Arcanists - How Tricky Are They?

[Tzarcastic]

New player here planning out my first few purchases - most notably, trying to decide on a faction.

 

The Arcanist faction really called to me right off the bat - I know that for many of you, that's the deal-maker right there, but I am more of a gamer than a hobbyist, and so I have an easier time coming to enjoy models I wasn't initially sold upon than I have sticking with a gameplay style which doesn't work for me.  And I have my worries about Arcanist gameplay - I always like to use a faction with a lot of combos, trickery, and some control elements.  The sort of lists where even I am sometimes surprised by the insane combinations I can put together, and my opponents are outright incredulous.  I thought this was the obvious role for a ragtag group of anarchist wizards, but after some extended sessions with Pull My Finger, I am no longer so sure.  To put it bluntly, most Arcanists seem to excel at movement (admittedly, often movement of enemies as well as themselves) and shooting, rather than shenanigans.

 

I know there are exceptions to that.  The main ones I see, though, are Colette and Marcus, and I have problems with each - Colette doesn't exist in plastic (and won't for at least three months), and I don't like the idea of paying more (not even supporting my local store as I do it) for the less-cool old metal sculpts; Marcus, meanwhile, is out and looks great, but he tends to want a totally different selection of models from the Construct/M&SU crew I could build up and run different ways under Ramos, Mei Feng, and Ironsides.

 

So am I totally off-base?  Do more "normal" Arcanist Masters bring the tricks, or am I barking up the wrong tree, and need to focus more on Neverborn or something?

[Sybarite]

Oh there are a lot of tricks and shenanigans all over the faction.

And Marcus doesn't mind having a couple of non beast pals. He can always turn Howard or Joss into a beast when he feels like it

[rover1013]

I'm primarily an Arcanist player (don't let the avatar fool you) and own and have experience with the entire faction.

 

As for trixie nonsense and shenanigans, your instincts are mostly spot on though I would add Mei Feng to the list and one or two specific combos that have left many opponents pretty incredulous the first time they see them.

 

Mei Feng in terms of mobility, action chaining and support catches A LOT of people out. She jumps around the field basically being in any place she wants on a given turn if you do it right, with enough card resources she will chain many attacks together, she has a HUGE threat range due to that mobility and her jackhammer kick and BEST of all her vent steam just plain shuts down some opposing crews.  I've never seen more incredulity from an opponent in a game of Malifaux than when they say "what do you mean all of my Sh and Ca attack actions have a triple negative twist?"

 

Every arcanist crew can take Cassandra w/ Practiced Production and combined with a Malifaux Raptor can basically place scheme markers wherever they're needed on the board (and in theme, the very mobile and cheaper Mechanical Doves can serve in a very similar role).

 

Arcanists are also blessed with, in my opinion (and other's for sure), the best selection of Generic Upgrades in the game.  And Mechanical Rider

 

Additionally, while Malifaux is primarily a game about resource management, the most valuable thing to accomplishing most Strategies and Schemes (again, in my opinion) is positioning.  All of the forced movement and pushing you see across the faction is *extremely* valuable in that regard.  I'm not sure how much chance you've had to play the game yet (or see it played), but this game isn't primarily about killing opposing models.  There are a handful of victory conditions related to removing enemies from the field, but for the most part that aspect of the game is more about resource denial than anything else.

 

The faction is quite versatile and has A LOT of tools at its disposal.  Comparing the shenanigans to other factions though, the really interesting combinations and tactics in the faction are not the obvious kind. They're the sort of interactions you see after playing them for a while, many of which seem fairly innocuous on first read.  What the faction has (as a whole) more than anything else I think are answers.

 

If you're more interested in something a bit more on the nose, which is completely understandable cuz let's face it... pulling that stuff out can just be plain fun; I would consider looking closer at Outcasts, Neverborn or Gremlins.  Those factions have more of the obviously rules breaking craziness than the Arcanists do I think.

 

Hope that's helpful

[admiralvorkraft]

Ten Thunders can also put some stupid tricks together since they pull models from every other faction in the game - at least to some degree.

[Tzarcastic]

Thanks for the responses!

 

Sybarite, care to elaborate?

 

Rover, I've played a little (a couple of 25-point demo games), but between watching games and pullmyfinger, I understand how hugely valuable movement is as a resource.  And Mei Feng is overall my favorite Master bar none.  They look really strong and versatile, just not so... cheaty.  Your detailed analysis was really helpful!

 

Admiral, I'd already considered Ten Thunders for that reason, but I think you know my problem there.

[Ferossa]

Mei Feng is a GREAT Arcanist master, and her 10T options provide a nice counter for Arcanists. You never forget your first master. *Heart eyes*

 

I expanded into 10T rather than Arcanists, but that was before Crossroads. Mei Feng works as a super solo (who doesn't really care what else she brings) or as a combat support piece, jumping from construct to construct to mangle anyone that messes with her precious metal babies. She has good synergy with Ramos box, which has good synergy with the rest of the M&SU, and once Kaeris comes out you'll be cooking with gas. IME her major weakness is ranged attacks, but Gunsmiths will take care of that (they're not out yet, but the Outcast Convict Gunslingers make a good proxy and are mercs, so you can hire them out of faction).

[Sybarite]

Or just bring a december acolyte if you want to shoot people. Or Willie!

[decker_cky]

Willie plus a pile of steam arachnids (Kaeris grab and drop or Colette crew)! Ultimate exploding trickiness!

[Sybarite]

Haha that sounds like fun!