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Warmachine Convergence of Cyriss Review: Warcasters

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IN SHORT: The new Convergence of Cyriss rulebook is here, and with it Privateer Press delivers a whole faction of big, mean robots! Oh, yeah!
On a presentation level, Privateer Press continues to set the bar high with a gorgeous full-color spread. Convergence models have a clean robotic look that is both very unique but also feels perfectly at home in the wider Warmachine universe. The rulebook comes fully loaded with 5 warcasters, 11 warjacks (including a Colossal!), 7 units, 1 universal unit attachment, 7 solos, and a battle engine.
Wow! Privateer Press has been busy.
Today, let’s take a look at the Convergence of Cyriss warcasters.
AURORA, NUMEN OF AEROGENESIS: One look at Aurora’s rules tells you to take Clockwork Angels. She’s practically one herself with similar weapons and a big pair of robotic wings. Not only does she give them Combined Melee Attack, but she can Flank with them, getting +2 MAT and an additional damage die in melee when there’s a Clockwork Angel helping out. And when she does get stuck in, she can use Flashing Blade to smack every enemy model in range of her melee attack (which does have Reach).
She also provides plenty of support to any friendly infantry, not just Clockwork Angels. Transference is an upkeep spell that lets infantry around her spend her Focus on melee attack or damage rolls. True Path gives infantry +2” movement and Pathfinder. So she gives infantry extra bite and extra speed. Not too bad.
Aurora definitely feels like an infantry focused warcaster, but she comes with some interesting toys for warjacks too. As with all Convergence warcasters, she gives her MAT and RAT stats to her warjacks. MAT 6, RAT 4 are decent numbers to start with. With Field Marshal [Apparition], everything in her battlegroup gets a free 2” move in the Control Phase, including her! On top of that, she can slap Admonition on herself or a warjack to get out of the way when an enemy model gets too close.
And then there’s her feat, Eleventh Hour. This gives all Convergence models in her control area Refuge. As long as they hit something, they get to make a full advance after their combat action is done. This gives Aurora’s army some really nice tactical flexibility. The obvious benefit is hitting the enemy then moving clear of retaliation, but it can be used in the other direction too. Convergence models can head deeper into the enemy lines to engage and disrupt juicy solos to the rear. Clockwork Angels, with Flight and a 3” Reform move on top of the Refuge move (that ignores free strikes, by the way), are perfect for getting deep into the opponent’s army and disrupting the heck out of it.
Did I mention Aurora goes well with Clockwork Angels?
AXIS, THE HARMONIC ENFORCER: This guy is about fighting up close and personal. He has a ton of ways to shove enemy screening models around so that his army can strike at the squishy center. His weapons have Beat Back for a 1” push every hit. His spell Battering Ram pushes enemy models 3” away. And his spell Unstoppable Force gives his entire battlegroup the 2” push that comes with Bulldoze.
He also brings the love for melee warjacks. They get his solid MAT 7 (along with RAT 2, so choose accordingly) as well as Counter Charge, which can hinder the enemy further. Because, seriously, who wants to come into range of a whole battlegroup of MAT 7 warjacks that get free charges? Never mind that one of those warjacks will have Iron Aggression and the boosted melee attack rolls that come with it. Throw in Razor Wall on top of this for a wall template that is instant death to light infantry, and Axis has plenty of ways to force the enemy to engage on his terms.
His feat, Circumpotence, further hinders the enemy and enhances his own. Enemy models get -2 SPD and STR while his army gets +2 SPD and STR for an extra burst of speed and hitting power at just the right moment.
Axis himself is primed to take advantage of his own feat. With the aforementioned MAT 7, two P+S 14 (before the feat) and Double Strike, he can hit an enemy fourteen times in a single turn! Can you say enemy warcaster/warlock pancake?
Yeah, I like this guy. I like this guy a lot.
IRON MOTHER DIRECTRIX & EXPONENT SERVITORS: Oh, man! Be careful when going up against this lady with warjacks! First things first, she has Backlash. Once she’s inflicted an enemy warjack with it, every time that warjack is damaged its controller takes a point of damage. Since Convergence has cheap access to models with Puncture (the attack automatically does 1 point of damage), this damage can add up quickly while milking the enemy warjack for all its worth. Against Warmachine armies, the Directrix definitely wants some Elimination Servitors.
Okay, so Backlash with lots of Puncture is bad. What’s worse? Throwing Domination into the mix. With this spell, the Directrix can take over an enemy non-character warjack, move it, and attack with it (for example, bringing it closer to her army and turning it around for the back strike bonus).
With Field Marshall [Arc Node], every warjack is a possible source for her spells, so she’s not going to have problems slinging Backlash and Domination from a safe distance. Even the two servitors in her unit can act as Arc Nodes. She can even create replacement servitors (i.e. Arc Nodes) in the Control Phase.
So, yeah, she’s bad news for enemies with warjacks. Other than that, she seems to have a stronger focus on ranged combat than other Convergence warcasters. She comes with a really nice 4” AOE attack with POW 15. Her servitors can set enemies up with bonus damage. She can give her battlegroup +2” RNG with the Fire Group spell. And she can give a model or unit some nice move-shoot-move with Tactical Supremacy, giving them a 3” move at the end of their activations.
And then there’s her feat, Mathematical Perfection. Her MAT 5 and RAT 5 get replaced with her FOCUS 8 stat. And yeah, so do all her warjacks. That’s a whole battlegroup of MAT 8, RAT 8. Yikes!
FATHER LUCANT, DIVINITY ARCHITECT: Lucant and his army look like a force that will not go down easily. He comes with plenty of tools to outlast his opponent and avoid assassination, even with his large base.
Let’s start with his spell list. Deceleration gives friendlies in his control area +2 DEF and +2 ARM against ranged attacks. Purification stands ready to clear the board of unwanted continuous effects, animi, and upkeep spells. And Watcher is a neat spell that helps keep Lucant safe. When an enemy moves within 6” of Lucant, a warjack in his battlegroup gets to move and attack, either at range or with melee and with boosted attack and damage rolls. Depending on the warjack attack used, this can end up doing things like knocking down the offending model or dragging it away to get swatted by the Convergence colossal, the Prime Axiom.
Lucant has plenty of other abilities that keep him safe. He’s Repairable, and Convergence has lots of ways to repair models. Unless the assassination puts him down completely, he can repair and be back in the fight. With 21 hit boxes, ARM 17, and 7 Focus, he is not a soft target. Also, he’s Steady, so that DEF 14 isn’t getting negated by knocking him down.
His feat, Clockwork Reinforcement, emphasizes this further. Convergence models get +4 ARM and Repair skill checks pass automatically. Combined with Field Marshall [Shield Guard] his feat really shines. Even when enemy attacks are effective, Shield Guard can allow the hits to be absorbed by heavy warjacks with enhanced ARM values. Yeah, just try chewing through his army on feat turn.
His MAT 6 and RAT 3 will cause his battlegroup to lean towards a melee focus, which is fine because his Positive Charge spell fits that template nicely. Affected warjacks get +2 melee attack and damage rolls. Even better, friendly models within 3” also get the bonus. He can even spam it to multiple warjacks, since it only costs 2 Focus and isn’t an upkeep spell.
Overall, Lucant’s rules seem to encourage a combined arms approach. I picture him with a mix of heavy warjacks and heavy infantry to benefit the most from his feat, spells, and plenty of support models with Repair.
All in all, he looks like a tough customer that’s pretty fun to play.
FORGE MASTER SYNTHERION: Here’s a guy who’s all about the warjacks. He loves warjacks and warjacks love him. First, he has MAT 6 and RAT 5, good attack stats for his battlegroup. Next, he comes with Field Marshal [Auto-Repair], which removes d3 damage points from every model in his battlegroup during the control phase, including him! He’s also Resourceful, so he upkeeps spells on his battlegroup for free.
And what do these spell do? Well, there’s Hot Shot, which gives boosted ranged damage rolls to a model in his battlegroup. Yikes, just picture that on the Prime Axiom! Just in case you’re wondering, that’s 6 shots at 13” with boosted POW 11.
Okay, so he does ranged warjacks well, but how about melee? Yeah, he does that too with Synergy. This spell gives an accumulative +1 bonus to melee attack and damage rolls to members of a battlegroup for each other battlegroup model that hit with a melee attack. Given that Convergence has a 3 point melee warjack (to potentially take in large numbers), this bonus can get pretty ridiculous.
On top of that, he comes with a powerful debuff spell that reduces an enemy model’s or unit’s SPD and DEF by 2 and gives charging Constructs an extra 2″! And I haven’t even gotten to his feat, yet, which lets his battlegroup charge without spending focus and let’s them use both their ranged and melee weapons to full effect.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also Reconstruct. When a warjack with this spell is disabled, it immediately repairs 1 damage point in each system and gets placed within 3” of its current location. So, his warjacks can stick around even longer. With ARM 18, 20 damage boxes, Auto-Repair, and Repairable, Syntherion is sticking around for a while too.

SUMMARY

I have to say that these warcasters look fun to play with and challenging to play against.
The Convergence of Cyriss is an exciting new faction with gorgeous models and solid rules. As more of their models get released and people get used to their new abilities, I look forward to seeing their full might displayed on the tabletop.
Should be exciting!
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Skarlock Thrall

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warmachine cryx skarlock thrall
Solos in Warmachine may not have the raw power and durability of warjacks or the sheer numbers enjoyed by infantry. But don’t discount them. For so few points, no models can tip the balance of a game quite like solos can. Today, I’m taking a look at the Skarlock Thrall.
IN SHORT: Who doesn’t like a free spell a turn? The Skarlock is a Cryx warcaster’s best friend.
STRENGTHS: Two words. Spell Slave! With this ability, the Skarlock can cast one of its warcaster’s spells for free, while in that warcaster’s control area. And for only 2 points? Seriously, that is just so cool.
Now, there are a few exceptions to worry about. The Skarlock can only cast spells of COST 3 or less and cannot cast spells with target SELF or CTRL. Even with these limitations, there are so many applications for Spell Slave, it’s ridiculous.
The savings in Focus alone are phenomenal. The Skarlock is great for assisting Cryx warcasters with support spells. From a timely application of Ghost Walk to applying or re-applying buffs like Scything Touch and support spells Occultation, the Skarlock is a huge boon to Focus efficiency. It’s just great to have along.
WEAKNESSES: With DEF 14, ARM 12, and only 5 hit boxes, the Skarlock is squishy. Keep it safe, because if your opponent can take a shot at it, it’s likely dead. This makes it very risky to use the Skarlock for offensive spells, which force it into range of reprisal. It’s best to keep the Skarlock back in a support role until it’s needed. That said, don’t be afraid to sacrifice a Skarlock to get that extra debuff applied. Often, the right debuff in the right place is well worth a dead Skarlock.
Also, it … umm … It can’t cast every spell? It’s not a 1 point solo? You can’t take two?
Seriously, I’m stretching on this one.
SYNERGIES: Almost any warcaster can take advantage of the Skarlock. It’s basically an auto-include in most lists, so it’s easier to cover the exceptions rather than the synergies.
The Skarlock is a warcaster attachment, so it cannot be included with Mortenebra or Asphyxious the Hellbringer, who both have their own character Skarlocks. Of the remaining warcasters, Goreshade the Bastard is probably the one that will miss a Skarlock the least, since the only spells available to the Skarlock are offensive. Though do not discount even this. Goreshade can often be hurting for Focus, and an extra Hex Blast at the right time can be game-changing, given its ability to strip enemy upkeep spells.
JUST FOR FUN: Let’s look at Iron Lich Asphyxious’s spell Scything Touch. This is a rare buff spell in Cryx that grants +2 STR and Critical Corrosion to a unit or model.
Start the round by upkeeping Scything Touch on Unit 1, activate Unit 1 and get the most out of the buff. Next, activate the Skarlock and cast Scything Touch on Unit 2. Activate Unit 2 and do some damage. Now activate Asphyxious and cast this spell on Unit 3. Activate Unit 3 and tear it up.
That’s three units benefiting from +2 STR in a single round for only 3 Focus and a Skarlock. Not too bad.
And remember, this tactic can also be used on debuffs against enemy units. Who wouldn’t like to smash three warjacks in a row, each afflicted with Parasite’s -3 ARM penality?
SUMMARY: The Skarlock has a place in almost every Cryx list. If in doubt, take one. Seriously, just take it. You won’t regret it.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Pistol Wraith

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warmachine cryx pistol wraiths
Solos in Warmachine may not have the raw power and durability of warjacks or the sheer numbers enjoyed by infantry. But don’t discount them. For so few points, no models can tip the balance of a game quite like solos can. Today, I’m taking a look at the Pistol Wraith.
IN SHORT: These ghostly duelists are experts at reaching their targets, striking first, and striking hard. But watch out! They are glass cannons.
STRENGTHS: First, the Pistol Wraith lives up to its name. It shoots well, which is something of a novelty in Cryx. With RAT 7, the Pistol Wraith’s twin POW 12 pistols are accurate and can do some decent damage. Good speed on the solo and range on the weapons also lends the Pistol Wraith a high threat range of 16”.
But what’s better than POW 12? Boosted POW 12! Thanks to its Body Count rule, the Pistol Wraith can collect souls of living enemy models it kills. Those souls can then be used to boost attack or damage rolls, making the Pistol Wraith one deadly customer.
But there’s more! If the Pistol Wraith connects on the same target with both pistols, it fires a third non-damaging Chain Attack at that target. This Death Chill attack forces the target to give up either its movement or its action during its next activation. This gives the Pistol Wraith the ability to hinder targets it has trouble damaging, such as high ARM warrior models, heavy warjacks, and even Colossals!
To keep the Pistol Wraith safe, it has Incorporeal, which grants it immunity to normal attacks until it opens fire.
WEAKNESSES: At 3 points, the Pistol Wraith is a mildly pricey solo. With DEF 14, ARM 12, it’s also vulnerable. This can lead to the Pistol Wraith becoming a one-hit wonder by getting flattened immediately after opening fire the first time.
This problem also makes it difficult to use souls because the Pistol Wraith has to collect them first through attacks. And when it attacks, it loses Incorporeal for a round, leaving it very vulnerable.
Finally, besides our impressive selection of debuffs (which go great with Pistol Wraiths), Cryx has very little support for enhancing ranged attacks.
SYNERGIES: Skarre, Queen of the Broken Coast and Pistol Wraiths go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Not only does Epic Skarre enhance shooting to ridiculous levels with Black Spot, her Fate Weaver feat can be used to protect the Pistol Wraith. First Black Spot a unit, then have a Pistol Wraith or two attack the unit, gobbling up the soul tokens and getting free shots. After this, use Fate Weaver to make the Pistol Wraiths invalid targets. With the Pistol Wraiths gorged on souls and protected from reprisal, they’re ready to do some real damage next round!
And, of course, debuffs make anything better, not just melee attacks. The Pistol Wraith’s ranged attacks can benefit greatly from the wide selection of Cryx debuffs. Why not team up with Warwitch Deneghra for an assassination run. Combining Parasite with her feat, The Withering, on the same target can turn the Pistol Wraith’s RAT 7 POW 12 attacks into effective RAT 9 POW 17, which can be boosted further with souls!
JUST FOR FUN: You know the saying, boosted 12’s win games. Hey, check it out. Pistol Wraiths have two POW 12 attacks that can be boosted. Huh.
Just saying. Might be worth a look.
SUMMARY: Pistol Wraiths are dangerous solos, and with Incorporeal, they can normally get the drop on their target. Just don’t expect them to last long after that first strike if you haven’t planned accordingly. That said, make no mistake. With the right list and a solid battle plan, Pistol Wraiths are absolutely deadly!
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Warwitch Siren

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Solos in Warmachine may not have the raw power and durability of warjacks or the sheer numbers enjoyed by infantry. But don’t discount them. For so few points, no models can tip the balance of a game quite like solos can. Today, I’m taking a look at the Warwitch Siren.
IN SHORT: Cheap, fast, and supremely versatile, the Warwitch Siren is one of the premier Cryx solos.
STRENGTHS: The name of the game here is versatility. For only 2 points, the Warwitch Siren brings a large toolbox of interesting abilities. Let’s take a look at them.
First, there’s Power Booster. The Warwitch Siren can clear of warjack of the Disrupted effect and, if it doesn’t have any Focus, she gives it one. Warmachine is a game of resource management, namely Focus, and the Warwitch Siren lets the warcaster keep more. Very nice!
Next, the Warwitch Siren can move into base-to-base with a living enemy warrior model and use Seduction. Take control of the enemy model, make a full advance then make one normal melee attack. There is no roll to hit for Seduction. The ability always works, though warcasters and warlocks are immune.
The applications of this power are many and varied. Need to bring an enemy support solo closer to your warjack? Seduce them! Want to break a unit by moving the leader out of formation? Seduce them! Got a powerful melee solo closing in? Seduce them, turn them around, and attack something!
The Warwitch Siren also come with Venom, a low POW 8” magic spray that causes Corrosion. With a magic attack of 7, Venom is deadly against clumped up groups of enemy infantry. Between the initial spray attack and the Corrosion afterwards, the Siren can clear out surprising numbers of enemy infantry all by herself.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Warwitch Siren can inflict Shadow Bind with her P+S 11 Shadow Blade melee attack. This is great for stopping an enemy warjack or warbeast dead in its tracks, especially if the target doesn’t have Reach. Because, guess what? The Siren does! She can freeze models in place, lower their defense by 3, and they can’t even smack her back. This also gives her the defense bonus for being engaged in melee.
On top of all of this, the Warwitch Siren comes with Stealth to protect her at range and Parry to let her ignore free strikes.
All this for 2 points? Very nice indeed!
WEAKNESSES: ARM 13 and DEF 15 are good, but not great. The Warwitch Siren can be difficult to pin down, but when she is, she gets squished. Even with Stealth protecting her, she has to watch out for blast damage. Never mind that there are plenty of ways to bypass Stealth.
And while Shadow Bind on her melee attack is nice, she’s only MAT 5. Even against the generally low DEF of heavy warjacks, she has a reasonable chance to miss.
Finally, she’s a living model, with all the extra vulnerabilities that brings over our undead models.
SYNERGIES: Just about everything in Cryx. Almost every list I make includes one and sometimes two Warwitch Sirens. However, there are some combinations that can stand out.
Scaverous’s feat boosts the attack rolls of magic attacks. Combined with the Siren’s Venom and her solid magic attack, and suddenly that spell is really, really accurate. Go ahead! Melt their faces right off!
Venethrax also gives the Venom spell’s Corrosion effect a nice boost with his Caustic Presence [Corrosion]. Instead of a two in three chance of basic infantry dying, now they just die.
With the number a warjacks Mortenebra normally fields, she really enjoys the extra Focus two Warwitch Sirens can bring to her battlegroup.
Finally, what’s better than one round of Shadow Bind? TWO rounds of Shadow Bind! Try teaming up some Sirens with Wraith Witch Deneghra’s feat to really paralyze your opponent.
JUST FOR FUN: A little combo I like to use is a Warwitch Siren and a Stalker as a two-part flanking force. Both the Siren and the Stalker swing wide on one flank. Both are SPD 7 and both have Stealth. Plus the Siren can Power Boost the Stalker if Focus is tight. With the Stalker’s Extended Control Range, the warcaster is free to load it with Focus when the moment is right. Together, the two can cause a lot of chaos for only 6 points.
SUMMARY: The Warwitch Siren is a fantastic, supremely versatile solo that fits great in almost any Cryx army. The sheer number of abilities she brings to the table gives you plenty of options and makes it almost impossible for your opponent to predict her moves. It’s a rare game where I’m not fielding my trusty Siren in the list.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Machine Wraith

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warmachine cryx machine wraiths
Solos in Warmachine may not have the raw power and durability of warjacks or the sheer numbers enjoyed by infantry. But don’t discount them. For so few points, no models can tip the balance of a game quite like solos can. Today, I’m taking a look at the Machine Wraith.
IN SHORT: In Cryx, we steal enemy corpses and enemy souls. But what about whole warjacks? Yeah, we do that too.
STRENGTHS: The Machine Wraith is a 1 point solo that TAKES CONTROL OF ENEMY WARJACKS! Granted, there are a number of conditions that have to be met and qualifiers that need to be added. But still. Seriously. I mean seriously, this is so awesome.
The Machine Wraith needs to get within 1” of the target warjack and execute its Machine Meld special action, so it cannot be used if the Machine Wraith charges. The target warjack must have a functioning cortex, cannot be a character warjack, and cannot be a Colossal since they are immune to control of any kind.
To pull this off, the Machine Wraith is fast at SPD 7 and is Incorporeal! This not only protects the Machine Wraith from normal attacks, it also allows it to pass through other models and terrain on its way to taking control of the enemy.
Opponents have a few options for getting the warjack back. Warcasters can spend Focus and attempt to kick the Machine Wraith out. Basically, the warcaster and the Machine Wraith compare CMD and add a D6. The Machine Wraith has a low CMD 7, by the way. Damaging the warjack will also kick the Machine Wraith out, but in your Maintenance Phase. Either way, your opponent is wasting resources.
And even if the Machine Wraith is kicked out, the biggest benefit is preventing any Focus allocation to the enemy warjack. When the Machine Wraith is inside, the warjack is not a part of any battlegroup! No Focus for you!
As a side bonus, the Machine Wraith can also use its speed to harass enemy solos and infantry, setting itself up for free-strikes while remaining protected by Incorporeal.
WEAKNESSES: Except for Incorporeal, the Machine Wraith is a soft target. DEF 14 isn’t too bad, but ARM 12 on a medium base with one hit box is nothing to be excited about. If your opponent wants the Machine Wraith dead, it’s probably dead. Protecting it with smart use of terrain is critical.
Also, while the Machine Wraith is best used against Warmachine armies, those armies tend to have a wider selection of magical weapons. Even worse, Colossals and character-warjacks give Warmachine players plenty of options that are immune to the Machine Meld ability.
And that comment about not allocating Focus to a warjack under Machine Wraith control swings both way, so you can’t allocate Focus to it either, though this isn’t a big deal. The Machine Wraith is more about denying options to your opponent than opening up new ones for you.
And finally there are Hordes armies that don’t care one bit about Machine Meld. Against them, the Machine Wraith is a simple solo harasser … with low P+S and average MAT. It’s not terrible, but it’s not exciting either.
SYNERGIES: The Machine Wraith needs the enemy warjack to be within 8” in order to steal it … unless another model pulling it in! Try teaming up with Reaper or Malice warjacks and using their Drag attacks to bring the enemy warjack into range. Scaverous’s Telekinesis spell can produce a similar effect, either pulling the warjack in or bumping the Machine Wraith closer. Or both.
Also, fielding the Machine Wraith with other Incorporeal models can saturate your opponent’s ability to deal with them effectively. The Wraith Engine can also help the Machine Wraith get to its target by giving it a small ARM buff via its Unhallowed rule. This also makes the Machine Wraith immune to blast damage.
JUST FOR FUN: Against a Gargantuan or a Colossal there’s nothing a Machine Wraith can do, right? Well, not so fast!
Yes, the Machine Wraith is an Incorporeal model, which means enemies can walk right through it too. Except, Large bases normally come with low speed. Sure, that Colossal can walk right through the Machine Wraith, but it has to clear it too! It can’t stop on top of the Machine Wraith!
Run the Machine Wraith up and engage the Colossal. Now the Machine Wraith has DEF 18 to ranged attacks.  Shooting the Machine Wraith down with magic is going to be tough. And if your opponent moves in another model to take the Machine Wraith out, now THAT model is blocking the Colossal!
SUMMARY: The Machine Wraith is a fairly situational solo that sometimes shines and sometimes is barely mediocre. Still, for only one point, the ability to take an enemy warjack as your own should not be dismissed. In the right place at the right time, Machine Wraiths can single-handedly swing games in your favor.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Blackbane’s Ghost Raiders

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warmachine cryx blackbane's ghost raiders
Infantry may not be the stars of Warmachine, but that doesn’t make them any less important.  From screening high priority targets to overwhelming a foe with sheer numbers, infantry plays a critical role, especially in the armies of Cryx.  Today, I’m taking a look at Blackbane’s Ghost Raiders.
IN SHORT: Who doesn’t like zombie pirates? Well, these are GHOST zombie pirates! On FIRE!
STRENGTHS: Blackbane’s Ghost Raiders are Incorporeal! This isn’t a lone solo like the Pistol Wraith, but an entire unit of up to 10 bodies that are immune to non-magical damage and can walk through walls or even enemy troops. Granted, they lose their Incorporeal status for one round when they attack, but this is still a terrifying ability to deal with.
If that wasn’t enough, their attacks set enemy models on fire. Not critical fire, mind you. Continuous Fire! Even if they don’t kill their target, there’s a chance the enemy will just burn to death. Fire is a powerful and dangerous continuous effect that a lot of models do not want to get hit with. Many warcasters are especially vulnerable to continuous fire, because fire does its damage before they replenish their Focus. As an added bonus, their attacks are also magical.
warmachine cryx blackbaneBlackbane, the unit leader, also grants Reanimation to the unit. If they kill a living model, a new Ghost Raider gets added within 3” of the model doing the killing.
Finally, because of these abilities, the Ghost Raiders are a huge free strike threat. Often the best move is to run them forward and engage as many enemy models as possible (though watch out for enemies with magical weapons). Many models simply aren’t equipped to handle Incorporeal units, nor risk a MAT 8 or 9 free strike with P+S 10 and boosted damage.
In response, your opponent may: (A) Move away, risking the free strike and the new Ghost Raider. (B) Move in models capable of dealing with the Ghost Raider, taking them from other parts of the battle. (C)Spend valuable Focus to blast the Ghost Raider with magic. (D) Glare at the Ghost Raider in frustration and do nothing.
Any of these results can be useful, making the Ghost Raiders premier disruption units.
WEAKNESSES: With MAT 6 (except for Blackbane, who has MAT 7) and a single P+S 10 attack, Ghost Raiders can struggle to do damage. This is why using free strikes is my favorite strategy with them, since the +2 MAT and boosted damage roll helps bring them up to respectable levels. They’re also pricey at 9 points for a full unit, which puts them in competition with many other excellent Cryx infantry units that are harder hitting and easier to use for a similar price.
And while Reanimation is a great ability, it goes away as soon as Blackbane is taken out. Smart opponents will target Blackbane first, so watch out and try to protect him.
Finally, magic and magical weapons bypass Incorporeal. Without Incorporeal for protection, the Ghost Raiders are easy targets with only DEF 13 and ARM 12. Magical ranged attacks are especially painful! Incorporeal grants them superb mobility. Use it to keep them safe!
SYNERGIES: The Ghost Raiders can walk through walls and enemy troops. Why not use them with Epic Deneghra’s Marked for Death spell? Not only does Marked for Death drop enemy DEF by 2, it also allows them to be targeted regardless of line of sight. Nice!
The Wraith Engine can provide a welcome boost to the Ghost Raiders while they’re Incorporeal and in its generous command range. Between the Wraith Engine’s clouds and its Unhallowed ability, it can mean the difference between DEF 13 ARM 12 Raiders and DEF 15 ARM 14 Raiders immune to blast damage. Not too bad.
Finally, Captain Rengrave is a solid addition with his Veteran Leader [Revenant] ability, giving a +2 bonus to Revenant model attack rolls if they can see Rengrave. With smart positioning, those free strikes suddenly became a terrifying MAT 10!
JUST FOR FUN: If you’re taking Ghost Raiders, why not load up on Incorporeal models to saturate your opponent’s ability to handle them? Taking Ghost Raiders with Machine Wraiths, Pistol Wraiths, Wraith Engines, Epic Deneghra, and Blood Witches with Blood Hag can overwhelm your opponent’s ability to cope. This can lead to a somewhat unbalanced army list, but also a fun one.
SUMMARY: Normally, Blackbane’s Ghost Raiders aren’t going to deal a ton of damage. What they excel at is charging into the enemy ranks and causing absolute chaos. They’re nowhere near as straightforward to use as most Cryx infantry, but their ability to disrupt the enemy’s plans is a powerful and welcome addition.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Revenant Crew

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warmachine cryx revenant crew
Infantry may not be the stars of Warmachine, but that doesn’t make them any less important.  From screening high priority targets to overwhelming a foe with sheer numbers, infantry plays a critical role, especially in the armies of Cryx.  Today, I’m taking a look at the Revenant Crew of the Atramentous
IN SHORT: Zombie pirates! They may not hit hard or shoot straight, but these rotting corpses JUST WON’T DIE!
STRENGTHS: The Revenant Crew won’t frickin’ die! Their ability, Deathbound, restores all lost grunts in the Maintenance Phase within 3” of the leader. All of them! The only catch is if the leader dies. When that happens, all grunts that were killed before the leader are removed from play, so opponents will try to kill some of the Revenant Crew and then off the leader. Even with that exception, Deathbound makes them a real pain to get rid of. Their support solo, Captain Rengrave, can even add new crew with Death Toll [Revenant Crew of the Atramentous] by killing living models. Because, you know, Deathbound isn’t sick enough on its own.
warmachine cryx captain rengraveThe Revenant Crew also benefit from Point Blank and Gang. Point Blank allows them to use their pistols in melee, giving the Revenant Crew two melee attacks per model. Gang gives the +2 to attack and +2 to damage rolls in melee when another crewmember is engaging that target.
On top of that, Captain Rengrave can provide an additional +2 to all attack rolls if the Revenant Crew have line of sight to him. With all of these bonuses in play, their base MAT 5 and RAT 4 can become very respectable MAT 9 and RAT 6! This can, of course, be combined with the huge selection Cryx warcaster debuffs for even greater accuracy.
With multiple attacks per model and plenty of way to get attack roll bonuses, Revenant Crew can surprisingly accurate in melee.
warmachine cryx revenant crew riflemenRevenant Crew also have an excellent unit attachment in the Revenant Crew Rifleman. For 1 point a model, Riflemen bring a Range 14 POW 10 shot with Combined Ranged Attack, and 3 can be added to each Revenant Crew. That may not seem like much with RAT 4, but with all 3 riflemen combining their attacks, this suddenly becomes RAT 7 POW 13. Add in Rengrave, and that’s RAT 9 POW 13! There are a lot of juicy solos and even warcasters that will not enjoy being on the other end of their shots!
And yes, Revenant Crew Riflemen benefit from their own version of Deathbound called Death Ties, which is basically the same, but worded for the unit attachment.
WEAKNESSES: Revenant Crew have poor base stats, both offensive and defensive. DEF 13 ARM 12 doesn’t scare anyone. They’re easy to put down. It’s getting them to stay down that’s the hard part.
They’re also expensive. We’re talking roughly a point per model expensive. That’s Bane Thrall/Knight expensive. They also don’t hit very hard. Even with Gang, they’re melee attacks are only P+S 11 and POW 12 for the pistol shot to the face. Revenant Crew are damage sponges, not damage dealers.
Protecting the leader can be difficult at times, and you want to protect the leader. Their durability comes from a gimmick, which a smart player can bypass completely by killing the leader last. This makes their durability harder to use than, say, a unit that relies on high base stats.
Finally, these pirates do not like remove from play effects, which completely bypass Deathbound. Watch out!
SYNERGIES: Revenant Crew work well as a pure damage sponge, shielding the squishier parts of the Cryx army, but there are two warcasters that stand out above the rest: Terminus and Epic Skarre.
Terminus loves a posse of undead, and he makes them better by giving them Tough while in his command range. What’s worse than a big blob of Revenant Crew? That’s right. Revenant Crew with Tough! Terminus also likes to sacrifice Revenant Crew to incoming fire because, well, they get back up! I personally like to hide the leader behind Terminus while sacrificing other Revenant models around him.
Epic Skarre can use her feat to prevent the Revenant Crew leader from being targeted, which effectively protects the entire unit. Just be aware that her feat prevents models from being target, but they can still be damaged by other means such as slammed models or deviating blast templates.
JUST FOR FUN: Take a max squad of Revenant Crew, add 3 Riflemen, and bring Rengrave along for the ride. Now team them up the Scaverous and a pet Skarlock.
Between Rengrave’s Death Toll and Excarnate attacks from Scaverous and the Skarlock, the Revenant Crew could easily end the game bigger than it started! How’s that for a tar pit unit?
SUMMARY: Seriously, who doesn’t like zombie pirates that simply refuse to die? The Revenant Crew aren’t going to steal the show by themselves. What they will do is soak up a ridiculous amount of damage that would otherwise pound the squishier parts of your army, and that is an addition I welcome in my Cryx armies.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Withershadow Combine

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warmachine cryx withershadow combine
Infantry may not be the stars of Warmachine, but that doesn’t make them any less important.  From screening high priority targets to overwhelming a foe with sheer numbers, infantry plays a critical role, especially in the armies of Cryx.  Today, I’m taking a look at our character unit, the Withershadow Combine.
IN SHORT: With solid defensive stats and a slew of special abilities, the Withershadow Combine can tip the balance in Cryx’s favor and even construct whole warjacks during the battle! No, seriously, they can do that!
STRENGTHS: The three Iron Liches of the Withershadow Combine bring a diverse and powerful set of abilities to the tabletop. Let’s step through them.
All three members come with Dismantle. This gives them an extra damage die in melee against warjacks. Combined with a base P+S 13 and their ability to buy new attacks if they have souls, the Withershadow Combine can inflict a tremendous amount of pain on a warjack, which is just awesome because …
The ability Dark Industries allows the Withershadow Combine to build new Cryx warjacks out of enemy warjacks! There are a few conditions to pull this off. All three Iron Liches must be present and be engaging the enemy warjack in melee when one of them destroys it.  After that, replace the enemy warjack with an equivalent-sized Cryx warjack of your choice. Note that the new warjack is autonomous, and so does not start in your warcaster’s battlegroup.
Also, Dark Industries does NOT work on Colossi, so no free Krakens, because that would be silly.
The Withershadow Combine also has strong defensive stats. As long as the leader, Maelovus, is alive, the unit has Stealth. Add in DEF 14, ARM 16, and 5 hit boxes each, and the Combine is fairly resilient by Cryx standards, especially at range.
Each Lich can cast Dark Fire, a decent attack spell that collects the soul of destroyed living models, allowing the Combine to inflict damage at range and stock up on souls for a later attack (such as an attempt to pull off Dark Industries). With a respectable magic attack of 7, they can certainly pull this off. Oh, and they also come with Terror.
In addition to these abilities, the other two Iron Liches have their own special abilities. Admonia allows a warcaster to upkeep one spell for free with her Black Arts ability. She can also clear all enemy upkeep spells within 5” with her Unbinding ability. This also inflicts D3 damage to the controlling model, per upkeep cleared, allowing Admonia to inflict some minor damage to the enemy warcaster or warlock.
Tremulus comes with an awe-inspiring ability: Puppet Master. Target a model or unit, friend or foe, and then chose a CMD, attack, or damage roll to reroll. You can even choose which dice to reroll, greatly increasing the odds of a favorable outcome. Seriously, how many uses are there for this ability? It is incredibly potent ability.
Under normal conditions, I put this ability on the warcaster. Cryx depend heavily on debuff spells. Missing a key debuff attack at a critical moment can be disastrous. But with Puppet Master active, you get a free do-over!
WEAKNESSES: At 5 points, the Withershadow Combine is a bit pricey. They’re almost the cost of three separate solos, though it’s a fair price for what they bring. Stealth can help protect them at range, but there are plenty of ways an enemy can bypass that defense. Plus, if Maelovus goes down, so does Stealth.
That leads to the toughest part of pulling off a successful Dark Industries attack: all three Iron Liches have to be alive. Take out any one of them and your opponent takes out the Dark Industries threat.
And naturally, if there are no warjacks in your opponents army, Dark Industries and Dismantle have no effect. That doesn’t mean the Withershadow Combine is bad against Hordes, just that they’re not quite as versatile.
SYNERGIES: From allowing rerolls of attack spells to upkeeping for free, the Withershadow Combine can help out almost any Cryx warcaster. The one possible exception is Goreshade the Bastard, who lacks upkeep spells. That doesn’t mean the Combine is bad with him, just maybe not an ideal combination.
Warwitch Sirens are great toolkit solos to have around, and their Power Booster can come in handy if the Withershadow Combine pulls off a successful Dark Industries. Remember, the new warjack is not automatically part of the warcaster’s battlegroup, and so cannot be allocated Focus. The Warwitch Siren allows you to bypass this problem by using Power Booster to give the new warjack a Focus token.
Lastly, since Dark Industries requires all three Iron Liches to engage the target warjack in melee, it can be tricky to wear the warjack down AND leave enough room for the Combine. Infantry with Reach, such as Bane Knights, can certainly help deal out damage while keeping space open for the Combine to finish the warjack off.
JUST FOR FUN: Executing Dark Industries on a full strength target is normally not the best idea. Ideally, a warjack should be softened up before the Combine moves in for the kill. But how soft does the target need to be? Let’s assume a charge attack with no extra souls available for additional attacks. Even against a Khador warjack, the Combine will do an average of 21 points of damage.
Obviously, there are a lot of permutations that can affect the outcome. But in general, if a warjack is at roughly half-health, it can be a good opportunity for the Combine to strike. Note that if the target has a defensive upkeep spell, consider having Admonia clear it with Unbinding instead of attacking.
SUMMARY: The Withershadow Combine is a powerful character unit with a diverse set of abilities. While their flashiest abilities are geared towards taking down warjacks, that is nowhere near the extent of their usefulness. From clearing enemy upkeeps, setting up strategic rerolls, and adding some extra Focus efficiency, the Withershadow Combine can find a place in almost any Cryx army.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Satyxis Raiders

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warmachine cryx satyxis raiders
Infantry may not be the stars of Warmachine, but that doesn’t make them any less important.  From screening high priority targets to overwhelming a foe with sheer numbers, infantry plays a critical role, especially in the armies of Cryx.  Today, I’m taking a look at the Satyxis Raiders.
IN SHORT: Fast and deadly, Satyxis Raiders will eviscerate enemies hiding behind their shields and fry a warcaster’s brain right through their warjack!
STRENGTHS: Raiders are fast! Smoking fast! With SPD 7 and Advanced Deploy, they can easily be the first line of Cryx infantry to crash into the enemy’s ranks. Reach on their Lacerators gives them a total threat range of 12”, which goes up to 14” with Raider Captain support! Damn!
Raiders are well armed, too. In addition to Reach, their Lacerators come with Chain Weapon, Critical Knockdown, and Feedback. Chain Weapon allows them to ignore Bucklers, Shields, and Shield Wall. Critical Knockdown is a nice bonus if you get lucky, but Feedback is where it’s at.
With Feedback, every time a Raider damages a warjack, its controller suffers 1 point of damage. This is a great tactic for softening up a warcaster for an assassination run or deal the final blow.
Last, but not least, Raiders have Combined Melee for added hitting power and accuracy when they need it. Given that each Raider comes with two attacks, one from the Lacerator and a basic P+S 8 hit from their horns, Raiders can sacrifice non-Lacerator attacks to power-up other Raiders’ Lacerators.
WEAKNESSES: With DEF 14 and ARM 12, Raiders do not take hits well. They have a good chance of hitting first and hitting hard, but that counterattack is going to eat them alive. Add to that their living CMD 8 models, and these girls can break at the worst possible moment.
While fast, Raiders do not have Pathfinder, but their attachment, the Raider Sea Witch, can fix this. In fact, a lot of issues with the Raiders are solved by taking a Raider Sea Witch.
Also, while the Lacerator has great special rules, its hitting power is a mild P+S 9. In order to threaten many warjack targets, Raiders need to use their Combined Melee, get the charge, and/or use Power Swell from their attachment, the Raider Sea Witch.
And speaking of warjacks, Raiders love cutting into warcasters one hit box at a time. Against Hordes armies, the Feedback on their Lacerators is completely useless.
SYNERGIES: Raider. Sea. Witch.
warmachine cryx satyxis raider sea witch
Seriously, this is one awesome unit attachment. For 2 points, the unit gets Pathfinder, Force Barrier (+2 DEF against ranged attack rolls and blast damage immunity), and Power Swell (once per game, get an additional die on melee damage rolls during that activation). For 2 points! Take her. Seriously, just take her. Even the model looks cool.
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warmachine cryx satyxis raider captain
The Raider Captain is another option worth considering. Her main synergy is Desperate Pace [Satyxis Raiders]. The Captain targets a Satyxis Raider unit in command range, and that unit gets +2” movement during its activation that turn! Raiders are fast, and the Raider Captain makes them even faster!
Against a Warmachine opponent, Skarre loves taking a group of Satyxis Raiders to double-up the Feedback damage with her spell, Backlash. This can make each damaging hit against a warjack do 2 points instead of 1. With this, even the mightiest warcaster can fall in a hurry!
Lich Lord Asphyxious can use a similar tactic by sending Raiders in to bang up some warjacks. Then, after your opponent has slaughter them, call them back for Feedback seconds!
Asphyxious the Hellbringer also has a neat combo. Raiders with a Sea Witch are DEF 16 against ranged attacks. Add in Ashen Veil, and they’re DEF 18. Now we’re talking!
JUST FOR FUN: Sometimes, just running the Raiders forward can be enough to really mess with an opponent’s plans, engaging their shooters and giving the meat of your army time to close.
So how far into the map can Raiders get right out of the gate?
That’s 6” for Advanced Deploy, 14” from the run, 2” from Reach, and an extra 2” from Desperate Pace.  All totaled, that’s 24”! Did I mention Raiders are fast?
SUMMARY: Satyxis Raiders are fast, deadly, and versatile. They’re solid against Hordes and incredible against Warmachine. Raiders are an excellent addition to many Cryx forces. Even better, many of their weaknesses are taken care of with the simple addition of a Raider Sea Witch.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
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Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Bane Knights vs. Bane Thralls

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Cryx_Bane_KnightsCryx_Bane_Thralls
VS.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IN SHORT: Cryx is a faction spoiled for awesome infantry. At the high end of our impressive arsenal sit the Banes. Powerful, feared weapon masters through and through, the Banes can lay waste to enemy armies, and are made even more dangerous when accompanied by Bane Lord Tartarus.
WHY BANES? Banes are weapon masters. With P+S 11 attacks and 4 damage dice on the charge, they hit hard. That by itself is bad enough, but they’re also undead. It doesn’t matter how many casualties they take, they’re going after your opponent until every last Bane has been dropped.
That’s a good thing because they’re not the fastest infantry in the Cryx arsenal. In a faction that often emphasizes speed, the base Bane SPD of 5 can seem underwhelming. However, that SPD 5 is actually misleading because Banes can benefit from the impressive abilities of Bane Lord Tartarus. In fact, Tartarus is a huge reason to take Banes, in and of himself.
All Banes can benefit from Tartarus’s ability to Curse an enemy model or unit. Banes attacking a Cursed model get +2 attack rolls and +2” movement on the charge (including Tartarus himself). Oh, and there’s no roll to hit for Curse. It’s point-and-click simple to use.
warmachine cryx bane lord tartarusJacob Holo: Tartarus Curses your Gun Mages.
H.P. Holo: Don’t you have to roll to hit or something?
Jacob Holo: Nope.
H.P. Holo: What? This Tartarus guy is a real jerk.
Jacob Holo: He gets that a lot.
That +2” is pretty good by itself, but where it gets absolutely insane is when Tartarus uses Death Toll.  When Tartarus kills a living model, he creates a small-based Bane that appears within 3” of him and in unit cohesion of a friendly Bane unit. This can be a unit that has not activated yet. So not only can these new Banes appear right in your enemy’s face, but they can still benefit from Curse AND activate that very same turn! That’s just sick!
On top of that, Bane Lord Tartarus has Thresher and Reach, so he has the capacity crank out quite a few extra models. He’s pricy as a 4 point solo, but you definitely get what you pay for.
There are two types of Banes: Knights and Thralls. Both have strengths and weaknesses. But which is better? Let’s take a look, shall we?
BANE KNIGHT STRENGTHS: Knights are great at bypassing obstacles and penalizing your opponents. Ghostly is a fantastic ability that allows them to speed through terrain, walk through walls, and ignore free strikes. Thralls can’t do that without a warcaster’s support.
Vengeance acts as both an offensive and a defensive ability. Offensively, extra attacks are always nice. Defensively, it discourages piecemeal attacks. Killing one Knight results in all other Knights getting a free 3” move and a free attack. That is not a good exchange for your opponent! When Thralls take casualties, they just take them.
On top of this, Knights have Reach. Reach combined with a Vengeance move can give Knights a 4.5” threat range advantage over Thralls. When factoring in how they ignore terrain, this can be huge!
As a nice little bonus, Knight also have +1 ARM over Thralls, giving them a little extra durability.
BANE THRALL STRENGTHS: Two words, Dark Shroud. I absolutely love this ability! Bane Thralls are walking debuffs. They don’t even have to hit their opponents. Just engaging them in melee drops their ARM by 2, and there is no defense against this ability!
Not only does this make Thralls hit harder than Knights, but it also acts as a force multiplier. Any other model attacking the same target benefits from the Bane’s Dark Shroud. Cryx debuffs make everything better, and Thralls are debuffs.
Bane Thralls also come with Stealth, which helps mitigate their losses on the approach. They can also gain Tough through a powerful unit attachment, granting them even more durability. An opponent may be able to bypass one of these defenses, but probably not both, and not for the whole unit. Even better, the attachment officer has Dead Rise, which will allow knocked down survivors of Tough rolls to stand up for free in the maintenance phase. Overall, Thralls have more staying power than Knights for this reason, even with the Knights’ ARM advantage.
Finally, Thralls are cheaper. Even with a max unit and the attachment, they only cost 1 point more than Knights, and that set up comes with two extra Banes.
VERDICT: It is almost never a bad idea to put Banes in a Cryx army. Both Knights and Thralls can pull a lot of weight in an army list, and both are very valid choices. For me, it comes down to personal taste.
And my preferred choice is … Bane Thralls!
Bane Thralls are my absolute favorite Cryx infantry. They are the go-to models when I’m up against a tough opponent or I want to try something new, but still have a solid fallback. They consistently perform well in game after game after game.
It’s a close call, because both Thralls and Knights are fantastic units. But the Thralls edge out the Knights because of Dark Shroud. I’m a big fan of force multipliers, and Thralls perform that function nicely.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

warmachine cryx bane thralls

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Epic Skarre

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Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Epic Skarre
Warcasters are the stars of Warmachine, and Cryx has no shortage of powerful and fun-to-play warcasters. Today, I’m taking a look at Skarre, Queen of the Broken Coast.
IN SHORT: Feel like outshooting Cygnar for a change? Try Skarre, Queen of the Broken Coast! No, serious. She can actually do that. But if you don’t feel like shooting, she can do the melee thing too.
STRENGTHS: Skarre has BLACK SPOT! Seriously, the awesomeness of this spell cannot be understated. This spell, by itself, is enough reason to take Skarre. First, Black Spot acts as a 2 DEF debuff for either a unit or model (HINT: pick a unit). Not bad, right? Oh, it gets better! If a Cryx model kills an enemy suffering from Black Spot, the Cryx model gets a free attack. ANY free attack at its disposal at ANY target. The only limitation is these extra attacks cannot generate more attacks, because that would just be silly!
Skarre retains Backlash for whittling down enemy warcasters by beating on their warjacks. Always nice for softening up the target before the main assassination push.
Skarre is also very Focus efficient. Her ability, Seas of Fate, allows models in her battlegroup (her included!) to boost after rolling. This is immensely helpful for getting the most out of allocated Focus! Also, thanks to Blood Trade, she can take a point of damage instead of spending Focus to upkeep her spells.
When it comes to warjack support, Skarre has some great tools. Perdition is an attack spell with a powerful trigger ability. If Skarre damages the target, a model in her battlegroup may move towards the nearest enemy. She can even cast this multiple times! A model can only be moved once per turn due to Perdition, though.
Death Ward is a nice +2 ARM buff that can apply to a unit or single model. On a warjack, this lets Skarre pick the damage column, allowing her toughened warjack to keep its critical systems running even after heavy damage.
And then there’s Admonition. Put this on a warjack or Skarre. If an enemy gets within 6”, this model gets a free 3” move. Just got charged by an enemy heavy? Not anymore! As an added bonus, the model is immune to free strikes during this move.
Finally, there’s Skarre’s feat, Fate Weaver. By suffering up to 5 points of damage, Skarre can select up to 5 models, friends or enemies. Friendly models cannot be targeted by enemy attacks. Enemy models cannot attack. Yikes! Those enemy models can’t even make free strikes, so her army can walk right by!
WEAKNESSES: Without an ARM debuff and with an army often geared towards shooting, Skarre can suffer against enemy heavy armor. Taking models with their own ARM debuffs can help offset this, though.
Skarre is also just as squishy as before. DEF 16, ARM 15, and 16 damage is okay, but Skarre still has that nasty habit of self-inflicted wounds.
SYNERGIES: Any model can benefit from Black Spot, but models with shooting attacks more than others. They are much more likely to have a valid target after taking out a Black Spotted enemy. The more shots the better. Warjacks like the Leviathan and especially the Kraken can really punish the enemy with extra shooting.
Also consider Pistol Wraiths and Revenant Crews with Captain Rengrave. Not only can they take advantage of Black Spot, but they also make good targets for Fate Weaver. Try using Fate Weaver on the Pistol Wraiths after they go corporeal, or on the Revenant Crew leader to make the unit extra annoying to get rid of.
With Black Spot, Perdition, and Backlash, Skarre really wants an Arc Node or two. Why not take ones with shooting attacks while you’re at it?
Also, given Skarre’s self-destructive nature, take a Necrosurgeon. With Blood Trade, she can often upkeep multiple spells for “free” if a Necrosurgeon is handy to patch her up.
Finally, Skarre doesn’t have an ARM debuff. It may be a good idea to some Bane Thralls or Gorma Di Wulfe handy to deal with enemy heavy armor.
JUST FOR FUN: So, how ridiculous is the Kraken with Black Spot? This ridiculous!
First, load the Kraken with Focus. Have Skarre hit an enemy infantry unit with Black Spot. Now start shooting, and use that Focus to boost rolls where needed. Results will vary depending on how many Flayer shots the Kraken gets.
The best results possible? 4 Flayer shots at POW 12 and a massive 6 Hell Blaster shots (4” AOE up to POW 17 with POW 10 blast damage)! Just call this combo, the Table Sweeper!
SUMMARY: Skarre brings some love to the shooting side of the Cryx army. Even better, her diverse abilities and battlegroup efficiency means she can support a wide variety of builds.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.

Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Epic Asphyxious

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Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Epic Asphyxious
H.P. Holo: I see you’re using Odiferous.
Jacob Holo: His name is Asphyxious.
H.P. Holo: Yeah, but isn’t he the one that farts out those clouds of noxious fumes every turn?
Jacob Holo: I guess …
H.P. Holo: Then I’m right. He’s a stinking fart machine. So there.
Warcasters are the stars of Warmachine, and Cryx has no shortage of powerful and fun-to-play warcasters. Today, I’m taking a look at Lich Lord Asphyxious.
IN SHORT: Asphyxious got a promotion to Lich Lord. Players got one heck of a warcaster for leading Cryx’s powerful infantry.
STRENGTHS: Asphyxious comes loaded with ways to support Cryx infantry. His spell, Caustic Mist, can lay down acid clouds in his control area. Models entering or ending their activation take a point of damage. At 2 Focus per cloud, Asphyxious can lay down a solid line of acid 9” across, shielding a large portion of his army from light infantry charges and most ranged attacks.
He also has access to Excarnate, a POW 13 attack spell. When Excarnate kills a living enemy, Asphyxious gets to add a grunt to a nearby small-based undead unit.
And then there is his feat, Spectral Legion. Bring back any 10 small or medium based grunts (note the important change here with July 2013 Errata) and places them within 3” of Asphyxious. The returned models act like solos and must charge. Once the turn is over, they vanish. The returned models even gain Ghostly as an added bonus.
This is where Asphyxious’ real hitting power comes from. Not only can he screen his infantry, but any casualties his army does take only serve to fuel his feat. Combined with Asphyxious’ own mobility , this feat has an extremely large threat range and hard hitting potential.
Asphyxious also comes with several tricks of his own. He can Teleport 8” away, allowing him to charge in, do some damage, then bail out. He also has a new spell, Hellbound. With this spell active, Asphyxious cannot be charged and 5” of open ground around him is treated as rough terrain by enemies. This makes it far more difficult for most opponents to engage Asphyxious directly.
Asphyxious also has a very effective way to collect souls. By sacrificing his attack with his staff Daeamortus, he can place a 5” AOE in his control area and can collect the souls of enemy living models destroyed inside it. This is a very nice way to gain some extra focus.
Finally, he retains his powerful ARM debuff, Parasite. Just hit an enemy model or unit, drop their ARM by 3 and raise Asphyxious’ ARM by 1. Very nice!
WEAKNESSES: Asphyxious loves infantry, but he doesn’t have Ghost Walk. He has no tools for improving his army’s mobility, which can result in the normally speedy Cryx army slogging it through rough terrain.
He also lacks a DEF debuff. This wouldn’t be too bad, except his feat returns infantry as solos. This means they are not part of a unit, and therefore, cannot benefit from abilities they used to have like Combined Melee or Gang for added accuracy.
While Asphyxious is a powerful caster, these two factors limit which units he works well with, resulting in less army list variety with this caster.
SYNERGIES: Bane Knights and Bane Lord Tartarus are the perfect fit for Asphyxious’ army. They come with Ghostly, standard, so terrain is not a problem. Banes hit hard, have Reach for clumping around a single target, and can benefit from Bane Lord Tartarus’ Curse for improved accuracy.
Bane Thralls also work well, though their lack of Reach can make capitalizing on his feat a bit tricky. I also like Satyxis Raiders, since it gives them a second change to pound the enemy’s Warjacks with Backlash!
The Wraith Engine can also help support Asphyxious’ army. With a heavy concentration of infantry, the Wraith Engine can provide additional clouds to further screen the army.
JUST FOR FUN: Just how far can Asphyxious strike with his feat?
Asphyxious charges a model (9”), then activates his feat. Bane Knights and Bane Lord Tartaus are placed (3.5”). Tartarus Curses the target. The Banes charge in (10”) with Reach (2”).
How far is that? 24.5”! And that’s with effective MAT 8 P+S 11 Weapon Masters on the charge. Wow! Try dodging that!
SUMMARY: Epic Asphyxious has a narrow focus, but what he does, he does superbly well. Take some powerful infantry with him, and go to work!
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.