Cygnar Musings

Cygnar's been all the rage lately and as I wrote recently in my thoughts on the current meta post, we are top dog now. I won't dig into neither the Cygnar hate debate nor the theoretical "what gets nerfed" guessing game, but instead I want to talk about where Cygnar is right now competitively. 

Let's start with a trip down memory lane. For as long as I have played this game, up until very recently, I believe Haley2 + Haley3 has been the optimal pairing for us. Many players, yours truly included, have often spent a lot of time before eventually reaching this conclusion in various metas. In Mk. 2 we saw variants of Caine2, ARM-skew with Stryker1 and some Haley1 builds, but at the end of the day it was Haley2 and Haley3 which proved to be the ultimate pair. No wonder, given their strength back then. That was on another level. Anyway, I digress. At the beginning of Mk. 3 lots of players explored Sloan and Caine2. I was one of them. It was not until I re-discovered Haley3 with the help of the Swedes however that I again found the optimal pairing. Haley2 and Haley3 saw me win the European Invitationals last year and I do not believe I would have done so with any other pair. Their coverage was quite frankly the best I could find in our faction and their plethora of angles and plays saw us go toe-to-toe with anything from Mad Dogs and Una2 to Cygnar mirrors and Legion. We were not the top dog, but we were trailing closely behind and we had game into pretty much anything. It was a good time for the Swans!

The past couple of months however have turned the meta completely around. First of all: I love it! The game is more balanced now than it's ever been. The main concern, as ever, is to buff the weaker factions. Give them some fun toys! Give them some seriously legit combinations to play with! I digress again. The main point is that most of the poor stuff has gotten better and most of the broken stuff has been toned down. On top of that the various theme forces mean that we see more of the in-faction stuff. Points is the premier balancing mechanism in this game. Thus far we've seen most factions with their command book out receiving really strong themes. I like this because it enables more options, it brings our second tier casters up a notch which helps to shake up the competitive meta. Look at the recent increase of Stryker1 and Nemo3 for example. If we look beyond our faction we see Convergence and Khador receiving very strong themes as well, not to mention how scary Amon is with Protectorate's jack theme. I hope this continues and I have high hopes for what themes can do with factions that need buffs (e.g. Cryx and Retribution).

For Cygnar there are 2 big themes. Thus far we have mostly seen Storm Division. Storm Division provided many casters with a big buff. Stryker1 and Nemo3 started gaining some impressive results. The +9 points are remarkably important, which again shows how crucial points are to balancing this game. Maddox is suddenly also a caster worth looking into and maybe even Stryker2 can reach the critical mass he needs to be worth taking in a pair. Obviously Storm Division gave Haley2 a buff as well.

There is another powerhouse on the horizon though: Heavy Metal. The rules have been released and Swans around the world are list dojoing left, right and center. I think this theme will enable Stryker1 even more. It also looks very, very interesting for Kraye (!), Darius and even Sloan as well. Haley2 can probably make something work (as per usual) with that amount of free points too.

On top of all the enabled casters in theme Haley3 isn't exactly out of the picture. Taking all of these casters combined show a surprising amount of casters which I all consider to be possibly strong enough to warrant a spot in the pairing (especially if you are running 3 lists): Haley2, Haley3, Nemo3, Stryker1, Maddox, Kraye, Stryker2, Darius, Sloan. 9 competitively viable casters and people complain Cygnar is boring? Let's take a closer look at them!

I have to start with my beloved caster, Haley2. She's easily my favourite to play. So many angles, so many decisions to make, so much power, so incredibly rewarding when you pull off a complex game plan. In the current meta with lots and lots of lists getting lots and lots of free points I think Haley2 has to play in theme to not simply be overwhelmed. Consider the fact that Stryker1 in Heavy Metal can play at 122 points for a normal 75-point list. Haley outside of theme gets 100 points so she's playing 22 points down. That is quite frankly massive. Both Storm Division and Heavy Metal look promising for Haley2 though, the former basically already being a proven approach. Let us look at two sample lists:

(Haley 2) Major Victoria Haley [+25], Storm Division, Fuel Cache
- Thorn [13]
- Stormwall [39]
- Squire [0]
Storm Lances (max) [20]
Storm Lances (min) [12]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
- Firefly [8]Major Katherine Laddermore [8]

THEME: Heavy Metal Major Victoria Haley - WJ: +25
- Squire - PC: 0
- Charger - PC: 9
- Charger - PC: 9
- Ironclad - PC: 12
- Stormwall - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 25)
- Lightning Pod
- Thorn - PC: 13
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Charger - PC: 9
Lieutenant Allison Jakes - PC: 0
- Charger - PC: 9

The first list here builds itself and virtually every Cygnar player's made it. Swapping out the 'wall for heavies is an alternative approach. The heavy metal variant is just to showcase how much pew-pew Haley2 can get with all those free points. As to whether it's viable or not I honestly don't know. A lot of the lists I present in this post are untested. Haley2 looks to be in a really good spot right now. I love it!

Haley3 is a difficult caster to build lists with now I find. I have yet to find builds I like with her in either of the themes. Trenchers and Grenadiers are just so big for her. The lack of threat range extenders, a time-walk feat and board manipulation combine to make her really, really want the clouds in my experience. However Legion's always felt playable even without so I don't know. I guess I can see it being worth it to try her out in themes. For now though I'm still a fan of the good ol' vanilla Haley3 list:

(Haley 3) Major Prime Victoria Haley [+25], Bunker
- Grenadier [9]
- Grenadier [9]
- Thorn [13]
- Defender [16]
Storm Lances (max) [20]
Trencher Infantry (max) [16]
Journeyman Warcaster [4]
- Charger [9]
Ragman [4]

The Defender has proven to be a very valuable piece. I sorely want the GMCA in this list but I quite frankly cannot seem to find the points. Haley3's biggest problem right now in my opinion is her inability to solve the meta problems better than our other available casters.

My new, favourite toy. Nemo3 is an incredibly strong caster. He has a lot of very, very, very good matchups and he has game into a lot more. In my Masters D heat at SmogCon I dropped him in 3 out of the 4 games I played and that doesn't feel like a coincidence: He solves so many issues. It's a combination of his ability to spread out, the durability of the list and the insane damage output on feat turn. I think Nemo3 prefers Storm Division but I can see him possibly thriving in Heavy Metal as well. For the sample list I'll just include the former to make this already long piece a bit shorter:

Theme: Storm Division
(Nemo 3) Artificer General Nemo [+25], Bunker
- Storm Chaser Adept Caitlin Finch
- Squire [0]
- Firefly [8]
- Firefly [8]
- Firefly [8]
- Dynamo [18]
- Lancer [10]
Storm Lances (max) [20]
Storm Lances (min) [12]
Major Katherine Laddermore [8]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
- Firefly [8]

Since I first wrote this list it has not changed and there's a reason for that: It feels optimal. I would not change a thing. Every piece fills a role and I miss nothing.

The name of this guy's feat says it all: Invincibility! Patrick Dunford recently dominated SmogCon with this guy, not dropping a single game all weekend. Stryker1 is an incredibly powerful caster. The bonus points from the themes provide him with the critical mass to make him competitively viable. His amazing support spells come into their own with multiple big targets. I believe Stryker1 will see play in both Storm Division and Heavy Metal and the lists are different enough to warrant two samples here:

[Theme] Storm Division
(Stryker 1) Commander Coleman Stryker [+30]
- Charger [9]
- Stormwall [39]
Storm Lances (max) [20]
Storm Lances (max) [20]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
- Charger [9]
Captain Arlan Strangewayes [0]
Major Katherine Laddermore [8]

[Theme] Heavy Metal
(Stryker 1) Commander Coleman Stryker [+30]
- Charger [9]
- Stormwall [39]
- Stormwall [39]
- Squire [0]
Captain Arlan Strangewayes [0]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
- Charger [9]
Lieutenant Allison Jakes [0]
- Charger [9]

The former variant is currently the most popular, versatile and proven. Granted some prefer a Firefly but that's not exactly a big deal. I personally prefer a second Charger for the inevitable Lance Wars™ in a Stryker1 mirror. The Heavy Metal theme is incredibly durable with tons of shooting. The sheer melee presence of 2 (!) Stormwalls is also a thing.

Maddox feels like Stryker's younger sister. She trades his durability for sheer aggression. One of Stryker's problems could be to deal with other arm-skew variants, e.g. Amon and Harkevich. Maddox' feat however feels almost tailor-made for matchups like this. Having seen Stryker1 in play I doubt Maddox can outshine him but she's definitely an interesting caster right now! I don't see her playing anything else than Storm Division, like Stryker3 her spell list favours troops over jacks.

Cygnar Army - 74 / 75 points
Theme: Storm Division
(Maddox 1) Major Beth Maddox [+30]
- Firefly [8]
- Charger [9]
- Brickhouse [18]
- Squire [0]
Storm Lances (max) [20]
Storm Lances (max) [20]
Stormblade Infantry [10]
- Stormblade Infantry Storm Gunner (1) [2]
- Stormblade Infantry Officer & Standard [0]
Major Katherine Laddermore [8]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
- Charger [9]

Fairly cookie-cutter! Note that unlike Stryker1, Maddox gets the third free solo. Stryker1 really wants a 'wall and that pretty much prevents going to 60 points for 3 free options.

Woaah, where did that guy come from? Am I high? Let's look at the sample list first and I'll try and explain myself later.

THEME: Heavy Metal Captain Jeremiah Kraye - WJ: +30
- Squire - PC: 0
- Charger - PC: 9
- Charger - PC: 9
- Stormwall - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 30)
- Lightning Pod
- Ironclad - PC: 12
- Centurion - PC: 17
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Charger - PC: 9
Lieutenant Allison Jakes - PC: 0
- Charger - PC: 9

To understand this list, consider Haley2. Haley2, for all her power, comes with a tax. That tax is Thorn, and a somewhat lower Warjack points value than e.g. Kraye. How is Thorn a tax you say, he's the most broken and tableflip-incurring model in the game? Sure, Thorn is strong. No argument there. However sometimes Thorn isn't what you necessarily want or need. Sometimes you want shooting and/or sheer power. Thorn is neither. Thorn is a 13-point utility and support piece. When he's amazing, he's amazing. However the list above shows that we can effectively trade Thorn for a Centurion. That's a repositioning Centurion. Kraye lost a lot from Mk. 2, but Field Marshal Reposition 5" is positively one of the best field marshal abilities in the game. On top of that the heavy/light jacks all gain cavalry! Like the Haley2 list in Heavy Metal this list tries to create a catch22: It shoots very hard but has significant melee presence as well. How do you deal with it? The Cavalry rule and Kraye's feat ensure that the jacks are very dangerous. Impact hits -and- boosted charge attack roll? Too sad it doesn't apply to the Stormwall as well. How about the Centurion charging for free, killing its target, imprinting and then repositioning out? I'm not saying this list is better than the Haley2 variant, but I think it's interesting enough to talk about. If nothing else than to show how these theme forces have enabled versatility for Cygnar. I think this is the closest Kraye has been to be a legit caster, ever.

Lord Commander Stryker, aka Stryker2, is a caster I've long received critiscism for not believing in. I'm still not sold on him but that could have to do with how I don't like the way he plays. In any case I'm giving him the benefit of doubt by including him here.

[Theme] Storm Division
(Stryker 2) Lord Commander Stryker [+28]
 - Lancer [10]
 - Stormclad [18]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
 - Hunter [11]
Major Katherine Laddermore [8]
Stormblade Captain [0]
Storm Lances (max) [20]
Storm Lances (max) [20]
Stormblade Infantry [10]
 - Stormblade Infantry Officer & Standard [0]
 - Stormblade Infantry Storm Gunner (3) [6]

It's reminiscent of Maddox. Stryker's personal presence is on another level and his feat is different. Positive charge is an amazing spell and Rebuke can be a very useful tool so he's same-same but different, if that makes sense to you! 

Darius tries to do the same as Stryker1, largely: Skew arm and skew it hard. Due to his unique "innate TK's younger brother" place ability and Refuge, this guy can make a Stormclad pretty legit though. A Stormclad yoyo-ing around the table with two colossals on the field as well? Sounds interesting!

[Theme] Heavy Metal
(Darius 1) Captain E. Dominic Darius [+29]
 - Halfjack
 - Stormwall [39]
 - Stormwall [39]
 - Squire [0]
Lieutenant Allison Jakes [0]
 - Stormclad [18]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
 - Firefly [8]
Captain Arlan Strangewayes [0]

Stormclad's base threat is 10". In an optimal world this list brings it to 14", possibly with Refuge to bring it back at the end of the activation. Darius is our most tanky caster. His feat is different from Stryker and probably harder to get right since reactionary feats suffer from hard alphas. As with Kraye though I believe this is the closest Darius has ever been to being competitively valuable. Unlike Stryker he has some amazing offensive capabilities for the Stormwalls (yeah, yeah, Earthquake I know). 

We've come to the end of the list and an old favourite-caster-to-hate-when-you-are-on-the-receiving-end makes an appearance. I tried for ages to build Sloan with a Stormwall but the points simply were not there. Guess what! Heavy Metal provides the points I so sorely missed. Giving up Reinholdt and Rangers isn't exactly optimal, but just look at this: 

[Theme] Heavy Metal
(Sloan 1) Captain Kara Sloan [+28]
 - Hunter [11]
 - Hunter [11]
 - Hunter [11]
 - Hunter [11]
 - Hunter [11]
 - Stormwall [39]
 - Squire [0]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
 - Charger [9]
Captain Arlan Strangewayes [0]
Archduke Alain Runewood, Lord of Fharin [0]

5 Hunters and a Stormwall. That's some legitimate shooting! I'm not sure Sloan is a good fit for the meta right now but this is a build which looks pretty terrifying to face for more than a few. 

I hope this piece has given you a few thoughts about what Cygnar can do now and close so many of our casters are. There are probably more builds there which I have not thought about. Even Blaize (!) looks semi-interesting in Storm Division. Tons of Storm Blades for souls and 10 Lances with Crusader's Call for 15" charge threat? Gallant with Transference if you kill said Lances? 

The way I see it the Cygnar competitive choices are all over the place now. Personally I'll give Stryker1 Heavy Metal and Nemo3 Storm Division a run. You heard me, not a single Haley! I encourage you all to go out there and test stuff out. It's an amazing time to be a Cygnar player. If you have a caster you really love which isn't on this list I'll be happy to list dojo with you and toss ideas back and forth!