Effective use of Soulstone Miner.

[WWHSD]

I like the look of Soulstone Miners but am not sure how to best get value out of them. It seems that once they do their pop up anywhere on the board trick that they are pretty average across the board.

Their ability to generate soulstones strikes me as being too expensive to get much use out of. It takes the Miner's entire activation and a third of their hit points. As a zero action it seems like it would see some use but as it is it looks highly situational.

The place trigger on the attack is cool but seems dependent on having a way to toss out scheme markers where you need them to get much use out of.

The trigger that gives a soulstone when killing a model is nice but again seems to run into the problem of being too situational to see much use since it requires a killing blow and a particular suit to use. It's the kind of thing that will be nice if it happens but nothing you can really plan around. It seems like the Miners should be out trying to score on schemes and not trying to kill things.

Are there any tricks to really making these guys shine?

 

[Dogmantra]

They work nicely as Pigapult killers. If you're expecting the pigapult (probably in Interference or Reconnoiter) then bringing one can be a good idea. It pops up then charges the pigapult, and it only needs one moderate + one weak hit to kill it, which isn't too hard with Ml6 vs Df1.

[Bengt]

38 minutes ago, Dogmantra said:

They work nicely as Pigapult killers. If you're expecting the pigapult (probably in Interference or Reconnoiter) then bringing one can be a good idea. It pops up then charges the pigapult, and it only needs one moderate + one weak hit to kill it, which isn't too hard with Ml6 vs Df1.

Since it must pop up 6" from both enemy models and the enemy deployment zone that really requires the Gremlin player to let you do it.

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Why I like them: Their damage is respectable against armoured models (since they ignore it). They can be deceptively resilient with Use Soulstone if they need to be, it's not something that comes up that often, but once in a while them sticking around much longer than your opponent expected can deny points in Interference or whatever. The enemy down below can get you a lot of movement in flank and corner or just get around deploying first in standard, remember that it's optional if you get close deployment. If it did run off to some corner and have completed its objective it can still contribute by mining some stones.

[H4ml3t]

I like to pop one or two out end of Turn 1, kill enemy scheme runners turn 2 and then start scheming with them. Alternately they could then head back to provide support in contested areas. Their relative tankiness has also helped deny points from Dig Graves, Marked for Death, etc.

I don't take one every time, but when I do take one or two I usually get good use out of it. 

[Sybarite]

They are nice in corner squatters rights for popping up by a far away marker 

[Mxbedlam]

If Practiced Production/Raptor combo gets Cuddled they will be go too for Leave Your Mark.

[Adran]

The mine sousltone is probably more of an ability to use, when they are already in the place you want them to be and they have nothing else to do, so yes, its situational, but useful when iot crops up. pretty average across the board sounds liek its where they should be. They get to be where you need them without having the opponent being able to attack them, so thats a pretty strong defence.

You need a plan for them, but they are reasonable ml threats, great at doing certain schemes ( bring them out end of turn 1. Drop a marker and walk turn 2, drop a marker and walk turn 3, gain a stone turn 4 gain a stone turn 5 score full points for protect territory was a common sight pre 2016 for example) that require them in the enemy half and can often take out some pretty tough support models given the chance. 

[mythicFOX]

What the miner does very well is pop up somewhere and hold a point.  As others have noted he's a lot better on Corner deployment than the other types. 

The miners excel in the 'this is more work to remove than it is worth' camp.  When popped up out of the way the AP needed to get to them, and then kill them off is massively inefficient (especially if you're willing to throw a stone in their defense).   If left unmolested they can then start refunding some of their cost to your pool.

That said that is a highly specialized role, so they wouldn't be my fist pick as a purchase for the newer Arcanist player.

[Derpology]

I've had some good utility with them. Inspection is great and they've done me well with both Kaeris and Mei Feng. I like having them in the bag for the opportune Scheme and Strat combos. 

[WWHSD]

5 hours ago, mythicFOX said:

That said that is a highly specialized role, so they wouldn't be my fist pick as a purchase for the newer Arcanist player.

I picked them up because they looked cool. It seems like the Soulstone Miners and the Wind Gamin are probably the best scheme runner models in the faction if I've got no interest in any of the Colette or Marcus models, right? Is there something else that I should be looking at?  

[Adran]

Other good scheme runners would include Ice dancers and the blessed of December. Also the Union miners are surprisingly good because they don't need to move to be able to drop 2 markers a lot of the time. (So completely the opposite to the soulstone miner in they are rubbish at getting to a location, but amazing at dropping markers, where as the Soulstone miner is great at getting to places, but not so good at putting markers down. )

[spooky_squirrel]

Willie/Miss Fire can also be used for scheme running. Typically people won't go near because of all the explosions, so they'll try to kill at range (potential FFM).

If you want to get some considerable work done with schemes, The Firestarter is also right up there, being a reckless flying model. As a Henchman, The Firestarter can take Warding Runes and get Regen +1 from an Oxfordian Mage with the Doom Ward being within 10" and LOS.

But yeah, the Soulstone Miner really shines when it's used in scenarios that allow it to be well away from the main effort. Corner deployment is the ideal deployment for it, while Close Deployment is the worst. A prime strategy for it is Interference, but it does well with Guard the Stash and Extraction because your opponent must pay attention to the middle of the board, but I would hesitate to use one in Headhunter since their killing it will give your opponent a head in their table half.

Outside of the strategies, any schemes that call for minions to be somewhere or do something, or for scheme markers to be in certain areas can be answered with the Soulstone Miner. Whether or not you want to pay the 6 stones for it depends on what your expected returns are. Spending 6 stones at hire time for 2-3VP is a good deal.

[Gnomezilla]

Do miners overhang their base at all once based (on those nifty discs provided) or do they remain within the cylinder defined by their base? Space is getting scarce on the larger models' half of my case.

[spooky_squirrel]

8 minutes ago, Gnomezilla said:

Do miners overhang their base at all once based (on those nifty discs provided) or do they remain within the cylinder defined by their base? Space is getting scarce on the larger models' half of my case.

One of them is very well-behaved and requires no work to keep it in the column of its base. The other is sculpted to be lower to the ground and sticks out.

[WWHSD]

21 minutes ago, Gnomezilla said:

Do miners overhang their base at all once based (on those nifty discs provided) or do they remain within the cylinder defined by their base? Space is getting scarce on the larger models' half of my case.

Looking at mine, it seems like if I would have attached them to the base trying to keep them within the cylinder instead of centering them then they would have fit. Maybe cut away at the plastic on the insert a little bit if needed to get it closer to an edge. I ended up putting sand over portions of the insert so cutting it wouldn't have been noticeable. 

The Miner has an insert that it snaps into that would fit a 30mm Malifaux base perfectly but it uses a 40mm base. It's the easiest assembly I've had in a Malifaux model yet. You could probably actually just dry fit the whole thing and play a game with them if you wanted to. 

[Gnomezilla]

That they're on 40mm is the best possible news. I have more potential space for those.  (Sure, I could take out the large arachnids I'll never field in the same list, but I like their paint jobs too much.)

[Bengt]

Looking at them from the top, both of them stick out maybe 5 mm. The one lower to the ground could be moved within its cylinder by removing some of the insert I guess, but the straight one (#2 in the instructions) have the one bend opposite of the drill tip so I think it would take more work to get it completely inside the cylinder.

[Gnomezilla]

I caved and bought them, so time to find out.

Need something easier to assemble than that silly camera holding reporter! She drove me bonkers.