Faction Primer: Elemental Champions [SHE3PDOG]

Whether you’re playing a faction pure list or just looking for a little advice on certain Elemental Champions models, this article is for you. Monsterpocalypse is a game that can be played as casually or competitively as you would like. While the game is designed and balanced around mixing factions together within each agenda, many players enjoy the cohesive appearance of a single faction on the table. We will cover some of the strategies, synergies, and list building ideas for each model in the Elemental Champions arsenal. While not wholly necessary, reading through the MonPoc 101 articles might help you understand some of the terms and ideas put forth here as these faction primers are a little too long to have a rules refresher before each one. Some mentions will be made to models outside of the Elemental Champions faction, so you might also like to have the Smashville University Wiki up if you want a quick reference.

Each elemental type (earth, water, air, and fire) in the Elemental Champions faction has distinctive traits that really make them feel thematic on the table. The earth elementals are sturdy, the air elementals are quick, the fire elementals cause a lot of damage, and the water elemental provides some ebb and flow to the tempo of the game. Additionally, each monster has the Spawning Locus special rule which allows your units a lot of freedom in where they can be across the map. This diversity of playstyles means that the Elemental Champions aren’t lacking for any particular unit type. However, there is not a faction base for the the Elemental Champions as of the writing of this article, so if you’re playing mono-faction, you may want to consider a Skyscraper which has a generic unit discount to ease your action dice allocation.

The Elemental Champions are also one of the current starter set factions alongside the Savage Swarm. These boxes replaced the previous G.U.A.R.D. and Planet Eaters starter sets, but the content of any of the four is sufficient to get you started playing the game! The Elemental Champions starter set allows you to begin your Monsterpocalypse collection with the Protectors agenda, and it includes the monster, Hurricanius, along with 4 Fire Kamis and an Air Avatar for your first units.

Monsters

Hurricanius

Hurricanius is commonly considered one of the best Protectors monsters in the game. She is exceptionally fast, and she encourages her allies to keep up with her Blitz action in alpha and her Tailwinds special rule in hyper. Like all Elemental Champions monsters, she has the Spawning Locus special rule for her elemental type, air. This is a very useful ability that saves you a spawn zone and allows your units to come into the middle of the action later in the game. In both her alpha and hyper forms, she has the Air Superiority ability which allows her an additional boost die when targeting a model with Flight while also forcing models without Flight to lose a boost die when targeting her or nearby units. She also uses the power of the wind to Fling units with her brawl attack which is relevant for two reasons: Fling gets around models that are protected from Swat attacks, and her brawl attack has one more boost die than her equivalent Swat attack. So, even though Swat and Fling are very similar, there’s definitely advantages to using Fling. For her last ability, Hurricanius has the Unrelenting Storm special rule which can easily turn the tide of a game. It allows her to make a brawl and blast attack in addition to making a power attack! That’s three (3) total attacks! You also gain a boost die for each subsequent attack when you hit with an attack, so she can be pretty accurate as well. Her two main downsides are that she is squishy at only 10 health, and she is pretty inaccurate in her alpha form. She wants a partner that can be a little more survivable and gain some benefit from her Tailwinds while she goes down. She also wants a few Air Kamis and potentially an Air Avatar to take advantage of her Spawning Locus rule, but the latter is a pretty rare sight in competitive play.

Incinerus

Incinerus is a damage-dealing machine that has possibly the best Spawning Locus type of all of the Elemental Champions: fire. The first thing most people notice about this humanoid inferno is that he has a mere 8 health. However, he is also Fireproof, so he is quite a bit more survivable than he first seems. While this can still be quite the detriment in matches where your opponent has buildings like the Myriad Singularity or Tokyo Triumph that can still deal 2-damage collisions, he often feels more like a 10 or 11 health monster due to how many attacks it requires to take him down. In his alpha form, he has the Ignite action which can make for some sneaky high-damage turns while he is still in alpha. He really likes other models that can flip hazards over so that he can make the most out of this rule without giving up the damage trade by bringing Incombustible buildings. He also has Return Fire in his alpha form, but getting use out of it is pretty rare with how much more often monster vs. monster attacks are power attacks rather than blasts. Feed the Flames makes him more accurate when his target is near hazard tiles, and his Spawning Locus allows him to bring out Fire Kamis or Fire Avatars which we will talk about further down in the article. In his hyper form, he picks up Lightning Attack which allows him to clear a screen before stepping in to make a power attack. This is particularly useful for Incinerus because his brawl attack also picks up the Chain Reaction attribute which means your opponent can’t double up on screening units to try to stay safe. While Incinerus feels very aggressive due to his high damage potential, he really shines if you can save him for the late game when most of the buildings have been destroyed and he can make the most of his 8 health by leaning on being Fireproof. Any monster that is a little more survivable and able to protect Incinerus into the late game, especially if they can destroy a bunch of buildings in the process, is going to be a great partner for Incinerus.

Tectomoc

Tectomoc is a monster with a fairly singular plan, and he’s very good at executing it. He is essentially the embodiment of an earthquake, wreaking a particularly special kind of havoc on units through his use of the stomp power attack. Stomps are often considered the weakest power attack in the game, but Tectomoc turns them up to 11. He has Seismic Step in both forms which allows him to stomp, move one space, and then stomp again, killing units and flipping hazard tiles in his path. In his alpha form, he also has Wrath on his brawl attack which allows him to make a stomp power attack in addition to his brawl attack, and, yes, that does stack with Seismic step for a total of 3 attacks. This makes Tectomoc surprisingly good at disrupting enemy power bases despite not having a blast attack. His constant stomping and the resulting reduction of hazard tiles to rubble tiles also plays into his Improvised Armor rule which gives him an extra defense when he’s near rubble tiles. This also makes him a particularly good pair for Incinerus, as he can stomp out hazard tiles which Incinerus can then Ignite. In case you thought his stomps couldn’t get any more ridiculous, he also picks up Earthquake in his hyper form while keeping Seismic Step which allows him to make a stomp power attack in addition to any other attack. This means he can stomp to clear a screening enemy unit or flip a hazard tile so that he doesn’t take damage, move one from Seismic Step, make another stomp attack from Seismic Step, and still make a throw or body slam power attack against an enemy monster. It is worth noting though that the use of Earthquake can only clear unit screens as stomps do not impact buildings in any way. If this amount of unit hate wasn’t already enough for you, he also has Collateral Damage on his power attacks in hyper, so if he hits a monster, all units adjacent to that monster also suffer a point of damage. Tectomoc is a consistent monster with a high potential for power generation and a good disruptive capability that pairs well with pretty much any other monster in the game. His only real drawbacks are that he loses high-mobility in hyper, and he does not have a blast attack. His only list building consideration is that he still has the Spawning Locus special rule like all the other Elemental Champions, so you will want to bring at least a couple Earth Kamis.

Units

Air Kami

The Air Kami received a slight nerf in January 2023, so if you haven’t looked at their cards since then, it might be a good idea to do so. Air Kami are a fast unit with the high-mobility and Flight rules which makes them able to get pretty much anywhere on the map. They are also pretty good attackers. While they have an attack profile that only allows them to throw action dice, they also have the Momentum special rule which gives them a boost die for each action die they contribute to an attack. This means they can throw a 3A/3B attack which is as good as many 2-cost units. They also have the unique blast attribute, Gathering Storm. This rule allows them to be replaced by their Elite version if they hit with their blast attack. This is one of the few times where the Elite version of a unit is actually substantially different from the grunt version.

The Elite Air Kami will basically only be brought out as a result of the Gathering Storm special rule on the Air Kami grunt. While they have the typical Commander special rule that gives nearby Air Kami grunts an additional boost die on their attacks, the real differences appear elsewhere on the card. Instead of having Momentum and a 3A/0B attack, they now have 3 boost dice standard which is incredibly nice for a unit that you will most commonly get for free. They also have the Thunderhead special rule which allows them to participate in an attack during the same turn that they were put into play via the Gathering Storm special rule. This means your 1-cost Air Kami grunt can functionally make two attacks per turn as long as you have an Elite Air Kami in your unit reserves to take advantage of the Gathering Storm and Thunderhead special rules. A couple of elites and one or two grunts is almost always the foundation of a list that includes Hurricianius as one of your monsters.

Fire Kami

Like many of the elemental units, Fire Kamis are fairly speedy at SPD 6 with the All-Terrain and Fireproof special rules allowing them to get into a lot of places other units cannot. They have a basic brawl attack, but the primary reason to bring these fiery pyros is for their Ignite action. Simply put, Ignite on a unit will win you the game sometimes. It is the cheapest option for dealing damage to a monster during a unit turn, and it is completely risk-free as you don’t even need to roll dice to make sure it happens. The only downside is the enemy monster needs to be over a rubble tile so that it can flipped to a hazard tile. This can occasionally be useful for killing off misplaced enemy units as well, but not getting power dice for destroying them is a big deterrent for that use. Some previous versions of the Fire Kami claim that the Ignite action only costs one action die, but two action dice is the correct version. A Fire Kami is a very common sight in any Protectors list, but they’re particularly good in lists that with Armored monsters that want to bring a bunch of Tokyo Triumph buildings anyways as they can help really spread the health gap out in those lists.

Earth Kami

Like the Fire Kami, the Earth Kami has a pretty basic brawl attack. Unlike any other elemental unit, they’re also pretty slow at a mere SPD 4, so you are really bringing them for the rest of the special rules on their card. While they are slow, they still have All-Terrain and Thick Skinned making them able to access all of the same parts of the map as their fiery counterparts. Their real value comes from Shield Wall though. This special rule allows this model and adjacent allied units to not have their DEF reduced to below the printed DEF on their card. This is particularly useful against lists with a lot of Penetrator or Corporate Headquarters. On the flip side, Earth Kami are one of the few ways to somewhat safely secure a Corporate Headquarters building, usually dangerous because of their DEF-lowering debuff. This would give you access to Trade Policy, an ability that takes away one of your opponent’s power dice each time you power up which can be very annoying for your opponent. Earth Kami are the only earth elemental units available so far, so you will want to take them along when you play Tectomoc. They’re also just good at securing buildings or holding points, so you may see them in other lists as well.

Air Avatar

Air Avatars are extremely agile at SPD 7 with high-mobility and Flight, but they also help create new paths for allied units by allowing them to move through adjacent models while advancing with their Lift special rule. This can allow allied pedestrian units like the Fire Avatar or Draken Berserker to move through enemy models and even buildings that they normally wouldn’t be able to traverse! Air Avatars can also create quite the obstacle for enemy models with Turbulence. It isn’t a hugely relevant rule against many enemy units, but it is incredibly useful against enemy monsters due to their larger footprint as they move across the map. When combined with a Grappler monster or Toxic Waste Depots with their No-Fly Zone rule, Air Avatars can become quite the nuisance for enemy monsters. To top it all off, they have a pretty decent range 4 blast attack as well. Their only downside is that they are a 2-cost unit.

Fire Avatar

Fire Avatars are an excellent attacking unit, and as such, they are a pretty common sight in Protectors lists. With Fury on their blast and brawl attacks, they can generate a power die just by hitting their target. Like their kami counterpart, they are also SPD 6 with All-Terrain and high-mobility, so they can get to a lot of places on the map with relative ease. Lastly, while they have a standard attack profile for a 1-cost unit, they get an accuracy bump when they attack targets near hazard tiles. They aren’t particularly survivable at a mere DEF 2, but that isn’t their primary purpose anyways. The only time they might not be worth taking in your list is if you are running a lot of incombustible buildings.

Water Avatar

Last, but certainly not least, is the Water Avatar. This lonesome elemental is the only one that does not have an associated monster yet, so you won’t be getting it out with Spawning Locus like the other Elemental Champions units. However, it is one of the better point holders in the Protectors agenda. It has a pretty average attack profile for a 2-cost unit, but where it really shows its value is when it is able to take a power zone with the Power Tap ability which makes your opponent lose a power die when you power up. The Water Avatar has a pretty easy time getting to those power or negative zones as well with high-mobility, Amphibious, and the Ripple attribute on both its brawl and blast attacks, so it can hit an enemy point holder then move onto that spot! If it leads a combined attack, other participating units can also move after it hits which can be very useful. While Splash might not always come up during a game, it can be extremely useful in setting up an Ignite action with Incinerus or the Fire Kami, mitigating damage from moving onto or colliding with hazards, and easier Repair actions.

Faction Base

The Elemental Champions don’t currently have a faction base, but this section will remain here. When it is released, this section will be updated with the relevant information. If you still want to get a relevant discount for your Elemental Champions units, you can take a Skyscraper building.

List Building

If you are using an Elemental Champions monster in a competitive pair, you will want to bring a few of the units called out in their Spawning Locus special rule. Even if you do not have one of the Elemental Champions monsters in your list, the Fire units, Earth Kami, and Water Avatar are still common sights for their utility. If you intend on playing the Elemental Champions as a faction-pure army, the Air Kami / Fire Avatar pack is a good one to double up on to get your 20 units. These models are the best attackers in the faction, and the Fire Kami, Air Avatar, Earth Kami, and Water Avatar just can’t quite match their usefulness as attackers.

I hope this was an informative walk through the Elemental Champions, one of the starter factions for Monsterpocalypse. They have some of the more interesting monster / unit dynamics in the game, and they perform decently as a mono-faction list. The only thing to watch out for is your lack of additional movement options like a Blitz unit, Transport, or Death Gate, but a Toxic Waste Depot can go a long way towards solving that issue. The monsters also still have Spawning Locus, so you will be able to get units in good places after the first turn or two. These articles will continue to be released alongside other content, but there are 22(!) factions in the game, so it will take some time for the whole catalog to be covered. Look for the next articles soon though!