Editing Mercenaries (section)

==Mercenaries as a faction==

While all mercenaries are generally playable in actual WMH factions, a small number are closely tied to a particular faction that they always count as in-faction units. This diversity results in there being no overall theme for the faction beyond being a jack-of-all-trades. Mercs can build a army to do anything. But it can only do what you built it for and does it at less cost-efficency and with less effectiveness than a faction that also does the same thing. They can do gunlines like the Swans but they can't do a ''better'' gunline than Cygnar. They can do synergy buffing of weak infantry into killer tarpits but they take their hats off to the Protectorate's ability to do it better for less. 

Thus there is a running theme of "I can do a thing better than you, but you can beat me at your thing quite easily" amongst merc players. Whilst factions like Cryx may rely on tricks and exploits or complex activation sequence synergies like the Retribution, with Mercenaries beginners are screwed from the start with the first point being "what do you want to do?" and "do you know what this piece does for you in this role?". Beyond that one moves into similar issues as those other factions but with a "make do with what you have" mentality. Except for the classic across all games of man-spamming your cheapest bodies and drowning in a tide of cannon fodder and hoping to not run into something like the Butcher of Khardov, there isn't much in the way of clear starting choices if you don't have a grasp on the rules and the ability to assess a unit's strengths and weaknesses.

That said, in the metagame, both at tournaments and leagues, the Mercs have the ace up their sleeve of not being something you can prepare for without seeing the actual lists. In the two list format, expect both lists to be entirely unrelated in playstyle and composition. Few merc players will run two lists in the same Contract thanks to having Tier lists on top of contracts (the exception is The Four Star Syndicate which is the most generic contract and has the most number of choices).

Another thing that Mercs have going for them is their access to good character solos and good character units, after all everyone else gets 'em. Getting the likes of Gorman, Eiryss, Thor Hammerstein, Dirty Meg and Rhupert for solo support. While getting Greygore & Co., Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters, Croe's Cutthroats and Lady Aiyana & Master Holt to put some bodies on the field with some quality abilities and stats.