Amassing a collection of HeroClix is not easy, especially for those short on money. It’s not always an option to buy tons of 5-figure boosters to complete a set, or to try to get every figure of a certain keyword from eBay. But to compete in tournaments, or simply to have figures you like to play, having a fairly sizable collection is almost par for the course.

But is buying every booster pack off the shelf (or off online stores) really the best way to amass a collection you’ll actually play with? Or, is trading much better than buying, for the serious collector? Today, we’ll look at which style of collecting Clix is best for which situations.

Buy By the Booster, or By the Figure?

If your goal is to have a small collection of favorite figures, it’s cheaper to buy your Clix by the individual figure. Buy only the figures you KNOW you’ll play and KNOW you’ll enjoy, rather than junking up your collection with a pile of useless figures you won’t use.

But if your goal is to collect complete sets, or have a good box of “extra” Clix to trade with other players, it’s cheaper to buy by the booster pack (usually 5 figures) or starter pack (generally 7-10 figures). That way, you’ll end up with a wide array of figures that other people want, and/or be able to complete sets much faster.

Buy in Person or Online?

If you’re looking to buy a random assortment of newer figures and/or figure condition is not a priority, often you’ll find fair prices and good availability at little brick-and-mortar gaming stores–this way, you get the figure right in your hand, and you’re supporting little gaming shops in your area. (You also don’t have to put up with shipping costs!)

Otherwise, if you’re looking to collect specific older pieces, or you’re looking for figures in tip-top condition, you’re more likely to find what you want online, where sellers have to provide a wider inventory of Clix in better condition to get any takers. Clix don’t tend to fare well in physical stores, where they’ve likely been traded in by fellow gamers and might not be in the best of condition. Plus, the selection of older figures might be

Trade For or Buy Individual Figures?

If you don’t care about the overall condition of your Clix, but just want the figure right away, trading is a better option for collecting your preferred Clix. It’s also better if you have a big collection of extra Clix you don’t want, but other players do want. Lastly, trading is better than buying if you want to maintain the same overall size collection of Clix.

However, if you really care about the condition of your figures and you don’t have a big collection of extras to pull from, buying individual figures is probably best for you. No need to start up an extras box of junk figures just to get one figure in trade! Plus, you have more control over what condition of figure you purchase, rather than having to pull from someone else’s extras box.

(Don’t forget that you don’t have to trade Clix for Clix all the time. If you and your fellow gamers play other games in which you have more stuff for trade, you can use that as trade fodder, too. Many’s the time I’ve traded a Magic card for a HeroClix piece!)

Side Note: The Tournament-Prize and Donation Factors

Additionally, you can acquire Clix by two other ways: tournament prizes, and others’ donations to you.

Winning a tournament, or even just participating in one, can give you access to newer figures you might have never gotten otherwise. Depending on how highly you place and your personal Clix taste, you might just end up with a major score on your want list just by playing! And, even if you don’t want the piece you end up “stuck” with, you can at least use it for trade fodder, or perhaps sell it to someone else who needs it.

In terms of friendly donations, it can happen in various ways. Either the other person doesn’t care for a piece and just gives it to someone (you) to get rid of it, or it’s a piece they know you’ll like and they give it to you as a gift. This is how I’ve gotten several of my figures for my collection, and it can help you build up a collection if you’re just newly starting out.

A fellow player’s donation to you is useful in three ways: it gets you another figure you can practice playing with; if it’s a figure you like, you can keep it; if it’s a figure you don’t care for, you can use it as trade fodder. It’s a win-win-win! And who knows, you could eventually pass along the figure at some point to another Clix newbie, who might enjoy it even more.

Personal Recommendations

As a Clix player with a very limited income and not much interest in completing sets or having pristine figures, I choose to buy very selected figures online (only the ones I really, really want/need), and either trade for or buy from other players as I can otherwise. (Also, as I shared above, I get a fair amount of donations from other players by being a generally nice person, and I try to return the favor as often as I can.)

Summary

As I’ve shown in this article, getting a Clix collection started doesn’t have to be an expensive or time-consuming proposition. Whether you’re a super-completionist collector or a casual player with just a small amount of Clix, you can get hold of your most-wanted Clix in many ways just by being in an active gaming community, watching online prices, and going to local gaming shops. Just make sure your collecting stays on the legal side, all right? 🙂