Maltis Tez by
@
Leaf_It
Can this hybrid hero keep up with the pack to vault into SoV or will she be left in the dust?
Balance
Matlis Tez seems to be about balanced for her points. She is a speedy scout who can hit hard at first but all of this matches up pretty well to Theracus who is only 5 points more. She contends with Seleena for the Werewolf Lord's affection but she provides a bit more power and an easier time picking up glyphs. As filler she can do a decent job cleaning up and jumping around although she can quickly get tied up when all of the focus is on her.
Theme
Maltis Tez gives us a speedy hybrid hero who hits hard and fast as she jumps in and out of danger. She matches the theme well of a Longstrider Shifter from Eberron. Technically her power is more of a Tactical Reposition rather than a Strategic one, but that is largely semantics.
Creativity
First Assault is a nice reuse of a power and Strategic Reposition is a clever way to keep the higher attacks coming while giving her some additional versatility.
Playability
Maltis Tez is inexpensive filler who can help clean up in your army, although other filler options like Guilty McCreech can do it a bit better and for cheaper. She is a speedy scout who can get boosted by the Venoc Warlord or lead the Teeth of Makwa while she claims a glyph, although Theracus can do this about as well while carrying for just 5 more points and one more space. She can take the stray Moon Frenzy from the Werewolf Lord to hold a glyph or dive in for an extra attack, although Seleena's higher threat range makes it a bit easier for her to attack for the same cost. All in all Maltis Tez can fill a few roles but she doesn't really excel in any of them.
The thing that differentiates her the most is her Strategic Reposition but it simply does not come up all that often. This is largely because, as filler, she doesn't get that many order markers to begin with. When she is in a cleanup situation where she does get to go more often, you usually have to rely on initiative switches to actually take advantage of getting two first assaults against a single opponent or else she'll simply be tied down. On certain maps it can be great for her gaining height or positioning into a bottleneck but it requires for you to go with her early where you are often better off activating non-filler units. I feel it's at its most valuable when you manage to kill a figure on a glyph and claim it in the same turn, especially because she is tough enough to hold it for at least a few dedicated attacks. Again, this only comes up so often and Valguard has already taught us how you can still miss with a first assault.
I believe Maltis Tez's strongest army is alongside the Teeth of Makwa where she can claim a glyph while leading them up. However, she isn't really accomplishing anything that Theracus couldn't do most of the time and perhaps a bit better. The Werewolf Lord army is her best chance to shine but I don't believe that army is actually very good. Ideally she takes the occasional Moon Frenzy when you are lucky enough to roll it before you land a bite but it is hardly something that you can rely on. If you don't trigger it early or spend an order marker to move her first, she often isn't fast enough to attack despite her speed. Once you infect your opponent's army you are still largely better off moving their figures into bad positions and hurting their forces, even if you would get slightly more of an attack out of her. In this respect I feel like Seleena is often the better choice if only because her threat range makes her more reliable for an extra attack.
Summary
When it comes down to it, Maltis Tez is pretty harmless. She isn't unbalanced and she is somewhat versatile enough to function in a few potential roles. While she could pass into the SoV without raising any eyebrows I just don't feel that she quite provides something unique or valuable enough for me to vote her in. It is a bit subjective, but at the end of the day I vote
NAY to induct Maltis Tez into the SoV.