How to build a control hand?

[SoulG]

So I've been playing a lot of rezzers lately, and there's a trend I noticed:

Do I have a crow in my hand (+1 Mask if Kirai--admittedly my most commonly played master)? If yes, my crew plays great. If not, I'm put in a holding (losing) pattern until I get lucky.

What methods are available to rezzers to draw more cards or filter cards? What have people found effective to deal with this issue?

[Fetid Strumpet]

Jack Daw is about it to increase your hand size. You can cast raise spells with nicodem to draw a card(s), but of course you need a crow first. You can kill things within 6" of Seamus to draw cards, as far as I know that'a about it.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Most important advice don't rely on your hand and don't let your hand govern your turn because your opponent probably won't even give you the chance to utilize it, at least I wouldn't.

[Calmdown]

So I've been playing a lot of rezzers lately, and there's a trend I noticed:

Do I have a crow in my hand (+1 Mask if Kirai--admittedly my most commonly played master)? If yes, my crew plays great. If not, I'm put in a holding (losing) pattern until I get lucky.

What methods are available to rezzers to draw more cards or filter cards? What have people found effective to deal with this issue?

The one thing that lets Kirai down is her absolute reliance on having all three of:

7 Mask

5 Crow

10+ (for evolve spirit)

On turns 1 and 2. Given that none of her models have high CB or paired, you're basically 3 cards down in your hand from the start of the turn, or you're flipping and hoping and/or stoning to get some of these spells off with Kirai. In the early game, a failed Ikiryo Summon, ItSW, or Evolve Spirit can spell game over.

Kirai's first action in every single turn should be Absorb Spirit. Even turn one, when the healing is likely wasted. You need to know what cards you have available in your hand to plan your turn. The only time not to Absorb as your first action is if you have all three of the above in your hand.

The second option is Jack Daw for Arcane Reservoir. Although I'm not a giant fan of JD as a model, especially against some crews (running him vs Viks or any other magic heavy list is asking for a wasted 9 points), he does have that going for him.

Long story short; Kirai is a card hog, not having the right cards is worse than for many other masters (in a game already heavily luck dependant...).

For other masters? Seamus has a great draw engine if you have living and undead models around you. Unfortunately this follows the same laws as corpse counters; you're probably only getting these from your own crew most of the time. McMourning has no way to get cards. Nicodem can draw a shedload of cards from summons, although it's aggravating that he has such a small choice of med/large based models to summon and hence draw multiple cards from. Remember that soulstones are also effectively a form of card control too, and we have Seamus, Nicodem and Kirai at 2/3/3 with only McMourning having 6 (the thing that makes him good compared to other Rezzers).

Rezzers and Guild are the worst two factions in the game for card control as a whole (including starting ss pools, where they are also on the low-very low side), and this is one of the major things that holds them back competitively. Although most players don't really understand the concept of card advantage, it's so very important in Malifaux. Compare this to Arcanists (Surge everywhere, Rasputina's Reservoir, Colette's SS factory, SS creation via some methods, Arcane Effigy coming soon) and Neverborn (insane average SS pool of 5+, Primordial magic giving reservoir to anyone, Bayou-Two card, Rush of Magic, Lilith's other ability I forget the name of, Stitched Together's Gamble, list goes on...).

Bit of a diatribe there but the final answer is: Rezzers lack efficient card draw outside of Kirai. McMourning makes up for it with SS, the rest struggle.

[Lucidicide]

In terms of dealing with it, I find that a lot of players want to cheat Df duels, and I'll often advise them against it. People want to keep their models alive and throw cards that they need for other things into the mix.

Overall, while I agree that they lack good card control, I would say that overall the individual models (because of Hard to Wound, etc) have less need of high cards. Even if one of those models is taken down, hopefully you've had a chance to sit on a card to summon it right back.

Sure, it's still luck, but I just feel like Ressurectionists have a different way of looking at their control hand. Individual models become far less important.

That's in my experience, anyway.

[ProdigalPunk]

I add a Librarian to my Kiari list. Gives me that extra card and I spam heal her when I need her to summon things. So far it has seen mixed results.

The main problem with Rezzers is everything is so crow intensive. I feel like from reading the boards people here do not know how to shuffle cards or something as they always seem to have a hand full of crows.

I typically take an abundance of soulstones so I can add a card when I try to get a spell off I normally would not be able to. If it is say Nico and I am getting a Rogue Necro from it, well then that SS just netted me four cards, which I think is a good trade off. Other times it is not as nice.

[naiatoc]

I believe this is a very important topic to discuss. A bad control hand when playing Kirai can be devastating. However, I don't think things are too bleak.

I've found a good hand has an 8 of Masks for In the Spirit World. Then either a 5 of Feathers or an 11+ for Evolve Spirit. I never cast both in the same turn (even when I have the right cards). I try to cast Evolve Spirit first turn to summon a Shikome, then Summon Ikyrio or more Evolve Spirits later on as the hand and pace of the game dictates.

This limits my options somewhat. I don't always get to summon what I want when I want it, but I play the turn based off my hand. ie I'll be more defensive if I don't have the mask, or more aggressive if I can heal back up to full health on her.

Only the 8 of Masks has ever been a serious problem for me. I can use a soulstone on it if needed. However, sometimes that still doesn't get the spell off and then I'm in real trouble. More than once I've had the cards for summoning something, but lacked the wounds necessary.

[Alviaran]

So far, I've only played Kirai and I've noticed this a lot. Tonight, I played Perdita and I stuck a Shikome on Nino as quickly as possible to prevent that Headshot. I'm already a bit rough on the whole card thing playing Kirai, I do not need him ripping cards out of my hand too. On a similar note, I Absorbed Spirit (and drew the 4 and 5 of tomes), but those two cards saved me against the Executioner's Decapitate.

I blew through four of my five soulstones casting In the Spirit World (one failed). The fifth was to get off Evolve Spirit. I've quickly found soulstones are my best friends for trying to get off my spells with Kirai.

Every time I draw my hand though, I am immediately searching for the cards that Calmdown mentioned since they are so critical.

[micahwc]

Rezzers and Guild are the worst two factions in the game for card control as a whole (including starting ss pools, where they are also on the low-very low side), and this is one of the major things that holds them back competitively.

Some guild have good card cycling. Peredita combined with watchers has some of the best card control available, but still has a low cache.

Neverborn average cache is 3.5 or 4.75 depending on how many you count for the dreamer.

Guild average cache is 3.5

Resurectionist average is ... 3.5

Not sure about the arcanists.