Hello all, it’s been a little while, but I’m back with part 3 of my Marvel Crisis Protocol series. Last time, I looked at how my Brotherhood of Mutants roster is coming along. Since that article dropped, Atomic Mass Games has added some more options to the roster. Having logged a few games with my “core 5,” I have a clearer idea where my list’s strengths lie and where I need to patch up some weaknesses.
Guest Writer John Paul
My initial five are Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, Quicksilver, and Mystique. The list is fast and strong at claiming extraction objectives, but it struggles to take and hold ground. Toad and Quicksilver are great at snagging objectives and getting out of dodge. Outside of Magneto, the roster lacks resilience and staying power. Likewise, it’s a bit light on pure damage output. Mystique is capable of sneaky damage and can lure opposing models out of position, and Sabretooth can be a scalpel that can be relied on to cut down opponent’s flankers.
It was with these limitations in mind that I got to work on painting up some new members for my Brotherhood roster. The first that I decided to add is Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch. She offers a combination of raw hitting power in her 6 strength, mystic builder with the ability to hand out and sustain status effects. Her hex field ability makes it impossible for opponents to shake those effects while they’re within range 3 of her, too. This can make her an obnoxious control piece. While she is a bit weak defensively, she instantly ups the offensive capacity of my roster and was a really fun model to paint as well.
Continuing with the theme of status effects, I decided to add my first non-Brotherhood model. Allies work pretty simply in Marvel Crisis Protocol. More than half of any given roster has to consist of affiliated models. Omega Red is a member of the Cabal and Criminal Syndicate, but he is a classic villain to the X-Men and offers some attractive kit to my roster. The name of the game with him is dishing out poison via his intrinsic Death Spores ability, draining life with his Carbonadium Coils, and inflicting flat damage via his Death Factor super power. Omega Red wants to pull models close, afflict them, and then add on a few points of guaranteed damage, which can often tip the tide of a battle. He also adds some nice denial tech for secure objectives. Enemies that come too close will be subject to his poisonous aura, and they’ll find him surprisingly hardy thanks to his flat -1 damage from his Carbonadium Armor ability. When he does suffer some damage, he can siphon enemy life using his builder in order to heal. This makes for a frustratingly resilient model that can camp an objective and tank a surprising amount of damage. The only hurdle is actually getting Omega Red onto objectives. His S speed means he needs some assistance getting into position depending on the missions drawn.
The final addition to my roster is my all time favorite Marvel mutant. I was surprised that he received the Brotherhood Affiliation, but Colossus did spend some time working for Magneto as one of the Acolytes. As one would suspect, the Russian mutant is a true tank. Stats and abilities-wise, he is very reminiscent of Luke Cage of Captain America. He reduces damage by 1, is immune to bleed, and can buff his defenses. Likewise, his Big Brother superpower allows him to function as a bodyguard for his less resilient peers. Remember what I said about Scarlet Witch earlier? Colossus can babysit her and guarantee she remains in the fight, dishing out Cthonian magic for far longer. Unfortunately, he is also slow and doesn’t have the advantage of being able to attack from long range the way Omega Red can via his coils. Colossus has to get down and dirty to get his damage in. Luckily, his box comes with the Indomitable team tactics card, which lets a model ignore an enemy throw or push, which is especially key for keeping him in position. Additionally, Magneto’s leadership ability goes a long way to help shore up Colossus’s struggles with power generation, letting him activate more of his defensive tech even if he isn’t in the thick of the fighting. Colossus is they type of model you want to jam down the middle alongside a more fragile ally, forcing your opponent into some tough decisions and distracting from more valuable assets such as Magneto or Scarlet Witch.
That rounds out my most recent additions. With two slots still open, I’ve got some decisions about where to go before I call my 10-mutant roster done. Do I want the unstoppable, yet costly force of the Juggernaut to add some serious punch, or would I prefer the tricky but powerful stylings of Mr. Sinister. Maybe Gambit or his beloved Rogue, both somewhat surprising recipients of a Brotherhood affiliation, would be ideal additions to the team? I’ll be back in a few weeks to share my final ten and further discuss roster-building in Marvel Crisis Protocol.
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