With the ne
w Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. set just a couple of weeks away, I thought it might be fun to revisit another older set theme before moving on to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra later this month. This theme is Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Guardians of the Galaxy keyword lacks solo power-pieces, but don’t let that fool you. There’s a lot of power here! The power for Guardians teams rests in their synergy. Here are a couple of staples for guarding the galaxy:
GOTG030 Star-Lord – I can’t think of the last time I built a Guardians team without this piece. His offensive capabilities are pretty good, but Star-Lord really shines as a support piece. Star-Lord allows any friendly piece with the Guardians of the Galaxy keyword to replace their defense value with the highest printed defense of any other Guardians of the Galaxy piece on the board. Use Groot to give everyone an 18 (plus whatever modifiers they have) and make everyone hard to hit. Also, Star-Lord can use Outwit and draw his line of fire and count range from any friendly figure with whom he shares a keyword. Remember, since Star-Lord is still drawing the line of fire, he can use his Improved Targeting: Ignores Hindering. That means you can Outwit characters in Stealth too.
GOTG051 Groot – Let’s be honest, one of the major reasons you’d play a Guardians team is to play Groot. This Groot does not disappoint! He sports a high 18 defense for Star-Lord to share with the team. His attack value is a bit low, but his dial is deep so Groot will soak up damage well. If Groot is KO’ed while adjacent to a friendly Guardian, he turns to his last click instead. Since all the latest Rocket Raccoons are tiny, have Groot carry his buddy around and wreck house. Whenever Groot would be KO’ed, you get to use Regeneration instead and keep on swinging.
GOTGM005 Rocket Raccoon – If you’re like me and it’s not worth hunting down the Rocket Raccoon movie chase, this is a great budget option. This Rocket Raccoon is the common from the movie set. He has a special traited Perplex that lets him target one friendly character and one opposing character to modify the same stat. So, for example, he can beef up Groot’s average attack values and decrease an opponent’s attack value before they counter attack.
GOTG003 Mantis – Mantis is a must-have! She gives you much appreciated Probability Control and a great special Mind Control. Mantis can use Mind Control normally as if she had a range of 7, but she can also Mind Control adjacent friendly characters with the Guardians of the Galaxy keyword, even if they have Battle Fury. As an added bonus, mind controlled pieces get +1 attack while they are mind controlled. This means you can get extra actions in with a character who has already acted that turn.
GOTG023 Yondu – Yondu offers a great trick. His Yaka Arrows trait gives him a ranged combat attack to target an enemy within range regardless of line of fire. Beyond walls, hiding in hindering, or on higher elevation…Yondu doesn’t care. It’s easy to hide Yondu somewhere while he shoots from safety. Coupled with his Precision Strike and high attack value, Yondu will make damage stick.
The Guardians of the Galaxy keyword offers a lot of different combinations that are worth exploring. Here are some team ideas to get you started.
90 GOTGM005 Rocket Raccoon
100 GOTG051 Groot
110 GOTG030 Star-Lord
300
Simple Guardians team. Rocket and Groot ride into battle, with Star-Lord in support. I’d use Rocket’s Perplex to keep Groots defense up and opponents’ defenses down. Since Groot is providing a lot of defense for the rest of the team, it’s important to keep him in the fight.
110 GOTG030 Star-Lord
120 WKM15-009 Agent Venom
73 GOTGM002 Gamora
95 GOTG005 Major Victory
398
Note, this is the new LE Venom and not the old Convention Exclusive. He’s much easier to get! Venom brings pain from range while Gamora brings it up close. Use Major Victory’s double Telekinesis to get your killers in place. Star-Lord’s defense boost keeps your assassins tough and his Outwit will soften up your targets.
110 GOTG030 Star-Lord
76 GOTG023 Yondu
56 GOTG003 Mantis
160 GOTG040 Martyr
95 GOTG005 Major Victory
497
Major Victory gets you Perplex, double Telekinesis, and an 18 defense value. Martyr goes up front as your main attacker, while Yondu and Mantis team up for artillery. If you alternate between Yondu’s attack and Mantis’ Mind Control, you can time your actions and clearing to fire off a Yaka Arrow every turn.