davidlhsl's Battles

[davidlhsl]

David: "Hello, Sports Fans! This is David, your announcer, and joining me in the studio is my good friend and co-anchor Bob!"

Bob: "Thanks, David. I just received the most wonderful news. My wife just found out that she's pregnant!"

David: "That is exciting news, but I bet you're more excited about this tournament coming up!"

Bob: "David, I'm in a good mood right now, and I'm not going to let you get to me today."

David: (laughing) "Well, I understand. Do you mind if I ask you a personal question for our viewers out there?"

Bob: "Not at all, David."

David: "Are you sure you're the father?"

Bob: "David, when we cut to commercial, your insides are going to become your outsides."

David: "Later, Bob. But first, let's tell everyone that our sponsor for this wonderful tournament is none other than Burt's Beer. Hey, that Burt looks like Red Green, doesn't he?"

Bob: "What????"

David: "You know, Red Green. He had a very popular T.V. comedy show in Canada."

Bob: "David, how many of our viewers do you really think will catch your reference? I'm sure there are Canadians watching, but that reference is going to go over most people's heads."

David: "That's what Wikipedia is for, Bob. Drafting is still underway, but we do have a team that has a very strong chance of making it into the tournment. Tell them about it, Bob!"

Bob: "Right you are, David! The team is Team Batman. Batman (MH) will be the captain with 180 points. He has 4 life, 5 move, 1 range, 5 attack, and 5 defense. He can grapple a height of 30, fire 3 batarangs at a range of 5, and dodge attacks with a roll of 13 or higher."

David: "I really like Batman's stats. Of course, you can't have Batman without Robin (MH). At 120 points, he has 4 life, 5 move, 5 range, 2 attack, and 4 defense. He can combine his attack with Batman using his Dynamic Duo Special Attack, but Batman will have to use one of his order markers. The X Order Marker will find good use here."

Bob: "Yes, and he can also grapple. Joining them is Batgirl - Barbara Gordon (SD). She's 70 points, has 3 life, 6 move, 1 range, 3 attack, and 4 defense. She has a weaker batarang that can only fire twice, can grapple, and opponent's attacking her never receive a bonus for height."

David: "No doubt, she's weaker than the others, but even two attacks per turn is nothing to sneeze at. She could be useful as a distraction. Finally, there is Huntress (SD). She's 130 points, has 4 life, 5 move, 7 range, 3 attack, and 4 defense. She can use her normal attack twice and re-roll any one non-skull die per attack. However, those specials only apply if she's not engaged."

Bob: "Yes, so she needs to stay back, but her range of 7 is long. David, I'm really liking this team, and I think this 500-point group is a cinch to make the tournament. Their multiple attacks per turn will cut down squads very nicely. Any weak spots here?"

David: "Not many. C3G's knockback rules will be in effect, and none of these units have Super Strength. Many of the other teams might have captains with higher point values, so Team Batman may be spreading their points pretty thin. While squads will have a tough time against this group, if two or more make it through, they can do their points' worth in damage if Team Batman isn't careful."

Bob: "Wow, I'm really looking forward to see what other teams take the field. It should be pretty exciting."

David: "So am I. And remember, folks, to drink Burt's Beer. See you next time, and remember: If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!"

Bob: "What???"

David: "You know, Red Green. Oh, never mind."

Burt's Beer: Because alcoholics don't always have to remain anonymous.

[davidlhsl]

Programming Note

I now have 16 teams, and there are tons of cards left over. Heck, I think I could easily draft another 16 teams for a larger tournament. I'll want to double-check the teams to ensure there aren't any synergies or bonuses that I'm missing.

I have to say that this set has been an absolute pleasure to draft. Matt Helms and Sherman Davies have a wonderful mix of heavy hitters, middle level, and filler units. I'm finding both sets complement each other wonderfully. I've been aware of some synergies, but I've mainly relied on points.

Even though I prefer comic art; I'm thinking these figure images will actually make it easier for me to find the units I need when I need them, as my storage isn't organized.

Almost all teams hit 500 points exactly. One is 490, one 495, and two are 510. Squads aren't as heavy a presence as I initially thought, only appearing in 4 teams. 11 of the 16 teams have a mix of Helms and Davies units.

I'm getting excited! Let's have some Mood Music!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJiDRiCM1Fo

[Sherman Davies]

I am way too excited for this, considering I'm not actually playing.

Originally Posted by davidlhsl

I now have 16 teams, and there are tons of cards left over. Heck, I think I could easily draft another 16 teams for a larger tournament. I'll want to double-check the teams to ensure there aren't any synergies or bonuses that I'm missing. I've been aware of some synergies, but I've mainly relied on points.

Considering the sheer number of cards you're talking about between the two collections, I'd be surprised if anyone could discover all the potential synergies that exist. My DC collection alone, according to my army builder spreadsheet, is 78 cards. Add in Matt's stuff and that's a lot of reading.

Incidentally, my only Marvel customs that have been through playtesting are my tweaks of the official 10 figures, so your battle reports are a great little head start for the rest of them. You have my gratitude.

[Lord Pyre]

I love Red Green!

But that could be because I'm in Wisconsin and used to watch it when it was still on TV....
The best comedy I've ever seen.

[quozl]

Red Green was the guy who used duct tape for everything, right?

[davidlhsl]

Originally Posted by quozl

Red Green was the guy who used duct tape for everything, right?

Yes, he referred to duct tape as a "Handyman's Secret Weapon." The things he put together on Handyman's Corner were simply brilliant, and the show had a phenomenal supporting cast. I have a bunch of their episodes on DVD.

[davidlhsl]

Programming Note

Teams have been vetted and are ready to go. I've done some checking online, and I've selected a double-elimination bracket format. You can find out more information about how this format works here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-...ion_tournament

Teams will be announced tomorrow.

[davidlhsl]

Burt: "Hello, I'm Burt, President and Founder of Burt's Beer. On behalf of our 300 employees, except for those 5 worthless slackers drawing disability and ARE PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF RETURNING TO WORK, I'd like to welcome you to the Helmiverse Cup Tournament."

<< cue your own dramatic intro music >>

David: "Hello, Sports Fans! I'm David; sitting alongside my co-anchor, Bob; welcoming you to the Helmiverse Cup Tournament!"

Bob: "Right you are, David! I can't believe the moment has finally arrived!"

David: "You mean your wife finally learned how to cook?"

Bob: "David, when we cut to commercial break, I'm going to shove your face into a waffle iron, cram strawberries into your eye sockets, and pour hot maple syrup on top of your head!"

David: "Later, Bob. But before we bring out the teams, I need to discuss this double-elimination tournament format. All 16 teams will begin in the top Winner's Bracket. As teams lose a game, they will drop down into the lower Loser's Bracket. If they lose a game while in the Loser's Bracket, they will drop out of the tournament. Normally, if the team from the Winner's Bracket loses the game in the final showdown, the tournament will go into a second game. However, I don't want any teams getting complacent in the final showdown, thinking they have a one-game buffer against the opposing team. So the final showdown will be a single winner-take-all battle to determine the tournament champion!"

Bob: "That sounds great, David. The Super Bowl wouldn't be as exciting if there was a chance it could go to a second Super Bowl based on the winner. So I think that sounds great!"

David: "And to help our viewers follow this tournament, I set up an account on Challonge.com, where you can follow the bracket as the tournament takes place. Just go to www.challonge.com/davidlhsl! Edit: This bracket is updated as games are played. If you don't want to see the update yet, you should wait until you read the last report posted, and then see the bracket. You should be able to see the bracket as it progresses without having to log in or set up an account."

Bob: "One other important note to mention as well. This tournament will be using C3G's knockback rules. David, you've looked into Sherman Davies' own knockback rules, and you've discovered that his rules only apply to small and medium figures."

David: "That's right. I'm concerned about Zzzax's vulnerability to water. If he lands on or is placed onto water, he is destroyed. So I'm going to modify C3G's knockback rules to prevent large or huge figures from taking knockback."

Bob: "I think that's very fair. I'm ready to bring out the teams!"

David: "So am I! So cue your own mood music, and let's bring out the teams that will compete in The Helmiverse Cup!"

Sponsored by Burt's Beer. The beer you would drink on a dare.

[davidlhsl]

And now, let's make some noise for the Helmiverse Cup Teams!
Format: Name (designer) / points / life / move-range-attack-defense

First Round, Game A

Spoiler Alert!

Team Vision
Vision (SD) / 250 / 5 / 5-6-4-3
Killer Croc (SD) / 140 / 6 / 5-1-6-4
Silver Sable (SD) / 110 / 4 / 5-7-3-4
David: "Weak defense, but has a heavy hitter and a pair with solid range. Vision's Disruption will shred figures in melee."

Team Hawkgirl
Hawkgirl (MH) / 210 / 5 / 5-1-4-5
Hawkman (SD) / 130 / 6 / 6-1-4-3
Starfire (SD) / 150 / 5 / 5-6-4-4
Bob: "Starfire has a great Starburst Special Attack she can detonate any time to roll 5 attack dice against everyone within 4 spaces. It does 3 wounds to her when she uses it, but it's a great final assault when she gets down to her last life."

First Round, Game B

Spoiler Alert!

Team Zzzax
Zzzax (SD) / 240 / 7 / 5-1-6-5
Bane (SD) / 150 / 6 / 5-1-5-5
Black Knight (SD) / 110 / 5 / 6-1-6-4
David: "High life figures, but no range except for Zzzax' Electric Wave Special. Zzzax is going to have to stay away from water and his own teammates if he wants to use his special attack. Black Knight's Ebony Curse is also a liability if Black Knight destroys any figures."

Team Rhino
Rhino (SD) / 200 / 7 / 5-1-5-5
Manhunter (SD) / 170 / 4 / 6-6-4-5
Union Jack (MH) / 130 / 4 / 5-6-4-4
Bob: "This looks like it will be a fun team to play! Rhino's Rushing Charge and Charging Attack will require the opposition to position themselves very carefully on the battlefield."

First Round, Game C

Spoiler Alert!

Team Super-Skrull
Super-Skrull (MH) / 360 / 6 / 5-1-6-7
Skrull Warriors x1 (MH) / 100 / 1 / 5-4-3-2
Street Thugs x1 (SD) / 50 / 1 / 5-6-1-2
David: "Super-Skrull was forced to take a filler unit to meet his points, but those fillers are the only units with a decent range."

Team Thing
Thing (MH) / 300 / 7 / 5-1-7-7
Human Torch (original) (MH) / 200 / 5 / 7-1-5-5
Bob: "David, I know you hate that Heroclix sculpt for the Human Torch, so I'll understand if you proxy it with the more impressive version. I guess you could call this team the Fantastic Two!"

First Round, Game D

Spoiler Alert!

Team Joker
The Joker (MH) / 150 / 4 / 5-4-4-4
Arkham Inmates x1 (SD) / 50 / 1 / 6-1-3-3
Catwoman (SD) / 100 / 4 / 6-1-4-3
Street Thugs x4 (SD) / 50 / 1 / 5-6-1-2
David: "You can always count on the Joker to throw chaos into the mix. We'll see if his strategy of swarming the field with 20 squad figures will pay off."

Team Sabretooth
Sabretooth (MH) / 250 / 7 / 6-1-6-5
Hawkeye (MH) / 180 / 4 / 5-7-3-4
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. x1 (MH) / 70 / 1 / 5-5-2-3
Bob: "I don't think Joker was planning this matchup so early in the tournament. Sabretooth's Feral Rage will shred squads."

We will announce the other eight teams later in the day.

[Matt Helm]

davidhsl is the absolute MVP of the Marvel Custom Threads right now. What a job you've been doing. whether it's helping with the editing in Balantai's Battlescape, playtesting figures for all of us designers and creators, or just entertaining everyone in a way that is unequaled.

I want to know that David and Bob are not just broadcasting on satellite radio... please tell me they're going to national syndicated radio and soon to be on a telecast that I can watch on cable. Just don't put it on FOX or UPN as being on Long Island, I've been cut off from those channels for a week now.

Anyway, the Bracket availability is an incredible idea. Unfortunately it only flashes on the screen for a split second and won't come up permanently for me. How am I supposed to call my bookie and get some action on this tourney? Right now my money is on Team Sabretooth (although Team Vision and Team Super Skrull may have some good showings).

Now I just have to go get my pretzels, crack open a cold can of the flattest Burt's Beer I can find, turn off the Red Grant show, put away the pictures I have of Bob's wife, and sit in front of my computer screen with the biggest grin on my face... and my pants on... go figure.

[davidlhsl]

Originally Posted by Matt Helm

Anyway, the Bracket availability is an incredible idea. Unfortunately it only flashes on the screen for a split second and won't come up permanently for me. How am I supposed to call my bookie and get some action on this tourney? Right now my money is on Team Sabretooth (although Team Vision and Team Super Skrull may have some good showings).

I wonder if anyone else has that issue. (edit: see posts below) I've been working both the Safari browser on my Mac and the Internet Explorer browser on my Windows 7 PC.

Edit: And on Firefox on my Mac. (sniffle) This is going to stink if the namesake of the tournament can't even see the bracket!

[Matt Helm]

Wow... it worked in iExplorer but won't come up on Firefox. Weird.