The GSX release party at Four Horsemen Comics and Gaming begins mere hours from now, and while I can’t wait to crack open some super boosters I haven’t been this excited for a sealed tournament since Origin. I enjoy sealed because while on the surface the key to victory seems dependent on the luck of the draw, in a well-designed set winning comes down to making good teambuilding choices as well as skillfull play. GSX is no different. What follows are some general tips for success with specific highlights from my favorite Heroclix set to date.
1. Build a balanced team.
I don’t like to play less than four characters in sealed. The power level of everyone’s sealed pool will be roughly equivalent, so the only way to gain an advantage is to build a team that maximizes your actions. If you can’t decide between playing a 140-point character or two 60-80 point characters, it is almost always correct to play the two characters because it will give you more actions per turn. Tentpole teams are not as strong in sealed because most of the time your opponent can park a low-point character in an adjacent square while their important figures take shots at their leisure. Tentpoles also run without support powers, of which there are plenty of good options in GSX.
That being said, would I play Vulcan or Phoenix? No and yes, depending. Both characters have the mobility, range, and damage that can offset the disadvantages of being out-actioned, but the amount of psychic blast in this set makes playing either a huge risk. Vulcan’s movement power spread in particular gives me pause because if he rolls a crit miss he will most likely stop in an awful position, and because it almost forces him to attack an opponent’s Mindless One last. Finally, both of them will likely lose map choice to a keyworded team, and for Vulcan or Phoenix to be successful they need to take their enemies to Madripoor.
2. Know the environment.
Now that you have your team set, the other half of sealed success is maximizing the effectiveness of your actions. How many clicks of damage does it take to KO Madrox? How many Clicks of Combat Reflexes does Caliban have? If Juggernaut charges Vulcan, should he pick up a light or heavy object? The answers are Five, Three, and Light. Although these may seem like nitpicky details, knowing them will mean the difference between keeping Vulcan based or wasting damage when you split targets. It would be a good idea to review the dials of the generic characters before your tournament, as they are the most likely figures to show up round after round.
Finally, here are Five Non-Magneto characters that you should automatically include on your team/quake in fear of:
1. Psylocke. As one of three sources of Telekinesis in the set, Betsy is not only brutal in close combat, but should have no qualms about pushing to move her comrades around.
2. Skullbuster. Running Shot Psychic Blast is strong, but Indomitable really pushes this guy over the top. For 84 points he is a common answer to every high-point monster in the set.
3. Domino. Stealth, Uber-Criticals, and a high enough AV that she won’t need to waste her PC on herself.
4. Elsa Bloodstone. She’s like Warlord, only somehow more broken.
5. Professor X. Finally, a Cerebro version! With the proliferation of X-Men/Hellions in GSX, Xavier is an unstoppable monster.
Until next time, have fun at your release events!
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