Marvel Evolution - Previews Officially Announced!

TBS, you remember him, right? Started a thread today on the Realms announcing the beginning of preview season. You can read it here.

Along with the start date and telling us that VS Bloggers would again get to preview cards, he also told us WHICH bloggers would get previews and even spoiled the themes they were be covering!

Now, this is cool enough on it's own. However, infinitely cooler is this... I'm on the list! We get a preview! Snazzy! For those of you who didn't follow the link here's a list of the themes TBS mentioned as preview material.

"X-Factor"
1. Cyclops Legend
2. Multiple Man Legend
3. Energize

"X-Force"
1. Cable Legend
2. Combat Plot Twists

"Marauders"
1. Gambit Legend
2. "Press the Advantage" Opposing Stunned
3. Mr. Sinster Legend
4. Mystique Legend

"Exiles"
1. Blink Legend
2. Mimic Legend
3. Shift

"Weapon X"
1. Deadpool
2. Shift
3. Hunter

"Runaways"
1. Secret Mechanic

"The Horseman of Apocalypse"
1. "The Coming of Apocalypse"

"Starjammers"
1. "Piracy"

"Generics"
1. Including- "M'Kraan Crystal" and "Kid Omega"

Now seriously. It's hard not to be uber-geeked getting a preview. It's impossible not to be full on geeked out of my head after reading that list! We're supposedly going to be doing some sort of blogger draft to see which theme we preview, so I have my fingers crossed to get my hands on Deadpool or Mimic for the Exiles. Blink or Shift is fine by me too, but Mimic has always been my favorite Exile and Deadpool is one of my favorite comic characters period.

To think I have Rob Liefield to thank for that. ::Shudder::

Anyway, beyond that all that we have right now is rampant speculation. Which, I should point out, is hella fun. So let's try some.

Mystique Legend: I'm thinking Bizarro World, Legend stealing effects. Maybe even something like a payment power on an ongoing plot twist to treat your Mystique as if she had a name of your choice. I also imagine she'll do some concealed play as I can't see the Marauders NOT being a concealed heavy team. Mystique is a sneaky little assassin/spy/terrorist and not being able to attack her while she's visible would be a good way to represent her being undercover and make for a very tempting option if you have to pick between always getting attack backs or something juicy while she's hidden. Activate to KO a stunned character? Mystique lock? I like it!

And she can lock me up anytime... Rowr. She seems nice, not at all like a cat with a mouse. Not at all. Eeep.

We know there's a Cable and Deadpool named Plot Twist in the set, I'm hoping it's not JUST an X-Force/Weapon X team up. I'm hoping it's something real complicated. Something that teams up Cable and Deadpool, but also does something funky and off the wall. Like team up all teams that Cable and Deadpool that you control have and when something effects one it effects the other. Bodyslide one, bodyslide the other. Even if it has to be a payment power. Pay 3-5 Endurance -> Copy target effect targeting a Cable or Deadpool you control, choose a new target named Cable or Deadpool.

Considering Deadpool and Cable are both the first theme listed for their teams, I would hope they're considered worthy of such thought out and complex strategy.

The Hunter keyword for Weapon X, I feel probably is something we've seen before. "When this character enters play choose a character in play..." and then some effect that revolves around that character. Dominus, Despero, Hank Henshaw <> Cyborg, all had them. So did Wolverine, Sabretooth and Mavrick. Point being the later three were ON the Weapon X team. I think a team that keeps bouncing back to hand might be fun. Just as long as it's at LEAST as good as the X-Statix. The idea of Deadpool sucking breaks my heart more than a little bit.

I had to look up the M'Kraan Crystal, but it sounds very interesting. I hope we maybe get some of the Marvel Ultimate Alliance storyline here, since apparently it would mean Dr. Doom + Some Power Stolen From Odin, which to me = freaking awesome. I'm a fan of Doom and any chance to see him kicking more ass is to be savored. Also we know UDE doesn't shy away from letting Marvel video games influence their designs. Charging Star and the rest of the Captain America suite, anyone?

I noticed both Exiles and Weapon X will have a focus on the Shift ability or keyword, whatever that is. Considering the Exiles are dimension hoppers and my thoughts on Hunter... I have to think "shift" is a keyworded form of Bodyslide. Maybe you stun the character, remove them from the game and at the start of the next turn they come into play all shiny and new? Allowing you to pick new Hunter targets and representing very well the way the Exiles move from one altered reality to the next.

Kid Omega... Well, I have a very love/hate deal for Grant Morrison's X-Men run. Mostly I hate what follow ups did to the characters and the situations it set up. I'm very curious to see if maybe this will mean a good chunk of unaffiliated characters in Evolution, which would be cool. He is listed as a "Generic" theme, after all.

All will be known very soon though. Previews start this week!

-Mike