A Focus on Focus: The Little General Action That Could

[Mister Shine]

I've been hosting a lot of game nights and I've noticed something coming up a lot: New Players don't (1)Focus. It's understandable, its not a specific action on your model's card, its not cool like slapping someone in a Pine Box, but it is what's going to start winning you more games.

 

(1) Focus, as mentioned, is a general action so any model in the game can take it. Some are built around it, being able to gain the benefits for less AP or through other means, but it can be very worthwhile to spend your precious AP on using it for its regular cost. Focus is going to net you a on your attack flips and a on your damage flips.

 

Most commonly people start venturing into Focused attacks when they have a shooting crew. The you suffer from shooting into cover gets canceled out by your to attack. Which is awesome, you're far more likely to hit someone when you can cheat your attack flip and arent taking the worst of two flips. Even when you aren't suffering a penalty, the highest of two cards flipped is pretty nice. But the real power of Focus is in that to damage.

 

So we all know the table: Ties are :-fate, 1-5 is , 6-10 is neutral and if by some Black Jokered twist of fate you beat your opponent by 11+ you can have a . Now 6-10 points above your opponent is tricky. You can do it sure, but more likely with something whimpy. If you have Nekima or a Coryphee Duet on the table, your opponent is going to be saving some cards to try and keep those beater models from beating you by a wide margin.

 

But if you focused, you're now going to be on a neutral flip AND be able to cheat against most models (reducing the bite of Hard to Wound on others) so long as you beat them by more than a tie. This in particular is great for models with higher than average moderate damage. Coryphee for example have a 2/4/5 damage range, so having them able to cheat damage means you can double your damage for a 6.

 

Now you are giving up an AP to focus in most cases. I think a lot of players can fall into "well, I hit for 2/3/4 so if I hit them twice for min damage, thats 4, which is better than 3". Or simply just having more opportunities TO hit your opponent, which IS true. You shouldnt be focusing every model every activation. But you should be focusing models you want to hit for max damage. A 1/2/4 profile is not going to get that 4 very often without focus, but a lucky flip from Neutral is going to quadruple your damage. And dont think of it as a wasted high card on lowly minions, that high card was going to be a lot more wasted when it was discarded in favour of the Ace beneath it.

 

Anyway, play around with Focus. Its a very powerful ability and you're really going to like cheating Red Jokers in for damage more often.

[Drool_bucket]

Nice read and spot on. Many minions, once engaged, should focus then single attack in many cases, depending on many factors.

Much like defensive stance, focus should be considered more often than I see it on the table...

[Gorbad]

Focus and Defensive Stance are some of those things it takes people a little while to remember to get around to, but that will change your game once they become a standard part of your play.

Another overlooked ability is the (1l Interact action to remove scheme markers in base contact with you. Can't so it while your engaged, but it allows every models (unless its insignificant) to disrupt your opponents marker based schemes. I don't see people do it, but it could win games if done at the right time. And its an excellent way of countering the models that can stack scheme markers.

[RagingRodian]

I've been liking giving snipers Fast, then Focus/Focus/Shoot! Being able to cheat on damage flips in this game is huge.

[Joel]

Great read, and spot on.

This is one option where obey, or similar actions, can be used to really improve a model in a given turn. If they get a focus for "free" then they can be much more effective than an opponent might have accounted for.

[cdhay]

Great read thanks. As a newbie myself i must say that in my first 5 games or so i have neither focused or taken a defensive stance in any game but i defo will consider it now. Esp against my regular opponent who plays readers with lots of hard to wound!

[brdparker]

Haven't tested it, but on paper Defensive Stance seems to be the best omni-faction counter to the belle meat-grinder, go defensive to avoid all those pounce attacks. Combine it with other things, but yep, definitely looks like a higher-level playstyle. I will try to find a way to employ it and/or focus a couple of times in my next game.

 

Now if there were just something to avoid WP duels, like (#) Focused Mind: This model gains the condition "Steel Mind +1: This model receives a :plus to Wp duels until the start of its next activation" for each AP spent. This would also be handy against Terrifying and Manipulative duels. Oh well...

[Mister Shine]

Defensive Stance is pretty great, it's also a good hard counter to devastating attacks that apply to your Df duels. Always take the stance around models you dont want to lose when Coryphee are around.

[Drool_bucket]

One of the first considerations for Defensive Stance is the model's Df stat.  Anything with a 6 should regularly consider it and even low SS model with a 5 can make good use of it.

 

I use the HodgePodge Effigy a lot and it's always in Df Stance because of the Df6 (not to mention Armor +1 and HtK), I've had opponents just shake their head "at the damnable thing" to which I respond with "take your own Effigy!"

 

But I love Desperate Mercs (I am an Outcast player) making use of it as well, they are Df 5 and with 4 wnds usually take two hits to kill and that makes a lot of work to get rid of the 4ss model...

[Mister Shine]

Can be worth it on anything that's going to take a lot of hits that turn.

 

You know, if you want ti to live and all

[zFiend]

Really good post Mister Shine. Thanks for the taking the time!

[Kadeton]

This is extremely valuable advice for all new players.

More specifically, I would generally use Focus in the following situations:

When you would otherwise have a net to your Attack flip;

When making an attack where inflicting Weak damage would do less than half of Severe damage (after factoring Armor, etc);

When you have a Red Joker in hand to cheat for damage;

When the attack also inflicts a non-stackable Condition (like Slow) that you want to land reliably;

When the attack's TN requires a moderate to high suit that you don't have in hand;

When multiple attacks will each trigger an additional targeting duel (like Manipulative).

Also: This thread has the best tags.

[rancor709]

Focus is one of the most powerful actions in the game anddefensive stance is a close second.

[DeleteAccount]

Focus is crucial this edition and when you use Shenlong you know what real power is, all the focus all the time...

 

As for defensive stance, it's incredibly useful too, but it does eat at your hand, so I tend to defensive a lot less than focus. I do appreciate it when I get it though, 10 T brothers and their defensive stance trigger is making them the sleeper number 1 5 SS minion in the game in my eyes, the bastards can do just about anything.

[Dracomax]

Honestly, Even Df 3 or 4 if it will take a lot of hits, is going to look at Defensive stance. If nothing else, pushing through your cards, and making the opponent use more/cheat cards to hit is worth a low card discarded.

[Uktena]

 

Now if there were just something to avoid WP duels, like (#) Focused Mind: This model gains the condition "Steel Mind +1: This model receives a :plus to Wp duels until the start of its next activation" for each AP spent. This would also be handy against Terrifying and Manipulative duels. Oh well...

No need for somet like that. Willpower duels are basically inconsequential. Now finish marking that Misery damage.