Timed Solo Heroclix Tournament, Round 1

I applied my thoughts on timed solo play and the solo tournament concept to a terrifically fun solitaire session of Heroclix yesterday in order to try out characters from the newly released Galactic Guardians set. Here's how I proceeded:

1. I made 12 teams, each with diverse point values ranging from 420 pts. to 552 pts.
2. I chose the new "Alien City" map for all games.
3. I downloaded the cost-free and ad-free "Chess Timer" app by Paciotti on my Android phone and set it for 15 minutes each side.
4. I drew up a tournament bracket diagram.
5. I randomly selected 8 teams from the 12 and "seeded" them into the brackets based on their point values. (Making more teams than I needed in advance kept me in suspense.)
6. I played!

The rules I used were my go-to Solo Wargaming Rules for Heroclix, but without the doubles Combat Events so as to not upset the original point values. Games were meant to be played until either one team was completely KO'd, OR time ran out for one side. In the event of time running out, that team automatically lost, regardless of the points scored thus far!

Here's how Round 1 went down:

(1) Annihiliators vs. (8) Infinity Watch
Even at his lower starting dial, Thanos was a monster, and he nearly stole the game from the #1 seeded Annihilators. Adam Warlock used his special outwit power to keep the equally monstrous Gladiator in place, making an upset virtually a lock with time running out, but it was the little Russian psychic dog Cosmo who saved the game by shuttling Gladiator into striking position with his doggie telekinesis. Annihilators win.

Woof, bitches.

(4) Universal Church of Truth vs. (5) [The classic] Guardians of the Galaxy
Wow! Despite the superiority of the UCT, the Guardians put up an incredible fight. It came down to the last seconds as Hollywood relentlessly pounded his way through his opponents. With just a few more minutes, he would have succeeded, but time ran out! UCT wins.

Cardinal Raker flexes while Hollywood sets up the dreaded tickle-wickle attack.

(3) Nova Corps vs. (6) The Inhumans
Superior numbers meant nothing against superior powers. Blackbolt flew his wife Medusa into the midst of a crowd of Nova Recruits and Centurions - a risky maneuver, but one that paid off. Although Medusa and her moving hair didn't last for more than a single turn, Blackbolt let loose his voice and wrecked the lot of them! The other Inhumans kept Nova Prime busy until their king could soar over and finish the job. Upset! Inhumans win with time to spare.

Blackbolt just saw the credit card charge from Medusa's last beauty parlor visit.

(2) The Negative Zone vs. (7) The Heralds of Galactus
Holy $#!%! Blastaar, Ravenous, and the Annihilation Seekers ravaged the Heralds, just like in the Annihilation comic miniseries by Abnett and Lanning. The Fallen One tried to steal a victory by zipping around the board to eat time, but two very lucky rolls by lowly Seekers took him down with only 4 seconds left before the Negative Zone would have automatically lost! Wicked fun! The Negative Zone wins.

Pantene Pro-V keeps that radiant shine while helping to protect against split ends even during an Annihilation Wave!

Putting myself on the clock really did create new and unexpected dynamics! So far, it has been a worthwhile experiment, but I'll save my final comments for when I finish the tournament. After yesterday's action, here's where the teams stand:

More later...