M2E+Dawn+Serpent

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 * Dawn Serpent, Ten Thunders Minion **

=__Overview__= //A native of Earth, Dawn Serpents were brought through the breach by the Ten Thunders to further their plans. Unfortunately one or two may have escaped...//

Although a Minion, Dawn Serpents are serious Minions at a hefty 10ss, They are also very rare and only one can ever be taken in a crew. However they are solid models with good stats, fantastic Ml/Sh and damage tracks along with decent defenses and a heal.

As a Minion, it has several synergies with other models and schemes.

Also, since it's a **Beast**, Dawns Serpent can also be taken in Marcus Crews.

=__Mobility__= With great basic movement of **Wk 6** and **Cg 6** and **Flight,** the Dawn Serpent is no slouch but that's the extent of its movement tricks.

Remember **Flight** has no bearing on any pushes the Dawn Serpent might receive throughout the course of a game; there are several of these within the Ten Thunders Faction.

=__Offense__= This is where it's at for the Dawn Serpent. A dedicated beater, it has 2 attacks. Like a true Dragon, it can breathe fire and its maw is filled with fangs coated in a lethal venom. Both attacks are seriously accurate with **Sh** or **Ml 7**.


 * Breathe Fire:** This ranged attack has a deceptively modest damage track of **2/3B/4BB**. However the blasts are great for putting the hurt on a cluster of enemies, especially with its high Sh stat, you are quite likely able to cheat if you want. For even more hurt it has the **Ignite** trigger, so for each Tome in the total (there's one built in so you'll always have one), the target (not people hit by the blasts, unfortunately) gains **Burning +1**. It's possible to give 8 damage to an enemy with 2 weak flips (& Tomes to hit) over the course of a turn which is pretty impressive! As it's a trigger, you also don't have to worry about it when you're against a crew that likes Burning (Shenlong or Kaeris for example).


 * Fangs:** This combat attack has a slightly better damage track of **2/4/5**. The target also gains **Poison +2**. As this is not a trigger (and therefore optional), it could actually be a liability if you come up against certain Ressers (especially McMourning), Shenlong or Brewmaster, so be careful what you target in combat. Thankfully, you can always sit back and shoot!

=__Resilience__= Dawn Serpents are pretty hard to remove; with average **Df** and above average **Wp** they can usually force a negative to damage flips. On top of that they have **Hard to Kill** so will last one hit longer than normal. Hopefully this will keep them alive till their next activation so they can use their heal.


 * Calls unto the Chi** is a **(0) action** that heals the models 1 point of damage for each model with a **Ca** action within Pulse 6. Lots of models in the game have spells and if you take a few in your crew you can easily heal him 3-4 Wds per turn. Like all heals, this has great synergy with **Hard to Kill**.

They also have **Counterspell** so all enemy **Ca** actions targeting this model lose their printed suits. This makes him immune to spells like **Lure** that require 2 suits (unless the caster spends Soulstones) as well as being a potential hand drain for those that have a built-in suit.

=__Tips and Tricks__= The easiest way to use the Dawn Serpent is at range: it can cause a lot of harm without getting exposed itself. It's great at close range as well, but can be more vulnerable to attacks. Don't charge the Dawn Serpent into combat. Shoot enemies at range and make them come to you, then claw them up when they get closer.

=__Master-Specific Tips__= Dawn Serpants are very good with Shenlong. Not only can he can make them **Fast** and push them, his **Knowing the Wind and Stone** ability allows it to gain either **Defensive +1** or **Focus +1** as a (0) action, Shenlong's Peasant Totems can also give the Dawn Serpant these Conditions. A Dawn Serpent making two Focused **Breathe Fire** attacks is a very scary proposition for any crew that likes to clump up or Strategies like Turf War. Also as of the Avatar Beta (July 2014), the Dawn Serpant has some good synergy with Shenlong's Avatar.

As a Minion, the Dawn Serpent also combine amazingly with Mei Feng's Beta Avatar form, easily able to gain **Fast** or **Reactivate** making for a very scary Drake! She also likes anything that can give out the **Burning** Condition for her **Tiger Claws** attack.

When the Dawn Serpent teams up with McCabe, and yoinks his Upgrades it becomes even faster with with **Badge of Speed**, or tougher with **Strangemetal Shirt** or **Elixir of Life**. If it's near a model with the **Promises** upgrade, the Dawn Serpant's **Fangs** are extremely likely to hit.

As a **Beast**, Dawn Serpents also have lots of Synergy with Marcus. Marcus can give the Dawn Serpent an extra activation (and more healing), and Myranda gives bonuses to **Df** and healing. Marcus likes to **Alpha** big dangerous Beasts to give extra activations, and the Dawn Serpent is a great choice for that.

=__Other Model-Specific Tips__= As a high-powered, expensive **Minion**, Dawn Serpents love being in the same crew as Toshiro. Because of **Daimyo**, the Dawn Serpent gains + to hit with his **Fangs** attack whilst within Aura 6" of him. His **War Fan** can give it **Fast** and potentially a Push and his **Daimyo's Price** can give him **Focused** **+1**. This is a rather pricey combo at 19 SS before upgrades, but can be well worth it.

The Kamaitachi can also give the Dawn Serpent a push up to its walk (6") in any direction with its **At the Cross Roads** action.

=__Playing Against the Dawn Serpent__= Dawn Serpents can be a serious threat, especially when combined with all its synergies with other members of the crew. However they aren't the easiest things to take out. If possible, always try to take it out after it has activated or in a single activation (or chain activation) as with **Hard to Kill** and **Calls unto the Chi**, if you fail to take it out, it can undo a lot of your hard work.

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