Myranda...worth it?

[WaywardSun13]

So I've been reading A LOT about Marcus recently, and I've slowly been collecting an assortment of beasts to run with everyone's favorite underdog (pun intended). I've had a lot of fun and success with the Viktorias, Lady J, and Misaki...but I've been wanting to try something different. I have come across some conflicting opinions about Myranda. On the surface, she seems like a versatile toolbox for the crew...but then again so is Marcus. Plus, she has the added versatility of transforming into a variety of beatstick beasties. However, it seems like 1-2 turns are "wasted" by transforming and setting up.

So...long story short, is Myranda worth her 7 SS, or should I just hire the beasts I would have her transform into anyway?

Edited November 29, 2012 by WaywardSun13

[Adran]

Myranda has always looked like she should be great. My personal experience with her is that she didn't meet up to it. Mind you I've not used her for at least a year.

Her Furious cast and animal instict should be a good combination. You just need a beast with a good spell to copy. And preferably a second reasonable spell if you don't get the number/suit for the good spell.

Her ability to get the stats of any one of several beasts should be good. Dream combinations of her starting as a cerberus, using the 2 headed attacks, then dropping into her normal form for Meleee expert and finally turnign into something like a shikome or a mauler to finish off looks like such a good combination.

Typically though you would have been better of with the original beast.

There are so many potentially awesome combinations out there, but they all just seem to involve such a convoluted couple of turns that they aren't consistant.

At some point there will be a combination that turns her into amazing, I'm sure of it, I just haven't found it yet. The current nearest is turning into a raptor, beasting Rasputina and adding an extra 3 casts of Decembers curse a turn.

I want her to be worth the stones, but my personal experience is that she isn't quite there.

[Tograth]

She *can* be worth it, however, she's tough to use properly.

Mostly I've found her to be more useful in crews that do not contain marcus, although there are times when her and marcus can provide quite a one-two punch.

[geistwald]

None of her crucial abilities work reliable enough. Shape change for 9+ :tomes, healing for 8+ :rams, melee expert with Cb4 and the inevitable (0) spell to exceed her pillow-fisted self... Not mentioning Animal Instincts: the one and only (1) spell of Myranda's dedicated master is already on her card. (Now take a look at the possibilities of Cassandra's Understudy, welcome to Book 2...)

This game is not terribly deep, so it's always better to field reliable (if somehow limited) specialists. Yes Marcus himself is another versatile toolbox, but he is quite good at most things he is supposed to perform. Imagine Wild Heart with a requisite of, say, 14 :tomes:masks and you get Myranda.

[decker_cky]

I think the best use of Myranda is finding good uses of animal instincts. Myranda and a Rogue necromancy form a solid pairing to provide some blast shooting while slowly advancing (defending backfield objectives likely). Not the most efficient 17SS, but they work decently well, and Myranda can both shoot and provide a bit of healing with her furious casting. There's a few other decent animal instincts targets for her, but that's the one that stands out.

Shape change isn't something to depend on, but in a pinch, it can provide you with the right tool at the right time.

Myranda could definitely stand to be improved, but you can get some decent use out of her in the right list. If nothing else, she's pretty fun.

[Metalhed]

I have been contemplating running her with Ramos. With his toolkit she gets the tomes to guarantee the transform. The idea would be to shift into something Ramos couldn't already hire like a Shikome.

More just to experiment that anything.

[GTDemon777]

i thought the +tome was only for Ramos. I dont have the card or book so i cant confirm

[Adran]

Its a 1 action that gives a tome to target model, so it can be given to myranda.

[Fetid Strumpet]

Short answer, no she isn't worth bringing in almost any list if you are looking for an effective competitive model. She suffers a twofold fate that crops up on certain models.

First, with the new standard of models that have come out since book one you really need to have an extra action once you hit her price range, and she doesn't have reliable or useful enough ones to make offsetting her cost effective.

As someone said above you want reliable specialists in most game systems, not models that can do alot, but not consistently.

Second, she is fairly priced at what she is capable of doing, but as a poster above said, she isn't consistent at it, and one of the overall most important attributes for a competitive and effective model is consistency. A model can certainly have abilities that require specific suits that aren't used all the time, and still be a great model, but if those abilities are what you are paying a high SS cost for,... well then you become less effective.

Case in point, for Treasure Hunt which is better for a resser crew, Sybelle and a Rotten Belle, or 3 Night Terrors and a Stone for the road? Sybelle and a belle cost 10 and they have the potential to grab the treasure and be back 4" from the center on the first activation, but in order to do so you need a 9+ of masks in your opening hand, and if you don't get it for this particular strat, you wasted your points, vs 3 Night Terrors, who can reliably get the treasure and move it back some distance without needing any specific resource expenditure, other than actions, to do so.

Myranda is like that. She has the potential to do all kinds of really powerful and neat things, and I'm certain in some games she has been the critical component to a victory. That doesn't change the fact that her unreliability makes her inconsistent, and therefore, on the whole, not and effective choice.

[dgraz]

I was just going to say 'No' and hit 'submit reply'. But I'll add that I am in complete and total agreement with Fetid Strumpet's entire post.