The Convocation affiliation hasn’t gotten a new member in years, but a few of their central models are now available in the aptly-titled Convocation Affiliation Pack. It comes at a great time, too, as half of the wizards here just got a glow-up in AMG’s 2025 character balance pass. Read on to find out what’s in the box and how they play.
Characters
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme
Convocation is a unique affiliation for several reasons, but perhaps the most significant is that any affiliated character can serve as the leader (more on that later). While that means players aren’t locked into taking any single model every game, Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, is the de facto face of the affiliation; he will be on the table and be the leader more often than not.
Unlike MCP’s original version of Doctor Strange, who is also in the affiliation but is a leader of the Defenders, Sorcerer Supreme is an incredibly dynamic model who mixes reasonable attrition with mobility and displacement. Baleful Bolts of Balthakk is a fine but unexciting builder for a 5-threat that can sneak some extra damage through with pierce. Deadly Daggers of Daveroth (yes, Convocation attack and superpower names are all great) is a bit spicier: it costs a power, but it’s 6 dice to make up for the lack of pierce, shoots at an incredible range 5, and can also be any of Physical, Energy, or Mystic. This combination of free or cheap attacks lets Strange brawl up close and gen power or snipe when the need arises, making it extremely hard to stay outside his threat range.
The good doctor also has a 6-cost area 2 attacks that can be occasionally beneficial, but with a great attack and superpower to spend resources on, 6 power can be hard to drop.
Speaking of superpowers, Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, has a bunch of great ones. The one that defines him most is Scalpel of Strange. For 4 power, Strange can select himself or another character within range 2 and place them within range 3. Yes, 4 power is a lot, but Strange generates 3 per turn by default, and the superpower isn’t once per turn! In combination with his range 3 and 5 attacks, this makes it almost impossible to stay safe when Strange is on the hunt. Moreover, it can also be used to reposition allies or move enemies out of position. Most of the power Strange gains is going to be used to Scalpel early and often.
Players may notice that Strange’s defensive stat line of 3-3-5 is pretty poor, but he does have two superpowers (and a Tactics Card) to help with that. Eye of Agamotto lets him reroll all of his dice once per attack, defense, or dodge roll (note: it has to be all the dice, not just the bad results), and Mystic Armor of Strange gives him “reverse pierce” against energy and mystic attacks, changing one die in the attack roll to a blank for each wild result in his block.
Ancient One
Ancient One is one of Convocation’s best brawlers, bringing a great suite of attacks and some powerful utility. At first glance, Ancient One may seem pretty easy to take down with a 2-3-5 stat line. However, Martial Artist lets her count blanks against Physical and Energy attacks within range 2, and she can reroll up to two dice whenever she defends or dodges. Winds of Watoomb synergize with Martial Artist, letting Ancient One push an attacker closer to her when she’s targeted, ideally getting them into Martial Artist range or moving them off of a Secure.
So, Ancient One has some tricks up her sleeve to stay alive, but he also hits hard. Her first free attack, Shard of the Seraphim, is exactly the same as Stranges, delivering 5 Mystic dice with a wild pierce. Astral Strike is scarier, dropping 8 dice for 4 power. However, it’s a little spicy in that defenders don’t get to count or explode crits, and the guaranteed stagger is an excellent bonus if she doesn’t get the daze or KO. She’s also got a range 3, 4 dice attack that can drop poison, but it’s not what players will want to be using unless they’re out of range 2 and she needs the automatic single power gain it provides.
Ancient One’s final piece of utility makes it more likely for her to get into range to use her best attacks – Mists of Hoggoth. It simply gives her a range 2 place, and her additional power gain in the Power Phase means she can use it every round by default. Ancient One has a steep learning curve – she can die quickly from throws or long-range attacks – but mastering her movement abilities and leveraging the leadership results in a powerful character who excels at holding down a Secure and taking out anyone who comes close.
Clea
Clea just received one of the bigger updates in the last character pass, turning her into a much stronger support piece.
Clea’s attacks are a bit hard to judge because they aren’t the primary reason she’ll hit the table. Demon Claws of Denak is only 4 dice at range 3, so it’s unlikely to do much attrition work, but it grants her a power no matter what and helps fund the cooler things she can do. Icy Tendrils of Ikthalon is potentially quite strong with the ability to Slow, Stun, AND Stagger the target from range 4 if her dice land right, but 3 power is a lot for Clea, who gains it one at a time and has some great superpowers to spend on.
Rather than attacks, Clea’s big draw is her support utilities. Oshtur’s Mighty Hand is a solid character or terrain throw. Vaports of Dormammu is more interesting, letting her teleport herself or allies range 2 (and the allies can be up to range 4 away!). Finally, the May updates gave her an exciting attack boost power, Talons of the Farallah. Not only does it let her or an ally add 2 dice to an attack roll, but if the attack does damage and the defender is 5 threat or higher, the defender gains Judgement. Judgement is currently the rarest special condition in MCP, and for good reason – stopping all power gain from attack damage can be absolutely crippling on high-threat models who typically spend their power very well.
This newly reworked Clea is still partially an enigma as players work out when and where she works best. Convocation has other support piece options, and most squads won’t want to run more than one at a time, so she’ll often be competing for the same spot as Wong.
Baron Mordo
Despite having some cool things on his card, Mordo has historically been an underplayed model in Convocation, and with two other affiliated 3-threats getting updates in May 2025 (Clea and Magik), it can be tough to argue for Karl. That being said, there’s plenty of juice to squeeze for players who find a spot for him.
Like many of the wizards, Mordo is statistically weak to physical attacks with his 2-4-4 defensive line. However, he’s one of the quicker Convocation models with his medium base, medium move. Mordo isn’t making lists for defense, though, and he’s got reasonable attacks and some niche support for his team.
His two free attacks, Staff of the Living Tribunal and Bolts of Bishru are similar in that they’re both 4 dice Mystic, with the former being range 3 and the latter range 4. If the target is in range of both, players can decide which on-wild effect is more beneficial – Staff’s size 2 push or Bolts’ Hex. Rains of Raggadorr packs a bit more punch with 7 dice at range 4, and automatically applying Incinerate and Poison synergizes with one of his superpowers.
Soul Barb lets Mordo select an enemy and spread Hex, Incinerate, Poison, or Slow from them to every enemy character within 2 of that character. This is less valuable in spread-out Crises, but it can result in a whole team having debilitating effects any time they bunch up.
Mordo also has a Clea-like ability in Ferocity of Cyttorak that lets him add 2 dice to an ally’s attack. It’s cheaper at 2 power vs Clea’s 3, but instead of potentially applying Judgement, it gives 1 damage to the attacking ally. It’s a potentially strong effect, but with Convocation models having average to low HP, taking damage for what will average to about 1 extra damage on the defender can be a hard sell.
Rounding out Mordo’s kit are some additional utility tools: Vaulting Boots of Valtor lets him scoot around after being hit, and Master of the Occult lets him gain some power for an action. Both are niche but can be nice to have when they’re relevant.
Team Tactics Cards
The Bar with No Doors
Convocation models are exciting in their own right, but the affiliation really shines with a suite of excellent Team Tactics Cards. The most important, of course, is The Bar With No Doors, which grants affiliation leadership to a chosen model. Unlike every other TTC leadership, this one does take up a spot in players’ rosters but DOES NOT take up a squad slot.
The Bar With No Doors is also double-sided, letting players pick from two effects each round. However, the Circle of the Cosmos sees significantly more play, letting allied characters place range 1 once per turn when any enemy effect damages them. It’s hard to discuss the leadership briefly since it can open up so many lines of play, but some of its best uses are getting out of range of a follow-up attack, moving onto a secure or into cover, or getting closer to follow up with a short-range attack in a future turn. Moons of Munnopor is a fairly straightforward reroll with some hoops to jump through, and can be occasionally useful when movement won’t be as significant.
Iron Bound Books of Shuma Gorath
This is one of Convocation’s most-played cards. Across the board, Convocation is weak to physical attacks, but Books circumvents that by letting allies change incoming physical attacks to mystic. It leaves them vulnerable to throws, but the fact that the card can be played again after an ally is KOed means Convocation models can be surprisingly hard to take out.
Plane of Polhahk
Plane is, more or less, a delete button. Convocation models all pack powerful mystic attacks, and unaffiliated allies benefit as well. Enabling full rerolls against an enemy character for a round means they’re extremely unlikely to survive. Consider taking this card in almost every game.
Astral Ring
Astral Ring is potentially powerful, though it’s a bit niche. Extending the range of attacks and superpowers can be incredibly strong, but remember that it doesn’t get around things like Stealth. It might be taken more if Convocation didn’t have other great cards, but they do, so it’s a bit hard to justify taking in squads.
Bane of Damballah
Rooting everyone in an area is good, especially against teams that like to bunch up. This card isn’t quite as useful in the current crisis set that encourages more spread-out play, but it’s worth keeping an eye on if “bunker” style teams or bunched up crisis come back into the meta.
Orb of Agamotto
Out-of-activation/non-action movement is always strong, and this lets any number of affiliated characters place within range 3. It can be tricky since it can’t be used by characters holding Extracts, but it’s a great tool to chase down enemies or to rotate across the map.
Book of Cagliostro
Book of Cagliostro has extremely high potential, but it can be hard to pull off. Three characters within 3 of each other isn’t always going to happen consistently, and two power on each of them can also sometimes be hard. However, the upside of giving a powerful model like either Doctor Strange two activations in one round can win games. Just be careful not to give away priority with the extra activation at a bad time.
What Should You Buy Next?
Unfortunately, making additional purchases to flesh out a Convocation list is tricky, as the majority of their other models are split between separate four-packs based on their other affiliations. Wong and the original Doctor Strange can be found together in the Defenders affiliation pack, which does come with solid splash pieces in Luke Cage and Iron Fist. However, Voodoo is the soul Convocation member in the Midnight Sons affiliation pack, and Magik is with other X-Men in the Xavier’s Students 4-pack.
They’re all worth pucking up, and all see play in Convocation. To pick an order of priority, consider this:
- Voodoo is probably the most essential, as his extract steal fills a role not filled by anyone else in the affiliation.
- Next, grab Strange and Wong for an affiliated 2 threat, a nice tech-pick 5 threat, and two playable splashes.
- Magik is wonderful, but she’s the hardest to justify in terms of cost. Grab her if you can, but if not, consider running some strong splash 3s along with Mordo or Clea.
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