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Post by NoSuchMethod on Apr 16, 2019 3:23:17 GMT
It's a pity the bill is only from existing casters, else Malathrax would be a great choice for Cryx. Honestly, considering how dirty he plays everything, Asphyxious just seems like the natural fit. I hardly see anyone in Cryx being a cultist. It's stupid to bargain with your own soul and they have their own ways to get power from souls, so why would they trade others' souls for power? Eh. I mean, Gaspy would definitely be game. It involves scheming, after all. Selling out to the infernals would give him further opportunities to twirl his mustache, tie helpless maidens to railroad tracks, and say things like "it was my plan all along!" No way my main Lichlord passes up an opportunity for a good old fashioned doublecross. All the infernals would have to offer him would be a chance to take out terminus.
My money is on the following: Cygnar - Caine seems like an obvious pick, since he's now an even more disillusioned, angry old grump with even fewer loyalties to hold him back.
Khador - Butcher. Easy one, all they have to do is offer to resurrect Lola (and they don't even need to actually be able to pull it off; the big guy is not a sharp tack). Menoth - Feora is probably the number one candidate. She's power hungry and psychopathic, which is basically the Infernalist platonic ideal. Crucible - Lukas. Addicts are easy pickings. His shtick probably makes him the most effortlessly corruptible warcaster in the entire setting.
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Post by MrHaystacks on Apr 16, 2019 8:59:25 GMT
My picks are: Cygnar - Not sure, maybe Maddox? She was tortured by the PoM. I can see this as revenge. Khador - I see Sorcha. There are low points and I can see her taking the power to finally kill of Butcher. Or Zerkova. She has a family history of being sketchy, but I think she's thamerite not infernal, but who knows. Menoth - Malakus Crucible - Lukas. Agree with the above. The promise of removing his addiction would be strong. Mercs - Ashlyn. I think she's at the point of doing anything to take back Leal, with both the PoM and Khador with out asking Cygnar for help.
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Post by overmind on Apr 17, 2019 6:27:22 GMT
So night before the reveal, figure is slip in here and make a final guess after rewatching the video.
Things we know- 1 of each warmachine faction besides Convergence or Retribution. The cryx caster and protectorate casters are called put as having multiple allowed versions and finally No gaspy 2 or Haley 2. With that said let's move on to some predictions!
Cygnar- only one caster with no iterations here. Doesn't mean it can't just be like Caine 2 for example, but it feels unlikely. So I'm gonna guess no one with an epic(and that will hold true for the rest of the non-cryx/non-protectorate) the boys and girls in blue sort of lack the hard edges I'd think would get caught by infernals. Sloan has been brought up as maybe due to secret boyfriend and it's not a bad thought. Id also say Jakes, her start into warcastering was traumatic and I could see her being tempted in all of that. Maddox also makes sense as she has more of that hard edge and has every reason to offer service to the darkness for freedom. It seems weird picking the journeyman or battlegroup caster so it feels like Sloan should edge out. But I'm going Maddox if only cause I want to run her with Howlers.
Protectorate- one character with multiple allowed versions. So no one with only a single variation. Which removes a chunk who felt likely (Thyra, Vindictus, Malekus). Severius, Kreoss, Testament, Reznik and Feora all have multiple versions. Severius, Reznik and Testament have repeatedly been chosen directly by Menoth(or indirectly via Harbinger) so probably not. Kreoss seems so not the type, which is sad because he's fun to play. Which leaves us with Feora who honestly feels like the obvious pick.
Khador- again no iterations mentioned. So if we stick to the same strategy of ignoring people with iterations we have the battlegroup caster, harkevich and karchev. None of them strike me as terribly likely especially compared to Zerkova but if it's her which one? So sticking to my established picking method Karchev seems the most likely if only because he's been around long enough to have some sort of history. So I am going with him but I'm honestly still expecting Zerkova 1/2 because it's so obvious.
Cryx- again we need epics. Cryx has a few, but we also get to eliminate Asphyxious. So that's something. We still have Skarre, Denny, Sturgis, Goreshade and Mortenebra. I'm a bit put out by no witches (I mean egregore just screams infernal to me.) Goreshade and Sturgis would be off not every version is Cryx. Mortenrbra seems like a gal with no interest in what infernals offer. That leaves Denny and Skarre who both seem decent candidates. Denny even practices a form of magic created by infernalists though they worshipped a different branch. I think Skarre feels more likely to betray the Nightmare Empire for power though. Denny has a lot of loyalty for Gaspy if nothing else. (As an aside gaspy himself fits here the best imo as a power hungry psychopath with loose/no morals or loyalty, but he was called out as no grrrr)
Mercs- well we know no cephalyx (boo) and no Magnus. Probably not a pirate. Likely candidates seem to be Durgen Madhammer, he's crazy, and Ashlynn, she would give anything for Lael. I'm going Madhammer but honestly if Domiano or McBain suddenly went all crazy scary cultist I'd be unsurprised.
Crucible Guard- Lukas or Syvestro. Lukas for a cure and escape from torture, sane as Maddox and Syvestro to fix Prospero. I'm thinking Lukas edges out here which is sad because the other seems cooler. I do think it'd be great if it was Locke because then she'd be super split loyalties. Also we'd technically have a convergence caster (which is why it can't be her as that might allow vectors and stuff in HoD and no CoC was mentioned).
Recap- Cygnar: Maddox Protectorate: Feora Khador: Kharchev Cryx: Skarre Mercs: Madhammer? No one feels great here Crucible Guard: Lukas
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Post by zangetsu on Apr 17, 2019 15:24:32 GMT
I suppose I'll explain my guesses a bit, right before (hopefully) everything is revealed. I think it there is lots of room for characters to turn toward the dark for a number of reasons promising this or that... So I don't think a lore perspective is as important for the make of the theme.
Cygnar: Kraye Of the options - Kraye, Maddox, Jakes, Sloan, and Darius - I think that Kraye, Maddox, and Jakes are the most likely options. They have to most that would interact with other Infernal models and may or may not see future versions. If PP were to preclude warcasters that would see future versions, then I think Kraye is the most likely of the most likely - he's also my favorite. The runner up pick is Maddox.
Khador: Malakov Of the the options - Karchev, Malakov, Kozlov, and Harkevich - I think that Malakov and Kozlov are the most likely options. Like the Cygnar picks they have the most options for interaction. Malakov is my pick based on his play style, a bit of lore, and because Kozlov overlaps a great deal with Omodamos.
Mercs: Crosse Mercs have lots of possible options in theory, however, I think they distill to only a few - Ashlynn, Fiona, and Crosse. Ashlynn overlaps with Zaateroth a bit... Fiona, I'm on the fence about so she's my runner up. Crosse has some thematic similarities with Infernals and some great spells that would work with them - so he's my pick here.
Crucible Guard: Morray I think they will avoid using the most overtly powerful warcasters when given the chance. Syvestro could fit, but I think that Morray would be more interesting and fits just as much. With the little bit of lore that I know of - Morray seems more deperate.
Cryx: Goreshade The cryx warcaster that could "blow our minds" would be goreshade. He has a great amount of things that would be super cool in Infernals. He has the right kind of motivation... and if they inlcuded Goreshade4 in the line up that would indeed "blow our minds".
Menoth: Severius (special mention for High Reclaimer) The pick here is a bit trickier... High Reclaimer has the soul mechanics that draw some similarities... Feora has the will and spells that interact... Severius seems like an option because they can lock down the pick here and prevent bloat since he's "dead"... I'm of the mind that when picking warcasters that likely won't see future versions is a solid direction for the theme. That being the case, Severius stands above the rest here.
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Post by overmind on Apr 17, 2019 18:21:26 GMT
Feora warcasters • Mortenebra warcasters • Aurum Legate Lukas di Morray • Captain Kara Sloan • Kommander Andrei Malakov • Lieutenant Crosse, Resistance Fighter
So close and yet so far... lol
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Post by Deadneck on Apr 17, 2019 21:01:17 GMT
Can't say I'm happy with HoD at all so far.
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Post by overmind on Apr 17, 2019 23:02:45 GMT
Honestly can't say any lists have struck me with inspiration either. They all seem kinda.. bleh at best. As opposed to the few I built ahead of time. Mortenebra and Sloan just really do not feel right in this very infantry focused theme.
Sadly that means for CID purposes those are who I should play, but I'm honestly struggling to get a list together at all.
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Post by Deadneck on Apr 18, 2019 1:27:16 GMT
It's unfortunate that in the Circle CID they repeatedly refused to take "everyone hates this and no one wants to put it on the table" as reason to change something. So sadly the only way to get this to (hopefully) change is to put it on the table to prove what everyone already knows.
Although to be fair it's unlikely I'll buy into HoD anyway due to ridiculous cost to do so for each caster. Really wish they'd do something to reduce cost of entry for this theme.
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thelat
Junior Strategist
Posts: 480
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Post by thelat on Apr 18, 2019 5:06:31 GMT
It's unfortunate that in the Circle CID they repeatedly refused to take "everyone hates this and no one wants to put it on the table" as reason to change something. So sadly the only way to get this to (hopefully) change is to put it on the table to prove what everyone already knows. Although to be fair it's unlikely I'll buy into HoD anyway due to ridiculous cost to do so for each caster. Really wish they'd do something to reduce cost of entry for this theme. Feora3 seems nice in Infernals, but I already play Protectorate, so it's no additional cost to me. I think that's the point, though. If you already have the faction and go into Infernals, it's a neat option to combine the two, but not a reason to pick up additional models.
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Post by steeltitan on Apr 18, 2019 9:30:00 GMT
How is this supposed to work anyway? Isnt it a little awkward to play CID infernals to test another CID set?
Also, Im concerned the anti-Infernal and soul tech...not to mention the anti place and anti summon rules...and lack of depth within the faction (3 casters and a questionable 2nd theme) is bad news for the factions power level...
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thelat
Junior Strategist
Posts: 480
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Post by thelat on Apr 18, 2019 14:26:43 GMT
How is this supposed to work anyway? Isnt it a little awkward to play CID infernals to test another CID set? Also, Im concerned the anti-Infernal and soul tech...not to mention the anti place and anti summon rules...and lack of depth within the faction (3 casters and a questionable 2nd theme) is bad news for the factions power level... I don't think Infernals are powerful enough to merit commonplace anti-Infernal tech. Have a look at the battle reports section.
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thelat
Junior Strategist
Posts: 480
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Post by thelat on Apr 19, 2019 18:14:39 GMT
We should talk about what Hearts Of Darkness gets us, as a faction. We get one of the 6 warcasters, any of the faction's non-character warjacks + bonded warjacks, up to 2 units from the warcaster's faction, and up to 3 solos from the warcaster's faction. I play Protectorate, so I'm going to speak about that, but leave talk of Feora1 to paradox , as they are the reigning expert on Feora1. Feora2: + Firestarter hot-swapped between Redeemers + Access to Judicator and Revelator + Templars are tough, have shield guard, beat back, and hit hard + Access to Choir + Access to Cinerators with UA + Access to Bastions + Access to Flamebringers + Access to Sev0 + Access to Protectorate solos + Escort is nice, depending on the size of your battlegroup - Doesn't hit that hard, something we already have some problems with Feora3: + Insight is pretty good, if risky. Helps a lot with Grievers, Shriekers, drives Howlers up to 11 + Redline + Choir + Incite on a Templar is a terrifying thing to see. + Banishing Ward is OK + Access to Reckoner + Access to Judicator and Revelator + Access to Choir + Access to Cinerators with UA + Access to Bastions + Access to Flamebringers + Access to Sev0 + Access to Protectorate solos - Hard to protect, difficult for things like Warders to keep up What do we offer? Regna has versatility, but Choir's anti-ranged ability is way better than Deceleration when it works. Lamenter's attack roll penalty can be nice for helping out hard-to-protect warcasters. Umbral Guardians are, on paper, very good for protecting from ranged. I believe, though need to playtest, that Kezia and Nicia are a lot more dangerous than either of them alone. Asher helps with taking down enemy upkeeps and animi, but something of a one-shot. Valin Hauke gives Tactician [Infernal] and that means warjacks moving through warjacks. This is big, though he is expensive. Brother's Keeper is also nice protection. Wretches will go up or down in value for this depending on whether it's clarified that Ancillary works on warjacks, warbeasts, and horrors, or if it keeps its current wording, which is that it only works on horrors. I miss old Vassals. I posted a question in the CID about this and will update when I have an answer. It's been answered. No Ancillary Attack on warjacks from a solo. Discuss.
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