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Yvarre

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Everything posted by Yvarre

  1. I've been really enjoying playing Foundry into pools with Load 'em Up because you can score the first point just from moving your models, and it's easy to find a place to deposit three scraps to have Mei go to at the end of the game. Their Mobility and durability make them decent choices for all of the strats, and they can nail sabotage and breakthrough pretty easily too. I've been playing some Ancestors recently too, and they're just a generally good quality crew. They're nice into Cursed Objects and Covert especially, but mobility and obeys make them pretty good at Carve a path and Guard the stash as well. Yan Lo 2 can especially handle just about any pool you throw at him, but Yan 1 is also viable because he has movement shenanigans too and can bring models back to eek out attrition battles. I've seen folks having some great success with Youko 2, but I still don't have Qi and Gong myself. I still have yet to play Honeypot into GG3, but their action economy doesn't feel as good as some of the other crews. They can make up for it by removing models with their better card quality and hand manipulation from Rig, but I hesitate to bring my favorite keyword into GG3 for some reason. Lynch 2 at least can support with OoA movement and has the extra AP for Hugs, but Lynch 1 in isolation is probably one of the weakest masters in the game. He can't hand out brilliance as efficiently as, say, Hamelin can hand out blight, and Lynch has a damage cap as opposed to the Unrestricted blight damage on both Hamelin and the Wretch. In 40+ games with Honeypot, I've summoned an illuminated twice, as compared to, say, the Brockens I've seen Ivan get out just about every game. All through GG1 and 2 I still had some great success with Honeypot, but these more modern crews with better action economies are making me go in different directions within Thunders than playing my old standby.
  2. Does Jacob Lynch benefit from his own heal on the inner glow trigger? It states that all friendly models within range heal 1 and gain a brilliance (none for Lynch). However, the range is being determined, I think, from a pulse which ignores the model generating the pulse. Therefor, I don't think Lynch can heal himself. I think I may have been misplaying this; so I am asking to clarify before Adepticon...
  3. One key swing factor in matchups of Lynch versus either Criid or Perdita is the density of the terrain. If there are enough staggered places to hide completely out of LoS (as Criid gets + against high WP to negate cover and Perdita often brings the upgrade to ignore cover) Lynch's crew has a much better shot of surviving, and Lynch himself has a better chance to do what he does best, skulk in the shadows like a coward waiting to unleash holy hell on targets of opportunity. The Guild's Badge of Office upgrade can put a serious kink in this plan for him of offing masters, as it can nullify his highest damage attack, Final Debt, allowing the master to survive and retaliate. Lynch dies easily. If he can get his summoning engine rolling, throwing Depleted models in the way can also take the brunt off of ranged crews, though it requires him to get fairly close to kill things. So, my advice would be: try not to have too many wide open kill zones on your board by really evenly spacing the full 1/3 of terrain pieces, and, if you want to be really sporting, leave the Badge at home. For Lynch, The Rising Sun can be great in these matchups, as the Hungering Darkness falls really easily to both Sonnia and Perdita; though Cheating Bastard can really help with his Brilliance output, giving him extra damage potential, and always cheating last is really strong. I avoid taking Endless Darkness against the Guild specifically because of Sonnia and Perdita, and I try to kill Francisco quickly (he is found in many competitive Guild lists).
  4. Thinking about it all some more, I'm pretty excited for some new sculpts. Malifaux is my first and only minis game, and I was learning to paint on some of my favorite masters' boxes. Also, many of my models were painted in huge waves in preparation for events such as Captaincon, The Nova Open, and Bragging Rights (131, baby). Naturally, while functional on the table, I'm not winning any painting contests. In fact, even though I kept us in the win column for games, my team took 3rd at Bragging Rights 2016 by only 3/4 of a point below 2nd because of some of my rushed models not looking so hot and getting me the bare minimum for painting score. Like my second strongest 2E master, McCabe, I want redemption. Enter the opportunity to start again on new sculpts! I also have a sneaking suspicion that we are going to get the McCabe, Lynch, and Yan Lo sculpts from Broken Promises, and I find Lynch and Yan Lo's new art to be more dynamic than the old sculpts and the new McCabe art is super fun and fits his character a bit more for what I want that the Indiana Jones version, though I got a really nice effect of being a little bloodied and scuffed up from falling off of his horse. So now, after painting over 100 models, I feel like I might just start being able to do this wonderful art some justice, and I really want a nicer looking Lynch. As my resources of money and time are also tight at the moment, I still have an entirely functional collection to play the game with, and I can take my time painting any new models that strike my fancy. Whereas before most of my efforts of building and painting were geared towards having crews ready for competitive play; now I can take my time and focus on the hobby aspect of the game. That's cool.
  5. Can McCabe still hire his doggies!? They like him better than the stupid, stuffy Guild anyways. I've had a dream of starting to dip into Neverborn cause I love Lynch so much; I guess that's one of the things that drew me into the Thunders in the first place- having a toe in to all the other factions already, so branching out was an open option. It turns out that I haven't really ended up having the extra time or money; so maybe it's a small mercy that that's being scaled back some as one of the defining aspects of the Thunders. I do really appreciate doubling down on thematic crews, though- having to sacrifice for faction allstars outside of a crew's theme makes sense. I was getting kind of annoyed with seeing the same faction auto-includes in every crew. Why is Francisco away from Latigo again? Why is he helping this cooky reporter who just wrote a really scathing story about him? I'm apprehensive about change, but I trust the design experience of Wyrd as well as Wyrd's continued respect for its community.
  6. Ototo's main function is to tarpit like a champ and hit back super hard. I hire him in pools where I want to tie up lots of models in a certain area. If my opponent wastes the resources trying to take Ototo out and fails, which frequently happens, he can hit back at Ml 8 with a built in crit. At half wounds with a recalled training popped, a flurry from Ototo can often kill almost anything, and then he can heal himself back up. He is much less effective if my opponent ignores him, but I try to make that difficult. I also don't generally take him when I think I might be going up against a crew that attacks willpower alot, like Pandora, who can easily nullify Ototo. I am buying his new sculpt because I feel it is more flavorful in regards to his playstyle, and I look forward to pounding many more masters into the ground with a model that people often underestimate. As a devout Lynch player, I'm keeping Tannen and Graves in their human forms so they can stay in their rightful place on the floor of The Honeypot.
  7. Strat: Supply Wagons Schemes: Setup, Inescapable trap, Undercover Entourage, Guarded Treasure, Take One for the Team Round 1: Asami (Inescapable trap, UE: Yamaziko) vs. Pandora (Guarded Treasure, Take One for the Team: Baby Kade "I've got this," Yamaziko called to Asami as she eyed the Monk of Low River and Ten Thunders Brother with the barest hint of approval in her eyes, "These strapping young men surely won't let an old woman do all of the work. heh." With that, she set off to push the wagon, eyeing Coppelius, Lilitu, and Baby Kade in the distance, and brandishing her glaive. Asami set off to hunt down Pandora and the Mysterious Effigy and Emissary as well as a Doppelganger with Yasunori and her own Emissary in reserve. The words the old woman had said to her were ringing in her ears, "Cool, calm, collected- we move as lightning; we strike from the shadows like a thunderclap." "Push that cart, ya dumb tree; I wanna play with that girl with the bad hair!" Pandora squealed eyeing up this new human whose brain would be so fun to pick apart; "like a gramlin eatin' froglegs," she muttered to herself, as she let the energies from the box begin to wrap around her, reaching out into Asami's mind and the mind of the monk lagging behind Yamaziko. "Fun, Fun, FFFFUUUUUNNNNN, but what's a T-bird anyways?" That was when Pandora heard the whisper of soft scratching of strange pointed feet skittering towards her at unholy speed, as a large Spider Demon brought an equally ginormous Glaive slashing down across her face, and was that... blood? "NO! That is not how you play with me!" she screamed, reflexively crushing soulstones and floating away on the box's aetheric currents as the cretin took another swing. A green monkey demon wearing some kind of crude armor brought 2 sickles down at her, and she gasped reeling backwards. Then a man in a Kabuki mask wielding two katanas atop a beast that looked half dragon and half horse bore down on her in a flurry of swinging swords, and she floated away. "I don't think I can take much more of this," Pandora thought as she tugged on the aetheric thread she had on Asami and noticed that the demons were actually spewing out of the girl's head and coming towards her, two spiders boxing her in. She stumbled, and the man with the Kabuki mask was there, she reached into the soulstone pouch Zoraida had given her. "Oh crap," she thought, and things became a frantic blur as pain siezed her body and she noticed her left arm wasn't quite working right, and her dress was most decidely not green anymore; it was- red. Yamaziko heard Pandora's final wail from over the abandoned house she was pushing the cart past. "The girl has promise," she thought to herself, "Young Misaki did well in finding that one. Ha, even the oni must serve the thunder," so distracted in her thoughts, she did not see the first pass of the bladed whip as it began to curve around her neck, but in one fluid motion, she dropped straight down, crushing a soulstone to fortify the skin on her face from getting cut, and, slipping below the whip as it snaked in space where it might otherwise have cut her head off, she thrust her Glaive right through Litlitu's chest. Somewhere in the bushes there was screaming as Baby Kade savaged the monk, and in the distance the sound of steel hacking into wood. "Stall Coppelius," Yamaziko ordered the Brother, motioning to the far corner of the building. She lit the charges in the wagon and ran. Score: Asami 7 (4 Strat, 3 UE) Pandora 4 (3 Strat, 1 Guarded Treasure) Round 2: Lynch (Setup: Howard Langston, UE:Yamaziko) vs. Marcus (Take One for the Team: Hoarcat Pride 1, UE:Marcus) C'mon, you lot, get that cart movin'. We got a deadline to keep with that Brillianced shine," Lynch drawled, not quite looking Yamaziko in the eyes; the woman unnerved him somehow. "I'll take the girl who spits demons out of her head over this guy any day," Yamaziko muttered to her comrades, a Monk of Low River and a Ten Thunders Brother, breaking her usual composure to give a nasty glare at the Beckoner standing nearby in the woods. Suddenly, Hoarcat Prides burst out of the surrounding ruins as a feral roar emanated from behind a cart that was barreling towards the cart of brillianced liquor. "The hell," Lynch muttered as a heavily muscled man with very dark skin and a large shillelagh appeared from behind the cart with an equally massive three-headed sabertooth tiger. "Marcus, what are you doing here!? "You will take your abominable taint from my lands this instant or face my wrath!" Marcus roared. "Suit y'self," Lynch said. "Gun 'em down." With that a burst of fire spat from an oversized gattling gun atop the shoulders of a man dressed in full samurai regalia. Through all the bullets, however, Marcus kept his resolve, seeming to amp up more and more with each shot, many swinging wide and hitting a hoarcat pride." Then Lynch's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he felt Sensei Yu push him forward towards the carts and the Hungering Darkness burst forth, willing the sabertooth to take a swing on Marcus. "Huh, can't control your own pets, beastmaster?" Lynch said, watching Miranda sneak up to the mess of carts through the Hungering Darkness's sight. "Oh, no you don't touch my merchandise, Honey." Lynch said to himself, reaching into Miranda's soul with his darkness while simultaneously lining up shots on a hoarcat pride with his Derringers, felling the beasts. Then three aces shot from his sleeves, disappearing through the cart and puncturing through Miranda's lungs. "Dang, missed the heart," Lynch spat right as Miranda's dying body shifted into a second Sabertooth Cerberus. As Lynch and company made short work of the second Cerberus, a giant man on mechanical spider legs burst forth, cutting the Hungering Darkness, who Marcus quickly finished off, then Yamaziko and the Ten Thunders Brother in half. "That's gonna cost you, Professor," Lynch said to Marcus, as he gathered the darkness back in and let it spill into Howard Langston. "Millie, finish this one off, Lynch called to the Beckoner, as he started to stroll in the direction Marcus was running. "I am going to have some words with the professor over there." With Sensei Yu's help, Lynch caught up to Marcus, cornering him behind a rundown, abandoned shack. "I'll have you know," Lynch began, "that-" "You will not corrupt this land," Marcus interrupted, growling through clenched teeth as blood loss began to cloud his vision. "On Contrare," Lynch retorted. "You've no say in this matter. Now, as I was trying to say, you just killed the new Oyabun's master. She ain't gonna like that. In fact, she might get very cross with me. Now I'm tellin' you this cause I'm gonna bring your head to try and appease her, and you ain't gonna tell another soul." And with that, darkness swallowed Marcus. Lynch 6 (4 Strat, 2 Setup) Marcus 5(3 Strat, 2 Take One for the Team)
  8. I'm gonna try to get coverage at work and make it to this. I need some serious practice before Nova. We just had a Rapid Grow League, which was fun, but does not often encourage strategic play choices, and I want to see some of the newer stuff in action I haven't faced yet. Y'all got some strateegery for me?
  9. If focusing on Lynch, I'd recommend also picking up some Depleted, who work as great place holding tarpits for him. Beckoners can also be useful in making things come to Lynch for easier and safer kills, though only in very select strat and scheme mixups. I also find myself rarely playing Lynch without Sensei Yu because fast on either Lynch or the Hungering Darkness easily = death. One last consideration is the favor of Jigoku Samurai for fishing for aces for Lynch's Final Debt attack and Wanna See a Trick. It's annoying, but I've easily gone through most of or the entire deck with one samurai, picking up 4 aces and then obliterating with Lynch. After one activation of the samurai doing that, people also tend to try to overextend to kill it, making for more easy pickings for Lynch. I've killed McMourning and other masters. at the top of turn 2 before because they came gunning for my samurai only to meet Lynch with a full hand.
  10. I love this bad ass new Ototo! Ototo is my favorite murder tarpit as well as one of my favorite models, and this alt art Ototo is just amazing! I'm also super pumped for new master upgrades. Yan Lo is gonna get a super awesome beast mode! I wonder also about emissary upgrades for our new masters. Asami needs cards... num num num I'm also curious about the legality of the new master upgrades, especially for Nova Open. And what new murder toys will my main man Lynch get!?
  11. I would like to see, at some point, enforcers that are based on the three storms from Big Trouble in Little China, Yan Lo being Lo Pan and all... It would also be really cool to have dudes on motorcycles with guandaos, the Chinese cavalry spears. Tanukis were on my wishlist, and it looks like they are coming! It'd also be really cool to have a shaolin shapeshifter. The trope of a magic sword that grants its user psuedo-flight-like abilities ala Crounching Tiger Hidden Dragon is cool. I also wonder about incorporating more southern Asian myth into the TT. I think that the bulk of the inspiration comes from Japan, Korea, and China, and it also seems that the Arcanists are delving into India with Sandeep and co. That still leaves Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Viet Nam, the Phillipines, and Indonesia as other cultures that could cross pollinate a bit more into the Thunders. Then there is also Siberia that can give us some icy cool stuff too. The fiendish Guild won't stop their cultural genocide, and no doubt our neighbors are feeling the heat.
  12. Misaki's crew box would definitely be a good investment. That plus to the sabre attacks for Torakage can be clutch, and Ototo... Ototo can tarpit and lay down some hurt like a champ. I've taken more models down from full wounds to dead with Ototo than any other model in the game, and I can't stress enough how powerful a piece he can be. Then there is also Dark Debts, my personal favorite crew box with Jakob Lynch. Lynch's box has Illuminated, arguably stone for stone one of the best minions in the game, and Lynch himself is a bit more adept at some of the killier strategies than McCabe. I feel, though, that I do need to make the argument that one of our biggest themes as a faction is that we have agents embedded in influential positions in each other faction. As such, they are able to "infiltrate" the resources of those factions into our hiring pools. McCabe's totem is specifically designed to make Guild Hounds some of the most absurdly good scheme runners in the game, and they are especially great for activation control and dominating at Strategies like Stake a Claim and Squatter's Rights. While not hire-able in any other TT Master's crew, Guild Hounds are completely in theme with McCabe himself, as he has the best control of them out of anyone else in Malifaux due to his bond with Luna, and the faction's tactics as a whole. As an agent of the Ten Thunders, McCabe will use the most effective resources he can to get the job done, less he displease the Oyuban, and if some of the Guild's resources die in this process, especially their rapidly dwindling supply of hunting dogs, well that's two birds with one stone.
  13. My preferences have changed slightly since the last time we had a similar topic. My new crew is as follows: Ototo (leader) with 1ss Recalled Training and 1ss Servant of 5 Dragons Kang (9ss) with 1ss Recalled Training and 0ss The Peaceful Waters Tengu (4ss) Monk of Low River (4ss) Kang's aura helps Ototo not just lose to horror duels, and Servant giving him WP 5 makes him a little better too. The Monk can handle conditions and hand out some healing, which is great on two HtK models. The Tengu can also give a little support with Regen, fly somewhere to hide and hold a point, or occasionally finish off models. The main caution is not to over-commit Ototo. He wants to take a beating to maximize his hurt potential, but too much focus fire will drop him.
  14. Ototo is in Misaki's box too. He's my go to Henchman Hardcore leader and one of my personal favorites in close deployment and headhunter or Collect the Bounty. He's an extremely durable tarpit that makes things dead if the opponent puts a little hurt on him. Torakage on pure stat lines alone, besides their Ml 5 and min damage of 1, are still pretty good. Having all sixes means they'll have a defensive edge on most other scheme runners, and walk 6 makes them comparably pretty fast. I think they're exceptionally good for shifting loyalties campaigns, especially in the first couple weeks, because they can just nonchalantly score points and hunt down scheme runners with + flips to attack while the harder hitters cull the opponent's crew. Izamu is one that I typically only take with a reliquary Yan Lo, favoring Ototo, Kang, or the Emissary (popularly voted neck in neck with Carrion as the best emissary) a bit more. I don't have the model yet, but Yasunori is definitely absurd; I can just picture a rite of strength into recalled training not ending well for anything within 22 inches. The Emissary is actually the only wave 3/4 model I have table ready, and I do alright at most competitive events, usually top 3 in local tournaments and in the top 1/4 of the pack at half of my bigger events (well, everything but Nova and the TFL league last year); so I would recommend picking up an emissary. I've heard good things about Lust and have definitely made it a point to take her out quickly when I see her, and the whole Crossroads 7 concept is just really cool. Asami and Wandering River Monks are my next two buys, but Asami requires some other onis like Jorogumo, which I have already but haven't assembled. Depending on what direction you're going, there are still some older staples that I'd recommend. Illuminated are still some of the best minions in the game, and Jakob Lynch posts some great competitive results worldwide, making the Dark Debts box a great buy. Then there's also the ubiquitous Temple of the Dawn with Shen Long, regarded as possibly our best competitive master, and more importantly his sidekick Sensei Yu. While High River Monks just suck, Shen Long is one of the most versatile masters in the game, and Sensei Yu is a great support piece especially for Misaki, copying her stalk as a (0) then pushing her 10" and giving her fast. Silliness ensues... well, corpses.
  15. Yea, Frame for Murder can be a tough one. If you throw something that they absolutely have to take down in their face or lose chunks of their crew, like a Vik of Blood or the much less imposing Izamu, then many opponents will be forced to bite, but I avoid it most of the time because it relies on your opponent spending AP, the only control you really have over it being model positioning and a good poker face. You took the crews as listed? What round 2 schemes did you end up picking?
  16. I'll give some general thoughts/feedback/questions on the lists and your ideas of how to score schemes and strats with some questions I have, and I'll tell you what I would do against your lists in these pools. Round 1- This list is definitely telegraphing Last Stand hard, but I'm curious what other schemes you're considering because I don't see an easy way to score any of the others while also killing models and picking up heads. Mark for Death is too AP intensive for such an elite crew as is Claim Jump here, as well as being easy for larger crews to deny. That pretty much leaves Frame for Murder, for which you'll have to engineer a situation where you're going down to 4 elite models, and Accusation, for which you'll need multiple models within 1" of your opponent's and/or good initiative flips. Five models is pretty low, and it will be easy for your opponent to force you into disadvantageous activations with a higher model count. Movement tricks are great for Headhunter, and even without Wandering River, Sensei Yu excels at pushing models around, getting a focus, walking 7 inches, and using said focus to pick up a head- position accordingly. The Emissary's push and fast can help, and Mei Herself can be pretty mobile too. With such an elite crew, your opponent is probably going to end up focusing on single target elimination, and they're going to play around Sensei Yu's heals, making sure to take down those Hard to Kill models or Yu himself. With Kang's taunt up, that will make him a likely choice for anything around him to attack, which may or may not do anything for Frame for Murder as your opponent may likely use enforcers, minions, or conditions to deal the final blows. Ototo functions best after taking 6 wounds, so a savvy opponent is likely to just tie him up through other means targeting his low willpower; this may be rough in such a small crew without any condition removal. So my main questions are: Least drastically, what is the People's Challenge accomplishing here? With 3 Hench's making a last stand, would you consider just 2 extra soulstones? Why Mei? How are you picking up heads and denying a possibly larger crew from doing so? How do you plan on scoring a second scheme? Is it possible to go to a six model crew (possibly cutting Kang or Ototo for something like Emberling and a smaller Hench or enforcer like Chiaki or Yamaziko or keeping the rest of the crew and taking Lynch/Huggy) and still score Last Stand? The last I realize certainly can make Last Stand a little less likely, especially if you are killing things and making heads, but having 2 incorporeal scheme runners to grab the heads and/or bluff/accomplish Claim Jump could provide some activation cushioning and diversion tactics, and Lynch/Huggy are our go to when things need to die (yea, I don't score on Last Stand). If you were playing this list against me, I'd probably try to take out whatever advanced the most (likely Kang or Ototo so vent some steam) or is on the weakest flank (e.g. no steam) on the first turn with some pushes and fast to Huggy with a popped Recalled Training or Lynch, giving up the possible 3 points for Frame for Murder. Then I'd take out whatever was closest to threatening me turn 2 to clinch activation control and deny Last Stand and the Strat, also taking out Sensei Yu as quickly as possible. Likely, I'd go for Claim Jump turns 3-5 and Mark for Death, as it's easier to accomplish with activation control. Also, this scheme pool is rough. Round 2- Stake a Claim is definitely a strat for scheme runners, and also remember that sacrificing models, like a peasant, doesn't generate corpse markers for Toshiro to summon off of; they would need to be killed which is maybe a bit too AP intensive for making Ashigaru as fodder for a Hunting Party. I'd cut Toshiro, who shines with more minions, for 2 decently mobile models- say Chiaki (helping a little to deny Hunting Party as an enforcer scheme runner who gives the option of Leave Your Mark in weird places and condition removal) and a Monk of Low River (who has other synergies with Shen Long and his pet dragon and condition removal). Your Sniper is probably going to get the most value deployed somewhere where it can Stake a Claim turn 2, running as appropriate turn 1 if anything comes after it. I'd also suggest starting Shen Long with Wandering River Style to get a rapid edge on those claims and possible schemes; It's not unrealistic here to get a couple scheme markers in place for Search the Ruins or Claim Jump on turn 1. You can always cycle into Low River Style later in the game once models start taking damage, but it doesn't do a whole lot on turn 1. All in all, this crew seems pretty flexible and can do anything except Hunting Party. What is Toshiro trying to do? Why Low River Style to start? Who is going to be staking claims, and how early and often do you think this can happen? What schemes are you going to try for, how much AP will they take, and who is going to spend it? This is one I would take McCabe for, and I'd likely have a Claim Marker and 2 Scheme Markers for Claim Jump down at the end of turn 1 with hounds in place and hidden from any earnest sniper shots to drop 2 additional Claim markers at the top of turn 2. I'd also take Leave Your Mark and have my doggies see to that while the rest of the crew tied up your advance, protecting the doggies if you decide not to ignore them (as they'll be scoring all the points). I'd likely try to engage and eliminate the sniper as early as possible to free up my crew's movement, and I'd probably also send something after Sensei Yu or Shen Long with a Glowing Saber, to try to nullify the crew's mobility quickly. Round 3- Squatter's Rights also typically wants a higher model count and scheme runners. I'm curious why Mei in this pool? She has absolutely no support for her Rail Walk in the crew, and she doesn't seem to add a whole lot to the rest of the crew in this case. I'd suggest taking Shen Long over Mei for Squatter's Rights, especially in corner deployment. The rest is a little trickier, depending on what schemes you pick, but it looks like you have an inkling towards Show of Force from your other crew, though this can be hard because the whole centerline is the main conflict zone, and the 6" bubble at the center leaves the flanks free for opposing scheme runners. A sniper is great in corner deployment because you can pick a Squat marker to just park on, which is something like a hair over 2 AP to get to from the corner when playing fair. It's really hard to say what the best schemes would be here because Eliminate the Leadership and Show of Force are both heavily dependent on what you're up against. Search the Ruins, Show of Force, and Hunting Party look like your main options her Why Mei here; is she hunting opposing Scheme Runners? What are you doing about opposing scheme runners? How do you intend to balance Show of Force with achieving and denying Squatter's Rights? I'd have McCabe again here, taking Claim Jump and possibly Show of Force with an Emissary bringing in an upgrade off of Conflux of Exploration and Sensei Yu having possibly something in addition to Wandering River Style. Similarly, I'd have the dogs claim as many squat markers (likely 2-3) on turn 1, maneuvering the rest of the crew to protect scheming dogs or deny squat claims/tie up key models as needed. I'd probably also use activation control and Sensei Yu's pushes to deny and score Show of Force, taking out the opposing Sensei Yu ASAP. There's some thoughts. I've yet to paint and play my Mei Feng that I've had for a year and a half now, so I'm actually really curious about how she is played. I mostly think of her in her Komainu-spamming capacities with Tosh/Pork Chop/Emissary for Interference and Reconnoiter as well as a great counter for Neverborn, Ressurs, and Guild in Turf War and Interference.
  17. In probably 120 or more games, I've never hired a Tengu. They only seem particularly great as a pair because of the scheme marker movement shenanigans, which is 8 stones of models that just crumble when poked. I usually instead opt for a more durable 5-7 stone investment of a Brother, Chiaki, or an Illuminated depending on what I think I'll be facing and what's happening with the rest of the crew. Or another great combination for dedicated scheme markers in a pool with something like Search the Ruins, Set Up, or Hidden Trap is a Shadow Effigy at 4 stones telling itself to remember the mission and dropping 2 markers and possibly remembering the mission again to drop a third on the next turn, then Sensei Yu can move the markers around along with a fast beater or something. Brothers are just great because of how versatile and survivable they can be, though they're not the greatest at killing off opposing scheme runners (min damage 1 and Ml 5 kinda suck), but they can tie them up with potential armor, healing, or a 4" engagement range. I guess I more use Brothers as diversions with the possibility to do schemes anyways, but, in any seriously schemey pool and especially in Squatter's Rights and Stake a Claim, Guild Hounds at 3 stones each and walk 6 (sometimes 7 if they activate near Luna) are the best scheme runners. So I guess, 92% of the time I actually choose neither a Tengu nor a Brother, as I've hired Brothers in around 10 games.
  18. Somehow I most often end up playing Lynch against Lilith, and I typically kill her turn 2 sometimes 3 or even 1 by getting her to overextend too close to my crew. Though her board control is really powerful, I've found that many players I've played have taken the bait of a seemingly errantly advanced model like Huggy or even Ototo pushed up the board and charge in to try to kill them with a good hand. With Rising Sun on Lynch, I've even let Huggy get buried to give LoS to the rest of my crew; I've also killed her off of a Recalled Training activation with Huggy when Lynch has had Endless Darkness. Ototo simply doesn't die and hits back at an Ml 8 with a built in crit and plus to damage. On a Recalled Training flurry, I've killed Lilith a few times on a single activation of Ototo. Once she's up and not shrouded completely by an illusory forest, I can lure her in more with a Beckoner if need be, and Lynch can also kill her in a single activation. Her main defensive strength is concealment and guerrilla tactics, but once isolated she can fold pretty quickly with moderate concentration of force. As her control of the board can be damn good, it's worth the AP to take her down early. In fact, Lilith is my favorite master to take Assassinate/Neutralize the Leader/Eliminate the Leadership against. Nekima, I likewise get to come near my crew sometimes with a good bluff of not realizing she can get to my advanced models, and then she drops pretty easily. The Mature Nephilim and the rest of the crew are a similar deal. Neverborn can hit hard but often fold like paper under pressure, and with our superior movement tricks and healing I feel that they may be the faction that gives Ten Thunders the least trouble.
  19. Well, you don't make it in this here city without getting some blood on your hands, right? But let's revisit some of the confluence of forces that led to our current paradigm. The Katanaka clan was influential in the Nippon of old, currying favor and playing frienemy politics with the best of 'em, maintaining influence by choosing allies to maintain power. They were well regarded protectors of the empire until the advent of three tragic brothers- Yan Lo, Izamu, and Toshiro, all powerful warriors whose hubris and consorting with taboo oni led to the disgrace and downfall of their clan, as well as the desecration of their bodies and spirits. Their clan shattered, the surviving Katanakas went underground, consolidating what little allies and influence they had left to rebuild their once great clan. Through the generations, they have rebuilt their power base in the shadows, becoming the strongest criminal syndicate in the Three Kingdoms; drugs, human trafficking, prostitution, assassination- these guys do it all. Their power as well as the culture and destiny of their people, however, have come under threat by the occupation of The Guild, an implacable wall of bullets and bureaucracy from the west seeking to colonize the hearts and minds of the people of the Three Kingdoms. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Katanakas have deemed the fight on earth as futile, creating a destabilizing revolution to encourage mass emigration through a secretly controlled breach into Malifaux to a gem in the wastes they call Promise. In Promise, they seek to preserve the cultures of the Three Kingdoms, but they aren't planning on stopping there. Malifaux is a dimension of raw magic, a place that can be shaped by will where the very fears and dreams of its inhabitants can come to life. By harnessing key leylines and concentrating enough belief, the Thunders hope to rebuild the glory of the Three Kingdoms, all while maintaining their control through any means necessary. This means torture, extortion, you name it. But what great nation doesn't employ a little violence and deception to preserve the overall security and future of its people? And who are some of the characters involved in this tragic comedy? First, we have Misaki, obedient daughter to the Oyuban himself, bound by tradition to her clan. She is a ruthless and deadly warrior who longs for freedom from her family and obligations. Misaki is most alive running over the rooftops of Malifaux and feeling the thunder call to her, father and brothers be damned. She is also not shy to make sacrifices for power, binding beings like the Jorogumo to her and helping manipulate poor, sweet Asami. Mei Feng as we have seen extorts and tortures, yes, but she also inspires loyalty and hope in the disposable and downtrodden. With her grasp of the union, she can control the speed of railroad construction and tactically deny supply trains to enemy forces. She is also responsible for making sure Promise has access to railway supply lines to feed the people and build a new empire. Ambitious and quick to anger, she has grown jaded as to the worthiness of her cause in the Thunders but still seeks ever more power, hoping to someday kill Ramos and the Oyuban alike. Asami, dear, dear, sweet, twisted Asami, pawn of mortals and demons alike. She consorts with way more oni that those who destroyed the clan in the first place... Yan Lo has come back from walking the paths of death, bringing his brothers and other twisted undead with him. While he still doesn't quite remember what led to his downfall and desecration, he is finding his lust for power more and more, called into being by the flute of his dear ancestor, Chiaki. He will stop at nothing to undo the damage he has done to his clan, consorting now with foul ressurectionist scum. Then we have Mr. Lynch, a gambler stuck between the Thunder and the Darkness. Lynch, more than anything, is a coward, but he has also become a sociopathic murderer, drug baron, pimp, and the proprietor of the best little house of sin this side of the breach. Now, he's branching out, moving Brilliance through many other venues. He acts as the Thunder's connection to the Neverborn and the deeper history of Malifaux that the Hungering Darkness reveals. McCabe came to the Thunders seeking redemption for the death of his beloved and revenge on the guild, all while fleeing from some people who wanted him very dead. Having grown up under the yoke of The Guild as the spoiled son of a rich family, he killed his first man, an officer of The Guild, while still a teenager out of hatred and wounded pride, stealing back his favorite watch. After this, he fled London, robbing graves to pay for he and his lover's international bender. This eventually led to her death and showed McCabe a glimpse into the power of soulstones as well as a deeper historical connection between earth and Malifaux. Now as an agent of the Thunders, he keeps tabs on Lucius himself, all while exploring and pillaging ancient archeological sites throughout Malifaux, promising his droogs riches and power beyond their wildest dreams. Then there's the Brewmaster, maker of the finest swill this side of the Bayou. A living legend to Gremlin-kind, no one really knows what this guys deal is, cause Gremlins. Anyways, it's good to keep tabs on the little Green things cause they could prove useful somehow, if blunt, drunken destruction is needed. Evil? Semi-independent means to an end? No matter. When the dust of the wastes settle and the tyrants have fallen, the promise to our people will be fulfilled. The dreams of a better life, the memories of the Three Kingdoms, and the future of our culture will vindicate the unpleasantness of the past. History will simply show that we did what we must, striking from the shadows.
  20. For clarification, it says in this post that it will be a GG 2016 tournament, but the event registration and schedule say 2017. It is 2017, correct? Also, I think it's important to note that this is a 64 person tournament; that's huge! Have there been larger Malifaux tournaments?
  21. I ended up taking first in my tournament with the only points I missed being all three for Last Stand in the third round. Having taken McCabe, I had two more models than my opponent, and we even went over the whole need to have less models to score thing. Then, I blanked and picked it anyways, revealing it turn 1 and maintaining a higher model count the whole game. So, as a general rule, I think it's not a great idea to take Last Stand if you have more models and don't intend to lose them more quickly than you take out your opponent's. I took Claim Jump all three rounds, vaporizing most of my opponent's crew in the first two turns of Headhunter with Lynch and scoring on turns 3-5, also picking up A Quick Murder on turn 1 with Ototo taking down the Lone Swordsman with a push and fast from Sensei Yu into a Recalled Training Flurry (though the Swordsman failed to piss him off after his first volley), a bit overkill but I did hit the Black Joker on the third damage flip, warranting the 4th AP, especially since Lone Swordsman was about to reactivate. The next two rounds, a single guild hound with a badge of speed scored all three points for Claim Jump each game, and McCabe Smartly waltzed into the Deployment zone for Undercover Entourage to also stake my 6th claim in game 2. Consequently, he stayed on his horse all game only taking 1 wound with Armor and 1 soulstone, denying a possible Eliminate the Leadership. I did give up 3 points for Frame for Murder when McCabe finished off Teddy, thinking he was protecting himself from EtL, though it turned out that Vasilisa was going for Undercover Entourage instead, though already at half wounds. McCabe with the Emissary is simply an all star, potentially netting 4 (or even 5 with Sensei Yu in corner deployment) nimble AP off of 1 Badge of Speed. With 3 hounds, Stake a Claim and Squatter's Rights along with Claim Jump and even another scheme marker scheme are pretty simple to score, especially with the hound with a Badge of Speed going to the opponent's weaker flank and McCabe or some of the other crew stopping them from getting anywhere near the dog. Similar tactics as before, though 1 less scheme marker and a nimble dog chasing its own tail. I still don't really know what to do for interference, though lots of evasive dogs all with walk 6 can do a whole lot of scheme running... I guess now that the Dreamer has been taken down a peg, there's slightly less storm potential to worry about. I stayed away from Accusation! and Tail 'em, as I prefer to deny points by making things dead quickly, and I'm not too big a plan of Frame for Murder because it relies on circumstances I can't more fully control to score. I do also like to keep my models if possible. All in all, I think I'm going to be jumping quite a few claims in 2017...
  22. How are folks out there handling Gaining Grounds 2017? I'm about to hit up my first '17 tourney tomorrow without having played the new schemes, and there are more events to come soon. What masters and models are we finding to work with different strats and scheme pools?
  23. Frame for Murder got suited... Some of these new ones look really fun. I also like that Show of Force and Hunting Party became numbered, as Hunting Party especially was becoming either trivially easy to accomplish or really annoying with one cheap model just hiding out way in the backfield. I really like Claim Jump, Accusation, Dig Their Graves, and Last Stand. I feel like Titania is also just going to own at Dig Their Graves. Tail 'em is also such a neat concept, and I'm surprised that it's not part of the original schemes because it seems like such an organic thing to happen in a Malifaux skirmish, "There he is; don't let 'em get away!" Keeping tabs on an important model just seems so right. Replacing Detonate the Charges with Hidden Trap is also a really good move because DtC never made much sense not doing damage and all, and wrapping it up at the end of the game leaves room for imagination of just what happens from those traps...
  24. I agree with much of what has been said here, and I especially want to highlight the versatility of our toolbox and ability to play the meta with decent counters. Though I have yet to paint her, I have definitely seen my fair share of folks busting out Mei Feng against Guild, Ressurs, and even Neverborn to great effect. Throw in Kang in the Ressurs match up, and you take the un out of undead. I've also seen, though have not done as much so myself, Shenlong fluidly adapting to counter many different strategies. Against tons of bunched up models? Try on a little High River Style with Bursts. Hard to Wound and other minus flips getting you down? I hear tell there's a river that gets you drunk... Likewise, McCabe is a great pick for taking out armored, incorporeal, or hard to kill things, and he gets us Austringers which can seriously cripple most scheme runners that aren't slimy lizards. The release of the Emissary has also greatly aided both of these masters especially. I've been mostly taking Yan Lo for Extraction and Turf War to mixed effect, and I'm thinking of dropping this for either Lynch, Asami, or Shenlong. Interference and Reconnoiter have also been giving me trouble, though I've been mostly taking McCabe with tons of evasive doggie scheme runners, who largely seem to be ignored. I still have to say that my bread and butter is Jakob Lynch, and I've found him quite capable in most strats. Did y'all know that a fast samurai can blow through a fate deck 1 1/2 times, picking up all the aces, putting out tons of damage, and killing at least one model? I feel that this is quite rude, but it can definitely cause an opponent to over-commit models to try to kill the samurai turn 1 or 2, making for easy kills for Lynch. Plus, there's much more busted stuff out there anyways, though I'd personally recommend errata on Walking Fire to say "This trigger may not target a model that has already been targeted during this action." By and large, I've also had the best luck at denying points with Lynch, mainly because most models key and otherwise tend to disappear by the end of turn 3, and, though killing isn't everything, it is a good way to prevent an opponent from scoring in every strat and most schemes. I don't think that Lynch has really benefited much from Ripples of Fate, with Yan Lo getting the most love with some new ancestor/retainer models. Terracotta Warriors, fragile as they seem, might turn out to be absurd in a great many crews. I'd certainly love to have two Recalled Training turns with a 4 AP Huggy... Death Contract is certainly nice, though it'd be best with something to eat away at an opponent's hand like Misaki's assassinate trigger (bonus if you get cutpurse to work to eat stones) or Austringer's mask trigger, trading one stone for two or an entire model. Equality is also a great, versatile upgrade that shines in Show of Force, especially as it can heal or grab cards. We've also gotten our own horseman, who will especially shine as a high end in a summoning crew, though I'm not sure Mei will want him as she's already committed to Toshiro, the Emissary, and the Porkchop for her summoning list. I'm actually having trouble figuring out many situations outside of an Asami crew that I'd take a 12 stone enforcer, though stubborn is great against Neverborn and Ressurs especially. Betty is perhaps one of our best new additions, and I have a feeling she is going to be great in strats that spread out like Stake a Claim, Squatter's Rights, Interference, and Reconnoiter. All told, there was a definite spike in TT at tournaments this year, taking the top tables with some absurd differentials. I'm really excited to see how Asami plays out, though I'll need another case to fit all these new Oni, case damn are those death spiders huge!
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