Sonia - The 35 SS challenge

[architectzero]

What would you do with Sonia and 35 SS, not knowing what faction or Strategy you're up against?

Here's my take:

• Sonia (+3 SS)
  
  • Counterspell Aura (-1)
    
  • Disrupt Magic (-2)
    

  [*]Samael Hopkins (-9)

  [*]Guild Austringer (-6)

  [*]Witchling Stalker x3 (-15)

  [*]SS pool = 5

I think a 5 SS pool helps increases both Sonia and Sam's survivability, and it enables Sonia's Confiscated Lore in the event that she doesn't have cards to discard. Counterspell Aura and Disrupt Magic seem effective against a wide range of opponents. The austringer is there because austringer!

I figure its main weakness is mobility, but at 35 SS, you have to sacrifice something.

[Bazin]

I personally think playing Soniia at 35ss is the worst idea ever.

[The Godlyness]

See me i take fun lists like

Guild Crew - 35 - Dustup

Sonnia -- 5 Pool

+Counterspell Aura [1]

+The Mask [1]

Malifaux Child [3]

Peacekeeper [11]

Samael Hopkins [9]

+Vengeance Bullet [1]

+Witch Hunt [2]

Witchling Stalker [5]

OR

Sonnia

+Counterspell Aura 1ss

+The Mask 1ss

Malifaux Child 3ss

Guild Austringer 6ss

Guild Guard 4ss

Guild Guard 4ss

Witchling Stalker 5ss

Witchling Stalker 5ss

Witchling Stalker 5ss

[Rathnard]

Well it's certainly not a bad crew. The Austringer is particularly important for pushing Sonnia out of combat so he's definitely a keeper. I've never played with or against M2E Sonnia but my only suggestion would be to look at replacing Samael with a Freikorps Specialist? Burning aside, he's got a nice toolbox of tricks to deal with corpse/scrap counters and Scheme markers, plus he can strip slow or paralyse from your crew, which are two of the more annoying conditions to deal with.

For upgrades, I'd consider taking just Cherufe's imprint. The anti-magic stuff is nice, but against some crews it'd be almost useless so you're better off taking something more universally useful. Cherufes Imprint seems to be useful in deterring enemy models from engaging Sonnia, which is really the last thing you want. One of the other upgrades might be handy, but I really don't know enough about Sonnia to suggest anything in particular.

I personally think playing Soniia at 35ss is the worst idea ever.

Care to explain why? (Modhat) Otherwise this is pretty close to just trolling.(/Modhat)

[hypoking]

Admittedly I'm new to the Sonia game, but why would anyone ever leave home without reincarnation?

[edonil]

Depends on how many Stalkers you have. I know I like the upgrade, but I've only got four stalkers...the way I was designing my lists, I'd burn through them quick.

[Thaarup]

Hmm, I would probably try to get a crew who can do a lot of different things.

Something like this, but maybe change Francisco´s place in the crew with either a Freikorps Specialist with "Plant Evidence", Nino Ortega with "Hair Trigger" or Santiago Ortega with "Hermanos de Armas".

Guild Crew - 35 - Dustup

Sonnia -- 5 Pool

+Cherufe's Imprint [1]

+Disrupt Magic [2]

+Reincarnation [1]

• Francisco Ortega [8]
  +Hermanos de Armas [1]
  +Wade In [1]
  
• Guild Austringer [6]
  
• Guild Guard [4]
  
• Guild Guard [4]
  
• Witchling Stalker [5]
  

[Dracomax]

Assuming I have to go fixed crew, I think I'd go with

Sonnia

+Reincarnation

+Whichever gives Flame wall

1 Death Martial (6)

2 Witchlings (5)

Austringer(6)

Fransisco, or Guardian(if wave 2 are being allowed)(8)

That should be at 34 SS, with a cache of 4. Depending on schemes and strategies, leave off Reincarnation for another SS to Cache.

It gives you a nice general crew, with the ability to react to most things—The DM gives you decent mobility unhampered by terrain, and Pine box is one of the best control spells even without the ability to use it to transport/protect your own slower models.

Fransisco or Guardian are there to be terrain blockers, for holding objectives or keeping models from passing. Both are very, very good at stopping models from disengaging.

The weakness of the crew is that the witchlings are your only source of burning, really, but they do it very well, and if you have an opportunity to use reincarnation, you can get more. Also, While Visions of Flame is good, Sonnia is still one of the better ranged attackers in the game without it, so even if all the witchlings are dead, she isn't helpless.

With that said, if I didn't have to pick 35 SS worth of models before Schemes and strategies were picked, I probably would not use this list. It's too general, and not great at anything. However, since in the scenario, you have to be ready for anything, it gives you the ability to respond to most everything, so that skill can make up the rest—and likely you will be in a situation where the opponent is either too focused, in which case unless they get the precise schemes and strategies they were hoping for, you have really good odds, or in the same boat.

[architectzero]

Assuming I have to go fixed crew, I think I'd go with

Sonnia

+Reincarnation

+Whichever gives Flame wall

1 Death Martial (6)

2 Witchlings (5)

Austringer(6)

Fransisco, or Guardian(if wave 2 are being allowed)(8)

I like this, mainly because I had the same idea about Francisco and swapping out a Witchling for a Marshall, but then I got hung up on the upgrades and simply couldn't decide. It was simpler for me to reason about a pile of Witch Hunters providing good board coverage for Disrupt, which I'll admit may not be the best idea at 35 SS. However, you, Thaarup, and Rathnard all suggest Cherufe's Imprint (the thing that provides flamewall), so I'll have to reconsider this build with that in mind.

I'm not sold on Reincarnation though. I mean, on paper it's nice to be able to create Witchlings, especially at 35 SS, but I really think that requires Sam + Witch Hunt to pull off consistently, which is expensive. How about giving Francisco "Wade In" or "Hermanos de Armas", instead?

---------- Post added at 07:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:48 AM ----------

Care to explain why? (Modhat) Otherwise this is pretty close to just trolling.(/Modhat)

Oh don't worry about Bazin. We're good friends, IRL. There's likely to be a Sonia vs. Rasputina dust-up in the next couple of weeks. :1_Happy_Puppet2:

[Dracomax]

I like this, mainly because I had the same idea about Francisco and swapping out a Witchling for a Marshall, but then I got hung up on the upgrades and simply couldn't decide. It was simpler for me to reason about a pile of Witch Hunters providing good board coverage for Disrupt, which I'll admit may not be the best idea at 35 SS. However, you, Thaarup, and Rathnard all suggest Cherufe's Imprint (the thing that provides flamewall), so I'll have to reconsider this build with that in mind.

I'm not sold on Reincarnation though. I mean, on paper it's nice to be able to create Witchlings, especially at 35 SS, but I really think that requires Sam + Witch Hunt to pull off consistently, which is expensive. How about giving Francisco "Wade In" or "Hermanos de Armas", instead?

---------- Post added at 07:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:48 AM ----------

Oh don't worry about Bazin. We're good friends, IRL. There's likely to be a Sonia vs. Rasputina dust-up in the next couple of weeks. :1_Happy_Puppet2:

It's easier with Sam. Honestly, It's easier if you put everburning on, too. But Sonnia has the ability to add burning on flameblasts to models damaged(including blast targets) with a suit. If I try, I can usually get 1-2 Witchlings per game even without Sam, and that is a big deal in a 35 SS game. The big thing is that it allows for a bit of replenishment once Witchlings go down, which helps to fuel continued burning shennanigans in a game where you don't have a lot of sources of burning. At 1 SS, I think for Sonnia in a low SS game, it is worth bringing even if you don't get a chance to use it, simply because it forces the opponent to play differently.

Wade in is a good alternative, though.

The reason we suggest Cheruf's imprint is that it is cheap, and gives you the option for some board control, especially against shooty crews. The fact it does so for so cheap again means that even if it isn't always used, as a general list, it will be possible to use to good effect on most boards for most schemes. And it tends to free up other models to guard other areas, so bonus.

Keep in mind, that the only thing a witch hunter really does that a DM doesn't is add burning. The Dm is a better scheme runner, and has better attacks in terms of actually hitting, as well as 2 good utility abilities. You need the burning, but having a DM along for the utilities and scheme running is rarely a bad idea, in my experience.

[Bazin]

---------- Post added at 07:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:48 AM ----------

Oh don't worry about Bazin. We're good friends, IRL. There's likely to be a Sonia vs. Rasputina dust-up in the next couple of weeks. :1_Happy_Puppet2:

Yea, sorry! Just ribbing a friend. NOT looking forward to this match up...