Icons: (A modest) First Strike
I've heard it from retailers and at least one wholesaler since the word came down last week: 20%. That's the percentage of a store or vendor's total order they'll have received today from Wizkids of the new Icons set and the related starter sets.
That being the situation, a local store (Comics & More) received one case today of their five case order, and had to ration the sales. Okay, they didn't have to, but it's a hopping clix venue (almost so many people that they'd have to turn some players away, and we definitely take over the place for a few hours on Monday nights) and to sell more than two boosters to a single person would be to leave some loyal customers out in the cold for a while. So, I went down there on my lunch today and bought a starter and a mere two boosters.
Here's what I pulled:
Rookie: Bizarro & SupermanExperienced: Changeling (2!), Scarecrow, & Wonder Woman
Veteran: Cheetah & Darkseid
Bystander: Lucius Fox
BFC: Infiltration & Internal Strife (I must've gotten two cards in one of the boosters.)
Hmm. No uniques and already a duplicate! What an artless booster pull. Ah, well... I did get to grab the first two boosters out of a freshly opened case. A commoner would say I broke the store's cherry, but I gots couth.That I have two exp. Changelings will likely mean one or both of the following: I'll pull at least one more, and any of those people I usually trade with will each pull at least one, too.
The new maps (a 24 x 24 grid, two-sided map from the starter) are nice enough, and the color coding (using colored boundary lines to outline hindering, water, blocking and elevating terrains) is a nice touch which is not only great for beginners but clarifies matters among seasoned players who still, sometimes, split hairs over terrain types. The indoor map is Axis Chemical (birthplace of the Joker), while the outdoor is Centennial Park Zoo (which, I'll admit, I can't immediately place. Maybe it's in Metropolis? Despire newspapers here and there on the ground it looks too bright and maintained to be a spot in Gotham. Dwight probably knows.) The latter's one of those maps where each corner direction is dominated by elevated terrain accessible (by those without special movement powers) mostly by ladders, though there's at least one area with steps. Sniper city. Expect objects to be dropped on elevated corners and Stealthed snipers, Outwitters and Probability Controllers to be set up there. Rending of garments and gnashing of teeth.
Late word from the field: I'd given some money to Mike T. to pick me up up to 6 more boosters at his local comics shop today. On the down side, they're not getting theirs until tomorrow. On the up side the shop owner's made special arrangements and is expecting four cases up front, so I should be able to get all six. He gets a 10% discount there, which is good in that it not only nullifies (from my perspective) the 6% PA state tax but helps a little beyond that. I won't see those until Friday, but I can wait. Sure. I can wait.
Now, I again don't have a reason to really want to come into work on Thursday morning...
Additions (I may be taking things on here more than once as the evening develops): One element that struck me as a new level of sleaziness for Wizkids (if confirmed) is that two of the Battlefield Condition Cards are random inserts in the starters. The starters?! Reportedly it's Infiltration and Madness, which explains where that Infiltration I didn't initially notice came from. As I happened to pull the potentially useful former one I'm set, but had I pulled the useless Madness I'd be ticked off.
Also - here we are rushing matters again - reportedly after getting some added update on Clixbricks yet this week, the formal previews for Armor Wars are set to begin next week. If true, this pegs that set's release as November 9th rather than the customary Thanksgiving week.
Comments
I may get a little taste later today... or not... it depends on what the money situation looks like. I leave those decisions to SuperGirlfriend; I'm happier that way.
Who has what today (with respect to vendors) seems all over the map. Grant dropped me an email to say that his shop is expecting theirs on Friday, but then again one of the people who runs the shop I bought mine from said he was surprised they were here today. Before they arrives he'd been telling his customers they wouldn't be there until later in the week.
Good luck with S.G.'s magic touch should she decide to pick some up for you.
I'm just about to add some info to the main post - tacking it on at the end - which may be of interest.
Full REVs of Wonder Woman, Darkseid, Starfire
another Wonder Woman Vet
Robin, RE
Bizarro, E
Raven, R
Scarecrow, E (2)
Cheetah, E, V (2)
Blackfire, R
Superman, RE
Ras Al Ghul, U
Snapper Carr
Lian Harper
Sidekick
Siphon Power
Divebomb
Darkness Within
Not a bad selection for six boosters. The extras have gone to the older two SuperKids, and I put an Experienced Wonder Woman and Superman in on the younger SuperKid's windowsill so she won't feel left out.
Ras Al Ghul is good candidate for Brilliant Tactician crossed with In Touch With Oracle (so I can give him Perplex on his first two clicks). Why Oracle would be helping an ecoterrorist I couldn't tell you; maybe he's actually in touch with Lex Luthor or Maxwell Lord or someone.
I really have no need for all these damn Starfires. Although I will say this is a better sculpt, which will probably put the 'turd hair' tag to rest. I also see no purpose to a new Raven, but, it's not like they asked me.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting a starter set.
As has been said, it's not a set composed of must-have pieces. There are some that'll see play in the marquee but likely afterwards will only come out for special themes.
The Lian Harper pog has some people upset as they envision all the scenarios where a 1 pt. piece as a blocker, mastermind fodder, an ally to position next to a Suicide Squad member or someone copying that TA, or simply as something to place next to an opposing piece so they either have to waste a turn killing it or try to roll for breakaway now that we're back to ranged pieces not being able to fire out of adjacency.
Some people were apparently so bothered by things like the Harvey Bullock pog having the Police TA that neither Maggie Sawyer nor Montoya has it. "Wildcard Abuse!" Feh.
Raven's a really good piece from what I can see, at all levels. The new one's faster, with a steadier AV and more Barrier and better AVs for her Support clicks - and all few fewer points - than her Unleashed version. A little less Incap on the new one, but where the old one held onto it the AV had dropped enough that I might not bother trying it. A little less PC, too, but the newer dials appeal to me more and I can envision myself using this one while I tended to let the old one sit. (That was all looking at the two sets vets. For the rookies the new one is more expensive by 4 pts, but it's more than worth it simply for the Barrier, not to mention a more workable 8AV with Support.)
I'm going to try to rein myself in, get the (hopefully) 6 Mike's set to pick up for me Thursday... maybe pick up a couple more, and otherwise see what the marquee, some other sealed booster games and trading can get for me.
I don't know about Raven. I hardly ever played her just because I tend to dislike her and her teammates intensely, but on the rare occasions I threw together a Titans team, I always found the Unleashed version quite useful. I haven't really done a dial comparison, though. I just don't like the new sculpt, and also don't like them giving up a spot in the set to a new version when so many other very decent DC characters haven't even been done as clix yet. I feel much the same way about Starfire, Cyborg, and Blackfire. If they had to give us one black character in the set (and I suppose they felt they had to) a new John Stewart would have worked better for me... not least of which because, well, in a set called ICONS, not having any Green Lantern at all is a crime. And John's existent sculpt is kind of lame, too.
As to Must Haves, er... well... I want the Reverse Flash badly, but he's a mail away. I'd like to get the new Flash, but I don't know if I like him better than the one I already have. I want Aquaman just for his sculpt. And the new Vet Superman strikes me as a good improvement over the current version. And I really want the Classic Robin fig from the starter set, but, well, I'm sure I'll get one, so no worries there.
I do see what you mean by the limitations of the set, and I am already looking towards Armor Wars with a great deal more hunger. Still, I'll have fun getting these for a while.