Whut

Yes, 2 FWC on Rough Riders is both overkill and exposes twice as many 9 Cost RR to getting caught and killed (I don't think two Insurance Auras can proc from one death, right?). Archivist doesn't benefit the crew much either. Sure, Omens is cool but he's an additional ranged attacker who suffers from Concealment and he doesn't have good Health batteries like he does in Cadmus. Assuming this is the super duper "load up your hand with severes" trick from before, losing Initiative Turn 2 should only worry you if you think Sidir will die in a single activation. Even if he gets engaged on, that feels like some classic over-extension by the opponent and he can be RideWithMe'd back into shooting position by McCabe or either of the RR

Theoretically anyone is worth it, Sidir works out well because his gun is so strong and he doesn't need his bonus action so he can keep the chain going. Hucksters, HopefulProspects, and Crypsis Corps are good models with bonus actions which won't be used every turn too. It helps to think of Artifact passing as "Bonus action: requires a 4, give an unactivated Minion/Wastrel within 6 Fast" in addition to actually transferring the Upgrade. So if a model isn't getting a lot of value out of its bonus actions this turn (another example could be RRider/McCabe don't need to move) and doesn't need to keep the upgrade for next turn, it can instead "give" its bonus action to another model as a full action. Artifacts will practically always stop moving when they reach Daeva, and usually on RoughRiders.

The more I think about this the more I like this pipe dream. Beebe & Calypso RoughRider Sidir Hopeful Prospect Daeva 10 SS Remaining Turn 1 Daeva makes a scrap, concentrates for Focused+1 RR & McCabe Ride Daeva & Sidir Pass Upgrade to Hopeful, he Walk-Walk-Concentrates and is far enough up the board to be within 4" of Sidir/Daeva Sidir Walk-Concentrates for Focused+2 and BlowsItToHell to remove any potential cover Turn 2 Stuff happens with McCabe & Others top of turn Hopeful activates, walk, concentrate or shoot, passes upgrade to Sidir Sidir is Fast, shoots 3+ times, passes upgrade to Daeva Daeva is Fast, mimics Sidir, shoots 3+ times Luna digs up another Upgrade, passes it to Hopeful?

Out of 6 cards in the hand and SS for 2 more, you only need 1 Tome. FlushWithCash on a minion can let you Draw 3-4 extra cards. Austera & Twigge or a HopefulProspect can help further. It's not 100% but it's much more consistent than needing a 6Mask which is what 10T McCabe relied on for nearly 2 years now, right? If all that fails, you can flip a weak Tome on Initiative, with Luna, or with anyone else as they pass around Luna's Artifact. Luna pass Mirror to a RoughRider, then RoughRider RideWithMe, Concentrate, and Shoot once or twice in non-corner? That can flip 2-8 cards and Draw 2. Attacking an ally and relenting can flip 4 cards per action. In the intricate phrasing of our great lord Plaag: "Jessie is useless" Daeva is the best guarantee. Why do you put so much emphasis on passing around a bunch of Fast T1? I imagine Fast is more important T2, only especially useful on RoughRiders cause they can reach targets to shoot. Most other models are happy with a Concentrate + Walk (or Shoot if they've gotten RideWM up but that means RR can't pass the Artifact) -- I imagine if you're taking Sidir, you might as well bring along a Hopeful Prospect. They're cheap, can be RideWithMe'd, can reload his Focus when he inevitably kills with that disgusting severe damage, and their bonus action isn't important so they can hold Trinkets between turns and give Sidir Fast. Although if they die or replace, they lose the upgrade if it's still on them.

I don't play Wastrel because they don't fit my style at all, I just like theorizing. So I suppose the literal answer to "how often" would be never, lol That being said, I think always 2. Good gun range and good movement is good, they can drop 2 schemes per turn, they move the rest of the crew for free, they heal, grant concealment, and can use all 3 Artifacts better than most. I think they should usually carry Faded Mirror to let them hold a Focused and cycle 1-3 cards per turn each while staying mobile and shooting (just cheat no matter what unless you're already winning against a high card). When against Armor/H2W/etc they can use Precise decently well and Injured is an underappreciated condition at +2 or more. Mask is least useful but heals 2 per enemy activation, so maybe good when chasing a schemer which won't kill them? I don't like their squishyness in melee, but 7 Health means they'll never get one shot, they can stay in concealment pretty well (cover is often meaningless but that too), and can perfectly position 13+ inches away from what they shoot to stay safe. Nothing about them is like WOW, look at THIS you can do in one activation! It's more about consistent sustained fire over time while preventing the enemy from doing anything back Not sure how well any of that works out in practice. -- Edit: Maybe only 1 when you're taking Desper for Breakthrough, but for schemes like SpreadThemOut I think they do Desper's job well enough while being more impactful for damage. I also think they invalidate Hucksters now that Beebe can generate your scrap, except when you need to drop Schemes within 4" of other Schemes but we have better options for that too.

Yea this one I'm convinced of, I think B&C are auto-take with McCabe. They're roughly as fast as the rest of the crew without needing Ride, they make scrap much more consistently than Hucksters (and can use the scrap made by others in a pinch), they effectively have Min3 plus AoE damage, Injured is synergistic with all the Stat 5, and most importantly they're durable, which is something the Keyword lacks. If things go wrong and Beebe already activated, he can be RideWithMe'd to safety or near Scrap If McCabe is dismounted, he can be shoved inside Calypso (maybe in assassinate) Cryptologists can bonus action Beebe to draw 2 Tomes and if they get their trigger, create additional scrap (although, getting a condition on Beebe could be tough so this might only be for Turn 1). I wouldn't worry about the 12 Cost AP, they have the AP of two 6 Cost models anyway and even in melee it gives out a bunch of Injured+1 with no resist One more: Calypso can be healed by Rough Riders even if it can't be moved by them, and heals on Armor+2 are ~stupid~

I think he's too expensive. No Poison Synergy, fragile (for cost) like the rest of the crew, if he's Obeying for Scrap he's not Obeying the right targets for Focused which is his best job, and VoiceOfTheSociety isn't that great, only adding 4 success cards on a few actions. Beebe+Calypso would be my Scrap Maker Daeva as the best OOK minion like I went over before (best against DF-targeting Keywords) Intrepid is really good if you're taking both RoughRiders since it heals them for 2 every time they trigger the Aura - although the Emissary can't be RideWithMe'd so you have have another way to push him or take Effigy w/ Upgrade. Also I'm not sure how often a RoughRider will be wounded and not outright killed. Vernon&Welles protects friendly models, and is surprisingly Size2 so can be RideWithMe'd but isn't a minion --- I think my most braindead tactic idea ever is to take Tidecaller and 2 Brocken Spectres, load the Brocken up with Faded Mirror, and then Toss them into the enemy crew. They both activate, concentrate once, and start attacking and cheating every opposed duel to draw a million cards, place enemies, stagger them, and spread Distracted.

OH... I never noticed that. That's... not going to matter most of the time OoA but yuck that sucks in Activation.

I see. However, I'd consider FWC as a replacement for SS for cards, not as an addition to. Sure, you use one high card for Initiative but out of 8 cards drawn, the 3rd-5th worst have to be 3 weak cards to make this ideal. Most crews have plenty of simple duels requiring 6's and 7's (if not lower) and I expect to fail at least a couple of those each turn so I'd be hesitant to toss midrange cards away, especially in a crew with already good card draw which can replace used cards. Then again, I'm HEAVILY a control/attrition player so I just have a sickly reaction to wasting any potential value for the sake of aggression.

Currently I think Frontier is the weakest, followed by Syndicate and then Wastrel. But also none of these fit my playstyle, they're not particularly WEAK - just weakEST, and Syndicate isn't complete yet so Jury's out.

Can you explain what you mean by FWC lines?

I can see this being possible. You yourself said you'd take a Lamplighter 1 in 10 games, when would you take him?

It's less about absorbing damage and more about how good Jedza's options are. Jedza can absorb ranged fire for a while but if Seeker isn't putting in work to counteract resources spent then you're going to lose. It's not like Seeker doesn't have ranged damage at all, but those ranged options are usually shorter (6-8") and/or OncePerActivation (Jedza's Terrain, Austera's Bonus, Mikhail's Shockwave, Surveyors' gun). Comparing that to nearly everything having 2" engagement ranges, good damage tracks or utility on most attacks, Surveyors creating Hazardous terrain and Geodes for Jedza, keeping enemies engaged with LifeToken use, etc and it's pretty clear where Jedza is most effective. Also, blocking LoS isn't easy. A 30mm model needs to stand perfectly between Jedza and her ally and even bigger models still need to get to that area between the two. Especially when first clashing, if you want to stand there you're probably going to spend AP walking instead of getting both attacks in, and if you want to do that be my guest.

Core Crew: Intrepid Emissary or Effigy w/ FateUpgrade TheDamned Surveyor Mikhail (90% of the time?) Jedza is very unique because of the LifeToken mechanic, so I think her core is much less set in stone than most crews - it'll fluctuate based on the enemy Keyword. For example, Mikhail is INSANELY strong with Jedza, but in some matchups he's going to be overkill for the Jedza-bubble-area-control job when a second Surveyor, GraveGoo, Lamplighter is cheaper and more flexible in movement/other things (if not taking Mikhail, you must take Emissary not Effigy tho)

Jedza excels at absorbing melee attackers and out-grinding them. A Surveyor is excellent for creating hazardous terrain and sitting in her bubble protected by LifeTokens while continually damaging and engaging melee enemies who can't kill him back. In games against a lot of ranged enemies, the Surveyor cannot stay immortal within Jedza's bubble if he wants to be as useful as possible - if he dives into the enemy crew he will do some damage for a brief time and then die. Jedza herself also suffers more against ranged threats because Mikhail can't sit next to her and protect her from melee. A Lamplighter just by existing creates two 30mm concealing Lamps which are not destructible and can be placed in Key areas from which you'll be shot. He can keep creating lamps using Tomes, and lighting each lets all models get plus flips within a small bubble. He also has a 2" engagement range and Shimmering Lights/Chronicle(Seclusion) can cause a lot of tricks with pushing out of engagement. Is the Lamplighter great? No. They're a tech choice, and even if that tech choice is only used in 10-20% of games, that's not "almost useless." Its unfortunate that Malifaux takes 2-3+ hours to play and so it seems like 10-20% of games is not a lot. But compare that to a card in something like MagicTG - many cards make their way into sideboards only to be used in 10% of matches against specific decks. Those cards would never be called "almost useless" by good players.

Why are lamplighters useless

Welcome to the party, Shin!

Hey all, I just posted my in depth EVS First Impressions Review. Check it out if you're interested and let me know if I missed anything really strong. https://youtu.be/XZdOwEgn9_0

Surveyors are a decent but cheap central fighter kind of model, which isn't useful in a crew with already tanky models and Jedza keeping things alive. Depending on what the rest of Syndicate looks like, they could be better there. Edit: After taking another look, I take this back, Surveyors are actually super good with Jedza

Nimble, Walk 6, Unimpeded is already a quick model, and he provides a jump platform for Ullr for the flanks - Cooper (stuck in the center/back shooting) or Rex (fighting) isn't enough. The pair of them can accomplish things like Authority, Take Prisoner, Spread them Out, etc or gang up on squishier scheme runners. Secondly, Intimidating Roar is good for keeping enemies away from your gunline, pushing them into Crypsis Corps overwatch lines, and pushing your expensive models into better positions early on in the game so they can use their AP on attacks (Mostly Cooper and Rex)

Regardless of where the healing is, be it on the Spelleater after it soaks damage from someone within 4" or directly onto someone within 4" of it, it's still only 1 health on most turns, 2 sometimes, at a 4" range. That's not good healing.

I agree on Finnigan vs Spelleater being roughly equal healing, but I interpret that as "Spelleater heals very little and this isn't a huge selling point for him." I don't see how it's anywhere close vs Lamplighters though. LLs get two 1/2/3 heals at double the range and push 3"+1" which can help with positioning Cadmus' many small auras and exiting engagement. Granted LLs are squishier but can stay much further back and come with a variety of better defensive support effects. And I say this as someone who doesn't think Lamplighters are a good enough take most of the time. Legion can just as easily be soaked by a free EAE without having to spend 7 stones. -- At the end of the day I look at what Spelleaters do and it just isn't impressive enough for 7 stones. On average, one shot for 2-3 damage which might heal 1. On a good turn, heal 2 Soaking Legion damage (which can be better done by EAE) Turning X+2 into Focused+2 (but inconsistent requiring melee range, a Tome, and setup for X) Elemental Backlash (1-2 damage at end of turn semi-randomly, admittedly good against some crews) DttLD (admittedly good) -- Edit: Heck, if a Cryptologist allows Meredith to summon an extra Husk, then even he effectively generates more health than the Spelleater does. It requires a 9 but Meredith heals 1 and then the Husk heals 3, both of which can be passed along to other friendly Cadmus and the Husk can be your Legion damage sponge until it moves away (at which point you'll make another one).

Okay now that I've gotten a chance to look at the card again, I see that Ancient Technology states "When this model activates" which I didn't realize. I get it now, that ability wouldn't do anything if "When" and "Start" were two different timings. I still want a confirmation from Wyrd, but hot damn Cryptologists working with Beebe and Meredith is SO strong.

They heal for 1, or 2 if both sides of the duel are Rams (which is rare). They also have to win a duel and don't ignore Concealment or FF, so I'm assuming they heal 1 per turn or 2 when lucky. If you really need healing, a lamplighter heals 1/2/3 and pushes 3" twice or Finnigan can heal an ally 2 more consistently Sure. I just don't think 1-2 of them are auto takes Yea, I hadn't given the Spelleaters enough thought. Still, I think on average Explorers have less bad models than the other factions. Bad models I can think of include... moorwraiths, cryptologists (If it doesn't work on Meredith/Beebe), Harpooner, Jessie, Alpinist, Machinist.

Back on Spelleaters... I'll agree that I put too much emphasis on "melee presence". I should have said models which provide things the Keyword doesn't have enough of - mostly models who can spread out better, models that drop scheme markers, and models who can threaten enemies away from Nexus/Meredith or protect them. Other options are healing (better than a Spelleater can) and small push effects for correcting positioning (and avoiding using AP to Exoskeletal). I also blurted out the Husk example just as a comparison point when it comes to health battery value for SS spent, not necessarily saying that a Husk is a good hire (although sometimes against Terrifying/ResistanceTriggers they can be) Isn't this partially what EAE are for, especially since leaving them at 1 Health and getting them killed within 6" of FlushWithCash gets you free stones and 4" of Meredith gets you free cards? I didn't value ignoring triggers enough when thinking of their resilience which is a fair point, but if they take a damage or two from soaking Legion they've now dug themselves deep into two-shot range to some damage 4's or 5's against their Df5 Stat 5 on Df AND no suit built in? Yuck. But if REALLY need to get a Token on someone, Meredith can get the poison from Vial, a friendly model poisoned earlier, Creeper, or Nexus' Transmutation. Huh? Why when you can just summon them first turn? Compared to a Spelleater you would be better off spending 8 stones on these 14 range, "effective Stat 6 against Injured+2" models who cycle a card, remove conditions, heal above Hard2Kill from Meredith, occasionally heal others, soak Siphon damage, give out Focus (including when anything dies to PToken damage), refund a stone if they die, generate double the amount of AP, and throw out a shot at whatever model Nexus softens up (which she will be wanting to do anyway), requiring the opponent cheat high or let my 4 cost model replace into a Spelleater anyway. In Keyword is good, but I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot when I could just take better models. One extra Cadmus isn't going to make or break your Legion web nor is the possible +1 Stat on WillOfCadmus something to fawn over. Why is Meredith anywhere other than in the back quietly running the HuskCreation/HealthBattery/RancidFocus engine while Quarantining? I just don't see them providing enough support. They give Focus? Well it requires a Tome and condition each turn, Meredith can already pass Focus from a concentrating cheap model, and a Prospect can provide some extra for half the cost. They heal? Maybe one per turn, two if you really try for it, and it's not guaranteed - Finnigan, Lamplighters, Intrepid all do this more consistently or better while also providing other, far better benefits. Their bonus action is good and the discard aura can be useful too, but I just don't see it as enough to justify the 7 cost when the rest of what they do is just weak or inconsistent supplements to things Cadmus already has. ----- Granted you do make some good points. I used to think they're the worst model in the Faction and now I'm second guessing that, but I'm still hesitant to call them good.