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How do I use the Ice Golem?


Baskakov_Dmitriy

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Hello!

I've been trying to use the Ice Golem in my Rasputina crew, and my impression was that this model is only good at one single thing: dying. The primary reason is Df 2, it is very easy to hit this model; cheating fate on Df duels is only a waste of cards. Yes, it has Wd 10, but 1-2 activations of decent models can roll out this amount of damage kinda quickly, a powerful model can do it in one activation, especially given that the Golem will likely be hit with cheatable damage flips. Armour 2 usually doesn't help much, and if even if Rasputina gives it Armour +2, the Golem still doesn't last for too long. Since the armour is given till the end of a turn, it would also make me activate Rasputina too early.

The Ice Golem isn't fast either with his Wk 4 and Cg 6, and will have a very hard time reaching someone on the battlefield. If it does somehow hit, the damage of 3/3/6 of its (1) AP attack isn't impressive without a focus. The (3) attack is powerful, but the range is 1". 

I've been thinking about a summon-based Rasputing build, but I am really unsure if Wd 6 Ice Golem is even worth it for 11 Tomes, a Soulstone and a Scrap Marker, given that Rasputina is a shooting-based master. The best I can have is including the Essence of Power in the crew to get Ca+1 and a +1 to the summoning flip, so we need "just" 10 Tomes and have a positive flip. 

I've been considering using an Arcane Emissary or some other model to deliver the golems right onto the battlefield through Ice Mirror, but this will get us -1 to Ca or require the Shattered Heart upgrade which costs 3 Soulstones. The Scrap Markers will be delivered as Ice Gamin models that we can summon with 6 Tomes, given the buff from Essence of Power totem. 

Anyway, this seems really inferior to real summoners like Nicodem or Gamelin, and Rasputina can do a lot more if she has Shattered Heart upgrade, 11 Tomes at hand and a Soulstone, especially if she doesn't need a Union Steamfitter for Scrap Markers and an upgrade to summon. 

So, how does one use the Ice Golems at all?

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"So, how does one use the Ice Golems at all?"

You get incredibly lucky with your draws.

Really though, it isn't a viable strategy and you should probably stick to what Raspy does best: summon walls and throw snowballs at people.

If you want to try and do the summoning upgrade you should bring Myrandabus with Imbued Energies, put Seize the Day and Arcane Reservoir on raspy, and hire a steamfitter or two. You up your chances of getting that 11:tome+ quite a bit.

The summon TN should've honestly just needed a single suited 13 so that it could be stoned for; maybe with two scrap markers or something. 

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1 hour ago, Scatterbrain said:

The Ice Golem's page on Pull My Finger suggests strategies for using it in tandem with Snow Storm or Metal Gamin, and even the Captain. https://pullmyfinger.wikispaces.com/M2E+Ice+Golem

Would it be useful in a Ramos crew by generating scrap markers?

The Ice Golem was considered to be one of the worst models in the game at 10SS and you never saw it used outside of Henchman Hardcore (Snowstorm + Ice Golem + Silent One + Ice Gamin) which is mostly a secondary game mode. Recently Rasputina got the ability to summon it with her new upgrade, but it needs an 11:tomeand a soulstone and a scrap marker and it comes in on 6Wds. I doubt any serious lists were going to be using this upgrade or the Ice Golem. Most recently they dropped the cost of hiring the Golem down to 9SS from 10SS. I still doubt it is going to show up anywhere competitive. Df 2 really kills it, Df 4 is the lowest you should go with models unless they are seriously cheap or have an absurd wound pool for their cost (like the Resurrectionist's flesh construct).

I did have a game against someone who drew more than five 11:tome+ in a game and managed to summon four Ice Golems. I still won because Ice Golems are bad, and are even worse at 6wds.

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1 hour ago, Scatterbrain said:

The Ice Golem's page on Pull My Finger suggests strategies for using it in tandem with Snow Storm or Metal Gamin, and even the Captain. https://pullmyfinger.wikispaces.com/M2E+Ice+Golem

Would it be useful in a Ramos crew by generating scrap markers?

You could hire a mobile toolkit and save 6SS if you're looking to hire a model to get a scrap marker for Ramos.

I could maybe see it being useful if the Golem got an ability like "Place a scrap marker in base contact with this model when this model suffers Moderate or Severe damage". Bring something that can help get him in your opponents face, hope he gets in a few attack and deals some damage when he blows up and get 3-5 scrap markers in the thick of things.

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2 minutes ago, spafe said:

Is it worth then considering the armour upgrade to up his df to 4? does he become more worth it then?

It may not seem it, but 2SS is a lot of stones to make a model just bad in Df instead of absolutely godawful, especially when if you were going to hire an Ice Golem you would ideally want Imbued Energies on it so that you can get a walk and charge on turn 2 (Walk 4 means the Golem isn't exactly going to get into position). So now you're bumping his cost up to 11SS with no upgrade slots for a Df 4 model with Ml6 3/3/6 and a situational (3)AP super attack (and you can prevent 2 damage by discarding Imbued Protection). For 11SS I could hire Joss with Imbued Energies who has Df 5, Wk 5, Hard to Kill, drops scrap markers on kill, has a Ml6 3/4/4 attack that ignores Armor/H2W/H2K/Triggers and a slightly worse (2)AP super attack that does 5/8/10, but paralyses. He also gets reactivate when he gets to H2K. Even in a Raspy crew, I'd much rather have Joss. The Wendigo can just use Raspy's cast to make him get +2 Armour and Frozen Heart if you want.

I honestly just would avoid hiring the Ice Golem until he gets an errata that fixes his rules.

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4 minutes ago, spafe said:

Is it worth then considering the armour upgrade to up his df to 4? does he become more worth it then?

At Df 4 he'd still be a bit under par I think.

If you go look at Izamu you'll see that he's a got a very similar stat card. Before the recent errata they were both 10 points. The only differences in their stat lines are that the Golem has 1 more Wd and 2 less Df. They both have Armor 2, Melee Expert, an ability that protects against horror checks and some other stuff, and a way to deal damage when they are killed. Their 1AP attacks are both Ml6 but while Izamu has a relatively normal 3/4/5 damage track the Ice Golem has an odd 3/3/6. Izamu gets a :+fate to damage and additional bonuses to disengaging strikes. The Golem has its big 3AP attack as well that has an awesome 9/10/12 damage track. As you can see from the comparison with Izamu, it's paying for that attack with a lackluster 1AP attack and the Df 2. To me that means if the Ice Golem isn't getting to make at least 1 or 2 attacks with Smash in a game then you're going to have a lot of trouble getting much malue out of him.

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I will join the chorus.

Love the Ice Golem in concept and theme.  Hate it in game.

Its terrible Df and poor mobility make it a liability especially when compared to a variety of Arcanist models such as Joss, Snowstorm, Howard, Blessed of Dec to name a few who are close in cost and hugely better in value.  I'm not kidding here its an actual liability in many games as you'll devote more time and energy trying to make it work than its worth to the detriment of other tactics and models.  With its awful Df enemies don't drain any cards to hit it (you may futilely drain your own just to prevent straight flip damage) and whittle it down, likely they can get straight flip damage easily and may score (or cheat) a severe and many models not have a big damage boost min/mod/severe, armor 2 off 6+ damage means quick death and this is then catastrophic if the enemy model ignores armor.  It drops in a single activation from most beater models similar to its cost and I can't think of one it can alpha strike without huge luck or error because the big ice-guy is so damn slow. 

In the Raspy summoning build (which is generally sub-par compared to blasting Raspy to begin with) it is simply a huge investment to produce the same underwhelming piece, it may... may do some work if summoned in the middle of opponents at a vital moment, but likely even then its performance will be as a damage sink.  

Its recent 1SS reduction has made a bad model no better and means you waste 1 less stone, but the other 9SS are still wasted.

At best its a win more model, either as a summon or crew selection, if, and its a huge if, your opponent makes a mistake or the perfect opportunity comes up it will smash something, but many other models could do the same with more speed, durability and utility.

It needs some combination of errata beyond the SS reduction:

  • Needs better Df, it either needs better base Df (4-5 min) and/or some combination of better defensive tech so maybe HtW or ItW, regeneration, in built sub-zero (or triggered) so enemies are only able to attack it once in melee, a concealment mechanism or trigger to reduce ranged.  Biggest weakness is it is so easy to quickly plink down or simply destroy if you bypass armor (and many things do, particularly playing into Arcanists).  
  • Needs (perhaps) something to make it faster, maybe +1Wk and/or Charge.  Alternatively a tactical action called something like Snowball where it exerts an AP to roll forward 'x' (I'd say 6ish) inches with ignore terrain or a trigger on ranged attack/damage where it storms forward 'x' inches like a kind of aggressive squeal.
  • Alternatively (or in addition) it could use any number of minor buffs to simply get work out of it.  Currently its a very mono-focussed model slow - easily hit - armored - massive beater.  Its only real trick is throwing Ht 1 models.  Perhaps it could diversify something to prevent schemes near it or a ranged attack (snowball/ice spear) where it throws a nearby (any) scheme marker at target (so a ranged attack and scheme clearing).

As it currently is.  Not worth it for anything except pure theme crafted fun list.  Just cannot compete with comparable models in Arcanists (or anywhere else).  Sorry old snowman :(

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Rasputina is a very good master, not quite top tier for Arcanist faction but very close and her crew can legitimately contend in any scheme/strat/opponent pool, while excelling in several.

In part it is how good her other theme crew selections are which makes the Ice Golem so weak.  When added to some non-Frozen Heart Arcanist models which are also amazing you should have no issue building an amazing crew with the amount of theme you want which is very competitive.  It just won't include the Ice Golem.   

Staying in theme:

  • December Acolytes are near must includes
  • Wendigo is a superb totem, auto take
  • Ice Dancer is an amazing model which really helps a core Raspy weakness, she's slow
  • Snowstorm is a very good henchman 
  • Silent Ones are useful models with healing
  • Blessed of December is good, not an auto take but it does well and is value for points, fast, flexible and a nice all-round selection
  • Ice Gamin are nice 4SS models, average speed, armor so OK durability, some nice damage buff tricks and explosive demise

Honestly a crew with just these direct theme models and perhaps the Arcane Emissary (OK) and/or Arcane Effigy (bloody first class hands down amazing and an auto take in any non strict theme only Arcanist list I make) is fine.  The Ice Golem model (with your opponents permission, always and clearly marked as a proxy) makes a perfectly adequate proxy for either the Snowstorm or the Arcane Emissary if you have limited models available or simply vastly prefer the Golems 'look', but you need to 100% clear this with both any event organiser and your opponents first. 

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The Golem comes with 3 weaknessses. It has low Df. It has low mobility. Its main protetcion is Armour, and most people expect armour in Arcanist lists so hire anti armour options. 

On its upside, It has Ml expert and a very solid attack with a built in slow trigger. It also has Smash. 3/3/6 is a decent line, and you can use bite of winter to give it +1 damage. 

You can improve its mobility, and/or pick it in games where it isn't an issue (Close deployment turf war games for example). You can improve its Df (I would say that turning its poor mobility into a blessing and hire Metal Gamin. Its unlikely to leave the protection of metal range. and then it is solid), but you can't really change your opponents list building. 

Toss can be occasionally fun, but I rarely see it as worth picking for, just an advantage after I have one already. 

I rarely hire it, and am not sure if the price drop makes much difference to that. It does see occasional table time, but I really need the game to be one where I think I can use it. 

 

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