Panel to Play: Onslaught

Onslaught is one of the most dangerous psionic beings in the universe, born from the darkest aspects of Professor X and Magneto. After Magneto tore the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton, Charles Xavier retaliated by telepathically shutting down Magneto’s mind. In the process, Xavier unknowingly absorbed Magneto’s dark ego, which merged with his own suppressed emotions to form the dormant psionic entity that became Onslaught. Eventually, Onslaught grew powerful enough to seize control of Xavier, emerging as a threat capable of confronting some of Earth’s greatest heroes.

In gameplay, the Onslaught miniature looms over his opponents as he defeats foes and guides his minions to overtake the battle. At 8 Threat, he sits at the highest end of the scale, and his card packs a punch with tools for control and consistency.

Three attacks give Onslaught access to each of the damage types found in Marvel: Crisis Protocol. His Physical attack, Strike, gains Power equal to the damage dealt, but can also throw any character Short, regardless of Size, if he rolls both a Critical and a Wild result. Massive characters such as Hulk, Sentinels, and even Dormammu can be displaced by this attack, asserting Onslaught’s dominance over even the largest foes on the battlefield.

His Mystic attack, Mind Spike, draws upon the psychic power inherited from Professor X. This attack features a trigger that allows Onslaught to Advance the target Short after the attack is resolved.

Lastly, his most devastating attack is Atomic Singularity, an Energy attack that causes the defender and every other character within Range 2 of the defender to suffer an additional 2 damage after the attack is resolved. This effect can devastate clustered characters and potentially Daze or KO multiple characters at once.

Astral Teleportation allows Onslaught to spend 5 Power to Place himself within Range 5. This massive repositioning tool can help set up impactful activations and allow him to attack twice in a single turn when he has sufficient Power available.

Magnetic Projection channels the abilities inherited from Magneto. For 3 Power, Onslaught may choose an interactive terrain feature of Size 4 or less within Range 4 and throw it Long. The ability to grab terrain from such a great distance and hurl it across the battlefield creates constant pressure for the opponent and greatly increases Onslaught’s control of the table.

His reactive superpower, Psychic Driver, extends that control to his allies. After an attack targeting another allied character is resolved, Onslaught may spend 2 Power to Advance an allied character Short toward the attacking enemy character. This helps maintain pressure across the battlefield while improving allied positioning for future attacks and objective play.

His innate superpowers reinforce just how difficult he is to bring down. Material Astral Manipulation reduces damage suffered from enemy effects by 1, making his already massive Stamina pool even more difficult to chew through. During the Power Phase, Onslaught also gains 2 additional Power, allowing him to generate 3 Power each round and consistently fuel his high value superpowers and attacks. Closing out his innate abilities, Onslaught is immune to Bleed, Stagger, and Stun, and possesses Peerless.

Perhaps most importantly, Onslaught brings Mass Mind Control to his Affiliation. Similar to Dark Dimension under Dormammu, fielding Onslaught means using his Affiliation and Leadership. Mass Mind Control states that whenever an allied character is Dazed or KO’d by enemy effects, Onslaught gains Power equal to that character’s Threat Value. This creates a difficult dilemma for opponents. Onslaught is already an unappealing target because of his durability and immense power, but removing his allies only fuels him further, making him even more dangerous as the game progresses.

Still, that isn’t all Onslaught brings to the table. Onslaught also includes four unique Team Tactic Cards that further support Onslaught’s Grip and give him even more tools to dominate the battlefield.

Stolen Power of Cyttorak comes into play during Onslaught’s activation. This card grants him the Nothing Stops Onslaught active superpower until the end of the round. Costing 3 Power, the superpower allows Onslaught to Push himself Short, destroying all Size 4 and smaller terrain features he contacts along the way. If Onslaught contacts one or more enemy characters during the Push, he may choose one of them to suffer 1 damage. Because this superpower can potentially be used multiple times in a single round, it gives Onslaught incredible mobility while allowing him to spread damage across multiple enemies during his activation.

The next card is Xavier Protocols. During the Power Phase, Onslaught may spend 2 Power to play this card. Until the end of the round, enemy characters attacking or defending against Onslaught cannot modify their dice. This can be incredibly impactful during key rounds, either increasing Onslaught’s survivability or dramatically improving his offensive consistency against enemies that rely heavily on rerolls and dice manipulation.

Inquiring Minds gives Onslaught exceptional battlefield control. During Onslaught’s activation, he may spend up to 9 Power. For every 3 Power spent this way, he may choose an allied or enemy character within Range 5 and Advance that character Short. This provides tremendous flexibility, allowing Onslaught to reposition enemy characters away from objectives, move allies back onto secure points, or bring displaced teammates back into scoring position. Keep in mind that it can also manipulate opposing high Threat characters, too.

The final card is Traitor to the Cause. During Onslaught’s activation, he may spend 4 Power to play this card. Any number of enemy characters within Range 2 of Onslaught may choose to spend 2 Power, drop all objective tokens they are holding, and Advance Short away from Onslaught. For each enemy character that spends Power this way, Onslaught gains 2 Power.

If they refuse, Onslaught immediately makes the Psychic Storm area attack against all enemy characters within Range 2 with a Strength 10 attack. If unleashed, this attack can potentially Daze or KO multiple characters at once. Either the enemy gives up objectives and fuels Onslaught with Power, or they risk suffering a devastating attack, making Traitor to the Cause a potent tool when a round hangs in the balance.

Onslaught himself brings an incredible sculpt that captures his immense presence on the battlefield. Whether through devastating attacks and collisions or overwhelming battlefield control, Onslaught is built to dominate the table. Combined with his unique Leadership and suite of powerful Team Tactic Cards, Onslaught is ready to become a terrifying centerpiece for your Marvel: Crisis Protocol rosters.

Till next time,

Atomic Mass Games signing off!