Sentinel Data File 003: Defense

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 defensive tactics to best support your Sentinel with. I was originally going to deal with both topics of offense and defense 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. 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.

I would like to start by thanking not only the people who have supported me through the writing of this series, but also those who have e-mailed and PM'd me saying they have finally gotten use out of that $15 Sentinel wasting away on their shelf. I have received correspondance from people who have told me that my Data Files have helped them win tournaments, even going so far as winning the coveted LE Bruce Banner. Hearing stories like this makes me feel like all the work is worth it.

So you read Data File 001, bringing understanding and enlightenment of how to play a Sentinel. You read Data File 002 and built your devastating team, a real advancing wall of hellish blazing death. Then you got your butt whupped, badly. What happened? Before you pick up that battered Sentinel and wait for me out in the parking lot, the best defense is not necessarily a good offense. Allow me to point out some of the weaknesses of the big purple Go-Bot, point out a good support staff and identify his prime enemies.

A Sentinel Cannot Be Healed
This is THE number one weakness to a Sentinel of any Mark. One good hit can push a Sentinel past his good powers and sweet spot, without any chance of redemption. No other figure besides the Sinestro Construct suffers from this hinderance. This is to provide balance, and to keep someone from healing a Mark I all the way up to a Mark VII. Firelord would be so yesterday's news if this were possible. As a result, you may avoid putting a medic on your team altogether. Don't do this. Medics can still be used to heal your other figures. When the Sentinel is down to his last few clicks, use him to run interference. Chances are you slammed a Mark III on the board, sped to the middle of the board with your double running shot, then got pieced by two or three figures because you let the power get to your head. Now you're stuck with a Sentinel on his last three clicks and no way to heal him.

A Sentinel Can Push Indefinitely
What? You thought this was his greatest strength! As a result of the above rule of not being affect by the Support power, you can push your Sentinel into an early grave and, again, past his good powers and sweet spot, without any chance of redemption. You'll second guess yourself more than with any other figure. Think about it. You'll push a figure because you know that you can limp him back to a medic for some tender loving care. But will you push that Sentinel when he's on the sweet spot? Will you give up his Running Shot, Energy Explosion and Energy Deflection just for the chance of hitting someone, which is 100 points you could have spent on just about ANYTHING else? If your mindset is to cross the board, all guns blazing in the hopes of netting some double or triple points, you're not smart enough to use a Sentinel, plain and simple. You have to decide is pushing worth it, because you can never go back like you can with other figures.

A Sentinel is a HUGE Target
Obvious, but true. You can't be subtle with him, but you can use strategy. Use a Mark I as a smoke cloud, blinding your enemy to your real strategy. He's a walking wall, so use him to hide your other characters behind. He's not that hard to hit on some levels and will be a pretty tempting target, taking attention away from your wounded figures or from your main strategy. Since he IS such a large target, that means most of your opponent's force will try to get off his best three or four attacks on him at once, ruining any sort of capture strategy you might have had.

A Sentinel Cannot Be Carried
Running Shot ads mobility to the Sentinel, but he will lose it through pushing, through critical misses, or through damage. Meanwhile your opponent can free move a ranged or close combat figure up into range and hit your Sentinel before you can get the Sentinel into range.

Stealthy Little Monkeys
IndyClix figures are the most dangerous Sentinel killers around. Almost all of them have stealth, which absolutely kills your ranged strategy. So you have to go base to base with a figure who is just waiting to piece you with BCF. I used three Mark III's against an all IndyClix team and won by the skin of my teeth. My opponent had all his figures stealthed and I won only by t he grace of god, and after capturing a V Shi and ending the game taking V Lobster Johnson out of play. Stealth cuts the Sentinel's effectiveness in half, so I don't want to hear about how the big figs are unbalanced.

It Is More Dangerous To Play A Sentinel Than Ever Before
It's true. With the release of X-Plosion, there are more mutants ready to take you off your high horse and net double points for your grape flavored butt. Some of these threats will be identified in the Rogue's Gallery, but for every triple point you garner, it only takes a few blows to reduce an expensive Sentinel down to double points for your opponent. I know. I was at a tournament where Nightcrawler scored 400 points on my Mark III Sentinel. It was the most humiliating moment of my HC career, and I still can't live it down.

Crossing The Line
If you move your Sentinel past the middle of the board, forget about capturing anyone. Change your strategy. It will take you too long to walk back to your starting point, and you'll push yourself so far down the dial that Destiny could hit you.

Reverse Target Discrimination
Little known fact, according to the rules, the Sentinel can be targeted so long as there is a LOF drawn to any of the four squares he inhabits. With the special LOF rules, a Sentinel can be hit by just about anyone if they aren't based with someone else.

Rescue Attempts
Used to be capturing a target and making it back to home base was nigh impossible. Someone would taxi up a ranged combat figure and rescue the figure faster than you could say Jack Robinson. Now, with FCCF and NAAT, you not only have a better chance of making it back to home base, you can actually rest! On top of that, HSS, Running Shot and Charge can NOT be used to rescue. Read it any way you want, I know what I'm talking about. Yes, they are power actions, but a Rescue Attempt is a special power action that doesn't work with the aforementioned powers.

The Indoor Map Is The Natural Predator Of The Sentinel
If you have map choice and want to live, choose the outdoor map. Indoor maps force you to spend valuable turns opening doorways so you can fit through them, and a Mark I can't even do that until his sweet spot. This gives those filthy mutants the chance to run indoors and whack at you while you're trying t o fit your big fat butt through the doorway. It is NOT impossible to win on an indoor map, but it is an uphill battle. Don't let anyone tell you different.

ROGUE'S GALLERY of THREATS

Ranged Combat Monkeys
Bullseye, Firelord, Dr. Strange, Thor; these figures can turn a Mark III Sentinel into a Mark I with just one good roll. Bullseye can push a Mark I straight into his sweet spot, and you have to judge your next action heavily. Four points of damage or more and your Sentinel is a plastic punching bag. When getting into range, be aware of who you can tie up before they start taking potshots at you.

Blades, Claws, My @$$!!!
It takes big ones to get within grabbing range of a Sentinel. One good roll and you can take an unhurt figure out of the game no matter their defense. If they roll a one or two for damage, it's not that bad, but a SIX…well, you'll figure out how he got those little bitty scratches on his leg. Wolverine and Sabretooth and tempting, tasty targets, but whittle them down a bit before you get all grabby feely with them. However, with NAAT, Wolverine can't be taxied up by Shadowcat and take a swipe at the Sentinel in the same round. This has helped the Sentinel's defense significantly.

NIGHTCRAWLER & SHADOWCAT
A high defense bites. A high defense with Super Senses is about as popular with you as breaking wind in a space suit. But one of these stinking mutant scumbags has Hypersonic Speed being carried by one with Phasing. Kitty will fly the fuzzy elf into HSS range, he'll get perplexed up, he'll BAMF! Next to your Sentinel and tag him, then run away! The bastards! I hate Nightcrawler, Shadowcat AND Destiny worse than pain, death and Hell. You'll be hard pressed to capture Nightcrawler, you're better off just wailing on him or Outwitting his HSS with Deathstroke, Black Panther or Batman.

DEFENSE FOR THE SENTINEL
R Invisible Girl
The Sentinel's best friend. She's cheap, she's easy, and she always puts out. Have the Sentinel carry her behind him and he'll always have an 18 defense. A Mark III or VII will have a 20 defense thanks to Energy Deflection for ranged attacks, and hindering terrain makes that a 21. Even Firelord has to roll 8 or better. When she loses her shared defense powers, use her Barrier to lay down cover.

Barrier Boyz
R Pyro, any version of Blizzard, these guys can not only help protect a Sentinel from enemy fire, they can surround an enemy figure with blocking terrain and keep him from running, allowing your Sentinel to make the easy capture. Probability Control ruining your day? Order a Barrier and block line of sight to the target in question.

I Said Roll It Again, Biznatch
E and V Scarlet Witch, E and V Black Cat; again, cheap easy girls who can help you make that hard to hit roll if you botch. Snake Eyes is a cool GI Joe figure, but a lousy dice roll. Keep your Sentinel from soaking damage by messing up your opponent's rolls, and seek forgiveness for those double 1's you keep rolling. I rolled six of them in a single tournament. I could have used Black Cat then!

THUGS
Whether they are street walking Con Artists, Earth invading Skrulls, or Joey the Snake and his 14 ugly cousins, a field of cheap cannon fodder will tie up your opponent and keep them from wailing on your Sentinel. I personally recommend…The Skrulls. Taxi a Skrull up to base Wolverine, leaving the Sentinel one space behind the Skrull and out of hand to hand with Wolverine. Let the Skrull take his lumps, that's what they are there for, and Wolverine will have to roll breakaway to get based with the Sentinel.

A Good Defense
I know I said it didn't matter at the beginning of the Data File, but a good balance of defense and offense will aid your Sentinel in his quest for Homo Sapien superiority. Mix it up. Get a long ranged combat zakker, a close combat monkey, some low level support staff and the Sentinel of your choice. Then go forth and purge mutantkind from the face of the Earth.

Thank you once again for your unwavering support of the Sentinel Data Files.