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Back in December, I wrote the first of an intended
series of side-by-side reviews of the Arkham Asylum
LEs compared with their Common rarity versions on
Gotham City Detective and the LE Crispus Allen (or
"Black Spectre" as I like to call him. But then, I
LIKED the dumb 70s trend of naming black characters
"Black whatever"). Well, that one wasn't much of a
comparison, as the two figures are WILDLY different
in both cost and application. (And the Pojo
webmaster doubled up my next several reviews, too,
though they really WEREN'T intended as
side-by-sides.)
Now, though, with the top 10 of 2008 list done, and
the majority of the AA LEs in peoples' hands, it's
time to do this right.
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First up is the classic side-by-side character: #
007 TWO-FACE and # 102 HARVEY DENT.
TWO-FACE
boot symbol
75 points
Team: Batman Enemy
Keywords: Brute, Gotham City, Politician
Range: 6 x 2
DIAL & CARD:
http://www.wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/dc/figuregallery.asp?unitid=14243
STRENGTHS:
His SP "Mercy or Murder" means he can always
potentially hurt Invulnerable or Imperious
characters with either Incapacitate or Psychic
Blast, particularly with his two targets. Natural
Stealth means he can hide and snipe, and his
Mastermind makes him a tough KO when enemies DO
reach him. Perplex on 2nd-4th clicks is a good help
for himself and his team (though you may not want to
push off his double-digit AV to get there). Flurry
and a revival of his AV on the 2nd half of his dial
aren't bad. Sporting the increasingly solid Gotham
City and Politician keywords, he's also a rare
Brute-keyworded piece with range.
WEAKNESSES:
By the time he gets Flurry, he's lost both Stealth
and Mastermind to protect him, and he's only dealing
1 damage as well. In fact, his damage is low
throughout. Not having Perplex toploaded is a
problem -- you'll have to push him -- and his SP is
too unreliable. His mediocre range means he’s
relatively easy to get to.
CARDS TO CONSIDER:
ARMOR PIERCING will fix his damage problems.
CONTINGENCY PLAN can fix his initial lack of
Perplex (and free up that power to use on his damage
or defense instead of other values). GETAWAY works
with Mastermind to keep him out of harm's way a
little longer. But whatever you use, don't load him
up too heavily with cards.
IN SUM:
He's a little too expensive for such low damage and
his coin-flip powerset. Use him only for fun or for
theme teams. 2.5 of 5.
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HARVEY DENT
boot symbol
67 points
Team: Batman Ally
Keywords: Gotham City
Range: 6 x 1
DIAL & CARD:
http://www.wizkidsgames.com/heroclix/dc/figuregallery.asp?unitid=14251
STRENGTHS:
A Batman Ally now, he's got perma-Stealth to back up
Combat Reflexes. An unflagging 10 AV, Flurry and SP
"2nd Chance" (Willpower + Outwit) on his 1st half
are impressive, too. Mid-dial, his AV stays pretty
good with 2 damage Exploit Weakness, and Mastermind
on his last two clicks could be a lifesaver.
WEAKNESSES:
Still has low damage for his cost, though it's
offset by Outwit and Exploit Weakness. Only one
keyword restricts him to Gotham themes alone.
CARDS TO CONSIDER:
OPPORTUNIST will work well thanks to his SP-granted
Willpower and his being able to stay in Stealth to
Outwit while building up tokens. OUTSMART also fits
nearly every click, enabling him to act as
mini-Fortitude while being taxied by a flier. THWART
could work if you plan to use him strictly for
Outwit. If he's part of a wildcard abuse team to
contribute his Bat TA, give him LONER (since he'll
probably be the only one with the Gotham City
keyword) to bump his DV up to sick levels.
IN SUM:
The ability to support from afar with Stealthed
Outwit, better stats and lower cost all make Harvey
Dent way better than Two-Face despite the loss of a
target and some theme-worthiness. 4 out of 5.
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WHICH TO RUN?
Mental health is good. Harvey Dent is a
better choice for so many reasons than Two-Face.
However, strictly speaking, if you're running a true
Gotham VILLAINS team, the mostly-heroic Dent doesn't
quite qualify. Two-Face is also more fun because
instead of the die roll, you can flip a coin for the
"Mercy or Murder" SP (same 50/50 odds).
Next time we'll look at guys that Two-Face might
hire and Harvey might hunt...
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