Post by welshhoppo on Sept 21, 2017 23:10:59 GMT
So as I reel from another loss that comes from a caster who isn't Strakhov. (Find it here lormahordes.freeforums.net/post/53890/thread ) I was left in a dark place and I had a think. Then darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time, and I wandered far on roads that I will not tell. What I really wanted was a multi purpose warcaster.
I've played plenty of games with the majority of casters in Khador, and I find the lack of pathfinder to be the biggest issue. The new rules for terrain really require pathfinder on demand. Now, the only jacks with Pathfinder innate are the Kodiak Chassis, the Conqest chassis by virtue of being colossals, and Ruin when he decides that it's murder o clock.
It's the same throughout our faction, only a few solos and a few infantry units have access to pathfinder. Mostly the scouty ones like the Widowmakers and Yuri and the Manhunters. But the Iron Fangs do get it on a charge. So on and so forth.
But mostly its the jacks that I have issue with. So what I want (its not asking much) is access to pathfinder. In addition, a movement buff would nice, and free charges would be even better. And when the game grinds down to a warcaster and half a warjack and an odd mechanic, I'd like the ability for the Warcaster to actually be useful enough to finish the game.
So of course, the perfect Caster is Kommander Orsus Zoktavir. Wait, what?
But it's true, Butcher2 has all the tools to be Khador's best caster. He has 2 speed buffs, one of them that affects the entire battlegroup and one that grants pathfinder. In addition he even has a damage buff by the way of Fury. And Boundless charge can give out pathfinder on a stick, and with the ability to give warjacks berserk, he can turn them into MAT 9 (or 10 with Ruin) weedwackers that will kill anything they get into combat with. And when the game boils down to Butcher, Ruin's left Butt cheek, right arm and an overweight mechanic call Ivan, you still have the Butcher, who can charge 12 inches and be PS19.
Of course the downside is that bloody stupid stupid stupid stupid dull and annoying arcane dementia rule, which means you'll never have more and 2/3 focus on any turn of the game, including turn 1. Ever. So that prevents Butcher2 from ever being the best caster in Khador.
Now I'm still a sucker for pathfinder, so where else can I find it? Now Vlad1 and a few others have boundless charge. And of course Harkevich has Mobility, Malakov has his veil of mists and Irusk2 has his feat. But what are they missing? Hark basically only has 2 spells and a feat, so he's out, Malakov dies if someone looks at him the wrong way, and is about as formidable in combat as an angry toddler, and Irusk, whilst having the ability to be pretty mean with a sword, has this horrible tendency to just die for no real reason.
Now I could go through all of the casters and nit pick things and this and that, but there is one man. One warcaster who seems to give a Khador player everything he needs, and that is Kommander Oleg Strakhov, or Strakhov1.
Now the only thing he lacks is a good damage buff, but he does give you the alpha 9/10 times and besides nobody is perfect. But he has 3 speed buffs, one of them is his feat, and one is overrun. In terms of actual speed increases, there is no better spell for moving faster. Because you can also use it to move around, change direction, get a better LOS or even retreat to safer territory.
And his feat gives out pathfinder and free charges, what is not to like? On top of that, his feat is one of the best speed buffs in the game. +4 movement when charging. Every Khador jack is now as fast as an Iron Fang Uhlan, on top of Overrun and maybe Superiority. Strakhov can reach out and touch you anywhere. ANYWHERE you hear me! Hiding behind a forest? Overrun into it and then charge through it for free. Hiding around a corner? Overrun to the side and then shoot you to death with bombards. Enemy model 19 inches away? Don't worry, because Strakhov can send a humble Marauder 19 inches down the board and still have 1 inch of melee to play with.
So he has a speed buff, he has pathfinder, he can also get into it himself and either slap you with a half decent charge attack or potentially shoot you 4 times. He ignores clouds, being on fire and being melted alive. As well as skipping through the trees without a doubt.
Seeing as Warmachine is slowly turning into theme machine (which I don't mind at all.) and Strakhov works well with pretty much all of them. He can run 100 points of warjack due to his resourceful and the fact that a lot of his benefits are battle group. But he can also run WGK, because he can make the infantry gain stealth, or drop 2 mortar shots a turn. Or double the knockdown guns, he gains the benefit of hiding behind willing bodies and his already fast battlegroup can get even faster you say? And he can even give it a go in Legion of Steel. Uhlans that can charge 17 inches? Iron Fangs that can charge 15? Uhlans with stealth you say? And with the yet unreleased Armoured Korps and Wolves of Winter, the same things apply. He helps Man o War get into combat, and he can provide cover to the weaker armoured Demo Corps. And pathfinder charging 15 Doom Reavers and you'll never have to pay for upkeeps either? Brilliant.
So is Strakhov1 the best caster in Khador? Maybe or maybe not, but I don't care because he's definitely my favourite.
I've played plenty of games with the majority of casters in Khador, and I find the lack of pathfinder to be the biggest issue. The new rules for terrain really require pathfinder on demand. Now, the only jacks with Pathfinder innate are the Kodiak Chassis, the Conqest chassis by virtue of being colossals, and Ruin when he decides that it's murder o clock.
It's the same throughout our faction, only a few solos and a few infantry units have access to pathfinder. Mostly the scouty ones like the Widowmakers and Yuri and the Manhunters. But the Iron Fangs do get it on a charge. So on and so forth.
But mostly its the jacks that I have issue with. So what I want (its not asking much) is access to pathfinder. In addition, a movement buff would nice, and free charges would be even better. And when the game grinds down to a warcaster and half a warjack and an odd mechanic, I'd like the ability for the Warcaster to actually be useful enough to finish the game.
So of course, the perfect Caster is Kommander Orsus Zoktavir. Wait, what?
But it's true, Butcher2 has all the tools to be Khador's best caster. He has 2 speed buffs, one of them that affects the entire battlegroup and one that grants pathfinder. In addition he even has a damage buff by the way of Fury. And Boundless charge can give out pathfinder on a stick, and with the ability to give warjacks berserk, he can turn them into MAT 9 (or 10 with Ruin) weedwackers that will kill anything they get into combat with. And when the game boils down to Butcher, Ruin's left Butt cheek, right arm and an overweight mechanic call Ivan, you still have the Butcher, who can charge 12 inches and be PS19.
Of course the downside is that bloody stupid stupid stupid stupid dull and annoying arcane dementia rule, which means you'll never have more and 2/3 focus on any turn of the game, including turn 1. Ever. So that prevents Butcher2 from ever being the best caster in Khador.
Now I'm still a sucker for pathfinder, so where else can I find it? Now Vlad1 and a few others have boundless charge. And of course Harkevich has Mobility, Malakov has his veil of mists and Irusk2 has his feat. But what are they missing? Hark basically only has 2 spells and a feat, so he's out, Malakov dies if someone looks at him the wrong way, and is about as formidable in combat as an angry toddler, and Irusk, whilst having the ability to be pretty mean with a sword, has this horrible tendency to just die for no real reason.
Now I could go through all of the casters and nit pick things and this and that, but there is one man. One warcaster who seems to give a Khador player everything he needs, and that is Kommander Oleg Strakhov, or Strakhov1.
Now the only thing he lacks is a good damage buff, but he does give you the alpha 9/10 times and besides nobody is perfect. But he has 3 speed buffs, one of them is his feat, and one is overrun. In terms of actual speed increases, there is no better spell for moving faster. Because you can also use it to move around, change direction, get a better LOS or even retreat to safer territory.
And his feat gives out pathfinder and free charges, what is not to like? On top of that, his feat is one of the best speed buffs in the game. +4 movement when charging. Every Khador jack is now as fast as an Iron Fang Uhlan, on top of Overrun and maybe Superiority. Strakhov can reach out and touch you anywhere. ANYWHERE you hear me! Hiding behind a forest? Overrun into it and then charge through it for free. Hiding around a corner? Overrun to the side and then shoot you to death with bombards. Enemy model 19 inches away? Don't worry, because Strakhov can send a humble Marauder 19 inches down the board and still have 1 inch of melee to play with.
So he has a speed buff, he has pathfinder, he can also get into it himself and either slap you with a half decent charge attack or potentially shoot you 4 times. He ignores clouds, being on fire and being melted alive. As well as skipping through the trees without a doubt.
Seeing as Warmachine is slowly turning into theme machine (which I don't mind at all.) and Strakhov works well with pretty much all of them. He can run 100 points of warjack due to his resourceful and the fact that a lot of his benefits are battle group. But he can also run WGK, because he can make the infantry gain stealth, or drop 2 mortar shots a turn. Or double the knockdown guns, he gains the benefit of hiding behind willing bodies and his already fast battlegroup can get even faster you say? And he can even give it a go in Legion of Steel. Uhlans that can charge 17 inches? Iron Fangs that can charge 15? Uhlans with stealth you say? And with the yet unreleased Armoured Korps and Wolves of Winter, the same things apply. He helps Man o War get into combat, and he can provide cover to the weaker armoured Demo Corps. And pathfinder charging 15 Doom Reavers and you'll never have to pay for upkeeps either? Brilliant.
So is Strakhov1 the best caster in Khador? Maybe or maybe not, but I don't care because he's definitely my favourite.
