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Vangerdahast

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Everything posted by Vangerdahast

  1. Pour les starter V2 Lady Justice, çà peut peut-être s'arranger. Je crois qu'un des mes camarades de jeu va le vendre. Je lui demande et je te tiens au courant (et en plus il devrait être présent au tournoi).
  2. Salut, Si je ne me trompes pas on avait discuté ensemble et fait une démo à Golfech. Pour le tournoi, pas de bring and buy prévu, mais demandes sur le forum du MSU, peut-être que quelqu'un aura quelque chose qui t'intéresse à amener. Pour le tournoi, selon le nombre de joueurs, peut-être que je ne jouerais pas. A ce moment-là, je peux faire de la démo. Mais je ne pourrais le confirmer que deux ou trois jours avant le tournoi. Pour des explications en cours de partie, çà risque d'être difficile vu qu'on a du mal à faire cinq tours en 2H15. Mais si faire le trajet pour voir des parties ne te fais pas peur, on t'accueillera sans problème. On aura deux joueurs de Toulouse au tournoi (Gryff et Jellyroll). Peut-être que tu peux les contacter en MP sur le forum du MSU (en plus il me semble que Gryff joue un peu Som'er).
  3. All the fluff of M1E and M2E books is available at Breachside Broadcast. There is also some fluff available in the Chronicles (free Wyrd magazine). Can be downloaded here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?keywords=wyrd+chronicles&x=0&y=0&author=&artist=&pfrom=&pto=
  4. @Ogid: Totally agree about Joss. Certainly a good take versus specific models. But that would mean dropping the Rider (or the Duet) and lose ability to score schemes based on Scheme Markers easily. A choice to keep in mind but not an auto-take.
  5. So I have made some testing in Reckoning games following advices given here. @Ogid: You were absolutely right about the Mobile Toolkit. Now an auto-include for me in Reckoning. Duet is generally Focused +5 in turn 2. Last game it was Focused +7 at the beginning of Turn 4 and it was devastating. Killed Hinamatsu turn 4 and Aeslin Turn 5 with a little support from the Mechanical Rider. One other advantage of the Toolkit is that it is Insignificant. Another thing I ahve found: Toolkit gives Focus Tunr 1 and 2 to the Duet then the Mechanical Rider uses Ride with Me to keep the Toolkit close and then you have a Rider with Focused +2 or +4 which helps survivability in Reckoning. Tried Joss but without great success (but should be good). The Swarm is also a very good. Last game in one activation it took down the Hooded Rider to 3 Health left (despite the Rider using all its Fate Tokens to reduce damage). Then Colette used Sword Trick to kill it and bury herself. I think my go-to list in Reckoning now is: Colette - 3 Doves - Duet - Mechanical Rider - Soulstone Miner + Magical Training - Arachnid Swarm - Mobile Toolkit - 7 Soulstones (can vary depending on Schemes). This list also has advantages for Reckoning: no Henchman and 4 Insignificant models, making it harder for the opponent to score the Strategy. Opponent could also be reluctant to waste actions on Insignificant models but if he don't do it, Toolkit gives insane amount of Focused and the Doves are still there to unbury Colette where required. The Soulstone Miner gives Soultones and as Colette is the only one to use them in this Crew, you can draw two cards at the beginnig of each turn and also always have enough for Masks (Presto Chango and Twist Ending on Sword Trick) as well as for reducing damage if she is hit. However, this is in no way an auto-win list. I have lost hard (7-2 if I remember correctly) versus Misaki + Fuhatsu + 2 Samurai with Trained Ninja Upgrade. The Samurai where on rooftops and can shoot in my deployment zone. Lost the Swarm Turn One (despite losing 1 Strategy point, my opponent decided to kill it as fast as possible), a bad Hand on my side didn't helped. Was tabled by the end of Turn 4. But still have more success than with my previous lists. Will update my first post.
  6. Soulstone Miner can't place a Scheme Marker the turn they unbury. Unbury is a Bonus Action and they always treat the Interact Action as a Bonus Action (Busy Drilling). So they can't use two Bonus Actions (Unbury and Interact) the same turn. Still they should be looked at (especially concerning the Magical Training Upgrade).
  7. Just added Strategies and Schemes in the first two posts. If you have any question, feel free to ask.
  8. @farmoar: Abuela is now part of the M3E Perdita Core Box. So infortunately no way to buy Abuela alone or in another box.
  9. He was in the M2E Backdraft box with the Fire Golem and the Saboteurs (as well as some pesky Gremlins).
  10. During the Beta, he was losing his Upgrades but now he keeps them. Please see in the app his Shapechange Ability: "without discarding any Upgrade". Valid for Ferdinand and The Beast.
  11. @Kharnage: Agree with you. Knowing a Crew in all its strengths and weaknesses allows to use it even in not-so-good match-ups. Personaly, I play Colette in all kinds of Strat/Schemes pools with goods results and versus almost any faction. I also take her versus Ten Thunders (which is quite frequently discouraged by players). Sure, it is a bad match-up for her but this is the kind of games where you learn the most about all the tricks you can pull off to achieve victory (perhaps not the first few games). But, even playing in Keyword can require a bit of adaptability with OOK or Versatile models (I often use the Mechanical Rider and the Soulsonte Miner). Adaptability and counter-picking are a good solution but not necesarily the unique solution. It is a question of balancing between what you gain with OOK or Versatile and what you lose by dropping some Keywords models to make room for these OOK and Versatile. Playing a Keyword a lot and playing versus bad match-ups is what makes you better at mastering a Keyword. And with experience, your favorite Keyword can be a good choice even in not optimal games.
  12. The same in English. In case some foreigners would be interested in coming to Bordeaux. Three rounds tournament. 50 Soulstones. One Faction. Up to 3 Lists with a different Leader for each one. Dead Man's Hand prohibited. Lists with multiple Masters OOK prohibited. Gaining Ground Season 0 will be used. Downloadable here: https://www.wyrd-games.net/news/2019/10/30/waldos-weekly-dawn-of-victory 16 players. Deployments, Strategies and Schemes will be published by the beginning of February. 2H15 length games Full painted crews not mandatory Entry Fee: 10 EUR (payable the day of the tournament) T3 link: https://www.tabletoptournaments.net/fr/t3_tournament.php?tid=26349 Schedule 9H30 - 10H: Registration 10H - 12H15: round 1 12H15 - 13H15: lunch 13H15 - 15H30: round 2 16H - 18H15: round 3 18H30: results and prizes Venue: Domaine de Fantaisie 8 Chemin de la Tour de Veyrines 33700 Mérignac (Sortie rocade n°11) For lunch, there is a bakery, and fast foods less than ten minutes from venue. Please note that you should send me your lists for the 08 March at maximum by PM or mail. In order for me to check them (a miscalculation can happen to anybody). On a side note, even if you can run three lists, if you think you can handle the three rounds with one or two lists, feel free to submit the number of lists you want. In Round 1, I will do my best so that you avoid playing versus one of your regular opponent. After that, only your results will decide of your opponent! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If you are interested in coming, don't hesitate to leave a message here. Rounds: Round 1 Deployment: Corner Strategy: Corrupted Idols Schemes: - Search the Ruins - Outflank - Assassinate - Deliver a Message - Claim Jump Round 2 Deployment: Flank Strategy: Turf War Schemes: - Breakthrough - Harness the Ley Line - Detonate Charges - Dig their Graves - Take Prisoner Round 3 Deployment: Standard Strategy: Plant Explosives Schemes: - Power Ritual - Dig their Graves - Vendetta - Hold Up their Forces -Deliver a Message
  13. Tournoi Malifaux in Bordeaux le Samedi 14 Mars 2020 Tournois en trois rondes. Parties en 50 Pierrâmes. Une seule faction. Trois Listes possibles. Chaque liste pourra avoir un Leader différent. Interdiction de Dead Man's Hand et des listes avec plusieurs Maîtres ne partageant pas le Keyword du Leader. Le document Gaining Grounds saison 0 sera utilisé. Téléchargeable ici: https://www.wyrd-games.net/news/2019/10/30/waldos-weekly-dawn-of-victory Déploiements, Stratégies et Combines seront annoncés début Février. 15 minutes de préparation. Partie de 2 heures. Full peint non obligatoire. 16 places. Inscription: 10 EUR (payable le jour du tournoi). Lien T3: https://www.tabletoptournaments.net/fr/t3_tournament.php?tid=26349 Horaires: 9H30 - 10H: accueil des joueurs 10H - 12H15: première ronde 12H15 - 13H15: pause déjeuner 13H15 - 15H30: deuxième ronde 16H - 18H15: troisième ronde 18H30: résultats et remise des prix Lieu: Domaine de Fantaisie 8 Chemin de la Tour de Veyrines 33700 Mérignac (Sortie rocade n°11) Pour la restauration, il y a une boulangerie pas loin ainsi que des fast-food a moins de dix minutes. Je vais voir pour qu'il y ait une buvette et snack sur place. ATTENTION: Comme je communiquerais à l'avance les stratégies et combines, merci de me faire parvenir vos listes par MP ou par mail pour le 08/03 maximum. Ceci afin que je les vérifie (une erreur de calcul est vite arrivée). Merci de respecter cette limite, çà permettra si une liste est inexacte de vous laisser le temps de corriger et je n'aurais pas le temps de vérifier une trentaine de listes le jour du tournoi. Pour rappel, chaque joueur pourra avoir trois listes mais ce n'est pas une obligation, si vous pensez pouvoir gérer les trois parties avec une ou deux listes, pas de problème. Afin d'éviter que des gens se connaissant se rencontrent lors de la première ronde, je ferais les appariements de façon à ce qu'un bordelais rencontre un joueur extérieur. Pour les rondes suivantes, par contre, tout dépendra de vos résultats! Si il vous reste des questions, n'hésitez pas à les poser. Si d'autres personnes veulent s'inscrire, merci de se manifester sur ce forum, vous êtes les bienvenus. Ronde 1 Déploiement: Corner Stratégie: Corrupted Idols Combines: - Search the Ruins - Outflank - Assassinate -Deliver a Message - Claim Jump Ronde 2 Déploiement: Flank Stratégie: Turf War Combines: - Breakthrough - Harness the Ley Line - Detonate Charges - Dig their Graves - Take Prisoner Ronde 3 Déploiement: Standard Stratégie: Plant Explosives Combines: - Power Ritual - Dig their Graves - Vendetta - Hold Up their Forces - Deliver a Message
  14. He has made 3 Tournament Points (2 Losses - 1 Victory). Final differential is + 4 (-2 first game, -1 second game, +7 third game). 14 is his total victory points (3 first game, 4 second game, 7 third game).
  15. That's why the Doves are so good (among other things)! Don't own Ferdinand but should proxying him. I have started to test the Swarm and the Mobile Toolkit. Perhaps another game tomorrow. Will give feedback soon.
  16. Ferdinand himself is interesting by giving Shielded +2 with Impasioned Defence. File Papers seems good in a Crew without natural card draw. But discarding a friendly Scheme Marker to do that can hurt sometimes Colette if she wants to unbury (no problem with ennemy Scheme Markers). The Beast Within: A good beater but not better than Cassandra or the Duet in terms of damage. But Triggers are cool, self healing and ignore Armor can be good versus some Crews. Pouncing Strike also good to isolate a model even if the Performers already have numerous tricks for this. Primal Roar is less effective (but not useless) in a Crew without other Beast or Chimera. A model that can be tested for sure (but perhaps not by me as I don't own it and don't like proxying). I need to listen again to the Deep Dive Colette. Already listened to it but I may have missed some things.
  17. @extremor: Good point concerning the Ice Dancer. Will add it in her decription. @Ogid: a lot to say (don't take it too personally, we have different views on the game and they are both perfectly legit). My apologies in advance if it sounds too harsh. Concerning Doves: will wait until it is FAQued. If confirmed, certainly a valid trick but it is not playing a game, it is resolving a math problem for me (not fun at all). But I have already used one or two times a Dove for a Mask (just an emergency mode if I run short of Soulstones and don't have a high Mask in Hand). Carlos: didn't say he was bad. Just that his Fire theme doesn't fit well with Performers and more with Kaeris. Don't know what I would swap for him in my lists (perhaps the Rider). Mechanical Rider: I always thought that Revelation was too good if the reactivating model doesn't need to be in 6'' or the Rider itself. Seems perfectly legal but, for me, needs a nerf. Concerning Innovation, a good point for you especially for the Duet (Ram is good but Crows also for Execute if your opponent has few Hand and/or Soulstones left). For Colette, a bit too situational (Colette doesn't stay near the Rider in my games). Stacking Markers: perhaps I haven't insisted on that but made an example for Breakthrough in Corner Deployment with the Rider. Stacking Scheme Markers can be a problem if an ennemy model goes into base contact with the stack as it discards all of them in one action. I have tested the Emissary without great success, so I am waiting for feedback. Concerning Distracted, as I said in my conclusion, it is difficult to spred mass Distracted and even more if you go heavy OOK. Concerning killy Crews, Mannequins and Showgirls don't last long versus beaters ready for a brawl (even with Distracted). Perofrmers won't win this game. A heavy OOK Crew should has more odds for that by killing first. OOK/Versatile: A lot of theoryfaux here. Some tricks that I will test, others I won't. If some other players test them, please give your feedback. The Metal Gamin trick for Dig their Graves is not specific to a Performer Crew, that's why I didn't included it in a Colette Tactica. It is indeed a very good trick. Same thing for the Acolytes and Analyze Weakness, very good but not Performer-related. Combo Colette + Raspy: needs test but I don't know what to hink about it. Fire Golem + Carlos, not convinced at all. Perhaps more potential with Firestarter + Carlos. Scorpius: not convinced at all as you have no other way than him to poison ennemies. Paying OOK tax for this is too expensive especally if you go OOK for more models dealing poison. Also, if I face a model that can prevent Trigger be sure that it will be the first ennemy model to die in Turn 1 or at beginning of Turn 2. Amina: Agree with you, good potential. I just don't think that enabling Grit is a good thing in a Performer Crew as only the Captain is Versatile and has also Grit. So more OOK hiring (and tax) if you want to maximize it. Also these models need to stay within 6'' of Amina and I don't think that Performers are a bubble Crew (quite the opposite in fact).But Obey, Impasionated Defence and Walk the Line have potential. I think I will test her one day. Agree with you on Arachnid Swarm and said it was a good choice. Neil Henry: didn't think about him but I can see some potential. Myranda, Gunsmith + Toni, Howard are too expensive OOK. The Performer Crew loses too much of its playstyle in my opinion. If someone wants to test them and prove me I am wrong, no problem. For double Masters: Agree with you that Colette can be a very good secondary Master (even if not hiring the Doves hurts her). Using Presto-Chango to teleport an ennemy model in your bubble is good but be aware that you will also teleport one of your models near the ennemy Crew (Colette as Leader sends a Dove in that situation but they are too expensive to hire when Colette is not the Leader). Hiring Raspy, not convinced as I generally spread my Crew to force the ennemy to break himself his bubble, so ennemies don't clump (perhaps a matter of personal playstyle here). Kaeris, needs testing but for the moment, don't see it as a good choice. Sandeep + Fire Gamin + Kandara= 29 Sousltones. Don't know if it is efficient or not but it is no more a Performer Crew. The idea of M3E is to have Keyword-themes Crews with one or two Versatile/OOK to compensate inherent weaknesses or counterpick versus some specialized Crews. So even if it is a perfectly legal Crew, it is not a fun one (and that partly why I don't like multiple Masters Crews). Even my Crew with Mechanical Rider + Soulstone Miner with Magical Training (19 Soulstones) seems a bit too OOK for my taste. Toni, seems good with Colette but as I don't like her playstyle, won't test it. But I will be pleased to have feedback on this combination. The Injured Workers Act will be less efficient as Grit isn't an Ability of the Performers. Hoffman, is also a good choice in my opinion. I have tested once the opposite, Hoffman Leader, Colette hired. But I didn't sent an ennemy into Hoffman's bubble. Colette made the 4 Scheme points by herself and I lost the game. But I have surely played it wrong.
  18. Conclusion First, if you are still reading, congratulations! More seriously, as we have seen, the Performer is not a straightforward Keyword. You need to know what you can do and what you can score to achieve victory. So select your Schemes wisely and try to deny your opponent's Schemes. You won't be the winner of a gigantic brawl in the middle of the table. Instead, spread your Crew has much as possible. By doing it, you will divide your opponent's forces and have better odds to survive until the end of the game. Your Crew is fragile, don't forget it! Also choose your fights wisely. You can kill one or two big threats but you won't be able to table your opponent. You will enivitably lose models during the game and will often be in inferiority as the game progresses. Lose them as late as possible. Score your points as soon as possible. In the last two turns, try to deny opponent's points (you have the tools for that). Only Victory Points win the game. Just one last point, I haven't talked too much about Distracted. It can be a matter of personal playstyle but in most games, you will only put Distracted +1 or +2 on one or two ennemy models. That should waste them some actions but that won't save your models from dying. This is just a mean to postpone their death. Some Crews will suffer from Distracted, others won't barely notice it (Ten Thunders, I am looking at you). Distracted is only a nice malus but it is not something you can rely on. If you can, use your Hand to defend, not to attack. Sometimes, you will put Distracted +4 or +5 on a model. In this case, your opponent will cease to attack and should use it for scheming. If it is a big beater, you have neutralized a death threat but your opponent as more actions available to scheme. A new problem for you to handle. There also will be games where you won't kill at all, it is not a problem as long as you score your Victory Points. As an example, in a recent Turf War game versus Sonnia Criid, I won 7-5 and I had on the table at the end of the game only Colette and a Soulstone Miner. In the same time I only killed a Queller. I hope that all these advices have given ideas to those who struggle at making the Performers work. It is a great Keyword but a tricky one. And don't forget: these girls are artists, so be creative! How to play versus Colette And now some words for the opponents of Colette and her girls. This Keyword is a tricky one to play but also a tricky one to understand. Here are some advices to better apprehend the Performers. First, the Crew is fast so hire fast models or models with movement tricks. Colette can reposition her Crew and ennemy models but needs allies or friendly Scheme Markers. So kill fast the fragile ones: Angelica, Showgirls and especially the Mechanical Doves (they are such good Unburying models for Colette). If you want to kill Colette (that won't necessarily win you the game but can be a tactic) use the following: Attacks that stop Rst Triggers. Here is the complete list of such models: Howard Langston, Soulsotne Miner, Union Miner, Executioner, Jonathan Reichart, Leveticus, Prospector, Crooked Man, Huckster, Ohaguro Bettari, Ruffian and the Ten Thunder Faction Upgrade Masked Agent (that can be attached to two different models). Attacks that deal irreducible damage. Attacks targeting Mv or Sz. Use of Shockwaves, Blasts, Pulses. Attacks that can target Buried models. Attacks with built-in positive flips (Gatling Gun for example). To deal with the Duet, attacks that ignore Armor or deal irreducible damage. Use models with Analyze Weakness. The complete list: December Acolyte, Sparks LeBlanc, Agent 46, Charles Hoffman, Perdita Ortega, Obedient Wretch, Student of Steel, Sidir Alchibal. The Duet has a Wp of 5, use attacks targeting it. As for Colette, attacks targeting Mv or Sz, Shockwaves, Blasts, Pulses. Hire models immune to Conditions (Archie or Lady Justice for example). Avoid to choose Marker-based Schemes, the Performers can easily discard your Markers with Don't Mind Me. Or if you choose one (I won't choose two such Schemes if I were you), drop more Markers than necessary (four of five Markers for Search the Ruins for example). Protect your Scheme Markers by placing big base models on them (no base contact, no Interact even with Don't Mind Me). A general advice for Malifaux, focus on your objectives, don't let Colette distracts you from your Schemes and the Strategy. That's all, folks! I will try to update this tactica with the feedback of other players as well as with advices on new Gaining Grounds when they will be released.
  19. Now that the presentations have been made, let see what are the roles of each of them in the different shows our lovely dancers can perform! I will describe what Performers can do in each Strategy and Scheme but let start with some general tips about the Star of the Show Colette herself (and some things about the Duet). Yes, Colette has a high repositionning potential with Presto-Chango and False Reality (don't underestimate this one). But one of her main assets is her denial power. With the Fade Away Trigger or the Twist Ending Trigger on Sword Trick you can Bury her and Unbury her later where you exactly need her. Mv 6 and Don't Mind Me make an excellent combination to deny points. Even if you Unbury engaged and need to take a Disengage Action, the ennemy will have Distracted (gained when Colette Unburied: Showstopper), so you have great opportunity to leave engagement without a loss of movement (or probably only a 2'' loss). And you can still Interact (Don't Mind Me). When you activate a Buried Colette, you should make it late in turn when your opponent doesn't have many models left to activate (so he can't react to your winning move). Look at the table, think about your Schemes, your opponent's Schemes and the Strategy. Look where you can score or deny points (more about that soon). You should try to Bury her with Sword Trick in Turn 4 and activate her last in Turn 5 (let Initiative to your opponent and use all your Pass Tokens), then you will exactly see what the score is and where you can make an action that will win you the game. This is also why your Doves are very important. Hide them during the first turns and move them in strategic positions where Unburying Colette (or using Presto-Chango) can give you an advantage. For example, in a game, Turn 5 Colette unburied near a Dove, walked, used Sword Trick on an already activated Cojo who was scoring Claim Jump and Buried him, then walked twice to engage Paul Crockett, my target for Take Prisoner. 1 point denied to my opponent and 1 more point for me, won the game by 2 points. Coryphee Duet Even if it is the main beater (by far) of the Performer Keyword, don't underestimate its scheming potential. With Agile and Nimble you can walk out of engagement and Interact. The Duet can drop 2 Scheme Markers in a turn if it starts its activation unengaged (with Nimble). If you are engaged, walk, Interact, split the Duet (in a safe spot), re-form the Duet, walk, Interact. The Duet has generaly enough resilience (beware of Armor ignoring attacks and irreducible damage) to spend half the game (sometimes more) scheming. Remember that only victory points win the game. You can also use the Duet has a denial tool thanks to its large base. You can sit the Duet on a Scheme Marker to stop ennemy models from discarding it by Interacting. You can also sit on a Shadow Marker to restrict Unburying options for Misaki (can also do that on Scrap Markers versus a Foundry Crew to restrict use of Ride the Rails) as she needs to Unbury in base contact with the Shadow Marker. Gaining Grounds Season 0 Strategies Plant Explosives The best Strategy for the Performers. The high speed of the Crew and Don't Mind Me make the Performers excel at this one. Give the Explosives Tokens to Cassandra (2), Angelica, Colette and the Rider or a single Coryphee, for example. No need to give one to the Duet, it will kill an ennemy with Token and drop it later. Colette, Coryphee Duet, Coryphee, Angelica and Cassandra can drop two Strategy Makers in a turn with their high movement (6'' inches between Markers is not a problem for them). Drop the Strategy Markers early (you don't want to be killed while carrying one). Even if your model is killed just after dropping the Marker, it will cost one or two actions (Walk + Interact) to your opponent to discard it. You can take advantage of Don't Mind Me to discard ennemy Strategy Markers. Once you have dropped your Strategy Markers, look if Cassandra or Angelica can go back in your table half and discard ennemy Strategy Markers. Burying and Unburying Colette (I told you we would speak more about that) to discard Strategy Markers and deny Strategy Points to your opponent works very well. In some games, Colette has 3 Explosives Tokens on her at end of the game. Use the big base of your Duet to sit on a Strategy Marker and your opponent won't be able to be in base contact to discard it. If you also have the Rider, you can secure two Strategy Markers. You can easily score more points than your opponent for this Strategy. Possible Crew: Colette – 3 Mechanical Doves – Coryphee Duet – Cassandra – Angelica - 2 Coryphees – Showgirl – 6 Soulstones (may vary depending on Schemes) Turf War Also a good Strategy for the Performers if you play an avoidance game. First, don't bother claiming the central Marker, it is too easily neutralized by killing someone anywhere on the table. Use your Doves to sneak near Strategy Markers in your opponent's table half. Colette will Unbury later to neutralize one and then make it friendly. You can also use the Rider and the Duet. The Duet is a legal target for Ride with Me. Then the Duet uses Agile and Nimble to reach a far away Strategy Marker and Interact with it (splitting the Duet for more movement is also legit). If an ennemy model is guarding it, use the Duet to kill it, neutralize the Marker, then Interact to make it friendly. Concerning the central Strategy Marker, let you opponent claim it. At the end of a turn, Colette can go in base contact with it (use Presto-Chango if necessary, Unburying her less than 6'' of the Marker also works) and use Don't Mind Me to flip it to neutral then friendly. And with her 2'' engagement range, Colette denies the possibility to your opponent to Interact with the Marker later. If a model guards it and has 3 or less Health remaining, use your Sword Trick Bonus Action to kill it and neutralize the Marker. It will save you an action to make it friendly. It can be a bit harder to guard the Strategy Markers in your table half but make your opponent use as many actions as possible in order to make him waste actions (Distracted helps here). A Showwgirl can guard the Marker and Interact to drop a Scheme Marker and give Distracted +1 to the nearby ennemy (Celebrity). Or she stays a bit behind the Marker and when an ennemy has claimed the Marker, she walks and Interacts to neutralize it and gives Distracted +1. Possible Crew: Colette – 3 Mechanical Doves – Coryphee Duet – Mechanical Rider – Cassandra – Angelica – Showgirl – 7 Soulstones (may vary depending on Schemes) Corrupted Idols This Strategy is based on movement, so seems good for the Performers. But there is a «slight» problem: the irreducible damage suffered when interacting with the Idols. The Keyword is fragile and has no self-healing, so taking damage will highly reduce the survivability of your not-so-tough models (Colette can handle that if she is not attacked by your opponent which is quite frequent). One solution is to hire Mannequins that can heal your models and with Mechanical Assistant they can stay near your models (I must confess I am horrible at doing that but it should really work). Beware: you can only heal Living models. Another solution is the Heal of the Duet (sadly it can't Heal the Duet itself as it is a Pulse), Cassandra can copy these two Heals with Understudy. You can also stay near the Idols and engage ennemy models that won't then be able to Interact to move the Idols. Another tactic is to cheat Initiative in order to control where the new Idols appear (but not a pure Performer tactic, any Crew can do it). The best way is perhaps to try scoring as many points as your opponent and make a difference with the Schemes points. Keep in mind that with Gaining Grounds Season 0, the Idols are Impassable, so you can't sit on it to prevent your opponent from Interacting. Possible Crew: Colette – 3 Mechanical Doves – Coryphee Duet – Mechanical Rider – Cassandra – Angelica – 2 Mannequins – 4 Soulstones (may vary depending on Schemes) Reckoning By far, the worst Strategy for Colette and her girls. I have tried playing Versatile (Captain and Emissary) but without great success. I now generally play in Keyword and try to score one or two points and deny points points to my opponent by not dying (much easier to say than to do). Generally, I use Presto-Chango in Turn 1 to place an ennemy model in my table half near my unactivated Duet (by swapping a Dove with the target). The Duet attacks and let the ennemy model with 1 or 2 Health left. You can safely split the Duet for additionnal attacks. Don't forget to use Blade Rush for free damage. At the beginning of Turn 2, win Initiative (cheat if necessary) and activate the Duet to kill the model and score your first (and perhaps last) Strategy Point. If the killed model is a beater, cool, you have disabled one of your opponent's weapons at the same time. Then, like in Corrupted Idols, score your Schemes and avoid being killed. Please note that the Mechanical Rider can be good if played defensively by spending Fate Tokens to reduce damage. But after some discussions on the Wyrd forums, some alternative solutions (that I haven't tested) appear, have a look here: https://themostexcellentandawesomeforumever-wyrd.com/topic/148696-colette-what-is-her-power-level/ The Mobile Toolkit seems to fit perfectly in this Strategy. It can buff the Duet with Focused or Shielded, can also Heal the Duet and as it is Insignificant it will doesn't count for the Strategy when your opponent kills it. Perhaps he will not target the Toolkit but it would be a mistake because buffing the Duet each turn can be devastating. I will try it soon. In my usual list, it will replace the Showgirl that don't fit well in this Strategy. After some testing, can confirm that this Strategy can be handled more easily with the Mobile Toolkit and the Arachanid Swarm. Toolkit gives Focused to the Duet in the first two Turns then the Rider can use Ride with Me to keep it near her. Then the Toolkit can always has a target (the Rider) to give Focused. The Arachnid Swarm is also a very good beater on his own. So the Crew for Reckoning could be as follow. Possible Crew: Colette – 3 Mechanical Doves – Coryphee Duet – Mechanical Rider - Arachnid Swarm - Sousltone Miner + Magical Training – Mobile Toolkit – 7 Soulstones (may vary depending on Schemes) Schemes Detonate Charges Not a Scheme that I take but it is a good one for Performers. Don't Mind Me allows you to drop the Scheme Markers without much problem. You can also use Revel in Creation of the Mechanical Rider to drop one of the Scheme Markers needed (without worrying about the 4'' limit as it is not an Interact action). Colette can use Presto-Chango on a model (easier with a friendly one) to drop the second Scheme Marker. Always do this Scheme on an already activated ennemy and if your opponent doesn't have means of discarding Scheme Markers without Interacting. If taken by your opponent, using Colette last in a turn to Presto-Chango your model placed between to Scheme Marker. Swap with one of your unactivated models (or Colette herself, she will leave the danger zone with her remaining actions). You can also swap a Dove which is Insignificant and so won't count for the Scheme. Breakthrough This one is easy but the first point can be tricky. In order to avoid having an ennemy model less than 3'' of your model, you can use Colette's False Reality to take away the ennemy model. Or you can simply Bury it with Sword Trick. A Showgirl can also Lure the ennemy out of position. The second point is easy as long as you have one or two models in your opponent's deployment zone. The Duet can drop two Scheme Markers a turn if it starts its activation unengaged (if engaged, split and re-form the Duet for the same result). The Mechanical Rider can drop one with an action and drop another one with Revel in Creation. As for any Marker-based Scheme, you can sit big base models on your Scheme Markers to stop your opponent from discarding them. Be aware of one thing: if your opponent has no Scheme Markers in play and Colette Buries an ennemy, this ennemy will be Unburied in his deployment zone by its owner and then can deny the first point. Don't Bury ennemies when you choose this Scheme, Bury Colette instead. Also note that it becomes harder in Corner Deployment has the deployment zone is very short. Depending on terrain, it can be difficult to drop 3 Scheme Markers with Interact Actions (4'' limit), use the Revel in Creation Action of the Mechanical Rider to solve this problem. To deny this one, nothing special apart using Don't Mind Me if possible and don't let an ennemy alone in your deployment zone. Harness the Ley Line This Scheme requires a lot of Interactions but with Don't Mind Me it is not a problem. However, as you have to stay near the centerline, it can put your models in harm's way. A second hand choice if no other available Scheme is good. The Mecahnical Rider with Revel in Creation can mitigate that. As for any Marker-based Scheme, you can sit big base models on your Scheme Markers to stop your opponent from discarding them. If your opponent chooses it, Colette will be pleased to discard one of its Scheme Markers each turn to deny it (other models with Don't Mind Me can do it but Colette is more mobile). Search the Ruins An easy Scheme for almost everybody and a really very easy one for the Performers. Hide your models behind terrain and Interact. Drop more Markers than needed, it will discourage your opponent from taking actions to discard them. The Mechancial Rider can also help with Revel in Creation. As for any Marker-based Scheme, you can sit big base models on your Scheme Markers to stop your opponent from discarding them. When using Presto-Chango drop the Scheme Marker so that it touches the target and a terrain at the same time. In one action you have teleported a model and contributed to the Scheme. Actions are a ressource, don't waste them. To deny this Scheme,you have Don't Mind Me and Colette to discard Scheme markers nearly as fast as the opponent drops them. Even if he scores, it will costs him so many actions that you should gain an advantage for your own Schemes or for the Strategy. Dig ther Graves I wouldn't recommend this one. The first point is relatively easy with Don't Mind Me. You can also Presto-Chango Colette near an ennemy and kill it near the Scheme Marker dropped by Presto-Chango. The second point is tricky as some models don't drop Corpse or Scarp Markers when dying and others Crews can use them for their actions. To deny it, nothing special apart from Don't Mind Me to discard ennemy Scheme Markers. Hold Up their Forces Largely depends on the ennemy Crew composition. Take a look at the Crews before choosing this Scheme. If you play the same lists that I play, you will often have problems to have more than one or two legal targets. But my lists are a good incentive for my opponent to choose this Scheme. With Colette, the Duet and the Rider, there are three targets for your opponent and as you don't kill much, it can be easy for the opponent to score. He should always score the first point. But you can deny the second point in the last turn by running away from your ennemies. You generally have more speed than them. Colette and Duet can move 18'', the Rider 19'' in one activation. Not all models can be that fast. Take Prisoner A really good one. The 4'' limit can be tricky with a lot of crews but with Colette's Presto-Chango or False Reality this shouldn't be a problem to isolate the already activated prisoner from its allies. When you select the prisoner, don't take an expensive model (generally you prefer it dead). Instead choose some Minion (that is not Insignificant) like some Totems (The Scales or the Forgeling for example) or an Effigy (if the Emissary Upgrade is not attached). You can allow you to let them live the whole game and even a Showgirl can be enough to keep the prisoner under control. In this case, the Showgirl walks if the prisoner try to evade or concentrates and interacts which gives Distracted to the prisoner (Celebrity). If the prisoner runs away in the last turn, Colette should be able to re-engage it. If your opponent chooses this Scheme, you can easily deny the second point with Colette (Presto-Chango, False Reality, Burying ennemy model) in the last turn, just play Colette last. Power Ritual Also a good one. The easiness depends of the deployment. In Corner of Flank Deployment, you don't need to go to the farthest corner to be able to score. In Standard and Wedge Deployment always drop a Marker in each of your corners. Your opponent should discard the two Markers to deny the second point (generally he won't do it, too costly in actions). Here again, the Mechanical Rider can help a lot with Revel in Creation. The Soulstone Miner is a good tool too (even if it can't Interact the turn it Unburies). As always Don't Mind Me is your best tool here. As for Breakthrough, be cautious when Burying ennemies with Colette, they could be Unburied in their deployment zone and be an annoyance to Interact and score this Scheme. As for any Marker-based Scheme, you can sit big base models on your Scheme Markers to stop your opponent from discarding them. To deny it, Don't Mind Me is your best mean, as usual. Outflank An easy one. However I won't recommend it in Standard and Wedge Deployment as your models will be under numerous threats and can die relatively easily. In Corner and Flank Deployment, it is a good choice as your opponent can has problems to reach these far away locations. The Soulstone Miner shines here. You can guarantee one flank with it by Unburying the turn you want to score the first point. Then Bury it and Unbury it late in the last turn. For the other flank, use other resilient models (the Duet and the Mechanical Rider for example) or Unbury Colette in last Turn. You also have the tools to easily deny it. A Showgirl can Lure a model out of scoring position. Colette can use Presto-Chango or Sword Trick to deny it. But she also has a cheaper mean of doing that. Use two actions to put Distracted with Distracted Illusion, then use False Reality (cheat your biggest card if needed) and place your already activated ennemy as far as possible. Assassinate Generally not a good choice for the Performers. You don't have the tools to take down Masters. However, you can score relatively easily the second point. In last turn, delay Colette's activation until the ennemy Leader as activated. Then Bury it with Sword Trick. A the end of the game he will be automatically killed so he is not more in play and you score the second point. The first point can be really hard to score. Take this Scheme only if no other Scheme is appealing. If your opponent chooses this Scheme, be cautious, that certainly means that he had hired some specific tools to achieve it. Without specific counterpicks, Colette is generally nearly unkillable. So look at your oppnent's Crew to see if he has taken some counterpicks to Colette's defenses (Masked Agent Upgrade for Ten Thunder for example) and play around it to avoid losing Colette (killing the counterpicks models, use movement shenanigans to avoid being attacked). Deliver a Message Also a good one especially versus melee Masters. You can use Presto-Chango to put the already activated ennemy Master near one of your unactivated models that will deliver the message. Colette can do that herself if need be (by Unburying near the Master, for example). For the second point, activate Colette or a model with Don't Mind Me to drop the Scheme Marker after the ennemy Leader has activated. If he has run away, Colette is your main asset to go after him. You can also use the Mechanical Rider (14'' of movement and Revel in Creation as a bonus Action to drop the Scheme Marker within 6'') or even a Duet that splits and re-form (nearly 20'' of movement and one action left to Interact). If your opponent chooses this Scheme, he will certainly score the first point as Colette will sooner or later finish a turn near ennemies. But the second point should be impossible to score. In last turn, activate Colette last and use your movement and tricks (Presto Chango, False Reality, Sword Trick) to finish unengaged. Claim Jump A Scheme that I never choose. In theory you could score the first point easily as you have means (Lure, Presto-Chango, False Reality, Sword Trick) to move away ennemies that would want to deny you this point. But the second point will be difficult as you don't have much healing in the Keyword. The Duet with a Mobile Toolkit (if this one survives the whole game) can score it but it will be difficult. The Mechanical Rider can do it by using Fate Tokens defensively to reduce damage. Perhaps, looking out of Keyword is a better option there. If your opponent takes it, again you have many ways to deny the second point (Lure, Presto-Chango, False Reality, Sword Trick), just wait for the target to be activated so that he can't come back. Vendetta A tricky one for sure. I never take it. As the Performer Keyword is often not killy, that can be difficult to kill the chosen ennemy and even more difficult to keep alive your chosen model. Your most resilient models have a high cost (the Duet and the Mechanical Rider) and sometimes won't have a legal target in the ennemy Crew. Here again, perhaps going out of Keyword is a solution. Colette with Presto-Chango can put the chosen ennemy near your deployment zone (far away from its allies) and your models can attack him without much retaliation early in the game. The difficult part will be to make your chosen model live until the end of game (Colette can help there with movemement shenanigans). One trick you can do is hiring two single Coryphees and choose one to be the model you need to keep alive. During the game, form the Duet. As per the Replace rules, the new Duet is still a valid choice for Vendetta (despite being now of a higher cost than the chosen ennemy model). Denying this Scheme can be tough as you have some fragile models that can be targeted by tougher opponents with a lower cost (for example, a Death Marshal versus a Showgirl). You will certainly let your opponent score the first point but do your best to deny the second point. Remember that with Gaining Grounds 0, the two models can have the same cost.
  20. Colette has been a huge debate during closed and open beta but seems to have disappeared from view since the official launch of M3E. It's time for her to use her Showstopper Ability and reappear in the spotlight! This tactica is based upon my experience after nine months of M3E games played with Colette (around 75 games). I haven't tested all the Keyword (Carlos Vasquez and Ice Dancers are not part of the show for the moment) and I should test OOK and some Versatile models. I will supplement this tactica accordingly if I play them. Others players can share their experience and I will update with their feedback. Some conversations with other forum members show that Colette can be played in different ways and I have yet to explore some of these ways. This tactica will be evolutive. I also plan on updating it when new Gaining Grounds Seasons will be released. The gameplay: a brief description Performer is a Keyword that is not centered on killing things. It uses more subtle ways to achieve its goals. The Crew is specialized in Interacting and giving the Distracted Condition as well as speed and repositionning (of the Crew or the ennemies). The killing game is really not the Performers' main purpose and their defenses won't be what will save their lives. But they have the perfect tools for scheming and you should score 3 to 4 points for Schemes each game. Let's see the common Abilities that we can find spread in the Keyword. Don't Mind Me: It's the Ability that you will find on every Living Performer. It grants you the opportunity to Interact when engaged and after having used the Disengage action. So you can always drop a Scheme Marker, no need to worry about nearby ennemies. Celebrity: After Interacting, an ennemy within 6'' gains Distracted +1. Always good to give to an unactivated ennemy. The Distracted Condition is one of the best means of defense for the Performers. Manipulative: Attacking models gain a negative flip to their attacks as long as you don't activate this model. That won't negate the threat, notably with how Focused work in M3E, but it can mitigate it, if coupled with Distracted, then your models have a better life expectancy. Nimble: Using your Bonus Action to Walk makes the model a very good scheme runner. Agile: Leaving an engagement with a Walk allows you to Interact in the same activation even if the model doesn't have Don't Mind Me. Also great for scheming. Distracted + X: This model's actions that target an ennemy model suffer a negative flip to their duel. After resolving such an action, the value of this Condition is lowered by one. As said in Manipulative, a single negative flip won't save your model, but coupled with Manipulative or Colette's Serene Countenance, the ennemy won't be able to cheat. After this brief general description, we will look deeper at each card, and first the Star of the Show: Colette Du Bois Her Df and WP stats are quite average for a Master as is her Health. Concerning her Df, the built-in Tome for the Fade Away Trigger is what makes her so difficult to pin down. If her Wp is targeted you can Cheat or use a Soulstone to gain the Tome. When Colette suffers damage, you can reduce them by 2 (to a minimum of 1) then Bury Colette. Generally, she will only be hit once by an ennemy. Some models have attacks that prevent Rst Trigger, so Colette won't be able to use Fade Away versus such ennemies. That will restrict your options for repositionning Colette but you know exactly what models you need to avoid or to kill quickly. Her second mean of defense is Serene Countenance. As opposed to Manipulative, the negative flip is always suffered by the attacker wether Colette has activated or not. It stacks with Distracted and (theorically) the ennemy wil have at least one negative flip to attack and won't be able to Cheat. Exceptions exist like a Focused Samurai using his Gatling Gun. Why would you Bury Colette when she is attacked (apart for reducing damage)? Because of her Showstopper Ability! When you activate her while Buried, you can Unbury her within 3'' of a friendly model or a friendly Scheme Marker. That gives you the opportunity to reposition Colette where you really need her (more about that later). And at the same time, all ennemies within 3'' of Colette gain Distracted +1, a good thing for the survivability of your Crew. This synergizes with her Illusionist Ability because each ennemy within 6'' with Distracted that activates gain Stunned. Preventing Triggers is a powerful mean of reducing the effectiveness of some models who are strongly dependant of their Triggers. She also has Don't Mind Me as well. Before diving into Attack Actions, let's take a look at her only Tactical Action: Practiced Choregraphy. This is a Bonus Action that generates a Pulse that allows you to move up to 3'' each Performer model within 4''. Not a strong action but in some games it can be necessary to reposition slightly your Crew. Its main drawback is that it competes with her other (powerful) Bonus Action. Distracting Illusion is her Melee Attack. It won't deal damage but it allows you to stack Distracted on the target and give it Stunned. Distracted +1 or +2 is generally not a big problem for a model but when it gets to Distracted +4 or +5, the opponent might cease to attack with this model and Performers don't like to be attacked too often. The Mental Trauma Trigger can be good to make the opponent discard cards, especially near the end of a turn when he only kept one or two good cards or don't even have cards left in his Hand. This Trigger can be enough to kill a weak (but annoying) model. Presto-Chango is Colette's main spell for repositionning her Crew and her ennemies. The range of this action is about 17'' as the target can be 8'' ahead of Colette and the friendly model 8'' behind Colette. She threatens one quarter of the table with it. You can use it to swap Colette and a friendly model or to put an ennemy model in harm's way (near an unactived Coryphee Duet for example). The most efficient way of doing it is having a Dove 6-8'' behind Colette and target an ennemy 6-8'' ahead of Colette. The ennemy will be repositionned near your Crew (far away from its allies) and your opponent can only retaliate by killing a Dove (so frustrating for him and not so worrying for you). Used in turn one, this trick can allow you to kill quickly one important ennemy model (Minion of Enforcer beaters are good targets). To succeed, you need a Mask that is not built-in, so prepare to stone if necessary. If you target a friendly model, a 7 Mask is what you need at least. If you have a Severe with Mask in Hand, keep it for Presto-Chango. The Mask doesn't compete for Triggers of other Performer models, so keep your Masks for Colette. The Trick of the Hat Trigger is nice but you won't have use of it often. You need the two suits to succeed so if you cheat a high Tome and have spent a Soulstone for the Mask, you can summon a Dove (if one has already been killed). Moreover, the Scheme Marker will generally be more valuable than a new Dove. False Reality: It can be seen as a lesser version of Presto-Chango. It is easier to cast (no Mask needed) but you only gain a Place effect of 2'' but also 2'' for each Distracted on the target. If the target is Distracted +2, it is a 6'' Place effect. It can be effective but you won't use it each game. The Bewilder Trigger is a bit of a trap as drawing cards is good but keeping Distracted on the target is best in general. The Delay Trigger that gives Slow to the target is nice but is based on the card you flip or cheat. You won't use a Soulstone for this. Sword Trick is THE Bonus Action that you want to use as often as possible. In a Crew that lacks damage, being able to deal 3/4/6 damage (even only once per activation) is very good. But you also Bury the target and control where it will be Unburied. When your opponent activates the Buried model, Colette's player Unburies it within 2'' of an ennemy Scheme Marker, so be careful to the position of ennemy Scheme Markers on the table before Burying an ennemy model. If there is no ennemy Scheme Markers, the owner of the Buried model nburies it in his deployment zone (can be dangerous for you at times). The Twist Ending Trigger (on a Mask, it can compete with Presto-Chango) is also sometimes crucial. If the opponent doesn't want to attack Colette and you need her in another part of the table, you have a mean of repositionning her. If you know that the target will die, use this Trigger each time (discard a Soulstone if necessary). Mechanical Doves (Totem) When you look at this Totem, apart from Mv 7 with Flight and the fact that you have three copies of it, the rest of the stats and abilities are quite low. Insignificant has its advantages and drawbacks. They don't count for Schemes and Strategies (bad for you and bad for your opponent), don't drop Markers when killed and never engage ennemies. So what is their use? First, when they are killed, you draw a card (Demise (Expandable)), nice. They are immune to damage from Shockwaves, Blasts and Pulses, nice too. You can use it as a Soulstone for Colette (Smuggled Soulstones), doing that kills the Dove but you draw a card ans have spared a Soulstone, also nice. I won't recommend doing that because the Doves have another role to play in the show (more on that later). Their attack is also weak but versus an opponent with low Health left and with the built-in Tome that generates the Overheat Trigger, you can kill some models and draw a card as the Dove is also killed. Annoying is a Tactical Action that gives Distracted to an ennemy model within 2'' which takes a Tactical Action other than Walk or Charge (Tactical Actions are actions without a Rst, page 22 of Rules PDF), can be good near unactivated ennemy models but isn't reliable. Generally focusing is better. Angelica Durand An Enforcer with average stats but good Mv. She also has Manipulative and Don't Mind Me. Her Get Off the Stage Df Trigger is not very reliable as you need to win the duel (no timing written so After Succeeding) and have a ligne of sight to a Scheme Marker within 12'' (but it can be a friendly or ennemy Scheme Marker). Herald is a cool bonus at the beginnig of first turn as free move is always good. Her Fancy Cane Attack Action is average and her Next Act Trigger on a Tome can disengage her from her ennemy. It can be good to avoid a Disengage Attack that could reduce her movement, but you need a high Tome. Suddenly Doves! is an Attack Action that drops a Shockwave Marker that doesn't deal damage like many others but gives Distracted +1 to ennemies failing a Wp 13 Duel. It is not very strong but it can force your opponent to cheat cards from his Hand which is always good. If you center the Action on a Dove the Wp Duel becomes Wp 15 Duel, good but situational (depending on where your Doves stand). The Not a Bomb? Trigger allows you to convert a Shockwave Marker into a Scheme Marker, can be good but very situational. It can be good if you chose the Search the Ruins Scheme and the Shockwave Marker is near a terrain, for example. Her Tactical Action Give Them An Encore gives movement to friendly Performers without flipping cards and it's a Bonus Action. You will use it each turn. Please note that Angelica can target herself with this action. Carlos Vasquez First, I need to mention that I have only played him once. I think that he is better with Kaeris than Colette. An overall good Henchman with good stats and some very good defensive tech (Butterfly Jump). Fiery Presence is a liability in a Performer Crew and you need to keep him away from the rest of the Crew, you really don't want to burn your pretty Performers. When he suffers damage from Burning, he can give Distractd +1 to an ennemy within 6'' (always nice) and he can reduce 1 damage to a minimum of 0 (Fireproof). Ennemy models that take the Assist Action within 6'' of him suffer 1 damage (nice too). He also has Don't mind Me as well. His Melee Attack (Flaming Baton) deals damage, Burning +1 and Distracted +1, very good even if the damage output is a bit low for a Henchman. The Critical Strike Trigger deals one additional damage and the Blaze Trigger deals additional Burning. Breath of Fire is an Attack with a range of 6'' but without the Gun Icon, so you can take it while engaged. It deals damage and Burning as well as Blasts (always goods versus clumped ennemies). It also has the Blaze Trigger for more Burning. Beware of the Up in Flames Trigger, it removes all Scheme Markers (even your own Scheme Markers), so don't declare it if you have some near Carlos. His Bonus Action The Dance of the Flame allows him an extra move of 5'' but he gains Burning +1 (not too dangerous because of Fireproof and how Burning damage works in M3E), His other Bonus Action (On the Pyre) creates a Pyre Marker within 12''. A good action but even better with Kaeris as her Crew has some uses for Pyre Markers that Performers don't have. Another reason why Carlos is presumably better with Kaeris. Cassandra Felton The other Performer Hench(wo)man. Good stats with Don't Mind Me, Celebrity and Nimble make her a good choice, especially for scheming. Her Changing Plans Ability allows her to move a friendly Scheme Marker within 3'' at the end of her activation. Always good if you misplaced a Marker or you need to drop a new Marker during her next Activation. Her Melee Attack (Balanced Sword) has a good damage output with a built-in Trigger (Reposition) that allows her to move up to 3''. Another Trigger gives Distracted +1 to the target. Her Breath of Fire Attack is the same as Carlos' Attack. Only one Trigger differs, she has Reposition instead of Up in Flames. Her Upstage Tactical Action allows her to copy a Tactical Action of an ally within 8''. Usefulness will vastly depends on Crew selection but in Keyword not so much use excepted The Power of Dance of the Duet or the Emergency Surgery of the Mannequin. Some more Healing in a fragile Crew is always good. Finesse is a Bonus Action that grants a negative flip to ennemy Melee Attacks targeting her. Good but can compete with her Nimble Ability. Depending on what you need to achieve, you will sometimes have hard choices to make about that. Coryphee You can and MUST have two copies of this model in your Crew. Concerning stats, please note that the Wp is low (4) so beware when facing some Crews (Zoraida and Pandora for example). It has Nimble and Agile, so a good schemer. Armor +2 makes it survivable but the Coryphee becomes fragile versus models with Analyze Weakness, especially because this action targets WP which is only 4. And beware of all models who deal irreducible damage as well. The Demise (Broken Down) Ability replaces the Coryphee by a Mannequin with 1 Health after the Coryphee would be killed. Don't expect the Mannequin to survive long but it will waste (at least) another action of your opponent to get rid of the Mannequin. The Tirwling Blades Attack deals good damage and has a Reposition Trigger to move up to 3''. The other Trigger hands out Distracted +1 to the target. The Dazzling Flourish Attack hands out Slow with a Reposition Trigger. Always nice to hinder an ennemy model. The first Tactical Action (Dance Partner) allows the Coryphee to place in base contact with a friendly model within 6'', It costs you a 4 of Mask but the Mask is automatically granted if you target a Performer. The Preparations Trigger on a Tome gives Focused +1 to the target. Can be good to stack Focused on your two Coryphees. The second Tactical Action (Dance Together) which is a Bonus Action is why I capitalized MUST in the first sentence about the Coryphee. This action (that doesn't require to flip a card) replaces two Coryphees within 2'' by a Coryphee Duet, the augmented (not the Keyword) version of the single Coryphee ! Coryphee Duet Upgraded version of the Coryphee. Df and Wp are 1 higher. It still has Nimble, Agile, Armor +2 (same advices as for the Coryphee). It gains the Blade Rush Ability that allows to charge through models. Ennemy models moved through suffer 1 irreducible damage (always good). And when the Duet would die, you don't have one Mannequin (like the single Coryphee) but two Mannequins at 1 Health (more actions to waste for your opponent). The Twirling Blades are also upgraded with a stat of 7 and new Triggers. Critical Strike for more damage. Visions of Glamour to hand out Distracted to nearby ennemies. Execute instantly kill the target if the your opponent can't discard (or don't want) a card or a Soulstone. This is a good way to drain your opponent's Hand. If used near the end of turn, it can cause hard choices for your opponent. Please also note that it denies Demise Abilities. It can be very nasty versus some models (Leveticus springs to mind). The Power of Dance Tactical Action allows to Heal nearby allies but it is a Pulse and then don't apply to the Duet itself. Dance Partner as the single Coryphee is also available but the Preparations Trigger is replaced by the Visions of Glamour Trigger (less interesting in my opinion). And it also has the Dance Apart Bonus Action that allows to split the Duet. Please note that the Duet suffers irreducible damage equal to half its current Health. A little example is needed here: If your Duet has 9 Health remaining, when you split it, it will suffer4.5 Damage rounded up to 5 and now has 4 Health left. Each single Coryphee has 4 Health only and not 5 (you must choose the actual Health of the Duet as it is lower than the maximum Health of the single Coryphees). When you re-form the Duet, you add the Health of the two Coryphees, so 4+4=8 Health. You have losed one Health in the process. Keep that in mind when choosing to split the Duet or not. Splitting the Duet allows you to have 4 Actions for one model. Generally the Duet makes two actions then split. One Coryphee is considered already activated, the other can activate. When you activate this second Coryphee, use the Bonus Action to re-form the Duet which will continue the activation and use its two remaining actions (attacking or scheming at your convenience). Be aware that between splitting and re-forming the Duet, your opponent has the opportunity to attack one of the single Coryphees which are a bit easier to damage than the Duet. Sometimes you won't want to re-form the Duet (for example, having two models instead of one for Scheming). Ice Dancer As for Carlos, I have played them once and think that they are better in their other Keyword (December). This is a Minion with average stats and Don't Mind Me (as usual in the Performer Keyword). Butterfly Jump is a good defensive tech that helps her to survive. Ice Skating allows to move through Ice Pillars and after ending the move to place an Ice Pillar or Scheme Marker she moved through in base contact with herself. Perfect for repositioning a not-so-well dropped Scheme Marker. Please also note that you can reposition an ennemy Scheme Marker and then deny points to your opponent (thanks to @extremor for this). Her Frozen Touch Attack is average (1/3/4 damage) but deals Slow (always handy) and the Trigger deals Distracted +1. Nothing awesome but nothing bad. Her Ice Path Tactical Action is an action that you won't use in a Performer Crew. You must target an Ice Pillar Marker and Push toward it ignoring models. Ennemy models moved through make a TN 13 Mv Duel or suffer 2 Damage. With a Mask, you can do it again for free. Nice, but in a Performer Crew, nobody is able to create Ice Pillar Markers. The Ice Dancer can create some with her Bonus Tactical Action Freeze the Corpse, but you need a Corpse Marker and can do it only once per activation (Bonus Action). Versus some Crews that discard Corpse Markers for their own actions, it becomes nearly impossible to do. Her second Bonus Tactical Action (Grim Feast) allows to Heal by discarding a Corpse Marker which conflicts with Freeze the Corpse and can makes it even harder to use. Mannequin This is a Minion with average stats (Wp is a bit lower at 3) and Armor +1. The Mechanical Assistant Ability allows the Mannequin to be Pushed 5'' towards a Performer model that ends a Walk Action within 5'' of the Mannequin. Used well, the Mannequin will rarely Walk by itself. The Take the Hit Ability makes the Mannequin a bodyguard. If a friendly model within 2'' is targeted by an attack, you can discard a card to Place the Mannequin in base contact with the target and the Mannequin becomes the new target of the attack. The Bladed Hands Attack is weak but can deal Distracted and even Slow with a Trigger on an already Distracted target. The Dazzling Flourish Attack hands out Slow and Distracted +1 on a Trigger. Not very good attacks but the Mannequin is not a beater. The Emergency Surgery Tactical Action is the main appeal of the Mannequin. For the cost of a 5, Living models (so no Coryphees, Duet, Doves or Mannequins) can Heal 1 /2/3. The Preparations Trigger on a Tome gives Focused +1 to the target. Showgirl A Minion with average stats and some defensive tech (Manipulative, Celebrity) as well as Don't Mind Me. The Sharp Hairpin Attack is quite weak excepted versus already Distracted targets as the Unexpected Ferocity Trigger deals additional damage equal to the value of Distracted Condition on the target (max +2). The other Trigger (Beautiful Clothes) deals Distracted +1. Lure moves the target its Mv towards the Showgirl. Handy to put an ennemy in harm's way or deny some victory points (more on that later). Seduction ends the Focused Condition on target and gives Distracted +1. Please note that it is ending the Focused Condition and not decrease it. So if the target has, for example, Focused +3, it loses all the Focused not only one. A Tome grants two different Triggers. If the target is a Soulstone user, it discards one Soulstone or one card. If it discards one Soulstone, you gain one Soulstone. Can be good depending on what you opponent has in his Hand. The other Trigger deals 2 damage to the target. Versatiles Hires I haven't tested all the models but two of them function very well in a Performer Crew. Mechanical Rider This is a high stats model that has a lot of utility. The Fate Tokens mechanic (similar for all Riders) allows to reduce damage defensively (won't do anything versus irreducible damage) or to declare Triggers offensively. Her Attack Action is good and the Arcane Ritual Trigger can be very good (depending on how much Fate Tokens you discard when declaring it). It adds card draw to a Crew that doesn't have any means of doing it by itself. The Tactical Actions are the reason to hire her. Not only in a Performer Crew but you have a solid model for more shenanigans here. Ride with Me makes your Crew even faster than it already is and can take back one of your model that ended up in combat with the wrong opponent. Revel in Creation allows to drop a Scheme Marker (you can instead drop a Corpse or Scrap Marker, but you don't have use of them in a Performer Crew) within 6'' and as it isn't an Interact action, no worries about the 4'' limit (always good). The first Trigger (Innovation) can be valuable in a Performer Crew but only for Colette (discarding a Mask for Presto-Chango TN) or the Duet (discarding a Crow for Execute Trigger on each attack, or discarding a Ram for Critical Strike (min damange 3) on each attack), perhaps a matter of personal playstyle but I don't use it. Insight Trigger is very good as you can reshuffle in your deck any number of cards from your Discard Pile. Very efficient mid or late turn if you have already discarded a lot of Moderate and Severe cards. The Revelation Trigger can be game changing if you have the Duet within 6''. The Trigger allows to activate a non-Master model after the Rider even if this model has already activated this turn. Yes, you can activate a second time the Duet if it was activated first before the Rider. Depending on the threats nearby, you can think of splitting and re-forming the Duet in each activation for a grand total of 8 AP! If you don't spend Fate Tokens to reduce damage, it can be made in Turns 3, 4, 5. If you give the Rider the Soulstone Cache Upgrade, she can use a Soulstone and cheat a Tome to do it in Turn 2! As Ride with Me and Revel in Creation are two Bonus Actions, there will be times when you will be forced to make hard choices between the two. Soulstone Miner The actual Star of the Arcanists! Good in every Arcanist Crew. Just be aware that Interact is always a Bonus Action and then compete with Burying and Unburying. But being able to Walk 10'' and then Interacting is good. If you use Mine Soulstone each turn, you will gain 5 Soulstones(near what it costed you at hiring). As being able to Bury and having Armor +2, it is a solid model but becomes even more solid with the Magical Training Upgrade that grants Shielded +1 at the start of each Turn. And as it is a Minion, you also gain Arcane Reservoir (one more card in Hand is always useful). Some Schemes become ridiculously easy with this model (Outflank among others). It can also be a good tool versus Crews creating Destructible Terrain (Rasputina, Euripides...) as its Thriller Driller Tactical Action can destroy numerous Destructible Terrain in a 3'' Pulse. Steam Arachnid Swarm is a solid choice as a beater. You won't necessary have use of it in most Strategies but in Reckoning games it gives your Crew more beating power. The in-built Onslaught Trigger as well as the Latch On Ability (-1 Df to the opponent) make it a reliable beater. If you need Condition removal, look at the Arcane Effigy. For additional beaters, please look at the Arcane Emissary and The Captain. I haven't had great success with these ones but I generally have problems to use efficiently big beaters. In a more subtle way, the Saboteur can be a good tool versus Crews using (and abusing) Scheme Markers (Parker Barrows springs to mind). Out of Keyword Hires I haven't explored this option, so won't comment for the moment. But some models seem to have some assets for joining a Performer Crew. The Mobile Toolkit can enhance the Duet by giving it Focused and/or Shielded, for example (can be great in a Reckoning game) . After some testing, can confirm all the good things the Toolkit gives to beaters. An auto-take in my opinion for Reckoning games. For other Strategies, don't seem madatory unless you choose two killy Schemes (Assassinate + Dig their Graves for example). As the Duet is mobile after the first two Turns, the Toolkit should give Focused to other models (Mechanical Rider and Arachnid Swarm spring to mind). Multiple Masters I am not very fond of multiples Masters in a Crew and haven't really tested it (one or two games only). If some people have experience with that, please comment. I think that Colette can be a good secondary Master pick as you will have a debuffer (Distracted) that can score some Schemes all by herself. Her Unburying trick is legit with any friendly model (not only Performer models) so she keeps her denial power even out of Keyword. One drawback, you won't be hiring the Doves (too costly), this can hinder her movement shenanigans. Upgrades Magical Training: a solid pick for every Keyword especially on a Minion (for Arcane Reservoir). Perhaps don't attach it to a Showgirl (even Shielded and Counterspell won't make her last long in front of an ennemy beater). Please refer to the Soulstone Miner above for a more suited bearer. Diesel Engine: A very good pick for single Coryphee or Duet as it is restricted to Constructs. But be aware that (as Replace rules work) you will discard it if you form or split a Duet. Depending on your playstyle, you may take it or not. Also note that the On the Move Ability (Minion only) won't work on the Duet as it is an Enforcer. But single Coryphee will love this Ability. Soulstone Cache: Recharge Soulstone can be good if you don't play an avoidance game with your Performer Crew. Attuned gives access to Soulstones. Can be a good choice for the Duet (if you don't split it). Empower is very situational and not very powerful (and Minion only). Soulstones Colette is a quite Soulstone hungry Master. The Mask required for Presto-Chango is not built-in and you will also need a Mask to self Bury Colette with Sword Trick. One or two Soulstones used to reduce damage on Cassandra or Colette are always good to have. And I often discard a Soulstone to draw cards at the beginning of a turn (generally twice in a game, more a matter of personal playstyle here). So I would recommend starting with at least 5-6 Soulstones. If you hire the Sousltone Miner, you could start lower.
  21. @AskM3L8r: 1- The same advice as extremor. Know what your Crew can do and choose Strategy and Schemes accordingly. 2- Really depends on personal playstyle and Strategy and Schemes. For example, I recently won a Turf War game in Corner Deployment (7-5) with Colette versus Sonnia Criid (a killing Keyword). At the end of the game, I have only killed a Queller and I had only Colette and a Soulstone Miner left. The Schemes were: Power ritual, Breakthrough, Assassinate, Outflank, Search the ruins. I chose Search the Ruins and Power Ritual. Winning without killing is a valid option but not for each game (and requires a bit of practice). In such games, I generally spread my crew all over the table so that my opponent cannot focus all his crew on the same target and oblige him to divide his forces. 3- I should soon face Parker but for the moment I would say don't choose Marker based Schemes to limit the effectiveness of the Crew (but Parker has Triggers to force you dropping Scheme Markers, so will be difficult). I regularly face Misaki with Fuhatsu and 2 Samurai. Yes, they are painful. Use terrain to hide from them and use your Hand to cheat high Df flips and die as late as possible. With Colette, use Sword Trick to bury a Samurai especially if your opponent has not dropped Scheme Markers. The Samurai will be unburied in his deployment zone. He will use actions to move to be in range for his gatling gun. He will shoot less often. Concerning shooting in general, do you have enough blocking terrain on your tables?
  22. Well, not a solid argument, but a hilarious one for sure!🤣
  23. Interesting, but as already said, we have different approach of the game. Using all this set-up to kill two important ennemy models means that you don't score points at the same time (excepted in Reckoning with Assassinate and Vendetta). This also can be countered as you said but even without condition removal there are so many things that can happen during one ennemy activation (Duet being Stunned, Buried, Placed elsewhere,...) that I am not sure this is so safe for the Duet. This can be tested but I don't think it's a list that can be played frequently. Personaly, I won't test it because it is not a fun list (for me and my opponent). Even if I am quite a competitive player I try to stay in Keyword and go outside only if I absolutely need. Background-wise this list is quite a non-sense (no offense intended). No problem with your approach (which is perfectly legit) but not my cup of tea. But i will test some options as the Mobile Toolkit.
  24. @extremor: Glad to know that the two options are valid. For me, depends on the Strategy and Schemes and the ennemy Crew. Sometimes a lot of fighting with only the Duet and sometimes no fighting at all for the Duet. I only play Colette but cool that Coryphees have uses with others Masters or Henchman.
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