Season 4 Engineers

Hello Guild ballers,

I planned to play butchers in Season 4, I may have touched upon this in previous posts, but circumstances prohibit me from doing so.

As a result I posted a poll on my local community page of guild ball players with all guilds available up to this point and let them decide.
The poll is still running at this very moment, but the engineers are 3 votes in the lead. (15 votes have been cast and 6 of them are for the engineers guild)

I'm also going to a tournament sunday 16th december, the day prior I will end the poll and play whatever came out on top, saving my vote as a tiebreaker to have some form of input if needed.

Tonight however I'm having a testrun with Engineers.  So in order to field a somewhat coherent 6 man roster I'm going to read over the cards and take notes on this blog to select my models.   My choices may not be solid or the best you can put up, but I'm more looking for models that 'click' with me or for a playstyle that suits me.

I dread to add that my paintjob on these is aboninable... But if I really fall in love we can always remedy that, can't we?

Here we go:

Picking a team:

All teams have a captain, so let's read out both of them and then figure out how they work.

First off, Ballista

Looking at his stat line I've got no complaints, pretty decent kick, not too slow 6 TAC and the normal influence for a captain.  He's got one armour but his downside is in the defensive stat.  Let's look at his card to figure out how he gets around that first.

The answer is: Tough Hide, bigger HP-Pool and Minefield.  This gives me a feel of 'Ballista is staying away from your models to do character plays and doesn't want you to come in'.  His second and third result confirm that as they are pushes, great for counter-attacking.

The rest of his playbook hints more towards ballstealer rather than bruiser in my eyes, although there is a good amount of damage on there.  And if you want, momentum on every level appart from the first if you're not hitting the ballcarrier.

His plays give him away as an enabler.  Shoot enemy models to free yours up or to keep them out of range and KD'd, with deadbolt.  Or help a model get back out of trouble with second wind.

Moving on to his traits, the first thing you notice is he enables other character plays.  So all in all you're looking for a team that wants to stay away from the scrum with character plays, or character play heavy squaddies.  

His Legendary makes him a 4/10" super striker.  Maybe best used to finish the game with a last goal?

Other choice: Pinvice

The statline here is Fast and Tankier - but with a smaller HP-pool than her counterpart.  I'm guessing football player that likes to get in there.

The Playbook confirms this; dodges instead of pushes, an early tackle on 2, but not a momentous playbook over the entire lenght. Positions 3 and 5 have no momentum.  We're looking at damage and knockdown there.  This again tells me Pin Vice isn't meant to kill models.  No GB results, so let's move on to the character plays and see what she does have.

We can create a linked activation for that carefully planned goalrun for 3 INF, leaving 1 for a pass and 2 for a charge on a ballcarrier.  Sounds about right for footballing.

Out of range with Pinvice?  For 2 INF she gets +2/+2 on her movement OR can give that to any other model you want to get stuck in.  Hiding are we?  I guess not...  Already you see a big difference with Ballista.  He wants his people around him and enables plays for momentum, here we feel PinVice wants to spread out and enable her team like that.

A final play helps to bruise, give your beater that +1 DMG on playbook results, no tooled up, but with all character plays in the guild I can understand that.  Who's the bruiser on a PinVice team?  We'll see, we'll see...

On to the traits: Close control for keeping that tackle result away after she steals the ball and Reanimate for durability.  Nothing special teamwise there.

The legendary play enables you to get back in there if you steal the ball a distance away from the enemy goal post.  You have to use the MP generated by the passes to get the ball back, but get a 4" of movement for every pass that works once per player on het team.  I'll need to see the board state before I can think about this further.  I also need more intel on the players she can bring.

What captain?

I have to base this on the fluff and go with mister nice guy so far.  To be honest, I see me fielding both captains in certain situations.  But as this is a first time for me, AND knowing I'm looking at a high chance of facing Blacksmiths, I think distance and character plays are the way to go... Depending on what Blacksmiths will come into me...  So how do the SFG people go about this?  Right: TBD.

Moving on

I could take a look at the mascot next, but I think I need to look at may player base first, see what they do and work on a playstyle from there before I pick a mascot that fits in.

In no particular order:

Colossus

Hey, a 2" melee model!  Always nice... Good movement, poor defence, nice armour, decent TAC, more than decent Kick.  This model can do both so far, can't say what captain would suit him more yet.

Maybe the playbook can help out?  Whoa, he's an enabler!  You need the ball back?  He's got your back.  Want to set up a model for certain death?  He's your guy with early KD and Singled out!  Don't like the way the enemy team is set up?  Guess he wasn't expecting that unexpected arrival.  I see this guy do some work for both captains.  Only thing I fear is momentum farming on him being only a 2 DEF model.

How about his character plays? I named them all?  Well Ballista doesn't like that now does he?

What about his traits then?  More and more a PinVice machine by the looks of things.

Compound

Another 2" reach model!  And a fat one! Not that fast, not that furious if you ask me, looking at his stat line...  Pretty average all the way...
Playbook doesn't give away much either.  Not your bruiser, and with his kick statline a meh retriever.
Good momentum though.  Nothing picked my interest yet.
Come'on character plays!  Boo, only good against kicking teams, and they know how to play around that...
Dare I look at the traits?  The gold has to be somewhere in this dude? Ah he's a Rush Keeper...  Ok, he explodes... not my first pick of players.  I was more excited about colossus.

Hariet 'the hat'

Statline is hinting at a football player so PinVice is going to love her... although she's no mechanica is she?  Oh, yeah, that was S3 and fluff...  Great!
Playbook gives me more of the same with a GB Disarm to top of a wrap if you really want to but pretty 'meh' overall.  She could do her work best under PinVice still, look at that momentous 2 on 2.  With a little help from my friends (PinVice for +1 DMG) she could do some hurting.
Other plays? One sucker punch a turn for 2 DMG is more a trick for Ballista's toolbox, but not bad.  Once per turn though.
Traits show me why that is there though; ball retrieval before moving!  But counting on a good scatter there...
Her learning from the best makes her work under both captains.  So 4 DMG from 8" away for 2 INF.  I've seen worse.

Hoist, the S3 MVP

I saw this guy on a lot of teams I played against, so pretty curious what he's like in S4.
Good kick with average stat line, not sure what he does yet but seeing a DEF 4 leans towards football.
What about his playbook...  Yeah, footballer! Erm, where are the character plays?  He's got GB results, come'on!  He needs something?  Misprint?
Character traits:  Guess it's not a missprint after all, just pick one play from your team and even if it's only from the playbook, you can do it (without the momentum, unless you're close to ballista and it does damage)...  Not your auto-include anymore is he?

Locus

These Engineers are about all the same!  Okok, playbook: No, no clue, I don't understand this game I think.  How about the character plays, do they tell me something?  aha, KD on one and remote control make sence.  But again, scattering that ball...  Traits then?  Man I can only see this dude as a 'put me in the scrum to keep 'em busy'- kinda guy.  With the potential to do something for either captain.  Not your auto include either...

Ratchet

Yep, more of the same statline...  A playbook full of pushes... These engineers keep me puzzled, at least Colossus spoke to me!  There is a ton of text on the character plays though, Ballista here I come?  OK, PinVice and this guy putting +1 each on a model say Harriet, yeah, ok... Blast earth to slow others down helps him with ballista for 2MP with the damage it does and it also helps keep enemies away from him... So both captains again!  At least the picks to be made aren't obvious ones.
He also fixes conditions and enables the mascot.  Have to keep that in mind.  Still no Idea where I can field who under what captain though.

Salvo

Aha! A 3/8" kick model, that's a first, the others have to pay to become a 4/10"!! But again nothing special so far.  Playbook looks like a footballing player, so maybe PinVice here? Good momentum on the non-damage results...
Character plays then; These scream Ballista, and a model like Hariet or Locus could make sence now, free balls aren't that bad, but a free ball before his activation isn't going to be a free ball when he does...
Traits...   Ooh, DMG (possibly with a play for MP under ballista) = 2" dodge look at that movement again? and the range on the plays?  Yeah, I like this one. Good for 3 plays if next to Ballista.  I'm starting to feel some love here... But do I take Ratchet then for the tooled up?

Velocity

A striker if I ever did see one.  5 DEF?  Yeah that gives you away!  Ooh and that playbook!  Definite Striker! Plays scream it too! Extra movement, more defence!  It's going to be in the traits the character of this one; or not.  Good to keep the ball on though, Close controll and 6 defence.  Not sure about counter-attacking with a TAC 4 model for dodges on 2 though.

Vet Velocity

Let's see, will this be more of the same stat line?  What?! TAC 6, what does she do?!  OMG Brewer playbook incoming!  She's on my team, no doubt about it!  Route one...  Ball chasing like a puppy! She helps out with fighting, but I don't see this team go at it very much.   Hmm, maybe I'm going about this too fast.  She's got route one... But only 4 INF.  Maybe I need to keep the ball away more with normal Velocity and 6 DEF / close control?

Let's have a look at what I like so far

I liked Salvo with Ballista, want Ratchet on there and maybe Hariet / Locus for damage from a distance.  I could use Locus to protect Ballista (Gravity well and all) On the other hand Hariet does throw a wrench for free and can dislodge the ball like that.  Yeah, do me a hariet!

Ok, we have Ballista for Captain, Ratchet for tooling up/Blast Earth, Salvo for ranged plays, Harriet for ranged plays, I'm thinking 'don't run out of INF here...  Do the math!

Hariet can do with what she brings, Salvo should get a full stack of 4, so I need 2 INF from somewhere, Ratchet needs 2 or 3 if I want to tool up. So down 2 or 3 INF still!  Ballista will need his 4 for a play and minefield, or maybe even 6 to do more in a turn...  I need a battery!  Who can I just put there and not bother with handing out INF to?  It'll have to bee the Rush keeper then... Place him by the goal, Ballista in front so countercharge can go off...  It could work.

On to a mascot for my team

Since I'm still looking for INF, I'm looking for the mascot that can do things for me without it.  I do have Ratchet for that, overclock time!

Mainspring

Good Stat line.  only 2 TAC but the playbook is 2 long and I can circomvent close control (on Iron?)

Only 6 Dice on a free charge with overclocked though.  Free pass too, so no influence needed, only the counter attack can throw some salt into my plans.

7HP is a Chaska VP machine, but I'm not playing Hunters am I?

Mother

Can't complain about the stat line, the playbook is 'meh' but could potentially help bouncing off players to get a nest marker out where I want one.  As for plays, she can move around.  Traits see me play her with V Velocity to take out models after they activated.  Put V Velocity there, go with Mother, come in with Colossus, deal damage with Hariet who got some help from her captain.  That's crowdout from Mother and a nest +2 dice, VVelocity and her trait +2 Dice, Singled out from Colossus also engaging +3 dice, on a normal attack from Hariet she rolls 12 Dice.  Mother just gave me a team here:

PinVice, Mother, VVelocity, Colossus, Hariet, Ratchet (for tooled up and a free sprint on Mother?)

The final choice

I have two teams I like after looking at them: 

1. Ballista with mainspring, Ratchet, Salvo, Hariet and Compound.
2. PinVice with Mother, Ratchet, Hariet, Colossus and V Velocity.

I did the INF math on Ballista and it should work, but Compound is there for that reason.  I only put the other team together without looking at the INF.

In the example I put up I'm needing 1 on ratchet to tool up hariet + a MP to activate a free sprint on mother. Mother doesn't need any, unless the positioning is off, but we're talking dream scenario here, so let's suppose not.  I'm up 1 INF so far.  I want to kill something, so V Velocity doesn't need any, although momentous KD after a charge could be handy, we're still one up.  Colossus only needs a charge zo we're still one up, hopefully we get a wrap to get enemy models reducing my dice pool out of there.  PinVice only wants to put up deletion so 1, I'm up 4 Harriet can only take one more, so I need to spend 3 INF on somebody else here, it's all good. Maybe linked so my play doesn't get murdered? Maybe Ratchet for 2 DMG and blast earth behind the intended target?  We'll see, point is, we have 3 attacks and a charactr play to do hoping for 3 + 4 + 4 + 4 DMG (15) And that's without wrapping.

I like both teams, so let's not take the momentum machine?  Or let's not take the dead in the water Compound?

Should I go with the nice guy?  I'm going with the nice guy.

Option one it is.  So if you read this before you hit the WEC, you can prepare, mr Sideburns!

That's all folks!

Bob out!