From Panel to Play: Shang-Chi

The road to inner peace is fraught with danger and temptation. Many a soul longs for such balance in life, and few can ever hope to achieve it. Calm your senses and prepare your mind, for in today’s From Panel to Play we take a look at the Living Weapon, Shang-Chi.

Shang-Chi was born in China to the infamous Zheng Zu. From birth he was trained in many different forms of martial arts, quickly mastering several unarmed and weapon styles. Believing he was doing what was right and just, he traveled to London to assassinate Dr. James Petrie only to learn the truth of his father’s evil schemes. Vowing never again to be a pawn of evil, Shang-Chi sought to thwart the plans of Zheng Zu’s criminal empire, harassing his father’s goons throughout the years that followed. He would be a part of many groups, including the Heroes for Hire, MI-6, and Avengers. Each of these organizations is bolstered by his powerful martial abilities, leadership qualities, and superhuman gifts granted by the Ten Rings.

Shang-Chi joins the contest as a 4 Threat character. A master of martial combat, his defenses are a solid 4 Physical, 3 Energy, and 4 Mystic. He moves Medium, has 5 Stamina on his healthy side, and 6 Stamina on his injured side. This humble profile supports a complex package of strong attacks and superpowers. Read on to see what Shang-Chi can do in your games of Marvel: Crisis Protocol!

Easily able to deliver powerful debilitating strikes to his enemies, Shang-Chi has two attacks at his disposal on his healthy side. The first of these is Ten Thousand Shapes Strike. A physical or mystic attack with Strength 6, Shang-Chi will gain power equal to the damage dealt. On the roll of a crit and block, the target will gain the Stagger special condition. Defenders against his battery of fists will have a tough time keeping up with him as he unleashes his next attack, Rising Phoenix Kick. This energy attack will gain Shang-Chi 1 Power and will place him within Range 1 of the target character. Finally, Shang-Chi loses Rising Phoenix Kick and gains Dim Mak on his injured side. This deadly assault will cost a hefty 5 Power. It’s well worth the investment however, as once this Strength 10 Mystic attack is resolved, if the target character has the Staggered special condition, it loses the Stagger and gains an Activated token instead.

These impressive offensive abilities are strong on their own, but are not the only ways Shang-Chi can support your team. A total of 6 superpowers are spread throughout his healthy and injured sides, which gives him a surprising amount of depth on the battlefield. Flowing like water from target to target, Shang-Chi will never be rooted to one spot when he uses Hidden Flower Under the Leaves. For 2 Power, this character can spend an Action to make a move action followed by a Ten Thousand Shapes Strike. The next of these is Dragon Chases its Tail. After an attack at Range 2 of Shang-Chi is resolved and deals no damage to him, he may spend 2 Power to throw the enemy character Short. Not only is he extremely mobile, but this non-size restricted throw helps him control the flow of battle.

His next superpower, Five Elements Fist, enhances the effectiveness of his Ten Thousand Shapes Strike. After the attack is resolved, Shang-Chi may spend 1 Power to either Advance Short or push a Size 3 or less character away Short. Additionally, if that character contacts any terrain during the Push, it gains the Stun special condition. On his injured side, this superpower changes to Sixty-Four Infinite Palms. Shang-Chi retains the option to push his target Short, but can, instead of the previous effects, remove 1 damage and 1 special condition. He also gains the superpower Wild Goose Leaves the Flock on his injured side. When this character is targeted by an attack within Range 2, Shang-Chi may spend 3 Power to advance Short, and then place the attacking character within Range 1 of himself. His final superpower should come as no surprise: Supreme Martial Artist. When this character is defending against an attack targeting it from within Range 3, Shang-Chi adds Blanks in his defense roll to his total successes. In combination with his dependable defenses, Shang-Chi will have no problem holding down a key portion of the battlefield or taking the fight to his foes alongside his allies.

Unleash the fury of the Eight Linking Palms Strike with the Human Weapon Team Tactics Card! During his activation, Shang-Chi may spend 4 Power to play this card. If he does, he may Advance and then attack. This strike is a physical attack with Strength 6, and will hit everyone within Range 2 of him. Before damage is dealt, the target character will gain the Stun special condition. If the attack roll contains a Crit, Wild, and Block, then the target will also gain the Stagger special condition. His next card will ensure he vanquishes whoever is unlucky enough to feel his fury, as Chi Mastery represents his total control over his mind and body. When Shang-Chi makes an attack, during the Modify Dice Step of the attack he may spend 3 Power to play this card. Shang-Chi may then change two results in either the attack or defense roll to any other result. Finally, as a last resort to protect a decisive objective, this character pack brings a tool to save the day when things are truly desperate: Mystic Ward. An allied Defenders character may spend 2 Power to play this card. They will then choose an objective token within Range 3 and place a Mystic Ward token on it. The marked objective token cannot be Interacted with, Contested, or controlled this round. Additionally, if a player is controlling the objective already, they will lose control of it!

When you’re ready to fight with the heroes and do what is right, be sure to pre-order your copy of the Shang-Chi and Silver Sable Character Pack at your local game store or through the webstore today. 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.