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Iceman

Playstyle: Defensive · Complexity: 4/6 · Marvel X-Men

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Who is this character?

A frost controller: stack Ice Shards, freeze enemy dice and fire two abilities per roll with Glide.

How to play Iceman

If after roll 1 5× Frost for Ice Storm! are reachable. Keep 5× Frost and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Ice Storm! (5 dice). If fewer than 5 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Cold Treat. Ice Storm! deals a documented 13 damage and applies Dice Cube/Ice Shard/Dice Cube, so the 5 committed dice stay on the table.

If after roll 1 2× Ice + 3× Slide for Cold Treat are reachable. Keep 2× Ice + 3× Slide and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Cold Treat (5 dice). If fewer than 5 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Ice Storm!. Cold Treat deals a documented 7 damage and applies Ice Shard, so the 5 committed dice stay on the table.

Ice Storm! banks 5 shards into The Freezer: pull them back next turn with a Frostbite four-of-a-kind and Everybody Chill goes double-digit.

Firing Everybody Chill while the shards still sit in The Freezer – only board shards count.

Burning Glide on a Frostbite→Everybody Chill with 0 shards.

Strengths

  • Rime counters hard: ~2 pure prevention from slides + ~2.5 counter damage per attack
  • Dice Cube locks the opponent's lowest die – combos break
  • Glide Paths: one roll, two abilities (Frostbite→Everybody Chill, Hail the King→Thawsome)
  • Everybody Chill: +1 per held Ice Shard – scales past 10

Weaknesses

  • Needs shard buildup to exceed 7 damage
  • Rime only prevents via slides: 0 prevention in about 29.6% of defense rolls
  • Managing The Freezer (board vs. storage) takes attention

Key attacks

  • Frostbite
    Standard route

    Reliable damage route for turns without special setup.

    Take it as soon as 3× 🧊 Ice is mostly on the table after roll 1 (98% across all three rolls): safe damage beats rerolling working dice for a harder route.

    3× 🧊 Ice · 5 damage

  • Ice to Meet You
    Control

    Control route: damage plus an effect against the opponent's next turn.

    Worth it when the opponent is hunting their strong route next turn (54% across all three rolls): the effect beats a few extra damage points there.

    4× 🌀 Slide · about 2.5 damage · dice-cube

  • Everybody Chill
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of 1× 🧊 Ice + 3× ❄ Frost is missing after roll 1 (24% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    1× 🧊 Ice + 3× ❄ Frost · 5 damage

  • Cold Treat
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of 2× 🧊 Ice + 3× 🌀 Slide is missing after roll 1 (49% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    2× 🧊 Ice + 3× 🌀 Slide · 7 damage

  • Thawsome
    Control

    Control route: damage plus an effect against the opponent's next turn.

    Worth it when the opponent is hunting their strong route next turn (59% across all three rolls): the effect beats a few extra damage points there.

    Small straight (4 in a row) · 6 damage · dice-cube

  • Hail the King
    Control

    Control route: damage plus an effect against the opponent's next turn.

    Worth it when the opponent is hunting their strong route next turn (10% across all three rolls): the effect beats a few extra damage points there.

    4× ❄ Frost · 5 damage · dice-cube, All opponents

  • Hoarfrost
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of Large straight (5 in a row) is missing after roll 1 (25% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    Large straight (5 in a row) · 8 damage

  • Ice Storm!
    Finisher

    Ultimate: the board's highest damage value with the hardest requirement.

    Do not force 5× ❄ Frost (1% across all three rolls): only when the requirement is reachable after roll 1 is giving up the safe route worth it.

    5× ❄ Frost · 13 damage · dice-cube

Key statuses & resources

  • Ice Shards: Max 5 on the board (+ storage in The Freezer): Everybody Chill adds +1 per held shard; 5 at once buy 1 Glide. Almost every ability banks 1–3 (some into The Freezer); a Frostbite four-of-a-kind and Hoarfrost pull storage back. Only board shards count for damage: pull Freezer stock back BEFORE the big Everybody Chill turn.
  • Glide: Max 1: spend after the enemy defense and fire the Glide-Path-linked second ability on the same target for FREE. Ice to Meet You (frost on the follow-up roll), redeeming 5 shards. Hail the King → Thawsome is the dream chain: 5 undefendable + 2 collateral + 6 + 2× Dice Cube from ONE roll.
  • Ice Shards: Almost every ability banks 1–3 (some into The Freezer); a Frostbite four-of-a-kind and Hoarfrost pull storage back.
  • Ice Shards: Only board shards count for damage: pull Freezer stock back BEFORE the big Everybody Chill turn.
  • Glide: Ice to Meet You (frost on the follow-up roll), redeeming 5 shards.
  • Glide: Hail the King → Thawsome is the dream chain: 5 undefendable + 2 collateral + 6 + 2× Dice Cube from ONE roll.

Abilities & board

Health: 50 · Starting CP: 2

Dice symbols

🧊 Ice · 3/6 (faces 1, 2, 3)🌀 Slide · 2/6 (faces 4, 5)❄ Frost · 1/6 (faces 6)

Level I abilities

  • Frostbite
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    3× 🧊 Ice
    Damage/healing:
    5 damage
  • Ice to Meet You
    Undefendable
    Dice requirement:
    4× 🌀 Slide
    Damage/healing:
    about 2.5 damage
    Key effects:
    dice-cube
  • Everybody Chill
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    1× 🧊 Ice + 3× ❄ Frost
    Damage/healing:
    5 damage
  • Cold Treat
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    2× 🧊 Ice + 3× 🌀 Slide
    Damage/healing:
    7 damage
  • Thawsome
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    Small straight (4 in a row)
    Damage/healing:
    6 damage
    Key effects:
    dice-cube
  • Hail the King
    Collateral
    Area
    Dice requirement:
    4× ❄ Frost
    Damage/healing:
    5 damage
    Key effects:
    dice-cube, All opponents
  • Hoarfrost
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    Large straight (5 in a row)
    Damage/healing:
    8 damage

Ultimate

  • Ice Storm!
    Ultimate
    Dice requirement:
    5× ❄ Frost
    Damage/healing:
    13 damage
    Key effects:
    dice-cube

Defense

Rime The defense roll is made whenever you are attacked. On average it prevents about 2 damage. The prevention depends on the roll. Rime: 3 dice – prevent 2 per slide (~2), counter 1 per ice (~1.5), counter 2 per frost; a pair banks a shard. One of the best defenses in the game.

Special mechanics

  • Dice Cube as a die lock
    Token mechanic
    At most 2 stacks on a player. At the start of their offensive roll one die per stack is frozen, starting with the lowest; the stack is spent afterwards. · Maximum: 2
  • Ice Shards on the board
    Token mechanic
    Board limit 5. Each board shard gives Everybody Chill +1 damage, 5 shards alternatively buy 1 Glide. · Maximum: 5
  • The Freezer as storage
    Board mechanic
    A separate storage next to the board. Ice Shards there do not increase Everybody Chill. Ice Storm! puts 5 shards in; a Frostbite four-of-a-kind and Hoarfrost bring them back onto the board while there is room.
  • Glide Paths as a chained turn
    Token mechanic
    At most 1 Glide. Spend it after the opposing defense roll: Frostbite chains into Everybody Chill, Hail the King into Thawsome - both free and on the same target. · Maximum: 1
  • Rime: prevention and counter separated
    Mechanic
    3 defense dice: only slides prevent damage (2 per slide, about 2 on average), ice deals 1 counter damage per symbol (about 1.5 on average), frost 2 per symbol (about 1 on average), a pair banks 1 Ice Shard. Counter and shard are explicitly not prevention.

Resources

  • Ice ShardsMax 5 on the board (+ storage in The Freezer): Everybody Chill adds +1 per held shard; 5 at once buy 1 Glide. · Almost every ability banks 1–3 (some into The Freezer); a Frostbite four-of-a-kind and Hoarfrost pull storage back. · Only board shards count for damage: pull Freezer stock back BEFORE the big Everybody Chill turn.
  • GlideMax 1: spend after the enemy defense and fire the Glide-Path-linked second ability on the same target for FREE. · Ice to Meet You (frost on the follow-up roll), redeeming 5 shards. · Hail the King → Thawsome is the dream chain: 5 undefendable + 2 collateral + 6 + 2× Dice Cube from ONE roll.

Upgrades & cards

What changes?

  • Frostbite
    Level II
    • Damage: 6 damage instead of 5 damage
    • Dice requirement: 4× 🧊 Ice instead of 3× 🧊 Ice
  • Frostbite
    Level III
    • Damage: 7 damage instead of 5 damage
    • Dice requirement: 5× 🧊 Ice instead of 3× 🧊 Ice

Hero-specific cards

Not sufficiently verified

Works well with

  • Seraph

    Seraph adds the healing that Iceman lacks.

  • Wolverine

    Wolverine adds the healing that Iceman lacks.

  • Gambit

    Gambit adds the healing that Iceman lacks.

Good matchups

  • Loki

    Iceman keeps Loki tied up with Dice Cube, many of Loki's effects get cancelled that way.

  • Gunslinger

    Iceman keeps Gunslinger tied up with Dice Cube, and Gunslinger already needs tight rolls.

  • Psylocke

    Iceman keeps Psylocke tied up with Dice Cube, and Psylocke already needs tight rolls.

Tough matchups

  • Druid

    Druid pushes damage through that Iceman barely stops with Rime.

  • Huntress

    Huntress keeps Iceman tied up with Bleed, and Iceman already needs tight rolls.

  • Storm

    Storm pushes damage through that Iceman barely stops with Rime.

Buy now

Marvel X-Men Dice Throne Box 1 – Wolverine, Iceman, Psylocke, Storm

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