Mei Feng, Foreman

[HomelessOne]

Everyone was doing it; I just wanted to be popular.

Support/Summoner Lite Mei and utility bot. Discuss.

 

[theamazingmrg]

My big takeaway is that you probably aren't killing this Mei, but she won't be killing anything either with that 2/3/3 damage track.

 

Summoning Metal Gamin is nice.

Damage reduction is excellent.  Between her own discard of Scrap and giving out Shielded within 8"

Heated Iron is a nice way to ping damage.

It's really good that she can easily drop her own scrap, rather than just a trigger on Freight Train.  The fact it can be used for damage too is great.

Impromptu Invention is a nice buff/debuff and its nice with a pseudo-Obey trigger (that affects Masters, which is excellent).

 

Overall, I need to get her on the table.  She would be very different from original Mei, but she has a lot of tricks that could be really effective.

 

I think I like her, just not her damage output!

[Adran]

I can see workplace efficiency on Impromptu Invention being a powerhouse move. Make your Metal Golem fast (or focused) and then make it Walk so it gets to ride the rails to where you need it to be. 

Damage is low, but she can get 4 attacks (thanks to shove aside) and a damaging bonus action, so is not that safe to stand near, and can put out lots of unresisted ping damage over the course of the turn with heated iron. 

[trikk]

6 minutes ago, Adran said:

I can see workplace efficiency on Impromptu Invention being a powerhouse move. Make your Metal Golem fast (or focused) and then make it Walk so it gets to ride the rails to where you need it to be. 

Damage is low, but she can get 4 attacks (thanks to shove aside) and a damaging bonus action, so is not that safe to stand near, and can put out lots of unresisted ping damage over the course of the turn with heated iron. 

A Fast + free Ride the Rails on Golem is pretty nice. 

 

Vent Steam + Heated Iron will make a lot of pings work

[dancater]

Yep. 

Five Arcanist titles now spoiled, we've done well in the early announcements.

The Rock Hopper for Arcanist's is strictly Mei only, but I can really see it as superb for the Foreman title and damn useful for OG Mei. For Rusted Metal alone I would likely try and find the 7SS, scrap markers are so critical in both Mei lists and even the limited protective bubble this mechanoid creates to protect them would make it a great selection if you expect marker eating on the opponents crew. From a wider utility point of view at Armor 2 and 6 Wds it's not super vulnerable. The Anti-Armor attack is always a useful thing to have.  

Mei the Foreman is a interesting as hell character, appears to me as though she'll be an amazing support for her crew, some summoning, healing, she already had a core movement mechanic, the condition hand out has huge utility on both buffing and debuffing. Scrap markers will be absolutely critical to her, they were vitla to OG Mei, but for the Foreman they appear even more important, but she can make them, her crew already excelled at producing them and is you really fear marker removal, well refer to the Rock Hopper above to help. She looks really great.

An interesting thing I've noticed;

Ranking the five currently titled Arcanist masters OG versions; I'd have gone (1) Hoffman, (2) Kaeris, (3) Toni, (4) Marcus and (5) Mei.

But ranking the titled alternates I'd almost flip this list it thus far goes (1) Mei, (2) Toni, (3) Marcus, (4) Hoffman and (5) Kaeris.

This has really bunched my thoughts on which full crews are my favourites, because now you account for the titles I'm much more divided on if I played only one master (and title) + crew for 6+ months who would it be. I think this is a sign of exceptional design.

So super interested because my favourite master is untitled, in Colette, one of my favourite themes, but more disliked masters is untitled in Rasputina and one of the masters I am very much on the fence on Sandeep also remains. 

No idea at the end of this what my "top" Arcanist crew (with OG and title) would look like, this is shaking it to the foundation.

 

  

[dancater]

4 hours ago, theamazingmrg said:

but she won't be killing anything either with that 2/3/3 damage track.

 

3 hours ago, Adran said:

Damage is low

OG Mei was a scalpel beater cut out and finished off the opposition her crew had smashed. But it was a race, durability and attrition was not a Foundry thing.

This Mei is a first class support, and her crew has always had some great beaters, so this build looks great for the attrition game.

My really big question is where does Kang fit? I never really could quite justify him with OG Mei and I'm not certain he'll find a regular home with the Foreman. 

[Morgan Vening]

1 hour ago, dancater said:

The Rock Hopper for Arcanist's is strictly Mei only, but I can really see it as superb for the Foreman title and damn useful for OG Mei. For Rusted Metal alone I would likely try and find the 7SS, scrap markers are so critical in both Mei lists and even the limited protective bubble this mechanoid creates to protect them would make it a great selection if you expect marker eating on the opponents crew. From a wider utility point of view at Armor 2 and 6 Wds it's not super vulnerable. The Anti-Armor attack is always a useful thing to have.  

While you might be right, I wouldn't at least outright dismiss it for Hoffman.

Abandoned Machinery means it can run up a flank at a reasonable pace, Ride the Rails and the Rust Bash trigger means you can bring Hopper back to the group relatively easily. 

I mean, there's obviously a better synergy with Mei, but that should be expected. But in some situations, I could absolutely see why you might want Hoff to bring it on board.

EDIT: I'm clearly stupid, as per Adran's post.

[Adran]

8 minutes ago, Morgan Vening said:

While you might be right, I wouldn't at least outright dismiss it for Hoffman.

Abandoned Machinery means it can run up a flank at a reasonable pace, Ride the Rails and the Rust Bash trigger means you can bring Hopper back to the group relatively easily. 

I mean, there's obviously a better synergy with Mei, but that should be expected. But in some situations, I could absolutely see why you might want Hoff to bring it on board.

I would, its a bayou model with Tricksy and Foundry keywords, Hoff can never hire it. 

[Jordon]

Seems like Foreman Mei and either version of Hoff would be a dream team.

My first impressions of Mei was that she seemed a bit too similar to OG Hoff (both doing the torch and fast shtick). However upon a further reflection, she seems to have her own little niche.

With both Mah and Mei, plus all the incorporeal. It seems like hazardous terrain masters are going to find it even tougher to function.   

[Morgan Vening]

3 hours ago, Jordon said:

With both Mah and Mei, plus all the incorporeal. It seems like hazardous terrain masters are going to find it even tougher to function.   

Either that, or we're going to see an uptick in Sonnia's Wall of Flames style ability, which isn't a better solution.

At the very least, it does mean that those Masters will have to determine which title is best suited for playing into crews that wholesale ignore Terrain.

Though, to be fair, same could be said for offensive condition masters into some factions. If you've got access to a lot of condition removal, they become a lot less potent.

[Jordon]

13 minutes ago, Morgan Vening said:

Either that, or we're going to see an uptick in Sonnia's Wall of Flames style ability, which isn't a better solution.

At the very least, it does mean that those Masters will have to determine which title is best suited for playing into crews that wholesale ignore Terrain.

Though, to be fair, same could be said for offensive condition masters into some factions. If you've got access to a lot of condition removal, they become a lot less potent.

Luckily my OG kaeris can still give a flaming middle finger to anyone trying to ignore her pyre markers 😆

 

Mei always had sort of a weak burning sub-theme. I wonder if you could lean into that a bit more with this version?

 

[Mycellanious]

5 hours ago, dancater said:

 

OG Mei was a scalpel beater cut out and finished off the opposition her crew had smashed. But it was a race, durability and attrition was not a Foundry thing.

This Mei is a first class support, and her crew has always had some great beaters, so this build looks great for the attrition game.

My really big question is where does Kang fit? I never really could quite justify him with OG Mei and I'm not certain he'll find a regular home with the Foreman. 

Kang was always very crucial to my Mei 1 lists. At first glance, he has less value in Mei 2 because she doesn't benefit from Focus as much, however making Kang Fast and giving him an extra Walk or Concentrate sounds *very* strong. 

[Jordon]

Does Salvage Site work for Reckless? Porkchops and Neil both have it (plus firestarter OOK). Seems like that can be a fairly significant damage savings. Might be difficult to get on subsequent turns but turn 1 shouldn't be tough

[Mycellanious]

31 minutes ago, Jordon said:

Does Salvage Site work for Reckless? Porkchops and Neil both have it (plus firestarter OOK). Seems like that can be a fairly significant damage savings. Might be difficult to get on subsequent turns but turn 1 shouldn't be tough

It should, but also Mei gives out Shielded anyway. Although if you are in both Auras I guess you get to keep your shielded

[Jordon]

Anyone else feel like the nightmare Rail golem (Fat Cap) makes a lot more sense as the Rock Hopper? (except for the base size)

[Jinn]

Looking at McMourning 2, I really really wish the new Mei had managed to fit his "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" onto her card somehow (probably changing some of her abilities for balance like swapping "Iron Plating" for Armour for example). That kind of ability would make her crew play differently and would give her as a master some resistance to marker removal rather than foisting the responsibility off onto another model that almost becomes required. Oh well, maybe next time.

The ability for reference:

 

[Math Mathonwy]

Her damage is very interesting - she can moderately reliably do six damage for one AP which is pretty good but of course since it's spread out over two models and two points in time it isn't nearly as good as a single application of six damage would be. OTOH she doesn't need Focus for that six damage which is pretty good. Oh, and naturally she also repositions both herself and an opposing model with that one AP.

[retnab]

10 hours ago, Jinn said:

Looking at McMourning 2, I really really wish the new Mei had managed to fit his "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" onto her card somehow (probably changing some of her abilities for balance like swapping "Iron Plating" for Armour for example). That kind of ability would make her crew play differently and would give her as a master some resistance to marker removal rather than foisting the responsibility off onto another model that almost becomes required.

It's important to remember that the anti-marker-removal being on a model lets BOTH versions of Mei benefit, instead of giving it to only one of them

[Jinn]

1 hour ago, retnab said:

It's important to remember that the anti-marker-removal being on a model lets BOTH versions of Mei benefit, instead of giving it to only one of them

I mean, they've got a model to block the removal for both versions as it is. Making one of the versions not rely on hiring that specific enforcer into every crew (hyperbole, I know) would be a good thing IMO, it doesn't have to be either or. 

[touchdown]

7 hours ago, Math Mathonwy said:

Her damage is very interesting - she can moderately reliably do six damage for one AP which is pretty good but of course since it's spread out over two models and two points in time it isn't nearly as good as a single application of six damage would be. OTOH she doesn't need Focus for that six damage which is pretty good. Oh, and naturally she also repositions both herself and an opposing model with that one AP.

Looking at her attack, the first thing I thought was cool you can charge, heal a friendly, and push herself and the friendly 4" (and then get another attack or heal). Very efficient. The heal also goes off even if you black joker.

[Jordon]

What are peoples thoughts on crew composition for this version of Mei? Any significant shifts from OG Mei?

Seems like there is a bigger focus on scrap markers and potentially more of a draw for constructs. Metal gamin seem are less incentivized only because of her ability to summon them. 

I don't really see as big of a draw for Kang. He's certainly not bad, but I think he's more replaceable in a Foreman list. Likewise both Willie and Neil are probably not as good of a fit (Willie is always a great counter pick if marker crews are a possibility). 

Porkchop and Metal Golems seem like auto includes. Rock Hopper seems like a pretty obvious include, especially for this version of Mei. I actually think the Mech Rider is another very solid consideration with Foreman.

Not sure on where I stand with Rail Workers versus Survivors. I'd probably lean more on Rail Workers due to their ability to generate scrap. Also work mentioning Mecharachnids for their nice synergy with scrap and ability to eat scheme markers.

Verdict is still out on Sparks but I do think he's at least better with Foreman

 

[Thatguy]

56 minutes ago, touchdown said:

Looking at her attack, the first thing I thought was cool you can charge, heal a friendly, and push herself and the friendly 4" (and then get another attack or heal). Very efficient. The heal also goes off even if you black joker.

This was my thought too. A charge getting you 4 healing and 13" of total movement seems big. You can do it with low mask to so don't have to stone. 

Between it and Impromptu Invention, she has a massive tool box of options in just two abilities.

[HomelessOne]

53 minutes ago, Jordon said:

Not sure on where I stand with Rail Workers versus Survivors. I'd probably lean more on Rail Workers due to their ability to generate scrap.

I mean, Survivors generate Scrap with their 14" gun rather than having to be within 5", melee a construct or kill a model?

[touchdown]

I think you bring Rail Workers primarily for their toss. That or you want that 2/4/5 damage track from a 5 stone model

[NoisyAssassin]

1 hour ago, Jordon said:

I don't really see as big of a draw for Kang. He's certainly not bad, but I think he's more replaceable in a Foreman list. Likewise both Willie and Neil are probably not as good of a fit (Willie is always a great counter pick if marker crews are a possibility). 

 

That'll be unfortunate if that's how it shakes out, given that those three are already my least taken Foundry models with OG Mei.