|
C3V and SoV Customs A place for C3V and SoV customs |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
#6241
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
Clayton Pierce has been withdrawn by the submitter.
This is the best version of Xundar and his shadows yet. Great change to the Fiend and I like that Xundar has good reason to try to use his special before running out of shadows. to review Xundar to review Shadow Binder to review Shadow Fiend to review Shadow Hound |
#6242
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
Quote:
to Shadowman and his groupies. Monthly Utah Tournaments in SLC!!
Maps | Customs | Battle Reports 10 Points Under Videos "I'll save myself some time and say I pretty much 100% agree with Bigga" ~Flash_19 |
#6243
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
I've made a post in the pre-sov thread about Clayton Pierce. Linking it here so people can follow along.
|
#6244
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
Xundar (primary) has received 4 Yea votes to review (superfrog, capsocrates, Scytale, and BiggaBullfrog) and moves forward in the process.
Shadow Binder (secondary) has received 4 Yea votes to review (superfrog, capsocrates, Scytale, and BiggaBullfrog) and moves forward in the process. Shadow Fiend (secondary) has received 4 Yea votes to review (superfrog, capsocrates, Scytale, and BiggaBullfrog) and moves forward in the process. Shadow Hound (secondary) has received 4 Yea votes to review (superfrog, capsocrates, Scytale, and BiggaBullfrog) and moves forward in the process. |
#6245
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
Soontir Van by @Arch-vile
I am always happy to see VC factions expanded. The Mariedians are a decent faction, but they have been wanting a leader to give them a boost for some time. I really like Mariedian Move Enhancement, which is different than simple Leadership in a good way. It plays well to the M-43s' handy Guerrilla Tactics in a clever, useful way that is different than other factions. I also appreciate the reuse of Exosuit, which is a nice throwback to fellow Mariedian hero Jarek Guy. When I got Soontir and friends to the table though, something stood out to me almost immediately: Soontir's lower Defense stat. Defense in Heroscape is much more than simple armor; that much is obvious. It's impressive that the M-43s manage 3 Defense with just their street clothes (and that could arguably be the problem here). I'm guessing they're agile. Soontir only has 2 Defense, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for the design, and he does have Exosuit to boost it. But this Leader will almost always be played alongside M-43s, and he is much better armored than them. Like I said, Defense is more than just armor, but rolling less defense dice with Soontir than the M-43s just felt wrong on a basic level. After just a couple of games I knew I would never get past it, even though I liked everything else about Mr. Van. With stats that reflect the mini a bit more I would be happy to give him another try. Even 3 Defense would feel a lot better. I vote Nay to induct Soontir Van into the SoV. |
#6246
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
Soontir Van by @Arch-vile has received two Nay votes to induct (superfrog and Scytale) and is removed from the process.
|
#6247
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
Thanks for the reviews! I'll run some testing (superfrog suggested 3/3 defensive stats with 3 attack at 50 points, so I'll start there) and be back eventually.
|
#6248
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
Spectres of Aldorn by
@Leaf_It
We have ghosts in Heroscape already, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in seeing another. Especially a common squad, as VC has plenty of heroes. Balance Attack of 2 isn't all that good, but Deathly Touch mitigates that to an extent. The Specters have good movement, especially with Phantom Walk and Levitate, plus medium defense. Overall that doesn't seem all that strong, but taking into account that they're a 4-figure common squad for only 50 points, they come out looking pretty good. Despite their relatively straightforward design it is difficult to make direct comparisons with existing units as the Specters have neither range nor bonding. A somewhat apt comparison is non-bonding Axegrinders, who have similar stats (with the bonus movement when not bonding). The Axegrinders' high base Attack is better than Deathly Touch, and their Fearless Advantage, though situational, is a solid boost. On top of that, they do have the potential to bond. So the Specters aren't, at least, obviously out of place at 50 points. Theme Phantom Walk and Levitate are natural fits for ghosts, though it's a bit odd that they don't have Flying. I can buy it well enough, though. Deathly Touch is both a useful ability and very fitting thematically. The Specters stats are well within expectations as well. The one thing I'm not fond of is the class of Harbingers. I guess it can work thematically if they are heralding the coming of something else, but that doesn't really work on the Heroscape battlefield. Harbingers could maybe work as a Heroscape class if they worked as shock troops for some powerful later-game unit, but there's nothing in the rest of the design to support that. They aren't even really a shock troop (though they can work that way), more of a bread-and-butter design. Vydar is a little unusual of a choice for Undead, but it's not the first time for him. Creativity There is excellent restraint shown here in the design which makes it come together well as a complete package. While the card has three powers, it really doesn't feel like it since Phantom Walk and Deathly Touch are so core to the design. Aside from my gripe about Harbingers, the rest of the unit feels like it all belongs together on a card. Playability The Specters of Aldorn work well as a core component of an army. Four figures, combined with Move 6 and two movement powers, gives them excellent board control despite lacking range or bonding. While Attack of 2 is weak, Deathly Touch is pretty easy to pull off, which helps more than you'd think. Playing the Aldorians is pretty straightforward. Phantom Walk gives them all the freedom they need, so rush in, take the high ground, and attack away. The only somewhat challenging piece is Deathly Touch, but once they are in the fight a single Specter is often enough to Touch all the targets you plan to attack. The one thing to watch out for is to avoid overextending; it's generally better to hold off on rushing in until they can at least secure Deathly Touch instead of attacking figures at the edge of their threat range. I tested the Harbingers quite a bit. At first I really liked how they played and how well the theme came through. But after a while I started to realize how difficult they were to defeat. Point for point they were consistently (as in, always) beating even top-class armies when the map favored them. Levitation feels like it's more a thematic power than useful, but it can make a huge difference in gameplay. It's common for lava maps, for example, to have lava fields as high ground. The Specters don't care and can park on all the good spots. Likewise they can ignore water, heavy snow, lava, and more. Mainly I saw them dominate on lava maps, but there are plenty of maps that favor them. The Specters of Aldorn are not overwhelming by any means, and seem to be appropriately priced on maps that don't favor them. They aren't even overwhelming on maps that do favor them, but they are a top-class contender at least. I am not against passing a top-class unit, and the Specters are only borderline on the too-strong scale. If the design was different I might upvote them, but there is another issue at play here. The Specters don't really have any real weaknesses to speak of. Sure, as a melee unit they can struggle with range depending on the map (though the ability to pass through screens helps a lot there), and high-defense units can be hard to crack, but they have the movement and number of attacks per activation to make up for it. The Specters of Aldorn have all-around decent stats and powers that don't make them especially strong or weak against anything. That, by itself, is ok too, especially for a bread and butter unit. But a design without weaknesses that is also top class? That is concerning, and potentially bad for the game. Summary There is so much to like here. The stats, the theme, how they play, it (almost) all fits together nicely. And it's a common squad! But I think their power level is dangerously high. Their strength is at least somewhat map dependent, but they are really good on a lot of maps, and units need to be priced based on their strengths. I waffled quite a bit on my decision, but I think the Specters of Aldorn are just a bit too cheap for what they offer. I vote Nay to induct the Specters of Aldorn into the SoV. |
#6249
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
The Spectres of Aldorn have received two Nay votes to induct (superfrog and Scytale) and are removed from the process.
|
#6250
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
To make sure I'm understanding correctly, the sticking points are 50 Points, and Harbingers? So I should not be touching the other aspects of the design for any resubmissions?
My Custom Designs.
--------------- Check out my maps. --------------- Get general Valkrill's symbol in SVG vector format. |
#6251
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
I really liked pretty much everything about the Specters, except those two things. "Harbingers" doesn't seem to match the rest of the card, and the class doesn't translate to the battlefield either. 50 points is just a bit low. I'd suggest doing some mass Specters testing at 60 points against strong armies on lava, heavy snow, and water-heavy maps.
|
#6252
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion
I'd like to nominate my updated Soontir Van to the SoV. I have taken the judges' feedback into account and after playtesting I am happy with this new version.
The miniature used is Sith Operative from Star Wars Miniatures (Knights of the Old Republic set). There are over 50 available between Troll & Toad, Game Hollow, and Miniature Market. It sells for less than $2. He is now 50 points with 3 attack and has defensive stats of 3/3 instead of 4/2. He is never worth an order marker, but his lack of threat plus his Exosuit can keep him alive until the endgame where he can avenge his fallen allies if needed. Guerrilla Tactics keeps him involved in the game as a movement booster or just as an annoying blocker. The lower point cost helps Mariedian armies, as Soontir can more easily fit into various point totals. I found the best army cores involved 3 squads of M-43, Soontir Van, and a strong hero like Cyprien or Quahon. Including other Mariedians is very fun (more enhanced movement opportunities) but is not quite as strong, IMO. Thank you for your consideration, Arch-vile |