Lets talk about the Flaming Angel in the room

[Fluffaluffacus]

Kaeris. We are talking about Kaeris. Just in case you didn't catch that. 
So. We know at some point we are getting the Backdraft box, which will have some magnificent burning related models. But we don't know the impact that will have on our hot vixen. So what are something we could wish for on her card, and in relation her emissary conflux.

Option 1: The most obvious. Give her instinctual on her card or on an upgrade attached to her. This has been requested by Kaeris, seeing as she has 2 0's on her card and each limited has a 0. And a few of them work well together. That would also mean changing her conflux. As it stands, the static ability on the conflux is pretty piss poor. If a minion near the emissary deals damage they can suffer damage to put a burning on. That is....okay at best, but usually you don't want to just be hitting your own minions a bunch for this ability. The reason we bring it is for Flame-O-Taur! Giving that sweet sweet instinctual to Kaeris.  But if she gets this ability on her card/upgrade, this will need to change. I think having a 0 that maybe even has the same duel and everything, but it gives her "I did it!". Firestarter's aura that makes it count as her kill when an enemy model within 6" dies from burning. 

Option 2: The emissary. Change the emissary's passive ability to give Kaeris the instinctual, whether in a large aura or just while the emissary is in play. This is by far worse than option 1, but would at least stop  the problem of having such a specific activation order a Kaeris crew. Then we could have the same 0 action as option 1.

Are there any other ideas anyone has about this situation? I love Kaeris, I play her. I have fun with her. But I always feel like I have this 10ss upgrade attached, which gives me a mediocre Oxfordian mage.



A secondary question I have. Kaeris has a lot of high cost model options. Which ones do you usually end up taking.

Carlos Vasquez
Rail Golem
Arcane Emissary
The Captain (after his buff)
Howard Langston (Because a flying Howard is terrifying.)


And then the final question I have is.
Firestarter. Do you ever not take him?
And fire gamin. Do you take them and if you do, how many?

[Flippin' Wyrd George]

7 hours ago, Fluffaluffacus said:

Are there any other ideas anyone has about this situation? I love Kaeris, I play her. I have fun with her. But I always feel like I have this 10ss upgrade attached, which gives me a mediocre Oxfordian mage.

A secondary question I have. Kaeris has a lot of high cost model options. Which ones do you usually end up taking.

Carlos Vasquez
Rail Golem
Arcane Emissary
The Captain (after his buff)
Howard Langston (Because a flying Howard is terrifying.)

And then the final question I have is.
Firestarter. Do you ever not take him?
And fire gamin. Do you take them and if you do, how many?

I thinking giving her instinctual is too good. She is probably underpowered at the moment but if she is able to do 2 zero's straight off the card she will be able to draw three cards every turn without even the hint of a TN. I think that's probably too easy to do, and too good. Maybe some form of instinctual where she can take one (0) from her card and one from an upgrade would be handy? Overall I think she's fine. Not top tier, but still fills a role and is very successful in certain pools, particularly utilising grab and drops ability to make models mobile and scheme run easily.

 

I'm not sure about the Arcane Emissary. I'm not convinced it is worth the 10 stones. Even with Kaeris. I don't hire it. I just think there are much better investments to make with those stones as it puts out pretty meh damage after its initial charge AP, and is too easy to tie up. I don't think the instinctual is THAT great to weaken your crew so much by hiring the emissary. Mobility and survivability is key with Kaeris and the Emissary just doesn't help much there (even with his destined regen df6 and HTK, he drops too quickly in combat as he can't give it back hard enough and clear out the threats).

As for the other questions: I usually take Howard Langston (or Joss in Punish the Weak & Hold Up Their Forces). Have lately found that a well rehearsed Cojo, Slate Ridge Mauler & Automoton combo do a job with her as they utilise the HTK mechanic efficiently and the well rehearsed is excellent for mobility. I don't touch the other models as I think Rail Golem is a bit gimmicky and drains your hand far too much, still think Angelica is a better cheaper choice than Captain for mobility as no TNs, though I can see the merits of his hammer, generally I dont want my support pieces in close combat where they're likely to die T3/4. I also don't touch Carlos because he needs burning to survive, and as I run Grab and Drop almost exclusively he cannot be anywhere near Kaeris as his burning will remove after he activates.

Firestarter: I really want to like Firestarter but he just doesn't do it for me. In my opinion, Kaeris's biggest strength is using the burning mechanic on her own models rather than enemies. I'll concede she needs to get burning on one enemy target if she is going to be attacking it, but otherwise she doesn't really use the burning all that much. I think making enemies burning with Kaeris is a bit of a trap... As such I think Firestarter is a bit unnecessary as a Malifaux child or a Union Miner can do the same job of putting burning on your own models for much cheaper.

Fire Gamin: I have lately been testing Blade and Claw on Angelica in my Kaeris crews and hired a Fire gamin for the first time (to make use of the construct characteristic). To be honest, I still don't really see their merits. If you're after scheme runners you're much better off with a wind gamin/hoarcat to run wide or a moleman to tunnel to your grab and dropped scheme markers. Heck even a wind gamin is better at dmg output than a fire gamin. They're just not great. If you want to put burning on your opponent at range they do that fairly efficiently (provided your target isn't in cover or engaged) but I'm not sure that style of play is using Kaeris to the best of her ability.

 

 

[Squirrelich]

3 hours ago, Hollingydale said:

but if she is able to do 2 zero's straight off the card she will be able to draw three cards every turn without even the hint of a TN

Well, 3 models have to fail their simple duels. It isn't hard to chuck low cards, but you still may have to as you are not able to relent simple duels.

@Fluffaluffacus, option 3, perhaps make the Instinctual from the Conflux last until the end of Kaeris's next activation instead of end of turn? Similar to option 2, but different enough to matter.

 

11 hours ago, Fluffaluffacus said:

A secondary question I have. Kaeris has a lot of high cost model options. Which ones do you usually end up taking.

Whatever I feel is good for the scheme and strat pool. Since she isn't really great at anything I play her as a generalist, and as a result of that I generally don't have dedicated models with her. Trying to add models to get her burning to work feels like a trap at this point, it just isn't good enough. If any burning synergy comes out in my crews it is purely coincidental cause I don't think it is worth the stones just to have the synergy. The most common thing I might take with her (other than Eternal Flame/Malifaux Child) is Large Arachnid if I'm running her with Grab and Drop, cause there should be plenty of scheme markers I don't really need that it can eat.
 

11 hours ago, Fluffaluffacus said:

Firestarter. Do you ever not take him?

Yes, I often not take her. As I said I think focusing on Kaeris's burning mechanic is a trap. With the current models we have it just doesn't have good enough setup. So if I take Firestarter it is for the same reason I take her with other Masters, I want a reckless flying Henchman.
 

11 hours ago, Fluffaluffacus said:

And fire gamin. Do you take them and if you do, how many?

Nope.

[JoeJones]

I haven’t played Kaeris much in GG18 yet (focusing on Ressers for a league at the moment), but in GG17, I ran her with the Firestarter, Eternal Flame, 2 Silent Ones, 2 Soulstone Miners, a December Acolyte, and the Arcane Effigy. I would take Grab and Drop and Flaming Angel on Kaeris, and Imbued Energies on the Firestarter. The Miners were my dedicated schemers and also could threaten my opponent’s back line. The Frozen Heart models were my main offense/heals/control module. Kaeris and the Firestarter filled in whatever role was needed, given their mobility and flexibility. 

The crew worked fairly well for GG17, but I feel it will need some modifications to run well in GG18, given the lesser emphasis on activation control and greater need for higher ranking models for many of the current schemes. 

[WWHSD]

I think Kaeris would be helped greatly by getting Instinctual and having the Limited restriction struck from her upgrades.

[retnab]

She's both my favourite Master (my highest play-count), but also my 2nd worst winrate (only ahead of Mei Feng).  I love to play her, but I find it so frustrating just how much buildup she needs every turn.  I find it so hilarious that I feel like one of the strongest game-changers she could receive is just swapping totems with Mei Feng, as the fact that her core Condition (Burning) resets every turn is what really slows her down so hard.  Heat Wave forcing nearby enemies to gain Burning and giving Heatstroke which doesn't fully reset every turn helps, but if you're not doing Heat Wave Kaeris that's not very helpful.  It forces her to constantly deal with activation order (got to set them on fire, then do the fun stuff), makes her 100% worthless against Condition-immune models (going against Outcasts?  Do not bring Kaeris), and also really slows down how you play, since the start of each turn will almost always be the same setup again and again.

I think one of her biggest issues besides that is just how much of the back of her card is crammed full trying to make her Burning setup work.  I'd like it if she could just get an ability that basically says "when this model deal damage with a Ca Action, it may choose to instead give the target that much Burning before reductions", drop the Flaming Halo action entirely (and rework the Blinding Flame upgrade, maybe make it the Instinctual-giver), and then we can maybe give her a new action letting her do something weird with Burning (summon Fire Gamin?  Burn-expunge?  Give -'s while target has Burning +X or higher?  Etc.).

On your second question, I think she always needs some heavy hitter since it's probably not going to be Kaeris doing the work.  Howard and the Rail Golem are the best with her, though the latter needs a bunch of setup again.  Emissary currently feels mandatory for Instinctual, but the model itself needs to stay near her to give her that which means it's not doing what it wants to do...  I think Firestarter is fantastic for a scheme runner (hello Covert Entourage), and I actually do like Fire Gamin.  They have some of the most accurate cheap ranged attacks, and giving out Burning at range while also doing damage is something Kaeris is very appreciative for.  If I take them, it's probably 2 for 8ss.

[grim_stoki]

I've been doing a lot of theoryfaux with Kaeris recently. She's an awesome model with a really unique set of abilities, and while I don't think she'll be a tier 1 master, I think you could throw a lot of opponents off. This is the crew I've been toying with:

Kaeris Grab and Drop, Blinding Flame

Kandara, Mantle of Flames

Carlos

Howard Practiced Production

x2 Union Miners

x2 Fire Gamin

The idea here, is you use the miners to hand out burning to Howard (or anything else you want to go airborne) instead of Kaeris. The frees up some of her AP to do fun things, like set your enemy on fire or push around gamin/miners with blinding flame. I think miners are better than people realize. False Claim is now usable, and works well with Practiced Production. Their melee attack gets a big boost from the 2" range, and with the + flip to damage you stand a decent chance of getting a severe 5 damage, possibly 6 with crit. strike.

Both Kandara , Carlos and Gamin can hand out burning to the bad guys relatively cheaply, boosting Kaeris's damage output. 

Quote

Firestarter. Do you ever not take him?

I find him to be way too fragile. Even reckless isn't very useful, since most of his actions are kind of crap. He's basically an expensive wind gamin that doesn't do anything when he dies, which is always

[KingCrow]

I almost think that Kaeris could use a complete overhaul from Wyrd like they did to Lucius.  Kaeris has no real direction in the game and that may be how she was intended, but with the new books and models that have come out, she has almost completely fallen out from any and all play.  She's fun but the fact that she has to set-up everything she does EVERY SINGLE TURN is what hurts her. She needs either more synergy with models or more reliable ways to get burning onto people.

If she were to gain just one ability, I think a very easy way to help her is to either have her or other models have an  that doesn't allow Burning to fall off of models at the end of the turn similar to Mei's totem. The Burning condition could still be removed by abilities and actions though. I could honestly see the Fire Gamin having an  like this because, well, they're fire.  Imagine the synergy that would exist with just the few models that benefit from the enemy being on fire.  Make it so that all models, enemy and friendly, don't remove the condition (just like Mei's totem) so that if you accidentally (or purposefully... looking at you Carlos) set your models on fire, it stays for the next round.  It doesn't have to be a huge radius, maybe 6" or so, which is similar to the Heat Wave range.  

I realize Burning is a HUGE condition in this game but Kaeris is supposed to be a Master of Burning.  Give her something that really stands out that scares... and scars... your opponent.

[Flippin' Wyrd George]

18 minutes ago, KingCrow said:

I almost think that Kaeris could use a complete overhaul from Wyrd like they did to Lucius.  Kaeris has no real direction in the game

Comments like this just make me sad. She is fine as she is.

She uses burning very efficiently as a mechanic and is a very good master that many players get a lot of success with. She can provide tankiness, crew mobility, card draw, scheme running, healing, enemy debuffing, ranged threat, denial, the best enemy reposition in the game, table control, combat threat; this list goes on.

She is very good but it's just not immediately obvious what her best playstyle is and, in my opinion, it doesn't involve setting enemy models on fire. Many players use Kaeris by attempting to throw fires that cause death and destruction. That isn't what she's about. She should manipulate fire to her own uses.

A total rewrite is unnecessary.

[Fetid Strumpet]

Kaeris' problem IS the burning mechanic, which as utilized is a bad mechanic. The issues with it are twofold. First as much as many Arcanist players like to say it isn't actually real dmg, burning can't be treated as anything less. If you have a min 2 model who also puts 2 burning in addition to the 2 dmg and they punch a model who has already activated, for all practical considerations that model just did 4 dmg. So you can't treat burning as anything other than actual damage on an attack. The issue, as rightly pointed out by Arcanists, is that if you punch a model who hasn't activated they don't die immediately if the burning dmg exceeds their remaining wounds. So it's a narrow band where burning applied to a model who hasn't activated, but has burning in excess of their remaining wounds, means that the burning isn't as effective as just doing the damage, but because it does so much dmg it can't be treated as being less than the full dmg. Not to mention that once burning gets on a model, if burning kills it you don't get credit for the kill. It's a problem.

The other problem is that burning falls off at the end of every turn. That's problematic for models that want to do setup by inflicting burning on a model, and then hitting them with effects that react to burning. It requires specific setup, and specific activation order, and more and more the more competitive models and crews in the game are ones that don't require specific setup and activation order to do what they want. Any ability that keeps burning on is EXCEPTIONALLY strong, because if you get burning 3 or 4 on a model, which I find isn't all that hard, and then don't let it fall off, thats essentially a free and automatic hit from a beater model next turn.

Essentially those two elements make designing a crew devoted to burning difficult. Poison, in the way they've used it works much better. Since it doesn't do it's full dmg all at once it's much easier to just toss it in and cost it fairly. Also since it doesn't all leave a model at the end of each turn, models that want to interact with poison can apply it in earlier rounds and then use their abilities that interact with poison as they wish in later rounds.

The fact that they tried to build a cross between McMorning and Rasputina on a mechanic that doesn't work well means she really needs a complete rebuild and a rethink on how she interacts with burning, and no she doesn't need to become another summoner.

I don't know fully how to rebuild her to make things work better for her, but large auras that do things like making every model that dies from burning in the aura count as being killed by her crew, being able to teleport or arc spells through burning targets, and making burning stick around and only tick down like poison when you want it to would go a long way to making her better.

[KingCrow]

2 minutes ago, Hollingydale said:

She uses burning very efficiently as a mechanic and is a very good master that many players get a lot of success with. She can provide tankiness, crew mobility, card draw, scheme running, healing, enemy debuffing, ranged threat, denial, the best enemy reposition in the game, table control, combat threat; this list goes on.

She does have a lot of abilities she brings to the table but it all requires set up.  To get most of those abilities to work, you or you opponents models need to be on fire. To draw cards, she has to use one of her many 0 actions to draw those cards and models have to be on fire.  The debuffing (from Heat Wave) requires the enemy to be on fire. Her healing requires friendly models to be on fire. The ability for your models to fly and place scheme markers requires your models to be on fire.  Almost all of her abilities require someone to be on fire. lol.  And unfortuntely, Zipp has a better enemy reposition than Kaeris.  Not saying her's isn't bad, just that Zipp got a better one. 

All of this would be SOOOO much better if she had the aura I mentioned to not remove burning the end of the turn. So maybe not rewrite her whole card, just give her or Fire Gamin that aura.  It "fixes" her and would make her amazingly fun to play. 

[KingCrow]

I love the fact that she is a tanky spellcaster and can be amazing but almost all of her abilities revolve around something being on fire.  She needs a way to sustain it instead of having to use AP to get the Burning going or bringing the 10 SS dead weight that is the Arcane Emissary.  I say dead weight because it has been nearly useless/died by turn 2 or 3 every time I've used it and the fact that it has to be so close to Kaeris to give her instinctual means that it can't go off and do it's thing... which is to attack. 

Honestly though, now I want to play a few games with her using the aura rule I mentioned above on her and/or the Fire Gamin and see just how powerful it could be.  

[Flippin' Wyrd George]

4 minutes ago, KingCrow said:

She does have a lot of abilities she brings to the table but it all requires set up.  To get most of those abilities to work, you or you opponents models need to be on fire.

This is fairly easy to do with a Malifaux Child or Union Steamfitter. Id never use any model other than Kaeris to apply burning to an enemy because too easy to resist or counter for limited effect. I also disagree about the Zipp comment, Kaeris can walk 18" and place a model 8" (ish) away from is starting location, and herself back to safety. She can only do it once but once should be all you need.

 

She does have a lot of zero actions but they are all situational and it's about reacting and deciding which one will enhance your turn the best. Sometimes you need placement, sometimes you need cards. 

[WWHSD]

31 minutes ago, Hollingydale said:

She can provide tankiness, crew mobility, card draw, scheme running, healing, enemy debuffing, ranged threat, denial, the best enemy reposition in the game, table control, combat threat; this list goes on.

She's got a bunch of cool abilities that are strung across different limited upgrades. If she had the option of doing several things off your list during the same game, she'd be a lot better. As it is she lacks flexibility in her options during a game and anything cool that she can do requires some sort of setup before she can do it. She just has a lot of hoops to jump through to get similar results to what a lot of other masters just get.

Grab and Drop is cool and all but is it better at repositioning enemies than "Lightning Dance",  "Up We Go!" , or  "Tangle Shadows"?. Kaeris can only use it on a model that she's an inch away from, it can't be used as part of a charge, and if it fails she's stuck where she's at and unable to try again. 

Judging from Facebook and theses forums there are a lot of players that like Kaeris and really want to make her work. For all of the folks that talk about playing Kaeris I'm not seeing a lot of them claiming any sort of significant success with her.

I think that you are correct that she probably doesn't need a complete rewrite. A couple of little tweaks and she could be fine, especially if Wyrd releases some models that help get around her setup issues.

[Flippin' Wyrd George]

4 minutes ago, KingCrow said:

...bringing the 10 SS dead weight that is the Arcane Emissary.  I say dead weight because it has been nearly useless/died by turn 2 or 3 every time I've used it and the fact that it has to be so close to Kaeris to give her instinctual means that it can't go off and do it's thing... which is to attack. 

I don't understand this forums obsession with the Emissary in Kaeris lists! It's 10 SS to give her instinctual. What a waste of stones, she doesn't need 2 (0)'s. Hire better models and make use of whichever (0) is best. What do you usually run?

[KingCrow]

1 minute ago, Hollingydale said:

This is fairly easy to do with a Malifaux Child or Union Steamfitter. Id never use any model other than Kaeris to apply burning to an enemy because too easy to resist or counter for limited effect. I also disagree about the Zipp comment, Kaeris can walk 18" and place a model 8" (ish) away from is starting location, and herself back to safety. She can only do it once but once should be all you need.

 

She does have a lot of zero actions but they are all situational and it's about reacting and deciding which one will enhance your turn the best. Sometimes you need placement, sometimes you need cards. 

The steamfitter only gives out burning if the enemy has armor and the Malifaux child is reduced to a Ca 4 so I don't think it is very reliable. If anything, I would have the Malifaux Child use Accelerant.  Zipp can walk (and Fly just like Kaeris) with his walk of 8" and can use his placement ability multiple times since it's a 1 AP action.  It also does damage that is non-reducable. Being able to do it multiple times a turn makes it better in my book. 

I'm not trying to say she's terrible, but in comparison to a lot of the other Arcanist masters, she falls short because of her need to have to setup for almost all of her abilities.  I personally love her playstyle and her model... I just wish it was easier to get (and more importantly - KEEP) burning on models.  

[Flippin' Wyrd George]

8 minutes ago, WWHSD said:

Judging from Facebook and theses forums there are a lot of players that like Kaeris and really want to make her work. For all of the folks that talk about playing Kaeris I'm not seeing a lot of them claiming any sort of significant success with her.

I don't like to claim my successes as I hate sounding like a boaster  

But as you asked,  I ran solo Kaeris at an event last year and won it. In fact, every tornament game I have hired Kaeris in at I have won, against some big players too. She just doesn't see the table frequently (like a sandeep or Marcus) because she has to go into the correct pool.

I agree that not all of those abilities come up every game but she can very easily change her playstyle  midgame. Not many masters offer that level of versatility successfully 

[KingCrow]

What kind of pools do you take her in? Have you tried her in GG18? Perhaps her Burning Expunge trigger might be really good now that the game has moved towards an elitist crew meta. 

[Flippin' Wyrd George]

4 minutes ago, KingCrow said:

The steamfitter only gives out burning if the enemy has armor and the Malifaux child is reduced to a Ca 4 so I don't think it is very reliable. If anything, I would have the Malifaux Child use Accelerant.  Zipp can walk (and Fly just like Kaeris) with his walk of 8" and can use his placement ability multiple times since it's a 1 AP action.  It also does damage that is non-reducable. Being able to do it multiple times a turn makes it better in my book. 

I'm not trying to say she's terrible, but in comparison to a lot of the other Arcanist masters, she falls short because of her need to have to setup for almost all of her abilities.  I personally love her playstyle and her model... I just wish it was easier to get (and more importantly - KEEP) burning on models.  

Doh! I meant Union Miner. So many models with similar names haha

The Malifaux child is used to give your own models burning (they relent) and then as it's at positive you're likely to get a time to trigger it again, or you can cheat a low tome.

The crew does need some setup turn 1 & maybe 2, but you can take away the element of possibly failing setup by adapting your playstyle to burning your own models and using them. Do what you can guarantee.

[WWHSD]

8 minutes ago, Hollingydale said:

But as you asked,  I ran solo Kaeris at an event last year and won it. In fact, every tornament game I have hired Kaeris in at I have won, against some big players too. She just doesn't see the table frequently (like a sandeep or Marcus) because she has to go into the correct pool.

How do you normally run her? What sort of pools do you look at and say “This is a job for Kaeris”? Is there anything that comes up in a pool or any factions that an opponent declares that get Kaeris dropped from consideration?

[Flippin' Wyrd George]

3 minutes ago, KingCrow said:

What kind of pools do you take her in? Have you tried her in GG18? Perhaps her Burning Expunge trigger might be really good now that the game has moved towards an elitist meta. 

Turf wars (particularly guard the stash). Undercover Entourage,  Take one for the team, Ours (place models on centre line), Symbols (use grab and drop to get molemen up the table off scheme markers), Hold up their forces, Set up (burning steamfitter can drop 3 scheme markers in one activation). Basically any other scheme marker scheme. 

 

If anything I think shes better in 2018 than she was 2017

[Flippin' Wyrd George]

26 minutes ago, WWHSD said:

How do you normally run her? What sort of pools do you look at and say “This is a job for Kaeris”? Is there anything that comes up in a pool or any factions that an opponent declares that get Kaeris dropped from consideration?

That's a really hard one to be honest. If there is a scheme marker scheme and Undercover Enterage she can do the job in most any strat.

She used to be autotake in Guard the Stash because as a final activstion pushing 3 models off stash with blinding flame is gold.

Its hard to say when I'd drop her but sometimes I just know she can do the job from what's there.

My crew last year was:

50 SS Arcanists Crew

Kaeris + 4 Pool

 - Grab and Drop (1)

 - Blinding Flame (1)

 - Seize The Day (1)

Malifaux Child (3)

Howard Langston (12)

 - Imbued Energies (1)

Johan (7)

 - Imbued Energies (1)

Angelica (6)

 - Practiced Production (1)

December Acolyte (7)

Performer (5)

Arcane Effigy (4)

 

 (exported from CrewFaux)

 

And you could swap the acolyte, performer and effigy to your own tastes. No henchmen and use of flurries means you can take a low cache and don't need to stone for cards often,  saving stones for damage prevention cus you discard the bad cards anyway.

 

Premise was that child gives Langston and Johanna burning as Angelica moves them up the table. This gives Langston huge threat range and if he gets into something without overextending too much your opponent spends turn 2 trying to deal with him. Also gets some scheme markers in place.

 

Kaeris can sit about 6"-8" from your deployment and when needed can activate to use blinding flame and push and threats away. Vs aggressive crews she can pick a key opposing model out of position if needed too.

 

 

Bottom line is it is very hard to say how I use Kaeris because she plays about 5 different ways and can be adapted to each game, even after hiring. Some times she will yolo grab and drop, sometimes she will nuke rom afar, sometimes she will draw cards, sometimes she will prevent my opponents crew from charging in and give me mobility.

 

Just build a crew around her that can do most things and with some practise and synergy you begin to see her potential. Blinding Flame without doubt is autotake

 

 

 

[WWHSD]

7 minutes ago, Hollingydale said:

That's a really hard one to be honest. If there is a scheme marker scheme and Undercover Enterage she can do the job in most any strat.

She used to be autotake in Guard the Stash because as a final activstion pushing 3 models off stash with blinding flame is gold.

Its hard to say when I'd drop her but sometimes I just know she can do the job from what's there.

My crew last year was:

50 SS Arcanists Crew

Kaeris + 4 Pool

 - Grab and Drop (1)

 - Blinding Flame (1)

 - Seize The Day (1)

Malifaux Child (3)

Howard Langston (12)

 - Imbued Energies (1)

Johan (7)

 - Imbued Energies (1)

Angelica (6)

 - Practiced Production (1)

December Acolyte (7)

Performer (5)

Arcane Effigy (4)

 

 (exported from CrewFaux)

 

And you could swap the acolyte, performer and effigy to your own tastes. No henchmen and flurries means you can take a low cache and save stones for damage prevention cus you discard the bad cards anyway.

 

Premise was that child gives Langston and Johanna burning as Angelica moves them up the table. This gives Langston huge threat range and if he gets into something without overextending too much your opponent spends turn 2 trying to deal with him.

 

Kaeris can sit about 6"-8" from your deployment and when needed can activate to use blinding flame and push and threats away. Vs aggressive crews she can pick a key opposing model out of position if needed too.

 

 

Bottom line is it is very hard to say how I use Kaeris because she plays about 5 different ways and can be adapted to each game, even after hiring. Some time sShe will yolo grab and drop, sometimes she will hike rom afar, sometimes she will draw cards, sometimes she will prevent my opponents crew from charging in and give me mobility.

 

Just build a crew around her that can do most things and with some practise and synergy you begin to see her potential. Blinding Flame without doubt is autotake

 

 

 

It’s interesting that you don’t seem to bring much other than Kaeris that either deals burning or somehow synergizes with it (like Gunsmiths or Rail Workers). Is that typical for you?

[Flippin' Wyrd George]

8 minutes ago, WWHSD said:

It’s interesting that you don’t seem to bring much other than Kaeris that either deals burning or somehow synergizes with it (like Gunsmiths or Rail Workers). Is that typical for you?

Yes correct. The only burning you need is for your own models - the grab and drop & cards, and the child and occasionally Kaeris provide all you need.  This burning setup provides the synergy. Minimal setup but maximum efficency.

 

PS: apologies for many typos, I have corrected the original post. Typing quickly from phone leads to careless errors 

[WWHSD]

10 minutes ago, Hollingydale said:

Yes correct. The only burning you need is for your own models - the grab and drop & cards, and the child and occasionally Kaeris provide all you need. Minimal setup but maximum efficency.

 

PS: apologies for many typos I have corrected original post. Typing quickly from phone leads to careless errors 

Have you ever played around with Well Rehearsed on either Howard or Johan when playing them in a crew with Grab and Drop Kaeris? The two inch push at the end of their activation seems like it could come in handy.