Another spring in Heroclix, another new rulebook. Last year’s update merely tweaked a few things besides adding the then-new Split and Merge mechanics, compared to 2011’s overhaul.
2013’s making that overhaul look like a cosmetic makeover. There are definite winners and losers again this year. For the next four days, Heroclixin’ will highlight two winners and two losers.
At #10, we start with the least of the winners:
PULSE WAVE
Reworded last year to finally ignore even hindering terrain for the attack, HeroClix’s ultimate solvent ran into a stumbling block when the wording allowed a couple of ATAs to hide from the yellow attack power in plain sight!
Now Pulse Wave has been rewritten to work as it should — ignoring everything except walls and elevated and blocking terrain — making it the #10 Winner of 2013. Barely a winner, true, but one nonetheless.
And speaking of blocking terrain:
(tie)
Barrier
The wall-building power gets an upgrade to minimum 4 range, regardless of the character’s actual range value. But even this 100% positive upgrade only shares the #10 spot because fewer than two dozen characters benefit; the rest of the 300 or so characters with Barrier all have greater than 3 range.
___
The tiniest Loser:
SMOKE CLOUD
Before, sitting in a Smoke Cloud only gave you a +1 DV from ranged attacks. But now, unless you’re a Superman Ally or something or can use Smoke Cloud yourself, getting that +1 means also getting a -1 to your attack value.
Putting the cloud between you and the enemy is no help, either — now THEY have the +1 DV against YOUR shots, too.
It’s not a big deal at all for actual Smoke Cloud users. But it’s just enough of an impediment for the rest of the team to get Smoke Cloud on the list as the #10 Loser in the 2013 rules revision.
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A notch higher on the Winners’ list is:
COMBAT REFLEXES
It used to be able to take voluntary knock back. This was a very double-edged ability, as using the option made the character now vulnerable to ranged attacks, perhaps. Now, it’s just immune to knock back. It’s an upgrade that makes Combat Reflexes a #9 Winner in 2013, sharing the slot with…
(tie)
Flurry / Hypersonic Speed
If you lost either of these powers in mid-action (due to, say, Mystics, Steal Energy or snake eyes) you used to be SOL. But now you’re allowed to make the second hit or run the heck away anyway. That’s a WIN for two of the best offensive Speed powers in the game to share the #9 spot. EDIT: And we may as well add Duo Attack here, too, as it got the same minor upgrade.
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Climbing down the Losers’ ladder:
SUPER STRENGTH
The green attack power lost the ability to do +2 damage against objects and terrain. It was hardly ever used, but this represents a downgrade, making Super Strength the #9 Loser come June 2013.
Heroclixin' 
Posted on April 29, 2013
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