Starting Neverborn

[Emberlost]

So I've decided that my first crew outside of Arcanists is going to be Neverborn. Right now I'm considering Lilith, Pandora, or The Dreamer crews. Which of these would you recommend, and why? Some general advice on each master would be appreciated as well.

[goth]

If you already have Coryphee, performer, mannequin, oiran and arcane effigy painted, get Collodi because you already have so much of his pool ready to go.

Then get stitched together (paint one, sell two), doppleganger, primordial magic, and whatever else suits your fancy.

I think Neverborn has a lot of one and two model boxes that really pull their weight, so I'd go with a few of the models you like and there is bound to be another NB master that's even better with them than Collodi is.

[Wolfpact]

I can only really advise, of those, on Pandora.

 

'Dora is a lot of fun if you enjoy being a total rat bastard/evil bitch, and if done properly is really obnoxious to try and pin down; being able to use her very high WP 7 as a defense for most everything and then duck away when you (likely) succeed on them - or push the offensive right into the heart of enemy lines - is pure, sadistic joy. Have to watch out getting hurt when it happens though, as she's not precisely durable - which is sort of a pattern with her crew, really.

 

Baby Kade requires setup but can do simply unholy things to unfortunate targets when arranged - and if you have a Teddy (which with 'Dora and hell, with Neverborn in general you should) this jsut gets even uglier.

 

Sorrows are quick and if they mob something (which they don't have too hard a time doing) it can turn ugly for them quick, and backing up Pandora that just gets worse - that chip damage seems insignificant at first but by the time it stops seeming so it's generally far, far too late.

 

Candy and the Poltergeist I'm less enthused over to my experience. Candy's really high for her less-than-reliable healing and plays better with Contrl Pandora than Beater Pandora I'm told  (I've only really played her as a brawler)

 

Get a Doppelganger. That's universal 'Born wisdom, and that is for good reason.

[Patzer]

Pandora

Pandy is a great all rounder of a master, who flourishes in Extraction and in interact heavy scheme pools due to her strong denial game. Pandora has two limited upgrades who tend to be the outline of how she is played, but it is really what you bring together with the limited that makes the build. If you like to tinker with upgrades and try out different combinations Pandora is certainly a master for you. Pandora greatest strength is that she can put her stamp on the game and really mess with you opponent. She got plenty of activation tricks, which can be further enhanced by a Doppelganger. Together they can put the opponent in a really bad spot while your beaters will be kept safe. Pandora's native crew of Woes brings some neat tricks, but they lack hitting power which her crews thoroughly need. So Nekima or Teddy is probably the first purchase I would go with. The crew box also lacks some pure scheme runners, but Insidious Madnesses can fill that role well together with the Mysterious Effigy. Pandora's totem is nice, but the crew will be hard pressed for points so I couldn't recommend the Primordial Magic enough. As mentioned before, Doppelganger is amazing with Pandora in order to get her activation tricks to become even nastier. Iggy is another Woe who can also provide with even more activation control and brings some ranged support.

Dreamer

I have never played the Dreamer myself, but have played against him a ton. A very capable summoner and support master, who is very hard to pin down. Dreamer can be played with a surprisingly amount of verity, depending on what you need him to do. This stretches from the pre-game (upgrades, etc) to in game where he can adapt very well to what needs to be done. His summoning is limited but very diverse in those limited models. Lilitu can tie up bunch of enemies and Lure, Coppelius is a flexible runner/beater, while Stitched Together provides with a lot of threat even on a single wound. The Dreamer also got plenty of other mechanics besides summoning who synergies with his key word of Nightmare. These range from positioning to offensive tricks. So if you like a strong cohesive theme, Dreamer can definitely provide that. Even if he certainly likes some non-nightmare models too. Dreamer's box is a good way to start, then a box of Stitched, Insidious Madness and Lelu/Lilitu is probably where you want to go next. Widow Weaver and Teddy fleshes out the rest of the Nightmares, and both are really good additions. Of the non-Nightmare models I would first recommend either Nekima or the Hooded Rider.

Lilith

The mother of monsters is a forced to be reckoned with. She ignores los and terrain while using her Ca and charging, making her able to tilt the battle into her favour while she stays out of the fray. When she needs though, she can storm in and cut down most models without much fuzz. Her biggest strengths comes from being able to switch between these different styles and provide a ton of board control while doing it. She is very mobile, can toss around her own crew, make new dense terrain from very far away, and her Wicked Vines can be just as good as paralyze against a lot of models. In the right hands, Lilith is a very tough match up whose only real downside (low wp and low wounds) doesn't really matter a ton, due to her keep away game. Lilith can almost make any crew work quite well. Her box provides with the trusty Terror Tots and an ok henchman. He native totem is ok, but the double Rush of Magic that comes with a Primordial Magic (Lilith got it too) is often too good to be overlooked. Together with On Wings of Darkness Lilith gets to filter a whooping five cards before the games starts. Meaning you will almost always have better hands than your opponent. Nekima is an outstanding beater for Lilith, who can keep her quite squishy sister safe with her terrain-creation. Doppelganger is a solid pick up for Lilith too. Mr Graves is another Nephilim with an impressive push, and the Doppelganger can copy that push too. Waldegeist are solid sturdy model for Lilith, as are the Swampfiend henchmen Bad Juju and McTavish. A lower cost tarpit would be the Depleted.