Tactica: Ramos

[Amarel]

I've not had any luck with the Steamborg against Pandora - from just under 15" away (near twice the range of the Steamborg's charge distance) she walked 3", Cast Pacify, Fading Memories, Self-Loathing, Self-Loathing, [Dead Steamborg], Pacified out.

Spider explosions were my best damage dealer against her.

[theHman]

I have used Ramos' new toolkit totem in a couple of games and have to say, it makes Ramos really, really, REALLY sick and evil (in a great way for us)!

Need a new spider? BAM! You got one on an 8+ of any suit AND you get surge.

Need an electrical creation? BA-BAM! Here he is on a 7+ (of any suit) and you get surge off again!

Most of the time you don't even need to cheat the casting flip.

Mmmmm, delicious!

So far I'm loving the toolkit totem WAY more than the Brass Arachnid. But unlike others, I could never get stoke to work for me when I needed it.

Really can't wait to play a brawl using Ramos, Colette & toolkit totem. What's that, you within 8" of Colette, Za-Zap! You just got sacrificed fool AND I summoned a new marionette from your stinkin' body!

WAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHHAHAAAA! aha, ha haaa.. err 'scuse me. Got a little carried away there. :1244:

[Buddhanutz]

I have only played 3 games with Ramos and I have had some decent luck with him but it seems that he does not do much for me. I can never seem to get him to get his summon spider or electrical creation spell to go off. Out of two games I got both spels to go off once per game (each was about 5 rounds). I play tricky casters in every game that I play, I am not sure if Ramos is tricky or not, but I can't get the man to work right for me. We played 35 point games and I did not spam spiders. I took one swarm and one extra spider. That is probably my problem. But I think that if you rely too much on spiders you are going to have a difficult time with objectives and taking out models with armor.

I have to say though that the steamborg is a monster. He has carried me through both games. Easily earning his points back. What a beast. I played my friend's lilith army last night and it showed me how powerful knock aside (what ever that trigger is called) can be. I lost the game because I forgot the steamborg has it as well, and I missed my oppurtunity to take out his second MNephlim.

I will keep working with him, but I think i am switching to Colette.

[Rob1981]

I have SEROIUS problems with Pandora, with all the (0) abilities she can use and the sizeable ss cache not only is she unbeatable in a wp duel until she burns all her ss but there WILL be crows at some point so you lose activations falling back and rallying things. I know the best way to get her would be to use spiders / elec. creation as suicide bombers but it's getting them close enough thats the problem as Pandora uses them as stepping stones with the bloody (0) abilities to jump out of the way. I don't see how I can beat Pandora

[Nutcase168]

@Budda:

Are you taking Rusty Alyce with Ramos? She adds two extra cards of drawing which can help a lot for getting the :tomes you need. Plus she adds solid ranged support.

I like Joss vs the steamborg most of the time as he can hit harder(for one shot at least) and is harder to hit. Plus he isn't living or affected by construct targeting things. I dropped Teddy last week in 2 hits, both with weak damage. Power surge+brutal damage = +5 so the weak did 7. second hit did the last 2.

Against pandora I keep the spiders in swarms so they can repair after failing a WP test or 2. But get rid of the sorrows first.

And never underestimate electrical fire and Ca 8. It makes is really tough to dodge that spell for almost anything.

[Buddhanutz]

I am not using Rusty Alice but I have been thinking about it. I love the paint job that I did on the steamborg so its hard for me to take him out though I know that Joss (who is also in my list) is better that the steamborg.

I am basically running the list that warned against in an above thread.

Ramos

Joss

Steamborg

spider swarm

1 spider

I might give her a try and switch out the steamborg. I was looking at rusty alices sares as a way to protect Ramos against MNephlim alpha strikes, but also leaving Ramos with a body gaurd.

[Nutcase168]

I am not using Rusty Alice but I have been thinking about it. I love the paint job that I did on the steamborg so its hard for me to take him out though I know that Joss (who is also in my list) is better that the steamborg.

I am basically running the list that warned against in an above thread.

Ramos

Joss

Steamborg

spider swarm

1 spider

I might give her a try and switch out the steamborg. I was looking at rusty alices sares as a way to protect Ramos against MNephlim alpha strikes, but also leaving Ramos with a body gaurd.

I run the same list with Alyce and brass arachnid instead of the steamborg at 35 SS. It's working pretty well so far. the extra 2 cards you draw(and don't have to discard) help a good bit. If I can I try to make a second spider turn one.

Don't underestimate the swarm, overwhelm is a fantastic trigger to get. The snares won't stop them from charging Ramos, but between booby traps and arcing screen that means a model is taking 4 damage charging Ramos.

[Buddhanutz]

So do you end up casting arcing screen with the brass spider? I still don't understand why they did not allow it to affect Ramos with a three inch range. With Rusty I was thinking that the snares would keep the mNephlim from charging her and knocking her aside to get to ramos.

One question for you. Since Rusty can copy Ramos CA does she also get the Tome suit from Ramos's CA?

[Aberration]

So do you end up casting arcing screen with the brass spider? I still don't understand why they did not allow it to affect Ramos with a three inch range. With Rusty I was thinking that the snares would keep the mNephlim from charging her and knocking her aside to get to ramos.

One question for you. Since Rusty can copy Ramos CA does she also get the Tome suit from Ramos's CA?

The Ca stat includes the tome, so Alyce would indeed get the built in tome

[theHman]

I'm not impressed with Rusty Alice in my Ramos crew at all.

Yeah the extra cards are nice, but she doesn't seem to do enough damage in my games to justify her 10SS cost.

You're way better off taking the new toolkit bot totem for Ramos and spending the other 7 SS on spiders or Johan.

With the bot in your crew you don't really need extra cards b/c now you can cast all of your spells on a 7 or 8+ of any suit.

[HopelessHeretic]

@theHman. I recently played the new totem and it feels like ramos light. It makes him much easier to play and if you are new to ramos I highly recommend it. But once you grab alice and the brass archnid everything in the ramos list becomes very dangerous. Especially the spiders since you can reactivate multiple times. The other reason I don't lie the new totem as much is that it is to tempting to turn ramos into a spider factory. It was great meeting you at Gencon.

-Heretic

[Xango]

I've not had any luck with the Steamborg against Pandora - from just under 15" away (near twice the range of the Steamborg's charge distance) she walked 3", Cast Pacify, Fading Memories, Self-Loathing, Self-Loathing, [Dead Steamborg], Pacified out.

Spider explosions were my best damage dealer against her.

I know amarel, pandora is a hideous crew, i have a way more problems with the kids than with pandora, don`t hesitate in use all your cards for wp duels, go for it, is the only way, also fight a lot to win initiative flips, if you manage to have the steamborg near the brass arachnid, activate the steam, charge pandora and next activate the brass to stoke your steamborg and attack pandora again, she will be dead with this combo if you win the wp duels, if you have bad luck and get 3 weak damage cards, move ramos closer and burn the wounded pandora down channeling electrical fire through the brass, latch-on is not an attack so you can latch spyders on pandora and disrupt her a lot, honestly, when i play agressive against her with nothing to loose attitude i`ve managed to win the 2 games. I have played against her... 2 times with zoraida, 1 time with tina and 2 with ramos, only have won with ramos.

[Nutcase168]

So do you end up casting arcing screen with the brass spider? I still don't understand why they did not allow it to affect Ramos with a three inch range. With Rusty I was thinking that the snares would keep the mNephlim from charging her and knocking her aside to get to ramos.

One question for you. Since Rusty can copy Ramos CA does she also get the Tome suit from Ramos's CA?

Yeah, arcing screen is usually my default spell with the brass arachnid. I only go for stoke when I have the card in hand. And snares would stop that tactic. I usually give her cover depending on the crew I face.

I'm not impressed with Rusty Alice in my Ramos crew at all.

Yeah the extra cards are nice, but she doesn't seem to do enough damage in my games to justify her 10SS cost.

You're way better off taking the new toolkit bot totem for Ramos and spending the other 7 SS on spiders or Johan.

With the bot in your crew you don't really need extra cards b/c now you can cast all of your spells on a 7 or 8+ of any suit.

a Cb 6, 3/4/5 range 12 gun with head shot isn't enough damage for you, ok :question: But add in the 2 free cards, burnout and the ability to make a SPA for 2 cards and a 6+ and she's well worth it in my book.

@theHman. I recently played the new totem and it feels like ramos light. It makes him much easier to play and if you are new to ramos I highly recommend it. But once you grab alice and the brass archnid everything in the ramos list becomes very dangerous. Especially the spiders since you can reactivate multiple times. The other reason I don't lie the new totem as much is that it is to tempting to turn ramos into a spider factory. It was great meeting you at Gencon.

-Heretic

That's kind of my concern with the new totem. If I took it I would only focus on summoning and I play much more aggressive with him using electrical fire a lot.

[mylastnerv]

Do any of you guys try to make SPA's with Alyce, or have you ever made enough to pop a DE? I have Levi as my second master so I have all the stuff on hand, I just wonder if anyone has tried to go that route with Ramos instead of mass spiders.

[Teal]

I've done this list once, and it absolutely smashed my completely surprised opponent. I took Ramos, Alyce, BA, and three spiders in a 25 SS game. First turn Ramos electrical-fired the spiders to death, and Alyce began to summon SA's. Second turn Ramos Salvaged Under Fired, and Alyce got the last two SA needed, and then they all began to advance across the field, turned into a DE, and started munching the surprised Nephilim in the center of the board.

Granted, my opponent had never played against or really read much about the DE, so it wasn't the most ideal testing environment, but it was a blast to try, and the list works well even without trying to DE bomb.

[Nutcase168]

I've made a couple SPA in recent games but never enough for the desolation engine. Though it wouldn't be hard if something or some one flattened some spiders or a swarm to get 2 in one turn if you had the cards to lose (looking at you 1-3 value cards.)

edit @ Teal, I don't think Alcye can use the scrap counter Ramos makes with Salvage under fire as he is carrying it but I'd have to ask.

Edited August 25, 2010 by Nutcase168

[Teal]

Oh, right you are. But can he give them to her is the question. I don't have my rulebook in front of me, but can you give Scrap counters to non scavenger models?

[Nutcase168]

I don't think so as she can't carry them. I think Alyce can only use loose ones on the field.

[Teal]

Well, you can either shoot the BA to death for the scraps, or take another spider and less ss and shoot that one. Shame that you have to sack more models, but the look on someone's face when you're playing Ramos and have a DE on the table is most definitely worth it.

[mylastnerv]

You could also maybe just have Alyce scavenge . . . . could really slow the group down, but with all the new schemes and strategies . . . . ya never know.

[Nutcase168]

I thought only scavengers could scavenge(she's not)? And that's an (all) action which, like you said would really slow things down.

[mylastnerv]

I thought only scavengers could scavenge(she's not)? And that's an (all) action which, like you said would really slow things down.

You are correct sir, she isn't. Slight slip of the brain.

Popping a bunch of controlled detonations (especially when the Tools come out) can help build up your scrap counters, cause I believe they just kill the models.

[Nutcase168]

Correct, controlled detonation still leaves a counter as it kills the model not sacrifices it.

As for scavengers, the only non master scavenger I know about is Hoffman's totem. I think there is a very good reason why Ramos doesn't have a mechanical version of the canine remains.

[Buddhanutz]

What do you guys think about using the guild gaurdian with ramos. He easily puts ramos up to armor 4, at can even get ramos, though it seems hard to pull off, up to armor 6. He can take damage for ramos and is a decent combatant. Not a bad deal for his points cost.

[mythicFOX]

I normally run Ramos with a body guard when playing against mobile crews. So IMHO he looks like an interesting option.

For me taking him rules out taking either Rusty or Johan (w/o Joss) as then I'd have too many SS clustered within 3 of my master, killing my mobility.

I'd have to test out how the guardian performed in these roles vs the other options to know for sure.