A great chat with Clay Wood, creator of HCUnits!

I recently had the privilege of asking Clay Wood of HCUnits some direct questions about what is now many of our favorite heroclix site. Here is our discussion:

First, I just want to say something you may have heard from others already, thank you for what you've done for the clix community. I think your work deserves a lot of love and I can say I enjoy the team building features way too much. So, thank you for your time in talking with me today. I guess the best place to start is the beginning. What gave you the idea to build HCUnits?

View of HCUnits page

I had been a long-time user of HCRealms, but was frustrated that they never allowed me to save my teams, despite having asked for and donated money to the site for years.  I was keeping track of all my team ideas in Google Sheets, but it was very tedious.

Eventually, I decided I should just build my own alternative that allowed me to build and share teams.  It took a few months to get the basics of the site up and running, but then once people started using it and giving me their fantastic ideas, it snowballed into so many other things, such as Tournament reports, the Event system and all of the other stuff that’s there today!

How long did it take to get all that information compiled?

The initial data for the site came from HCRealms, as they definitely were the best source at the time.  However, it’s been a huge amount of work beyond that, as I have been hand encoding all the data since around Batman Team-Up, but I’ve also added a considerable number of annotations to the data.  It’s those annotations that provide the true power of the site, including the Advanced Search and the Team Builder features that are so popular!

Just one feature example!

Do you have helpers?

Sure do!  There are a handful of people who have made huge contributions to providing art and image assets for the site and are recognized here: https://hcunits.net/help/. I especially want to recognize Cory as he continues to be the force behind all the great unit artwork on the site!

There have also been a handful of folks, including Brad Broyles, Lucas Van Holland, and Mcconnell Lamarre who provided a tremendous amount of help in terms of testing and feedback.  Especially in the early days, their suggestions were critical in transforming the site into what you see today.

It should go without saying that we owe a lot to the folks who worked on HCRealms, adding units and paving the way. Unfortunately, I don’t know their names, but if you are reading, know that your work is greatly appreciated!

Lastly, I want to thank WizKids!  We began partnering together in early 2025 and they have been amazingly supportive of the site!  They also make a great game!

That is awesome. How long have you played and collected clix?

I started playing and collecting in early 2011 with the release of Giant Size X-Men and I’ve been hooked ever since!

Do you play pretty often? Local meetups, tournies?

I play less often than I’d like, unfortunately.  I try to make it out for every Sealed event I can get to as well as the bigger competitive events, like ROC regionals and ChampionClix Opens.  I also have been trying to make it to as many of the big events throughout the year, such as ChampionClix, HeroClix for Huntingtons, Origins, and Worlds, not only so I can play, but also so I am available in case they need technical assistance.

What is your favorite format?

It is Sealed, without a doubt!  I love that it’s a format which really allows you to play almost everything you pull!  Otherwise, a lot of the stuff we pull just goes into the box without ever hitting the table, and that’s such a shame!

Can you tell me your top 3 fave clix?

Such a tough question!

• #1 has to be gx053 Magneto!  Seeing that sculpt was what got me instantly hooked on HeroClix!

• #2 is tmnt3028 Space Leo!  I’ve played him so much in Silver, I’m sure my friends cringe whenever they see him on the table!

• #3 is msdp050 The Scarlet Witch.  She’s very technically challenging to play, but so very incredibly powerful!

Do you find bandwidth or storage much of an issue?

For the first few years of the site, it was all hosted on a single machine.  However, we definitely hit the limits at 2025 Worlds!  We managed to get by without any major issues, but I spent most of the last third of 2025 overhauling the infrastructure of the site to make sure we can scale more easily at the big events!  There have definitely been some bugs that I’m sure people have experienced during this transition, but things have settled down and things are running quite smoothly now!

Are there any special plans for the future of the site?

The main things I’ve been focused on for the year have been making it easier to add more formats.  We’ve had a ton of people ask to be able to create their own custom formats for leagues or even just weekly events and the goal is to have that rolled out fairly soon!

Finally, is there anything you'd really like readers to know that maybe they don't yet?

The site thrives due to the great feedback of the users!  If you ever run into an issue, please let me know!  There’s also a Unit Feedback button above each unit card that allows you to quickly report a problem, such as a typo or bug.  Please use it!!

Absolutely awesome! I know that currently there has to be thousands of teams built on site and I know I've made my fair share. HC Units will continue to get nods right here and thank you again for your time and all you do! Next time I'm digging into an uphill battle of playing vampires! Keep clixin!