M2E+Papa+Loco


 * Papa Loco, Guild Enforcer**

== =__Overview__= The Ortega's crazy father likes to play with dynamite and has little regard for his own safety, or the safety of his companions for that matter. Notoriously slow and easy to kill, his attacks pack quite a punch. Moreover, he can improve the attacks of his peers. Most infamous for blowing himself up amidst the enemy crew, he is nearly as dangerous to his own friends. A difficult model to use, but a very rewarding one who can cause a lot o laughter at the table due to his antics. Whatever he does, he will go out in a blaze of glory and always severely impact the game, good or bad.toc

=__Mobility__= Papa Loco is really slow. His Wk and Cg are both below average and he has no innate tricks to improve his mobility. Because of this the greatest challenge for him is to reach his enemies in the first place, especially since your opponent will try his best to keep him away.

If you add Papa to your crew, think about how to get him across the board. In his traditional crew, the Ortega Family, this is normally done via Perdita's **Obey** or the Enslaved Nephilim's **Shackled**. The latter moves him towards a friendly model, which has three downsides: It will take some planning, it will be really obvious and it puts the "beacon model" at considerable risk.

Consider bringing a Death Marshal whenever you hire Papa. The **Pine Box** action can keep him safe and get him around the board which solves his most significant problems.

=__Offense__= Offense is the reason to bring Papa Loco. He basically has nothing BUT offense.

__Melee__
His **Dynamite Punch** (don't ask) has low range and abysmal accuracy but the damage profile is wonderful. It's basically the same as Lady Justice's, but with Blasts (but without triggers). Sadly, his low Ml means he is bad at Disengaging Strikes which is disappointing because enemies don't want to stay close to Papa.

__Ranged__
Papa can also **Throw Dynamite**, a short ranged, Cover ignoring attack. It's fairly accurate with an above average Sh and has a good damage profile, nicely complimented by lots of Blasts. This is a good attack to **Focus**. If it wasn't so short ranged, this alone would be a good reason to bring Papa, but as is you still have to get Papa fairly far across the table to make good use of it. Interestingly, the //Dropped One// trigger (on a Crow, as the Ram is already there) goes off by failing. Most Guild crews don't use Crows, particularly low ones. So if some enemy models are within range and Papa misses someone, drop a low Crow and blow them up anyway. Just be mindful of your own guys in the explosion.

__Explosive__
Two abilities turn Papa Loco into the infamous suicide bomber he is.
 * BOOM!** - When Papa dies (note that this is more of a "when", not an "if"), all models in 3" take 5 damage. No duel, no attack, no triggers. It's enough to kill many Minions and make a serious dent into stronger models. It's not restricted to enemies which is why your own models should stay clear of Papa as much as possible (He is a dangerous lunatic with dynamite, after all). It's Papa's favorite activity to find a good spot where he can take as many enemies with him as possible.
 * "Te Llevare al Infierno Conmigo"** - And this is how he does that. It's the suicide button. All models in 4" have to take a moderately difficult Df duel or take 6 damage. Since there is no damage flip, Hard to Wound will not protect them, and the damage is high enough to scare even Masters. After the blast, Papa takes 6 damage himself. As he has 9 Wds, he can potentially do it two times in a row for a massive card draw (because your opponent will want to cheat some of those Df duels). Note that Papa can take this action even if it kills him. Also note that if it kills him, it triggers **BOOM!**. This would be the appropriate moment for evil laughter.

__Support__
Apart from his attacks Papa Loco has some abilities to support a good offense. Like all Ortegas he has **Companion**, allowing for Chain Activations. He mainly uses this to run into a good spot to explode before the enemy can scatter.

He also has **Hold This**, a very interesting buff and one of the main reasons to hire Papa in the first place. At the start of his activation (and without any AP) he chooses a friendly model within close distance (a risky prospect). That model gains a positive fate modifier to all damage flips until Papa activates again or leaves play for any reason. Repeat after me: a positive fate modifier to all damage flips! This is a very strong ability allowing cheating on many a damage flip and generally increasing the chance of that sweet severe damage rearing its head. The downside is, of course, that the recipient has to stand near Papa for a time, and if you want to keep the bonus, you have to stay near from turn to turn.

Please note that Papa can buff someone via **Hold This** even if he is **Paralyzed** as he doesn't need AP for it.

=__Resilience__= Resilience is really not Papa's strong point. He has abysmal stats and a big bull's eye on his forehead which makes for a really risky combination. He has a lot of Wds for his cost but he damages himself often. Nevertheless, melee attackers might hesitate to take him out because they fear him blowing up in their face. He will do that anyway, of course.

His only defensive trick is **(0) Shrug off** which clears a Condition for the cost of a card. It's a good ability against crews who rely on **Burning** or **Poison** or slap debilitating Conditions on you like Pandora or Marcus like to do. Note that you can't Shrug off **Paralyzed** or **Slow** (you can Shrug off Slow but it doesn't help you).

=__Upgrades__= As a Tormented Family Enforcer Papa has access to a lot of upgrades, but as he will seldom survive very long, his comparably low cost is one of his merits. If you take an upgrade for him, remember that you will probably not use it often and it won't be around for long.

__**Family Upgrades**__

 * Diestro** - This is a really powerful upgrade but it's very expensive and would make Papa even more of a target. Also his Ml is low so he won't be able to lock someone in melee effectively. Not recommended for Papa.


 * Hair Trigger** - Papa's ranged attack is a good one, even with its short range. Getting into a good position to use **Rapid Fire** may be difficult but some opponents might be surprised what Papa can do with this without blowing himself up. Usually better on Santiago, though. Situational, but not bad.


 * Hermanos de Armas** - Papa's Wk is 1 too slow to make optimal use of this. It's good to take your Death Marshal handler wherever Papa goes, though. Since this upgrade has good utility, it's a good choice even if Papa joins other Masters than his daughter. If you want an upgrade, this one should be your first consideration.


 * Tormenta de Plomo** - It may be nice to have a pulse attack that doesn't damage Papa, but seriously: **"Te Llevare al Infierno Conmigo"** does more damage and he can do it twice. Not recommended for Papa.

__**General Guild Upgrades**__

 * Lead Lined Coat** - It's not a bad idea to get some additional protection for Papa (and **Armor** reduces his self-inflicted damage, as well). However, it's expensive. Situational, but worth a (careful) consideration.


 * Plant Evidence** - Papa will die. At least it's very likely that he will. This upgrade trades a Soulstone into a Scheme marker upon death. If you have a Soulstone to spare and may need Scheme markers without Interact actions, betting on Papa's death is rather safe. A good upgrade for Papa.

__**General Gremlin Upgrades**__
If taken with Zoraida, Papa can get Gremlin upgrades.


 * Dirty Cheater** - Healing is interesting for Papa because he burns through his Wds so fast. However, you will normally have better models to take this upgrade, at least because Papa doesn't really cheat that much: His stats are abysmal and **"Te Llevare al Infierno Conmigo"** doesn't need a duel. Not recommended for Papa.

__**General Neverborn Upgrades**__
If taken with Zoraida, Papa can get Neverborn upgrades.


 * Nexus of Power** - Healing Papa is good, but he can't use Soulstones and thus cannot heal from this. Also, models that close to him are at considerable risk. Not recommended for Papa.


 * Pact** - Even if Papa cheats, his stats are so low that most models will hit him regardless. This would only be worth it for his ranged attack, Horror duels, or healing flips. If you want the safety, take it, but I would not recommend it.

__**General Outcast Upgrades**__
If taken with Jack Daw, Papa can get Outcast upgrades.


 * Oath Keeper** - Generally considered one of the best upgrades in the game, and it's a good one for Papa, as well. He gets **Finish the Job**, so reference the Plant Evidence upgrade above. He can also discard the upgrade for a turn of **Fast**. This helps immensely with his positioning or allows him additional attacks (or explosions). And on top of it, it's cheap. If you bring Papa with Jack Daw you can get the very best upgrade for him. You only have to decide if you want **Fast** or the Scheme marker. Life is full of hard choices....


 * Scramble** - This upgrade makes Papa faster and grants **Unimpeded**, but costs 2 Soulstones. With Scramble he will be as fast as a regular Death Marshal which is just barely above average speed. Too expensive.

**__Tormented Upgrades__**
Papa can take Tormented upgrades, but the only one existing is an Outcast upgrade. Thus, Papa can only take it with Jack Daw.


 * The Creeping Terror** - This upgrade does great things for Papa as his Pulses get bigger. As it's not expensive and Papa always has line of sight to himself, it's not the worst choice. However, I would recommend it for a more resilient model following Papa at a safe distance.

=__Tactics and Tips__= Papa Loco is a very valuable model in any crew that wants to attack with Blasts. Because Blasts only start on moderate damage, **Hold This** significantly increases their emergence.

He also increases the effectiveness of all damaging effects with a built in negative fate modifier, like the Df triggers of Sonnia, Perdita and Lady Justice.

Death Marshals can use their **Pine Box** to solve a lot of Papa's problems. It protects him, gets him towards the enemy faster, and when he pops out he can use **Companion** to run forward and blow up (or do it immediately if the Death Marshal's sacrifice is worth it). Note that the **Hold This** bonus will end if he is put in the box.

Because his Pulses cause simple duels against often low stats and don't flip for damage, many Undead have good reason to fear Papa. Also, Pandora cannot use her Wp against the Pulses, and as her crew likes to cluster, Papa can be a good choice against her.

=__Playing Against Papa Loco__= If you can, kill him from afar. Sniper models put a lot of pressure on Papa, as the last thing he wants to do is die amidst his own crew.

If that isn't possible, try to sacrifice him. **Devour** and similar effects are your friend, because he only explodes if he is KILLED.

A master like Zoraida or Hamelin (or anyone else with Obey or similar ability) is positively evil against Papa. **"Te Llevare al Infierno Conmigo"** is a Tactical Action and most masters can be in range to Obey him twice on Turn 1 or early Turn 2 when he is usually still close to the rest of his crew. The damage from two of those and his **"BOOM!"** will gut just about any crew if they're too close.

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