A slightly shorter mid-month round-up, as January is funny that way. As we’re in a Marvel-ous mood this month, we’re taking a look at X-23 and Deadpool Hero packs for Marvel Champions (which we gave away a set of last month, cos we’re nice). We’re also going to look ahead to the next wave of Wakanda goodness for Marvel Crisis Protocol, with some initial thoughts.

Plus, of course, a chance to grab a bonus entry for this month’s Giveaway!

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Marvel Champions – X-23 and Deadpool Hero Packs

(RRP: £16.99 each)

Yup, it’s X-Force expansion time, so where better to test the new heroes than NeXt Evolution? It’s a while since we tackled the NeXt Evolution campaign with Cable, Domino (both included) and Angel, and we found the new Player Side Scheme mechanic really interesting as it incentivises the long game (as you have to balance the risk/reward exactly where and when to Thwart) and generally raises the challenge of the game, which we very much approved of. X-23 really plays into this, but not in obvious ways. She’s a slow-build aggro deck with a lot of healing and HP boost – she starts at 2T/1A/2D/6R/10 HP, but within a couple of turns of even a mediocre draw you are looking at 5A/15HP killing machine that’s readying twice. Very, very scary, synergised with Honey Badger as a unique ally (quite rightly) – particularly if you’ve worked towards the campaign achievement of starting with a card of choice from your deck in your hand (sisters!).

I don’t normally like Aggro decks (well, maybe Rocket) but she is really fun to play, very tactical; the new Assault keyword allowing you to thwart side-schemes with Attack is particularly interesting, and balances well with the potential for Villain’s scheming you out early game. She’s no third wheel, though definitely teams up well with those in the box, and actually is an impressive addition to any build – with a native Thwart of 2 she also makes for a nice Justice build, especially in Solo, and because she ISN’T all about the side-schemes she can fit in to pretty much any setup of Heroes you fancy.

Deadpool is of course absolutely ridiculous. I’d heard all the rumours flying around that he was OP – and he is, and it doesn’t matter. He is hilarious to play, constantly getting killed and raising the stakes in the process. He is preposterous, totally meta (he can pull in cards from your collection, he has abilities that run off previous games you’ve played, he has a tic-tac-toe side game…) and WAY more fun than we expected. Whether you’re a fan of the merc with a mouth or not, this is – and I don’t say this lightly – a MUST buy for the game. He can go horribly, horribly wrong (we very nearly schemed out at one point, so winning is certainly not a given) or can be used to take down the most insane villain build imaginable: Ultimate Ultron with all of the Infinity Stones? Go for it! Solo Kang with Future Past sentinels? Conquered! (never knew Kang could be fun in Solo mode, but there we go).

Would I include him in my Teams all the time? No chance. Would I give him to a novice? Nope. But with a massive bonus set of cards, you can make any Deadpool you can think of, and build up others as ‘pool corps heroes too – Pool is a new, standalone Aspect of its very own. Yes, you can do stupid OP shenanigans with Gamora, Adam Warlock or Spider-Woman if you want – why not? It’s your game, play it your way. This is a different kind of cartoon silliness to Spider-Ham, who is equally fun, but much more balanced for regular play – but go on, treat yourself. Go Pool!

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Marvel Crisis Protocol – Battle for the Throne

Preorders are now up for the new Rivals Panel for MCP, with T’challa and Killmonger battling at Ancestor Falls. It’s a stunning vignette, which is sure to push any painter and make a magnificent display piece, but what’s got me hot under the collar is the new leadership ability for King T’Challa: Strength of the Ancestors.

One of my gripes with MCP is the way scenery works; I have tended to moan that it’s not dynamic or interactive enough. beyond chucking it about Now whilst this doesn’t address all of my complaints, this ability means that your characters do damage when an enemy comes into contact with terrain. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good start; I mean I’d love it if this were just a blanket fix (house rule, anyone?), but it’s enough to make me want to dust down the Wakandans for war. Stick a character in the team with some really solid push action and you can get up to all sorts of nonsense.

Added to that, we’re also getting a new Wakanda terrain pack with SPECIFIC rules for Vibranium spillages means I have high hopes for MCP – not that it isn’t a great game, but the fact that my main niggle is being addressed makes my little nerdy heart sing.

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GIVEAWAY REMINDER

Remember, there’s still time to enter the monthly giveaway HERE, but if you want to bag extra entries check out the pinned instagram post @games_with_graven to and/or comment below with which Marvel Hero you want to either bring to the table or see in future!

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The Writer of this piece was: Sam Graven
Article Archive: Geeking Out
You can follow Sam on Twitter and Instagram

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