Review: by Andrew “Templar147” Koeling

Sculpt 9.5/10 For a model that isn’t larger than any other and is a “twin” of Rasputin, the Mad Monk is a beautiful sculpt. The spirits that surround him look perfect, and really, Wizkids went over the top with the way that they suspended him mid-air. Heck, the only reason I can’t justify giving him a 10 is because that would put him on the same level as the Great Chutulu, but the Mad Monk for his size give the awakened elder a run for the money.

Playability 8.5/10 For the points, the Mad Monk is perhaps one of the best muscle figures ever created. First, for the meat of his dial, invulnerability makes him a virtual tank, able to withstand almost anything and remain on the board. In addition, invulnerability makes him immune to most adverse plot twists when slaying victims. But what is even worse is the fact that his first six clicks also have slash, one of the most feared offensive powers in the game and one that only gets better once he becomes blooded. With above average attack values, he is a terrifying figure to have to go into base to base with. His Hunter power is largely flavor, but can prove useful when encountering spirits. However, the most interesting power is his raging, which heals him completely to full. Should that happen, it will be next to impossible for your opponent to deal with him as that is six more clicks of invulnerability to muscle through. His only flaw is his inferior speed, which means that on almost all accounts, your opponent will choose who to engage him with, and that can be to his detriment if they have and ability like pain which would make short work of his invulnerability. His defensive score leaves a bit to be desired, but again, the Mad Monk is essentially a beefed up version of Chainsaw and should be played similarly.

Overall, the Mad Monk is not a difficult figure to decipher – he is in the strictest sense, a muscle piece, designed to move right into the fray and act as a frontliner. More importantly, I love the monk for his historical appeal, and his new powers more closely resemble the legends of the dreaded juggernaut, Rasputin.

Review: by Weyouns_Last_Clone

Monks are cool. Not too much trouble, they brew nice beer. A monk gone mad is something completely different, though. Proven by this Horrorclix LE from the base set (The Mad Monk, HrC-202). You might want to pray you don’t meet this monk up close and personal. Six clicks of invulnerability, accompanied by six clicks of slash, is a horrifying sight indeed. The attack starts of mediocre at 9, but increases to a very impressive 12. The defense values are quite standard, but the invulnerability should prevent this from being too big of a problem. Only minor draw back might be his speed of 5 (or 4 later on in the dial). This is not that high. Still, it’s not the abysmal 4 that many zombies start with, and shouldn’t be too much of a problem, unless your opponent is running a lot of high movement (7 and up) and/or maneuverable (leap/climb, ghost) figures. Damage of 1 could be considered bad, but enter slash: now you won’t have any trouble choosing between your standard damage, or using slash. Big plus in my book, as I hate figures that have 3 damage with slash. I never know what to choose! Side note: sorry for this gripe, it’s a left over from the Heroclix Indy set where everyone and their mother seemed to have 3 damage and slash.

The Mad Monk could be considered as a straightforward piece. Toss him in the fray, do damage, and that’s it. But if you want to make the most use of him, use him with care! As soon as the 12 attack shows up, beware. You’re very near the end of his dial. Do everything you can to make him survive until his last click, so he is raging back to his starting click. If you can make this happen, you’re sure to have a Mad Opponent. Even without getting back to his first click The Mad Monk seems to be worth his points, so if you can get back, he truly becomes an insane good piece.

I’ll finish with the proverbial icing on the cake. In this case, two additional plot twists. With the addition of The Lab, we have now over 80 plot twists to choose from. Enough to fill two extra spots in your crypt, allowing you even more victim manipulation, reroll opportunities, or whatever you like best. If you ever wanted to try Ticking Clock cards, this is your chance. Go for the Stroke of Midnight, and team The Mad Monk up with other Occultists. It does take 3 cards away from your crypt, but with The Mad Monk’s bonus, you still have 5 plot twists left. And you don’t have to play reroll cards.

All in all The Mad Monk can be considered as one of the best LE’s around, maybe even one of the best figures around. Add to that the awesome sculpt, and we have a real winner.

Rating: 5/5