Heroscapers
Go Back   Heroscapers > Official Valhalla HeroScape > Heroscape Strategy Articles
Heroscape Strategy Articles Heroscape Strategy Articles with discussions. Including Order Markers, Units, Game Play, etc.

Notices


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old May 18th, 2007, 11:45 AM
MKSentinel MKSentinel is offline
Flunked Ebay
 
Join Date: March 27, 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 665
MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker
Ninjas of the Northern Wind and the Assassin Build

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

Good Traders: Maska, Fallen Templar, Punisher Fan, loborocket, Marduk, Brotharon

324 figures and counting!

Check me out here:
http://www.myspace.com/mksentinel

And FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE, BEFORE YOU POST YOUR BRILLIANT QUESTION,

Self-induced illiteracy should be a crime!!!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old May 18th, 2007, 11:49 AM
netherspirit's Avatar
netherspirit netherspirit is offline
Site Admin
 
Join Date: May 8, 2006
Location: OH - Cleveland
Posts: 8,771
Blog Entries: 5
netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer
Re: Ninjas of the Northern Wind and the Assassin Build

Quote:
Originally Posted by MKSentinel
At 6 move they rank up there with some of the fastest units in the game. Adding in Disegnage 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).
Or Gladiatrons and Major X17

EDIT - Just finished reading the rest...Great article.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old May 18th, 2007, 11:55 AM
MKSentinel MKSentinel is offline
Flunked Ebay
 
Join Date: March 27, 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 665
MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker
Damn that was fast Nether. Thanks for the quick response and encouragement. Wondering who I will tackle next...

Adam

Good Traders: Maska, Fallen Templar, Punisher Fan, loborocket, Marduk, Brotharon

324 figures and counting!

Check me out here:
http://www.myspace.com/mksentinel

And FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE, BEFORE YOU POST YOUR BRILLIANT QUESTION,

Self-induced illiteracy should be a crime!!!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old May 18th, 2007, 12:01 PM
kenjib's Avatar
kenjib kenjib is offline
Hotdoghead-Molesterface
 
Join Date: August 21, 2006
Location: CA - Pasadena
Posts: 3,066
kenjib rolls all skulls baby! kenjib rolls all skulls baby! kenjib rolls all skulls baby! kenjib rolls all skulls baby! kenjib rolls all skulls baby! kenjib rolls all skulls baby!
MKSentinel,

This and your microcorp article are really great and I'd love to see your treatment on some more of your favorites.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old May 18th, 2007, 12:03 PM
netherspirit's Avatar
netherspirit netherspirit is offline
Site Admin
 
Join Date: May 8, 2006
Location: OH - Cleveland
Posts: 8,771
Blog Entries: 5
netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer netherspirit is a wielder of the Ban Hammer
Quote:
Originally Posted by kenjib
MKSentinel,

This and your microcorp article are really great and I'd love to see your treatment on some more of your favorites.
Definately! An ongoing series would be awesome.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old May 18th, 2007, 12:17 PM
Aldin's Avatar
Aldin Aldin is offline
Site Admin & Professional SideBoarder
 
Join Date: September 22, 2006
Location: TN - Nashville
Posts: 13,547
Images: 1
Blog Entries: 4
Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer Aldin is a wielder of the Ban Hammer
Gotta agree with kenji and nether on this one - these are rich and meaty articles and I love 'em. I've only ever had very limited success with the ninjas, but I think that speaks more to my play style than to any inherent fault of the ninjas.

~Aldin, eating away at the edges of the formation

He either fears his fate too much
or his desserts are small
That dares not put it to the touch
to gain or lose it all
~James Graham
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old May 18th, 2007, 12:35 PM
NecroBlade's Avatar
NecroBlade NecroBlade is offline
"our design team knows what it's doing"
 
Join Date: November 22, 2006
Location: KY - Louisville
Posts: 21,428
Images: 186
Blog Entries: 21
NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth NecroBlade is a man of the cloth
Another great article


Arena of the Valkyire - Help create Heroscape's next Master Set!
Trade List
C3V Brainstorm
never not funny
Pepperony - 14/09/13
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old May 18th, 2007, 12:50 PM
Eclipse's Avatar
Eclipse Eclipse is offline
regurgitation cynic
 
Join Date: July 19, 2006
Location: Rochester, MN
Posts: 4,103
Eclipse wears ripped pants of awesomeness Eclipse wears ripped pants of awesomeness Eclipse wears ripped pants of awesomeness Eclipse wears ripped pants of awesomeness Eclipse wears ripped pants of awesomeness Eclipse wears ripped pants of awesomeness
Great article. One thing I'd like to point out, just to nitpick:

Quote:
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.
While technically true, it's not, in fact, mechanically true. Any figure with Stealth Flying (Taelord, Kiova, Einar Imperium, Shades of Bleakwood), essentially has Ghost Walk and Disengage with the bonus ability of having Flyings versitility. As long as you can fly you can pass though (technically over) enemy units, filling in the missing gap of this ability combo.

Just because it popped into my head, I suddenly think it would be really funny to have a figure with Ghost Walk, but not Disengage. Anyway, there's a rambling. Also, next game I'm definitely fielding Ninja, 2x Microcorp, and Q9. That just sounds fun at the moment
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old May 18th, 2007, 01:02 PM
MKSentinel MKSentinel is offline
Flunked Ebay
 
Join Date: March 27, 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 665
MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker
The Ninja and the Microcorp are two of the most interesting units to me right now.

Looking at the list of units out there, I'm thinking of a focus on the following units in the near future:

Omnicron Snipers: Probably my third favorite unit and thanks to Brotharon I have two squads now. I think they will be next. They have NEVER let me down!

Valguard: A much underplayed unit despite his 7 LIFE for a relatively cheap price and he bonds as a Warlord. I saw a post on here recently about combining him with Brunak for a free disengage and was thinking Theracus could do the same at a cheaper price. Mix him in with Finn (for the attack bonus and a nother great Theracus unit...another thing I glimpsed here recently) and the Romans and you have some fun times ahead.

Shades of Bleakewood might be fun...not used a lot, but can be competitive. Probably a lot of writing material there.

The Einar Imperium might be something I tackle along with Kiova, though we may have to wait and see if Wave 7 brings anything useful to the table.

Saylind is another heavy interest of mine and could possibly work better with Valguard than Theracus. I may have to look at an article on her or rolling her into the Valguard build.

Sacred Band Parmenio runs quite a bit like Microcorp. The ability is based SOLEY on taking a wound. They are also rarely focus on and overlooked for the Romans. Another possibility. Other cool Disciplined figs would get exposure as well. Think of two squads...one with Marcus and one with Parmenio...one hard to hit, the other beefed on attack and ALL moving faster.

Dund...would be the greatest challenge to me. Khosumet would be moreso, but I keep thinking that Dund is very playable under the right circumstance. I believe he is a good unit, just VERY difficult to wield effectively. He also runs counter to a lot of my theories on Heroscape battles.

Hatamoto Taro...post wave 7.

Roman Archers with their ability to combine attack should be played MUCH more in my opinion. Looking at these guys as well.

That's a majority of what I think could be compelling now. No point in writing Q9 articles as he gets a lot of focus already. I'd like to zone in on units that either are maligned or recognized as good but don't get a lot of effective playtime.


Adam

Good Traders: Maska, Fallen Templar, Punisher Fan, loborocket, Marduk, Brotharon

324 figures and counting!

Check me out here:
http://www.myspace.com/mksentinel

And FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE, BEFORE YOU POST YOUR BRILLIANT QUESTION,

Self-induced illiteracy should be a crime!!!
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old May 18th, 2007, 06:28 PM
MKSentinel MKSentinel is offline
Flunked Ebay
 
Join Date: March 27, 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 665
MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker
Bumping this up...since I lost it in the wave of updates to the books...

Kind of a selfish plug for my own warped intellect. enjoy.


Good Traders: Maska, Fallen Templar, Punisher Fan, loborocket, Marduk, Brotharon

324 figures and counting!

Check me out here:
http://www.myspace.com/mksentinel

And FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE, BEFORE YOU POST YOUR BRILLIANT QUESTION,

Self-induced illiteracy should be a crime!!!
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old May 18th, 2007, 07:18 PM
GForce3062's Avatar
GForce3062 GForce3062 is offline
 
Join Date: November 3, 2006
Location: VA - Richmond
Posts: 2,154
GForce3062 has disabled reputation
Another great analysis! Are you trying to steal dnutt99's 'book of..' by starting your own articles?

Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old May 20th, 2007, 10:19 AM
MKSentinel MKSentinel is offline
Flunked Ebay
 
Join Date: March 27, 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 665
MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker MKSentinel knows what's in an order marker
Not trying to steal the books.

First, I don't plan on writing these for every unit.

Second, these will end up linked inside the books and be accessed from.

Adam

Good Traders: Maska, Fallen Templar, Punisher Fan, loborocket, Marduk, Brotharon

324 figures and counting!

Check me out here:
http://www.myspace.com/mksentinel

And FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE, BEFORE YOU POST YOUR BRILLIANT QUESTION,

Self-induced illiteracy should be a crime!!!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Go Back   Heroscapers > Official Valhalla HeroScape > Heroscape Strategy Articles
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:09 AM.

Heroscape background footer

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.