Kaaaarrnn

[genix]

Lately I've been playing a bit more with eMakeda. I still class myself as a newer player even though its been half a year since I began the hobby. However I've been wanting to practice more with Karn and just try a move movement oriented game - using Fatewalker and Leash to try put my opposition between a rock and a hard place on his turn.

At 25 or 35 (the only points levels I play at for the moment) I don't squeeze a Bronzeback in. It's just Molik and the Gladiator smacking things around for heavies.

I'm finding that even though I'm managing to sneak in that win quite often (more often than not), it seems more like luck than decidedly beating the opposition. I've looked for Battle Reports with eMak to see how others are faring. Often times it seems not well. So I'm wondering what other peoples experiences are like?

My typical game with an eMak list is the opposition blocks Karn from any alpha strike shenanigans, and often times is able to do more damage to my forces than I can to his. Just when I feel I'm really about to lose this battle, his depleting forces (while still superior in points and number to mine) inevitably leave some angle open. Gladiator might trample and clean some things out, Karn is leashed and with feat I charge an enemy ignoring the free strikes and grab the win after sidestepping off said model to his caster.

It feels like the game always plays to this last ditch assassination attempt, leaving my caster really forward and open if it fails. I have to step out of my comfort zone and go for that 'go big or go home' moment.

[tehhelios]

Try pmakeda, she is my karn caster. Her feat and defenders ward makes her army better suited to take a few hits.

With her you can run up a max swords/nihlators in the enemies face and dont care about retaliation and with controll points scenarios they will have to be close enough or you will get free vp:s
(generally feat turn 2)

You wont get boosted attack rolls or immune to free strike feat turn but imo +2 on any turn is just fine and if ur doing assassination a free strike wont kill karn.

you can try other casters but this is what iv experienced, not tried them all.

[Falkman]

I usually play with Karn up front of the army, and use him to charge in and tear up enemy heavies during the first turns of the game, before he can get an angle for assassination. Charge in, swing your initials, and then if you're fighting a reach model you side step out on your last initial (since it ignores free strikes) and then Fate walker home. If you fight a non-reach model just wail on it until it dies or until you can't use any more fury (remember to save 2 for Fate walker). Obviously this won't work if you're fighting a very fast opponent, but I find that if I activate Karn before eMak his side steps + Fate walker + Leash is often enough to get him out of enemy charge range again.

[Kurgash]

Alot of times I make the Archidon do the heavy lifting so when he gets that lovely critical pitch, he throws his target well within Karn's charge range free of any obstacles. Try our lovely Pterodactyl out and see how it adds to the flavor of an eMakeda list.

[Shuyung]

The archidon can also cast sprint on Karn. This allows you to use that 2 extra fury to rip things up and still sprint away.

[whats82]

Savagery on Karn, sprint from archidon. Walks 11" and swing at 13" away. You can boost both initials' damages and sidestep into an infantry, kill that and then walk 11" away again. Then paingivers strip off fury from Karn and Archidon.

This gives you 2 PS13 +4d6 on a target heavy, then you get to kill a few infantry depending on position before coming home safely. (reach + sidestep means you should be able to get to nearby infantry that's at most 8" away from the heavy you're hitting). Then apply some infantry screen if necessary. It's scary effective. You can even hotswap defender's ward onto him if you're expecting to be charged. 15/20 Karn with intuition forcing rerolls can be quite hard for a single beast to take down.

[Dyoria]

I have a very fun "ninja" skorne list that i like playing that resolves around 2 min beasthndler squads, mk, an archidon and pmorg.

The whole schtick is that pmorg and mk bounce around the table, charging and killing inf, then sprinting away and then fatewalkering away further. I put the handlers on the flanks as i move mk and morg to the opposite flank they started on each turn. Drives opponents nuts, even though i am not killing much.

[PG_Paingiver]

I have a very fun "ninja" skorne list that i like playing that resolves around 2 min beasthndler squads, mk, an archidon and pmorg.

The whole schtick is that pmorg and mk bounce around the table, charging and killing inf, then sprinting away and then fatewalkering away further. I put the handlers on the flanks as i move mk and morg to the opposite flank they started on each turn. Drives opponents nuts, even though i am not killing much.

Not Sure how this is possible buddy as Sprit triggers at end of activation and fate walker is end of turn with range self. You can only be effected by 1 animus at a time. So you can only have one or the other on MK. fate walker on PMorg is nice though.

[Dyoria]

I thought sprint triggered after combqt action, like refuge and light cav movement...

Damn i have been cheating again, and a lot!

[x3tsniper]

What lists are you playing against that they are blocking you like that? I find Molik Karn is more powerful than normal in smaller point games. What are they doing to block you, and what are you doing when you are slingshotting him with Makeda?

I have no problem enraging him and shooting him off at a jack and generally having it kill said jack with enough fury left to cast fatewalker. 5 p&s 15 weapon master attacks plants most jacks out there pretty easily. On average dice, you are rolling between 27.5 and 30 damage to an armor 20 jack/beast. If you don't kill it, it is pretty much crippled, and you fate walker away anyways since you are immune to free strikes on feat turn.

Also, I can't stress it enough, don't forget about trample. I have had people completely forget he can trample immune to free strikes on eMakedas feat turn. Such an easy way to get on top of a caster. The distance he can trample may be unmatched in the game, especially when you factor in the 3" move prior. It makes you ridiculously slippery.

[PG_Asa]

I almost still feel bad putting him on the table, so much stupid range. I love him with pmorg. those PS 17 WM sidestepping reach blades of death make me feel like I'm cheating. Just gotta watch out for that wimpy 10" control area.
Fun 25 point list
pMorg-7
MK 11
TG 8
Savage -5
Brute-5
PGBH -3

The Savage makes an expendable Mini Missile, great for clearing a path for MK. If you wanted to be more defensive, go Drake and Swamp Gobbs

[gaminguy]

I really resisted playing EMakeda because she looks so strong, but what I found when I finally did get around to her was that she's an amazing burst caster with all that implies. She has good stuff before and after the feat turn, but you are REALLY relying on that feat to get the job done.

- Leash and Road to War are kinda pointless after you make melee (outside of yo-yo-ing with Leash, gotta try that).
- EoD is strong late-game, but you suffer a bit from EMorg's problem of not having much else to do.

I just don't think she's as strong on the table as she is on paper, and I'm not terribly fond of her play-style.

[genix]

I guess it depends. Usually the game I feel I'm left trying is against Khador. High DEF or high ARM - both kinda suck. At any rate screening against Molik doesn't seem that tough. He'll have a couple of side-steps, but if the high DEF are the first foot forward, he's boosting to hit (if its not feat turn) and can burn a bit too much fury for anything too fancy.

Anyhow the last game I played with my eMak list I started the Molik yo-yo up and took out a few troops before retreating with Fate Walker. Since FW won't take him far enough away, I ran my Nihilators around to provide some screening.

Managing to clear the 3 Nihilators from his path, my opponent gets a jack into position and charges MK. Luckily for me he is unable to finish Karn despite getting a critical pitch which deviated in my opponents favour into a charge lane for his other jack.

The crux of the issue I have is getting MK into a decent position after FateWalker. So I try get him into a respectable position - hopefully such that only some weaker models have a direct charge lane on him and then run a few screening models into the way.

I guess were I to use her feat earlier, I'd deal a heavier blow and probably even the points on the table. But because its so good for the assassination turn, I typically wait. More opportunities open up later in the match due to reduced model count.

[x3tsniper]

I guess it depends. Usually the game I feel I'm left trying is against Khador. High DEF or high ARM - both kinda suck. At any rate screening against Molik doesn't seem that tough. He'll have a couple of side-steps, but if the high DEF are the first foot forward, he's boosting to hit (if its not feat turn) and can burn a bit too much fury for anything too fancy.

Anyhow the last game I played with my eMak list I started the Molik yo-yo up and took out a few troops before retreating with Fate Walker. Since FW won't take him far enough away, I ran my Nihilators around to provide some screening.

Managing to clear the 3 Nihilators from his path, my opponent gets a jack into position and charges MK. Luckily for me he is unable to finish Karn despite getting a critical pitch which deviated in my opponents favour into a charge lane for his other jack.

The crux of the issue I have is getting MK into a decent position after FateWalker. So I try get him into a respectable position - hopefully such that only some weaker models have a direct charge lane on him and then run a few screening models into the way.

I guess were I to use her feat earlier, I'd deal a heavier blow and probably even the points on the table. But because its so good for the assassination turn, I typically wait. More opportunities open up later in the match due to reduced model count.

I would typically only send him in on infantry if he is unable to be charged by a jack or beast the next turn. Otherwise it isn't really worth it. You are really bringing him to kill enemy heavies and caster, and he excels at that. One thing that helps, if you are dead set on using him to wipe out infantry, is have a bronzeback cast train wreck on him. It means he can pretty much wipe out half a unit at a time with ease, or get into even more interesting positions.