What to buy next???

[Karl]

Hi, I've been playing Malifaux for about a year now, but I've mostly stuck to gremlins, outcasts and resurrectionist masters. I'm looking to expand on my arcanists now, but would prefer to buy things that run well with the masters I own. So far I have the starter boxes for Marcus, Ironsides and Colette (old metal models with current cards (so no doves)). Advice please?

[mythicFOX]

If you want to go more in the Colette / Toni direction I'd add the Ramos box for Joss and Howard.

To go in the Marcus direction it would depend on what Resser beasts you have already.

 

[Karl]

Beast wise I have war pigs, piglets and wild boars from my gremlins, and from ressurs I only have the canine remains from my McMourning box.

[JoeJones]

I would second the Ramos box, since every model in the box (barring the master and totem) is useful with Ironsides and, to a lesser extent, Colette.

For Marcus, I would pick up a Rogue Necromancy. It is amazing with him, and useful in Rezzers. (Arcanists are my main faction; Rezzers, my second.)

[mythicFOX]

Silurids and Waldgiests are also top picks for Marcus.  All depends on which way you want to go with your Arcanist lists.

[Adran]

In all honesty, I don't think I find Arcanist models that only really shine with 1 master. 

General good things

- Blessed of Decembe as a scalpel/scheme runner. 

- Howard langstrom as a big threat

-Wind gamin/ union miners as scheme runners

- December Acolytes as mid level threats. 

Edit- Additions that I agree with that I missed

- Arcane effigy always solid stats for its cost. 

-Ice dancers as scheme runners

 

Regarding Raptors, whilst they are solid models, and give you access to some pretty tricks, I really wouldn't recommend them as an early buy. They don't have intuitive use, and unless you are needing to up body count and/or want to play with practised productions and/or are trying to "abuse" the beast keyword in someway, they aren't needed in a lot of lists.  Of course, you're not a new player so you might well get use out of them straight away. 

 

Buy what you like the look of, and use it with all 3 masters. Then work out what you can't do, and buy models to fill those gaps. 

[dannydb]

Ice dancers are also good scalpels/scheme runners

 

Raptors are just real good miniatures 

 

some schemes benefit from having a showgirl for practiced productions 

[dancater]

Assuming Ironside, Marcus and Colette orientated expansion.

Note first, for Colette you really need to be able to field the Doves, they are simply to useful in her crew not to have as an option, I'd check the forums secondary market here to find what you are missing.

Also Marcus is really an Arcanist outlier, the beastmaster has a huge range of options outside faction and has minimal synergy with M&SU, Frozen Heart, Showgirl and Constructs which feature heavily across our faction.  Its not that he can't run with many other non-beast Arcanist models but that he usually has a better option and many of those options are outside-faction so have then no utility in non-Marcus Arcanist lists.

 

Ramos box is an amazingly useful addition, with Joss and Howard you get an excellent tank-y model and a premier killing threat respectively.  In addition the arachnids are useful little buggers.  So this is an excellent addition to your Arcanist collection.  In particular several models in this box run well with Ironsides and Colette.

Four Frozen Hearts models (Rasputina's theme) work with these masters well to some degree;

December Acolyte is an amazing model for its points and flexibility, well respected and can find a place in almost any Arcanist list, particularly solid in Colette crew.

Blessed of December is a fast and dangerous Beast affix model so excellent inclusion in Marcus crew and as an Arcanist beast is a shape change option (and a popular one) for Myranda.

Silent Ones are Arcanists basic in-faction healer and run well with any crew just for that ability, in addition they have some nasty tricks in a Colette crew potentially.

Ice Dancers are a Showgirl Frozen Heart, lowest on the list for what you have but still a great slippery scheme runner and synergy with Colette.

Other great models:

Carlos is a Showgirl affix has Burning synergy, henchman, and is getting a reputation as a solid tank-y model with respectable speed and damage output.

Angelica is a Showgirl enforcer and commonly comes with the upgrade 'Practiced Productions' stapled to her card, this makes a useful model an opponents nightmare and works so well in Malifaux with the focus on scheme markers and in particular is a godsend for the Raptors (below).

Arcane Effigy, cheap little construct which provides Burning and incredibly useful condition removal, its cheap, can scheme run, is surprisingly durable.  Excellent model.

Arcane Emissary is a big fast smash mouth model and with its auto-upgrade choices it runs well with each of the Arcanist masters, expensive to field but always deserves a look in.

Mechanical Rider is an excellent choice, summons, speed, durability (especially late game), used to be the near undiputed best of the "riders" but now Yasunori exists.  Still an exceptional model and worth considering in most Arcanist lists but especially popular with Colette.

Wind Gamin are superb, fast and slippery scheme runners, they are incredibly useful in many current scheme/strat (GG 2017) pools.  These models are nearly an auto-include in some playing lists and one of two models I think cause the most anti-Arcanist angst in other faction forums.  Need to have for competitive Arcanist list construction options.

Which brings me to the other Arcanist model which induces outside-faction rage, the Raptors... their cheap to field, hard to kill for their points and useful to irritate and deny opponents in many ways, for their points incredibly useful.  Note they can't scheme run by themselves (but in faction options can bypass this) and low damage output (but OK for soul stone cost).  They are Beast affix so I'd include these little flyers in any list consideration but with what they bring to the table they are a Marcus list auto, can't think of a reason the beastmaster does not include one in 90% of lists. 

 

That is the, what I would consider 1st tier Arcanist only takes now others:

Johan is a merc with M&SU synergy and is great in Arcanists and truly a 1st tier choice for Ironsides crew.

A huge range of out-faction Beasts run with Marcus (truly huge, he is nearly a sub-faction himself) and as identified the Neverborn models Silurid and Waldgiest are particularly noteworthy.

 

The rest of the Arcanist range also is obviously useful but the above constitute the models I'd honestly look at first.

 

 

[Karl]

Thanks guys. Given me and my wallet plenty to think about.

[Karl]

So, I had a bit of a spend over the weekend and for my arcanists I got wind gamin, fire gamin, poison gamin, soulstone miners, union miners, waldegeists, the blessed of December and Rasputina's crew. Hopefully I can make some decent crews with that lot. I would have gotten Ramos' crew, but that wasn't there.