General description:
Veteran Clayface is a monster. 
His R, E, mailaway (Ultimate Clayface) and LE (Basil Karlo) pack similar abilities with different lineups and point values, but the vet just takes the cake. While he was supposed to be the Basil Karlo from the comics, the sculpt and dials far more accurately reflect my personal favorite version of Clayface, Matt Hagen the one from Batman: The Animated Series. This is somewhat akin to Krypto SUPPOSED to being post-crisis, when that dog is very definitely pre-crisis. But I digress. Each of his other versions can serve as toned down version of the V...or more feat-friendly ones. Read on!
Uses:
Clayface is a close-combat powerhouse. There are many feats that can make him even scarier if you have room, and is best utilized with other Bat Enemies. Used best as a mix of attacker/tie-up.
Strategies and game play:
Clayface was rightly recognized early as powerful by the Clix community, but has since fallen aside and many forget about him. Any strategies involving Clayface should recognize that he was made for close combat, has many defenses, and is never actually BAD down the dial. Feats are the best way to fully utilize clayface, since Plasticity, Charge, and Super Strength open up a lot of doors and possibilities. Charge in, tie up, and smack down!
Combos with other miniatures:
Clayface does extremely well on Batman Enemy teams. When sporting figures like Icons Joker (lovely outwit can help Clayface seal the deal on enemy bricks) and various Ra's al-Ghul leaders (especially with Inspiring Command, letting Clayface push often without penalty) who can also give him 11 attack, Clayface may as well have 4 Damage, 11 Attack w/ Super Strength, 8 Move w/ Charge, and 18 DV! 
The feats that truly bring out Clayface's potential:
-Movethrough: Movethrough is huge on Clayface. Charge in through figures and smash something!
-Unstoppable: Smash down some walls (or Barrier tokens!). When combined with Movethrough as well, this makes Clayface hard to stop in advancing for the alpha strike or finish. Between Movethrough and Unstoppable, 13 points can overcome most of the drawbacks of being grounded for Clayface.
-Rip It Up: Once Clayface uses his first object, chances are he'll need another. However, he does not have dial-long Super Strength (on all versions, but the vet does), so only use this if you expect it to be useful throughout the entire game.
-Camouflage: Sinister brought us a feat that can help cover Clayface's primary weakness: range. This feat on Clayface will help him advance or stay safe in close combat simply by being next to a wall. All for just 8 extra points. It's CRAZY! Keep in mind that LoF can NOT still be drawn for figures that have Trick Shot...but it CAN if Shapechange is Outwitted (since Outwit is not a ranged attack)...so if Shapechange gets outwitted, the ranged attacks open up. Still, any protection = good.
-Entangle: Sinister brought another gem to the table as well. This baby makes Clayface even HARDER to handle up close. As if 18 AV, Toughness, Plasticity, 4 damage, and the new and improved 5 or 6 Shapechange (sometimes having Exploit Weakness instead), Entagle lets you prevent close combat attacks and still tie up the offending figure 1/3rd of the time once you're past Charge. Another 8 point gem.
Keep in mind that loading up Clayface TOO much can weaken his supporting cast. While he is a beast, he's not a true brick or a flyer. If the points remaining are the difference between upgrading a supporting member of the team or a feat for Clayface, choose very carefully. This is especially true of Rip It Up. Fortitude can make Clayface even harder to deal with as well, but unless you're in a kind of theme game or high point Bat-Enemy team, it is like not worth the investment. In fact, if you're looking to spend that much extra on Clayface, Repulsor Shield may be a better investment since it takes the bite out of many ranged figures and helps keep Clayface close against figures that might knock him away.
Ways to counteract it:
If at all possible, shoot Clayface from range hard and early. Outwitting Toughness and Shapechange are priority to let shots get through, and make sure you get in high attack values first. Clayface also only has Charge on his starting click, so getting him off of it takes away a lot of the threat Clayface poses. TK attacks (if you can hit) and Force Blast help keep Clayface's threat level down. Running Shot and Hypersonic Speed are two of your best friends for this purpose.
Strengths/Pros:
Powers and values. Clayface is a mix of high defense, plasticity, shapechange, blades, and exploit weakness that make him a headache to deal with, especially in lower cost games. Having Charge opening makes him mobile early, and packing super strength in most slots increases the damage potential. At less points than most true bricks, he is a very feat-friendly close combat/tie-up figure, as well as being able to Inspired by your Joker and Ra's. Having range of 2 on the Vet (as well as some other versions) is a mid- to late-game benefit that does a little to counteract his range weakness without driving up his cost. After all, if you're only knocked back one square by a TK, Force Blast, doubles, or other reason, you can reach out with Clayface's extension and suffocate or clobber someone. It also makes late-game positioning a little easier. The deep dial means that it will be hard to take Clayface out of the picture permanently without a devoted investment of resources by an opponent.
Weaknesses/Cons:
Clayface has two primary weaknesses: range, and the fact that he is grounded. Not flying can make or break a melee fighter, and while it saves points, flying bricks have certain advantages Clayface (without feats) doesn't have. Other considerations are that beyond his starting three clix, his attack value drops appreciably and his damage value goes down as well. TK and Force Blast can remove Clayface from the danger zone as well as keeping him away from taxi-support, daisy-chaining attack values, and support powers. While it does make Psychic Blast and Exploit Weakness less useful against him, having only Toughness instead of Invulnerability as a reducer means that when enemy hits land he doesn't have a true brick's staying power against most figures.
Artwork and aesthetics:
Frankly, the sculpt is awesome, thematic, and pretty much to scale. It's one of the best portrayals of this particular Clayface possible that does not include his shapeshifting abilities, and is a dynamic pose. The sticking out foot, arms, and girder can make placing and packing a little tough, but it's well worth it. Two thumbs way up!
Overall rating:
Clayface isn't a 10 out of 10 figure unless you're looking at similarly costed figures or the "figure to include in Bat-Enemy teams" category (along with the Man-Bat Taxi and V Icons Joker). However, I give our Clay buddy here an 8.5. Efficient, and easily a stand-alone contender, Clayface does best on TA teams. His rating would be higher if he packed opening Invulnerability or 10 attack, and closer to 9.5 if he had both. Cost-efficient, feat freindly, and rough to handle, Calyface may not be an all-star, but has all the makings of Most Valuable Team Player and Most Likely to Smash Something figure.
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