Hollow+Waif


 * Hollow Waif, Outcast Minion (Leveticus Only)** toc

=__Overview__= Found in the service of the outcaste Necromancer Leveticus, these wandering women don't so much follow their Master. More they 'drift in a similar direction'. They are not the greatest of models, and are really only of use under the command of Leveticus, but they do have a place with their master and do serve a purpose.

=__Mobility__= Waifs don't move far, even when they are allowed to move. With no charge and a Walk of 3", Waifs will slowly grace around the battlefield in a very air-headed fashion. Indeed, if they have any AP at the start of their activation, they must walk at least once (so if they are made "Slow" - their action will always be to Walk). Should their master Leveticus not be present (killed or otherwise absent) the Waif will do nothing but stand and stare into space. This makes the Waifs very unappealing for any other master (Nicodem) to use. They could be consider one of the slowest, if not THE slowest model, in the game.

If the Waifs have one redeeming feature, it is that they may active with their Master. Anytime Leveticus takes action, the Waifs near him may also act. This can provide some Alpha strikes, which can improve the mobility of the Waifs, but its not much to overtake their other failings.

=__Offense__= Should a Waif get into melee range with an opponent, they can do some damage if lucky. **Decaying Embrace** may only have a CB of 4, but its damage score is 0/1/6. The first two are minor and quite ignorable, but to deal 6 wounds with a Severe flip is one of the most powerful attacks in the game! Sadly, due to their low speed and requirement to use at least 1 AP to walk every-time they activate, a Waif won't attack with this much.

Alternatively, the Waif may use one of Leveticus' spells each turn. The fact that all these spells damage the caster isn't too bad for the Waif. Sure they may kill themselves in doing it, but being **Shackled**will allow them to reappear at the end of the round beside Leveticus even after killed - and do so back at full health (ready to blast off some more spells).

Any of Leveticus' spells are worth casting, however the Waif can only cast one per activation. Also, with a CA of 3, all of Leveticus' spells cast by a Waif require either a 11+ or 13+ card. This can be countered by the Waif discarding a Soulstone to get an extra card flipped and added to the first. This is part of **Empty Being** and should not be confused as the Waif having the ability to use Soulstones (they can only use it for this one purpose).

=__Resilience__= Waif die with only 3 DF and 3 WDs. They die from outside attacks, and they die from casting their Master's spells. And that's actually ok. Being **"Shackled"** means the Waif will reappear at the end of the round beside their master anytime they are killed or sacrificed.

Provided one Waif survives each activation, it will bring back Leveticus and all the other Waifs at the End of the closing phase. This is because when Leveticus dies, he reappears during the closing phase (not at its End) by sacrificing a Waif to reappear. After he is on the field, all friendly Waifs that were Killed or Sacrificed appear beside Leveticus at the END of the Closing Phase (meaning they all return by his side).

=__Tips and Tricks__=
 * Decaying Embrace** may not have a lot going for it (average CB, low weak and moderate damage), but it can be a powerful bluff. If a Waif attacks with this, most opponents will be thinking you either have high cards in hand to deliver the damage (and 6-damage will end most enemies) or are bluffing. If you can convince them that its the former, they may risk throwing out their high cards to cheat the flip to avoid the attack - making them waste a powerful card just to avoid a "potential" death blow. Should you have nothing, they will have waste a card. If you have something and they ignore it, the target model may suffer 6-wounds!

Waifs need to walk each activation if able. That doesn't mean they have to walk as their first action. If is possible for a Waif to walk and attack a model in Melee on one activation, then attack and then walk in their next activation (so they can get off two attacks on the model before wandering away). It is also possible for a Waif to attack a model, even if doing so would cause them to become Slow (looking at Collette here). The point being the Waif WOULD have walked after attacking, if they still had the AP to do so, but the attack made them loose the AP and there is nothing they can do about it.

It may seem confusing that there are three Hollow Waif models when you may only field two at a time (being Rare 2). Don't forget that in Brawls you may take double the number of Rare models (so 4 Waifs are allowed). Also, Rare limits you to the number of Waifs allowed ON the field and does not included Sacrificed or Killed Waifs (it is possible to have two Waifs on the field while a third Waif is dead). This will reset down to two Waif in the closing phase (one will not come back), but it still has its place in the game.

Waifs may be resummoned from "**Shackled**", but it happens just before the turn ends meaning no Waif will suffer from Slow in being summoned (Slow gained in this way ends with the turn).

=__Leveticus-Specific Tips__= Waifs only really work with Leveticus. Sure, Nicodem can summon them, but all they will do is stare blindly into space - doing nothing of value (being insignificant they can't even hold strategic points).

Waifs are part of Leveticus' survival plan. Leveticus will die in every fight he is involved in. Having a Waif nearby is his means of coming back from the grave. If he dies without any Waif around, he is dead so be sure to have them hide behind cover and not be made into targets.

Be cautious when Waif's cast Leveticus' spells. You need one Waif to survive each round to bring Leveticus back from the grave. If you kill all your Waifs and Leveticus dies, none of them will come back.

=__Minion-Specific Tips__= (As with Master-Specific Tips, going into any specific Synergies with other Minions.)

Waifs can work well with units that need to be sacrificed/killed to come on the board. Killjoy comes to mind here.

=__Playing Against Waif__= Waifs are easily disposed of, but they do keep coming back with their master. If you kill off all the Waifs, they will reappear beside Leveticus at the end of the round. If you kill Leveticus, he will reappear at the end of the round by sacrificing a Waif, only to re-summon it. Leveticus is very much a cockroach and is quite difficult to remove. Honestly the only way to end Leveticus and his Waifs is to amputate their presence completely.

The best call to deal with this is to damage Leveticus to near nothing (or let him do it himself), and then to execute EVERY Waif on the board before the round ends. Its a challenge as this is basically 2-3 targets you need to take down in one round, or else they will all return when the round wraps itself up.

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