Jordon

I guess I understand why people would place Ironsides on the bottom of the stack but I honestly think it's mostly due to a misrepresentation of how she plays. The first few games I've played with her were a real struggle for me and it wasn't until I took her in a whole new direction that I've been able to see her true strength. As a strait up brawler she falls way under the curve and by looking at her card, she's definitely advertised as such. I've had huge success with treating less like a brawler and more like a support master. She's got a huge array of tools that make her extremely versatile. Don't get me wrong, she does have some bad matchup's but trust me though, giving your whole crew free focus on every single attack can be extremely effective.

They are definitely worth it. It sort of depends on how your list is setup though. You could get a lot of work out of a steam arachnid if your running "powered by flame" and/or "bleeding edge tech" The same goes for a metal gamin, however they can be somewhat slow if they are not magnetizing around. Hoarcats are great models and they have some slight synergy with Kaeris. Using her accelerant power, models can potentially paralyze, setting them up to be devoured. Personally I haven't ever had this ability go off with the hoarcats since their normal attack is usually the better way to go. I know you mentioned not liking rail workers, but honestly they're probably a much better fit at 5ss than the kittens. Molemen are awesome. Kaeris can set them up amazingly using grab and drop. Having one moleman double walk and drop a marker sets up the other to teleport, double walk and drop a marker. That will basically put them on the other side of the board on turn two. Also their armor makes them decent targets for healing, making them pretty damn tanky.

The fluff gamer in me cringes at the thought of december models in a burning themed list, but it's hard to deny how awesome acolytes are. That being said, I probably wouldn't bring both acolytes and gunsmiths in the same list. I would actually recommend the Arachnid swarms as another potential include. They are great anti-scheme runners and with Kaeris' healing, they are pretty scary threats. Add in powered by flame and they can dish out a lot of potential burning via their free attack trigger.

I'd like to post the question to those who may have used these models more than I have. I'm curious as to what you'd prefer to take, if you could only take one: Soulstone Miner vs Large Arachnid Metal Gamin vs Steam Arachnid I know obviously it's scheme dependant, but just thinking generally, which do you prefer? It's really tough between the miner and the arachnid because both bring a lot to offset some of Ironsides weaknesses. The miner makes an excellent scheme runner, and can help keep Toni topped up with stones if she's chewing through them too fast. The LSA is a great anti scheme runner and has an amazing damage track to make use of HPM. Both are able to deal with armor, which can be a real nightmare for ironsides. The Gamin versus arachnid is also tough since the gamin makes for a great bodyguard for Toni if she happens to be playing more defensive/controlling. The spider however works better offensively. One cool trick is to line up 2 spiders directly in front of Ironsides and have Toni drag a model in (seeing over/through the spiders). The model would stop in base contact with the spiders, reducing it's defence by 1 or 2 and allow Toni to start wailing on it. If the model has only a 1" range then your looking even better. Has anyone tried out these models with Toni - if so, how did they perform?

I actually get a lot of success with running a high versatility list. What I mean by that is models that are great from ranged and melee. This way I can choose what style of play I want Ironsides to go and have my crew back me up. So models such as Willie, Gunsmiths, Ox mage (with combat casting) and the Firestarter. Johan is also just too good too pass on even if he's slow. The only M&SU option I really don't bother with is Union Miners. Not just because they are not available currently (but that is a factor) but mainly because I just don't really see their value. I think they suffer from being too generic and so they are quite often overshadowed by better, more specialized options. False Claim is neat, but we exist in a faction with the mech rider who I think bring's more at 12ss than two union miners at 10ss. Thats just my opinion though

There's definitely nothing wrong with your list. In fact pairing up the ice golem with snowstorm is a great way to substitute some of the biggest weaknesses of the ice golem (speed). The arcane effigy is a solid little minion, however condition removal may or may not come into play since both crews are running such small numbers. Personally I think you'd get more milage from an ice gamin. It's "bite of winter" is amazing in a December heavy list since it effectively gives everyone +1 damage (itself included). That really puts out some really big damage from the golem and snowstorm. I ran a similar list with great success, except I used two acolytes and a silent one. I don't really think I need to explain why acolytes are amazing though

I would say Joss is probably one of the tankiest models around with his armour +2, decent stats and ability to use stones. Although not specifically an Arcanist. Kang is another model who can be a real nightmare to take out with his H2K, H2W and a pretty stellar heal and again soulstones to prevent. If your talking master, than probably Ironsides or Ramos would be the best tanks. Ironsides with her huge wound stat and ability to heal, and Ramos with his armour +2 and also amazing healing.

I think most will probably suggest Mech simply because of the ability to drop schemes and models is extremely valuable. It may not be as potent in GG2016, but she's still pretty fantastic. Obviously she's the most tied to schemes since summoning near death minions may not always be the best. I honestly find Pale to be one of the more flexible of the riders. He can do ranged as well as melee, can hit with decent damage, heal (which is awesome for riders) and can still be an effective scheme runner while still being effecting in combat.

I think you could either take a sabertooth cerberus as the "lion" that is pretty iconic to a circus. Alternatively you could convert a slate ridge mauler to have a tutu and put him in the show.

Another issue could be terrain. If you don't have adequate LOS blockers, then ranged crews will have wreck your day. They can't hit what they can't see. Also Colette with her prompt/disappearing act along with the speed of the Coryphee means you can get the Coryphee in the opponent deployment zone turn 1, no problem. Most ranged models suffer once engaged so it's not terribly hard to just engage them. Or even just engage a scheme runner or two, having to force a ranged model to randomize will often make the ranged model choose an easier target. Sometimes the safest place to be is engaged with enemy models (in the case of ranged heavy crews) In the case of those pesky armor ignoring melee models, I recommend prompt. Send a Coryphee up and get Colette to prompt it three times. It's rare for a model to stand up to that kind of abuse. Especially if you use a dove for the positives to damage flips, good luck surviving that. Colette is the queen of applying pressure where you need it most. Again I'm not saying they don't have bad matchups, because they do. But for every bad matchup for a Coryphee, there is an equal amount of situations where Coryphee are amazing counters to whatever your opponent is bringing.

I wouldn't necessarily call individual Corphee fragile. They do suffer from hard counters, but against the average, they can be a huge problem to deal with. It also comes down to how you use them. They are finesse models, not beaters. Use their speed to isolate targets and pick fights you know you can win. If they do happen to get into a fight with a tough model, they have ways to deal with it. Blinding combines amazingly well with the Coryphee's Always in Motion ability and Swirl of Motion trigger. This combo essentially neutralizes non ranged threats. Also don't discount the ability to use soulstones, as armor +2 with prevention can keep them standing for a long time. If all else fails, they can run away like champs.

Hey, I was curious if anyone was running Popa Loco in their Daw crew. If so, are you proxying him, or did you manage to get your hands on the actual model? Personally I think Loco is an excellent inclusion to Daw, however I'm not willing to buy Perdita's entire crew box just to have him. I know his metal sculpt may be available somewhere, but honestly i'm not a big fan of his old sculpt, especially since his new one is so awesome looking. Does anyone know of any decent alternatives until/if the actual model gets released individually. Can anything be made via the male/female multipart kit?

I've played with both Hank and the Duet quite a bit and will often have one or the other in every list I run with Colette. So personally my thing with the Duet vs Hank is that the Duet are way more hit and miss. What I mean by that is that the Duet can be amazing counters to whatever the opponent brings, other times however they can do down way quicker than a 14ss model should. Hank is usually consistent with his performance and while he lacks the diversity of the coryphee, he does what he was intended to do with extreme effectiveness. Don't get me wrong, I love the coryphee/duet and the challenge they bring is usually worth the versatility they offer. Just be prepared to enter a love/hate relationship with them as they go from wrecking your opponent with impunity to facing someone like perdita, who can shoot them off the board in a single shot (single coryphee that is). I'm also a fluffy player so I actually took the misstep model and modelled in a skirt and hair ribbon and made her an un-official showgirl. My conscience is clean

Of all the arcanists, I would have to say Colette is probably the master least tied to upgrades. Sure they can be useful, but honestly I think she performs just fine without any and some times I run her as such. Practice production is pretty awesome, but it doesn't really need to be on Colette and is probably better suited for Angelica of Cassandra. If anything I think arcane reservoir is probably as good a fit as any of her other upgrades. I've actually tried running her as a resource factory, giving her arcane reservoir, shell game and soulstone manipulation and really try to maximize my hand, and it's yielded some decent results. I don't think she really has any "must take" upgrades so it just comes down to play style, soulstones and the strategy.

He's overall solid model that becomes insane with Tara. She can give him fast, bury him, and then unbury him into combat. With 4AP he could flurry twice for an absurd 6 attacks or two (2) attacks. He can also target WP which Tara can severely debuff. There is very few models in the game that can stand up to that kind of abuse.

Abandon Stilts!: This model may discard this upgrade to reduce the damage suffered from a Ml attack action to 0 The NB attacks with Ca not Ml, so he is unaffected by stilts

I actually found the nothing beast to be a great counter to Francois. First off, he is incorporeal and so he can't really be "blocked" by other models. He's also tall enough that you should always be able to see them and thus always be able to charge. His Ca attacks get around both the "stilts" upgrade as well as his Df trigger. His 3" range will mean if he does somehow manage to survive, he will have to waist Ap walking up to the NB. Incorporeal makes it so that if he wants to dumb luck, he'll be taking the exact same amount of damage to himself. Lastly his damage, while swingy, if you can get those moderates, he'll drop in no time and you should be getting in 4 attacks with fast and Ca expert. It may not be an equal trade as a stalk Francois is 7 and the NB is 10. However I rarely ever see Francois taken without upgrades and even still, I think getting rid of him is definitely worth the sacrifice.

While I certainly won't try and defend him as I also think he's over priced for what he can do. His mechanics fight against him and are rarely worth the risk, he's paper thin, his triggers are easily negated/need extra setup in order to work and he's still only average speed despite having nimble due to his awful Wk4. He does however have a few things going for him and with the right support, you can get some decent milage out of him. First off his damage, while being extremely swingy, it does support a very impressive severe. Being with Daw, he does have some decent methods of upping his chances of hitting that severe. First being Envy, who in all likelihood will likely use it on himself. The second option is Popa Loco who can give him dynamite giving him positives on all his damage flips. Even just focusing is often what I do since he can still move via nimble. It's better off getting one attack with severe damage than trying two un-modified attacks as even a best case scenario of two moderates is only slightly better than one severe, but is more likely to hit a weak. The -1Wp is actually pretty good if you take things that can take advantage of it. Models such as Daw, the Hanged, Bishop and even the nothing beast can make use of this aura. With all the horror models available, increasing the TN even by 1 can make a significant difference. This does however mean you need to play him close to the action and we all know how well that goes for Monty... I actually had his paralyze trigger get me out of some tough spots before. It's not really something Outcasts have a ton of access too and it can catch people off guard. It's also one of the only ways to keep him safe while doing his base contact schtick. Lastly, you can have Daw borrow his comfort in fear ability to stack it with Monty's, making anyone unlucky enough to be in range of both to suffer 4 damage for passing a horror duel. Thats significant enough damage that many models would actually prefer to fail and loose their activation. This has been the best ways I've gotten any success out of Monty. Again it's not ideal and it requires additional models in order to pull off, but if you really want to get him to work, this is probably your best bet.

I find that Tara is a great model to harass Lenny with her glimpse the void trigger. Getting him off the board dramatically decreases their damage out via dumb luck as well as the pseudo armour. Since she has such a good Df trigger against shooting, I find most won't bother shooting her at all, which helps keep her alive. Also as mentioned, her beast bomb tactic can really throw off key activations, however don't bank on doing a ton of damage to masters because their squeal trigger can foil assassination runs.

I'm pretty sure Daw's curse trigger happens upon success not damage. So as long as you hit you'll be able to curse them unless they have some way to pass the attack onto another model. I haven't tired Envy with Popa Loco yet, but I image it's quite a potent combo. Lust also has a great severe damage and an amazing Ca7, so she can be another surprising way to dish out damage if you can guarantee the severe. I just really wish I could get my hands on Popa outside of Perdita's box

I'm looking to get a hold of the hooded rider from the puppet wars unstitched game. It can be assembled but preferably unpainted but I'm not too picky. I can trade for an alt Kaeris or a limited edition performer or just paypal. I live in Canada -Thanks

Hey, I'm currently in the middle of painting the crossroad seven but I was curious as to what band members usually make it into peoples lists and which one's do you normally leave in the case. I understand it can vary depending on the scheme and opponent, but there does appear to be particular winners and losers. Here are my favourites 1) Lust - I like how she attacks the opponents deck, which Daw can utilize more than most crews due to the plethora of manipulative and horror duels. She also has some very powerful movement effects that stack with Daw's own. 2) Envy - He's just a great model on his own, but his ability to hand out focus can really go a long way in helping out Montressor as his damage is very impressive if you can hit the severe. If you keep the focus for himself he can make two focused attacks with the assistance of twist and turn. 3) Pride - His mechanic of forcing cards really plays into Daw's own abilities. His (0) adds another aura of non-cheating, albeit somewhat more situational than Lageia's. 4) Wrath - He's just a solid beater in the same way Envy is a solid shooter. Daw has ways to almost guarantee him charging every turn. Nurses can further boost his damage if you have him positioned correctly. He's also reasonably durable due to his healing (at least compared to the other seven) 5) Gluttony - I think on his own, there isn't much that gets me excited. However when combined with crooked men, he becomes pretty amazing. It's a setup that you need to taylor your list around, but it can be quite effective - at least in theory. I think with crooked men, he's a must take but without he's probably a pass. 6) Sloth - I feel like he does fit into a particular style of Jack's if you playing with lots horror and/or paralyze. Overall he's ranked pretty low compared to the others and I feel like Daw has better options available to him with his huge hiring poor. 7) Greed - I just don't really feel 8ss worth of work coming from this model. Bleeding stones is alright, but Daw already has a strong resource drain mechanic. She does get stronger once the opponent has used all his stones and now her Greed Spreads ability is hitting at full damage. Greed has to be my least favourite of the seven and I don't don't see the big gain from running her with Jack. So what are other peoples thoughts? Do you know of some other interesting combos with Daw that I may have overlooked? What are other peoples best/worst or do they even bother using any of the seven at all with Daw?

I almost always drop Mei Feng when facing ressers and it usually works out in my favour for two main reasons. 1) Kang - This guy alone has a decent sized army wide buff that gives everyone focused attacks. Now pair this with the next ability.... 2) Hard Worker - This gives a (0) to ignore a vast majority of resser defences and works great on Mei, who gains a (0) where she had none before. It's not very common to be able to gain positive flips against ressers, but between kang, hard worker, and implacable assault, you can get it reliably and tear through models.

I guess in theory you can also hire a malifaux child to copy Daw's twist and turn to then copy Monty's Comfort in Fear for yet another stacking aura. It's probably resource intensive, hard to setup and a bit overkill, but having a model take 6 damage from passing a horror duel is pretty damn funny.

Twist and turn can force an enemy tormented to attack a friendly (horrifying) model. Simply cheat the duel so it fails and you can give out a reliable paralyze since it's out of it's activation. I've thought about a similar list. Between all the discard triggers and effects stacked with plenty of horror duels you can really drain the opponents hand - or with Ligeia, make them un-cheatable. One question I had though. Can Jack use Monty's Comfort in Fear via twist and turn to stack the effect? Meaning anyone who passes a horror duel within range of Jack and Monty would suffer 4 damage?