Post by subversive on Mar 22, 2017 20:23:36 GMT
Ported from the old PP Circle forum:
Hey everyone I have been playing warma-hordes for about 6 years now. I got into circle in MK2 for the wolds and stayed for the shenanigans. I picked up Mohsar towards the end of Mk2 after playing a lot of the Baldurs and Kromacs. I decided to get my feet wet with our more shenanigans based casters and Mohsar always interested me as one of the casters that could really harass my opponent and control his movements. Then Bradigus dropped...with the theme and i went back on a wold craze. Once MK3 dropped I decided I would pay more attention to our control based casters and focus on becoming a better player (Wolds are kind of really straightforward as were kromac 1 and 2.) I have been playing Moh pretty consistently since MK3 dropped (along with the Baldurs and Tanith) and have been trying hard to find what he excels at, how can we make this grumpy old man work. I think I have found his niche and it took a while for me to really put my finger on a list that really capitalized on his strengths.
Stats and Abilities
To Start let’s look at Mohsars Cards Front to Back starting with his Statline: SPD5: he is pretty slow for a circle caster but he has other ways to get around the battlefield which we will discuss later. He is a measly Str 4 and Mat 5. Not impressive at all. Do not make any guaranteed plans in melee with this guy. Rat 6: Solid considering his ranged weapon not as high as it could be but acceptable. Def and Arm 14 and 15 boxes: Whew...stats of an old decrepit man. Def 14 is mediocre especially when you consider his arm. He is our most fragile caster for sure, be incredibly careful with Him he Is highly allergic to boostable guns. Eyeless sight: Excellent ability, he is always ignoring concealment and stealth and ignores clouds and Blind (suck it Morghoul!) Considering he Is Fury 7 that’s amazing. It is really Hard to hide from his spells when he is the one that casts them. Pathfinder: Can walk through rough terrain like a champ...sadly spd 5 means he doesn't really walk as much as hobbles gracefully. Fury 8: Woooo Boy! Highest Fury Stat in faction and a massive control area! He is incredibly accurate at spell slinging hitting Def 14 on 6’s is pretty awesome. He can also run his beasts Hot. There’s a lot to this fury Stat, and yet as we will cover under spells he is one of the most fury starved casters we have. Ranged Attack: Dust Howler SP8 ROF1 POW 13 magical; A really solid spray great for killing support solos, clearing out jamming infantry putting some damage on the occasional warcaster how much you use it in a game will depend a lot on who you're facing and what you need each turn. I normally use it a few times a game mostly for snipping out a solo or cleaning up dudes off a zone/flag. Melee weapon: Winterthorn rng1 Pow 6 P+S10 magical: No it’s not impressive but it has erosion which will be relevant every here and there. Mat 5 really makes it an incredibly situational option at best. I’ve only used it when things get desperate. Finally 27 Warbeast points: pretty decent but not super impressive just enough to get a heavy and light.
On the back of his stat card we see a interesting special rule called maltreatment. It allows him to, once per activation, remove 1 fury from a beast in his Battlegroup and Control Range and add one fury point to his current fury total. The warbeast then takes D3 point. This ability you should be using every turn (arguably every turn after the first) as Moh is incredibly Fury Starved and fragile, that in combination means you need transfers. You Absolutely need at least 2 transfers every turn. Unless you can 100% guarantee his safety never sit on less than 2 transfers or you will get punked. You do not need a dedicated beast just for maltreat, but having one that fulfills maltreatment role while also fulfilling other important battlefield roles is recommended. You don’t realize how important that 1 fury can be until you actually start getting into the closer games. In the late game That’s a Boosted attack/damage roll, or just enough to cast one extra spell. You will mostly use it for transfers though. Order of activations is important with this, you want to make sure at least one beast activates before Moh if possible to let you use this ability. Another important thing to remember is it is not leaching, so any rules that cancel out leaching do not affect maltreatment.
Spells and Feat
Now we get to His spell List which is Mohsars bread and butter. He has a fantastic array of spells at his disposal that make him incredibly versatile, hard to predict, and annoying for your opponent. Mohsars spell list really defines him as a guerilla caster that doesn't play fair This section is going to be extensive so grab some tea (or lemonade...or both) and prepare for some reading!
Crevasse. It is a cost 3 rng 8 Pow 12 bullet that, when it boxes its original target generates a magical sp6 pow 12 magical attack that originates from the boxed models base. This spell is a fantastic way to remove solos, support models, UA’s, the krielstone or pesky jamming infantry. RFP denies things like take up and unit promotions (boxed happens before destroyed) which is relevant for things like weapon attachments or leader models with unique special abilities (prayers and such) or in rare cases weapons. This spell is not a nuke, it’s a scalpel. You will use this spell to surgically remove key models in your opponent's army early in the game. One thing you have to remember is the spray is also generated from friendly models. I can tell you running a manikin up the field and then crevassing it in the butt to generate a spray that kills that 6 point solo, UA that grants prey, etc. will make your opponent go “wait what?” it’s incredibly hard to predict and prevent. I normally use this spell early on (turns 1-3) and then move into the next spell towards the middle of the game.
Curse of Shadows Oh How I love you. It’s also Cost 3 Rng 8 and is an offensive upkeep. It gives the target model/unit affected -2 arm and allows models to move through them while preventing the affected model from making free strikes. This spell is the most used spell On His list for me. Once the lines get close I cast this spell normally once a turn. (not all the time just most games) It’s obviously a damage buff for anything in your army that targets the affected model but it gets better than that. Moving through the models affected and making it so it can’t take free strikes can win you games. It is situational but never forget that aspect of the spell. A savvy opponent can do things like prevent landing zones but thanks to mohsars previously mentioned spell (along with in faction model options) you can clean out those blocking models with savvy model placement and some good pre-turn planning. Clearing out spaces is one of the things Mohsar does best after all. Another fantastic spell on his gadget belt.
Mirage a Cost 2 rng 6 upkeep that gives a friendly faction model/unit apparition. (lets you place the affected models within 2” of their current location during the control phase) Another great tactical spell. It’s a threat increaser, a disengager, or a great spell for repositioning models. I put this spell on a unit early in the game and then as the game goes on I switch it to mohsar if I can. Being able to disengage the old coot or reposition him can be pivotal as things start to die. The early game target depends on what you want. Put it on a heavy to increase its threat, put it on a unit to make it “faster”. Early/mid game It’s a spell that makes your opponent play back, it causes your opponent to play around your threat ranges. This is a big deal. You can make your opponent act predictably based on your threat ranges and plan accordingly. Knowing where an opponent is most likely to position a model based on how you position yours while still having the versatility that a place effect entails gives you tactical flexibility. I normally prefer units for this spell over beasts but there have been games where putting mirage on a beast has really given it great threat ranges to get to important enemy heavies.
Pillars of Salt: A trap spell if I ever saw one. Makes you think they will stay and protect you but they die pretty easy. They are only best used to slow down/hinder your opponent or make him have to choose order of operations, direction he needs to go. These take a LOT of finesse to get right. I still haven’t mastered them. The thing you have to understand with pillars is your opponent will get around them, but if you know how he can get around them or destroy them you can really force him to answer hard questions that a clocked environment exacerbates. With the prevalence of Jack and Beast heavy lists they are still solid control pieces. When an opponent has to commit a warnoun to remove a pillar you are doing something right. You can really gum up your opponent's lines with them, but understand they will not stay there. A competent opponent will figure out a way around them, your job is to know what he will do to remove them or force predictable outcomes with them and make plans around that. Another tactic as stated by Bobliness, is to use pillars as targets for sprays to get around cloud walls. Though it doesn't come up often it can really help enable assasination runs, pureblood sprays are amazing for this. Also remember Moh has eyeless sight and a spray so things like prowl and cloud walls don't bother him at all. (Take that Haley 3!) **Note there is currently stuff going around about RAW making them immune to damage i would not get comfortable with this as I guarantee it will be covered in a near errata or by an infernal.**
Sands of fate: A cost 2 RNG Self AOE CNTRL spell. Basically you cast it and replace a living Friendly faction warrior model with Mohsar and remove the replaced model from play. It prevents Moh from advancing but it does not force him to sacrifice his movement so you can sands of fate and aim which is kind of awesome when you consider he can fire off a rat 8 spray. This spell has so many possibilities and it really is a fantastic toolbox spell, use it to scalpel out key models, position to dominate a flag or zone, move moh to safety after putting him up the board. It really does just open up a variety of options. I mostly find myself saving it to surprise my opponent with a scenario swing by dominating a flag or zone he wasn't expecting me to be able to get to. This is one of those spells that is really only limited by your imagination (and Fury pool)
Sunhammer: Basically any warjacks/beasts that wander in your control range take an auto D3 points of damage. It can be devastating...or useless. If you are staring down a horde of light jacks or beast I would upkeep this all game. That damage really will pile on especially when you are looking at 10 light jacks taking D3 each. Over the course of the game it will get progressively more noticeable how much damage Sunhammer has done. Heavy jacks really depends on your list and what your game plan is. If you think you can chip away at his jacks and cripple them or kill them slowly it may be a decent investment. But If you are staring down 7 or so arm 20 34 box heavies i would pass on it and save fury for gumming up lanes with pillars or casting curse for heavy killing or crevasse for clean up.
Feat: It prevents leaching for models in his control range and for warjacks they...lose power up. Against hordes this feat can literally bust your opponent if timed right. Using it to set up for an assassination or just generally forcing your opponent to take frenzy tests and lose effectiveness of his beasts is pretty fantastic. I have watched this feat really anger hordes players...and yet warmachine players only suffer a slight annoyance. It’s really most noticeable with lists that have 10+ jacks but in the smaller jack spam lists by I normally find it’s best to Pop feat right as you get into or just outside of his jacks threat ranges to disrupt the opponent's army from being able to run and charge to its heart's content. It really does need to do more against warmachine but that’s just my opinion!
Summary: Many of you should have noticed that Mohsar really has a lot he can do each turn...and he has a lot he will need to do to stay relevant to the game. His two most common spells are cost 3 just boosting to hit already leaves you at half fury which is insane considering how huge Fury 8 seems. You really need to plan out your turns in advance. Mistakes or wasted Fury will cost you. And keep in consideration you will need those transfers each turn. I cannot stress how easy to kill he is. If you noticed something else about his offensive spells they are range 8...he needs to rely on arc nodes and sands of fate to get his spells off while staying safe. Once you get better and practice more and familiarize yourself with what an opponent can and can’t do to you, maybe you can start playing risky with the transfers. One thing Moh will do is make you way better at seeing assassination angles.
Now that we have seen Mohs spells and basic abilities i think it is pretty safe to determine that Mohsar requires creativity, skill, and most importantly practice to utilize fully. He is incredibly adaptable and has a lot of unique tricks that supports your army while hindering your opponent's plans. His feat is a tool that when timed properly can cripple and opponents army (for hordes) or hinder his ability to close the gap with you quickly. Using this deduction we can start creating a list that best Suits Mohs strengths and weaknesses.
Stats and Abilities
To Start let’s look at Mohsars Cards Front to Back starting with his Statline: SPD5: he is pretty slow for a circle caster but he has other ways to get around the battlefield which we will discuss later. He is a measly Str 4 and Mat 5. Not impressive at all. Do not make any guaranteed plans in melee with this guy. Rat 6: Solid considering his ranged weapon not as high as it could be but acceptable. Def and Arm 14 and 15 boxes: Whew...stats of an old decrepit man. Def 14 is mediocre especially when you consider his arm. He is our most fragile caster for sure, be incredibly careful with Him he Is highly allergic to boostable guns. Eyeless sight: Excellent ability, he is always ignoring concealment and stealth and ignores clouds and Blind (suck it Morghoul!) Considering he Is Fury 7 that’s amazing. It is really Hard to hide from his spells when he is the one that casts them. Pathfinder: Can walk through rough terrain like a champ...sadly spd 5 means he doesn't really walk as much as hobbles gracefully. Fury 8: Woooo Boy! Highest Fury Stat in faction and a massive control area! He is incredibly accurate at spell slinging hitting Def 14 on 6’s is pretty awesome. He can also run his beasts Hot. There’s a lot to this fury Stat, and yet as we will cover under spells he is one of the most fury starved casters we have. Ranged Attack: Dust Howler SP8 ROF1 POW 13 magical; A really solid spray great for killing support solos, clearing out jamming infantry putting some damage on the occasional warcaster how much you use it in a game will depend a lot on who you're facing and what you need each turn. I normally use it a few times a game mostly for snipping out a solo or cleaning up dudes off a zone/flag. Melee weapon: Winterthorn rng1 Pow 6 P+S10 magical: No it’s not impressive but it has erosion which will be relevant every here and there. Mat 5 really makes it an incredibly situational option at best. I’ve only used it when things get desperate. Finally 27 Warbeast points: pretty decent but not super impressive just enough to get a heavy and light.
On the back of his stat card we see a interesting special rule called maltreatment. It allows him to, once per activation, remove 1 fury from a beast in his Battlegroup and Control Range and add one fury point to his current fury total. The warbeast then takes D3 point. This ability you should be using every turn (arguably every turn after the first) as Moh is incredibly Fury Starved and fragile, that in combination means you need transfers. You Absolutely need at least 2 transfers every turn. Unless you can 100% guarantee his safety never sit on less than 2 transfers or you will get punked. You do not need a dedicated beast just for maltreat, but having one that fulfills maltreatment role while also fulfilling other important battlefield roles is recommended. You don’t realize how important that 1 fury can be until you actually start getting into the closer games. In the late game That’s a Boosted attack/damage roll, or just enough to cast one extra spell. You will mostly use it for transfers though. Order of activations is important with this, you want to make sure at least one beast activates before Moh if possible to let you use this ability. Another important thing to remember is it is not leaching, so any rules that cancel out leaching do not affect maltreatment.
Spells and Feat
Now we get to His spell List which is Mohsars bread and butter. He has a fantastic array of spells at his disposal that make him incredibly versatile, hard to predict, and annoying for your opponent. Mohsars spell list really defines him as a guerilla caster that doesn't play fair This section is going to be extensive so grab some tea (or lemonade...or both) and prepare for some reading!
Crevasse. It is a cost 3 rng 8 Pow 12 bullet that, when it boxes its original target generates a magical sp6 pow 12 magical attack that originates from the boxed models base. This spell is a fantastic way to remove solos, support models, UA’s, the krielstone or pesky jamming infantry. RFP denies things like take up and unit promotions (boxed happens before destroyed) which is relevant for things like weapon attachments or leader models with unique special abilities (prayers and such) or in rare cases weapons. This spell is not a nuke, it’s a scalpel. You will use this spell to surgically remove key models in your opponent's army early in the game. One thing you have to remember is the spray is also generated from friendly models. I can tell you running a manikin up the field and then crevassing it in the butt to generate a spray that kills that 6 point solo, UA that grants prey, etc. will make your opponent go “wait what?” it’s incredibly hard to predict and prevent. I normally use this spell early on (turns 1-3) and then move into the next spell towards the middle of the game.
Curse of Shadows Oh How I love you. It’s also Cost 3 Rng 8 and is an offensive upkeep. It gives the target model/unit affected -2 arm and allows models to move through them while preventing the affected model from making free strikes. This spell is the most used spell On His list for me. Once the lines get close I cast this spell normally once a turn. (not all the time just most games) It’s obviously a damage buff for anything in your army that targets the affected model but it gets better than that. Moving through the models affected and making it so it can’t take free strikes can win you games. It is situational but never forget that aspect of the spell. A savvy opponent can do things like prevent landing zones but thanks to mohsars previously mentioned spell (along with in faction model options) you can clean out those blocking models with savvy model placement and some good pre-turn planning. Clearing out spaces is one of the things Mohsar does best after all. Another fantastic spell on his gadget belt.
Mirage a Cost 2 rng 6 upkeep that gives a friendly faction model/unit apparition. (lets you place the affected models within 2” of their current location during the control phase) Another great tactical spell. It’s a threat increaser, a disengager, or a great spell for repositioning models. I put this spell on a unit early in the game and then as the game goes on I switch it to mohsar if I can. Being able to disengage the old coot or reposition him can be pivotal as things start to die. The early game target depends on what you want. Put it on a heavy to increase its threat, put it on a unit to make it “faster”. Early/mid game It’s a spell that makes your opponent play back, it causes your opponent to play around your threat ranges. This is a big deal. You can make your opponent act predictably based on your threat ranges and plan accordingly. Knowing where an opponent is most likely to position a model based on how you position yours while still having the versatility that a place effect entails gives you tactical flexibility. I normally prefer units for this spell over beasts but there have been games where putting mirage on a beast has really given it great threat ranges to get to important enemy heavies.
Pillars of Salt: A trap spell if I ever saw one. Makes you think they will stay and protect you but they die pretty easy. They are only best used to slow down/hinder your opponent or make him have to choose order of operations, direction he needs to go. These take a LOT of finesse to get right. I still haven’t mastered them. The thing you have to understand with pillars is your opponent will get around them, but if you know how he can get around them or destroy them you can really force him to answer hard questions that a clocked environment exacerbates. With the prevalence of Jack and Beast heavy lists they are still solid control pieces. When an opponent has to commit a warnoun to remove a pillar you are doing something right. You can really gum up your opponent's lines with them, but understand they will not stay there. A competent opponent will figure out a way around them, your job is to know what he will do to remove them or force predictable outcomes with them and make plans around that. Another tactic as stated by Bobliness, is to use pillars as targets for sprays to get around cloud walls. Though it doesn't come up often it can really help enable assasination runs, pureblood sprays are amazing for this. Also remember Moh has eyeless sight and a spray so things like prowl and cloud walls don't bother him at all. (Take that Haley 3!) **Note there is currently stuff going around about RAW making them immune to damage i would not get comfortable with this as I guarantee it will be covered in a near errata or by an infernal.**
Sands of fate: A cost 2 RNG Self AOE CNTRL spell. Basically you cast it and replace a living Friendly faction warrior model with Mohsar and remove the replaced model from play. It prevents Moh from advancing but it does not force him to sacrifice his movement so you can sands of fate and aim which is kind of awesome when you consider he can fire off a rat 8 spray. This spell has so many possibilities and it really is a fantastic toolbox spell, use it to scalpel out key models, position to dominate a flag or zone, move moh to safety after putting him up the board. It really does just open up a variety of options. I mostly find myself saving it to surprise my opponent with a scenario swing by dominating a flag or zone he wasn't expecting me to be able to get to. This is one of those spells that is really only limited by your imagination (and Fury pool)
Sunhammer: Basically any warjacks/beasts that wander in your control range take an auto D3 points of damage. It can be devastating...or useless. If you are staring down a horde of light jacks or beast I would upkeep this all game. That damage really will pile on especially when you are looking at 10 light jacks taking D3 each. Over the course of the game it will get progressively more noticeable how much damage Sunhammer has done. Heavy jacks really depends on your list and what your game plan is. If you think you can chip away at his jacks and cripple them or kill them slowly it may be a decent investment. But If you are staring down 7 or so arm 20 34 box heavies i would pass on it and save fury for gumming up lanes with pillars or casting curse for heavy killing or crevasse for clean up.
Feat: It prevents leaching for models in his control range and for warjacks they...lose power up. Against hordes this feat can literally bust your opponent if timed right. Using it to set up for an assassination or just generally forcing your opponent to take frenzy tests and lose effectiveness of his beasts is pretty fantastic. I have watched this feat really anger hordes players...and yet warmachine players only suffer a slight annoyance. It’s really most noticeable with lists that have 10+ jacks but in the smaller jack spam lists by I normally find it’s best to Pop feat right as you get into or just outside of his jacks threat ranges to disrupt the opponent's army from being able to run and charge to its heart's content. It really does need to do more against warmachine but that’s just my opinion!
Summary: Many of you should have noticed that Mohsar really has a lot he can do each turn...and he has a lot he will need to do to stay relevant to the game. His two most common spells are cost 3 just boosting to hit already leaves you at half fury which is insane considering how huge Fury 8 seems. You really need to plan out your turns in advance. Mistakes or wasted Fury will cost you. And keep in consideration you will need those transfers each turn. I cannot stress how easy to kill he is. If you noticed something else about his offensive spells they are range 8...he needs to rely on arc nodes and sands of fate to get his spells off while staying safe. Once you get better and practice more and familiarize yourself with what an opponent can and can’t do to you, maybe you can start playing risky with the transfers. One thing Moh will do is make you way better at seeing assassination angles.
Now that we have seen Mohs spells and basic abilities i think it is pretty safe to determine that Mohsar requires creativity, skill, and most importantly practice to utilize fully. He is incredibly adaptable and has a lot of unique tricks that supports your army while hindering your opponent's plans. His feat is a tool that when timed properly can cripple and opponents army (for hordes) or hinder his ability to close the gap with you quickly. Using this deduction we can start creating a list that best Suits Mohs strengths and weaknesses.
List Building
Mohsar supports a lot of Models relatively well. Curse of shadows applies as a pseudo damage buff to all models in his army, mirage is a versatile ability that supports beats and units. (though I prefer casting it on units) and his feat and pillars an slow down your opponent and buy you time. A lot of the abilities Moh has really seems to point you towards a fast, versatile gunline that can maneuver around your opponent and whittle him down in weight of fire. My first Lists with him revolved primarily around purebloods, woldwyrds and bloodtrackers. In fact my lists now are still very ranged oriented and I think most Mohsar lists should be to capitalize best of his guerilla warfare style of battlefield tactics. A big thing to remember is to have a good number of sands of fate targets I normally don’t leave home without at least 10 or 12 potential SoF targets. Its an incredibly potent tool for scenario and can get Moh to places your opponent will have issues anticipating and you need to make sure you can take advantage of it.
In fact on topic of scenario I cannot stress enough, I rarely have more models on the table than my opponent at the end of the game. But i normally win on scenario. You can manipulate your opponent's forces to go where you want, or make it incredibly difficult to go where they want (normally you're doing both at the same time) you will need to focus on a building a list that best capitalizes on scenario. Flags are your friends. 6 out of the 8 scenarios have flags. And most flags are pretty easy for Moh to reach and clear off with SoF. I rarely score in zones (especially the pit *shudders*) unless its Outlast or entrenched as most armies can just durtle in a zone (I’m looking at you Khador) without fear of being pushed out of it using traditional methods. That’s one of the biggest ways you win scenario with Moh, is not playing traditional warmachine/hordes. A lot of games I played my opponents are incredibly surprised when I do manage to score my control points or scalpel out key models. Mohsar is incredibly good at surprising your opponent and since he hasn't played very much in the current meta a lot of people don’t expect the silly things you can do with him. Sands of fate-ing 16-21 inches across the table (24 if you get a successful charge or even longer with shifting stones) all of which is nonlinear is insane and yes it feasible. Use stones to port up 8, do some work, SoF back. Use SoF to base a flag your opponent didn’t think you could get to. It really is only limited by your imagination (and number of living FF models)
My List I run currently with Mohsar is as follows:
Moh
-Stalker
-Stalker
-gorax
Max Bloodtrackers
Max Reeves with UA
2X sentry stones
Blackclad Wayfarer
Gallows Grove
Lynus and Edrea
Now that doesn't look too much like what we saw at the ATC in fact my first lists with Moh were almost identical to the ACT lists but I wanted to focus less on the guerrilla style gunline and more on the fast moving, scalpel force. I’m going to be replacing one for the stalkers with Loki once I purchase/paint him he brings so much to my list with controlling via drag threat and his animus is actually pretty useful if moh is hiding out in cover Def 16 with dodge can be wonderful. (just think of Loki with baldur 2….mmmmm off topic sorry) Basically this list is all about scenario and threat. The stalkers only commit when I need to swing attrition or clear a heavy off a zone or flag. Normally if I do primal them I’m going in for two heavies or to land a crippling blow to my opponent. They give me control with threat and they put their money where their mouth is when they go to commit on something. The gorax is there for primal (I hate the animus but our faction needs it to kill other heavies) and for my maltreat target. He is also pretty good as a finisher being Pow 16 effectively with curse and primal plus he will probably be charging for free since I abuse him all game and he is a great transfer target. Now we get to bloodtrackers. Mirage goes on them turn 1, they prey a expensive heavy and use their impressive speed and threat with mirage to get to annoying places. Awesome SoF targets and with Prey and Curse of shadows they will one round or cripple about any heavy in the game if you commit them. I love them and always have success with them (beware blast damage and High rat sprays though.) Next we go to reeves. With the UA they are great SoF targets and good at jamming, contesting, and most importantly crippling heavies. To understand this we need to look at Lynus and Edrea. Applied knowledge means that my 2 POW 19 CRA’s will take out the cortex of most jacks on exactly average damage rolls. Crippled cortexes combined with pillars and other jamming options can really ruin your opponent's day. Those heavies look a lot less scary with only 2 attacks. Now you may say “what about repair?” well….sentry stones. Manikins sprays are amazing (along with all the other obvious stuff about the unit) and if you say “opponents know how to stay out of that” I direct you to Crevasse… Run manikin. Crevasse in butt, rat 6 spray 6 pow 12 that can be boosted...boom dead mechanics...it works and it’s hard to prevent trust me. Manikins not good enough for you? Remember bloodtrackers can effectively run 16 inches with marriage. killing a 5 point solo or an armies only options of healing, damage buff, fury management outside of caster can be devastating and will frustrate opponents to no end. Trust me ina clock environment it can cause profanities to erupt almost out of nowhere! Finally the gallows grove for Barc node-ing and removing tough healing when I need it to. Great if you have a unit of tough dudes near a flag. Also preventing healing can be situationally amazing for heavies/gargossals but doesn’t come up that often. And the blackclad for threat extension, a desperate SoF target, clearing flags of infantry, contesting, controlling flags...yeah he is incredibly versatile for 4 points I love him to death.
normal game plan with moh is, Turn 1 mirage on bloodtrackers, run up and position for turn 2 and then….it literally changes based on my opponent. It’s such a adaptable and versatile list I have not pre-game plan until I see my opponents army, the board, and the scenario. While arguably true for all casters it’s exacerbated with Moh. This list can switch from Jack Line annoying to Infantry mulching, to Arm cracking all in the course of one game. My typical strategy is to focus on scenario, keep an eye on flags and opportunities to get behind your opponent's lines and circle them until you see an opening to go for the throat, either by scenario, assassination, or control point victory. Keep moh and your army safe and don’t commit until you see that weakness, bait out weakness frustrate your opponent by killing his support models and staying just out of reach. Also when you commit, you should probably go all in whole army. Exploit that opening to no end as you don’t have the staying power to commit a couple things here and there. Most importantly of all Keep Moh safe with transfers forests, cover, anything that helps him stay alive and out of threat. He will die really really easy and you need to be aware of that as much as possible.
Final Thoughts
Overall Mohsar is a fantastic control caster who has a very fluffy circle playstyle. He plays very hit and run, waiting for an opportunity to go for the throat and leave the opponent crippled. He has an incredibly High skill cap in my opinion but is incredibly unforgiving of mistakes. The army you play will be incredibly fragile and it will take a lot of practice before you can really get things like pillars and his feat to work the way you want. Focus on scenario first and assassination only if things get dire or if you see that opening. You need to always be thinking at least 1 turn ahead preferably 2. Be able to predict your opponent and use your toolbox to force him to make predictable decisions. When you make a list don’t go all in on guns, or combat ability or speed, make the list as versatile and adaptable as Moh himself is. Every game will feel different I promise you he has been one of the most engaging and rewarding casters i have played in MK3. His abilities are only limited by your experience and creativity!
Mohsar supports a lot of Models relatively well. Curse of shadows applies as a pseudo damage buff to all models in his army, mirage is a versatile ability that supports beats and units. (though I prefer casting it on units) and his feat and pillars an slow down your opponent and buy you time. A lot of the abilities Moh has really seems to point you towards a fast, versatile gunline that can maneuver around your opponent and whittle him down in weight of fire. My first Lists with him revolved primarily around purebloods, woldwyrds and bloodtrackers. In fact my lists now are still very ranged oriented and I think most Mohsar lists should be to capitalize best of his guerilla warfare style of battlefield tactics. A big thing to remember is to have a good number of sands of fate targets I normally don’t leave home without at least 10 or 12 potential SoF targets. Its an incredibly potent tool for scenario and can get Moh to places your opponent will have issues anticipating and you need to make sure you can take advantage of it.
In fact on topic of scenario I cannot stress enough, I rarely have more models on the table than my opponent at the end of the game. But i normally win on scenario. You can manipulate your opponent's forces to go where you want, or make it incredibly difficult to go where they want (normally you're doing both at the same time) you will need to focus on a building a list that best capitalizes on scenario. Flags are your friends. 6 out of the 8 scenarios have flags. And most flags are pretty easy for Moh to reach and clear off with SoF. I rarely score in zones (especially the pit *shudders*) unless its Outlast or entrenched as most armies can just durtle in a zone (I’m looking at you Khador) without fear of being pushed out of it using traditional methods. That’s one of the biggest ways you win scenario with Moh, is not playing traditional warmachine/hordes. A lot of games I played my opponents are incredibly surprised when I do manage to score my control points or scalpel out key models. Mohsar is incredibly good at surprising your opponent and since he hasn't played very much in the current meta a lot of people don’t expect the silly things you can do with him. Sands of fate-ing 16-21 inches across the table (24 if you get a successful charge or even longer with shifting stones) all of which is nonlinear is insane and yes it feasible. Use stones to port up 8, do some work, SoF back. Use SoF to base a flag your opponent didn’t think you could get to. It really is only limited by your imagination (and number of living FF models)
My List I run currently with Mohsar is as follows:
Moh
-Stalker
-Stalker
-gorax
Max Bloodtrackers
Max Reeves with UA
2X sentry stones
Blackclad Wayfarer
Gallows Grove
Lynus and Edrea
Now that doesn't look too much like what we saw at the ATC in fact my first lists with Moh were almost identical to the ACT lists but I wanted to focus less on the guerrilla style gunline and more on the fast moving, scalpel force. I’m going to be replacing one for the stalkers with Loki once I purchase/paint him he brings so much to my list with controlling via drag threat and his animus is actually pretty useful if moh is hiding out in cover Def 16 with dodge can be wonderful. (just think of Loki with baldur 2….mmmmm off topic sorry) Basically this list is all about scenario and threat. The stalkers only commit when I need to swing attrition or clear a heavy off a zone or flag. Normally if I do primal them I’m going in for two heavies or to land a crippling blow to my opponent. They give me control with threat and they put their money where their mouth is when they go to commit on something. The gorax is there for primal (I hate the animus but our faction needs it to kill other heavies) and for my maltreat target. He is also pretty good as a finisher being Pow 16 effectively with curse and primal plus he will probably be charging for free since I abuse him all game and he is a great transfer target. Now we get to bloodtrackers. Mirage goes on them turn 1, they prey a expensive heavy and use their impressive speed and threat with mirage to get to annoying places. Awesome SoF targets and with Prey and Curse of shadows they will one round or cripple about any heavy in the game if you commit them. I love them and always have success with them (beware blast damage and High rat sprays though.) Next we go to reeves. With the UA they are great SoF targets and good at jamming, contesting, and most importantly crippling heavies. To understand this we need to look at Lynus and Edrea. Applied knowledge means that my 2 POW 19 CRA’s will take out the cortex of most jacks on exactly average damage rolls. Crippled cortexes combined with pillars and other jamming options can really ruin your opponent's day. Those heavies look a lot less scary with only 2 attacks. Now you may say “what about repair?” well….sentry stones. Manikins sprays are amazing (along with all the other obvious stuff about the unit) and if you say “opponents know how to stay out of that” I direct you to Crevasse… Run manikin. Crevasse in butt, rat 6 spray 6 pow 12 that can be boosted...boom dead mechanics...it works and it’s hard to prevent trust me. Manikins not good enough for you? Remember bloodtrackers can effectively run 16 inches with marriage. killing a 5 point solo or an armies only options of healing, damage buff, fury management outside of caster can be devastating and will frustrate opponents to no end. Trust me ina clock environment it can cause profanities to erupt almost out of nowhere! Finally the gallows grove for Barc node-ing and removing tough healing when I need it to. Great if you have a unit of tough dudes near a flag. Also preventing healing can be situationally amazing for heavies/gargossals but doesn’t come up that often. And the blackclad for threat extension, a desperate SoF target, clearing flags of infantry, contesting, controlling flags...yeah he is incredibly versatile for 4 points I love him to death.
normal game plan with moh is, Turn 1 mirage on bloodtrackers, run up and position for turn 2 and then….it literally changes based on my opponent. It’s such a adaptable and versatile list I have not pre-game plan until I see my opponents army, the board, and the scenario. While arguably true for all casters it’s exacerbated with Moh. This list can switch from Jack Line annoying to Infantry mulching, to Arm cracking all in the course of one game. My typical strategy is to focus on scenario, keep an eye on flags and opportunities to get behind your opponent's lines and circle them until you see an opening to go for the throat, either by scenario, assassination, or control point victory. Keep moh and your army safe and don’t commit until you see that weakness, bait out weakness frustrate your opponent by killing his support models and staying just out of reach. Also when you commit, you should probably go all in whole army. Exploit that opening to no end as you don’t have the staying power to commit a couple things here and there. Most importantly of all Keep Moh safe with transfers forests, cover, anything that helps him stay alive and out of threat. He will die really really easy and you need to be aware of that as much as possible.
Final Thoughts
Overall Mohsar is a fantastic control caster who has a very fluffy circle playstyle. He plays very hit and run, waiting for an opportunity to go for the throat and leave the opponent crippled. He has an incredibly High skill cap in my opinion but is incredibly unforgiving of mistakes. The army you play will be incredibly fragile and it will take a lot of practice before you can really get things like pillars and his feat to work the way you want. Focus on scenario first and assassination only if things get dire or if you see that opening. You need to always be thinking at least 1 turn ahead preferably 2. Be able to predict your opponent and use your toolbox to force him to make predictable decisions. When you make a list don’t go all in on guns, or combat ability or speed, make the list as versatile and adaptable as Moh himself is. Every game will feel different I promise you he has been one of the most engaging and rewarding casters i have played in MK3. His abilities are only limited by your experience and creativity!