Massively^™

Over on TVG, evil genius Doctor Brainstorm has unveiled the powersets being redistributed among Heroes and Villains in Issue 12, and there are some surprises. It's clear the Devs have gone for powers that make sense conceptually, rather than supplying what some might think of as more attractive choices.

Obviously, any increase in variety is a good thing for the game. More available powers means more concepts can be brought to life. Even if it means a loss of exclusivity for the blue or red side, it's a net gain for the players as a whole.

From the PvP angle, however, it's a different story. There have been long-standing complaints that villains aren't given the benefits heroes are. Chief among these, perhaps, is the contrast between the hero Ancillary Pools and the villain Patron Pools; the former is what allows the heroes to combine Power Build Up with mezzes and debuffs among other things, while the latter are a rather bland and tragically unchangeable collection featuring no really outstanding powers, with the possible exception of Soul Storm.