MAJOR Q9 : Analysis

[Faartknocker]

Greetings, everyone.

Yesterday, I took part in the first Canadian Heroscape Tournament in Bramalea which was hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Atmospro. Suffice it to say it could not have been better prepared/organized in my opinion. A big thanks to both of you. I dedicate this post to Mr. and Mrs. Atmospro.

During the tournament, one unit seemed to be universally dreaded, namely Major Q9. Those who had this unit in their armies (I believe three or four of us did) found that it often netted wins for us. It may currently be simply the best unit in the game for its price. What makes it so good (at this time)? Well, let's examine it carefully.


It's a Soulborg

As such, it cannot be plagued by the Marrden Hounds.


It's a Unique Hero

As such, it cannot be targeted by attacks/ablilities that can only affect COMMON heroes/squads. Even those attacks that DO affect it are greatly reduced (Sudema's "Stare of Stone", etc.). It DOES benefit from BONUSES given to unique heroes/squads (Finn's Warrior Spirit, etc.).


It's a Large (7) Unit

As such, it cannot be targeted by attacks/abilities that affect only medium or small figures (Grimnak's Chomp, Me-Burq-Sa's Paralyzing Stare, etc.). I think it is important to add here that it has a large BASE as well. Unlike other soulborgs, it can cross narrow and shallow rivers without stopping. This can greatly increase its effectiveness as it can allow Major Q9 to close range to target enemies, or ford rivers to escape them.


It's Got 4 Life Points

Unlike other Soulborgs that have only one life point, Major Q9 cannot be easily eliminated by one wiffed (0 shields) defensive roll. It also has the luxury of being able to take some disengagement hits, lava field damage, etc..


It Has a Normal Attack of 4 and a Range of 8

This good attack allows Major Q9 to hit (pretty hard) important targets from a relatively safe distance (few melee units can close on it in one turn). If coupled with the attack glyph and a height advantage, the attack becomes almost unstoppable and, because of the range, unavoidable for most units.


It Has a Defense of 7

A great defense to be sure. However, if coupled with Raelin and (as is often the case) a height advantage, and (with some luck) a defense +2 glyph...yeah, you get the picture.


Queglix Gun SPECIAL Attack

This special attack, because it so neatly complements it's normal attack, makes Q9 the outstanding unit that many consider it to be. Since it is a special attack, it punches through the defenses of many units which are usually protected from normal attacks, whether adjacent or not. Here's a (short) list:

Charros......................can't counterstrike, ditto Samurai.
Nikita Agents...............can't use "Smoke Powder 13".
Sgt. Drake Alexander...his "Thorian Speed" just ain't speedy enough.
Death Reavers.............can't scatter.
Ninjas of the N. Wind....can't disappear.
Gladiatrons/Major X17..get no melee defense +1/+4.

Get the picture? Even the castle door loses it's "Reinforced Defense"! It's not that the attack itself is great, but rather that so many units' special defenses are bypassed by it. Let's now look at the optimal use of the Queglix Gun.

In general, if an opponent's unit has a defense of only 0, 1 or 2, it is best to roll a single die at a time. That way, you don't "waste" hits and have more left over for other targets (assuming there are other targets). If the targeted unit has a defense of 3 or more, it is best to use three attack dice at a time. If possible, ALWAYS AVOID USING TWO ATTACK DICE. I won't do the math here, but, if you do/can, you'll see that it's a bad idea.

Exceptions: Units such as the Krav Maga and Sentinels, even though they have a defense of more than two, should be attacked with only one die at a time. It's because one hit will do, and because more would be a waste.


Drawbacks

Although it costs 180 points, you really get (more than?)what you pay for: I would hardly call such a good/reasonable price a drawback. Being a large-based figure with obstructive shoulder pannels does sometimes make Major Q9 difficult to move/position in order to be able to target units, especially from bridges. This is sometimes made worse by Major Q9's slow movement (5). That said, however, in my opinion, the advantages FAR outweigh the drawbacks.

I hope this Analysis has helped you to better understand Major Q9. If you think I've overlooked something, please post it on the thread. Constructive point-outs make us better players. Cheers!

[moorific]

This is a very good analysis and I will say he is sometimes overpowered. I once had a great game with him, but just recently I whiffed when Sgt. Drake rolled a mere 4 skulls.

[Aldin]

One important new thing to note about Q9 is that, because he follows Vydar, with Laglor his range can be 10 - on par with Deadeye Dan, the longest range unit in the game. With height and as a large figure this has serious (though as yet untested by me) potential as a castle door busting combo.

~Aldin

[massivenewbage]

I liked you evaluation of Q9, you nailed his good and bad points pretty well.

A few games ago I was playing with my wife on my team. Against us were two of my friends who were both good players. They pick Nakita and Krav, me-burq-sa and Theracus. We picked Q-9, AE, MW, and Kelda. There may be some units I'm missing but those are the rememberable ones.

The map was virtually divided by two walls 6 spaces tall. With only a 3 hex opening. When the wife saw their draft she almost quit. I told her to trust me though, I already had a plan to beat them.

1st I dropped the AE on the left wall. This instantly created an 8 space area they wouldn't enter. I even left a couple order markers on their just to keep them honest. After that they played into my hands perfectly. They tried to use Theracus to place their units on the wall. I just used Q-9 to decimate the Krave and Nakita. When they changed thier mind on that plan I had the wife bum rush around the corner with MW's. After that it was all clean up.

In short, yes Q-9 rocks but mostly against squad heavy teams.

[Grungebob]

Q9 is a beast. I strongly suggest everyone play with the LOS shoulderpad restriction.

[Tiberius]

GB, was that ever an official thing? If Q9 is used in tournaments, is that shoulder pad thing to be enforced? I agree he is a beast but I have seen him taken down just as easily as anything else, get agent carr beside him or let the air born elite have him from height. He doesnt last long.

[Grungebob]

Originally Posted by Tiberius

GB, was that ever an official thing? If Q9 is used in tournaments, is that shoulder pad thing to be enforced? I agree he is a beast but I have seen him taken down just as easily as anything else, get agent carr beside him or let the air born elite have him from height. He doesnt last long.

It is official and is also controversial. It is funny you bring up the AE. Four shots from height at 4 dice apiece should really whittle him down. But there is no denying that he is one of the most powerful and versatile heroes available.

[neon]

doesnt do too well against high def figures, but a hero with 3 attacks of 3 or 9 attacks of 1 is great and worth his 180 points, although I think I'll be better off picking 2 MMs and have 40 pts left.

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Originally Posted by Grungebob

Q9 is a beast. I strongly suggest everyone play with the LOS shoulderpad restriction.

Amen!

THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT SHOULDER PADS BLOCKING LINE OF SIGHT!!!!

[geddy lifeson]

In the past five games I have played, he has popped up in four of them. Almost every time he has managed to put fear into opponents. You got it right in your list of why he is so great. The only time I didn't fear him much was in taking Ne-Gok-Sa against him. The game was basically over at the point but I called a Mindshackle at the beginning of the game and through determination, NGS came through finally at the end...game over. Every other time, MQ9 has mowed down my figs.

[Aldin]

Originally Posted by geddy lifeson

In the past five games I have played, he has popped up in four of them. Almost every time he has managed to put fear into opponents. You got it right in your list of why he is so great. The only time I didn't fear him much was in taking Ne-Gok-Sa against him. The game was basically over at the point but I called a Mindshackle at the beginning of the game and through determination, NGS came through finally at the end...game over. Every other time, MQ9 has mowed down my figs.

And watching NGS shackle Q9 was just plain cool!

~Aldin

[Hendal]

I agree, I have used him in the last 2 tourney's I was in , and was the army everyone feared. To me he is the krav killer.

We play a lot of games now not using him, he is that game changing.

My group has talked a lot about tourney strategy and you almost have to pick Q-9, the Krav, and Raelin. Q-9 with Raelin backing him up is a tough one to beat. IN a 400 pt. game you only have 40 pts. left so I go with the roborats if therer are glyphs. In a bigger point game you can pick some ground units that really round out your team.

I have played against endpawn who is one of the luckiest rollers I know, and he we went head to head Q-9 verses his DW9000 and it was a really long battle but he won in the end with the DW