Review starts after the break!
Thyron, Sword of Truth:
Efficacy: 4/5
Thyron is another example of what I consider to be fairly standard Retribution 'caster abilities: some ratio between personal capabilities and adequate army support. In Thyron's case, he is a very personally capable combatant, that also ends up being surprisingly safe despite his medium base (thanks to Blade Shield and the faction's ability to dole out Force Barrier in bubbles). He combines that with solid, but not earth shattering, support spells and a similarly powered feat. What makes Thyron remarkable is the kind of army he enables: Onslaught, Spellpiercer, and Storm Rager allow him to focus more on the non-Mage Hunter Retribution models (though he seems very good with Infiltrators) and enable one helluva melee force.
Meta Bending: 3/5
Thyron's immediate meta contribution for Retribution is how much he can enable an aggressive melee army that ignores common obstacles (terrain, defensive spell bonuses). This would be even more remarkable if the Mage Hunter models didn't exist (which already ignore spell bonuses) but it is still remarkable for how much of Retribution's melee models Thyron can make use of. Storm Rager is also terrifying on any of Retribution's already potent melee solos, and it ends up being excellent on Thyron himself late game. The biggest issue that Thyron is going to run into is that, at present, there are already plenty of aggressive melee infantry builds out there, so his schtick is already accounted for in most list sets. That said, it is still an effective approach in general, and it will likely only become stronger as more releases come along.
Coolness: 4/5
I was sort of interested in Thyron based on PP's early descriptions of his character. I was completely on board once I saw the model. When someone said "Retribution swordsman", that was the absolute last thing I pictured! I also really appreciate PP's willingness to break up the usual Retribution paint scheme, which ends up making Thyron stand out that much more across the model line. I do, however, have to ding the model on its excessive helmet horn, and the shoulder knives.
Helios:
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| Helios Art |
Helios is a paragon of doing a lot with a little. It doesn't have any damaging guns and it doesn't have anything fancy going on with its fists, but it still ends up being a remarkable model. Part of that is the flexibility afforded by its Force Gate ability: not only does this ability allow Helios to scale its defenses to counter what it may be facing, but it also allows it to serve different army roles during list creation (tank, focus amplifier, fisherman). The Helios also looks to be the most durable colossal out of all the ones released so far; it boasts an impressive 64 damage boxes (between grid and power field) with Force Barrier and possibly Poltergeist to boost its defenses against shooting and melee. The shooting defenses are especially remarkable, as it is usually just taken for granted that you can easily shoot a colossal to debuff it/soften it up. Combine that with fire immunity, Virtuoso paired with a gun that allows it to push models around, and a dirt cheap point cost (relative to other colossals), and Helios is a helluva package.
Meta Bending: 4/5
Helios seems very well equipped to serve as a very durable, irritating anchor to most Retribution lists that can contribute during the game by moving things into unfortunate positions. The durability factor is a big deal, as Retribution warjacks (outside of the preposterously durable Imperatus) aren't all that durable. Being fire immune also gives Helios an extremely strong leg up against the most common ranged attacks in Protectorate and Legion, making it a very strong choice against either of those (especially considering its ability to threaten scenario zones). Similar to Conquest/Victor, Helios seems like the more generally applicable and useful colossal over its counterpart Hyperion. Helios is likewise cheaper, making it that much easier to fit into lists.
Coolness: 4.5/5
If I still played Retribution, I'd be all over this colossal. Helios brings a lot to the table for a relatively low cost and it seems like it will be a maddeningly effective scenario/board control piece. The only thing I have to dock it half a point for - and this is unfair, but I can't help it - is the fact that it doesn't have a big 'ol gun on it. My ideal colossals have a big, cool gun on them that is satisfying to shoot. Helios doesn't have that, and probably ends up better for it (Hyperion paid a mighty price in RNG for the power of its main gun), but I'd always be slightly disappointed that it didn't lob some hellacious shot during a game. I'd get over it pretty quickly though.
Moros:
Efficacy: 4.5/5 (with Garryth) / 4/5 (with everyone else)
Moros is one helluva combat light. It is easy to over look, as that isn't a very exciting category most of the time, but Moros comes to the table with a fantastic suite of rules to help him get where he wants to and do some work. Duelist and Stealth give Moros solid defensive tech against melee and ranged attacks and it comes with two P+S 13 (up to 15 with Concentrated Power) melee weapons with Grevious Wounds, or a RAT 6 Paralysis gun. Moros also fits into my favorite category of character warjack: useful with everyone, but with a nice bonus when used with it's owner. Apparition extends Moros' threat ranges, and helps to make it that much more slippery under Garryth.
Meta Bending: 2/5
Unfortunately, as mentioned, combat light warjacks aren't particularly useful in the current meta (outside of Synergy builds and theme list shenanigans). Moros brings a lot to the table for a combat light, but at the end of the day it is still a light: low hitting power, low durability. Its Paralysis gun offers a solid control option against some warbeasts, but the short RNG on it can easily put Moros in a position where it is still in danger after tagging its target (and its probably catastrophic if you miss). Moros in general feels like a piece that is meant to bolster up Retribution's abilities against Hordes (Paralysis and Grevious Wounds) but of all the platforms to do that on, a light myrmidon may not have been the most effective choice.
Coolness: 5/5
None of the above at all diminishes the fact that Moros is cool as hell. It is a ninja light myrmidon with coo, fun abilities, and an awesome paint scheme to match.
House Vyre Electromancers:
The Electromancers continue the fine Retribution tradition of being a unit of models that makes my eyes bug out a little bit when I read their abilities. They have an excellent combination of attacks with their Inducer Bolts that gives them game against a decent variety of targets, and they should be very nasty with any buffs thrown in the mix. The Electromancers sort of need those buffs, as they aren't especially accurate (RAT 6 is by no means bad, but on the "touchy" side of the math curve against DEF 12+) and have poor defensive stats (they need to get work done when they commit, otherwise they probably won't get a second chance).
Meta Bending: 2/5
This is a case where I don't see anything especially wrong with the Elecromancers, but I also can't really see any way that they're going to drastically change Retribution. Retribution already has a glut of ranged attacks that can handle a variety of targets, and they even already have a pretty fantastic 4 point unit (Stormfall Archers) that handles things in a similar way to these guys. That said, I can see the Electromancers doing fantastic work with several 'casters - Ossyan, Ravyn, and Issyria spring to mind - and they certainly don't seem bad. Not every release needs to revolutionize the faction, after all.
Coolness: 5/5
If I still played Retribution, I'd be all over this unit. I love Lightning Generator and Pulse Fire, and those abilities seem like they'd be a lot of fun to apply on the tabletop. Plus its a set of storm themed techno-wizards, which isn't new to Warmachine, but is brand new to Retribution (and honestly isn't something that is that thoroughly explored in Cygnar, despite how old the theme is).
Soulless Voidtracer:
Efficacy: 4.5/5
Similar to the Soul Trappers, the Soulless Voidtracer has one job, and does it very well: screw with your opponent's ability to cast spells at your stuff. The timing of it's ability is the most important part - by doing damage to the spellcasting model before the spell even kicks in, it serves as a significant deterrent against lots of single wound spellcasters (or multiple wound spellcasters targeting multiple things near the Voidtracer). The only thing I can ding the Voidtracers for is that they don't have multiple wounds, so they may get picked off sometimes (though they have other great devensive abilities to back them up).
Meta Bending: 3/5
The thing about a model like the Voidtracer is that, while it is cheap and useful, it is still fairly niche. Many lists will likely be better served by bringing a different 2 point solo than 2 of these guys, or rejiggering the list to find a more consistent use for that one last point (assuming 2 Arcanists are around, which seems safe). The biggest thing going for the Voidtracers is that they give lists that are supposed to line up against spellcasting threats (most obviously Circle, Cryx, and Retribution) an easy source of extra bite. They will also be fantastic Specialist models, which gives them a lot of value in ADR formats. I think they'll be showing up, but not warp lists around them either way.
Coolness: 4/5
I've always liked the Soulless models in Retribution as a concept, and they've seen precious little expansion since the initial set of Retribution releases. It is very cool to finally get a new model from that archetype, and its a fantastic bonus that the model looks to be useful and effective. Plus the actual model may be very cool, if the artwork is anything to go by (fair warning: it usually isn't with PP).
Retribution Overall Release Rating: 4/5
Retribution came out of Reckoning with a very solid set of releases. Everything they got looks to either be generally quite useful - Thyron, Helios, Soulltracers - or at least useful in some lists - Moros and the Electromancers.
Thyron and Helios seem to be the most interesting and have the most potential impact of all the new releases. Thyron looks to enable some really brutal melee armies in a way that Retribution couldn't always get away with before (getting Pathfinder for more of their melee infantry is a big deal), and as a Khador player I really appreciate how personally potent Thyron is (offensively and defensively). Storm Rager should also be a lot of fun/terrifying on most of Retribution's combat solos.
Helios is a very exciting release. It is a very solid support colossal in a faction that often does most of its work via its infantry anyways. Helios is very solid defensively, has push mechanics that can enable charges for other parts of the army, and still brings all the durability and hitting power that you want from a colossal, all at the cheapest cost possible. I love the big crazy gun on Hyperion, but its hard to fit him into lists due to his set up; Helios seems easier to fit into more lists.
Overall, I'd be very excited for this new set of releases if I was still playing Retribution. Its a uniformly solid set of releases that also looks to translate to some sick models, so it seems like a win all around for Retribution players.
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Next up: Mercenaries, and their wonderful(ish) new workers. Until then, thanks for reading!
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