Anti shooty models

[brdparker]

Malifaux raptor.

 

 

I was going to say this, but I was going to make it two separate sentences.

 

Rap. Tor.

 

Now that you've beaten me to the punch, I'm going to 1+ up you:

 

Rap. Tors.

 

End of turn 1, ask opponent which of his/her models has range but no Ml, or shotty Ml. Place buried raptor in BC with that model. Ignore that model of the entirety of the game. Repeat for each bird.

[HowNot2Wargame]

The other thing to note that if the guild player has watchers then all of the stuff about hiding incorporal/armour in cover isn't going to work for one turn at least (watchers die as soon as they break from cover themselves), especially if Abuela is about to move them with 'listen up young in' before 'always watching' and 'view up high' kicks in. The only time I take out my beloved pistoleros when I see the board covered in stuff for this exact reason.

[kaintxu]

Raptors can be good, but even if said model is no good, someone else will kill them easily

[dgraz]

Easily kill Raptors?

 

Not with Df 6.

[MasterDisaster]

Easily kill Raptors?

 

Not with Df 6.

 

Amen to that! I've had 4 models trying to kill Nicodem's Vulcher who is also Df 6 only to fail hard! Never underestimate birds of Malifaux! 

 

Raptors are the bomb and are so incredibly annoying when they get up close and personal to harass and annoy you. 

[brdparker]

Had a game against Ophelia where one raptor held down the pigapult (and two pigs that tried to kill it), another held down Rami, and a third ran schemes (in a Kaeris crew, that's doable). Once the one annoying the pult was down to one wound, I was able to wait until after Rami and the pult had activated, and all three took to the sky, and I rearranged them. It was magnificent.

[MasterDisaster]

After putting together a crew list for a demo game this evening Ramos has a couple of upgrades that should offer some protection based on the type of ranged attack coming your way. 

 

Field Generator gives Arcing Screen which gives to Df flips within  6 which would be incredibly useful when combined with Cover. 

 

Bleeding Edge Tech also offers Disruption Field which gives  to enemy Ca actions within  3

 

Finally Under Pressure gives Counterspell which removes the suits from Ca actions targeting Ramos. 

 

All of these are kind of situational although I can see Arcing Screen being the most useful as most Sh attacks tend to target Df.

[dgraz]

My best one was a Nino shut down for the entire game. Nino was on a roof and I dropped the Raptor on him end of turn 1. Turn 2 Nino pushes out, and takes shot at Raptor....misses. Raptor charges in. Turn 3 Nino pushes out, and takes a shot....misses. Raptor charges in. It was pretty funny.....the whole game went that way....we hit each other a couple of times, but I don't think anyone died. It's a total win to me when a 3ss model shuts down a 7-8ss model for the entire game.

[brdparker]

So what are the best things that these buggers counter? Rough list I've found in searching the cards (untested against most):

 

Rami

Nino

Pigapult

Freikorps Specialist

Hans

Freikorps Trapper

December Acolyte

Ten Thunder Archer

Fuhatsu

Raspy

Austringer (strangely enough)

 

Obviously predominantly shooty models that lack melee attacks or have lackluster melees. I'd much prefer a raptor take a small dagger to it than my master take a sniper shot to his/her head. Most of these seem to be guild, grems, or outcast, so that might be a solid standard, barring all other knowledge of your opponent's collection.

[Myyrä]

Austringer can actually use the raptor attack against models in melee range. It only gets the icon if you focus. Combine that with the fact that the attack has Sh 7, and the raptor may not live all that long.

Some other stuff on that list isn't exactly hard countered either such as Freikorps trapper and specialist. TN17 Wp duel will most likely force the birds out from Fuhatsu's melee too.

[Kadeton]

Not sure they "hard counter" anything, really - unless you consider burning a single AP (the equivalent of spending 3ss to give a model Slow for a turn) to be a hard counter. Even those models that lack a (0) push will just walk away from them.

The best outcome is probably an isolated Hans - it might take him two full turns of walking away and shooting to bring down a Raptor. If I saw Raptors across the table I wouldn't leave Hans alone, which may be enough of a tactical bonus in itself.

[dgraz]

Not sure they "hard counter" anything, really - unless you consider burning a single AP (the equivalent of spending 3ss to give a model Slow for a turn) to be a hard counter. Even those models that lack a (0) push will just walk away from them.

Nothing "just walks away" from ML6. And their DF6 makes them tough to put down.

There aren't many things in this game that are hard counters to anything but the Raptor is a pretty solid anti shooty model.

[brdparker]

Agreed, there aren't hard counters, but definitely tricky counters. Though it's Ml 5 on the raptor thing, IIRC, but still not awful by any means.

 

I think one of the vicious things is it makes them have to choose: do I waste an AP on disengaging or striking this model? If the former, it'll advance and I'll have to deal with it again next turn. If the latter, I might not one-shot it and have to lose yet another AP.

 

OTOH, it's always fun to drop something high and make them fail the duel anyway, having to waste (yet) another AP. Keeps the target occupied, in certain cases, even the RJ is worth it.

[Kadeton]

Nothing "just walks away" from ML6. And their DF6 makes them tough to put down.

There aren't many things in this game that are hard counters to anything but the Raptor is a pretty solid anti shooty model.

Good thing they're not Ml 6, then.

(Not really having a go; I was remembering them as Ml 4 from M1E, so we were both wrong.)

Perhaps I'm biased by what I've been playing lately, but I really don't see anything with 4 Wd as more than a minor speedbump, regardless of Df 6 (or its major weakness, Wp 4). It does require leaving a beater with your shooters for a turn, and honestly I think that's enough to justify a Raptor's price, but I can't really understand how people have managed to hold up shooters for more than a turn (unless the opponent didn't understand how they worked, left their shooters isolated).

[dgraz]

My mistake on the melee stat.

 

What has 4 weak damage that could take it out in one hit that makes it such a minor speed bump? (Going off the 'causing Slow' comment from earlier). Leaving a beater with the shooters could have that beater out of position for half the game........wastes turn 1 hanging back instead of moving forward....then turn 2 killing the Raptor.....then turn 3 moving into position.......At least 3 turns of a killer and a turn or two from the shooter...yeah, I think that's well worth 3 ss.

[Kadeton]

Most of the Ortegas, plenty of beater models, and anything that can get a built-in [+] to damage.

Since I've mostly been playing Leveticus lately, a Raptor just looks like 1 AP and a Severe card for an auto-kill from 12" (and burn a stone to turn it into an Abomination if desired). Hence mentioning my bias.