MrSlapstick

These forums are always such a downer to read...

Alt Francois brandishing his sword.

2 hours ago, codingCaptor said:

I've been playing around with Bayou Gators for a while now, and unfortunatly the answer I have for you is that they're never really worth bringing.

Bayou Gators are really weird units to have in Gremlins.   Not flavorwise, I think they're Great flavor.   But they're just so... Average.  Average Defense,  Average wounds, Average attack values with Average damage.   Melee expert makes them moderately interesting, but insignificant brings them right back into boring town.    Most Gremlins units usually excel in one area with a major drawback elsewhere (usually surviveability)     Bayou Gators don't really excel at anything.... but they're not really BAD at anything either (other than scheme running.)

But when building a list you're not going to pick average units.  You're going to pick Good units, things that are above average.  Or at least things that excel in the strats/schemes that have been flipped.   That means the only reason to take Bayou gators is for Synergy.

Unfortunately, swampfiend synergy in gremlins isn't really a thing.   Being swampfiends mean you can't heal them with Slop haulers.  It allows Zoraida to summon them outside of Gremlins, but that's not really relevant to in-gremlins Zoraida.  Up to 3 of them can be deployed from the shadows if you're running either Zoraida or McTavish with the appropriate upgrade.  McTavish also has a built in bonuses to his gun if his target is near swampfiends, allowing which makes Gators useful for buffing an already strong unit.

However, for one point more, Wild Boars could do all of those things.  And they don't require an upgrade to deploy from the shadows, they aren't insignificant, have better wounds and a better damage track (And better triggers)    Their main problem is controlling their activation, and there are ways to deal with that (Ulix' totem has pork whisperin' and from the shadows, and you can also bring Hog Whisperers or just a gremlin with the pig upgrade from book 4.)

Mah can boost them up to AV6 with chores, which is just the spice they need to make them not-average.  Unfortunately, that means you're running Mah, and they don't synergize with her other abilities particularly well.   Also Mah is terrible.

Somer can give out Crows, which will allow them to paralyze things with their 3AP attack much easier.   If a 5SS unit can use all its AP to paralyze a >5ss unit, then you're coming out ahead.   The First Mate can swallow whole a paralyzed unit, but that's not really worth it.   What IS worth it, is Mancha Roja, who can instantly kill any paralyzed unit with his Grapple attack on a Crow (Which he'd also get from Somer)   no save, no ditching cards.   It's paralyzed?   It's dead.   However, other units which make good use of crows in gremlins is a little rough to find, as a lot of units have their bad (or no) triggers on Crows.   Pigs work well, as that allows them to heal themselves.   Sammy also likes crows for summoning off of enemy scheme markers, but that's a really weak reason to bring Sammy.

Wong can make McTavish hit harder, which combined with the gators makes McTavish a fearsome killing machine.   But once again, wild boars exist.

That's about all I've come up with thus far.   Nothing particularly amazing, I know.   I feel like Swampfiends in gremlins just don't have anything interesting going on with them.   Which is a real shame.  Maybe in book 5?

I was thinking everything you just said when looking at the card.

I bought some bayou gators because they look cool. Now, I have had doubts about them for a while, but now I want to at least give them a shot. Their damage seems pretty mediocre, and their insta-kill and paralyze triggers seem situational at best. For one more stone I can get a Rooster Rider. When would I want to use gators, what would I do with them, and what other models would I use with them?

Alright, so I'm picking up Wong's box soon, and I am deeply in love with Mancha Roja. While I have never before tried to make a base more complicated than rocks and grass, I feel like Mancha deserves a base with as much flair and charisma as him. What I want to do is base him in a way that looks like he has a pyrotechnics display going off around him, but I don't know where to start with that. Any ideas?