Tokapondora

Yin has the tankiness, which Lynch's crew really utilises well, but more importantly the to Ca and Wp and the terrifying on her Huggy and to a lesser degree the Illuminated. The makes the checks vs her, Lynch and Huggy much harder, and the terrifying means Huggy can obey units into her terrifying aura, discard an ace to paralyze them, and then get it back again. Overall she's just an incredibly solid model but it's the little tricks and gaps she fills with Lynch that really sell her here, especially if you have some healing backup. The Shadow Effigy is basically made to be sturdier than he is worth the effort to take down. He has a solid statline for his cost and the to attacks really allow you to play Lynch a bit more forgiving. Tengu I feel tend to not really be worth it unless you're scheming in a distant land and have at least two of them. And even then a soft breeze will tear through them like tissue paper, unlike the Effigy. I'll admit I tend to play my Lynch a bit more frontline but eh. Even without that I'd take an Effigy over one Tengu. The upgrade gives them a 6" heal, needs a 7, healing 1/2/3 and letting you drop a scheme marker on two suits. They heal more reliably than Chiaki and even condition removal goes more easily as theirs doesn't have a TN. So ultimately you'd have, with Yu and a LRM, 15 SS of support. Which I'd say is fine. If you think you can manage without that's great, but I feel that for 4 SS you really get more than enough out of it. Especially if you're taking Chiaki for healing and condition removal anyways, in which case it's essentially 2 ss cheaper. I essentially use Yu as a means of giving Lynch a possible 18" threat range with 4 actions to boot. I don't have to, but I like the fact that it might happen to linger over the battlefield. And giving the condition really allows you to play a bit more aggresively with Lynch. If something's dragging behind, you can pull them up instead, if you feel it's too dangerous you send in Ototo or Yin or w/e, drag Lynch out while giving him fast for his counter attack... Pulling enemies I rather don't unless it gives me a direct VP advantage, as I'd take the certainty over hoping they both flip poorly and don't care enough to cheat in. You don't need to really bubble up - just try to stick within 10" of Yu and he'll take care of the rest. As for the 1 damage - it's tied to a Ml7. Which can be surprisingly tough to get away from. And with something healy near, that HtK goes a long way if you want to keep someone occupied. If something stumbles upon a Tengu and wants it dead, it's dead in that activation. If something wants the Effigy dead, it's always gonna take that one activation more than they'd planned for.

Lynch is a very forgiving master, so he's great if you're still getting the hang of the game. Just be sure not to get too carried away. I'd generally pick Yu over the Emissary with Lynch anyways, so that's good. Yu allows you to manoeuvre the otherwise sluggish Lynch and even give him fast, which with the right hand can be absolutely devastating. Also, the extra mulligan really makes for some amazing hands. Also Yu works on Minions. If you're buying on a budget, or even just with an eye on the future, I'd say you can leave the Beckoners and Depleted. They're good, but there's also TT stuff that might play differently but is equally good while also fitting with your other masters. I'd get a Yin, who is really just a solid piece especially when paired with Huggy, and also works very well with Yan Lo. And then the TTB, naturally, and maybe the Shadow Effigy. If you have the new upgrades, you might want to consider a Low River Monk too for how amazing they are. The best part about Lynch is that he can run with just about any list and make it stronger. Your list looks fairly solid. I'd take out Wanna see a Trick (too unreliable/gimmicky), and even if you get Yin instead of a Beckoner you can still easily spare the 1 SS on the RT with or without Endless Hunger. Maybe even get one on Lynch. Endless Hunger is one of those cards I'd only run if I had a good sense of who and what I was going up against. It's great and makes Huggy a real powerhouse, but considering his 3 Df one poor matchup means you can wave Huggy goodbye. Meanwhile Rising Sun really just allows you to hurl him in there somewhere and pick him or his scraps back up somewhere down the line. As for Addict... I like the card, and do from time to time try to make use of it, but ultimately things that get tagged with Brilliance tend to die that same activation leaving a pair of disappointed Illuminated. Maybe if you took a Beckoner, but even then you'd need at least 2 Illuminated to really make it worth your while (which is 3x 7ss). I suppose in a very Darkened heavy list it would work but I guess I prefer not to run it that thematically.

Well, the ability doesn't say it gets +1 to the action total, it says it gets +1 to all duel totals for the remainder of that action. So as long as the focussed action would last you'd get +1 to the duel totals, however many they may be, and a Rapid Fire lasts until all actions stemming from it are resolved.

I'd say the FAQ specifically says no to gaining the to attack and damage flips. It doesn't say you can't use (but ultimately waste) focus on those tactical actions. Just for my own curiousity (and it may be a long shot) but with "Friendly models within 3 removing the Focused condition add 1 to their duel totals for the remainder of the Action. "... Lynch's Ace in the Hole says "When an Ace from this Crew's deck would be placed in the discard pile during another friendly model's Activation, this model may place it in its hand instead after the Action resolves." and you only get those back after all three attacks of the Rapid Fire action are done. So the action would last until after those attacks. So when it says "Add 1 to their duel totals for the remainder of the Action", especially since it says duel totals meaning all, wouldn't you be getting +1 to your attacks after all? Since the Action is essentially ongoing?

If I'm going up against someone I pretty much know I will defeat I tend to just handicap myself with the crews I'm building and schemes I'm picking, but still going all out when everything's on the table. The one thing I neglect is actively preventing my opponent from scoring and just focus on outscoring them. There's some people in my meta that just aren't that good and it's no fun for either of us if it ends 10-2 every match, so seeing if I can make the most out of a poor set-up while trying not to make it obvious that I'm kicking myself in the shins before the match is a fun challenge on itself.

Weren't there some miniscule breaches across the Three Kingdoms for centuries that had some monsters slip through over the years and taint the world around it or something? And the TT are more than just a gang, it's essentially ancient houses playing in the shadows. In any case, I'd say the Ten Thunders are in a perfect place to have the largest overview of the machinations across Malifaux and are handling that with a very slow build up. They haven't had any "big" plays yet and with that aren't as "punished" as some other factions might be. Doesn't mean they're above failure, it just means failure is a possible outcome calculated into their plans and I'm imagining if the risks are too great they'd rather sit on it for a while. It's all just build up, and in working through nudging the circumstances in their favour rather than forcing immediate results they avoid big losses. It's when the stars align and all the pieces fall into place that they need to show their hand and it's at those times that they could succeed/fail/etc. Which I'm really looking forward to.

I'd go for just the one sniper - maybe replace it with an Illuminated - and I'm honestly not a fan of the Emissary for Lynch - lacks any form of synergy. Though if you insist on it give Huggy the 0 upgrade for the Oiran. And unless you're planning to summon lots I'm not entirely sold on Toshiro. For Lynch I'd leave out the Dragon Stone, especially with only 2 SS, and I would take Woke up with a Hand. What models do you have?

In terms of faction-wide morality I'd rank them... 1. Gremlins 2. Outcast 3. Guild 4. Neverborn 5. Arcanists 6. Ten Thunders 7. Resser With Outcast being essentially neutral on account of having no common goal, where the tiers basically boil down to 1 > 2 > 3=4=5=6 > 7. Gremlins really just try to live their lives in the face of a world changing around them. Outcasts are a random collective. Everything from Guild to TT are really just groups with their self interest and control in mind - with Guild ultimately keeping some degree of peace, the Neverborn much like the Gremlins living there originally though being a bit brutal in their execution, Arcanists being a terrorist rebel faction that fronts some semblance of worker's rights (when it fits them) and Ten Thunders simply aiming for power which in the current climate consists of undermining the already barely functioning stability of Malifaux. And Ressers are ^ but driven by some Ancient Evil.

What I find works best with Misaki is a crew that is essentially a crew doing all the things a normal crew should only without a master. So it needs sturdy units, be able to hit hard and scheme while Misaki is off in the distance harassing the opponent as they try to deal with the crew. Yu I'd say is essential for Misaki for the Stalk, which allows her to dive in and wreck key targets and jump out 9" again even after having done three attacks with to attack and damage. She's sturdy enough that it tends to take a real dedicated effort to take her out, which your opponent shouldn't be able to do with your main crew in their face. My personal favourite is Izamu - he hits hard and with a Low River Monk anywhere near he can generally stay alive for ages. Then Shang for cards, LRM for healing, Yu for placement and scheming, and then you have some 20 odd points left for general use. I often go for 2 8ish SS models (Sniper, Kang, Yin, Graves) or the odd three cheap minions (TTB, Pathfinder, Effigy). I really don't like the Emissary with her because I don't tend to rely on minions and his Misaki upgrade requires him to be somewhere he really shouldn't be. Also the lack of marker-play and the restrictions on his pushes really kill him for me here.

"Damage from anything other than an Action that targeted it." We don't need to list every thing that is ^. Just assume it prevents everything, except damage from an action that targeted it.

In what world does Tannen suck?

I'd say TT Brothers go perfect with Lynch, and I personally prefer Yu over the Emissary because fast Lynches, flinging enemies around and that second Mulligan really solidifies the way I play him. Going Lynch basically gives you two choices. One is a lot of Brilliance play, which I kind of feel takes more resources and dedication yet won't be as flexible as simply a strong list that benefits from discarding aces and using high cards. Personally, I feel Beckoners are a tad expensive and if you want to stay in faction with your purchases because budget or w/e, you can easily do without them. What Lynch basically needs is another strong beater that benefits from the constant stream of high cards, and the rest can just fit the schemes. Yin+Ama no Zako are a nice combo if you're up against living crews because they can essentially perma-paralyze certain models if they want to with their obeys and terrifying, the Swordsman and Ototo can both benefit a lot from all the aces you're discarding, and I'd imagine the Samurai could work, though you wouldn't need them unless you specifically want to play around getting a lot of aces/a specific ace. I'd say with the Illuminated and TTB you really have a strong base with which you can fill up any list, and then just add strong stuff really. A tengu might be nice cheap fodder if you think you might face a shitload of markers, but beyond them I'd just go for whatever fits the schemepool. Are you at all occupied with budget? Are you avoiding master boxes?

Perhaps this doesn't quite apply as well on Gremlins, but the way I play him is never around poison or drinking contests and all about swilling. If you can swill 2-3 threats anywhere near you, you control what happens to them. Add to that the Obey and the odd turn of binging 80% of their hand and your opponent will struggle to have a model in the thick of it they can rely on. And anything that's on a or two to everything will die if you put the effort in. Getting suckered into the poison game is a mistake. Drinking contests are fun when they go off - made easier by the swills - but not something you should focus on. The swills drain AP, the binges drain cards, and the obeys allow for swift tricks if you have need of them suddenly. The Brewmaster has a 12" range. That's a 25" bubble. Poison and Drinking contest are just... I mean, if it happens it's good times and that's nice and all, but if you're putting Brewwie's resources into it you're wasting 's and binges and obeys.

Honestly that's what annoys me most. You have to pay an extra 2 SS just to take his totem. Is there like some weird secret trick I'm not aware of that make Wesley an absolute beast in TT specifically? The Tri Chi in general taking an upgrade is fine but at least that totem should be part of the master. I hate having bought the box and never using anything but Brewwie ): As for which masters are better... Like the thread is saying; most play different. TT bring a lot of different tools, and with their infiltration they tend to get most of what they need from other factions and get to slap on a Recalled Training and Misdirection to boot. Mei doesn't need a crew with 8 different constructs and even if she did you could make do with TT and her infiltration. Brewwie in TT gets Yin and Yu. Lynch gets Yu and TTBs. Every master gets TTBs actually. Maybe Yan is missing some spiritty synergy, but with the new Goryo I'd say that's largely solved. On the whole I'd say TT brings some more mobility to most masters, which lends itself to different playstyles. Hard to say which of those is objectively stronger though.

Misaki has no business being anywhere near scheme-y, and even Brewmaster is a weak addition. Yan Lo is a much more capable control piece than Asami and the Brewmaster is miles above even Yan. And as Santa said, Shenlong should definitely be in control. Somewhere around Mei. Also I'm not suggesting both. In Shen/McCabe I mean one or the other plus Lynch. Those two will really do.

Even then McCabe with a small army of Hounds seems more reliable. It doesn't require 3 8's in a single turn and an extra 3 9's in the lategame to pull it off. And sure Asami can creep up the board all game long and zap in at the last second, but McCabe can do all of his business all game long and at the last turn take up to a 32" sprint if he has to. And for all these schemes scoring with sheer numbers, summons still disappear before you score VP, so you need a very constant stream of markers and high cards to keep that up, dedicating a lot of resources to things you can also do by simply hiring cheap models and letting your master pose more of a threat. I'm not saying she can't be used for any of those schemes, but I would argue she isn't the best.

Not saying she's not gonna get there, just saying she won't get there unharmed. And her leaving her position near her crew to wander off into the horizon tremendously weakens both her and her crew.

Set Up and Detonate I get, though I think you'd probably have an easier time Wandering River Bombing them in (especially Set Up), but Occupy, Breakthrough and Entourage? With her minions having a habit of disappearing and her not getting through enemy lines unscathed, why would you take her over say McCabe for these?

I'd go for Shen/McCabe + Lynch Shen and McCabe are great for scheming, and while McCabe will be a bit better for just scheming, Shen is a bit better at dealing with other models. And Lynch with his huge damage output and high hands can turn anything in a killingmachine, covering most scheme pools. And all three of them let you hire just about anything for a crew, so you have plenty of wiggleroom there. They are also far more consistent and deal better with poor matchups than the others.

So I've been wondering; what schemes and opposing factions would you guys say Asami is a better choice for over other TT masters?

The problem with archers is that while they definitely have their niche, they're just overpriced for what you get for them. Without the Blot the Sky upgrade they're a resounding "Meh", with the upgrade you have to spend at least 15 SS on it because 8 SS for one archer is just insanely much. And in needing that upgrade, the very terrain they're supposedly shining in tends to get in the way when the support piece they're surgically attached to the hip to decides to do anything but be rooted to the spot since they're just annoying enough and easy to clean up that if they do decide to take a peek out of cover they tend to just magically disintegrate. Which also brings out their second problem; versatility. They have none. Which for an 7.5/8 SS model is just not good enough.

I'd say Lynch doesn't need snipers or archers. Archers would be nice with him if they weren't so expensive but alas. And the Tengu are not particularly needed either, especially if you get the Ten Thunder Brothers. I'd also suggest getting Yu over the Emissary for the extra Mulligan and ability to push Lynch/Illuminated/etc. Lynch really doesn't have many must-have models, more roles that go well with him. A schemer, a beater and a tank. I know Huggy and Lynch hit hard but since both cost 0, you can get away getting a third. Preferably one that can take a serious beating because that's where Lynch is lacking a bit. I like Ototo for the Flurry but Izamu is amazing too. Or go for Ama no Zako and Yin; Ama is fast, Yin-Ama-Huggy are all terrifying and they have Obeys that easily let you paralyze models with Lynch's consistently high hand/aces. If we're trying to avoid crew boxes, I'd go for the TTB, Ama and Yin. The TTB you just can't miss out on because they're so amazing, and then you just need a big beater. Izamu is a bit too slow without Yu so Ama would make a perfect fit, and if you get Ama I'd definitely take Yin. Other than that I'd say you're good. You could maybe use some range but I don't really know if it'd help out the crew thát much. Especially since TT's range is already quite expensive and for the same money you can just get yourself an Illuminated. Is your group opposed to proxying cards? Because if not, a Low River Monk with his new upgrade would be absolutely amazing too.

And I, too, am a very good player. I have not lost a single game with Lynch in the couple dozen games I played with him. That is irrelevant though. I did not dismiss it by lolusuck or yepImamazing; I have explained the reasons why I feel that was really not a good idea. That addage might've perhaps come across a bit unneseccarily hostile but I've seen so many unreliable and inconsistent strategies and ideas be defended by "It doesn't have to be a perfect play" and "I've had it work amazingly these couple times" where people mistake their stroke of luck for something being consistently viable. This was not an attack on you or your achievements; merely this one idea and its flaws.

Don't pick the highly situational card that keeps you from reliably sifting for a consistently high hand. Also don't throw an upgrade that requires the Monks to stay near and in LoS of something on a creatures that spends half his time deep in enemy ranks and half his time being burried. I know this forum has a very liberal attitude to "You don't have to play perfect ideal strats" but there comes a point where you're just tossing people bad ideas.

11. Bigger is always better. No exceptions. You can scheme on a field of their burning corpses.