How to play Reva1 and Revenant Keyword?

[Butch]

I want ta start Reva1 and a Revenant Crew. I orientated my purchases of the list in the Ressers on a budget thread.

I have Reva, Vincent, Shielbearers, Corpse Candles, Draugrs, Lampads (and unbuild: Mourners, Grave Robbers, Asura Rotten)

(and nearly all the Forgotten models, a lot of Red Chapel and the Dead Rider)

But I don' get the crew: who's the beater, who's the scheme runner etc..? What are their roles? What are the first activations? What are the key synergies?

 

I guess a Draugr burns a Corpse Candle to a pyre marker. A Lampads moves through the crew dragging the pyre marker along and setting the models on fire. But what then?

The models burn but most of them are not immune.

What are they key elements of their activations? Who interacts with what or whom? As I've only played Molly for the last years maybe I'm overthinking this? They just run forward and hit things?

[Maniacal_cackle]

Someone on discord was asking about Reva, and so here's part of what I said:

 

 

For reva 1, she's got a stat 6+ attack that does 3/4/5 damage that can hit from over 10 inches away. That makes it one of the best spammed attacks in the game.

So every build is going to focus on trying to get her attacking as much as possible (and don't forget she can charge and attack).

Shieldbearers can help with positioning issues. They also give shielded avenues, alongside restless spirit.

I like corpses as they help with corpse placement (grave golem) and scheme runners (bete, bone pile). My favourite list is:

• Reva Plus Candles
• Dead rider (to position restless spirit)
• Grave Golem (hurl corpse)
• Bete Noire (teleports to corpses)
• Bone pile (teleports to corpses)
• Shieldbearer (positions grave golem, pulses focus off corpse turn 1)
• restless spirit (makes corpses)

Other players like things like Anna Lovelace for her synergies, or draugr for their beats.

Opinions are divided on lampads post errata. They're situationally pretty great. But also if i want lampads, why not just play reva 2? xD

 

 

Let me know if you have more questions!

[Butch]

On 3/17/2022 at 8:57 AM, Maniacal_cackle said:

Shieldbearers can help with positioning issues. They also give shielded avenues, alongside restless spirit.

Thanks for your insight. So Reva's the beater and the rest of her crew helps her doing her job. I didn't thought of Shieldbearers to stretch Reva's attack range.

I have Lampads because of the mentioned "budget thread". And Reva1 because I wanted to paint and play her since her introduction in M2E.

 

 

[Shakyor]

I think it is best to consider Reva 1 a flex pick. Two of the most importants tricks with her:

1.) Charge and then use her Melee over 10 inches aways. Basically a run and gun and makes her a really efficient schemer/anti-schemer/flank-dominator in a lot of games.

2.) Use her to artiellery fire from a pyre marker, this will get you one burning per actions and one burning, which she can use to get a + flip for the next action. This can give her (in theoreitical ideal circumstances, which happen regular enough for me though) - 3 plus flips min 3 attacks at range, a bonus action (Grave Spirits touch is actually great on reva 1!) and 4 Shielded. This can actually make her a tank in a clutch with her 2" engagement.

To your other questions: I would stay away from draugrs, in my opinion one of the worst models in our whole faction. They just die without doing anything. Lampads are great though and can do a lot of work. Shield bearers are pretty awesome.

As Maniacal has said Anna Lovelace and Dead Rider are great with her, I also really like Toshiro with her, especially in shield bearer/lampad heavy crews.

Personally I think Bete Noir and the Grave golem are cute and fun, but not "strong". Grave golem really needs you to carefully consider what you wanna achieve with him, usually preventing the enemy from scoring by being in awkawrd places and binding models. The key really is remembering that the only efficient thing about the grave golem is how inefficient it is to attack him. So force the opponent to do that.

 

If you play second Masters, McMounring 1 is a really fun second Master with her.

[Da Git]

I love me some horsey Reva!

I have very similar feelings as Maniacal (I gave him the idea of Bete). I don't go quite as far into the teleporting to corpses shenanigans as he does, I usually skip on the Golem and Bone Pile (although I do take them as a flex picks) and have a more flexible crew build

My core is usually

Reva + 2 candles

Bete

Lampad (usually with GST)

Resless Spirit

Dead Rider (such a great model and asks so little!) - about 90% of my Reva crews

comes to 34ss

This gives me some nice corpses, lots of speed (I like fast crews!) and plenty of hitting power. Something about Bete (that should be a movie) is that she can Rise again even if on the field, so she's essentially a 3AP model in this crew. This makes her super speedy and can easily get around the board.

I usually go for card efficiency. Between Reva generally have + flips for everything & Bete having stat 6+ knives, it makes my hand go a lot further. Need to be careful about bring too many discard mechanics (Lampad's demise, Vincent's rapid fire, Take the Hit, Draugr's Juggernaut etc)

For my last 16ss, I usually like

• Either 1 Shieldbearer (for movement tricks with Shield Bash or take the hit tank) or Toshiro (to summon an Ashigaru first turn and then Foul mouth or summon if I have the card). I really like Toshiro as the + flips increases my top-decking even more.
• Anna if I want ranged attacks, corpse bombs and Gravity Well. She also provides a bit of card draw (which nothing in keyword has)
• Vincent - great against summoners. Anna is probably objectively better with Reva 1 though. Vincent starts to shine with Reva 2
• Nurse or Bone Pile if I'm not bringing Toshiro
• Corpse Golem if I need another big beefy tank to slap in the middle
• Draugrs are a bit of an interesting one. Some people love them, some hate them. I lean a little to the latter as they can die very easily. However, with Toshiro, they do become much better. (always + to hit and Ashigaru to take the hit). I'd usually put GST on him if I do bring him.
• Emissary if I want to block off parts of the board with Coffins

I've also gone some extreme tech picks like Student of Steel if facing Hoffman or Effigy if I need a budget healer

Haven't tried Deacon with Reva 1. Does anyone have thoughts? I didn't mind him with Luminary though.

[Shakyor]

Oh another one of my recent Favourites Gwisins with GST, they are a really efficient model. GST gives them a really good bonus action in reva 1. Since she is a minion the regeneration and terryfying 11 are pretty okay too! (They have to take the terrifiying test AFTER take the hit!). They fit well in Reva, since passing hits around is generally strong and it is a versatile which plays nice with pyre markers. 

 

They also synergize well with Draugrs, although I still dont quite see the upside if you put all the work in to make them not terrible. I mean people act like they are these glass cannons with amazing offensive potential, if only they could realize it consistently. But honestly, even their offensive power ist just not that great for 7ss

[Adran]

1 hour ago, Shakyor said:

 Since she is a minion the regeneration and terryfying 11 are pretty okay too! (They have to take the terrifiying test AFTER take the hit)

Pretty sure the FAQ says the opposite, things like terrifying are on the model originally targeted, not on any newly created targets ( by take the hit or protected or such like).

 

[Shakyor]

Oh wow, did not read that part then! Seemed so obvious from the wording to me, now that I read it again I am not so sure though. You are probably right, since Take the Hits starts with an "after an enemy model targets", so that point could very well have passend when the gwisin becomes the target. 

Look at me scamming my opponents. Still think Gwisin with GST is pretty worthwile in Reva 1 though.

 

[Adran]

44 minutes ago, Shakyor said:

Look at me scamming my opponents. Still think Gwisin with GST is pretty worthwile in Reva 1 though.

 

Yes, I think they are still good, but don't expect to get much out of the terrifying. 

[Paddywhack]

10 hours ago, Shakyor said:

2.) Use her to artiellery fire from a pyre marker, this will get you one burning per actions and one burning, which she can use to get a + flip for the next action. This can give her (in theoreitical ideal circumstances, which happen regular enough for me though) - 3 plus flips min 3 attacks at range, a bonus action (Grave Spirits touch is actually great on reva 1!) and 4 Shielded. This can actually make her a tank in a clutch with her 2" engagement.

How are you getting Shielded +4? Spirits in the Flame is Once per Activation. Or am I missing something in this setup?

[Shakyor]

12 hours ago, Paddywhack said:

How are you getting Shielded +4? Spirits in the Flame is Once per Activation. Or am I missing something in this setup?

Haha - jesus havent played her a while and just went from memory and a quick glance of the card giving advise. Of course you are right. I never actually missplayed that one though I am pretty sure, just remembered that artillerly nuking inside a pyrer marker was a pretty good go-to move and then tried to figure out what is all happening when you do that.

[Paddywhack]

No worries! It is still a good idea with Reva1 especially as she can use all the Burning for + flips. 

[Maniacal_cackle]

Don't forget Reva can mega heal in her own activation.

Feed on grief on a corpse candle can heal 4, then two bonus actions for 3 each... that's ten health with two actions left!

[Butch]

Wow! Lots of good advice. Thank you all!

I hope I get my first game with her soon.

 

 

[BlackCadian]

This thread has been very helpful indeed. I too have a hard time wrapping my head around Reva.

[Cranky Old Man]

I quite like the wanyudo with her. he can go off and scheme with his high speed. Pyres dont worry him and he put burning on friendlies for Reva to use for positive flips

[ShinChan]

My "core" Reva1 list is:

• Reva + The Whisper (2ss)
  • She's usually the one activating either last or first, depending on how exposed she is. The main goal during that activation is gonna be one of the following (or multiple):
    • 1) Kill an unactivated enemy model if it's doable (so the Whisper is great for that)
    • 2) Heal a friendly model so it doesn't die
    • 3) Set up to score points (the  trigger on her melee is great for that)
    • 4) Detonate pyres to enable my crew to hit the enemy (usually if she's one of the first activations of the turn, otherwise is loses some value, but can be still worth it depending on the situation)
• Shieldbearer (6ss)
  • They're great to move your models into position with the mask trigger and Blasphemous Ritual is a must in this crew. Depending on strats and schemes, I could include a second one, although a Gwishin is probably a better option.
• Dead Rider (11ss)
  • First and foremost, it's a great scheme runner and helps moving your pieces around. He can enable some crazy plays turns 3 onwards and the injured pulse helps A LOT the crew.
• Restless Spirit (4ss)
  • Decent scheme runner and gives you more corpses, which usually are never enough due to all the marker's hate that has been released with the book of Explorer's Society and Malifaux Burns. It also enables some nice plays by being able to give shielded on demand, so Reva can attack through the model with Shielded.
• Bete Noire (8+1ss)
  • An independant scalpel that benefits from many synergies in the crew and can enable some crazy plays with Scarlet Temptation, making sure that Reva gets kills with exploding pyres and/or Feed on Grief. It's also quite easy to trigger the setup for her ability Pounce (all the models mentioned before can do it), making her a 4 action model.

Now you have 18ss left to play. So let's dive into that:

• My favourites:
  • Gravedigger: Great support piece that can easily tag along with the Dead Rider to keep him alive. He's papermade, so you need to be extra careful with the positioning. Also helps to do the double Blasphemous Ritual turn 1 without compromising you activation order. Opponents usually underestimate his damage track, but the trigger "Accidental Roll Over" makes him an effective min 4 damage. He also enables the Zombie Apocalypse of the Dead Rider and helps to score different schemes and strats, being able to drop 2 scheme markers in a single activation (or take 2 interacts on the same strategy marker in in the same activation, can get out of engagement by himself...).
  • Wanyudo: If you need fast, this is your boy. Send him to do some errand (scheme or strat) early, and later in the game use him to run over people forcing simple Mv duels when the opponent has few cards in hand remaining
  • Draugr: I'm on the opposite side of the equation regarding this guys. They're bad for 7ss, I'm not even gonna deny that. But they fill a purpose in some of my lists, which is being an expendable cruise missile. Their tactical action "Draw Off Flame" gives them a lot of options to both become a threat range and get out of combat to safety next to a Shieldbearer/Gwishin, so they're another long range threat that the opponent will have to take into consideration, and not only Reva. They're good if you can get a back-to-back activation (last activation turn 1, first turn 2 for example) to get into the middle of the enemy crew, show aside someone in the frontline and delete a support model in the backline. Then he's gonna die, but if you managed to delete that low cost model was gonna be an annoyance later on, he's fulfilled his mission and he can die happily. I usually throw him in turn 2 with 2 focus and 5+ burning to achieve that goal.
  • Gwishin: They only reason this aren't better than a Shieldbearer for you is that they cannot gain burning from pyres. The best on their card is the ability to remove enemy scheme markers while engaged with Trail of Gore (and even get a benefit from it!), which is quite rare to have in Ressers (at least the masters I play).

• Situational picks:
  • Vincent: Mainly an anti-summoner. He can also provide shielded and move pyres around which can be, in certain situations, really good. I usually don't have the resources to make him work due to my playstyle.
  • Anna Lovelace: She's expensive, but she provides so much when you need to control an area of the map. Her two auras (Gravity Well and Hostile Work Environment) make her worth the 11ss against many masters (Kirai2, Dreamer, Marcus, Von Schill, Tara...). On top of that she draws you at least 1 card every turn, which is really important against certain crews that can put some pressure in your hand.
  • Bone Pile: Decent scheme runners, fairly tanky that can heal and remove conditions without TN.
  • Emissary: Tanky piece that hands out injured and helps protect your models thanks to the coffin. Also provides more attack nodes for Reva (Zombies) and hands out Injured, which is a condition that synergizes very well with the crew, due to the lack of card draw.

• Personal "I don't like" picks:
  • Grave Golem: Doesn't bring anything to me. Too slow, too vulnerable to conditions (slow, staggered), doesn't bring anything you cannot do in a more efficient way with cheaper pieces. The only good thing he brings is probably being able to throw a corpse candle to someone without a TN, but for that I would even consider Archie, since he at least has a chance to actually hit with the attack.
  • Lampads: Even after the buff, they're still Df4, which makes them really squishy and they can even become a problem from the rest of your crew due to blasts and ranged attacks (the crew already hates Blasts by itself). They eat Pyre Marker and a card to not die, which is A LOT of resources for this crew. You have 6 cards per turn and you really like to hit your TNs, which aren't many, but are there, plus Take the Hits, etc... Removing a Pyre can also be a lot due to all the terrain marker hate (I've finished games with only 2 pyres on the board after 5 turns). You could give them the upgrade Grave Spirits Touch, which fixes some of their issues, but bumps their cost to 10ss, and they're already not worth 8, at least IMHO with Reva 1.
    One of the best things they have is the mask trigger in their tactical action "Hovering Flame", but all the crew is competing for  already:
    • Shieldbearer for the push
    • Bete Noire to bury herself
    • Reva for the triggers in Ethereal Reaping, The Unquiet Dead and Embrace the Flame
    • Draugr for Shove Aside
    • Vincent to charge one your models and trigger Quick Shot (which gives him a poor's man Run&Gun)
    • Gravedigger for Accidental Roll Over trigger
  • Mourners: It is sad, but they're just bad models.
  • Deacon Hillcrest: The main reason to bring him is "Translocation Ritual", which you cannot guarantee due to the lack of card draw and he not being a henchman, so his utility is based on pure luck, since he doesn't do anything else relevant for Reva 1 (he's great with Kaeris 2 tho).

 

Sorry for the long post, but I hope it helps!

[Cranky Old Man]

Great post @ShinChan

The draugr have never done much for me. I like a lampad in leylines- they can move 15 inches per turn .

Reva to me is the crews beater and so i take Killer Instinct to make sure terrifying and manipulative doesn't stop me . Bone piles are a must for healing and condition removal- last game against McMourning Reva ended up with 31 poison!

Restless spirit and Dead rider are core pick for me too. Wanyudo i love.

Deacon is a fun pick but he isnt needed.Vincent I just never take, I should give him another go.

I havent tried Bete in Reva but I will give it a go.