Top Merc Lists

[Weezinggg]

I was wondering if everyone can help me out. Based on what we saw was popular at Lock and Load, and with upcoming Collosals what do you think is our best ways to counter the current meta and/or our most competitive lists in the different categories. Obviously this is just everyone opinion but i really want to get a good idea from other players since im the only merc player in my area out of like 30-40 people. I know this may be a pretty random thread but i want to play mercs for a full year and want to see our faction from every angle.

For example my opinions are

Top 3
1. Ashlynn- Highborn
2. MacBain- Four Star
3. Damiano- Four Star
Mangled Metal
1. Grundback- Searforge
Theme List
1. eMagnus- Bad Seeds

dont have to use this format but seems simple enough

i know my mangled metal choice may come as a surprise but gun bunnies rock, laying down light domage on jacks/beast and providing a road block to to protect drillers/rockrams is highly effective.

[DocMerc]

In my OPINION

Damiano 4* (assassination/attrition)
Ashlynn Highborn (assassination)
Gorten Highborn (assassination/objective control)
Mangled metal
pMagnus (I don't care what anyone says he is my favorite caster for MM)
Theme list
pMagnus again I LOVE his most wanted list. It is fun to play, and loaded with fluff.

[absent]

Shae theme, i won't rank other things because i don't think it's worthwhile, but a pirates life is money.

[Weezinggg]

@absent: I love pirates life, but my only problem with it is timed turns. You bring a swarm of sea dogs with 2 attacks each takes time, and shaes feat takes time.
@DocMerc: What do you usually bring with gorten in highborn, ive only played him in 4* and searforge.

[canadianone]

Yeah, a Pirates life is a great theme list, i'd say in the top 10 for all of warma/hordes, maybe even top 5.

[DocMerc]

@DocMerc: What do you usually bring with gorten in highborn, ive only played him in 4* and searforge.

Ayanna and Holt
Lynyssa Ryssyl
Nyss
Rhupert
Forgeguard
'Jacks

[absent]

I've played timed turns with a pirates life constantly, the only time i've had trouble is when an opponent was slow rolling tough, so i started pausing my clock for them marking damage and making tough, and i've never had trouble with the timed turns again.

[CareyBear]

Shae needs practice, but once you know him back to front you'll have no problems.. Last steamroller I didn't use extension with Shae except in 1 game. Know the list backward, be fast and methodical and you'll be fine.

[lastspartacus]

I don't know about overall power, but this is the most powerful combo I have found for tournaments, due to character restrictions and having something for everything.

Captain Bart 4star
Tiered Damiano
Durgen highborn

[Ger]

For Shae it really really depends on what kind of time your local uses. Saturday I ran Shae at 50 with 10 minute turns and a 5 minute extension. I moved pretty quick but it was brutal. 15 minute turns with 5 minute extensions would have totally changed things.

::EDIT::
4 Star MacBain is going to be really strong against Colossals I feel. Damiano also has a lot to say for himself in that regard. Otherwise the usual "Get great with who you are comfortable with" thought process from me.

[pattison]

Whatever works for you...

[MagnustheJust]

Hey Kiddies!!

Ol' Uncky Magnus is going to simplify this one for you!!

The answer is the same as if someone asks you if you are a god...

[absent]

For Shae it really really depends on what kind of time your local uses. Saturday I ran Shae at 50 with 10 minute turns and a 5 minute extension. I moved pretty quick but it was brutal. 15 minute turns with 5 minute extensions would have totally changed things.

::EDIT::
4 Star MacBain is going to be really strong against Colossals I feel. Damiano also has a lot to say for himself in that regard. Otherwise the usual "Get great with who you are comfortable with" thought process from me.

I ran him at warmachine weekend over 9 games and i don't think i ever timed out except extentions, and that was 10 min turns for 50 pts.

[LiamPiver]

Lastspartacus mentioned Durgen in Highborn, but no one else has mentioned him at all. Either Highborn or 4Star, it really doesn't matter but Durgen is absolutely the best Merc caster at a SR. He has something for everyone like Damiano but while Damiano's spell list may be a little better, Durgen himself blows Damiano out the water.

He can clear infantry spam or do big damage to one target.
He provides a melee and strength buff for units
He has a movement penalty which can really hose certain builds mid to end game
He provides a speed and strength buff for jacks
Ground Zero is just nuts

Durgen gets things done.

[pattison]

Durgen is a great caster indeed.
And I prefer him in Highborn.

[LiamPiver]

I personally like him in 4Star but that's mainly so I can get Kayazy. Eliminators are stupid at Mat11, PS 17 on the charging combo.

[Tucker]

Out of the three casters I play (Ashlynn, Damiano, MacBain) I find Damiano to be the most powerful. He makes it really easy to stack buffs if your army has a few units of Steelheads and/or you include Aiyana, Gunner MacNeil, Ragman, etc, which can turn otherwise mediocre Merc units into killing machines. Steelhead Riflemen and Boomhowler & Co are extremely good with him, and I've won more than few games by surprising my opponent with the firepower they can put out.

Ashlynn's a fun caster with lots of defensive tricks, good fighting ability, and a great feat. She's number two in my book, since she has fewer good matchups than Damiano (though she also has fewer bad matchups, if that makes sense).

MacBain is solid. I go into every game with him wondering how I'm going to win, but MacBain can just grind it out and get the win via attrition or scenario. He has a few very, very bad matchups (hi DEF infantry, things that ignore tough) but otherwise he's equally good against everyone. He can really stick it to the Legion, which is nice. A good second caster to take.

[Ger]

I ran him at warmachine weekend over 9 games and i don't think i ever timed out except extentions, and that was 10 min turns for 50 pts.

Oh I've always suspected you to be a faster Shae player then me. Personally I find it a very challenging army to get done everything on.

[SalsaShark]

Right now I run both Durgen and Gorten in 4 Star. Ashlynn will be front and center for quite some time since I got my hands on her new model.

Damiano I run both main contracts with.

[pattison]

Have to second how great the Riflemen are with Damiano.
Super precise (RAT9 Rerolled CRA with 3d6??) and can even take modells of melee individually if they have the Coin, Deadeye and aiming. And they can also dish out some serious damage.
I just love to stack the diferend debuffs and buffs with him... Money shot is great, but then I have Ragman, Aiyanna (probably Gorman too), and the feat besides it. So effectively you can shoot a heavy in melee 10 times with an effective POW17 (19 if Gorman is there too with a Rust bomb).
He makes Halberdiers fantastic too, and with all these ARM modifiers in place your flanking Cavs wreck one Khador heavy on feat turn per capita.
I just don't see why to run anything else with Damiano when he makes his fluffy units great (of course with the proper support).
I can imagine that other stuff is also turning into gold, for example Forge Guard with Death March is just nuts.
Anyways I don't say that he's our most powerful caster, but it's simply astonishing how stabile and toolboxy he is.

[Image]

Hey Kiddies!!

Ol' Uncky Magnus is going to simplify this one for you!!

The answer is the same as if someone asks you if you are a god...

If someone asks you if you're a god, YOU SAY YES!

[MagnustheJust]

... And there's yer answer Kids!!