Taeblewalker
August 8th, 2007, 02:31 AM
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Unit Strategy Review
Unit: Concan the Kyrie Warrior
Author: Taeblewalker (with thanks to Fezzikthedoor & Agatagary for their excellent Sudema article from which I borrowed the formatting for this article)
Concan is a unit who is tempting to use due to his decent stats, but potentially frustrating in that his synergy bonuses require putting order markers on him to keep him close to his Knights and Sentinels.
Analyzed Statistics
Cost - 80 - Knight Class Unit
Size - Medium - Vulnerable
Life - 5 – Average
Move - 5 – Average
Range - 1 - Melee
Attack - 4 – Average-Good
Defense - 4 - Average
Knight and Sentinel Enhancement – requires other units to be in play and adjacent, affecting draft choices with Concan. Gives an extra Attack die and an extra Defense die to all adjacent Knights (Sir Dupuis, Knight of Weston, Templar Cavalry) and Sentinels (Sentinels of Jandar). Medium Tactical Advantage.
Flying - High tactical advantage.
In-Depth Analysis
Agatagary has created several categories of cost, based off of chess, for comparison and nomenclature. For reference,
Pawn class (expendable, units that can be useful, but are not worth enormous trouble to protect)
Bishop class (more useful than a pawn, but still somewhat expendable)
Knight class (units that are interestingly powerful and can have a significant impact on the game in of themselves. It is advisable that they be kept alive, but if absolutely necessary they may be sacrificed)
Rook class (units that almost inevitably have a significant impact on the game, and whose death should be avoided as much as possible)
Queen class (devastatingly powerful or important units that should be protected at all costs)
Class:
Concan is clearly a Knight (no pun intended). He is powerful in his own right, and his synergy bonuses can be very useful, if used correctly. His generally good survivability allows him to bring his synergy bonuses to bear. We will examine how this can be done both offensively and defensively.
Offense
While having a range of only one, Concan is well-priced for his attack of 4. Some figures (like Marcus and Parmenio) cost more and have less attack, while others with attack of four or higher tend to cost more (Venoc Warlord, Valguard with his First Strike, Alastair, Carr and Drake come to mind). He has the highest Attack of any Kyrie Warrior, unless you consider the Minions with Double Strike. Pound for pound and point for point, Concan works just fine as a fighting unit, even without his synergy coming into play. His threat range, which is his Move plus his Range, is 6. His Flying ability means that terrain will not reduce his ability to move close and engage his foes.
Defense/Survivability
Defense 4 with 5 life is good, though not phenomenal. However, if you use him well (and avoid leaving engagement), he should stand up to many attacks. His wings are not hit zones, which gives him some possibility of cover.
Knight and Sentinel Enhancement
With the addition of the Templar Cavalry, Concan boosts a good many units. He gives +1 attack and +1 defense to Sentinels of Jandar, Knights of Weston, and Templar Cavalry, all of which are common squads and can be used in great numbers. Also, each of these units is Valiant (as is Concan), which allows them all to give a Valiant Defense Bonus to the 4h Massachussetts Line.
EDIT: Concan also enhances Sir Dupuis.
Strategy
There are two main ways in which Concan can be used: as part of an advancing army, and as part of a defending army.
On defense (such as in a castle), Concan can provide his synergy bonuses passively to any knights and sentinels around him. Even as they die off, they can flock to him on their turn to gain adjacency. Thus, when holding a position with Concan surrounded by knights and/or sentinels, one need not put numbered order markers on him except in the following circumstances:
1) in the endgame, when you are down to few units that receive synergy benefits from him and decide to use him directly;
2) to move him when he is threatened by instant kill units such as Braxas, Sudema or Dead-eye Dan;
3) when you want to move him between the castle top and the door to enhance the units located at each;
4) when you need to move him onto the Glyph of Kelda for healing; and
5) your opponent has Dund or the Fyorlag Spiders and you want to spread your order markers thinly.
The majority of your order markers in a defensive scenario will thus go on sentinels and knights.
Keeping the X order marker on Concan, however, will keep your opponent guessing. After all, he can’t be sure you won’t take flight with him and come down to attack or otherwise pull an unexpected stunt. If your army consists of few other units (such as just the Knights and Sentinels, with maybe the 4th Mass for range), keeping an order marker (even an X) on Concan should present little difficulty. You might even lull your opponent into expecting the X to always be on him, making this a good bluff indeed in the later rounds when you put a 2 on him. He is an Attack 4 unit, after all!
Offensively, if you are moving toward your enemy, you will be placing more order markers on him to keep up with your other units. Sentinels are great for taking higher ground (see below). On more level maps, sentinels and knights move pitifully slowly and it’s hard to justify slowing them down further by using order markers on Concan, unless you have Jandar’s Dispatch (which causes its own problems, as Sir Gilbert, at 105 points, is a good chunk of most army point costs). The fact that Gilbert can be moved up with Human Champion Bonding with the Knights alleviates this somewhat, especially since his stats are fairly decent (Life 6, M5, R1, A3, D4). But the really good units to use offensively with Concan are the Templar Cavalry.
After using their Charging Assualt, the cavalry can get a bit mired in melee, especially if they are not fighting small or medium squad figures (particularly those who follow Utgar). If you fly Concan into the fray, you can turn the mounted knights into 4/4 figures against anybody, and against small or medium squads, they can be 4/5 or even 5/5 if the enemy follows Utgar. Once you clean up the competition, you can move them ahead to the next challenge, and burn another order marker on Concan to keep up. Don't forget to use his Attack of 4! Concan is not merely a cheerleader, folks. He gives out punishment and takes it as well.
Edit: With the addition of Atlaga to an army, Concan and any Sentinels you may have drafted with him get a movement boost that can be critical in deploying them. The drawback is that you lose the valiant army theme for the 4th Mass, and/or most of the points toward another squad of Sentinels.
If you are attacking a castle or other high ground, move Concan up with your sentinels. These figures become 4/5 figures in his presence, and with Shields of Valor, they are difficult to stop. Establish a beachhead with Concan on a castle wall or mountainside and you will be able to land flocks of these guys. Concan’s survivability can keep him alive long enough to make him relevant (i.e., until your next order marker when you bring the sentinels up).
Optional Strategies
We have already discussed the Valiant Army defense bonus. Concan is a good heavy fighter to throw into any army, especially if you have 80 points to burn and are hoping to take a castle or other elevated place. Even if you cannot or do not draft Sentinels, he is a good strong unit to fly up high and take out some shooters or heroes.
Raelin is always a good bet in a defensive scenario, as is Taelord. Concan can also be used with Knights of Weston to primarily hold a door while Omnicron Snipers do all the work of sniping from the castle wall.
Here Comes the Cavalry
The Templar Cavalry can move in a wave of death across the battlefield, especially with Concan backing them up. However, your opponent might be canny and move all his forces close to you, limiting your chances to use the Templars in this fashion.
If your enemy has a second rank behind the first, try sending some Venoc Vipers or Gladiatrons behind the front rank to tie up the second. Let the front wave come at you. Charge your Templars ahead into them; then, bring Concan in to finish them off. Once you have cleared away the front wave, you can charge into the immobilized second wave.
The beauty of this strategy is that it places your opponent in a catch-22. If he attacks your Templars (who have a boosted Defensed from Concan), he will not likely kill them all, and will have done nothing to free his second rank of attackers from your swarming units. If he does try to free up the second rank to bring them close enough to deny your Templars the charge bonus, he will have left his front wave at the mercy of your knights. By the time he breaks free of your immobilizing units, your knights will have defeated the first rank and charged up to get the full attack bonus against the second rank.
Units to Avoid
Units with Instant Destroy Powers: Braxas, Dead-eye Dan, Grimnak, Morsbane, Sudema and similar units can take Concan out quickly. Lethal Sting from the Rechets of Bogden has a 1 in 8 chance of killing Concan, while the Deathstalkers can give him three wounds with the same chance of success. It's fine to go after these figures with Concan if you think you can destroy them in one or two turns, but don't push it. You are better off sending knights or sentinels against them and letting Concan buff the squad up, giving them three or four enhanced attacks.
Cyberclaw units: Don't let Concan get tied down with these guys. One Gladiatron won't hold him down for long, but several of them or Major X17 will.
For additional information see the Book of Concan the Kyrie Warrior (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=8688)
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h44/Malechi_HeroScape/hs_samples/USRCJandar.gif
Unit Strategy Review
Unit: Concan the Kyrie Warrior
Author: Taeblewalker (with thanks to Fezzikthedoor & Agatagary for their excellent Sudema article from which I borrowed the formatting for this article)
Concan is a unit who is tempting to use due to his decent stats, but potentially frustrating in that his synergy bonuses require putting order markers on him to keep him close to his Knights and Sentinels.
Analyzed Statistics
Cost - 80 - Knight Class Unit
Size - Medium - Vulnerable
Life - 5 – Average
Move - 5 – Average
Range - 1 - Melee
Attack - 4 – Average-Good
Defense - 4 - Average
Knight and Sentinel Enhancement – requires other units to be in play and adjacent, affecting draft choices with Concan. Gives an extra Attack die and an extra Defense die to all adjacent Knights (Sir Dupuis, Knight of Weston, Templar Cavalry) and Sentinels (Sentinels of Jandar). Medium Tactical Advantage.
Flying - High tactical advantage.
In-Depth Analysis
Agatagary has created several categories of cost, based off of chess, for comparison and nomenclature. For reference,
Pawn class (expendable, units that can be useful, but are not worth enormous trouble to protect)
Bishop class (more useful than a pawn, but still somewhat expendable)
Knight class (units that are interestingly powerful and can have a significant impact on the game in of themselves. It is advisable that they be kept alive, but if absolutely necessary they may be sacrificed)
Rook class (units that almost inevitably have a significant impact on the game, and whose death should be avoided as much as possible)
Queen class (devastatingly powerful or important units that should be protected at all costs)
Class:
Concan is clearly a Knight (no pun intended). He is powerful in his own right, and his synergy bonuses can be very useful, if used correctly. His generally good survivability allows him to bring his synergy bonuses to bear. We will examine how this can be done both offensively and defensively.
Offense
While having a range of only one, Concan is well-priced for his attack of 4. Some figures (like Marcus and Parmenio) cost more and have less attack, while others with attack of four or higher tend to cost more (Venoc Warlord, Valguard with his First Strike, Alastair, Carr and Drake come to mind). He has the highest Attack of any Kyrie Warrior, unless you consider the Minions with Double Strike. Pound for pound and point for point, Concan works just fine as a fighting unit, even without his synergy coming into play. His threat range, which is his Move plus his Range, is 6. His Flying ability means that terrain will not reduce his ability to move close and engage his foes.
Defense/Survivability
Defense 4 with 5 life is good, though not phenomenal. However, if you use him well (and avoid leaving engagement), he should stand up to many attacks. His wings are not hit zones, which gives him some possibility of cover.
Knight and Sentinel Enhancement
With the addition of the Templar Cavalry, Concan boosts a good many units. He gives +1 attack and +1 defense to Sentinels of Jandar, Knights of Weston, and Templar Cavalry, all of which are common squads and can be used in great numbers. Also, each of these units is Valiant (as is Concan), which allows them all to give a Valiant Defense Bonus to the 4h Massachussetts Line.
EDIT: Concan also enhances Sir Dupuis.
Strategy
There are two main ways in which Concan can be used: as part of an advancing army, and as part of a defending army.
On defense (such as in a castle), Concan can provide his synergy bonuses passively to any knights and sentinels around him. Even as they die off, they can flock to him on their turn to gain adjacency. Thus, when holding a position with Concan surrounded by knights and/or sentinels, one need not put numbered order markers on him except in the following circumstances:
1) in the endgame, when you are down to few units that receive synergy benefits from him and decide to use him directly;
2) to move him when he is threatened by instant kill units such as Braxas, Sudema or Dead-eye Dan;
3) when you want to move him between the castle top and the door to enhance the units located at each;
4) when you need to move him onto the Glyph of Kelda for healing; and
5) your opponent has Dund or the Fyorlag Spiders and you want to spread your order markers thinly.
The majority of your order markers in a defensive scenario will thus go on sentinels and knights.
Keeping the X order marker on Concan, however, will keep your opponent guessing. After all, he can’t be sure you won’t take flight with him and come down to attack or otherwise pull an unexpected stunt. If your army consists of few other units (such as just the Knights and Sentinels, with maybe the 4th Mass for range), keeping an order marker (even an X) on Concan should present little difficulty. You might even lull your opponent into expecting the X to always be on him, making this a good bluff indeed in the later rounds when you put a 2 on him. He is an Attack 4 unit, after all!
Offensively, if you are moving toward your enemy, you will be placing more order markers on him to keep up with your other units. Sentinels are great for taking higher ground (see below). On more level maps, sentinels and knights move pitifully slowly and it’s hard to justify slowing them down further by using order markers on Concan, unless you have Jandar’s Dispatch (which causes its own problems, as Sir Gilbert, at 105 points, is a good chunk of most army point costs). The fact that Gilbert can be moved up with Human Champion Bonding with the Knights alleviates this somewhat, especially since his stats are fairly decent (Life 6, M5, R1, A3, D4). But the really good units to use offensively with Concan are the Templar Cavalry.
After using their Charging Assualt, the cavalry can get a bit mired in melee, especially if they are not fighting small or medium squad figures (particularly those who follow Utgar). If you fly Concan into the fray, you can turn the mounted knights into 4/4 figures against anybody, and against small or medium squads, they can be 4/5 or even 5/5 if the enemy follows Utgar. Once you clean up the competition, you can move them ahead to the next challenge, and burn another order marker on Concan to keep up. Don't forget to use his Attack of 4! Concan is not merely a cheerleader, folks. He gives out punishment and takes it as well.
Edit: With the addition of Atlaga to an army, Concan and any Sentinels you may have drafted with him get a movement boost that can be critical in deploying them. The drawback is that you lose the valiant army theme for the 4th Mass, and/or most of the points toward another squad of Sentinels.
If you are attacking a castle or other high ground, move Concan up with your sentinels. These figures become 4/5 figures in his presence, and with Shields of Valor, they are difficult to stop. Establish a beachhead with Concan on a castle wall or mountainside and you will be able to land flocks of these guys. Concan’s survivability can keep him alive long enough to make him relevant (i.e., until your next order marker when you bring the sentinels up).
Optional Strategies
We have already discussed the Valiant Army defense bonus. Concan is a good heavy fighter to throw into any army, especially if you have 80 points to burn and are hoping to take a castle or other elevated place. Even if you cannot or do not draft Sentinels, he is a good strong unit to fly up high and take out some shooters or heroes.
Raelin is always a good bet in a defensive scenario, as is Taelord. Concan can also be used with Knights of Weston to primarily hold a door while Omnicron Snipers do all the work of sniping from the castle wall.
Here Comes the Cavalry
The Templar Cavalry can move in a wave of death across the battlefield, especially with Concan backing them up. However, your opponent might be canny and move all his forces close to you, limiting your chances to use the Templars in this fashion.
If your enemy has a second rank behind the first, try sending some Venoc Vipers or Gladiatrons behind the front rank to tie up the second. Let the front wave come at you. Charge your Templars ahead into them; then, bring Concan in to finish them off. Once you have cleared away the front wave, you can charge into the immobilized second wave.
The beauty of this strategy is that it places your opponent in a catch-22. If he attacks your Templars (who have a boosted Defensed from Concan), he will not likely kill them all, and will have done nothing to free his second rank of attackers from your swarming units. If he does try to free up the second rank to bring them close enough to deny your Templars the charge bonus, he will have left his front wave at the mercy of your knights. By the time he breaks free of your immobilizing units, your knights will have defeated the first rank and charged up to get the full attack bonus against the second rank.
Units to Avoid
Units with Instant Destroy Powers: Braxas, Dead-eye Dan, Grimnak, Morsbane, Sudema and similar units can take Concan out quickly. Lethal Sting from the Rechets of Bogden has a 1 in 8 chance of killing Concan, while the Deathstalkers can give him three wounds with the same chance of success. It's fine to go after these figures with Concan if you think you can destroy them in one or two turns, but don't push it. You are better off sending knights or sentinels against them and letting Concan buff the squad up, giving them three or four enhanced attacks.
Cyberclaw units: Don't let Concan get tied down with these guys. One Gladiatron won't hold him down for long, but several of them or Major X17 will.
For additional information see the Book of Concan the Kyrie Warrior (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=8688)