General description:
Captain America has always been a great hero and soldier. In heroclix, he wasn't really much until Ultimates but now a normal Marvel U version of the Super Solider is here and he is much tougher then before. The greatest leader in the Marvel Universe is finally given centerpiece status and thus the Star-Spangled Avenger becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Uses:
This figure can easily be a primary attacker for a 300 point team. He starts out with a very good attack value at 11 that doesn't go down very quickly. His Impervious keeps him in play to begin with and leadership along with the Avengers team ability means you can gain quite the advantage on opening deployment. He can easily be the glue that keeps the team together, just like in the comics.
Strategies and game play:
There are two main stratigies to use with Cap. The first was mentioned above, just give him some good support characters and a secondary attacker to back him up and watch him win the game for you. His high defense helps keep him going and taking out multiple foes at the same time. With two targets per tern, a toss of the shield can knock some key powers off of other players, especially when he gains perplex or outwit later. He also has charge in order to help him close the distance to characters with stealth. He gains exploit weakness later to take care of those pesky defensive heroes and thus remains dangerous, even until he gets outwit at the end of his dial.
The second strategy would require more points, at least 400 probably more, and for cap to take on a support role. His combination of perplex, outwit, and the avengers team ability makes him an easy candidate for brilliant tactician as all you have to do is push him once to get him to that range. Use the avengers team ability and/or leadership to park him in the midst of your avengers team mates while pumping their stats through the roof (or by one, whichever you prefer). Cap is also more resiliant in this role since he has toughness and retains a 17 defense value at this point. After that, it's just a matter of keeping him safe and letting him get in a good shield toss once in a while.
Combos with other miniatures:
Cap undoubtably works well with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents so make sure to get a couple of them. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents from Sinister are pretty much all good for the points so load up with one or two, especially the Veteran version for flight. Cap and Brilliant Tactician were already mentioned but I can't stress that one enough. Armor Wars Wolverine also works well with Cap because he has the S.H.I.E.L.D. team ability and can back him up in close combat particularly well.
Ways to counteract it:
The best way to counter Cap is to have more mobility. Outrange him and have flight, hypersonic speed, phasing, or leap/climb and he will have quite a hard time actually getting anywhere. He doesn't gain leap/climb till further down the dial so it's better really for getting to a healer then for actual mobility. Also, he only has one click of perplex and doesn't have outwit until the end of the dial so those powers aren't as relaible as would be prefered. Thus, if you are using the tactician strategy, you either need a healer, or to keep Cap out of the fray lest he lose his one click of perplex.
Strengths/Pros:
*Great defense (Impervious/Toughness most clicks have 16+ defense)
*Good attack values (8-11 range for most of the way)
*Always dangerous (Either 3 damage value, exploit weakness, or outwit)
*Avengers TA and leadership means good opening set up
*Decent range with two targets
*Overall good point cost for primary attacker
Weaknesses/Cons:
*Low mobility (decent speed but no flight, phasing, etc. until leap/climb toward the end)
*Mediocre damage (it usually all goes through but he's certainly not as strong as Supes or Thor)
*Requires good team (Cap, just like in the comics, requires good support to actually win, by himself, he's vulnerable)
*Unreliablity (some powers like outwit or perplex are difficult to keep and require a lot of care)
Artwork and aesthetics:
The art is much better for this Cap then previous incarnations. He's charging forward into battle, shield at ready which is a good representation of Charge and Impervious to start with. He just looks ready to go through a war and come out on top. Definately a top notch sculpt.
Overall rating:
8, overall a very strong figure, just requires some support and he can win games for you. Just give Cap a chance. There's a reason even Thor will listen to the commands of Steve Rogers.
Miniature Trading
