rasputinas crew

[Cptnbucky]

im having issues building a strong crew with rasputina i have her box set snow storm silent one and essence of power im having a hard time playing her and findin a strong crew line up we mostly play 35 ss i have no quarels adding anything

[harbinger]

I only play Raspy with Cult models (which you already have) and have no issues with building a strong crew. If they dont match the playstyle your looking for then look at duet, soul stone miner, gunsmiths, possibly mechanical rider. Theres always adding in Kaeris to consider.

[WindlordRyu]

To me Rasputina feels kinda like an artillery platform. And considering many of the Schemes/Strategies requires you to move around you need support from faster models. I haven't played her with a Snowstorm, that might take care of the problem. But personally I'd rather add models that are inherently fast (Kaeris and Gunsmiths) than adding one to speed up the others. And if it suits your needs, both Kaeris and Gunsmiths can be used as a part of the Artillery platform.

[Calmdown]

im having issues building a strong crew with rasputina i have her box set snow storm silent one and essence of power im having a hard time playing her and findin a strong crew line up we mostly play 35 ss i have no quarels adding anything

For a good Raspy crew that can handle anything, try:

Rasputina (7ss)

Essence of Power

Kaeris

Student of Conflict

Silent One

Gunsmith x2

The problem normally is that people take too many december themed models and theyre all rather slow. This list has a Lot of ranged power and can still deal with stuff up close, plus it has the speed to grab objectives and reposition as needed.

Once you learn more you can tailor it to specific strategies but as it is, thats a prettu strong all comers list.

[fishtank]

I know from bitter experience how much damage a Soulstone Miner can deal out, and you can heal it after it's hurt itself for a stone by giving it Frozen heart.

Snowstorm is horrendous - it gives the whole crew so much movement that they can concentrate on spraying icy death everywhere with all their AP. It's also very resiliant.

I think a Gunsmith would be a good addition, though I've seen Convict Gunslingers do a good job with her too.

[CrouchingMoose]

Snowstorm is horrendous - it gives the whole crew so much movement that they can concentrate on spraying icy death everywhere with all their AP. It's also very resiliant.

I think you have the wrong definition for horrendous, but you're right. It's very good at speeding up the rest of the crew, its spirit also lets you abuse the 'ice wall' tactic of having the storm cast ice pillars and then walk to the other side of them...now you have your snow storm on the enemy's side of your pillars with raspy on the safe side casting through the storm with ice mirror (hopefully while under the silent one's north wind and a gamin's bite of winter)

[Cptnbucky]

i think im just so used to viks and mc morning it making this hard

[CrouchingMoose]

i think im just so used to viks and mc morning it making this hard

yeah, Raspy is quite a bit different mindset from viks and mcmourning. I would say she requires finesse but thats kinda like saying that a nuke is using finesse. It's really just figuring out the safest place for her with the biggest threat range, getting her there as fast as possible, then blow the hell out of anything that comes within range. Also don't be stingy with the soulstones for her, she eats those things like candy when she's using decembers curse, but it's worth it (esp. if you get 3 or 4 casts out of 1 AP with an overwhelm chain)

[Cptnbucky]

looks like drain soul will help to due to her minions bein constructs and immune wo moral duels

[TreeNinja]

I am a fluff list player when it comes to Arcanist and have just recently started to look outside of the faction for other models with Marcus and Ramos, but haven't yet with Raspy. I have played well over 40 games with her and have to say that her fluff crew are quite amazing with her. the key to her crew is positioning. I typically will try to set up my schems so that I don't have to achieve a lot of movement from Raspy. so I either get a staragy I can pull off or I ignore my startagy and work on achieving my schemes and denying what I can for my apponent. I like to setup multiple kill zones and use the terrain to help defend my crew. as I have a model or two to achieve objectives. its actually one of the reasons I like the DA's, I can typically use them to achieve objectives while I setup a way to deny my opponents.

Of course this is a base line tactic, so its not set in stone that is how things work, just where do I start from. as we play I will make adjustments to shift other models to run objectives while the ones I origanally set for that task will be to deny my opponent or just keep him tied up for a bit to give the other models time.

Raspy is a trully fun master to play, with tons of potential.

[KamikaZ]

I use frozen heart themed models as they work well with ice mirror and the silent ones are perfect for it as they have perfect mirror reducing the cast by -1 not -3 also forget the essence of power totem its useless as all it adds is + to spell damage..... consider this wendigo also costs 2ss has frozen heart has 4 wounds not 2 has damage of 2/2/5 not 1/1/3 has cb 4 not cb 3 both have ca of 4 he also has devour, eat your fill and consume the dead so works well with the graverobber theme especially if taking snow storm, but the benefit i see is he is like a gamin in the way that you can send him in as a shock troop and cast through him without having to waste a spell to do so, essence of power only gives the + to spell damage if its linked and will only have frozen heart if within 4" of raspy without a spell

---------- Post added at 10:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:08 AM ----------

as I have found through use the ice golem can be a benefit as he is taller than the ht 2 models and can see from higher elevation better he can hit with a ranged attack and ato triggers icy chills giving the opponent slow meaning 1 less AP to dish punishment back before casting through him.... my last game I played I cast decembers curse through him against pandoras crew killing 1 sorrow and candy and if it wasnt for the sacrificing effect also a stitched together... another thing to consider is keeping a silent one close to raspy as her north wind is a great kick it adds +3 to all ranged spells abilities and attacks for frozen heart models and dont underestimate the use of freeze over any of your modelss can be given frozen heart and stops opponents pushing models through the terrain another tactic I used was to use freeze heart on my opponent to give them frozen heart so I can cast turn to ice, yes it does give a double - flip to damage but it reduces their def to 1 and they cant wk chg be pushed or make disengaging strikes I believe its only until the end closing phase but it keeps models within range for a pummeling although we all have different ways of playing this is what i have found to work my crew usually consists of

Raspy, wendigo, 2 silent 1's, 1 december acolyte, Snow storm, and an ice gamin

[Cptnbucky]

i think im gonna try that in the next game i play thanks

[LastDinosaur]

I use frozen heart themed models as they work well with ice mirror and the silent ones are perfect for it as they have perfect mirror reducing the cast by -1 not -3 also forget the essence of power totem its useless as all it adds is + to spell damage..... consider this wendigo also costs 2ss has frozen heart has 4 wounds not 2 has damage of 2/2/5 not 1/1/3 has cb 4 not cb 3 both have ca of 4 he also has devour, eat your fill and consume the dead so works well with the graverobber theme especially if taking snow storm, but the benefit i see is he is like a gamin in the way that you can send him in as a shock troop and cast through him without having to waste a spell to do so, essence of power only gives the + to spell damage if its linked and will only have frozen heart if within 4" of raspy without a spell

(emphasis mine)

Whoa.. I've seen some people prefer the Wendigo to the Essence for thematic reasons and what not, but I think this is the first time I've actually seen anyone on those forums claiming Wendigo to be the better choice.. Interesting.

on spell damage alot when you're relying on dealing collateral damage with blasts and saves you a bunch of high cards throughout the game, I honestly find it quite hard to go without the Essence.. Yes the Wendigo is universally better statwise, but it's still not anything close to good, aside from being a Graverobber and the occasional Ice Pillars it doesn't really add anything worthwhile to the crew at all, and you only want Graverobber when going for the avatar (which I'm not fond of at all) soeh yeah.. - those are just my opinions of course.

Also @ the OP: There's a thread like this one for Raspy almost once a week I feel, if you did a bit of a search you should be able to find some of them easily, there's also the pullmyfinger wiki, although I do not remember how elaborate Raspys article is.. Hmm..

[KamikaZ]

I see the point dino, in some instances it could work well but because it has to stay linked to raspy even for 2ss to me it doesnt have value as I use every model to move around giving me seemingly limitless area to cast spells, a bonus to spell damage would be useful but to have a cheap combat critter that can travel up to 6" (9" with silent one North wind spell) from her and be able to be cast through seems to be a viable option and considering it can potentially heal itself it seems silly not to take it especially as frozen heart benefits the silent 1's as well as raspy the more models with it the better, as I have said we all have different ways to play this is just what i found works best for me

[LastDinosaur]

North Wind unfortunately does not affect Ice Mirror, a shame, but that's how it was ruled, reason being that North Wind makes use of the Rg keyword and Ice Mirror just lists a range.. Our cries that no ability in the game actually makes use of the Rg keyword (and North Winds specific mention of abilities thus being redundant) were disregarded entirely.

[KamikaZ]

maybe but read the stat card again north wind has pulse 3" and states that all models with frozen heart get +3 to the Rg of their abilities (ice mirror and freeze over are abilities) spells and ranged weapons. pulse and aura rranges are not increased and since this rule is what the spell reads it overrules that state otherwise see pg 7 of the manual under breaking rules...... however this isnt rules discussion =p I just see this as being a very viable option and extremely useful which is why she is so fragile a master

---------- Post added at 05:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:14 PM ----------

also the offset is that ranged att spells cannot be cast into melee combat

[LastDinosaur]

I agree with you that North Wind should affect Ice Mirror, but it was ruled that Rg does not equal a listed range and therefore it sadly doesn't. You can find the thread here (Ratty chimes in on page 2).

Freeze Over is an action though, so is definetly not affected by North Wind.

[micahwc]

The previously mentioned list included the wendigo, the ice golem,and the December acolyte. All three of those are generally not favored by most raspy players on this forum.

[KamikaZ]

well considering the fact ive just said my piece on the matter I have now decided she is actually a very $$$$$$$$e master....... the models I take regardless of popularity seem to work well as the ice mirror silent 1 combo was something I discovered just the other day anyway thats not such a big deal but considering how utterly uesless the silent 1 is herr models just arent worth the points...

[Cptnbucky]

and this is the issue im having you just dont seem to have bang for your soul stones like most other masters

[micahwc]

Really? I just got her and hope to use her extensively. I think she will do really well with Kaeris, gunsmiths, soul stone miners, the mechanical rider, a single silent one, and Taelor. Taelor I admit is wyrd for her, but I think she will work out well, and I like her for the cost better than the Ice Golem.

About totems: The essence of power is great in theory (and in practice according to people who use it) against the ressurs, and others who have hard to wound. A double positive flip makes it more likely to be able to cheat into severe for more blast damage. Personally, I can see the utility, but I would like to start experimenting with the student of conflict.

Turn one I will have the student make Taelor fast. She can then do her movement trick to push everyone 3 inches away from her, walk, and do it again. Raspy is now an extra 6 inches up field before she activates for the first time. The student of conflict then gives Rasputina fast so she can cast more.

Edited February 16, 2012 by micahwc

[the imp]

In my opinion, Rasputina is best used to deny your opponent their schemes and strategy. It's fairly easy to use ice pillars and a barrage of curses to cover a token or utterly murder a minion that's trying to occupy a table quarter. Selecting schemes that compliment those actions, like thwart and assassinate, make it pretty easy to gain VPs without being very fast or effectively pursuing your own strategy. I've done pretty well with nothing more than the box set.

[micahwc]

Schemes like hold out, where the enemy has to come to you, makes her speed less of an issue.

[CN the Logos]

Honestly, while North Wind making Ice Mirror reach further might be useful, range is not Raspy's main issue. Twelve inches on the Curse extended by six from the mirror gives her an effective 18" range, i.e., half the table in one direction, and if she's not hugging the table edge her insta-kill radius will extend in multiple directions. Her problem is that most of her dedicated minions are slow when Ice Mirror and Shatter make their positioning even more important, and that if a dedicated melee model manages to actually get close to her, she goes down easier than a zombie hooker. There's not much you can do about that second bit, although Snow Storm does help with movement and is is very hard to kill unless you have a speedy model with magic/magical weapons (Snow Storm hates the Viktorias so much).

Silent Ones are plenty useful without extending Raspy's Curse range by another 3". For six points you get a good ranged damage spell, the ability to Ice Mirror it off other models with Frozen Heart, an area damage/healing spell, Casting Expert, a reduced penalty to Ice Mirror, and Shatter 3. If I've noticed any weaknesses in them when playing against my GF's Rasputina crew, it's that they don't have a lot of wounds to spare and I tend to go after them as soon as they can be targeted. Other than that, what's not to like?

In my opinion, Rasputina is best used to deny your opponent their schemes and strategy. It's fairly easy to use ice pillars and a barrage of curses to cover a token or utterly murder a minion that's trying to occupy a table quarter. Selecting schemes that compliment those actions, like thwart and assassinate, make it pretty easy to gain VPs without being very fast or effectively pursuing your own strategy. I've done pretty well with nothing more than the box set.

This right here. Rasputina's idea of battlefield control is turning the whole thing into No Man's Land, and brutally punishing any model that can't instantly reach melee with her if it dares to leave cover. She could be improved a bit certainly (I'd like to see a cheap, fast flying model that serves as an additional Frozen Heart, maybe with Perfect Mirror or the ability to be Ice Mirrored from slightly further than 6" away) but she's not bad. Unlike say, Shamus, her primary schtick (MOAR CURSE!) doesn't suffer from a large number of models simply laughing it off. I've had a couple of Curses Mirrored off a Gamin kill a Lelitu and leave her Lelu with three wounds remaining in one activation before. It stung.

Edited February 16, 2012 by CN the Logos

[Dustcrusher]

if a dedicated melee model manages to actually get close to her, she goes down easier than a zombie hooker.

True on multiple levels, aye, aye, knowwhutImean, nudge nudge? *wink*

Don't forget to drop Ice Pillars on top of strat/scheme-related counters that you don't have to interact with. Legal and irritating- even if a model is guaranteed to trash them, it's one more action and an extra couple of inches of movement in most cases.

Also, the Blessed is going to be a worthwhile purchase when it comes out.

Edited February 16, 2012 by Dustcrusher