Rendar Fy by
@
capsocrates
The Mariedians have been my favorite VC faction since I first came across them. Rendar Fy comes as a new hero to the faction to add to their box of tools, but does he have what it takes to join the resistance?
Balance
Personally, I find a lot of comparisons between Rendar Fy and Kaemon Awa. For starters, their defense and health are the same. Both have a potential long range attack vs short range double attack with similar attack potential. The main difference, though, is that potential. Rendar Fy can outrange both the long and short range attacks of Kaemon Awa while still rolling 4 attack dice, but (1) gives up mobility and (2) needs height or he’s rolling half as many dice. Comparison-wise, this means that for 35 points less than Kaemon Awa you have a potentially as-good figure, but that figure is easy enough to play around to make him less-good (the mobility issue particularly hurts, though he does get help from the M-43 in that regard). This seems comparatively okay to me, but will also depend a lot on other overall playability to see where he really falls.
Theme
Rendar’s theme is perhaps the strongest point of design on the card to me. 4-defense plays off of the combat armor the figure is wearing, and the 2-attack provides a low base, but is easily boosted by the Sighting power which, along with Battle Rifle, plays right into the miniature chosen. The left-side stats of Soldier and Precise play directly into how the unit works, and being a Mariedian with M-43 synergies allows him to get movement boosts that work with his special powers. All in all everything on the card is tight and plays into itself to create a strong theme of a soldier running alongside the Resistance Fighters, getting into a defensive position to provide cover fire when his turn comes.
Creativity
Rendar brings two powers with him, one old and one new. Sighting is a classic power that has only been used on the Microcorp Agents, and its reuse here is a great callback while still providing something new on a Hero card. Battle Rifle is a new power that allows for plenty of decision-making when making a game plan with Rendar, especially with Sighting being used in conjunction. This goes into playability a bit, but overall the creativity in the combination of powers and stats allows for a figure that promotes a lot of interplay between opponents as they try to maximize or minimize Rendar Fy’s potential on the battlefield.
Playability
Rendar’s best-case scenario is obvious: sitting on high ground where opponents are forced to come to him in plain sight (of course with Rats in front if possible, but we won’t go too crazy here). When an opponent plays into Rendar’s strengths, they’re likely to have a rough time fighting him. 4 Life/Defense is decently sturdy for a ranged double-attacker, and being hit twice by attacks of 4 can put the hurt on attackers. This is the high-end of Rendar’s potential, and if it works out for a player it gets powerful.
That said, there are plenty of ways to play around Rendar’s strengths. Notably, in order to use his extra range or attack, Rendar can’t move. That means that an opponent can position figures to minimize Rendar’s effect by hiding their figures or remaining out of range of his double attack. Taking equal height to Fy is especially effective, as it halves his attack power and lessens his potential power without having to fight him directly. Also, while 4 Life/Defense is sturdy, it won’t hold up to multiple repeated attacks, and trying to bullrush Rendar in for the height/double attack power often leaves him vulnerable to being hit hard in return.
Overall Rendar Fy plays really well as an occasional hard-hitter. Relying on him too much loses position for the rest of your army or for Rendar himself as he’s forced to chase figures and move from a perch. He’s better when he can set up on the sidelines to pick of the occasional figure (such as one on a glyph) or get an unsuspecting snipe on a cheerleader. His mobility problems are helped a bit by the M-43, but the slower nature of that movement means that he won’t be overpowered by it. When endgame comes he can’t kite like you’d want out of most ranged figures, but he can take potshots while making his way to a piece of height to make a stand on when needed.
Summary
Rendar Fy provides some great utility as a ranged hero to the Mariedian faction without becoming just another ranged double-attacker. With high potential but many limitations he creates fun, interactive games with a lot of good decision-making required to play him at his best. Overall I loved his design and enjoyed the game play he provided.
I vote
Yea to induct Rendar Fy into the Soldiers of Valhalla.