Best Second for Gremlins

[Ace of Apes]

Okay, so with the Rules Manual and Gaining Ground out for a while, there's some interest in tournaments at my LGS.

That's pretty cool, but it also means I should probably invest in a new Outcast crew to shore up some weaknesses my Gremlins (both Som'er and Ophelia) have. For various reasons I'm leaning towards the Viks, maybe Hamelin, but truth be told, I feel I don't really have enough experience with any of the non-Gremlin Outcast crews to actually make a good decision.

So, I'm turning to you guys to tell me who you'd generally consider the best second Master to bring to a tournament alongside some kind of Gremlin list.

Best just meaning making for the most powerful combination of lists here, not most fun, easiest to learn or cheapest to get the models for.

Thanks in advance.

Edited May 13, 2011 by Ace of Apes

[Rathnard]

Okay, so from what I know of the gremlins they're great for shooting, blast/pulse effects and claiming objectives through weight of numbers, but suffer from a low Wp and poor resiliance.

So if you're hoping to counteract those weaknesses, Von Schill seems to be an ideal candidate. Levi could also work, since his key models have a very high Wp and he can tailor his crew to ignore alot of Morale or Wp-type effects too (even just by virtue of being undead or constructs)

Honestly though, each of the Outcast Crews have such wildly differing playstyles that you can't really go wrong with pairing any of them with So'mer. If I were you I'd go with what you like. Which is why I voted for Levi.

[Necromorph]

Each Master has their own benefits.

Hamelin - He's not going to be cheap to buy models for, but he is incredibly powerful, and lets face it, there are some crews out there that are going to find it damn near impossible to beat him unless they have lots of experience playing against him (and sometimes, in the case of crews like Ophelia, they simply can't beat him at all). As I said though, if cost is a factor, you'll need at least 2 more packs of rats, a pack of catchers, and a pack of stolen to make him work, not exactly easy on the walet.

Levi - One of (if not THE) most powerful ranged casters in the game. His ability to kill just about anything in 2-3 spells, and his crews immense versatility make him a strong choice. However, unless you know exactly what you want to run with him, trying out different options can get expensive. Additionally, he is a tough master to learn and has a lot of abilities and traits that you need to stay on top of to make him run efficiently.

Mercs - I lump VonSchill and the Viks into the Mercs category because, really, you'll want both (not necessarily both full boxes, but definitely Von Shill himself and the 2 Viks +/- some Freikorps/traditional Mercs). Though they don't have as wide a range of options as Leveticus, the Mercs are designed for versatility and they can field units to suit any situation. They are fairly straightforward and tend to rely less on trickery and subterfuge than some crews.

If you don't want to spend a ton of cash, and want a crew that's easy to jump into go Mercs. If you have time to learn Levi to his fullest potential and understand what works best with him, go Levi. If you want to be a total douche-nozzle in tournaments go Hamelin, but beware the potential price tags on Levi and Hamelin.

[Ace of Apes]

Okay, so from what I know of the gremlins they're great for shooting, blast/pulse effects and claiming objectives through weight of numbers, but suffer from a low Wp and poor resiliance.

That and not hitting much reliably without their support are their main weaknesses, yeah.

So if you're hoping to counteract those weaknesses, Von Schill seems to be an ideal candidate. Levi could also work, since his key models have a very high Wp and he can tailor his crew to ignore alot of Morale or Wp-type effects too (even just by virtue of being undead or constructs)

Yeah, now that I think about it, Von Schill would probably be a good answer to most or even all things Gremlins fear. I haven't actually seen him in action, though, but just the regular Freikorps stuff, I guess with Taelor thrown in, would shore up a lot of my usual weaknesses.

(Also, what Necromorph said is of course a good reason for him - I could easily get a Viks crew out of that with just a few model purchases.)

One thing that kept my thoughts away from Levi so far is that Gremlins often have issues with opponents that can reach their utility stuff, and I think Levi would suffer from that as well, since his support is so critical for him. Perdita with Nino and one or two Austringers, for example, would be something that I suspect would spell trouble for both.

However...

Levi - One of (if not THE) most powerful ranged casters in the game. His ability to kill just about anything in 2-3 spells, and his crews immense versatility make him a strong choice.

His sheer damage output against a single target is a strong selling point for sure. Gremlins can do a lot of damage, but not against everyone.

Decisions, decisions...

However, unless you know exactly what you want to run with him, trying out different options can get expensive. Additionally, he is a tough master to learn and has a lot of abilities and traits that you need to stay on top of to make him run efficiently.

Being expensive and hard to learn isn't really much of a concern to me since I don't play that many crews. Right now it's Gremlins (both Som'er and Ophelia), Showgirls, Zoraida and Lilith.

So I could free up both the time and cash for Levi or, for that matter, Hamelin.

Anyway, thanks for your help.