What crew would you build...

[mythicFOX]

I've an event in a few weekend time. Whenever I know scenarios in advance I toy with lists in advance to get a feel for what I might use on the day.  I'm struggling a little for good ideas for the final round, so thought I'd throw it out to my fellow Arcanists.  

I've the following masters to choose from: Ramos, Kaeris, Marcus, and Rasputina. What crew would you play in the following game?

Game: 50ss, Standard Deployment

Objectives: Guard the Stash with: LitS, Assassinate, Bodyguard, Entourage, Deliver a Message 

Keep in mind that in a competitive setting you can't guarantee playing turn five, so Bodyguard is very risky.

Below is my initial thought for a crew;

 Ramos
+ Arcane Res (2)
+ Combat Mechanic (2)
+ Field Generator (2)
+ 5ss Cache (2)

Joss (10)
+ Imbued Energies (1)

Cassandra (8)

Miss Step (12)

Arcane Effigy (4)
Brass Arachnid (4)
Mobile Toolkit (3)

Help please!   

[Spike0738]

Are those the opponents strats & Schemes as well? Or just yours?

I'd be tempted to take Raspy here with a December Acolyte or 2, if they have the same strats.

[Bengt]

Marcus
    The Trail of the Gods, 1SS
    The Hunger Cry, 1SS
    Arcane Reservoir, 2SS
Myranda, 8SS
    Imbued Energies, 1SS
Cassandra, 8SS
    Imbued Protection, 2SS
Silurid, 7SS
Guild Hound, 3SS
Guild Hound, 3SS
Waldgeist, 6SS
Waldgeist, 6SS
Jackalope, 2SS

Deliver a message and Entourage (Cassandra)

[FertileSpade]

Kaeris w/ Born of Fire (2 pts) - she's a mobile leader with Wk 6 & flying making her hard for Deliver a Message and Assasinate and can run down entourage. She has 2 good ranged attacks and can place the pyre markers from her upgrades to control access to the center of the board as well as herself while staying back off the center. Born of fire also gives her the option to summon additional fire gamin if needed.

The Captain w/ Patron's Blessing (12 pts) - 3 pushes to control the center, a relic hammer to push and give burning

Cassandra (8 pts) - to Deliver a Message and/or entourage; also Understudy will allow her to copy The Captain's and Johanna's Ca.

Johanna - (7 pts) to help control the center, push with a relic hammer, heal all M&SU models, and remove conditions if necessary

Willie - (6 pts) pushed turn 1 by The Captain and Cassandra then move past center to create havoc with blast markers as the opponent positions for control of center.

Gunsmith (7 pts) ++ flips against burning, suites as needed

2 Fire Gamin (8 pts) for activation control and burning

Edited October 29, 2015 by FertileSpade
math!

[mythicFOX]

Thanks for the ideas guys!  Particularly like your approach Bengt.

That's given me some good ideas on how to approach the game. Cheers  

[Fog]

I like Ramos for this.  Endless streams of spiders ensures you get full points off the strategy.  I wouldn't, however, build quite the same way.  Here's my thoughts:

Ramos w/Arcane Resevoir, Arcing Shield, Under Pressure, 7 Stones
Joss w/Imbued energies & Bleeding Edge Tech
Langston w/Imbued Energies
Johan w/Imbued Energies
Brass Arachnid
Mobile Toolkit

Here's my thoughts:  The two stash markers are both hard cover so if Ramos gets to shoot it won't be as effective as you want.  Therefore, I'd bring Johan instead of the emissary.  The extra 3 inch melee will help clear people off the markers as needed, plus you'll be relatively bunched up so there will be ample opportunity for Open Revolt to make a big difference.  You still get your condition removal as well, but you can use it to strip conditions off of enemies as well.

Ramos is geared for making your team hit harder and survive longer.  I find that in a bunched scenario like this his auras become worth their weight in gold.  The various IEs get you the extra swing when you need it to ensure you take something off the markers, and extra cards just in case is never bad.

For schemes, the only one I'd be wary of taking is Entourage, and even then Joss can get it done if you're playing particularly aggressively.  Spiders interact everywhere, making ALITS and Deliver fairly trivial.  Hank kills whatever master or bodyguard they might have.  Joss is really tough to kill in most circumstances.  

 

[paxmiles]

I'm a stuck record, but get an Ice Golem and chuck ht1 models around the table. So fun.

[monkeyking68]

Marcus -- 7ss
 +The God's Domain - 1ss
 +Imbued Protection - 2ss
 +Feral Instincts - 1ss
Corrupted Hound - 3ss

Corrupted Hound - 3ss

Dawn Serpent - 10ss

Moleman - 4ss

Moleman - 4ss

Myranda - 8ss
 +Imbued Protection - 2ss
 +Warding Runes - 1ss

The Sow - 8ss

Entourage (Marcus, Announce), Deliver a Message (Announce)

[dgraz]

I like your initial list, but as a Marcus player I'll always gravitate that way. Bengt's list is pretty great. I personally wouldn't take Cassandra for fluff reasons, but you really can't argue with her ability to pull off Entourage with ease so she's a really smart choice for competitive play.

I also really like the flexibility that Marcus gains with his own upgrades so I'd take Feral over Arcane Rez...which would also up your SS pool by one.

[mythicFOX]

Thanks, again guys. Liking the look of a Marcus list in that one. Think it'll need some extra killing power to avoid making Marcus to easy a target for DTM.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to structure a Rasputina list for this game?

 

 

[Adran]

I'm feeling a little left field for me, so most of the models are actually frozen hearted...

 

Rasputina (Shattered Heart, cold Nights)

Snow Storm (imbued energies)

Ice Golem

Silent One

Ice Gamin 

Angelica

Metal Gamin

Wendigo

 

Aim to get the Ice Golem in around one of the stash markers early on, using it to give him cover from ranged attacks, but he ought to be able to scare most other things coming in. Since he is tied to 1 area, you should be able to get the protection of metal off on him. Angelica and Snow storm should be able to provide movement when needed. 

I naturally use Rasputina and an explosive force of doom. If I hold her far enough back from the stash areas, then they either need to bring something solid after her, or risk her able to kill most things. Also makes them sort of have to signpost deliver a message or assasinate, and hopefully give me the chance to stop them. 

I ought to have a decent chance of deliver the message unless the opponent is too mobile. probably announced if its a close ranged master. I would probably go body guard on Angelica. You could entourage her, but I think if you are worried about not reaching turn 5, she probably won't get far enough to score full points on entourage either, and she needs to advance less to get bodyguard.  

Assasinate is so master dependent., I would never plan on it until I see what the opponent has, but with Tina and the Ice golem, its not impossible. 

[Fog]

I think that were I running Rasputina I'd choke the board with Ice Gamin, like maybe six of them.  With the upgrade giving them the defensive trigger for 'end your turn' you'll basically be the most obnoxious tar pit in the world while hanging out around the stash markers.  You'll be able to dance around them for cover too, and it'd be hilarious.

I'd also put in a pair of ice dancers.  They'd sneak around the ousides to give ice mirrors for Tina that would avoid shooting into cover.  You can get the angle you want off then blast away.  It'd be fun times.
 

[Bengt]

I think that were I running Rasputina I'd choke the board with Ice Gamin, like maybe six of them.  With the upgrade giving them the defensive trigger for 'end your turn' you'll basically be the most obnoxious tar pit in the world while hanging out around the stash markers.  You'll be able to dance around them for cover too, and it'd be hilarious.

I'd also put in a pair of ice dancers.  They'd sneak around the ousides to give ice mirrors for Tina that would avoid shooting into cover.  You can get the angle you want off then blast away.  It'd be fun times.
 

Sub Zero only works against Ml attacks so some crews are just going to ignore it. It's also terrain dependent as you can only have one of the upgrade and there might be stuff blocking LoS for the Aura between the stashes even for a Ht 3 carrier, but at least you'd know about that when building the crew.

[Fog]

I'm not as familiar with Tina as the rest of the crew, and to be honest the list is built for laughs as much as anything.

I think it could be a hoot regardless.

 

 

[paxmiles]

Always add killswitch. Decoys too. Really fun upgrades.

[FertileSpade]

Rasputina (shattered heart, arcane reservoir)

Snow Storm

Essence of Power

Silent One

Ice Golem (Armor of December)

Blessed of December (Imbued Energies)

Ice Gamin

Raspy, the Essence, and Silent One form an unholy trinity of blasting death. sitting back in your deployment, no need to move. with 4ss cache Raspy can burn one for a suite to trigger blasting again and when she does the EP will give her a + flip negating cover benefits your opponent will try to use and give her Ca 8. the silent one will benefit as well from the EP negating the negative effects of ice mirror. 

Snow Storm will pull the Ice Golem up to the markers and then is free to react to your opponents activations as needed. They can pull off entourage fairly effectively as well. the ice golem will armor up with Armor of December as well as Raspy giving him extra armor if it helps. it'll tank on the markers daring anyone to come within hulk smash range. the silent one can heal damage on him.

the Blessed with Imbued Energies can move 22" in one activation if you need it to. so keep it back a little to deal with any melee beaters that try to close with Raspy until turn 4 or so and then Deliver a Message.

 

Edited November 13, 2015 by FertileSpade