Sabertooth+Cerberus

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 * Sabertooth Cerberus, Arcanists Minion [[image:WYR3007_500.jpeg align="right"]]**

=__Overview__= Created by Marcus in his experiments in Chimerancy, The Sabertooth Cerberus is one of his greatest creations. A fast melee beast that can send shivers down spine of anyone unlucky enough to come face to face to face to face with it.

=__Mobility__= The Cerberus is as fast and nimble as they come. It's walk is on the high side of average at 5, but it's charge is a high 9. Add to this the **Leap** spell which is a (0) spell needing a 7+ of Masks and you can really launch the Cerberus across the board as long as you have the card to do it. The movement tricks don't stop there though. The Cerberus has the **Stalker** Ability as well. This lets him Push an additional 6" in the End Closing Phase. At least as long as it is out of LoS from enemy models before and after the push. When you take all of this together you have the potential to move Cerberus up to 25" in a single turn.

=__Offense__= The Cerberus is a melee powerhouse. The Claws and Bite attacks have mid-range damage levels, with the Claws at an above average Cb of 6 and the Bite at an average Cb of 5. Normally this wouldn't be that great, but add to it the **Three-Headed** ability and you have the potential to dish out a lot of hurt. Three-Headed gives you an addition 2 specific AP to use on Bite strikes, giving you the potential for 4 attacks in one activation. There are a couple of drawbacks to Three-Headed though. First is that you have to be over half wounds in order to get those two extra attacks. So if take more than 3 Wd you lose those extra attacks. The second caveat is that you have to do Bite strikes with those extra attacks. While Bite does have a slightly higher damage profile it has a lower Cb which will make it a little harder to hit what you are attacking.

Aside from just the Melee prowess of the Cerberus, it also brings some handy offensive spells to the table. You will need high suited cards to pull them off though.
 * Devour** makes taking care of those pesky Ht 1 models a little easier. This does cost a high crow to cast though so you will not be able to use it all of the time. If you have the card though, keep an eye out for a Ht 1 model to snack on.
 * Roar** is the other offensive spell that can put a chink in your opponent's plans. A pulse 8, Wp resist, spell that cause Living models to Fall Back. You will need to have a high Tome to cast it, and with the low Ca of the Cerberus you will not be able to get it much higher than the casting cost. However, the key to this spell is to catch as many of your opponents minions in the pulse as possible. It increases the likelihood that some will fail the resist, and if nothing else will drain your opponents hand. Another way to make this spell more effective is to cast it at the end of the turn, hopefully catching your opponent without the cards to cheat the resists. Leaving their crew primed for slaughter next turn. It is also good to combine this spell with the **Smell Fear** (0) action. Allowing you to immediately charge one of the Falling Back models. Be careful with Roar though as it can affect your own living models as well, so watch your placement.

=__Resilience__= For as powerful as the Sabertooth Cerberus is, resilience is where it starts to fall a little short. With only an average Df of 5 it is going to have a harder time dodging some of the higher Cb attacks. Wp on the other had is quite good. At first glance it is just an average 5, but with the **Stubborn** ability this is boosted to 7 when defending in a Wp Duel.

The Cerberus's resilience really comes from its high mobility and its great offense. It has enough movement that it should be staying out of range as much as possible until it is ready to go in for the attack and hopefully drop its victim before it can retaliate.

=__Tips and Tricks__= (As per Master, w. Subheadings as needed.)

=__Master-Specific Tips__=

Marcus
Since the Cerberus is a Beast, it will synergy quite well with Marcus. **Howl** can be especially effective with the Cerberus. Boosting the Cerberus's already high Wp up to 10 when defending. It also gives your Beasts a better chance to resist and gives a -3 Wp to enemies trying to resist its Roar spell. **Pack Leader** can also be useful when you need to get in an alpha strike with the Cerberus. Finally, Primal Flame will help to keep your Cerberus in good health and above that half Wd threshold so that it still gets its extra attacks.

=Minion-Specific Tips=

Myranda
Myranda can synergize with the Cerberus by using her Animal Instincts to cast the Cerberus's Devour and Roar spells. Her higher Ca makes it easier for her to cast these spells than it is for the Cerberus itself. She can also use her Primal Flame spell to help heal the Cerberus and keep it above half wounds.

=__Playing Against Sabertooth Cerberus__= The key to taking down the Sabertooth Cerberus is to get in the first strike. It only has an average defense and once you get past that it doesn't have an damage negating abilities. You don't have to drop it in one activation, you just need to do enough damage to drop it below half Wd. Once you do that its effectiveness is greatly reduced. Be wary of getting too many living models close to it though as the Roar spell can drain your hand or have your models Falling Back which is never good. Also try to keep it in Los as this prevents it from getting the 6" push in the End Closing phase.

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