First off, I fully understand that this doesn't really matter as he's DMH. But occasionally I take a look at Nico's card and just laugh. He was a major bogeyman at the end of M2E before he was nerfed into the ground. It seems like he was then nerfed again when entering M3E. He mostly just has abilities on his card from mid-cost models. He has a crew that hardly synergizes with itself. He also has a massive resource problem with no in keyword way to work around it. I just wanted to put my thoughts out there and see what people think.
First off is his stats. They seem fine. Low Df High Wp everything else is average for a master. Then we start hitting problems.
Problem 1 Card Dependence: Nico has Accomplice, Protected (Undead) and a high TN action, all of which require cards. There is literally no card draw anywhere in keyword for him. You will often find yourself unable to use his abilities due to the card tax on them.
Problem 2 Bad Actions: Nicodem has 5 actions
Fancy Cane: ....Why? It's the Rabble Risers attack, sans the triggers. All it does is give him an engagement range
Decay: A fine attack for an 8 stone model. It is identical to Asura's except he has a siphon life trigger on it.
Rigor Mortis: Also a good action for a mid cost model. Sloth has the same action at the same stat. Nico does have the once per activation Zombie Horde trigger. But that's about it.
Reanimator: The only reason to take Nicodem. It's an ok summon. His choices are pretty middling. The most expensive model he can get is a flesh construct at 7 for an 11 but you can add a mindless zombie for an extra corpse and a 13. I'd say Kirai 1's summon is just better.
Grave Robber: Also a mid cost action. Same action on Mortimer verbatim.
Problem 3 Bad Totem: I don't know if it's the worst totem in the game, but the Vulture is pretty terrible. It's fast but insignificant so it can't run schemes. It can move corpse markers but removes the marker to do it so you can't parachute MZs or the Corpse Curator into combat. It has total Victim stats, but all it's actions are very short-ranged. Seems like the best use of it is to hide it in a corner for the whole game and then hope you have a useful corpse set up for Field of Corpses.
Problem 4 Little Crew Synergy: His whole thing is zombies, but they're mostly a grab bag from other keywords. Rechapel's Scarlet Temptation doesn't really help other zombies as they mostly attack Df. Experimental's poison synergy does nothing with the rest of the keyword. The only zombie-specific synergy I could find is Zombie Horde and Asura's (I consider her Mortuary) Re-Animate. You can't really build a coherent crew using zombies. Even Nico's best ability, Corpse Conductor, cares about Undead in general, not zombies.
Problem 4 Too Many !: The biggest problem with Nicodem is his paywall. The things that make his actions better than 8 stones are all based. Dessication on Decay, Zombie Horde on Rigor Mortis, The Reanimator action, and Unexpected Zombie on Grave Robber. If he has no access to he's basically a 9 stone model
Overall, Nico is a boring, weak master with a confused keyword. In M2E he was a ridiculous support master who could drop dozens of points worth of models onto the table and generate cards and stones while doing it. So what’s the fix? Focus his abilities to the keyword and change his crow dependence into a strength.
Corpse Conductor: Change Undead to Zombie
Remove Protected (Undead) and Accomplice. Both these require cards Nico will often not have.
Add Df Trigger “: Zombie Fodder After failing, a friendly Zombie within 2” suffers the effects of the current action as if it was the target of the action.” A old ability from 2E Nico this would be a more specific version of Protected that does not use cards.
Remove Fancy Cane, because why…
Decay: Add R to the stat and the Zombify trigger. This makes it feel more like master AP to use and gives a thematic option. (More on this later)
Rigor Mortis: Add the trigger “: Sudden Lunge Once per Turn. Friendly Zombie only. If the target has not Activated this turn, it activates immediately after the current activation.” This give functionally accomplice while giving value to passing AP to another model
Grave Robber: Add Trigger “: Maniacal Laugh Choose any number of corpse markers within 6. Summon a Mindless Zombie in base contact with each chosen marker, then remove the chosen markers.” This is another call back to a cool Nico ability from 2E and lets him flood the board with cheap zombies. Very on brand
Walking Dead Upgrade: Change Falling Apart to “At the start of this model’s Activation, it suffers irreducible damage equal to half its current Health and drops a corpse marker into base contact with itself. If there is a friendly model within 8” with the Necromantic Font ability, this model may ignore this ability.” This gives you control over whether you drop a corpse marker or not.
What’s up with all the crows? Wasn’t that one of the big issues I pointed out earlier. One final ability makes it all work. Necromantic Savant “while declaring triggers, this model may remove a corpse marker within 8 to add a to its final duel total.” This turns corpse markers into a major resource for Nico and allows him to use them as quasi soulstones. Marker removal would obviously be strong against him, but easy access to Mindless Zombies allows him some counterplay. This allows him to choose when his best triggers are used, but requires him to spend resources to guarantee them.
Finally, being so trigger dependent, He should get something like Seen it All or Shrug Off as Stunned will basically end him. (and there’s a lot of that going around lately)
So what do you guys think? Am I onto something here or completely off track? Do you think Nico is fine how he is?
