Help with my Cygnar Army, please...

[CMikeHardy]

I preface this by saying that I'm kind of going to be all over the place here- I've got a list to critque, some strat querries and a rules question. It's all relavant to this list, so, please bear with me.

My List-
pStryker 35pt:
Commander Stryker +6
Squire 2
Reinholdt 1
Ol' Rowdy 9
Stormblades 5
Officer & SB UA 3
Stormclad 10
Journeyman WC 3
Sentenel 4
Arlan Strangewayes 2
GMCA 2

I played it yesterday and I did pretty horribly with it. I attribute a lot of that poor play to my unfamiliarity with the Mk2 rules and my being rusty with WM in general (it's been years since I played any real games).
Furthermore, Cygnar has never been a faction with which I've had any great success with. I do love the faction, the fluff and the models... it's just they don't seem to do anything very well except die. :p
Yesterday, I played three games- Trollblood, PoM and a Cyngar.

I'm wondering if maybe I should have put the Stormclad in Stryker's Battlegroup, but still keeping it with the Stormblades.
Rules Question- If I've allocated 3 focus to the Stormclad, activate it and it's within 3" of the stormblades, does it's Storm Accumulator still kick in giving it a 4th forcus point?
'Nother rules question- Electical Arc from the leader says "+2 to melee & ranged attack damage rolls." There was some confusion yesterday as to what that meant- Attack & Damage Rolls are two different things. Is this a typo to mean that? Or is it just the Attack Roll? Mk1 just says "+2 to POW." Is this the intent of the Mk2 verbage?
Strategy question- How would you deploy this crew- Stormblades, UA, Stormclad & Arlan? I deployed the 'Blades in a line with the 'Clad in the middle and UA right behind along with Stangewayes. I wonder now if I should have deployed them with the 'Clad up front and the 'Blades following behind as a mop-up force.
If I place the 'Clad in Stryker's battlegroup, Arlan become superfluous so I could remove him for Rhupert, maybe?

I do see how some might be questioning the Sent. And, I've switched it out with a Charger here and there. But, I admit, of all the models in my games, this one did the best for me.
I chose Ol' Rowdy obviously for the synergy it gives me with Stryker. But, I wonder with pStryker, would it be better to downgrade Rowdy to an Ironclad and then upgrade the Sentenel to a Lancer? Against The Covenant of Menoth's Power of Faith... I dunno if that'd help to increase Styker's Earthquake potential. A Hunter would've been nice though... especially against those Bastions and Dire Trolls I played against.

Reinholdt didn't do a thing. Maybe lose him and Arlan for Eiryss. But, I admit, he didn't do a thing because I was so out of sorts yeterday with my poor play, I never really used him. Although, I'm still having to figure out activation sequence in using him- particularly, the Spyglass functionality (which I might add may have saved my bacon a few times in positoning Rowdy on the charge).

The GMCA, obviously has gotten a lot of bad press around here. He did okay with me. He was a good harassing element up a flank- even ganked a Hyrophant for me. :D
I could switch him out I suppose.

I'm sure many of you may recommend B13 for me. And, while I don't disagree with you that they are a fantastic bunch of gunslingers- I cannot stand their anemic sculpts and I don't have them. I could convert something into them which would be fine for fun games, but, in a competitive environment, it wouldn't do me any good to learn on them as I can't use them.

Any list help and strategy advice you could give me would be great. My playgroup has a nice PoM following as well as Trolls, Cygnar, Ret and a smattering of Khador and Cryx.

Thanks in advance!

[Dude]

Going down the line as best I can...

The stormclad cannot be given 4 focus, as the wording says "allocate," unless I'm totally misremembering something. Still, having the 'clad in Stryker's battlegroup isn't a bad thing, as you can load it up on focus if there aren't any stormblades left. As for Electric arc, it provides an effective +2 POW, but it isn't halved for blast damage, since it is just a +2 on your damage rolls. So, in actuality, it got a little better.

I really like Arlan, but I can see dropping him and reinholdt (who I also really like) for Eiryss, as she is a threat you just cannot ignore. Though I personally wouldn't downgrade Ol' Rowdy, simply because he allows Stryker much more efficiency in the beginning of the game, not needing to allocate any focus to run. Also, MAT 8 tremor hammer is wonderful and against Protectorate, immunity to knockdown can be critical.

As for junior, the sent doesn't seem like a bad choice (though I haven't tried it yet) considering the new shield guard, but I've always been pleased with a hunter on dear old junior. Hunter's rarely needing 2 focus, which allows Junior to just bounce AS when needed, or take a fully boosted shot if he is in trouble.

Hopefully that is useful and not terrible advice, but in either case, it's just my 2 cents. G'luck!

[phreaker187]

Correct on the SC rules, no jack can ever have more than 3 focus allocated to it in a turn.

The +2 rolls apply to both to hit and damage rolls and is calculated after the damage is halved from the aoe. ie POW 14 blast turns to POW 7+2= POW 9.

I say the SC on the Blades is fine, it frees up 3 focus a turn that Stryker would have to waste, Strangewayes + SB UA + marshal "focus." Attatch Rowdy to Stryker and let him go nuts on a bunch of stuff.

Dump the Sentinel and GMCA and put a lancer in there instead, Stryker love to throw EQ around the board, this will slow down the enemy front line as well as let all of your stuff auto-hit.

Stryker is really good at what he does. Run up in their face, charge with everything, then feat so they can't counter attack effectively.

On a side note if you have a lot of troop heavy PoM players in your group get eNemo and a Thunderhead and run around nuking the board.

[Jiub]

Electrical Arc provides a +2 to damage rolls for melee attacks and ranged attacks. It DOES NOT affect attack rolls. Dude is completely correct. The wording could be better.

A pair of stormsmiths would be better than the GMCA if you refuse to use the Black 13th.

[Dude]

Agreed on the using of stormsmiths over the GMCA. 'Smiths are awesome for their point cost, especially for taking out stealth solos, engaged models, disruption. Excellent utility. Also, if you aren't impressed with reinholdt, you could switch him for a 'smith, as with Stryker they will ultimately have the same effect anyway (extra pow 10 disruption shot)

[CuLane]

A 'Jack can only be "allocated" 3 focus. The focus it receives when it activates within 3" of a stormblade is not "allocated" and therefore is just fine to be the 4th focus.

[Bonehead]

Per the last stat card pdf from the end of the Field Test the Stormclad is "allocated" the focus when activates within 3" of a stormblade and therefore cannot get a 4th focus.