book 1 master nicodem some thoughts

[rancor709]

I have been playing nicodem a lot recently and will be playing himplaying him in the team tourney at adepticon. I want to use this thread to filter some thoughts and experiences as I prep for playing nico at the tournament level.

Some nico basics.

Nico is slow by himself a walk of 3" does not the table cross and movement can waste valuable ap. However nico can be moved several ways, be it fresh meat or the rider or a bell. So this inherent weakness can be mitigated.

Nico has two of the best (0) actions in the game. Arise and bolster. Bolster is the reason undead tend to have lower starting stats. As it raises cb and def by 2. Being able to do one or the other each turn one tends to lean toward bolster unless corpses are scattered or nico is range for an assisnation attempt.

Nico's best spells have the requirement baked in. I'm talking of course of riger mortis and decay. Being able with casting expert to paralyse 3 opponents a turn is the real str of nico. Summoning is fun but keeping your opponent frozen is better. Also the fact you have spell that ony requires a 7plus to cast to deal healing to your army and damage to your enemy is win.

Summoning should only be done when it makes sense. No one is going to give you the time to ramp up a death engine. Nico has such limited ap that death engines aren't viable. Not saying don't summon, just saying don't make summoning vital to your lists ability

o win.

Nico needs a friend. Nico is old and like many old people he needs an assistant. I am very fond of old faithful mortimer or as I call him morty. Morty provides additional mobilty options with fresh meat and he can get you corpse counters by diggy diggy holing them. Morty however is expensive for what he does both in card cost and in soulstones.

My recommended assistant is rafkin coming to the table this january. Rafkin ability to passively gain body parts which he can convert into mindless zombies is lightyears ahead of exhume in that for a single cast I can make multiple mindless zombies which when nico sarfices them I gain parts back to make more. Rafkin also can use his knife to acquire additional parts.

Nico is an underestimated master because too often players focus on the fact he can summon and make that pivotal to there strategy. Summoning is suited high card dependant, there are not enough outs in the deck to make it reliable as the focus. Out of 54 cards only 6 allow you to summon with a stone. While 17 will allow a successful cast of riger mortis and 29 will cast decay.

[rancor709]

Lots of players will call nico card dependant. That is a dangerously narrow focus as illustarted. If your summoning yes, you are card dependant in malifaux you cannot afford too much suit dependance in your strategy and survive.

Some general musings on nico will do some minion synergies with him in the next few posts.

[rancor709]

Nico and the rotten beLle. Belles are amazing but this is likly a 3year long love affair with seamus talking. But belles are a force multipler in the hands of nico. Belles' primary role in a nico list is to help mitagte slow moment by luring your team forward. Or moving the enemy into range. Belles also make great augmentors for crooked men and punk zombies bringing there pray on to shaft markers and in flurry range.

Amazing enough belles actually have 2 more spells. Distract which causes slow and undress which lowers defense. Harder and more resource intensive to cast but can be game winning.

Belles become decent combants under bolster with cb 6 grimy parasole with a decent damage line for a 4pt model and a cb8 with teeth and nails. Lower damage profile but cb8 is hardcore. Belles will get hit even under bolster there def only jumps to that of an unbolster punk zombie but the belle has 8wounds.

[TimeLapse]

Hey im a long time nico player and fan, here is what I typically run

Nicodem

Grave spirit, 1ss

Mortimer, 7ss

canine remains x4, 8ss

That is the core of all my lists.

Now next I normaly add crooked men expescially if they have alot of range, so at 25ss I add 2 and my list totals out at 24ss so 4ss on nicodem in a 25ss game.

I agree with you that rigor mortis is one of his best spells, mix in crooked men who have a paralyze trigger and morty and you have 5 models Iinclueding the totem) that can paralyze.

The dogs of course serve 2 perposes, 1st is to spread rabies to all high wp models, a -2 in willpower is always useful for rigamortis and decay. The 2nd is for corpse counters, they are a cheap unit that bolsters your numbers. With they die they turn into punk zombies or I they die all in one turn a rouge necro. I like bringing 4 of them so that I don't have to rely on my opponets haveing models that drop corpse counters for me. Its all about resorce manament for me.

The grave spirit makes nicodem almost invinceable, you have zombie foughter, hard to wound 1 and armor 2, its just too good. I normly activat the totem link in and attempt to cast fog just for a bit of extra defence if needed.

If your going to go the paralyzed list way then adding betty vs living lists seems right, she can paralyze with the best of them.

For speed ideas don't forget molly, she can copy rigmortis as well as give nico +3 in speed for a turn. With her ca of 7 crows she may be a great support option.

I hope my basic ideas on the way I run nicodem helps, you most likely know all the things I know being a nico player yourself but I thought I would post my thoughts on the list just in case they could help.

Hope this helps,

Andrew

[TimeLapse]

Hmm another thought I was having is how ashs and dust would run in a nicodem list.

[rancor709]

Recently got molly box so she will see some board time with nico. I prefer to leave the dogs and go for necropunks adding some signifcance. I love grave spirit both for nico and for dead rider.

[TimeLapse]

Recently got molly box so she will see some board time with nico. I prefer to leave the dogs and go for necropunks adding some signifcance. I love grave spirit both for nico and for dead rider.

Grave spirit all the way =p

Well I am not a big fan of the punks, but I do like there being significant, though the dogs are signifcent if there together via pack mentallity. With the right cards you could move one up 12 inches have morty fresh meat it twice then move other dogs from that point and have a total of about 24 inches of movement.

Anways if you keep your dogs in a pack they lose insignificant, plus they make enamy models df -2, they can reduce wp and if mortamir companions one you get them all. Plus the 9 inch charge and it being a 1 action if there wounded. With cb 6 when bolstered and there df -2 its awesome and if you have a crew -2 to wp.

Imho the dogs are cheeper and have a better damage out put then the necropunks, yes you could leap and get flury off but dogs in the end are faster, with a possable 18 inch with 2 charges at a wounded model, and you get to strike. I did that in one of my games to get the last wound on there masters it was awesome

Also for you my master is really useful. I don't know when I compair the two for me dogs always win unless there is an objective based game, but now that coolagins are out I may use them instead necropunks alltogether. But I think it comes down to player style, mine is more in favor o the dogs and you are more for the punks.

Wow did not mean to type so much I guss I like the dog models more then I thought.

-Andrew

Edited November 15, 2011 by TimeLapse

[rancor709]

I'd say so. That's the beauty of malifaux multiple viable options in each masters crew. I think crooligans are going to over take punks for me. But I plan on running molly a lot with nico to allow me to max them out. I apperciate the dogs I've just never had a good game with them.

Thanks

Joe

[rancor709]

Now oddly my normal base is

Nico

Morty

Grave spirit

2xnecropunks

And then I add too it to flesh out

[Sevorin]

Belles are absolutely beautiful with Nico. Using lure is great. Slapping slows out to everyone who is not paralyzed=even better.

Nico is my fav master by far.

[rancor709]

Let's talk about what to me is the signature mini for Nicodem, the Punk Zombie. On there own probably the best 5 point model in the undead arsenal, combined with Bolster Undead these become fearsome. Incredibly high paired combat with decent damage to back them up and when under the bolster these become def7 nightmares to bring down. Combine this with a ranged wd inflicting spell that while unreliable can cause trouble for the opponent. And with Nico's decay they can be brought back to health rapidly. Never underestimate the power of a well timed slow to die action. The punk zombie is a staple of what nico should be ressing up and depending on match you might want at least one on the table to provide some early game muscle.