Hello and welcome back!
As we are getting near the end of 2023, I wanted to do something special to wrap up the year. So I reached out to some of the most experienced X-Men players out there to do a retrospective on the X-Men in 2023. In this series, I'll be asking open questions about characters, Team Tactics Cards the state of the game and what's coming on the horizon. In today's article, I have the pleasure of hosting Espi!
Section 1: New Releases
X-Men received a few characters in 2023, namely Logan, Emma Frost and Psylocke. What are your impression of them, what they bring to X-Men and their place overall in the affiliation?
Logan
Logan is a staple for me, he always makes it into my roster. However, for my playstyle, I am often replacing him with Beta Ray Bill if I don't need the affiliation so I think he has lost a bit of value over time.
Emma Frost
I see a bit of value in Emma as a counterpick to Beta Ray but other than that, I don't see her in X-Men although I have used her as a second affiliation in case there is a central Secure with some tanky characters like Colossus, Crimson Dynamo and Black Cat.
Psylocke
Psylocke is a great character with good movement. However, I tend to play the scoring game and because of that I don't see much value from Psylocke unless you are facing Web Warriors.
Headmistress
This card is the only reason I see to play Emma in X- Men. Round one to advance Logan and threaten the middle with 2 Logan attacks is a great use of it.
Positive Standout and Negative Standout?
Nothing else that I didn't already point out.
Section 2: Errata and current place in the meta
Going over the changes to both X-Men Gold and X-Men Blue with the recent character overhaul, how do you think the errata changed the affiliation?
Overall I think it made them worse. Even tough some characters got a buff, the nerf to Storm's leadership was big. They still are very competitive and fun.
How does the latest errata shape the affiliation and your roster building overall?
Mostly that some characters don't make my roster anymore (Psylocke or Red Skull, Master of Hydra) and also my game style changing. I used to play much more aggressively, counting on the cover particularly to go into my opponent's extracts but now you cannot do that kind of play anymore without risking a lot.
How have you found the updated characters overall?
The Storm and Cable updates were good, they are now good but balanced characters. However, the changes for Cyclops, Colossus and particularly Jean, I find are insufficient. In Cyclops, I'm missing a bit of defensive tech so that he doesn't die so easily. On Colossus, I miss the bodyguard but also some sort of displacement (it still feels like a worse version of Lizard) and for Jean, she really doesn't feel like a 5 threat even with changes.
Is there any positive standouts?
The changes to Storm are great, you can now even play her in Wakanda and she is a great A-Force. Also, Cable is a very good 5 threat.
Is there any negative standouts?
The nerf to the leadership. The leadership was very good but I feel like there are other leaderships that are better or at least at the same level and didn't get any nerfs (Guardians in particular).
What would you say is the biggest gain X-Men made this year and why?
Logan for sure.
What would you say is the biggest loss X-Men made this year and why?
The nerf of Storm's leadership.
Section 3: Things on the horizon
With what we know of what's coming in 2024, what are your initial impressions of the characters and TTC that were spoiled so far?
Nightcrawler
Not really my style of character. Too dice dependent to do something on the table. Doesn't have displacement, doesn't hit a lot (unless you are extremely lucky) and doesn't tank a lot. I dont really see the value.
Shadowcat
Not a bad hitter, good movement. Overall I think it she is an "ok" character, particularly with all the X-Men tricks and that L movement, but I am not extremely excited.
Cerebro
Very situational and also X-Men doesn't have a lot of good mystic attacks so I don't see how this card will work.
Xavier's Dream
JUST AN AMAZING CARD! It is completely broken and I love it!
I would like to thank Espi for taking the time to answer my questions and give feedback on what's been a pretty busy year for the Uncanny X-Men. I'd also like to thank you for taking the time to read this article and as always, don't forget to have fun!
