Cygnaran Tacticas: eStryker (From the Mutton series)

[Mutton]

AFTER A DAMN LONG WAIT, IT FINALLY ARRIVES! Mostly due to long train rides and being burnt out on Hordes, but I told you I'd get it done! This may be my last 'caster Tactica, as I dislike playing pHaley, Darius, and just don't have the drive to work on Kraye, while GMiT has dibs on Sloan.



Lord Commander Stryker (eStryker)
Stryker? I hardly knew her!


http://privateerpress.com/files/products/cygnar/warcasters/lord-commander-stryker.png



Epic Stryker is a bit of an odd warcaster, but a very powerful one. He plays absolutely nothing like his Prime counterpart, and is extremely competitive in the right hands. His gameplan is fairly flexible, able to alphastrike an enemy army to win through attrition or pull off an assassination run from 17” unaided! He's a blast to play, but a bit difficult to start out with, so bear with him for a few games.


Statistics


First glance at eStryker's stats only real shows one outstanding aspect of his stats; his 16/16 DEF/ARM, which tend to keep him quite safe from everything short of boosted rolls or Combined attacks. His MAT isn't very impressive at 7 for a melee assassin, but more on that later. Overall, you can't run him as close to the front lives as Terminus or Butcher, but he works right on your second wave if you want.


Weapons, Abilities, and Feat


Epic Stryker comes with seemingly average weapons; a PS15 reach sword and RNG10 POW12 ROF2 Magnus. Both cause disruption on hit. So nothing special at first. But reading further down his card, you'll notice a little bonus called Overload. The ability to roll up to 3 dice to add to your STR and then roll that same number to take damage makes him able to one shot just about any warcaster this side of Karchev on the Charge! Just be warned; don't roll three dice once you've been hurt at all unless it's all or nothing and you're against a hard target, as Stryker can and will blow himself up. If you're undamaged, you can generally roll three dice, but if you have plenty of focus to spare buying and boosting don't be afraid to roll less. I'll have a nice little section on this at the end


Epic Stryker's bond, giving a free die on the first melee attack roll each activation, is a real winner. Put this on a Stormclad or Rowdy to ensure you hit; with Rowdy it will help ensure the Critical Knockdown as well. The Elite Cadre with Stormblades for Advance Move isn't amazing, but it helps you get down the field faster, especially for an early feat if you go second.


Your feat is an interesting animal due to how it doesn't help him assassinate that well, rather serving as a tool of attrition to help either get the first strike or weed out stranglers. There will be games where you can pull off the assassination run without using the feat, and others where you'll simply sit back and buff your army, using the feat to steamroll the enemy. Don't be afraid to pop it early to strike a decisive blow at your opponent; running everyone in then feating for a 13.5” threat on Stormblades to the 15.5” threat of Precursor Knights is quite handy. Also, you can keep focus on yourself and your warjacks to boost these rolls; on an assassination run against a soft, high DEF target it is often to save one focus for boosting the feat attack roll rather than buying with an overload attack if the target has a low enough ARM. The same goes for Warjacks if they would have trouble hitting.. Remember that only abilities that last a turn or a round work under the feat; this means you can abuse Positive Charge but not Overload or the Precursor Knight's minifeat


Spells


Deflection: Quite a useful ability; if you don't expect a melee strike, casting this is as good as camping focus against everything but blessed weapons. It pushes your Stormnouns to the breaking point for POW10s, Precursors to ARM20 in shieldwall, and Sword Knights to ARM18. A unit with Arcane Shield on it also goes up to ARM20, which is quite nice for surviving Winterguard. It also makes all but the squishiest of models gain near immunity to blast damage. If you are really worried about blast damage and not direct fire, feel free to stack this with Arcane Shield on your gunmages to push them to ARM16 and thus over the curve for even Mortar fire. If you are facing any sort of blasts or ranged fire at POW12 or less, cast it.


Lightning Storm: This will be your least cast spell on Epic Stryker; POW10s are nice, but it's only really useful for picking off the odd solos that insists on standing next to an easy target. If you are worried about non-reach models engaging your Stormnouns or Warjacks though, feel free to cast it on them to give them a plate of POW10 death. It's too costly to use without any real purpose in mind though, and Epic Stryker doesn't have much focus to fling aronud. A rare, but still somewhat useful spell in the right circumstances.


Positive Charge: The best spell on the list (yes, even better than Rebuke on Epic Stryker), it is what allows you to sit back and kill the enemy army without having to angle for an assassination run every turn. A +2/+2 to melee attack and damage rolls to everyone within reach of a warjack? How can you say no to that?! A Stormclad under PC will basically be the Avatar of Storms, hitting at MAT9 and PS21, while Stormblades go to MAT9 PS17 and Stormguard to MAT9 POW14. This is also one of the few reasons to take Swordknights, as a flanked, Positive Charged attack from one is MAT10 PS12 with 4 dice. The spell does not have to be cast on a model in your battlegroup, so if you're having them marshal something feel free to use it as a Positive Charge rod. This is the first reason you always bring an arc node with Epic Stryker, so you can cast PC from across the table to assist on a flank. More on using this spell later.


Rebuke: Another wonderful spell that synergies perfectly with Stormnouns. Now, I often see the complaint that you can't get your Stormblades to charge the enemy; they're too slow with too little a threat. Cygnar doesn't speed them up against enemy infantry; oh no. We slow them to a crawl, ensuring that we can get the first strike with our charges (something that generally doesn't happen outside of Haley lists). This is the second reason you bring an arc node with Epic Stryker, just be sure not to attempt and spam the spell, as you'll often have to boost to hit, even with the Squire reroll.


Velocity: This spell is useful in two ways. The first is on the assassination run, giving Epic Stryker a 17” threat with no outside assistance. You can charge a model, then velocity around it to get to your real target. The second reason is for hit and runs; you can operate Epic Stryker himself as a scalpel, killing Warjacks or important models that have breached your lines before velociting back to safety.


Army Composition


Warjacks


My general rule of thumb with Epic Stryker is never more than 3 warjacks; he can't run them efficiently due to his low focus and only buff being Positive Charge. My general layout in 50pts is an arc node, a Stormclad (for general beatstickery and free focus), and Ol' Rowdy (For general beatstickery, free charge, and affinity). At 35 I'll often drop one of the heavies, but the arc node stays. A Lancer is generally the best option, but Thorn can also be an extremely useful Positive Charge target, thanks to being able to move 3” after you arc it onto him, letting you set up better angles or Flanks. Epic Stryker has no way to speed up a Thunderhead, Centurion or Hammersmith, so I generally leave them out; Rowdy does so much more than an Ironclad for you that I'll leave it alone as well. Defenders are nice as ranged support, but you'll generally want to marshal them on ATGM instead of in the battlegroup. Cyclones are a good 'jack that doesn't need much support, but once again I'd marshal it just because I find the *action to be your best bet. Chargers are too much of a focus hog, but Shieldguard is nice enough on the Sentinel to warrant consideration.


Units


The rundown on your units is that Epic Stryker has no real ranged buffs, so you'll really just end up taking what you like there. I swear by either a unit of ATGM+UA or the B13; I don't find Trenchers or Longgunners to be worth it that often. Stormblades and Stormguard will be the meat of your list; the former wrecks warjacks and the latter infantry, and with PC +Rebuke they can trade jobs if needed. Don't take the Stormblade UA in general though, as Epic Stryker has no way to buff ranged attacks (unless you take a nice sized firing line and have Rangers of course, then feel free to). Precursor Knights are also a decent choice, as you have no direct unit affecting spells, but remember their minifeat is activationi only. Take a unit of them or Stormguard if you have any sort of decent ranged fire going on. Stormlances tend to move too fast for you warjacks, so no real help there. The new Trencher Commandos work very nicely with the combination of Anatomical Precision, Stealth along with you Feat and Deflection. Swordknights are actually a decent idea with Epic Stryker, as you'll often be placing your 'jacks in Flank Range, PS12 +4d6 hurts bad, and their other large weakness of eating up buffs that better infantry could get(such as Arcane Shield) is passed over due to Deflection making them ARM18 against ranged and magic. Hell, I can almost justify taking the Swordknight UA and a Positive Charge 'jack on it if the Firefly is cheap and decent!

[Mutton]

Solos


Take a Squire for the focus and Rebuke reroll. Jr is also great for the Arcane Shield, while Epic Eiryss works to drop focus off their 'caster and drop any upkeeps that could hurt you (such as Fear of God, Rebuke's sad little cousin). Stormsmiths are always a good decision. In addition, I always have at least one of Lanyssa Ryssyl (as of the most current FT rules) or Rhupert. The first lets your Stormblades get the pounce of Warjacks along with free charges for your 'jacks, while the second is a must in any melee heavy army.

Tips and Tricks


Okay, first thing to talk about here is Positive Charge use. In general, I have units positioned around warjacks in order to make the most use of this spell; somewhat of a blob with a hole in the front for the 'jacks to get out really. Unless you are getting charged your Positive Charged warjack will need to go before your infantry, so make sure it has room to maneuver. Deflection will help alleviate blast damage suffered by this sort of blobing thankfully, but don't be afraid to spread out in the case of Berserk or Overtaking models. This positioning system is what I like to call the Cell approach, due to how the warjack is the nucleous of the formation and the infantry acts as the infrastructure around it. Your infantry will have to be able to reform around your warjack after the charge to protect it from counter attack so you keep your Positive Charge target. Rebuke will help you split up your oppenent's army if one cell starts to weaken.


Overload is another ability I wanted to talk about. If you're damaged at all, do not overload on three dice. If you have at least 12 health, feel free to overload on 2; if it's all or nothing and you really need the STR you can overload on 3 at up to 13 health, 2 on up to 10 health, and 1 on up to 5 health, but be prepared to explode. In general though, I tend to only overload on 3 at full health, 2 at 11, and 1 at 6.


Tying it all Together: The Assassination Run versus Feating


One of the biggest questions I get from newer Epic Stryker players is how to know when to feat and when to assassinate. To answer the second, it's when I have a vector; I believe in playing a bit more on the edge with my assassin 'casters, so if I can reasonably go for the kill, I will. The issue still remains with his feat. In general, I use it in three different fashions. The first is the alphastrike; run everyone up close, then feat move rip and tear. The issue with this is that you're still only killing their front line; a properly spaced army will be able to avoid much of this tactic and eat you in return, so you must be careful. The second is an overtake really; once lines have clashed, you push into their lines during your activation and use your feat to take out those troops you can't during your normal turn. The final is to help on the assassination run; holding off on a focus against a squishy 'caster to boost your feat attack is nice, but so is running up two 'jacks with Positive Charge on one and 2 focus each so they get a boosted attack and damage feat attack on the 'caster. Two Stormclads can do this for a 15” threat each, and you should only have to cast Positive Charge once. Rowdy also work as one of them; a boosted PS21 and a boosted PS20 will destroy most 'casters; MAT9 and MAT10 with boosted attack rolls mean you'll be hitting.


Summary


Epic Stryker plays far differently from any other Cygnaran 'caster, offering moderately direct buffs to melee troops instead of ranged troops and with a feat aiming at only melee models. He's a lot of fun to play in that you can attrition or assassinate with him, and he has a fairly versatile spell list to boot. He's not an easy 'caster to learn, but he's probably our fourth best and very, very competitive. Just remember not to roll a 17 or higher on your Overload damage!

[PUFNSTUF]

out of curiosity, have you ever personally encountered blowing yourself up with an overload?






:p

good write up, I can't comment enough how important the charge one target and velocity around is.

[Mutton]

out of curiosity, have you ever personally encountered blowing yourself up with an overload?






:p

good write up, I can't comment enough how important the charge one target and velocity around is.

2 games ago, Stryker thought his warcaster armor was like a spacesuit. Turns out liquid inside it tends to short it out. Had a great game up to that point; the dice gods just really, really didn't want me to win. My opponent graciously gave me the Moral High Ground at least :D.

[JamesDiGriz]

And off to boot camp.

Thanks Mutton.

[EnternalVoid]

Three things. First always good to see one of your articles.

Second, you only need to run one jack up with positive charge, the second does not need positive charge as it will be within the 3" of the other model, thus get the bonus anyway. It will save some focus. Also at 50pt I tend to glance Strangeway's way myself. I also like Rowdy and the Stormclad at that level so Strangeway's repair becomes very useful. Also his Evasive Action can help a jack get near the caster if they leave an opening between models.

Third, I have actually have had Reinholdt growing on me for a solo. He actually adds quite a bit to eStryker. With Stryker’s gun you can disrupt jacks pretty easy, with Reinholdt you can take two shots with out needing a focus. Three if you pay a single focus. His Spyglass can be useful to determine a possible assassin run or a run and feat with your troops. Mostly for times where you are not confident in your eyeballing distance. Also Lucky charm has its uses. It can help when you need rebuke to hit but more for the assassin run. Being able to help insure that charge attack/first attack hits is key I have found. If you had to use 3 focus on Velocity to get there then you need every bit to make sure that you can get.

Guess there was a fourth thing, Really really like Rowdy with eStryker. That +2 defense from the affinity against melee attacks has deterred several attempts on his life, so has the no knockdown. It has made me feel a lot safer keeping eStryker safe. Also the free run from Rowdy helps keep up those turns I want to velocity forward a tad, cast deflection, and sit on the rest of the focus for armor.

[lastspartacus]

Any caster does well with a ROF2 Magnus, guess thats what happened to the severed arm ;)

[Knight]

Precursors to ARM20 in shieldwall

Precursors have Spell Ward, I was under impression they are immune to Deflection.

[lastspartacus]

Cant be TARGETED by spells.

[whats82]

EV - his example IS with only one jack on positive charge. (3 focus on stormclad, 2 focus on rowdy, cast positive charge on one of them, stormclad run and have 2 focus left, rowdy runs for free and have 2 left)

[Spooker]

Excellent write up on 1 of my favorite casters.

Very good job.

Take care.

[Brettman008]

Thanks for the great write-up!

[TimBuckToo]

*blinking* Do my eyes deceive me *more blinking*

ROCK N ROLL!!!!! IT'S ON!!!! Ahem, thanks for writing this sir

[Griffin839]

Great write up and thank you for your hard work.
Thought I would add some tips from my own experience and perspective.

With Estrker never take more than two jacks in his battle group. Ol' Rowdy is a staple(but dont be afraid to take an ironclad instead if you want the extra 2 points), and a lancer if you feel like it. but remember you are taking it for its reach and archnode, your focus should go elsewhere. You should always Marshall the Stormclad to the Stormblades. With the free focus, the marshall move, and a focus from Arlan Strangeways(Who you should ALWAYS take with the stormclad and stormblade combo) the stormclad will always be at peak running at efficiency leaving Stryker with more focus to cast spells/power Ol'Rowdy/or kill stuff himself.

Your Army is mostly electricity immune. Abuse this. The stormblade UA granting 3 inch AOEs is a wonderful thing. You can use the bayonet charge order to move your men closer to the enemy. The AOEs will deviate and who knows they may hit something? If its your own guys, they are immune so no harm no fowl, if its one of your opponents models, a pow 7 damage roll on deviation isnt too shabby. Lightening Storm is one of the most overlooked spells that Stryker possesses, because people only look at it from an offensive standpoint. Its actually a defensive Spell. Its a 3 in AOE that deals pow 10 electrical to anything that touches it and stays on the board for a round. Your troops are immune to electricity. Protect your stormsmiths from melee attacks by putting them in the middle of a storm. Place your stormclad out in front and then put a storm right on top of him in order to cripple the effectiveness of the charge. Tired of Rowdy being put in melee of wimps to negate the countercharge and let something big get by? Put it on Ol' Rowdy(not immune but Rowdy laughs at pow 10 damage rolls) and give yourself a great chance of killing the weaklings and freeing Rowdy. Support your infantry by just dropping the AOE on top of your in combat Stormblades. Your guys don't care and it will become a real thorn in your opponents side as the guys he has in combat will take take a pow 10 at casting, and a pow 10 at the end of their activations, or risk a free strike to get out of the storm. It may be situational, but there are so many situations out there, that keeping the spell in mind is always a good idea.

Protecting a caster is something on every players mind, but dont forget Darth is a beast when it comes to killing stuff other than casters. Sometimes he needs to get his hands dirty. with reach and disruption on his sword and the ability for multiple overloads(you should only need one per thing you want dead), he can easily crush jacks by himself, freeing up your forces to deal with other threats(like infantry). A pow 18 hammer on a jack is scary, but when the mat 6 jack is disrupted and against a def 16 warcaster? Its a good bet your caster will survive to fight another day.

Trenchers have their uses. Against Some forces such as the retribution, Estrykers Deflection is useless. you need some sort of advance guard to by time for your force to make it to the front. Trenchers fill this role. With Advanced deploy and the cautious advance order provided by the ua, they can engage the enemy at a safe distance from your forces turn 1, while still being a tick to remove for anything other than mhsf. They will probably suffer heavy losses but if used correctly, their noble sacrifice will have supplied you with enough time to get your men to where they can be of use. Some people would prefer precursor knights, but against warlock and casters with feats that negate melee, (a certain legion of everblight witch that makes everyone immune to melee and power attacks come to mind) a combined range attack could be just what the doctor order. Some ranged threats(Stormblade UA granting the aoes has never let me down) are needed in an Estryker army if you want to take all comers that is.

[GunMageinTraining]

At least one thing Griffin,

SB+ UA, the 3" aoe's are only generated on a direct hit. They are no longer automatic so no longer scatter.

[Mutton]

Not sure where you were getting at with the UA; they can't hit **** without Rangers around. As I said with Lightning Storm, you can drop it on your own dudes to protect them, but it's still a pretty big points investment.

Also, at 50pts you should be running 3 'jacks in your battlegroup; a Lancer/Thorn, Rowdy, and a Stormclad (feel free to substitute the last two if you don't like them for some horrible reason). This gives you the ability to deal with enemy heavies quite well, lets you run your Lancer on Rebuke duty, and go for fully boosted feat assassination runs.

[Griffin839]

At least one thing Griffin,

SB+ UA, the 3" aoe's are only generated on a direct hit. They are no longer automatic so no longer scatter.

You are correct, I misread the card. I have been playing with an incorrect understanding of what the card said... Wow, Im surprised no one has ever corrected me on it. I must say I now agree that they are kinda a luxury in this light, but they are still two more Stormblades to kill stuff with, so I would still recommend the UA if you have the points.

As for the battlegroup size, I was just speaking from my own experience. Ive had better luck only running 2 jacks with Stryker and marshalling any others I take. I feel EStryker just cant support more than two jacks efficiently. I normally take a Lancer and Rowdy with Stryker and marshall the Stormclad to the SB. With the Stormclad taken care of and Rowdy charging for free, Stryker has the ability to use his limited focus for casting a rebuke and up to 2 positive charges a turn. This can give a huge advantage over the opponent.

[Adam]

Really Good Advice, Thank Mutton

[Peregrine]

EStryker is one of the most fun warcasters to play. Ever. I always enjoy loading up on Overload and tearing their caster a few new ones (If they survive the initial impact.) I'm a personal fan of using Trenchers as my front line to go in there and muck things up until the Stormnouns get in there. The smoke clouds also help out with letting your lines advance with less harassment. I also love running Rambo, I mean Finn, in my lists. Especially if you have a spare Arcane Shield for the first turn or two, since the enemy generally either spends a lot of effort trying to get him out of their face or he goes in there and jacks up a unit or some solos.

[isawatsuke]

I actually think overloading estryker with melee units to maximize benefit from his feat is inefficient. At his core i think estryker is an assasin caster. One of the best too. Ive had transfers one shot healthy beasts and then even do a few points to the owning warlock. Not to mention that he doesnt really care much about focus camping and he has a built in "chase" mechaniic against admonition or drunk casters.

Ive tried running him pure melee and its ok. Its just cygnarian troops arent that great to begin with. I usually have more success with him with an assasination build, just with a bit more emphasis on kd since mat 7 is his most dangerous (for you) stat.

[Nuriochi_sol]

Having played him a ton, the one thing I've just recently realized - Overload lasts only for his activation. I've used his feat to finish off a few iffy assassination runs, and been close to burned on this account. It, in a way, makes Positive Charge on a nearby jack even more important.

[Cardboard]

I actually think overloading estryker with melee units to maximize benefit from his feat is inefficient. At his core i think estryker is an assasin caster. One of the best too. Ive had transfers one shot healthy beasts and then even do a few points to the owning warlock. Not to mention that he doesnt really care much about focus camping and he has a built in "chase" mechaniic against admonition or drunk casters.

Ive tried running him pure melee and its ok. Its just cygnarian troops arent that great to begin with. I usually have more success with him with an assasination build, just with a bit more emphasis on kd since mat 7 is his most dangerous (for you) stat.

eStryker's in no way shape or form an assassin; it's too obvious of a run and if they can put damage on you early, it drops in effectiveness. He's just really good at ending games sword to face; Terminus for a turn. That said, while I run him fairly melee based, the B13th are stars every match.

I've also been trying to make what many seem to think are the best choices for him, stormblades and stormlances. Honestly, if I were to make a list that both plays to his strength AND used both those units, I'm at something like 64pts. Honestly, I'd kill for even IFP in faction; I really want some reach decent pow infantry.

All that said, the key to pretty much every battle I find to be Rebuke. That spell is just a game changer. eStryker melee forces can handle heavies + the magnum for disruption. Constant Rebuke spam is what really lets you do magic. I like to play eStryker somewhat towards the back early on if they've got a powerful feat, bait it out, and then move up to force them to respond to me.

[isawatsuke]

its a lot harder to defend against than you think. 20" threat range 9" of which are "advance" so you can go in any direction you want. Most people forget that velocity is no longer advance in a straight line. Add to that a list with some gunmages and/or black 13th for model removal (via pushing or kd or kill) and you can open a hole really quickly. Ol rowdy works to negate free strikes too with tremor.

As to the damage, I guess you can damage stryker in the first 1-2 rounds of the game before he gets an opportunity (tho honestly 2nd turn runs with stryker is very possible). However in most cases a few damage points wont matter as a 2d6 overloaded stryker is still plenty to kill most casters (ones with arm 20-22) 3d6 is kewl but really seems like overkill most of the time.

[TAG]

its a lot harder to defend against than you think. 20" threat range 9" of which are "advance" so you can go in any direction you want. Most people forget that velocity is no longer advance in a straight line. Add to that a list with some gunmages and/or black 13th for model removal (via pushing or kd or kill) and you can open a hole really quickly. Ol rowdy works to negate free strikes too with tremor.

How do you get a 20" threat range. Velocity for a max of 6", 9" charge, 2" reach. Overload only affects the activation, so if you're relying on the feat for the other 3", you only get one P+S 15 attack. Not many casters will die to that.

[isawatsuke]

corbeu. Shes standard in my ecaine/estryker/seige lists.

[Aetou]

corbeu. Shes standard in my ecaine/estryker/seige lists.

How do you get her to start a turn within range of enemy models without already being dead? I'd have thought against eCaine or eStryker she'd be a very high priority target and she really isn't that hard to pop, even if you have Gorman throw smoke for her.

[isawatsuke]

How do you get her to start a turn within range of enemy models without already being dead? I'd have thought against eCaine or eStryker she'd be a very high priority target and she really isn't that hard to pop, even if you have Gorman throw smoke for her.

How do i get her within 9" of the front line? Hmm I guess we will have to chalk this up to a meta thing. Ive never really had any problems with it. In fact the only time she dies is when my opponent sends up a sacrificial arcnode to spell her to death. Tho i guess one of my tactics that i dont really see other people use is that I try and keep her within sucker range of my caster so when those pistol wraiths or whatever shoot at her i get to shunt damage to a reliable target that wont die. I honestly dont mind taking a point or two or damage since my caster will probably be killing you next turn besides if you dedcade something like a ravagore or defender to killing her (one of the few things i wont throw my caster in front of) then you get my squire or lynch or ryan or whoever i have in the vicinity. Again its probably a meta thing.

Its not a dibray thing (which i also use) where you only get it once in a blue moon, corbeu has always been fairly consistent for me.

[Defenstrator]

I don't own Corbeau yet, but I can say that Anastasia has become a fixture in my eStryker list. She comes in just behind the first wave, and when she manages to use Espionage it's like getting his feat all over again.

Ironicly this has meant that I haven't been able to kill another warcaster with him for some time. They're staying way at the back where they can't be reached.

[Aetou]

Using Sucker! to shift hits onto eStryker (particularly if he is camping a couple of focus and/or has Deflection up) is a pretty neat trick I hadn't thought of, definitely must help stop her being picked off by POW10s although I must admit I'd be nervous to shift much stronger hits onto eStryker (particularly boostable ones) as one slightly above average roll would completely compromise his ability to do the Overcharge Assassination run.

[Techcasualty]

Was it errata'd that stryker can give his bond to rowdy?

[Aetou]

Was it errata'd that stryker can give his bond to rowdy?

It doesn't need to be errata'd - the core Bonding rules allow you to bond to a character 'jack if you have an Affinity with it.

[isawatsuke]

Lately I have added reinholdt to the list of estrykers merry men (in addition to corbeu, squire, and anastasia). I think that he may be as essential to estryker as he is to ecaine.

When I assasinate with estryker I usually do enough damage to kill in one hit. The most nailbiting part of the process is when you have to use estrykers mat 7 to hit the enemy. Reinholdt and his Mini-signs and portents have really been helping me a lot allowing me to go after def 16-17 casters with more confidence instead of having to wait for a charge lane from estryker (very easy) and either space to get a jack within 3" or rowdy in tremor range of thier caster (the harder part).

[dicegod]

Lately I have added reinholdt to the list of estrykers merry men (in addition to corbeu, squire, and anastasia). I think that he may be as essential to estryker as he is to ecaine.

When I assasinate with estryker I usually do enough damage to kill in one hit. The most nailbiting part of the process is when you have to use estrykers mat 7 to hit the enemy. Reinholdt and his Mini-signs and portents have really been helping me a lot allowing me to go after def 16-17 casters with more confidence instead of having to wait for a charge lane from estryker (very easy) and either space to get a jack within 3" or rowdy in tremor range of thier caster (the harder part).

That may be the most profound thing in this thread.

[jackolas]

Great writeup Mutton! Really useful

[Sacredsouless]

Yep, it's a good one and pretty much all of the info is relevant.

[TKaz84]

Has anyone tried the Thunderhead in eStryker lists? When run next to the Stormblades it can hang back and pulse if they get tied up by opposing infantry, and two P+S 18 fists under Positive Charge isn't too shabby either. Thoughts?

[Tamwulf]

Beyond the Thread Necromancy...

This was a great thread when it was written. This was posted BEFORE MARK II using the rules PDF. Since this thread, the actual Mark II Rule Book was released, and more than a few things changed from the PDF rules. The Cygnar MK II Deck and the Forces of Cygnar book was released, and it further changed some of the units from the Cygnar PDF at the time.

I'd welcome Mutton or anyone else to update or rewrite this Tactics Article.

One of Lord Commander Coleman Stryker's greatest strengths is how well he functions in just about any list. I've used him as a front line madman camping his focus with Arcane Shield and just using 1 or 2 Overloads. I've played him in the backfield, as a support caster using Deflection, Positive Charge and Rebuke. His flexibility is awesome, and probably the best out of all the Cygnar warcasters. One model I never Field eStryker without is Ol' Rowdy. The bond and affinity they share is probably one of the best in the game.

[TKaz84]

Actually reading through it I can't find anything he wrote that isn't accurate as of now. eStryker didn't really change that much from the FT to MKII, and he includes some new stuff like Trencher Commandos. The only thing I can see adding to this article is a list of good merc units to use with him now that Murdoch can make them benefit from PC and his feat.

[Cardboard]

In terms of stuff worth adding, I'd say Corbeau and Ragman are very solid pieces at 50, as are Forgeguard with Murdoch; really nothing else has changed

[Mod_Redphantasm]

Re-opening this thread. Please keep the discussion topic on epic Stryker and off of thread necromancy.

[Brettman008]

In terms of stuff worth adding, I'd say Corbeau and Ragman are very solid pieces at 50, as are Forgeguard with Murdoch; really nothing else has changed

I really think Corbeau is an auto-include. The extra out of turn movement is just too good to pass up for a melee assassination caster.

I also want to try out Murdoch's Forgeguard with eStryker. They have so much synergy with Positive Charge, Arcane Shield (I also consider Jr. a must with eStryker), and Deflection.

[Endgame]

First off, can we nuke posts 35 and 37 off of the thread to keep it to actual discussion on eStryker?

While the original article just touches on it, I really like one or two Cyclones with eStryker. They provide excellent anti infantry support and with positive charge they can actually deal some decent melee damage with the slight buff to pow. Now that the Rag Man is out, not only can you easily be hitting at effectively P+S 18 with the Cyclone, models like sword knights will receive both buffs, bumping them up to effectively P+S 14 weapon masters. Precursors with the Mini feat get down right sick at P+S 16 weapon masters :D

I have always had good luck with Trenchers as a front line smoke screen. Depending on what I'm running on the back end, the smoke screen early can keep my Stormblades / Precursors safe as I maneuver them into position, and the Trenchers can benefit from a wide selection of buffs to make sure they stay in the game (Deflection, Arcane Shield, and Dirge of mists pump them up to Def 14 and Arm 18 without Dig in).

As for support for Stryker, I usually try to keep it to Reinholdt and the Squire. The assassination run is the most telegraphed portion of running eStryker and a solid opponent is going to see it coming and will do his best to stay out of the way. As such, I've found the best plan is to sink your points into your army and grind his into dust while you wait for the opening to charge in and shred your opponent.

[Sacredsouless]

So how good is rienholdt? I would imagine you primarly use the lucky charm and telescope as I see the reload as being pretty situational. Also doesnt corbuea's ability only work while she's within 3" of an enemy? Or am I totally confused on what she does?

[bushi]

So how good is rienholdt? I would imagine you primarly use the lucky charm and telescope as I see the reload as being pretty situational. Also doesnt corbuea's ability only work while she's within 3" of an enemy? Or am I totally confused on what she does?

Reinholdt is fairly solid with eStryker. I usually either use the telescope for checking or the reload for the free disruption. I may not always need him but I'm always glad I have him. Stryker's extra shot isn't as accurate as a Stormsmith by a small margin except against unbuffed Menoth/Khador warjacks which would be my prime target for Magnum were they in range anyway.

[Mod_Redphantasm]

So how good is rienholdt? I would imagine you primarly use the lucky charm and telescope as I see the reload as being pretty situational. Also doesnt corbuea's ability only work while she's within 3" of an enemy? Or am I totally confused on what she does?

Corbeua has some nice synergy with eStryker. While in B2B she can bump him up to CMD 11, which he then spreads to everyone around him via commander.

Her movement trick is golden too. As long as an enemy is within 9" of her (her CMD range) at the start of your turn, you get to move one of your models within 3" of her up to 3".

This is to say nothing of how useful seduction can be to clear dangerous models out of your lines.

[Sacredsouless]

Ohh, that is delicious. So how many points? And I'm gonna assume she dies to a stiff breeze, so this would be interesting to use.

[Cardboard]

I find myself too points strapped at 35 to include her; one of the first choices after a second heavy at 50 however.

[Mod_Redphantasm]

Ohh, that is delicious. So how many points? And I'm gonna assume she dies to a stiff breeze, so this would be interesting to use.

2 Points. And she's fairly durable. With DEF 15 and Sucker!

[Sacredsouless]

2 Points. And she's fairly durable. With DEF 15 and Sucker!

Nice, but by "dies to a stiff breeze" I meant she is like an ATGM grunt, or the GMCA. High def, but crap arm.

[Mod_Redphantasm]

Nice, but by "dies to a stiff breeze" I meant she is like an ATGM grunt, or the GMCA. High def, but crap arm.

You are correct on that. But by the way Sucker! works, you cannot directly target her with ranged attacks while someone else is in 2" of her.

Plus, since she has no weapons and no abilities active until your enemy gets close, I typically find she isn't targeted all that much. Do you try to shoot Madelyn, who might shift striker in another 2 turns and help him kill you, or do you shoot the Stormgunner, who's going to lead the volley fire that might kill you now.

[Concussion]

I feel that the key to making the best use from Madelyn is to include warrior models other than your caster who will benefit from Intrigue. The Ragman, Gorman, Alexia, and even Strangeways all have the potential to gain a lot from 3" of extra movement. It's also important to remember that you can use Intrigue on a single Stormblade grunt or something similar. I don't know if I would just throw her into every eStryker list I built but if when there are additional synergies I think she can be very, very good.

[Kuren]

I've found that, with the introduction of Murdock, running Boomhowler with eStryker to be pretty good. Not only are they arm 18 vs ranged with Deflection up and a great tarpit unit in general, with Positive Charge they'll be effective mat 8 hitting at power 14. So they can bring the hurt after clogging up the enemy's front lines.

[RionikuAnjiru]

The problem with using boomhowler's unit offensively is the medium base, making it hard to concentrate offensive power.

Conversely it's also why they're good at being a tarpit/screen

[Ysthrall]

I've found eStryker useful in Escalation tournaments (you know, 15pts, 25, 35, 50), as he's rather monomaniacal. At each stage, you can layer on more melee stuff without unbalancing his army.

(That said, I had a rubbuish showing with him where, on overload for +15 STR, he failed to do more than cosmetic damage to Nightmare. The dice responsible are in a landfill somewhere...)

Additional point re his battlegroup, I've generally kept Stormclad with him, although not given it much focus. While it runs with Arlan and the 'blades, a marshalled jack can be screwed over by knockdown effects. And then you CAN give it focus if needed.

I hadn't thought of Reinholdt for measuring the charge ranges, I'll have to look into that...