Avatar+Viktorias

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 * Viktorias, Avatars of Slaughter, Outcast Avatars**

//"When you absolutely, positively got to kill every $%@&! in the room, accept no substitutes." -- Ordell Robbie, __**Jackie Brown**__. // = = =Overview= When the wonder twins combine... well, you don't want to be around! Merging into a single Model, the Viktoria's enter a berserk rage, dashing around the field with wanton recklessness to slay anyone within range of their blades.

The Viktorias are capable of amazing, stomach-turning feats of melee range brutality, and have some surprising maneuverability tricks. On the other hand, they lose ranged attacks and still have resilience problems.

The Viktorias are a beast in melee combat, but they're pretty much only capable of killing -- they don't even have a **Wk** score, only a **Cg**. It may take some finesse and forethought to be sure that the Viktorias aren't left without a target to attack -- without a target to attack, they're kind of stuck.

=Manifesting=

Manifesting with the Viktorias can be a little tricky, and may require planning or a good opportunity.

First, one Viktoria model must cast **Sisters in Battle: Fury**, then the other Viktoria must kill a model in the same round. This may be a little tricky, since it makes it a little harder to do some of Viktoria's **Sisters in Spirit** slingshot tricks. If you see an easy-to-kill enemy model get close, you may want to shoot for it. Note also that it doesn't need to be an enemy model, so you could sacrifice a Desperate Mercenary to meet this requirement in Turn One. Poor Desperate Mercenaries.

Second, two different Viktorias must have used their **Whirlwind** Trigger on enemy models. This can pose a risk as well: the Viktorias are often glass cannons, and using Whirlwind means being in melee range of multiple opponents at once, which leaves a big danger of counter-attack. One possibility for increased safety is to have the Viktorias attack the same group, so that they can both get attacks in and kill a group of enemies together.

When you Manifest, you must have both Viktorias in play. You Replace one, and remove the other Viktoria from play. This gives you some nice options: you can put the Viktorias in a place where they'll be in good position to attack or charge enemies on your next turn.

What you don't want to do is Manfest the Viktorias where they'll be stranded. The Viktorias can be very mobile, but only with enemies around. In the absence of things to stab, they **Charge** 8" once and then end their activation, which is a pretty set state of affairs for an Avatar Master.

=Mobility=

The Avatars of Slaughter sort of have good maneuverability, and sort of have terrible maneuverability, and sort of have amazing maneuverability.

With a lot of enemies nearby, the Avatars of Slaughter can **Charge 8"** as a (1) Action (because of **Called to Slaughter**). What's more, they have **(+2) Melee Master**, which means they can Charge and still have plenty of AP left over for attacks. That's pretty good maneuverability.

Without anything nearby to attack, the Viktorias can become very stranded. Because of **Bloodlust of the Masamune**, the Viktorias must make a melee Strike against models in melee range, or if there are no targets, a Charge targeting the nearest model -- and, because of **Called to Slaughter**, if the enemy is more than 10" away, the Viktorias end their activation there.

There's a trick to get around this, if you set things up right with other models, that can make the Viktorias amazing at maneuverability. Move a friendly model next to the Viktorias, and another friendly model up near an enemy. The Viktorias can attack your friendly model at the start (and cheat down or choose the worst card on their Paired combat flip to avoid killing a friendly model), then cast **(0) OUR KILL!** to switch the model with a friendly model in melee range with an enemy model.


 * (0) OUR KILL!** provides amazing maneuverability under correct circumstances -- you can move anywhere on the board as a (0) Action, regardless of distance. You can jump from friendly model to friendly model, slaughtering any enemy models nearby. Just be careful you don't accidentally kill your own models. The spell requires a 7 or higher of Crows, which may be a little tricky, so save your Crows!

One thing that can help or hurt the Viktorias, but will usually help, is **Draw of the Masamune Nihonto**. The Viktorias Push 5" toward any model that is killed by a melee strike. This includes both friends and foes, and is not optional. A clever opponent could use this to draw the Viktorias into a tactically disadvantageous position, but usually this will speed up the Viktorias toward the middle of the action.

=Offense=

The Avatars of Slaughter have the highest unmodified Cb score in the game -- a murderous Cb 8 with a ram and a mask included. They're always tuned to kill.

With **(+2) Melee Master**, a ridiculously high **Cb** score that's also Paired and Magical and gets a positive flip on damage, the Awakened Masamune melee strike is pretty much your best solution to any situation. Get into combat with enemy models. Big groups of them if you can. Keep the violence going. even better, you draw a Card each time you kill someone. Yay cards!

Picking a Trigger
The Viktorias have three Cb triggers: **Critical Strike** (which brings their Dg from 3/4/6 up to 4/5/7), **Whirlwind** (which means you can keep attacking if you're in the middle of a group of enemies, as long as you can keep getting masks), and **Compelled to Kill** (which lets you Charge the nearest model instead of drawing a card after you kill an enemy model.) It may be tough to pick which trigger to use.

Here's some Trigger guidelines:
 * If you've got a lot of Masks in your hand and you want to kill a big group of enemies, use Whirlwind and keep using it.
 * If you're trying to leapfrog past a weak opponent to get to a more important one, cheat the Crow and use Compelled to Kill. Remember that you may be missing a chance to use that Crow card for OUR KILL!. Also remember that you may accidentally Charge your own model if you use this Trigger foolishly. And don't use it if you're not sure you can kill your target.
 * Otherwise, use your built-in Ram (plus any other Rams you can muster) and use Critical Strike. More damage, more killing, more slaughter, more cards!

Constant Murder for Crew Support
While the Viktorias can pose a threat to your own Crew if you're not careful, they can also boost and support your Crew in a few different ways.

First of all, all your crew gets Critical Strike with a basic melee Weapon. (This can include a Bash if that's all they have.) Remember that for your other models, since it makes the whole Crew that much tougher.

Second, the Viktorias can rescue any Crew member from danger with **(0) OUR KILL!** This will put your friendly model someplace that's possibly safer, and give the Viktorias a new target to kill.

Third, the Viktorias can buff up a friendly unit by giving the **Serpent Strike** with the **Compelled by the Masamune** Spell. This may help with Charge actions, but it can also backfire, so use it on friendly models sparingly.

Fourth, the Viktorias move 5" toward anything that dies within 8". If someone kills one of your models, they'll suddenly find the Viktorias up close and personal.

Mostly, though, the Viktorias provide Crew Support by killing all the enemies. That may free up your other friendly models to do things like grab Objectives -- a task for which the Viktorias are no longer well-suited after Manifesting!

Debuffs
The Viktorias also have a debuff spell that is sometimes very potent.


 * Compelled by the Masamune** lowers a target's Wk to - and gives Serpent's Strike to the Target. This can completely shut down some enemy units. A Coryphee Duet will be shut down, especially one that hasn't activated yet so it doesn't have Soulstone for the Resist Duel. Some enemy units will benefit -- if they were going to Charge anyway, it may make the enemy more powerful -- but spellcasters and ranged units will suddenly have trouble, as well as any units that lack a Cg speed.

=Resilience=

While the Avatar Viktorias have some resilience, they are still more vulnerable than most Masters. Their **Wp** is a decent 6, but their **Df** is a lukewarm 5, and **12 Wd** seems like plenty until your enemy models start attacking. The Viktorias have **Bulletproof 2**, which helps since enemies will try to attack you with Ranged attacks.

There's a few things you can do to help your Resilience:

Keep a Freikorps Librarian nearby. The Freikorps Librarian provides a lot of healing, which can help keep the Viktorias going. As an added benefit, if you're stuck without a target, you can always stab the Librarian and let her heal herself later.

If you're up against melee-using opponents, cast **(0) First Strike**. It lets you make a melee Strike against each model that comes within your Melee range. Unfortunately, this has a reduced **Cb** score of **6 (Ram)**, which means you won't be able to use the **Compelled to Kill** or **Whirlwind** triggers very easily to turn this free attack into movement or more free attacks. It's still possible to use these triggers, though -- especially if you have a Mask in hand and a Soulstone to spare. Also, quite fortunately, you can keep using this against each attacker who comes into range, and it works however the attacker comes in range: Walk, Charge, Push, Replace, Unbury, etc.

=Soulstones=

Avatar Viktorias can occasionally benefit from soulstones, but it's not a thorough necessity. Use them for Defense or Damage Prevention if you're ever overwhelmed. Use them for Healing when you must, especially during the free healing for Manifesting. Use them to shut down a resisting enemy model with **Compelled by the Masamune** at a key moment.

You probably won't need to use soulstones for attacks, though. You get plenty of opportunities to attack every round. Just take another swing instead.

=Tricks and Tips=


 * Plan ahead. Activate the Viktorias when you've got targets in range. If you don't have targets in range, set some up.
 * Keep the rest of your Crew safe. You need them for Objective-grabbing, and maneuverability, and to keep the Viktorias from getting stranded outside of combat.
 * The Avatar Viktorias can be a little bit of a glass cannon, so don't let her get overwhelmed, and keep her healed.
 * If you have a problem, often the best way to solve it is with the Masamune Nihonto.
 * Two Faces of Fate means that you may never run out of Jokers. The tactical result of this is unclear, but it's something to keep in mind.

=Avatar and their Crew=

Avatar Viktorias rely on their crew more than their pre-Avatar version, since the Avatars have a hard time reaching objectives, and sometimes need to be led around by friendly models. Friendly minions can pull the Viktorias along by killing enemies with melee attacks, can heal the Viktorias, or can jump in as a sacrifice so that the Viktorias don't lose an activation.

Before Manifesting, the Viktorias don't need a lot of synergy. After Manifesting, they suddenly find a lot of synergies.

Here are some models that may work well with the Avatar Viktorias:

Desperate Mercenary: Useful for setting up Manifestation requirements if you're worried you may not be able to kill your enemies. Also provides a little ranged support.

Freikorps Librarian: A great model. Can heal the Viktorias, has Armor and self-healing if you need to put an ally close to the Viktorias, and has decent speed and magical support so that it can hang out near the Viktorias and help them do their thing.

Killjoy: He's fairly similar to Viktoria in that he must constantly be killing things, but he also heals himself from it. His massive melee damage can help pull the Viktorias along, and he certainly likes the support her can get from Mark of Slaughter. You can also surprise opponents with maneuvering tricks using Charges, his Hooked Chain and Drag, and the Viktorias' OUR KILL! spell.

Ronin: Handy to make a new Viktoria if you lose one before Manifesting. Also provide a good mix of mobility, melee combat to draw Viktorias forward, and ranged combat to retaliate against ranged opponents.

Hans: Provides long-ranged support to respond to ranged opponents. And if anyone moves up too close to him, you can switch in the Viktorias.

Misaki: With excellent mobility and a variety of melee benefits, Misaki can help move Viktoria around, or claim Objectives.

Jack Daw: Provides ranged support and mobility to the crew, and can benefit from the extra cards that the Viktorias produce.

=Playing Against the Avatars of Slaughter=


 * Keep out of their charge range if you can -- that way they can't get in close to you.
 * If you're going to attack the Avatars, commit multiple units to it. You should be able to kill the Avatars of Slaughter with about three or four concentrated models, whether they're melee or ranged. A focused attack will take them down.
 * If you don't have the forces for a concentrated attack, stay away from the Avatars. You can stop them entirely if they don't have anything to stab within 10".

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