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Giving your unpainted armies a ray of hope.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Countdown to Cyriss: Week 4

This week we get a peak at how Cyriss will support its battlegroup, and I'm in love with what I see!
As I said when looking at the warjacks, Cyriss will need some real support to fill any gaps. After seeing three 1 point solos, I'm pretty sure they'll be just fine in that regard. The solos covered today are exactly what I've wanted in Warmachine - a way to customize your army with single abilities rather than just using synergistic models, much like how 40k allows you to customize each squad with different equipment.

Although the solos can still be destroyed and have their abilities removed from the game, it's still very exciting to see how a few spare points in a list can be used as a toolbox. These servitors will likely cost a single point, and they essentially support your battlegroup in its weaknesses or boosting its strength. But will these things be worthwhile 1-point investments like the Wardog or Bellows Crew?

The first solo we see is the Accretion Servitor, which is just a floating repairbot for constructs. "Huh, cool" was my first response, but then Will Shick reminds us that many units are also considered to be constructs. That means that planting this guy behind a wall of high-ARM troops can give you an extra round of having that wall while you prepare to burst through with your battlegroup, or allows them to better hold an objective with minimal support. And just for some added function in the late game, Accretion Servitors can also deal 1 point of damage to your column of choice on an enemy warjack.

Next up is the Elimination Servitor. 
  • This model has a "short range gun," which I'd guess to be 6". 
  • It "stalks" the battlefield, which I assume means it has stealth or prowl.
  • It has Puncture, which automatically deals 1 damage on a hit. 
Basically, this thing is the perfect harasser. At 1 point it won't be a target if your opponent has more immediate concerns, allowing you to take down a few high ARM, single-wound models. It also gets at things like Choir of Menoth who want to hide behind a wall of models tat the Elimination Servitor can quickly circumvent. Depending on the RAT this thing will probably be a hunter of sorts, picking out a target on the battlefield to kill before being destroyed itself. Should it live past its ability to really kill anything worthwhile, its Pathfinder will let it block off a charge lane or contest an objective decently enough.

The Attunement Servitors will do what Eliminations can't. While the previous servitor will be used on low DEF, high ARM, the Attunement Servitors will be going after those pesky high-DEF models that you need help hitting. They have a 4" AOE Flare that gives (enemy?) models under it -2 DEF (and may remove stealth), which means that even if you deviate the flare, you'll still have a good chance of affecting several models. I don't like how close Shick hints that this thing will need to be, but if spending 1 point gives me a better chance at hitting a unit of Kayazy Assassins or Nyss Hunters before they hit me first, I'll take it.

Reflex Servitor! I may be sold on the faction solely based on fielding a swarm of these. They are floating mines with Counter Charge, and explode with a POW 14 AOE 4 blast. That means medium ARM models will be hurt or killed, and low ARM troops will be annihilated under the POW 7. So clump your troops tight against Cyriss, because these guys want to ruin your day. They also have Dig In which gives them cover vs. ranged and immunity to blast damage. So if you want to cross the minefield, you need to engage them right away (to prevent Counter Charge) or you'll decorate the battlefield with gore.

As long as the troops aren't awful, I think I'm sold on getting a 50 point list when Cyriss releases. Being able to finally play lots of robots is exciting and the whole reason many of us got in to Warmachine, and there seem to be enough tricks to this army that it won't suffer from shallow, straightforward gameplay. What do you guys think? If you're still on the fence, what does Cyriss need to offer to convince you to follow the Clockwork Goddess?

See you tomorrow! And don't forget my giveaway in 3 days!

1 comment:

  1. I am very interested in Cyriss. The biggest question will be just how much of a "flavor of the month" army it will be. If we have 3 or 4 people in our group get into it at the same time that will draw some enjoyment away from it for me. Otherwise I think it will be quite fun.

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