characters of X-Men: the Animated Series into HeroClix form, and overall I’d say it was definitely a success. The set is full of colorful characters in iconic poses and stances with looks right out of the cartoon (as well as some from the comics too). When it comes to stand out sculpts I was particularly impressed by Rogue with her smooth lines and big hair, the high tech look of the Guard Command, Scanner reaching out to employ her mutant powers, Magneto in a great action pose, Gambit looking sexy and dangerous, Morph in mid-change, Legion unleashing his power with an explosion behind him, and the sedate but highly detailed Cassandra Nova. Some of the cooler poses here include Wolverine in a classic claws-out battle stance, the accusing Friends of Humanity/Graydon Creed, the Kleinstock Brothers looking like they couldn’t care less, Cyclops letting loose with his optic blast, Fabian Cortez looking saucy with hands on hips, and Frenzy crouched and ready for action. There aren’t a lot of creatures or monsters among the regular-sized figures in this set (we’ll look at colossals specifically below), so interesting textures are mostly on armor and segmented outfits with a couple of exceptions like Beast’s fur and Phantazia’s wild hair. There are lots of bright and bold colors among the X-Men, their allies, and their enemies. Even the Sentinels, giant robots, are swathed in colorful paint schemes! Among the standard figures I liked the look of Rogue with her bright costume and perfect accents, the tampo details on Friends of Humanity/Graydon Creed, Cable with his multi-colored outfit and animation-specific eyeshadow, all of the Acolytes with their dynamic colors that translated surprisingly well from the comics/cartoon, and the sophisticated simplicity of Cassandra Nova in her earth tones. There’s somewhat less translucent plastic than in most recent sets (thanks in part due to the few flyers), but you will see it used on the Danger Room holographic characters of Magneto and Sabretooth as well as Mesmero and Legion’s power effects. Meanwhile, metallics show up a lot with weapons, armor, and tech on Guard Command, Scanner, Kleinstock Brothers, Deadpool, Cable, Belladonna, Amelia Voght, Fabian Cortez, and more. Moving up to the 2×2 figures, there’s some really awesome work happening. With bigger canvases and surface areas the WizKids artists were free to add tons of sculpted and painted detail and it really shows. There’s such a huge range in the figures as well from the classic robot look of the Sentinel menacing mutants to the outstanding furred sculpts of Sasquatch/Wendigo, to the reptilian Vange Whedon/Green Dragon Puff. Proteus may be a blob of energy but he has cool crackling effects standing out on his translucent orange body, and he contrasts nicely with the densely sculpted bases of Exodus and Mojo. The latter is quite a figure, with the aforementioned busy base, a hugely fleshy and flabby body, and the articulated horror of the creature’s scorpion-like tail weapon. With a bunch of previews and unboxings hitting the airwaves over the last couple weeks most of the set’s dials have been revealed, but I think we’ve got a couple to share that haven’t been seen just yet! Let’s check ‘em out: We’re going rares and above with our dials, starting with 027 Frenzy. If you want a melee tornado for your Acolytes, Femizons, or X-Men teams Joanna Cargill here is your girl. For 80 points she comes with Indomitable and the shared Mutant Messiah trait so she can provide Mastermind protection for an ally. Frenzy has phenomenal defense, good attack numbers, and a full dial of 3 damage. The first half of her dial features Invulnerability, a special power giving her Leap/Climb with the option to use Close Combat Expert after moving 5 squares or less, and a second special power combining Battle Fury and Close Combat Expert! Mid-dial Joanna switches it up and finishes strong with a defense spike, Charge, Super Strength, Toughness, and Battle Fury. While I’ve read a lot of comics and seen a lot of cartoons over the years, there are inevitably some characters in new HeroClix sets that I don’t immediately recognize. 032 Phantazia is one of them in X-Men: The Animated Series, and from her interesting look and cool dial I’m dying to learn more. She’s 60 points with the Brotherhood of Mutants team ability, Flight, a 4 range with two targets, and two traits. The shared “My Mutant Brothers and Sisters” lets Eileen heal when a token is removed from her except by clearing, while “Electroharmonic Harmonizing” gives you a set of additional affects you can apply to enemies she hits! Phantazia’s dial is quite interesting, starting with a full dial of a special power stacking Sidestep, Stealth, and hindering all clear lines of fire drawn to her when it’s not your turn. The first part of her dial has Incapacitate and Super Senses, which late dial give way to Precision Strike and Willpower, while on her damage track she starts with Shape Change and then alternates between Outwit and Perplex. [Note: on the back of her card the comic book cover spells her name Phantasia!] Rounding out the rares is a villain whose appearances date back all the way to 1968, and yet this is his very first entry in HeroClix! #033 is Mesmero, and he looks pretty rad in his swanky green and purple costume. The master of cerebral energies is a budget 45 points with the Brotherhood of Mutants team ability, a 7 range with two targets, Improved Targeting ignoring hindering and elevated terrain, and the shared “My Mutant Brothers and Sisters” trait as described above. One look at his dial tells you he has some tricks up his sleeve, what with his high attack values and low 1 damage across the board. Mesmero starts with two special powers, the first giving him Mind Control with the option of dropping ensnared enemies off of rooftops, and the second giving him Mastermind with an enhanced ability when taking hits from range. Those special powers give way to standard Mind Control and Willpower, and his entire dial is protected by Shape Change. Lastly let’s check out our regular-sized super rare, 042 Cassandra Nova! Nova’s storyline is… complicated, to say the least. In brief, “she” is an alien parasite that was bonded to Charles Xavier while he was still in the womb, and her life’s mission has been to subvert and destroy his vision. Cassandra is immensely powerful, and that was before she discovered and adopted the use of Sentinel technology. In HeroClix, Nova is an intimidating 150 points with Indomitable, a huge 8 range with three targets, Improved Targeting ignoring characters, and a trait giving her permanent Mind Control with the addition of boosting her victims when they perform well for her and penalizing those who fail. She is a force to be reckoned with thanks to her full dial of Penetrating/Psychic Blast paired with good attack values. She starts with Stealth to stay protected, compounded by one special power giving her Super Senses that succeeds on 4-6 AND limiting damage from close attacks to 1, and a second combining Leadership (that can generate Guard Command figures), Perplex, and Shape Change. Mid-dial Cassandra gets Sidestep for positioning and regular Super Senses, and late-dial she turns full Shadow Queen with Shape Change and a huge spike in attack and damage values! Paired with the right Brotherhood of Mutants or Sentinels allies Cassandra Nova can be a very effective tentpole. Of course, WizKids doesn’t just have a booster set on the way; X-Men: The Animated Series, Dark Phoenix Saga also includes a Dice & Token Pack and Fast Forces! The former lets you personalize your games with themed accessories, in this case six red and yellow poker chip-style action tokens featuring animated artwork of Wolverine, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, and Rogue. But there’s more; the tokens double as bystander tokens generated from characters in the set with the reverse sides capturing Madrox Dupe, Hairbag, Ruckus, Chain, Gorgeous George, and Slab. Arguably even better are the matching red and yellow dice with the Dark Phoenix logo on the six sides! And then there’s the Fast Forces pack, the usual super cool addition to a set featuring six figures with unique dials and point costs that make team building easy and quick! Included here are the same characters emblazoned on the action tokens: Wolverine, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, and Rogue. Check this out! Jubilee can be played at 35 or 20 points, while each of the rest can be played at 70 or 50. This means you can build a 300 point team with four of them at 70 plus Jubilee at 20, or all of them at their lower values plus Jubilee at 35 for 285 with some room for a resource or ID Cards, etc. Of course, these figures also do great mixed and matched with their counterparts from the main booster set as well as other X-Men you already have. Each one of these characters also has a trait that buffs adjacent allies or any that the X-Men keyword when they’re attacked by larger than normal size enemies (for instance, Storm lets them use the Mystics team ability)! That’ll do it for our latest unboxing, this time featuring the Marvel HeroClix X-Men The Animated Series, The Dark Phoenix Saga expansion. This set is chock full of great characters and cool figures, all the 90s X-Men nostalgia you could ask for, plus newly clixed characters and playable teams! And, with every booster including a 2×2 colossal it gives you different ways to play, especially in sealed tournaments. It’s available first in exclusive pre-release events starting on September 4th before the official release on September 11th, so check with your local venue for participation and dates. Check to see if your local venue is on the list on the WizKids Info Network. As always, have fun and 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 HeroClix X-Men The Animated Series, The Dark Phoenix Saga: BRICK [See image gallery at www.figures.com] HeroClix X-Men The Animated Series, The Dark Phoenix Saga: DICE & TOKEN [See image gallery at www.figures.com] HeroClix X-Men The Animated Series, The Dark Phoenix Saga: FAST FORCES [See image gallery at www.figures.com] Keep up with all the latest toy news by following Figures.com on Facebook and Twitter! To buy action figures, take a look at Hobby Link Japan, BigBadToyStore.com, TheToySource.com, Toynk.com, and BriansToys.com.
