Mr Gaves & Mr Tannen

[MasterDisaster]

I've recently picked up Graves and Tannen for my Darkened crew and got them on the table for the first time the other day. I found Graves to be incredibly useful however Tannen seemed pretty lackluster. I was happy to throw Graves into the thick of it where he can beat face with his fence post but with Tannen I wasn't really sure what to do with him. I wanted to get close to make use of his auras but he seems so utterly squishy I was concerned he'd become a big target. In the end he just sort of sat around using Bored to Tears and occasionally using his (0) to help with increasing Mask totals. Perhaps I was being to conservative with him, maybe I'm missing something?

 

Any advice on how to operate Tannen effectively would be appreciated. 

 

Thanks

[Skedarman]

Towards the end of the beta I started using Mr Tannen in all my Ten Thunder lists. I just found his cooler ability so useful that his seemingly squishiness never bothered me. I would suggest going against your initial instinct of protecting him and get him into the thick of it even though he is a big target. I had a game recently where Lilith emptied her entire control hand and activation just trying to kill Mr Tannen and still failed. His Yawn trigger is useful too against the usual suspects.

 

tldr: ignore squishy, get him in there

[zFiend]

I have them too, and I agree with you on Mr. Graves, he's great. I have had my doubts on Tannen but now that official cards are out I think there is something to him. The aura's are good, especially Cooler. But I am thinking that you propably should keep Tannen away from harm and when you want to hurt something you for example fling Tannen forward with Show ya the Door, after that walk into bring the aura preferably after the model you are trying kill has already activated or you can lock it down so it doesn't get to Tannen.

 

I was first going to bring a Depleted on my next weeks game, but Tannen is 2ss more, so I think I'll bring him instead. See how he does and what he can do. 

[MasterDisaster]

I have a game this evening and I'm seriously tempted to give him another go, I think I'll have to try going a bit more aggressive with Tannen and see what happens. I can always keep Graves nearby to play bodyguard duties if needed. At least if I do go in too hard with Tannen I can bring it back and try to find some sort of balance between too defensive and too offensive. 

 

I was thinking something along these lines for this evening against a friend at a local gaming club, I'm trying to showcase what other crews can do and give my friend an idea of what other crews can be like. I told him about Tara and he said... NO.... 

 

Lynch - Expert Cheater, Rising Sun

Hungering Darkness - Fears Given Form

2 Illuminated

1 Beckoner

Mr Graves

Mr Tannen

1-2 Depleted / Terror Tots

 

Obviously this is subject to change given the strats and schemes however it is also a friendly game with a fairly new player so I don't want to be too harsh on him (hence no Woke up with a Hand). This should not only be a fairly fun kind of crew but showcase nicely what Lynch can do. It's looking like Lady J or Seamus so I think Tannen could be in for a world of hurt!

[zFiend]

It looks like a good list. It's a bit off topic, but how do you feel on Tots on scheme running? I am thinking of getting a few more figures for Lynch and Tots were my main choice for objective, I am also thinking of buying the Nephilim box, not sure how they go with Lynch but the models are great.

 

I am finding a hard time to find a function for Depleted as they can't participate on schemes.

[tunagami]

It looks like a good list. It's a bit off topic, but how do you feel on Tots on scheme running? I am thinking of getting a few more figures for Lynch and Tots were my main choice for objective, I am also thinking of buying the Nephilim box, not sure how they go with Lynch but the models are great.

 

I am finding a hard time to find a function for Depleted as they can't participate on schemes.

The tots can be MAGIC.  If you get an ace of masks in your hands...... hoooooo-boy do they haul :-D

[MasterDisaster]

The tots can be MAGIC.  If you get an ace of masks in your hands...... hoooooo-boy do they haul :-D

 

Agreed, they are my go-to guys when it comes to running schemes. They are a joke should you get the ace of masks which to be fair isnt terribly difficult for Lynch. as stated above they can haul ass when they get going with the ace. 

 

As for Depleted I think they certainly have their uses, they can be used to tie up models to prevent them from getting to the Turf War area or you can sit them on Squatter's Rights markers so that anything that tried to interact with them becomes engaged and has to beat through 8 wounds of HtW and HtK. On top of that should they die while defending an objective they pass out Brilliance which makes it all that much easier for the other aspects of your crew to take revenge. It is a shame they are insignificant models but you get a fair amount of bang for your buck at 4ss. 

[zFiend]

That is a good point on the Depleted. I will have to try them at some point. Well anyway I just ordered a box of Tots and the Nephilim box, not sure how the Nephilim go with Lynch but they are great models and should find some utility for them anyway at some point. 

[MasterDisaster]

Sounds like a good plan to me! You should get pretty good milage out of the Tots, can't say much on the old Neph, I've never even seen them being used. They look great on paper though so you will have to let us know how you get on with them. I'll post how I get on with Tannen this evening after playing a lot less defensively. 

[zFiend]

Waiting for it. As I am thinking of fielding Tannen on next tuesday. First it was supposed to be Depleted +2ss pool, but then decided to go with Tannen after all. Cooler seems way too nasty to pass on it. Also in the right circumstances chatty will really come in hand. I will try out the Neph's as soon as I can with Lynch and see how they fare. 

[Vargas79]

Mr Tannen is worth his weight in soulstones against melee crews where you can protect him behind friendly models blocking the opportunity for him to be engaged. Opponents will put effort into taking him down so it's fun to dangle him and watch opponents high SS models pump their AP's into taking him down. I don't think I've ever seen him survive a game but he's always been a worthwhile pick.

 

He is far less effective against ranged crews where it is a struggle to get him into postion for his aura to be effective.

[zFiend]

Good point indeed. Sure you can try Lure the shooters into your death bubble. Which reminds, do you usually use one or two Beckoners in a 50ss game? I was thinking of going with two for more reliability on Brilliance as well as some board control. 

[MasterDisaster]

Recently since picking up Tannen and Graves who = 2 Illuminated in SS cost I drop a Beckoner and an Illuminated to accommodate them. Prior to getting them I often took 2-3 Illuminated, 2 Beckoners and filled my points up with Tots or Upgrades. I'm tempted to try taking 2 Beckoners, 1 Illuminated, Tannen and Graves to give me more board control. Given Lynch's fairly small range having an extra Lure or two could be really quite nasty. 

[TarlSS]

I really want to know how Tannen &Graves stack up against 2 Illuminated or 2 beckoners..hopefully they're better since they're unique/rare?

[Myth]

I'd take Graves over an Illuminated any day of the week - and Illuminated are already pretty good. I find he's a great model for his cost, and manages to bring both offense, durability, and utility to just about any crew.

 

I don't think Tannen is useless, but he really needs the right list to work well in. I've got a Pandora crew built around Woes that he fits well in. As others have said, if you can keep him safe but close enough to hose the enemy, he adds quite a bit. You just have to be very careful with his use. He suffers a bit from the fact that his best effects (Chatty and turning off SS use) encourage him to go early in the round, and that turns off his primary protection (Manipulative) - though Graves can help with that.

[zFiend]

Very good discussion going on.

 

MD, since you drop a beckoner and an illuminated to take Tannen and Graves, what else do you take? Tots? I have played Seamus quite a bit, him being one of the most flavourful characters I kinda like the whole Lure and movement shenanigans, that's why I was thinking of two beckoners.

[MasterDisaster]

Well I had my game Last night. 50ss vs Lady J. 

 

Here's what I took. 

 

Lynch - Expert Cheater, Rising Sun & Addict

Hungering Darkness - Fears Given Form

Mr Tannen

Mr Graves

2x Illuminated

1 Beckoner

1 Depleted

 

6ss Cache

 

vs. (more or less, been a while since I used my Lady J)

 

Lady J - Justice Unleashed, Badge of Office & (The one that gives Bullet proof)

Judge - (His personal upgrade)

Scales of Justice

3x Death Marshalls

1x Witchling Stalker

1x Austringer

 

7ss Cache

 

We played Squatters Rights. Both of us took Frame for Murder and Bodyguard. I had Frame for Murder on my Depleted who got nailed with a RJ on turn 1, finished off early turn 2 so I couldn't really use him but I bagged 3 points as it was the Judge who did the deed, Bodyguard went on HD. My opponent put FFM on his Witchling and Bodyguard on the Judge. I decided to put Tannen in the front lines as previously advised and well.... WOW!! He rocked my effing socks off! He crippled my opponents ability to cheat. Lady J, 2 DM's & the Witchling were within the aura for some time as I held them down with an Illuminated, Graves, the Beckoner and early on the Depleted.

 

His utility and support REALLY shone through and completely dispelled my concerns when I originally first posted. I used his Chatty (1) once or twice after planting him on or very near the central Squatter's Rights marker and he was causing so many issues for my opponent to deal with, he managed to last until turn 4 doing his dirty little shenanigans whilst Mr Graves and an Illuminated and the Beckoner played field control blocking charge lanes, acting as human shields or luring him out of harms way as and when required, on top of that I was activating him late in the turn after Justice and Graves duked it out only to have Graves die (eventually!), that Manipulative 13 was killer, my opponent struggled to get past it as he couldn't cheat without losing cards. I'm going to continue to play him because 2 games does not a varied experience make. If I can continue to get these sort of results from him I can see him featuring in a lot more of my crew lists. At the moment though Tannen's rating has gone from "Meh" all the way up to "BEAST!!"

 

It was fairly close until turn 4 where I took the lead and we finished the game 8-4 Lynch claimed victory. 

 

 

Very good discussion going on.

 

MD, since you drop a beckoner and an illuminated to take Tannen and Graves, what else do you take? Tots? I have played Seamus quite a bit, him being one of the most flavourful characters I kinda like the whole Lure and movement shenanigans, that's why I was thinking of two beckoners.

 

It really depends on the schemes/strategy available. If I need fast runners to plant objectives on the other side of the board then Tots work wonders with Lynch due to recycling the Ace of Masks with Sprint. They also work pretty well with the Beckoners because they have Pounce so you can set up some nice little combos there and to top it off Df 6! They are awesome!

 

If however my schemes/strategy aren't so reliant on movement I can see myself taking Depleted instead. It was unfortunate I didn't get much of a chance to use mine last night but I can see them being pretty darn good. Send an Illuminated out there, have the Depleted "Follow the Light" for a tasty 5" push then run twice for 13" movement on turn 1. They can get to where they need to be early and do their job quickly. Both options have great merit and from my personal experience very little risk. 

[zFiend]

Thanks for the write up, really nice to read. Good to hear about Tannen! So there is something to him. I am anxiously waiting for my Tots to arrive Have you tried Stitched Togethers? I was thinking about trying them out but they don't have a room in my list that I have in mind for next week.

 

Did you find use for such a high SS cache? 6 seems like a lot for Lynch, at least for me as the majority of use for me is getting new cards and I think Lynch should handle that pretty nicely with Woke up with a hand and Mulligan. Also is Addict better to be used with Lynch rather than Hugster? 

 

I was thinking of going with this:

 

Jacob Lynch 3ss pool

-Woke up with a hand

-Endless Hunger

-Addict

 

Hugster

-Fears given form

 

Mr. Graves

Mr. Tannen

The Illuminated

The Illuminated

Beckoner

Beckoner

 

50ss game is what we have in mind, I don't know the schemes or what my opposing crew will be yet, but I think it may be adjusted a  bit if needed, I will be taking 2x Depleted and 2x Stitched Togethers with me as I don't have Tots or the Neph's yet.

[MasterDisaster]

I've not gotten round to using Stitched Together with Lynch yet although I've heard nothing but good things. I'm gonna give them a try but I don't like their current models so I'll have to proxy them with friends when I get round to trying them out. 

 

A 6ss was actually a little much, by the last turn of our game I had 2ss left and most of my stones went on extra cards during the draw at the beginning of each turn (3 for extra cards and 1 on damage prevent for Huggy) I just burned the last 2 for the sake of burning them on the last game turn because I could. I always go into a game with the mentality "Better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them" though. I could have happily gone with a 4-5ss cache but I like to have a safety net just in case. 

 

As for Addict I used to use it on Huggy but as I often give him Fears Given Form he often wonders off doing his own thing. This often leaves him out of LoS from other members of my crew making it fairly limited in it's use. I put it on Lynch for the first time last night and I found it a lot more useful as Lynch can happily sit back whilst maintaining LoS to most of the crew. Huggy attacking the Judge and a Death Marshall both whith Brilliance and Addict within LoS was not only brutal but pretty funny as well!

[zFiend]

I have been holding on to that same mentality but as Lynch's core crew costs a bit I was thinking of leaving the draw cards on Lynch as it is an equal game of chance as with the stones. 3 is to damage prevent and keep mainly Huggy alive wreak havoc as my plan is to go berserk with Endless Hunger and Fears Given Form and thus I don't have the possibility to bring him back with Rising Sun, but I thought that the best defence is a good offence deserved a try. 

[MasterDisaster]

I like Endless Hunger but it always depresses me when Huggy dies and I can't bring him back! I love my Tadpole of Terror too much to keep him dead 

[zFiend]

Haha will have to try that as well at some point but right now. Seek and Destroy!

 

That was actually a good point you made on Tannen, I was thinking that he was quite squishy as well but with Manipulative and the need to discard a card if you want to cheat is a really good ability, especially if you get to activate Mr. Graves and land a hit, he gets Manipulative back! That's qutie nice. I am really psyched to play this crew.  

[MasterDisaster]

They are a hell of a lot of fun to play with and my opponent last night agreed that they were really whacky and fun to play against. Admittedly I didn't use Woke Up With a Hand because I thought the Expert Cheater would be a lot more fun. We had a right laugh which is what War Games are all about. Lynch is definitely one of my new favorite Masters and I think my success with Tannen really helped get him into my top 3 Masters. 

[zFiend]

That all sounds amazing! Expert Cheater sounds like a fun upgrade Especially with Tannen on the board.. 

[MasterDisaster]

It should really well if you keep Tannen near Lynch as well. Your opponent can cheat if they want but have to discard a card first, then if they pay to cheat against Lynch he can trigger Hold 'em so they take damage on top of discarding the card to cheat all the while never knowing if your card is higher than theirs or not.