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Arcanists Building on a Budget


Khyodee

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Hey folks, I could use some help on my Building on a Budget series of videos for S&S. The idea is to follow these guidelines:
1) Make a competitive list with some flexibility if possible
2) Limit the initial purchases to 2-3 boxes (less is better)
3) Focus on Keyword models followed by good Versatiles
4) Generally avoid non-faction models (except those in master box) and taxed models

 
The color coding is
-Green are first purchases (required or highly recommended)
-Yellow are second tier purchases to really tune your list
-Orange are third tier purchases that will improve your lists flexibility
-Red are optional purchases if you want them (the rest of the keyword and versatile models)

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OK, my 10 cents worth..

Academic:

I am torn, Heavy Metal certainly makes the best economic sense but I prefer other models with Sandeep. Not having Kandara hurts my soul, admittedly partially as a pre-errata holdover, but I still consider her near essential and on that alone would grade her yellow or orange. I'd drop the Ice Gamin/Golem down, they simply are the least useful Elemental choice for mine.

Augmented:

I'd move Langston and the Steamfitters up to essential. A Steamfitter boosts your crew and is an excellent Magical Training placement. Langston is the premier beater Enforcer choice with the Medical Automaton as a Living/Construct. Core+Support+Rift and you've got your solid Hoffman crew, I'd like a cheap fast scheme runner but you have Watcher's in Yellow, although for that reason I'd move Arachnophobia up to Orange.

Chimera:

The only thing here is I'd move December's beasts up to Yellow, the Blessed is supremely flexible, a healing Silent One literally never hurts and the Hoar Cats, while maybe not first class, are functional cheap scheme runners with actual bite potential, I could even see an argument for them in Green, but not quite with one OOK and Hoar Cats being sub-par.

December:

Ah the realisation that Ice Constructs are not great, even in key word they are not a premier choice. I think, such as it is, this selection placement for Raspy's frozen friends is correct, sad as that is.

Foundry:

I don't really play them but with the Sparks changes and given I love the Mechanized Porkchop I'd move them up to Yellow. Not much else to say, that's likely a flawed personal preference anyway.

M&SU:

I really like Saboteurs and find the Soulstone Miner useful with Toni, I'd definitely move them up to Yellow.

Performer:

I simply wouldn't get two boxes of Coryphee, although I know why you did. I'd switch one of the Coryphee down to Yellow and put Angelica and Carlos up to Green, if only for variety, flexibility and pure fun, although Ice Dancers are pretty bad sadly. God I wish Harata Ngaatoro was better value, he is an amazing addition to a Showgirl crew, but you're correct, on a budget with two basically totally useless Explorer models he can't climb higher on the list, but if you could get him alone cheaply he'd be Green all the way.

Wildfire:

To be honest this shows the central strength of the Kaeris crew, two boxes and you're pretty much settled, I'd change nothing really.  

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On 5/15/2021 at 7:22 PM, dancater said:

OK, my 10 cents worth..

Academic:

I am torn, Heavy Metal certainly makes the best economic sense but I prefer other models with Sandeep. Not having Kandara hurts my soul, admittedly partially as a pre-errata holdover, but I still consider her near essential and on that alone would grade her yellow or orange. I'd drop the Ice Gamin/Golem down, they simply are the least useful Elemental choice for mine.

I'm fine with moving Ice Gamin/Golem down to bottom of Orange. As for Kandara, I honestly think she isn't needed at all right now as Kudra does a similar job, but better now.

On 5/15/2021 at 7:22 PM, dancater said:

Augmented:

I'd move Langston and the Steamfitters up to essential. A Steamfitter boosts your crew and is an excellent Magical Training placement. Langston is the premier beater Enforcer choice with the Medical Automaton as a Living/Construct. Core+Support+Rift and you've got your solid Hoffman crew, I'd like a cheap fast scheme runner but you have Watcher's in Yellow, although for that reason I'd move Arachnophobia up to Orange.

I've always felt people overvalue Langston as he is worse then the Peacekeeper and Joss in about every way unless your playing MS&U. Steamfitters are ok, but I honestly still don't take them very often unless you need lots of marker dropping as you have tons of healing between Hoffman, Attendant, Toolkit, and Automaton. I'm fine with bumping up Arachnids as 4 Action models can really get work done and I still love them since I got so much work out of them pre-nerf.
 

On 5/15/2021 at 7:22 PM, dancater said:

Chimera:

The only thing here is I'd move December's beasts up to Yellow, the Blessed is supremely flexible, a healing Silent One literally never hurts and the Hoar Cats, while maybe not first class, are functional cheap scheme runners with actual bite potential, I could even see an argument for them in Green, but not quite with one OOK and Hoar Cats being sub-par.

I've been back and forth on the Blessed since the Cerberus can fill the same role, but I agree that Hoarcats are fine cheap "filler" model when you need more AP.

 

On 5/15/2021 at 7:22 PM, dancater said:

Foundry:

I don't really play them but with the Sparks changes and given I love the Mechanized Porkchop I'd move them up to Yellow. Not much else to say, that's likely a flawed personal preference anyway.

Another one I've been torn on is how good Sparks actually is now. I think bottom of Yellow is probably right since he can heal and make things fast consistently now.

 

On 5/15/2021 at 7:22 PM, dancater said:

Performer:

I simply wouldn't get two boxes of Coryphee, although I know why you did. I'd switch one of the Coryphee down to Yellow and put Angelica and Carlos up to Green, if only for variety, flexibility and pure fun, although Ice Dancers are pretty bad sadly. God I wish Harata Ngaatoro was better value, he is an amazing addition to a Showgirl crew, but you're correct, on a budget with two basically totally useless Explorer models he can't climb higher on the list, but if you could get him alone cheaply he'd be Green all the way.

I disagree on the Coryphee since you need two boxes to even run a Duet since you want to option to split them (yea you can magnetize, but I don't recommend messing with it for brand new folk) and barring Colette, Coryphee are why you play performer. The models are just crazy good for their cost and you lose a lot of power without them. It doesn't hurt this is also one of the few crews I have 20+ games with as well, so I can speak from experience on her.

 

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7 hours ago, Khyodee said:

I've always felt people overvalue Langston as he is worse then the Peacekeeper and Joss in about every way unless your playing MS&U. Steamfitters are ok, but I honestly still don't take them very often unless you need lots of marker dropping as you have tons of healing between Hoffman, Attendant, Toolkit, and Automaton. I'm fine with bumping up Arachnids as 4 Action models can really get work done and I still love them since I got so much work out of them pre-nerf.

I agree that Peacekeeper is generally better than Langston in the Hoff's crew. However, Langston is living/construct and Peacekeeper is just construct so the Medical Automaton can heal Langston in a fashion it cannot heal the Peacekeeper and given that Automaton is better than the Mobile Toolkit I will argue that puts Langston + Automaton on par as equal to Peacekeeper + Toolkit. In addition that box gives you the Steamfitters and the value of Magical Training is well documented, this alongside the fact the Steamfitters do work well in the Augmented crew, I think they are better than Watcher's, simply more flexible uses. So based on that calculation, while I personally prefer taking a Peacekeeper and one Watcher because I prefer the model and playstyle, I also take a Steamfitter and I am open to replacing Peacekeeper with Langston. Noting that Langston also is slightly faster, has one more health and is Terrifying. I honestly think on a budget you get more from the Rift in the Union box than from Keeping the Peace (also note as a final key point the Rift box is usable with all the other Arcanist crews and KtP is only Augmented). I'd place Rift at least in Yellow, but for myself, if I was advising I'd say Green and then later, if you love the Hoff (and who doesn't the man is a living legend) I'd 100% get KtP, which is kinda the point.

7 hours ago, Khyodee said:

I disagree on the Coryphee since you need two boxes to even run a Duet since you want to option to split them (yea you can magnetize, but I don't recommend messing with it for brand new folk) and barring Colette, Coryphee are why you play performer. The models are just crazy good for their cost and you lose a lot of power without them. It doesn't hurt this is also one of the few crews I have 20+ games with as well, so I can speak from experience on her.

Yes, I precisely understand this point, I actually own 12 versions of the Coryphee for this reason, I hate magnets. But.... its Performers on a budget. A real bind, it implies a new player so don't try magnets, but limited budget so buying two to get 1.5 feels kinda bad. But Coryphee are 110% must includes, they are the true stars of the Stage.

Now I don't know how others feel but I, personally, when playing and advising new Performer plays suggest 2x Coryphee separately on 40mm bases and also purchase, find, scrounge, borrow (it really ain't that hard) a single 50mm base with a glob of blue tac or similar sticky putty substance. I'm happy for an opponent to display the danced together Coryphee as a single model on a 40mm base tac'd to a 50mm base. Yes this can lead to the occasional, shit I forgot that was the pair on my part, but the logic is I'm trying to get folks introduced to the game, I'm not playing hard to win with a new player anyway. Sure this isn't working in competitive games but by then you should be buying the Yellow Performer selections where you get your Coryphee pair for the second model. No magnets required.

And while Coryphee are truly most essential I still argue that for fun and an introduction to the Performer's crew I'd encourage Center Stage, a 50mm base and blue tac over the second Waiting in the Wings, but yes 100% the first Coryphee is a purchase with Colette's box, or what's the point.

As for the rest, I understand everything you're saying.   

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2 hours ago, dannydb said:

I'd still say kandara is a fairly key model, range staggered, gamin teleport trigger and agile are all important in Sandeep 

And card draw for a Summoner, even if it has been nerfed its still something. 

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  • 3 months later...

I won’t get why You recommend both the duet and singles in a Crew? Then they can’t Dance apart or together. Magnetising them isn’t too difficult and on a budget I think it would be better to link to a guide doing that. I’m sure there must be one out there. If not I’ll make one when I assemble my transparent duet. 

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There is a good argument the the single Coryphee is among the best Performer models on a per-points basis. The Coryphee Duet is exceptional. 

So taking the Duet and 2x Coryphee, while expensive is a very powerful choice, with the added benefit that you throw the Duet forward, slaughter something and if/when it gets killed you then dance your two Coryphee together and viola the enemy has to face the problem again.

I personally don't do it. I think with Cassandra, Carlos and Harata there is plenty of other excellent higher soul stone cost options, not to mention Mech Rider and even the Emissary, still money wise that adds up, especially Harata who while excellent is an Explorer in a box with models you simply don't need. But for building on a budget it is a solid option, it gives you an early, relatively economical excellent option and later if your collection grows you don't have to worry about magnetising.

 

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