Centa Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Last week i decided to start with Kirai. I like her fast and mobile crew. And all those little tricks she offers. We want to start with 35SS games. And im glad about it coz Kirai seems to need much models to work well. After reading all her rules i started building some crews and i ended up with this: Ressurectionists Crew - 35 - Scrap Kirai Ankoku -- 6 Pool Lost Love [2ss] Canine Remains [2ss]Night Terror [3ss]Night Terror [3ss]Datsue-Ba [7ss]Desperate Mercenary [2ss]Seishin [2ss]Seishin [2ss]Jack Daw [9ss] My thoughts about the list: The Canine Remains and the merc is there to get killed by Datsue-Ba to get a Seishin and a Gaki or an Onryo (i hope thats legal coz one effect says summon the other placed). They cost the same as Seishin does and give me a free 3-5SS model. This will slow Datsue-Ba down for the first two turns, but thx to Kirais action i can swap him against a Seishin to move him up the field later. The Night Terrors are my objective grabbers, i have read lots about them in this forum, that they do the job best. I would like to play 3 of them, but i only bought one blister so far. Jack Daw... About this model im not sure. A bonus handcard is sweet, his no cheating aura too, and i can place him easily with kirai so my models doesnt suffer from the aura but my target does. I thought about to replace him with 1 Night Terror and 2 Drowned. This would reduce my SS-Pool by 2 but i think i should be able to handle with it. Here the models i have aviable for Kirai, but i don't mind about proxies: - Kirai - Ikiryo - Datsue-Ba - 5x Seishin - 2x Night Terror - 2x Onryo - Shikome - 2x Gaki - 3x The Drowned - Jack Daw - Insidious Madness (i could get him from my brother if he doesnt need him) - some standard undead models from the Niko and McM box + Canine Remains Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetid Strumpet Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I can't really comment too much, as this list is very much outside the way I normally play. I think in theory it could work well. Once you get to try it you might want to post about what you felt worked and what didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snord Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I think it is a good list, except that I would not play with Canine Remains. I like to play Kirai on a very aggressive mode, summoning either Ikirio+Shikome first turn or 2 Shikomes. I play with the Desperate Merc because it gives Kirai not only the seishin+gaki/onryo, but more importantly the healing flip that sets her up for more summoning turn 2 if necessary. I would simply use another seishin instead of the canine remains. Jack Daw+Kirai is absolutely awesome, except against Levi and Colette as these masters can one shot sac Jack Daw, earning them a VP and a model (Steam Punk Abomination for Levi, Manequim for Colette). With all the movement tricks that Kirai has for spirits, +guide spirits from Datsue-Ba if necessary, you can always have Jack exactly where you need it. And since Kirai is quite dependent on cards, the extra card in hand is really useful. I haven't played that much with the Night Terrors, but they are good models, and can always serve as food for Kirai spells/actions if it comes to that. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenborne Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 Night terrors work well but be careful about getting them outside her 8" range. Be careful about that in general for all models. I've done the canine remains thing, and sometimes it works and sometimes it just gets you a seishin. One helpful trick is to put the dog into def stance first so you get to flip 3 and choose. Same for the merc. When it works it's really nice and the gaki gets an immediate corpse counter. Generally speaking I find this never slows down my ability to be aggressive on the first turn with Shikome summoning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centa Posted January 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 @ravenborne thx for the advice with the def stance. I havent thought on this. The Night Terrors arent just for objective grabbing in my crew. When things are getting close and i can spend a 8:crows i will use it for the -2WP trigger. This gives me an advantage for most of my attacks, and in addition it increases the effect of terrifying. @snord I rly dont see why u dont like to play a canine remains. It costs the same like a seishin. It becomes a seishin when it gets killed and in addition u get at least a corpse counter for a gaki, or u get an additional gaki/onryo when killed with Weigh Sins. Its also a bonus activation or two, to out-activate ur opponent. The only downside i cn see is, that u ave to burn 1-2AP to kill it. But with the movement shenanigans Kirai has it shouldnt be a big problem. @Fetid Strumpet Which kind of Kirai crews do u usually play? Would be nice if u could give me some thoughts. When ever i start creating a crew i end up with almost the same models. What do u guys think about the Jaakuna Ubume from book3? Is she worth taking/summoning or is an Onryo the better choice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmiles Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 The Drowned are an excellent addition to a Kirai Crew, as is the Insidious Madness. I run Bete Noire with her as well, and give her spirit as soon as possible. Other than that, you'll want all 5 Seishin handy, even if you don't hire them right off the bat. I'll be running a few test games with Jaakuna Ubume as soon as she's released (I don't really like to proxy, myself, I prefer to have the models on hand). Even if I don't end up using her frequently, she'll still see some table time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephir Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 (edited) So the awesome thing about Kirai is how versatile she is. You can play her in any number of ways. I personally dont like Jack Daw, but there are people on here who will swear by him. As for the night terrors Im not a huge fan for Kirai. Her crew is super fast already. You can summon things really far out and swap them around. With that speed you dont need a dedicated objective unit. Anything can grab objectives. I prefer more Gaki or an Insideous madness from Neverborn. the Madness can turn Datsue and Ikiryo into murder machines by dropping the Enemy resists to -flips. I personally love taking both the dog and Merc with Kirai, why not take advantage of a few freebie stones to get more spirits! I usually take 1 Shikome with me. I can summon a 2nd, or what ever else I need, but having 1 to start with has been pretty cool for me. **Quick Edit, this is what my usual crew looks like Kirai Ankoku -- 6 Pool Lost Love [2ss] Canine Remains [2ss] Seishin [2ss] Seishin [2ss] Datsue-Ba [7ss] Desperate Mercenary [2ss] Insidious Madness [4ss] Shikome [8ss] Gaki [3ss] And I have no issues running her at Min Cache, I sometimes take a second Gaki at creation. A swarm of them can be deadly. And Gaki can drop the Dog and Merc to 1 Wd so Datsue can Weigh sins easier on them. Edited January 10, 2012 by Zephir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snord Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 @snord I rly dont see why u dont like to play a canine remains. It costs the same like a seishin. It becomes a seishin when it gets killed and in addition u get at least a corpse counter for a gaki, or u get an additional gaki/onryo when killed with Weigh Sins. Its also a bonus activation or two, to out-activate ur opponent. The only downside i cn see is, that u ave to burn 1-2AP to kill it. But with the movement shenanigans Kirai has it shouldnt be a big problem. I guess it is play style. On paper you are right, you get nice bonus with it, but on the table, turn one, I like to spread my seishin to 2-3 different places on the table so that my opponent does not know where I am going. After he commits his troops one direction or spreads thin (because I out-activate him), I can activate Kirai, "In to the spirit world" into the Seishin that I want, use them for summoning Shikomes/Ikyrio in my opponent's face and then at the end of the activation, pull back one or more Seishin for Kirai's protection during next turn. In other words, because I play Kirai very aggressively, I like the tactical advantage that the Seishin gives me, compared to the bonus model/corpse counter that the Canine Remains would give me. Not saying CR is bad, just requires adjustments in play style. The only faction that gives me some shortage of models by turn 5/6 is when I am playing against Neverborn, and that is what Avatar Kirai is for. BTW, about will power debuff, Insidious Madness is much better than Night Terrors as they do not depend on cards, give a instead of -2WP, and their walk 8" is awesome. They do cost 4 though. In any case, Kirai is really fun to play because she is so flexible you can play her in so many ways and even shift gears multiple times during a single game depending on the situation. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenborne Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 Its true you can do so many things with her. It depends on who your opponent is...if you know you are going to get a alpha strike you might not have the time to fool around with killing dogs. Night terrors I like in quick grab Strategy games because they can get to the objectives quickly then be sacrificed for better stuff, or left around if you want. I do love Gaki, but I have found them to be more situational...they WP is really bad and this can sometimes work against you, so you have to watch out. Also, since they can be made during the game, if I need them I summon them. You really can make some versatile crews. I myself got geeky one day and a made a spreadsheet of the crews I would take based upon the Strategies, and night terrors came up a lot. Still though it has to vary by who you are fighting. For example against Pandora Hanged can be a game winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naiatoc Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 I never tried the 'kill your own model for a seishin and a gaki' trick. It sounds good. Quite logical to generate a profit in points like that... it's just cheap! I like to spread my seishin to 2-3 different places on the table so that my opponent does not know where I am going. After he commits his troops one direction or spreads thin (because I out-activate him), I can activate Kirai, "In to the spirit world" into the Seishin that I want, use them for summoning Shikomes/Ikyrio in my opponent's face and then at the end of the activation, pull back one or more Seishin for Kirai's protection during next turn. This is my typical first turn. Fast and brutal. My opponent has a difficult time countering it because I get to react to what he does. My turn follows this format, but I have to be flexible to the countless ways he could activate his guys. As for the night terrors Im not a huge fan for Kirai. Her crew is super fast already. You can summon things really far out and swap them around. With that speed you dont need a dedicated objective unit. Anything can grab objectives. I love starting with Night Terrors. The reason is that they are fast on their own. They don't need Kirai's swirl spirits to get them into position. Her utility is stretched thin as it is. Any self sufficient piece is good. Also, I like taking things I can't summon. That just fits my way of thinking. Take Night Terrors, Insidious Madness, Dead Rider, Jack Daw. Things like that. Never start with a Shikome. Whenever I choose my prey at the start of the game my opponent can always find a good way to screw me over. I can't get through his guys to get to the one I choose as my prey. It's infuriating!!! So I just summon them after all of my opponents activations for the turn, choose my prey at that time, they activate the Shikome and tear him to pieces!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmiles Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 Never start with a Shikome. Truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephir Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 Actually its an opinon. I rarely start a 35+ stone without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenborne Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 I would be interested to hear the play style for starting with a shikome, because to my mind when you summon it you can put it right on top of your target in the first turn without reprisal. I'm more a fan of the "never start with what you can summon" philosophy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toonook Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) My philosophy too. Been toying with the idea of summoning ikiryo somewhere safe turn 1, healing up kirai, then turn 2 swirling forwards ikiryo and summoning a shikome. If you've out activated your opponent that's 6 attacks just where you need them rather than trying to do too much all on turn 1. Leaves you free to summon another shikome the following turn while never really draining kirai too much so you've always got something in reserve to react when needed. Edited January 13, 2012 by Toonook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinistercats Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 My philosophy too. Been toying with the idea of summoning ikiryo somewhere safe turn 1, healing up kirai, then turn 2 swirling forwards ikiryo and summoning a shikome. +1 At the end of the day it's a playstyle thing. Last night in a game there wasn't anything I really needed the Shikome for on Turn 1 so I just went with Ikyrio and healed up to get the additional activation. In smaller games especially- out activation is so crucial AND still gives you the ability to "upgrade" as you need it that many smaller spirits seem to fit my playstyle better. But I see the appeal of a Shikome screaming up the field on Turn 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephir Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Hunting Partner is one reason. As awesome as 1 Shikome is, they are even better in a pair. Start with 1, summon a second and watch then rip an enemy to shreds. Also I use her nimble and swirling spirits to get her in range to start grabbing objectives turn 1. I have planted 2 pieces of evidence with a Shikome on turn 1 before. Also I prefer to have every seishen I can at all times, which makes summoning a Shikome a rarity for me. My Kirai play style is very quantity over quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naiatoc Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 I would be interested to hear the play style for starting with a shikome, because to my mind when you summon it you can put it right on top of your target in the first turn without reprisal. I'm more a fan of the "never start with what you can summon" philosophy. This is exactly my thinking. You just said it more succint than I did!!! But.... Also I prefer to have every seishen I can at all times, which makes summoning a Shikome a rarity for me. My Kirai play style is very quantity over quality. I can see the logic behind this. Summoning Shikome eats Seishin up like crazy. So far I have only summoned 2 Shikome per game. This has been enough for me, but I know someday it won't be. What experience do you guys have getting more Seishin? I find it very difficult to get her in close to get more. Whenever she peaks her head out from behind cover, she draws too much attention. My opponents have never managed to kill her, but whenever I move her close I have to retreat before I can do much. Only a couple of times have I managed to get get a free Seishin, and never more than once per game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmiles Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 (edited) In a game where your opponent gets Slaughter (or in a Shared Slaughter), it's easy. Play the defensive role, and make the enemy come to you. Even right at the edge of the zone you're pulling in Seishin for damn near everything that dies. I've found that some other strategies don't lend themselves as well to producing Seishin (though I raked in quite a few on a Shared Claim Jump game). Really, any strategy that you can play defense on will net you a god amount of Seishin. Edited January 14, 2012 by dsmiles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manlapas Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Does anyone else Bash with the Seishin on turn 1 to soften up the Canine/Merc/whathaveyou for the Datsue-Ba? 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.