Sylys Wyshnalyrr: A Guide to Arcantrik Amplification

[PG_Dawnlord Ed]

Gentlemen,

As promised: a look at Sylys Wyshnalyrr, The Seeker so that our young mage hunters might go forth with greater confidence in Scyrah's cause.

I have, again, stolen the format used by Lord Xalys, but if any of it requires editing for format, spelling or content, please note it in the comments and we?ll make it easier to read. I have tried to cover all my bases, but I'm sure I missed a synergy, trick, or tactic. Please feel free to list it and I will add it to the main body of text.

Here we go!


Sylys Wyshnalyrr, The Seeker

"There are as many battlefields as there are paths to truth."


Stats
The Nailer of Wishes' stats are not what any of us would call impressive. His MAT and RAT are on the lower end of average and at 13/13 his DEF/ARM places him firmly in the "Yeah, I can kill that" range. If he catches on fire, he's pretty screwed. He does have boxes though, so he can probably survive an errant blast or an e-leap but, he never needs to be closer to his warcaster than 3 inches. So don't place him any closer than that.
His other notable stat is SPD 6. He's an elf and moves like one. As long as you aren't rolling your caster forward too hard, he should have plenty speed to keep up and provide the benefits that you paid for.


Weapons & Attacks
He has a magic staff with reach. On its face, that's not bad at all. But the P+S is anemic and then you remember that he's supposed to be in the backfield near your caster. If he is hitting things then the plan has gone terribly awry and you're probably in last stand mode.

However, do not forget the magic weapon. You never know when he may be called upon to make a free strike at an incorporeal target. It won't happen often, but it won't happen at all if you don't remember that you can do it.


Skills & Abilities
Ok, here we go. This is what those two points were spent on!

First, the housekeeping stuff. He is Attached, and your warcaster can only have one attachment. Right now, that's not a problem. We just don't have access to any others. In the future it may be a concern. Secondly, he's a Retribution Partisan. Yes, Brother Sylys may not have agreed with the painfully obvious truth that Scyrah's suffering can only be assuaged by the death of those filthy human spellcasters, but he has lived among the savages long enough to see that nothing they do can help Scyrah, only harm her. Therefore, we welcome his aid and knowledge. When we march to war and retribution, he marches as one of us.

Arcane Assist: This is the ability that leapt off the page at everyone. Wyshnalyrr upkeeps one your spells for free, so long as he is within 9 inches. Even though we don't have Defender's Wards or Iron Fleshes, we have a fair number of upkeeps. This ability is essentially an extra focus for virtually all our casters. In case you haven't been paying attention, more focus = more better. This is probably his #1 contribution to the war effort.

Spiritual Conduit: This one is often overlooked, but still quite good. Again, so long as The Nailer of Wishes is within 9 inches, your warcaster adds 2 inches of RNG to his/her spells. The only caveat is that he/she must be the point of origin and, therefore, any spells he or she arcs will be at the standard RNG. But, man oh man does a seemingly pitiful 2 inches make a huge difference. The difference between 10 and 12 is often the difference between being charged or not. It also makes a big difference on friendly spells, allowing your army to spread out a little farther and still be under the aegis of your warcaster's buff spell range. This one is easy to forget, but it should not be forgotten. Games have been won and lost on less than 2 inches. Don't give up the advantage.

Arcane Secrets (*Action): This one requires an action, but it's not like he was gonna swing that stick anyway. The real downside is that it needs you to be within 3 inches of the caster. That can be a little close for comfort, but the benefit outweighs the risk. The next spell the caster slings will roll an extra die on attack and damage rolls, and then drop the lowest. It's not a boost. But it does raise your expected average result fairly significantly. It really shines with AOEs. The extra die is applied to ALL damage rolls and is often enough to smear anything susceptible to blast damage. If your caster is going to sling an offensive spell, there is zero reason not to use this ability. Just remember that it's an action and not passive. So Sylys must activate before the caster to get the benefit. Also remember that it applies to the first spell your warcaster casts. So you can't cast Mobility and then get the Arcane Secret benefit on Stranglehold. Your buff was used on Mobility (and, of course, you got no benefit). So, if your positioning requires the use of a spell, Arcane Secrets won't get the job done. Keep this limitation in mind.


Warcasters
Let me say this upfront. There is no warcaster that does not want Sylys on his team. None. If you have no restrictions, you take him. Every. Single. Time. The tricky piece is deciding what to do in a character restricted environment. So the question, then, is: What exactly does this fine young gentle-elf do for my favorite caster? Let's take a look! (Note: This is in no particular order.)

• Ossyan: He's in the same book, so let's start here. Ossy has a ton of upkeeps so you think they'd be peas in a pod. However, since Ossy has a naturally high FOC stat, he doesn't feel the upkeep pinch as tightly as some of the other casters. That said, Quicken and Admonition will be up pretty much the whole game. Sylys allows you to effectively upkeep two spells for one focus. That's a good bargain. Ossy also tends to play a little farther up than normal so +2 RNG does not go amiss. Unfortunately, Arcantrik Bolt is his only offensive spell, so Arcane Secrets doesn't get a ton of mileage. But, it does give you a reasonable chance of damaging that jack without boosting. If he's there, you shouldn't be casting a Bolt that isn't benefiting from secrets.

• Garryth: Like all FOC 6 casters, Garryth loves Sylys. Death Sentence, Mirage, and Psychic Vampire are upkeeps and can be kept for free. Mirage is usually cast early and may last the entire game. Sylys makes it free. Death Sentence and Gallows both like +2 RNG and they both love Arcane Secrets. Death Sentence does no damage, so that's a bummer. But that extra die makes it a viable option to cast without boosting against things in the DEF 13 range (you'll still probably want to boost at 15+). Same for Gallows, and there's a little extra on the damage roll. A couple extra points of hurt never runs contrary to the plan.

• Kaelyssa: Kae is my favorite caster and, therefore, my favorite use of Sylys. Mr. Wyshnalyrr directly and tangibly plays to her strengths. Firstly, he's a Partisan, and he benefits from her feat. So that's nice. Secondly, Phantom Hunter and Banishing Ward will be up for much of the game. One of them is now free. Yes, please. Don't forget that Backlash is also an upkeep. If you're going to pinging that jack (or maybe that colossal ) over a couple rounds, Sylys can keep Backlash up and you can dump focus into other pursuits. She also has Arcantrik Bolt (which can be used the same as Ossyan, above) AND Rift. Rift is pretty ho-hum on its own, but with Arcane Secrets it is a great spell. AOE 4 hits a lot of infantry and is a nice chunk of difficult terrain. And, of course, every model hit gets the additional die (drop lowest). The +2 RNG is solid gold on Kae since she wants to be dug into cover (preferably out of LOS) and the extra RNG places her offensive spells right in the 10-12 inch sweet spot which is her kill zone (to say nothing of the ability to move Banishing Ward or Phantom Hunter around the battlefield). Basically, it removes an arc node from the "Must Have" Column into the "Yeah, I Might Get Some Mileage Out of It" Zone. It's liberating.
  
  Finally, remember that True Sight and Phantom Hunter apply to the model and not to her weapons. So your bolstered spells will ignore LOS, cover, concealment, Stealth, and Camouflage. It's amazing what sort of options open up to you when your spells have that much liberty. You can mire warjacks and med-based infantry in the terrain. Or hit squishy troops hiding behind a forest or in cover. You can force some very uncomfortable decisions with this kind of spellcasting.
  

• Rahn: Rahn is a powerhouse spellslinger and Sylys does the things you'd expect him to do. Arcane Secrets makes Force Hammer more efficient and easier to swallow the 4 focus cost as a result. It also adds a metric elf-load of dice to Chain Blast. There is a lot of potential hurt there. The additional RNG is nice, but not super necessary since Rahn wants arc nodes. Even if it added +10 RNG, the angles and LOS problems that arc nodes solve would be necessary. Similar to Ossyan, the free upkeep is never bad, but his larger FOC pool allows for a little extra strain.
  
  Finally, remember that Arcane Secrets still functions under his feat. Rahn will roll 4d6 and drop the lowest when casting the first spell on his feat turn. That's a pretty solid opening salvo.

• Ravyn: In an earlier thread (which I don't see now), Mastershake recommended replacing a MHA with The Nailer of Wishes while running The Ravyn List. It's hard to say anything that's a more convincing endorsement, but I'll try. Basically, the free upkeep is solid since Snipe will be out the first couple turns and Veil of Mists and Vortex see plenty use mid to late-game. Gotta love free upkeeps. Eliminator is her only offensive number, but Arcane Secrets will help make sure you kill more models for more movement. Can't argue with that. Finally, the +RNG helps her only a little. The boost is nice, but she doesn't always mind getting her hands dirty either. Your mileage may vary.

• pVyros: Darth Vyros loves him too. (I feel like I'm starting to repeat myself?) Inviolable Resolve will be out there. That's focus in the bank. Also, a fully camped Vyros under Inviolable Resolve is a whopping ARM 25. Stranglehold and Eliminator both need to do damage to matter and Arcane Secrets helps them to both hit and hurt without spending extra focus in a lot of cases. Don't forget that Bird's Eye also gives Vyros some LOS shenanigans. While he doesn't ignore the litany of rules Kae does, you can cast through forests and intervening models. Arcane Secrets and Bird's Eye can put a surprising amount of damage on a model that was thought to be safe. Finally, the extra RNG helps him influence the battle as he grinds ever closer to the enemy and the inevitable hooksword enema.

• eVyros: I'm not touching this one. I haven't played him yet, so I don't want to say anything untrue. But he ought to get similar usage as everyone else. (Notice a pattern?)

Overview
Gameplay
After reading the above, there's not much else to say on how he plays. He wants to remain close, but not "Arrrgghh!! AOEs!!" close. You need to know what your caster will want to cast (if anything) BEFORE you activate him or Sylys. Remember to benefit from Arcane Secrets, Sylys MUST go first because it's an action. It's also RNG 3. So be mindful of positioning when using it.

The Point ?
Need you ask?? He's our Squire!

He works for three factions (so, yet another model I'm used to seeing on the other side of the table). Cygnar largely doesn't want him since they have the Squire and Ms. Finch. pCaine uses him, but that's all. Khador likes him because they love their upkeeps. But, do not forget that he is an elf! He is the focus efficiency and power boost that all our casters desperately wanted. He takes our good casters to the next level (Rahn, Ravyn, Ossy) and makes casters that were heretofore solid, but lacking oomph, downright good (Kaelyssa, Garryth, Vyros).

Like anything else, don't forget to include his abilities in your plans. I can't tell you how many games it took after I bought him to stop paying for the first upkeep. Or how many times I activated my caster only to remember I didn't use Arcane Secrets. But, once you get him down, it actually makes you wonder what you did before you had him. He's worth every bit of two points and he gives Retribution casters the personal presence on the battlefield that they lacked before.

Don't leave home without him!

Thanks for reading and may Scyrah bless your spellslinging.

[Lord Sessadore]

You did mention it, but I wanted to highlight that Arcane Secrets only applies to the first spell your warcaster casts. This can be important - if, say, you need to cast Mobility with Vyros to get close enough to cast Stranglehold, you won't get the benefit of Secrets since Mobility was the first spell cast. Same can apply for several other casters, especially if you need/want to move a buff spell (usually onto your casters) before you cast your offensive spell.

Solid article, well done, Ed.

[Gho5t]

Well written, Ed. Much love for our Seeker friend who grants wyshes.

[Pinegulf]

One addition: Rahn runs very well without arc nodes with Sylys. Rahn's feat adds 2" and Sylys adds additional 2". +8" charge and you can pretty much force hammer/TK anyone who need hammering.

[Cyryst]

Note on pVyros, 12 inch strangle holds without LoS pseudo boosted have won me a bunch of games. Feeling real Jedi strangling Haley and Gaspy (haha) with my mind from the far side of a battle engine.

[ReaVeD]

One addition: Rahn runs very well without arc nodes with Sylys. Rahn's feat adds 2" and Sylys adds additional 2". +8" charge and you can pretty much force hammer/TK anyone who need hammering.

Rahn CAN run without arcnodes, but i wouldn't say he well off without them. With the tactic you mentioned you limit yourself to only one angle of approach for the Force Hammer while an arc node let's you place it exacly where you want it.

As for Sylys - he is great! While chain blast with arcane secrets is great i usually run him with the other caster in pair (which is Ossyan of Ravyn most of the time). Rahn is FOC 8 and has arc nodes with him so he can play further back and Rav and Ossy both play midfield where 1 FOC can make a difference between surviving and losing a game to assassination.

[Pinegulf]

With the tactic you mentioned you limit yourself to only one angle of approach for the Force Hammer while an arc node let's you place it exacly where you want it.

Not necessarily. The only limit is lack of arc node, whose movement can be predicted also. However, this approach allows more flexibility upon your army selection Our cheapest node is 6 points, which is no small investment.

[Jestor]

I don't know that I ever realized he had a magic weapon. It will help that errant machine wraith in the backfeild from tying up my Stormfalls and such. Nice article Ed!

[ReaVeD]

Not necessarily. The only limit is lack of arc node, whose movement can be predicted also. However, this approach allows more flexibility upon your army selection Our cheapest node is 6 points, which is no small investment.

Still, movement of a jack is much harder to predict than movement of a caster. Rahn has SPD 5 and arc nodes are SPD 6 and can run to postition themselves. That gives you 12'' compared to 5'' or 8'' if he charges but then you're limited to straight line which again is easier to predict and you have to charge sth so either you're opponent has to place convinently or you have to set sth up.

This tactic also brings you close to enemy lines which is dangerous for a squishy caster like Rahn. Sure you can camp but then you're not casting spells which are Rahn's main strength.

6 points is small investment for the threat angles that Chimera generates IMO.

[PG_Dawnlord Ed]

Thanks guys! Sessadore is correct: I need to emphacize the first spell thing. I will add that in. Also, pVyros and Bird's Eye. He has some LOS shenanigans too, and I didn't mention it.

Also, (as demonstrated in the guide) I agree with ReaVeD. Arc nodes solve all kinds of problems and bring a load of flexibility to Rahn. Sylys helps, sure. But he does not in anyway eliminate the need for arc nodes like he does with Kaelyssa or Vyros. Don't leave him at home over it, but don't over estimate his bonus either. A couple extra inches does not an arc node make.

[ReaVeD]

Yeah Sylys is great with Rahn it's just other guys need him more. Well maybe exept eVyros.

[rwould]

For Rahn it is worth mentioning that the order of spells is critical. If you TK first (such as to get into range or reveal rear arc) you lose the bonus from Sylys for the damage spell. In addition if playing an ARM 14 caster on feat with Chain Blast x2 you have a pretty good shot at caster kill.

I would also suggest your first action every turn after the first should be Sylys/advance/arcane secrets. Takes five seconds and means you never forget to do it before the caster.

[Murkhadh]

EVyross wants him just as much if not more than the rest. He's focus six and wants to run lots of jacks, being able to Upkeep synergy for free would leave more focus to spread around to the jacks and possibly be able to cast deflection or easy rider if neccesary

[Murkhadh]

One addition: Rahn runs very well without arc nodes with Sylys.

I'm sorry this is not true. Running Rahn w/o nodes neuters him. Playing him far enough forward to not use nodes is asking to get assasinated. Your also taking away one of his greatest advantages. Insane spell threat range.

In theory you could threat 36 inches with a spell.

[joelker41]

I think it's pretty safe to say your opponent will be incredibly relieved if you don't bring an arc node with Rahn.

[ReaVeD]

EVyross wants him just as much if not more than the rest. He's focus six and wants to run lots of jacks, being able to Upkeep synergy for free would leave more focus to spread around to the jacks and possibly be able to cast deflection or easy rider if neccesary

Synergy is a great spell in Menoth. I'm not sure about it in Ret yet. I haven't thought eVyros over yet so that's why i put maybe there.

[Kallas]

Synergy is a great spell in Menoth. I'm not sure about it in Ret yet. I haven't thought eVyros over yet so that's why i put maybe there.

I initially thought as you did. I've played about half a dozen games with him and I must say that Synergy is incredible.

I also mostly agree with Murkadh about Sylys, though I believe his (Sylys') preference is:
Kaelyssa
eVyros
Others.

Kaelyssa is just amazing with Sylys. Against high DEF/low ARM casters like Denny and Lylyth, Kaelyssa has a damn good chance of one-rounding them at range. Takes all her focus + one, maybe two, stolen, but it's not bad odds. And if you get a Banshee to friendly-bowl, it's even better. And Sylys is an amazing factor.

[Murkhadh]

I initially thought as you did. I've played about half a dozen games with him and I must say that Synergy is incredible.

I also mostly agree with Murkadh about Sylys, though I believe his (Sylys') preference is:
Kaelyssa
eVyros
Others.

Kaelyssa is just amazing with Sylys. Against high DEF/low ARM casters like Denny and Lylyth, Kaelyssa has a damn good chance of one-rounding them at range. Takes all her focus + one, maybe two, stolen, but it's not bad odds. And if you get a Banshee to friendly-bowl, it's even better. And Sylys is an amazing factor.

I'm not sure who's Id say wants Sylys the most but Kae and eVyross are def up there, pvyross as well. Your going to want IR up all game which turns him into a 5 focus caster. Garryth as well since he's going to have mirage up most of the game

[PG_Dawnlord Ed]

EVERYBODY wants Sylys. On this point, I think we can agree.

Who needs him the most in SR? None of us will ever agree. And, therefore, I did not even attempt to answer that question. I listed what he does specifically for each caster and will leave it up to to the individual. I, personally, think he plays to Kae's strengths the most and I try to pair her with someone who doesn't need him to be good (Rahn, Ossy, or maybe Ravyn). But I don't think there's a right way to do it...and certainly won't try to convince a new player otherwise. All I can say is PLAY. Play the game and see what you like. If you like it, it's hard to go wrong.

[Demeritus]

EVERYBODY wants Sylys.

I cannot agree with this assessment more. In all my games, I have yet to find a caster of ours who does not want him for that free upkeep. In my few games with eVyros he definitely wants him for assistance with Synergy. I have found Rahn likes him a lot because with him on feat turn, because he becomes a credible spell assassin.

All in all, a good writeup there Ed.

[Xeurian]

At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to get Sylys, I thought with Kaelyssa being my main caster I wasn't doing enough spell slinging to warrant having my upkeeps be free... Well, after reading this and thinking back on my games since his release, I'm 100% definitely getting him and I thank you in advance for all the awesome things he will do for me!

[PG_Dawnlord Ed]

You are most welcome! I am glad you got use out of the guide. It's tremendously satisfying.

Kae is a ton of fun and she does things no caster in any faction can do. Good luck with her and if you have any questions, ask them! We're happy to help.

[Lord Sessadore]

Yeah, I think it's safe to say that most of our casters are willing to pay 2 points for an extra focus (they all have at least one upkeep that you want to keep in play). Those who have above average focus (Kae, Ossyan, Rahn) either benefit from his other two abilities greatly (Kae and Rahn moreso) or have so many upkeeps that a free one is that much nicer (Ossyan).

Also, the +2" range for buff spells wasn't actually something I had considered before - a very good point.

[NEoJoe]

Also, the +2" range for buff spells wasn't actually something I had considered before - a very good point.

Oh man, the +2" RNG buff is damn awesome. Back in the day I didn't consider that stuff much either, but playing Dougal will teach you just how amazing two inches can be. Some Kara Sloan players can probably also agree. Even if it's just on spells, having spells suddenly match the range of your control area or whatever feels very good.

[Murkhadh]

Synergy is a great spell in Menoth. I'm not sure about it in Ret yet. I haven't thought eVyros over yet so that's why i put maybe there.

I'm willing to say synergy is better on eVyross than it is on amon in menoth.

The general consensus on amon is that his spells mean he needs to be a front line caster, but he has backline caster stats. Evyross does not have this problem, he has fantastic base stats

The counter argument is that menoth has the choir, we have a jack with powerful charge to make up for the plus 2 to hit, and we have the arcanist damage buff to make up for the plus 2 damage from the choir, so overall I think we the better synergy caster

[Murkhadh]

Doublepost

[Lord Sessadore]

Oh man, the +2" RNG buff is damn awesome. Back in the day I didn't consider that stuff much either, but playing Dougal will teach you just how amazing two inches can be. Some Kara Sloan players can probably also agree. Even if it's just on spells, having spells suddenly match the range of your control area or whatever feels very good.

Yeah, I have really enjoyed that 2" on my offensive spells - 12" stranglehold is great, especially when using it on something with a 10" gun - it just hadn't really clicked that it works on your 6" buff spells, too. I guess it's just never come up before - I don't think I've been out of range with a buff spell since my first 5 games - but that extra 2" is freedom to spread forces out that little bit more.

I'm willing to say synergy is better on eVyross than it is on amon in menoth.

The general consensus on amon is that his spells mean he needs to be a front line caster, but he has backline caster stats. Evyross does not have this problem, he has fantastic base stats

The counter argument is that menoth has the choir, we have a jack with powerful charge to make up for the plus 2 to hit, and we have the arcanist damage buff to make up for the plus 2 damage from the choir, so overall I think we the better synergy caster

I haven't actually played with or against Amon, so I can't compare Vyros2 to him with any kind of authority, but I am also very willing to say that Synergy is awesome on Vyros. As I posted in the Vyros2 thread, being able to swing at enemy heavies at dice+3 or 4 and wreck them with 2 focus is incredibly fun, having gotten used to our heavies not being able to take down heavies on their own.

And of course a good Synergy stack on Vyros himself makes him a veritable murder machine.

[Xeurian]

Oh man, the +2" RNG buff is damn awesome. Back in the day I didn't consider that stuff much either, but playing Dougal will teach you just how amazing two inches can be. Some Kara Sloan players can probably also agree. Even if it's just on spells, having spells suddenly match the range of your control area or whatever feels very good.

Almost every game I think back on I can remember a time where I have moved Kaelyssa closer than I would have been comfortable just to get that buff out there mid game. That plus 2" can very easily mean the game with some ranged assassination casters out there (not to mention that charge you didn't see coming).

[Xeurian]

Double post...