A while ago, back in the days of Mk I, I started this blog to raise awareness of various issues and causes. The start was water scarcity/quality in the world and I was using eMagnus to do so. Then Mk II came along and totally threw my list into the trash heap. So I'm sitting on a lot of models, unfinished and unpainted that are waiting to be dug out - and part of me wants to continue with the color scheme and finish the army.
Since I'm running a slow-growth league, I was originally going to focus on an Ashlynn T4 list, but I think challenging myself to run eMagnus would be better. I would be able to develop a more thorough understanding of the subtle playstyle eMagnus offers. There's nothing direct on paper, asides the Obliterator + Dougal combination, but I want to avoid it. I'm thinking T1 eMagnus all the way up would give me the flexibility I need without the unnecessary and awful constraints of the T2 or T3 requirements (and therefore poor benefits). I am really not certain I even need the T4 benefit.
So what does Magnus the Warlord bring to the table?
Stats:
Stat line is decent, nothing too spectacular about him. Decent enough MAT to hit opposing models, decent DEF, higher than normal ARM. FOC 6 is the only draw back, which will be noted later.
Abilities:
Backstab - A useful and unique ability as the only other model/unit in the game with this ability is Croe's Cutthroats. However, it's hard to pull off, although reserving the Renegade for such an occassion may increase the odds of benefiting from Backstab. A cool trick, but I am not going to rely on it.
Minion Warlock [Skorne] - Skorne can take him, but this ability is not going to matter much for me.
Warjack Bond - One warjack is granted Backstab. Again this is difficult to pull off, although the extra focus allocation is handy.
Weapons:
Magnus retains his trusty Scattergun, but now has Foecleaver X. Foecleaver's Powerful Attack represents his focus efficiency from his non-epic version and has Armor Piercing. eMagnus' Mechanical Arm knockdown models hit, so you'll want to lead with his arm attack first, followed by the Armor Piercing. It means he's no slouch in combat himself and could easily wreck a light warjack/warbeast and put on the hurt on heavies if he so chose to.
Spells:
Bullet Dodger - Single model target, grants Dodge. Useful on solos (Kell, Saxon, or Orin), character officers, or on Magnus himself. However, it's only useful against ranged attacks, so cast when needed.
Calamity - Magnus' new signature spell. However at 3 focus cost, it's a hefty investment. Using it on a unit with a Mangler is probably the best combination possible, although it helps against medium armored multi-wound units as well.
Convection - A focus efficient spell. Unfortunately against most models at FOC 6 you will either want to boost to hit or damage, so it reduces its focus efficiency. Combined with Calamity you may be able to pull this off more. Additionally, Gorman's Black Oil or capitalizing on a knocked down model from the Obliterator offsets the cost. It has a subtle use I believe and can open up potential charges.
Mobility - Increases speed and provides Pathfinder. I find that I cast this spell nearly every turn, depending how I want to move things around. There is a danger of overcasting this spell - I believe Saxon Orrik is almost a necessity to provide Pathfinder when the case arises.
Obliteration - Focus intensive but high powered. I have cast this twice in my life time - both times I got the Backstab bonus. It's a game winning spell that MUST be cast at the right time. Whenever that is.
Feat:
Killbox - A board control feat that prevents advancing of any kind while in his control area, towards two table edges. However, it requires Magnus to be up in the thick of things since it is an aura but you can cause useful clumping or score some early scenario points. This clumping can benefit the Renegade, Mangler, and even Orin Midwinter loves it. There are some very neat subtle ways you can mess with an opponent with the feat as well.
Based on the abilities, spells and feat, I am going to want to play forward and aggressive. My army is worthless - lives can be thrown away and warjacks are just means to the end. But I have to be smart about my sacrifices. With the tier, I am going to want to take the Mangler and at least one Renegade. Anything else is going to tax on his focus efficiency, but there are ways around this problem. I have magical spells and an arc node, but being able to get the magical weapons will be difficult in his theme force. Finally, I have access to several units, a unique hodge podge army of either Longgunners or Trenchers and Idrians. It's a weird mix, but it works - the only danger is that several of these units are on the expensive side. The cheapest (and arguably one of the better units in the game) are the Steelhead Halbrediers. But pMagnus uses them more efficiently.
So at 15 points? Well, I'm going to want to get my Mangler up there and use my Renegade early to stall the enemy. One Obliterator rocket is not going to give me the assassination I need but I could do some early damage with it. The Mangler is a point cheaper thanks to the T1 benefit which allows me to fit more models into the army.
I am going to want to play aggressively at first - Mobility first turn, maybe Bullet Dodger on a friendly AD solo (Saxon or Kell). Therefore, I want AD units to stall the enemy and screen my advance and boy do I have plenty. Idrians, Trenchers, & Croe's Cutthroats. I feel that at 15 pts, a warjack heavy army would slaughter through Croe's, although at the higher points Croe's Cutthroats will be very useful. Idrians are not too useful at surviving early and are really dependent on terrain placement. Also, the UA really makes them efficient and I do not want to shell out the points just yet for the unit.
Which leads me to the much maligned Trencher Infantry. Dig In & Smoke gives me flexibility I need to survive the first two rounds of shooting. CRA allows me to pack a punch. More importantly, I can further add warjacks when I take the officer and it opens up weapon attachments that deal with infantry. Additionally, all I need is a min unit to make them worthwhile, unlike possibly Croe's or Idrians. I like flexibility that this unit will allow me later on at 25/35/50.
Finally, I want to add in a solo and it's an easy choice to start with. Kell Bailoch is a great solo hunter and gives me that magical weapon early enough to deal with any kind of Incorporeal or Paladins. With Bullet Dodger and Prowl, he's geared towards surviving on his own for the time being.
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