Greetings True Believers! Atomic Mass Games has finally released the first in their annual plans for Crises updates, and that means we finally get the character Gladiator! Let’s dive in and take a look at the information they revealed about this character and I will give my spicy takes on playing this character.
Character Card
One of the first things that jumped out to me on the character card are the raw defensive stats that Gladiator has. He has 4-5-4 defenses, which is a solid starting point, and I think is entirely appropriate for a 6 threat character. Also, I was not surprised that he is a 6 threat. I would have been more surprised if Guardian wasn’t a 6 threat. Additionally, he has 9 stamina on both his healthy and injured sides, which is putting him in the Dormammu and Hulk range of stamina. This means he will be able to stick around the table for a little while, even though he will have a HUGE target on his back. More on that in a second, but first let’s take a look at his suite of attack powers. His basic attack is called Praetor Punch, which is a R3, 6-dice builder. I like the range on this attack, and the number of dice seems appropriate given the threat level, and is honestly what I thought the basic strike for Hero Thor should have been changed to. Additionally, for every Wild he rolls with this attack, he drains power from his target, which is always a great effect to have. His next two attacks are where things get amped up quite a bit. For a measly 2 power, his Eye Beam is a R4 Beam with 5 dice and a Wild Incinerate trigger. On the right map layout (see: E maps), this attack can be devastating as you will be able to hit so many targets in one burst. His true spender attack is Majestor’s Might, and I think it will be totally worth it when you get a chance to use it, which I don’t think will be very often. It’s R3 (which is fantastic), 10 dice, and costs Gladiator 5 power. Additionally, if you roll a single Wild result (which statistically will happen 78% of the time on 10 dice), your target is now Staggered and being thrown away S before damage is dealt. While there is a set direction for this throw, there is not a size limitation, so Gladiator can throw the biggest models in the game away from R3.
Gladiator has two active superpowers and three innate superpowers. I’m going to look at his innate powers first, as they will shape how we view the character. First, and most simply, Gladiator has Flight. Of course he does. He literally flies through space, so not a surprise at all. Next, his Alpha Strontian Physiology superpower states that he receives an extra power every power phase, so 2 power every power phase instead of the normal 1. Lastly, he has The Majestor’s Bravado, which is really the secret sauce of this character, and good players will learn very quickly how to manage this aspect of the character, because it will paint a target on Gladiator’s back. This superpower states that when Gladiator deals damage with a Praetor Punch attack, he gains a Confidence Token. If Gladiator gets damaged, he loses a Confidence Token. He can have a maximum of 5 Confidence tokens at one time, and for each Confidence Token he has, you get to add one dice to any of Gladiator’s attacks. The dream situation of course would be making a 15 dice Majestor’s Might attack, but I think more realistically, he will have 2-3 tokens on him at any given time during a game. And an 8-dice builder is something. Next, the first Active Superpower Gladiator has is a 3 power cost charge For the Empress and Empire! The interesting thing about this charage is that if you deal damage with the Praetor Punch, you gain an additional Confidence Token, so you have a chance to gain 2 in one action. He is on a medium base, too, so that’s a fair amount of ground he can cover if your opponent gets overextended. Finally, for 3 power he can throw a size 4 piece of terrain L with his Imperial Authority superpower. These two superpowers are what I think you really want to be spending his power on, and will really limit how often you get to use Majestor’s Might.
Tactics Cards
AMG also gave Gladiator two Tactics Cards. The first card, Praetor of the Imperial Guard allows him to really inject some power into the rest of his team. For 4 power, you get to give a number of allies 2 power each. The number of allies you get to affect with this card is determined by the number of Confidence Tokens Gladiator currently has. Protector of the Empire gives Gladiator a charge move if an ally is Dazed or KO’d for 3 power. It is exactly like the charge on his character card, it just gets to happen outside of Gladiator’s activation. I like both of these cards, but like every TTC that gets revealed, whether or not these make it into your 10 or 5 TTC selections is going to really depend on what affiliation you are playing Gladiator in. In a faction like X-Men, for example, that has several cards you want to take every game, it may be more difficult to fit these in, whereas an affiliation with fewer affiliated TTCs may be able to find room for these two cards.
Initial Hot Takes
If it didn’t come across in the article, I like Gladiator and how AMG has designed him. He has strong defense, but for the most part it’s just weight of dice, or any re-rolls that you get from allied characters in your squad. I also think that any affiliations that can feed him power will be very attractive places for Gladiator to land. Ironically, that means Inhumans and Professor X X-Men are two really good spots for him. I also think that Gladiator is balanced (at least on paper) by the Confidence Token mechanic. You have to target Gladiator or he will run right through your squad as he gains dice for his attacks. He is going to draw a ton of attacks to keep his Confidence Tokens down. This could be a boon for your squad, as it may free up other models to play the objectives in the game and score points without feeling incredibly threatened by enemy models.
What do you think of AMG’s latest reveal? Let us know in the comments below!
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