Phinn

Actions Causing Actions (Malifaux 2E Rules Manual, page 36): Some Actions will force or allow a model to take another Action. If an Action calls for another Action to be taken (such as Charge or “Make A New Entry”) then the additional Action or Actions do not cost any AP. The original Action is not considered resolved until the new Actions are also resolved. Some Abilities may force models to do something when declaring an Action (such as taking a duel for Manipulative). For these Abilities, each new Action generated triggers the Ability separately.

Let me quote my favorite philosopher:

I knew that I forgot something. Her upgrades. Bounty, 1 SS ► Other friendly Gremlins within LoS gain following Trigger to all Sh Attack Actions: Paid In Full: After killing the target, draw a card. The main advantage of the Trigger is that it can replace Trigger on Attack Actions like Rooster Rider's (1) Rusty Rifle or Bayou Gremlin's (1) Boomstick, which must declare Trigger if able and have following Trigger: Whoops, Ricochet: After resolving, the closest other firendly model within 12" and LoS suffers 1 damage. And her A Gun for a Lady Upgrade looks like a very good 1 SS investement as well.

Does anybody please have any experience with Trixiebelle in Gremraida lead Crew? Ill Omens Ability: After flipping Initiative and before either Crew spends a Soulstone to reflip Initiative, this model's Crew may Cheat its Initiative flip. (1) Gremlin "Lure" (Ca 6 / TN: 12 / Rst: Wp / Rg: 18): Target model is pushed its Cg away from this model. If the target is a Gremlin, instead, it is moved its Cg towards this model and must end the move as close to this model as possible. Never Needed to See That...: After succeeding, the target gains the Slow Condition. I mean... Lure is always nice, isn't it? And it can help some slow models like Bad Juju (Wk 4, Cg 6), Waldgeists (Wk 4, Cg 6) or even Voodoo Doll (Wk 3, Cg 6, plus Slow from the trigger) or make Silurids (Wk 5, Cg 7 and Leap) super mobile. 18" range. Enough said. (0) "Buy You a Drink?" (Ca 6 / TN: 13 / Rst: Wp / Rg: 6): Target a model. The target gains Posion +1 a number of times equal to the difference between its final duel total and this model's final duel total. Voodoo Doll's Wp is 4 and you can allways cheat its defense flip down. Trixiebelle's attack flip is going to be 13 minimum so... that is a lot of Poison for (0) Action. (0) "Presents? For me?": Target any number of Scheme Markers in base contact with this model. At the end of this model's Activation, place the Markers in base contact with this model. Plus some "friendly Gremlins" synergy.

Hello Trapthem, recently I started to play Zoraida as well and just like you I own her Starter Box and The Kin - Ophelia Starter Box (+ 3 Waldgeists and 2 Slop Haulers). I started Your favorite Zoraida beatstick topic in order to find, you guessed it, a beatstick (model with high damage potential) and to generally think through my future purchases. It started as a narrowly focused topic, but since then a lot of models got discussed, so if you ever get bored... Generally you will want models that greatly benefit from having another single AP or card advantage. Warpigs and Pigletts are excelent, because they can Charge for 1 AP (so can be Obeyed to do so) via their Pigcharge Ability. Their (which Charge generates) Attack Actions also have Stampede Trigger, which allows them to Charge another model, which they are not engaged with. That makes 4 Attack Actions for a price of single Zoraida's AP. But you will have to carefully manouver said pigs or have some Gremlins to controll them due to their Set'er Off Ability. Another similar model would be Rooster Rider that has Roostercharge and Stampede Trigger as well. If you find yourself playing a lot of Swampfiend models (Zoraida, Bad Juju, Silurids, Waldgeists, Wild Boars, Bayou Gators, Spawn Mother, Gupps), McTavish is a great addition to your Crew. He is the model I am currently anticipating to be released in plastic the most. His 14" Attack Action ignores Cover and can shoot into Engagement without randomisation and gets more accurate the more Swampfiends you have. Wild Boars are another great model, because they receive to Attack Flips they make outside of their Activation. A model that I am particullary interested in is Sammy LaCroix, but I know next to nothing about her. Her Good Student Ability allows you to field both Zoraida's limited Upgrades at the same time. Give Zoraida Crystal Ball and Sammy Animal Shape and have her fly around and transform enemy Scheme Markers into Stuffed Pigletts (props to Jeebus). Or give Zoraida Animal Shape to keep her safe and Sammy Crystal Ball. She also has Winds of Fate Ability that lets her draw and discard a card once per Turn if another model within 6" draws a card and Zoraida WILL be drawing cards. Either via her Bewitch Attack Action or via Visions, which comes from Crystall Ball Upgrade. Her both Attack Actions inflict debuffs and will automatically be successful against Voodoo Doll. A ton more interesting models. Mancha Roja, Trixiebelle, Whiskey Golem, Bayou Gators... Another model that you definitely should give a look (Neverborn model thought) are Waldgeists - very durable models great for Squatter's Rights Strategy for example. Nurse as well. Some tips regarding models that you already own: Francois LaCroix' (Francois can be hired only in Gremlins faction due to the fact that he is not Swampfiend nor has Wp 4 or lower.) Rough Rider Attack Action has Trigger called Loose Trigger that allows him to suffer 1 damage and perform Rough Rider again... and again... and again... and... this is the point where you are probably going to run out of high cards on your hand to cheat, so... Wait, what is that? Francois LaCroix is a Henchman and thus can burn a Soulstone to add to his final duel total? OK. Zoraida can Obey Rami LaCroix to get Focused +1 Condition, he then activates and uses his Reckless Ability, shoots (36" range, to Attack and Damage), focuses and shoots again. Rapahel LaCroix is much better in Gremlins due to Dirty Cheater Upgrade. You will want him to have between 2 and 4 Wd. That is the sweet spot where Reckless doesn't make him suffer 1 damage (so he now basically has 3 AP) and gets to his Damage Flips. The important part is that he has Hard to Kill Ability.

Regarding Wicked Dolls... Nishi told me that they are fragile and you either need to hire a lot of them or to have a model that can summon them - i.e. Widow Weaver and her Handbag Upgrade. It's a nice combo (Which would work better in Collodi lead crew though.). Widow Weaver summons Wicked Dolls and lowers Wp of enemy models. Stitched Together models can be healed and buffed by Wicked Dolls. Their (0) Creepy Fog Tactical Action creates an area of Soft Cover, which somewhat mitigates fragility of Wicked Dolls and their (1) Game of Chance Attack Action is being resisted by Wp and provides even more card control.

Oh, you are right, Jeebus. I should have read Sammy's card more thoroughly. Another point for Gremraida. You seem to know a thing or two about Sammy LaCroix... Is she a situational pick or do you play her quite often with Zoraida? With Animal Shape Upgrade she seems like a combination of Silurid, Gremlin Taxidermist and Hex Bag Upgrade. Both of her Attack Actions inflict debuffs and will automatically be successful against Voodoo Doll, which is nice. And her Winds of Fate Ability synergyzes well with Zoraida's Bewitch Attack Action and Crystal Ball Upgrade. And she also... This is terrible! When I read CursingBulldog's Spawn Mother Tips I was sure that Swampfiend models are the way to go. Spawn Mother, Gupps, McTavish. Easy peasy. Then Mrbedlam suggested Teddy as a beatstick and I realized that I should buy Teddy. ZFiend's "Also how about Nekima?" incident that almost made me buy every Nephilim related model there is or ever will be. And now I am "sure" that I want Sammy LaCroix, McTavish and Bayou Gators. Oh wait, Stitched Together. Neverborn it is. "Hello sir, do you have a moment to talk about Mancha Roja, Gremlin luchador that uses a Gremlin as a weapon?" "No, sorry, I have to... Wait, did you say that he uses another Gremlin as a weapon? No, stop, I do not want to hear that, I am determined to..." "Have I already mentioned that he has an upgrade that allows him to dual wield said Gremlins?" A moment of silence. "Alright, come in." And then there were people like zFiend, who apparently in 50 SS game would play Zoraida with 8 Nurses. Malifaux is not a game for a young man with Wp 2

Sammy LaCroix has Winds of Fate Ability, which says: Once per Turn, when another model within 6 draws a card, this model may discard a card to draw a card. Zoraida's Bewitch Attack Action specifically states that it is she, who draws a card. But what if Zoraida has Crystal Ball Upgrade? Crystal Ball ► This model gains the following Ability: Glympse: At the start of this model's Activation, choose and perform one of the following: Crystal Ball: Look at up to three random cards from target player's hand. Bog Whispers: Target player discards a random card. Visions: Draw a card. Is it Zoraida who draws a card when she performs Visions or is it a player? Does Sammy's Winds of Fate Ability relate to Visions as well or in order to do so, it would have to be phrased "This model draws a card."? Thank you

Et tu, Moxypoo? There is a guy, Nishi, in my gaming community that has a lot of experience with playing Collodi and this is what he wrote about Stitched Together and Wicked Dolls in Holly Collodi! thread: Wicked Dolls have (0) All Sewed Up Tactical Action: This models suffers 1 damage to heal 1 damage on target other model within 2" and give it the following Condition until the end of the Turn: "Brand New Strings: This model gains to any Attack flips it makes outside of its Activation." Prague tournaments are my favorite part of playing Malifaux. Well... I have attended only one so far the last one, because I started with Malifaux only few months ago. But I will be attending next one this saturday (I will be playing Ophelia LaCroix, because I am still working on my Zoraida Box Set.). Such a shame that you couldn't make it. Hopefully next time To summon one Teddy a turn? Maybe I will try that when I get bored of things like having friends and such For some weird reason I didn't think of puting Animal Shape Upgrade on Sammy LaCroix, only on Zoraida to keep her safe or to score VPs for Entourage. Raven Form Action is (2) though and Sammy LaCroix doesn't have Reckless Ability. This thread has inconspicuously changed into "Zoraida vs. Gremraida". Zoraida has Stitched Together and Eternal Fiend Upgrade. Gremraida has Sammy LaCroix and Dirty Cheater Upgrade. This... is not going to be easy decision.

Does anybody please have any experience with Zoraida and Stitched Together or Wicked Dolls?

I have zero experience with Gremlin Taxidermist and Stuffed Pigletts and I am affraid that I might be biased due to some posts that I have read, but... In Gremlins Faction he costs 7 SS, 8 with Dirty Cheater Upgrade, which is Rare 2 and there is usually a lot of candidates for it. In Neverborn Faction he costs 8 SS and can't take Dirty Cheater Upgrade. I feel like that for the same price there might be better models. Under which circumstances do you consider hiring him? Or do you play him often because you like the model? I think that the main purpose of his (1) Hide Scrapin' Knife Attack Action is to place Corpse Marker or to summon a Stuffed Pigglet more than to do any damage at all. to the Damage Flip is nice, but since there is minimal difference between low, moderate and high damage (2/3/4) it is not that useful, as it would seem at first sight. On the other hand, he has the greatest Ability there is... Reckless and has Wk 5, which is nice. Not sure how durable he is. He has Armor +1, Df 5, Wp 4 and Wd 6. To me he seems like very situational pick, but as I already wrote, I have zero experience with the model and I might be biased, but this is my first impression. But I must say that his illustration looks awesome and I quite like the idea of Gremlin Resurrectionist so comme on, Rubbe, try to recruit me into your 'Taxidermist is pure love' movement. I went ahead and made logo Taxidermist is pure love movement logo Regarding Sammy LaCroix, both Animal Shape and Crystal Ball Upgrades cost 2 SS each and I feel like Animal Shape is needed only when Schemes like Assassinate or Entourage are in the pool. But I will definitely consider her, because I do not like Nurse.

I already own Bad Juju, because he comes in The Swamp Hag - Zoraida Box Set. At first, I didn't really like the model, but after reading his lore and actually playing him, I completely changed my mind. I was surprised how much damage he was capable of inflicting, especially while engaged with multiple enemies. But what surprised me even more was how durable he is. Due to his very low Df 3 and average Wp 5, most of the Attack Actions that target him will be successful, but that is somewhat compensated by Hard to Wound +1 Ability. An average Wp stat would be 5 and an average card value is 7, which makes his Terrifying (Living) 13 Ability above average. And he has Regeneration +2 Ability. His Actions have defensive mechanisms as well. (0) Landslide Tactical Action can inflict Slow Condition in 3 (TN 13 Wp Duel) and Quicksand Trigger on (1) Dirty Claws Attack Action can inflict Paralyzed Condition (TN 16 Wp Duel, which will in average require at least an 11 to pass). I haven't tried Eternal Fiend Upgrade yet, because in the game I played, other Swampfiend models that I had were Zoraida, 2 Waldgeists, which are very durable, and a single Silurid, which was supposed to score some Victory Points from Plant Evidence Scheme, but tragicaly died in the Round 2. My initial intention was to play Zoraida in Gremlin faction, but the more I read about her, the more I lean towards Neverborn. The only time, when I felt like anouncing Gremlin faction would be benefitial (When I was doing the excercise I described in the initial post.) was, when Reconnoiter or Reckoning was the Strategy and only because I do not own Spawn Mother or McTavish (or another beatstick) yet, or when I really wanted Dirty Cheater Upgrade or to hire Francois LaCroix. War Pigs and Rooster Riders are models that I am strongly considering. They can both be hired in Neverborn faction via Zoraida's Enthrall Ability as if they had Mercenary Characteristic. They have Pigcharge/Roostercharge Ability so they can (1) Charge and their Attack Actions have Stampede Trigger, which allows them to suffer 1 damage and Charge another model which they are not engaged with. This means that you can get up to 4 (1) Attack Actions out of 1 Zoraida's Obey. But Warpig's great disadvantage (in Neverborn faction at least) is its Set'er Off Ability. Only certain combinations of Strategy and Schemes made me feel like I need an expensive beatstick. For example when Reckoning was the Strategy, deployment made A Line in the Sand Scheme more difficult and the rest of available Schemes was mostly combat-based. Would you kindly tell me more about Taxidermist? Are there any models that you find yourself typically playing in conjunction with him in Zoraida Crew? What would be some Schemes or Strategies that make you consider hiring him over another models? I really like Sammy LaCroix' art and initially she was one of the models that I was determined to buy, but after playing Zoraida (As I already said, I have played only a single game so far.) I felt like Zoraida's support is all the support I will ever need. Sammy LaCroix was actually one of the reasons why I wanted to play Zoraida as a Gremlin Master. At the moment, I do not own a lot of models. The Swamp Hag - Zoraida Box Set, 3 Waldgeists, The Kin - Ophelia Box Set and 2 Slop Haulers. Original plan was to play Gremraida and wait for McTavish and Sammy LaCroix, but now... there are some models that I am determined to purchase, models like Spawn Mother and Gupps and very likely McTavish. Well... determined at the moment. The purpose of this whole topic is to generate a list of models that I want to try out (Either by borrowing the models from my friends or by proxing them in friendly games.) and potentially buy. So when would you recommend hiring Sammy LaCroix?

Eyes in the Woods Ability (Hexed Among You Upgrade) allows you to deploy only Swampfiend Minions as if they had From the Shadows Ability, so it doesn't work on Bad Juju, McTavish nor Spawn Mother.

Disclaimer: I am very inexperienced Malifaux player and everything that I wrote is just musing and theorycrafting mainly in order to plan on my future purchases I would also like to thank everyone who provided and/or will provide their opinion, John 'Mrbedlam' Fox especially, whose Wicked Games: Beginners Guide to Zoraida and Wiked Games: Zoraida's Crew blog posts were very helpfull. With that being said... McTavish As I already wrote, most of the models that I own, or am planning on purchasing, are Swampfiend, which makes McTavish number 1 candidate for my Zoraida beatstick. His another advantage is, that he provides Swampfiend list with a great shooting Attack Action. Teddy Teddy will be the next model, that I will try out, because Mrbedlam's arguments are very convincing. The Illuminated The Illuminated is a model that attracted my attention, right after McTavish, probably the most. The model greatly benefits from extra cards on hand, namely , that will indirectly increase its damage by +2, or allow you to cheat the Damage Flip even if it sufferes one or more . Its Ml is above average (6 ) so it is very likely (Zoraida's card advantage taken into account) that the Attack Action will be successful. And if the target has Brilliance Characteristic, that you can apply, all you need is... "Welcome, friends, to another episode of Laika's Fun with Statistics!" An average value of a card is 7, because [4*(1+2+3+...+12+13)+0+14]/54=7, which means that all you (statisticly) need is 6 of on the Attack Flip to be then allowed to cheat the Damage Flip with anything higher than 6 to cause at least 6 damage. Both of its Attack Actions cost 1 AP, so it can be Obeyed to perform them out of its Activation. I feel like they are going to work better, if you play at least two of them, given the mechanic of how the indirect damage buff is applied. They cost only 7 SS and are very mobile and durable [Df 5, Wd 7, Armor +1, Regeneration +1, Terrifying (Living) 10, (0) self healing Tactical Action]. Baby Kade I will probably try to play him with Waldgeists. Most of the time they will have Engagement Range of 4", which would provide Baby Kade's (1) Carving Knife with +2 damage bonus. And even though Baby Kade has only Wd 6 it has very high Df of 7, so will greatly benefit from Soft Cover Waldgeists can provide via its (0) Germinate Tactical Action. Raphael LaCroix I feel like Raphael LaCroix works much better in Gremlin than Neverborn faction, mainly because of Dirty Cheater Upgrade, that allows him to heal 1 Wound every time he cheats during his Activation, which is invaluable, because he has Hard to Kill Ability. Rami LaCroix Rami's role is a little bit different from the other models that focus mainly on dealing damage. His damage isn't that high (compared to previously discussed models), but his greatest advantage is his colossal threat range. Zoraida obeys him to Focus, he then activates, uses Reckless Ability and shoots, focuses and shoots again. That is 2 Shooting Attack Actions with Rg: 36" and to Attack and Damage Flip. His Damage Flip is 1/3/4 so the to it helps a lot.

As long as it is an Attack Action with Rg: and the disengaging model is within range of it, it doesn't matter if it is being resisted by Df or Wp.

The best illustration of how good Nurse in Zoraida Crew is, is the fact that every topic about Zoraida ends as a Nurse praising topic Even though it is a nice combo, it takes a lot of resources, mainly in the form of Action Points, but primarily doesn't utilize the potential that Voodoo Doll connection has. If the Voodoo Doll is not already summoned or is left behind (It has Wk 3 and receives Slow upon summoning. On the other hand Hem has Rg: 10.), Zoraida would have to summon it for 2 AP. If not, Voodoo Doll would have to (1) Hem its target. It would take Nurse two (1) Actions to apply 8 Posion on Voodoo Doll and Hemmed target and Performer (1) Action to cause the damage. That is 4-5 AP and 3-4 Activations just to cause 8 damage and pull target its Wk. And it costs 6 SS to hire Nurse and another 6 SS to hire Performer. It would cause more damage, if you used Performer's Sirene Call on Voodoo Doll itself. Target would take the same damage as Voodoo Doll (up to 6) and still would be left with Poison +8 Condition. That is one of the mechanics of connection between Voodoo Doll and the Hemmed model. You apply Burning +2 on Voodoo Doll and the Hemmed model and at the end of the round tha target suffers 2 damage from the Burning +2 Condition and another 2 damage, because Voodoo Doll suffered 2 damage caused by its Burning +2 Condition. What I had in mind was a beatstick... actually THE beatstick. A model, that has (1) Attack Action (So it can be Obeyed to perform it out of its Activation.) with high damage potential, that would greatly benefit from additional single AP or cards - a model that might be balanced around the fact, that it is difficult to get it into the action (Maybe it has low Wk.) or strength of it's Attack Action is offset by it's suit dependency.

Highest Authority Ability: When targeted with an Attack Action, this model may discard a card to make the Attack flip suffer . Resolving an Action takes 3 steps: Declare Action & Spend AP - This is the part where the model is being targeted. Perform Duels - First substep of Opposed Duel is Declare Soulstone Use. Resolve Results You would have to discard a card first to impose on the Attack flip.

Devil's Deal Ability (Lucius): After this models spends a Soulstone, it may deal 3 damage which may not be reduced to a friendly model within 6 to add 1 Soulstone to this Crew's Soulstone Pool after resolving the current Action. Whisper From the Other Place Ability (On Wings of Darkness Upgrade): When this model spends a Soulstone in the Draw Phase to draw cards, it may draw and discard three cards instead of two.

Looking at her card, she synergyzes with Zoraida immensely. Not only all those "Voodoo Doll shenanigans" that I have been reading about, but things like Illegible Prescriptions or Accomplice as well. There is not a single Ability, Action or Trigger that I would feel like is not going to be useful. All this for 6 SS (5 SS cost + 1 SS Mercenary fee due to Enthrall Ability). The problem is that I do not really like her model. And after reading some posts I feel like she carries this stigma that everyone who plays her in Zoraida Crew is worse than Hitler. This is what I hate about Malifaux! I haven't even finished building my Zoraida Box Set yet, all you said was "Also how about Nekima?" and now I want to purchase Lilith Box Set, box of Nephilim, Nekima, Black Blood Shaman, maybe Lelu and Lilitu...

(0) Gobble You Up... followed by (2) Flurry looks really scary As soon as I learn how to properly use models that I already own, I will borrow my friend's Teddy and try him out. But I am little hesitant about On Dreaming Wings. I feel like the 2 SS price is balanced around the fact, that it provides Flight Ability to other friendly Nightmares in 6 as well, but on the other hand... Flight Ability and +1 Wk for 2 SS doesn't sound that bad. Voodoo Doll Hems Teddy, Zoraida makes three (1) Interact Actions with Voodoo Doll via Vodoo Doll's Dance, Puppet Ability and Teddy casts Gobble You Up... followed by (2) Flurry. That is 26" flying push and three (1) Hug Attack Actions with to Attack and Damage Flips. It is a little bit costly but definitely effective. It requires Voodoo Doll to be already summoned or hired (which in my opinion is a waste of 3 SS) though. But, as you said, as long as Teddy is within 12" of Zoraida and within hers LoS, you can just Obey Teddy to take (1) Walk Action for 6" flight. I have played her only once so far, In Gremlins faction and my pseudo beat stick was Francois LaCroix (7 SS). His (1) Rough Rider Attack Action has a Trigger on called Loose Trigger that allows you to suffer 1 damage and take Rough Rider again. It is a (1) Action so can be Obeyed, Loose Trigger doesn't state that "this Action may not declare any Triggers" so you can declare it multiple times and Francois LaCroix is a Henchman, which means that he can burn Soulstone for if you really need it.

I was already looking forward to Spawn Mother and Gupps release and after reading your post I am genuinely excited. I will probably get a T-shirt with Gupps that say "We love our Spawn Mommy" printed on it. Or "PWN with Spawn" or "Spawn or die trying" or... How many Gupps models would you recommend to purchase along with Spawn Mother?

Disengaging (Malifaux 2E Rules Manual, page 49): A disengaging strike deals no damage, has no other effect, and may not declare any Triggers.

According to some posts I found on the forum and reviews on websites that sell them, Arcane Fate Decks are 100% plastic.

Recently I started to play Zoraida... well, so far I have played only a single game, but I have been reading a lot about her. I purchased The Swamp Hag - Zoraida Box Set and box of 3 Waldgeists and I own some Gremlins as well (The Kin - Ophelia Box Set and 2 Slop Haulers). I was doing an excercise where I generated Strategy and a pool of Schemes and using the Crew Creator built a Crew. Rince and repeat. I feel like the models that I own give me more or less all that I need - Waldgeists are durable, Silurids are great scheme runners, Gremlins do a lot of ranged damage (Sadly Francois LaCroix can be hired only in Gremlins Faction as opposed to Raphael and Rami LaCroix and Pere Ravage.)... but I would also like to have an expensive beatstick. And this is the reason, why I am posting this topic. I would like to ask you, what is your favorite Zoraida beatstick. Since Zoraida, Bad Juju, Silurids, Waldgeists and Spawn Mother and Gupps, that I am planning on purchasing, all have Swampfiend Characteristic, McTavish is an obvious choice. He is a Gremlin Mercenary so can be hired by both Gremlin and Neverborn Faction, synergyzes greatly with Swampfiend models, has Swampfiend Characteristic himself so can be hired via Tarot Reading Upgrade as well (And synergyzes with Bad Juju's Eternal zFiend Upgrade, even thought it is going to happen very rarely.) and has two (1) Attack Actions with high damage potential that he can be Obeyed to perform. I also like his picture in Crossroads and fluffn... fluffiness... feel of Zoraida, Swampfiend Beasts and McTavish Crew. But... he is definitely not the only candidate. There is so much great beatsticks, that I think would work very well with Zoraida. So I would like to ask you for your opinion on models like Teddy, Mancha Roja, Hooded Rider, Ototo, Samurai, maybe even Stitched Together and alike. Recently there was a topic dedicated to Whiskey Golem, so that one is not really required. But if you are a Whiskey Golem aficionado and feel like sharing your opinion, I will be glad. And if you have some advice regarding McTavish or just would like to praise him, I would like to hear that too. Or mabye you hired him and he didn't fulfill your expectations. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hello CiDevant, first of all, I would strongly recommend choosing the master that you think is the coolest and not to try to counter masters your friends play. There is a lot of things that you have to take into account. Strategies - Strategy is a task that you and your opponent have in common. At the start of the game you will determine which 1 of possible 5 strategies you will play. Schemes - A Scheme is your personal task. At the start of the game you will generate pool of 5 out of possible 19 Schemes that you will choose 2 of. Terrain - Gaming board with a lot of Terrain with Soft/Hard Cover trait will help a lot against Crews that focus on shooting for example. Deployment Even though I do not think that hard counters in Malifaux exist, some matches will be harder than other. For example Gremlins tend to have low Will Power, so Actions that are being resisted by Will Power will give Gremlins hard time. But thanks to huge number of possible combinations of Strategy, Schemes, Terrain, Deployment, Encounter Size, models that you can bring to battle... you can always win. Also... you wouldn't like if someone would try to hard counter your master, would you? Doesn't sound like a lot of fun. As I understand it, the faction that you like the most is the Arcanist faction, right? I would recommend you to look at Crew Boxes that are currently available at Wyrd Webstore - Crew Boxes. Choose one that you like the most, read about models that the box contains at PullMyFinger website and post questions in the forum, because there is allways a lot of people that are happy to share their opinions and ideas about their favourite Master. Also if you are interested in the Arcanist faction, there will be a new Arcanist Crew Box comming out this month - Troubleshooters - Toni Ironsides Box Set.