I've messed around with Convergence a little bit in the past, but it was a very clumsy foray into the faction. This time around I was coming into the games with a slightly better understanding of how the army was going to play, and with a (marginally) better sense of how to use the various models.
Join me after the break for a collection of my thoughts and experiences after another run of games with everyone's favorite baroque robots.
The 'caster that brought me into Convergence was Syntherion. His ability to run an extremely warjack heavy army - and do so remarkably effectively - was an irresistible draw, especially when my primary faction doesn't so much as do that. In my initial run with Convergence I ended up splitting my games between the two 'casters I had assembled at that point (Syntherion and Directrix), but happily this time around I've been able to use Syntherion exclusively.
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| Hell yes. |
For some reference as to where these thoughts/impressions are coming from, here are summations of the games played:
Game 1:
Syntherion - Theme T4:
Forge Master Syntherion - WJ: +6- Corollary - PC: 3
- Assimilator - PC: 8
- Assimilator - PC: 8
- Cipher - PC: 9
- Diffuser - PC: 3
- Galvanizer - PC: 0
- Inverter - PC: 8
- Monitor - PC: 8
Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex - PC: 1
Reflex Servitors - PC: 2
Reflex Servitors - PC: 2
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
- Sylys Wyshnalyrr, The Seeker
- Banshee - PC: 10
- Chimera - PC: 6
- Manticore - PC: 8
Arcanist - PC: 1
Arcanist - PC: 1
House Shyeel Artificer - PC: 3
Mage Hunter Assassin - PC: 2
Houseguard Halberdiers - Leader & 9 Grunts: 7
- Halberdier Officer & Standard - PC: 2
Mage Hunter Strike Force - Leader & 9 Grunts: 8
- Strike Force Commander - Commander 2
Stormfall Archers - Leader & 3 Grunts: 5
- Corollary - PC: 3
- Assimilator - PC: 8
- Cipher - PC: 9
- Diffuser - PC: 3
- Inverter - PC: 8
- Monitor - PC: 8
- Galvanizer - PC: 0
Transfinite Emergence Projector - PC: 9
Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex - PC: 1
Reflex Servitors - PC: 2
Accretion Servitors - PC: 1
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
vs.
Kaelyssa:
Kaelyssa, Night's Whisper - WJ: +7- Sylys Wyshnalyrr, The Seeker
- Banshee - PC: 10
- Chimera - PC: 6
- Manticore - PC: 8
Arcanist - PC: 1
Arcanist - PC: 1
House Shyeel Artificer - PC: 3
Mage Hunter Assassin - PC: 2
Houseguard Halberdiers - Leader & 9 Grunts: 7
- Halberdier Officer & Standard - PC: 2
Mage Hunter Strike Force - Leader & 9 Grunts: 8
- Strike Force Commander - Commander 2
Stormfall Archers - Leader & 3 Grunts: 5
Scenario: SR2015 Outflank
Result: Win via Scenario
Game 2:
Syntherion - Theme T4:
Forge Master Syntherion - WJ: +6- Corollary - PC: 3
- Assimilator - PC: 8
- Cipher - PC: 9
- Diffuser - PC: 3
- Inverter - PC: 8
- Monitor - PC: 8
- Galvanizer - PC: 0
Transfinite Emergence Projector - PC: 9
Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex - PC: 1
Reflex Servitors - PC: 2
Accretion Servitors - PC: 1
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
vs.
Kromac1:
Kromac the Ravenous - WB: +4- Gorax - PC: 4
- Warpwolf Stalker - PC: 10
- Ghetorix - PC: 11
Blackclad Wayfarer - PC: 2
Tharn Blood Pack - Leader & 5 Grunts: 10
Warpborn Skinwalkers - Leader & 2 Grunts: 5
- Warpborn Alpha - PC: 3
Druids of Orboros - Leader & 5 Grunts: 7
- Druid of Orboros Overseer - Overseer 2
Scenario: SR2105 Fire Support
Result: Loss via Scenario
Game 3:
Syntherion - Theme T4:
Forge Master Syntherion - WJ: +6- Corollary - PC: 3
- Cipher - PC: 9
- Assimilator - PC: 8
- Diffuser - PC: 3
- Monitor - PC: 8
- Galvanizer - PC: 0
- Modulator - PC: 6
- Inverter - PC: 8
Attunement Servitors - PC: 2
Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex - PC: 1
Reflex Servitors - PC: 2
Reflex Servitors - PC: 2
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 2
vs.
Severius1:
Hierarch Severius - WJ: +6- Hierophant
- Reckoner - PC: 8
- Revelator - PC: 19
- Blessing of Vengeance - PC: 7
Pyrrhus, Flameguard Hero - PC: 3
Vassal of Menoth - PC: 2
Wrack - PC: 1
Temple Flameguard - Leader and 9 Grunts: 6
- Temple Flameguard Officer & Standard - Temple Flameguard Officer & Standard 2
Choir of Menoth - Leader & 3 Grunts: 2
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt - Lady Aiyanna & Master Holt: 4
Scenario: SR2015 Incoming
Result: Game called due to store closing, on track for scenario win.
The Basic List and Conundrum
The core of the list - Cipher and Inverter - give the battlegroup a solid melee backbone with some conditional shooting (that can be great against infantry with Hot Shot).
The "extended core" of the list (i.e. stuff I personally like, but can be convinced to shuffle around if needed) helps to bump up the shooting output of the list while still adding some solid melee punch - Monitor and Assimilator #1.
The "duh core" of the list are the two things that are never coming out of the list, ever, due to being really obvious inclusions: Corollary and Galvanizer. The Corollary is a wonderful inclusion for the extra control area (making Synergy easier to leverage while also keeping Syntherion relatively safe) and the secondary source of focus (crucial for big "push" turns). The Galvanizer is free, so even if it didn't have moments of utility (a repairing light in a Synergy list has its moments) I'd still take it for the extra vector.
The x-factor for me has been what to do with the remaining points. A portion of that ends up going to theme list requirements/army support, but there is a fair bit of wiggle room for including another vector or two (depending on cost) and/or various combinations of servitors. Trying to figure out the best way to spend those points drove me a little nuts, so I eventually settled on a combination of things that I thought would solve a key problem I thought Syntherion would have.
Speaking of that...
Evolution To Solve a Problem
One of the biggest issues that Convergence has in general is dealing with swathes of enemy infantry. Stealth infantry can be problematic, especially if they happen to have decent ARM and/or blast immunity, and high ARM or multi-wound infantry is likewise a pain.
This has been the key thing I've been struggling with when building lists with Syntherion, and what I've always devoted the floating point total towards.
I've tried three different things so far that make use of the 8-9 points of "anti-infantry entry" I seem to have floating in the list:
- Option #1 - Second Assimilator
- Pros: its a vector (benefits from everything Syntherion brings to the table), has an AOE or Ground Pounder for varied anti-infantry duty, still has Weaponmaster melee.
- Cons: AOE usually doesn't work out without Hot Shot (which is impossible to effectively juggle between three vectors vying for it), even with Hot Shot the Cipher feels like a better "boosted AOE 4s" platform, Ground Pounder often runs into accuracy issues (which are harder to address across two different Assimilators).
- Option #2 - Transfinite Emergence Projector (TEP)
- Pros: totally autonomous (doesn't care about being in CTRL, doesn't eat focus, etc,) tremendous flexibility thanks to Exponent Servitors, spray attacks mitigate Stealth and other troublesome ranged defenses.
- Cons: sizable chunk of the list that can't contribute to Synergy, 9 points is a weird total (usually results in including 1 point options that I don't like much), doesn't gain anything from Syntherion's spells, feat, or abilities.
- Option #3 - Modulator
- Pros: cheap (savings over previous options allows for more Servitors, possibly another light vector depending), a heavy vector, brings a different style of anti-infantry with its "line" attacks, can passively remove infantry via Plasma Nimbus, two guns and two melee attacks give it a lot of output on feat turn.
- Cons: very low P+S for a heavy (either is "just" contributing to overall Synergy bonus, or needs to be at the end to make an impact), shooting is low POW and can't really be boosted (the initial 10 hits can be, but the lines are always going to be be 10s), still relies on direct hitting something (calls luck, shenanigans, or fist shaking).
Of all those options, the one I've resoundingly eliminated is the second Assimilator. I like what one Assimilator brings to the list, but two ends up being worse than redundant; I've often found myself without the resources necessary to get that second Assimilator to do much of anything. This is in large part because the output of an Assimilator seems to rely on either a) getting a juicy template shot with Hot Shot, or b) hitting multiple targets with Ground Pounder.
'A' is at the whim of circumstance, and as mentioned in the bulleted list, it is unlikely that the second Assimilator will have Hot Shot easily available to it if a situation does present itself. 'B' comes up much more often, but is also likewise harder to fuel: you're either dumping focus into boosting attack rolls, using Flare, or both, to try and get accurate Ground Pounder shots onto key targets. As with the previous point, that is doable with just one Assimilator, but when there are two of them resources are often stretched too thin to offer the second one much help.
The takeaway is that, at the end of every game where I used two Assimilators, I always noted that the second Assimilator felt like it could (and possibly should) have been anything else and accomplished approximately the same things.
Option #2 - the TEP - is one that I'm still undecided on. The TEP is indisputably fantastic: I have rarely used a model that was so wonderfully flexible and capable, and it is extremely well equipped to deal with the chief infantry Syntherion is trying to rid himself of. I have zero complaints about the TEP regarding efficacy or utility.
My hang ups are founded on one small thing (that is mostly personal perference) and two bigger things that cause me to flip-flop on putting the TEP from my Syntherion lists. The small thing is that 9 points is a weird total after everything else is slotted it; I invariably end up with 1 point that I don't have much to do with (either Accretion Servitors or another Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex [ADO]) or I can cut the ADO I already have to free up 2 points for likely another set of servitors (which I like even less as the ADO has proven very valuable). So for how effective the TEP is, I feel like I ultimately end up "wasting" a point on it as I'm invariably unhappy with what I do with the remaining point.
The first big thing with the TEP is that it is solely a shooting model, which ultimately limits the list's damage potential. The TEP can stack a lot of damage dice onto its shots, but it is still starting off at POW 10s and RAT 4 so it often has issues putting a lot of damage anything with moderate DEF and ARM. Add onto that the fact that the TEP is effectively using up a vector "slot" in the list, which also limits the overall damage output of the list (by both limiting the upper end of Synergy and lacking any melee attacks that might be boosted up).
The second big thing with the TEP is that it doesn't benefit from anything Syntherion has on his cards. Syntherion can't buff it, can't help it with his feat, and he doesn't want it for anything he's trying to do ("brick" up and win an attrition grind via Auto-Repair, Reconstruct, Hot Shot, and Synergy). The TEP helps in a general sense by functioning as an amazing infantry eraser, but it is discouraging how little the TEP interacts with Syntherion's spells and abilities.
I don't think the TEP is bad with Syntherion - I don't think the TEP is bad in any list, ever, based on my experiences with it - but I also am not convinced that it is the best way for me to spend those points.
Cue Option #3, the Modulator. The Modulator brings a varied kit to the table than the Assimilator (variety is always good), is cheap enough that it allows me to include more stuff in the list (at minimum, another set of servitors), and it is a vector so it still plays nice with Syntherion's abilities.
Being the most recently tried option, I have the fewest impressions of the Modulator (though I am stuck with it as I changed my second Assimilator into a Modulator). What I have tried on the tabletop did feel good, however. I'll get into more of the details of why in a bit, but I like how it is relatively resource light (only needs to boost one or two attack rolls to generate several damage rolls,) has shenanigans (use your own models to circumvent high DEF/Stealth/immunity to targeting), and is cheap enough to be a "point" vector for the list. Hopefully future games will let me get a better feel for what the Modulator specifically brings to the table.
General Syntherion Musings
Syntherion is an interesting 'caster in general. He is pretty straightforward and easy to understand - get out your upkeeps, keep them out for free (maybe cycle a few around here and there), and ride Synergy, Hot Shot, and induction to victory - but surprisingly difficult to apply consistently.
Here is a grab bag of random thoughts I've had in my games with Syntherion (including the couple of face-smashing I received my first few times out with him):
- The density of the list, combined with the desire to play Syntherion further back to keep him safe, makes it very tricky to cycle upkeeps. Your vectors typically have to push far away from Syntherion to stay relevant to scenario (and threaten the opponent) which puts them out of easy swapping range. An ADO has proven invaluable for this reason alone.
- Magnetic Hold is a spell that is unlikely to come up often against players that are aware of it (it is a deeply unpleasant thing to get stuck with), but when you can land it, it is a thing of magnificent beauty. Another reason that at least one ADO is critical for the list, and two probably isn't unreasonable.
- SPD 4/5 warjacks with no Reach (barring the Inverter, and why it is in the list) sucks for a list that ultimately wants to scrum it up in melee. This is not news (I don't know why I went from Khador to the only other "plodding warjacks" faction) nor is it without solutions (Diffusers are always available, Magnetic Hold helps as well in a pinch), but it does mean that any charge you want to get off is probably going to have another activation or two of set-up. And hinge on an attack roll or two not missing. So prepare yourself for that.
- Flare is trickier to apply than I thought it would be. More specifically, it is difficult to apply Flare onto targets that you want to get good initial ranged attacks into. Those models are frequently far enough away that things like Attunement Servitors and Ciphers are going to need to over-extend just to tag them with a Flare, if they can make distance at all. Attunement Servitors are also easy enough to kill that you don't want to be just dangling them in front of your opponent (they're well worth removing if your opponent doesn't have anything else better to do that turn), so getting them into aggressive Flare positions is tricky.
That difficulty in applying Flare at long range is why a second Assimilator didn't really work out. It ends up being much easier to just boost some Assimilator shots if you're throwing out a Ground Pounder, or toss out templates with Hot Shot and hope for the best (neither of which works well across two Assimilators and a Cipher). Without focus, a Flare, or Hot Shot, the second Assimilator ended up feeling like wasted potential most turns.
- The Cipher ended up being much more of a backbone warjack than I anticipated. I'm scarred enough by POW 6 blast damage that I dismissed its damaging templates, but Hot Shot really does a lot to make them threatening against a surprising swathe of infantry. The utility of a gun with ROF 2 and three different ammo types is also remarkable; with Hot Shot on it, the Cipher can operate at a high degree of efficacy with just a randomly inducted focus (used to buy a second shot).
The other thing that has surprised me about the Cipher is sort of a "duh" thing: it has two P+S 18 initial melee attacks, making it extremely dangerous with just a tick or two of Synergy. It doesn't take much to get it to prime wrecking status, and having the Corollary around means you're always able to load it up on the turn it needs to go in. It has quickly become one of my favorite vectors in the list.
- The Monitor has likewise proven to be very handy, though in the opposite way: it does one specific job and does it pretty well. True Sight gives it game at hunting down a lot of irritating solos, UA models, Stealth'd heavies/'casters, things hiding in concealment, etc, that makes it really valuable. A RNG 13 gun is helpful in general, and when that gun crits it can do a fair bit of damage. Plus it brings a Sustained Attack weapon to the mix, which is never bad to have.
- Deciding targets for Hot Shot and Reconstruct can be tricky. Hot Shot is a little easier since it is going to start on either the Cipher or Assimilator, then likely get rotated to the other one at some point (Resourceful makes this much more palatable as well). Reconstruct can be more difficult to gauge; it needs to go on one of the vectors you'll be sending into melee that you think stands a solid chance of dying at some point. But you can't have it dying either a) too early, making it easy for your opponent to kill after the spell pops, or b) too late or not at all, which means you probably could have used the spell on something else.
My default so far as been to put the spell on the Inverter, since it is the only heavy vector without a gun ("here's a buff champ, now get in there!") However, I'm noticing that there are plenty of situations where it may also be valuable on the Cipher, since it needs to play a little further forward to leverage its gun (and because it lacks Reach for melee). The trick with that, though, is that Reconstruct is expensive to cast (half of Syntherion's focus pool) so you don't want to be juggling it around. If the Cipher ends up with Reconstruct, that also should be a game where I'm either not going to Hot Shot it, or at least be willing to dump focus into boosting blast damage.
All of that is to say: even when there are obvious targets for some buffs, it is still worth evaluating why you're putting this buff there, etc. At least one of those games I played would have gone a lot better for me if I had been more critical of where Reconstruct went.
- Synergy is likewise tricky to get good use out of. I immediately appreciate the power of having a bunch of lights (especially with Reach) to be able to run out and build up a Synergy chain for your heavy hitters to then come in and clean up (or just have the lights stack damage up until they are the heavy hitters). Relying mostly on heavies for Synergy has its ups and downs; you don't have as many models available to build up the chain (which can result in missed opportunities when you need as much damage as possible), but conversely you also don't need to build the chain up as high to reach respectable hitting power levels.
Convergence is also somewhat skewed in that you can't even really spam lights for Synergy even if you wanted to. The best you can do are Galvanizers which, while not particularly terrible, aren't especially great combat models (SPD 5, P+S 12, no Reach) and don't have a lot of durability (ARM 16 with 20 damage boxes) so they can't leverage the press of numbers in the same way that Griffons or Woldwatchers can. Which is fine; if the "best" way to run Syntherion was taking a ton of Galvanizers with him, I wouldn't have bothered picking him up in the first place.
What it does mean, though, is that - between the "smaller" battlegroup and lower threat range on your heavy vectors - you have to work harder to get a Synergy chain built up than the other Synergy 'casters. The upside is that Syntherion has a feat that automatically adds a lot of focus efficiency to any big "push" turn (a free charge is a huge boon in the focus system) and induction along with the Corollary allows him to pretty easily fuel his battlegroup when it comes time (which is harder for the other focus based Synergy 'casters).
It ends up feeling very rewarding when you do pull off a great Synergy turn but it is much harder to do than I thought it would be (and I didn't think it would be particularly easy!) Trying to build up Synergy while also juggling activation order and induction flow gets complicated real quick.
Speaking of that...
On Induction
There are a lot of reasons to play Convergence, but the induction mechanic (i.e. spent focus jumps between their warjacks) is one of the most compelling. Especially if you've run into focus allocation frustrations in the past. Convergence 'casters still feel the squeeze of limited resources sometimes, but for the most part you can easily run your battlegroup how you want to, between induction and the Corollary helping out.
The downside to this nifty mechanic is that it requires fairly precise positioning (vectors can only induct to models within 6" of them) and proper order of activation (you need to spend focus in the right places at the right times to make sure it is where you need it later, possibly even to induct again).
I've made plenty of mistakes with induction as I've been playing Convergence, up to and including forgetting it entirely (very, very easy to do if you're used to "normal" warjack activations). I have also run into issues specific to positioning, and timing.
Positioning has been somewhat the lesser of the two complications, for two reasons: 1) in a list with this many vectors, it is not hard to have one or more in induction range (though whether that is the correct vector to be inducting is another matter), and 2) your positioning is most often dictated by your opponent and the scenario. It becomes more of a game of finding the best way to maintain induction opportunities while still threatening your opponent/staying relevant in scenario, and that usually narrows down your positioning options enough to make it not terribly daunting.
That isn't to say that it is impossible or even unlikely to screw up; far from it. But the much trickier thing is: once you have everything in position, allocating, activating, and inducting focus in the most optimal way.
A surprising hurdle for this has been old habits that end up being bad in the context of induction. An example:
In game #3, I had the Diffuser shoot the Revelator in order to give the stumpy vectors a chance at closing the gap. I also hard allocated 3 focus from Syntherion onto the Monitor that turn, and ended up casting Magnetic Hold at the Revelator just to ensure the furthest vector could make the charge.
What I should have done instead (ideally; I'm not sure in hindsight if I had the Diffuser in CTRL at the start of the turn to do this) was: allocate 2 focus to the Monitor, 1 to the Diffuser. Proceed with the plan as before, but now I get to boost the damage on the Diffuser's shot for, effectively, free focus (since that will just be inducted over to the Monitor, getting it up to the 3 I would have allocated originally). A boosted POW 11 isn't likely to do a lot of damage to the Revelator, but that is free damage I just let go; if I had come up a few points short of killing it, I would have been kicking myself.
The reason I say that behavior is based on bad habits is because that is exactly what I would have done with normal warjacks. It is less forgetting about induction (though this sort of situation does fall under that umbrella) and more falling into old habits of focus allocation and expenditure which don't necessarily apply anymore.
And then there is the specific conundrum that Syntherion brings to the mix with Synergy. Not only do you need to allocate effectively and induct appropriately, but you also are probably juggling which vectors are going to activate at each point in the Synergy chain in order to try and make sure you get the most out of each activation. I'd love to give some profound advice here that helps out in those situations, but I'm still figuring all that out.
All told, induction has proven to be a mechanic that is very Warmachine appropriate: not hard to use, but very hard to use well. Especially in the context of a list like Syntherion's which is going to leverage it more heavily than some other 'casters.
Final Thoughts
I really, really enjoy playing Syntherion. More accurately: I really enjoy the way his battlegroup functions. Syntherion is mostly just sitting in the back, maintaining/juggling upkeeps (and rarely screwing something over with Magnetic Hold), and allocating focus; he is one of the most heavily supportive battlegroup support 'casters ever.
The vectors though, they get to go frolic and cause mayhem. And that is damn fun. I'm still working on my personal ideal configuration for Syntherion's battlegroup so there is still a ways to go before I really settle into a list. I still haven't used a Prime Axiom with him, which by all accounts is a pretty wonderful thing, and if/when the Prime Conflux ever manifests that may be an interesting inclusion as well (especially with how well Modulators work under Syntherion).
I'm waffling on which army I'm going to be using in the coming weeks of gaming. Khador is ripe for a return to the tabletop, especially since I'm almost finished painting the new Reckoning releases that are available (Ruin is finished; Zerkova2 is so close). That makes it a great time to start in on painting Convergence, which I am excited to do. I have a fun paint scheme in mind, and the lists I'm looking to paint aren't the model heavy madness that so many Warmachine armies end up being (one of the reasons I'm not experimenting with Lucant yet, despite having him assembled).
Regardless of how things shake out with army rotation, I'm absolutely looking forward to playing more Syntherion, and Convergence in general. It continues to be rewarding and interesting to unlock on the tabletop, and it is a wonderful refresher from how Khador plays.
As always, thanks very much for reading!
- Flare is trickier to apply than I thought it would be. More specifically, it is difficult to apply Flare onto targets that you want to get good initial ranged attacks into. Those models are frequently far enough away that things like Attunement Servitors and Ciphers are going to need to over-extend just to tag them with a Flare, if they can make distance at all. Attunement Servitors are also easy enough to kill that you don't want to be just dangling them in front of your opponent (they're well worth removing if your opponent doesn't have anything else better to do that turn), so getting them into aggressive Flare positions is tricky.
That difficulty in applying Flare at long range is why a second Assimilator didn't really work out. It ends up being much easier to just boost some Assimilator shots if you're throwing out a Ground Pounder, or toss out templates with Hot Shot and hope for the best (neither of which works well across two Assimilators and a Cipher). Without focus, a Flare, or Hot Shot, the second Assimilator ended up feeling like wasted potential most turns.
- The Cipher ended up being much more of a backbone warjack than I anticipated. I'm scarred enough by POW 6 blast damage that I dismissed its damaging templates, but Hot Shot really does a lot to make them threatening against a surprising swathe of infantry. The utility of a gun with ROF 2 and three different ammo types is also remarkable; with Hot Shot on it, the Cipher can operate at a high degree of efficacy with just a randomly inducted focus (used to buy a second shot).
The other thing that has surprised me about the Cipher is sort of a "duh" thing: it has two P+S 18 initial melee attacks, making it extremely dangerous with just a tick or two of Synergy. It doesn't take much to get it to prime wrecking status, and having the Corollary around means you're always able to load it up on the turn it needs to go in. It has quickly become one of my favorite vectors in the list.
- The Monitor has likewise proven to be very handy, though in the opposite way: it does one specific job and does it pretty well. True Sight gives it game at hunting down a lot of irritating solos, UA models, Stealth'd heavies/'casters, things hiding in concealment, etc, that makes it really valuable. A RNG 13 gun is helpful in general, and when that gun crits it can do a fair bit of damage. Plus it brings a Sustained Attack weapon to the mix, which is never bad to have.
- Deciding targets for Hot Shot and Reconstruct can be tricky. Hot Shot is a little easier since it is going to start on either the Cipher or Assimilator, then likely get rotated to the other one at some point (Resourceful makes this much more palatable as well). Reconstruct can be more difficult to gauge; it needs to go on one of the vectors you'll be sending into melee that you think stands a solid chance of dying at some point. But you can't have it dying either a) too early, making it easy for your opponent to kill after the spell pops, or b) too late or not at all, which means you probably could have used the spell on something else.
My default so far as been to put the spell on the Inverter, since it is the only heavy vector without a gun ("here's a buff champ, now get in there!") However, I'm noticing that there are plenty of situations where it may also be valuable on the Cipher, since it needs to play a little further forward to leverage its gun (and because it lacks Reach for melee). The trick with that, though, is that Reconstruct is expensive to cast (half of Syntherion's focus pool) so you don't want to be juggling it around. If the Cipher ends up with Reconstruct, that also should be a game where I'm either not going to Hot Shot it, or at least be willing to dump focus into boosting blast damage.
All of that is to say: even when there are obvious targets for some buffs, it is still worth evaluating why you're putting this buff there, etc. At least one of those games I played would have gone a lot better for me if I had been more critical of where Reconstruct went.
- Synergy is likewise tricky to get good use out of. I immediately appreciate the power of having a bunch of lights (especially with Reach) to be able to run out and build up a Synergy chain for your heavy hitters to then come in and clean up (or just have the lights stack damage up until they are the heavy hitters). Relying mostly on heavies for Synergy has its ups and downs; you don't have as many models available to build up the chain (which can result in missed opportunities when you need as much damage as possible), but conversely you also don't need to build the chain up as high to reach respectable hitting power levels.
Convergence is also somewhat skewed in that you can't even really spam lights for Synergy even if you wanted to. The best you can do are Galvanizers which, while not particularly terrible, aren't especially great combat models (SPD 5, P+S 12, no Reach) and don't have a lot of durability (ARM 16 with 20 damage boxes) so they can't leverage the press of numbers in the same way that Griffons or Woldwatchers can. Which is fine; if the "best" way to run Syntherion was taking a ton of Galvanizers with him, I wouldn't have bothered picking him up in the first place.
What it does mean, though, is that - between the "smaller" battlegroup and lower threat range on your heavy vectors - you have to work harder to get a Synergy chain built up than the other Synergy 'casters. The upside is that Syntherion has a feat that automatically adds a lot of focus efficiency to any big "push" turn (a free charge is a huge boon in the focus system) and induction along with the Corollary allows him to pretty easily fuel his battlegroup when it comes time (which is harder for the other focus based Synergy 'casters).
It ends up feeling very rewarding when you do pull off a great Synergy turn but it is much harder to do than I thought it would be (and I didn't think it would be particularly easy!) Trying to build up Synergy while also juggling activation order and induction flow gets complicated real quick.
Speaking of that...
On Induction
There are a lot of reasons to play Convergence, but the induction mechanic (i.e. spent focus jumps between their warjacks) is one of the most compelling. Especially if you've run into focus allocation frustrations in the past. Convergence 'casters still feel the squeeze of limited resources sometimes, but for the most part you can easily run your battlegroup how you want to, between induction and the Corollary helping out.
The downside to this nifty mechanic is that it requires fairly precise positioning (vectors can only induct to models within 6" of them) and proper order of activation (you need to spend focus in the right places at the right times to make sure it is where you need it later, possibly even to induct again).
I've made plenty of mistakes with induction as I've been playing Convergence, up to and including forgetting it entirely (very, very easy to do if you're used to "normal" warjack activations). I have also run into issues specific to positioning, and timing.
Positioning has been somewhat the lesser of the two complications, for two reasons: 1) in a list with this many vectors, it is not hard to have one or more in induction range (though whether that is the correct vector to be inducting is another matter), and 2) your positioning is most often dictated by your opponent and the scenario. It becomes more of a game of finding the best way to maintain induction opportunities while still threatening your opponent/staying relevant in scenario, and that usually narrows down your positioning options enough to make it not terribly daunting.
That isn't to say that it is impossible or even unlikely to screw up; far from it. But the much trickier thing is: once you have everything in position, allocating, activating, and inducting focus in the most optimal way.
A surprising hurdle for this has been old habits that end up being bad in the context of induction. An example:
In game #3, I had the Diffuser shoot the Revelator in order to give the stumpy vectors a chance at closing the gap. I also hard allocated 3 focus from Syntherion onto the Monitor that turn, and ended up casting Magnetic Hold at the Revelator just to ensure the furthest vector could make the charge.
What I should have done instead (ideally; I'm not sure in hindsight if I had the Diffuser in CTRL at the start of the turn to do this) was: allocate 2 focus to the Monitor, 1 to the Diffuser. Proceed with the plan as before, but now I get to boost the damage on the Diffuser's shot for, effectively, free focus (since that will just be inducted over to the Monitor, getting it up to the 3 I would have allocated originally). A boosted POW 11 isn't likely to do a lot of damage to the Revelator, but that is free damage I just let go; if I had come up a few points short of killing it, I would have been kicking myself.
The reason I say that behavior is based on bad habits is because that is exactly what I would have done with normal warjacks. It is less forgetting about induction (though this sort of situation does fall under that umbrella) and more falling into old habits of focus allocation and expenditure which don't necessarily apply anymore.
And then there is the specific conundrum that Syntherion brings to the mix with Synergy. Not only do you need to allocate effectively and induct appropriately, but you also are probably juggling which vectors are going to activate at each point in the Synergy chain in order to try and make sure you get the most out of each activation. I'd love to give some profound advice here that helps out in those situations, but I'm still figuring all that out.
All told, induction has proven to be a mechanic that is very Warmachine appropriate: not hard to use, but very hard to use well. Especially in the context of a list like Syntherion's which is going to leverage it more heavily than some other 'casters.
Final Thoughts
I really, really enjoy playing Syntherion. More accurately: I really enjoy the way his battlegroup functions. Syntherion is mostly just sitting in the back, maintaining/juggling upkeeps (and rarely screwing something over with Magnetic Hold), and allocating focus; he is one of the most heavily supportive battlegroup support 'casters ever.
The vectors though, they get to go frolic and cause mayhem. And that is damn fun. I'm still working on my personal ideal configuration for Syntherion's battlegroup so there is still a ways to go before I really settle into a list. I still haven't used a Prime Axiom with him, which by all accounts is a pretty wonderful thing, and if/when the Prime Conflux ever manifests that may be an interesting inclusion as well (especially with how well Modulators work under Syntherion).
I'm waffling on which army I'm going to be using in the coming weeks of gaming. Khador is ripe for a return to the tabletop, especially since I'm almost finished painting the new Reckoning releases that are available (Ruin is finished; Zerkova2 is so close). That makes it a great time to start in on painting Convergence, which I am excited to do. I have a fun paint scheme in mind, and the lists I'm looking to paint aren't the model heavy madness that so many Warmachine armies end up being (one of the reasons I'm not experimenting with Lucant yet, despite having him assembled).
Regardless of how things shake out with army rotation, I'm absolutely looking forward to playing more Syntherion, and Convergence in general. It continues to be rewarding and interesting to unlock on the tabletop, and it is a wonderful refresher from how Khador plays.
As always, thanks very much for reading!
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