Dear Reader,
The Web Warrior faction specializes in fast, control based gameplay where your units can play hit and run tactics well. Today I would like to look at who you can take under Miles’ leadership. There are two parts to Miles leadership and core that is important to understand before choosing who will you will be taking onto the battlefield:
- You will be able to re-roll 1 dice in your defensive rolls.
- If you are holding or contesting an objective then you may modify and re-roll skulls.
Part one of the leadership is very straightforward and good. It gives you a roughly 37.5% chance to change a failed defensive roll into a successful one. Anything that gives you a chance to take less damage is very good and it seems that Web Warrior characters are defined by this leadership as many of the characters hover on the lower end of the health pool. In fact, your core group of characters (who we will speak about in a moment) will all have 5 HP, making them a bit more fragile if you didn’t have this leadership.
The second part of the leadership is a bit more understated and not always understood. There is no clause as to what kind of skulls you are able to reroll, it just states skulls. This is important because it allows for some interesting interactions with other characters that you normally would not think of. For example, if you are holding an objective, Heimdall now allows your re-roll skulls on pay-to-flip scenarios, drastically increasing your chances of success to take a point. However, I find that when choosing splashes we always want to maximize what we can do with the leadership and we have to first understand the core of the group.
The Core
The core of Web Warriors will begin with Miles and Gwen. The two together offer mobility that is hard to rival in Marvel Crisis Protocol and control that is on the above average side. From there, your core 3 characters will be completely dependent on what scenario you are working with. I find that on 17 threat I generally run either Moon Knight or Black Cat depending on if I need more aggression, more control, or a single/minimal secure extract scenarios. At 18 threat I find that I generally gravitate more towards Venom for his blend of control and aggression. If the threat is 20 I will play the complete suite of our 3 threats and at 19 I go with Miles, Gwen, Venom, and whichever 3 threat suits the scenario best.
Why does our Core matter? It’s all in the numbers. When we look at who we want to bring along with us, it is important to understand exactly how many points your Core can be in order to properly plan for the rest of your list. For more scenarios you will be looking at 8 additional points that you will be able to bring along with you. So, it is recommended that you plan for 8 additional points at all times that can be utilized to further your cause. Below, I will be looking at some 8 point duos that will present headaches for your opponents.
8 Point Tag Teams
Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive (with Reality Gem)
My current and long term favorite 8 point splash has been Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight. Both of these units sport a DR 1 effect, making the defensive tech of Web Warriors go even further while offering a much needed punch that your units may be lacking. In addition, Corvus allows for a skull to be counted as a success (which, if you roll 2 skulls, you can reroll your successful skull to turn the second skull into a crit, thus losing you nothing really) and Proxima comes equipped with Martial Prowess, which with a reroll gives you an even better chance of dealing clapback damage. In future articles, we will talk in details about using the ultimate CC in the game, murder, but for now just know that the combo punch well above your weight class and assist in priority control. Generally, as a control player, you will want to go last, reacting to your opponent’s moves and taking appropriate steps to counteract your opponent’s plans. However, there are times you want to go first. If its a single scenario and you need to steal a point then you do not want to give your opponent a chance to flee with the cree core, citizen, or whatever else they may be working with. You may have an extremely weakened enemy or group of enemies that taking priority from your opponent will just give it back to them in a worse situation in the next turn. Having Marvel’s premier calamitous couple controlling the ebb and flow of priority while staying as defensive as possible is fantastic for the Web Warrior gameplan.
Magneto and Toad
I know what you are thinking. No, Magneto is stupid. He is slow and he doesn’t work too well. However, with or on an objective, Magneto gives you a murder point that is hard to deny. If you have an enemy within 3 and have a hammer, you can hit your opponent with a 7 dice attack, push them towards you and then gain another 7 dice attack with rerolls. With your initial roll against a 4 defense character you will have a 42% chance of dealing anywhere between 2 and 4 damage and on your second and on your second attack you will have a 55% chance of dealing between 4 and 6 damage (these numbers are, likely, better considering the stats generator only allowed me a reroll all on your secondary attack and not reroll any). Having such high damage potential is, in and of itself, a form of control. If your opponent is unwilling to get close to Magneto, then you have created proximity control which makes you in control of how the map plays out. However, if you truly need someone dead, you may need to drag or throw them to Magneto with Venom, Miles, or Gwen to get the most out of him. I don’t need to tell you how good Toad is in Web Warriors as his Slippery ability, Hop, and interact with many scenarios at R2 instead of R1 is to good to pass up for our gameplan.
Hulkbuster and Toad
If you are looking to go with a more traditional control plan for Web Warriors, then Hulkbuster is your man. R3 guaranteed pushes on any size character, R3 size 4 medium throws on characters, and on demand DR with our innate rerolls is amazing. Factoring in that he also has hit and run which will allow him improved mobility around the map to push more enemies off of points and having a medium move on a large base make for a fantastic addition to your line-up. A word of warning, but do not throw Hulkbuster willy nilly into combat. He may be built to take it, but he still only has 13 damage until he becomes fairly useless. I find that Hulkbuster works best when working just at the R2.5-3 mark to maximize his dueling potential.
The Hulk and Toad
Hulk is a lot like Hulkbuster, but with a few caveats. Hulk not Puny banner is a fantastic defensive tool and does not require Great Responsibility to reroll your skulls, which means Hulk can be left to do a bit more of a roaming character without points, which is a form of control all its own. If your opponent has 5 characters on their team, then they have a maximum of 10 activations. If they spend time trying to stop Hulk from hurting people it will effectively protect your other units. Hulk is a threat that cannot be ignored, especially when most of his attacks have some form of control built into him automatically. Hulk comes equipped with a wild push (no size restriction) on a 7 dice builder, a wild throw and stagger on an 8 dice builder, and a size 4 medium throw. With smart play, it is nearly impossible for your opponent to ignore The Hulk and now they either have to focus him down while you are gaining points or they ignore him while he displaces and crushes their team.
Amazing Spider-Man and Ironman
Ah the MCU, an iconic duo now working together in MCP. Ironman brings ranged pushes while ASM has the dubious honor of being one of the few safe options to take a middle point cube or spider infected. Ironman is a good defensive spread and can constantly put the fear of long range pushes into your opponent, making some opponent less likely to attack him lest they give him easier access to Friday AI and thus a better chance to push them. ASM brings defensive tech to the army in the form of Mastered Spider Sense and his Witty Banter ability, which allows him to reroll one of his opponents successful attack dice. In addition, ASM is tied for the most mobile character in the game with Angela with a double long move and a web swing. Angela can also be put in place of Amazing Spider-Man if you like her more (she kind of dumps on SLDD) but I prefer the better defenses of Big Pete. It also gives you access to a hard to master but highly underrated leadership skill that ramps the keep away game of Web Warriors up to 11.
The Juggernaut and The Lizard
Ah Juggernaut and Lizard. Some of the beefiest beefcakes in all of burgertown. Juggernaut is able to take 2 F secures on his own, which completely shifts the game and makes life real tough for your opponent while also being able to keep himself safe from Cube damage and sporting a large health pool. In addition, your opponent is going to have a very hard time catching him as on his healthy side your opponent’s mystic attacks and super powers cannot be pushed or advanced, making him an incredibly safe runner for Web Warriors. If he is caught, he just plays Do You Know Who I Am? and tosses the opponent away long. It cannot be understated how good Juggernaut is. In addition, something that many don’t consider, is that when Juggernaut slides himself through terrain, he is effectively limiting some team’s options for offensive power. If Juggernaut can lawn mow the big terrain out of the way, he makes Web Warrior rerolls even more prevalent. Lizard is the opposite of Juggernaut, with a r3 wild push and size 3 throw Lizard would already be good, but add on his medium base, Healing Factor 1, size 3, and solid defenses he becomes even better at locking down and holding an objective. The only other thing you could want would be for him to be aggressive. I really like Juggernaut and Lizard in Web Warriors for their ability to just keep your opponent’s moving and make a decision of whether or not they go for the solid rock on a point or the rolling boulder truffle shuffling around the board while scream “you’ll never get this ah ha.”
Black Panther and The Vision
The first and only 4 threat-split on our list are the king of Wakanda and the husband of Wanda. Black Panther has been a staple of competitive WW lists for a while now and there is little question as to why, long move, r2 self throw, auto pushes on hit, and counting blanks against physical and energy attacks is no joke. Factor in that he can also move into aggressive mode when needed and you have a solid piece. Vision, on the other hand, can choose whether or not he wishes to be pushed or if he doesn’t want to suffer collision damage while also gaining 3 additional dice to either physical or energy defenses respectively. In addition, he can generate 2 power as an action (making him a great source of advanced RnD or Patchup if you want to play it) and with his beam generating autopower, it give him an option as to whether he wants to deal damage and possibly sap energy from your opponent to throw them or deny them power altogether and just Synthesis into a solid and cheap medium throw. I have used both Panther and Vision to great effect in Web Warriors and they are always in contention with some of the other tag teams as one of my favorites.
So, Who Should I Take?
In all honesty, I can’t answer that. Some of these tag teams can actually be mixed and matched quite well and if I am being honest I do so quite regularly. These are just some examples of how you can fill your 8 additional threat and ultimately will play to your playstyle. When I play Web Warriors I find that I often like to play a bit more aggressively. I have no problem stacking hammers on ASM, generating decent power on an All Webbed Up turn and smacking someone with 12 dice from his spender if I can or throwing Miles into the thick of it to get off an 8 dice Webline Kick. Hell, I once fought Corvus with Gwen because I told myself that having the power to throw him and then get a big Spider-Technique turn was worth it (totally was by the way). You may find that level of aggression may not fit into your playbook. If not, Proxima and Corvus may not be for you but Juggernaut and Lizard may be your boys. You may not like unconventional picks in your list, which automatically throws out Magneto but you still love the feel of Hulkbuster.
I always recommend that before you start truly saying you understand a faction that you get at a minimum 20 games with them and always reflect on what worked and what didn’t. I cannot stress enough how important fitting models to your play style is to your success with any list, not just Web Warriors. For instance, I have been told when I play ASM’s leadership that I should in no uncertain terms play Hawkeye by a few people, but he never works for me. I don’t like his model, I don’t like his face, and his HP pool makes me the saddest panda known to man. Does that make the people who told me to play him wrong? Hell no it doesn’t. What it means is that I have to find something that works better for me as a player and how I pilot. So find what works for you and test out your style. There are certainly things that won’t work (I will find you if you try to tell me about the new hottest tech in the form of Wolverine or Black Bolt), but the sky is the limit for a lot of your splashes.
Who To Begin Looking For in the Future
Not gonna lie, when Winter Guard hit I think they will make a fantastic splash into WW as anti-WW and status tech. Red Guardian has an auto push like panther on less threat and a throw like Captain America, Ursa Major has aggressive and Hail to the King (one of the best spenders in the entire game), Dark Star can move or defend you, and Dynamo has a shock beam and a supped up version of witty banter while also sporting DR 1. I think Winter Guard are going to slot in with what Web Warriors want to do quite well while also offering a nice counter measure to other control lists.
But, what do you think? Let me know who you splash down below or if you have any questions just let me know!
Till next time Webslingers
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