andorman

Hodgepodge is such an apt name for what that model does.  He brings like 7 different unique and powerful things to the table, even if the healing is the most obvious one.  When you can start getting value out of all those other parts of his kit he really does start to shine as a model.  Interesting to hear how you're adapting to new Hamlin meta, will have to try putting him on the table again soon.

20 minutes ago, Da Git said:

Thanks, that makes sense. So models in BtB have a 180deg push arc (360deg if one of the models is incorporeal).

It's actually still 180 degrees if incorporeal, as the other 180 degrees is going the wrong direction - the first bit of movement would bring the models closer rather than farther away and is still illegal.

My understanding of why singles was the main format for the VWC was as follows:

Kirai could be hired without her totem, then summon both it and other models while ignoring the upgrade restriction on Ikiryo
Dreamer cost too little for his ability to summon in additional models
Opponent could hire in additional masters and you wouldn't know to hire models for them, leading to more matches that felt like they were lost at crew selection
Summoners in general were too able to mitigate the model count opportunity cost of hiring them, with their summons providing increased scoring ability

Since all of these issues have been addressed by the recently released errata and gg2 documents, can we expect to see more upcoming tournaments without the singles alternative rules?

1 hour ago, Zebo said:

Every time I see someone saying "this gives extra shoots to Mad Dog, so it's good" (Like this Hold Down or the Pull trigger) I think maybe, but it's better on the Drachen. 

 

Then I realize that nobody hires the Drachen because is garbage. 

I feel like I haven't given Drachen enough of a chance, just because blasts on every damage level plus mass hysteria has such a great ceiling.  I think there's probably play to being super aggressive with them, maybe with some extra explosives packed on to really threaten overly bunched up crews.

Desolation needs a lot of support to be a useful model.  It's a great attrition piece if it can get stuck in before losing all its wounds.  Between the built in heal on attacks, servant of dark powers, and the entropy healing off of levi, it can drain tank quite effectively.  Its main weaknesses are a lack of bonus action and low defense, but the built in trigger and htw can still make it trade favorably.

I've had some success with bringing von Schill along to support it.  Getting a leap in combination with the Herald move on SodP means it can get quite far up the board, resolving a lot of the issues the model otherwise can have.  Without the positioning support to allow it to quickly start getting value from flurry and entropy, it definitely can struggle.

Brawler is also a great target to essence transfer onto, with the built in HtK.  Especially with the almost certain upcoming Levi nerfs, it will be interesting to see if this emerges as a major Levi archtype.

This almost entirely depends on the value you're getting off of stealth.  In some games, it's the best ability on the card, and other matchups it does literal nothing.

Being a hench is also incredibly relevant on a flanker/skirmish piece.

Stat 7 toss in the mud does make Juju a *very* reliable piece for moving models off of objectives, which is relevant to a lot of things in GG1.

1 minute ago, SEV said:

Is it? I'm not sure about this assumption. What about a list dedicated to pest control (killin E&E and nests) and mobility (to avoid the meat grinding bubble). 

Right now, the idea to fight fire with fire doesn't seems to work super well for the non-cadmus crew... But maybe that's all guild can do ?

The three lists I've seen have any success into cadmus are:
von Schtook: huge damage output, similar ruthless efficiency, convert their summons into your summons
Dreamer: large amounts of WP based damage and efficient summoner
Sonia: Spelleater based hand control from berserker husk's built in trigger, huge amounts of area damage at range

Cadmus has a deceptively large amount of mobility that make control soft control strategies difficult if not paired with sufficient damage output to control the swarm.

A good starting point on 'can this list fight nexus' is to answer the question 'can this list reliably deal >20 damage to htw models every turn'.  While the obey pressure is helpful in the AP trade, without answering that core question, it seems like a difficult task to overcome the ruthless efficiency of the crypto oriented crews.

I think you're catching a little more flack than is really deserved.  I can see where you're coming from with identifying some of the problem models, even if some of the suggested changes may be a bit over reaching or excessive.  That's definitely the space where I'm going to defer to the more experienced game designers to identify some more light touch and elegant solutions.  

The issue with peacekeeper for instance is that he's already very strong in his keyword so any buffs there could be an issue, while he struggles to find space as a versatile model.  Slightly easier access to power tokens would probably be the easiest way to bring the versatile version closer to the keyword version without increasing in keyword power, especially if it was something that was on a bonus action, for instance, and therefore competing with power transfer value.