From Panel to Play: Killmonger, Usurper 

Today we look at the tragic tale of a misplaced son who grew up to hate his homeland. This is a man who was wronged early in life and refuses to just sit back and accept the misfortunes that befell him. In this From Panel to Play, we take a look at N’Jadaka, better known as Killmonger, Usurper!

This man could have been an exemplary member of Wakandan society if it wasn’t for the Super Villain known as Ulysses Klaw. Instead, N’Jadaka was orphaned as a child, kidnapped and forced to grow to adulthood in a foreign country. He is an incredibly gifted individual, though, and managed to navigate his way through his new surroundings, leading to an eventual return to Wakanda. Once he had managed to return to his motherland, his true goal in life of overthrowing the Wakandan throne was finally able to begin.

Killmonger, Usurper is a 4 Threat Leader for Wakanda that is sure to bring an aggressive new twist to the affiliation. He has a good spread of defense stats that stays consistent between both his Healthy and Injured side, with 4 Physical, 3 Energy and 4 Mystic defense. He also has an even distribution of 12 Stamina, which means he has a comfortable 6 on both sides of his card.

Not only does he sport an aggressive Leadership, but everything about this character is focused on the attack. He has three options available to him that cover everything from Range 2 to Range 4. His first attack is a staple of many Wakandans, the use of Vibranium Weapons. This Range 2 Energy attack hits with Strength 5 and showcases the strength of the Wakandan super metal through the Pierce special rule. This rule allows the attacker to change one of the defender’s normal success results to a Blank, effectively cancelling one of their blocks in most situations! He will also use this attack to generate power for himself, as he gains power equal to the damage he deals.

Killmonger is also known to make use of Covert Armament’s. He has no issues catching an opponent unawares if it leads to his victory! This Range 4 attack may only hit with a Strength 4, but when the target character is caught by surprise within range 2, they will be unable to modify their defense dice during that attack. He won’t be building much power through causing his targets damage, but he’ll be able to guarantee a steady increase of 1 Power for making this attack, regardless of whether it damages the target or not.

His final attack taps into his connection with his patron goddess, the banished K’Liluna. Unleashing K’Liluna’s Fury through the expenditure of 3 power allows him to reach out at Range 3 and strike a character with a Strength 6 attack. This attack allows Killmonger, Usurper to overwhelm his opponent with his ferocity, giving them no time to focus on their own defense, and it allows him to unleash his rage and pain, empowering his attack. This translates into special rules on the attack that prevent the target from modifying their defense dice and allowing him to add dice equal to the damage he himself currently has.

Killmonger definitely has a different philosophy towards the leadership of Wakanda. His Leadership, Strength of the New Generation, is a new and aggressive Leadership for the Affiliation. This Leadership allows you to distribute up to 3 Herb tokens to allied characters and each token allows a character to add a single die to an attack roll by spending it. A character that finds itself unable to spend its Herb token isn’t entirely out of luck however as any Herb tokens left on characters at the end of the Round provide a character 1 power, although this is at the cost of causing them 1 damage.

His first superpower is something that will be familiar to fans of the Wakanda affiliation. Killmonger, Usurper has access to the Pounce superpower for the cost of 2 Power, which allows him to Throw himself Short. He himself won’t suffer any damage during a collision occurring during this throw, but it’s a versatile power in that it provides him some additional movement and or an additional option to cause a character some damage.

As an expert combatant that has an incredible rage just simmering under the surface, he also has access to the reactive superpower Untamed Force. When a character makes the mistake of attacking him within Range 2, he can spend 2 Power to make a Vibranium Weapons attack in response to that attack. It’s not uncommon for a character to find itself the worse off for having attacked N’Jadaka!

That’s it for today’s article, be sure pre-order your copy of Rival Panels: Battle for the Throne at your local game store or through our webstore today. Also, be sure to check back later for yet another installment of From Panel to Play, the series where we give you your first look at how your favorite characters transition to the tabletop in Marvel: Crisis Protocol.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!