Can anyone list the best/most powerful/winning-ist locations that are used for homebases as well as for battlesites? I don't necessarily just want to build power decks, but knowing what locations are considered the best would give me an idea of what direction to take any given location. Also, I guess a list of the worst ones wouldn't be bad either. Sometimes I like to take something considered bad and try to make it work.
It has surprised me seeing how many location cards actually give you penalties. Makes me personally not want to use those. Avalon comes closely to mind. :-\
Quote from: Nate Grey on April 01, 2011, 01:30:01 AM
It has surprised me seeing how many location cards actually give you penalties. Makes me personally not want to use those. Avalon comes closely to mind. :-\
waits for BBH to post.
I've had huge success with Muir Island as a HomeBase. also had some pretty good success with Wundagore Mountain and with Department H as HomeBases.
the most useful Battlesites i've built were on The Outback and The Danger Room. lately i've had a fun time with Mojoworld (but without Mojo, the spineless creep) and Krakoa (as suggested on another thread).
Post Merge: July 11, 2011, 08:22:03 PM
oh yeah, almost forgot, X-World is a really fun HomeBase, as is X-Mansion.
Avalon is a tough, tough pill to swallow. i find it a personal challenge. i've endeavored it a few times with middling success.
... speaking of tough pills, never built Savage Land... those are tough Grids to pool together, plus that lousy Inherent :-\
I've had some fun using Age of Apocalypse as my home base, and if you are playing with The Marvels, Sanctum Sanctorum can be killer. And of course Four Freedoms Plaza is probably the most powerful home base of them all.
I like to use the Vault as a battlesite because you can get Vertigo and a negate under there.
Ahhh, the homebases! I love 'em. Back in the day I knew players who couldn't figure out why I kept trying to make them work...
Favourites include - Avengers Mansion, Hell's Kitchen, Age of Apocalypse, Avalon, Dept. H, Landau, Luckman and Lake(!!!), Danger Room.
Quote from: Jack on April 01, 2011, 01:36:53 AM
Quote from: Nate Grey on April 01, 2011, 01:30:01 AM
It has surprised me seeing how many location cards actually give you penalties. Makes me personally not want to use those. Avalon comes closely to mind. :-\
waits for BBH to post.
Yes, Jack has seen my Avalon deck firsthand. It's a hurtful inherent, to be sure, but it can be worked around with a little careful strategy, and when the team works, it can hammer an opponent quite nicely.
Landau, Luckman and Lake has a killer aspect. Use an LL&L team with Psylocke and an Image Inducer, and/or Morlock Tunnels as your site for vertigo, and you can set up a game winning (non negatable!) trick. Well, vertigo is negatable, but the aspect isn't. Use fatal attractions to set it up and you're good to go. Add to that, the team is a solid build with a consistent grid. Captain America, Deadpool, Psylocke (or old Venom is good if you want that 6 energy stat to activate the image inducer) and Wolverine in reserve.
Age of Apocalypse with an Avenger's Mansion site also has a potential bet 7 game winning tactic that you can set up with relative ease.
So many untapped options.
-BBH
QuoteInsert Quote
Ahhh, the homebases! I love 'em. Back in the day I knew players who couldn't figure out why I kept trying to make them work...
I love'em too!
FFP is great, Asteroid M is good and Madripoor is ok. I learned to respect Ravencroft and I still think that the Avengers Mansion sucks (except for the one BBH built, this one actually works!)
Has anyone tried a Hellicarrier build? It doesn't seem all bad when you can put together a lineup between Cap, Skull, Widow, Fury, and Samson, though Hydra can sit this one out. Samson gives you an extra teamwork, while Skull has arguably all of the better specials.
I'm thinking of working on a build that definitely uses Cap, Widow, and Samson in some capacity. Fury backs up the Fighting stat, but his specials are just so... bleh, aside from the 8A. Red Skull gives you more flexible specials plus another Teamwork with 7I. Thoughts?
I think Avengers Mansion could be interesting. I like a lot of the characters. Actually, Mission Control was one of my favorite expansions because I still really like all of the characters from that set. Vision is one of my favorites too. He is only on there and Wakanda which appears to be an awful location though I haven't tried it. Doctor Doom is one of those characters that got screwed in the special department despite being so awesome in the comics. And Klaw. Guess they never got around to that one . . .
Quote from: LRoq617 on April 07, 2011, 01:33:53 AM
Has anyone tried a Hellicarrier build? It doesn't seem all bad when you can put together a lineup between Cap, Skull, Widow, Fury, and Samson, though Hydra can sit this one out. Samson gives you an extra teamwork, while Skull has arguably all of the better specials.
I'm thinking of working on a build that definitely uses Cap, Widow, and Samson in some capacity. Fury backs up the Fighting stat, but his specials are just so... bleh, aside from the 8A. Red Skull gives you more flexible specials plus another Teamwork with 7I. Thoughts?
Yes. The Hellicarrier isn't bad. I usually go Nick Fury, Cap, Skull in the front, with Widow in Reserve. Samson is a good sub out for Skull for the TWs... but as you say - Skull definitely trumps him in the specials dept, and you still get an additional TW from Skull.
Widow does have some great cards too, so an option is to bring her up, and put Fury in the back, if you don't like what he's got aside from his Howling Commandos. Though, having those up front is very nice indeed.
Quote from: Palatinus on April 07, 2011, 01:00:45 PM
I think Avengers Mansion could be interesting. I like a lot of the characters. Actually, Mission Control was one of my favorite expansions because I still really like all of the characters from that set. Vision is one of my favorites too. He is only on there and Wakanda which appears to be an awful location though I haven't tried it. Doctor Doom is one of those characters that got screwed in the special department despite being so awesome in the comics. And Klaw. Guess they never got around to that one . . .
Avengers is one of my favourites, though lately I've been using it as a Battlesite to awesome effect. I've tried Wakanda a couple of times, but didn't love it. If you use the Marvels, then it's much more potent with Hawkeye's Action Leader, Panther's 10 and Vision's draw 5. It would have been interesting to see what they did with Klaw and whether that would have taken the site to a new level.
I wish they'd given Doom another solid non-OPD or two. Something to complement Doombots would be really awesome, though Doombots does give you an opportunity for a 6 hit string through Doom, which is nothing to sneeze at even as is.
-BBH
I've never really seen Dr. Doom as very playable but I've never really looked into that technique for stringing attacks. He is one of those characters that really should have been a lot better. I always loved him in the comics. It was always great when someone like Spider-Man would finally foil his evil plan, catch up to him, get a good hit in, and knock the head off of the Doom Bot. So classic. Like Kakashi from Naruto.
Quote from: Palatinus on April 08, 2011, 01:03:06 PM
I've never really seen Dr. Doom as very playable but I've never really looked into that technique for stringing attacks. He is one of those characters that really should have been a lot better. I always loved him in the comics. It was always great when someone like Spider-Man would finally foil his evil plan, catch up to him, get a good hit in, and knock the head off of the Doom Bot. So classic. Like Kakashi from Naruto.
I like using him. I would love if he had more cards, but he's not terrible. Being an 8 stat goes a long way, and Doombots is a good card. If nothing else, he's a good sacrificial lamb, though that seems odd given that it's Dr. Doom! ;D
-BBH
Another I've been considering is Blue Area of the Moon. The Inherent hurts quite a bit upon initial view, but you can also work around it. Using the Marvels with a lineup of Crystal/Dark Phoenix/Quicksilver/Inhumans (R), I get away with running only 7 Energy power cards along with Any-powers for the higher slots. For the event, The Crossing can KO Crystal to bring up the Inhumans so you don't lose specials, and the deck overall is fairly hard-hitting with Jean's 9s, Quicksilver's 11s, and the Inhuman's 8m and 9i, and their new universal special avoid is just great. I've also got Outback as a battlesite to cover negates, though I could easily see going with Any Heroes.
Has anyone else tried this supposed crippling site?
Quote from: LRoq617 on April 09, 2011, 10:20:29 AM
Another I've been considering is Blue Area of the Moon. The Inherent hurts quite a bit upon initial view, but you can also work around it. Using the Marvels with a lineup of Crystal/Dark Phoenix/Quicksilver/Inhumans (R), I get away with running only 7 Energy power cards along with Any-powers for the higher slots. For the event, The Crossing can KO Crystal to bring up the Inhumans so you don't lose specials, and the deck overall is fairly hard-hitting with Jean's 9s, Quicksilver's 11s, and the Inhuman's 8m and 9i, and their new universal special avoid is just great. I've also got Outback as a battlesite to cover negates, though I could easily see going with Any Heroes.
Has anyone else tried this supposed crippling site?
Yes. It really isn't bad. If you go with an energy build, you can always use the Energy Power Cards for defense as much as possible. And as you say, you can really hammer your opponent with some heavy hitting cards, and make a kill team out of it. "Venture? Meh, I don't care, I plan to wipe you out!"
Alternatively, you can try an energy/intellect dual suit build, but I haven't had any luck with that approach. I prefer the straight up energy team.
-BBH
I do love Homebases in general and play them fairly-often. Besides those already mentioned (like Landua, Luckman & Lake) some I particularly enjoy.
Ship is fun just to make the most expensive team legally possible with Dark Phoenix and Apocalypse (obviouslly in reserve with just his 9) and then a choice of two of out of Cyclops, Beast and Angel. Obviously Marvels cards helps quite a bit to make Angel viable for this deck.
I also like to run X-World occassionally just because you can combine the Aspect with Phoenix Lifeforece (and play Goblyn Queen as the reserve) to pull off a total ressurrection. You can (again using Marvels) make a decent Energy team there with Angel: Fallen, Ice-Man, and I would go Bloodstorm but Havok also fits.
I also really dig that inherant for Hells Kitchen
Quote from: The Dude on April 10, 2011, 02:55:16 PM
I do love Homebases in general and play them fairly-often. Besides those already mentioned (like Landua, Luckman & Lake) some I particularly enjoy.
Ship is fun just to make the most expensive team legally possible with Dark Phoenix and Apocalypse (obviouslly in reserve with just his 9) and then a choice of two of out of Cyclops, Beast and Angel. Obviously Marvels cards helps quite a bit to make Angel viable for this deck.
I also like to run X-World occassionally just because you can combine the Aspect with Phoenix Lifeforece (and play Goblyn Queen as the reserve) to pull off a total ressurrection. You can (again using Marvels) make a decent Energy team there with Angel: Fallen, Ice-Man, and I would go Bloodstorm but Havok also fits.
I also really dig that inherant for Hells Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen is a blast. I like to use it with Sins of the Future, so you can run the 'switch with the reserve' event. And if you're a fan of the 'Marvels' using Stark Enterprises as a site is a good option, because of Hawkeye's Action leader.
Age of Apocalypse has a fairly easy 'I automatically win' scenario to set up. It's not infallible, but if done right you can take the win within two or three hands, cards willing. I've found the cards come up for it about half to 2/3 of the time within the first 2 hands.
Love dem homebases. ;D
Quote from: The Dude on April 10, 2011, 02:55:16 PM
I also like to run X-World occassionally just because you can combine the Aspect with Phoenix Lifeforece (and play Goblyn Queen as the reserve) to pull off a total ressurrection. You can (again using Marvels) make a decent Energy team there with Angel: Fallen, Ice-Man, and I would go Bloodstorm but Havok also fits.
X-World is lots of fun. I think that Aspect may be one of my favorites, because it takes the pressure off of losing some one early. I usually run it as an Energy/Fighting team, going with Iceman:The Iceman, Beast: The Brute, Angel: The Fallen, and Storm: Bloodstorm (R).
I've been looking at Mojoworld and trying to figure out the best team. Longshot is a fun guy but he really doesn't fit in grid-wise. I was thinking of trying to make the deck a team-work deck though with Longshot, Mojo, and Dazzler in the front, but then I want to have X-Babies up front because of all their great specials. Then I thought I should I just give up on X-Babies since I already have Negates from Mojo and Longshot and if I play Longshot Love I'll have Dazzler with a negate too. So I'm not sure, but I really like the site for a homebase. Mojoworld is one of my favorite places and I've always liked to use Mojo. He's actually in one of my two decks I have built right now, but that is just using Marvel Universe.
Quote from: BigBadHarve on April 09, 2011, 10:31:08 AM
Quote from: LRoq617 on April 09, 2011, 10:20:29 AM
Another I've been considering is Blue Area of the Moon. The Inherent hurts quite a bit upon initial view, but you can also work around it. Using the Marvels with a lineup of Crystal/Dark Phoenix/Quicksilver/Inhumans (R), I get away with running only 7 Energy power cards along with Any-powers for the higher slots. For the event, The Crossing can KO Crystal to bring up the Inhumans so you don't lose specials, and the deck overall is fairly hard-hitting with Jean's 9s, Quicksilver's 11s, and the Inhuman's 8m and 9i, and their new universal special avoid is just great. I've also got Outback as a battlesite to cover negates, though I could easily see going with Any Heroes.
Has anyone else tried this supposed crippling site?
Yes. It really isn't bad. If you go with an energy build, you can always use the Energy Power Cards for defense as much as possible. And as you say, you can really hammer your opponent with some heavy hitting cards, and make a kill team out of it. "Venture? Meh, I don't care, I plan to wipe you out!"
Alternatively, you can try an energy/intellect dual suit build, but I haven't had any luck with that approach. I prefer the straight up energy team.
-BBH
A sub-intellect build doesn't seem all that spectacular, sadly. Sure you get an 8 in the Shi'ar, but with their amazing lineup of one playable special, it's more like it's being forced rather than actually being a good idea. Kree I could see actually going in over Quicksilver for the better variety of specials overall, and you don't lose the one teamwork. They can run a good # of 7s (7fAR, 7sOPD) and the Colonel is just an awesome card, though he fits better in a deck looking to win by venture, which this likely wouldn't be.
Interesting, though. I may have to try it out both ways.
So how many locations are there with a negative inherent that also have no way of making a combination that exceeds the sum deck rule?
Only a few. Gamma Base being the biggest offender. No matter how you slice that team, it's ALWAYS under Sum deck. There is absolutely no reason to use it as a homebase. Abomination would have had to be REALLY good (and expensive), or the Aspect absolutely killer to warrant using it as a base.
Onslaught's Citadel goes both ways. You can build it a couple of ways without the Homebase. But some builds put you over by couple of points. Definitely not so powerful to warrant such a crippling inherent ability.
Wakanda can be built under sum deck. But really the inherent can be worked around.
I sometimes wonder of many of the locations were designed specifically to be Battlesites. Citadel is among the worst Homebases (primarily for the inherent) but is an A-list site. Or if that was just the way things rolled in the end.
-BBH
I'm thinking that the locations are such a huge mechanic that they were never adequately play-tested in development.
Quote from: BigBadHarve on April 13, 2011, 10:13:35 AM
Only a few. Gamma Base being the biggest offender. No matter how you slice that team, it's ALWAYS under Sum deck. There is absolutely no reason to use it as a homebase. Abomination would have had to be REALLY good (and expensive), or the Aspect absolutely killer to warrant using it as a base.
Onslaught's Citadel goes both ways. You can build it a couple of ways without the Homebase. But some builds put you over by couple of points. Definitely not so powerful to warrant such a crippling inherent ability.
Wakanda can be built under sum deck. But really the inherent can be worked around.
I sometimes wonder of many of the locations were designed specifically to be Battlesites. Citadel is among the worst Homebases (primarily for the inherent) but is an A-list site. Or if that was just the way things rolled in the end.
-BBH
With that last statement in mind, I was wondering if you ever tried using the 'absent character specials' (ACS) as a replacement to 'any-heros'? So instead of limiting it to 2 specials you could use any 1 copy of the two missing characters' specials as long as they were of different codes and only 1 OPD. Like 'any-heros' you would be restricted to not using a battlesite to use the ACSs.
Quote from: Nostalgic on April 13, 2011, 10:38:41 AM
With that last statement in mind, I was wondering if you ever tried using the 'absent character specials' (ACS) as a replacement to 'any-heros'? So instead of limiting it to 2 specials you could use any 1 copy of the two missing characters' specials as long as they were of different codes and only 1 OPD. Like 'any-heros' you would be restricted to not using a battlesite to use the ACSs.
You know, I honestly had not. Interesting idea, I shall think on that. Sounds like it might have merit...
-BBH
I think that would work for some homebases. Others it would be weak and on the ones with missing heroes it would be really bad.
Quote from: Nostalgic on April 13, 2011, 10:38:41 AM
Quote from: BigBadHarve on April 13, 2011, 10:13:35 AM
Only a few. Gamma Base being the biggest offender. No matter how you slice that team, it's ALWAYS under Sum deck. There is absolutely no reason to use it as a homebase. Abomination would have had to be REALLY good (and expensive), or the Aspect absolutely killer to warrant using it as a base.
Onslaught's Citadel goes both ways. You can build it a couple of ways without the Homebase. But some builds put you over by couple of points. Definitely not so powerful to warrant such a crippling inherent ability.
Wakanda can be built under sum deck. But really the inherent can be worked around.
I sometimes wonder of many of the locations were designed specifically to be Battlesites. Citadel is among the worst Homebases (primarily for the inherent) but is an A-list site. Or if that was just the way things rolled in the end.
-BBH
With that last statement in mind, I was wondering if you ever tried using the 'absent character specials' (ACS) as a replacement to 'any-heros'? So instead of limiting it to 2 specials you could use any 1 copy of the two missing characters' specials as long as they were of different codes and only 1 OPD. Like 'any-heros' you would be restricted to not using a battlesite to use the ACSs.
I made Homemade bases awhile back for X-men: Gold and X-Men: Blue teams. For the Gold team, there were 6 members. For the Blue team, there were 7, though. So, for the Inherent on that base I wrote that you could use Jubilee Special cards as OPD "Any Hero" cards. It was fun. There were obviously some shortcomings, but it was still an interesting twist. So, it gave you a pair of avoids, a pair of 7 attacks (w/MARVELS), a hold, a shift... like I said, pretty fun :)
Quote from: Palatinus
I think that would work for some homebases.
That's the point. Hopefully it will help a few marginal homebases cross that imaginary line of playability. That's why it would be an optional alternative to any-heroes.
Quote from: Palatinus
Others it would be weak...
That's the nature of the characters. You really can't make a weak character stronger without homemads...or perhaps a clever shifting mechanic. ;) For those homebases 'any-heroes' or battlesites would be the way to go.
Quote from: Palatinus
...and on the ones with missing heroes it would be really bad.
I'd don't think 'bad' is the word here as opposed to it would have 'no affect.' This isn't a "bad" thing as it were, but again a limitation due to lack of characters on the homebase itself.
Quote from: Nostalgic on April 14, 2011, 01:57:34 PM
Quote from: Palatinus
...and on the ones with missing heroes it would be really bad.
I'd don't think 'bad' is the word here as opposed to it would have 'no affect.' This isn't a "bad" thing as it were, but again a limitation due to lack of characters on the homebase itself.
What makes it interesting is the option. If you're using a homebase that is missing a character, you wouldn't necessarily take the option, and go with a site or Any heroes as normal. But you like decide that the specials for the absent characters are more appealing than a battlesite or Any-hero options and go for that instead.
I will test this one out. Let me know how your testing goes.
-BBH
Quote from: Nostalgic on April 14, 2011, 01:57:34 PM
Quote from: Palatinus
...and on the ones with missing heroes it would be really bad.
I'd don't think 'bad' is the word here as opposed to it would have 'no affect.' This isn't a "bad" thing as it were, but again a limitation due to lack of characters on the homebase itself.
That is a much more accurate way of putting it.
I actually used my first homebase today.
Latveria
Invisible Woman: Malice
Human Torch: Invaders
Silver Surfer
3-Stat Dr. Doom (R)
I still lost, but it was fun.
Quote from: Ranerdar on April 16, 2011, 05:20:11 PM
I actually used my first homebase today.
Latveria
Invisible Woman: Malice
Human Torch: Invaders
Silver Surfer
3-Stat Dr. Doom (R)
I still lost, but it was fun.
have u tried
Invisible Woman: Malice (both avoids)
mr fantastic (teammate 9 or less)
sulver surfer (both avoids)
torch(either) personal avoid
Quote from: steve2275 on April 05, 2012, 10:56:56 AM
have u tried
Invisible Woman: Malice (both avoids)
mr fantastic (teammate 9 or less)
sulver surfer (both avoids)
torch(either) personal avoid
I just played this team (with the Invaders Torch) two weeks ago when my one OP buddy and I took a road trip. Tons of fun to play. The defense you can put together is fantastic, and the grids complement each other very well.