TOP TEN Favorite Heroclix of 2021!

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TOP TEN Favorite Heroclix of 2021!

Postby hoojeebo » Wed Dec 01, 2021 2:57 pm

Hello, and welcome to this year's poll of the community's favorite Clix of 2021! Vote for your Top Ten favorite figures of the year! Focusing on (but not limited to) individual figures, voting is technically open to whatever your 10 favorite things were about Heroclix this year. I will take a detailed tally and report back on the top 10 vote-getters just after the end of the year, just like I’ve done since 2015. :D

If you’re reading this, I’m glad you’re here! Now more than ever, this community is in need of engagement and positivity, and that’s what this annual thread is all about. I’m sure many of us thought that 2021 would turn out much differently than it did, but it was another roller-coaster year exemplified by more shipping delays, and some changes to the game that resulted in a divided player base. However, the game persisted into its 19th year(!), and some venues started opening up amidst a continuing pandemic, not to mention that virtual games via Roll 20 and Tabletop Simulator are practically a standard option at this point. While many are still left with no stores in which to play physically, I’m hoping that if you’re still here and actively playing (or even just tracking the game), you’ll stop by and let us know your favorites of the year. At a time when community and connection are in short supply everywhere, it seems all the more important to keep up cherished traditions where we can, and for me, this is my favorite part of the year!

In other words: It doesn't matter if you're a veteran player or just discovered the game this year, please cast your vote!

Last year's favorite as tabulated from the community's votes was...Fantastic Four Cosmic Clash #005 Dr. Doom! (Or if you prefer, a pictorial representation of 2020's Top Ten can be found here.) Not only did Doom conquer all, but he did so with the widest margin of any #1 piece in the history of this series. Overall we had another great showing in 2020 with 149 participants providing their Top Ten lists! Last year was the first time that I counted votes from other sources, including here on Clix Nexus. 2020 was also the first year in which this thread received “media attention”, as the guys over on the Dial H for Heroclix podcast featured this thread and devoted an entire episode to discussing it, as well as their own Top Ten lists! (Link provided if you missed it.) All in all it was a great time, and I’m hoping we can somehow replicate that magic again this year.

So release schedules may have been delayed and in-person tournaments hard to find, but a modicum of product still squeezed through the Suez and found its way into players’ eager hands. Here are the options for this year's voting from the following 2021 releases:

Sets
House of X + Fast Forces
Fantastic Four: Future Foundation + Fast Forces
Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary + Battlegrounds: Wonder Woman
X-Men: Rise and Fall + Fast Forces
WizKids Deep Cuts: Fantastic Four

Promotional Exclusives
Brainiac and Lex Luthor
Ghost Rider (Cosmic)
Grodd
Justice League Fulcum Abominus
Master Mold
Plastic Man + Mailbox
Scott Porter bystander
Thanos (Punisher)
Ultimate Warrior
Wonder Woman and Jumpa

(Unfortunately, Empyre, Eternals, and the Fantastic Four SLOP have all been pushed back far enough that, even if they technically did release this year, no one would get a chance to play them sufficiently to justify their inclusion on this list. It’s also likely that not all areas of the world would receive them at the same time, so regardless of what happens through the rest of December, I’ve decided against their inclusion as eligible sets for this thread. Believe me, no one is more :cry: about that than me.)

Alright, so now that we know which pieces are and are not eligible, I'll get us started! First, the runners-up. I typically like to use this space to honor certain teams that, together, play exceedingly well together, but who don’t stand out on an individual basis.

*Starjammers v1.0 (Represented by Corsair HoX018)!
I love it when WizKids gives us an entire roster in one set, and not only were all of these characters either un-Clixed or in dire need of a remake, they are an absolute blast to play!

*Skrull Fantastic Four (Well, all except Invisible Woman, and 3 out of 4 isn’t bad.) (Represented by Skrull The Thing FFFF003!)
I love Skrulls, as well as cost effective dials, and you can hardly get a better deal than 30 points for 5 clicks of useful powers on every click. The fact that the Thing and Human Torch benefitted greatly from the change to several powers helps their case even more.

And now my personal Top Ten favorites of 2021, in heart-stopping alphabetical order!

1) Beast FFHoX002
House of X was originally slated to release in 2020, but it turned out to be our first taste of things to come, and was eventually released just after the New Year. Ever since, I’ve had a hard time not fielding this Beast on every single X-Men team. On paper he doesn’t do much, but his Five Steps Ahead trait is amazing; seeing as how the game is so filled with FREE actions nowadays, this is essentially Leadership without the risk of a die roll, plus a full dial of Outwit. Not to mention that Hank and I share a last name. 8-)

2) Bishop HoX003b
Bishop here is just one of what I like to call the “Power 40’s” from House of X, as that set contained a handful of fantastic dials at 40 points (see Maggott below, as well). I also have a weakness for bystander generators, and getting Bishop plus his sister Shard for this value is just awesome.

3) Blackbeard FFFF052
The ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing in a funny Pirate costume?!? Hell yeah! Plus he’s so crazy good that it’s practically shameful.

4) Carmella Unuscione XRF041
This is potentially my most “left field” choice, but I love Acolytes and continue to hope that they make literally every one. But it’s not just keyword-affiliated love that I feel for Carmella, no! She’s also a cost-efficient tank that can get you with Giant Reach or Psychic Blast. She’s a threat that you won’t want to ignore, and most opponents will be surprised by how hard she is to deal with without Outwit.

5) Circe WW80107b
So many of the things I like in a 40pt package: Mystics, Mind Control, Outwit, PC, and a STOP click! It's insane how useful she is.

6) Exodus XRF039
More Acolytes love! The combo of Running Shot and Mind Control is already a favorite of mine, and then you add on that he gets to deal damage to his MC target afterwards and I’m in love. There are a lot of combo options to heal him up if he gets hit once or twice too, not to mention that Mr. Sinister Team Up card that gives the “evil” Quiet Council members Shape Change.

7) Fire Belly XRF069
Crazy mobile, and a great utility piece that opponents will try to overlook at their peril. I didn’t care one bit about the Warp Worlds storyline that he’s from, but I love that he can move THREE TIMES per turn on his top dial, and penetrating Energy Explosion is incredibly dangerous. I love this weirdo.

8) Kate Pryde HoX055
Clearly I have a weakness for Pirates in Heroclix (which is weird, because I couldn’t care less about them outside of this game). I love the House of X storyline, and Marauders is one of the best books of the bunch. Plus I love characters that can carry multiple teammates, and it’s a “Kitty” with a little more flavor than she normally gets.

9) Maggott HoX051
A meta bystander generator that brings ridiculous value for his paltry 40 points, Maggott is often the first to die when I play him because people know that to leave him on the board is huge mistake. I don’t generally “rank” my Top Ten choices, but he may be my piece of the year.

10) Strife WW80039
I’ve always had a weakness for the Mystics team ability, and I was sad when they changed it to be uncopyable. Enter Strife! She’s one of the only ways to give your teammates Mystics now, and she does it in style. Fabulous, darling.

Alright, that’s it for the preamble. Now it's your turn! Happy voting, have some fun with it, and thanks for reading and following along. Have a great end to your 2021!
Last edited by hoojeebo on Fri Dec 17, 2021 2:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: TOP TEN Favorite Heroclix of 2021!

Postby JoePanc » Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:32 pm

This may be one of the hardest years for me to do this, as I've played the least I've played in 10 years this year...

But let's go!

1) HoX 051 Maggott
Duh. This was also the year everyone else realized how awesome he is, but I already knew.

2) HoX 003b Bishop
I've always loved Bishop (XAS for the win!) and this one is simple but effective. Forcing your opponents to come closer to you is what I'm all about.

3) FuFo 023 Dr. Doom
DOOM! I really like this Doom. I like the sculpt, I like the paint, I like the dial. DOOOOOOOOM.

4) LE Plastic Man
I love Plas. One day I will play him...one day...

5) FuFo 069 Doom the Annihilating Conqueror
Dr. Doom + Annihilus + Kang = must have for Joe. So glad I pulled this in my case.

6) WW80 070 The Flash
I haven't had a chance to play him yet but I have a soft spot for Blue Lantern Flash. Some day...

7) XRF 047a Beast
I'm a sucker for a good Beast and boy, this is a good Beast.

8) XRF 047b Dark Beast
So, this is my first Dark Beast and I love him. I played him in sealed and he was a MVP.

9) XRF 062 Apocalypse
Once Wizkids fixed him I got to play him. He is really good. And it's Apocalypse. How can you turn down Apocalypse?

10) XRF 100 Deadpool
So, there's too much to love about this figure. It's an Ultra Chase sculpt reused as a LE, which I love. I personally think he's a better figure than the Ultra Chase. I love that he's a big beefy sculpt (like the UC) and he's got a good assortment of keywords. Extra nice.

Honorable Mentions:
XRF Blob - I still love that sculpt so much. But that dial...makes me cry inside.
WW80 Sky Tyrant - I'm not a huge Hawkman fan, but he is a crazy blender of a figure. But I can't include a figure just for meta potential.
Master Mold - That's such a great episode. And I now own every master Mold every produced.
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Re: TOP TEN Favorite Heroclix of 2021!

Postby hoojeebo » Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:33 am

Thanks for contributing again this year, Joe! Great list, once again, and thank you for your role in bringing Maggott to the game. :ugeek:
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