List Discussion- Secret Society, Rogues edition

Hi all, today we've got a little bit of a different list, because it isn't Brave and the Bold. This list is a Secret Society list, and the team itself has been the subject of a lot of discussion recently regarding its balance in the game overall, but this list is something I feel is more in the spirit of friendly play rather than an optimised list. As in the title, this list is themed around the Rogues and villains of the Flash in general. I've long wanted to play as many Flash villains as I could, so previously I played this as various Freeze lists with prisoners to fill points, but now in Society I can run a far more thematic list and still function. Until the day Central City Villains ceases to be Gorilla City Villains, this is where my Rogues will stay for the most part. Without further ado, here is the list!

The Society Crew

Models: 5

Reputation: 335/350

Funding: 1450$/1500$

[Boss][F] Reverse Flash(TV) [110/0$]

[F] Captain Cold [72/400$]

[F] Heat Wave [65/300$]

[F] Killer Frost [40/150$]

-Followers [0/400$]

[F] Captain Boomerang (Suicide Squad) [48/200$]

The only model I haven't already previously discussed in this list is Killer Frost, and really she's in there for a fringe connection to Flash rather than anything else. Her Stop!, as a Brave and the Bold player primarily, is of such great value to me that I'm a huge fan of taking her (in Suicide Squad as well) but as an Acrobat she has a good role in my list for a second high defence model that can grab objectives quickly with Reverse Flash. The other 3 move up as a firebase of sorts, shooting at anything that gets too close and then bunkering on objectives. With all the debuffs across the crew and the damage output I think this will be a halfway decent crew while sticking to theme, although I am yet to try it out seriously. 

Speedsters part 2- the villain side

It's been a while, but here we have part 2 of my Speedster overview, this time talking about the villain side. These are just going to be quick little overviews of the special stuff they bring, just because actual uses of Speedsters in general are over in my first post.

These guys are a little bit different to the heroes, but occupy largely the same role- a piece to annoy henchmen while being really annoying to take out. As beater pieces they have a lot more competition from things like Killer Croc, Clayface and King Shark, and as such can't be seen in that role because they are on the whole worse in that regard.

Going to go over both versions of Eobard at the same time because they aren't all that different to each other. Both have Scientific, Speedster:5, Dodge and Fast, fairly standard overall, and their stat lines are almost identical, with the exception of willpower and endurance. TV Eobard is 7 rep cheaper, and brings a few more valuable traits to play with in my opinion. The comic version has Phase Strike as a unique power, which is expensive and super unreliable, so not worth using (Brutal or Devastating would instantly make it a choice, but he has neither). The TV one previously had this power, but it is now replaced by Kinetic Tornado, which is a really cool power I've found. It's relatively inexpensive, decent strength and good damage and effects means you have a good use for Eobard zipping near objectives and forcing groups of models away from them, making it a tougher choice as to what the opponent will spend their resources on in any given turn. The TV version also brings some Speedster-related traits which are situational but very helpful in Tachyon Device and I Know What I'm Doing, and the ever thematic Survivor. Survivor just means he is slightly more annoying to kill, and is a better trade-off overall than the +1 endurance comic Eobard has, while still not being a complete negative play experience for the opponent. Tachyon Device lets him add up to 2 extra Speed Force Counters to himself if there are none in the pool at that point, which really only lets him work at his full potential when another Speedster is present, instead of being hamstrung by going second. I Know What I'm Doing is a once per game ignore Paradox, which really shouldn't be happening all that often anyway, but with Kinetic Tornado having a 6+ Paradox there's always the chance of it happening, so it's nice to have.
All in all, I think the comic Zoom is just a bit dated, and could use an update, but the TV version definitely stands up to the modern standard of models.

Red Death is the cheapest of the villain Speedsters, which is always something to consider, but he operates very differently to the others. He is far more Batman than Flash, having high attack and strength but lower movement and Speedster level to compensate. At Speedster:4 he doesn't have access to some of the more impressive powers, but the lower cost ones are what shine far more anyway, so it isn't much of an issue for him. Muscle Growth as a power isn't as useful on him, as he is already at strength 3+ (you can go to 2+, but why not just use more attacks?). He will usually be attacking the same amount of times as a Barry Allen would, but he has one power that makes him quite an interesting and pretty good piece to use. His unique power Black Bats is cost 2, no paradox, making is incredibly easy to do, and all it does is give all enemies within 4" the Enervating/2 effect. If he can get into a group of models in the Speed Force phase, this is huge, as he can just strip 2 counters off of every single enemy. Willpower 4/5 henchmen? 2 or 3 counters this turn, he'll do it again whenever possible and can chase you down when needed. Martial Artist also plays into this, as if that big group of models do decide to try and take him out, they can't gang up on him to do it, and have to get through defence 5 to land a hit. Only other thing to say is Bipolar is a little bit of a negative, possibly losing him a counter a turn, but it can also give him one too, and at 50/50 chance is ok to work around considering everything else. Not the best of the Dark Knights, but they're all excellent and Red Death is very far from bad.

Johnny Quick has had a little bit of an update with the latest round of updates to resin, but it still isn't all that much of a change. He's almost identical to comic Flash except for Willpower (which is "compensated for" by Criminal), which makes sense given the character, but in neither case does it make a model that's very useful. Molecular Vibration isn't a bad power, allowing for some close up shutdown (combo with pushes on scoring models for some fun) and it's gotten a reduction in cost now too, allowing Johnny to do a little bit more with his Speed Force. Atomica is also a pretty nice trait, although the most valuable targets (high defence models) are more often than not higher movement as well, so it's not all too reliably happening.
All in all, he's a very mediocre model and not really worth his rep. If you're looking for a Speedster pick Red Death or TV Eobard. That's all I have to say.

The Rogues- thoughts

To follow up from my earlier post on the Flash family, I'm now covering their opposites in the Rogues. I will be discussing all versions of Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, and Heatwave, before going in depth on the existing villain Speedsters as well down the line.

 The obvious starting point of the Rogues, we have their traditional leader Captain Cold. Cold is a great support piece with his traits, and also provides great ranged threat with his Cold Gun. He can be a Free Agent to any villain crew bar Joker and League of Assassins, but also as a Sidekick in a Mr Freeze. This is how I personally use him most, leading a predominately Rogues themed crew, but he slots in excellently in many cases.
Offensively
Captain Cold excels in situations where he isn't in close range fighting himself, preferring to take a more backline approach with his ranged weapons. Ranged Master on his RoF2 double blood gun means he is hitting fairly reliably, and it being a Beam with Accurate and Cold means he is a tailor made Acrobat hunter, or anyone with Dodge. Medium Range allows him to shoot at models while he is still relatively safe early on, and Cold as a weapon trait plays quite well into Heatwave, as losing movement counters means a greater chance they can't remove Fire. This weapon mode has 3 ammo, meaning he can be shooting it for half the game, but his other alternate fire mode is also very good. The full power mode of his Cold Gun, it's main differences are Ice Template (punishing for low movement models) and Aim. Aim on this mode isn't all that bad, because at Short Range you likely won't use it until models are closing in anyway, using the Ice Template to stop an advance. It also sacrifices 1RoF for an extra stun damage, meaning you can clip a few models for more damage on this hit, but the main intention is for them to be taking agility rolls from the template, and hopefully being Knocked Down.
Defensively
In terms of defence, Cold doesn't have anything special really. Defence 4 endurance 7 is a solid stat block for his cost, but as a Free Agent one needs to play carefully. In a Mr Freeze crew he benefits from Prisoner 4, and the Bodyguard here I feel is pretty essential.
Overall
Cold's trait list is suited towards a midfield firebase, providing henchmen with some great potential support, and dealing out a good amount of damage himself. Leadership is great against Mind Control models, and Order helps get out of potential misplays with counters. Mastermind is always good to have, but his greatest trait for his cost is Strategist. The extra strategy point really just sets off his whole card
Best crews
Cold is obviously keyed into a Mr Freeze crew through being a Sidekick, although it is not the best choice to run both him and Freeze together. The Freeze crew already seriously struggles with funding, introducing the $400 Cold into it just adds to the problem. He provides an excellent kit for it, but it's expensive to do. As a boss, Cold is great, not costing any funding at all for all the toys he brings. He naturally also plays off of Heatwave in any crew, but the place Cold really shines is in Organised Crime. The tools he has play off any henchman mob well, but Joker that isn't an option, and Penguin in general has fallen to the wayside a bit. OC, on the other hand, he is maximising his potential skill set, while also being an offensive piece

To round off the TV Rogues, Heatwave is a very good all rounder, and provides a lot to any crew he is included in. He doesn't have any buffs for other models, but as a damage dealer he can do a lot of work to clear models, and he is decently tanky for his cost. Def 3 is on the lower end, but at endurance 8 for 65 points, he takes a kicking. He works for the same crews as his partner, Captain Cold, so no Joker or League here either!
Offensively
Heatwave is pretty obvious in his naming, he has a flamethrower and he burns things. The actual damage on it is in multiple bands, as it is a 1st edition card, but it is more than capable of dealing great damage on its own, especially so when you add in other models. He also has attack 4 with Reinforced Gloves, meaning that he can lay the fists on when he needs to, something which is a great addition in a worst case scenario.
Defensively
Heatwave lacks many "traditional" defensive abilities, but he has some more interesting corner case traits that can be useful in certain situations. He has Escape Artist, meaning he is immune to Grab, but at defence 3 with no Martial Artist grabs aren't all that useful anyway. He is relatively easy to hit, but at endurance 8 and Sturdy he has the potential to hang around for quite a while, and be a pain while he's still alive.
Overall
There's not much else to say about Heatwave, he's a very unsubtle model in what he does. Teamwork/2 Captain Cold is about his only tricky ability, and when Cold is willpower 6 himself it's  something to use very carefully.
Best crews
Heatwave, like all models with Fire, work best when you can deny movement counters being spent. This often means Freeze, although any crew with Killer Frost can do it for a cost, and the synergy with Captain Cold also works well enough in most cases. He is a good general use model, and can find a spot in most of the crews he works for.

 The first Captain Boomerang we're dealing with is the movie version, from Suicide Squad. Simply put, this model is one of the best Free Agents in the game point for point, bringing a ton of value for very low cost. 48 rep and $200 is not a major investment in any regard, and any gang that can use him will likely be able to get value from him
Offensively
This is really where Boomerang shines for his price point, being able to put out reliable ranged damage that ignores Ping!. His Monitoring Device should always be used if you're shooting, unless you are shooting a pingless shot, just because it negates the most prevalent ranged defence in the game. In terms of actual shooting, Master Marksman means he is rerolling misses (keeping him quite accurate). He has 3 ammo as standard, 2 for his Bladed Boomerang and 1 for his LE Boomerang. The Bladed Boomerang keeps him mobile, able to be thrown at full RoF on the move, and at strength 4+ with rerolls is semi-reliable damage. The LE Boomerang is more suited towards a stationary Digger, keeping him static on an ammo to keep arming himself and letting fly. It does slightly more damage, double blood vs blood stun, and is a Firearm so it is far more likely to wound. His best trait offensively though, and the one that is quite hilarious, is Ricochet. The potential to make another whole attack against a second target each turn is huge, and can potentially mean massive amounts of damage output from a quite cheap Free Agent. If you can catch a Bodyguard near their Leader, you can get both, or at the very least nuke a Bodyguard so the rest of the crew can gang up on the Leader. Should he get caught in a bad spot and put into melee, you can also attack with his Melee Boomerangs, which have the same function as his Bladed Boomerangs but lack any rerolls to hit. This is a strictly worse way of playing than simply moving out of B2B and shooting with a Bladed Boomerang, unless it's against a dump character like a Dollotron.
Defensively
Boomer is a bit fragile at defence 3 endurance 5, but that can be expected for his cost. He does bring Elusive, which allows him to spend MC to reroll Ping! rolls, but this is very situational. In general, play it safe with Boomerang. Behind the action is where he wants to be, just like the movie
Overall
This Boomerang is very good as a cheap offensive model, firing away from behind his allies, but he is not a great VP piece. He's only able to score off of Safe Boxes and Loot, so you have to plan around lower VP gain per turn if you actually want Boomerang to score himself, or not have him gaining objective VP at all. That said, as a force multiplier he works incredibly well for offensive crews, being able to shoot into combats without any chance of a Ping! being given away. However, a Riddler bot list can also find a very good spot for him as another shorter ranged piece, preferably to defend the bots and clues.

The comic Boomerang is fairly similar to SS Boomer, gaining +1 endurance, movement and defence and a ton of different tricks, but he costs 34 rep and $150 funding more. It is quite a significant increase in points, but also quite an upgrade overall.
Offensively
This Boomerang is lower in terms of raw shooting power, but he brings along some interesting trick boomerangs, adding up to a whopping 5 ammo, that can help out a crew in many ways. He has Master Marksman like SS Boomer, so he rerolls all missed ranged attacks, but replaces the Monitoring Device for Shooter. This means he is less counter intensive for max damage output, but without Total Vision and Remote Controlled he doesn't have the ability to shoot around corners. The first profile is his melee profile, which as a single blood with sharp is decent enough, but all of his ranged attacks are throwing with rerolls, so why stay in a combat with him? In terms of other weapon profiles, he has the same Blade Boomerang as SS Boomerang as a "standard" (the only one with more than one ammo), but his trick boomerangs are where he starts to look special. The Acid Boomerang is his best single damage attack, at 2 blood, but at only RoF1 it is somewhat restricted. Acid enables him as softening something for a further beatdown, acting as a defence reduction to make others hit easier (and Ricochet lets you get it on 2 models, efficiency!). The Electric Boomerang deals only stun, but has the potentially amazing Electric trait, meaning he can Stun models and stop them using counters on a crit (again, Ricochet for the control factor is great). At RoF2 it is a solid attack to KO models, but in the most common case where Electric is a factor (reroll damage vs Bots and Cybernetic) the Blade Boomerang already has Sharp, but with blood/stun. The Gravity Boomerang is his most potentially interesting, having lower damage than the rest (1 blood) but at RoF2 and with Push you can force a lot of models out of position. With Ricochet you can potentially push 4 models a turn, moving things how you want them and dictating the flow of the game in a huge way.
Defensively
As previously mentioned, this Boomerang has defence 4 and endurance 6, both higher than SS. This means he is natively harder to take out, combined with trading Elusive for Dodge, and at movement 3 no less, you get a model that can stick around a lot longer.
Overall
Some big changes between Boomerangs, this one loses Greed, so can score of any objective, and gains Follow Me! and Tracking. Follow Me! makes him a great secondary piece in slower crews like OC, as he can help with counter efficiency and increasing movement, and Tracking means he himself is able to be sped up when necessary (although at willpower 6 he is unlikely to have much left after a full turn of action). He is harder to slot into crews than SS Boomerang, but still fits very well into a great many builds. As a boss in Suicide Squad, he is also an interesting option. While not being as singularly effective as Deadshot or Deathstroke, he is able to manipulate the effective Let's Go! that Suicide Squad have, and enable the real heavy hitters to play with it.