DC HeroClix: Unleashed Unique Superman (#095) Review

Every DC HeroClix set features Batman and Superman. It's just a matter of wondering which version of these characters will come into game play. WizKids gave the gaming world its Superman but no one ever expected DC HeroClix: Unleashed to feature Unique Superman from the fabled Kingdom Come storyline by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.

BIOGRAPHY
The Joker is killed by new hero Magog and is surprisingly acquitted of this cold-blooded murder. Disgusted by this action and the public's reaction to this new brand of justice, Superman withdraws from the world at large never to be seen in public again. Ten years have passed and the world is in worse shape than ever. Without the moral compass of Superman and his generation of heroes, the line between heroes and villains is blurred. But it takes a catastrophe of immense proportions for the Man of Steel to return and set things right once again.

SPEED (12-12-12-10-10-10-9-9-9-9-9)
Without a doubt, this Superman is going to fight until the bitter end as he maximizes all the clicks on his dial. Speed has always been part of Superman's arsenal and he starts off in a big way with 12 movement. But that 12 movement helps his cause as he begins with two clicks of Charge. Imagine the Man of Steel coming towards you and attacking at the same time. But if you thought Charge was a challenge, he proves why he is faster than a speeding bullet with Hypersonic Speed for the next five clicks. This is where he is going to do some hit-and-run damage to his opponents. After that, it's three clicks of Force Blast before he becomes powerless.

ATTACK VALUE (13-12-11-11-11-10-10-10-9-9-9)
No one can complain that this Superman is weak at all. His starting attack value of +13 is going to quiet all naysayers about his strength. Considering that the average character has 15 or 16 defense, they might as well fold over when they see this Superman attacking them because he will always win. Given the fact that he has Super Strength all the way down his dial makes him extremely dangerous to his opponents. He will give you the beating of a lifetime and then beat you some more if you do decide that you don't want to lay down for the Man of Steel.

DEFENSE VALUE (17-17-17-16-16-16-17-17-17-16-16)
As expected, Superman can dish out the punishment and take it as well. He starts with three clicks of Impervious and then changes to three clicks of Invulnerability. His stats reduce by one for a bit before going back to 17 defense on his seventh click. By then, he gains Toughness for the rest of his dial. This is one Superman who will fit until the bitter end.

DAMAGE (5-5-5-5-4-4-4-4-3-3-3)
I am actually surprised at how many clicks of 5 damage Superman has in his arsenal. He may start off with Leadership for his first two clicks (thanks to his role as the leader of the Justice League) but it masks the fact that Superman will hit his opponents super hard. Given that he has Charge and Super Strength one this first click as well, the damage can be very devastating if planned out right. If he picks up a heavy object on his way to hit an opponent, he will add +3 to his damage. That means he will have a total of 8 damage to dish out on any opponent, usually killing a figure with one single blow! But after Leadership, he gains Ranged Combat Expert for the next four clicks. He will gain +2 to his damage when attacking from afar and he can do it comfortably with his 10 range. After that, he is still a pulverizing machine as long as he continues to use objects when attacking opponents.

BOTTOM LINE
Many have criticized that there hasn't been a playable Superman that reflects the true Man of Steel from the comic books. He is either underpowered or is severely expensive to use hanks to his total point value. While it is true that this version of Superman is expensive at 265 points, no one is going to argue that he isn't powerful and effective at all. The sculpt for this figure is truly impressive and really looks like Alex Ross' illustration come to life. He also has a red base indicating that his archenemy in this set is none other than Magog, another extremely powerful figure. It's also hard for other figures to approach him in close combat thanks to his Kingdom Come team ability. On an unsuccessful roll of the die, opponents will have to redirect their attack on someone else.

As with all HeroClix figures, Unique Superman can be randomly found in one of the DC HeroClix: Unleashed booster packs. Unfortunately for me, I was never lucky enough to pull one from the many packs I purchased. Instead, I had to do some heavy trading with other players in order to finally get the Man of Steel for my collection. As luck would have it, he was the one figure I needed to complete the basic collection.

After all this time, Unique Superman is still one of the best and true representations of the Man of Steel. When players refer to this game piece as a monster, they are not exaggerating. While any game piece can be taken out given the right circumstances, this is one character who shouldn't disappear off the game board very quickly. If done correctly, he will always be the last man standing. That's the power of Superman.

HEROCLIX STATS
Set: DC HeroClix: Unleashed
Rank: Unique
Point Value: 265
Collector's Number: 095
Dial: 11 clicks
Range: 10 (single target)
Rarity: Rare
Team Affiliation: Kingdom Come