ukrocky Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 (edited) So, below is the brief reports, and lists, of some of my games with Marcus in post 1, then in post 2 I'll have a QnA, and finally in post 3 a list of all the models Marcus can take that are currently released. Game A Played vs Kirai tonite (25SS) I had slaughter, breakthrough, hold out vs destroy the evidence, breakthrough, kill protegee (Kaeris) I used Marcus + 3SS Student of Conflict Kaeris Gunsmith 2 x Despy Mercs Then realised I only had 3 significant models. Marcus then killed 27ss worth of stuff (in terms of slaughter) with kaeris picking up the rest and the stuff that was summoned. Won 8-0 He took out the student turn 1 with an Ikiryo, which was good for him, but I'm very used to having to keep alive Marcus and Kaeris, having played plenty with both, so I wasn't surprised he didn't take either out. (Kaeris did only have 1 wound left to be fair and had nicked a wound off the gunsmith). The evidence tokens I'm very, very used to defending, with myself having played the scenario many times and being able to throw slurrids at them, I've learnt from my opponents mistakes. Basically early game I dumped despy merc and gunsmith on one of the outer 2, Marcus on the other outer one and the other despy merc at the back, to put melee zones on. He went down the flank away from Marcus (maybe a mistake, who knows), to try and get that one, but kaeris was there to reinforce so when the despy merc died, she put her melee range on the objective too, whilst Marcus killed the 2 threats to his side then ran over. Game B Reccoinoitre, kill protegee, sabotage vs Lady J, executioner, judge, ryle, austringer, 2 x death Marshall (claim jump, kill protegee, +2ss) Used; myranda, sabertooth, razorspine, 3 x moles, jackalope. Won 7-0. Game C Destroy evidence, stake a claim, Marcus' specific one Vs ophelia, rami, Raphael, slop hauler, 3 x young, 7 gremlins. (slaughter, assassinate, kill protegee) Used; 3 x slurrid, jackalope, sabertooth, waldegeist, desp merc. Won 8-2 Game D So after a couple weeks off, managed a 6-2 win vs Perdita in shared destroy the evidence, with Marcus killing 24ss worth of shizz in a 35ss game. Woop. I used; Student of Conflict, 3 x Slurrids, Moleman, Snowstorm, +2SS. Chose; Sabotage (Got 2 vps), Marcus' one (Got 2 Vps). Also destroyed centre evidence first activation and the 2 outside of his zone. vs; Perdita (4ss cache total), enslaved neph, executioner, nino, austringer, santiago, 2 x guild hounds. Chose; Perdita's one (Didn't get), Round up (Didn't get) and got the evidence in my deployment. Cracking game! Game E Got a draw tonite vs kirai. Used; Kaeris, student, 3 x slurrids, misaki Had; destroy evidence, kill datsuba, Marcus' one Vs; kirai, 5 seishin, desp merc, 2 x madnesses, datsuba, and whatever else...lol. Had; claim jump, assassinate Marcus and kill misaki. 8 all final score! Game F Won 8 4 vs lilith. Used 4 night terrors, moleman, waldegeist and jackalope. Had; treasure hunt, breakthrough, extermination. vs; lilith, primordial, insidious, twins, terror tot. had; destroy evidence, steal relic and kill protegee. Games G -J Took Marcus to a tournament today, 4 rounds and about 24ish people. Game 1 - shared deliver a message - Von Schill - vs Ben I used; 3 x slurrid, student of conflict, moleman. Vs; VS, Librarian, specialist, trapper, 2 friekorps. My schemes were bodyguard and eye for an eye. His schemes were kill protegee and stake a claim. Won 8-2 Next game was vs Dom - shared escape and survive - ophelia I used; jackalope, 2 x waldegeists, snowstorm. Vs; ophelia, slop, rami, 9 gremlins My schemes were; assassinate and stake a claim His were; kill protegee and I can't remember his 2nd one. Will update when I get home. Won 8-0 Game 3 - Luke - Shared recon - zoraida Used; 4 x night terrors, waldegeist, 2 x moles, jackalope Vs; Big z, 2 x stitched, teddy, convict gunslinger. My schemes were; power ritual and kill protegee His were; reclaim malifaux and grudge Won 7-2 Final game - Jim - shared contain power - sonnia I used; 3 x slurrid, jackalope, desp merc and mole Vs; sonnia, govs proxy, 3 x witchlings, samael. My schemes; sabotage and Marcus' one His schemes; kill protegee and stake a claim Won 8-0 Game K Had a game vs Ian tonite (Sergilia or something...) 35ss - Marcus vs Viks Marcus had; Slaughter, Breakthrough and Sabotage Marcus used; Jackalope, Killjoy, Joss, 2 x Slurrids, Moleman. Viks had; Recconoitre, Bodyguard and stake a claim Viks used; Von Schill, Librarian, Trapper, Specialist Final score was an 8-0 win after Marcus killed a vik and heavily wounded another before falling to them, then killjoy went on a late killing spree killing the specialist, von schill and sword vik in the last 2 turns. 2 x Slurrids are better than expected, leaping onto a librarian turn 2 <3 Game L Vs a different vik's player (Scurr) I had; Recon, Stake a claim, Marcus' one I used; Jackalope, Waldegeist, 2 x slurrid, Steamborg executioner (new model), 2 x night terrors He had; Slaughter, Stake a claim, grudge He used; Libarian, Taelor, Desp Merc, Convict Gunslinger, Ronin Game ended in a 4-4 draw with marcus needing a moderate on a damage prevention on the last action of the game to get a 4-2 win. Silly Marcus. Game M I had; Slaughter, Kill Protegee, Grudge I used; Jackalope, Moleman, 2 x Shikome (Never done that before) and Killjoy He had; Claim Jump, Stake a Claim and Kill Protegee He used; Nekima, Terrot tot, Lelu, Lilitu, Cherub, Desp Merc Highlights of the game; - Killjoy popping up in turn 2 and being 1 shotted by Lilith with a red joker. - Paul having an atrocious first turn trying to kill his own desp merc. - The game finishing with a shikome on 1 wound as the only thing on the board - Marcus killing Lilitu, Lelu and Nekima (y) - Marcus dying to the black blood of the Lelu... Ended up as a 4-2 win to me Game N, O and P Me vs Steve D - Marcus vs Zoraida - Shared Destroy the Evidence I took; Kill Protegee and Exterminate He took; Bodyguard and Stake a Claim I used; Marcus, Student of Conflict, 3 x Slurrid, Moleman, Desp Merc, Snowstorm He used; 2 x Slurrid, Bad Juju, 2 x Gremlin, Young LaCroix, Ophelia Game ended in an 8-6 victory to me, however due to gaining grounds time limits we only got in 4 turns (Steve was new to the game), initivative next turn would have been fascinating with Marcus and a student of conflict stood next to Z with 3 wounds left, both 1ss, and snowstorm and slurrid ready to re-kill bad juju who was on the stakey claim! Game 2 was vs Adam Boyes (Boysey or something) who won best painted. I had; Claim Jump, Marcus' one and Stake a Claim He had; Treasure Hunt, Bodyguard and eye for an eye I used; Marcus, Shikome, Jackalope, Cerberus, 3 x Night Terrors, Desp Merc, Moleman He used; Perdita, Francisco, Nino, Executioner, Enslaved Neph, Austringer, 2 x Hounds Turn 1 his hounds get his treasure back in his deployment zone and hand off to the executioner. I manage to get the shikome behind a wall that his preyed austringer is on the other side on waiting for the jump on initivate. He wins initivative, kills the shikome with francisco and 'dita. I charge marcus into 'dita, can't get my attack high enough on the charge to dump in the red joker in my hand. I win the crucial initivative flip on the next turn and kill 'dita courtesy of tons more SS. Cat leaps onto austringer and kills him too. Game comes down to executioner in a corner in defensive stance being attacked by Marcus and Night terrors (Hard to kill ftw), manage to get thier blind trigger off so he can't even try and kill marcus right at the end, all after the cat had taken him down 1 wound before missing with his last attack and the executioner killing the cat to go back up to full. Ended an 8-0 win to me. Game 3 vs Steve Scurr I had; Slaughter, Sabotage, Power Ritual He had; Destroy Evidence, Breakthrough, Grudge (Cat) I used; 2 x Slurrid, Mole, 3 x Night Terror, Jackalope, Cerberus He used; Levy, Alyce, Dead Rider, Necropunk, Guardian, Canine Remains I managed to kill the necropunk turn 1 with the cat and jackalope, then Marcus charged the activated dead rider, doing 6 wounds out of it's 7 on it, then black joker-ing the final damage flip on it. Marcus managed to survive before going on a rampage of killing the guardian, about 5 waifs, levy about 4 times and finally alyce. I won initivative more or less every turn courtesy of rubbish control hands which helped immensley. He took 6 wounds off the cat with levy from spells before I decided to eat my own cat with a night terror, a bit gamey I know, but steve admitted on table 2 in a tournament it was the right thing to do. Game ended as an 8-0 to me. Finished 2nd in the tournament, with the match ups on the top tables being; Kirai vs Seamus Marcus vs Levy (Surprised he didn't use Viks like the rest of the tourney) Hamelin vs Collette with the former of each match up winning. Going into the final game the top 2 players had huge VP differences, and after my low scoring first game it was always going to be difficult to overtake them both. Game Q Played vs James Doxey/Mythic fox tonite. - 45ss, Shared destroy the evidence I had; Stake a Claim, Marcus' one He had; Bodyguard and Breakthrough I used; Student of Conflict, Kaeris, Gunsmith, 3 x Night terror, 3 x Slurrid He used; Collodi, 4 x Marionette, Wicked Doll, Stitched, Primordal Magic, Big Neph, Insidious Madness, Desperate Merc Kaeris was a star. Her with a student is still my favourite damage dealing output. Marcus was poop for once. He killed quite alot of Marionettes but could not kill Collodi for poo. James won turn 1 initivative and got the Vp for the one in the middle. James then got early turn steals on the two outside of my deployment. I started quite late, but managed to eventually kill Collodi off using a red joker (poor decision), and get the evidence she was protecting, as well as a slurrid getting the one in his deployment zone just as Zoraida repulsive'd to get the one in mine. At this point I was staring at an 8-3 loss, with my stake a claim sorted, but marcus rapidly running out of targets. Kaeris and the gunsmith then went mad on Zoraida and over the course of one activation with a wounded gunsmith, and 2 focused shots from Kaeris' gun, managed to kill off Zoraida in my deployment zone first thing on turn 5 and at this point with James only having an Insidious madness and a wicked doll left, we shook hands for a; 5-4 victory to Marcus. (No Marcus scheme, could have got it vs wicked doll and madness, but meh) Game R 35SS vs Rasputina I had; Claim Jump, Bodyguard and Stake a Claim He had; Treasure Hunt, Sabotage and Kill Protegee I used; 2 x Shikome, Mole, Jackalope, 3 x Night Terrors, Desp Merc He used; Snowstorm, Golem, 2 x Mole, 1 x Gamin, Essence of Power. Won 6-0 Game S 35ss Vs Ramos I had; Claim Jump, Stake a Claim, Kill Protegee He had; Slaughter, Bodyguard, Stake a Claim I used; 3 x Night Terror, Kaeris, Student of Conflict, Moleman, Jackalope, Gunsmith He used; Executioner, Joss, Brass Arachnid, 1 x Spider, Soulstone Miner, High points in the game; - Kaeris killing Joss turn 2 by jumping out, shooting him for 2, then SS the spell so I could get neutral, cheating severe to kill him, jumping back behind cover - Miner popping up in Kaeris' face turn 3, winning initiative and doing exactly the same thing to it. - I didn't realise arachnids could just move through woods freely so a stoked steamborg walked twice, and hit marcus for a few wounds. I get to activate one model pre-steamborg flurrying marcus (with a poo hand), I charge a night terror in hoping to get a high mask, flip red joker on the attack, get blind trigger off, win. (Read: Lucky as...) - Me alphaing Ramos when he was the only model left, vs everything but my mole, to walk him into his own electrical creation to take his last wound off. - Jackalope coming back about 6 times and standing next to ramos every single life. - My opponent getting stoke off in every turn o.O I eventually came out with an 8-0 win, having just lost my mole, 2 night terrors and the gunsmith, and the jackalope probably! Brawl 1! Shared Recconoitre - 45ss I used: Rasputina, Marcus, Kaeris, Essense, Jackalope, Student, Waldegeist, Gunsmith, Moleman x 2, 3 x Night Terror I was against: Sonnia, Hoffman, Mobile Toolkit, Purifying Flame, Desperate Merc, 2 x Austringer, 2 x Witchling Stalker, Peacekeeper, Guardian, Perfomer and Mannequin and a Watcher My schemes were: Sabotage, Power Ritual and Stake a Claim His schemes were: Stake a Claim, Have more minions, and one I can't remember as it was over a week ago... So early game, Kaeris, her student and some beasties stood behind a wood near Sonnia and the shooters, whilst Hoff and his big things hurtled across the table. I failed to kill the peacekeeper throwing a bit at it, then for some unknown reason charged Marcus into hoff. Why? Who knows. So after 3 of Hoffmans pulse damage at cast ridiculous, I had no Rasputina, a very wounded Marcus and no jackalope. Marcus then killed the hoff and the peacekeeper, and between him, and the waldegeist finished the rest of the constructs off, with Marcus dying to a Guardian who he charged, again, I don't know why I do these things when I have a gunsmith who can ignore armour. The rest of the game saw sonnia turning the flame and the merc into witchlings using her end of the turn 3dg then violation, Kaeris and the rest of my crew playing with the shooters. End of the game and I'd tagged all 4 corners, had the waldegeist sitting on the rock, and I'd sabotaged, I also controlled 2 board quarters, with one contested. The guild had managed the one scheme I've forgotten and had a board quarter, meaning it ended in an 10-3 win to me. Woop. Brawl 2! Shared Recconoitre - 45ss I used; Marcus, Collette, Kaeris, Student, Jackalope, 3 x Night Terrors, Desp Merc, Gunsmith, 2 x Moleman, Soulstone Miner. I was against; Pandora, Lord Chomps & Dreamer, 3 x Woes, 2 x Stitched, 1 x Teddy, 1 x Coppelious, 1 x Candy. My schemes were; Sabotage, Power Ritual, Kill Protegee His schemes were; Stake a Claim, Bodyguard Chomps&Dreamer and one again I've forgotten, but he got it... So the key points in this game are that a soulstone miner is brutal on the turn it comes up, forcing chompy to burn 3ss and take a couple wounds. Marcus dies to a coppelious and stitched double team after being stranded. Collette keeps on pumping out doves and doing the occasional magicians duel and doing little else, apart from trading cards for soulstones, and killing dreamer in turn 6 when he was on his staked claim and contesting a board quarter (5vp swing..!) Kaeris kills: Pandora (Soulstones + Howl), Chompy (Fast, Shoot, Immolate x 2), Candy and finishes teddy off too. Bent. In the end I had 1vp from Power Ritual, 2 from sabotage, and 2 from killing teddy and controlled 3 board quarters to Tobys 2 from the scheme I can't remember 8-2 win! All in all so far from brawls, Collette seems the best, but I'm loving Kaeris way too much at the moment. Back to Scraps - Manchester 3 game tournament - Game T-V 25ss Shared Treasure Hunt vs Seamus 35ss Shared Slaughter vs aSonnia 45ss Shared Destroy Evidence vs Pandora Malifaux GT - Scraps W-Y and Brawls 3&4 25ss Shared Treasure Hunt vs Von Schill 35ss Shared Slaughter vs Perdita 45ss Brawl Shared Reconoitre vs Lady J and aSonnia 45ss Shared Destroy Evidence vs Kirai 55ss Brawl Shared Claim Jump vs Kirai and Seamus Edited November 14, 2011 by ukrocky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 This post is reserved for any answers to any questions I recieve, ie, on why I took certain models etc! Feel free to ask away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 (edited) This post is reserved for an updated list of what non-arcanist, non-mercenary models Marcus can take; Totems; - Jackalope - Essence of Power - Student of Conflict - Malifaux Child Guild; - Guild Hounds - Lawyer (Special Forces: Elite Division) Ressurectionists; - Night Terror - Shikome - Rogue Necromancy (Special Forces: Horrors) Neverborn; - Gupps - Slurrids - Spawn Mother - Waldegeist Edited October 8, 2011 by ukrocky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebonstar Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Great thread! I am hoping to learn some of the Marcus ways of amazing underdoggedness! This post is reserved for any answers to any questions I recieve, ie, on why I took certain models etc! Feel free to ask away! Incoming messy, long-winded questions: How would you characterize Marcus' MO as a master? From the reports I might think you are using Marcus as a beatstick mostly, but is he more of the finisher after minions wear down a target, or is he literally shouldering the bulk of the work? What percentage of the time would you say Marcus is in combat vs. moving/interacting for objectives, etc.? What are some of the things you do to mitigate the attrition war with Marcus crews? Marcus crews look like they can be built for melee duty, but unlike ressers or Ramos for example, Marcus doesn't seem to be able to take the hits or replenish minions the way those kinds of crews can. Finally (rhetorical), why do you think the first Marcus model had fire in his hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Great thread! I am hoping to learn some of the Marcus ways of amazing underdoggedness! Incoming messy, long-winded questions: How would you characterize Marcus' MO as a master? From the reports I might think you are using Marcus as a beatstick mostly, but is he more of the finisher after minions wear down a target, or is he literally shouldering the bulk of the work? What percentage of the time would you say Marcus is in combat vs. moving/interacting for objectives, etc.? What are some of the things you do to mitigate the attrition war with Marcus crews? Marcus crews look like they can be built for melee duty, but unlike ressers or Ramos for example, Marcus doesn't seem to be able to take the hits or replenish minions the way those kinds of crews can. Finally (rhetorical), why do you think the first Marcus model had fire in his hand? Cheers for the questions! Ok, so I don't know what MO means but I'll try to answer it as best I can. When I make a list, obviously dependant on scenario, I'll try to have a couple of minions that support him in the 'kill' department, and a couple of minions that are there for the objective as a rough rule. So for example in my destroy the evidence lists you'll see slurrids backed up with a model that can do damage (waldegeist, shikome, kaeris etc). You have to know realistically how much damage Marcus will do in the charge, and why very often I'm reluctant to charge a master due to SS. If, for example, I'm up against a snowstorm, then my plan would be buff myself up with wild heart with +2Dg, Charge for (0) and then either +ve attack flips or wk8. I now know that I can, in my mind, reliably go in, and cause 9 wounds. That is, the charge strike I can usually cheat/soulstone up so it's on at least a straight damage flip, and I'll hopefully have a high card in my hand for severe (if I don't the 9 goes to 7), and then a 2nd hit on a -ve damage flip for weak. So with some minions I do like to soften them up, but often between my 2 damage dealers I can rely on them dealing X damage (another reason why I love Kaeris - Soulstones ftw...). Marcus himself rarely does objectives, he usually is there to prevent the enemy from getting theirs by taking out key models while the slurrids do the mission. It sort of links onto your 2nd question about attrition. The best thing with Marcus is, I see him himself as an excellent master vs attrition crews. He can happily charge in, do a 2nd strike from 2" away, then walk 8" away to the other side of a wood that he can see and move through but the enemy can't. This is one of two things you have to rely on with Marcus, is that he is usually faster than the majority of attrition crews (Note: Why he hates Kirai), he can pick when and where to fight. This is also crucial as it allows him to, instead of picking off chaff, pick off key minions. Usually in a resser list there is a 2nd 'support' model that is alot easier to kill than a master, but usually integral to how the list works, so picking off this model, sometimes sacrificing one of the 'damage dealer' models to do it, is a priority, along with picking off things they can't bring back. Finally in attrition, focus on the mission. Achieve all your goals ASAP and focus on stopping at least one of theres. If you're against Ressers, don't choose end-game schemes (Stake a claim, Bodyguard etc), go for early-game schemes (Sabotage, Kill Protegee etc) He can take hits occasionally but I agree he can't just get stuck in. But if you think he's gonna take hits? Df7 helps, as does a moleman. I hope some of that made sense and helped, and as for the flame, to keep him toasty on the cold winter nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgraz Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 MO is Modus Operandi - how he normally acts. and the fire is 'Primal Flame' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucidicide Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Very helpful so far! Some of your model choices seem random from an outside perspective. Is this just a matter of what you want to play? For example, you only seem to have used Myranda once. Is she not worth the points, or do you just like to jump around some? It just seems there are definitely models you favor (to be expected), but then there are other "random" things like Misaki. Just wondering how much you really put into crew selection beyond Marcus + objective grabber. It seems like your beatsticks vary wildly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Very helpful so far! Some of your model choices seem random from an outside perspective. Is this just a matter of what you want to play? For example, you only seem to have used Myranda once. Is she not worth the points, or do you just like to jump around some? It just seems there are definitely models you favor (to be expected), but then there are other "random" things like Misaki. Just wondering how much you really put into crew selection beyond Marcus + objective grabber. It seems like your beatsticks vary wildly. With regards to Myranda, I honestly don't think she's worth her points, yet. It might be I haven't found a good way to use her but she'll get a run out again sometime! As to the 'random models' well my plan pre-Marcus retirement is to use every model Marcus can use, with Marcus. Which is alot of models. The misaki game was because I was against Kirai, and the 6" magic weapon seemed like a good idea. I try and vary my beatstick based on what I'm playing, so snowstorm vs gremlins, misaki vs spirits, shikome vs Rasputina as well as trying new stuff out as often as I can! I would have to say my favoured beatstick at the moment has to be Kaeris, but she needs a student of conflict to work properly, as well as a few soulstones, so shes a heft investment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucidicide Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 With regards to Myranda, I honestly don't think she's worth her points, yet. It might be I haven't found a good way to use her but she'll get a run out again sometime! As to the 'random models' well my plan pre-Marcus retirement is to use every model Marcus can use, with Marcus. Which is alot of models. The misaki game was because I was against Kirai, and the 6" magic weapon seemed like a good idea. I try and vary my beatstick based on what I'm playing, so snowstorm vs gremlins, misaki vs spirits, shikome vs Rasputina as well as trying new stuff out as often as I can! I would have to say my favoured beatstick at the moment has to be Kaeris, but she needs a student of conflict to work properly, as well as a few soulstones, so shes a heft investment! Thanks for the response! That's good to know. It's always good to see someone winning with the various options available. Many players I see are always bringing the same lists, and so it's good to see the diversity. It seems like you take advantage of Marcus' adaptability/speed and send him off on his own. Many times, dividing your crew can be very damaging (and often people will just target your Master). But you seem to have sectioned Marcus off into his own category, which seems to provide you with more flexibility with him. Additionally, relying on schemes that can be achieved early (as you mention in your response to attrition) seems a strong choice. Many lists are Master-focused, but you've definitely got some without Beasts. Overall, I find what you seem to be doing with Marcus very refreshing -- both in terms of how you're thinking about points AND how you're thinking about Marcus. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulgrima Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Really cool thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orboros Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Awesome thread I honestly don't know why precious Markus is still considered underpowered by some people.. Seems like they never faced of against a good Markus, he is just so versitile and build his list after every scheme. Team Markus reigns supreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephalumps Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Thanks very much for making this thread Unrocky! Between the "Team Marcus" thread, this thread, and the wiki, curious players will be drowning in Marcus information. Some questions I have: 1) What are some of your favorite "big hitter" models to use with Marcus? Models like the Rogue Necromancy, or even the Steamborg Executioner can be clutch for their high damage output, but I noticed that you don't often use those expensive models. Is that because they're such big targets? 2) Any advice against Kirai crews? Both times I've squared off against her crew I've been tabled by turn 4, and even though I've learned some good lessons I'm still struggling with how to put up a fight against that many Spirits. 3) I've read that you like the Student of Conflict with Kaeris, and I can definitely see why. I'm assuming the general set of actions is: move, shooting, double Immolate? That would hurt a ton. However, do you think having an "on tap" Fast would be worth it in a Marcus crew that was sans-Kaeris? 4) Any thoughts/experiences with the Mechanical Rider? She seems to be a good compliment to Marcus' general crew archetype, and some immunities that he's normally lacking, but I wasn't sure if that made it worth including her over other 8 SS options. Also, just wanted to add: Awesome thread I honestly don't know why precious Markus is still considered underpowered by some people.. Seems like they never faced of against a good Markus, he is just so versitile and build his list after every scheme. Team Markus reigns supreme. That's the tricky thing with Marcus: not only do you need to understand what the best crew is for him in a given scenario, you also need to choose complimentary schemes. Add to that the various options Marcus has in any given turn, and you have a Master that has a pretty harsh learning curve. Considering some Masters out there have very strong, simple, synergistic crews, and others have really powerful gimmicks, its understandable that Marcus is ill-regarded. That said, I do agree it's an unfair designation. Marcus himself is pretty powerful; the hardest part is building the right crew around him. As Unrocky has demonstrated, if you can get a solid handle on Marcus and all the tools available to him, you have a really flexible Master to work with, which is a big boon in a game as random as Malifaux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 1) What are some of your favorite "big hitter" models to use with Marcus? Models like the Rogue Necromancy, or even the Steamborg Executioner can be clutch for their high damage output, but I noticed that you don't often use those expensive models. Is that because they're such big targets? I haven't used the Rogue Necromancy yet, I do however have the Molly boxset on pre-order, but I don't see how he's better than a few of the other choices. The steamborg executioner is alright, but again, I think there's better choices and he's slightly too expensive. My faves at the moment all depend on who I play, so I've got shikomes vs Rasputina, Kaeris vs quite alot, I'd use the cat vs Sonnia probably, Waldegeist if there's woods, snowstorm vs gremlins. Also depends quite a bit on the size game! 2) Any advice against Kirai crews? Both times I've squared off against her crew I've been tabled by turn 4, and even though I've learned some good lessons I'm still struggling with how to put up a fight against that many Spirits. I do really struggle against Kirai to be honest, the Kirai player at my club is a very good player and knows how to use it. The best thing to do is keep Marcus alive as long as possible and totally focus on achieving the early game schemes you've chosen and aiming for an 8-6 win if possible. I took a misaki against the kirai player and he just sent a shikome straight for her, the best minion I've used vs Kirai? Kaeris. She were ace. But yeah, focus on the objectives and dance around the edge! 3) I've read that you like the Student of Conflict with Kaeris, and I can definitely see why. I'm assuming the general set of actions is: move, shooting, double Immolate? That would hurt a ton. However, do you think having an "on tap" Fast would be worth it in a Marcus crew that was sans-Kaeris? The general set of actions with Kaeris to be honest is; move, shoot (twice with trigger), immolate, move back behind cover. It makes her exceptionally durable as she just can't be touched, and means the student can power her up every turn whilst hiding himself. I also use the student with slurrids if theres stuff like destroy the evidence/sabotage about as there's alot that extra AP can do. Other than that I think a Marcus crew it slightly too fast to fully utilise a student (unlike rasputina, I ran a student with Sonnia for ages a while back, it's good in that crew!) I also don't think the student is worth it compared to the jackalope for the majority of games. 4) Any thoughts/experiences with the Mechanical Rider? She seems to be a good compliment to Marcus' general crew archetype, and some immunities that he's normally lacking, but I wasn't sure if that made it worth including her over other 8 SS options. She's on pre-order! I honestly don't really rate any of the riders, I just don't see their full worth atm but when I've played with her I'll let you know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephalumps Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Thanks very much for the insights! Regarding the RN: I agree, its pretty pricey, but for its kit, I'm kind of okay with it. Undead, without the negatives, Terrifying, paired high Cb weapons, auto-Poison weapon, multiple attacks (all with the Rot trigger,) and a ranged option. If I'm gonna pay 10 SS for something, I want it to be this much of a kitchen sink, at least. Plus, due to the Book 3 fluff, I find myself more likely to take it with Marcus. It also helps that it makes Myranda a little more palatable, and I'm desperately trying to find crew setups that favor her. However, the other factor, and what leads to another question, is game size. In my gaming group, 45 SS is more the normal game size, with 35 SS being the "small" option. In your experience, how does Marcus scale with the size of the game? For me, it seems like the bigger the game, the trickier it is to make a solid crew for Marcus. At smaller SS totals, Marcus' ability to stick and move, and club things to death with gusto really helps to carry the crew, and it likewise pulls some heat off his other models. I found him really effective at 25 SS, and solid at 35 SS. But once you get up to something like 45 SS, he can't carry the weight alone, and most of his < 8 SS minions don't fill that role either. Hence why I'm looking harder at the "big" options for him, as I think having one of those around in those bigger games will help. Regarding Kirai: I'm glad it isn't just me. This is one of those fights where I'm very thankful Marcus has a magical weapon, and good combat abilities. At least he can take a fair number of Spirits with him, before he gets overwhelmed. Likewise, I've found that hiring in magical weapons is kind of a coin flip: they can help thin the Spirit horde, but by the same token they're priority targets, and none of them are exceptionally durable. Taelor did alright the last time I bought her vs. Kirai, but even then she ended up singled out and mulched (though in decent part due to Kirai's movement shenanigans.) Definitely a very rough fight, though I don't think Marcus is alone in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Re: Marcus scaling with the game, I think it's the same as any designated 'combat master'. I think any master that is built to be a beatstick is alot better in low point games, as there's less that can stop said master, whilst in high point games support masters really come into their own as they have plenty more to, well, support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephalumps Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Re: Marcus scaling with the game, I think it's the same as any designated 'combat master'. I think any master that is built to be a beatstick is alot better in low point games, as there's less that can stop said master, whilst in high point games support masters really come into their own as they have plenty more to, well, support. Good point. And, also another reason why fighting Kirai at 45 SS is so nasty. Also a great time to look at Henchmen, because it allows you to tap into something that's "Master level"-ish on the power curve if you want the added push. Definitely have my eye on Kaeris... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 I've found Kaeris to be pure awesome cakes, but as you may have heard me say, take a student (Don't know if I said that...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephalumps Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 I've found Kaeris to be pure awesome cakes, but as you may have heard me say, take a student (Don't know if I said that...) You may have mentioned it. I have to say, that "stick and move" combo for Kaeris is definitely sick. I've fought against her a few times, and my buddy ran into the problem with her that if she floats out and shoots+casts, she's kind of vulnerable. Not that she's paper thin (took me a helluva lot of effort to kill her when I did get to her,) but you don't want her in more danger than she needs to be. Having that kind of mobile (literal) fire platform would be really nasty, especially considering that Immolate hurts like hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 New game up, I called it 'Game S', original ey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rathnard Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Ooh, good thread! I'll be keeping an eye on this one. I have a question - How do you rate Kaeris vs Von Schill? I haven't tried Kaeris before (don't have the model...yet) but I've taken to using Von Schill with Marcus as his ranged/beatstick model on occasion. I talked about him on the aethervox - he's very mobile and difficult to kill, tough with some good damage output and has a variety of tools for dealing with certain model types. He's also a little cheaper if taking a student with Kaeris is as important as you say it is. From what I can tell, Kaeris can draw/cycle cards, might have some better damage potential and lets Marcus take Gunsmiths or other non-freikorps mercs. I've always thought that Von Schill and Kaeris are broadly equivalent choices, but I'm curious to know what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 2 Brawls have now been added at the bottom of the first post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Math Mathonwy Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Thank you for the reports! One question, though - do you record only wins or do you seriously never ever lose in this game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted October 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Heh, the 23 games listed in my first post are my last 23 games with Marcus. I have another 6 games before that that I didn't lose in, but didn't record any details of. Basically I've got pretty lucky! I've got 2 tourneys coming up in the next 2 weeks, including the UK GT, so expect some losses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyled Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 This is a really interesting thread. When I first started I had a tough choice beween Marcus and Levi. What really drew me to these 2 were the number of models they could use. The only reasons I went with Levi was the whole not dying thing and the lack of a land shark model in Marcuses crew. So about how many ss worth of models do you haul along with you for a game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukrocky Posted November 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Got 8 games to type up for you lucky kids tomorrow! The model list I take to games with me (Ie, my Marcus' friends case); Marcus Jackalope 4 x Night Terrors 2 x Shikome 2 x Coryphee 3 x Ice Gamin Joss 3 x Molemen Myranda Rattler Ceberus Snowstorm Steamborg Executioner 3 x Arachnids 1 x Swarm (I couldn't be bothered with magnets) 3 x Slurrid 2 x Waldegeist Convict Gunslinger Desp Merc x 2 Jackdaw Killjoy Misaki Friekorps Trapper Collette Rasputina Ramos Kaeris Essence of Power Mobile Toolkit Brass Arachnids 3 x Doves Von Schill 2 x Guild Hounds 3 x Fire Gamin Ice Golem 2 x Raptors Mech Riders 2 x Performer and Mannequin 2 x Gunsmith Johan Hamelin the baby Rogue Necormancer Soulstone Miner x 2 Large Steampunk Arachnid Electrical Creation. So...er...344ss(ish) + 4 Masters + EC? If someone said you can only take 50ss to a 35ss tournament that'd be fine at a push, 70 and I'd be totally OK, I just like having lots of toys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.