Countdown to Cyriss - Week 7

This week... heavy infantry!


Will Shick gave us a wonderful look at Cyriss's infantry, which is something I said needs to be good enough to support the army. And in a continuing show of Swiss Army-style mechanics, we get some weapons and abilities that will serve as wonderful filler for gaps left from a list's battlegroup. I suggest opening the link in a new tab if only to look at their concept art.

First are the Reciprocators. If you've played against a unit of Man O War Shocktroopers from Khador, you know what to expect. ARM 16 with shieldwall, making them an effective ARM 20 at all time unless something goes awry. While their medium bases won't screen the heavy jacks, they do look like they'll serve as an adequate unit for catching the alpha strike or plugging up an area. The fact that an opponent will have to dedicate 2 or 3 models to take one down means that the opponent will need to sacrifice a unit's activation trying to get rid of them, or trying to ignore them entirely. If only it were that simple!

As I mentioned in a previous article, PP is designing many of Cyriss's weapons to have 2 abilities. In the case of the Reciprocators, they can get Set Defense and get 14 DEF against a charge (meaning several alpha-strike attacks will miss), or Empowered Attack to get +2 on damage, making them P+S 14 and nearly impossible to safely ignore. This lets the Reciprocators do something that many units cannot - serve a role in both early and late game. A unit may be able to catch the alpha strike, but once they're engaged there's a good chance they'll pillow-fist their way through the opponent for a few turns. Otherwise a unit is good at hitting hard, but they don't like being hit back. Being a utility unit able to operate at ARM 20, DEF 14 vs charges, P+S 14 is ridiculous.

Next he discussed the Eradicators. I would be excited for these if only because they represent the first Cyriss name that doesn't make my math-hating brain angry. But that's not all! When moving up the field you can make them ARM 17 - respectable, but you'll need to choose your targets carefully. Once you close the distance, you'll be swinging with a MAT 9, which is enough to easily rip apart all but the highest DEF targets out there. While they don't say how many attacks these guys have, the fact that their dual-bucklers turn in to blades and the ability Side Step leads me to believe they have at least 2. So say hello to your infantry sweepers!

Finally are the Perforators, which are apparently one of Cyriss's few ranged units (a sad thought for me and my love affair with Widowmakers). Shick doesn't give any hard-and-fast numbers, but it looks like these guys are RAT 5, POW 6, RNG 6, SPD 5 with Assault and Armor Piercing. They have the ability to use Snipe to boost their RNG by 4", or Empowered Attack for +2 POW. Out of the box these guys already make effective "armor crackers," charging Khador jacks with 2d6-2, not to mention whatever their melee attack is after the Assault. Shick then pointed out that with Cyriss's plentiful support options, these guys could threaten up to 20" and hit at 7 RAT, making them a serious threat to an exposed warcaster. In what world does heavy infantry become an assassination threat? The world of the Clockwork Goddess, that's where!

I've said it before, but I love the idea of this army. Everything has a trick, and your opponent has a lot of variables to consider with every move. In a game that's already thick with strategy, Cyriss is bringing it to a new level. I love that their infantry is good from beginning to end, and I think they serve as perfect complements to the battlegroup. I once saw that the key to building an effective list is bringing an answer to 4 questions:
Can you handle...

• Stealth
• Armor
• Infantry swarm
• Defense

"Your list needs to be prepared for anything" "That's what she SAID!" That's how I remember it and now it's ingrained in your brain forever. You're welcome.

With everything we've seen of Cyriss so far, it doesn't seem hard to answer or ignore those 4 questions in a standard list. Depending on how Flare behaves, stealth may be the only mild frustration this melee army will face, but no one can be perfect. I'd like to see this army have a bit more in the DEF department, especially since everyone in the competitive scene will already be packing armor cracking to deal with colossals and gargantuans. But even if the army only released with what we've seen so far, I think it has enough going for it to make it competitive.

So where are you guys at in terms of "must buy"? I'm pretty sure this army is a must buy for me, but I don't think I will be dropping money on it this summer. I really want to paint some of these models, but my painting tray is truly overflowing with my own stuff while I try getting caught up with commissions. Still... this army is going to be amazing, regardless of the skeletal releases they may get in the future.

See you tomorrow! There's about 1 week until my Warmachine/Hordes faction dice giveaway, so make sure you enter!