I picked up Issyria a few days ago, and I've been theorymachining her pretty fiercely since then. I'll be trying this out as soon as I can make it in to my local game store, so hopefully there will be a report in the near future.
Issyria, Sibyl of Dawn (+6)
*Banshee (10)
*Phoenix (10)
10 Houseguard Halberdiers (7)
*Officer and Standard Bearer (2)
*Soulless Escort (1)
10 Mage Hunter Strike Force (8)
*Strike Force Commander (2)
10 Dawguard Invictors (10)
*Officer and Standard Bearer (2)
Houseguard Thane (2)
Arcanist (1)
Arcanist (1)
Synergy with Issyria
I chose a pretty significant portion of the list specifically to combo with something Issyria does. I picked the MHSF not only because they're a great unit , but also because they benefit hugely from her Feat. Issyria's Feat gives a significant boost to damage and accuracy, and Phantom Seekers ensure that nothing within 12" can hide from the Strike Force.
I chose the Houseguard Halberdiers and Thane to synergize with Crusader's Call. The Halberdiers can charge 13" (a 15" threat) with Desperate Pace and Crusader's Call, then Reform 3" further forward if they charge successfully. That will make it easier to get a significant first strike on most enemies with them. If they use their mini-feat on the same turn as Issyria's Feat, they'll hit very hard and very accurately that turn. If I wait, they'll have 2 turns of high damage in a row. Halberdiers are also a good target for Inviolable Resolve if I want to use Shield Wall.
The Banshee has its excellent Force Cannon for Issyria to use Ancillary Attack on, and the Phoenix is there as an Arc Node in addition to being an all-around great 'jack. I think channeling Blinding Light will be a big part of Issyria's playstyle, since it makes her troops more accurate, and blocksenemy shooting, one of Retributions big vulnerabilities.
Finally, I decided she needs a unit with some late game presence. I went for Invictors because mine are fully assembled, and because they'll be able to contribute on her Feat turn by shooting even if they're hanging back. In the late game, they can charge in and flank with the Phoenix and Banshee as a melee force. They can easily be replaced with another second wave unit or warjack, like Dawnguard Sentinels or Imperatus, or a lesser second wave investment and a Chimera as a backup arc node.
Teams and Jobs
Team 1: Halberdiers, Houseguard Thane
The Halberdiers will be my early jamming and alpha strike unit, and the Thane will keep them fearless and give them Desperate Pace. They're fast on the run, and have a long threat range on the charge, and can advance after charging in to jam.
Team 2: Invictors, Banshee, Arcanist, Issyria
This will be the second wave team. The Banshee and Invictors are supporting fire in the early game, and second wave melee in the late game. They'll also keep Issyria safe, and she'll be helping out with extra shots from the Banshee's slam cannon. This team is significantly slower than the Halberdiers and Mage Hunters, and a little slower than the Phoenix, so it should be easy to keep them in a supporting role.
Team 3: Mage Hunter Strike Force
The Strike Force is my troubleshooting team as usual. They'll keep warcasters and warlocks honest, and shoot out infantry, support and warjacks. They can also jam in a pinch, although they're not very good at it. They can also give supporting fire to the Halberdiers to clear out the enemy's front line so the Halberdiers can charge into the back.
Team 4: Phoenix, Arcanist
This is the support team for the front line Mage Hunters and Halberdiers. The Arc Node will let Issyria put Blinding Light on anything I need to stop from shooting or want an accuracy bonus against, or let her put Inviolable Resolve on anything I want more armor on or a unit which fails a Command check. The Phoenix is also a great backup model for either the Halberdiers or the Strike Force. It can deal with light infantry easily, and put serious damage on heavies as well. It also has a good threat range between Reach and Crusader's Call.
The Plan
I'll start by putting Inviolable Resolve on the Phoenix, and Admonition on the Banshee. The Phoenix, with its regenerating force field, gets a lot out of a +2 Arm buff. The Banshee should be slightly behind other models, but it will help my back lines stay in the game longer if they can't be charged easily.
The Halberdiers get Desperate Pace first turn and run to jam and set up charges. The MHSF move up into position to shoot next turn.
Issyria will have plenty of Focus to Velocity forward a bit if she needs to. This list wants to go first so it can get as far forward as possible, and alpha strike on turn 2. Issyria wants to use her Feat at the top of turn 2 to inflict heavy damage on the opponent's army, and I want her to get far enough forward to catch the lead Halberdiers if they charge. I want to use turn 2 to wipe out the opponent's front lines with shooting and try to get the Halbs into the second wave. After that, I'll go for scenario, and try to keep the pressure up with my own second line models and continued jamming from the Halberdiers and whatever else survives the enemy counterattack.
That's it. Hopefully it'll all work out on the table. Issyria seems strong on paper, but I'm seeing a lot of mixed results on the forums.
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