respekt

You could grow alot with the seeker keyword. It requires very strong positioning ability, but rewards that ability. Are you coming from other wargames? If so, you might do well with this crew. Her keyword offers a decent amount of versatility in hiring, most of her models have a situational role. The reason it requires strong positioning ability is any canny opponent can use any 30mm sz2 model to block los between Jedza and any model she is trying to keep alive. Accordingly, you usually have to be thinking a few activations ahead when making attacks, "where can I stand with Mikhail so that it is difficult to break los to jedza," for example. I find this process really rewarding, you might as well. If this process sounds tedious, you might wanna start elsewhere. She obviously can get counter hired by the models that stop healing, but there aren't a ton of them. Also, you will buy Anya to get the surveyors, so Anya can make a decent second keyword that isn't as reliant on healing and can also spread out easier for certain pools.

I guess my read is that ivan opponents are trying too hard to deny brocken and ivan players are trying too hard to get out brocken. I think over time ivan opponents will realize it is rarely worth too much tech the same way people were trying too hard to deny dreamer summons at the beginning of 3. I definitely think you are buying something valuable with out of keyword ivan. I'm just unsure if the surprise is gonna be worth the stones (esp if you are hiring mordrake). I think you could find a matchup where the staggered element of ivan's trigger might break it for mccabe tho.

I have played McCabe second with Ivan. I think that is probably the better route as both totems feel essential and luna is cheaper. It will probably have legs in the future when your opponent tries to deny brocken summons to prevent you from killing armored models, but then McCabe just has swords lol. I am not sure what you are getting from surprise Ivan other than extra concealment? You mentioned that people won't hire to deny the summons, but I personally feel like that strategy won't age well, it seems like a huge list concession to me. Second McCabe can really take the wind out of some strategies that counter Ivan though. As my two factions are outcasts and exs, I can speak to that matchup with more certainty. I don't think changing any outcast list to bring less than wp 5 will make a huge difference, but hiring arik into crews like levi is a way more effective bandaid. If you hire second master McCabe, Arik is dead on t2 or 3.

Since a few people suggested that you can sisters in spirit and then dragon's bite to put both sisters in melee range, that kinda works but you will need to be 42.135mm from a 30 mm model, 47.539mm from a 40 mm model, or 52.571mm from a 50 mm model. So you have to be very close or both won't be in melee as they cannot push through each other. Credit to JamesdfS on the outcasts discord for the math. My thoughts on the viks are in the TFW deep dive.

What is the start date?