M2E Rasputina

[Gorbad]

You might as well get her a third upgrade, as it is you are wasting a soulstones as you can only have 7 not 8 in your cache.

[Sklertic]

Arcane reservoir is a fantastic upgrade. Either that or December's pawn for some cool 2 x red joker action

[Sybarite]

Skyfire's list only has 5ss to spare, not 8.

[Gorbad]

Yeah, but she starts with a cache of 3, so with the last 5 that makes 8, meaning he is losing one so might as well spend it on something.

[Sybarite]

Ah no, you should do the math again.

The models and upgrades purchased are worth 38ss. Thus there are 2ss left over, plus the 3 from Rasputina's cache.

[Gorbad]

Ah, my mistake. I didn't actually do any of the numbers, I just read the list and assumed that 5 SS left meant that there was 5 SS left. And together with the cache that would make 8, the previous max.

[Matney X]

Have any of you tried running two Ice Golems in a crew? Didn't someone mention a "Fastball crew" where they were running two, with the intention of throwing Ice Gamin at their opponent?

[Fenton Crack]

Have any of you tried running two Ice Golems in a crew? Didn't someone mention a "Fastball crew" where they were running two, with the intention of throwing Ice Gamin at their opponent?

Yeah, that was me. I wanted to throw gamin in for freeze over help, then toss Wendigo or hoarcats for devour. I have not gotten a second golum painted yet (decided to wait for the new plastic one) so I cannot report on the cost benefit of running two. I imagine it would only be feasible in full size 50ss games, as they are not cheap. The principle certainly works with one, but I feel indeed more ap for throwing than only one golum can provide. I ideally want to throw at least two gamin at a priority target so I have a 2/3 chance of targeting a friendly model for the freeze over.

[Matney X]

Yeah, that was me. I wanted to throw gamin in for freeze over help, then toss Wendigo or hoarcats for devour. I have not gotten a second golum painted yet (decided to wait for the new plastic one) so I cannot report on the cost benefit of running two. I imagine it would only be feasible in full size 50ss games, as they are not cheap. The principle certainly works with one, but I feel indeed more ap for throwing than only one golum can provide. I ideally want to throw at least two gamin at a priority target so I have a 2/3 chance of targeting a friendly model for the freeze over.

I have the old Raspy box, and ordered the new one. I'll have to try it as well, though you have a better idea of what you're doing than I do. If nothing else, nothing screws up someone else's plans better than having 4 gamin in or near their deployment zone at the end of turn 1. Especially after they start popping.

[decker_cky]

Now for Rasputina box, the ice gamins are cute and Kommander Rasputina is obviously a Sorscha ripoff, which is fine by me. They need to add an upgrade called Icepick of December that turns her into a melee monster!

I know it won't cover for using a Sorscha model, but she will have a model turning her into a melee monster when the avatar rules are released.

[Fenton Crack]

The reason I think one ultimately wants two is for the shanigan to work you want, throw, then freeze over, then a devour. I guess you can throw two gamin and the Wendigo on the Golums turn (hopefully on an activated model), freeze over with Raspy with 3/4 chance of targeting friendly for the "easy freezey," then devour with Wendigo.

I guess since Wendigo is rare 1 and the hoarcats have an inferior devour, I imagined throwing the Wendigo in after freeze over with the second golum for a safer devour? I guess one really needs to consider how many AP one really wants to invest in devour tactics anyway. I mean, you can't freeze over a leader, so to burn the 3 AP of Golum 1, at least one of Raspy's, one of Golum 2 for the pitch, and one of the Wendigo's, that's 6 AP if everything goes right, maybe 7 or 8 if you are repeating on fails, not to mention the perhaps less than strategic positioning of the clumped gamin after a success. Unless it was an important henchman, would it be worth it? Don't know, Theoryfaux.

However, depending on the victims' positioning, if you were throwing the gamin at more than one target with Golum 1, could freeze over more one via ice mirror line if sight advantage, then have Golum two toss the Wendigo at one victim and the hoarcats at the other, where you could wipe out two high value targets with only a little more AP, it might be worth it.

Probably a "perfect storm scenario" though.

[OTP]

you can freeze the leader, as of the last beat card, you just cant "easy freezy" them, i think?

[Fenton Crack]

you can freeze the leader, as of the last beat card, you just cant "easy freezy" them, i think?

Well, that is true, and I have no reason to assume its changed since the beta.

However, the reason I was contemplating the dual Golum "Fastball crew" was to throw multiple height-one models to exploit "easy freezy".

If you are going to try and freeze over a Leader model there is no reason to lob gamin at them before the the Wendigo toss.

For a leader frozen dinner one could likely just get away with one Golum to toss the Wendigo for Devour after Raspy and there is no need for the second Golum unless you are setting up a pincer maneuver of sorts and want Golum 2 ready to pitch Hoarcats from another position to keep your strategic options open.

[Hockridge]

I have started putting Cojo in my Rasp army and have found it really effective. With his built in 3" smack from melee and his 0 action 4" push he gives Rasp crew the ability to set position really well I have found.

[Griffin839]

M2E Rasputina and Essence of Power. That +1 CA action and + flip when using a soul stone is nasty. Also, I do not think fastballing Gamins is a good idea. Its a waste. Gamins have become so much better, hitting pretty hard on severe damage flips and being generally annoying with their range attacks. Good flips on their weak range attacks have forced my opponents to cheat out good cards so important people didnt die. Very annoying as I then could use Raspy or Golem to kill them anyway.

[Fenton Crack]

Also, I do not think fastballing Gamins is a good idea. Its a waste. Gamins have become so much better, hitting pretty hard on severe damage flips and being generally annoying with their range attacks. Good flips on their weak range attacks have forced my opponents to cheat out good cards so important people didnt die. Very annoying as I then could use Raspy or Golem to kill them anyway.

I like the Ice Gamin for their own merits as well. Keep in mind that "fastballing" the gamin does not use any of their AP. After the golum chucks them, they still get their two activations to dish whatever damage they can, therefore they are helping with an easy freezy, then if the target model gets devoured or otherwise wiped before their activation, they just move on to the next target. If the paralyzed model is still there, they can attempt to finish it off. Fastballing the gamin, even if not into base contact with a model is also great, as you have added a 10" walk to the Gamin before they activate. This lets them get into range on many enemies for their own attacks and also sets up Raspy's great area of control since the golum can seed a large chunk of the board with gamin for Raspy to then ice mirror December' Curse over a huge area with her extended range and angling around cover. I usually do my gamin tossing turn one when the fact they can't drop markers after a toss is not a concern.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Fenton Crack
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[MetaphoricDragn]

Now that we have had about a month of Rasputina M2E. I am wondering how people are fairing, and any good strategy tips? Any good uses for the December Acolyte (love the model, never found a good use for it though)? I've only got one game in so far, playing pretty much the battle box Crew @ 35 points. I pulled off a 5 to 4 win, and did get to Freeze Over > Shatter > Devour Marcus.

[Fenton Crack]

I have taken the December Acolyte every time. I like the way the model looks and plays. He is not really cheap at 7 stones, but I really like his abilities. "From the Shadows" lets you deploy him almost anywhere you want, and once there he can start harpoon gunning advancing models (especially nice against a melee crew not shooting back as you are safely a foot away) and it gives Slow to help threaten their advance. I have also used the Acolyte as a defender, using him next to an Ice Golum to use the drag trigger to reel in an enemy for the Golum's Smash (which does 9 even on weak). The target model I tried it on died before it made it to Golum from the strong damage flip from the harpoon alone, so the smash never came (sad in a way for the missed spectacle, but good that it saved me 3 AP). I keep meaning to use his Spot Weakness (which ditches the enemy's Armor and Hard to Kill abilities and conditions), but have yet to use it. Last night I played against a Mei Rail Crew where it would have been ideal, but I put him two far out and he got killed after taking out only a single model.

[Sybarite]

What do people put Sub Zero on? In my game i put it on an ice golem and made my three gamin stay within its bubble, while buffing the golem's df with a metal gamin. Worked pretty well.

Also what upgrades are people usually using on Rasputina? i tried Shattered Heart and Child of December. Will probably stick arcane reservoir on her next time too although December's Pawn is fun.

It was fun eating stuff with the wendigo. It ate Ototo and Shang

[Fenton Crack]

I usually put Imbued Protection on the Ice Golum (always actually) because of his pitiful Df and the fact that after a turn or two, the Gamin are not near him since he has been using Toss to move them up-field. The only auto-include for Raspy for me is Arcane Reservoir. I often take Cold Nights because the Ice Pillars help with her area control/denial style and is only a stone along with I take December's Pawn, sometimes just because I am scared not to. I have yet to take Shattered Heart, believe it or not, despite how clearly awesome it is. For me it has simply been cost in that we have been playing lower stone games (30-40) and I feel after I take the models I need I cannot afford the 3ss cost.

[Sybarite]

Interesting. i feel like i'd rather walk forward with the golem and ice gamin together, than staying with the golem in the deployment zone throwing things turn one.

Df2 is indeed pitiful and imbued protection is probably great on the ice golem, but i'll try the metal gamin friend out a bit more i think.

Nice to see shattered heart isn't becoming a no-brainer pick. But yeah arcane reservoir kind of seems like an auto pick for most arcanist masters. It's just great to have another card.

[Fenton Crack]

The reason I have not been walking the Golum up with the Gamin is for "mirror placement." Granted if one is running Metal Gamin, one's strategy is quite different, but I've been either running three ice gamin or two and the Wendigo, and so I want them spaced and seeded across the board so Raspy can take advantage of their Frozen Heart and Ice Mirror December's Curse into almost any advancing models.

Additionally, the last two Strats I played were Reconnoiter, where a spread was beneficial for quadrant control, and the other was Reckoning, and the spread plus mirror helped both with area control/denial of schemes, but also had most of my kills through Raspy mirror casting. December's Curse does not hit super hard, on spaced enemies, but does soften them up well so you can attempt to "decide when they die" for your VP each turn by either hitting them again, or have the ice gamin charge on their activation for the last couple wounds. Last game was a blood bath though and I did not feel safe to leave something alive in hopes of getting its kill the next turn if I already had the turns kill quota VP,as I worried intiative flips could go south and the model I hesitate on would wipe one of my own.

Which strats and schemes one is playing can certainly make the difference of who one brings, I've just been playing ice theme only at this point, and I'm am certainly not trying to imply there is a "right way" to play her, or even a "better way" for that matter. I've just had some success with the mirror "spread offense" and it had seemed pretty fun and safe.

[bearn]

Our group has been playing games mostly at about 30 pts recently to ease new and old players into 2nd edition and my tina setup looks something like this. Tina, Ice Golem, 2 x Ice Gamin and Essence of power. Tina is loaded up with Shattered Heart, arcane Reservoir and Cold Nights, while the golem uses Armor of December.

I vary it up sometimes with the Wendigo in place of the essence when I feel like I want to get more Pillars down or get a Decembers touch/Freeze Over in an odd position. Obviously if I am facing many living the devour can be helpful as well.

I have tried the metal Gamin + Golem combo and to be honest it's just a waste of time and I could care less if they hit him if he's sitting at 3-5 Armor anyway. The push effect is great for getting him out of melee when players run to get him tied up to keep channeling through him. Not to mention it gets him further through terrain than a walk at half would.

The two gamin make great use of channeling through and for scheme marker placement but I usually keep one close to tina for the +1 dmg effect and 1 near my golem to get his reg melee swings into a really strong dmg sphere.

With her 6 pts in upgrades tina can almost always blast a model a turn off the table or threaten to so badly nobody will even poke their head out for fear of getting seen by a model with FH and channeled to death. Especially if you use the essence who just puts her casting potential into the unthinkable levels on average card flips or cheats.

[valhallan42nd]

Cache 7

Rasputina

Shattered Heart 3ss

Arcane Reservior 2ss

Child of December 1ss

Ice Golem 10ss

Sub Zero 1ss

Ice Gamin 4ss

Ice Gamin 4ss

Ice Gamin 4ss

December Acolyte 7ss

December Acolyte 7ss

Essence of Power 3ss

This list is built around the sledgehammer that is 'tina. It's as subtle as a brick, and all about killing the opponent's key pieces and having everything else get speed bumped by the gamin/sub zero/armor combo.

Since Ice Gamin/Molemen/Metal Gamin are all interchangeable depending on what I need, this list has a bit of flex. I like having the ability to inflitrate with the DA, have themdrop scheme markers for the molemen, and have them move into the right location to start tossing out slow/moving enemies to where they are less useful.

As soon as Tina has a henchman, I'm putting imbued protection on the golem, and dropping an acolyte to get the subzero on the hench.

Edited October 2, 2013 by valhallan42nd

[MetaphoricDragn]

That list reminds me I need to finally get some December Acolytes. I wonder when the new sculpt might be out, one of each sculpt would be nice to have.

I'm curious how the Essence of Power made the tranition into M2E? After devouring Marcus with my Wendigo in my first M2E game i admit I'm attached, but I'm curious of the Essence's role now.