New player, help me understand my options

[shyguysamurai]

Hello everyone, I'm brand new to Malifaux and I've decided that Ten Thunders is my jam. Having said that, I don't really grasp all of the fine points of the game yet and I was hoping I could get some veteran advice on what types of crews I can build out of what I have and what they'd be good at. Here's a list of my collection;

 

- The Thunder

- Temple of Dawn

- Izamu, the Armor

- Katanaka Snipers

- Ten Thunders Archer

- Ten Thunders Brothers

- Lone Swordsman

- Yamaziko

- Freikorpsmenn (I found them on sale for $4 and figured "why not?")

- Generalist Upgrade Deck 1 & 2

- Ten Thunders Arsenal Deck (wave 2) 

- POD Misaki errata card, Broken Promises x2, Dragon Stone x1, Misdirection x1, Recalled Training x3, Servant of 5 Dragons x3 (I ordered these not knowing what boxes they come with but seeing they seemed like popular upgrades. Worst case scenario I have extras so I can build two crew to teach others with)

 

Other than my preorder of a Terracotta Army box, this will likely be my collection total for a while. Are there any glaring omissions I need to fix to help make reliable crews? Any sample idea crews and recommendations on how to run them?

Thank you!

[Joel]

First of all, you have 2 masters - misaki and Shen long.  I'd recommend starting with misaki as she is probably easier to learn the game with.

 

however, there is no need to be tied to the rest of her box set - so let's use the rest of your collection.

 

yamaziko has theme and synergy with misaki, and the 10 thunders brothers are solid minions to learn with as they do lots of different things and are quite forgiving.  I'd suggest using 2 of a minion for now - if one does get killed, you'll have another that you can learn with.

having another hard hitter or two is a good plan, so izamu and the lone swordsman would be next.

 

these give you a crew, more or less, and a range of models to learn with until you see what works for you and what doesn't.

[shyguysamurai]

So just roll with the figures for now and worry about the upgrades once I have a few games under my belt? Hopefully I'll have an opponent that will help expand my understanding of what I'm doing right and wrong.

[Shintoninja]

Everything looks great!  Except the arsenal deck and extra upgrades.  Arsenal decks are  not required unless you had 1st edition. Models you wanted to use. And all the extra upgrades you bought are in you generalist upgrades 1 and 2. 

Also I am no veteran but I was asking the exact same questions you are months ago.

That being said here is what I have come to learn. 

Unless you are a savant genius start with Masaki. Her play style is very straight forward. Hell it even says it on her card.  Assassinate. Front line, high mobility, destroyer. Don't over look the use of her upgrade Stalking Besento. For a zero action she can stalk a target. But it is the + to flip that makes it worth it every time.  

Now Shenlong has become my favorite master because he is very versatile.  That versitility comes with serious complexity so best back burner him for a bit. I'm not going to spoil the fun of discovering you own play style but one thing you really want out of Shenlong's box is his Henchmen Sensei Yuu.  He is far different then Ototo and more of what a decent crew of Masaki needs.  Don't get me wrong Ototo is a beautiful model but lacking proper support  he isn't a go to guy.  

 

Izamu The Armour I do not have. He is on my purchase list after Low River Monks.  Tanky damage dealer.  Better used with Ancestors (Yan Lo) but is suitable for a master to misdirected damage on too. And engaging  models to be slaughtered by Misaki. 

 

Katanaka Snipers are great. They should find plenty of time on your board.  Long range fire with focus and we'll rounded abilities. One of two under SS priced models of TT.

Ten Thunders Archers.  Uh.. how to put this nicely.  Leave them on the sprue.  If you really think you can make something of them and you love the modeling and painting then go for it but they are seriously lack luster on the board.  Great shooting ability but over priced, no defensive abilities.  Points better spend else where.  Like snipers.

Ten Thunder Brothers are the backs at which TT crews are built on. You will likely never field more then two but they are the most utility model TT has to offer. There Defensive abilities and Dance of the heavens will infuriate your opponents. The second of the most SS underpriced models.

 

Both the Lone Swords Man and Yamaziko are not in my collection but have heard good things about both.  You will find the Lone Swords Man to be  scalpel. Cutting away excalty what your opponent need.  Get alot of use of of him.

 

Yamaziko will be more of a runner, not an engager. She has a great weak damage on her track but that is about it.  Low defense and wounds makes her fall quickly. Is a great carry for a Last Blossom Upgrades like Smoke and Shadows. Stick to using the Smoke part against shooting crews but  don't bother with the movement tricks. They really cost won't go off as you would like.

 

Notes:

 Recalled Training is a top notch upgrade. Buy it often. 

TT are SS cost wise the most expensive models in the game. Fantastic stats but your main struggle with be always be cost and fielding less models every game so get used to it. 

Schemes and Stones podcast.  Find it. Listen to their master highlights. They will fill your head with tried and true tactics. 

 

Other then that have fun and take care

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2017 by Shintoninja
Spelling errors

[Joel]

2 hours ago, shyguysamurai said:

So just roll with the figures for now and worry about the upgrades once I have a few games under my belt? Hopefully I'll have an opponent that will help expand my understanding of what I'm doing right and wrong.

If this is your first ever game, don't bother with the upgrades - you will have enough going on.  Game 2 introduce recalled training to a few models and one extra on misaki, then stick with that until you are confident, then start to look at the others 

[shyguysamurai]

11 hours ago, Shintoninja said:

Awesome info

 

 

Wow, thanks for the great data dump! 

I won't lie, many of the figures I chose are because they look so awesome. Archers and Izamu are just too cool looking to pass up. I will be trying my hand at fancy basing and painting so they'll end up assembled, even if they are not played often.

[Shintoninja]

22 hours ago, shyguysamurai said:

Wow, thanks for the great data dump! 

I won't lie, many of the figures I chose are because they look so awesome. Archers and Izamu are just too cool looking to pass up. I will be trying my hand at fancy basing and painting so they'll end up assembled, even if they are not played often.

I am so glad to hear that you are starting with a causal approach to the game. It will take time, effort and research to become a better player. There is no magic crew that out performs so play games and have fun.   What will win and lose games is sound strategies. 

As far as the hobby goes Malifaux's miniatures are exceptional. The dynamic  and unique sculpts for every model is why I love to paint them.  My entire crew is painted and fielding a completely painted crew is a in itself a victory.  

The dig at the archers was completely personal. They are fantastic looking models. To bad SS cost is off.  And Isamu is off the hook with any crew. He just has more synergy with certain masters then others. 

[shyguysamurai]

1 hour ago, Shintoninja said:

 And Isamu is off the hook with any crew. He just has more synergy with certain masters then others. 

I'm looking forward to when Yasunori is widely released, too. I think from what I read that Izamu is the tank and Yasunori is the cannon, with Lone Swordsman being the cheaper option for the similar role.

 

I want to pick up some Samurai soon, too. If budget weren't a concern they'd be in my collection for sure!

 

Are there any other upcoming Ten Thunder characters other than Terracotta Army and Yasunori that I should be keeping an eye out for?

[Nikodemus]

There's been some mixed buzz about Sun Quiang. 8ss support/scheme enforcer with a lot of shenanigans. There's been a few threads about him if you search around.

[Shintoninja]

Shadow Emissary is a serious support piece.  Especially if you are planning an playing multiple masters from Ten Thunders. Having a specialized upgrade for each current master is quite a boon. 

Currently I have been fielding Shenlong Sensei Yu and Shadow Emissary with consistent success. 

Drawing 3 additional cards every turn, pushing and giving fast to Sensei Yu, swapping out upgrades between Shenlong and Sensei Yu to gain healing is what Shadow Emissary has done for me.  Also worth  mentioning  is an effective Mi/Ca attack.   

Totally worth the investment and a stellar  looking model. 

[thatlatinspeakingguy]

Misaki is great if you score points via killing enemy models (quick murder, eliminate the leadership). Shenlong is great in everything. I do not play TT, but my brother does, so I have played a dozen of games against Shenlong and I rate him as one of the most universal and fun to play (as it seems) masters in the game. So don't waste too much time with the Mistress!

As for Izamu, he really excels under Shenlong's command and with Sensei's Yu support. Push him, give him fast and wreck havoc. Same with Lone Swordsman. TT Brothers are reliable scheme runners and Katanaka Sniper poses a psychological threat on your opponent. Seems you have everything to have some fun with Shenlong!