Upgraded executioner

[RustAndTheCity]

With the executioners new upgrade, what do people think about the viability and usefulness of the executioner?

 

Will he make lists he didn't previously? What is he competing against at that price point? Is he fast enough now to get into the action? Which masters will you use him with?

[Ludvig]

I will use them with Nellie and McCabe at least. 

They're still competing with all the henchmen and the peacekeeper in my eyes but now they're a lot scarier.

[Myyrä]

One big drawback with the new upgrade is that you have to discard it for the (1) charge. As executioners only have one upgrade slot you will be left without upgrades for Promises unless you are running them with McCabe. I would not take them with Nellie over Henchmen or mercs.

[trikk]

I actually think they are pretty self sufficient now. They require a good scheme pool with their (0) but overall they are a lot better than they were, because a 14" charge range is pretty nice.

[Hidelfon]

Having to discard the upgrade is a bit sad ?

[Ludvig]

 

One big drawback with the new upgrade is that you have to discard it for the (1) charge. As executioners only have one upgrade slot you will be left without upgrades for Promises unless you are running them with McCabe. I would not take them with Nellie over Henchmen or mercs.

To be fair the other guys who can carry promises may have a hard time keeping up with the executioner if it goes apeshit anyways so I'd probably mostly use it with McCabe. I guess you could play it conservatively and just use the charge to get more attacks in on a turn near the rest of your models. I'm definetly looking forward to stupid 18" charges with nimble from McCabe, damn the consequences!  The executioner has a good place in any list if you anticipate going up against one of the impossible to kill masters that rely on triggers like Collette, Kirai etc. Some of the newer masters who will just be shitting scheme markers like there's no tomorrow could also lead to fun times if you luck out on a few flipped crows.

[trikk]

 

To be fair the other guys who can carry promises may have a hard time keeping up with the executioner if it goes apeshit anyways so I'd probably mostly use it with McCabe. I guess you could play it conservatively and just use the charge to get more attacks in on a turn near the rest of your models. I'm definetly looking forward to stupid 18" charges with nimble from McCabe, damn the consequences!  The executioner has a good place in any list if you anticipate going up against one of the impossible to kill masters that rely on triggers like Collette, Kirai etc. Some of the newer masters who will just be shitting scheme markers like there's no tomorrow could also lead to fun times if you luck out on a few flipped crows.

19", Wk5 Nimble, Wk5 normal, discard for 7" charge with 2" engage. Other option is walk 5" + charge 7" + engage 2" + extra attack. + Scheme om nom nom

[PanzerHarris]

Have tried them a few times and the main weakness is still there. They kill a model then go down like a sack of potatoes when your opponent counter attacks. A complete lack of anything to keep them alive means I can't justify them over, say, Ryle or a Peacekeeper. 

[trikk]

Well. If they were any more resilent they would be better than a Peacekeeper. They are meant to be homing missiles against pesky squeeling gremlins, vanishing Colletes etc.

 

I also believe its the same case as Lady J. Of you charge in with no backup, she dies

[Gazza]

I've just played a 3-way game against Jacob Lynch and Som'er Teeth and if I'm honest an Executioner or 2 would have been fun to charge around the tabletop scaring my opponents witless, may have to indulge in a box (besides, I'm fed up of this Hungering Darkness thing ruining my day).

[Ludvig]

 

Have tried them a few times and the main weakness is still there. They kill a model then go down like a sack of potatoes when your opponent counter attacks. A complete lack of anything to keep them alive means I can't justify them over, say, Ryle or a Peacekeeper. 

Use them later in the turn. Hide behind a house so no one sees you, have McCabe or Nellie speed them up and charge in. If the enemy gets one activation before you the next turn they should often survive it and then heal up a little after killing something. Having el mayor and warning bark on them also helps, your executioner will have the highest target priority most of the time so it isn't wasted.

They aren't more survivable than a peacekeeper, they are killier against nasty defence trigger models. Against Joss and/or Levi they actually survive about as long as a peacekeeper. Every neverborn list ever can be relied on to bring retribution's eye so against that model you might not be much better off with a PK. If your opponent often brings armour ignoring and anti-construct models you may see why the executioner could be nice. Gremlins, Ressers and high probability of Collette are reasons that have me thinking about an exorcist. A large number of marker schemes in the pool also works in favour of it.

[chmcho]

I took one in a tournament Saturday with my Lady J crew and he was the mvp of the game. His charge turn 2 killed an ice golem which exploded and finished off a december acolyte. Turn 4 he was in position for another charge and killed my opponents arcane emissary leaving him with only rasputina alive and giving me a 10-0 win. That 3 attack charge is brilliant as a counterpunch and once he is in the mix, he goes crazy.

[Eclipse]

I wonder if they would be good with the Lucius delivery system, or if Peacekeepers are still better for this.
I'm tempted to buy both and give Lucius more Guild time.

[Ludvig]

The PK has the bonus of tanking a little better which Lucius like and having flurry which is good if you can place ot straight into an engsgement. I'd try both either way! Sucking SS from the executioner before letting it snack on some easily killed enemies to heal it back.

One seems like safe and realible and the other a lot more fun  

[Vilicate]

I've had some luck carting them around with the Mounted Guardsmen as well.

I took one in our round of Henchman Hardcore, took out Nekima NP (well, with some Red Joker Action).  Then I played them in two games with Nellie and one with Lucius - they were a great piece in all three games, either scaring my opponent senseless after they nuked an important model, or engaging a ton of stuff with their melee.

[dancater]

The one shot homing missile also has a dual purpose in exactly that role.

1. Boost the Executioner up ready for unleashing all fury on a picked target.  The target you are looking for is something with value of at least 6-7SS, preferably 8+, but also something which is somewhat isolated and at least slightly removed from the scheme/strat nexus locations.
2. Unleash the fury and kill the target.
3. Now you opponent has a devil's deal.  They use significant resources in order to kill the Executioner threatening to fold up their battle line, this will both drain AP and also hopefully pull critical dangerous models away from where they want/need to be and in towards the Executioner.  Alternatively they ignore him and you simply get to repeat the process.

This won't always work but killing then losing a model can be more than simply an exchange of pieces if you press your opponent to adjust their plans in a negative way to effect the exchange.

You can also set up a cascade of exchange.  Executioner kills (a) then (b) kills Executioner and then your follow up model kills (b).

So the fact that the Executioner is likely to die horribly after delivering his attacks is only a negative from a certain perspective and can in many games be twisted to a potential additional advantage.

Simply put he's fast and deadly enough that he must be accounted for but cheap enough that losing him is not necessarily momentum shifting.  His role is not to kill, it is to die in a glorious bloodbath of mayhem.  The trick is to make his death both memorable and devastating.

This is where his buff is so good, it means he can now at least once per game likely zoom in from outside most crews ranged kill bubble.  Previously he moved up and opponents would zerg him because of how deadly he could be so he achieved his "death with resource expenditure" task but it usually happened before he actually got to mix it up, he missed the kill before the death.  Now he has a realistic chance of getting into your opponents crew and maiming something before his inevitable Valhallan style death.

[4thstringer]

I had it in my head that it was a "discard upgrade at start of turn.   Charges cost (1) until end of turn" style upgrade and was imagining the executioner getting fast from Nellie charging a minion,  killing it, charging another minion,  killing it,  and then charging their master or another big target, who used all their high cards in the massacre and thus fails the terrifying test to attack back. 

[lusciousmccabe]

 

I had it in my head that it was a "discard upgrade at start of turn.   Charges cost (1) until end of turn" style upgrade and was imagining the executioner getting fast from Nellie charging a minion,  killing it, charging another minion,  killing it,  and then charging their master or another big target, who used all their high cards in the massacre and thus fails the terrifying test to attack back. 

Like some sort of pinball of doom?

That would have been a sight to see.