When do you use Yamaziko?

[Paradigm]

I have been trying to wrap my head around Yamaziko. She is an unusually cheap henchman at 7ss. She is nimble, giving her a long threat range and making her a good albeit expensive scheme runner. Being able to use (0) Brace makes her able to protect models around her from charges. Her accuracy is a bit on the low side for her price, but her damage spread is surprisingly solid for a Ten Thunders model. She can also put out blasts, though you'll probably have to focus first if that's what you're after. Then there's her defensive stats. She is amazingly resilient against anything that targets WP, and is immune to Horror duels. Her physical resistance is, on the other hand, really low. Df 4, Wd 8 and no other defensive rules means she goes down very quickly if she finds herself inside the threat range of enemy models.

 

My impression is that Yamaziko sounds good in theory, but every time I've tried her she has ended up dying before doing anything important. What's your experience with her? Are there any particular schemes or strategies where you would hire her? What other models does she work well with? In which situations is she worth her cost?

[MasterDisaster]

To answer the question in the title. Simply put I don't.

 

10T have some amazing Henchmen and unfortunately most of them overshadow Yamaziko. I often get much more Mileage out of Ototo, Toshiro and Sidir than I do Yamaziko. I've seen many people try Yamaziko and they've all reported pretty much the same as you. They love her on paper but she rarely accomplishes much before being put in the ground. 

[Math Mathonwy]

If the terrain and the scenario dictates that you should build a powerful firebase, she is pretty damn nice protection for it. Otherwise she is a bit lackluster. Maybe a Stone too expensive (at six she would certainly be an interesting choice).

[zFiend]

If the terrain and the scenario dictates that you should build a powerful firebase, she is pretty damn nice protection for it. Otherwise she is a bit lackluster. Maybe a Stone too expensive (at six she would certainly be an interesting choice).

This is pretty spot on what I think about yamaziko as well.

[AverageGatsby]

Oh man, when don't I use Yamaziko? Its true her defense is absolute garbage, but I find that a one point recalled training usually does the trick. Let's say she doesn't get into combat turn one but is in threat range turn two, you pop RT then giving her a monstrous defense to WP and enough of a hindrance to Defense that your opponent may have to spend more cards than is worth it, with the additional advantage of anyone charging her or her buddies takes some damage.

 

When crew building, if I suspect the opponent will have WP shenanigans (Ressers/Neverborn) she usually shows up, as with certain strats, chiefly being Stake a claim or squatters rights 

 

She is a frail lil' old lady, but for the 7(8) points she ends up being I find she usually does her job. Most people are going to instantly make the points comparison with an illuminated, but they do different jobs. She is chiefly a support piece, but even still she can put the hurt on a master if given the chance. 

[D_acolyte]

I use her when I need a nimble model for a scheme, this model tend to accomplish it early and then soak up fire, or when I need a added anti charge model. She is very good in cover, so if you take Lynch bring stiches or use Mei vent steam. Brace yari helps to shape the field and engagement.

She is not great with Misaki and I have seen her pigeon whole into rolls she is not ideal at or people expecting the same output from her as Kang or Ototo. She is not bad at combat but Ototo is a power house and Kang is a great force multiplier and can kill undead and constructs like a BOSS!

She is one of those models you need to think about and if used well with some prep can become a cornerstone in something like Turf War or an annoyance in other games.

Nimble+2 attack+ brace = a nice "single" dual that you can make no longer single or a bubble to advance into. When I play my Neverborn I hate that her Brace is a zero action.

[AverageGatsby]

I use her when I need a nimble model for a scheme, this model tend to accomplish it early and then soak up fire, or when I need a added anti charge model. She is very good in cover, so if you take Lynch bring stiches or use Mei vent steam. Brace yari helps to shape the field and engagement.

She is not great with Misaki and I have seen her pigeon whole into rolls she is not ideal at or people expecting the same output from her as Kang or Ototo. She is not bad at combat but Ototo is a power house and Kang is a great force multiplier and can kill undead and constructs like a BOSS!

She is one of those models you need to think about and if used well with some prep can become a cornerstone in something like Turf War or an annoyance in other games.

Nimble+2 attack+ brace = a nice "single" dual that you can make no longer single or a bubble to advance into. When I play my Neverborn I hate that her Brace is a zero action.

See I actually like her with Misaki, as you can have a crew that is entirely unchangeable or at the least, discouraging the enemy from charging. (although of course if you choose the former, you really don't need Yamaziko)

 

on a separate note, I seldom find a use for Ottoto. I love the model and him in concept, but I find him more pseudo tanky, rather than actually resilient. I tend to get overconfident with how much I think he can do, and I find him simply too expensive.

[BigHammer]

Against masters that rely on cards, such as summoners (Molly, Nicodem, etc), she can be utterly brutal, forcing your opponent to reveal their schemes early or potentially suffer a lot of card loss at key moments. Her Yari attack is great against minions, but it can be a delicate balancing act to keep her from getting hit on her defence. It can be worth it to stone for a  to defence and a  to your enemy's damage if they have a low minimum damage, to make those 8W go a bit further (8W is still a bit more than some 7S minions get - archers get 5, and also have Def4). To counter ranged crews (guild and gremlins especially), sticking smoke grenades on her and using cover can make even Def4 formidable.

 

My most common use for her, though, is as a caddy for Smoke and Shadows. She's quick enough to mostly stay out of the way, or exist on the periphery of a brawl stabbing into it or preventing stuff charging into it, without getting heavily engaged.

 

It's worth mentioning that she has some soft synergy with Yin; if Yin can put  Ca and Wil on a master, Yama is pretty much guaranteed to succeed at draining their hand (assuming they have unrevealed schemes and aren't Zoraida). Having a drained hand means Misaki, Mei Feng or Shenlong, with Misdirection, can become nigh unkillable in a melee, and Misaki's assassinate run becomes all the more brutal when they only have stones to stop it. Against crews that rely heavily on their master, this can be a rather brutal combination. Misaki is my favourite master to run with her, since a drained hand, plus misdirection, plus risky ventures, plus assassinate = fun times.

[King Of Speling]

Brace yari is really good for either protecting a firebase or keeping the enemy from charging misaki and other hard hitters until you can charge them. She can also use smoke and shadows as last blossom, so push her forward, drop smoke and brace and your crew can move up to her at half-way in relative safety.

 

Once up to halfway, nimble means she is decent at dropping scheme markers such as line in the sand.

 

I often take wings of wind (not sure on name - book to with me) so I can give her a little nudge to get her ahead of the crew.

 

The + flip vs masters in combat can be pretty scary (especially if you have recalled training as well), so use her as a counter charge if they come in close or make the opponent think twice about getting so close with their master.

[BigHammer]

Brace yari is really good for either protecting a firebase or keeping the enemy from charging misaki and other hard hitters until you can charge them. She can also use smoke and shadows as last blossom, so push her forward, drop smoke and brace and your crew can move up to her at half-way in relative safety.

 

Once up to halfway, nimble means she is decent at dropping scheme markers such as line in the sand.

 

I often take wings of wind (not sure on name - book to with me) so I can give her a little nudge to get her ahead of the crew.

 

The + flip vs masters in combat can be pretty scary (especially if you have recalled training as well), so use her as a counter charge if they come in close or make the opponent think twice about getting so close with their master.

 

She isn't a Minion, so doesn't get to use the abilities on Smoke and Shadows (though she can carry the upgrade). Also, be aware that her  vs masters is only in duels, so she doesn't get the bonus to damage, damage prevention etc.

[MrDeathTrout]

I've been putting her with another henchmen/enforcer (Kang or Toshiro so far) and two Thunder archers in close formation.  Someone in this clump has the Blot the Sky upgrade.  I move these guys up the center of the board with Misaki, and some Tengu as flankers/harassers/scheme runners.  Between the archers being able to shoot without LOS and Brace the enemy is usually softened up by the time the get in close.

 

This group will not stand up to a dedicated assault of good melee models, but with Misaki nearby they have something else to think about.  Also if they are dedicating a lot of forces to this group then hopefully my Tengu are able to do their job. 

 

We are a small and inexperienced group of Malifaux players so it may be our inexperience or just the make up of the crews I go against that has let me use Yamaziko effectively so far.  Fuhatsu may be a better choice to fill this role.  I'm still tinkering with this list.

[Paper Kaiju]

I like using Yamaziko as the patsy for Frame for Murder. She's cheap enough that I don't mind losing her, and has a high enough threat that she can put a lot of pressure on the opponent's master at a very early stage in the game. Then even if they know that I'm probably framing her, she's too much of a nuisance for them to leave her alive, and she'll like do a lot of damage or card drain before she goes.

 

Note that this is a bad idea against crews that put out a lot of Burning or Poison tokens, unless they have something like the Firestarter in tow.

[Hateful Darkblack]

She's great at taking down enemy Masters.

[The Zinc Lich]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. I take her along with Misaki to carry Smoke and Shadows, mostly, but she usually performs better than I expected her to do. The Df of 4 is disappointing, but she can stay out of LoS pretty well until she can charge out thanks to Nimble. Because she has a surprisingly baller minimum damage, she does her thing without taking cards from my hand, and Honorable means she can be can be a pain for Masters. AND she drains hands, AND she penalizes people who charge her.

 

It is worth mentioning that I play Misaki in Outcasts, and there isn't a much better target in the faction for Scramble. She can cover a lot of ground and outfight most other scheme runners she encounters, plus the 10 inch charge range is pretty sweet. 9ss is a lot for someone who is mostly going to be running schemes, but whenever I do it, she gets me VPs, so I can't really say it isn't worth it.

[zFiend]

She's great at taking down enemy Masters.

 

How come? 

[Bengt]

How come? 

I'd say she is ok at attacking masters, great would be pushing it. Honorable takes her Ml 5 from bad to decent and her damage spread makes her happy with just getting a draw on the duel.

[zFiend]

I'd say she is ok at attacking masters, great would be pushing it. Honorable takes her Ml 5 from bad to decent and her damage spread makes her happy with just getting a draw on the duel.

Yeah. That's what I think. But as it was stated she is great and I highly think that is not the case.

[Dirial]

Yeah. That's what I think. But as it was stated she is great and I highly think that is not the case.

 

Some Masters have bad Df but many Wds. Yamaziko is okay at engaging e.g. Sonnia or Nicodem. Not great, but okay.

[zFiend]

Some Masters have bad Df but many Wds. Yamaziko is okay at engaging e.g. Sonnia or Nicodem. Not great, but okay.

Yeah I know. Okay. Not great.

[King Of Speling]

Whoops - keep forgetting she can only carry smoke and shadows rather than using it. I know Misaki can't use it, but forgot that it was just minions.

 

She only gets the + to attack not damage v masters, but her minimum damage is 3 so hitting is the important bit. With so many 10T with 1 min damage, having a consistent damage dealer is really useful rather than the boom or bust on some others.

 

Oh and I forgot she's immune from horror duels, which when tied to her good Wp makes her a good choice against Ressers and the like.

[katadder]

used her quite alot myself for the denial of charges and 3 min damage. I also put smoke grenades on her to make her more survivable at range.

 

last night was most useful as up against tara her benefits to WP, immunity to horror duels and  to duels with masters all game into use.

 

she does have alot of use, especially against melee crews and anything that requires alot of WP duels.

[Rurouni Benshin]

 

 

When crew building, if I suspect the opponent will have WP shenanigans (Ressers/Neverborn) she usually shows up, as with certain strats, chiefly being Stake a claim or squatters rights 

 

 

^ This right here.

 

Also, in my experiences with her, she makes a decent objective runner. Alongside Misaki, she's the person running the schemes and objectives while Misaki harries the opposition. And like everyone else says, she's a good person to have "Smoke and Shadows". With enough Oiran and Torakage on your crew, this is easily a "must have" upgrade for her.

[Jewomie]

I like her more that Ototo, so I tend to use her a good deal. Especially against Viks so swordtoria can't charge. lol.

[zFiend]

I like her more that Ototo, so I tend to use her a good deal. Especially against Viks so swordtoria can't charge. lol.

 

Heh that's a cool trick. Though she will go down fast in front of the Vikkies. 

[Jewomie]

Yes she will. And I know it. lol. but with some SS (which I hardly use for Misaki) she could survive a single activation, and then reposition on her turn. Or use Orian to lure Vikkie away. idk.. .something. lol.