Warmachine/Tactics/Cryx

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Note that this page is, for the most part, a placeholder, and will be added to over the coming months. Also note that, currently, it only contains units from Prime Mk. 2 and Forces of Warmachine: Cryx.

Unit Analysis

Warcasters

• Iron Lich Asphyxious (pAsphy): Good starter caster if you're knew, he can fight, attack with magic, debuff enemies, and being able to cast teleport makes him reasonably mobile.
• Lich Lord Asphyxious (eAsphy): Coming soon.
• Warwitch Deneghra (pDenegrha): Arguably the best Battlegroup Box warcaster. With her suite of nice de-buff spells, what warjacks she uses should probably have Arc Nodes (Cryx isn't lacking in this department), but she doesn't have a lot of synergy with infantry or 'jacks in general. Parry lets her move in and out of melee, but she's not a straight up fighter (her MAT is typical, and you'll be spending Focus boosting for crucial targets), like most Cryx 'casters. That is, unless you wear the enemy down with her feat (which is so good; forget that Hordes doesn't even use FOCUS), magic, or both first. If your opponent favors infantry and you've built your list properly, Denny should have no problem systematically shutting him down.
• Wraith Witch Deneghra (Deneghra); Coming soon.
• Goreshade the Bastard (pGoreshade): Coming soon.
  • Deathwalker: Coming soon.
• Goreshade the Cursed (eGoreshade); Coming soon.
• Master Necrotech Mortenebra: Coming soon.
  • Deryliss: Coming soon.
• Pirate Queen Skarre (pSkarre): Coming soon.
• Skarre, Queen of the Broken Coast (eSkarre): Coming soon.
• Lich Lord Terminus: Departing from the usual Cryx strategy, this guy is a melee powerhouse (he also has a decent spray ranged weapon, but his RAT is too low to make much use of it), and is surprisingly mobile despite his durability, but is also easy to hit. His spell list focuses on damage spells, and allowing him to kill every living model near him. He plays more aggressively than other Cryx casters, but is helped by giving himself and just about everything in his wide control radius Tough, as well as his ability to pawn off hits onto his buddies if he's shot at, which makes him all-but immune to ranged attacks if you know what you're doing.
• Lich Lord Venethrax: Decently strong fighter, not as much as Terminus, but the main reason you'd want to use him is because he packs a bunch of anti-warbeast abilities, so it's best to use him when playing against Hordes armies.
• Witch Coven of Gharlghast: Coming soon.
  • Egregore: Coming soon.

Warjacks

Bonejacks (Light Warjacks)

• Deathripper: A walking (you should be running it) Arc Node that stands a semi-decent chance of chewing its way through anything that tar pits it. Assuming taking the charge didn't junk it or cripple its Arc Node or Mandible. You're paying four points to get a spell where you need it or want it to be. If you're fighting Protectorate, don't even bother with this.
• Defiler: A walkingrunning Arc Node that spreads Corrosion continuous effects... Until it takes a powerful direct hit or eats a charge, and becomes useless or scrap. You may wonder if that's worth one more point than a Deathripper, but you also probably wonder if that cute girl you saw likes war games (hint: it isn't, and she doesn't).
• Helldiver: Coming soon.
• Nightwretch: Coming soon.
• Ripjaw: Arc Nodes. Arc Nodes everywhere. It can either take a poke at armored units or keep them pinned for a turn. Since you probably aren't all about spreading Corrosion continuous effects, this is a better Deathripper. Better luck next edition, Defiler and Nightwretch.
• Stalker: In another Forces book, this would truly be the stuff of nightmares. Field multiple Stalkers (three should be your limit) and go for assassination lists.

Helljacks (Heavy Warjacks)

• Corruptor: Coming soon.
• Harrower: Coming soon.
• Leviathan: Coming soon.
• Reaper: Coming soon.
• Seether: Coming soon.
• Slayer: Coming soon.

Character Warjacks

• Cankerworm: This would be a lot more useful if it could steal infantry weapons or abilities, or if it had an Arc Node. As it is, it's hard to see where Privateer Press's designers were going with this thing. Gaspy's Affinity, Advance Deployment, Pathfinder, Parry, and Stealth mean it'll reach what it's slithering towards, but its weapon damage isn't that impressive, and it's not going to take apart any heavy warjacks on its own (when it's pretty clear it's meant to be a solo hunter). Assuming you charge and then boost (leaving one focus for Salvage), it's probably going to be shot or chopped to bits before its next activation, healing or no healing. You're either encouraging the other player to commit resources to neutralizing it, or you're supporting it when a Stalker or Seether would be a better guided missile(s). Just a way for eGaspy and pGaspy to burn their warjack points... When neither incarnation are 'jack 'casters.
• Deathjack: Your most expensive jack, but also the most dangerous. For base stats, it's a stronger tougher Slayer, but that's no why you use it. You use it because for each system functioning on it, it automatically gets allocating focus, has Cull Soul (though in addition to keeping Soul Tokens to turn into focus, it can also spend them to heal itself), and to top it all off, it can use the focus it gains from the previous two abilities to cast any of your warcsters spells that don't have range of "self" or "control". As a result, this thing can find a home in the list of any Cryx caster, though Mortenebra and the Witch Coven will go fangirl for this bad biker boy.
• Nightmare: This is a good bodyguard for Denny. It's nice to be able to cast Ghostly for one focus, but it does eat into your focus allocation, so make sure you only charge Prey. Consider having it lie in wait behind cover (Stealth is not perfect insurance, but not a lot of people think to shoot through terrain), primed for a trample or counter-charge. As a frontline fighter, Slayers that you can slap Ghost Walk on are more cost-effective (in money and points). Nightmare will only run you two points more, and as has been said before, has broader appeal with a variety of Cryxian warcasters. Ask yourself if you really need those two points, and if Denny is still vulnerable.

Units

• Bane Knights: Coming soon.
• Bile Thralls: Would you have a hard time hitting a giant, waddling, bloated sack of acid? Yeah, neither does your average Winter Guard or Trencher. However, you will have the undivided attention of your opponent as soon as you deploy the little puke bags. These guys are absolutely meant to be sacrificed, and will either be your DISTRACTION PINATA, or potentially clear a nice, people mush-strewn charge lane. If you field a 'caster with Excarnate, then try and let them get killed normally rather than just Purge, because then you have a chance of getting one exactly where your mortal foe doesn't want one to be (yes, this was errata'd to be less effective). Since you're probably playing Cryx to troll your opponent, you may as well learn to make the most of your Bile Thralls. Closing advice? Go with the min unit of six, consider running them Conga line-style towards the enemy, bring pink sawdust, and work on your evil laugh.
• Bane Thralls: pGoreshade's axe carrying roadies. Oh, and they're quite good with other 'caster lists, too! Dark Shroud chips away at ARM, so they don't have to form the entirety of a charge. They're amazing with Ghost Walk on them, and it's pretty much a given that they'll have their Officer and Standard UA, because Tough rolls with no actual drawbacks will give you an ecto-boner. So go for the unit attachment. Don't even leave the store without it if you're buying Bane Thralls. Do you see Bane Lord Tartarus hanging on the rack by his lonesome? The person who left him is a fool.
• Bane Thralls Officer & Standard: What did I just fucking tell you to do? Do you require a reminder? You don't need shoes and clothing. You need to make your Stealthy, ARM-eroding Weapon Masters into champions, neckbeard.
• Black Ogrun Boarding Party: Coming soon.
• Bloodgorgers: Coming soon.
• Cephalyx Mind Slavers: Coming soon.
  • Drudges: Coming soon.
• Cephalyx Overlords: Coming soon.
• Mechanithralls: Your tar pit. Disposable and pretty decent in melee. You can get a full unit with a minimum of points, which leaves more for add-ons. You'll want a max unit (or two) and you'll want add-ons, usually, unless you really need the points. Not every list requires McThralls to soak up attacks, though, and beware of area of effect, as it'll kill steampunk zombies faster than you can stitch them back together.
  • Brute Thralls: They're an extra layer of protection, and a means for your group of Rock'Em Sock'Em ghouls to put dings in warjacks. They effectively won't benefit from your Necrosurgeons, but they can still be blown into corpse token fodder.
• Necrosurgeon: Mandatory for Mechanithrall spammers. She can't add Grunts to a unit that's been completely blown to bits, which leaves her with a so-so melee weapon and Surgery, so she'll be running behind the warcaster or some other critical undead/living model to grant a little healing. Some players pair her with eSkarre to counteract her cutting herself for Blood Trade and Life Trader.
  • Stitch Thralls: Part of Necrosurgeon's unit. Placement is absolutely crucial. Don't ever sacrifice them in place of a Mechanithrall if you have a Mechanithrall. We're Cryx players. We're here to use every seemingly dirty, underhanded spell and ability to the uttermost. That is how we win. We don't win by making it harder for us to gather nourishing corpse tokens.
• Revenant Crew of the Atramentous: Coming soon.
• Revenant Cannon Crew: Coming soon.
• Satyxis Blood Witches: Coming soon.
  • Satyxis Blood Hag: Coming soon.
• Satyxis Raiders: Coming soon.
  • Satyxis Raider Sea Witch: Coming soon.
• Soulhunters: Coming soon.

Character Units

• Withershadow Combine: Coming soon.
• Blackbane's Ghost Raiders: Coming soon.

Solos

• Bloat Thrall: No. The undead version of yo' mama is slow, so running doesn't count as much (Bile Thralls leave him in the dust). His RAT is abyssmal, so he'll probably deviate IF he gets a shot off. His best attack requires him to die, so if you support or have someone tank for him, there's a chance he'll melt your guys. In fact, why did I even type this much about a bad unit? What am I doing with my life?
• Machine Wraith: It's only one point, and you can have three. If you're mindful of Magic Weapons and enemy ranks, the potential for hilarity is high.
• Necrotech: Repairs your warjacks... Assuming his fat ass can keep up with them. He stands a chance of getting blown up by his own scrap thralls. He's kind of a fifth wheel, as a lot of Cryx warjacks are pretty disposable and too quick for him to remain B2B. pGaspy's theme force allows for a slight discount on Slayer and Corruptor helljacks if you bring them along, which makes you wonder what kind of juicy blackmail they have on the guy.
  • Scrap Thralls: Like Bile Thralls, they explode and have no Stealth or the like for protection. Unlike Bile Thralls, a mean look can cause them to explode in a chain reaction if you don't space them out. Like most Cryx infantry, you're effectively spamming them, going for a max unit, or not using them.
• Pistol Wraith: He has a decent range, and can shoot in melee due to Gunfighter. Pick off warrior models and stragglers for souls to make him a little more annoying during his next activation, or just to thin out an enemy unit prior to charging with one of yours. He's not situational, but you can grief your opponent by robbing his big, hardy, and pricey Colossal or Gargantuan of an attack/action or movement for a turn. However you use him, you'll want to capitalize on any holes he makes in the enemy's armor, otherwise he's points you can spare on other figures.
• Satyxis Raider Captain: Coming soon.
• Skarlock Thrall: It's an extra spell per turn for you. It's cheap in both points and money. Cryx 'casters sometimes even have their own built-in Skarlock, which means it couldn't be more clearer that you'll want this (short of Matt Wilson knocking on your door, throwing one at your head when you open it, spitting on your porch for wasting his time, then flipping you off and riding on Coleman Stryker's back off into the sky).
• Warwitch Siren: Your very own mini-pDenny. Seduction is probably the only iffy power that she has, which is only a gimped Influence. Don't let Shadow Bind fool you; she's very much a support fighter.

Character Solos

• Captain Rengrave: Coming soon.
• Bane Lord Tartarus: Oh, are they cross because of the Bane Thrall sandwich you've force fed them? It's because you added some Tartersauce, boy-o! You can Curse a unit or model to increase your charge distance and also inflict a de-buff (with Dark Shroud, that means they're suffering -2 ARM and -2 DEF). BLT will add to your Thralls with each weakened, living model he mows down, or more accurately, reaps with Thresher. You can actually end up with more Banes than you fielded, so you may want to bring extra. It's a shame that you can't get souls from this. Remember that he's not a Necrosurgeon and your Banes aren't McThralls, though, or your overall strategy could suffer. He can also catch a bullet, bomb, or boosted spell before he enters the fray, which would be a Bad Thing.
• General Gerlack Slaughterborn: Coming soon.
• Darragh Wrathe: Coming soon.