Never Include Models

[decker_cky]

Merc tax is good - it means you have the option to take otherwise unavailable tools at a premium. Most of the mercs who really provide unique tools are already 8SS, so it's only a small increase.

I miss desperate mercs "Comes cheap" though.

[Sharp_GT]

I do love my Baby Kade, slap depression on him and watch him deal minimum 5 DG. Same for Barbaros, I've seen clever positioning of his "only attack me!" aura and other model's engagement range totally lock down huge chunks of opposing crews. In a Pandora crew that equals a lot of free Dg handed out.

 

I can't say there are any "NEVER take" models for me, but plenty of "rarely take". as others have said, differences in play style and in crew synergies make certain models more appealing, and others not so appealing.

 

That said I've never paid SSs for a Young Nephilim

[Al Shut]

It's only Masters than can pay him off and it's at the cost of two cards. It gives enemy masters the choice/ability to avoid having ALL their upgrades shot off with his "Smile you son of a..." action. It's perfectly justified and he is easily the best sniper in the game.

 

It's not so much the rule, I'd actually like the opponent to shed cards, it's the idea behind it.

 

Bribery is intollerable! Yes, I'm a bit crazy, I thought playing Malifaux that was a given.

[Math Mathonwy]

I would never hire Hans, simply because I refuse to tolerate a model that can be bribed into not shooting somebody.

As for the statrocks, has anyone ever bothered, or is even capable, to do some math to check the probability of a:+fate being more useful than the stat increase of the stone?

Unfortunately I can't figure out something like that for myself, sometimes I really miss the D6 of other games.

It depends but a good rule of thumb is that a +fate is approximately as good as +2 to the stat on a "raw" flip (i.e. no cheating). Naturally this is only true if the relative difference between your stats isn't enormous, but it's a good approximation. I made a simulation of a deck and flipped a few billion times to calculate various likelihoods.

[ehren37]

It depends but a good rule of thumb is that a +fate is approximately as good as +2 to the stat on a "raw" flip (i.e. no cheating). Naturally this is only true if the relative difference between your stats isn't enormous, but it's a good approximation. I made a simulation of a deck and flipped a few billion times to calculate various likelihoods.

Which means you're still down the one stone for the upgrade buy in. Like the cuddled Nexus of Power, they're noob trap options, since you're better off spending the stone cost on an extra positive twists or damage prevention flip and save the upgrade slot.

[Al Shut]

I actually broke my head about this yesterday and for every possible combination of two cards 60% give you a better result with the statrock stat increase than with a positive flip (where the heck are the Malifaux specific icons?) on your defensive duel.

 

Of course it all depends on how the rest of your crew is build, but with the slight advantage, the second ability of the rock and of course the option to boost your stat and gain a positive flip in case of an extreme emergency I wouldn't rule the rock out completely.

[EnternalVoid]

Which means you're still down the one stone for the upgrade buy in. Like the cuddled Nexus of Power, they're noob trap options, since you're better off spending the stone cost on an extra positive twists or damage prevention flip and save the upgrade slot.

 

I am going to agree with you save for one circumstance and that is if you took Taelor or Ototo *if playing Zoraida*.  Even with the current Nexus you can be surprisingly durable as they can use their Hard to Kill to 'pad' their life.  Say they are at 2wds or so, you can use a Stone for the Defensive flip and following Damage flip, get reduced to 1wd thanks to Hard to Kill, then Heal 1 wound so you are back to 2wds and Hard to Kill is ready to trigger again.  Is it the best option, not by a long shot but it is an option worth considering at times.  I have used this to fake out Bodyguard before as they thought it was my plan after I explained how it worked *had Ototo and a nurse in a Zoraida list*.  That all said it is an expensive option.

 

But overall I am in the group that thinks the Nexus was cuddled to hard.  Yes it was too good I agree with that but it really took a double hit with its update making it hard to use with the models we have.

[Sarsnick]

Barb and Kade always go into my Lilith crews depending on the strat and scheme

 

Barb has armor and area denial with either his upgrade or challenge.   

 

 

Baby Kade, if he can charge into combat that is engaged with another, rocks face.

 

His knife is Ml7 that does +2 damage is another friendly model is engaged with the same model.  He gets a trigger that does +2 more damage and slow.  Flipping SLOW.   So with a high crow, you can get an attack that does min damage 5 plus slow.  Not sure how people are using him where he is considered fragile but a Df 7 is really hard to get through and doesn't require much cheating from me.

 

Baby Kade is worth so much his points of 7.  

 

I guess I'll throw in my lot by saying lots of Ten Thunder's only minions.  They feel very disjointed.   Ten Thunders were added last and never developed their own type of fighting; more like stealing other concepts from the factions they are infiltrating.