The Skorne Chronicles, Vol 12

A Shift in Thought

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about the way Skorne plays is that its a varied faction with different takes for almost every caster. What I didn’t enjoy, until recently, was that similarity to Cryx. I felt I had casters that did what the squishy Skorne casters sought to do, and better. After looking long and hard at the few casters that really grabbed me as Cryx-esque, though, I have to say I was wrong. Not only do Zaal, Hexerix, Mordikaar and Rasheth not feel Cryxian, they don’t play Cryxian. There are no debuffs, few lurking spell assassinations, and only just the littlest bit of numbers attrition. Instead, they offer a more magical-based or support based way to perform the Skorne Agenda.

The Skorne agenda, as I see it, is to attrition the enemy out of the game. Now, this has become the National meta with the rise of Fist of Halaak, Meat Mountain and other armies relying on high boxes and armor, but Skorne is one of the originators. From Mk I they were the faction that put pressure on your opponent no matter what they choose. Cryx, in MK II especially, have taken off as the attrition faction. Khador as well is a huge attrition faction, but each of these three take attrition to different angles. Trolls probably belong in here as the fourth corner of the star.

• Cryx Attrition: Offensive attrition through masses of dangerous dudes that you have to simply wade through before you can win the game.
• Khador Attrition: Defensive attrition through masses of dangerous dudes that you can’t hit, and therefor kill and have to find a way to get rid of before they crack you.
• Skorne Attrition: Mixed attrition where every attack is a solid attack that can make you regret it existing, focusing on Beasts instead of troops for the finishing blow most of the time. .

Simply put, Cryx’s method of attrition is “Choke on This” Khador is “I’m going to get you!” and Skorne is “Try and stop me”

Forward Unto War

I am really psyched to go to the Philly Games Con next weekend and try out my lists against some people I never, ever get to play. I have hopes that I can do better than my last outing (2-3). I’ll be bringing Fist, simply because I know and am fairly solid with it, and very likely Makeda 2.

My problem now comes with deciding when to use what.

Fist is a great list, and can easily be thrown down in most situations in order to create a very solid chance at winning the game. Makeda’s list is a Swiss army knife of solutions and tools while the Xerxis list is, if you’ll forgive me, an iron fist.

This may sound like I beat a dead horse here fairly often, and it might be true. I don’t think that I am very good at seeing and choosing matchups. I see my skill and ability to play a list first and foremost as the decider of a game. I have had very bad matchups where I have either pulled out a win, or was close enough that I could taste it. These “80/20” matchups just don’t phase me. I will get all tickled, however, over certain Casters I have a feeling will assuredly be there. When Bradigus was all the rage, I focused a lot on him. Now, Knowing Mike Ireland plays Ossyan/Vyros2 almost all the time, I want to have a solution, and I am not sure that I do.

Here is the big thing: I feel confident in my ability to pilot an army, and to understand when I’ve failed to pilot it correctly, however, I don’t feel that I am gaining that opportunity to play into the best games I can. When both players are evenly matched, each one is looking for that little something that’s going to take them from x-1 to x-0. Tipping that scale from 60/40 in their favor to 60/40 in your favor is that edge that I think I need next.

With that said, I’m ready to try and take on the challenges of figuring out how the two lists I intend to take will fare, and am stoked to go. Hopefully, something will sink into my brain!