Distract? An auto include when in the pool?

[madaxeman]

distract seems a pretty good scheme - a 1ap action that forces your opponent to then spend 3 aps (disengage/walk out of engagement range then a 2ap removal) to stop you scoring - thus preventing them doing other things.

Unless the opponent has a "chatty"-type ability in their crew, is Distract almost an auto-choose each time it appears? Is the best bet to match Distract with Distract and aim to win on the other 2 strays and schemes?

[zFiend]

It's fun with distract and cursed object in the pool. I know both of Math's schemes before the game starts.

But yeah it's a good scheme usually.

[Adran]

Its not quite that simple.

You need to spend 2 AP on distracting the enemy to get anything. And then if you've not kept them engaged, they can spend 2 AP to stop you scoring. Sure you can then spend a 3rd AP, and fianally get them

It also means you don't want to kill the model you distracted, givign them a bit of extra protection.

 

The schemes are good, but I don't find them auto pick. Especially in things like Reckonning, where I want to kill them for points.

[Math Mathonwy]

It's fun with distract and cursed object in the pool. I know both of Math's schemes before the game starts.

Hah! I do like them a lot!

But in all seriousness, I agree with Adran - if the Strategy is Reckoning, I won't take Distract. There are also easier Schemes - especially if you can take the right models for the job. Deliver a Message with Silurids, Plant Explosive with Merris - stuff like that overrides Distract easily against the right crew.

Also, I must say that I prefer Cursed Object.

Plant Evidence and Breakthrough are also often easier to do than Distract.

[PraetorDragoon]

I personally wouldn't say that distract is an auto-include. It is however, a very strong consideration when it appears. As with almost all, it depends on the opponent, choosen faction, strategy, and other schemes flipped. It's a good scheme.

 

I do remember the great time when I distracted Letu and did give Lelitu the condition as well. (I like abusing that link)

[Kogan Style]

I previously used to love distract, but now I much prefer Cursed Object and only in strategies where I know I'm going to want to get up close and personal from turn 1 & 2 - since you want to start acquiring VP as early as possible.

 

Distract needing two models to work, and that means you can't kill them (unless you distract a third) means you have to keep some threats alive to accomplish the scheme.

[madaxeman]

Ok - I can see that sometimes there are easier options... But maybe ask the same question another way - if your opponent starts handing over distracts, what do you do about it? Just accept that VPs will be scored?

It's usually on frontline models who are in combat already, so pulling them out of engagement range often defeats their primary purpose in your crew.

[Sybarite]

It is a very good scheme. One of the easier ones probably. However I often prefer to do marker schemes, while butchering stuff with Miss Step and other mean models instead of distracting them. Just a playstyle thing I guess. Cursed Object is a scheme I find is perhaps a bit too easy.

[Adran]

Ok - I can see that sometimes there are easier options... But maybe ask the same question another way - if your opponent starts handing over distracts, what do you do about it? Just accept that VPs will be scored?

It's usually on frontline models who are in combat already, so pulling them out of engagement range often defeats their primary purpose in your crew.

 

Largely depends on the game state at the time.

Do I need to try and prevent some schem points from my opponent?

Can the AP from my distracted model be used better. If its a front line killy model, is it killing models going to earn my more VP in the long run than removing distract would?

Distrcating a model like Howard makes the distrcater have to make tough calls in later turns. If they dont' Kill Howard, he can probably remove a model or 2 a turn. If they do kill him, then they lose a distract, and so possibly some VP. I'd probably hold Howrds activation till later than I normally would, relying on the distract protection to keep him a live longer than I would normally expect

[PraetorDragoon]

Ok - I can see that sometimes there are easier options... But maybe ask the same question another way - if your opponent starts handing over distracts, what do you do about it? Just accept that VPs will be scored?

It's usually on frontline models who are in combat already, so pulling them out of engagement range often defeats their primary purpose in your crew.

 

Depends on the situation. If they have distracted a powerful frontline model then they most likely aren't going to attack it anymore, so it's free to wreck havoc. Also, if they are within 1", then they are likely within murder range. 

 

Sometimes, I just accept points are being scored, and funnel my efforts in preventing other schemes from being completed. 

 

Also, when I play as a resser, I tend to murder the distracted guy and raise a replacement from it's corpse. Ap/high card intensive, but stopping scoring is worth it. 

[Nical]

Distract is fun, but It is not auto-include.  

 

Strategy(Reckoning) You sometimes kill opponent's distracted models for Strategy. 

Other Schemes - Easier Scheme is Better. But It is up to your/opponent's crews. 

Faction or Crew - If your opponent can summon something easily, it means opponent choose to kill distracted models or use AP 2 easily. 

[Hateful Darkblack]

It's pretty close to an auto-include, yeah. I'd take Plant Explosives first.

[entropolous]

Distract is definitely one of my favorites, I'd only for the odd situations is can get you into. I've had a game that was tied going into a turn six, I had distract and had only scored 2 points. My opponent had two models left standing next to each other. He spent the last turn having his models hitting each other trying to kill each other, and I spent the turn healing his models.

[madaxeman]

Sometimes, I just accept points are being scored, and funnel my efforts in preventing other schemes from being completed. 

 

This pretty much sums up where I seem to find myself each time I have come up against Distract - I always seem to have better things to do with my models rather than spending a turn getting out of engagement range, and then another turn using both of their AP to get rid of distract.

 

If the enemy sticks 3 distract on my models (using at most 6 APs in total), my mindset tends to be that I've given up all 3 of those VP's.

 

Getting the distracted models killed I guess is a possibility but, using 6 APs and 2 models for 2 turns just to deny someone a VP that they can then get back by spending 2 AP always seems a tough call.

[StuffedKiwi]

As someone who plays Neverborn crews that like to get up in my opponent's face very quickly (very little range option, lots of melee power), I would say that my opponents tend to find it an easy 3 points, based on how my crews are likely to behave. And I find it hard to deny. On the other hand, I often find that by Turn 4 or 5, those AP my opponent spent distracting me are AP they didn't spend killing my models or healing themselves, and so I tend to have the advantage by that point, and can sometimes use that to make sure I get my full 10 points and stop them getting some of their other 7.

For me, on the other hand, I use it only as a 'surprise' option -- here we are, Nephilim claws at the ready, make your game to plan to stay alive, and ... 'surprise, Distract!' But usually, a Neverborn crew s filled with models who are good at killing things, and so Distract complicates my game plan.

So like others have said, it is crew, strat, scheme, and deployment dependent.

I will say, it's a fabulous scheme for tournament games that don't often go a full 5 turns, since you can score on it T1, unlike most schemes.

[Bodiless]

For me it depends a lot on the strategy. For Turf War I will definitely consider it, since I don't really need to be killing opponent models to score that. But for Reckoning I don't want anything that gets in the way of killing something. For Neverborn I love using Primordial Magic or Pandora to Nullify a model (make insignficant) and hitting it with Distract. Then even when a model gets in a position where it could remove Distract it can't.

[MasterDisaster]

Strangely if distract comes up in my pool I almost always ignore it and just play one of the others instead. I hate it as a scheme, I've never enjoyed playing it or scored many points with it. Now Cursed Object... Hell yeah! 

[jonahmaul]

As others have said - it definitely depends on the strats and what other schemes are available.  I'm definitely more of a fan of Cursed Object but I do like Distract as well.  I tend to choose a combination of killing and interact schemes if I can but it really does depend on a lot of things (my favourite schemes are generally Plant Evidence (or explosives, scheme marker against terrain - can't remember which one is is!), Vendetta, Distract, Cursed, Breakthrough and Entourage (though the latter two depend on my own crew a lot - I love them with my Ressers generally but haven't got much out of them with Guild).

[Breng77]

I always consider it, but rarely end up taking it. I always feel that unless I have activation control it is not amazing.

[Bengt]

Nullify makes them peons yes? So they can't be distracted.

Buy if you meant you distract then first then nullify them so they can never take it off then yep. Seems like a nice idea.

It just makes them Insignificant, they retain whatever station characteristic they started with.

[Cats Laughing]

I used to take Distract every time it came up, then I played a game where the strategy and announced opponent schemes resulted in a game where the final few turns of the game left me with very hard decisions on whether to kill models or leave them alive and distracted.  Since then I've spent time considering the strategy, potential opponent schemes, my second scheme and our two respective crew choices, while deciding whether to take Distract or not.

 

I don't have a hard and fast set of rules regarding when to take distract and when not to, but it's no longer an "auto-take" but neither is it an auto-ignore.

[valhallan42nd]

Distract tends to work well with Daw, as Daw isn't necessarily a killer, and tends to suck AP away from an opponent.

[SG6]

My first post so hello everyone

I just would like to clarify one thing that's bothering me - some of you said that a 3 APs are needed to take off a distraction, one to dissengage, and another two to do an interaction. But...! But the distract action is also an interaction (that rhymes... ), so how is that it's not restricted by the engage rules? I'm sure that I'm missing something, that's why I ask. I think it's 1 AP vs 2 APs ignoring engagement rules.

[Saje]

I would never take it against Hamelin. You can't distract hamelin or nix, and can sac most of the stuff you can get it on. You'd be reduced to distracting the stuff that's required for the rat farm.

[Breng77]

@sg6

The interact rules state you cannot take an iteract while engaged unless it targets an enemy model. So distracting your opponent targets an enemy model, getting rid of distract does not.