Maltis Tez by @
Leaf_It
Maltis had a bit of a rocky start to get to this point, but now the Hybrid is running for a place in the SoV.
Balance
The low point cost for a Unique puts Maltis Tez in the filler category. Like most Uniques in this price range she doesn't provide a lot for an order marker but still has uses. In terms of simple stats I'd say Guilty McCreech has her beat in the cleanup role; while Maltis has good speed and a solid initial attack, in most cases I'd prefer Guilty's run-and-gun multi-attack (plus he's slightly cheaper). The Hybrid makes up for that by having some potential uses in early- and mid-game, such as glyph-stealing, and some useful synergies. The extra Life and Defense is pretty darn nice too.
Theme
Maltis Tez definitely feels like a speedy, agile fighter. Her speed, First Assault, and ability to jump to a better position after attacking all support this, and when playing her I definitely felt that Fearless was a fitting personality. I don't really know if there's an impetus for making her a Hybrid other than the figure itself, but it fits the figure fine and there really isn't a reason against it. Overall a solid package in terms of theme.
Creativity
The running pose of the figure suggests a high-mobility attacker, and the design supports that well. The reuse of First Assault is excellent here, especially combined with Strategic Positioning, itself a relatively simple power with loads of potential for neat tricks. Just looking at the design makes me think about different ways to try playing her.
Playability
In practice, Maltis's stats (right- and left-side) and First Assault really define her, much more than Strategic Positioning, which is normally just an occasional bonus. After all, one space is not enough to escape whatever it was Ms. Tez was attacking if she didn't kill it. However, when things line up the extra bit movement can be pretty nice, such when attacking after a figure that doesn't have an upcoming order marker or when you get a double turn due to a round switch. Her best trick is killing something on a glyph then claiming it in the same turn (doesn't work on those darn Rats, though).
With great speed, a pretty decent first strike, and some survivability this Scout does have some potential uses outside of just cleanup. The previously-mentioned glyph-stealing is the most obvious, but there are other times a sudden assault can be useful.
The Hybrid is pretty decent at cleanup too. She's got enough speed to hunt down whatever she wants and enough initial punch to do the job. (Makes me almost wish her class was Hunter, but that doesn't have the same synergies.) A failed attack can be trouble, though, often leading directly to her death. This problem is exaggerated when used earlier in the game; after one failed strike, Maltis is quickly surrounded and taken down.
While the Scout synergies, especially the Venoc Warlord's, are really nice, the synergy with the Werewolf Lord is more useful than you'd expect. While the Werewolf Lord appreciates having someone around to Moon Frenzy before he can spread his Lycanthropy, even after enemy heroes are corrupted Maltis can be worth choosing for the bonus turn, for all the reasons I spoke of above. Units like this that need just the right timing can most the most of free turns.
Summary
While just a filler unit, Maltis Tez provides enough different uses to be worth some order markers, mainly as a cleanup hero but possibly at other moments as well. A few different units give her some notable boosts, but she also plays well on her own. A decent little addition to most any army.
I vote
Yea to induct
Maltis Tez into the SoV.