(Editor’s Note: Join the Noobas he defiles yet another strategic game with his own special brand of ignorance.)

We recorded Episode 6 of the podcast this past weekend. We also tried to record some videos of Heroclix openings. I got a new computer, so the videos aren’t of the best quality and we will try again next month. It also took us a few tries to figure out how the microphone interacted with the new PC and I’m not sure we completely did. If the audio is bad this month, I apologize. Bear with us as we iron out all of these wrinkles. I can’t keep using that excuse indefinitely, but I’ll take any slack you offer. We’re not professionals, after all, just 2 guys gaming.

Speaking of gaming (how about that segue), we took a break from Magic to play some Heroclix. One of us suggested the game as both a topic for the show and to offer some variety during our monthly game nights. It served both purposes well. Due to time restrictions, we only got to play one game. Still, I can say with confidence that it was the first game of many. Personally, I can’t wait to play again.

We decided to initiate ourselves into the world of Heroclix with a booster draft. I brought my Guardians of the Galaxy pack that my four year old pried open, already putting Chris in a suspicious mood. This mood will pay off with actual shenanigans on my part, so stay tuned. Chris provided one from the Amazing Spider-Man series. On first glance, none of the characters in my pack looked terribly impressive. I should probably mention that I have been very busy with finals at school lately and have not been able to research the game at all. Even so, the characters in the other box looked way cooler. I think that it was mostly just Man Thing that had me all hot and bothered…no comments, perverts. As I found out, he is a bad ass, but I had no way of knowing that. Hell, while we played, I checked all of their abilities on the chart every single turn. The model just looked amazing and boy, was that Man Thing big….okay, I’m done.

Now, on to the draft. I will give the picks that Chris made each round after my picks and admittedly ignorant analysis. Maybe Chris can give his thought process in another article. *hint, hint* A final warning: Seeing as how neither of us ever played the game before, we probably did not adhere to time limits during the draft process. No one pick ever took longer than a few minutes. Still, we gave one another ample time to consider each choice. As with most of our gaming, we just took a more casual approach.

Pack 1, Pick 1: My pack consisted of Captain Marvel (the Carol Danvers version), Crystal, Recorder, Deathurge, and Dire Wraith. This pick was easy. I took the most expensive–and strongest, I hoped–character. She took up so many points, but I figured she’d be worth it. Chris took Dr. Druid, a solid first pick.

Pack 2, Pick 1: Chris passed me Man-Thing, Werewolf, Spider-Girl, and Manphibian. I briefly considered Werewolf and Manphibian, but ultimately picked Man-Thing. He is just too strong. Plus, he has the flexibility of multiple point values. (I need to mention now that, at the time, I mistakenly read Captain Marvel as 100, not 150 points. Yes, a math teacher who can’t do math. ‘Merica! My team was illegal for a 300 point game. Dang. I tried so hard to put together the best team given the quota. All for naught.) Chris, not a cheater, picked Crystal.

Pack 1, Pick 2: After picking what I considered to be the core of my team, I started looking for support. Of the three remaining, Recorder had the strongest ability in that capacity, as far as I can tell. Chris takes Werewolf. Had I not been a cheater, I’d probably have taken him instead of Man-Thing, but who knows.

Pack 2, Pick 2: Left with Manphibian and Spider-Girl, I take the chance that we might play an outside map with water so that he will have a movement bonus. I consider Spider-Girl for her support power, but I take the chance. Chris takes Deathurge, who I now notice has a point value of 140. He might be actually be strong. I will have to look at him again.

Leftover: I pass Chris Spider-Girl and receive Dire Wraith. Before this game, I had no idea that it was even a thing. If I read Captain Marvel’s point value right, he’d have become an integral part of my team. You can all see and understand why I cheated now, right?

I will write another article for post on Friday that discusses my strategy in putting together my team. I will also talk about the game that we played in that article. Tonight and tomorrow are reserved for editing the podcast. Until then, Excelsior and best of luck in your Mini Marvel adventures!