Best locations

[The Dude]

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

[BigBadHarve]

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. 

[gameplan.exe]

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).

[Palatinus]

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.

[LRoq617]

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.

[Palatinus]

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?

[BigBadHarve]

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

[Palatinus]

I'm thinking that the locations are such a huge mechanic that they were never adequately play-tested in development.

[Nostalgic]

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.

[BigBadHarve]

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

[Palatinus]

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.

[gameplan.exe]

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

[Nostalgic]

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.

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.

...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. 

[BigBadHarve]

...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

[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.