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Apocalypse has been my favourite X-Men villain for a very long time and is possibly my favourite Marvel villain overall. I remember as a teenager reading through the Age of Apocalypse event that spanned the entirety of the X-Men lines and being truly taken aback how dominant this character was throughout the story - he changed the X-Men and my perception of comic books forever. It’s therefore no surprise that I had secured my copy as soon as preorders went live.
Apocalypse is truly a next-level mutant threat and this is thankfully reflected in his Marvel Crisis Protocol character. The model itself is immense in comparison with the rest of the line. He comes with a sculpted 65 mm base and a couple of statues, which match the Apocalypse-themed Dark Future and Rejuvenation Chamber scenery sets. The scale of Apocalypse isn’t effectively captured in the photos and it’s important to note that the only existing Marvel Crisis Protocol releases to come close at all in terms of sheer size are Dormamu, Thanos and the Hulk releases.
Rather than following the box art I wanted my colour scheme to stay true to the original comic run from the early 90s, which was subsequently reflected in the X-Men animated series later that decade. Whilst the new colour scheme looks phenomenal, for me nostalgia won out.
As the first mutant and hailing from ancient Egypt, the associated scenery packs are stylised to reflect this. In gameplay terms Apocalypse has a very busy card and brings to the game the Servants of the Apocalypse affiliation. Through this new affiliation players can assign ‘Horseman’ cards to up to four different mutants from a selected list to take on the mantle of Apocalypse’s harbingers.
The in-game effect of assigning Horseman status is that additional powers are granted to these characters and for each Horsemen that is active on the table, Apocalypse can also tap into their powers. The Servants of the Apocalypse characters can also earn and spend evolution tokens for various effects such as paying for their abilities and re-rolling dice. I wouldn’t say that the Servants of the Apocalypse is a beginner level affiliation but it is something that people will have fun learning to play and it gives some very flexible options when creating your 10 man roster. For example, if you have an opening, and some of the potential Horsemen are already included, why not include Apocalypse to throw off your opponent whilst giving you the option to field the Servants of the Apocalypse if the scenario and / or opponent’s list are favourable?
Although more expensive than standard character pack releases, you get exceptional value out of the Apocalypse Character Pack in terms of new gameplay options and the inclusion of a centrepiece character with such imposing table presence.
I look forward to seeing how the Servants of the Apocalypse affiliation list evolves over time and can’t wait to get my hands on the new Angel and Archangel character pack when it is released.
