Today's frightfully exciting Heroclix character preview features William Baker better known as Sandman. Coming in with the Frightful Four and Sinister Syndicate keywords, sporting the recently modified Minions of Doom team ability for a mere 75 points. So let's take a deeper look on how you'll be able to utilize Sandman to get the most mileage from him on named theme teams.
Team Role
At first glance Sandman appears to be a tie-up piece with some utility thanks to his special power Sand Blast. With the Impervious and Shape Change combo he should have a good chance of tying up troublesome characters all while being able to create problems for small groups within his Sand Blast range. Don't be afraid to use him to take down small fries as other characters using the Minions of Doom team ability can benefit from his KO's. With damage reducers throughout his dial and his "Frightful Four: Dune Sandstorm" trait he should be capable of handling his own as a tank as well.
Clix Combos
President Osborn#29 from the Earth X set is s huge boost to a clix like Sandman as his stat boost can increase his range to give him extra reach for his Sand Blast Power.
Medusa#39 from the Guardians of the Galaxy set can also benefit from Sandman's "Frightful Four: Dune Sandstorm" to make her a deadlier tie-up piece as she has no damage reducers on her dial whatsoever. This combo will allow Sandman to focus on the smaller fries your opponent may have to trigger his Minions of Doom team ability.
Comparing Clix
Let's compare him to his last incarnation which is from the Earth X set. The new version loses Indomitable which is huge as that means he'll be taking pushing damage throughout
the game. Certainly the newer one is still more threatening as he has higher attack values and Pulse Wave at the end. The 50 point version seems to be a more specialized tie-up piece instead of the utility powers that the new one offers for 25 more points. They can actually work well together as the Earth X version can copy the new one's team ability to help mitigate some of the pushing damage the new Sandman might take.
Final Verdict
Not a bad figure for 75 points, but his power set and range requires him to be closer to enemies to be truly effective. This is where the lack of indomitable really hurts, so make sure to take more Minions of Doom or Wildcards that can help him recover if needed. His flexibility will allow him to make the occasional cut, but as newer figures continue to be revealed with similar point costs and keywords they may beat him out of a team slot in the future. Casual Clixin Rating: 3.5/5
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