With today’s AMG spoiler we finally get the model we’ve all been waiting for, Lockjaw. With his addition come more questions than answers – the opportunities are endless! So here are a few things you can use to focus on and start testing the best boy, Lockjaw. For a full breakdown of Lockjaw and Crystal be sure to stay turned to the latest episodes of AcrosstheBifrost!
Teleport
Okay lets just start with the big one. He has the ability to place a character up range 3 from their current location. He can do this twice, and with the help of some good pets he can do this solo. This is obviously incredibly powerful and can be used as a “poor dogs portal” for anyone not playing Defenders. So what are a few characters that really could make use of this?
Magneto. He has arguably the best builder in the game, and it gets even better when he’s closer to you. Teleport is a great way to get him up there. The range 3 move plus deploy isn’t quite enough to get him onto middle objectives, but he certainly can double attack anyone there. Keep in mind where you want to teleport Magneto to, when you’re placing your construct too.
Thanos/Corvus. Thanos Mind Gem is a stupid amount of movement, but what if Thanos got to punch you, or double move before he did it? The loss of drop off has lead to a giant drop off in Corvus’s time on the table, is this enough to bring him back? The double place of Thanos and Corvus is an incredible threat projection of models that want to bad touch. I’ve always enjoyed playing Black Order and this is certainly worth experimenting with.
Modok. I don’t feel like I need to say much here. Placing MODOK further forward is super scary, so placing him onto the center objective line is nuts (larger base size than Magneto). Cabal already does this, and they certainly could double down with Lockjaw. Dropping amazing utility 3 of choice (Valk/Shuri) and plopping in Lockjaw for Cabal is also very interesting. The extra die seems like gravy, and the threat projection of MODOK is super nasty. It’s also important to consider how much this allows MODOK to reposition further into the game as well. I’m not sure MODOK really needed help, but Lockjaw certainly helps slow models with incredible threat, and MODOK is at the top of this list.
If you haven’t noticed the general theme any slow aggressive character can really benefit from the early movement. Here are a few more that aren’t at the level of the aforementioned characters. Venom, Wolverine, Killmonger, Kingpin, Black Dwarf, and hell maybe even Hulk. In case the range 3 place isn’t enough for you, keep in mind Lockjaw can place one character with teleport and have enough power left over to Tactical Analysis them for a short move.
There are also some crisis he might be bonkers on. Herbs always comes to mind and Criminal Syndicate was already doing stupid things on that. Being able to port back people with objective tokens to help keep them safe is very strong. Senators, Kree Core, Skrulls come to mind. Don’t only focus on teleport for opening plays, there is a lot of depth to it in the mid and late game as well.
Inter-Dimensional Bloodhound
So if you didn’t notice, this power has no range. It can target anyone on the board, and hell prolly models not on the board as well. With this adding an extra die the more attacks we can throw at a target the more value we’re clearing getting for this. So we’re about to go down a meme rabbit hole, but I’m excited for the journey.
That’s right, RAPID FIRE! Black Widow Agent of Shield, Punisher, Bullseye and Mystique all have rapid fire. That’s 15 threat with Lockjaw and while that’s extreme I’d be willing to try a few rapid fire models with this ability. You could a ton of extra dice from this combination, and a lot of mileage from this ability? Now is this good?… probably not. Generally speaking, in “table top wargames” we want to take things that are good and make them great, not take middle of the road things and make them good. But a lot of these rapid fire characters are right on the cusp of greatness to me, and I for one want to get some table time with this.
Last Minute Save
Last Minute Save is a Team Tactic cards AMG spoiled for Lockjaw in their latest transmission. It basically prevents a KO and heals the models 1 damage. So, how do we feel about this combined with All You’ve Got?
I’ve always felt All You’ve Got is an incredibly powerful card, but it’s one you normally can only use half the time. Using it on a character who’s already been dazed is a weird razor’s edge to walk. However Lockjaw being able to save them is very interesting to me. So I’m going to spend 4 power on a character to give them an extra activation, at the end Lockjaw is going to spend 3, that character is going to be placed within 1 of Lockjaw and heal a damage! Since All You’ve Got doesn’t do any damage this is a straight heal, and with Lockjaw’s base it’s a pretty big movement as well. It allows me to dig/dive with Magneto, Corvus, MODOK or any other big nasty beaters, and not sacrifice them. Also both of these cards are solid without each other. So I’m not taking two tactics cards that need each other. I’m taking two really good cards, that combo together for a pretty cool effect.
All in all, I think Lockjaw is a meta shaping character. I’m excited to see and hear what everyone else is testing with him. Pat and I will be recording our full episode on him and the rest of the inhumans soon, but I wanted to get this out there so you can start testing my crazy ideas as soon as possible.
Thank you all for reading, and till next time everyone, cheers and happy gaming!
