The Book of Ninjas of the Northern Wind

[dnutt99]

The Book of Ninjas of the Northern Wind

Thora's Vengeance - Collection 5 - "Ninjas and Samurai"

If you cannot see the Army Card graphic, check Hasbro's Unit Page for stats and special powers, plus "character biography" and other non-game unit info.

Character Bio: One of the foul kyrie passes overhead. The thin membrane of its scarlet wing catches briefly against the sun, giving it a fiery
glow to those watching from the ground. Until now, no enemy of Utgar has ever made it to the foothills of the Kyrien Mountains. For there
dwell the evil Archkyrie’s greatest weapon: the cruel warriors known only as Minions. The Minions keep a diligent watch against invaders; but
they have failed to spot the three ninja, cloaked in darkness, creeping up the mountainside. The masked assassins have come to Kyrien
at the command of their lord, Einar. They stalk one marked for death: A Minion that has made the fatal error of wounding Empress Kiova.
Though it managed to retreat from the fury of Kiova’s Imperium protectors, it will not escape the Ninjas of the Northern Wind,
bearing the wrath of Einar. (Hasbro)
_________________________________________________________________
-Rulings and Clarifications-

• - DISAPPEARING NINJA : Maximum Movement
  When using Disappearing Ninja, can the Ninja’s movement be enhanced by anything like roads, or auras to
  increase the amount of spaces it can move?
  No. That is a static move value. The 3 Ninja’s that disappear may move up to 4 spaces to disappear, but
  cannot move any further. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - DISAPPEARING NINJA : Moving “0 Spaces”
  Does a Ninja using Disappearing Ninja have to move in order to disappear?
  It depends on the situation. In order to disappear, the Ninja must end its disappearing move not adjacent
  to any enemy figures, but remember, the move for Disappearing Ninja is up to the amount listed, so the
  Ninja could choose to move 0 spaces as long as it is not already adjacent to an enemy figure and
  still disappear. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - DISAPPEARING NINJA : Disappearing vs. Cyberclaw
  If a Ninja cannot move because of a special power like the Gladiatron’s Cyberclaw (or any other move inhibiting
  power) can they still use Disappearing Ninja?
  If they cannot move, and are stuck in melee combat (adjacent to an enemy figure) they cannot use
  Disappearing Ninja. Remember, they must end their disappearing move not adjacent to an enemy
  figure. (Hasbro FAQ)

_________________________________________________________________
-Combinations and Synergies-

Synergy Benefits Received

• - N/A

Synergy Benefits Offered

• - SACRED BAND : Disciplined Army Defense Bonus
  Having a Disciplined personality, Ninjas of the Northern Wind may aid the Sacred Band with their DISCIPLINED
  ARMY DEFENSE BONUS
  *NOTE: See The Book of Sacred Band for proper application.

C3V and SoV Custom Synergies

Spoiler Alert!

Synergy Benefits Offered

Synergy Benefits Received

EBON ARMOR : ANIMATED MATERIEL & ETERNAL WAR
As a Unique Human, a destroyed Ebon Armor you control may be placed on Ninjas Of The Northern Wind's Army Card to replace Ninjas Of The Northern Wind upon his own destruction.

COUNT RAYMOND : MANEUVER 9
As a Human who follow Einar, Ninjas Of The Northern Wind may benefit from Count Raymond's MANEUVER 9 ability.

KANTONO DAISHI : DISHONORABLE LEADERSHIP
As a Ninja, Ninjas Of The Northern Wind may benefit from Kantono Daishi's DISHONORABLE LEADERSHIP activation synergy.

_________________________________________________________________
-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-

• - TBA

_________________________________________________________________
-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

Power Ranking and Master Index

Originally Posted by MKSentinel

Power Ranking
Ninjas of the Northern Wind- Ninjas are really cool, and pretty good…not really good and pretty cool. B

Ninjas of the Northern Wind
Overall Assessment? http://www.heroscapers.com/community...ead.php?t=1758
Disappear and spaces? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=4875
Disappearing Ninja and What 4 Spaces Away Really Means? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=2704
Disappearing Ninja and ending move? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=4907

Unit Strategy Review

• - TBA

[Revdyer]

I had the pleasure, last evening, of catching a squad of Ninjas in their start zone with my Jotun and attacking with a Wild Swing (not a normal attack) and watching all three of them die on one turn.

[Uprising]

Originally Posted by Revdyer

I had the pleasure, last evening, of catching a squad of Ninjas in their start zone with my Jotun and attacking with a Wild Swing (not a normal attack) and watching all three of them die on one turn.

Wow, that's pretty rewarding for Big J. I usually see the Ninjas chew up the bigger guys.

[GForce3062]

I really like the Ninjas. I really want a ninja hero too! With an attack of 4, they can really light it up on offense, and with a decent defense of 3, they're a solid squad. Add in 6 move and disengage, ghost walk, and disappearing ninja, and you got yourself a really good squad. But like revdyer said, specials are the way to go when you way to go if you want to take em down quickly and easily.

[Riptide]

these guys almost always make it into my army, I have had very good luck with the disappearing ninja ability.

[Homba]

MK, you missed a classic Ninja thread:

http://www.heroscapers.com/community...ead.php?t=4907

It contains the disappearing debate, the infamous "phone ruling," the Hasbro FAQ correction, and the consensus opinion that "The 3 Ninja's that disappear" in the Hasbro FAQ is a typo.

dnutt, to address the Hasbro FAQ typo, you may want to consider editing into the first post under that FAQ statement:

"The 3 Ninja's that disappear..." is a typo. It should read, "The Ninja that disappears..." (Heroscapers consensus)

H

[MKSentinel]

In light of the feedback received from the Microcorp Agents article I drafted and the recent, and most excellent, treatise on the Ninjas in the Power Ranking article, I have decided to address my second favorite unit in the game.

To begin, the only thing that saddens me about the Ninja is that they are Unique. Being able to field multiple squads of these figures would be incredible and well worth a slight increase in point cost.

To begin with a 4 attack is phenomenal!
Attack| Defense| 1 Hit | 2 Hits | 3 Hits | 4 Hits
4............. 1...... 0.854....0.563.... 0.229....0.042
4..............2...... 0.757... 0.451.... 0.167... 0.028
4..............3...... 0.655... 0.356.....0.12..... 0.019
4............. 4...... 0.556. . 0.278.... 0.086....0.012
4..............5.......0.463....0.214.....0.062....0.008
4..............6.......0.38......0.163.....0.044....0.005
4..............7.......0.308....0.123.....0.031....0.004
4.............. 8.......0.246....0.093.....0.022....0.002
4.............. 9.......0.195....0.069.....0.015....0.002
4.............. 10.....0.153....0.051.....0.011....0.001

As you can see, you are very likely to cause wounds on any figure up to a 4 defense and almost have a statistical advantage over a 5 Defense.

Only 16 units have a straight defense of 5 or higher. Of course, this doesn't include factors like Tough or Stealth Armor that can affect hit percentages.

At 6 move they rank up there with some of the fastest units in the game. Adding in Disengage and Ghostwalk means that only terrain will hinder their free movement on the board making it, in some ways, as good as flying (though flying allows much more versatility).

A 3 defense works well against a 3 or lower attack, but factoring in Disappearing Ninja allows you a much higher pseudo-defense factor. With a 45% chance of triggering against a normal attack (ranged OR adjacent mind you).

The added movement of the Disappearing Ninja ability is great as well. It works great when used on the way to a mark (I will talk about this momentarily when I address their use as assassins). REMEMBER that the Disappearing Ninja ability works ONLY when a skull is rolled. If your opponent rolls no skulls, then you do not get the movement.

I know there was a debate about the wording on Disappearing Ninja, "...may move up to 4 spaces. Ninjas of the Northern Wind can disappear only if they end their disappearing move not adjacent to any enemy figures."

The HASBRO FAQ clarifies:
Does a Ninja using Disappearing Ninja have to move in order to disappear?
"It depends on the situation. In order to disappear, the Ninja must end its disappearing move not adjacent to any enemy figures, but remember, the move for Disappearing Ninja is up to the amount listed, so the Ninja could choose to move 0 spaces as long as it is not already adjacent to an enemy figure and still disappear. "
http://www.hasbro.com/heroscape/default.cfm?page=faq

So in order for the damage prevention to resolve the Ninja CANNOT end the resolution of the ability adjacent to any enemy unit.

Now that I have discussed the abilities and stats of the Ninjas, I shift my attention to their primary use...assassins.

In another thread I have made a case that support units, such as flagbearers, Raelin and Kelda etc, should be eliminated first as their deaths will result in a weaker overall enemy army. Killing them quickly and easily is a plus. Prioritizing a hit list of units I have also argued that you should not distract yourself with units OTHER than the unit that is your primary objective. Ranged units are the exception as once they end their move they should always find a target if possible, regardless of wether it is your top priority. Close assault units must attempt to stay unengaged and not tied to any opponent since even a Deathreaver can severely impede their hunt for their target. That is unless the unit has DISENGAGE!

Now, enter the Ninja. You select a target...say Raelin. The Ninjas advance for the kill dodging normal ranged attacks (look out for the Dragons etc!!!) left and right. A Deathreaver approaches. At this point the Ninja can either move through the Reaver or engage it. If the Reaver does not die and rolls an attack the following round and scores the Ninja gets 4 spaces closer to it's target (at least if the ability triggers ). If the attack fails, the Ninja can simply disengage and continue along its path toward the target. Disappearing Ninja makes them almost MORE effective than Carr as search and destroy units.

Really the only figures you should be scared of are Gladiatrons and Major X17 (thanks for the Major reminder Nether), because they counter disengage and Ghostwalk, and figures with intense special attacks. The last warning is very serious. Many of the more powerful units like Q9, Nilfheim and Braxas rely on special attacks to target units and will bypass the Disappearing Ninja ability with ease.

Another point of note, Counterstrike will pierce straight through Disappearing Ninja as no skulls will be rolled. Abilities that deal damage without rolling attack die like Toxic Skin and Plague will also bypass the ability. Know your weaknesses and react accordingly.

When looking for synergy in a build, look to compliment and support the Ninjas with like units or units that fill gaps/weaknesses then ninjas possess. Truthfully the unit can roll into any build as a logistics killer or ninja assassin.

The first unit that comes to mind is Agent Carr. He is the ONLY other unit at this time to possess Ghostwalk and Disengage making him a perfect compliment to the Ninja. If you are focused on being able to hit who you want, when you want, Agent Carr is a perfect fit to an assassin build.

Secondly, since the Ninjas are still quite subject to special attack damage, the best thing to do is tie up the enemies rangers with a small fast unit. Everyone should be thinking Deathreavers in unison. Two squads of Reavers can move out to tie up ranged threats as they become a problem for the Ninjas. Remember that while they will prevent MOST special attacks from targeting the Ninja, figures like Braxas will still penetrate the engaged rule barrier.

Which brings me to my final choice for a 500 point assassin build. Braxas is a powerhouse that can move about anywhere (doesn’t have Nilfheim’s wing restrictions) and can target figures at range even when engaged (since her ability to eat figures with Acid Breath is an ability vice a special attack). Against squad units or units with high defense you may want to push Braxas against your opponent over Carr or the Ninja.

So, a 500 point assassin build might look like this:

Agent Carr 100
Ninjas of the Northern Wind 110
Deathreavers 40 x2 80
Braxas 210

In 400, you will need to pare down a bit. Braxas should be the obvious hit since 210 points would absorb over half your army. If only the Ninja were a common squad it would be very easy to fill the 110 gap with their brethren, but alas, infinite wisdom at Hasbro forces us to make another selection.

One of my tenants in army building is NEVER to have more than 4 different units in play at the same time (of course this doesn’t work well for huge games like 1000 points, but I rarely play in that environ). That said I am looking for a common squad at 55 points or a singe unit at 110. I also ALWAYS try to build to point total. I rarely EVER give my opponent a point advantage form the get go. SO let’s look at possible 110 point fills for the 400 point version.

Dund, Acolarh and Laglor really don’t bring much benefit to the table and lack synergy with this build. Ninja, again, are already fielded. Brunak might be interesting, but again lacks some synergy. Depending on the map and circumstances you might want to field the Minions or Sentinels to get at height advantage units and make them pay. Alastair doesn’t hold a lot of synergy with this build either and really is more at home in a Champion Bonding build and Valguard results are the same with regard to Warlord Bonding.

This leaves me with two viable options. I would argue that Drake has a lot of what it takes to cut the mustard. He can track down figures on high ground with the grapple gun. He also has defense against MOST range, but suffers the same penalty the Ninjas do of being subject to specials. He is my number 2 choice for the build.

My number one choice for the assassin build at 400 is the Airborne Elite. The drop is fairly risky at 400, but the results are perfect and very synergistic with the build. Being able to place four snipers ANYWHERE on the board can really help support the Ninjas and the Airborne are some of the best Snipers in the game. At any turn in which they drop, place them on higher ground near your primary target and unleash. They can accomplish what the Ninjas do in a fraction of the time in a successful drop round.

SO, a 400 point assassin build would look like this:

Agent Carr 100
Ninjas of the Northern Wind 110
Deathreavers 40 x2 80
Airborne Elite 110

An alternate 500 build might look like this:
Agent Carr 100
Ninjas of the Northern Wind 110
Airborne Elite 110
Major Q9 180

Instead of Braxas, you would field one of the most feared units in the game, Major Q9. He also eats squads and his Special Attack can pierce most defensive abilities. He also give you 4 cards until your AE drop. I think I like the second version even better.

Hope this was as informative as the diatribe on Mircrocorp agents.

Thanks for reading

Adam

[riledguy]

I have been playing capture the flag scenarios lately and these guys dominate that.

They end up moving across the board fast and because of the disappearing act gain extra movement when attacked. So before the round turn is over you may find you have moved 10 spaces in the direction you want to go.

I was also lucky and out of maybe 8 rolls for their disappear I only wiffed the last 2 and that was after my third guy was half way back home with the glyph.

I left the other two to tie folks up.

[Dotman-X]

As I found out yesterday, Ninjas + The Hulk = PWN3D. A few good rolls is all it takes .

This squad has got to be one of my most favorite! I almost always draft them and find they are very efficient when saved for later (using a wait-then-kill strategy of course). Team them up with Isamu against Jandar (or even anyone else) and they are definitely some som'beeyotches to reckon with.

[Jexik]

These are one of those units that always work well against me, but I always roll 11's if I draft them.

[Metaknight]

They are one of the best units. One game they took out 1 airborne elite, Marcus, Drake(old), and Kelda. That's 17 wounds!!

[Tai-Pan]

My only bone with the Ninja is that I believe the plural of ninja is ninja, and not ninjas like the card reads. It's not that big of a deal though, because in America, there are a ton of ninjas, and no groups of ninja.