Caster Archetypes
Hello all, so I've not been able to get a game in this week so I'm afraid it's time for some generalised rambling. Recently I've taken a step back from list creation and more at understanding casters and options. In other words, I'm zooming out to look at the faction as a whole.
One of the beauties of Warmachine is that you can play almost any type of army in any faction, rather than being typeset to certain builds. If you want to crash into people with heavy beasts Absylonia2 is fantastic. Kallus1 is a top infantry caster and Lylyth2 is still a phenomenal ranged caster.
If you are looking for feedback on a list, it's always worth indicating what you want it to do, what you intend to play it into and usually in a competitive setting what it would make with. Two powerful lists as a pairing are fine, but if they achieve the same aim you are losing out on flexibility.
Warlocks and warcasters are defining models and it's worth considering the playstyle of each. I've broken down the Legion warlocks into four archetypes that dictate the type of game they want to play. All of these casters will have elements from the other archetypes, nd you can certainly direct them towards a different style through your choices but if you're just picking up a new caster this should give you a rough idea of what to expect on the table.
Please note this is all personal conjecture, disagreement is encouraged!
Brawler
Brawler casters are all about the numbers. They are geared around making your stats better than your opponents so you can overwhelm them with force. Often strong in attrition, a brawler caster is all about hitting them harder than they can hit you.
Of the Legion stable Thagrosh1 is the quintisential Brawler caster, boosting the resilience of his forces to impressive levels and a good damage buff. In the late game his feat and personal hitting power swing the attrition in his favour.
Brawler Casters - Thagrosh1, Thagrosh2, Absylonia2, Fyanna2, Kallus1, Kryssa, Anamag
Scalpel
Scalpel casters don't bring the raw damage output of a Brawler, but use superior range and other abilities to pull the teeth out of the enemy forces and break down the synchronicity. Often good at assassination, a Scalpel caster will kite the enemy forces and strike at the key junction when they have the advantage.
Lylyth1 epitomizes this style of play the best with a potent armour debuff and one of the best feats in the faction. Pursuit allows her and her battlegroup to evade enemy retaliation until the critical juncture.
Scalpel Casters - Lylyth1, Lyltyth2, Lylyth3, Kallus2, Rhyas
Denial
A denial caster flips the normal rules on their head as they are designed to prevent your opponent from being able to do what they want. Abilities that prevent spells, deny charges or protect from ranged attacks all limit your opponent's strengths, making the denial caster very good for targeted matchups.
Saeryn is Legions best denial caster with a wealth of tools available. Banishing Ward shuts down enemy spells, Breath stealer slows down the advance and Blight Field can shut down a colossal or potent heavies.
Denial Casters - Saeryn1, Absylonia1
Toolbox
These casters don't specialise in one particular area, they bring together elements from all branches without specialising. Jack's of all trades but masters of none, they have a game into almost any situation but have few matches they dominate.
Vayl2 is the quintisential toolbox caster who brings options every turn. She can multiply damage and threat range with Icy Grip and Boundless Charge, deny with Admonition and Occultatiin, and scalpel with her Oraculus and feat. Toolbox Casters are deep but very rewarding to learn.
Toolbox Casters - Vayl2, Bethayne, Vayl1, Twins
So that's a rough guideline on what you can expect if you're jumping in with a new caster or the kind of game you can expect. It can also help understand why the same attitude with one archetype may not translate with another. You may have to play more or less cautiously, change your composition to play into that style better.
Thanks for reading all, what do you think of caster archetypes? Are there more, or would you place some differently?
Jamie
One of the beauties of Warmachine is that you can play almost any type of army in any faction, rather than being typeset to certain builds. If you want to crash into people with heavy beasts Absylonia2 is fantastic. Kallus1 is a top infantry caster and Lylyth2 is still a phenomenal ranged caster.
If you are looking for feedback on a list, it's always worth indicating what you want it to do, what you intend to play it into and usually in a competitive setting what it would make with. Two powerful lists as a pairing are fine, but if they achieve the same aim you are losing out on flexibility.
Warlocks and warcasters are defining models and it's worth considering the playstyle of each. I've broken down the Legion warlocks into four archetypes that dictate the type of game they want to play. All of these casters will have elements from the other archetypes, nd you can certainly direct them towards a different style through your choices but if you're just picking up a new caster this should give you a rough idea of what to expect on the table.
Please note this is all personal conjecture, disagreement is encouraged!
Brawler
Brawler casters are all about the numbers. They are geared around making your stats better than your opponents so you can overwhelm them with force. Often strong in attrition, a brawler caster is all about hitting them harder than they can hit you.
Of the Legion stable Thagrosh1 is the quintisential Brawler caster, boosting the resilience of his forces to impressive levels and a good damage buff. In the late game his feat and personal hitting power swing the attrition in his favour.
Brawler Casters - Thagrosh1, Thagrosh2, Absylonia2, Fyanna2, Kallus1, Kryssa, Anamag
Scalpel
Scalpel casters don't bring the raw damage output of a Brawler, but use superior range and other abilities to pull the teeth out of the enemy forces and break down the synchronicity. Often good at assassination, a Scalpel caster will kite the enemy forces and strike at the key junction when they have the advantage.
Lylyth1 epitomizes this style of play the best with a potent armour debuff and one of the best feats in the faction. Pursuit allows her and her battlegroup to evade enemy retaliation until the critical juncture.
Scalpel Casters - Lylyth1, Lyltyth2, Lylyth3, Kallus2, Rhyas
Denial
A denial caster flips the normal rules on their head as they are designed to prevent your opponent from being able to do what they want. Abilities that prevent spells, deny charges or protect from ranged attacks all limit your opponent's strengths, making the denial caster very good for targeted matchups.
Saeryn is Legions best denial caster with a wealth of tools available. Banishing Ward shuts down enemy spells, Breath stealer slows down the advance and Blight Field can shut down a colossal or potent heavies.
Denial Casters - Saeryn1, Absylonia1
Toolbox
These casters don't specialise in one particular area, they bring together elements from all branches without specialising. Jack's of all trades but masters of none, they have a game into almost any situation but have few matches they dominate.
Vayl2 is the quintisential toolbox caster who brings options every turn. She can multiply damage and threat range with Icy Grip and Boundless Charge, deny with Admonition and Occultatiin, and scalpel with her Oraculus and feat. Toolbox Casters are deep but very rewarding to learn.
Toolbox Casters - Vayl2, Bethayne, Vayl1, Twins
So that's a rough guideline on what you can expect if you're jumping in with a new caster or the kind of game you can expect. It can also help understand why the same attitude with one archetype may not translate with another. You may have to play more or less cautiously, change your composition to play into that style better.
Thanks for reading all, what do you think of caster archetypes? Are there more, or would you place some differently?
Jamie
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