HeroClix Watch List Q2 2024 Results
Please see below the official changes to the Q2 2024 Watch List (Click HERE to see the original Q2 2024 Watch List post).
All changes are only effective in the Pulp format and are effective on June 14. Updates to the Pulp format can be viewed HERE.
WoV 030 Blackheart
Result: WoV 030 Blackheart is Banned in Pulp.
Explanation: While Blackheart might not close out games on his own, his placement and support effects have no good match in Pulp. Blackheart’s presence in Pulp skews the format too heavily towards specific keywords. Some of his common pairings are on this Watch List, and the Rules Committee did consider leaving him in and simply removing the characters he supports. However, we found that he simply would switch to a new oppressive build around MSNP 036 Moon Knight. Therefore, we are banning him in Pulp.
XSOP 030 Mister Sinister
Result: XSOP 030 Mister Sinister is Banned in Pulp
Explanation: Mister Sinister is a figure the Rules Committee has had an eye on since the start of Pulp, but there was a thought that between several good Pulse Wave options in the format and the retirement of XRF024 Dr. Moira MacTaggart last year, Sinister would settle down as a sort of insurance for players engaging in the sort of risky, aggressive play that makes for exciting games. That didn’t happen. Rather, he’s found a home paired with other characters that care about 1s getting rolled, and has become an overly constraining force on the development of new and interesting teams. As such, we are banning him in Pulp.
WoV 036 Orb
Result: No change.
Explanation: Orb was a tough call, and we will continue to keep a close eye on him. He’s an aggressively costed character with a deep dial and potent offensive options, and the Rules Committee wasn’t surprised to see him shine in Pulp. We didn’t foresee him becoming the auto-include in teams he became, however. Still, with the banning of his two best supporting characters, we expect to see his play decline to a more healthy level. Orb is not banned at this time, but we will continue to monitor him.
A60 032 Dr. Strange
Result: No Change
Explanation: Strange has been a staple of the recent Pulp meta; his higher-than-average starting damage and free placement ability have made him a popular attacker to pair with Blackheart. Like with Orb above, the Rules Committee holds that with Blackheart’s removal his play will fall to a more healthy level. Dr. Strange is not banned.
DCN 044 Nekron
Result: DCN 044 Nekron is banned in Pulp
Explanation: Like Sinister, Nekron was a figure the Rules Committee has been monitoring, and the time has come to prune him from Pulp. Nekron’s ability to heal 2 clicks whenever an opposing character is KO’d has the potential to snowball faster than most “swarm” teams (teams that use a large number of cheap figures) can keep up with, and Pulp lacks the sort of anti-healing tech to combat Nekron present in other formats. We had hoped to see Pulp develop a “tentpole” or “One Man Army” build (teams that use only a single figure, or that devote most of their points to a single figure) that could starve Nekron out, but such builds have remained unpopular. For now Nekron is being removed from the format, but he may be reintroduced if we feel the metagame can safely handle him.
This concludes the Q2 2024 Watch List. The Rules Committee will continue to monitor the overall metagame health of HeroClix’s various formats, and will issue Watch Lists as needed.
