Panel to Play: Valkyrie and Elendil and the Warriors Three

Some of Asgard’s great defenders arrive in today’s From Panel to Play, your first look at new characters joining Marvel: Crisis Protocol! CP94 brings two new characters, Valkyrie and Elendil along with the famous Warriors Three. These two characters work well within the Asgardian affiliation by opening up playstyles long unavailable to them that are sure to terrorize the enemies of Asgard.

Born from Odin’s lightning bolt, Valkyrie rose above all to become the defender of Asgard by excelling at the life long combat training she endured. Now mounted upon the winged steed, Elendil, Valkyrie grants the Asgardians access to hit and run strategies not often seen in affiliations known for heavy hitters and brawling. The top of her stat card is impressive with solid defenses and Stamina on this Threat Value 4 character. She also has a Size of 4 due to the presence of Elendil. Her Medium Speed stat may not look too impressive at first, but this character is on a 65-mm base which lets that Speed go a lot further than most similar characters. Aiding her movement further is the presence of the Flight superpower granted by Elendil.

In addition to her solid Speed, Valkyrie and Elendil come with two movement related superpowers. The first is Take Wing which will grant them a short Place for 3 Power. These superpowers are always quite useful as extra mobility is an asset in all aspects of the game. Her second movement superpower is Need a Lift?. Being able to Place yourself is a powerful effect and this one allows her to Place an allied character when performing a move action. Take Wing does not perform a move action so it cannot be used to trigger Need a Lift?, but Need a Lift? has a powerful effect in its own right when Valkyrie is used in a hit and run role where she can set up allied attacks or enable retreats using it.

These two superpowers require a fair amount of Power to enable. As an Asgardian, Valkyrie will gain an additional point of Power during the Power Phase. As the mighty defender of Asgard she takes attacks on it seriously. Her Guardian of Valhalla superpower gives her an additional Power and removes either Damage or a special condition whenever her non-Grunt allies are Dazed or KO’d. This can amount to a lot of bonuses over the course of a game and give her the Power necessary to pull off amazing activations.

Asgardians are known for their strength and Valkyrie lives up to this reputation. She brings three Physical attacks that highlight her mobility while not skimping on the Strength. Her first attack is Dragonfang, named after the famed weapon she wields. This attack is a fairly simple attack that includes the Elusive special rule that when triggered gives her a Short advance after the attack resolves.

Geirr is her second attack that is not very strong at first glance with its Strength of 4 and small Power generation, but this attack is meant to be used after she moves into position. If Valkyrie Advances or is Placed prior to making this attack during the Turn, she gets to add 3 more dice to the attack pool making it significantly more powerful. Combining this with Take Wing will allow her to guarantee some Power generation and attack with a dice pool starting at 7 and giving players the ability to make a decision between attacking again or using a move action to reposition. Additionally, the Vault special rule on this attack will let her Place within 2 of the defender after the attack resolves.

Her final attack is the Fury of the Valkyrior. This attack costs 4 Power and has a Strength of 5, but its first special rule allows Valkyrie and Elendil to add attack dice to the attack equal to the target’s Threat Value. Should this attack roll two Hits, the defender will also suffer the Stagger special condition to ensure they struggle to be effective on their next activation.

Valkyrie and Elendil come with a couple solid Team Tactic Cards. The first one, Warrior’s Frenzy, allows her to Advance and Throw a terrain feature or enemy character after she Dazes or KOs a character. She also shares a Team Tactic Card with the original Valkyrie character. Flight of the Valkyries allows them to spend 4 Power and then be Placed within Range 3 and make attacks with a Power cost of 0. They will have to drop any objective tokens they may be holding, but the incredible mobility which can trigger Geirr’s special rules and extra attacks are well worth the cost.

Friends with Thor from a young age, the Warriors Three, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg, are great Asgardian warriors that are often at the forefront of Asgard’s defense. They typically fight as a unit bringing their individual styles together to create a whirlwind of biting attacks.

In Marvel: Crisis Protocol the Warriors Three provide a different set of tools from what players may have come to expect from the Asgardians. This character represents all three of these Asgardian heroes on a single 65-mm base representing their unity in battle. This Threat Value 3 character has standard defensive values along with a Short Speed stat that works well with their base size.

Each of the three warriors lend their might in the form of an Physical attack. The first attack is Hridgandr, a Strength 4 attack that might cause the Stun special condition while generating Power. Next comes the Fimuldraugr which has the Pierce special rule and might cause the Bleed special condition while generating consistent Power for them. The final attack is the Brandrheid Undrsigr, a 4 cost attack that gains extra dice based on the target’s Threat Value. In the event this attack has a particularly bad attack roll, it might trigger the Clumsy Warrior special rule which will deal 3 Damage to the defender while the Warriors Three suffer the Stagger special condition.

In order to use all three of these attacks in one activation the Warriors Three can use the Strike One for Volstagg! Active superpower. This 2 cost superpower gives them a free attack which can be either of their 0 cost attacks. Overcommitting to a battle has its risks though and should this attack roll a Failure, they will take 1 Damage after the attack resolves.

Opponents may attempt to strike them directly, and when they do the Warriors can respond with My Steel Shall Strike For Thee! This Reactive superpower allows them to make a Fimuldraugr attack at whoever just attacked them for an effective Power cost of 1.

While the Warriors Three are not the fastest character out there, they do have Grim Resolve to help them. If they are damaged by an enemy attack, they can then advance towards their attacker and remove 1 Damage allowing them to better position themselves for their next activation. Additionally, Asgardian gives them one extra Power a turn to help fuel their abilities. They can use Grim Resolve to move into position before activating My Steel Shall Strike For Thee! This combination of abilities gives them a great deal of counter attack range not often seen on characters with a Short Speed.

The Warriors Three are excellent at rallying those around them with song and deed as they defend Asgard. Warriors’ Oath gives them additional mobility after an allied character attacks an enemy as well as letting them hand out some benefits. Depending on how much Power they spend on this card, they can give their allies up to three benefits: removal of Damage with Hogun’s Elixir of Recovery, extra Power from Volstagg’s Courage, or Fandral’s Biting Wit can cause an enemy to suffer from Shock and Stun special conditions. With 6 Power being spent by the Warriors Three, they can use all of these effects in the order they choose.

The final Team Tactic Card in this box is Deeds Worthy of Song. This card tasks its player with a quest to accomplish incredible feats, the type of which only an Asgardian could do. This card is played in a Power Phase and remains active until its conditions are met. There are four potential tasks, including Dazing a high Threat Value character or being the third character Dazed this round. Each time one of these tasks is completed, a Worthy Deed token is added to the card. Then, during the Cleanup Phase, if the card has two Worthy Deeds, they may be spent to allow the Asgard player to gain 2 VP! Given how adept the Asgardians are at Throwing enemies and defending the weak, this card can give them the last little bit they need to finish a game off before Ragnarok strikes!

With the Warriors Three bursting to song and Elendil taking wing with Valkyrie it is time for this From Panel to Play to end. Look for these characters at your local shop where Marvel: Crisis Protocol is sold or online at the Asmodee web store! 

Until next time, Atomic Mass Games, Signing off!