The second half of the year for Marvel Crisis Protocol has been relatively slow for new model releases and some of them are more competitive than others. This article will give you a primer on how the new releases have been received and also looking forward to the imminent arrival of new models this fall.
Phoenix
First off, we have Phoenix, a 6 Threat affiliated with the Uncanny X-Men. Although X-Men are a thematic and popular affiliation, this model has had no competitive impact in the game. Her in-game design mirrors the Jean Grey Phoenix storyline from the comics, but that also means this character often dies tragically on the battlefield as well. A 6 Threat that prematurely leaves the battlefield is a tough sell for any roster and you’re better off playing other mutants.
Next up we have the Brotherhood of Mutants box which comes with the three characters: Exodus, Lady Mastermind, and Avalanche at 5, 4, and 3 Threat respectively. I have seen all three of these characters played in a tournament setting so lets discuss.
Lady Mastermind
Lady Mastermind is the most unique of the characters and provides a puzzle to be solved. She is affiliated in Brotherhood and Hellfire Club. She has a suite of Mystic attacks but her Gainer attack does a max of 1 damage with a kicker of 2 extra damage if you remove 2 conditions from the enemy character. Her interesting superpower is the ability to do a third attack by targeting an enemy model. You get a textless attack equal to the Range and Dice and typing of the enemy model’s attack with Power Cost 0. She can be doing her Gainer attack and the third attack superpower from Range 5 but I don’t think that’s still enough for her to be played much competitively. She doesn’t have much synergy with any Brotherhood leaders or Emma Frost Hellfire.
Exodus
Exodus is very similar to Cable’s design in the sense they have an X cost Throw superpower, a Range 2 self Place superpower, and a defense dice boosting superpower for themselves or their allies. While Cable has damage output, Exodus has some healing effects. Exodus is only affiliated with Brotherhood and I don’t think they’re really looking for this type of model in the 5 Threat slot. They already have Juggernaut who is excellent under both Magneto and Mystique. Exodus doesn’t have any specific synergies with either Brotherhood leader but he is generically good. I think he will still be a personal pet pick for some people but I don’t really expect him to show up under Brotherhood or splashed in any other affiliation.
Avalanche
The final model in the box is Avalanche. He’s a simplistic 3-Threat but I think his suite of superpowers actually make him the most likely to be played out of this box. While only affiliated in Brotherhood, his superpower Landslide can push any enemy model Size 4 or less within Range 3 Away Short for 2 power. This superpower will just be generically helpful under any Brotherhood leadership, and could win you a VP every Round of the game. I would want to be using this superpower every Round with my power and displacing enemy models. Against an immobile model (one without a Place or Charge) this is effectively a Stagger since it forces them to walk back onto a Secure point where they were before.
His second superpower, Beware Falling Debris, is also very good. It essentially can blow up a terrain piece when an enemy model ends an Advance within Range 3 of Avalanche and cause a collision against that enemy character. This effect is great since you’re doing damage on their activation, with the possibility of Dazing or KO’ing them in the middle of their Turn. It can also destroy terrain and deprive the enemy from being able to Throw it themselves. It also synergizes with Magneto since you will be handing out Power with the Magneto leadership by destroying a terrain piece.
As a 3-Threat he will be efficient and effective at a very simple job of keeping enemy models off of points. I do think there are a lot of good 3 Threats in Brotherhood but he is a strong contender to be included in a roster. I think he gets special consideration in a Kingpin list which is already interested in sitting on Secures and even when Injured, scoring VP by pushing enemy models off of points.
Next we have a whole slew of new characters coming to the game very soon. I think a lot of these new characters have the opportunity to shake up the meta and we’ll see many of them on the table both casually and competitively.
Ronin
Ronin is a very mobile character with a 2-cost Range 3 Place and is very offensive between his attacks and his superpower to modify dice equal to the Hits he has in the attack roll. He also has a good defensive suite with Stealth and Martial Artist. I don’t think he’s such a stand-out that he’ll be splashed in other affiliations, but I do think he’ll be a strong candidate in the affiliations he belongs to: Avengers and Defenders.
He has two superpowers that cost 2 Power that can be reduced by Steve 1 (Captain America). He has lots of triggers on attacks that can be confirmed by Steve 3 (First Avenger). He is generally effective in a way that Sam Avengers is looking for. In Defenders he will benefit from Daredevil re-rolls in Range 2. He can also utilize Dr. Strange leadership to give out Hex early on in the game with his Range 4 attack. I will definitely expect to see him in many games in the future. People seem to be valuing him highly for his generally good effects and flexibility. He can move across the table very effectively while still using his great attacks. He can change gears from an offensive tool to being pretty defensive through mobility at any point in the game. He’s competing with some great 4-Threats in his affiliations (Shang-Chi primarily) but I expect to see him in competitive lists.
Tigra
Tigra is also affiliated in Avengers and Defenders and is also a 4-Threat like Ronin. She has conditional Stealth and the Superior Agility superpower has which says enemy models can’t reroll or modify attack dice when attacking her. She also provides a defensive re-roll to allied models within Range 2 of her. This combination makes her pretty defensive and wanting to be near other allied models, but the rest of her card is all aggression.
Her Builder attack has a Wild Pierce and Hit+Wild Hex trigger. This combination of triggers says to me that I want to play her in Steve 3 (First Avenger) so I can get those triggers consistently. Steve 3 helping her hit triggers will make her much more lethal and putting Hex on a character will hamper their future dice rolls. Her Spender has a Range 3 Place of herself automatically along with a Wild Stagger trigger. She also has a Long move so if someone is trying to catch her, this will be amazing to get away with an Extract. The Place can also enable her Ambush Predator superpower because when she pounces from on top of a Size 3 or larger Terrain piece she will count as a Size 3 character when determining collision damage. So the Spender and the self-Throw can be used together to really push extra damage.
Finally she has a Counter-Strike effect which I always like on a character. She already has some defensive tech so if she doesn’t Daze or KO, she has the opportunity to push damage back to the enemy character. When an enemy model is on 1 or 2 health it does make them pause to decide whether they want to make an attack into Tigra.
I think she is more competive under Avengers leadership, especially the two Steve Rodgers leaders. She is competing against a lot of great 4-Threat Avengers. I think she won’t be a universal competitive pick but a pet pick and I myself will be putting her on the table.
Echo
Echo is a 3-Threat with mobility and offensive abilities. She has a unique ability that she can change her attack or defense dice equal to the Crit results in the opponent’s roll. I think this will help her mitigate against enemy rolls that spike lots of Crits but I’m not sure it will help her confirm lots of extra damage in an attack roll. Maybe someone can explain to me the scenario that this is a very impactful effect but right now I’m thinking its a marginal benefit.
She’s a long mover with the Charge superpower so she will be able to reach her target. Her Spender also has the rule that the defender does not count Crits and does not explode Crits so that synergizes with her Death Dancer superpower. Echo is affiliated in Criminal Syndicate and Defenders which is a pretty unique combination but she will only want to play under the aggressive leaders. She could be useful under Shadowlands Daredevil to be even more offensive with the leadership re-rolls. She could also benefit from Daredevil or Dr. Strange’s leadership in Defenders since they also modify and boost attacks.
However the 3-Threat Long moving, charge, aggressive model is still Baron Zemo and Echo won’t be replacing him any time soon. They are affiliated in different places but if that is the archetype you’re looking for, Zemo is probably your best bet in a competitive roster.
Prowler
Prowler is canonically a stealthy thief in the Marvel universe. This character embodies those traits through his Long-move, Stealth innate superpower, and his superpower Custom Designed Burglar Gadgets which can refund him a power when he interacts with an objective. His TTC is also objective focused, allowing him to virtually always be able to win a pay-to-flip or it’s an ability to immediately grab an Extract objective that an ally within Range 2 of you will drop. I think these traits push him toward a strong objective game.
He is affiliated in Criminal Syndicate and Spider-Foes. I will be playing him under Kingpin where he will help that gameplan by being good at grabbing Extracts and long-moving on to points to win them. He can also help shore up the pay-to-flip weakness of Kingpin teams. I think he will also be good under Doc Ock Sinister Scientist for Spider-Foes where he can generate even more power and use it offensively. Unaffiliated he may see play under Mystique where he can generate even more power when interacting with objectives.
The rest of his kit is focused on aggressive actions. I’m not sure he’ll always be wanting to get into the fray and brawling, he does have the option and two superpowers that will enable fighting. He is a long mover with a Charge so he can go after enemy Extract holders better than most. When he himself is trying to get away he can use his Spender Nothing Personal, Just Business to try and get the Wild short Throw and he’ll get an automatic Medium move after the attack is resolved. He should be able to start an activation next to an enemy model but by the end create a large gap and your enemy will struggle to keep up and stick damage to him. His final superpower allows him to re-roll all of his attack dice, including skulls which will be nice when you need it.
Web Warriors and beyond…
Tune in later this week to learn about the 5 new Web Warrior models coming to the game, which all seem very competitive and downright scary to see across the table. In addition, we may see Blue Marvel and Spectrum arrive before the end of 2025…
Until then, let me know where you’re playing these new characters and which is your favorite! You can always find me at my local shop, the Fabricator’s Forge outside Pittsburgh PA and playing in our ongoing Appalachian Cup around the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia region. If you’re looking for discount Marvel Crisis Protocol, shop in the Frontline Gaming online store! New models are the spice of Marvel Crisis Protocol so check it out today!