Article by THE-MOX
So, now that nearly everyone here has some idea on how to build a respectable army, it's time to start divulging the cosmic secrets of on the field strategies. Many people say that HeroClix is in the army building and little on the field. That's complete and utter balderdash. If all of the game were in army construction, then there'd be a super-invincible team that could be built and there isn't one.
Okay. One of the first steps of the actual game itself is in how you set up. Obviously, you've designed your team with a specific objective in mind, whether you prefer ranged combat, close combat, or just annoying the hell out of them. An important early principle is establishing board control. This is more prevalent in the outdoor maps where you've got a lot of open space to worry about. You'll need to figure out where to set your pieces to attempt to control as much of the board as you can. This doesn't necessarily mean making sure that you can fire into every square on the board. What you want to do is find specific areas of the board that you believe will be subject to lots of enemy traffic and make sure that whatever goes through there is going to be subject to some onslaught. If your opponent sees this coming, that's okay. If they decide to travel other routes, this gives you a turn or two to see where they're going and start assembling troops to intercept. By cutting off the middle and forcing side routes, it's sometimes easy to cut off the opponent in tight quarters, thereby nullifying a lot of mobility and leaving them with nowhere to run. Ideally, try not to leave stragglers in your army. If you poised a Bullseye somewhere to sweep the board and he's no longer going to have any targets, get him moving. He can help pincer off any escape routes or start bringing in backup.
The next step is nothing new or nothing I haven't discussed before. Identify your threats. Figure out explicit superpowers that are going to hassle you in addition to any figures that may pose some long-term problems. Work first on eliminating hassling superpowers like Mind Control, Support and Outwit. Afterwards, start the divide and conquer method and begin leveling off opposing figures until you don't feel threatened by them. You know, if something's got a 6 attack and deals 1 damage, you won't be much bothered by him. Keep attack values in mind, especially if you have high defense figures you want to protect like Wasp and Nightcrawler. Try not to let one attack value remain higher than the others. Again, the more level you keep the playing field, the harder it becomes for the opponent to hit. If you see 12 in an ocean of 9's and 10's, you might want to look into knocking that 12 down a notch.
If you run into a point where you have an offensive opportunity (meaning you can carry and attack a target in the same turn), remember the number one answer to solving the Probability Control question: block the line. Put the enemy between you and the Prob. Control to get a temporary fix. Sometimes, all you want is one clean shot. In some cases, if you have a smaller piece like Psylocke or Sgt. Rock, just go put them in front of the Prob. Controller and let the opponent worry about what to do. Line blocking is an effective strategy if you want to be free of Prob. Control and Outwit lines for a turn. If you block by basing, then you force the opponent to decide to break to reposition. A failed break or an unsupported movement will cost them an action and an action they didn't want to spend like that minimizes retaliation.
Divide your offensive fronts. Split them up and let them march down other sides of the map. Keeping them in a cluster only invites trouble and sending them one after the other doesn't pan out. By splitting the offense up, you force your opponent to have to choose which is the bigger threat. They'll either split up to counter, or cluster one front over. In either case, you can bend both to your advantage. The second front can rip apart a cluster from the rear, and split defenses are easier to handle. They're more likely to be permanently incapacitated this way. In a lot of cases, you can fool an inexperienced player to choose wrong. Any wrong decisions by your opponent can always be exploited.
I prefer to play aggressively. While this may not always pan out to more defensive players, I always find advantages in pushing the envelope. Playing defensive and waiting for counterattack chances has a significant drawback, especially in turtle defense systems. If you fail your counterattack opportunity (in whatever way), you may be finished as there's a significant probability you may not get another chance. I like the aggressive fronts, because they're easier to recover from misses and bad shots. It leaves you the chance to find the attacks and press the board control issue.
Also, remember what I've been saying about shaping luck and probability. If you want a good result, you must create the best situation. If you've got a figure that attacks at 11, and one that attacks at 9, and for whatever reason you attack with the 9'er first, then you can't be surprised if the end result isn't what you wanted. I know it sounds obvious that if you attack with the 11 first, you're more likely to hit, but your odds seem to increase far above what a simple dice chart says. You've shaped luck to work in your favor. Will it always work? No, but you'll see how much better you're doing. Luck has a nasty way of doing things like that. Even if the 11 and 9 are attacking a mere 13 defense, you can't go ballistic if you miss attacking with the 9.
Also, speaking of attacking, I prefer, whenever possible, to save my attacks for single, concentrated offensive bursts. Plucking one attack off a turn doesn't cut it. To be able to assault a single figure with 2 or 3 attacks in one turn can devastate. It increases your odds of wiping a figure off the board and not letting it go back to the medic. In addition, it can drastically change the way the opponent plays the figure. Hitting it for one or two clicks in a lot of cases, doesn't hurt it enough to alter the strategy with it, especially if it's an offensive piece like Logan, Steel, Thor or Taskmaster. That's why my flyers typically have free movements associated with them. I can maintain any carry-and-fire strategies while leaving my actions open for a burst.
Try not to put all of your strategy into one figure. This way if and when it gets eliminated, you have no reason to push the panic button. I usually make sure that my offense comes from at least two primary pieces and try to make sure any secondary pieces can do a little bit of work. Basing strategies around Firelord or Invisible Girl only invites trouble. It telegraphs your weak point. That's another reason I insist on using the half-build philosophy. I never put a figure into an army that costs more than half of the army build. It not only makes sense, mathematically, in terms of victory points and stuff, but it stops me from trying to put all of my stock into one piece. Consider it a safeguard.
Let's see: push the offense, block lines of sight, control the map, maintain presence of mind. That's about all you really get going in HeroClix. Were just going to put some basic, simple guidelines in place for you to determine what style of play you prefer. Once you're established, you'll probably find that you'll ignore or won't use some of these things. Hey, that's okay. I'm not always a stickler for my own philosophies, either. In addition, there are other trains of thought and methods of execution I employ, but I can't go and divulge all of my secrets (especially if any of my usual opponents happen to be reading). If I tell you people everything, then I make everyone like me, and then I lose the franchise. Gotta keep some of my mystique. You understand. Besides, there are just some things I couldn't explain even if I wanted to.
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