Masha Shingai by
Astroking112
It looks like I have the deciding vote here, lovely, no pressure.
I just want to say from the beginning that I was not a judge for the previous version of Masha Shingai, so I don’t have that frame of reference to build from for this review. No need for anybody to waste time looking for a previous review from me that doesn’t exist.
Creativity/Theme
All right, we have a Yokai Samurai. Samurai have been in the game since the beginning and the Yokai are brand new. The Yokai, from my understanding and from the info provided with the submission are from Japanese folklore. This is a pretty wide net of a species encompassing everything from the terrifying Oni to the cute Tanuki. This gives me a bit of pause, but it’s no more overarching than Undead currently is.
The miniature really does evoke the theme that is equal parts warrior and Demon. It just looks awesome on the table.
Masha is the first non-human samurai, so none of the human samurai precedents need to apply. I like how Masha doesn’t have Counterstrike. Fiery Retribution fills the same role of an “attacking while defending power” on the card and does it with a very fitting demonic theme that matches the miniature quite well.
Terror of the Honorless is the highlight of the design. It is the first large aura attack debuff in VC. Taking this step certainly raises some warning flags in terms of playability and fun, but I think it hits the theme right on.
Balance
The other reviewing judges covered most of the bases in this section, so I’ll try to summarize. Masha is a Menacer/Cheerleader-Hybrid which makes a lot of direct comparisons difficult.
Uzog is a close comparison. He has a defense reduction power where Masha has an attack reduction power. Akumaken has both debuff and damage-on-defense powers, but his powers have a significantly smaller area of effect. Torin is the only other figure that has a damage-on defense power that affects more than just himself. You could put Ataraxis in this chart for her defense reduction aura, but the Nanobots and Range make her a really poor point of comparison.
All 4 in the chart are comparable in terms of raw stats. Masha is on the faster and stronger end, but the lowest in terms of “Lifense.” It would seem that from a direct comparison to these 3 other heroes one would expect Masha to cost more than 110, but (and this is the only reason I include current delta prices in the chart above) the delta group has determined that the comparison points are relatively overpriced (to roughly the same degree, notably). Masha at 110 might be more accurate than the 110-120 of the others. This led me to be more cognizant of Masha’s points than I have been of other reviewed submissions. After playtesting, I think 110 ± is close to right on.
Playability
It would seem that the linchpin of this review is whether or not I agree with Bigga in that Masha is “frustrating to play against.” In agreement with superfrog, the premise that “it's no fun to play against figures that are no fun to play against,” is 100% accurate and so I really want to make sure Masha doesn’t fall into this category.
Overall, I find myself enjoying the thematic armies that include Masha. Tagawa Samurai Archers + Raelin (or Taro in delta), and Unique Samurai with Tomoe. These are fun, balanced, and thematic, so I’m not going to focus on what isn’t the pain-point.
Let’s be frank, trying to get through 6-defense Rats with debuffed attacks is rough, like really rough. And if Terror of the Honorless didn’t require a revealed OM, this review would be an easy thumbs-down. No question. But it does, and I think that caveat is exactly how it needs to be balanced.
Imagine we’re playing VCheese against the classic Q9 army with Masha instead of a Hydra. On the surface, this looks way worse for melee, but I don’t think the math works out that way. Typically, 4-figure melee squads are rolling 12 attack dice per turn (4 attacks at 3 dice each) without buffs or bonding. Q9 is always rolling 9 dice. So, again roughly, 36 to 27 attack dice per round. Adding Masha to the mix; the melee squad is rolling 8 attack dice per turn (4 attacks of 2 dice each) without buffs or bonding. And Q9 is still rolling 9 dice, but only twice-a-round. Totaling 24 to 18 attack dice per round. That’s the exact same ratio. Obviously, this is surface level, as I’m not a statistics guy, and there are many other factors that can come into play. Are you taking an attack of 5 with Masha on each of his turns? If you are, then he’s likely vulnerable, getting attacked and won't be doing his job protecting the Rats for much longer. Can the melee player get 5 dice worth of buffs or bonding across the round to match Masha’s attack? Probably. None of Gilbert, Alastair, Grimnak, Chomp, or Commander’s Strike are factored in here. And they could just win initiative getting a turn with no debuff. Additionally, the melee player gets significantly better numbers when comparing quantity of attacks. Masha doesn’t change that for them, but he does limit Q9 (or Krav, or Borgs, etc.) to 6 attacks a round. So, at best, Masha does not change any odds, just makes the games take longer by reducing offensive output of each army by roughly a third each round. Or at worst, he’s increasing variance against his own player. Not ideal in a cheese format. These matchups will still come down to how well the melee player can manage to maximize the value of all the figures in their army. They have a harder job, but more time to complete it.
That’s just one example, but I’ve already written over 1000 words, so I don’t necessarily want or feel the need to provide more.
I feel confident in saying that playing into Masha + Rats + Rae is not a fun game. Especially in an uphill matchup. (Quahon still doesn’t care, of course.) But on the other hand, Masha doesn’t make the "Rats + Rae + Range" armies better by including him. And a game with 3x Rats a side is probably worse. Making Rats the problem. Shocking, I know! I’m fairly confident that Masha won’t see much play in Cheese-tier armies, so I’m not incredibly worried about seeing the combo too often. (Especially with the recent prevalence of delta.)
Summary
All that to say that I agree with Frog #1 that Masha + Rats + Rae is not fun, AND I agree with Frog #2 that the builds that Masha makes un-fun are mostly better without Masha. In Masha’s best and most thematic armies his powers complement the army without being overwhelming or problematic. The Creativity and Theme of this design are on point, and the bio, ahh, chef’s kiss. Really well done.
I vote
YES to induct
Masha Shingai into the SoV.
Congratulations
@Astroking112
to review. Auto-wound powers are always hazardous due to the existence of the Deathwalkers, and this version of the special attack seems custom-made to negate their existence. That may be thematic, but it's no fun for the DW player. It goes beyond that, though, as low-Life and high-Defense is common for Soulborgs, and this is nasty to all of them. Before there was counterplay by spreading units and relying on sturdy Defense, whereas there is no way to play around this version.
to review.
