Now Edited because it was unfinished when I clicked "post."
Hey again everyone!
Tower is participating in the first ever Twin Cities Interstore Tournament, along with fellow FLGS's The Source and Fantasy Flight Game Center. Since the schedule will work like the NFL League I played over the summer, where you get in touch with your opponent before a game, and hash out a time that works for both of you, I'll actually be able to compete!
Since lists are already handed in, I don't feel bad posting mine on here.
Makeda and the Exalted Court (*2pts)
*Molik Karn (11pts)
*Bronzeback Titan (10pts)
*Titan Gladiator (8pts)
*Cyclops Brute (5pts)
*Cyclops Brute (5pts)
*Basilisk Krea (4pts)
Tyrant Commander and Standard Bearer (3pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)
This is currently my favorite list in Skorne, so of course I'm going to play it in the tournament. This is a solid attrition and scenario list that skews armor pretty hard. The Brutes are my frontliners. They either take the enemy alpha strike, or jam them up, and they're very annoying to kill off. Molik and Makeda herself are the main offense of the list. They do most of the work in the midgame, clearing zones and enemy jams to put me in a good position in the attrition and scenario game. The titans are second line heavies for cracking armor, and support Molik and each other with their animi. The Krea is support against shooting, as well as a portable Def Debuff that I've really come to appreciate. Over the last year, I've often run this list with a Cyclops Savage, but for now I'm sticking in Orin and the TyComm at the suggestion of DrillbossD (on the forums) who comments here as Dustin. Overall, they add a lot to Makeda's game, and shore up some shaky matchups, and I've liked them in my few trial runs so far.
Void Seer Mordikaar (*5pts)
*Tiberion (11pts)
*Basilisk Krea (4pts)
*Basilisk Drake (4pts)
Cataphract Cetrati (Leader and 5 Grunts) (11pts)
*Tyrant Vorkesh (3pts)
Nihilators (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
Paingiver Bloodrunners (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Tyrant Commander and Standard Bearer (3pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)
Mortitheurge Willbreaker (2pts)
This is a shameless netlist first run by Jason Watt, and taken to dizzying heights of tournament success by Martin Hornacek as one of his main lists. I recently heard an interview with him on the Removed From Play podcast, and hearing him talk about Mordikaar definitely influenced me. I have a tendency to get sympathetically excited about whatever 'caster people are gushing about, but when it's someone who's had as much success as Hornacek, I can really get carried away. Anyway, this is first and foremost an attrition list. It can certainly jam slower lists out of some scenarios, and it can capitalize on an assassination if there is one, but its main job is to keep the pressure up with constantly reviving soldiers.
The TC Interstore Tournament has a standard tournament format, except that each store will run a pod of 8 people for the first 3 rounds (Tower has enough players that it might run 2 pods). After that, all the undefeated players will meet in a short 1-day event that will either be a 2-round elimination tournament, or a 3-round round robin tournament (I forget which).
Either way, it starts this week, and I've already got my first game lined up.
In other news, I'm signed up for Adepticon this year. I'm signed up in the start-of-the-weekend Masters event (which I think is a qualifier for Masters Finals, although I could be wrong), and the "Warmachine casual day track" which includes fun formats like Who's the Boss and Spell Draft. I'll probably spend most of the weekend hanging out in the Iron Arena cadging for games though. I'm still undecided on what I'll be bringing, although the hope is to take Makeda 3 and one other Warlock to Masters, and have at least a fully assembled Retribution list to have fun with as well in the casual games.
Thanks for reading, and wish me luck!
Good luck! More thoughts on the pairing later. Hornacek's interview was awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks! His interview was definitely great. There was a lot of good stuff to take in. I've been following his forum posts too, which have been good as always.
ReplyDeleteIt's also nice to seeing Naaresh getting some attention. I was actually thinking of starting Naaresh around the time Makeda 3 dropped, but everything that had been exciting me about him seemed more exciting from her. Maybe I'll revisit him sometime soon.
Hornacek's Naaresh list is pretty similar to your version of the Brute Squad, which is pretty sweet. He just replaces one of the Brutes with a unit to jam with Iron Flesh, and lets the extra WB points cover the cost. It makes me very pleased about the overall makeup of the list. Not that I didn't know it was strong to begin with, but seeing him do something very similar for a 'caster a little like Makeda 3 was still pretty gratifying.
That's exactly what I've been saying! Naaresh was my first caster and there was a style I wanted to play with him, that being getting in the opponents face and daring them to waste their activations failing an assassination while my 'lock and beasts beat them to death one piece at a time. I like to think of Makeda's whole army as a "Vortex of Destruction," in that what passes the Brute Line doesn't every come out.
ReplyDeleteIn the event I played over last weekend with Naaresh/Molik/Glad/Brute/Krea/Gators/Aggy, I found that the skills I'd learned with Makeda translated rather nicely.
What really gets me excited, though, is a hunch that Mak3 will find herself on ADR in the next one or two cycles. She will be absolutely bonkers with specialists. Orin or Aggy or Shaman or Gobbers or Extoller or Willbreaker as I need? For Makeda3? Waaaaaat?
That would be so incredible! Points are so tight for her that non-optimal support is a bit of a drag, but being able to swap it out for the ideal mix might actually make her unstoppable (slight exaggeration). Just the thought is making my head spin.
ReplyDeleteWord. Really excited to see how these lists play at Adepticon. You seem to play the Brute Squad really well, and this particular iteration is my take on your take on Staks' take on the list, so there's a lot of positive snowflake vibes to go around. I'm very likely to take her to KingdomCon in San Diego at the end of April, either in this iteration or the Extoller one.
ReplyDeleteIf I can get something I like into Circle and Menoth with a side of Cryx, I'll happily rock the TyComm/Orin version since most of the LoS BS is in Circle and Menoth. Mordikaar can definitely do Cryx and a number of the CIrcle matchups, though I think Morvahna is iffy for him due to Purify + Carnivore (as we discussed on the forums). If it turns out Makeda3 can handle it (neither of us have the data to confirm one way or the other yet) then great! Then we just need to figure out Harby and the Denny's.
I don't get Mordikaar into Harby, and to my knowledge that is one matchup where Martin drops Fist. I don't even think it's the armor that make that matchup live--it's the Incindiarii. Of course the rest is good, but Harby really hates fire. Since I like Makeda3 into Feora, that covers the one bad matchup of a Fire-rocket heavy build into Menoth, and the same kind of list should do well into the Denny's. I like speed with my guns, and being able to say "no thanks" to jamming infantry with Mak2's feat can be really funny. I've only played Mak2 7 or 8 times but I've enjoyed it into Menoth and Circle, so she's currently being vetted.
If you don't mind my asking, how are you currently thinking about the Menoth matchup? Kreative Krea animus?
That's a good question. I like Makeda 3 and Mordikaar pretty well against most Menoth. The Brute Squad list is a tough one for them to crack, and if they're relying on multiple Warjacks, they'll have problems with the Agonizer. I don't like Harbinger with Makeda 3 very much, but no worse than most Skorne Warlocks except Rasheth and a few ranged heavy builds to be honest. Martyrdom will stop Blood Boon, and mess with the Feat, but that's still damage on Harby.
ReplyDeleteMordikaar should do fine against most Menoth. He can compete with Harbinger pretty well in terms of attrition (Revive is amazing). Her Feat can be hard on him, but it won't lock him out of scenario completely thanks to Revive. Bloodrunners starting in AD helps too. Purification is annoying if it removes Hollow, but casting Purification, allocating 4 or more Focus, using Martyrdom multiple times per turn to keep up with Revive, and possibly casting Crusader's Call is a pretty big drain on Harby. I don't hate the matchup at all, although I need more practice with Mordikaar in general before I'll be comfortable with it. The ability to hand out Undead and Ghostly is big against her. It's also nice that Essence Blast can attack mini-Feated Zealots (since they are not the targets of the spell).
This tournament, I'll probably drop Makeda 3 into any Menoth, since I'm better with her, and the list is solid. In the future, I might switch to Mordikaar unless there's a solid 'jack wall in the mix (in which case I'll want the hitting power).
On the Circle matchup, I'll have to go with Makeda 3. She's got chops against Bradigus and eMorvahna, and I think her attrition game is strong enough to at least compete with eKrueger. The TyComm and Orin should help a lot. Of course, if I see something like eKrueger/Kromac or eKrueger/eKaya, Mordikaar will be right in his element.
...and now you have me wanting to try this pairing.
ReplyDeleteI have played Mordikaar a bit including in a tournament. I like more guns with him, but can't argue with Hornacek's results. This is the premier "grinder" list in Skorne, I think. Pairing it with the Brute Squad instead of Fist will probably get sidelong glances from a few opponents, though I'm guessing that people are coming to know Mak3 in your meta.
ReplyDeleteI just want Incindiarii in there.... somewhere. But netlists are like cooking recipes--almost always worth trying as-is first before adding one's own ingredients.
Heh. I do think Makeda 3 has a reputation here by now.
ReplyDeleteI have played the Mordikaar list with Incendiarii instead of Bloodrunners, and it was great. The shooting was well worth it, and a lot of Banes and McThralls burned up too. The Bloodrunners add some good early jamming that gets Mordikaar souls and board position on turns 1-2, and anatomical precision can really mess with some of the popular units in the meta right now.
It's true you have to try netlists out in their original form, although I usually do a bit of messing around first. I've played the Mordikaar list a couple of times, but always with a few tweaks (usually to add in Despoiler). This is the first time I'm trying out the original list.
I do like the lists there. And hooray Adepticon! Let me know if you're looking for a room, while we've already got 3 guys for two beds we can probably squeeze in one more.
ReplyDeleteThat would be awesome if the spot is still open. Otherwise, no big deal. I'm responding kind of late.
ReplyDelete