Hello Heroclix players! Today we are previewing the maps designed by the 2019 ROC National Singles champion, and the Team event’s winners. First, we’ll be looking at the two variants of Easton Brock’s Madison Stadium map, one of which will be used for Nationals, and the other being for the ROC World event.

 

Each of the two versions are different sides of the same stadium. 

 

Left Side

 

Right Side

 

Together

 

Overall, the map is fairly straightforward. It's a moderately wide open football stadium. There is some scattered blocking throughout the field portion with a row elevated on one of the sides to emulate bleachers. Telekinesis lines and ease of barrier placement shouldn't be difficult to maneuver. 

 

The map at the very least is not symmetrical, so the player who loses initiative should regain a little bit of control. There isn't a ton stopping a dedicated batman team from blasting a whole team without so much as a second thought. The blocking can help, but one Tri-Sentinel to blow open a hole or three will fix that up in a hurry. 

 

This map will certainly be a mainstay for teams that aim to either shoot across map clearly or quickly traverse with some easy Telekinesis lines and minimal hiding spots. 

 

 

Next we will go over team Phoenix Nest’s map creation for winning the team extreme highlander event!

 

 

Aptly named “Phoenix Nest,” the art shows a dam on the top left that appears to be cracked and leaking the water it is holding in, on the bottom right, we see the edge of a parking lot with steps going down to the grassy area below. In the middle, appears to be a crater that has smoke rising out of it. With a close look, you will see the indent of a Phoenix that had just taken flight. The crater seems to be a makeshift phoenix nest (see what I did there) and upon a super close inspection, you will see three little eggs remaining. Whatever caused that phoenix to take flight, must have really put some fear in her. 

 

 

Having three levels of elevation between the starting areas and the center pit, figures such as Astronomer, or Kobik with her blue Cosmic Cube, will really shine while being able to safely hide behind cover and take shots towards the different areas of the map. Hindering terrain is very spread out and rarely grouped up. This allows for only a few small areas for teams to safely hide in stealth together. The only blocking terrain on the map is in the top left hand corner on the same side. Eight total squares border the starting area, making this map almost completely wide open for many figures. Water terrain coming off of the dam creates very limited mobility for teams that do not have flight. Finally, the starting areas are smaller than the standard corner starting areas we would see on a typical map. Only being 3x4, there is a total of 12 squares available for your starting figures. This means if you have more than 2 total 2x2 figures on your starting force, the starting area will be expanding. 

 

Arguably, the bottom right side of the map has the best access to the middle of the map. This feels right as a player who choses this map, will have to be alright with being given the dam side which can potentially be harmful if their team is not properly equipped. 

 

Looking at the ease of passage for this map, there is no clear path for a figure with no Improved Movement to get from one starting area to the other in a direct line. As seen by the image below, it will require at least two squares of sidewise movement to traverse. While this is not the end of the world, it does mean that teams with lots of flight or powers and abilities that grant Improved Movement Elevated and Hindering, will have an even greater advantage in regards to potential reach.

 

 

 

The last feature I wanted to touch on is the hindrance of solid Telekinesis lines for moving around figures or equipment. The parking lot side has easy lines to clear squares at least five away from the starting area. This will allow for at least easy equipment for most teams, but the dam side has zero clear lines available. Some plays could be made with the use of a Tri-Sentinel destroying the blocking, but otherwise, the only way “off the island” is by taking a walk so to speak. 

 

Overall, the Phoenix nest map is a unique style reminiscent of some past ROC and Wizkids maps, but with it’s own unique flair that is sure to really allow certain team archetypes to shine, while curbing some others that can potentially be seen as “annoying.”

 

 

What do you think of the maps? What do you hope the champions from 2020 are going to create?