From Panel to Play: Sunspot and Warlock

In today’s From Panel to Play we introduce two characters from the New Mutants: Sunspot and Warlock! These characters bring a new affiliation, the New Mutants, led by Illyana Rasputin. The New Mutants are a group of mutant superheroes headquartered in Professor Xavier’s mansion. Both of these characters have been members of this team and now they enter Marvel: Crisis Protocol!

Roberto Da Costa is a wealthy Brazilian mutant who uses solar radiation to empower himself as the hero Sunspot. When Da Costa’s abilities awoke, he was targeted by mutant haters and rescued by Professor X, who enrolled Roberto in his school. Sunspot joined the New Mutants as one of its founding members leveraging both his mutant abilities and family wealth to influence the world.

In Marvel: Crisis Protocol, Sunspot is a robust Threat Value 4 character. He has 6 Stamina on both sides and 4/4/3 defenses. He has a Medium Speed and is lacking a superpower many would expect on him—Flight.

Before getting too far with his attacks and superpowers, his Innate superpower, Flare State, needs to be explained. Flare State represents his ability to store solar energy and uses a unique mechanic to power up Sunspot. Whenever he ends a movement, he gains one Flare token and can hold up to three of these tokens. This applies to any movement, including Push and Throw movements. These tokens are used to fuel his other superpowers. As an additional effect, when Dazed or KO’d Sunspot can discard his Flare tokens. If he does, everyone within a certain range of him will take 1 Damage from the energy discharge! The range is equal to the number of Flare tokens discarded. Sunspot has two Active superpowers. The first is High Energy Conversion. This superpower costs 2 Power to use and lets him Throw an enemy or terrain feature with a Size equal to or less than the number of Flare tokens he has a Short distance.

His second Active superpower is Sunburn. This superpower costs an Action along with 2 Power. Sunburn is a special version of the Charge superpower found on many Marvel: Crisis Protocol characters. The twist for this one is that when used with 3 Flare tokens on Sunspot, his Speed becomes Long and he gains the Flight Innate superpower for the movement. This quick burst of movement can catch opponents off guard as he speeds across the battlefield ignoring the terrain features in his way. Keep in mind that Flare tokens are gained after the movement completes. If Sunspot uses this superpower with only 2 tokens, he will not get the enhanced movement effect of it. He will, however, have 3 Flare tokens when making the attack action that follows the move action.

Astute players will notice that neither of these Active superpowers make Sunspot discard his Flare tokens. That effect is reserved for the Thermokinesis reactive superpower, which triggers when Sunspot is making an attack. This superpower does not cost Power to use. Instead, it costs Flare tokens. For each Flare token discarded, Sunspot adds one die to the attack. As an additional bonus, if a Flare token is discarded, the target gains the Incinerate special condition after the attack resolves as Sunspot channels his solar energy into the scorching attack!

Speaking of his attacks, Sunspot brings two solar-powered Energy attacks. The first attack is UV Strike. This attack is a typical close-range, Strength 5 attack that generates Power based on damage dealt to enemy characters. Its special rule, Heating Up, helps Sunspot keep his Flare tokens coming. When triggered, Sunspot will gain 1 Flare token after the attack resolves. Sunspot’s second attack is the powerful Dark Solar Blast. This midrange attack has a Strength of 7 and costs 3 Power to use. If its special rule, Thermokinetic Concussion, is triggered, all characters within Range 2 of the target will take 1 Damage. Additionally, characters cannot gain Power from this damage. This ability does affect allied characters, so caution is advised when using this attack. Sunspot is immune to Thermokinetic Concussion as you would expect from the source of the blast of solar radiation.

This pack comes with many Team Tactic Cards including New Mutants, which carries the Leadership ability for the New Mutants, Cry For Help, and Tomorrow’s Soldiers. Tomorrow’s Soldiers is a Reactive card that triggers when a New Mutants character is Dazed or KO’d. When played, all other New Mutants characters gain 2 Power to fuel their retaliation!

Joining Sunspot in this box is the techno-organic life-form from a distant world known as Warlock. Warlock comes from a race of beings that battle their parents to prove their right to exist. When Warlock realized he did not want to be part of this, he recognized himself as a mutant and fled, crashing through Asteroid M and landing near Professor X’s school. He came into conflict with the New Mutants before they learned to communicate, which ultimately led to him joining the team.

Warlock enters Marvel: Crisis Protocol as a Threat Value 3 character. His Stat Card starts with 5 Stamina on both sides coupled with 3/3/4 defenses and a Medium Speed. Warlock’s Immunity [Bleed, Poison] superpowers grant him the ability to withstand effects that would hobble most characters.

Warlock comes with three potent attacks. The first is the T-O Talons attack that has a chance to cause the target to gain both the Bleed and Poison special conditions. This close-range attack has a Strength of 5 and generates Power based on damage dealt to the target. The second attack is the longer range Buster Cannon attack that will generate one Power every time it is used and might leave the target with the Shock special condition.

Warlock’s final attack is the Self Must Protect Selffriend. This awkwardly named medium-range attack costs 4 Power for its Strength of 7. When Warlock makes this attack, choose a terrain feature within Range 3 of Size 3 or less and destroy it. The Size of the terrain feature is the number of attack dice Warlock may reroll during this attack. Additionally, if Warlock rolls a Wild, the target may end up Thrown a Short distance away.

Backing up these attacks are two Active superpowers. The first superpower is Techno-Organic Absorption, which lets Warlock destroy a nearby terrain feature and remove damage equal to that terrain feature’s Size. Warlock holds a transmode virus within his body and can spread it on demand. Transmode Virus Infection deals 2 Damage to all enemy characters with the Poison special condition within Range 2 of Warlock. Warlock suffers this damage as well, which can leave him vulnerable to enemy attacks.

Warlock’s unusual anatomy shifts its form easily, which can make it difficult for enemies to keep track of him. The Unstable Outline Innate superpower gives Warlock an additional defense die against Physical and Energy attacks if the attack is outside of Range 3 from him. This can protect him from weaker attacks to give him more time to make his attacks or deliver the transmode virus to his opponents.

Throughout his time on Earth, Warlock has stayed close to his friends in the New Mutants. This team works closely together in combat and rapidly responds when one needs help. When one of them calls for help, another will use their powers to quickly come to their aid. In Marvel: Crisis Protocol, this results in a squad that can rapidly reposition itself in response to enemy attacks and potentially disrupt enemy activations with defensive superpowers and Team Tactic Cards like Survive The Night. As this movement is not limited to once per turn, opponents will need to choose their targets carefully lest they set the New Mutants up for a devastating counter-activation. On the other hand, the New Mutants will need to be wary of opponents attempting to bait them into over-extending.

That’s all we have for Sunspot and Warlock! These characters will be coming soon to stores near you. Check back later for another 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. Pre-order your Sunspot and Warlock box at your local game store or through the webstore today!

Until next time, Atomic Mass Games signing off!