Board 8 > Scarlet Ranks User-Created Superhero Teams

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#16 - Body Swap Shenanigans Created by:Murphiroth

Psylocke
Superior Octopus
Kid Loki
Deadman
Shazam

A team centering around one singular theme this narrow normally wouldn't be that interesting, and every character here is involved in the ol' switcheroo. The difference between early-dropping teams on this list and this one is that there is a lot of variety between how the so-called body swapping plays out with each character. For some, it's a one-time process. For others, it involves multiple bodies. For some, it was unwilling. For others, it's intentional. And every character here has a very different, unique personality. Our PoV character is definitely Deadman, our leader is clearly Ock, and Shazam is our character played for comic relief. Everyone has very different powers, and the interactions between most of these characters will feel natural. Loki and Deadman will have very unique conversations centering around the arcane. Deadman and Shazam will play like an older brother egging a younger brother on to make comedically bad decisions. Shazam and Psylocke will play like a childhood crush being awkwardly reciprocated due to an unintentional comedy of errors centering around incorrect perceptions and miscommunication.

The crux of this team really is a light-hearted chemistry with larger-than-life personalities, and when it's compounded by living in a world where all appearances are constantly deceiving, the force of these personalities will really shine. This is a team about identity. Finding one's identity, attempting to correct misconceptions, and living a life where one's actions overshadow one's appearance. It's about attempting to not be swept up and lost in a world where you aren't what you appear to be. And then there's a morality that grounds this group's consciences, forcing them to wrestle with how their identities may allow them to overstep the bounds of what is right and participate in what is convenient or easy because of their unique positions.

Overall, I love this group. Good stuff.
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#15 - Mystic Marauders Created by: Murphiroth

Doctor Strange
Hellboy
Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes)
Zatanna
John Constantine

There is an innate natural chemistry among these characters, and while I have nothing of particular substance to say about this team, it's natural, it's visually appealing, and it has everything I would want or expect out of the oft-overlooked magic-based supergroup. Everyone here is essentially a hero, and yet there is the capacity for uncontrollable evil lurking underneath every surface here. I don't think much needs to be said about this group because it simply is a strong, fundamentally sound team of B-players who could sell comics together. Everyone fulfills a different role in the group, but no one is unnecessary or out-of-left-field.

This is good stuff. Solid construction of a group. The only drawback is that there isn't something that truly sets it apart from everything else out there, but as we get into the groups that I feel are all totally best-seller material, this is the one that has to drop first.
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Oh noooooo two out back to back.

Glad you liked them, though.

I had a concept where the Body Swap team would have to go undercover as a family with Psylocke and Ock posing as Loki and Billy's parents and that idea amused me.

Also love the image of trying to cram several of the mystic team into Robbie's Hell Charger in order to travel somewhere. Or just the cool image of Hellboy riding shotgun with Ghost Rider.
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I also feel like Loki would get Billy into all kinds of trouble.
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I actually think Loki would dislike Billy's innate popularity.
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All the more reason to trick him into mischief!
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No, not in a "I want to trick you" way. Because Billy has the wisdom of Solomon.
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I didn't intentionally plan this to be a threefer, Murph! :(

#14 - Double Trinity Created by: Murphiroth

Thor
Iron Man
Captain America
Batman
Superman
Wonder Woman

For some reason, my first thought on this team was that it would be an excellent CW show. I really want to see Batman and Wonder Woman in a musical episode singing "Say something, I'm giving up on you." While Thor watches on with a knowing smile, and Iron Man is crying a manly tear while staring at a wall connecting threads between pictures. Then the episode ends the song with Superman agreeing to buy smack from Blacksmith (Flash rogue) because his life has committed to a terrible downward spiral because Black Canary had exposed the truth - Clark had been manipulated by her for the entire last semester simply because she wanted to help Captain America win the class presidency. Now Clark, staring at his bitter rival standing on top of the world, realized his entire high school career had all been a lie.

It was a great story at the start of season one - two cliques from different middle schools, both billed as the trio of the most popular students from their respective feeder schools, came into contact with each other for the first time. The integration of the Marvel Middle School and the DC Memorial Junior High was a tumultuous period where characters were forced to sort of learn how to juggle two diametrically opposed cultural bailiwicks. The collision was full of drama, from a hazing incident where Ollie Queen's arm was broken by the defensive line's "X-Factor" of Cable, Madrox and Strong Guy. Then there was the time where Hank Pym violently assaulted his girlfriend Zatanna, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who came from a family steeped in gypsy heritage, after a house party (Obsidian's parents were out of town) went awry thanks to underage drinking (Logan brought a few kegs and things went south). Or the time that the first class president (Amanda Waller) got involved in a class prank gone awry, accidentally unleashing Doomsday in the girls locker room, being expelled from Multiversity High.

I think my favorite episode was when Firestorm was punctured by Black Knight's sword at a hockey game in season three and, tears welling up in his eyes, asked Cyborg to tell his parents that he was sorry for disappointing them before grabbing Maxwell Lord and flying him into the atmosphere, exploding to the climax of "Fix You" by Coldplay. It was really touching to see the entire student body, most of whom were awaking from a hypnotically-induced slumber, to stand beneath the eerie glow of the nuclear snow that fell from the sky, each of them reacting in a different way to such a huge death. Of course, that led to the season opener of the "Lunchroom Civil War" that boiled over into the "Crisis in Infinite Detentions" arc. Just a lot of phenomenal storytelling, always anchored around how the most-respected members of the student body tried to rein in their various cliques of influence. Great show.

I mean this could be a strong story that explored the unbridled optimism of DC's pantheon as it collided with the cynical realism of Marvel's reality and the interplay of six people who desire to to understand their polar opposites who live - quite literally - worlds apart. But I thought this was a lot more fun.
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omg lol, this write-up. That was fun.
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I suspect the team was not that high for the write-up and we were just filling space in an entertaining manner and going more off the spoiler block for the ranking (or that it was meant to illustrate how versatile the team is in terms of stories you can tell with it), but I appreciate it anyway
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I swear if I'm number one or something... I'll freak
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I feel like I just binge-watched an entire series on Netflix.
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Scarlet you cant propose a show like that one and then not immediately begin production on it.

Its against the law
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scarletspeed7 posted...

#17 - New World Order Created by: Eddv

These Blokes Focus on Solving Societal Issues Underlying their worlds

Mr. Terrific
Braniac V
Aquaman
Iron Man (Tony Stark)
Reed Richards
Power Girl
Swamp Thing (representative of the Green)
Animal Man (representative of the Red)
Phantom Stranger
Nova
Big Barda

I think one issue I had with ranking is that I graded guys like Eddv and Snake on a higher curve than other people who may have less comic book experience.

I don't really want to talk about the unit cohesion so much as the fact that this group is going to be a totalitarian team in a universe that already has played with authoritarian regimes too much. It's fine for Marvel to constantly overstep the bounds of normal superheroics into the forced acceptance of various points of view by society, enforced by the overpowered. DC has run the gamut with it in titles like Injustice or Red Son. But I don't like a general group of DC heroes coming across as that sort of Us vs. Them group that will attempt to eradicate society's ills. DC is at its best when the superheroes inspire optimism but are powerless to affect real change in the various world cultures. Pushing them into the realms of politics, for example, leaves me ill at ease. They aren't meant to work that way. On top of that, all of these characters would be soooooo counter at odds with each other in that, eventually, I would be hard-pressed to explain why anyone is putting up with Tony Stark and Reed Richards. It's got the flavor of Illuminati with a group of characters that I don't think would be willing to participate in that sort of elitist fascism. Swamp Thing, Power Girl, Mister Terrific, Phantom Stranger, and ESPECIALLY Big Barda... these characters would rebel at that concept eventually.

And while that would be good storytelling, it's storytelling that is counter-intuitive to my belief in the role of superheroics in DC. Sure, let this group run roughshod in Marvel. But remove every piece of DC from it, because that's not the how the DC Universe works. If you want this to work in DC, create a model UN for superheroes, something that allows accountability among peers in an open and public dialogue. Marvel is more of the Skulk-in-the-Shadows cloak-and-dagger unraveling-the-threads-of-destiny thing you have going on here. And I don't want to read that story in Marvel because it inevitably ends with stupid decisions made by alcoholics. And I don't want to read that story in DC because it's not DC.

I do want to see that this was actually pretty far afield of my actual plan for the book and that that's on me.

I saw this less as a shadow government and more like a periodic slice of life interdimensional retreat kind of deal where these people show up and share a single story.

12 issues - 1 to introduce the concept 10 to give each hero a chance to tell their story and 1 to wrap it all up as there is a discovefed underlying connection between the 10s recent troubles and then they go and handle it easily.
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That's a little different, but I would actually lower because you're going out of your way to non-group this group. This reminds me of World's End from Sandman more than a team.
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I think Double Trinity is going to end up being everyone else's #1 now
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scarletspeed7 posted...

That's a little different, but I would actually lower because you're going out of your way to non-group this group. This reminds me of World's End from Sandman more than a team.

Well that's good because that's what I was going for
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#13 - Mythos, NJ Created by: IHATETHISCPU

Johnny Sorrow
Caged Demonwolf
Spyke
Jackie Estacado
Death of the Endless
The Tattooed Man II. (Mark Richards)
Professor Pyg
The Straw Man

This concept of a team centered around urban legend, myth and hearsay is something especially unique on this list. For me, this group doesn't come across as particularly heroic but it also doesn't come across as villainous either. That's the beauty of this group; this team feels like it's going to immediately be involved a level of subterfuge and skulduggery that is outside of the realm of mortality. Instead, these individuals are being drawn together through a macabre, arcane thread of fate. After all, if Death herself is going to come a-callin', readers will understand that the game is something beyond Leagues or Fours or Titans.

With a couple characters who seem markedly in the category of villain, I love that we have Johnny Sorrow of all people working as a possible group leader here. I could really see an extradimensional Cthulhu-style threat spurring Sorrow to flip sides "temporarily", only to be drawn further and further down a rabbit hole. Sorrow's back story is so light and yet his personality and appearance are so well-established that I would be intrigued to learn more about him and how he received his extremely Lovecraftian abilities. Perhaps Sorrow is attempting to save his own skin, and it transforms into something more noble over time. Mark Richards is a character all about redemption, and Professor Pyg being a clear villain who somehow fits in with this group thanks to one particular circumstance - faces being at play - would be a great dynamic. As for the rest of the team, I really can see it being all about being a permanent Suicide Squad-style line-up with a heavy emphasis on MC Escher flavored art and Neil Gaiman inspired threats. Overall, this could be one of the most thematically different teams on this list, and I would definitely eat it up if it was well-written.
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Damn I really like this Mythos team. The potential for a deeply scary story here is incredible.
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Lol damn.

Honestly expected Double Trinity to be my first out so go me.
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Just FYI, I do take the names off of my document in terms of who nominated just so I won't be biased and maybe bump a team up higher because there are back-to-back eliminations or something like that.
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I'm happy with 13! And happy you like Mythos so much! ...In honesty I was kinda... kinda really worried about that one. Was proud of Through the Looking Glass, and honestly I probably should've dropped Black Maria, and possibly Stained Glass Scarlet, but I figured she'd be kinda the catalyst for Moon Knight to be part of the group in the first place. ...Actually the inspiration for the name, as it was. ^_^''

...Mythos I wasn't sure about. Mainly Spyke and Caged Demonwolf, especially after you mentioned my other teams being too large, and your dislike for mutants in non-mutant titles...
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It's really more of a dislike of a LOT of mutants in non-mutant titles. I look at the Uncanny Avengers and I see that group as one of the worst Avengers runs in history, primarily because of mutant overuse. But here, it's a small part of a larger, trippier, down-the-rabbit-hole style of storytelling, and I think Spyke comes off as, quite frankly, the most normal character in the group.

Stay safe with the 'cane!
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will do what I caaaaan ^_^
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Snake5555555555 posted...

Damn I really like this Mythos team. The potential for a deeply scary story here is incredible.

Snake endorsements are always a good sign for a team.
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#12 - Mana's Angels >_> Created by: Mega Mana

Soranik Natu
Siryn
Blink
Ice
Elsa Bloodstone
Nico Minoru
Hawkeye
Tempo

This is one of the best all-female line-ups I've ever seen, and Marvel would eat its heart out to come up with something this good after its aborted A-Force attempt. There is not a single duplicated ability or backstory or personality here, and every character would have natural chemistry with most of the roster. Blink and Siryn have no prior relationship but still are the only mutants on the group, so while others might assume they are a natural pairing, I imagine they would end up kind of resenting each other. Elsa Bloodstone is a phenomenal PHENOMENAL character who could definitely use a showcase in a title like this, and juxtaposing her against the utterly sweet and innocent Ice would be fantastic. Tempo is one of those characters that desperately could use a team in order to show off what makes her tick, and Kate Bishop is a title-seller. I think this list of B- and C-listers ends up playing really, really well in reality. You have a doctor, you have an archaeologist, you have a magician, you have a detective, you have royality... every door is open to this group, and that's one of the best aspects of this group. I can naturally go anywhere with this team, and for me, that makes this group on par with a good Avengers team. I would rather read this than 90% of Avengers groups. That's high praise.

But you lost your shot at top 10 because of calling it "Mana's Angels".
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yeah Manas Angels is pretty fascistic
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Johnbobb posted...

yeah Manas Angels is pretty fascistic

Now thats a weird typo
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I'm horrible with names, and can't think of anything to call it (and would've put a lot more work into it if I had considered naming to be such an important aspect).

Thank you for the high praise on the construction though! I'm glad to see Tempo made it in after running out of edits because she is fantastic and loved her with her little book time. Anecdote: My Mercenaries team was named after her team, the MLF. I had New Mutants #86 and early issues of X-Force in my early collecting days and I thought the team was a fantastic mix that I wanted more of (which we really never got for nearly all of their members). I really wish she wasn't a casualty of Age of X (though I'm happy Frenzy got some crazy amount of spotlight! Go my ladies of defunct 80s 'super'teams!)

Too many parentheticals and asides.

The team went through a lot of editing to keep it as wonderfully varied as it was. Songbird had to be cut because as much as I love Melissa, she crossed over both Soranik Natu's and Siryn's powersets and it was cut two or cut one, and I think both of the others bring more energy and story to be mined, and Natu's got an even stronger villain temptation/redemption calling with her parentage and oaths. She also crossed over a bit with Blink, too, as pink haired pink powered breakout stars of massive 90s X-Crossover events. Also Soranik Natu. That's probably too much pink.

I feel a little bit bad about leaving DC fairly excluded, but I think I got the two best for the team that would add a lot to the group without overshadowing or overpowering other members. I think I almost put Big Barda on there, but I don't know nearly enough about her to know how she would work with the rest, and it's kind of nice looking over the team and not seeing the super strong tank that will get Worfed and usually denigrated by that role.

Also, still no Alpha Flight! But Snowbird's Canada-bound; Talisman is a bit of a mess; Vindicator is awesome but doesn't feel like a good fit without an overhaul (keep Ice and Elsa, mix up the rest); Marrina is tempestuous; Aurora is tempestuous and a flying speedster; Purple Girl is overshadowed by Siryn stealing from her powerset; Goblyn/Laura Dean I haven't heard from in ages; Diamond Lil is overshadowed by Elsa Bloodstone in badassitude; Wanda Langowski no longer exists as far as I know and Heather Hudson Sasquatch is an Exile (and awesome); and the Omega Flight crew bore me. Next time this is done, I'm making CERTAIN I have at least one Alpha Flight representative on my teams!

Again, thank you, and I'm honored that it almost made Top 10. Apologies if this is too much commentary, but I really had fun with this team and I've been struggling the past hour of typing to come up with a good name to no avail.

If only 'The Champions' wasn't taken, that seems kind of fitting. 'Champiennes'? Ehhh...
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To be fair I think Mana's Angels is one of the best "angels" names that is possible because Mana is a word and it's like, you know, magical and stuff.
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Songbird is a better choice than both Soranik Natu and Siryn in terms of draw and storytelling. Also, good choice on not using Alpha Flight ladies. They kind of all would tank that team (although I have a soft spot for Marrina).
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trdl23 posted...

Johnbobb posted...

yeah Manas Angels is pretty fascistic

Now thats a weird typo

...yeah not sure what autocorrect was doing there
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I would say manas angels is one of the less fascistic teams
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#11 - It Was A Trick Question Created by: Lopen

The Question
The Riddler
Mysterio
Loki
The Incredible Hulk (not officially on the team but the recurring wrecking ball of choice to manipulate when the going gets tough)

This team reads like an intimate chess match of sorts, with the sort of shark-like grins that would belie the natural rivalries beneath. All three of these villains easily can play heroes (and at times Riddler and Loki have had notable runs in the heroic realm), and yet the competitive nature of all three personalities would be fantastic ways to maintain the dangerous edge of each villain if they are declawed and defanged for superheroic consumption. The arrogance and brilliance on display would primarily focus on Riddler and Loki - Mysterio would likely be more of a comic relief or a second-stringer trying to hang with the big boys, and from that perspective, I think he would become the fan-favorite underdog. The majority of the heavy-lifting will come from Loki and Riddler, however, and that's totally okay. The insertion of the Hulk solidifies the team as "good" and allows the stars to have someone with whom they can flex their more Machiavellian muscles.

Overall, this is a small, tight-knit book that I think would read extremely well, and it has the potential to be unique on the market with a very original voice. I know it's not a huge write-up, but I just "see" this title and the potential for its success.
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Remaining Nominations:
Eddv - 2
JONA - 1
Mega Mana - 1
Pirate_Harris - 1
Snake - 2
Tangy - 1
Wickle - 2
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Blast. So close to top 10! Well can't be too upset with 11th. That was definitely my favorite of my teams and one I'd read for sure so I'm glad it did the best of my entries at least.

I was considering putting Constantine as a 6th member because I think he would've fit well with the deceivery aspect while tilting it a bit harder in the heroic direction, also opening up a different dimension of bads to fight. I shied away from it because it felt like pandering (I only know Constantine from the TV show as previously said so it didn't quite feel like a "me" character even if I felt from what I know he fit in well). Would that have helped or hurt the ranking?
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Probs may have hurt it? I'm more interested in the villain aspect here.
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Yeah that's fair too. You kinda lose the moderator/leader/guide into heroics type role + 3 competing villains at times doing heroic things in the name of outdoing each other + pawn balance if you add more.

Honestly I have trouble envisioning really big groups most of the time that's why most of mine were small. My biggest group was probably my weakest group all things considered in a lot of ways cause I wasn't sure what the point was. The rest of my teams had a purpose-- one was a stupid as hell purpose which is why it wasn't a good team either, but yeah.

(the X-Babies don't count as a large group in terms of my ability to make a vision because you really only envision 3 to 5 or so distinct members in that group despite there technically having been 10 because the 8 babies don't really contribute individually to that vision all that much. Some do but most are basically accomplishing the same kinda idea)
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Top Ten Pull List, No Particular Order:

Badass Normals
Magic Might
Cold War
The Tick and the Crusaders of JUSTICE
Robin Force
Batty Day Care
Checkmateys*
Mystic Marauders
Mana's Angels
It Was A Trick Question

* - Remembered why I called it Checkmateys. I was doing my best to make a Gokaiger-styled team with characters added based on their personalities. It quickly evolved into a hodgepodge of mystic and tech and paranormal, and it was excellent combining things.

(Warning: These following write-ups are horrible)
Captain Marvelous/John Constantine - Utterly cool badass with a flowing coat and a bit of a ne'er-do-well attitude
Joe/Blade - Super serious swordsman with some confident one-liners
Luka/Fire - Awesome firebrand who gallivants through everything but at her core is all about protecting people
Don/Cypher - Mop-headed science geek who doesn't have confidence in himself and doesn't seem the hero type, but rises to the occasion more than he thinks
Ahim/Jessica Jones - ...I don't know. A pretty jewel with a steel in her veins? Someone you really shouldn't underestimate based on her looks and disposition.
Gai/Shazam - An ultimate fanboy/pure innocent who can teach the others how to be heroes. Can be annoying, but is all heart
Navi/Widget - Robotic navigator who takes his team to where they need to go even if they don't understand why
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Going to post the top ten in the next topic since we're so close to this one closing.
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Just gotta beat Snake.
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Snake? Snaaaaaaaaaaaake
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I've constantly thought of my ninja girls team and what could have been done to fully fix it.

When creating this team, I just wanted ninjas. With Elektra and Karai, I had two people who similarly had upbringings in evil ninja organizations for alternate reasons, caught in a time where they want to rebel against their organizations and team up. Psylocke joins with the capability to keep those two's alliances set right, to make sure they don't turn coat while facing their respective enemies. Shi I added to get a 4th, and was a unique character. From here, I still wanted to add more, and I didn't like having 2 Marvel and 2 foreign without a DC character. I added Lady Shiva knowing something about the character, which if I knew anything... I know she's never been good... which was my first problem.

So the question, was how to change up my team. I wanted ninjas, and originally after some debate, I saw Snake Eyes to be perfect for the set-up, but it would take a loophole of arguing to add him in, which would ruin the project for you and didn't bother to try. I still feel I sit on a problem with how I'm building this group.

So what could make this group probably at its best? Removing the ninja aspect. We'll keep Elektra, Psylocke and Shi. I'm removing Karai because when thinking about Snake Eyes, I'm adding too many cooks in the villain department. Where there's Snake Eyes, there's always White Shadow to oppose him, Elektra would spawn major Hand characters, Karai has Shredder, and I still want Lady Shiva as a villain. This team is too small and will have too short a story to have this many adversaries.

To replace this group, I could build it based on espionage. While still Marvel-centric, this allows me to add what I wanted to get with Snake Eyes, a difference in combat by adding either Fantomex or Spider-Man Noir. From here, it might be easier to add a DC character since I'm not limiting it to females or ninjas, and because it's espionage... the group can add another character that applies more personality by them working for someone. If I keep the adversary bucket a little smaller, this would make me be able to pin Lady Shiva and Gorgon as major villains, as they are hired by respective organizations these characters are spying on.

It's not fully building the team, but recreating the concept to fit a better goal and maybe a better pitch.
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I beat Wickle thirty-five minutes ago.
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Beat Wickle

aww hell yeah
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Bump
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WickIebee posted...

It's not fully building the team, but recreating the concept to fit a better goal and maybe a better pitch.

I don't see a particular theme though. It's sort of a group of ninja-esque characters but I don't see a reason for being.
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Woo top 10
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Let's finish this out
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Kapow
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