How do you use McTavish?

[OSP]

Hi everybody!

 

I'm a new neverborn player and I was wondering if somebody could help me. I really like the swampfiend theme and I plan to run a Zoraida's crew with the usual suspects: Bad juju, waldgeists, silurids, gupps, spawn mother and ..... nurse

 

I have the old McTavish miniature and I would like to use it, but I can't figure how to use him properly. In one hand he's a good shooter, but , on the other hand, what makes him special (penetrating stench, hunting screen and gator snack) requires to be closer to the enemy.

 

So, how do you use him in your lists with Zoraida?, where do you deploy him?, any tactics?

 

Thanks

[Adran]

Well being a good shooter in Neverborn is often enough to make you special anyway.

His ability to discard scheme, Scrap and Corpse markers to get a push and an extra effect is pretty awesome. You can have a gupps nearby just dropping markers for him to gobble up in later turns.

 

Tactics for deployment and so forth are so Board and scheme dependent.

 

He is a solid model and works well with Zoraida.

[Nical]

Simply, Use other swampfiends to engage target and shoot target. His hunting rifle doesn't randomize against engaging target.  

And your "things makes him special" doesn't requires to be closer to the enemy. Mctavish can use them in backline.

For Example, Penetrating Stench work well with Zoraida's Proper Manners. And Scrap Marker from Voodoo doll can be used Gator Snack.  

[Math Mathonwy]

Obey him to Focus. When McTavish Focuses, models die. The ignore cover, ignore randomization into melee is extremely potent and his severe is a nice and juicy six. And thanks to Gator Snack, he usually doesn't need to spend much AP walking and with Obey and he can shoot two Focus shots in a turn, which is just sweet.

[thegoatgod_pan]

This isn't about Zoraida (although she is near and dear to my heart), but I often run the full swamp fiend gang with Lilith, and she has a great trick with McTavish. I am often up against long range "From the Shadows" models: Katanaka snipers, pathfinder and acolytes, which have a tendency to deploy in sniper nests and bother my poor neverborns before they even get close.

 

They are prime targets for Liliths Tangle Shadows anyway, but putting McTavish in their place and them near Lilith is extra mean/fun, because their sniper ends up near Lilith's big sword, and your sniper ends up in a convenient sniper nest. 

 

My other tricks is "breadcrumbs": With Zoraida's crew, Silurids can use their early turn dropping scheme markers in a line, with a leap between, so that later McTavish can gator snack every turn, following their trail with pushes for an extra action or heal or whatever every turn at the cost of a junk card.  

 

Hard to pull off in some cases, but if you have a flat stretch of land along your protect territory area or something like a raised walkway overlooking the battlefield (like a lot of Vassal maps), McTavish can just slide along popping off shots.

[zFiend]

Hahahahaha. That Gator snack trail..

"Ooh a piece of candy. Ooh a piece of candy."

[EnternalVoid]

One of my favorite tricks with him and Zoraida has not been mentioned yet... I have him and Papa Loco work together initially.  That way for Turn 1 and 2 he has a Positive to Damage flips so I don't have to focus to get to the point I can cheat.  Add into that as said Obey for another shot and using his Gator Snack for another, he can put out 4 a turn with a Positive to damage, ignoring combat, ignoring cover, and often has effectively Sh7 or 8 and he can really lay the damage on fast out of the gates.  Add into this any sort of movement tricks to get him forward a little bit so his push can get him in range and he can be nasty surprise turn 1 for any of their models that advanced.

 

Also he can shoot Papa Dead when I need him to die thanks to not randomizing in combat too if the needs arise.

[OSP]

Hahahahaha. That Gator snack trail..

"Ooh a piece of candy. Ooh a piece of candy."

 

Hahahahahah Love it!

 

Nice advice here, I guess my main mistake was in his deployment. I was thinking in deploying him far away, but I've realized that it's best for him to be not so far away

 

Thanks to everybody

[MMW-Kyle]

I regularly take him, doppleganger and 2-3 gupps in all-comer situations for Lilith and the Dreamer. 1 gupp generally sits with him and doppleganger making scheme markers, he fires 2-3 times (with gator snacky 0) and the doppleganger fires 2-3 times with book trigger, both ignoring cover since that is not a trigger. He's amazing for enemy scheme marker removal as well. With Lilith I run juju to add to the synergy.

 

 

[Patzer]

McTavish is fantastic. His Hunting Screen can protect your own troops against shooting heavy crews, its movability is amazing utility. As others have said, McTavish's gun is to be reckoned with. Its trigger is very easy to use, since 6" covers a lot of ground. Gator Snack also provides with heaps of utility. Extra card is nice, the push can be a game winner, and the extra attack synergies well with things like Obey. Although he is no push over in melee, he doesn't excel there either. His crow trigger is very hard to get off, but a nice corner case. He can get some mileage out of Fears Given Form thanks to his 3" ml range too. Another corner case that is nice to have is his penetrating stench. Will rarely come to use, but you will never have to invest in it and it can provide with a heartbreaking debuff. Overall, he can fill a ton of different roles. He loves his fellow Swampfiends, and the melee oriented Neverborn loves his trusty non-randomizing gun. He is a natural fit for Lilith and Zoraida, but can work well with almost anyone as long as you bring some additional Swampfiends to join him.