Why should you play the affiliation
Because, as we all know, Magneto was right.
On the table Brotherhood offer fun leaderships and a bunch of good affiliated models.
How to start the affiliation
You first grab the excellent X-Men Starter set (CP271), which is the Brotherhood Starter Set at the same time.
Afterwards you have three packs you can grab and I would recommend getting all three of them eventually:
"X-Fiends & Foes" (MCP14) with Juggernaut, Shadow King, Omega Red (not Brotherhood affiliated) and Mister Sinister (not Brotherhood affiliated).
"Members of the Brotherhood" (MCP15) with Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Pyro and the Blob.
Avalanche, Exodus & Lady Mastermind character pack (CP173).
What leaderships are available and what is the typical game plan?
From the ruins is an incredible fun leadership that can really turn on your squads abilities much faster than you’d expect. It’s also important to note that you also get to distribute power when your opponent destroys terrain not just you yourself.
Freedom Force is a very different kind of leadership. While it’s refund on extract is nice and can be used for some shenanigans the biggest power in the leadership comes from the “Mystique Token”. It’s basically like having a free extra model that can only secure a point. Other affiliations often have to bring an actual character for the job giving you a big advantage.
In terms of archetype it very much depends on who your primary leader is. Mystique plays a type 1 (pure scenario) to maybe type 2 (midrange scenario side) plan while Magneto is probably better suited at a type 3 (midrange attrition side).
Type 1: Pure Scenario team, as many VPs on the table as possible and try to win by scoring out as early as possible and with as little engagement
Type 2: Midrange Scenario team. Similar to Type 1 but can fight and chase if necessary
Type 3: Midrange Attrition team. Wants to be the beatdown but can shift to scenario play if the other side is clearly the beatdown.
Type 4: Pure Attrition team. Wants to murder you as quick as possible. Tabling is a possible and achievable goal here, but not the only way to win (they mostly score their points and deny yours by virtue of your models being dazed or KO'ed)
Who could be added to the affiliation in the future, especially as leaders?
I don't expect them to get a new leader anytime soon. As for new members I think Polaris could be one, if she makes it to the game.
Rating every affiliated TTC and Character
We’ll add Magnetos and Mystique’s character specific cards here even though they are technically unaffiliated.
Team Tactics (8)
Asteroid M
A-. You’ll probably never play a Brotherhood game without this card. Teleporting characters an infinite range is… Pretty good. It was tempered down a bit by having to be played in the Power Phase now but is still very good especially for Magneto.
Difficult To Please
C-. It’s also difficult to set up, difficult to fit the three characters in a squad, difficult to trigger and than also difficult to get a lot out of the additional Mags activation as you’re probably already winning when you met the conditions to play the card.
Magnetic Crush
F. They finally got the attack on Magnetos card with the 2026 update, making the card completely useless.
Magnetic Refraction
A+. It’s a very strong effect that would probably be worth it if you’d ever splash Magneto but getting it back every round in Brotherhood means it is absolutely stapled to Magnetos face.
Stolen Identity
B-. The fairer update to Deception is still at least a decent card but absolutely not as game breaking as the original. You can basically “only” use it to kidnap someone on one of your beaters turns and not use it as a guaranteed way to get someone off a point because they can just walk back in their activation. It’s at least a pseudo stagger then.
The Books of Truth
B. Fine if you want to double down on Recalibration Matrix like effects but since this card only applies to your character it isn’t nearly as good as taking away an opponents spike.
Genetic Superiority
B. If you have both Exodus and Max Eisenhardt (is that a hint that we will get a second Magento soon?) on the table at the same time the card is very good in theory. In practice you quickly run out of threat for models who can trigger the effect, limiting the effectiveness of the card.
The Pawns Go First
B+. If you're running a Magento led Squad this card should definitely be in consideration for your 5.
Characters (18)
Colossus (4)
B+. He’s a pretty fast and very durable affiliated 4 threat. He can also taunt and throw characters on his spender. His terrain throw being cheaper also helps him to be a good fit in Magneto now.
Emma Frost (4)
A. While Emma doesn't have super good synergy with Magnetos leadership she is just an overall top tier 4 threat and being affiliated makes her worth a look under either leadership here. The dual to Hellfire Club is also very easy.
Gambit (3)
B. With his Update Gambit has become a much more interesting option. He can play Dark Past here which is a great TTC and he can also wreck face and live through more than you expect him to now. If you get the necessary wilds which can be a problem here as there isn't a lot of ways to get dice fixing in affiliation.
Juggernaut (5)
A. You’d have to have a very good argument not to play Juggernaut in every Brotherhood game you play regardless of the leadership. Don’t expect him to be a great damage dealer though. One 8 die attack will let you down constantly if you rely on it. Juggs strength comes in the combination of Health Pool + Pay to reduce to 0 and his Incredible movement. Be aware that Nothing Stops the Juggernaut isn’t limited to once per turn, so as long as he can pay for it, Juggs and do it again and again. He also has his card Do you know who I am stapled to his head which is very strong. Especially if you manage to use it in Mystiques (or Emmas, or Lady Masterminds) turn so the opponent can’t use reactive superpowers or TTCs against the throw.
Magneto (6)
A. Magneto had a big glow up in the August 26 Updates. He lost a bit of defensive tech in exchange for: better baseline defenses, a better Spender, Indomitable that also stops advances as a reactive superpower on his card, the flexible terrain throw changed to a flat 2 power. The last one is pretty huge when he is your leader as it means he can throw a size 4 terrain feature right away powering up your squad. He's still not an easy character to play well but can run the board if you have gotten the hang of it.
Mystique (3)
B. Raven is fast has stealth and rapid fire. Her exploding terrain is also nice. But in my experience she often tends to swim in power that she can’t really spend on anything. 6/6 Stealth, Martial Artist, should keep her on the board for quite some time though.
Pyro (3)
A. Pyro is an absolute nuisance for your opponent and brings conditions for days, good attacks and a TTC that drops objective and pushes at the same time. He’s pretty much a lock in the roster.
Quicksilver (3)
B. He’s a fast and somewhat durable objective runner with an (assets only) steal TTC making him quite good in the wide Mystique plan.
Rogue (4)
A. Rogue is fantastic and really comes to live in Magnetos leadership that helps her fund her great kit instead of relying on her builder.
Sabretooth (4)
B. Interesting as the fastest healing factor character and good at hunting Kaijus. More of a tech piece than a generally good 4 threat though. The increase to 7/7 does help him a lot as it makes the threat of his Counter Attack much bigger.
Sabretooth, Apex Predator (4)
A-. Apex is a mini Thor 2 with his combination of great attacks, a pounce and a character throw. In Mags you can give him all the power he needs to really become the monster you know from the comics.
Scarlet Witch (5)
B. Poor Wanda always gets left behind in these articles. She is by no means a bad character but picking her over Juggernaut is hard and running both and Magneto becomes incredibly expensive quick.
Shadow King (5)
B-. Shadow King, my favorite miniature in the entire range, has gotten quite a big glow up in the 2026 updates. He is now a decent 5 threat option, if still not a top end one. Sadly he doesn't really fit either play style here so will be hard pressed to find a spot over Juggernaut, Exodus and Scarlet Witch
The Blob (3)
B. Blob is pretty durable and has a unique attack deterrent where he can displace you for attacking him. His spender is also fantastic.
Toad (2)
A. By far and large the best extract focused 2 threat in the game. There's no excuse not to have him in your Brotherhood roster really.
Avalanche (3)
B+. Avalanche has decent stats for a three, can push on demand and destroy terrain reactively. He's not going to be your star player most of the time but should be super reliable at what he does (he also looks very cool!).
Exodus (5)
A-. Exodus is a massive ball of raw stats and staying power. Getting him into a squad past Juggernaut is really the biggest hurdle.
Lady Mastermind (4)
B+. Lady Mastermind is a very hard character to evaluate. Being a 4 in Brotherhood is tough but she does do very unique things. Worth a try if nothing else.
Popular Splash Characters for the affiliation
Clea (3)
A. Teleporting Magneto, throwing terrain (or characters), increasing dice pools for your already strong fighters and long range mystic support fire make Clea a perfect fit in a Magneto led squad.
Red Skull, Master of the World (4)
A. As icky as it feels Red Skull 3 is a perfect support model for a Magneto led Brotherhood list. He can teleport Mags, take power from where he finds it, has a great terrain throw himself and also very good attacks.
Example Roster
This is a more balanced dual leader list without any splashes. It's more of a baseline than a competitive roster.
Characters (10)
* Magneto (6)
* Mystique (3)
Avalanche (3)
Emma Frost (4)
Exodus (5)
Juggernaut (5)
Pyro (3)
Sabretooth (4)
The Blob (3)
Toad (2)
Team Tactics (10)
Asteroid M
Do You Know Who I Am?
Instant Recovery
Magnetic Refraction
Mind Transfer
Pyrotechnics
Patch Up (R)
Sacrifice (R)
Stolen Identity
The Pawns Go First
Secure Crisis
Deadly Meteors Mutate Civilians (I, 17)
Lockdown! Security Systems Stymie Breakout (S, 18)
Survivors Search for Safe Shelters (Z, 20)
Wedding Party Targeted in Terrible Attack! (R, 20)
Infinity Formula Goes Missing! (B, 17)
Extract Crisis
Scientific Samples Found in Discovered Universe (D, 17)
Sentinel Schematics Sabotaged! (AC, 17)
Evidence of Experimental Soldiers Exposed! (AB, 19)
Mutant Extremists Target U.S. Senators! (L, 19)
Skrulls Infiltrate World Leadership (J, 20)
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Thank you for reading and Cheers from Germany 🍻
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