I got another game in with Makeda 3 this past Friday to celebrate the model being released. I ran:
Makeda and the Exalted Court (+2)
*Molik Karn (11)
*Bronzeback Titan (10)
*Titan Gladiator (8)
*Cyclops Savage (5)
4 Paingiver Beast Handlers (2)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (1)
This is a small, but fast list which can hit hard, and focuses on synergy with Makeda 3. Makeda 3 really gets a lot from having the Molik Karn + Bronzeback + Gladiator combo in the list. She's a front line Warlock with a lot of ways to move around the board, so she likes a Gladiator so her Warbeasts can keep up. She really wants a Bronzeback, because the Train Wreck animus gives any beast the ability to munch its way through whole units of infantry on her Feat turn. And she really wants Karn for 2 reasons. First, with Side Step, Mat 7, Future Sight, and Reach, Molik Karn is the best Warbeast in Skorne to take advantage of Makeda 3's Feat. He can get where he needs to be, and kill nearly anything without much trouble. Second, he gives Makeda access to Fate Walker. A Warlock who wants to dive into the middle of an enemy list, killing everything in her path (and helping her army kill stuff with Vortex of Destruction), benefits a lot from having end of turn movement like that.
As for the rest of the list, I decided to play aggressively, and went for a Savage and Swamp Gobbers. The Savage is no Molik, but it's got Reach and Future Sight, and I won't mind sacrificing it if I need an early jam. Besides, the guy is fully painted, and loads of fun to throw at the enemy. The Gobbers are point filler. I have no idea how helpful they'll be, but Makeda can probably get back to their cloud if she really tries to.
My list's big weaknesses are high Def, and an opponent who can play the trading game better than it can. The only model in the list who can really put the boots to Iron Fleshed Kayazy is Makeda with her spells. Both Molik and the Bronzeback can boost their attacks and hope for 12's, but only Makeda has ways to hit them automatically. The list is also kind of a glass cannon. Apart from the Savage, each beast adds a lot to the way the list functions. If the enemy eliminates one, the list might not be able to deal with the loss.
My opponent, Ted, played:
Vice Scrutator Vindictus (+6)
*Judicator (18)
*Reckoner (8)
10 Holy Zealots (6)
*Monolith Bearer (2)
4 Choir of Menoth (2)
Knight Exemplar Seneschal (2)
Vassal of Menoth (2)
Vassal Mechanik (1)
Menoth would be bringing some solid shooting from the Reckoner and Judicator, as well as a nasty jamming force in the Zealots. I don't have much experience against Vindictus and his tricks. He makes infantry a lot faster with True Path, and a great defensive spell in Defender's Ward. He's also got some versatile offense in Rift and Immolation. Overall, it seems like a well balanced list with no major blind spots. The heavy hitting is consolidated in the 'jacks, but there are two, and they won't be going down easily if they stay behind the line of zealots most of the game.
Deployment
I won the roll off, and chose to go first. We both had a pretty good terrain setup, with walls and forests surrounding the middle of the battlefield.
I deployed the beasts in a line about 10" across in the center of my deployment zone, with Makeda, the Guardians, and the Gobber Team interspersed to provide support. The Paingivers went behind the beasts.
Ted deployed Vindictus, both 'jacks and their support about 10" or so in front of a low wall in the center-right of the table, and put the Zealots and Seneschal in the center opposite my battle line.
Turn 1
I decided to move ahead fast. The Gladiator Rushed itself and Trampled forward, Makeda cast Vortex of Destruction, Rushed the Bronzeback, and charged at the Menites, angling for a wall, while her Guardians ran. The rest of the army simply ran, forming a rough line an inch or two ahead of the Gladiator. The Gobbers advanced, and puffed out a smoke cloud.
Vindictus allocated a Focus to each 'jack. Both the Judicator and the Reckoner ran. Vindictus advanced, cast True Path, and cast Defender's Ward on the Judicator. The Choir and Vassals advanced to keep pace with the 'jacks, and the Zealots and Seneschal blitzed up the field with the True Path-boosted speed.
Turn 2: Skorne
Zealots are fast with Vindictus. I had to do something about them immediately, or I'd be badly jammed next turn while they used their mini-Feat to become immune to damage. Time to put Makeda's anti-Infantry game to work.
Makeda activated first, Feated, cast Train Wreck on Molik, then charged a Zealot. She killed it, and cast a free Eliminator with Blood Boon at the Seneschal. She knocked the Seneshal down, but didn't take out either the Monolith Bearer or the other Zealot the template had clipped. The Gladiator Rushed the Bronzeback, and advanced. The Paingivers Conditioned the Gladiator, and Enraged both Molik and the Savage. Molik charged into the Zealots, and bounced through their unit to kill off all but 3 ordinary Zealots. Thanks to Makeda's Feat, he could also cast Fate Walker on himself to retreat a little. The Bronzeback advanced, and the Savage charged at one of the surviving Zealots, but wasn't in range. The Gobbers ran to try to keep up.
I'd done a lot of damage, and seriously put Ted on the back foot with the Feat. Without the Zealots, it would be his 'jacks against an army which is very well equipped to kill them. Ted did have the wall he'd put his 'jacks and Vindictus behind, however, and if he could take out my Gladiator - my source of Pathfinder - he could make it very complicated for me to get to him.
Turn 2: Menoth
Vindictus upkept Defender's Ward, and gave out most of his Focus. The Seneschal got up, and walked to engage Molik. The Choir sang the Hymn of Battle at the two 'jacks. The Reckoner aimed, and put a nasty hit on the Gladiator. The Judicator also aimed, and hit the Gladiator with both rocket pods, hurting it severely. It couldn't quite reach the Gladiator with its flamethrowers, but did manage to incinerate a Zealot who happened to be in the way. The Vassal used Ancillary Attack on the Reckoner, but it left the Gladiator at 2 boxes. A Zealot advanced to try to finish the job, but walked into Counter-Charge range of the Bronzeback, and died.
The Gladiator was still up, and that meant I still had ways to deal with terrain. I'd have to try to finish the game here though, and I thought I had a chance.
Turn 3: Skorne
Makeda upkept Vortex of Destruction. Molik had to take a Frenzy check, but he was fine. The Paingivers advanced, Medicated the Gladiator, healing 3 damage, and Enraged the Bronzeback. Then the Gladiator advanced, and Rushed the Bronzeback. Makeda advanced, and boosted an Eliminator at the Vassal, but missed and killed two Choir members instead, causing them to flee. Then she advanced 4" to the Seneschal and the last remaining Zealot. She cut down the Zealot, and cast a free Eliminator at the Seneschal, disabling him.
Then the Bronzeback charged the Reckoner, casting Train Wreck on itself before resolving the charge attack. It hit the Reckoner with the charge attack, killed the Vassal with its Tusk attack, then punched the Reckoner again. I chose to advance into Vindictus rather than do Chain Attack: Grab and Smash on the Reckoner. I was able to get one fully boosted attack into Vindictus, leaving him at 4 hit boxes. On the plus side, I'd taken out the Reckoner's Cortex and Mace with my attacks.
I finished up by advancing around the Seneschal with Molik (putting him on a hill), advancing the Savage, and running the Swamp Gobbers.
Turn 3: Menoth
The Seneschal finally died. Vindictus let Defender's Ward drop from the Judicator: he had a new target in mind (himself), then gave the Judicator a Focus. The Choir rallied. The Judicator advanced, and did a Double-Handed Throw Power Attack on the Bronzeback, hurling it into Molik Karn and knocking them both down. Then Vindictus cast Defender's Ward on himself, retreated a bit, and cast Rift on the Bronzeback, damaging it and locking both it a Molik Karn in Rough Terrain. The Reckoner hit the Gladiator again, but without the Hymn of Battle or any extra Focus, wasn't able to kill it.
It would take a couple turns for me to extract Molik and the Bronzeback from the mess they were in, and the Gladiator was pretty far from the action, so Vindictus had bought himself some time. I'd have to use my functional models to keep the pressure up, and prevent Vindictus from repositioning to a safer location.
Turn 4: Skorne
I upkept Vortex of Destruction again. The Bronzeback Frenzied, but could only get up (and wasn't facing Molik when it did). Makeda had line-of-sight to a Choir member, cast Fate Walker, and charged it, hoping to put herself in melee range of the Reckoner. She was just out. The Paingivers advanced, Medicated the Gladiator, and Enraged the Savage. The Savage hopped the wall, and charged the Reckoner, taking out everything except a few boxes and its Movement. The Gobbers ran. Molik walked around the Bronzeback's side to draw a bead on Vindictus. Makeda used her Fate Walker move to back off.
Vindictus was boxed in pretty well, and Engaged by the Savage. The only other functional combat model was the Judicator. We'd have to see how this played out.
Turn 4: Menoth
Vindictus allocated no Focus, but upkept Defender's Ward. The Choir used Hymn of Battle on the Judicator, which aimed, and put some more damage on the Bronzeback, as well as a little on the Savage with its Flamethrowers. The Reckoner missed the Savage. Vindictus boosted another Rift at the Bronzeback, hitting, and popping some more rough terrain up around it.
It was a valiant attempt, but I'd probably be able to get around it with Rush since the Gladiator was still alive. More importantly, Vindictus was in Makeda's threat range.
Turn 5: Skorne
Makeda upkept Vortex of Destruction, then charged Vindictus, and cut him down.
Victory to the Skorne!
Thoughts
That was an amazingly fun game. Makeda 3 is quickly becoming one of my favorite Warlocks. I made a bunch of mistakes, but they were generally pretty small. I should have kept Makeda's court near the Gladiator to protect it, especially after it almost died on turn 2. I also should have taken the Grab and Smash attack against the Reckoner with the Bronzeback, and maybe even stuck around to finish it off. I was just too focused on getting to Vindictus, and left it more or less functional. Popping Makeda's Feat early was a good move. If those Zealots had been able to tie me up, I would have been pounded by Ted's shooting game, and stuck in the middle. In general, I used the beasts pretty well, keeping them out of harm's way while threatening the slower Menoth list after turn 2.
This may well be my go-to 35pt list for Makeda 3. It's super fun to play, and very mobile. Makeda has a lot of extra movement she can pull personally, especially with Molik on the table. Between Fate Walker and Eliminator, she managed to be almost wherever I wanted her. Molik's Side-Step and Beat Back shenanigans on top of Fate Walker make him even more agile than Makeda, and the rest of the list is fast, solid and hard-hitting. I may swap a Shaman in for the Savage for more versatility and defense against offensive upkeeps. I may also swap both the Savage and Gobbers out for a Krea or Drake and an Agonizer or Willbreaker. I'm currently liking the Drake/Willbreaker combo, which will give me a great spray and all the utility of the Willbreaker. I will lose the jamming and melee threat of the Savage though.
Ted played a solid game, but he was at a serious disadvantage from the top of Turn 2 onward when I killed almost all his Zealots before they could mini-Feat and jam me. It was a bind for him, since using their mini-Feat on turn 1 might have saved them then, but they wouldn't have been able to jam me nearly as well after that. Taking out the Gladiator with shooting was a good plan, but the dice just weren't with him, and one or two sub-average damage rolls meant it stayed alive.
The Vindictus list was very new to me, and the Judicator seems like a dangerous model, especially backed by a Vassal and the Hymn of Battle. Zealots are definitely great for their cost with the Monolith Bearer, and the Exemplar Seneschal would have been downright scary if I'd let him stay on his feet. Any kind of Smite is very dangerous, and the Seneschal hits very hard at Pow 13 (often thanks to Righteous Fury).
Thanks for a great game!
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