The Book of Alastair MacDirk

[dnutt99]

The Book of Alastair MacDirk

Jandar's Oath - Collection 3 - Heroes of Nostralund​

Spoiler Alert!

If you cannot see the Army Card graphic, check Hasbro's Unit Page for stats and special powers, plus "character biography" and other non-game unit info.

Character Bio: There is an old Scottish saying: 'The swifter the storm the stronger it is.' When Jandar found Alastair running to the front of the battle lines, he knew this was one of the most adventurous warriors he had ever seen. It is said that Alastair can run all day without tiring; but his wounds on that day were too severe, so Jandar took him to Valhalla. Kelda healed his wounds. Now Alastair and his Claymore fight in Valhalla. As a boy of 12, he fought alongside his father against Edward the II. As a man, he continued to fight for Scottish independence. The clan MacDirk has always had the fiercest soldiers in the highlands of Scotland, and Alastair is one of their finest. (Hasbro)

OVEREXTEND ATTACK
After taking a turn with Alastair MacDirk, you may place a wound marker on Alastair MacDirk and take another turn with him. You may only use this power once during a round.

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-Rulings and Clarifications-

- OVEREXTEND ATTACK : Overextending With 1 Life Left
Can you place the 6th wound marker on Alastair & take your last turn according to Overextend Attack?
No, as soon as you placed the 6th wound marker on Alastair he would die and be removed from the game (Hasbro FAQ)
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-Combinations and Synergies-



Synergy Benefits Received

- KNIGHTS OF WESTON / MAC DIRK WARRIORS : Human Champion Bonding
As a Human Champion, Alastair MacDirk may benefit from Knights of Weston and Mac Dirk Warriors HUMAN CHAMPION BONDING activation bonus.
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Synergy Benefits Offered

- 4th MASSACHUSETTS LINE : Valiant Army Defense Bonus
Having a Valiant personality, Alastair MacDirk may aid the 4th Massachusetts Line with their VALIANT ARMY DEFENSE BONUS.
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C3V and SoV Custom Synergies

Spoiler Alert!

Synergy Benefits Offered

SIR ORRICK : A BROTHER'S CALL
As a Human who follows Jandar, Alastair Macdirk may aid Sir Orrick with his A BROTHER'S CALL movement bonus.

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Synergy Benefits Received

CAPT. JOHN VARAN : PURPLE HEART
As a Human who follows Jandar, Alastair Macdirk may benefit from Capt. John Varan's PURPLE HEART wound reassignment.

EBON ARMOR : ANIMATED MATERIEL & ETERNAL WAR
As a Unique Human, a destroyed Ebon Armor you control may be placed on Alastair Macdirk's Army Card to replace Alastair Macdirk upon his own destruction.
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-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-

- TBA
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-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

Power Rankings

Jexik: Alastair MacDirk- With uses outside of his clan, Alastair’s extended attack comes in handy often. A-

OEAE: Alastair MacDirk- The best bruiser in the game, 2x5 in one Order Marker is fantastic. Even one squad of Knights of Weston alongside him creates great board control, staying power, and offensive potential. Works well solo or with MacDirks or Knights. Can fall fast if he's alone, but you should have Knights or Raelin with him in just about any situation anyways. A-

Cleon: Tier 8 (27/208)

dok (VC inclusive): A-

Master Index
Drafting Alastair MacDirk without A Squad?
Bonding and Alastair's Overextend Attack

Unit Strategy Review

- TBA
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[Aranas]

Repeat after me:
"You may only use this power once during a round"

"You may only use this power once during a round"

"You may only use this power once during a round"





Aranas

 

[Ricky007]

Here is a useful army using Alistair's power:

Alistair McDirk = 110pts
Sonlen = 160pts
McDirk Warriorsx2 = 160pts
Knights of Weston = 70pts
Total = 500pts


Alistair is great if used right, but can turn nasty, which is why Sonlen is in the army. You can use Kelda, but that could turn even worse.
The Knights of Weston and the McDirks are great use with Alistair, making him have three turns in one go.

 

[Hero Hot Hatch]

I have to agree that Alastair is awesome. Attack 5 two times in a row at least in the first round! The next round can give you another attack 5 two times in a row! Then move 4 MacDirk warriors with at least attack 3 each during their first turn and at least 4 attack each in the 2nd round (if you still have them all hence the need for two squads at least). The MacDirk warriors go fast, but you could play at least two of those squads and milk Alstair's 6 lives (or better said his first 5). You could also boost the warriors defense and retreat Alastair to a save location even risking a living engagement attack just before he is gone (ie. two lives left). Just make sure that he is not cornered. The possibility of getting up to 7 attack from each warrior can be devastating and they don't even have to be adjacent or within clear sight of Alastair. It's almost like 4 mini Krugs. Alastair is one of the few heroes that will make you smile when he gets wounded early on, but you do want to keep him alive longer when 1 or 2 lives are left in him (even more so than other unique heroes). Afterall, "there can be only one", a direct quote from MacDirk Warriors' card. Or is it Highlander?

 

[Tai-Pan]

I pulled an incredible play with him and two squads of his Scots the other day. My Scots and Alastair held a little ridge and were attacked by my opponent's knights of Weston led by Gilbert. With my height advantage and a little luck, my Scots all survived. The next turn I disengaged Alastair with two knights twice, racked up four wounds, and overextended to propel myself back into the safety of my starting zone. Then my Scots used the next two turns to kill all the KoW, Gilbert, Denrick, and Retiarus.

 

[Hero Hot Hatch]

Thorgrim gets his money's worth when played with Alastair and the Warriors more than in other combinations. The base army for Alastair is:
Alastair 110 +
MacDirk Warriors X 2= 270 +
Thorgrim 350

Then use range fillers for 500 or 600. Maybe 10th X 2 for a round 500.

After Alastair is wounded retreat him, and substitute him with Thorgrim. After Thorgrim dies, place his spirit on Alastair. It will help him last longer. I've done it twice (the core army not with the 10th yet) and wiped out a whole lot of orcs and marros. Of course, you can always substitute Thorgrim and get Raelin instead, but I like that Thorgrim bonds with the Warriors. In other words, you don't have to worry about order markers on Raelin.

 

[Aldin]

just got him last week, can't wait to play him, but am looking to get a second squad of macdirk warriors before i do.

He also plays great with the Knights of Weston!

~Aldin, Valiantly

 

[Revdyer]

just got him last week, can't wait to play him, but am looking to get a second squad of macdirk warriors before i do.

I love Alastair, being of the blood. But get a third squad of MacDirks, if you really want to do the Highland Fling.

 

[Hero Hot Hatch]

just got him last week, can't wait to play him, but am looking to get a second squad of macdirk warriors before i do.

I love Alastair, being of the blood. But get a third squad of MacDirks, if you really want to do the Highland Fling.

One solution although it has its obvious negatives is to play a squad of KoWs, while the MacDirks are still weak attack wise. I try to limit my commons to no more than 2 sets, but there is always justification for more sets specially with 4th Mass, etc. With so much diversity available the need for many multiple commons is lesser and lesser. First, it costs more money. Second, there are more choices for more versatile armies now than two years ago. I made one of the few exceptions and bought 3 sets of 10th, but that's it. The other problem with the MacDirks is that if your champion or when your champion goes down (most likely either Alastair or Sir Gilbert), the value of the MacDirks in your army drops by 50%. It's a risky proposition.

 

[EagleOne]

I have the worst luck with this guy...
So far I have played with him twice and made sure I had 2 to 3 squads of MacDirk Warriors to run to the aid of their leader. But both times he has been the victim of an insta-kill.
The first time he fell to the Rechets of Bogdan on their first shot...
... and down he went. Leaving the MacDirks alone.

The second time I send him out with some KoW to slow the advance of Krug and his arrow gruts. He nearly has Krug killed (6 wounds on 2 attacks). Only to have Grimnak run up and roll a 20 to chomp him. Again leaving the MacDirks to scratch themselves while they get clobbered.

Hopefully my luck will change, or my drafting Alastair will have to end.

 

[Revdyer]

EagleOne, most of us who love and play Alastair don't send him out front at all. Maybe that would help. It certainly would keep him from getting killed instantly.

 

[DarkBladeCB]

Rev, you're probably right. I'm still getting the feel for a lot of the characters because I've only played about 7 or 8 games against other people.

Playing is the key, EagleOne. Keep at it.

I spent my college years going from Richmond (home) to Bristol (school). When things got boring, we'd jump in the car and drive north to Roanoke, because, in those days, the bus depot had the best pinball machines in SW Virginia. So, I have a fondness for your locale.

I would agree with Rev. If you use that team again, I'd recommend extending with Alastair (just to get a wound or three--but leaving him out of harm's way) and then sending in the MacDirks, perhaps with Thorgrim bonding along the way to boost their defense. If (when?) they eventually fall, you will have a pretty hefty attack in Alastair to clean up any mess still left on the board.

Also: what pinball machines were they, out of curiosity?

 

[sachsen]

Well, after several prior attempts, I finally got Alastair and the MacDirks to work well tonight. I sent Alastair out, got five wounds on him, and retreated to safety. I then sent out MacDirks who were hitting with 7 --- 8 with height! --- who took out Sonlen, several Einar Imperium, etc. After the Warriors were all dead, I healed Alastair with Kelda and sent him out for another round. Great fun!

 

[Tomcrush626]

This army is kind of a taking off of what you guys have already said, I'm just trying to put it down on paper.
Alastair 110
Macdirks x3 350
Thorgrim 430
Krav Maga 530
Guilty Mcreech 560
Im not sure what to get with the last 40 (to make it a 600 pt army), but anyway you get Alastair to 1-2 life left, then pull him back. Then Macdirks bond with Thorgrim and fight with ranged support from Krav and Guilty. When Thorgrim dies, you could put him on Krav, or maybe Alastair to try and make a bit more out of his remaing life. If most of the macdirks are dead, you could charge out with Alastair, and get in a couple of attacks before he dies. Use the Krav to specifically focus on the enemy range figures. Same with Guilty. Mabye the last 40 points could go to Eldgrim and Isamu?

 

[Fourshadow]

This army is kind of a taking off of what you guys have already said, I'm just trying to put it down on paper.
Alastair 110
Macdirks x3 350
Thorgrim 430
Krav Maga 530
Guilty Mcreech 560
Im not sure what to get with the last 40 (to make it a 600 pt army), but anyway you get Alastair to 1-2 life left, then pull him back. Then Macdirks bond with Thorgrim and fight with ranged support from Krav and Guilty. When Thorgrim dies, you could put him on Krav, or maybe Alastair to try and make a bit more out of his remaing life. If most of the macdirks are dead, you could charge out with Alastair, and get in a couple of attacks before he dies. Use the Krav to specifically focus on the enemy range figures. Same with Guilty. Mabye the last 40 points could go to Eldgrim and Isamu?

Theracus is always a good choice for 40 pts. Especially if you need to get Alistair out of the way.

 

[the kyrie]

A good idea.

Alastair MacDirk X 1
Kelda X 1
Saylind X 1
MacDirks X 2
Knights of Weston X 1
Total 500 points


A good combo considering the MacDirks lose their power once Alastair is summoned and healed. But then the Westons can save their tails until he gets back. Sort of.

 

[Hero Hot Hatch]

A good idea.

Alastair MacDirk X 1
Kelda X 1
Saylind X 1
MacDirks X 2
Knights of Weston X 1
Total 500 points


A good combo considering the MacDirks lose their power once Alastair is summoned and healed. But then the Westons can save their tails until he gets back. Sort of.

I have played similar armies with the core of Alastair MacDirk, KoWs X1 and MacDirks X 2. I got tired of loosing a squad of MacDirks before Alastair was even wounded (or at least with 2 or more wounds). The KoWs have the higher staying power needed to allow the MacDirks time to become lethal. The KoWs can also be used to engage opponents when possible in order to help keep Alastair alive after wounded, etc. I remember also trying Raelin to help boost the MacDirks defense, which is lousy for an 80 point squad, and to help Alastair stay alive. The trick is in keeping Alastair safe after he has lost his first 4 lives. If Alastair gets killed and you are left with a couple of MacDirk squads, you'll loose the game. They are worth around 40 points/squad without their champion.

In your army, I don't like the 5% chance of Kelda killing Alastair once he has lost 4 lives. Also, like you noted, Kelda could adversely impact the MacDirks attack if it heals Alastair. If you have Alastair with 4 wounds already, focus on playing him safe for as long as you can instead of risking him in any way whatsover. I never forgave Kelda for killing my Marcus DG in a game. That alone cost me the game.

 

[the kyrie]

A good idea.

Alastair MacDirk X 1
Kelda X 1
Saylind X 1
MacDirks X 2
Knights of Weston X 1
Total 500 points


A good combo considering the MacDirks lose their power once Alastair is summoned and healed. But then the Westons can save their tails until he gets back. Sort of.

I have played similar armies with the core of Alastair MacDirk, KoWs X1 and MacDirks X 2. I got tired of loosing a squad of MacDirks before Alastair was even wounded (or at least with 2 or more wounds). The KoWs have the higher staying power needed to allow the MacDirks time to become lethal. The KoWs can also be used to engage opponents when possible in order to help keep Alastair alive after wounded, etc. I remember also trying Raelin to help boost the MacDirks defense, which is lousy for an 80 point squad, and to help Alastair stay alive. The trick is in keeping Alastair safe after he has lost his first 4 lives. If Alastair gets killed and you are left with a couple of MacDirk squads, you'll loose the game. They are worth around 40 points/squad without their champion.

In your army, I don't like the 5% chance of Kelda killing Alastair once he has lost 4 lives. Also, like you noted, Kelda could adversely impact the MacDirks attack if it heals Alastair. If you have Alastair with 4 wounds already, focus on playing him safe for as long as you can instead of risking him in any way whatsover. I never forgave Kelda for killing my Marcus DG in a game. That alone cost me the game.

I know I needed more time to think that through. You could replace Kelda With Concan to lead the knights and once alastair gets wounded enough Saylind can just summon him back to safety.

 

[Rÿchean]

Thorgrim or Finn would be a better option than Concan since it is the same points and they bond with either squad.

 

[the kyrie]

so a final review:

Alastair X1
MacDirks X2
Westons X1
Saylind X1
Finn X1

it's good. goood.

 

[Sir Dendrik]

I've always felt restricted with Overextend. You have to wonder if Overextend was restricted to one use per Round simply because it was the only possible way to word it.

You can't say only usable once per "Turn" because you're taking multiple terms.

Once per order marker, but that's clumsy. Plus the mechanic of "After revealing an order marker..." wasn't created back in wave 3.

But who can keep track of whether or not they Overextended this round? This is one of the few powers in Heroscape without a concrete reminder. Let the cheating commence.

 

[chaoserver]

My best game with this man I used him to hold a narrow pass, just within Raelins Aura, while knights creeped up near him, and Kelda waited across a river, prepared to heal him when needed. It was hardly needed though, he slew about 500 points before needing any healing.

 

[AgentDex]

I've always felt restricted with Overextend. You have to wonder if Overextend was restricted to one use per Round simply because it was the only possible way to word it.

You can't say only usable once per "Turn" because you're taking multiple terms.

Once per order marker, but that's clumsy. Plus the mechanic of "After revealing an order marker..." wasn't created back in wave 3.

But who can keep track of whether or not they Overextended this round? This is one of the few powers in Heroscape without a concrete reminder. Let the cheating commence.

If you could use Overextend 3 times in a round, Alistair would get a bunch of turns in a round. That in its self isn't too powerful since he would be taking wounds for it but think how fast the MacDirks attack would rise. I think it was worded like that to not overpower the Macdirks so fast.

 

[Sir Dendrik]

I've always felt restricted with Overextend. You have to wonder if Overextend was restricted to one use per Round simply because it was the only possible way to word it.

You can't say only usable once per "Turn" because you're taking multiple terms.

Once per order marker, but that's clumsy. Plus the mechanic of "After revealing an order marker..." wasn't created back in wave 3.

But who can keep track of whether or not they Overextended this round? This is one of the few powers in Heroscape without a concrete reminder. Let the cheating commence.

If you could use Overextend 3 times in a round, Alistair would get a bunch of turns in a round. That in its self isn't too powerful since he would be taking wounds for it but think how fast the MacDirks attack would rise. I think it was worded like that to not overpower the Macdirks so fast.

Very good point.

However, the MacDirks wouldn't become overpowered even if Alastair could Overextend at any time.

The caveat is their 2 defense, obviously. But also that sacrificing 110 points to raise their attack to 7 is not worth it. I've used this strategy (by attacking Alastair with other units) and the loss of Alastair puts the MacDirks in a bigger rut than having less attack would have. Taking Kelda to reuse Alastair at the end of it is just digging yourself into a bigger ditch point-wise.

That being said, the MacDirks probably had a lot of influence on the wording of Overextend. Against Melee heroes these guys would be legendary. Honestly, they could use the boost.

 

[flameslayer93]

I've always felt restricted with Overextend. You have to wonder if Overextend was restricted to one use per Round simply because it was the only possible way to word it.

You can't say only usable once per "Turn" because you're taking multiple terms.

Once per order marker, but that's clumsy. Plus the mechanic of "After revealing an order marker..." wasn't created back in wave 3.

But who can keep track of whether or not they Overextended this round? This is one of the few powers in Heroscape without a concrete reminder. Let the cheating commence.

If you could use Overextend 3 times in a round, Alistair would get a bunch of turns in a round. That in its self isn't too powerful since he would be taking wounds for it but think how fast the MacDirks attack would rise. I think it was worded like that to not overpower the Macdirks so fast.

Very good point.

However, the MacDirks wouldn't become overpowered even if Alastair could Overextend at any time.

The caveat is their 2 defense, obviously. But also that sacrificing 110 points to raise their attack to 7 is not worth it. I've used this strategy (by attacking Alastair with other units) and the loss of Alastair puts the MacDirks in a bigger rut than having less attack would have. Taking Kelda to reuse Alastair at the end of it is just digging yourself into a bigger ditch point-wise.

That being said, the MacDirks probably had a lot of influence on the wording of Overextend. Against Melee heroes these guys would be legendary. Honestly, they could use the boost.

Try Rhogar, and you will still have a beat stick who can quickly heal Alistair as he retreats. Then take another Champion(Hawthorne might be fine) and you still have some bonding even after Alistair returns to the back of the board.