Ironsides Buy List

[Douglas Scoundrels]

So, I'm working on a possible media project and wanted to poll the crowd for advice to new players. Currently this is just specific to Ironsides, but if I get enough feedback and make enough progress I'd like to do it for every master.

Say a new player purchased the Troubleshooters crew box as their first foray into Malifaux. What next five model purchases should they make (and in what order) to add to and improve Ironsides-based lists. Other crew boxes are fine as long as you assume that master won't be used. I think upcoming models are acceptable as long as they have a release set (i.e. Gunsmiths).

Feel free to say 'why' on particular choices, and I'll update with a 'consensus' list if I can.

My picks:

1. Fire Gamin (formerly Metal Gamin) - Toni doesn't come with schemers. These guys will do good enough and have a decent ranged attack so they can attack from the wings.

2. Johan - Honorary Arcanist. M&SU for Hand Picked Men as well as healing, condition removal, and close-combat beefiness (freeing Captain from having to watch Toni's back constantly)

3. The M&SU crew box - Everyone loves Hank and Joss. 

4. Willie - He's got good stats and can damage just by taking a walk great for softening up model's in Toni's tarpit.

5. Gunsmiths - Burning is fairly easy to come by with Ironsides, and you have several tricks to give them fast.

 

CURRENT STANDINGS - (6 lists)

1. Johan 
2. Gunsmiths  
3. Willie 
4. The M&SU
5. Union Miners/Mech Rider/Burning Revelations
 

We have a three-way tie for fifth place, with the ranking the three received being so close I could only consider them as a tie. I went ahead and rolled my vote for Fire Gamin into the Burning Revelations box since once is included in the other.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Kaiser Senpai

[Sordid Strumpet]

1) Metal Gamin are still better scheme runners because they're tougher (realistically, I'd get soul stone miners but they're hard to come by). They can wander out to where the scheme needs to be, place a marker and then go defensive (2) without discarding for the rest of the game and be really annoying to dislodge.

2) I might even buy Johan first, he's that good (and with Ironsides especially as his yell heals everyone).

3) Meh, I haven't got it and do just fine. I like Joss, but he's far from essential. I'd buy Willie first, he is great at pre-damaging your crew for free with his dropped load ability so they can take advantage of HPM

4) Gun Smiths (because HPM and fast are a bastard combination)

5) Mechanical Rider, because she works well for every crew.

Honorary  mention: Burt Jebsen, he can make people cluster up. And Toni REALLY loves that

[Douglas Scoundrels]

1) Metal Gamin are still better scheme runners because they're tougher (realistically, I'd get soul stone miners but they're hard to come by). They can wander out to where the scheme needs to be, place a marker and then go defensive (2) without discarding for the rest of the game and be really annoying to dislodge.

2) I might even buy Johan first, he's that good (and with Ironsides especially as his yell heals everyone).

3) Meh, I haven't got it and do just fine. I like Joss, but he's far from essential. I'd buy Willie first, he is great at pre-damaging your crew for free with his dropped load ability so they can take advantage of HPM

4) Gun Smiths (because HPM and fast are a bastard combination)

5) Mechanical Rider, because she works well for every crew.

Honorary  mention: Burt Jebsen, he can make people cluster up. And Toni REALLY loves that

Soo...

1. Johan

2. Metal Gamin

3. Willie

4. Gunsmiths

5. Mech Rider?

 

I'm just confirming since I want as many complete lists as possible for stats

[Sordid Strumpet]

Yep, pretty much

[hippodruid]

I would definitely pick up the M&SU box before the Mechanical Rider.  Everything that Toni can take in the M&SU box is an M&SU model, so benefits from Hand-Picked Men and Open Revolt (Johan's heal).  The arachnids can heal from Bleeding Edge Tech if needed, but they're pretty resilient and quick scheme runners also.  The Mechanical Rider has no inherent synergies with Ironsides save summoning M&SU minions, which you will have one type of (Metal Gamin).  Also, Howard Langston with Hand-Picked Men is practically an insult to your opponent.  Aside from that, the list is solid.

[Sordid Strumpet]

Except there is no scheme runner like the rider, and if you want to win games you need that. Not everything in your crew needs to have synergies, that really just tempts you into making the mistake of clustering them all up, giving up board control and severely limiting the schemes you can accomplish.

 

You need a few M&SU models that can hang out with Toni, and then things that can run off on their own. 

[Adran]

For Just 5 purchases, I might consider this

 

Ramos box set as a first. It contains 2 great beaters that between them can handle just about anything out there, and a whole swarm of cheap fast minions which are pretty good for the activation control and scheme running. 

2, Johan 

3 Gunsmiths, They provide a different sort of threat, and with her "you looking at me" she can move 2 of them up, and add fast to them for 1 Ap and some cards. A fast Gunsmith is also pretty decent at schemes in a pinch. 

 

the nest 2 are going to be a bit random, as it will be hugely dependent on your play style. 

Union Miners - A great scheme dropping model. They can do some schemes faster than anything else in the game. They alo shave a chance to ignore defensive triggers whihc can occasionally really annoy some models. 

Willie - If you want hand picked men, he is a pretty decent way of getting it. 

 

 

[angyi]

1. Union Miners
Bodies, schemers, good with HPM, good to charge enemies clustering around your M&SU master.

2. Johan
Pretty obvious include with Ironsides, and provides you with an option to think outside of the Mages/Runes combo.

3. Performers
Because you just have bought Union Miners.

4. M&SU box
At least 3 damn solid models with Ironsides. (4 if you put the Brass Arachnid on a large base and call it a Large Arachnid onwards.)

5. Willie
My go-to M&SU model if I want some ranged, just because I don't like Gunsmiths.

 

[Fog]

1. Rider. She wins games herself. She does things Toni needs and is self sufficient.

2. Johan. He's the bee's knees. I might put him first.

3. M&SU. The box itself is pure gold. Spiders are criminally underrated. A swarm with HPM is absurd. Joss and Hank need no pitch.

4. Gunsmiths. They're amazing with Toni. 

5. Burning Revelations. Fire gamin are good summons, the Fire starter is a great schemer with some gunsmith synergy. Another master in Kaeris doesn't hurt.

 

At this point you've got yourself enough to handle a tournament. You own a nice selection and can branch out into several different masters with little to no additional purchases.

You have built up your Ironsides list and accumulated a team they're ready to expand further if you need to. If not, you're still competitive. 

[joediamond]

1. Johan, for reasons already stated.  Plus you're going to have all of your Union lads and ladies within 6" anyway for HPM, so that meshes perfectly with his heal ability.

2. Large Arachnids.  1-2 of them are usually my go-to for scheme heavy games with Toni, since they gobble up those enemy scheme markers for nothing and soak a lot more hits than you'd expect for a 6ss model.  Toni can help them easily hit that lovely 6 severe damage, and they can return the favor by ripping Armor off of enemies for Toni (something I find she personally struggles against).  The Unimpeded is nice too.

3. Silent Ones.  Healing and HTK models like Johan, Toni, and Gunsmiths can be useful.  Plus they can poke into the Toni Tarpit and give her some offensive support.  Placed correctly, those ice pillars from her trigger can sometimes help Toni as well.  Silent Ones are very squishy, but with Ironsides soaking up all the attention, I find they are harder to harass.

4. Gunsmiths.  I'll be honest, I haven't really found myself taking more than one of these, since past one they start to tax your hand too much.  But one of them is very useful for dealing with a wide variety of defensive issues to guarantee that last bit of damage (soulstones, armor, triggers, etc).  They are literally...Trouble-shooters.  Especially for a new player, I feel a good flexible jack-of-all-trades model can help when you are just starting out.  Plus the Captain and other models can throw around burning or give them Fast, they have a Cg but no Ml (important for Toni's lure spell), and HPM gets them more out of that 2/4/6 damage trigger.

5. Willie.  Very good shooting option which ignores Armor.  Like the Gunsmiths, he has a Cg but no Ml.  Plus HPM helps him get blasts really easily.  The  trigger can be useful too for some situational movement tricks.

 

Mech Rider is an obvious contender here, but I tend to avoid suggesting big, expensive ($$ and soulstone) single models like that for new players.