Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst. 3 ... average.
5 is the highest rating
Rurouni KJS
#7 introduces one we DIDN'T review in
2007...Rookie Shazam! Back then, we were all dazzled
by the beefy might of the 217-point Vet and somehow
overlooked what, in my book, may well should have
been easily a top FIVE fig of the past year.
ANALYSIS:
OK, like the classic Unique Shazam from Unleashed,
this new Rookie starts as Billy Batson and needs to
push to get into the fight; nothing new there. But
when he does, he puts that old version to shame with
Hypersonic, 17 Impervious and 4 Damage + Super
Strength for much better damage potential. No wasted
power incompatibilities here.
His stats don't hold, though, slipping to an abysmal
7 AV and bare 15 DV by click #4 and 5 -- i.e., where
any average attack is likely to land him. Sure, he's
got Shape Change to help (as these clicks represent
a sudden accidental shift back to Billy form) but
this is a serious soft spot on his dial. One wonders
why he's even on this Top 10 list with clicks like
these...
...until you see HSS, Impervious, Super Strength AND
4 damage return on click #6...PLUS OUTWIT!!!! That's
not a 2nd wind, that's a tornado of destruction in
mid- to late-game. Billy can take a huge hit and
still be as hard to handle as on his early dial.
Even so, he's only 9 clicks long and even Impervious
and Invulnerability only stave off the hurt so much.
That's why two ending clicks of Regeneration finish
off this perfect storm of a figure. Any average
Regen roll puts him back on that dangerous mid/late
dial, granting a possible THIRD wind to this
efficient fig.
FEATS?
Shazam really needs no feats other than PROTECTED to
minimize his mid-dial glass jaw. Among retired
feats, DOUBLE-TIME is vital for bypassing his
multiple activation clicks. But while it's not a
feat, the special object TELEPHONE BOOTH does the
job for 0 points.
ETC.
He singlehandedly makes the Mystical keyword one of
the better themed teams to beat.
IN SUM:
Having the game's best powers all over the dial is
good, but it's his ultra-efficient price that makes
him great. A 300-point team can fit 2 to 3 of the
other figs on this same Top 10 list to make his
deadliness all the worse.
RATING: 4.5 of 5. Only that soft spot in the middle
holds him back.
Next on the list is a certain master...
~ Romanco ~
Pojo's #9 Best Figure of 2007
is...
SHAZAM Rookie
Points: 105
Range: 0
Team: N/A
Arrows: 1
Movement: Flying
A. Enemy: Mr. Mind
Set: Origin
#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
7
10
9
8
7
9
8
8
6
KO
KO
KO
7
10
9
7
7
10
9
9
8
KO
KO
KO
15
17
17
15
15
16
16
15
14
KO
KO
KO
1
4
4
1
1
4
4
3
2
KO
KO
KO
SPEED
-- Ugh.. an activation click. I actually see four KO
slots, because the first click is truly that worthless!
But advantage may come out of this. While Shazam is
slowly pushing, the enemy's charge will storm closer to
your area of the battlefield. And we all know the
aggrevation that comes with opposing HSS, especially
with numbers in the double digits.
ATTACK
-- His dial is so out of control here: 10's then 9's...
then 7's? Then 10's! Make sure you have Shazam's order
of values memorized to beware the plunge. Super Strength
blends nicely with Charge and even better with HSS.
DEFENSE
-- This is even messier than the attack row, but in a
good way. Not may foes can conquer Impervious so deep
into a game. Unless Shazam is popped hard and early,
Click 6 will be a savior. What if he gets hit again?
Just regen him back.
DAMAGE
-- A possible SIX damage on four different clicks! I've
never seen one click have HSS, Super Stength, Impervious
and Outwit all at the same. Sounds strange to say in the
"Damage" portion of the review, but Shape Change is
working defensively here.
FEATS?
Give Shellhead a go it will work PERFECT for his second
click. Maybe add in some Fortitude, Protected, whatever
else you need. He is your main man of the force and by
the time Fortitude and Shellhead are added you'll be
thinking "the more the merrier!"
Sad to say I discarded Shazam from my own Top Ten
List. At first glance I just couldn't get over those
pathetic activation clicks in the middle of the dial.
After fully reviewing the guy, I now see why he made the
list. Awesome power combos, annihilating damage values,
total feat candidate.. he was worth writing a longer
review about. Enjoy!
Speed: After the activation, HSS and tons of charge,
then more hss and more charge, I like
Attack: Starts decent, gets bad, gets decent again
and stays that way, powers all work well
Defense: Sporadiac Imperv and Invuln along with
Regen and the odd clicks, not bad
Damage: WOW, big time for a piece like this. The
shape change saves his ass on the bad clicks
The Good: Big damage potential
Very cost efficient
Lots of movement
The Bad: Activation click
Glass jaw
Feats: Protected works on everyone, and Nanobots
can always put him back on the sweet clicks. Vendetta can
score you some big points in games as well.
Overall: Man, what a bruiser of a piece. The fact
that he can smack you for 6 with a heavy, taks some damage,
get a second wind, and heal back to his good stuff is
nothing short of amazing. The activation click and crappy
mid dial even him out point wise; keeping him form being
completely broken. He is a finesse piece, but a definite
bruiser who can lead a 300 point team to victory. He is
also so cheap, you can fit a lot of support on there.
Constructed/Unrestricted: 4.5 / 5
Sealed/Draft: 5 / 5
Overall: 4.5 / 5
“Heroclix….they’re cool,
addictive, and available….the things practically sell
themselves.”
