Killjoy

//"Killjoy is a Tactic."//
 * Killjoy, Outcast Minion [[image:WYR5002_500.jpeg width="314" height="445" align="right"]]** toc

=__Overview__=

Killjoy sure can live up to his name, clearing that smirk smile off the faces of your opponents as he rips through an entire crew in one activation. He has the ability to single handedly change the outcome of a game and kill virtually any model in the game with ease. However, he can be tricky to get into the right spot at the right time. Killjoy is not deployed with the rest of your crew but waits for one of your models to get close to the target. He can be pricy, but that is what you pay for to get one of the best heavyweights Malifaux has to offer.

=__Cost__= Killjoy not only costs 11 Soulstones to hire (+1 when hired as a Mercenary), but also takes up some additional resources.

//Blood Sacrificem// This ability allows all other models in the same crew to sacrifice themselves to bring Killjoy into play. Killjoy already costs a lot to hire and having to give up another model will cost you additional resources. Some Masters can summon expendable models which helps offset this cost while Leveticus and Hollow Waifs are capable of returning to play at the end of each turn.

//Out of Control// When activating Killjoy you should always plan to discard a card. Even if your opponent has no cards in hand you usually don't want Killjoy to have //Slow// inflicted on him for not discarding a card.

=__Mobility__= Killjoy has average walk and charge stats, but may also charge at models at the start of the turn.

//Ancestral Fury// Whenever Killjoy charges at a Neverborn model he may move an extra 2" during that charge.

//Blood Price// Starting with turn three, at the beginning of each turn, if Killjoy does not have an enemy model within his melee range, he will attempt to charge the closest model. This includes friendly models. See //Negating Blood Price// below to find out how to keep him from harming the rest of your crew.

//Blood Sacrifice// Killjoy's //Blood Sacrifice// ability grants all other models in the same crew the //Sacrificed// action. Killjoy may only come into play when one of those models takes the //(1) Sacrificed// action to sacrifice itself. Killjoy is then placed in base contact with the sacrificed model.

Remember, version 2 Killjoy is __placed__ and not __summoned__//.// Placed models do not receive //Slow// as summoned models do.

=__Offense__= Killjoy is a beast in melee combat. His damage is one of the highest in the game, and has the //Onslaught// trigger that can crush anything that stands in his way. Ohh yeah, he also has a ranged attack that can drag models within his melee range.

//Black Blood// This inflicts one wound back onto models up to 1" away whenever Killjoy suffers a wound due to a melee attack. It's for this reason that despite having a 2" melee range, it's still best to get as many enemy models into the 1" //Black Blood// radius as you can when moving or charging Killjoy.

//Slow to Die// Even if your opponent kills Killjoy he may still get one final attack (or more with the //Onslaught// trigger) when he is killed. Remember, //Eat your Fill// is a zero action so you won't have any 0 AP action to use it if you kill something.

//Terrifying// Sometimes living models don't win Terrifying tests. :)

//Melee Expert// This gives Killjoy 1 AP dedicated to making melee attacks. As per usual for specific AP like this, it's often best to use Melee Expert before using your general AP. That way if you kill the model you're engaged with, Killjoy can use his 2 general AP to make a Charge action and engage yet another model.

//Onslaught// This Trigger allows Killjoy to make another Cleaver Strike against the target he just attacked. Any Cleaver Strike may trigger //Onslaught// including those initiated from a previously triggered //Onslaught// or a //Slow to Die// action. On a super-melee-death-machine like Killjoy, this triggeris good enough to be worth save any Masks you have for getting this trigger off.

=__Resilience__= With Killjoy's low defense stat he is easy to hit, but with 12 wounds and //Hard to Wound// //2//, it will usually take several models to kill him.

//Hard to Wound 2// This will cause most models who attack Killjoy will have a negative twist of fate, often saving Killjoy from taking Moderate or Severe damage.

//Eat Your Fill// This zero action allows Killjoy to heal all wounds inflicted on him when he kills a model. This can keep Killjoy alive for another activation, or cause your opponent to spend another turn trying to kill him.

=__Tips and Tricks__= When Killjoy attempts to charge the closest model due to //Blood Price,// he must follow all the normal rules for charging. If the closest model can not be charged then //Blood Price// simply fizzles.
 * Negating Blood Price**

Models are unable to charge if:
 * it does not have Line of Sight to the closest model (//i.e.// intervening blocking or obscuring terrain).
 * it is in melee range with the closest model.
 * the closest model has an ability such as //Always in Motion,// which prevents it from being charged.

You must make "every effort" to get in range of the target, so you can't just move up an inch and declare a failed charge.

Note, however, that Blood Price doesn't specify which melee attack you have to make. If you are forced to charge a friendly model, you can (and should) make a **Bash** attack (Rg 1, Cb 3, Dg 0/1/2) rather than your more deadly Meat Cleaver attack.

Generally a low cost or summoned model is sacrificed. When using a pack of Canine Remains, a cluster of Steampunk Arachnids, or a hobble of Steampunk Abominations, you not only have the advantage of numbers, but of abilities that harm or debuff enemy models in a group. These models should be expendable, and in some cases drop useful Corpse or Scrap Counters when they die. Against ranged crews you will likely lose some models. A Nephilim or Terror Tots are a solid choice to provide support for Killjoy in melee, as they also have the //Black Blood// ability.
 * Who should use (1) Sacrificed?**

Watcher (Any Guild, Leveticus) This model has great mobility to get at almost any model and may not be targeted by Disengaging Strikes.
 * (1) Sacrificed:** **Recommended** **Models**

Canine Remains (Any Resurrectionist, Leveticus) These guys are cheap to hire, are quite mobile, and in a group, lower the defense of enemy models. Try to place Killjoy within 2" of the target, but over 2" from your other Canine Remains.

Mannequin (Colette) 1) Mannequins don't do a lot on their own, but can move quite far when linked to Cassandra, Coryphée, or Coryphée Duet. The Mannequins also have //Companion (Showgirl)// allowing them to activate simultaneously. Have the linked showgirl move into melee, then have the Mannequin sacrifice itself to bring in Killjoy. 2) After successfully casting Disappearing Act and triggering Mannequin Replacement on an enemy model have the Mannequin sacrifice itself to place Killjoy. This can be very disruptive to your opponent's plans.

Mechanical Dove (Colette) 1) Colette summons a Mechanical Dove. The Dove activates immediately after Colette's activation ends due to her //Trick of the Hat// and sacrifices itself to place Killjoy. 2) A Mechanical Dove already in play flies up to 10" to an enemy model, then sacrifices itself to place Killjoy.

Steampunk Arachnid (Ramos) Summoned by Ramos. Its //Arachnid// ability allows it to move over severe terrain and up walls without any movement penalties.

Electrical Creation (Ramos) As a Spirit, the Electrical Creation can cross walls and other impassable terrain before sacrificing itself to place Killjoy.

Terror Tot (Lilith) Although more expensive than Desperate Mercenaries, a crew with several Terror Tots gives you the flexibility to sacrifice any one of them to bring in Killjoy.

Desperate Mercenary (Most Masters) These cheap Mercenaries only cost 2 Soulstones to hire, even when hired out of faction. Use them when you do don't have any better options.

Leveticus (Leveticus) Due to his "Cycle of Death" mechanic Leveticus is an excellent model to sacrifice when your opponent gets close enough to him. Just make sure at least one Hollow Waif will still be in play at the end of the turn.

Hollow Waif (Leveticus) As the other part of Leveticus' "Cycle of Death," the Hollow Waif will also return to play as long as a friendly Leveticus is still in play.

Necropunk (Leveticus, Resurrectionists) In most people's opinions, one of the best ways to summon Killjoy, as with //Leap// they can quickly get up into your opponent's face, and if the Necropunk is left alone then you //Flurry// them until they do something. Then, use their //Slow to Die// action to summon Killjoy right in their face.

Marionette (Collodi, Neverborn) Collodi's web of Marionettes make for great Killjoy fodder. With Collodi's ability to //Companion// them, it shouldn't be overly difficult to sweep up to the enemy with 1-2 Marionettes, //(1) Sacrificed// a Marionette to place Killjoy, and then use the remaining Marionette(s) to pull Collodi and his Dolls back out of danger. The only negative is that a pure Collodi crew cannot hire Killjoy (he's not a Doll), so they would need to be taken in conjunction with one of the Neverborn Masters, like Zoraida.

Jackalope (Marcus, Arcanists) Another good minion for sacrificing, and for a cost of 1 Soulstone only. Jackalope has //Leap// so you can get him to your opponent quickly and, the best thing is that when you sacrifice him, the next time a Beast dies, he will be back for more.

=__Master-Specific Tips__= Colette can summon a Mechanical Dove using her //Trick of the Hat// spell which may activate immediately after Colette's activation ends, allowing Killjoy to be summoned before your opponent has a chance to attack the Mechanical Dove. Fear the Doves!
 * Colette**

Killjoy's //Black Blood// ability and melee nature make him fit well inside Lilith's crew. A crew with many Terror Tots can make it difficult for your opponent to figure out where Killjoy will come from. //Transposition// could be used to both swap a Terror Tot into position before his sacrifice (especially if you companion the Tot to Lilith first), or swap Killjoy into more optimal positions should your opponent absolutely insist on running away from him.
 * Lilith**

Part of the fun of Levi's crew is turning your opponent's models into Steampunk Abominations or Hollow Waifs which can then be sacrificed to bring in Killjoy. This can be extra devastating to an opponent when you do this in the middle of two or three enemy models. You know what they say: "Bad things happen." Also, Leveticus and Hollow Waifs are perfectly good models to sacrifice to sacrifice to place Killjoy.
 * Leveticus**

A crew led by the Viktorias can hire Killjoy and Desperate Mercenaries without paying any out of faction costs. Also, the Viktorias can hire up to 4 Desperate Mercenaries in a Scrap.
 * Viktoria**

As is usual for the Old Hag, Zoraida can make Killjoy even scarier with regular use of horrible spells like //Obey// to give Killjoy additional charges (charges you can control, mind you), //Bewitch// to ensure enemy Killjoy targets are extra dead, and //Hex// to remove //Blood Price//. Catsing //Hex// on //Blood Price// probably isn't necessary when you could just //Obey// him away from your own models instead, but if you need him to do something other than charge an enemy model, it could come in handy.
 * Zoraida**

Zoraida also makes for an excellent "Killjoy Delivery System (TM)". No, you don't sacrifice Zoraida herself, but rather the Wicked Dolls she can hire for 3SS or summon for free. Using //Raven// allows her to Wk 10-20 inches to get into position, and next turn the Wicked Doll can //Hags's Toys// to be placed within 2" of Zoraida from across the board, (1) Wk and then //(1) Sacrificed// to place Killjoy.

A Voodoo Doll will also work, but it's a little trickier. After summoning, you can use a previously summoned Voodoo Doll to //Companion// Zoraida and //(1) Sacrificed// to place Killjoy. Zoraida will then activate straight after, giving her the chance to cast some spells (like an //Obey// on Killjoy) and //Raven// out of Killjoy's kill radius.

=__Minion-Specific Tips__= Killjoy is the kind of minion your opponent will want to either kill as soon as possible or keep far, far away from. If they decide to take the killing route, you might find it handy to keep a friendly minion around for Killjoy to "snack" on should his wounds get dangerously low, and your opponent is making killing enemy models hard for you.

Conveniently enough, the sort of models Killjoy likes to snack on are also the sort of models that make good //(1) Sacrificed// targets and thus, you'll probably have a few lying around. Basically anything that is fast, expendable and in this case, not difficult for Killjoy to kill, will work. Almost any of the minions mentioned above as good //(1) Sacrificed// targets will do. The exception is the Necropunk, who has //Hard to Kill// and won't be eaten with a single melee attack by Killjoy.

Depending on the strategies and schemes, you could use your (1) //sacrifice// action to do some nasty hi jinx, for example sacrificing a Kill Protege target.

=__Playing Against Killjoy__= Your opponent must sacrifice a model by the end of the fourth turn to summon Killjoy. Watch your opponent's expendable models; one of these will probably be sacrificed to bring in Killjoy when it can move in close enough and sacrifice itself in a single activation. Try to kill these models off at a distance before they get close enough to summon Killjoy.

Colette's //Disappearing Act// and //Mannequin Replacement// Trigger can ruin your opponent's day. Make sure to plan where you want Killjoy returning to play if you don't trigger //Mannequin Replacement//. Placing him on hazardous terrain (such as a bottomless chasm) is perfectly legal and he will take the damage as soon as he is returned to play.

Death Marshals can also bury Killjoy. Good luck getting that 8 of Crows or higher when you need it!

Lilith's //Transposition// spell works well for getting Killjoy out of your way and into your opponent's way if //Blood Price// will cause him to charge at one of your opponent's models.

Leveticus' //The Face of Death// Trigger allows him to discard control cards to negate negative flips, allowing him to cheat in a card that will inflict Severe 12 damage. Leveticus also has spells that inflict wounds rather than a damage flip.

A few models have instant-kill effects (//Headshot, Decapitate, Heart Stopper//) which will kill Killjoy unless its controller discards two control cards.

=** __Ownership__ **= Unless otherwise stated, all names and images on this site are property of Wyrd Miniatures, LLC. ([|Link])

" //As far as I'm concerned, Killjoy is a tactic, and a potentially fun one at that.// " – Rathnard ([|Link])