Most of my opponents are very surprised if I pull out a more-than-75-point figure to play; they know me well, and know that most of my collection is made up of figures costing less than 50 points (and even many less than 30).

In a way, I pride myself on having little figures; I know that given the opportunity, all those little figures can be multiple Davids against their big 200-point Goliaths. I prefer to play a strategy called “swarm” in HeroClix, running groups of many figures rather than running two or three figures. In a typical 300-point game, I can often fit 6 to 8 characters in; you don’t want to see how crowded my start area can get when I play 600 points and above. 😛

The Benefits of a Swarm Team

Having been drawn to this strategy since I began learning Clix in 2007, I can say that there are several strengths to running a larger team of figures, such as the following:

• Opponents using a smaller number of figures may have less maneuverability, because of adjacency rules (everywhere they step, they’re beside an opposing figure)
• Opponents may not know which piece to attack first, because there are too many targets
• You don’t have to push anybody to move unless you just want to–you can move fresh pieces every turn and allow the other ones to rest
• Strategy allows you to cover more of the board, especially with ranged characters
• Also allows hurt pieces to drop back toward any available Medic and get healed, while your front line of defense stays solid

I find that using many little pieces gives more team-building versatility, as well. For instance, I can pick characters that are basically “one-trick ponies,” such as Destiny, Night Nurse, Abbey Chase, Harley Quinn, etc., who give me first-click access to support powers without needing to risk them in battle. Not only that, I can pick multiple figures who do basically the same thing, so that if one gets hurt and needs to drop back toward good ol’ Night Nurse, there’s another one waiting in the wings to take over. (Multiple iterations of Cheetah and Shi for the win.)

Swarm teams allow for this kind of redundancy and long-game protection a little better than beatstick teams do. Playing a beatstick team (a small number of large-point-value pieces) always makes me feel like I’m wearing a hospital gown–no coverage where I need it most, if you get my drift. If rolls go badly and worst comes to worst, where is my support squad? Not available on such a small team. Swarm teams allow for better team cohesion and complex, subtle strategy.

A good analogy is a large musical group like a choir, versus a small group of soloists. If one of the choir members gets sick right before showtime, the choir can perform without that person if necessary, and the show is not affected. But if one of only four soloists gets sick before showtime, then the show is going to be delayed until that performer can get on their feet again, because the show will be very different with only three voices. Swarm teams are like choirs–they work together and cover for each other’s mistakes and problems much better than small groups.

Weaknesses

But I will admit, swarm teams are not the strongest option out there. These chief weaknesses come to mind:

• Smaller-point-value pieces have shorter dials, can’t take as much damage
• Swarm teams can get too spread out across the map very easily, leading to easy pick-off kills by a beatstick team
• Smaller pieces have generally lower attack and damage values–may not be able to hurt larger pieces

In general, playing a swarm team that’s just combat and no support is about as bad as playing a beatstick team with no support–it’s folly. Making a swarm team practically necessitates the use of Probability Control, Outwit, Support, Perplex, and Telekinesis, because your figures need that support. You need that Outwit to get rid of Superman’s Impervious; you’ll need that Prob to reroll that one-off on Hulk, or Perplex to increase the chance of a hit. (And if Hulk manages to hit you, you’ll need TK to pull your wounded piece out of combat, and Support to get it back at least closer to top click. LOL)

But a swarm team with support that plays a little more closely together (without blocking each other’s lines of fire) can overcome these weaknesses, with a little bit more thought and planning. That 8 attack can be overcome by 2 shots of Perplex, a dose of Outwit, and a Prob waiting on backup; that 15 defense can be boosted by a friendly’s 18 defense with Defend. You just have to figure out how to use each piece’s strengths all together.

You also don’t want to space out a swarm team too much. Too far apart on the map, and they can’t help each other with support powers like Outwit, Perplex, and Prob, and they can’t run back as easily to the Support character (or get TKed back to the Medic, for that matter). Beatstick teams can spread out a little more easily since they have longer dials and better powers–don’t make the mistake of keeping all your support squad too far away from your main combat, or engaging your opponent in two separate combat zones. Keep it focused.

Summary

If you like winning in unconventional ways, or just want to try something new and more tactical, a swarm team is a great strategy–it’s customizable and fun for theme teams as well as non-theme teams, and for certain, it allows you to simply outgun or out-combat your opponent. Build a team with some small-point support pieces, along with some cheap and good combat characters, and watch your swarm take the field!