dope_danny Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 So i've been getting a hankering for expanding/mixing up my Rail Crew. Right now i've been using in smaller games the base crew with the Metal Gamin/Rail Golem but through most of 2nd was always recommended i should pick up something like the Steam Arachnids for a Foundry build. With 3rd now in open beta and more people getting hands on with the changes are they still a go to replacement for Rail Workers in a Mei Fenge crew, or is there something else i should be looking at now instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retnab Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 You can bring Arachnids but they don't really do much for her anymore. Rail Workers are solid now, and Metal Gamin are the go-to cheap Scrap droppers now 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnomezilla Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 Steam arachnids are still the cheap fodder for all (now even cheaper!) but the beta meta hasn’t found a use for cheap fodder generally, yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dereikt Posted February 22, 2019 Report Share Posted February 22, 2019 There's been a significant reworking of Mei Feng's signature 'Railwalk' ability, renamed to 'Ride the Rails', which alters how she interacts with her crew and generally means she's likely to prefer her keyword. One important change is that instead of jumping along a chain of constructs/Scrap markers, she teleports from one Scrap marker to another. So instead of building a chain of constructs for Mei Feng to jump along, you're trying to build a network of scrap markers, meaning a cheap construct like the Steam Arachnid isn't enabling Ride the Rails the way it enables Railwalk in m2e-it drops a scrap when killed, but that's not a method you want to rely on. By contrast, Metal Gamin drop a Scrap marker a turn for free after moving, making them an important model, and Railworkers have a few triggers on their attacks which generate Scrap markers. The other significant change is that unlike Railwalk, which is unique to Mei Feng, Ride the Rails is an ability of the Foundry crew in general, so in addition to helping build the Scrap network for Mei Feng to teleport along, her themed models then get to teleport along the same network. The end result of these changes is that her themed minions of Metal Gamin and Railworkers are both more useful to her than the generic Steam Arachnid, and significantly better within her crew. Like a lot of m3e masters, I see her mostly taking out of Keyword models to do a specific task, and as generic cheap minions Steam Arachnids aren't doing a specific task. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retnab Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 Don't you worry all, I'll definitely be doing a tactica on launch 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewrathchilde Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 one of the biggest things I am looking forward to is being able to talks lists and tactics instead of just play test/balance/change this/etc again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azgadil Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 I would not recommend Steam Arachnids. Neil Henry looks promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewrathchilde Posted March 10, 2019 Report Share Posted March 10, 2019 for minions I would still consider Rail Workers and Metal Gamin. I have run 3 x Rail Workers in a crew a few times and that is probably 1 too many. Two of each is probably about right. I like the Rail Workers as cheap activation scheme runners that are still pretty survivable (for their cost) with Armor and Hard to Kill and have the ability to put out decent damage relative to similar costed models. With a decent amount of scrap generators in a list the Rail Workers can be really mobile and scheme decently or be your Bomb placers or Marker flippers. I also like having one up front at the beginning of the game to toss a couple of models further forward to start getting the scrap spread early to enable the mobility of the rest of the crew. I always use Metal Gamin with her as well. I have had a number of games with 1 x Metal Gamin in my crew but will be using 2 x Metal Gamin for my next few games. WIth Walking Forge, Magnetism, and their other abilities they are definitely worth having in a crew and always perform well for their cost. I also like Soulstone Miner in the right scheme pool and will occasionally consider something like a Wind Gamin instead if the match up makes the Miner a less viable option. The Effigy is always an option (match dependent) as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trample Posted March 11, 2019 Report Share Posted March 11, 2019 Don't overlook survivors as solid minions in a rail crew. The front of card is about the same (at this stage anyway) with a better WP for survivors and scamper instead of create salvage. On the back of card the rail worker has a slightly better melee attack (because of the 1") but I prefer the bonus action and the ranged action the survivor brings to the table. That's the way I would be leaning if everything stays the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dope_danny Posted March 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2019 Its nice to see the Rail Workers be more useful. Rail Crew as a box in 2nd always kind of felt like "heres a neat master and minion and kangs okay, now lets just put these workers away and replace them with gamin yeah?". Also i only realised now i never actually listed what i have for arcnaists i've been using in general: -Mei Feng -Emberling -Kang -3 Rail Workers -3 Union Steamfitters -3 Union Miners -3 Metal Gamin -Willie the Demolitionist -1 Rail Golem -2 Medical Automatons - Amina Naidu -2 Soulstone Miners -Mechanised Porkchop I know most in 2nd grabbed Sparks straight away but i just preffered the whole 'union and ten thunders building the railroads' aesthetic and gobbos didn't feel like a nice fit so i kept putting them off. Though based on keywords, extra henchman SS costs and so on i imagine i'll porbably end up swapping something like Amina out of my Rail Crew lists for something else, even if i dont like the looks of it 😛 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franchute Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 On 2/23/2019 at 11:05 PM, thewrathchilde said: one of the biggest things I am looking forward to is being able to talks lists and tactics instead of just play test/balance/change this/etc again. Cant we do this already in the beta threads? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retnab Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 Yes, but going to be far fewer people in the beta than overall and the more people looking at and playing with a crew the more tricks we're going to come up with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 What, if anything, are people using Sparks for? I haven't had a chance to put him on the table, but his kit seems to have good parts, but they're disjointed, and he seems squishy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retnab Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 He's a frontline support model with basically no defensive tech. If you can hide him then his basically free Construct heals, Scrapyard Mines, and Hostile Work Environment are awesome, otherwise he'll die in a blink. Bombs in Yer Belly is a really good upgrade to give out, very nasty making a melee enemy blast onto themselves or their allies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 So I'm hearing 'Useful, but risky'. Ok, good to know there's nothing sneaky I'm missing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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