So it's time for a new league, and with this new league comes new bonuses and stratagems.
Map Bonuses
• Fuel Depot – Each of the controlling faction player’s warcasters gain +1 warjack point.
A handy bonus, but not specifically better for Cryx than for anybody else. This can let you upgrade that jack you're taking if you're lucky.
• Mercenary Chapter – The controlling faction player’s army can exceed the game point
size by up to 1 army point or can include a free mercenary or minion solo of up to 2 army
points (subject to normal army-building rules).
This is quite handy as Cryx likes to take a few 2 pt solos, and who doesn't love being 1 or 2 pts up in superiority. My suggestions for mercs here would be throwing in Gorman di Wulfe or Madelyn Corbeau. The other possibilities are Orrin Midwinter and Saxon Orrik.
• Ruins – The controlling faction’s players can place one wall template anywhere within
20˝ of the back edge of their deployment zones after terrain has been placed but before
either player deploys his army. The walls are linear obstacles that grant cover.
This can be very nice for a couple of things. If you're playing an eDenny scenario win army, you can use this to up her def from 16 to 20 and make it even more ridiculous. More generally, you can use this with a number of casters to protect yourself from charges from non-pathfinders as well as giving cover from the massive amount of shooting out there, either to your caster, or to some low def units.
• Scenario [Name] – All games in this scenario use the specified scenario.
Not much to say here.
• Showdown – During the Finale event, the controlling faction’s players are automatically
defenders during the first round.
Again, no real value for most people in league play.
• Slaughter Field – If any models in the controlling faction player’s army use corpse
tokens, soul tokens, or blood tokens, each of those models begins the game with one
additional token of the appropriate type (subject to the normal limits of those tokens).
This is the dream child for any cryx army. Key models to take advantage of this are as follows:
Casters - both Gaspy's, both Deneghra's, Terminus, Venethrax, & Mortenebra.
Jacks - Deathjack & Harrower
Units - Necrosurgeon, Soulhunters, Withershadow Combine
Solos - Pistol Wraiths, Skarlock
Basically, this is like you started the game the turn after you killed somebody else's army. It's great fun, and if you build a list to capitalize on it, it should be pretty ridiculous. Skorne and Menoth can both get a few bonuses from this, but nothing like Cryx can.
• Swampie Guide – Reduce the point cost of one model/unit with Amphibious by 2 points
or reduce the point cost of one model/unit with Pathfinder by 1 point.
This can reduce the cost of both the Leviathan and the Harrower by 2, which is huge. I'm not sure if this should work with Satyxis Raiders with the Sea Witch or not, but that's also a possibility.
• Timber – The controlling faction’s players can place one 4˝ AOE forest terrain feature
anywhere completely within 20˝ of the back edge of their deployment zones after terrain
has been placed but before either player deploys his army. Forests cannot be placed
within 3˝ of another terrain feature.
This can be helpful vs. Cygnar or the shooty elements of most factions (except the elves) to provide cover as you work your way up the field. I would say this benefits things like the Satyxis Raiders or Bane Knights the most unit-wise.
• Wildlife – Each of the controlling faction player’s warlocks gain +1 warbeast point or
reduce the point cost of Lesser Warlock models by 1 point each.
Say hello to Wrongeye & Snapjaw at 8 pts.
Map Locations:
• Region 1: Lake Bloodsmeath – Swampie Guide
• Region 2: The North Forest – Scenario [Fight Club], Timber, Wildlife
• Region 3: Thornmere – Timber
• Region 4: Northguard – Ruins, Scenario [Destruction], Slaughter Field
• Region 5: Raet’s Bog – Swampie Guide
• Region 6: The Heath – Showdown, Wildlife
• Region 7: Blindwater Lake – Wildlife
• Region 8: The Ironfields – Fuel Depot, Slaughter Field
• Region 9: Lake Anglepeat – Ruins
• Region 10: The Boar’s Throat – Fuel Depot, Scenario [Fight Club]
• Region 11: The Glimmerwood – Timber
• Region 12: Corvis – Mercenary Chapter
Overall, I feel like the Satyxis Raiders and Amphibious jacks are getting the most out of the maps, along with the cheap merc solos that we can take.
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Now on to think about the Strategems. Some are old, and some are new.
• Stratagem 1: Fallback Plan – Once during each of your Control Phases, select one
friendly model/unit in your warcaster/warlock’s command range. That model/unit gains
Bushwhack for one turn. (During its activation, a model with Bushwhack can make its
combat action before its normal movement. If it does, it must make a full advance as its
normal movement this activation.)
Considering how many shooting units we have, I would go for this last. I think this would probably work best with a pDenny pop n' drop list that is using a shooty Merc unit like the Nyss Hunters or Steelhead Riflemen. Otherwise, I don't think it will see a whole lot of use for Cryx.
• Stratagem 2: Cautious Plan – Once during each of your Control Phases, select one
friendly model/unit in your warcaster/warlock’s command range. That model/unit gains
Camouflage for one round. (A model with Camouflage gains an additional +2 DEF when
benefiting from concealment or cover.)
Once again, I look to our units that like to hide in terrain (aka Satyxis Raiders and Bane Knights, possibly Blackbane's Raiders as well). This can really help protect these units on their advance. A solid choice as a first stratagem depending on the models that you have.
• Stratagem 3: Control Maneuver – Once per game during your Control Phase, select
one friendly warjack or warbeast. A selected warjack can be allocated focus this turn
even if it is outside its battlegroup commander’s control area. A selected warbeast can be forced this turn even if it is outside its battlegroup commander’s control area.
Nothing much for Cryx to see here. Our Caster's generally have high enough focus stats that this shouldn't be a problem. I see this useful with certain casters like the Coven, where you can have a jack waay behind their lines be just outside their control area. The possiblity of giving it focus while behind enemy lines is neat, but highly situational. I'd pass on this one as a starting point.
• Stratagem 4: Desperation Maneuver – Once per game during your Control Phase, the
warlock with this stratagem can discard fury points before leaching or the warcaster with
this stratagem gains +1 focus point after replenishing focus.
An extra focus point is very nice, especially for some of our focus starved casters, but I wouldn't say that this should be high on our list of stratagemsto start with.
• Stratagem 5: Feinting Gambit – Once per game during your Control Phase, select one
friendly model/unit. The selected model/unit gains +2 MAT but suffers -2 DEF. Feinting
Gambit lasts for one round.
This can be a brutal stratagem, and seems to be right up Cryx's alley. It's also going to be devastating if used poorly. I can see this coming into play on our low Mat troops, as well as on assassination runs against high defense casters. I'm looking directly at Terminus swarms and eGaspy assassination runs with Soulhunters. This could even be useful with the Goreshade Bane armies if they've managed to take out Tartarus already. This should be used to absolutely decimate the enemy, so that the negative aspect doesn't even come into play.
• Stratagem 6: Flanking Gambit – Once per game during your Control Phase, select one
friendly model/unit. The selected model/unit gains +2 SPD but cannot perform Actions or
Attacks. Flanking Gambit lasts for one round.
This can be useful, but I would think it's much harder to get good use out of. The times when I would really consider this is with high defense units (say hello Satyxis Raiders) against low mat shooty units (Arcane Tempest Gun Mages, Mage Hunter Strike Force, Long Gunners, etc). I'd also consider it with Soulhunters because they outthreat a lot of stuff, plus it would cause them to severely shift their flank to account for them being totally behind their lines.
With a look at all the Stratagems, I'd say that the priority would be 5>2>6>4>3>1.
Hope this helps everyone playing in the Blasted Heath. Let's go out and kick some Cygnarian *#*@!!!
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