The release of X-Men: Apocalypse over the weekend inspired me to write about the world's first mutant, En Sabah Nur. If you're interested in learning more about this character in comics and other mediums check out his Wiki page! I ended up almost skipping out on this movie since none of the previews sold me and the mixed reviews were almost the nail in the coffin, but I decided to give it a chance since Apocalypse is my favorite X-Men related villain, and I'm glad I went as the movie was fantastic! Watch it if you haven't already seen it. So today we'll take a look at the Heroclix version of Apocalypse, or more specifically the Convention Exclusive version of this character.
Traits & Special Powers:
Horsemen of Apocalypse - This trait is very simple once you see what the Horsemen of Apocalypse Additional Team Ability is. The Additional Team Ability reads " As long as you control exactly 4 characters using this team ability, modify this character's attack value by +1. Uncopyable", so including Apocalypse in your Horsemen of Apocalypse theme team removes the restriction of controlling exactly 4 characters. The Additional Team Ability is only 1 point, so if you're building a Horsemen of Apocalypse theme team keep it in mind as you can easily squeeze this into your team build.
Mass Increase - This special power requires you to own either the #G03 or #G07 Apocalypse colossal figures from the Giant-Size X-Men set in order to be able to use it. The #G03 version has a cool trick as he starts on a special power that allows you to make an adjacent opposing character, not on its starting line, friendly to your force, but in return you have to give up to your opponent a friendly character of lower points than the one you're taking while also healing it of 1 damage. Optimally you'd want Apocalypse to be adjacent to your opponents strongest character in order for this swap to pay off, and even the thought of swapping your bruised character for a fresher one is very appealing. If you opt for bringing in the #G07 he is a little more straightforward, but has some good support-role options such as Telekinesis, a decent defense value of 18 with Invulnerability, and a trait that places tokens on opposing characters within 4 squares that use Outwit. If things start to get rough he can also attack as he has Charge, Blades/Claws/Fangs and ends with Pulse Wave.
Manipulate Hundreds of Generations - Another straightforward special power, but this one combines two of the best powers in the game, Outwit and Perplex. He only has this for his first 2 clicks, so keep him safe as this alone makes him worth his points. Keeping him safe shouldn't be hard to do as he begins with Stealth and Mastermind, so keep a figure close for him to be able to transfer damage from Mastermind.
Dial:
Apocalypse clocks in at 199 points, and as he will probably be the biggest investment in your team it's very important to keep him protected. He does a great job at that himself because as I mentioned earlier he starts with the Stealth/Mastermind combo that gives him a good defense against a lot of characters. For a while WizKids seemed to have been going overboard giving everyone Improved Target: Ignores Hindering Terrain which was making Stealth weaker, but for the past few sets they seem to be giving it out more sparingly making Apocalypse a terror again. He is still very vulnerable to Precision Strike as it won't allow him to transfer damage from Mastermind, so look out for it and if possible use Outwit on any character that can threaten him with it.
While hiding in the shadows with Stealth he is a great sniper as he has 7 range, 2 targets, and has Psychic/Penetrating Blast to bypass defensive powers that reduce damage. This won't work on Invincible, but with Perplex and Outwit he shouldn't have a problem dealing with that as well. If he takes a hit he switches roles and becomes a melee fighter as he gains Super Strength, Plasticity, Impervious, and Battle Fury. Knowing this, it might be wise to keep an object nearby in case he needs to move to re-position himself and take the object with him. His Plasticity can keep an opposing character tied down while he smashes him with an object the following turn. With Battle Fury he loses his range, but remember that he also gains the ability to ignore Shape Change. Keep an eye out for a character with Shape Change when targeting a character with an attack.
The last 3-4 clicks he gains Shape Change, Quake, and his Mass Increase special power. Look for opportunities in swapping him for either of the 2 colossal options. As a colossal character he does gain benefits from it, but also some drawbacks so choose wisely and find openings. If you choose to keep him as is he has Quake, so he might be able to bust up a formation and his last click has Regeneration should he happen to land on it he might be able to get back into the fight. Just weigh your options when he hits his Mass Increase clicks.
Teams: Horsemen of Apocalypse
We'll start with an actual theme team that will grant you the theme team bonuses.
WizKids Approved Horsemen of Apocalypse:
199 WKM-002 Apocalypse
95 WXM023A Deathbird
94 WXM025 Polaris
98 DP051 Banshee
99 GX049 Archangel
5 ATA027 Horsemen of Apocalypse
590 Total
I like this team for several reasons, but the main one is that they're all good at what they do and they're worth their points. Polaris helps Apocalypse move around the board with her Telekinesis since Apocalypse lacks move and attack powers in his opening clicks, and she can also carry him around to serve as Mastermind fodder. Deathbird brings another Outwit to your team and is deadly in close combat, so she can keep your opponent preoccupied threatening to do a lot of damage while Banshee and Archangel rip it up from a distance. Archangel can also back up Deathbird as he too has some close attack qualities, and Banshee acts almost as a 3rd Outwit thanks to his "It's Going to Get a Little Loud" trait that negates Invincible, Impervious, and Invulnerability and turns it into Toughness instead. You can play this with the Horsemen of Apocalypse Additional Team Ability to get attack bonuses, or if you need more points to free up and use a resource instead you'll have 15 free points to do so instead of 10. The Utility Belt resource on Banshee comes to mind.
And From the Ashes of Their World, We'll Build a Better One:
199 WKM-002 Apocalypse
99 WXM067 Archangel
62 WKM-020 Psylocke
150 DOFP021 Storm
189 GX053 Magneto
699 Total
While there are several incarnations this movie-team can take we'll start with this version as it gives you 3 uses of Perplex to begin with and Magneto gains it later in his dial too. To make up for such a huge team with only 5 characters you'll need to push often, and Perplex will ensure your attacks hit their mark. Archangel serves as the Mastermind fodder, but if you don't like this Archangel you can easily swap to the Giant-Size X-Men version and have Psylocke be your Mastermind fodder instead. Magneto can use Telekinesis twice in a turn in case you encounter a Stealth-heavy team to place your attackers adjacent to them, and can also help Apocalypse and Psylocke get around the board. With the release of the new Uncanny X-Men set you also have the option of going for lower points in you prefer the following team instead:
You're All My Children, and You're Lost Because You Follow Blind Leaders:
199 WKM-002 Apocalypse
62 WKM-020 Psylocke
50 UXM003 Storm
99 GX049 Archangel
90 UXM040 Magneto
500 Total
This version is very similar because Storm keeps Perplex, but her role changes drastically in this build. In this version she can carry around Apocalypse while creating her free Smoke Cloud to keep themselves hidden as they both have Stealth. Magneto and Archangel work in tandem as Magneto can provide Enhancement boosts while Psylocke goes after close attackers to keep them safe. Magneto's "Magnetic Shield for My Allies" trait can also give Psylocke some much needed protection and he can also position her with his Telekinesis as she lacks move and attack powers upfront. Magneto can also opt to place his Magnetic Shield on Apocalypse if your opponent is packing a lot of Improved Target: Ignores Hindering Terrain to keep the big guy safe.
That's it for today's Character Focus, as I mentioned in my last article keep your eyes peeled for a Head to Head that will feature one of these movie-teams against an X-Men team inspired by the X-Men: Apocalypse movie. If I missed something, if you have feedback you'd like to provide, or if you have your own build you'd like to share please feel free to comment below, thanks for reading!
