Howling Wolf Tattoo - what am I missing here?

[CapnBloodbeard]

I often hear people swearing by Howling Wolf Tattoo (and putting it on Vanessa), but I haven't really figured out how to use this one.  The few times I have taken it I haven't used it, so I don't even take it anymore.  Giving somebody 'Sister' just seems highly situational.  It can give melee expert to a beatstick, but that's just exchanging 1AP for another, so highly situational.  Aside from that, having the sister buffs on such a beatstick can certainly boost the damage anywhere on the board, but to take advantage of that I'd have to activate the Viks early in the turn which I usually don't want to do unless they're about to get smashed.

So all I can see is that it looks highly situational, and being so I can't see that it's worth the SS cost and upgrade slot.

 

I know there's something about not discarding a card to flurry, but given I'd just discard a low card anyway I'm not sure how useful this one is either...

So, what am I missing?  How is everybody using this one?

[Freman]

The Sister upgrade only works on Minions, so probably Ronin are best with their armour ignoring swords.

 

I use Malifaux Child for casting Sisters of Fury, so he usually goes first. Down the back somewhere where he can't be targeted. That gives an instant +2 damage to the Ronin who gets Tattooed.

 

Flurry or Rapid Fire for free on mercenaries, if you build your game plan around it, can be handy. Convict Gunslingers, Ronin, Johan, and Bishop can benefit from it. It is situational, but it can sometimes be useful.

 

I don't regard it as a great upgrade, just a sometimes useful one. Vanessa's main role in my lists is prompting Lazarus.

[CapnBloodbeard]

Still burning an AP to boost the damage on a fairly weak model which is....if memory serves, MI4 / SH4?.  So I can't imagine too many scenarios where I'd want to do that.....and same with the flurry, unless I have somebody like Hans or a Freikorpsmann in my hand which I want to discard my low cards for, usually discarding a low card for flurry/rapid fire won't be a probem.

 

 

[Freman]

Weak? A Ml 5 2/3/5 damage track that ignores armour? Ronin are solid and getting Sister boosts for a turn, +2 damage from Sisters of Fury and Melee Expert from LOS to Viktoria of Ashes is not terrible.

[CapnBloodbeard]

I think I just underestimate the power of ignoring Armour given that, even at tournaments I rarely seem to play against anything with Armour

+2 damage and melee expert is nice.....still needs to hit though, which is the problem with their low accuracy.  I guess it could help clean up a minion with reasonably low defence allowing a pair of Ronin to perform a bit better in a minion - on - minion battle.

I might give it a shot and try to make a point of using it.  It might be that in the past I've always pushed Vanessa up too far and had her killed before she can do anything useful...

[Freman]

Like I said, it's a situational thing. The primary use I can see for it is if you're running dual Convict Gunslingers and want to access rapid fire for free. The flurry for free is more difficult to pull off because you have to be in combat to use it whereas the Gunslingers have a 12 inch (IIRC) range they can lay damage down in. The boost for a minion, and it can be any friendly minion (Performer? Freikorpsman? Hodgepodge Effigy?) is likely to only happen if it's something you desperately need to happen.

I suppose it's a bit like Nix's Infectious Melodies. Fast is useful, but it has to be a minion or peon who won't affect your game when it sacrifices.