Our friends at Dial H will present some awesome team-building ideas each week leading up to WizKids Worlds! Here is a note from them:

Hello HeroClix fans and players! We’ve got another article to spark your creativity as you prepare for your upcoming Pulp and Theme events. This week we look at the underutilized keyword of Defenders, as well as some great options for the Scientist keyword!

For more information on Theme, Pulp, and other HeroClix formats check out the article HERE.

In case you missed it, you can read last week’s Creative Construction article HERE.

Prime Spider-Man has shown his power in Modern play, and in the Theme format he’ll be no different! With the Scientist keyword giving this build access to one of the kings of Modern, Sakaarian Iron Man, Spider-Man won’t have to hold out alone. In addition, this team can also utilize the brand new Multiversal Masters of Evil, providing a wide variety of offense and support. Rounding out the build, we have the likes of Flash, Molecule man and Teen Lantern to help keep the team mobile, protected and busting through any pesky Barrier your opponent might place. Don’t sleep on Ultra-Humanite either! His improved targeting can lead to some great repositioning of your opponent via Mind Control.

Did you know that each X of Swords tarot card is mapped to a different power or ability on the Powers and Abilities Card? Find out more about Tarot Cards in the Design Insights article HERE. When you are ready to take it to the next level, you can read more about harnessing the strategy of Tarot HERE.

“Defenders, Defend!” The Defenders keyword offers some heavy hitters with great reach in Arachknight and Carnage Silver Surfer, who also have excellent defense with their rollouts. Speaking of defense, Clea is a great addition to keep the team safe at a distance. While she shields the team, Prime Hulk can use the extra movement from his Cloak of Levitation to break some blocking and heal up big time. Meanwhile, Iceman sits in the starting area, waiting for the perfect time to strike back via Colossal Retaliation. Last but certainly not least, the team closes out with a personal favorite in shifting focus Dr. Strange. He begins as a great way to transport the team, later shifting into a solid defensive option to keep the team healed up. He can also function as an amazing support piece for offense, handing out a +1 to both attack and damage.

Tarot Spotlight: Ace of Cups
Catch me if you can! The Ace of Cups tarot card will help your team duck and dodge your opponent’s hits. Slip this into your deck when you are piloting evasive characters to get +1 to your Super Senses rolls.

Alpha Strike? Defensive Shell? Why not both? This diverse Pulp team truly starts with The Watcher and his impressive 8 range with line of fire that is never blocked, as well as his 19-20 defend clicks that you can switch him to. Following that with Manifold, who grants all adjacent friendly characters Combat Reflexes, hitting this team from close is incredibly hard for your opponent to do. Along with defense, this team also excels at ranged combat. With three instances of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team ability, The Watcher can be boosted to an 11 range, and Leader can Mind Control up to three targets from nine squares away! This potentially forces opposing characters into the open, where Hawkeye can dish out an impressive amount of damage thanks to Bats. Pulse Wave is the biggest threat to this team, but with Marvella and Teen Lantern providing Barrier, and the Watcher’s long range Outwit, it shouldn’t be a threat for long.

This last build comes at you from Dial H Superfan Bill De Roche! First and foremost, this is a Scientist theme team, allowing you higher odds at winning initiative. This build starts with Teen Lantern, who will be able to position your entire team with Passenger: 8 via the Green Lantern Team Ability. To go with our taxiing teen, you have one of the strongest Pulse Wave figures in Pulp, Blue Marvel. Behind the scenes, there are the likes of Red Skull and Dr. Doom, who are both capable of generating even more threats. For support, this team utilizes the attack and damage bonuses from Forge, as well as Probability Control and Telekinesis from Leader. In the starting area, Giganta waits for her time to shine after an opponent’s attack via her free use of Giant Retaliation.

Figure Spotlight: Teen Lantern
All aboard! The Green Lantern Corp team ability will allow you to taxi up to 8 members of your team into prime position. She also has Probability Control, which will give you the flex you need to re-roll when things don’t go your way. Teen Lantern makes an excellent strategic addition to most teams and gives the choice between 75 and 30 point starts.