Avengers Vs X-Men - HeroClix Figure Review: Cable

So you've got Cable - What's the Dish?

As the first prize to be fought over in the AVX HeroClix campaign, you would think Cable would be a bit of a game changer, but is he worth scooping up on the secondary market if you couldn't win him?

At 124 points, he stacks up next to the likes of Gambit (118), Legion (119) or Bishop (140), but he has a surprisingly vanilla dial. Notably absent is the Sharpshooter ability which somewhat diminishes the return of his twin targets and 7 range if he gets based.

Cable also lacks any front loaded move and attack, which is going to require added effort in positioning to get a first strike in. Fortunately he has Phasing/Teleport and Indomitable, so if he is based he can just pop away to fire off a round from a safer vantage next turn.

Toughness and Shape Change round out his top dial defense powers, though he gets a thicker skin (with a worse defense) mid dial, alongside some Perplex and an interesting take on the Duo attack ability.

Perhaps the best feature on this figure is his Avengers-hunter trait, granting him a decent bonus against the A-team (and making that Duo attack even more valuable). He's also got the BFF trait for Hope, and the two of them come out to about 200 points even, making for easy modular team builds.

From the dial designs and powers it's easy to tell this isn't *everyday* Cable, but rather a snapshot of Cable from this distinct story arc, which may limit his playability outside of this series, especially considering the synergy (and points paid) towards his traits.

He's not a must have, by any means, but will help stack the deck in the favor of the X-Men… for now.

Avengers Vs X-Men - HeroClix Figure Review: Cyclops

How does Cyclops hold up against an army of Super Soldiers, Gods and Monsters?

Starter set Scott "Cyclops" Summers comes in two flavors - and both have nearly the same power set! Because the two are so similar it makes the 50 point "Veteran" upgrade nearly obsolete. 

Consider - the 150 pointer is more fragile - a glass jaw in the literal sense with no damage reduction. He's best kept away from close combat, not that it matters - the combination of Sharpshooter and Improved Targeting are going to let him blast opponents regardless of base contact, walls, blocking terrain, etc. 

Both versions do 4 damage up front with Precision Strike. Both versions have Outwit and Leadership, with a special power that lets him remove tokens REGARDLESS of point cost, which makes him a must play with the Phoenix 5 in a high point game. 

Both start with Running Shot, but the cheaper version gets to add Knockback damage to his attack via Force Blast AND adds Force Blast as a free action. 

With all that in mind why pay the extra 50 points for what appears as a bit of a downgrade?

The pro side of using the costlier version is the added life and 2 clicks of 11 AV, a slightly better defense at range and a slightly longer range with Running Shot. Even in the 600+ point games, players are better served using the points to field more X-support than waste it on such a slight bump up for Slim.

At 100 points, Cyclops presents a threat on the battlefield without drawing too much attention to himself to make him a primary target. One big weakness this figure will have is his brother. Havok, from WatX's main expansion ignores all ranged attack damage from Cyclops and has the Avengers keyword, so watch out for sibling rivalry on the field.