Testament of menoth: viable?

[Luthon]

Hey guys, well I'm just about done with my collection of PoM casters just missing super kreoss, Esevvy, HR, and ToM. In my next order I will be getting Esevvy because you know people shoes but I really like the ToM model. I probably wont pick up HR because I face too many Legion players but ToM looks like a completely different caster from his prime version. I've been thinking what I could run with ToM but I can't really think of anything I know Vengers are great with his feat but other than that hes got a low focus pool and an ok spell list. I've never really played with the soul mechanic at all other than running the odd reclaimer once in a while so I really don't know how effective his cull soul ability is.

I'd greatly appreciate if any of you ToM players could give me some advice on him maybe throw out a list and explain why x goes well with him. Thanks for the help guys!

[regleant]

http://privateerpressforums.com/show...ich-way-to-run

There was already a post on this within the top 5 threads... didn't have many solid answers yet, but still.

Let's hope we both get some good answers.

[Silverstar843]

1: All epic casters are different than their prime versions.
2: Testament is just as good as any other caster when played well. Cull soul will be the difference between FOC 5 and 13+. Turn 1 will typically be the only turn you have 5 FOC. After that, SOMETHING will die, and as long as you're close enough to it, you've got that soul. In an optimal game, you will have 1-2 jacks (one might be the Avatar), and a horde of infantry. The infantry will clog enemies and attrition them down, as they can come back easily. You'll want a Hierophant and Wracks, as with them, it will take 4 casualties to start killing your troops. 5 FOC + 4 souls + 1 from Wracks -1 to cost from hierophant = 10 Focus and one cheaper revive. Just enough to not be able to Revive 4 times.

Things that work well include Reckoner and Vanquisher. Guardian or Templar can be nice to have on the Feat turn, but the Reckoner is just a fantastic option for Hallowed Avenger. Infantry that he likes to work with are TFG, Idrians, or Zealots. KE make a fantastic addition, as you can get 3 of them killed, charge with them, and then Revive them on his turn. I call that the "Recemplar charge". Vengers work great, but can get expensive. Daughters with his upkeep spell on them can be a severe nuisance to the enemy. Bastions and Cinerators are also a good choice, as the Bastions can be Revived and placed where you like. The Cinnerators can get some crazy long distance out of his feat after they've been Revived on his activation.

Ultimately, he becomes a little more relentless than his prime counter-part. He will also find it harder to be shut down. That said, he will almost never have clouds to hide behind and is super vulnerable to assassinations. He also has a rather poor threat range and MAT, so if it comes down to it, you would not want him 1v1 against the enemy caster. This is one of the reasons I likes Bastions with him, as they can not be trampled over and can block a lane to the last man if they need to. You may also run into problems with very high defense models, as most of this army cannot boost, and Testament himself (again) is MAT 6.

[Swordchucks]

I haven't played him to much myself so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

Much like is non-epic form, he is all about the troops. Anything that is difficult for the enemy to remove is worth considering. Knights Exemplar work well, they get tougher as they die and you can use Revive to keep two or three around to maximize their potential. Keep in mind that the bonus only counts the dead knights so Revive will reduce the bonus. Idrians go really nicely with his Ashen Veil spell, giving them a DEF 17 under most circumstances. The UA gives them some great harassment potential as well. It's also worth noting that the Attendant Priest UA opens up several mercenary units as potential options.

He doesn't want a whole lot of jacks, one or two should be plenty. You'll want something that can maximize his one jack buff. A Reckoner pairs nicely with him as his Hallowed Avenger spell can let it make extra assaults. A Guardian can also be fun, getting a critical pitch off during your opponents turn with Hallowed Avenger is just plain heart warming, and it charges at +2, making it more likely to hit on those charges. Between the spell and Righteous Vengeance, the Fire of Salvation can offer some real interesting movement shenanigans.

As far as solos go, I'd say one or two is all you'll really want. A support piece like the Covenant or the Vassal, and a good combat solo. Something with the commander ability to help keep any non-fearless troops in check. You should probably stay away from Reclaimers and Gravus as they'll grab up souls, and ToM wants those for himself.