eSorscha - adding to 25 point list

[theAbsentee]

Hi all. I'm playing in an MKII escalation league at my local store. We're starting our 35 point session and I'm not sure where to start to bring my 25 point list up to 35 points, so I've come to you for advice. I've only been playing Warmachines for about a month--never played MKI--but it's not my first tabletop game. Here's my current list:

eSorscha -6
Juggernaut 7
Destroyer 9
Winter Guard (10) 6
Winter Guard Officer and Standard Bearer 2
Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich 2
Koldun Lord 2
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios 3

I apologize if this is not the standard layout you are accustomed to; I am new to the forums as well.

There are multiples of each WM factions I will be facing, including 2 Merc lists, and at least 2 Horde armies that I've seen played: Circle and Trollblood. As far as the current 25 points goes, I really enjoy this list. The only thing I would probably consider changing from it would be swapping Juggy out for Beast 09.


[edit] After reading responses and playing a few proxy games, I'm considering the following units:

Greylord Ternion - 4. Their main job would be mobile concealment for the WG or Great Bears unit. I guess Ice Cage is a lot better than I give it credit. Right now my list lacks anti-corporeal models, Frostbite would have this pretty well covered. Still, I'm not quite sold on this unit yet.

Great Bears - 5. I love this unit. P+S 12 weapon master, reach, backswing on eSorscha's feat makes me drool.

Gorman Di Wolfe - 2. I think I'll switch Eiryss out for Gorman for 3 reasons:
1. Eiryss is too cheesy for our local shop. Everyone there is more on the friendly side than the competitive side, so I might save her for tourneys.
2. Black Oil. This might totally cancel out removing Eiryss to be a more friendly list.
3. Rust. This will synergize well with eSorscha's feat.

Mortar Crew - 3. Ranged support. I've never tried them, but they sound awesome.

Kell Bailock - 2. Sort of a mini-Widowmakers unit w/ prowl and a ranged magical weapon for those pesky Pistol Wraiths.

Rocketeer UA - 1ea. Can't go wrong here if I have the extra points.

Berserker - 6. I wouldn't mind having some more armor in my list, and a zerker would be very focus friendly.

Assault Kommandos - 5. I love the idea/look of this unit, but I'm not sure they're the wise choice atm.

I look forward to all your advice and comments as I know they will be of great help. Thank you!

[Septimus]

As is, I think some Widowmakers, a Greylord ternion and two Rocketeers would fill this list out nicely. Widowmakers offer good ranged support and benefit from shatterstorm, Greylords can buff up some of the WG to ungodly levels of defense, also benefit from shatterstorm, and give useful ice cages, which are still quite useful for just letting you not have to boost attack rolls. Rocketeers are more bodies in the WG unit, more AoEs, and more range. 10 points well spent, IMO.

[theAbsentee]

i like the sound of this. i love my WG unit and my opponents always jaw drop at their survivability w/ iron flesh and bob and weave and combined x attacks. more bodies in this unit can only be a good thing.

ive looked at the greylords and always thought they would be a good unit. ill have to try them. i love when my koldun lord gets the random spray attack on a unit and takes them out. the only problem i have w/ them is how ive seen them fight against me. there are a few opponents at my shop that use them to blizzard their mechaniks while their vanguard advaces towards my lines. i usually drop this unit and mechs on turn 2 or 3, so it seems like they have a hard time earning their points. i doubt they're being played right in this situation, so ill have to give them a go myself.

ive used widowmakers for the past month. maybe im not playing them right, but they dont seem worth their cost for 4 points of damage every turn. im sure it's more me than the unit, any advice there?

[Karazax]

The most common target for blizzards for your list would probably be the winterguard themselves to buff their already solid defense even further vs ranged attacks. There are some other good discussions about 35 pt eSorscha in this thread: http://privateerpressforums.com/showthread.php?t=141

[Tevesh]

Widowmakers can be used in two different ways, a "spam" list or a "surgical" list. In the case of Spam, you use Widowmakers plus Kell Balloich and Eiryss (either version) and proceed to kill a whole squad of the enemy at 14 inches away. The problem with this sort of list is that its vulnerable to multi-wound units. The Surgical setup is you use the Widowmakers to hunt down a specific Solo or opposing enemy support unit and kill it; the weakness in this setup is that the Widowmakers are very vulnerable to counterattacks and most likely don't survive plus it seems like a waste to use 4 points to hunt down Solos/Support units that cost roughly the same or (usually) less.

[theAbsentee]

With my first 25 point list I actually had Widowmakers, Kell, and pEiryss for the 9 points of sniper damage. It has only benefited me in one game so far, but that doesnt make it a bad setup. It just hasn't worked out for me very well.

Today I played a game that made me rethink the retirement of my Widowmakers. They assisted in wiping out an Iron Fang's unit and an opposing Widowmakers unit. I was pretty happy with them, but when I go back and look at the damage they caused, it was still only 6 models the entire game. I think for my playstyle the 4 points could be better spent elsewhere.

[Septimus]

Well, in an eSorscha list they (widowmakers) are good primarily as a long range method of delivering extremely reliable POW 8 3" AoEs with shatterstorm. Unfortunately, Widowmakers did lose a bit of effect in mk. II with the addition of readily replacable unit leaders. till, four more Range 14 3" AoEs in a list is nothing to sneeze at, and the surgical removal of warjack systems is always nice when you can manage it. IMO, still worth four points.

[theAbsentee]

i will have to try them with shatterstorm, that alone may make them worth it. i have a question on this however:

"A model can maintain an upkeep spell even if the spell’s effects are outside that model’s control area."

shatterstorm has a RNG of 6", so according to this rule, shatterstorm could be upkept when the target is > 6" away?

[Septimus]

i will have to try them with shatterstorm, that alone may make them worth it. i have a question on this however:

"A model can maintain an upkeep spell even if the spell?s effects are outside that model?s control area."

shatterstorm has a RNG of 6", so according to this rule, shatterstorm could be upkept when the target is > 6" away?

Oh, most definitely. > 12" away, too.