Help with Sonnia vs Wong

[swordofjustice2007]

I played against the below Wong list and I struggled against it. It seems very powerful and seems to do everything Sonnia does but better, and has lots of synergy and some very tough combinations. Could I get some advice on how to build a crew to beat it?

WONG with Glowy 1 and Explosive Solutions 2

Lovely Assistant 3

Burt Jebsen 7

Merris 6

Gracie 10 with Saddle 1

Lightning Bug 5

Pigapult 8

3 Stuffed Piglets

TOTAL 49 SS

 

What do people think of Wong's force? I'm wondering if it's even balanced. Gracie with the saddle and the Pigapult with stuffed piglets both seem ummm, good. You can fire a stuffed piglet forward 24" ignoring cover and without needing LOS then target it with Wong for mega blasts that stack hugely. Several models get powers to force models to bunch up. Gracie's saddle drags Burt forward for free. Gremlins can generate the extra AP so can easily get the drop on Sonnia and fire first.

Anyway, advice please.

[admiralvorkraft]

Use cover, play conservatively, don't bunch up.

If you have them, hunters and the Peacekeeper can help isolate the units you need to take apart.

Cherufe's Imprint gives you great board control (especially with the malifaux child) and can stop Wong spending stones. Counterspell Aura also helps, as can Disrupt Magic if you're playing Witch Hunter heavy. If you bring the Brutal Emissary you'll be able to hit from unexpected angles.

Isolate Jebsen and he dies very easily. Deny Gracie charge lanes and she's a lot less scary.

EDIT: and remember, if they sack an exploding piglet to the pigapult it gets negatives and can't cheat damage.

[swordofjustice2007]

Thanks. Great advice.

[admiralvorkraft]

Hope it helps. Though honestly the first line is my mantra any time I see a master that I don't already know inside and out. Unless they're a dedicated summoner it works pretty well.

[swordofjustice2007]

I've made an unusual list to try against Wong.

Sonnia with Counterspell Aura (1), Cherufe's Imprint (1), Reincarnation (1)

The Judge (9)

Malifaux Child (2+1)

Guild Pathfinder (6)

Clockwork Trap (2)

Nino Ortega (7) with Hair Trigger (1)

The Lone Marshal (8) with Expert Sleuth (1)

Freikorps Specialist (8+1)

SS Cache 4

 

The Pathfinder, the Trap and Nino give me some options during deployment. They could possibly distract him from his normal plans. They can attack his models on the flanks at range.  I thought of some formations for these with the trap in front, as close as I can be to his models, with the Pathfinder 6" behind. The Pathfinder could use his (0) action to push the trap into a mass of his models for some movement disruption and free attacks. Nino with Hair Trigger can fire up to three times, which could even kill a model. He has Companion so if he is close to the Pathfinder who activates first, he can chain activate.

I could also keep Nino far away and fire at long range. Or use him and the Pathfinder in my own lines. There are so many options depending on the schemes, strategies, terrain and set up.

The Lone Marshal is an independent model that can scheme run or attack from the flanks. I can discard the Sleuth for a bonus to initiative.

The Child can't be charged and has Manipulative 15. It is a cheap shield that can also throw up a second flame wall. It would activate last in most turns.

Freikorps Specialist has flamethrower and suit that makes him immune to blasts. He's a perfect model to fight Wong, I think. A good independent model that doesn't need to bunch up for buffs.

The Judge is a tough fighter who can use his Stand for Judgement ability to draw models towards me or push my own models up.

Sonnia is left as the main damage dealer with the flame wall option and summoning Witchling Stalkers if enemy models on fire die within 10" of her. I plan to push her up aggressively. I would probably run the Judge at exactly 3" away from her to be protected by the Counterspell aura. He is the main fighter to attack anything that tries to get Sonnia in melee.

[trikk]

I think the specialist is not a good thing when you are under pressue from the pigapult. I would probably swap him for Francisco with Wade In. Sonnia with Df 6 is a lot less likely to get pigapult bombed.

I think since you don`t really have Family I would swap Nino for a freikorps Trapper or Austringer. 

[Red Moon Head]

Looking at that wong list I would advise taking at least 1 death marshal. Gracie is tanky (I assume she'll be glowy too) and likely getting reactivate. Easiest way to deal with those turbo tanky models who like close combat? Bury 'em. Rail golems, Peacekeepers, Giant pigs..... stuff em in a box and keep that high card in hand to stop them getting out again. 

Austringers are a safe bet. Merris is a prime target for them to be focussing down. 

One of the biggest issues is the Pigapult I guess. With Sonnia only df 4 and it sh5 (reduces sh by one when it sac's a stuffed piglet) it will hit more often than not. 
For that reason it may be worth while dropping the judge and looking at fransisco with "Hermanos" to pull sonnia along the table. If she gets within 14" of the pigapult she has a prime target to start blasting off.

I always run the effigy with sonnia. She goes down to a stiff breeze but with the effigy around as long as you keep her above 0 wounds she can heal up ridiculous levels (especially in close combat). Healing one wound for each enemy damage with her blasts all over the table? Really good 4ss choice for her.

 

[Adran]

My first advice would be to look at how Wong is working, and plan around that. You say he is tossing Stuffed piglets with the pigapult to target with wong. 

Then don't you get an activation between the stuffed piglets and Wong?  Kill the pigs, or walk away. Put up Flame walls to block any los that wong could get to the piglet. 

All those will disrupt his plan. As will engaging the piglet. If I remember rightly, it will take wong 2 walks to be able to cast a spell at that piglet, so he only gets one chance, and if instead of the piglet he ends up hitting you, it will be much harder for him to be able to cheat in the damage for the blasts. (or he will have used the lovely assisatant to have fixed the randomisation, but still need to use cards from his hand to get the attack on the piglet to win by enough)

If Wong can hit sonnia, then Sonnia can hit Wong. 

 

Alternatively Disrupt magic is not Wong friend. Get a stalker or an Orderly near Wong with that aura, and Wong will not be happy. 

I'm assuming he makes Burt Magical. if you have either very high damage, or Armor ignoring, then its not hard to kill Gracie. (Try Sam hopkins with burn them out, and after you've put burning 8 on her once, she will give him a very wide birth. Or use Sonnia on Gracie, and get the blasts to then hit Burt, his defences wont be any use then. )

 

I'm not going to create a list for 2 reasons -

Firstly, you don't normally know what you r opponent is running, so its better to work out how to answer problems with the list you already have.

Secondly, regardless of what the opponent can do, you win the game by scoreing VP, not by killing their list. Building your list to get you VP and deny your opponent VP is better than building a list that doesn't die and kills your opponent. And Not knowign what the Game is, or how the board looks, its very hard to work out a good list (The layout of the board and the amount/lposiiton of Blocking terrain does make quiet a bit of difference to the way you want to play Sonnia)

 

[Franchute]

You have only the specialist who sets things on fire. Is that enough for reincarnation? If he dies, you sort of lose the upgrade. I may be not enough an expert.

[Adran]

Sonnia can set things on fire by herself with little issue. And once she manages to generate 1 stalker, that will also add burning. 

[Morgs]

The second best bit of advice I was given when I started playing was: 'Play the schemes and strategy and not your opponent.'

[Ceodoc]

Just now, Morgs said:

The second best bit of advice I was given when I started playing was: 'Play the schemes and strategy and not your opponent.'

What was the first Morgs?

[Morgs]

Don't take Hoffman if the opponent declares Outcasts, it will just end in robot tears.