On top of all that, I'm having to deal with fighting against many of my natural instincts to effectively use a 'caster like Butcher3. I'm naturally a very cautious and conservative player; ill suited for aggressive or assassination oriented 'casters (or at least ones that want to be as aggressive as Butcher3 wants to be.)
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| An enigma wrapped in a riddle, swathed in mystery. Or blood. Probably blood. |
The Goal:
Common consensus is that Butcher3 is "very good." He's not a world ending meta bender like Bradigus, Haley2, or pre-errata Gaspy2 (not that the nerfs took that much punch outta the 'ol lich), but he is consistently regarded as one of the most potent 'casters in the Khador stable. Many players have had success with him in the relatively short time he's been available. Even though his personal impact waxes and wanes as the meta shifts, he still commands a lot of respect from players on both sides of the table.
For that reason, and because he seems very fun, I want to become a more experienced, knowledgeable Butcher3 player. I didn't play him at all when he became publicly available, and even now that I've started to use him my "games played" count is awfully low.
I also consistently feel that I'm (for lack of a more precise term) not using him correctly. My first several games were spent tripping over models and jamming myself up, and more recent games have left me feeling like I don't know how to appropriately spend his focus, use his feat, or commit him at the right times.
In short: I feel like I have a lot to learn about Butcher3. And unlike Harkevich (who was fun but cursed with a maddeningly low power ceiling) Butcher3 feels like he'll be rewarding once I feel more confident with him.
Challenges and Setbacks:
In no particular order:
- Different playstyle: I've never been much of an assassination style player in Warmachine. Most of the time my assassinations come via the game grinding down until there isn't much left, then the enemy 'caster is left wide open. I don't like losing out of resources by going for assassinations that fail, and I've never really become comfortable with going "all in" with my 'caster unless it's a desperate gamble. I'm only really comfortable committing to an assassination run when the odds are strongly in my favor, and even in those situations I've been burned often enough by dice to be gun shy.
As is probably obvious, this is the total opposite of how Butcher3 excels. He can be fantastic at controlling an area of the table (by killing everything that comes close) but a big part of his power comes from the ever-present threat of him charging in and chopping down the enemy 'caster. Being too conservative or cautious with him greatly limits that threat projection, and by extension probably takes away a fair bit of his power.
- Cowardly nature: I do not like feeling like my 'caster is at all exposed. Part of this comes from my meta: one of our group is a very creative, bold assassination player who come up with elaborate plans and then pull them off more often than not. Playing against him has made me especially paranoid about leaving any lanes open to my 'caster at all. Even a fully camped Butcher3 makes me feel very nervous - he's not invincible, but he is extremely tough in that state, so if I was going to feel confident with any 'caster it should be him.
Part of the issue here is that I haven't really played enough games with Butcher3 to get a solid sense of what he can and cannot survive. Like anything else in this game, you can only really learn a model's capabilities by putting it to the test. I need to play more games with Butcher3, and (intelligently) become more comfortable putting him in more aggressive positions. I don't think I should be babying him as much as I am, and doing so is often leaving me in a really poor position to take advantage of his ability to swing a game (or win it) on his feat turn.
- Unfamiliarity with the "best practices" for resource use (Focus, Feat): Butcher3's feat seems like the most obvious thing in the world to time correctly, but it's surprisingly easy to mess up. If you use it too early, you greatly hamstring his ability to make any bold moves; the one thing I've definitely learned is that almost every "big" turn with Butcher hinges on his ability to effectively double his Focus pool for a turn. If you use Butcher3's feat too late, you're probably already dead; an aware opponent will notice when you've let Butcher drop to within "killable" range of the models they have nearby, and they're very likely to seize on the opportunity. Focus camp is the #1 thing that keeps Butcher3 alive, so failing to feat at the right time often means you've lost the game.
- Lack of comfort with lists: I haven't yet found a list with Butcher3 that I really like. The "easiest" lists to run with him are the ones that use 2+ units of infantry, some support for Butcher3 (typically some combination of: Eiryss2, Madelyn, a Bokur, Ternion,) and one warjack (which can be as cheap as a Berserker, or as expensive as the Behemoth.) This style of list allows Butcher to run around and act fairly independently, while also having some components to throw at your opponent and whittle their list down enough for Butcher to come in and close out the game (either directly, or via scenario.)
A big issue I've been having with this approach is that all or most of the infantry I'm bringing gets killed before it can do much of anything, which leaves just Butcher and his warjack to do the work, which then often leaves Butcher exposed enough to be taken out by the enemy's remaining army.
Part of that is certainly due to the meta: our area is thick with Skorne players, and Incindiarii are frustratingly well equipped to clear out Khador infantry with ease. The other popular faction is Khador, so I'm sure everyone has done a great job of paving the way for the meta to brew up solid anti-Butcher3 lists, that I'm now running into.
The other part of this issue is probably due to list design and intent. One popular job for Butcher3 is as an "anti-colossal" 'caster, and that's certainly why I've wanted to include him in my list line-up. Having most or all of your army killed on the way in is fine if: a) they cause sufficient damage to the opposing army, and b) they pave the way for Butcher3 to get to the enemy colossal, which is often the only model likely to threaten Butcher. If you can pull that off, Butcher3 is usually in a good place to ride out the rest of the game, or go after the 'caster.
This meta seems overall very light on colossals. Few players show up with the factions that are likely to bring one - Cygnar, Convergence, Mercs - and even of the factions that might bring a colossal - Khador, Cryx, Retribution, rarely Protectorate - no one seems to want to mess with 'em. That leaves my Butcher3 list struggling to adapt to a situation I didn't really expect: either lots of infantry, or plenty of warbeasts (which are more consistently dangerous to Butcher3 as a counter-punch than warjacks would be.)
All of those factors combine to make my Butcher3 lists much less effective than I'd hoped they'd be, on top of the general usage issues I've been having with him. There are alternative list builds that may be useful (more on this in a minute) but those lists have their own limitations and concerns. Which leaves me in the always-maddening state of feeling like I need to keep changing my Butcher3 list around; a practice that usually does more harm than good.
- As mentioned previously, the meta has grown to adapt for Butcher3, both at a macro level and a micro level. Players know what to expect from Butcher3 in general, and the factions that can bring solutions to him most often do; this goes double for our local meta, where Khador players are apparently thick on the ground. Combine that with other confounding factors (such as the rise of Bradigus, who just so happens to also have an excellent set of counter-Butcher3 tools) and I'm having to find my footing with Butcher3, figure out what lists I like with him, and figure out match ups. It has made playing him rather frustrating at times, and there is a strong temptation to just return to someone I'm more comfortable and familiar with.
Important Lessons Learned:
Once again, in no particular order:
- Impending Doom has an extremely impressive circumference (heh) but it actually doesn't project all that far out past Butcher3's base linearly, if that makes sense. It is important to be able to eyeball 5" to estimate how far out Impending Doom can reach, and then on top of that you need to be able to estimate that 5" range past where Butcher3 ends up (most often after charging.) I've found its usually very easy to determine where Butcher3 will end up, but much harder to accurately gauge what he'll catch with Impending Doom (since you can always measure Butcher3's 11" charge perfectly, but not the 17" threat on a charge + Impending Doom range.)
- Similar to the previous point, it is very important to be able to recognize the proper order to pull models in, and which models may "catch" on other models and terrain to stop the pull. It's a very odd set of movements, so it's something that requires seeing in practice to really understand (I'm still working to improve my ability to guess the correct outcome consistently.) The ideal situation is to have all enemies in a perfect circle around Butcher3 with no terrain nearby, but that's almost never going to happen. You need to be able to recognize when extraneous circumstances will mess with your Impending Doom plans, and then act accordingly. Failing to do so is a very easy way to commit Butcher for uneven gains, which can (and often does) lead to him dying to counterattack.
- Getting the full extent of Butcher3's threat - 3" Vengeance, 3" Intrigue, 3" Energizer, charge then Impending Doom - is the holy grail. You're very likely to get little chunks of that, but getting all of it is pretty rare (and usually means that your opponent made a significant mistake.) Moreover, it's usually difficult to project that threat straight out to it's fullest extent. Vengeance and Intrigue trigger in the Maintenance Phase, so if you have models in the way (and you often do in order to keep Butcher3 safe on the approach) you're going to be spending part of those movements just moving around your own stuff. Vengeance can be easier to manage as the Argus move along with Butcher (so if they were in front they can get the hell out of the way,) but managing the most important extra movements - Vengeance and Intrigue - requires plenty of practice.
- Related to that, Butcher3's Big-'Ol-Berserk-Charge (patent pending) has impressive threat range, but it's also extremely expensive. Energizer is half of his stack right off the top and Impending Doom is two more, leaving you with a whopping 1 Focus when you get to your destination. Butcher3 can make that 1 Focus go further than almost any other 'caster in the game thanks to Flashing Blade and his beefy melee profile, but it's still only 1 Focus. If you're going to need to Energizer and Impending Doom to get to heavies, a colossal, or the enemy 'caster, you really need to have Butcher3's feat available, otherwise you're probably not going to get there with enough Focus to get the job done.
- Because of that, Butcher3's feat is extremely important to his overall game. It's the enabler for his biggest offensive turns, while also being the best way to keep him alive after he spends down his stack of Focus. As such, it's very important to be able to identify what role his feat is probably going to be used for in a given game. Can you afford to use it defensively and camp through to win on scenario, or are you going to need to hold onto it until you can go all-in with a big, game changing move? Identifying this early on is important, though it isn't always obvious, and then you still need to time the use of the feat properly (though I'm realizing this is less difficult when you can clearly identify how you need to use it in a given game.)
- Butcher3's movement shenanigans aren't just for threat extension. This is another *duh* moment, but it really is something that only really clicked for me in the last few games. Few 'casters in Khador (and possibly the game) have as many pre- or post-movement and action options as Butcher3 does. The combination of Flashing Blade and Energizer allows for amazing flexibility, and Impending Doom is a pseudo threat extender/Flashing Blade buddy that happens to also play well with that level of flexibility.
After playing "normal" 'casters for so long, I'm very stuck in the usual flow of things: possibly cast spells pre-Move, Move, possibly cast spell pre-Action, take Action, possibly cast spells post-Action. Irusk2 and the Sorschas are the only ones that can shake that cycle up by adding an additional movement in the middle (Energizer, Wind Rush, Cyclone) and I guess Strakov gets a nod as well for Overrun (though usually he's moving something else with it.)
The key thing that separates Butcher3 from all of those 'casters is that Butcher3 has other spells that allow him to do a lot of work, all before actually using his Move or Action (Vlad3 can do similar work with Ride-By, Flashing Blades, and his Feat, but its not quite the same.) Everyone else usually has to get to their action to do anything meaningful (or they get to cast all of one spell,) so the flow is pretty linear. Butcher3 can advance and kill every model within 5" of himself before even using his Move!
That gives him tremendous flexibility in how he moves and operates, which I sort of understood offensively. What I didn't really appreciate was how useful that can be defensively. Example: If you were only planning on advancing 3" forward in a turn anyways, and you were planning on casting Energizer to move backwards, reverse that: use Energizer to move forward, Flashing Blade/Impending Doom as necessary, then use your normal movement to move backwards.
Little things like that are what I need to learn to recognize with Butcher3. Its difficult because he's the first Khador 'caster to have that kind of potential. But it's also rewarding to pull off moves like that, and it's a big part of what makes Butcher3 fun to play.
- Barring certain circumstances (i.e. your opponent not realizing what Butcher3 can do and offering up an insanely profitable formation of models for him to eat,) Butcher3 really, really needs some other models to go in and do some solid work before he commits. This seems obvious, and I always thought it was before I started playing him, but even an ultra-conservative warcaster-baby like me has been compelled to throw Butcher3 into situations that ended up being extremely dangerous (or fatal.)
There seems to be a tipping point in every game. A point at which either: a) Butcher3 can commit and kill something/a few somethings, and be relatively safe from reprisal, or b) everything that could reasonably kill Butcher3 has been neutralized, so he's free to frolic and go nuts. 'A' feels like the more likely scenario in most games. Your opponent knows what they need to use to kill Butcher3, and they're going to try their damnedest to protect it. That then probably leads to a situation where you and your opponent trade until that Butcher3 threat has to commit, and Butcher kills it. 'B' is the most ideal scenario, but the likelihood of it happening varies wildly based on what your opponent brings, and is also difficult to pull off due to Butcher3's lack of general army support.
Identifying which scenario is more likely is the first step. The next step is taking the right actions to facilitate that scenario playing out favorably (this is where I'm screwing up most often.) Colossals/Gargantuans make this very easy, as they're almost always the biggest threats on the table, with the most resources invested into both keeping them alive and upping their output. Correctly playing Butcher3 becomes more difficult as the threats become more dispersed and varied. It becomes more about a sequence of trades and encounters than just "get Butcher to that big thing and kill it."
List Ideas:
This is a random collection of lists ideas I've had with Butcher3 while brainstorming. In proper brainstorming fashion, I'm just dumping them here with a little explanation as to the thoughts behind each. Some of these probably won't ever even get played (hell, maybe none of them will,) but sometimes just kicking around ideas can lead to a helpful revelation.
Blitz:
Kommander Zoktavir, The Butcher Unleashed (*4pts)
* Berserker (6pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Greylord Ternion (Leader and 2 Grunts) (4pts)
Iron Fang Pikemen (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Black Dragon Officer & Standard (2pts)
Kayazy Assassins (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Kayazy Assassin Underboss (2pts)
Widowmakers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (4pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist (2pts)
Iron Fang Kovnik (2pts)
Madelyn Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan (2pts)
Man-o-war Drakhun (with dismount) (5pts)
Saxon Orrik (2pts)
Kayazy Eliminators (Leader and Grunt) / Ogrun Bokur (3pts)
This is a variant of the list I've been running with Butcher3. I like the Nyss with him (because, duh, Nyss) and having a shooting component in the list was very nice. However, I also noticed that in many of my games the Nyss would end up lagging behind everything else due a variety of factors (wanting to aim, leveraging shots elsewhere, getting tied up in melee, etc.) That caused my front line to pretty much always just be the BDIFP, who could (and often were) isolated and killed.
I could potentially solve some of the Nyss issues I've been having with Valachev, but I don't really want to sink more points into that unit (and I'm also debating finding a way to sneak them into Sorscha2's list.) To try and ensure that my front line is always going to be two units, I'm swapping out the Nyss for another melee unit. As I don't own another unit of IFP (nor will I, unless something crazy happens,) I'm trying out the Assassins for now. They're way easier to kill than the IFP at range (except against the narrowing band of shooting models that don't ignore Stealth,) but they also don't need or want to maintain any specific formation, and they're also harder to dislodge once they get to melee.
I don't know that it'll be "better" than the BDIFP x2 approach, but it's what I've got to work with for now. I am starting to appreciate the value of that set up, however, so if this general approach feels better for me and no comparable units come out in Reckoning, I might have to bite the bullet. Though the Sacral Vault is looming, which makes me ultra leery about any kind of infantry heavy approach in the future.
The MoW Drakun is my nod towards something "anti-shooting." It's not the most awesome tool ever, but if I can run him in to tie up a shooting unit for a turn or two, that should buy me the time I need to get everything else across the table. My recent time using the Drakun has re-ignited my love for the big guy.
Armor:
Kommander Zoktavir, The Butcher Unleashed (*4pts)* Devastator/Demolisher (9pts)
* Juggernaut (7pts)
* Spriggan (10pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Iron Fang Pikemen (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Iron Fang Pikemen Officer & Standard (2pts)
Greylord Ternion (Leader and 2 Grunts) (4pts)
Widowmakers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (4pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
Iron Fang Kovnik (2pts)
Madelyn Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan (2pts)
Kell Bailoch (2pts)
To that effect, I'm looking to try and run Butcher3 with more of a battlegroup focus. Others have tried it with success, and my first couple of games using the idea went pretty well. It has the virtue of not relying on squishy infantry to try and get work done early in the game, but it also has the drawback of draining Butcher3's Focus during the first half of the game or so. This often forces Butcher to play further back to stay safe, which can make it tricky to bring him into the game if he needs to transition to offense.
This configuration has two melee warjacks to send in for early damage, as well as a clamjack to park in a scenario zone. I've found that (during my games of running Harkevich battlegroup heavy) one of the hardest parts of running a larger battlegroup is being able to effectively split your force to cover scenarios. Some scenarios are very central, so it isn't an issue, but scenarios that require spreading out can be much more difficult. Clamjacks are a great compromise in those situations, as they let you park a model in a zone that is not at all easy to remove; your opponent needs to commit some kind of significant resource to it (even if it's just pushing/slamming/throwing it out of the zone,) which is one less thing they're sending into whatever other zone you're working on. As an added bonus, all of the clamjacks give you a fair anti-infantry tool (either 4" AOEs, or Rain of Death.)
The hardest part of this configuration is going to be running it properly (as I learned last game with a bigger battlegroup.) I need to send the clamjack towards whatever zone I don't want the enemy to score in, then I need to throw pretty much everything else into the other zone. Lead with the infantry and warjacks, then have Butcher come in and clean up whatever is left. In theory, at least.
Doom Reavers?:
Kommander Zoktavir, The Butcher Unleashed (*4pts)
* Drago (8pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
Greylord Ternion (Leader and 2 Grunts) (4pts)
Iron Fang Pikemen (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Black Dragon Officer & Standard (2pts)
Widowmakers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (4pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist (2pts)
Iron Fang Kovnik (2pts)
Madelyn Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan (2pts)
Man-o-war Drakhun (without dismount) (4pts)
Saxon Orrik (2pts)
This list is similar to the first one, but with an emphasis on crazy. Drago has the nice aspects of a Berserker (free run and charge) with the benefit of having a much, much better Chain Attack and a MAT that isn't absolutely depressing. Like the Berserker, I can try to "hand grenade" him if there's a chunk of infantry I want to clear out, and his Imprint makes that a little easier to do.
The Doom Reavers are a nod towards a need for greater overall hitting power, and Berserk can help offset the casualties they're likely to take on the way in. I don't have a lot of confidence with this approach, however, as I've found that Doom Reavers tend to pretty easily die to anything that gets a hold of them. The hope is that the couple that survive will cause as much or more damage than anything else I would have sent. Worth trying, at least.
Rar! Battlegroup!:
Kommander Zoktavir, The Butcher Unleashed (*4pts)* Demolisher (9pts)
* Devastator (9pts)
* Drago (8pts)
* Juggernaut (7pts)
* Juggernaut (7pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Greylord Ternion (Leader and 2 Grunts) (4pts)
Widowmakers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (4pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
Koldun Lord (2pts)
This list is crazytown, but in a different way. Two clamjacks for some anti-infantry, lots of scenario game, and a great place for Butcher3 to hide (beware ranged KD and slams!) Two Juggernauts and Drago to actually do some damage to the enemy.
I threw this list together for lulz, and upon review it seems a little insanely dense. I could drop Drago and use those points to upgrade the Juggernauts to something else, though the thing I'd most like to upgrade them to (Grolar) doesn't technically exist yet. Probably still worth testing to see how it works. I can use the excess points to fill out with random sniper solos to help keep models off the battlegroup.
So Many Dudes:
Kommander Zoktavir, The Butcher Unleashed (*4pts)
* Berserker (6pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Greygore Boomhowler & Co. (Boomhowler and 9 Grunts) (9pts)
Greylord Ternion (Leader and 2 Grunts) (4pts)
Iron Fang Pikemen (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Black Dragon Officer & Standard (2pts)
Kayazy Assassins (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Kayazy Assassin Underboss (2pts)
Widowmakers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (4pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
Madelyn Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan (2pts)
Ogrun Bokur (3pts)
Saxon Orrik (2pts)
Model overload! Three units of infantry to jam in and drain resources from the opponent, all while Butcher hangs back and waits for his opening (while possibly fueling up and sending in the Berserker.) I have similar reservations with this list that I do with the first one (too many things out there that sweep un-supported Khador infantry,) but three units is awfully nice, especially when one is 4+ Tough. The combination of units also represents all three points of the infantry spectrum - high ARM, high DEF/Stealth, and Tough - which is kind of neat.
From a meta standpoint, I kind of like the idea of Greygore in a Butcher3 list. One of my biggest concerns with Butcher3 is being able to deal with enemy warbeasts. Warjacks hit harder on average, but are easier to disable and are often a much bigger drain on your opponent's resources, so you're only going to eat so many counter attacks from warjacks. Beasts can still hit plenty hard (and will often have the support to do so now that everyone is tooling to deal with colossals, MMM, and Bradigus,) and their ability to generate their own boosting/extra attacks resource makes them much more dangerous. It doesn't matter if all your beasts are maxed out on Fury if you just won the game.
While it isn't a huge debuff, Greygore's ability to hand out a pulse -2 to hit for warjacks/warbeasts in his CMD can be viewed as yet another way to buff Butcher3's durability. Rage Howl makes him effectively DEF 16 against every warjack and warbeast affected by it; DEF 18 with the War Dog. Combine that with camp and most warbeasts will struggle to take him out without serious help. Plus the debuff also helps the infantry possibly stay alive (effective DEF 15 IFP and DEF 18 Kayazy.)
The downside is, of course, that Boomhowler can get picked off before he can work his magic, and that pulse is also all warjacks/warbeasts, not just enemy ones! This makes it harder to use in lists where warjacks feature more prominently, but it may also be something that could be played around (make sure to activate the warjacks that will be attacking before Boomhowler.)
Mega Jank:
Kommander Zoktavir, The Butcher Unleashed (*4pts)
* Grolar (8pts)
* Grolar (8pts)
* Grolar (8pts)
* War dog (1pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Gun Carriage (9pts)
Yuri the Axe (3pts)
Manhunter (2pts)
Manhunter (2pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
This is the almost obligatory "theme list jank". The funny thing is: aside from losing out on some key character solos (which hurts a lot) this seems like a fun list. 8 point Grolars is pretty great, and having some War Dog redundancy would be nice. You still have some solos and infantry to throw at the enemy, and the Gun Carriage gives you some shooting/occasional denial. Not great, or playable until the Grolar comes out, but better than I thought a Butcher3 theme list would turn out.
One thing messing around with this theme list did spark was the possibility of using Kodiaks with Butcher3. They run for free and have Pathfinder, both of which are a big help. It's combat output is poor (P+S 16 on an 8pt heavy = *sadface*) but it's chain attack allows for possible armlocks and throws without needing Focus (assuming you can hit.) And it's able to drop out clouds to protect Butcher (that stay in place, unlike the damn Ternion clouds,) or kill a couple of troops. I'll probably try it out at some point, but I'm not too optimistic; the Kodiak ended up in a really unfortunate spot in Mk. 2.
Next Steps:
Test! Test! Test!
I'm not even sure that I necessarily need a new list with him (looking around, players seem to do well with him based more on comfort than list composition,) but the act of trying out different lists will force me to get more games in with Butcher3. Hopefully while trying out all of these different ideas (and any other zany ones I happen to come up with) I'll continue to notice things I can do to improve my play with him, lock in good habits, and overall become more comfortable playing a 'caster that needs to be used more aggressively.
And, if I'm super-duper lucky, some wonderful new (or old, in the case of the Grolar) releases will come along and help me refine some of the ideas I have. Though none of that will be before May at the earliest, so I have a few months yet to work with what I've got on hand.
If you have some sage Butcher3 advice to share or thoughts on the lists, hit up the comments section. Any and all discussion about Butcher3 is very welcome to me right now.
I'm sure I'll be getting more games in over the coming weeks, and I'll report back any new thoughts or findings based on what I play. Until then, thanks very much for reading!
Mega Jank:
Kommander Zoktavir, The Butcher Unleashed (*4pts)
* Grolar (8pts)
* Grolar (8pts)
* Grolar (8pts)
* War dog (1pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Gun Carriage (9pts)
Yuri the Axe (3pts)
Manhunter (2pts)
Manhunter (2pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
This is the almost obligatory "theme list jank". The funny thing is: aside from losing out on some key character solos (which hurts a lot) this seems like a fun list. 8 point Grolars is pretty great, and having some War Dog redundancy would be nice. You still have some solos and infantry to throw at the enemy, and the Gun Carriage gives you some shooting/occasional denial. Not great, or playable until the Grolar comes out, but better than I thought a Butcher3 theme list would turn out.
One thing messing around with this theme list did spark was the possibility of using Kodiaks with Butcher3. They run for free and have Pathfinder, both of which are a big help. It's combat output is poor (P+S 16 on an 8pt heavy = *sadface*) but it's chain attack allows for possible armlocks and throws without needing Focus (assuming you can hit.) And it's able to drop out clouds to protect Butcher (that stay in place, unlike the damn Ternion clouds,) or kill a couple of troops. I'll probably try it out at some point, but I'm not too optimistic; the Kodiak ended up in a really unfortunate spot in Mk. 2.
Next Steps:
Test! Test! Test!
I'm not even sure that I necessarily need a new list with him (looking around, players seem to do well with him based more on comfort than list composition,) but the act of trying out different lists will force me to get more games in with Butcher3. Hopefully while trying out all of these different ideas (and any other zany ones I happen to come up with) I'll continue to notice things I can do to improve my play with him, lock in good habits, and overall become more comfortable playing a 'caster that needs to be used more aggressively.
And, if I'm super-duper lucky, some wonderful new (or old, in the case of the Grolar) releases will come along and help me refine some of the ideas I have. Though none of that will be before May at the earliest, so I have a few months yet to work with what I've got on hand.
If you have some sage Butcher3 advice to share or thoughts on the lists, hit up the comments section. Any and all discussion about Butcher3 is very welcome to me right now.
I'm sure I'll be getting more games in over the coming weeks, and I'll report back any new thoughts or findings based on what I play. Until then, thanks very much for reading!
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