The latest in AMG’s series of Rival Panels sets, Battle for the Throne, features an iconic clash for the throne of Wakanda featuring new versions of Black Panther (here named King T’Challa), and Killmonger, Usurper. The huge terrain piece is clearly referencing scenes from 2018’s Black Panther MCU movie, and I assume iconic scenes from comic storylines as well. We again see fancy foil versions of character cards along with the usual Team Tactics Cards (4 in this case) and a sheet of various tokens. So, is this set worth the premium retail cost of $99.99?
Contents and Assembly
This set comes in a big ol’ unit of a retail box:
The actual contents make me wonder if they’re using some kind of bulk-purchased standardized packaging size for these larger sets, as there was a bunch of wasted space inside:
You get a small bag with character cards and Team Tactics Cards. As usual, you get a number of sets of cards with different languages. I assume this must be much easier from a production and distribution perspective, but it feels super wasteful when I inevitably throw away the other languages.
Finally, you get two more bags- one with the character models, and one with the terrain.
A standard MCP expansion box with two characters will typically run about $40, so one could extrapolate the value of the waterfall terrain to be about $60. Of course the actual costs are going to be more complicated than that. Rules development and design are totally unseen by the end consumer but are probably the biggest cost contributors for example. And things like premium foil cards tack on a little extra cost as well.
At the end of the day, this set is hard to recommend to the average Marvel: Crisis Protocol player who just wants characters. However, if you are really into the characters or affiliation, looking willing to invest in a full Wakanda-themed table (more Wakanda terrain is releasing soon!), or just like to collect and paint, this box set is probably worth it to you.
Assembly
One thing you might not consider before entering the oh so glamorous world of pre-release reviews, is that (at least in AMG’s case), you’re probably not getting any instructions for assembling what they send. I’ve been doing this hobby for a long time and thus wasn’t too concerned. But it was still a slight worry when under a tight deadline due to the holidays. I’m pleased to report that everything assembled logically and easily even without any instructions. Most character models from AMG tend to follow a process of ‘build upper body, build lower body, slap together’ and these definitely seemed to fit that bill. I was pleasantly surprised to notice that each model had two options for heads: bare or masked. I think it’s a crime to not use the tribal mask option for Killmonger. But there’s an argument to be made for bareheaded King T’Challa.
Ultimately I went with the masked version of T’Challa as it’s iconic in my opinion. Both T’Challa and Killmonger come with themed bases that match the waterfalls terrain they’re fighting in. Both are in a running pose with one foot in the water, including some water sculpted on said foot. Left on the original bases, they will stick out a bit from other models on the table. I can deal with that, personally. But if that bothers you, some careful knife work and gluing should allow someone to place them on a standard base instead if desired.
All told, I had both characters assembled in about an hour including magnetizing the bases, cleaning of mold lines, etc. As far as sculpting quality, I don’t think these are the best character models we’ve seen from AMG, but they’re still good. And they’re definitely improvements over the original versions of the characters, who were released early in the game’s lifespan.
The waterfall terrain was more daunting to assemble compared to the two character models. With a lot of test fitting and referring to the preview images provided by AMG, I was able to get it together without too much trouble. The waterfall pieces do a good job holding up the rest of the assembly, though you’re going to want to let the joins dry thoroughly. I found it necessary to use some clamps or larger rubber bands at times to hold things together while letting it dry overnight. After a couple of nights of assembly, I had a mostly-solid piece of terrain. One waterfall didn’t quite reach down as far as the others, leaving a tiny gap and a tiny bit of wobble. I can’t be sure if it was something I did or something about the terrain itself. But it’s very minor and could be fixed with a bit of thin plasticard glued underneath to shim it.
Painting
This set provides opportunities for hobbyists to apply a number of techniques if desired. Or if not, these models and the terrain can look pretty good with some quick and basic painting.
King T’Challa can be a bit of a trap for an inexperienced hobbyist, as painting black is more challenging than it might seem. But modern products like Army Painter Speedpaints or GW Contrast Paints can make this process much less painful. I myself tried to emulate the studio models in this case, as I was a) in a rush with holidays fast approaching and b) a basic bitch with paint schemes in general. I tried to bring out purple tones in the armor, particularly in highlights. Everything else I kept simple, but tried to have some contrasting warm tones to offset all the dark, cool color of his suit. There’s definitely room for creativity here. For example, OSL on the eyes, or trying to emulate the kinetic effect of the suit you see in the first Black Panther. The spear would look lovely with some NMM techniques as well.
Black Panther came together very quickly for me (although I waited to do his base until I could do both bases along with the waterfall terrain). Killmonger took a bit longer for me to finish. Something about the model wasn’t doing it for me, though I’m still not sure what exactly. The armor and mask could look very cool with NMM applied. I’m also looking forward to seeing what more creative folks do with the mask. A more elaborate and colorful scheme there could look fantastic.
Lastly, the terrain piece. It might look like there’s a lot going on with it, but really it’s a matter of painting a handful of things: rock, water, and plants. The rocky terrain was straightforward. After a base layer, lots of drybrushing of lighter and lighter colors, along with some targeted washes here and there. Water was mostly layering and blending through shades of blue, then moving to drybrushing into very pale blues and off-whites. The plants were a basic basecoat+wash followed by some light drybrushing. Then it was a few details like the panther statues and torches.
I again kept to the studio scheme here. I definitely think the warm colors of the rock and plants help to contrast against the character models and water. There’s room for advanced hobbying here, as well. Depicting the effects of the water, for example: stains on the rock, maybe even things like lichen or spots of mud on the periphery. The panther statues could be more colorful. I did do a bit of OSL from the torches, but that could be made more prominent. I wonder if some painted markings on the rock in places could look cool as well. Definitely room to stretch your hobby muscles as desired with this set.
As far as usefulness in game, I have to think it’s going to be a challenge with this terrain piece. There’s no size marked on the terrain, which isn’t surprising really. What, you’re going to throw a cliff and waterfall? So it’s not interactive terrain, which is fine. There’s limited area where models can safely stand. Also we have a quinjet problem here, in that it’s not 100% clear if models can move and stand under the terrain or not. Additionally if you care about this sort of thing, you’ll have two base-sized holes in the piece during a game as well. An enterprising hobbyist could probably whip up some kind of filler with some extra bases and some greenstuff if desired, I imagine.
All that being said, if you’re really into the theme or just want to work on a new battlefield, this could be an excellent feature piece for a Wakanda board. Remember that there are multiple Wakanda terrain sets coming out soon. You’re not going to want to put this waterfall in the center of a board, since the back side of the terrain is unsculpted and hollow. But it could look very cool placed near the edge of a battlefield as a backdrop to other Wakanda terrain. Rumor has it AMG may release a Wakanda game mat as well. If so, all the better to go with all the lovely Wakanda terrain.
Characters and TTC Review
I’ve approached this review from a hobby perspective first and foremost, because if you’re not into the hobby part of this set I’m not sure there’s enough value there. That being said, how do the characters and their Team Tactics Cards stack up?
Black Panther gets an upgrade to King T’Challa, along with a bump to 5 threat. His defensive stats went from 4/3/3 to 4 across the board along with 1 more health on each side, which is in line with his higher threat. He retains a Long move. His builder attack has a longer range and more strength, with variable effects depending on where T’Challa is in relation to his target. His spender attack is better in my opinion, with a fixed reasonable cost of 4 and a powerful Size 3 character throw followed by advance if he gets a wild.
His leadership feels like a definite downgrade from the powerful re-roll effect on his previous iteration. But a guaranteed damage can be absolutely clutch. (This is largely why character throws are so desirable.) T’Challa is less likely to be pushing opponent’s models compared to his previous version, and other than Shuri’s obnoxious Panther Gauntlets, there are not many push effects available to Wakanda. Splashing in models like OG Iron Man will certainly be necessary.
The Bound ability is a powerful one, but expensive. T’Challa’s Defender of Wakanda ability helps a little here, but he feels like he will often be power-starved. Royal Rebuke will sometimes spike and do some real damage, but risking two power on that chance may not be worth it most of the time.
Ultimately this King T’Challa iteration feels like a bit of a downgrade given his increased cost. The leadership doesn’t seem as good (though I’m curious to see what people do with it once he’s on the table for a bit.) He’s also lost his powerful defensive tech. OG Black Panther counts blanks as successes when he’s defending, and combined with his leadership re-roll, he could be very hard to damage. King T’Challa loses access to both, and increasing Energy and Mystic defenses from 3 to 4 doesn’t seem quite enough to make that up. Still, this can all change with future releases or updates. And I look forward to seeing if Wakanda experts can crack the code with the guy.
Killmonger remains a 4 threat model, but gains an extra Mystic defense die. He gains a point of health on the injured side compared to his previous version as well. OG Killmonger was basically a guided missile who was going to kill what you pointed him at, then get taken out in return. This new version is less a missile and more of a retaliatory model. He’ll punish you if you get close, and especially if you dare to attack him from close range. If you put wounds on him, but fail to daze or KO him, his three-cost spender an absolutely ruin a model’s day, as well. He loses Charge, and gains Pounce. That feels like a strict downgrade, although forcing a dodge roll and a potential 3 damage can be powerful.
I have to say I’m not impressed by the Usurper’s leadership. Adding an extra die to an attack for three models is definitely powerful. But you have to plan it ahead of time, hope your opponent doesn’t mess with that plan, etc. The damage taken if the token isn’t spent is likely a huge drawback in later rounds. Compared to original Black Panther’s leadership that allows a re-roll one per turn on attacks, dodges, or defense, this ability just isn’t cutting it. Arguably that’s what AMG was going for from a fluff/storyline perspective? Regardless, I’m just not sold on this guy. But again I’m curious what others can pull off with him.
Both Killmonger and T’Challa get thematic attack TTC cards. Killmonger’s is ok in that it messes with power generation, and steals some away to power his allies. But I don’t think that’s worth a valuable card slot. Same with his synthetic herbs card. Throws are good, but I don’t know if gaining that power is worth a card slot. T’Challa’s attack is a little more interesting in that it gives some movement and the potential for additional attacks. On a close map like Gamma Shelters, and some luck, he could zip around and get several attacks. But again, is it worth the card slot? Finally, Trial by Combat is usable by any Wakanda leader. It has the potential to shut off the opponent’s leadership, which can be game-winning. Of course, you could shut down your own as well. Seems like a set of thematic cards if not the most sweaty, competitive choices.
Conclusion
So my tl;dr conclusion? I don’t think this is an auto-buy for just anyone playing MCP. The included rules are seemingly unimpressive to ok. But I’m first to admit I am no expert, especially on the Wakanda affiliation. It’s worth remembering too that a model’s value can change in a hurry with new releases or updates to rules. I wouldn’t have purchased this set myself, but would definitely put it on a gift wishlist. If you like the characters and affiliation, you’re going to get some some nice models and a beautiful terrain piece with limited utility. If you’re really into the hobby side of things and/or you want to invest in a full Wakanda-themed board, this is a good choice for you.
