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Need some Beginner Advice


seraphsong

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Hey everyone!

Let me start out by saying that I understand that a static list is not optimal.  Totally get that, and that answer won't work here.

I'm looking for a 50ss list to learn the game.  I tend to like the more "arcane" bits of the faction than the M&SU.  I am planning to go to KingdomCon at the end of April and spend a day playing pick up games..

Suggestions welcome for any and all masters.  Plan is to buy and paint it by then.

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I'm kind of thinking either Rasputina or Marcus is the master you go with.

I like Sandeep better, but most of his crew box isn't great and he's probably not an ideal starting master. I'd recommend saving him for your 2nd master purchase.

Marcus is great but one of his strengths is being able to hire beasts across faction. The models you buy across faction can't be used in other crews. However, you could build great Marcus crews staying strictly Arcanist, so he's definitely a viable 1st master.

I don't have a lot of experience with Rasputina but I often use some of her key minions in all my Arcanist crews. You can build solid crews with December Acolytes and Silent Ones.

Ramos is M&SU, but his crew box has some key players for Arcanists (Howard Langston and Joss).

I'll put together a Marcus crew without models from other crew boxes. I'm going to include Mechanical Rider because that is a very handy enforcer for almost all Arcanist masters and introduces you to summoning. I would recommend buying a box of metal gamin so you can summon (all other summonable gamin are available in crew boxes and you probably don't want to buy them separately if you plan to expand).

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Nice! Then we can really have fun. Here's my Sandeep crew of choice for the time being. Definitely want to get some 2nd opinions because this fits my play style.

Not to take over your thread, but I would love some critiques if anyone wants to tell me where I went wrong on this list.

50 SS Arcanists Crew
Sandeep Desai + 7 Pool
- Arcane Reservoir (2)
- Unaligned Sage (1)
- To Behold Another World (1)
Myranda (8)
- Imbued Energies (1)
Howard Langston (12)
- Imbued Energies (1)
Oxfordian Mage (5)
- Temporary Shielding (0)
- Blood Ward (0)
Oxfordian Mage (5)
- Temporary Shielding (0)
- Doom Ward (0)
Oxfordian Mage (5)
- Nemesis Ward (0)
- Temporary Shielding (0)
Silent One (6)

(exported from CrewFaux)

Typical Summons:

Banasuva (from Sandeep box)

Wind gamin (what I typically use)

Metal gamin (better in some circumstances because they have more staying power but I don't have a lot of experience with)

Sabertooth Cerberus (from Myranda's transform).

 

They theory behind this list is Sandeep and the mages hold down territory, use movement tricks, and work off each other's "academic" label synergies.

Howard Langston is your independent, maneuverable beater who cleans up the perimeter (i.e. kills anything that strays too far), or is a good "frame for murder" target.

Myranda uses a well-known trick to sacrifice herself and turn into the cerberus. The trick is the upgrade she holds lets you draw 4 cards when she does this. This plus the "Arcane Reservoir" upgrade on Sandeep lets you see more cards. Sandeep and co. are very hungry for those sweet, sweet high mask cards to get Sandeep's teleport and summons off.. Plus there are a lot of "leap" actions in this crew (cerberus and wind gamin) that want those mid-mask cards.

The Cerberus acts as my scalpel that often leaps into the opponents crew and take out that key model I need dead. Even better if I can do that in a way that keeps him alive.

The Silent one is there for healing (sometimes your mages shoot each other to move) and casting without randomizing into cover. I'm not sold on her, she probably holds the shakiest position in this crew.

Sandeep summons wind gamin when he needs scheme runners. They are what I typically use to get done the one thing I need done. Mages or the cerberus can do those tasks in a pinch as well. I usually take the upgrade "unaligned sage" so the mages don't randomize into combat when they are supporting my other models. The "Behold" upgrade is virtually interchangable with the "commands" upgrade just depending on the scheme pool. After summoning the first wind gamin, I usually try to get Banasuva out as early as possible (if I have the cards) because he is great as a dispensable beater that I like to just throw into the opponent's crew and see if I can create any opportunities.

I used a lot of Malifaux jargon in this post. Let me know if you need any clarification.

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If you like the arcane side of Arcanists I would also recommend Rasputina or Sandeep.  While Rasputina has typically been my favorite I am quickly becoming a Sandeep convert.  I run a very different list than the above (that is not to say better or worse just different).  I have found I can run this list into just about any strategy and scheme set I have come across without any changes.

 

Sandeep (to command another world, enlightened soul, arcane reservoir/unaligned sage +1SS)

Kudra (warding runes, free of mortal shackles)

Arcane Effigy

Mechanical Rider

Performer

Ice gamin

Oxfordian Mage (blood ward, temporary shielding)

Oxfordian Mage (doom ward, temporary shielding) 

 

Summons: fire gamin, ice gamin, wind gamin, Banasura, poison gamin

 

With two summoners you can gain activation control pretty easily which makes schemes a bit easier.  Banasura can act as a recyclable beater that you can use to jam your opponent.  Kudra can do a surprising amount of damage if you set her up to charge someone, especially if you put a wind gamin with commands in wind near your target (makes her MI 7 with :+fate). Combo that with the performer's built in sip of wine trigger to cause the target to take all of the poison at once.  The charge is easier to set up if you have a fire gamin near Kudra since she will gain the :mask she needs to teleport using Sandeep's 0 action.  I know the list lacks any single big hitter but the speed and ability to apply pressure when and where you want makes up for that.

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Sandeep is the way to go if you want a Master that can do anything and play into any Scheme or Strategy combo. But I really do like The Valedictorian with him - Lecture Notes can shut down a model heavily, borrowing The Path to Salvation makes her flurry downright frightening, she's bulky and highly mobile, and if there's one thing missing from the Arcanist faction it's models with Terrifying. And can you imagine her with Warding Runes?

4 Sandeep (Unaligned Sage, Command Another Plane, Arcane Reservoir)

12 Valedictorian (Warding Runes, Recharge Soulstone/Imbued Energies)

9 Myranda (Imbued Energies)

15 Oxfordian Mage Trio (what a great band name!)

7 Johan, not JOSS

+3SS

Johan keeps the Oxfordian Mage Trio topped off, removes Conditions, and hits hard against Constructs/Tyrants. Myranda goes for whatever Arcanist Beast you need (Cujo for Scheme Marker removal, Cerberus for damage dealing, Mauler or Rattler for tarpitting) and gets you cards. Sandeep summons Wind Gamin for scheme runners and shares with the OMT. Valedictorian... kills.

But that's just Theoryfaux for me. I still have Neverborn to finish off and then a dip into Ressers before I pick up Sandeep.

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3 hours ago, iamfanboy said:

7 Joss

Joss keeps the Oxfordian Mage Trio topped off, removes Conditions, and hits hard against Constructs/Tyrants. Myranda goes for whatever Arcanist Beast you need (Cujo for Scheme Marker removal, Cerberus for damage dealing, Mauler or Rattler for tarpitting) and gets you cards. Sandeep summons Wind Gamin for scheme runners and shares with the OMT. Valedictorian... kills.

I believe you mean Johan/Johanna here. Joss is a 10 stone henchman with a completely different role.

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Raspy is easy. Buy everything with Frozen Heart and you can build a competitive crew for any pool while staying completely in-theme.

Sandeep is a little harder, and I don't know him as well. I'd recommend picking up Fire, Ice, and Wind Gamin with him (the Ice gamin come in Raspy's box so you may as well get that, the Fire gamin come with Kaeris who flirts with the line between M&SU and Arcane so I don't know if you want her or not). Those three and Banasuva will be your most common summons. Especially the Wind Gamin, those things are nuts.

Oxfordian Mages fit well in the Academic theme, as do the Guild's Sanctioned Spellcasters. Shastar Guards and the Valedictorian (from the University of Transmortis box) make great beaters, as does Myranda in her own way (she comes with Marcus, which also plays into the Arcane side of the faction, and if you get her you'll also want the Blessed of December).

And that is more or less that. I'd happily play some combination of the above models into any strat/scheme pool out there. 

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Honestly I'd start with Rasputina.

She is not the most powerful master/crew in Arcanists, you'll not dominate games with her as her simple play allows for uncomplicated prevention but....

  • Her style is magic heavy, she blasts with deadly arced spells
  • Her primary crew is Frozen Heart which is simply an excellent ability which lets you in early 'learning' games ignore several hostile conditions which are really difficult and unfun to deal with as your go about learning the game
  • Her Frozen Heart models are exceptional in several respects and many are very useful in other non-Raspy future crews; notably the Dec Acolyte is a 9.5/10 any crew model, the Silent One is the Arcanist healing piece and Ice Dancers are top tier scheme runner/intercept models.
  • Her box set is OK, the totem is great for her, the Ice gamin are good and the Golem.... is OK, but I'll admit the walking Ice block with fists will not feature in many crews after initial learning games.
  • Two other models in her Frozen Heart primary crew also have good synergy with two other mentioned crews Sandeep does not mind the Ice Gamin as inclusions/summons and Marcus loves the Blessed of December as a inclusion/Myranda-shape shift.

Ramos, Mei Feng and Ironsides are all M&SU schtick which you don't like as much.  

Marcus is great but he 'feels' less magic and more charge - claw - bloody mist.  Also his huge hiring pool means lots of purchases of models many useless across the rest of the Arcanist faction. Nevertheless a great crew and good flexible starter/competitive option, but for your parameters I'd prefer Raspy.

Sandeep is a great tool box but is newer, trickier to play.  I'd say its a real close call here but I'd edge Raspy 51% to 49% as she is a easier to play both with and against so vastly better 'starting' master.

Colette is great but in many ways even trickier to play with/against then Sandeep.  Fun master but she really emphasizes the scheme aspect of Malifaux which makes it unlike other war games and playing her initially, especially with other war game experience, is a very mindset shifting experience.  Better to get a grip on the game with a simpler master.

Kaeris is, well a strange hybrid which in game play generally is difficult to get to 'work'.  Kinda support but hard to pull off, schemey but not like Colette, an almost summoner vibe but not really possible, fast but not hard hitting (she is not a match for Mei Feng in this for example), not the blaster Raspy is.  She is kinda a fast slightly durable little bit support and scheme running with Burning.  Fun characterful and she can do OK but not a first choice for.... well anything.   

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