Counter-Drafting Notes (now with Wave 8!)

[rdhight]

Since there are big differences between casual and tournament games, here are some ideas for how to get some (mostly) less-feared units off the bench. It's one thing to play a weak unit and win because of luck, your own greater skill, or because other good units in your army compensated; it's even better when the bad unit is a valid, appropriate part of your army build and can go out and pull its weight. Not every unit here is bad by any means, but I did try to avoid the ones everyone already knows are good.

Agent Carr, Crixus, Warden 816
I sometimes grab one of these when I'm midway through drafting my army and I realize I don't have good hero-killing power. If my first two drafts were something like Deathreavers/Aubriens and I now have a big investment in stuff that's going to be producing one or two skulls per shot, Carr can look pretty good. Also, if you have Raelin and the opposition has a melee assassin like Cyprien or Sujoah, you can take a budget hero-killer on the theory that a good target will come to you while you're still in her aura. Laglor and Red Skull can also act as bait for those attacks of 5 and 6. Crixus is about equal to Denrick in dragon-slaying, so he can do a number on Zelrig or Sujoah, maybe even Nilfheim if you get lucky. If you draft something that wants to bunch up, and the enemy counters with a fragile explosion-attacker like DW9K or a shotgun wielder, you can use Carr in an attempt to get him back first.

Ashigaru Harquebus, Ashigaru Yari, MacDirk Warriors, Venoc Vipers
These figures go up in value against hero-based armies that can only make one or two attacks per marker, such as Red Skull/Sonlen/Venom. This army has powerful attacks, but it cannot reasonably expect to kill more than two figures per turn. That's one full round to eliminate 80 points of Venocs, assuming the Skull always activates himself or Sonlen and their d6 and d20 attacks both result in a kill every time. More likely, they'll actually get three or four Vipers in a single round. If the six Vipers can deal out even three wounds before falling-- realistic, considering those 3-defense heroes-- they've earned back their value and more. Ashigaru and MacDirks offer a similar threat. But if Venom were exchanged for Major Q10, raising the possibility of four attacks in a single marker, these squads would then become a very bad draft.

Brunak
When drafting an army for a map with low-level battlements, such as GameBear's Embattled Fen, give Brunak another look. Since his height is 8, and none of the figures he can carry has a height over 6, he could potentially step up to a tall, battlement-protected embankment and drop off a slow figure like Kaemon Awa or Syvarris on the other side, then continue on his way toward engagement. He's also good for depositing other figures high up on ladders, and if he can plant himself one level above the base of the Marvel warehouse wall, he can get adjacent to figures on top of its platform.

Deadeye Dan, Iskra/Rechets
These unreliable figures can show their worth when trying to make the enemy slog over to your side of a board. Like Syvarris, their range is so long that they can force very unpleasant actions on the part of a shorter-ranged opponent. Imagine the first few markers going like this:

1. You win initiative and move rats forward. Opponent's Deadeye Dan kills one. No scatter.
2. Your Stingers move out. Opponent's DED tries to kill one, misses.
3. More of your Stingers advance. Opponent's Iskra flies to a hilltop near her start zone, tries to summon, fails.

Even if the damage you take at first is mininal, the opponent is signalling to you that he doesn't feel the need to move very far. Fighting closer to your own start zone than the enemy's can be quite an advantage, especially with slow, massed non-bonding commons that need to bring up reinforcements often. You're going to have to either give him that advantage or hide and do nothing, waiting for him to get impatient. This is particularly nasty when DED can hit all the glyphs from his own start zone. (And like Theracus, a post-summon Iskra can be a good figure to throw at Krav Maga Agents).

Deathstalkers
These robo-dogs have a strange combination of specialized defense and specialized attack that's hard to justify against an unknown opponent. Being a large, common soulborg with 5 defense dice is very strong, but many of the attacks they're immune to, such as Acid Breath, Chomp, Throw, and Trample Stomp, are mounted on figures who can't be Mauled, and many of the high-defense medium units who make good Maul victims will just use more and better normal attacks to beat the 'stalkers down. At 33 points and two hexes for every figure, you need to make sure you get value from their attack and their defense. Here are some of their good one-on-one matchups, figures who can be Mauled and whose own powers are neutralized at the same time:

• Arkmer, Nakitas (immune to Engagement Strike)
• Cyprien (immune to Chill Touch)
• Deadeye Dan, James Murphy, Retiarius (immune to various defense bypassing)
• Gladiatrons (immune to Cyberclaw)
• Kee-Mo-Shi (immune to Mindshackle)
• Ne-Gok-Sa (immune to Mindshackle)
• Morsbane (immune to Rod of Negation)
• Rechets (immune to Lethal Sting)
• Shades (immune to Soul Devour)
• Spiders (immune to Entangling Web)
• Wolves of Badru (immune to Pounce)
• Zombies (immune to Zombies Rise Again)

As you can see, a themed undead army would be one of the better opportunities to counter-draft with Deathstalkers.

Dzu-Teh
Two squads of these guys can be a force on a snow map. Yeah, it hurts when special attacks pierce Glacier Camoflauge. The Anubian Wolves are better on non-snow, with one more move and defense. Still, three attacks of 4 on a 75-point common is nothing to take lightly. The Ninjas are very similar-- movement powers, the same attack and defense, same special-attack weakness-- and they're a 110-point unique squad. On a map with glaciers (especially a map with glyphs adjacent to glaciers) the yetis can have a big effect on the outcome. The main ranged squads you don't want to meet are 10th Foot and Stingers, because they compare well enough in attack, defense, and cost to just wade in to trade hits in melee and get a good outcome. Homing Device and Wait Then Fire are questionable, and most ranged squads are too low on dice and too high in cost to want to fight you. Do not draft Dzu-Teh against rats or Warriors of Ashra.

Gurei-Oni
As Jexik lays out here, the Evil Eye is most meaningful against units with 2 attack. Microcorps in the water would make good victims... an expensive 2-attack unit, and you'll probably have height advantage. An unboosted Omnicron isn't going to want to shoot at you, either, because on the 50% chance of a whiff, even one shield would kill. That's a good way to give up 33.3 points. Also, the mediocre defense of an Omnicron means that even Oni's modest attack power can scare them. I think the Microcorps and Omnicrons might be the best excuses to pull this guy out. The other squad to bring him against would be Marro Warriors. It's not really a counter-draft, because he costs twice as much, but it's a point in his favor. They have that 2 attack, and he'll have good opportunities to squash them with his Tetsubo right after they clone.

Izumi Samurai, Tagawa Samurai, Warriors of Ashra
Counterstrike and Defensive Agility trigger under the exact same circumstances, meaning these are all units to pull out when the enemy is heavily invested in melee normal-attackers. Generally, I find that 5-defense samurai tend to be more valuable against units with melee attacks of 3 dice or less, but the Warriors of Ashra are worth their weight in gold against titanic melee hero-killers like Krug, Su-Bak-Na, and Minions. The Tagawa benefit from chugging order markers two and three at a time, while the WoA and Izumi prefer to get engaged and then hand over the attacking responsibilities to others.

James Murphy, Johnny "Shotgun" Sullivan, Shaolin Monks
The value of shotgunners and area attacks in general increases in a multiplayer free-for-all where more than one opponent has valuable melee figures. Each opponent may be careful to spread out his own unengaged troops, but what happens when he meets the enemy? Clumps appear, and the vulnerability of both amies to shotguns and kung fu skyrockets. Blasting multiple opponents with one area attack can be very profitable.

Jotun
Because of his extreme cost, I'm not sure how often Jotun will have meaning as a counter-draft, but when you can afford him without compromising your strategy, he can wreck an army that takes too many turns off from attacking. Constant attacks will bring Jotun down, but if you have too many figures that can or must decline to make a good attack, you run into serious trouble against him. An order marker on Raelin, Kelda, Saylind, Acolarh, or similar figures can be disastrous when what you really need is to send more skulls Jotun's way NOW NOW NOW. Also of note is that Hulk, Abomination, Captain America, Red Skull, and the web-slingers are all legal Throw targets, and that super-strength does not protect against throwing damage.

Kozuke Samurai
As an expensive unique squad of three with a low defense, the Kozuke are one of the most fragile units in the game. Unboosted, their Counterstrike does little except prevent rat bites. But think of them as terrain-specific units for the road, and they can turn into a useful counter. With the Kozuke on road tiles and order markers on their card, they threaten massive attacks from a very long way off, demanding that enemy heroes clear the road or suffer the consequences. Be sure not to draft them against a squad-swarm army.

Marrden Nagrubs
The Nagrubs make an interesting first draft, sort of a solid platform that allows counterdrafting in any direction. If the enemy brings vulnerable small or medium figures, Tor-Kul-Na can take advantage of that. If he uses large heroes to avoid the stomp, Wo-Sa-Ga steps in. That leaves two-hex squads and huge heroes, and Su-Bak-Na with Stingers can threaten both. Need a melee squad for blocking? SBN with doubles of Hounds and grubs is an even 400. A first draft of Nagrubs is like an option play: whatever you do is probably wrong.

Nakita Agents/Gorillinators, Ninjas of the Northern Wind
All three of these squads can be decent when drafted against someone who forgot to bring a special attack. Unlike the samurai, their defensive powers help protect them from both range and melee, giving them the ability to fight back against efficient ranged commons and bonding armies. They can be particularly frustrating against armies that wield four or more attacks. When Smoke Powder triggers or a ninja disappears on the first or second attack of a turn, you can often force the enemy to waste several later shots. If Engagement Strike kills a figure, he dies after activating and before attacking, lowering the incoming attacks for that turn.

When playing these spendy units, it's important to do everything you can to protect them. Do not wander into a field of fire because you want to see your special power activate and "get some use out of it." Stay out of range or behind cover whenever you can, and don't hesitate to put up a screen of blockers just as you would for fragile figures like Aubriens. Because of their high cost, these units should be protected just as much as if they had no special defenses.

Otonashi
Without the evasion ability of Isamu, you have to go on the assumption that she will die on the first turn after she engages something important. Use her to lock down an order-marker-laden Jotun or Braxas (maybe Valguard?) before they get close enough to attack valuable figures. They won't be able to move very far on the turn they kill Otonashi, and that gives you more time to prepare to meet them. Instead of advance->advance->advance/kill something good, you might limit them to advance->advance/kill Otonashi->advance. I don't think that Otonashi is better than Isamu even with Tricky friends and Wild enemies, but Isamu and Otonashi together can be better than Marcu.

SotM Drake
The best time to draft new Drake is when the enemy has few or no blockers and well over 170 points' worth of good targets for him. Good targets include most heroes, unique squad members, and expensive commons. If blockers are not present, even a light to middleweight ranged special-attacker should not frighten Drake. Since he's a hero-killer to begin with and has good mobility, opposing him with a figure like Shiori, shotgunners, Deathwalkers, or Mimring can end badly as those 6 attack dice do their work. His real problem is engagement. Like most single-attackers with no disengage, most cheap commons are good reasons to keep him on the shelf, as are Spider-Man and Venom. Exception: both Drakes are very annoying against blastatrons/gladiatrons.

Sonlen, Tor-Kul-Na
Stomp and Dragon Swoop are useful for killing expensive squad members, but the most efficient way to use these single-wound attacks is often to attack high-priced heroes. The Marvel heroes range from 30 to as much as 60 points per wound, a better return than downing even a costly Einar Imperium soldier. It's tempting to roll the d20 and remove a figure right away, but a Stomp or Swoop on heroes is also useful.

Theracus
If your map has a three-hex hilltop within Theracus range, consider drafting him and a ranged hero to ride him. Using Theracus' bulk to block off the other two high spaces means enemy melee can't get level without your shooter without killing Theracus first. Also, Theracus is a great monkey wrench to throw at the enemy after he's dropped off his passenger. He can engage Krav and try to drop them to two members early on. He can attack Nakitas (each one of whom is equal to him in point value!) without getting engagement-struck. He can lock down an important support figure like Raelin or Laglor and interfere with the planned movement of an opponent's army. Theracus and one adjacent carried figure can make 13 hexes off-limits to the Drop. If there's only one good place for the Airborne Elite to land, parking him and a passenger in the middle can lower their threat level considerably.

If you happen to be opposing Hulk, Abomination, or web-slingers on a map that uses the warehouse wall, definitely grab Theracus if you don't already have a dragon. Unless there's a generous stack of tiles next to the Marvel ruin, superheroes will not be able to use their melee attacks against characters on top of it, so you want it occupied quickly.

Tornak
Just a quick note: as a rare large disengager, this guy can ignore Cyberclaw altogether and dive straight past gladiatrons for a Laglor or Raelin behind. Swogs can also do this, but they won't hit very hard once they get there.

Venom
A fine figure for pre-made armies, Venom can counter some great figures for a lower cost-- Q9, Nilfheim, the Silver Surfer. If you don't want to see a Major this game, try Venom for your first draft and see if you can scare them off. He lasts longer than you'd think against squads, because if his Spider-Sense triggers against an early attack, he can often get out of range/LOS of the ones who still have shots coming. That web attack is useful, too.

Zombies of Morindan
Like Jotun, Zombies in the numbers needed to excel are a good chunk of a 500-point army, so you may not have many opportunities to actually counter-draft with them. The best time to pull them out is against an army with a very high number of figures, but a very low number of large/huge figures. Zombies are vulnerable to starvation, so they can implode against two-dragon armies or even double-hex squads. Pretty much any army that fills most or all of its start zone with single-hex figures will give them plenty to eat. Expendable melee units like Nagrubs, Blade Gruts, MacDirks, and Venocs are the best food of all.

[1Mmirg]

Nice work, rdhight. Adding this link to the Reinvigorating the Draft thread. Thanks for working on this.

[jedilou]

Nice article, rdhight,

Great insights on some lesser used or hard to fit in units. Well deserved rep coming your way.


PS - One small point as to Tornak; he's immune to Cyberclaw EXCEPT by Major X17, who can cyberclaw small, medium and large figures.

[Aldin]

Great article

~Aldin, appreciating insight since 2004

[Soul Shackle]

Great stuff.

~Soul Shackle, appreciating rdhight since rdhight

[Kaemon Awasome]

Awesome article.

Quick note on Theracus. I often put OM's 1&2 on him and drop off my range unit and then fly him to a glyph. It's even better when the drop point is close to the glyph as it gives cover to your glyph grabber and forces the opponent to chose between the two.

This, with Kaemon Awasome, can be an especially good counter to Rats as Theracus can often beat them to the glyph and KA's special won't let them scatter.

[enuda]

I found this post to be a great read. I just hope someday I get the chance to play more with grown ups who might possibly be into the game more than myself. Sometimes the sheer number of possible army combinations can overwhelm me and I stick to my old stand-by ones, but lately I have been branching out. The bit on Theracus is sweet, as I hardly ever use him.

Mucho props to your post!

[Taeblewalker]

Good counters to my rambling post from earlier!

I still plan on bringing 2x Deathstalkers and 2x Marrden Hounds to Saratoga Slugfest. I am thinking of also including Iskra and the Rechets, plus Syvarris + Kyntela Gwyn or Kaemon Awa. (600 points)

If I wanted to tournamentize this army, I could do away with one Deathstalkers, and use Kaemon Awa and Syvarris without Kyntela.
Hmmm.
500 points if you keep Syvarris out.
Maybe for Gencon?

[Eberak]

That was some deep thinking right there! Great work!

[Kroc]

Man rdhight, stop doing this! Stop writing great posts when my rep cannon is empty! Consider yourself repped in spirit my man, your insights are always well worth the read.

[rdhight]

Originally Posted by Kroc

Man rdhight, stop doing this! Stop writing great posts when my rep cannon is empty! Consider yourself repped in spirit my man, your insights are always well worth the read.

So that's what those glowing white rep-cards mean in my user CP: incoming spirit rep!

[spiteofthedice]

I actually ran a search for an article on counter-drafting and yours just hit the spot.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to rdhight again.

More spirit rep.