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Unit Strategy Review
Unit: Cyprien Esenwein
Author: Gomolka (with help from the writing crew)
Just like a bat flying through the dark night, Cyprien Esenwein hovers around the battlefield undetected, and strikes his opponents when they are most vulnerable. Paired up with Sonya Esenwein, who has sworn her allegiance to Cyprien, these blood-sucking partners in crime are a force to be reckoned with. With Sonya’s support, Cyprien’s reliability to take down his opponents increases, regardless of their strength. As he takes damage in battle, he can easily kill his way into full strength by draining the life out of the units he has destroyed. His mobility, defense, and high life, paired up with his abilities to destroy his opponents with a single touch and draining the life out of the defeated, are more than enough to keep him around the battlefield longer than your opponent wants him to be. Avoid Soulborgs, and his potential can be devastating. This vampire hero has proven his dominance on the battlefield, and has worked his way into the armies of many.
Vital Statistics:
Points - 150 - Rook Class
Life - 6 - Robust*
Move - 8 - Extremely Fast*
Range - 1 - Melee
Attack - 3 - Average
Defense - 4 - Average
Tournament Readiness - High
Life Drain – Each time Cyprien Esenwein destroys a figure, remove a wound marker from him. Tactical advantage – High
Chilling Touch – After moving, and before attacking, Cyprien Esenwein can roll the 20 sided dice in an attempt to inflict wounds upon the opponent’s figure. It does not affect Soulborgs or destructible objects. Amount of possible wounds inflicted are as follows: 13-15, 1 wound. 16-17, 2 wounds. 18-19, 3 wounds. 20+, 6 wounds. Tactical advantage – Moderate. Semi-reliable.
Stealth Flying – The same ability as flying, but without being penalized for leaving an engagement. Tactical advantage – High.
In-depth Analysis:
Each unit is complex, and must be well analyzed to be truly understood. For Cyprien Esenwein, let us begin with his cost. By cost, we refer mostly to his value in points, but also to his importance in your army. To simplify analysis, Agatagary has created several categories of cost, based off of chess, 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:
At 150 points, or almost 195 with the addition of Sonya, Cyprien Esenwein belongs in the Rook class. Although much of his offensive strength relies on the 20 sided dice, his ability to stay on the battlefield by draining the life out of his opponents makes him an ongoing threat to the opponent . If he is destroyed without Sonya, a significant unit in your army is gone, but there is still a large amount of points worth of units left in your army. However, if Sonya is also included in your army, Cyprien becomes more of a threat to your opponent, and he also becomes more of a prioritized target. Also, once Cyprien is destroyed, Sonya receives two wounds, and this 195 point combination is now almost destroyed completely.
To examine Cyprien Esenwein’s core stats, we will break them up into two categories – offensive ability and survivability.
Offense:
A significant amount of Cyprien’s offensive potential comes from his Chilling Touch ability. With this ability, Cyprien is capable of dealing up to six wounds to any non-soulborg figure that is adjacent to him. Not only is this extremely useful for taking out Heroes, but since it does not negate his ability to make a normal attack afterwards, his potential to become a squad killer increases. Add Sonya Esenwein to the army, and his chances of dealing any amount of wounds increase by 10%! That’s a 50% chance of dealing at least one wound, a 35% chance of dealing at least two wounds, a 25% chance of dealing at least three wounds, and an astonishing 15% chance of dealing six wounds. With his Stealth Flying ability, Cyprien is easily able to obtain a height advantage on his opponents, and he is unable to be tied up by the opponent’s figures (with the exception of Major X17 and the Gladiatrons, both of which are immune to Chilling Touch). With a height advantage, Cyprien now has an attack of 4, which is easily capable of dealing damage. His Stealth Flying and move of 8 also give him great mobility. Cyprien has the option to fly from one opposing figure to the next if he feels it necessary, and he is never limited to one area of the map. This gives him an offensive edge, since he can react to the movement of his opponent’s units when necessary.
Survivability:
With an average Defense of 4, Cyprien is able to withstand many attacks from his opponents before going down. However, as mentioned before, his Life Drain ability and his Life of 6 keep him around the battlefield for much longer than expected. Also, with his Stealth Flying ability, he can always get out of sticky situations, and allow backup units to step in when necessary.
Tournament Readiness: Cyprien, even with Sonya Esenwein tacked on, costs less than 200 points. Both Cyprien and Sonya are able to fend for themselves, since their abilities give them a great chance of survival, so they aren't in need of any support units. He also doesn't demand much start zone space, needing only one or two with Sonya. Finally, since the 150-195 point cost is still a fair chunk of 500, there is no worry for running out of starting zone spaces from other units that make up your army.
Strategy:
Cyprien Esenwein is really one of the first hit-and-run units that we have seen thus far. With his ability to use his Chilling Touch ability, and attack thereafter all in a single turn, he becomes attached to going after Squad units, units in clusters, or other weak and vulnerable units. His Stealth Flying ability obviates the disadvantages of engaging multiple units, and keeps him out of reach of almost all melee figures most of the time. The best situation to have Cyprien in is against squad figures that are moving together as a single unit, such as the Arrow Gruts. In the scenario in which Cyprien is able to use Chilling Touch on two figures with different defense score, such as an Arrow Grut(1) and a Swog Rider(3), it is best to Chilling Touch the Swog Rider, and attack the Arrow Grut because Cyprien has an attack advantage over the Arrow Grut, but Chilling Touch has the same probability of destroying either.
Some simple thoughts to consider when making the decision of using Chilling Touch and Normal Attack are which units to target, and the chances of success with Chilling Touch. In the case that Cyprien has multiple wounds on him, it is a better decision to go for the squad figures, since it’s best to keep Cyprien as healthy as possible and give him the greatest chance to lose a wound or two. He is best when used against unique squads such as the Krav Maga, Nakitas, and Tagawa Samurai, or against common squads with only one set. Since he has the chance to take out two of the three units of the Squad in one turn, this permanently cripples the squad’s potential. However, if Cyprien only has a few wounds, it is best to take the chances and attempt to make a one-two punch on the Hero. It is important to keep Cyprien alive, but his survivability is high enough that he does not need to fear making the decision to try and knock off a hero. Also, going after heroes with low Life points such as Kyntela Gwyn, Guilty McCreech, Deadeye Dan or Eldgrim, is also an option. heroes that begin with a high Life such as Charos or Marcus Decimus Gallus may need a softening up from other units within your army so that Cyprien isn't limited to a 20+ to destroy the enemy. This flexibility is what truly gives Cyprien his value, and allows him to destroy more than his point worth and stay on the battlefield for much of the battle.
Since he has Stealth Flying and a movement of 8, it doesn’t take long for Cyprien to encounter his opponents. Even though he may be able to destroy two of your opponent's units per turn, this does not necessarily mean that you should rush straight into your opponent’s units. Cyprien is best when used as an intimidation factor for your opponent when he chooses the placement of his units. With a large movement of 8 and Stealth Flying, your opponent is prone to ambush by Cyprien within 9 spaces of him. Cyprien should move out in the beginning of the battle to a location where he won’t be vulnerable and able to be attacked. From here, you should mobilize the rest of your army, while keeping Order Marker X or Order Marker 3 on Cyprien. The X will keep your opponent guessing on whether you will activate Cyprien or not, and if you choose to activate him on the third Order Marker, the rest of your army will have already advanced. This will keep your opponent on their toes and guessing as to when Cyprien will make his move.
Being a unique hero who follows Utgar, Cyprien benefits from Ornak’s Red Flag of Fury Aura ability, in which instead of taking a turn with Ornak if Order Marker 1 is on him, you can instead take a turn with up to two heroes who follow Utgar. This opens Cyprien up to more to all-Utgar armies, and more support for Cyprien when moving throughout the battlefield. However, since Ornak must be within 8 clear sight spaces of the heroes in order to use the ability on them, Ornak may have a hard time keeping up with Cyprien. An army consisting of both Ornak and Cyprien would call for more Utgar heroes, or an Orc army to go along with them. Since points would be very limited here, especially in a competitive 500 point army, you may want to consider dropping Sonya to open up more flexibility within the army. With an all Utgar hero army, you will want to move up support units or strong hero killers with Cyprien, since his only strong hit depends on the 20 sided dice. If using an all-Orc army, have Cyprien move up first, but do not engage your opponent. Then, move your Orc bonding army forward, and keep an order marker on Cyprien every turn to keep your opponent at a distance.
Cyprien’s only synergies and benefits come from having either Sonya or Ornak in your army. However, this does not exclude, in any way, other units from functioning well in an army with Cyprien Esenwein. Cyprien has some drawbacks when it comes to his offensive ability on the field. The most prominent obstacle for Cyprien is facing an all Soulborg army. Chilling Touch does not work on Soulborgs, so this leaves Cyprien extremely vulnerable to armies including Gladiatrons/Blastatrons, Major Q9, Major Q10 and Major X17. His Life Drain power still works, so he is still available as a cleanup unit for your opponents remaining units at the end of the game. To make up for the lack of Chilling Touch power, Cyprien should be paired with either a Q9 Counter, or other units that work well against Soulborgs. One matchup is with Nilfheim, who can easily tear through the Glads/Blasts, is not affected by Improved Cyberclaw, and is a great Q9 counter on his own. Another solution is to draft the Marro Stingers with Cyprien. They can provide some great range as well as being able to destroy the Glads/Blasts, and even any of the Majors when in large numbers. When playing these armies, it’s best to send out your Soulborg counters first, and have Cyprien try to take out any units that are non-soulborg that may be in your opponent’s army. Also, Cyprien can eliminate your opponent's Blastatrons one by one during the end game if you can destroy the Gladiatrons.
A major asset to Cyprien is his mobility, and it should be taken advantage of to its full capabilities. When used in the correct manner, Cyprien’s mobility can really put your opponent into a state of fear. In order to achieve success with Cyprien, a player must know when and where to move Cyprien in order to be in the best possible position to make a move on to your opponent's units. Cyprien’s movement makes him extremely flexible when deciding where to move him, and reacting to your opponent’s movement. A
very important aspect of strategizing movement with Cyprien is paying close attention to your opponent’s order marker placement. Having the ability to reach your opponent when he doesn’t expect you to, and the ability to leave any situation (*Major X17, *Gladiatrons) at any time, it is possible to look ahead to your opponent’s next order marker, and predict which unit he will be moving. Knowing this, you can move Cyprien accordingly, and take advantage of your opponent’s figures before they even get the chance to attack.
Cyprien is a moving target that just seems to never go down. It’s best to ambush your opponents when they don’t expect it, and hop from squad figure to squad figure to weaken your opponent’s forces. Although you can use units to tie up your opponents, a Move of 8 with Stealth Flying does not necessarily require such assistance. Once you get Cyprien going, it’s best to keep taking turns with him and disrupting your opponent’s plans and activations of his units. Know when it’s time to retreat with Cyprien, and when the odds of survival are against him.
Optional Strategies:
Kamikaze Cyprien – With a move of 8 and Stealth Flying, Cyprien will have no trouble making it to your opponent’s side of the battlefield within the first few moves. However, it is also possible on many competitive maps to reach your opponent’s starting zone within the first round. Start the game with all three order markers on Cyprien, and immediately rush to your opponent’s starting zone before he can deploy his units. Often times, your opponents order markers will not be where he wants them to be in this situation, and he may become frantic at the sight of a vampire tearing through his starting zone and destroying all of his squad figures, and possibly some of his heroes as well. This is a great situation to attack the units in which you see that your opponent has placed his order markers on. Keep feeding Cyprien Order markers until he is finally destroyed. You may be surprised at how much damage he can deal before finally being taken down, and it can ruin your opponent’s entire strategy before he even deploys his army from his starting zone.
Cyprien and the Gruts – Have an army consisting of Cyprien/Sonya, some Arrow Gruts, Krug, and the Swog Riders. Use Cyprien to attract most of the opponent’s attention, and then retreat with him behind some kind of LOS blocker. Then, move your Arrow Gruts, Krug, and Swog riders up, while still having one of the order markers on Cyprien to keep your opponent from coming in too close. If you want to, you can even Chilling Touch Krug in an attempt to boost up his attack.
Cyprien and the Rats – Let the Deathreavers loose to tie up all of your opponents. From here, move Cyprien in from tied-up unit to tied-up unit and Chilling Touch/Attack them. This is where Cyprien is free to roam around more than before, while not having to worry about your opponents strong hitters since they will be tied up.
Vampire Food – Draft a squad or two of Venoc Vipers into your Cyprien Army. Since they have a defense of 0, you can retreat to your starting zone, or an area close by, and destroy up to two of your Vipers per turn to remove wounds on Cyprien. This strategy is best used when Cyprien has 3+ wounds, or is in a sticky situation.
Units to Avoid:
Soulborgs – Q9, Q10, Glads/Blasts, Deathstalkers and X17. If Cyprien is tied up by Major X17 or the Gladiatrons, you should make it your top priority to free the Cyberclawed vampire, or else he will go down fast. Since Chilling Touch does not work on soulborgs, all of these units should be avoided when using Cyprien Esenwein. The Deathstalkers can also be a threat to Cyprien, since the can not be Chilling Touched, and their Maul attack can inflict 3 or more unblockable wounds on Cyprien before he can do anything.
Jotun – With a life of 7, Jotun will not go down easily to the Chilling Touch and normal attack combo by Cyprien. With an attack of 8, Cyprien could see his time remaining on the battlefield dwindle down after only a few attacks from Jotun.
Krug – It’s just not fun when you go up to a 0 wound Krug and roll a 20, only to find that the next order marker is on your opponent’s Arrow Gruts or Krug. An empowered Krug can take down Cyprien very fast. If facing an army with Krug, Arrow Gruts and Swog Riders, go for the Arrow Gruts and Swog Riders for easy kills and leave the rest of your army to take down this Beast.
Templar Cavalry – Although quite situational and highly prone to being targeted early by Cyprien, if these knights get you with their Galloping Charge combined with their Righteous Smite bonuses, Cyprien is facing three attacks of 6. This is nothing to overlook, and can potentially remove him from the game in a single turn.
Ulginesh and the Elves – Most of the Elf Wizards have a life of 5 or more which poses as a significant problem for Cyprien. For him to really be efficient in staying alive and causing damage, he needs to face an opponent with squad units to feed off of for Life Drain. Unless your opponent is implementing multiple sets of Aubrien Archers into his army, an entire army of Elf Heroes will be difficult to take down.
For additional information see the Book of Cyprien Esenwein.
October 27th, 2009, 11:00 PM
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