Sentinel Data File 002: Offense

Sentinels, one of the most widely known forces in the Marvel Universe. Giant, mutant-hunting killer robots designed to cleanse homo sapiens of the freak menace. They are also one of the most misunderstood and underrated Hero-Clix in the WizKids universe. Because of their high point values, expense, and special rules, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone playing with one or more on a regular basis. In this Data File and the reviews to follow, I hope to bring a much-needed light to the Sentinel, who is by far and away my favorite figure in the game.

Welcome back to the Sentinel Data Files. In this thread, I'll be discussing the various offensive tactics to best support your Sentinel with. In the next file, I'll address the best defensive tactics to support your Sentinel with. I was originally going to deal with both topics in one Data File, but the sheer scope and magnitude overwhelmed me and I thought it would be best to help young Sentinel users if I broke these files up.

If you've read the Sentinel Data File OO1: Basic Manual , then you should have a basic understanding of the Special Rules of the mutant killing robot as well as a basic idea of strategy. Let's delve into some more advanced tactics for effectively attacking your opponent and netting yourself some double and triple victory points. Keep in mind that the new IndyClix rules of NAAT [No Action After Taxi] and FCCF [Flyers Can't Carry Flyers] inhibit the Sentinel, but by no means make him useless. In case you are not familiar, the Mark I Sentinel is 100 points, the Mark III Sentinel is 200 Points and the Mark VII Sentinel is 300 points.

Run and Gun Tactic
This is your most basic and common strategy. Pick up a figure, move, set figure down, attack. The Mark I is limited to movement, while the Mark III/VII have a very delicious high movement combined with Running Shot and a 10-inch range. There are three ways to exploit this.

Close Combat (Switchblade)
Figures like U Elektra and REV Taskmaster and Silver Samurai have high attack values with Blades/Claws/Fangs. Run your Sentinel up to an enemy figure, base your Close Combat figure with them, and keep your Sentinel one hex away from the enemy figure. The enemy figure is based with your Close Combat figure and they can't fire on your Sentinel, while the Close Combat figure can wail away on the based target on the next round. Then on the round after that, the Sentinel can push to attack. If you are feeling like you have a really big pair of ball bearings, base the enemy figure with both the Sentinel and the Close Combat figure. After the Close Combat figure gobsmacks the target, you can push the Sentinel next round to capture the weakened target. With an average 3 to 4 damage on BCF, you can whittle an opponent down to a nice, handy, chewable capture size. Combine that with Running Shot and you cannot only concentrate several attacks on the target, but you can choose to attack a figure much further away even when based thanks to the Special Sentinel rules. This is good for eliminating taxi figures.

E Taskmaster is a beast of a figure for the Sentinel. Spend one round attacking with BCF after the Sentinel drops him off. Push the next round to BCF again and Taskmaster trades Leadership for Enhancement. This is great because Enhancement will increase the damage on BOTH of the Sentinel's Multi-Strikes. If Taskmaster still has Enhancement the next round he clears, you can tap him to use Minions of Doom to mimic the SHIELD Team Ability. So that is +1 for Enhancement and +1 for SHIELD. This will definitely upset someone as you switch from Close Combat to Ranged Combat, but I digress and get ahead of myself.

U Elektra makes a great knife for the Sentinel. Use the same tactics as Taskmaster and just run up to an opponent and stab them with Elektra's 11 attack. Feeling really devilish? Put on a non-mutant affiliated Wolverine or Sabretooth. Then you can imagine the terror of a mutant turning in his buddies. Spiral is a good cheap figure for this as well, just pair her with some Mandroid Armor or other TK'ing figures. If you use BCF in your team a good support figure for this strategy would be Black Cat and a non-Rookie Scarlett Witch, to make sure you get maximum damage for BCF attacks.

Charge is another good power. She-Hulk and V Doc Samson can be taxied up, have them run by an object on the next round, and bash it over the head of the target. The next round push the Sentinel to base the damaged figure, then either rest and capture or push and capture. This will give you slightly more mobility. Abomination has no Charge, but I have used him quite effectively in past games to bash enemy figures into unconciousness.

Ranged Combat (Bop Gun)
Think strafing. Think snipering. Think Dr. Strange, Bullseye, SHIELD Sniper, even Firelord, don't be embarrassed it's a legitimate figure. Taxi up the non-flying figure and take a pot shot at a distant or nearby figure if your “Bop Gun” is flying, or at range if the Bop Gun is not. SHIELD Snipers can add to the Sentinel's ranged attacks or Energy Explosion and Running Shot for the Mark III/VII. Bullseye features a high attack value and RCE. Firelord I don't think I need to go into. Dr. Strange is fantastic if you memorize his dial. Enhancement is good for EE and Multi-Attacks. RCE whittles down enemy targets. Probability Control helps for BCF or missed captures. Combined with the Running Shot of the Mark III/VII's, you are getting two attacks off relatively close to one another, and when firing from a stationary position you can Multi-Strike for heavy urban renewal. They are also good for blowing out walls so the Sentinel can traverse indoor terrain. For a Mark I, Perplex, Enhancement and SHIELD Team Abilities are crucial for widening the door. Nothing slows a Sentinel down more than being trapped in the women's plus sizes at Belk's. The V SHIELD Sniper is great. Either have her add to your attack, or don't use the team ability and have her pick off the figure you just hit.

Raged Combat (Hypersonic Sentinel)
Use the new IndyClix rules to your advantage! Upgrade your Sentinel with Enhancement, Perplex, Hydra, SHIELD, Gotham PD and any Wildcards. Send him forth to deliver righteous judgement against the mutant scum and protect the homo sapien gene pool! SHIELD will only add to ONE of the multi-attacks. If you use Energy Explosion, remember the order of actions. When you declare multi-attack, your damage drops by one, then when you declare EE, your damage drops TO one. Use SHIELD and Enhancement to increase the death dealt by EE. It won't layer with your second EE, if you choose to use it, but it will help weaken your opponent. If necessary, spread the love around by targeting two figures, or commit yourself to a loving relationship by focusing all your attention on one figure.

With Great Power Comes Much Butt-Whuppin'
Other powers of note for Sentinel support are Perplex, Enhancement and SHIELD. Remember that the SHIELD Team Ability only raises the damage of ONE of your Multi-Attacks. You can't field Psylocke on your team because of her X-Men Team Ability, but you can field any figure who picks it up. LE Betsy Braddock sports Psychic Blast, Enhancement, Stealth, and NO team affiliation, however. So let her help the Sentinel ninja a few kills. Nightmare is a beast to pair up with, but you'll find yourself lacking in other support figures for the points. Con Artists are a must have. Field no more than 3 to 5. Anything else is a little cheesy, but if you want an ultimate cheese team, use a Sentinel, Rookie Blizzard, and fill the rest of the points in Con Artists. After you Pulse Wave your Con Artists, your Sentinel should be able to kill just about any two figures with the Multi-Strike. But you will really be found wanting if a few EE attacks wipe out your Perplex army. Veteran Doctor Octopus is a great support and harassing piece.

Restrain and Capture
This tactic requires more patience. The strategy is to tie up your opponent while the Sentinel either takes potshots or runs up to capture. Observe.

Incapacitate
All versions get this power down toward the end of their dial. When you have it, it only makes sense to use the Multi-Strike and target one or two figures if you have the chance, what do you have to lose? If you can get a figure with this power and team him up with the Big Guy, have him target figures you want to capture. If they have no tokens, they have a choice of clearing which means you can base them, or they can push to run away or attack which causes them damage and freezes them to the spot. If they have a token on them then read the latter part of the last sentence. You want to immobilize the figure so not only can he not run away or attack, but he is in prime position for you to casually walk up to him and whip him into your Sentinel Fanny Sack.

Your clix are my clix
Controller, White Queen and Puppet master can inflict a unique type of pain on your opponent. The pain of their own figures running gleefully up to Big Poppa Sentinel, ready to be swiftly captured and processed for a non-Mutant America. White Queen can be the best out of all three figures to start in her R and E versions. Controller is a great MC turned brick, while Puppet Master lacks the range. But Mandarin can yank someone from across the board on a successful hit. Other choice pieces include Moondragon and Morgan La Fey. This is NOT a perfect strategy, however. With MC no longer putting a token on a figure, they still have actions on their turn. If they are based with a friendly figure before you MC them, they will have to breakaway before you have them run towards the Sentinel. This is a valid strategy, but it is one of the more weaker strategies.

All Your Base Are Belong To Us
Hordes of cheap figures are great for running out into the field and tying up enemy figures. Then your Sentinel can use any of the Run and Gun techniques mentioned above in relative safety. Snipe those enemy figures until they are not as much of a threat, and then your pud-lord figures can whittle them down even further after their defenses have lowered. Use of Plasticity will keep them from running off, and Sandman fits the bill there, even if he is expensive. Skrulls are fantastic. You can fit a million of the snotlings on your team, and if the enemy falls victim to the Skrull Team Ability, they are stuck with no one to attack if they are based with one. The Skrulls also have very good attack values and damage for being pud-lords. Use the SHIELD Agents and such to litter the field, and have your Sentinel get adjacent to them and fire for more damage. The Hydra Team Ability is great as well because you can line three AIM Agents in front of the Sentinel and he can see through them to fire for a collective +3 to his attack, since he has LOS through the bases. Hydra Team Ability, by the way, is great when the Sentinel goes down in his Mark I status. I also recommend Doombots for their versatility. They may not be able to carry a Sentinel, but they are very good support figures with their MoD Team Ability.

Barrier
Barrier as an offensive power? You betcha! Surround your target with blocks of Barrier to immobilize them, and you can even get the Sentinel adjacent to the target while Barrier is in place. Then the Barrier drops, roll to capture, and run like hell. Rookie Pyro is a good, cheap figure for this, and legal. Any version of Blizzard is good as well.

A Line in the Map
Measure out to about halfway into the map. If your goal is to capture enemy figures, you really shouldn't cross this line. The odds of your Sentinel making it back to his starting point without getting gobsmacked or having a rescue attempt made are severely limited if you cross over into enemy territory. Prepare a strategy for basing enemy figure and then capturing your target, and push-push-push like there is no tomorrow to run back to home base. The figure really has to be worth it to risk so much.

Sentinel AS Support
Just because the Big Guy is so huge doesn't mean he has to be the captain of your team. Pair him up with Doctor Doom for an excellent Mastermind sponge. From the Rookie to the Veteran, Doom is more points than the Mark I Sentinel who has 12 clicks of life to give up. Plus that helps advance the Sentinel to his sweet spot. Another strategy is to use the Sentinel in a two man con job. As your opponent pours everything into turning your Mark I into an overgrown toaster oven, you can sneak off with the Artifact for extra scenario points. Sentinels are immune to effects of knockback and travel over hindering terrain as if soaring. So scenarios like Wholly Hurricane, Dimensional Rift and Blackout don't even cause the Sentinel to break an oil valve. Being immune to Mind Control keeps him from suffering in the Nine Tenths of the Law scenario. It also doesn't hurt to put a Mark I on your team to assist your real heavy hitters. His large size means you can hit anything behind him unless they are on elevated terrain.

Capture!
This is a tournament breaking power. In a 200 point game you can field a Mark I, R Invisible Girl, U Elektra, and I believe a Con Artist and SHIELD Sniper. If you capture a V Colossus, that is 333 points when you deposit him into the First National Bank of Genosha. Even if you lose it is impossible for the opponent to win through points. Don't risk it all just to capture a R Scarlett Witch, though. Yes, she is worth triple points, but that still is only 87 points and there are bigger figures that will be itching to scar your hide. Capturing doesn't require knocking all the clicks off of a figure. One shot, one kill. Now, granted you may have a very high defense value, but capturing supercedes Invulnerability and Toughness. A V Thor is just another puppet to a high attack roll, and most versions of Superman are chumps. Now, you still have to make it back to your starting point, and then release the figure on the next round [which can be as little as 3 pushes], but you can kill a V Firelord in one blow, run back to base, and release in the effort that it would take several dice rolls from several figures. Look for figures that you would have trouble damaging due to Toughness or Invulnerability. Look for X-Men and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants especially. Triple points are tournament winners. If time is running out and you know you can't make it back to base, still capture. When time/rounds run out, any figure in the Sentinel's hand that has not been released into the capture field does not count toward your victory points, but your opponent doesn't get them for his survival points. Capture a large enough figure from your opponent's build and he'll lose due to lack of surviving points.

Concluding Team Build
Here is my personal strategy. Use one or two Mark I's, add a medium heavy hitter, then fill with support staff. If you use a Mark III, then use a cheap heavy hitter and support staff. Never use a Mark VII by itself, and I would hesitate to use a Mark III or VII in anything cheaper than a 400 or 500 point build. Think in fractions. The Sentinel is the biggest piece of the pie. You want to complete the pie with a smaller slice and several slices smaller than that. A good Sentinel build is one or two Sentinels and a support staff of 3 to 5 figures. Be smart when pushing. The Mark III's and VII's you want to push sparingly. Push the Mark I until you get to the sweet spot, the use careful strategy to maximize his remaining life.

Hopefully this will enable many players to dust off the Sentinel sitting on their shelf, woefully neglected, and bring him out into the glorious combat that is a mutant hunt.