As TTS Season 7 has just started, I thought I'd share my Brotherhood roster for the new season and the reasons behind my selections. We'll cover character picks, tactics cards and crisis selections.
Game Plan
The idea behind this list is primarily to play an extract focused game. So if priority is won, this list favours picking extracts. All the crisis picks are high scoring crisis so they can get ahead early and see out the game as quickly as possible. Should the roster get stuck on secures - stand on - high scoring secures have been selected in the roster to fit into the game plan of going ahead early and then seeing the game out. The list features a number of control characters to assist with this game plan.
Characters
In Affiliation Picks
Mystique (3 Threat) - My beloved Mystique and my main choice for Brotherhood leader. I don't typically like playing tall so with Mystique being only a 3 threat, there's plenty of room for other characters to fit into a fairly wide roster. I often feel like Mystique's leadership is slept on somewhat - the refund on power when picking up extracts really helps with saving power for when you need it most - and the interact with a secure really helps to free up more of your characters to be able to push and contest for other objectives. Mystique's large move really helps the overall playstyle of the affiliation - as she can move around the board fairly easily to get to where she needs to be. Stealth and Martial Artist also help her with survivability.
Toad (2 Threat) - Toad is everything you need from an extract focused 2 threat character - his Prehensile Tongue lets him interact with objective tokens from range 2 instead of the usual range 1 - which is really handy for grabbing a central extract token and staying out of danger. His Hop gives him extra movement where needed and his Slippery is extremely useful when he gets into difficult situations - a medium move away if he's been damaged by an attack. By far the most valuable superpower Toad possesses for me though is his Finders Keepers - it will cost you an action - but for 2 power he can interact with an allied character from range 2 and take the extract they are holding.
Quicksilver (3 Threat) - Another long mover to add yet more movement to your team - his Speedster for 2 power gives you a free Long move (bear in mind he cannot do this if he holds an objective token) - his Cant Catch Me gives him a short move when he's targeted by an attack to give him an opportunity to move out of range of an attack - and his Supersonic Reflexes giving him two defensive re-rolls if he's defending against a physical or energy attacks (and dodge rolls) means he's not quite as squishy as he might first appear. His tactic card also gives us an interesting option for objective play (more on that later).
Juggernaut (5 Threat) - One of the new Brotherhood characters released - I've managed to get a few games in with Juggernaut on TTS - and I think he's quickly becoming a staple of this team. At 8 health on his healthy and injured side - 4/3/5 defence on his healthy side and with his Nice Punch power that lets him reduce damage by 1 your opponent is going to need to seriously commit some firepower to take him down. Please be warned though - whilst Juggernauts defences are great - with only 3 energy defence on his healthy side, try and avoid getting him into a fight with an energy attacker - this is the quickest way to get him off the board. Be wary of his injured side also as he goes down to 2 mystic defence once flipped. Juggernauts biggest strength for me is his flexibility - he can be used as a tank to sponge damage, he has plenty of movement with his normal movement + Nothing Stops the Juggernaut and he can pack a punch by adding additional attack dice if he's moved (note Nothing Stops the Juggernaut is a push and not a move - so no additional dice for that).
Rogue (4 Threat) - Another new Brotherhood release - Rogue is a welcomed addition into Brotherhood as I would say the 4 threat option was their sticking point previously (sorry Sabretooth - that's an argument for another day). Her power sapping abilities are probably her biggest asset here - as it can stop your opponent from having enough power to fully utilise their characters.
Gambit (3 Threat) - Probably the most exciting (and most unexpected) inclusion to the Brotherhood roster during the new wave - the biggest plus to his inclusion is he now gives Brotherhood the ability to pick a 6 wide squad. While at first Gambit might seem an obvious pick to throw in with Magneto (yes, he is a power hungry boy for sure) - he actually has quite a bit to offer a Mystique list other than the aforementioned 6 wide list. Gambit has a wild push on his builder which will help the control element of Mystique's game - he also gives us a better chance of obtaining that wild with his A Little Something Extra - which for one power spend he can change a hit to a wild - so as long as he has the power - a hit or wild on your attack roll will grant you the push. Gambit also offers us a lot of damage output - something which had been missing in my previous Mystique lists. His 52 Card Pickup beam attack can be deadly as any wilds rolled count as two hits - add to that his Accelerate Charge which lets him add 2 dice to any attack and his A Little Something Extra to turn hits into wilds - it really can swing a game. However at a 7 power spend for the beam + extra dice alone - he is extremely power hungry.
Magneto (6 Threat) - Magneto needs no introduction - power for throwing terrain - re-rolls on all dice on his builder from within range 2 - throwing terrain until your opponent is begging you for mercy - you can understand why people love him in MCP. He's more of a flex pick for me here though, I'm not much of a fan of running a tall team and the attrition game doesn't really suit my playstyle either - so Mags is here for those E shape crisis (Gamma, Demons, Research Station - I'm looking at you) where a Mystique based team just wouldn't hold up in a fight.
Splash Characters
Lizard (3 Threat) - If there's one character your going to splash into a Mystique team make sure it's this guy. 6/5 health - 4/3/3 defences, Damage Reduction 1 and Healing Factor all on a 3 threat character - Lizard is another character your opponent will need to invest some time in trying to take down - he's perfect for contesting secures. Add to that he has a wild push on his builder and a character throw for 3 power - Lizard can add a lot to your control game as well as being a damage sponge.
Black Cat (3 Threat) - Black Cat, like in most lists is here for one thing and one thing only - to steal extracts with Master Cat Burglar. Her Large move also gives more manoeuvrability and is another outlet to be able to move around secures - but she's primarily in the roster for the extract game.
Domino (3 Threat) - As mentioned with Magneto above, Domino is here in case we need to flex into a more attrition based game. The auto incinerate on her builder should help Gambit and Magneto put out more hurt and her Rapid Fire can be deadly on an incinerated target. Her Probability Manipulation can also add to that damage - by paying a power to turn a skull into a crit - as well as the fact your opponent cannot include crits when rolling against her.
Tactics Cards
Asteroid M - Ah yes, the most infamous Brotherhood card - it's my opinion that you should be taking this card in any Brotherhood list - it's not only useful for aggressive play but it can be used a defensive tool also to get an all important character away from a sticky situation.
Advanced R&D - This card is here for one reason and one reason only, to enable Black Cats steal in Round 2.
Deception - You cant take Mystique without this card - I primarily use this card to pull a character off a secure so I can jump on and score.
Can I Borrow That? - Ok, so I have mixed feelings about this card. On one hand it gives another outlet to be able to steal an extract - on the other hand it can be quite hard to pull it off with Quicksilver as the card requires you to do damage to be able to play this. This can be quite difficult to pull off on Quicksilvers 4 dice builder and it often hasnt come off for me in the past - my suggestion is to try and do this on Quicksilvers spender as you'll have more chance of doing the damage you need with 6 dice - but you'll need more power to do this, as the spender costs 2 power and you'll need 2 power to be able to play this card.
Medpack (Restricted) - Probably the better of the two healing cards
Patch Up (Restricted) - So if Medpack is the better of the two healing cards then why is Patch Up here as well? The answer to that is actually quite simple, Mystique wins games by going ahead on VP's early then staying in the game. Two healing cards help us massively in doing so. You might not need to take both in every match up, but these are the two restricted cards that help Mystique the most.
Magnetic Refraction - For use in those Magneto flex games. Helps Mags and your other pieces survive in a clustered game.
Mission Objective - This probably should be an auto take in your 5. Like the healing cards, this helps you stay in the game should you lose an objective.
Climbing Gear - Primarily taken for the out of activation move should you get displaced from a secure. Can also be used on Magneto to assist his slow move.
Indomitable - I feel this card will be taken everywhere in Season 7 as it's currently unrestricted. Denies a displace - can also be used with Magneto.
Crisis Selections
Extracts
Fear Grips World as "Worthy" Terrorize Cities (18) - Although at first this may seem an odd one to take as the extra dice on characters doesn't help Mystique stay in the game - this is one of the highest scoring extracts with 4 objectives on the board and plays perfectly into a Mystique game plan. The fact this is a high scoring extract outweighs the potential additional dice on enemy characters
Struggle for the Cube Continues (17) - Another high scoring extract - although be careful here on who is picking up the cubes due to the damage they cause. Juggernaut is a good pick here as he can use his Nice Punch to reduce the damage from the cubes.
Spider Infected (17) - Another high scoring extract. With this one be careful who picks up your home Spiders as characters can only hold one at a time. Be mindful if your looking for a steal with Black Cat or Quicksilver don't take a home extract with either! Also be mindful of the short displace!
Secures
Infinity Formula Goes Missing - Mystique likes stand on secures as she can gain a body advantage by placing her token on a secure and then moving off a point - you don't have to commit as hard with bodies as your opponent to the objectives. The additional power gained from characters stood on a secure also benefits Mystique here. It can get Black Cats steal online early without having to play Advanced R&D and also gets some of your superpowered throws online quicker. The B shape crisis also favours Mystique as you can utilize your long movers to nip between secures.
Riots Spark Over Extremis 3.0 - The D shape map is good for Mystique here as she can drop her token on the back point and then commit to moving forward. The heal on the consoles also helps with survivability here and helps to stay in the game longer.
Mutant Madman - This crisis is great for Mystique Brotherhood as you need to roll dice equal to the interacting characters physical defence. With Lizard, Juggernaut and Rogue in your list all with above average physical defences, this is an ideal scenario for Brotherhood
Stay tuned for further blog posts as I'll posting regular battle reports as the season unfolds!
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