Valtyr

I see this as an excellent way to get a lot of attacks out of 1AP, cycle a deck and drain your opponent's hand in equal measure. Yes, the resources required is high, but when you can have the Judge dealing 8Dg per AP minimum that's...quite brutal. - Valtyr EDIT: And also gets some use out the Judge's personal Upgrade if you left out Executioners or other high-Ml models.

I think that the Young suffer, quite aptly, from being the 'middle child'. They are neither as fast as the Tots nor as deadly as a Mature but sit squarely in the middle of both. This makes them decent at everything without being particularly good at anything. Mine didn't evaporate this game, as my opponent was far more concerned with Lilith, Barbaros and the Mature, but I don't expect that to last too long. I am thinking of running one alongside a Tot down a flank, making use of the Blood Frenzy and Flush Out triggers to eat any models that try to stop the Tot doing its thing. It could work, and would force my opponent to divide his crew even more. I don't foresee myself running a Grow list outside of Nekima and her True Mother upgrade - it's just too much to juggle on top of everything else that you need to pay attention to in a game of Malifaux. Running Nekima with True Mother and Rapid Growth would at least allow her to do what she does best (kill stuff) and benefit from it directly, rather than having to mess around with For The Brood triggers all the time. Ultimately though, I'm having a blast playing and painting the Nephilim and am looking forward to getting them on the table again soon. - Valtyr

Well, I'm glad that finally got resolved. =) I managed to get my first proper game of M2E about a week ago. I ran Lilith and my opponent ran McMourning. Strategy - Turf War Schemes - LiTS, Breakthrough, Frame for Murder, Plant Evidence, (can't remember the 5th Scheme) My crew was: Lilith - Beckon Malifaux - Living Blade - Wicked Mistress Barbaros - Nephilim Gladiatus Mature Nephilim - Obsidian Claws 2 x Young Nephilim 2 x Terror Tots His crew was the McMourning box with 3 x Punk Zombies thrown in and some upgrades. Unfortunately I have no more specific information of his crew make-up other than that. I chose Breakthrough and Plant Evidence for my Schemes, reasoning that the speed of the Tots would allows me to get up the flanks with ease, whilst the Nephilim and Lilith held the centre. Key points that I took away from the game are just how manoeuvrable and agile the Nephilim are. They are impossible to pin down as practically every action has a Push effect, allowing me to really dictate where my opponent's models went, and feeding them one at a time to Lilith was particularly satisfying. On one turn the Mature Nephilim was engaged by the Flesh Construct, it activated, triggered Charge Through to Push the Construct into Lilith, and charged into Sebastian, tearing him apart. These multi-layered interactions are huge fun once the synergies start to build. One moment in particular saw Lilith push McMourning into melee, flip the RJ on damage, only to have McMourning flip RJ on damage prevention. Curses! Barbaros' Challenge and Cyclone Crash were excellent in this Strategy, allowing me to control my opponent's activations, and constantly draining his hand/deck. The Tots did exactly what I wanted them to do, and dropped Scheme markers all game, securing me 6 VP. The Young were the only models that didn't really *do* much, although against an Undead/Construct crew they can't really benefit that much from their Scent Blood (sp) ability. I'll keep them for now, and see how they perform against other opponents. All in all though, an excellent game, and a serious learning experience for both players! - Valtyr

Fantastic battle repot. I really appreciate watching these and (re)learning all the little nuances that Malifaux has. Keep up the excellent work! - Valtyr

I think it was Joel that stated that as Black Blood is an ability, and not an action, you always count as having made the kill with it. - Valtyr

I'll be using Barbaros quite a lot as he seems perfectly set up to tank for the rest of the crew. His (0) also acts as yet another way to drain my opponent's deck and hand, and armour combined with 'stones should help him last a lot longer than he really has any right to. I don't know whether his personal upgrade is that good though. I think it would be excellent in Turf War for example, but don't really see where else it would benefit all that much. - Valtyr

The Black Blood Shaman and Nekima will be making their introductions once they receive new models without a doubt. Both are very thematic with Lilith, and make for a very potent Grow list. One question I did have actually: Nekima's The True Mother upgrade states that she can kill a model and have it count for another model's Grow and Mature ability - does this mean that I also need to have the Rapid Growth ability in play, or does this circumvent the need for that upgrade? I'm sure the answer is yes, I do need Rapid Growth in play, but I thought it better to ask regardless. - Valtyr

Terrain, terrain, terrain. If a crew is able to straight up blow an opponent off the table with little worry is a table that has not got enough terrain. I leant this the hard way when playing Lynch vs Perdita towards the end of Wave 1. I basically got shot off the board by Turn 3 and had beer seen anything like it in about a year of Malifaux. I believe that using proper levels and amount of terrain would have balanced the game much more, and not resulted in such a horrific defeat. I find that a lot of LGSs have *just* about adequate terrain for a large-scale game such as 40k and WM/H. Very rarely is there enough to satisfy the requirements of a skirmish-level game such as this. Skirmish games are regularly won or lost on the boards they are played on, so invest in some more terrain and you'll find the game starts to balance itself out accordingly. - Valtyr

Thanks for the feedback all! The idea behind the upgrades on Lilith is to use her as a manipulator as well as a clutch beat stick. Her upgrades allow her to create terrain, push enemy models into it, and get the most benefit out of her Living Blade upgrade. I like the Cherub as it generates terrain for Lilith to hide in in case she cannot cast Illusionary Forest for whatever reason. It also saves an AP for Vines or another melee attack. The speed of the crew will be quite daunting to get a handle on initially, and as the entire crew ignores terrain, I think I will be able to turn it against my opponent with lots of snares, pushes and pounces. Should be fun! Valtyr

Hi all, I'm getting back into Malifaux after about an 8 month hiatus - I needed a break from the game and am coming back refreshed, invigorated and excited to start flipping cards! I have decided to start with Neverborn, as they are a Faction that I never touched in either 1.5 or M2E and had a very hard time choosing between Lilith and Pandora, but opted for Lilith as I really, really like the Nephilim models, and wanted to be able to make a crew that was visually thematic and very synergistic to play with. That being said, I have come up with the following list to start playing Lilith. I fully realise that Malifaux is a game that does not really work with pre-made lists, but I wanted to see whether I was going down the right path or not, or whether there was any glaring issues that I might have overlooked. I have read through all the Schemes and Strategies and see this list as being able to perform moderately well at all of them. It will not blow people away, but it will have a solid chance of scoring VPs in every game I play. So, here's the list so far: 50SS - Scrap Lilith (Pool = 4) - Living Blade - Beckon Malifaux - Wicked Mistress Cherub Barbaros - Nephilim Gladiatus Mature Nephilim - Obsidian Claws Terror Tots x 2 Young Nephilim x 2 I decided not to go with a Rapid Growth list, as I felt that, lacking Nekima and her 'True Mother' upgrade, I would struggle to grow the Nephilim as well as score VPs, deny VPs and kill enemy models. Once Nekima gets re-released in plastic I will more than likely swap out the Mature Nephilim and the Cherub for her. So what do you all think? I am just about finding my feet with the game once again, so any feedback, positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Valtyr

So I've been out of Malifaux for a fair few months now, but I still have a deep love for the models that Wyrd are releasing and the general feel of the game. I'm looking at getting a Justice crew on the go using only a few models and wanted some advice and gaming tips from the more experienced Guild and Justice players. Having said that I would be looking at getting hold of the following boxes: Guild's Judgement Lone Marshal Riflemen I could really do with some help regarding the above models and upgrades, so anything that guys could offer would be much appreciated. Many thanks! - Valtyr

Misaki in M2E is still a pretty powerful model. Her base stats are good, and she has both a high damage, single target attack as well as a new attack that generates blasts (which she is also immune to). This, combined with her Diving Charge ability that lets her Cg out of melee, means she is very hard to pin down and 'tarpit' with numerous, inexpensive models. Dependant upon which Limited upgrade you take, Misaki will go down one of two very different paths. Disguise coupled with Flickering Bisento and Misdirection will make Misaki a lot, lot more survivable than she has any right to be - unable to be targeted by charges, able to gain the Defensive condition for free and, if an enemy does get through all that, she can pass those successful strikes onto other models instead. Alternatively, taking Stalking Bisento, Cutpurse and Flickering Bisento/Misdirection will turn Misaki into a very dangerous melee model. She can Stalk a target, allowing her to move closer to a model whenever it moves, gets a to both attack and damage against that target, AND gets to make a Bisento Strike as a (0). Most models will not survive that. If she desires she can use Cutpurse to steal enemy stones, whilst Flickering Bisento or Misdirection work to keep her alive. All in all, Misaki came out of the 2E evolution very well. She can still kill stuff very effectively, if you build her that way, but she has options should you decide to go down a different route. - Valtyr

I'm seconding the request for Misdirection and Torakage news. I'm also particularly interested to hear if Misaki and Shang have undergone any major changes. - Valtyr

His Hunpo Assault is also a Lvl 4, which takes a surprising amount of work to achieve. That coupled with focussing down Bone requires him to miss out on a lot of the survivability/manoeuvrability buffs that Ash and Spirit offers puts me off quite a bit. Also, what does DBOP mean? Kill all their stuff for free? I'm sorry to say that your entire post has me quite confused to be honest... - Valtyr

My compliments for the sheer volume of minis that you've been able to produce, some paint and colour on models is always far better than simple grey/metal. That being said, I would highly, highly recommend doing some Google-fu and researching washes, shading and layering and try and input a little of each of those three painting techniques onto your figures. Right now they all look very blocky, very cartoony and very flat. A simple flesh wash over the skin will make it look 100x better than it does at the moment. Whilst overall the painting is neat, now is a good time to introduce some more advanced techniques into your repertoire to give the miniatures some real impact on the table. - Valtyr

When I started Malifaux a few months ago I was torn between getting the Death Marshalls or The Thunder for my first set. Misaki won out by a very, very close margin and I have been looking forward to the re-release of LJ an awful lot. Now I've seen the concept I am not disappointed. The models look exceptionally dynamic and I really like what they've done with the DMs and the Judge - the older models just looked very dreary in comparison. Lady J herself is slightly different. I *love* her ninja pose, but her hair will have to be altered as that upwards 'flick' just makes no sense considering the stance of the model. Simply chopping that upward flick off and a slight re-sculpt will make it look much, much better IMO. All in all I am very happy with this re-release. I like the new DM - they look utterly terrifying and, considering their reputation, they should have a more supernatural element to them. The Judge looks amazing, as does the Scales, and with the slight alterations to LJ, she will look awesome too! Keep going Wyrd - I am 100% impressed so far. - Valtyr

I'm a bit of a zealot when it comes to Malifaux in that, if I decide I like a crew, I will *only* play with models in that theme or style. I would never, for instance, play Lynch with some Stitched Together or Misaki with Toshiro - it just doesn't feel 'right' to me. I'm fully aware that this limits the options I can have in any given game, but I play Malifaux for the aesthetic rather than the competitiveness so it doesn't bother me all that much! - Valtyr

Hi all, I played my first game against Colette today, using Yan Lo for the second time, and all I really have to say is, wow, I don't think there is a less-fun crew I have ever played against. My crew consisted on Yan Lo, Soul Porter, Chiaki, Toshiro, Yin and Izamu. His crew was Colette (+ Mannequin), Angelica (+Mannequin), Cassandra, 2 x Showgirls and 2 x Oiran. Some of my reaction I can put down to simple ignorance - I had no idea walking into the game what Colette and her Showgirls can do, and I was a little taken aback by how quickly and easily they are able to accomplish tasks whilst remaining practically immune to return damage. The sheer number of tricks they can perform (quite apt considering their profession) is also incredibly frustrating, and it got to the stage where whenever my opponent announced an ability I simply nodded without even bothering to check as, well, they are able to break near enough every other rule in the game so why question it! My question to all the Arcanists here is; how do you adequately counter a Colette crew? Focus on her? Her Showgirls? The Scenario? How do you stop her doing pretty much anything she wants? I don't particularly want to steamroller my opponent, but just having an above average chance of understanding how she does things and thus preventing them from time to time would be much appreciated. I also play Ten Thunders (Misaki) and Relic Hunters, if Yan Lo is a little bit too scissors to her rock. Thanks in advance! - Valtyr

Just got the e-mail. Super awesome! I'm really excited for if (when) they re-release Book 1 Masters in plastic, as if the current quality of sculpts is anything to go by they should be amazing! Also, the new Candy(?) on the e-mail looks super-creepy! - Valtyr

I tend to max out on models for my crews as I enjoy using all the models that I get in a given box. Only playing Ten Thunders or Relic Hunters this usually amounts to roughly 8 models in a 35SS crew. My Relic Hunters 'default' crew is: McCabe - Invigorating Bridle - Hunter's Cloak Luna Sidir Alchibal Wastrel x 3 Rifleman x 3 Total model count = 9 And my Ten Thunders usually looks like this: Misaki Shang Yamaziko Torakage x 2 Archer x 2 Total model count = 7 I sometimes switch a Torakage or an Archer out to bring Ototo into the game if facing a Resserectionist or Neverborn crew. - Valtyr

So I've been reading Yin's card for a little while as I intend to look into collecting all of the Ancestors for a Yan Lo crew and I think I understand where her power comes from. Like with all Ancestors she directly benefits from Toshiro's Daimyo and the Soul Porter's Empower Ancestor to increase her damage potential and get her to where she needs to be respectively. She is relatively resistant to damage with Harmless, and Mass of Viscera means only Focussed or Paired Attack Flips will be able to cheat, which is rather huge. Now onto her main utility; Anathema + Terrifying, coupled with the large number of Wp reductions she can churn out make her rather nasty. The Gnawing Fear is her only (0), needs a relatively low Mask, and has no resist so it's always worth trying to cast it. Her Entrails makes her Terrifying more dangerous. Casting Constrict will automatically allow her to use the Murderous Rage trigger if (when) her opponent fails their Morale Duel and gets hit with a Disengaging Strike. So, I see Yin as being quite a nice de-buffer - moving into the enemy crew, forcing a lot of Morale Duels, and attacking the enemy with +ve to her Flips in their own activation as they try and run away. What do you think? - Valtyr

I wanted to weigh in on Shang. A lot of people may have a brief look at him and immediately dismiss him as too expensive for what he brings to the table, especially as a Totem. However, at the basest of levels he allows you to, before any other influences, draw 7 cards (discarding one) and thus start preparing your Control Hand from Turn 1. He also gives Misaki (one of the best single-target combatants in the game) what is, at the cost of a single Wd, paired weapons. Those two abilities are, in and of themselves, absolutely huge and that's not taking into account his ability to, with the right cards, inflict 3 Dg on a Weak Flip. The above, and the fact that he's a rather cool model makes him an auto-include in every Ten Thunders crew I ever make. I feel that his utility alone make him worth the cost; he could do nothing except fly around the board all game, but the benefits he brings to the crew (and especially Misaki) are worth the initial investment. - Valtyr

I think I've decided to change up my crew composition somewhat. After seeing how awesome the model is, I felt that I simply *have* to include Yin, the Penangalan as not only is her model rather amazing, but her ability to reduce Wp, Terrify and use Disengaging Strikes to keep the enemy in combat is rather brutal. My new crew, as it is, looks like this: Yan Lo - Soul Porter Chiaki, the Niece Izamu, the Armour Toshiro, the Daimyo Yin, the Penangalan Total SS = 7 I would use 3 of Yan Lo's starting pool to put into the Ash(?) tree, ensuring he gets Regen 1 and Df 7 straight from Turn 1; then it would involve moving Izamu and Yin up the board to engage the enemy crew, with Toshiro providing a dedicated Attack buff to maximise damage. Chiaki would provide support, whilst allowing Yan Lo to stay behind his Ancestors until his Chi reaches a level that allows him to go a little bonkers on the enemy crew. Your thoughts guys? - Valtyr

Hi all, I am very interested in playing with Yan Lo and, with my two main crews being Ten Thunders and Relic Hunters, I feel he would be a welcome alternate that utilises very different game mechanics from what I am used to. Having said that, and despite having quite a lot of Malifaux experience under my belt, I find myself getting a tad confused when trying to digest the more subtle machinations of Yan Lo. Due to this, I was hoping to ask fellow Path players as to what they find to be the most effective way of playing with Yan Lo, and how they go about making the most out of his small, but very elite, crew. My gaming group play almost universally at 35SS and the crew I am going to be running as a general all-comers looks like this: Yan Lo - Soul Porter Chiaki Izamu Toshiro Ashigaru x 2 Any general advice on getting the most out of the above would be hugely appreciated! Thanks! - Valtyr

There is a way around it, although I'm not sold on its legality. Essentially you need Misaki and Yamaziko. Activate Misaki to use Yamaziko's Trusted Mentor, then Wk out of the range, losing Fast and re-gaining Reckless, then use Reckless to generate a further general AP. Again, I'm not so certain on its legality, but by the wording of the rules it seems to be allowed. - Valtyr