Post by Aegis on Mar 6, 2017 16:07:46 GMT
Jeremiah Kraye: An in-depth analysis (by Ymihere on the old official forum)
I've been playing Jeremiah Kraye for a month straight now and I feel now like I'm really getting the hang of him. I have found him to be an amazing caster after getting used to the abilities that he provides for his battlegroup. I wanted to write down my experiences with him and what is is really capable of doing. I went through a lot of list iterations with him trying to find things that work and I have definitely settled with something that has been out-performing my expectations. I don't really want to analyze Kraye with every single Cygnar warjack or unit, but rather analyze the list I made as a whole and how it all synergizes together. So here is my list:
Jeremiah Kraye - +30pts
- Ol' Rowdy (18 pts)
- Defender (16 pts)
- Hunter (11 pts)
- Minuteman (9 pts)
- Minuteman (9 pts)
- Squire (5 pts)
eEyriss (6 pts)
Storm Lances (max) (20 pts)
Kathryn Laddermore (8 pts)
Lanyssa Ryssyl (3 pts)
Objective: Arcane Wonder
Reposition is the ability that really defines Kraye and it is the most important part of his toolkit. It took me a while to find all the ways to use Reposition because it's a very subtle ability. The Defender can move at a full run's distance and still get to shoot. A Minuteman can move a total of 16 inches. Reposition lets your warjacks scoot away after attacking to a more advantageous position. Maybe it's behind cover or maybe it's behind all the enemy models(!). All too often you have to commit your models if you want to attack the enemy, but Reposition lets you attack and still hold a strong defensive position. More subtly, Reposition essentially allows you to ignore the facing requirement when charging. This allows you to maintain space control by making it harder for the opponent to get back strikes or threaten free strikes easier. I will also take a free strike sometimes to Reposition to a good spot. It can be risky, but moving to a different spot and forcing the enemy to come to you is usually worth it. There are so many other uses and I can't list them all, but that is why this ability is so strong and so fun to use.
Impact attacks are nice, I guess. With the low pow, they rarely get anything done, though. The extra attack is the only thing going for this ability. Failing a charge because of impact attacks is still very bad. Impact attacks are the least useful thing Kraye has. You might say this ability is not as impactful as the rest of Kraye's kit.
Bullet Dodger and Pursuit provide the out-of-activation movement that make Kraye's battlegroup very hard to predict. Bullet Dodger works best on a Minuteman, Rowdy, or Kraye. I always try to have Bullet Dodger on a model at all times and I can usually get Pursuit on a heavy by turn 3-4. I like using Pursuit on an enemy heavy that I can't deal with otherwise. Pursuit will prevent that heavy from doing very much and I know Kraye will be safe from it. The pursuit movement can be used in many different ways and it's worth noting that it triggers on any advance now, not just normal movement. This was not the case in MKII.
Easy Rider is a nice spell that also affects the Storm Lances. It's a nice spell to have to make turn 1 movements easier or to deal with rough terrain created by opponents. Sometimes I end up positioning in such a way that forces me to need Easy Rider next turn, but this can be very dangerous. I try to avoid this if possible.
I consider Kraye to be a control/scenario caster much like Haley, but his method of control is very different than Haley's. While Haley controls the board through debuffing enemy models, Kraye controls the board by getting behind the enemy lines and using superior mobility to spread out and reduce the enemy's ability to stay in tight formations. Similar to Haley, though, he excels at singling out the highest priority threats and making counter-attack difficult. Kraye can't wipe out most of the opposing army in one turn so it's very important not try to take on too many enemy models at once. Try to single out the worst ones and then Reposition away to safety.
Now on to the rest of the list..
- Ol' Rowdy
This guy is the real workhorse of the list. He often gets a big target on his head but he is very good at mitigating that himself and Kraye helps with that even more. Rowdy can really abuse the extra abilities that Kraye gives him making him a complete monster. Early on, I will position Rowdy to protect my Minutemen or Defender with Counter Charge. This keeps the enemy from getting to an advantageous position and keeping my other jacks free to move where they want. Usually this means counter charging infantry, but it is definitely worth it. Counter charging is also a good threat extender. Counter charge and Crit Knockdown really like the boosted charge attack from cav charge.
In the mid game, try to get Rowdy to charge an important heavy. Again, Knockdown really helps Rowdy Reposition into a good spot after charging. Retaliatory Strike makes attacking Rowdy very risky. The crit knockdown can really ruin the enemy's plan. The enemy usually has to commit a lot of resources to kill Rowdy. Sometimes I put Bullet Dodger on Rowdy to make him even harder to deal with. With Bullet Dodger, He will almost always get to do something when attacked, either move away or attack back.
- Defender
After trying the Centurion chassis many times, I realized Kraye would rather have some shooting power on a faster jack. Battlegroups that were only melee weapons felt very lacking and this jack was just the thing I needed. Getting in some early shooting damage is good for relieving the pressure to one-round a heavy. The Defender's hammer is quite good now and while it won't usually one-round a heavy, the damage is usually enough to cripple some systems. The cortex damage is also good for neutralizing enemy jacks. You won't need to fear the counter attack as much.
- Hunter
The Hunter takes a similar role as the Defender. Some early shooting compliments Kraye's control play style well. We all know it's gun is fantastic, but it's melee weapon is pretty useful now, too. It can be used for clearing out any charge lanes for Rowdy or the Defender. The Hunter got the Defender treatment and it's axe is much better now. Boosted charges also help the Hunter do better in melee, too. Reposition means it will never get in the way.
- Minutemen
These guys have a very interesting control element to them. They do a very good job at slowing the enemy's advance and force them to make sub-optimal moves. The attention that the Minutemen demand also help open up the table making it harder to stop my scenario goal. The minutemen are almost always on the opposite corner from Kraye "pulling" the enemy away from the direction that I want to skew.
Minutemen going first:
I will almost always move at least one minuteman very aggressively, giving Bullet Dodger to the one that will be farthest up the table. Using the terrain for cover is a must as you want the Minuteman to be hard to kill. The minuteman should be past the midway line if possible. What this does is prevent the opponent from doing their normal turn one setup. Even if they manage to kill the minuteman, they won't get as far up the table as they want allowing you to capitalize on the extra board space. If he survives, he will be free to wreck the enemy's backline doing what minutemen do best. Getting models behind enemy lines is incredibly effective at slowing their army down as a whole and creating more space for Kraye.
Minutemen going second:
The minutemen can't play as aggressively when going second but instead they get the benefit of a favorable deployment. Going second they can be deployed together and their overall goal of getting to the backlines still remains the same. They can easily threaten shooting enemy models on the first turn.
In the midgame, the minutemen getting to the backline or even to the side of the enemy army will create hard decisions for the enemy. Either turn around and hit the minutemen or walk forward into the waiting Rowdy and Defender. With good positioning, it is very hard for any army to do both of these things in the same turn efficiently. Once the minutemen get to the backline, it is important that the rest of the army capitalizes on this to really limit their options.
- Storm Lances and Laddermore
They were good in MKII and they are still good now. I have nothing different to say about them that you don't already know. I will typically use them as Kraye's "linemen" to give Kraye as much space as possible. They indirectly work with the minutemen to "herd" the enemy away from Kraye and the scenario. Always make sure to make room for Laddermore to move in between the Lances.
- Eyriss 2
Eyriss got a new makeover in MKII and she is still a very good solo. I originally put her in the list for Witch Hunter but sadly there aren't many spells being cast in most games. She still threatens upkeeps and can force the enemy to use their resources in inefficient ways. With assault, she can get three Spell Breaker attacks. If they really want their upkeep in play, the caster will have to suffer 3d3 damage which is a big deal. My opponents are usually happy to let the upkeep drop. Coincidentally, she also has Reposition now.
- Lanyssa Ryssyl
Even though none of her rules changed going into MKIII, Hunter's Mark is still really good. That's all she is in the list for.
- Arcane Wonder
I figured this is worth explaining as much as the rest of the list. The more popular objectives like Fuel Cache just don't suit Kraye. Kraye doesn't really need a cloud to hide behind. Null Zone does a good job in protecting my two heavies moving up the table in a way that Kraye can't. The -RNG forces the enemy to come closer if they want to cast their spell.
The biggest weakness of this list is gunlines. It has few ways of stopping ranged attacks and the low model count means it's very bad to be losing models early.
Overall, Kraye's mobility allows him to easily and quickly threaten scenario and he essentially lets you dictate where the enemy can safely move. He has also been amazingly fun to play. I'm sure there are lots of other things Kraye can make work but for now I think this is going to be the list I will use for a while.
I've been playing Jeremiah Kraye for a month straight now and I feel now like I'm really getting the hang of him. I have found him to be an amazing caster after getting used to the abilities that he provides for his battlegroup. I wanted to write down my experiences with him and what is is really capable of doing. I went through a lot of list iterations with him trying to find things that work and I have definitely settled with something that has been out-performing my expectations. I don't really want to analyze Kraye with every single Cygnar warjack or unit, but rather analyze the list I made as a whole and how it all synergizes together. So here is my list:
Jeremiah Kraye - +30pts
- Ol' Rowdy (18 pts)
- Defender (16 pts)
- Hunter (11 pts)
- Minuteman (9 pts)
- Minuteman (9 pts)
- Squire (5 pts)
eEyriss (6 pts)
Storm Lances (max) (20 pts)
Kathryn Laddermore (8 pts)
Lanyssa Ryssyl (3 pts)
Objective: Arcane Wonder
Reposition is the ability that really defines Kraye and it is the most important part of his toolkit. It took me a while to find all the ways to use Reposition because it's a very subtle ability. The Defender can move at a full run's distance and still get to shoot. A Minuteman can move a total of 16 inches. Reposition lets your warjacks scoot away after attacking to a more advantageous position. Maybe it's behind cover or maybe it's behind all the enemy models(!). All too often you have to commit your models if you want to attack the enemy, but Reposition lets you attack and still hold a strong defensive position. More subtly, Reposition essentially allows you to ignore the facing requirement when charging. This allows you to maintain space control by making it harder for the opponent to get back strikes or threaten free strikes easier. I will also take a free strike sometimes to Reposition to a good spot. It can be risky, but moving to a different spot and forcing the enemy to come to you is usually worth it. There are so many other uses and I can't list them all, but that is why this ability is so strong and so fun to use.
Impact attacks are nice, I guess. With the low pow, they rarely get anything done, though. The extra attack is the only thing going for this ability. Failing a charge because of impact attacks is still very bad. Impact attacks are the least useful thing Kraye has. You might say this ability is not as impactful as the rest of Kraye's kit.
Bullet Dodger and Pursuit provide the out-of-activation movement that make Kraye's battlegroup very hard to predict. Bullet Dodger works best on a Minuteman, Rowdy, or Kraye. I always try to have Bullet Dodger on a model at all times and I can usually get Pursuit on a heavy by turn 3-4. I like using Pursuit on an enemy heavy that I can't deal with otherwise. Pursuit will prevent that heavy from doing very much and I know Kraye will be safe from it. The pursuit movement can be used in many different ways and it's worth noting that it triggers on any advance now, not just normal movement. This was not the case in MKII.
Easy Rider is a nice spell that also affects the Storm Lances. It's a nice spell to have to make turn 1 movements easier or to deal with rough terrain created by opponents. Sometimes I end up positioning in such a way that forces me to need Easy Rider next turn, but this can be very dangerous. I try to avoid this if possible.
I consider Kraye to be a control/scenario caster much like Haley, but his method of control is very different than Haley's. While Haley controls the board through debuffing enemy models, Kraye controls the board by getting behind the enemy lines and using superior mobility to spread out and reduce the enemy's ability to stay in tight formations. Similar to Haley, though, he excels at singling out the highest priority threats and making counter-attack difficult. Kraye can't wipe out most of the opposing army in one turn so it's very important not try to take on too many enemy models at once. Try to single out the worst ones and then Reposition away to safety.
Now on to the rest of the list..
- Ol' Rowdy
This guy is the real workhorse of the list. He often gets a big target on his head but he is very good at mitigating that himself and Kraye helps with that even more. Rowdy can really abuse the extra abilities that Kraye gives him making him a complete monster. Early on, I will position Rowdy to protect my Minutemen or Defender with Counter Charge. This keeps the enemy from getting to an advantageous position and keeping my other jacks free to move where they want. Usually this means counter charging infantry, but it is definitely worth it. Counter charging is also a good threat extender. Counter charge and Crit Knockdown really like the boosted charge attack from cav charge.
In the mid game, try to get Rowdy to charge an important heavy. Again, Knockdown really helps Rowdy Reposition into a good spot after charging. Retaliatory Strike makes attacking Rowdy very risky. The crit knockdown can really ruin the enemy's plan. The enemy usually has to commit a lot of resources to kill Rowdy. Sometimes I put Bullet Dodger on Rowdy to make him even harder to deal with. With Bullet Dodger, He will almost always get to do something when attacked, either move away or attack back.
- Defender
After trying the Centurion chassis many times, I realized Kraye would rather have some shooting power on a faster jack. Battlegroups that were only melee weapons felt very lacking and this jack was just the thing I needed. Getting in some early shooting damage is good for relieving the pressure to one-round a heavy. The Defender's hammer is quite good now and while it won't usually one-round a heavy, the damage is usually enough to cripple some systems. The cortex damage is also good for neutralizing enemy jacks. You won't need to fear the counter attack as much.
- Hunter
The Hunter takes a similar role as the Defender. Some early shooting compliments Kraye's control play style well. We all know it's gun is fantastic, but it's melee weapon is pretty useful now, too. It can be used for clearing out any charge lanes for Rowdy or the Defender. The Hunter got the Defender treatment and it's axe is much better now. Boosted charges also help the Hunter do better in melee, too. Reposition means it will never get in the way.
- Minutemen
These guys have a very interesting control element to them. They do a very good job at slowing the enemy's advance and force them to make sub-optimal moves. The attention that the Minutemen demand also help open up the table making it harder to stop my scenario goal. The minutemen are almost always on the opposite corner from Kraye "pulling" the enemy away from the direction that I want to skew.
Minutemen going first:
I will almost always move at least one minuteman very aggressively, giving Bullet Dodger to the one that will be farthest up the table. Using the terrain for cover is a must as you want the Minuteman to be hard to kill. The minuteman should be past the midway line if possible. What this does is prevent the opponent from doing their normal turn one setup. Even if they manage to kill the minuteman, they won't get as far up the table as they want allowing you to capitalize on the extra board space. If he survives, he will be free to wreck the enemy's backline doing what minutemen do best. Getting models behind enemy lines is incredibly effective at slowing their army down as a whole and creating more space for Kraye.
Minutemen going second:
The minutemen can't play as aggressively when going second but instead they get the benefit of a favorable deployment. Going second they can be deployed together and their overall goal of getting to the backlines still remains the same. They can easily threaten shooting enemy models on the first turn.
In the midgame, the minutemen getting to the backline or even to the side of the enemy army will create hard decisions for the enemy. Either turn around and hit the minutemen or walk forward into the waiting Rowdy and Defender. With good positioning, it is very hard for any army to do both of these things in the same turn efficiently. Once the minutemen get to the backline, it is important that the rest of the army capitalizes on this to really limit their options.
- Storm Lances and Laddermore
They were good in MKII and they are still good now. I have nothing different to say about them that you don't already know. I will typically use them as Kraye's "linemen" to give Kraye as much space as possible. They indirectly work with the minutemen to "herd" the enemy away from Kraye and the scenario. Always make sure to make room for Laddermore to move in between the Lances.
- Eyriss 2
Eyriss got a new makeover in MKII and she is still a very good solo. I originally put her in the list for Witch Hunter but sadly there aren't many spells being cast in most games. She still threatens upkeeps and can force the enemy to use their resources in inefficient ways. With assault, she can get three Spell Breaker attacks. If they really want their upkeep in play, the caster will have to suffer 3d3 damage which is a big deal. My opponents are usually happy to let the upkeep drop. Coincidentally, she also has Reposition now.
- Lanyssa Ryssyl
Even though none of her rules changed going into MKIII, Hunter's Mark is still really good. That's all she is in the list for.
- Arcane Wonder
I figured this is worth explaining as much as the rest of the list. The more popular objectives like Fuel Cache just don't suit Kraye. Kraye doesn't really need a cloud to hide behind. Null Zone does a good job in protecting my two heavies moving up the table in a way that Kraye can't. The -RNG forces the enemy to come closer if they want to cast their spell.
The biggest weakness of this list is gunlines. It has few ways of stopping ranged attacks and the low model count means it's very bad to be losing models early.
Overall, Kraye's mobility allows him to easily and quickly threaten scenario and he essentially lets you dictate where the enemy can safely move. He has also been amazingly fun to play. I'm sure there are lots of other things Kraye can make work but for now I think this is going to be the list I will use for a while.
