Editing Warmachine/Tactics/Retribution of Scyrah (section)

===Units===

*'''Dawnguard Invictors:''' Heavy infantry with Combined Ranged Attack and the ability to perform well in melee. Mk 3 saw them lose flank, but gain some POW to their melee to make up for it.  They also gained assault, which lets them make the most of their weapons.  They're a balanced unit that has several options available to them.
**'''Dawnguard Invictor Officer & Standard:''' Too good not to take. The highlight of Invictors is their ability to perform CRAs, and the Officer makes CRAs even better by letting you reroll misses. With this, 5 man CRAs will hit (and kill) just about anything that isn't a warjack/beast. In most cases, two 5-man CRAs is better than a 10-man CRA unless you're attacking something with very heavy armor. The mini-feat that the Officer adds is also fantastic (range extension) and works very well with Ravyn's and Ossyan's feat turn.
*'''Dawnguard Sentinels:''' Reach + Weaponmaster on heavy infantry? Sign me up. If you've ever been irritated by Bane Thralls.. well, these are like Bane Thralls, except they have heavier armor and Reach instead of Stealth. Put them in reverse triangles to maximize Defense Line (groups of three or four are best), and leave gaps in the triangle for Reach. Mk. 3 added Vengeance, letting them move up if one of them gets killed.
**'''Dawnguard Sentinel Officer & Standard:'' If you're taking Sentinels, you're gonna take the Officer + Standard. Full stop. Now that Sentinels get Vengeance naturally, they add Relentless Charge as tactics, making the charge far more reliable, and a mini-feat, Iron Zeal, which gives bonuses to ARM and makes them immune to stationary and knock down for a round.
*'''Dawnguard Destors:''' Destors have gotten a lot of changes in the Mk. 3 rules.  First of all, cavalry rules have done a lot to them, allowing their mounts to attack and causing their charges to gain boosted attack.  They lost unyielding and dual shot (meh) but gained Quick Work and Reposition.  This makes them a lot more dangerous on the charge as every lance kill lets them shoot that cannon.  Paired with Assault, this makes that charge potentially devastating.  Still pricey, but a unit of multiwounds with that kind of destructive potential makes them quite potent as an elite unit.
*'''House Ellowuyr Swordsmen:''' These guys are lighter, cheaper versions of Sentinels.  They don't have quite the raw damage output or staying power, but they do have some nice mobility.  First, Blade Shield makes their defense respectable against ranged attacks.  Cleave lets them potentially clear tarpits.  Parry makes them able to dance around and ignore free strikes.  They overall fulfill the role of medium melee troops.
*'''House Shyeel Arcanists''': To talk about these guys, we need to discuss their competition since they run up against arcanist mechanik. At slightly over 2 points per model, they are actually more expensive to field. That said, they are ever so slightly less squishy with their force barrier. They also have the option to do a small magic attack that does knockdown on a crit. Their repair isn’t as good as the artificer, and they don’t have the ability to directly boost their abilities. With all that said, you can keep them a bit closer without worrying about a stray blast killing them, meaning that they could potentially keep a battlegroup running longer.
*'''House Shyeel Battle Mages:''' Battle Mages are excellent examples of the Retribution's diverse tactical capacity. They're cheap for the amount of bodies you get and the spell-casting. The Critical: Knockdown on Force Bolt is very handy. Force Barrier making them immune to being cleared out by blasts and most shooting is pretty ace, as well. They get two melee attacks each in close combat with respectable POW+S for infantry, plus Beat Back lets them move in combat so they can take advantage of how many attacks they have. Note that Beat Back triggers even if the model they're attacking is slain, so they can still move the inch. Force Bolt is also a very useful spell for pulling the enemy into charge range or pushing them out of it, and six Force Bolts fired against the same target can drag an enemy right into your heavy hitters and probably knock him down in the process. If you're going to take them, seriously consider taking two units. All of their attacks are magic, which makes them a nightmare against Incorporeal enemies and Dartan Vilmon.
*'''House Vyre Electromancer:''' Because why should Cygnar have all the fun?  A bit like Stormcallers, these guys are a bit more blasty than their Shyeel counterparts.  They have a decent ranged magic lightning attack with some variations on the type.  Energy leak lowers the Focus cap of target warjacks, Lightning generator does some arcing, and Pulse fire basically hits a unit multiple times.  Melee (why would you do this?) causes one damage to the cortex of a 'jack...but again, that invovles putting your squishies up against a warjack.
*'''Houseguard Halberdiers:''' Like Sentinels, but cheaper and less killy. They trade in death-dealing greatswords for spears and shields. Shield Wall gives them heavy warjack-tier armor, and they can out-attrition most infantry pretty respectably. Practiced Maneuvers allows them to move through one another, so order of activation matters a bit less with them.  They also ignore LOS, so they can reach through each other.  Set defense is OK, and Brutal Charge is helpful.  The Houseguard Thane makes their mobility terrifying.  A fantastic tarpit unit.
**'''Houseguard Halberdier Officer & Standard:''' If you're taking Halberdiers to actually use them, instead of provide plentiful meat shields for your army, you're going to want the Officer. Noticing a pattern here? The Officer makes them much more effective by giving Reform and the mini-feat, and the Standard Bearer improves their morale substantially.
*'''Houseguard Riflemen:''' Surprise, it's another Combined Ranged Attack unit. They're comparable to other light infantry-style marksmen units, such as Winter Guard or Longrifles.  They also ignore each other for LOS and can advance through them.  The Thane gives them serious utility and taking one with them is almsot mandatory.
**'''Houseguard Rifleman Officer & Standard:''' Absolutely terrible, under no circumstances take this. ..nah, just fucking with you. As with pretty much every other Retribution unit, the officer adds essential traits. War Tempered lets you make CRAs into melee combat, which gives the Riflemen many more potential targets after turn 2. Whites of Their Eyes is also pretty good for making lots of two-man CRAs, when it comes up. The Standard Bearer improves their iffy morale.
*'''Heavy Rifle Team:''' The equivalent to light artillery for Retribution.  These guys are...a bit odd.  The heavy rifle is a nasty bit of work as it halves armor, boosted attack roles with rangefinder...but it's not exactly thrilling with lowish POW and no AoE.  That said, paired with the Houseguard Thane (yeah, this guy is a Houseguard unit), it can be a nasty surprise for someone not expecting it.
*'''Mage Hunter Strike Force:''' Mage Hunter Strike Force are /the/ iconic toolbox unit of Scyrah, in an entire faction of toolbox units. They've got Pathfinder, Stealth, great Defense, Blessed, and they get an extra damage die versus warjacks. While they're not optimal in melee, they do have Combined Melee Attack so they can make a decent showing, and they're quite cheap. You pretty much have to take a unit attachment, if you're going to take MHSF, because of the force multiplication that they provide. They're not quite as good against Horde armies, but don't underestimate their ranged damage output against even heavy infantry. If you limit yourself to thinking of them as an assassination tool, you'll never use them to their fullest potential (although they are quite good at killing enemy warcasters/warlocks, if the opportunity does come up).
:Watch out for enemies that can drop multiple AoE's or sprays. One isn't really a big deal, as you ought to expect casualties if you're playing Warmachine... but a group of Man O War Bombardiers, for example, can cause some serious pain if they get the drop on you and shell you with grenades. Normally, with the range on the Strike Force's crossbows, this won't be an issue. It is important to be aware that AoE spam and sprays are just about the only way to counter MHSF short of engaging them in melee, however, in order to use them effectively.
:*'''Mage Hunter Strike Force Commander:''' Whelp, someone got hit by the nerf bat.  That said, the rules gave him something of an indirect buff, namely that you can take him in multiple Strike Force units.  Phantom Seeker is replaced by Phantom Barrage, giving you a one time use Phantom seeker that now ignores Stealth!  Overall, how you use him hasn't changed, aside from keeping him alive is now more important and you only get one time use for Phantom Barrage.
*'''Mage Hunter Infiltrators:''' Your light melee unit...and they're a bit underwhelming.  Blessed, pathfinder, and stealth, two attacks at lowish P+S and middling MAT.  They do get gang, so a boost to attack and damage when attacking the same enemy.  They lost mage hunter, which means they’re not as threatening to the warcasters camping fury, but got a cost reduction to make up for it.
*'''Spears of Scyrah''': Smaller, more elite band of mage hunters. They have a few things going for them over others. First, they flat out have more wounds per model, and actually end up with more total wounds than any other mage hunter unit. They are quick, have a reaching weapon with blessed, weapon master and magic, they can reposition to get them into place or out of combat with a lower reach, and their defense becomes utterly rediculous when in melee. Shield guard lets them spread damage a bit (or take a hit for a nearby model) and vengeance makes taking them down one at a time a risky prospect. Add in stealth, pathfinder, and a good MAT, and you’re looking at a hard hitting small unit that can make very nasty surgical strikes. One thing to keep in mind is that vengeance can combined with shield guard to make sure one of the models is standing to get vengeance off. They like being in melee, so anything that boosts their speed is welcomed.
:*'''Eiryss, Mage Hunter Commander:''' Yep, she's got a third incarnation, and now she's all ours. First off, all her attacks have Weapon Master, so enjoy that. She's almost as deadly as Narn in close combat. She gives Fearless, Reform, and Advance Deployment to her unit, making them even more mobile than under a regular Commander. The loss of Phantom Seeker with a regular Commander is unfortunate, but she more than makes up for it by being a badass. Arcane Haemorrhage makes Horde armies cry by eating all their fury. Ding a warcaster with it via crossbow and watch all the upkeeps they've cast evaporate. While Mage Hunter Strike Force are not typically a good melee unit, they have a high enough DEF and Combined Melee Attack that they can actually do a decent amount of work in close combat (especially against 'jacks). Eiryss hidden in a group of Mage Hunter Strike Force can pose a serious threat to most combatants, easily killing two or three enemies per turn with her Weapon Master attacks + Quick Work.  She grants her attached unit reform, so a bit more mobility, as well as advanced deployment.  Overall, Eiryss feels more like a super-solo who happens to have an extra unit as a tax rather than a real UA.
*'''Stormfall Archers:''' Archers that shoot grenades. These grenades come in three types: high-powered (extra damage die on direct hits), rocket-propelled (extra range), and napalm. They're cheap and useful in many situations. They can clear infantry, snipe warcasters, and even threaten warjacks with their damaging ammunition. If you ever feel like your list doesn't have the ability to deal with hordes of infantry or focus fire on big threats, Stormfall Archers have just the grenade for you.
*'''Soulless Escort:''' You really have to ask yourself 'is the kind of list I'm building going to need a Soulless Escort or two?' Lists that rely on melee infantry to hold their center will benefit from an Escort. Lists that revolve around Stealthed units or ranged attackers will not. They're fantastic when attached to Dawnguard Sentinels or Houseguard Halberdiers, because they remove the threat of Parasite and similar maladies. Paying a 1 point surcharge to preemptively counter any magic shenanigans an opponent might throw your way is a steal. Just make sure you know when they're appropriate and when they aren't. They're also quite decent in melee with Flank, but that's not what you're taking them for.
*'''Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters:''' Now counted as Retribution when included, so we can go ahead and talk about them as well.  They're expensive for what they do.  They are fast skirmishers with CRA and weapon master in melee.  They all have pathfinder, which is great, but...overall they're a bit underwhelming compared to other units.  They have little in the way of dealing with armor, and a solid hit from an AoE blast can pretty much decimate the unit.  They also have no real protection against attacks outside of their average DEF and very poor ARM.  While a solid unit overall, they are expensive for what you get in return.
'*''Ryssovass Defenders''': Did we want elf highlanders? Because we got elf highlanders. Good MAT, middling speed, defense, and ARM, but has tough and weapon master. They do get a defense buff (pushing them to higher end middling) in melee and can choose which column to damage on a warjack or warbeast. They are pricy, and tough can only work so often, but they can be a nasty surprise when they aren’t expected.