The Necrotechs Workshop VIII – Valhalla Awaits

Yes. All of my 3rd edition posts will be Ragnarok and Nordic themed. Get over it.

I am really excited.

More excited than I have been about any book in MK II.

I can’t say I didn’t enjoy The current edition, I surely did. I became a PG, a tournament organizer, a Judge and a Convention Organizer within its span and have greatly involved myself with the community. But, looking back, there were a lot of problems with it, both comin’ and goin’. Timidity in design at the start through to insanity in theme lists towards the end. The game was not solved, I don’t think, but it felt like it.

Also, a few seemingly strange decisions make sense now, most clearly being the release of two books so close to each other in Reckoning and Domination. Now, with 3e on the horizon, it makes sense.

The edition coming to a close, I wanted to reevaluate my plans for Lock and Load and what I want to do with my army. There is so much left to do, and so little time to do it in. With just over 2 months until I am able to run a 3rd edition list I am going to have to cram as much as possible into the time I have.

Currently, I am looking at 8 weeks of games, outside of whatever I get at the conventions, and three casters in Cryx I really want to use, at least twice, before Ragnarok. I also have a Khadoran List I’ve never been able to play that really must see the table at least once. I’ll probably make that my end of season, after Lock and Load but before cards come out. Oh, and I need to run the 5 helldiver Denny 3 spam.

Two of the Cryx Casters I was going to try out after Lock and Load, but I will likely abandon them for Coven, Venethrax, Terminus and/or Iron Lich Asphyxious. Those are cleanly my favorites, regardless of efficacy. The first to see table time will be Mortenebra. I’m already mulling over some ideas I want to put to the table before her current rules set is altered forever.

I’ll start in Tier:

Mortenebra
-Deathjack
-Harrower
-Leviathan
-Slayer
-Scavenger
-Shrike
Warwitch Siren
Warwitch Siren
Necrotech + Scrap Thrall
Necrotech + Scrap Thrall
Mobius
Bloat Thrall
Bloat Thrall

I’ve not played her since the Kraken came out, if I remember correctly, but this gets me a number fun and interesting things into her list,all of which I am pretty much in love with. The Leviathan is my favorite Helljack of all time, and the Harrower is a solid piece that can get an obscene amount of work done in the right conditions – like Terminal Velocity. The Shrike is in there for funsies and the “I used it before it was good” cred. Sirens and Necrotechs. I can easily swap the Pair of Bloats to a scavenger and simply have Mobius assaulting all over the place. I’ll probably do that, actually. Three flyers, a ton of metal and souls behind it. I already like it. Hopefully I can keep her from getting killed.

Denny 2, though, is going to be a trickier beast. I never played her in the Glory Days of Body and Soul, and I am surely not going to go out and get two more units of Drudge Slaves. That leaves me with a standard, non-tier list. This is likely to be good, but gives me no damned guidance as to where I should go. I’ll probably start with something like this, in theory, and try to bat it around with some people.

Wraith Witch Deneghra
-Scarlock Thrall
-Nightwretch
-Nightwretch
-Deathripper
Aiakos, Scourge of the Meredius
-Leviathan
General Gerlak Slaughterborn
Warwitch Siren
Warwitch Siren
Master Gunner Dugal McNaile
Devils Shadow Mutineers
BloodGorgers (10)
Blackbanes Ghost Raiders (10)

This list looks fun as hell, actually. It has every vector for spells as it can, a bit of focus efficiency in both the Warwitch Siren and the Leviathan, some solid shooting in the Devils Shadow and Master Gunner, and two melee units that can get a lot of work out of her feat. Gerlak, with a well timed feat turn, can remove an amazingly large chunk of an enemies army. Combined with curse of shadows and Marked for Death, he could even charge the back of a unit and chew forward, given the impetus to do so. Furthermore, the Bloodgorgers love having their prey pined down for them, allowing their normal slow ass selves to get the alpha strike and punish the enemy for being aggressive. Blackbanes is there to do the opposite, and punish the opponent for being too cautious. With speed 7, they can easily reach the opponents front lines, but with a MAT 6 and terrible defensive stats, they will likely be unable to survive. Bring in Web of Shadow and that can change matchup significantly. With enemy infantry pinned in place and at -3 defense, the Blackbanes are much more likely to hit and create a new ghost and be safe while doing so, forcing the opponent to stand helpless as their army is converted into my army. I think it might do just fine.

Finally, I want to take a stab at Sturgis 2, at least once before his rules change and he is pretty solid. Aside: I firmly believe that almost all the poor casters will get a kick in the pants, making them playable and enjoyable. From there, I just don’t know) What his list wants, I just.. I don’t know. But this is what I think I am going to field in the first go round:

Sturgis the Corrupted
-Scarlock Thrall
-Nightwretch
-Nightwretch
-Desecrator
Bane Lord Tartarus
Master Gunner Dougal McNaile
Saxon Orrik
Warwitch Siren
Bane Thralls (6)
– Bane Thrall Officer and Standard
Withershadow Combine
Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters
The Devils Shadow Mutineers

It’s a simple list with a simple predication – Get the alpha strike off. His strengths, as they are, are occultation, Parasite, and Convection, here. If I can get the Scarlock to toss occultation on the Nyss every turn, The Withershadow to upkeep Parasite, and the Siren and Banes to give out the focus I need, I should be sitting on his glorious stash of 6 focus every turn. If I can get a train rolling by being careful in my activations and setting it up so that He can get a soul or two by jumping up front to tag a model or two and teleport back (3 focus) I can get a solid turn in the next turn with 8 focus. Parasite should allow the Nyss to get in above their expected class, turning many units into pin cushions, with occultation to keep them safe on the way in. The Banes are there because they are too good not to in his list – They power the Desecrator, who has synergy with Sturgis Feat, as well as being a place that Tartarus can send all those bunched up models who live through or aren’t drug into the acid cloud. Mobious and bile thralls make a very good argument for showing up as well. Maybe they slot in instead of the Withershadow. Hmm.

Actually, the more I look at it, the more I want to play this stupid list on Tuesday. Lets see if I can shake it!