Unit Strategy Review: How to use the Marro Drudge

[ThrasherDarkrai]

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Unit Strategy Review
Unit: Marro Drudge
Author: Bloody the Marro Stinger (With a little help from my buddies!)
The Marro Drudge are an unique unit, to be sure. They are the only Master Set unit in the game to be entirely dependent on a specific variety of terrain. Unfortunately, the fact that this terrain often gives enemy figures a height advantage, combined with the fact that the non-terrain specific Marro Stingers are offered in the same Master Set, make the Drudges seem doomed to gather in a corner... but do they truly deserve to be disregarded? We will explore ways to make this much chastised unit viable with the rest of the Marro.

Let's take a look at their stats:

Analyzed Statistics
Cost - 50 - Pawn Class unit
Size - Medium - Vulnerable/Concealable
Squad - 3 - Average
Move - 5* - Average
Range - 5 - Short Range
Attack - 2** - Poor
Defense - 2** - Poor
*Swamp Water Tunnel - If the Drudge end their turn on a Swamp Water Space, then they can be placed on any Swamp Water Space within 5 spaces, effectively increasing their move to 10 on a Swamp Water Space. - High Tactical Advantage.
**Swamp Water Strength - If the Drudge are on a Swamp Water Space, their Attack and Defense stats are raised by 1. - Low Tactical Advantage

In-Depth Analysis
Each unit is complex, and must be carefully analyzed to be truly understood. For the Marro Drudge, let us begin with their cost. By cost, we refer mostly to their value in points, but also to their importance in your army. To simplify analysis, Agatagary has created several categories of cost, based on chess pieces, 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:
The Drudge certaintly deserve their Pawn Status almost as much as the Nagrubs. Their weak stats, the fairly cheap point cost, and the fact that they're a cross between gaurds and hunters (and expendable at that) makes them a prime canidate for the Pawn rank. When using them, keep this in mind. Of course, if you are using the Drudge, be sure to not be afraid to lose a lot of them, because more than likely you will. However, chances are that if your opponent is concentrating on the Drudge, they will make themselves vulnerable...

Offense:
The Marro Drudge have a poor Attack of 2, with the only ways to buff it being getting height or reaching Swamp Water (which will often give the opponent height advantage). What makes this worse is the fact that the Drudges are one of the only two Short-Range units in the entire game, sharing this distinction with only the Marro Stingers. This means they have to get dangerously close to the enemy to attack, and this means that the Drudge won't live long in a firefight under conventional means (though this is somewhat alleviated by their threat range of 15 on Swamp Water). But we will aleviate this soon, as you shall see...

Survivability:
Fortunately, the low Defense of the Marro Drudge is not a real liability. While a Defense 2 is poor, you must remember that they are only 50 points, and are common to boot. It won't reliably deflect much, but they're gaurds that rely on homefield advantage and Guerilla fighting. Their ability to Swamp Water Tunnel allows them to use unconventional defensive means.

Strategy:
A player might ask himself why one would want to draft the Marro Drudge over the Marro Stingers. Simple; the Stingers don’t get such a diversity in their attacks. The Drudges decide who they attack at any given moment of using them with their amazing 10 move on Swamp Water. The Stingers, though they can bulldoze through armies with their pure offensive power, have a somewhat difficult time of getting away from a losing battle.

The Marro Stingers have to blast their way out or move away slowly with their move of 5. By contrast, the Drudge can use their Swamp Water Tunnel ability which not only lets them get away quickly but also lets them find an easier target just as quickly. This maneuverability on a swamp water heavy map defines how you will use the Marro Drudge - they are not a stand-and-fight unit like the Stingers, but a sneaky, deceptively maneuverable unit that can snipe at the enemy and slip away, only to reappear somewhere else.

One cannot stress enough the value of Swamp Water Tunnel. A better name for it would be “Swamp Water Flying”, considering that they completely ignore any elevations. As long as you know who the Drudge can kill and who they can’t, they can zip around the field, acting as a precision assassin squad while securing the swamps so that your main Marro forces can come up and hit people hard. It also acts as an unorthodox defensive ability, capable of sending the Drudge far away from enemies before they can respond, while giving the Drudges a more favorable position.

First, let’s discuss what the Drudge can do in depth. The Drudge are great for two things - that Guard/Hunter role we discussed earlier, and grabbing Glyphs. Whatever role you’re using them for, they should be sent out early-game.

When working with the Marro Drudge it is important to think of them as a Gaurd/Hunter combination. This means that the Marro Drudge should be used to defend a given area (in this case, a swamp), but should still utilize their abilities to assault strategic targets. The Marro Drudge do this with impunity due to Swamp Water Tunnel, their main ability. Major Q10 approaching from one side? Abort your defensive stance and target someone else. Need someone to grab that glyph near the Swamp Water? Send in the Drudge and then follow up with your heavy hitters.

When using them as the first role, Gaurd/Hunter, you need to strike hard and fast. Your opponent’s order markers should play a key role in whom you target. You want to target the figures that have no order makers on them at all, or, if that’s not possible, the units with the least amount. Opponents that can’t retaliate are good targets for the Guerilla tactics of the Marro Drudge. Wait until your opponent has committed himself to a particular deployment strategy with the units he sends out first. A map heavy with swamp water will allow you to send the Marro Drudge all the way up to his start zone in just two turns, and Swamp Water Tunnel will allow them you bypass the intervening units. You can also use swarm units like Deathreavers to tie up those intervening units so they can't move, effectively protecting your own start zone.

The second role, Glyph Grabber, requires nowhere near that amount of preparation. Send them out first, and they’ll likely get to the glyphs before any of your opponents. You can then follow the Marro Drudge with your more powerful units who can take advantage of the Glyph Bonuses.

If you’re faced with a disadvantageous position, your reaction depends heavily on the role in which you have currently placed the Marro Drudge. For the Glyph Grabber role, simply wait until your back-up force arrives, moving up more Drudge to back up your glyphs. For the Gaurd/Hunter role, you will need to improvise. Use Swamp Water Tunnel to get the heck out of there, and run away like a coward and kill someone else using Guerilla tactics. If he follows you, lure them toward your main force and demolish the interloper with your big guns. This last tactic works best if you can lure the enemy toward big units at the end of the round so you have freedom to place fresh order markers just when you most need to do so.

So, the question remains; who to use them with? The Marro Stingers work well. Once your Drudge get the glyphs or become a target due to their habit of killing the order marker-less, follow up with the Stingers and sweep your opponents, as chances are they are too preoccupied with the Drudge to combat your Stingers. If they switch targets, keep on the warpath with your Stingers, as chances are that it’s too late for your opponent to stop the Stingers' advance. The Marro Drones work well for a similar reason, but with the ability to move up in massive swarms, they will be too numerous for your opponents to stop. The Marro Hive will allow you to switch your Marro forces’ turns on the spot, but don’t use it to move the Drudge, as they get out of the Hive’s area of affect too fast.

Use units that can follow up hard against the enemy. Ranged units can move up and strike the enemy hard while they’re pre-occupied with the Drudge, and chances are you’ll be able to secure some nice positions while you’re at it. Melee that can live through attacks (The Knights of Weston come to mind) can follow up the Drudge’s assault. Even if they target the units supporting the Drudge, it gives opportunities for the Drudge to kill some more people without Order Markers.

On one final note, using the Drudge on a map without Swamp Water is a bad idea. For 10 points more, you can get the Marro Stingers, for 20 the 4th Mass, for 15 points more (including a Swog Rider) the Arrow Gruts. It is only on a map with Swamp Water that the Drudges show their worth.

Units to Avoid:
Blastatrons/Gladiatrons, Deathreavers: As has been said, the manuverability of the Marro Drudge is their main advantage. Units that take this advantage effectively nullify the usefulness of the Marro Drudge, and should be avoided.

Syvarris: The high move of the Marro Drudge won't matter against this elf. He has a range equal to your move, and only needs to move one space to be able to attack, and his double attack adds insult to injury. Your only hope is to kill him before he kills you. That is far easier said then done.

For additional information see the Book of Marro Drudge

[arp12]

So you're a strategy article writer now. It was pretty decent. Too bad the Drudge aren't so terrain specific.

[The Super Atheist]

The obsidians have a potential range of 3, so the drudge also share low range with them.

[Rÿchean]

Originally Posted by arp12

So you're a strategy article writer now.

Anybody can be a strategy article writer.

This isn't meant as a shot at stinger or any of the strategy writers; I am just pointing out there is no criteria.

Submit one; if they like then you can post it. No skins on wall required.

[ThrasherDarkrai]

Originally Posted by The Super Atheist

The obsidians have a potential range of 3, so the drudge also share low range with them.

Actually, Short Range is a 5 range attack. Osbidians get 4 range at minimum, just barely not Short Range.
Also, Arp, what exactly do you mean by non-terrain specific? They are completely terrain specific. No reason to draft them without Swamp Water.

[Silver1327]

Originally Posted by Bloody the Marro Stinger

One cannot stress enough the value of Swamp Water Tunnel. A better name for it would be “Swamp Water Flying”, considering that they completely ignore any elevations.

Isn't Swamp Water Tunneling only on a same level space?

[ProfessorDocker]

Originally Posted by Silver1327

Isn't Swamp Water Tunneling only on a same level space?

Yes, but they can move across any elevations between the two same-level swamp water spaces.


!Docker

[Metaknight]

Thanks! I'm surprised at you Bloody! For a 5th grader you seem to know this game pretty well, nice report!

I had a few tips/tricks for a few guys, let's see if they like that.

[ThrasherDarkrai]

Originally Posted by Metaknight

Thanks! I'm surprised at you Bloody! For a 5th grader you seem to know this game pretty well, nice report!

I had a few tips/tricks for a few guys, let's see if they like that.

7th actually...
I worked pretty hard in making this, so thanks! I've gotta say, I had a lot of fun in making this.

[Metaknight]

Whoa! In the Hangout grade thread that was NENE that was in 5th. I even said in that thread I thought you were in 5th, nobody corrected me... , I see you in a new light now.

[C.R.U.D]

Nice article i might think about joining the stratagy circles...Ima need more expierence though :P

[Taeblewalker]

Originally Posted by C.R.U.D

Nice article i might think about joining the stratagy circles...Ima need more expierence though :P

I suggest reading all of the articles we have and trying a few of them out. This should give you some experience. Then, you can think about submitting an application, as per the instructions at the beginning of each strategy guide.