Can 1 Squad of Deathreavers be Used?

[kidlob]

What else would you use 40 points for in most games? Gruts...? Ashigaru...? No, most people would take the rats any day.

[kolakoski]

Well met!

In a 360 point tournament game, using only 1 squad makes sense.

[dok]

Not just in a 360 point games. Because of their strong utility for glyph-grabbing or blocking a key choke point even without order markers, 1x Deathreavers can be a useful option. Sure, 2x or 3x is much better, but the Deathreavers are pretty much the only common squad I would recommend using a single squad of. (OK, maybe a cheap bonding squad if you already have the hero, but even that is less useful.)

Hendal won capture the flag at Gencon in 2009 with 1x Deathreavers - presumably he planted that squad on his flag and never put another OM on them. damja went 3-2 and nearly made day 2 at the main event in 2010 with a bunch of unique figures and 1x Deathreavers. He would have been able to fill up with Deathreavers on day 2, which would have made for a really nasty army.

[ROADRAGE]

I think their really only useful in 2 squads or more like any other common squad. The problem is your opponent wont really give to much attention to one squad due to the lack of threat.

I suppose if you were on an extremely small map with lower type points this could make a decent filler.

[xraine69]

Originally Posted by ROADRAGE

I think their really only useful in 2 squads or more like any other common squad. The problem is your opponent wont really give to much attention to one squad due to the lack of threat.

I suppose if you were on an extremely small map with lower type points this could make a decent filler.

Well, if your one squad of rats is sitting on two good power glyphs, how can your opponent ignore them?

[Knight of Feylund]

Originally Posted by xraine69

Well, if your one squad of rats is sitting on two good power glyphs, how can your opponent ignore them?

I believe using one squad a deathreavers is decent. Though the real power exists with multiples of common squads, I believe this is an exception do to its speed and glyph grabbing ability.

[dok]

Originally Posted by xraine69

Well, if your one squad of rats is sitting on two good power glyphs, how can your opponent ignore them?

Or if they're standing on the road in a key spot, or on the high ground, or in a choke point, or clustered around Raelin.

One of the builds I'm strongly considering for a Gencon event includes ratsx1.

[ROADRAGE]

Originally Posted by dok

Or if they're standing on the road in a key spot, or on the high ground, or in a choke point, or clustered around Raelin.

One of the builds I'm strongly considering for a Gencon event includes ratsx1.

This build really peaks my interest as we all know your tourney record(maybe your share in which event it might be .

My problem is still the same with only one squad of rats whether they be on a glyph or in a choke point, all you have to destroy is TWO before scatter is eh... quite useless and any opponent that lets you get two rats on a glyph with only one squad involved in the game is going to lose any way because they dont know what their really doing.

In all the tournaments I've been to I've always had a way to deal with rats one way or another and one squad is not even going to get an eyebrow raise out of me .
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[ollie]

My first tournament winning army had just one squad (alongside Braxas, Venom and the Krav Maga Agents).

I think the big reason that they work as a single squad better than most (all?) other common squads is that their primary duty is passive, so you don't get that hit of only having half the number of activations when you reveal an order marker on them. You simply aren't putting order markers on them after turn 2 of round 1 (usually) and so their value scales more-or-less in proportion to the number that are left instead of the usual dropping-off-a-cliff change in value that happens when the number you have left of a squad falls below the number of possible activations.

There's also the fact that they are so good to start with that if they were a unique squad at 40pts they'd be good value (though slightly odd in flavour).

[ROADRAGE]

I'm playing in a tourney next month in Washington and am thinking about using rats(I've been to 8 of them and never used the little buggers) and while I don't think one is enough is *two* enough.

The format is 200 points(core army) at least one unique hero. 400 points sub army combined to make a 600 point/24 spaced army - mixed marvel.I'm considering heavily--------

Pure Tillamook cheese
_________________
Q.9
Stingers x 4
Raelin
Marcu
Rats x2
________
600/24

I'm wondering if two is really enough to help protect Q.9 and the stingers to do their respective jobs, perhaps this question is best answered by Doc or Ollie as I see they both have used rats and been in mixed marvel events.

Thanks - ROADRAGE

[ollie]

Originally Posted by ROADRAGE

I'm playing in a tourney next month in Washington and am thinking about using rats(I've been to 8 of them and never used the little buggers) and while I don't think one is enough is *two* enough.

The format is 200 points(core army) at least one unique hero. 400 points sub army combined to make a 600 point/24 spaced army - mixed marvel.I'm considering heavily--------

Pure Tillamook cheese
_________________
Q.9
Stingers x 4
Raelin
Marcu
Rats x2
________
600/24

I'm wondering if two is really enough to help protect Q.9 and the stingers to do their respective jobs, perhaps this question is best answered by Doc or Ollie as I see they both have used rats and been in mixed marvel events.

Thanks - ROADRAGE

I think it's a question of finding a balance that you are happy with. You could swap out the rats and Marcu for the Krav Maga Agents and have a more aggressive powerful build. Alternatively, you could drop the Stingers for two more squads of rats and Kaemon Awa (I only switched to KA because of the hex limit) and have a much more defensive powerful build. The rule for tournaments is always that you'll do better with armies that you understand well, so to a large extent go with what you feel most comfortable with: if you feel exposed with just two rat squads, find a way to get more in. I think there is not much objective difference across the different options.

One of my favourite armies I've played at a tournament is Q9, Airborne Elite and Rats x4 and that plays very differently to my Venom/Braxas/KMA with a single rat squad.

Bringing the Marvel aspect in, I think filling up all 24 hexes, or close to that, is a good strategy. Many of the Marvel heroes don't do all that well when there are lots of squads running around.

[BassistofDoom]

1 squad of rats can be used, but not with the same strategy. Four rats would fail miserably at a rat screen, but may be just as effective at grabbing glyphs. It all depends on how you want to use these guys.