Mak3da: More Thought on Specialists

A bit of news: I didn't play again this Tuesday, but I'm scheduled to play on Friday, so battle report probably on Sunday or Monday.

Way back in this post I talked a bit about what I wanted to bring to Adepticon this year with Makeda 3.  I liked the core lists pretty well, but I wasn't so sure about the specialists.  I've been thinking about specialists and ADR a lot in the last couple of weeks, and so have two podcasts I follow: Combo Smite and Tyrant's Handbook.*

Well, today, I'm going to talk a little bit about what I like in the lists, and what I want from Specialists.



For reference, my core Makeda 3 list was:

Makeda and the Exalted Court (*2pts)
*Molik Karn (11pts)
*Bronzeback Titan (10pts)
*Titan Sentry (9pts)
*Titan Gladiator (8pts)
*Basilisk Drake (4pts)
*Basilisk Krea (4pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor (2pts)

I do still want more practice with this list before I settle down on it, but I like how it plays so far.  It's a huge beef brick, with 4 actual heavies, and 2 more models that fall into the "heavy hitter" range: Makeda and the Krea, provided the Krea can get flank.  I've had good results with this style of lists against multiple types of list.  What I want from specialists is a way to challenge different types of list.  Makeda 3 is very close to a good place against both heavy armor and infantry spam, and if I can fudge my list one way or another, I can play the game I want against the opponent I want.

Here are the specialists I'd thought of using:

*Cyclops Brute (5pts)
*Cyclops Brute (5pts)
*Cyclops Shaman (5pts)
Extoller Soulward (2pts)
Mortitheurge Willbreaker (2pts)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (1pt)

This is a mix of options.  I can swing back to the Brute Squad build that takes an alpha better than my core list, and I can skew even harder than my original Brute Squad by leaving in the Sentry.  The other points go toward shifting my support options.  The Extoller and Shaman give me some extra options, and the Willbreaker is a good all-around support piece.  The Gobbers skew my anti-ranged game a little harder.

Now I'm thinking of changing that up.  Here's the thing.  Makeda has potential into bricks, infantry spam, and mixed lists.  My core list does pretty well against rival bricks.  There are a bunch of things I can do to make life a little harder against 'beast and 'jack heavy lists, and the list hits incredibly hard.  But what do my specialists look like if I skew against infantry?  Specifically, can I drop this list into Skarre 1 and Gaspy 2 with the right specialists?

I'm now considering the following for specialists:

*Despoiler (10pts)
*Cyclops Brute (5pts)
Void Spirit (2pts)
Void Spirit (2pts)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (1pt)

Despoiler is the odd duck here, and I'm really not sure about him (I'll settle on an alternative for Despoiler if I don't like it - right now, a ranged option seems likely), but I'm going to try it out.  So what's with the Void Spam?

Well, PP Forum user Darklight had a couple of Void Spirits in his Makeda 3 list (from this thread), and used them to create a wall of damaging clouds (he targeted his own Slingers, but Eruption of Ash doesn't say "living," so even undead and constructs are fair game).  Despoiler is a way to sort-of double down on the cloud game as well as include a Mat 6 Heavy with Reach and a denial Animus with decent applications against several 'casters.  Oh, plus Dark Rituals to upkeep Vortex of Destruction for free, and Makeda 3 fixes Despoiler's pillow fists pretty well too.

This gives me two interesting options.

First - in games where I really need extra protection against shooting, I can ditch the Drake and a 2pt option to throw in the Brute and Gobbers.  Paralytic Aura plus Concealment is amazing, of course, and the third Shield Guard is a huge help as well.

Second - in games against infantry spam I can swap in the Void Spirits and Despoiler, and try to play a more control-oriented game against infantry.  It's a 14pt module I'm swapping in, but against infantry spam, I often won't need either the Agonizer or Orin, and I can drop one of the Basilisks and one of the non-Bronzeback Titans.  Often against infantry spam, the Sentry won't be at its full potential, and the Gladiator is sometimes unnecessary - I want the extra threat range of Rush a lot less than I want the extra movement and attacks I'll get with Train Wreck.

I'm still fiddling around, of course.  It's very likely that I'll wind up shying away from Despoiler.  I need to get some games in against infantry heavy lists - especially pSkarre - before I make my final decision.

As always thoughts, comments, suggestions, and mockery are welcome!



*Combo Smite will get around to Hordes ADR next week.  Tyrant's Handbook also didn't cover Makeda 3 very much - in fact, they almost forgot her.  They did spend some time talking about her as an anti-infantry skew, which, combined with some interesting posts on the Forums, is one of the reasons I'm revising my ADR specialists with her.  There was also some griping about her low Warbeasts points and the fact that with just one extra spell she'd be exceptional, but I don't hold it against them: 2 beast points is mind boggling, and Sunhammer is more than a little frustrating to try to work with.