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Good Raspy Box Matchups?


Mr. December

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Just got the Children of December box for Christmas. I've never played, but I have wanted to for a long time. Raspy is my fave. Just love the idea of frozen heart. I also have some Acolytes of December and I'm looking to get an Essence of Power. I'll be getting Snowstorm, Blessed of December, and Silent Ones when they release here soon.

But since there isn't much of a player base in my area I'll essentially be trying to build one up on my own. I'll need to get a second box to allow others to play against me. What is an easy to play box that is balanced to the Raspy box? I should also mention, since I'm the one buying it I'd prefer it was a faction I was already interested in.

I'm leaning toward Lilith because I've seen videos of that box playing well with Raspy's box. I also like the terrain manipulation and the terror tot growth, though from what I understand the latter isn't usually significant. I really like the Herald of Obliteration box, but it seems difficult for new players to be competitive with. I'm also considering Lady Justice's box since it would give me the death marshals I'll want to put with Tara eventually anyway. I'm also considering Sonnia Crid, McMourning, Mei Fang, and Misaki's starter boxes just because I like the flavor and the models. I may also be interested in Kaeris as I've heard she can be good with Raspy.

Eventually I'll probably acquire all of these, but I was wondering which I should start with to help build a player base. If there is another set not listed that is a particularly good match, I'd also consider it.

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(0) Welcome to Malifaux!

Well, it seems like you are interested in just about every faction from the crew boxes you've listed.  This is a healthy attitude to approach Malifaux with! :P

I'll see if I can run down some benefits and disadvantages of these boxes.  I'll just be going box-to-box without additional models.

Lilith (Mother of Monsters): This crew, as you are looking for, can play fairly straightforward but also has a surprising amount of depth to it, as well.  It scales well as a player continues playing.  It's decently balanced against Raspy because it can quickly engage models, which can severely limit her ranged options by blocking mirrors.  That said, if it doesn't, it will mostly disintegrate before the Cult of December's ranged damage output and durability, so all in all, a pretty good balance and pretty good playstyle differences, as well.

Tara (Herald of Obliteration): Probably one of the weirdest crews to play in the game.  Almost nothing directly involving Tara herself is going to be a simple decision, although she can also be played a bit more easily as a Master that can reactivate most rounds (although even this is still a decision).  Her crew is a bit more streamlined, although it still has some strange mechanics (interactions with Fast and cards in hand).  I'd probably say that Raspy has a pretty substantial edge here, just because a lot of the durability of Tara's models relies on Incorporeal, which Rasputina herself would ignore, and the low-Df-per-cards-in-hand thing.

Lady Justice (The Guild's Judgement): This box offers a lot in the way of hitting hard and fairly often.  LJ is a single-target elimination system and her crew provides both ranged and melee damage, as well as a bit of utility.  They're also reasonably mobile and pretty durable, so they are decent for schemes, as well.  It balances fairly well here simply because it can engage or eliminate mirrors, which is balanced by the fact that Justice herself will probably have to expose herself to attacks to do that.  Again, a fairly good matchup here and is good practice for appropriate use of terrain if nothing else, although it's probably tipped a bit in Raspy's favor.

Sonnia Criid (The Torch and the Blade): There are many similarities here, but a few important differences.  Sonnia applies damage over a larger area and can actually deal with melee somewhat if someone runs up to her.  She lacks the range Rasputina can obtain from her mirrors but can ignore LoS and cover for models that have Burning.  Her minions are frailer but give out Burning, and her Henchman can do a lot of damage at range.  A lot of front line/artillery action, although less than Rasputina offers.  I usually enjoy Sonnia vs. Raspy games, as they're actually fairly balanced.

Dr. Douglas McMourning (Body of Evidence): This box is complex.  There are a lot of details in conditions (thanks to Nurses) and a lot of synergy with the Poison condition specifically (including self-poisoning).  I wouldn't say it's ideal for beginners just for that, although it's definitely an important facet of Malifaux.  There are several different ways to play this box, and most of them are bit tipped toward the good doctor's favor.  There are a lot of things that ignore armor, either via poison or McMourning himself, although (like most Ressers), few ways to deal with a determined ranged threat.  The doctor is also scarily fast when he wants to be.

Mei Feng (Rail Crew): This one is oddly tipped in Mei Feng's favor by her Henchman, Kang.  While Mei herself can protect her crew with mobility and Vent Steam (which can also stack with cover), there is still a bit of difficulty with advancing because the crew is slow, which would normally balance out.  But Kang hates Constructs (and Undead), and he hates them so much that he makes other people hate them, too.  This turns out to being a bonus to attack and damage, which is reasonably bad news for the poorly defending Ice Gamin and Golem.  There's also an option to ignore armor available to the crew.  Probably the most skewed result here because Mei has a lot of counters to Raspy's box.

Misaki (The Thunder): This is a weird match to grade on balance.  Misaki's box is a little underwhelming in the damage department with no ability ignore armor.  What it can do, though, is move.  And nothing can stop it (except Ototo, but he's fine with that).  Misaki and the Torakage will be everywhere on the board, whether or not you want them to be or try to stop them.  It's definitely geared more toward avoiding combat and accomplishing objectives, which is a very important part of Malifaux, but a bit more to wrap your head around.  This one is very much a "balance will depend on board, strategy, and schemes" game, which might not be what you're looking for.

Kaeris (Burning Revelation): Fire vs. Ice, a classic.  Overall, Kaeris is the more mobile of the two, and her entire crew is composed of ranged threats that can still close the gap and operate in melee.  Minus herself, though, the crew is fairly fragile and stunningly low on points (Raspy makes it to 25SS with models, Kaeris has 21SS, not counting upgrades for either).  Raspy's Counterspell actually provides a good defense here, as both Kaeris and the Firestarter have suited TNs for their attacks.  Just for that, this match probably tips a bit in Raspy's favor, especially since killing models with armor by applying Burning is a lot less fun than it would seem, too.

I'd probably go with your first instinct and pick up Lilith, as she's very, very good, even in the long run.  I would try to suggest Mei Feng or Kaeris just to keep you in faction for the start, but neither is providing the really balanced matchup you seem to be looking for.  They're both fairly decent growth points, though, as both appreciate Constructs in their own crews.

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