The good the Bad the Ugly - Chimera edition

[Jordon]

Overall I think chimera is a fairly stable keyword. I don't really see any glaring issues that cripple the keyword but there are still problems that I fee are causing some imbalance. 

 

The Good: 

 

Order Initiate:

Very solid models that really play well with the mutation mechanic. You can play them in a number of different ways and they are fairly self sufficient. Both versions of Marcus will probably take at least one but I don't think you'd be wrong for including multiples. 

Paul Crocket: 

He has a gun! That along makes him pretty unique but the fact that he's so cheap and has quite a bit of synergy makes him a strong inclusion. I do think he's more geared towards Marcus1 due to the card draw and ability to reposition. Just slap a mutation and leave him alone to do his thing. 

Myranda: 

Whats not to love. Great healing, amazing support abilities, and the ability to turn into whatever beast you want. I usually don't shape change as I find her too valuable but there is also something to be said about having a third Cerberus or second Blessed (once they die of course). She's about as auto include as it gets for Chimera. 

Cojo:

I know people are a bit mixed on this guy. Mostly because of the 10ss price tag and no built in defences. However I think Cojo can be an absolute menace if played correctly. He really makes good use of just about every mutation. Stat4 Toss is really reliable. I do wish he has SOMETHING for defence though. 

I will say that I don't think you are hiring him often but I'll talk more on that later on. 

Jackalope: 

I love this little guy. HIs ability to just be a nuisance cannot be undersold. Just give him some horns or claws and watch him wreak havoc in the opponents backline. The opponent will need to deal with him but the investment in removing him can be high.  

Vogel/Beast:

Vogel is particularly interesting as his toolkit is very unique compared to the rest of the keyword. Again having a ranged attack (and a pretty decent one at that) with some great triggers. Probably even more interesting is his "Stick 'em" trigger which can pseudo Obey Marcus2. 

The Beast Within is less interesting as it's mostly a melee beater in a keyword that is full to the brim with them. That said, he does the job well and comes with some much needed anti armor (in keyword). 

I don't think this model is mandatory but it has enough utility to at least give it a unique role. 

Blessed: 

Yeah I know it's not Chimera, but it's seen often enough that it ought to be. While it doesn't have any real synergy with either version of Marcus, it's just a good model on its own, that really gets boosted when you factor in Mutations. Marcus1 gets it at no additional cost and probably will hire it. Marcus2 can get it via Myranda but likely won't hire it due to the lack of adaptive evolution. 

Empyrean Eagle:

This was the model desperately needed. Especially when the only other cheap option was a Moleman (who was terrible for a very long time). Fast cheap scheming potential is exactly what Marcus was missing for so long and now he has it. Also has the added benefit of a pretty decent gun. With Adaptive Evolution and Predatory Instinct, you can actually make this model a fairly reliable threat. I'm probably never leaving home without at least one of these. 

 

The Bad:

 

Hoarcat: 

Again, I know this isn't a Chimera. However given that we only have two non-chimera beast options, I do think this model SHOULD be factored in. Currently Marcus1 Beastmaster will save you 1ss for hiring a Blessed. Thats it. Neverborn does get a lot more milage from this ability and its a shame that Arcansists only have 2 options and one of those is simply terrible.

Maybe there was an argument before the eagles existed that they were the only cheap scheme runners. Now however, they simple serve no purpose in Marcus. They need ice pillars in order to do anything of value and Marcus has no access to them within keyword. 

I'm certainly not expecting these to ever get tailored to Marcus and their priority should be December. However I do think there is a way to make it work with one without excluding the other. Until we get more beasts, this will just be a sad reminder of how bad Beastmaster is in Arcansists. 

Razorspine:

I originally seen this model as a scheme runner as it is quite fast. However the Eagles now occupy that role. So then I thought of this model as flank harassment tool but again the comparison is drawn to the Cerberus who is even faster and MUCH more lethal. This model seems to want to tie up things and waste their AP but in my experience they just don't really do a good enough job at it. 

Using your 7ss model (not exactly cheap) to tie up a cheaper model seems like a waste but they lack the durability to really go toe to toe with the 7-9ss models as they lack any real defence outside of Df6 and an occasional heal. 

Finally the nail in the coffin is the lack of Adaptive Evolution which as I stated before is a big deal for both Marcus versions. I just don't see much value here.

 

The Ugly:

 

Molemen: 

I can't say that these are bad. They're leagues better than what they were. I just feel like they missed the mark by not giving them Adaptive Evolution. Both versions of Marcus have a reliance on discarding Mutations and these models really need mutations in order to do their job. So your having to lock away some of your best upgrades with no way to get them back (unless they die). 

If the Eagles didn't exist then maybe I could see a purpose for them. However the Eagles simply outclass molemen while also utilizing the mutation mechanics of both masters. Molemen do also provide some support via tunnel markers and I do think that it really cool. However that support comes in the form of a speed boost, in the keyword  who needs it the least. Chimera is insanely fast with most models already having movement related bonus actions.

If they had versatile, I'd be singing their praises as I think they're much more interesting as an OOK option. However in keyword, the Eagles just outclass them.

 

Cerberus:

Obviously these models are insanely good and I think that's their problem. In fact I think the reason why many other models are ending up in the "Ugly" category is because of the Cerberus. Simply put, it's almost always the right answer. Their insane speed just makes them good at everything. They're more defensible than the Mauler since they can stay out of range of key threats, they hit harder than any other beast, they're amazing scheme runners, Myranda can change into them AND they're minions. They just do it all.

I would be very comfortable with hiring these at 9ss. They are somewhat squishy, which I think keeps them somewhat in check. However there are too many other beast models that simply don't compare favourably to these cats. At 8ss I just think this model dominates the decision making process and is a good reason why you don't often see other more niche options as a good chunk of your list is dedicated into hiring two upgraded cats.

 

Slate Ridge Mauler: 

Right now at 8ss, it's competing directly with the Cerberus, who I think just does it better. I think the SRM was meant to be the tank of the keyword with the ability to heal plus H2W. Unfortunately it doesn't really go far enough with only 8wds and no damage prevention (outside of mutations), they still can't really take a punch. They just seem to be very vanilla with a decent (but not as good as the Cerberus) melee and a decent (but not as good as the Cerberus) movement free action. 

I think if they had 10wds or dropped to 7ss I'd be much happier with what they can do. 

 

The Scorpius: 

It would be an amazing model if we had any meaningful access to poison. It just can't really generate enough poison on it's own to really utilize much of its own abilities. Myranda is the only other model who gives poison innately and honestly her AP typically spent healing, moving, or being a completely model entirely. The Razorspine also has it but it's not built in and often the Razorspine is off doing other things anyway. 

Honestly this model is probably better with Sandeep who can actually hand out poison in some quantity. 

 

The Unsure: 

 

Marcus1 Vs Marcus2:

Here's where I'm still on the fence. I don't see Marcus1 as a bad master but I am curious when I will ever want to take him over Marcus2 now. Adaptive Evolution is a really great ability but it doesn't really pay off in Marcus1. Sure you get a card, but your then having to spend master AP reapplying the upgrade. Whereas Marcus2 can make full use of Adaptive Evolution, largely mitigating the need for card draw, without spending his own AP. 

I do think Marcus1 has some play with Accomplice, leading to some potentially big activations but overall I see Marcus2 as covering a lot more bases and overall feeling like the smarter choice in most matchups. 

Maybe it's just a matter of new and shiny and I'll need more time to really feel out the advantages of each. I'm not sure I'd say Marcus2 is too good and needs toning down or whether Marcus1 is slightly under and could use a boost up. Maybe they're both fine and I just need to figure out the strength and weaknesses of each. 

[urnx]

I agree with almost all your takes. The bears and coilers do feel meaningless among the excellent minions Marcus has access to.
I to am a bit confused with the differences of Marcus 1 and 2. I think Marcus 2 is meant to counter intuitively play a slightly slower spread out scheme game. Not having that initial 4 inch group push, spreading your mutations a little slower with than Marcus 1 and having a global mutation applier makes spreading up into 2 or 3 "parties" more appealing than crowding around Marcus 1 for card draw, charges and mutations.

I do think you underestimate the Scorpius. I made the same mistake but the feeding should be looked at as a tech action for poison crews and the rest of the card is independently strong enough.

The main thing the Scorpius is good at is offense, having a stat 7 min 4 damage attack (3 for second attack in turn) is a lot of accuracy and damage output for a 7 point model, especially one with a bonus move action, armor, and a powerful tech action for matchups where it should struggle.

In terms of mutations I tend to lean toward wings because of the creep along synergy helping you land 2 hits for that stat 7 4 poison value. armor 2 is good especially with Myranda's healing, and horns for charge through + onslaught with adaptive evolution is a powerful aggressive play especially with Marcus 2.

[Jordon]

I think my issue with Marcus1 is that he has to work a lot harder for his crew's core mechanic. He needs to spend his own AP to fuel his crew with mutations. As those mutations get used up, he needs to continually keep them topped up. Compare that to Marcus2 who simply does whatever he wants and the crew is actively encouraged to use adaptive evolution. It just seems to work better with Marcus2

What I'd love to see for Marcus1 is skewing in more of a scheme direction. He already has insane mobility but his Chimerancy just doesn't feel fulfilling when compared to his title version. The other problem is that he has cheaper non-chimera beasts, but those doesn't really work well with mutations.

Here is a thought I had. It's pretty simple. What if he had a trigger on Chimerancy like this: 

Concluded Studies:  Target another model with an attached mutation within range. Target discards a mutation and may immediately perform an interact action. 

 

The idea here is that you'd get around one of the crew's biggest limitation with having mutations stuck on models who cannot remove them. This would also skew him away from Marcus2 into more of a schemer.  

So you would actually want to put a mutation on a Moleman or a Razorspine to get them into position. Then you could reclaim that mutation for an interact, which makes him spending his AP on Chimerancy not feel so bad. It also ties into his role of cheaper non-chimera beasts. 

In my mind this would diversify both versions. Marcus2 really wants adaptive evolution, while Marcus1 could be a bit more loose and maybe hire those OOK beasts and not feel penalized. 

[Mycellanious]

IMO, Marcus 1 struggles because he is an AP shifting Master who exclusively trades down. 

There are some powerful things on his card. Primal Domain is VERY strong, and Primal Roar being a Disengage for his whole crew is also very good. The problem with Primal Roar, is that it was a lot more interesting at the start of M3E. There are more Keywords now that can do Pulse movement shenanigans, and significantly more models that just don't care about being engaged, so it isn't as special as it once was.

But the biggest problem is Call of the Wild. At his core, Marcus is a Master who is shifting his own AP to other models in his crew. But, Call of the Wild is Exclusively a 1 for 1 trade, ie a trade down. When you use Call of the Wild, the target moves its move in inches, which is the same distance as if it had taken the Walk Action (but without the option of using Flight). Similarly, the Hunter's Call trigger is just a Charge Action, the same as if the model had Activation and used an Action to Charge (but without the option of declaring triggers). In this way, you are trade 1 Master AP for 1, restricted, non-Master AP. Since Master AP is more valuable than non-master AP, this is exclusively a downward trade. 

Compare this to other AP shifting Masters. On the extreme opposite side of the coin, we have Zoraida, who can spend 1 Master AP for 2 non-Master AP in various ways. For example, Obey + Ensorcell is just flat 2 AP for 1, a strict uptrade. But even Hex is in a similar state: 1 Master AP for damage, injured, and a Coordinated Strike for a second AP. Thats hella efficient, and isn't taking into account things like Obeying enemy models with Enscorcel to force them out of position, spend their resources, and hurt their allies which is a trade of 1 AP for a potential of something like 5-6. 

But Zoraida is clearly an outlier, other AP shifting Masters also tend to uptrade. Maxine can spend an AP to give out Fast to 2 models: 1 Master AP for 2 non-Master AP. Mei Feng can spend an AP to give out Fast and free Action: 1 Master AP for 2 non-Master AP. Yan Lo, Misaki, and even Nagatorro can Obey a target and give it Focused before the attack: 1 "Master" AP for 2 non-Master AP. 

The value in Call of the Wild comes from the Ability to pump THREE AP into the single target, for example if properly set up Marcus could give all 3 of his AP to a Cerberus and make it Walk three times, and then accomplice into it. This is certainly a significant consideration, but like, at the same time, you have to have the cards for it, and it spends your high cards, and like, you could have just taken a different Master and gotten 3 AP anyway without jumping through hoops, with actions that are almost certainly better than Walk. 

[Maniacal_cackle]

I think that analysis missed a lot for Marcus, though.  That's basically a raw power analysis,  but Marcus power is more tied to flexibility IMO.

He can always have models where they need to be, so pools that reward fluid movement are really good for him.

He also delivers extremely potent actions early in the game that impacts the rest of the game. You can hardly call a double upgrade cerberus an 8 stone model anymore. I'd say he is more comparable to a summoner, who provides huge value early and then decreases in usefulness himself while his crew gets stronger over time.

Another way he is unique is the amount of support he provides in terms of card draw.

And of course, he is the only master in the game with accomplice (though arguably this is what makes him better in neverborn, where he can really abuse it).

I think he was great pre-burns. Now that is more up in the air, but I'm not sure that is Marcus' fault.

[Mycellanious]

Well, double upgrade Cerberus isn't a Marcus 1 thing, its a Chimera thing. Marcus 2 also has double upgrade Cerberus. Plus, the strength of the Cerberus is its own issue separate from Marcus.

Flexibility is great, but there are plenty of masters with flexibility that also get to have meaningful activations. A meaningful Marcus activation is like a Call of the Wild, Walk, Interact. 

I think it is very telling that Chimera was struggling for all of third edition (rated weakest Keyword in both its factions), but starts dominating now that it has Marcus 2. Marcus 1 just isn't doing things that are on the same level as other masters 

[TeddyBear]

it's just a personal opinion I don't think Marcus keyword needs more boosts. Rather maybe a greater "clarity of the roles" of his pieces. (but which is still difficult to achieve, being its huge pool)🤷