M2E+Sparks


 * Sparks, Gremlin Henchman**

=__Overview__= Sparks is the Shifting Loyalties Henchman addition to the Gremlins faction. Alongside a double chin Merris would be proud of, Sparks brings along an interesting mix of utility, combining denial and control as an aura with attacks and abilities that enhance the effectiveness of his compatriots. He has something to offer most masters, and shooting based lists will enjoy him a lot. toc

=__Mobility__= With the pretty standard Gremlins Wk/Cg of 5/6, Sparks is no slouch, but he lacks Reckless, so will not be double walking and taking actions in the same way some henchmen might.

=__Offense__=

For a model that brings utility abilities, Sparks has a reasonably impressive set of attacks.

With a **Ml** 6 wrench attach that engages from 2", he's a decent threat. The damage track of 2/3/5 is pretty good too, but the trigger is where he shines; Tomes grants **Burning +1** on target. As a stackable ability, with good cards or soul stones, Sparks can in theory put 12 combined melee and burning damage onto a target in one activation.

His next two Attack actions are **Ca** actions. The first is uncommon in that it is a (0) Action, yet is the action that occupies most of his card text...**Metal Platin' Means You's a Robo**t. It's a mouthful, but has a dual application which makes it fun. With an unsuited **Ca** 6 and **Tn** 12, it's not hard to cast, though it also requires a Scrap Token to discard. It's **Wp** resist and quite short ranged at 6". Effectively, Sparks acts like a little Gremlin Borg, assimilating the target to grant Construct and Armor +1 as Conditions until the end of his (not the target's) next activation. The twofold use of this is offensively to prevent ability use- make something a Construct to make them ineligible for some Actions or casts. The second use is to target friendly models, which is where the trigger come in. Tomes grants Sparks an additional (0) action in the Turn, whilst Masks grants the target a 5" push in any direction provided it is a Gremlin.

Finally, his other Attack **Ca** action, **Packed With Explosives**, is an enabler for other models. On a successful cast (unsuited and the same as Metal Platin, with 10" range), it forces a Condition on the target that adds a blast Icon to Moderate and Severe Damage. A Tomes trigger also grants the **Burning +1** Condition.

**Other**
Sparks also has a Tactical Action, **Wind 'Em Up**, which is cast just as Metal Plating, granting the **Fast** Condition. This is the reason for the Tomes trigger on Metal Platin', as both Actions are (0) Actions. Note that the target for Wind 'Em Up has to be a non Leader model. Despite this, in a faction with lots of Reckless models, there is some serious Ap craziness to be had.

Sparks has several key abilities on the front of his card, which are designed to get the most value from his Actions. He can **Accomplice**, allowing his newly minted mechano-gremlin to get busy before an opponent can shut it down, and his **Hostile Work Environment**, is a potentially huge debuff for some crews, preventing enemy models within 8" from being the target of Actions from their own side. Finally, **Gettin' Creative** allows him, once per Turn, to make a dying Gremlin within 6" leave a Scrap Token, not a Corpse Token, upon death. As Metal Platin' requires Scrap Tokens to work, this is pretty important. And messy.

=__Resilience__=

Sparks has a Df of 5 and his Wp is the same, so he's pretty average. He is Armor +1, though, which is nice, and he doesn't have many reasons to get too close to the enemy.

=__Upgrades__=

There aren't any super-important Upgrades for Sparks. Seeing as he will probably be cheating his casts, Dirty Cheater might not be terrible, but as a support model, it's likely the soul stones are better spent elsewhere.

=__Tactics and Tips__=

Sparks' main role is utility. Whilst he can do some damage himself if called on, having Sparks in a fight probably means things are going wrong. Used as a support, he gets really interesting.

Focusing on his Construct abilities, giving a hard hitter like Burt Jebsen or Francois LaCroix Armor and Fast is very potent. Burt, in Melee and with Lenny nearby, has a MINIMUM Melee damage output of 16 if he can take four Melee actions, whilst Francois can mitigate some of his Dumb Luck damage with the Armor. In addition, the Masks trigger is adding a 5" push to an already mobile faction. Scheme running on a Gremlin that gets pushed 5" and then has access to four Ap with Reckless...it's resource intensive but very impressive as both a threat range boost and a general Scheme running bonus.

Sparks' **Packed With Explosives** ability runs well with Ophelia shooting crews, Pere Ravage and Stuffed Piglets, as it gives multiple opportunities to splash damage or set off chain reactions. The synergy with Dumb Luck shooting damage that then Blasts is a threat which will force opponents to want to spread out- though Burt can have something to say about that. Of course, most attacks will benefit from an extra Blast- whether they have Blasts already (hi, Wong and others), and Sparks is extending the reach, or you're adding Blasts to attacks. It's a universally useful ability.

Lenny got an early mention, but it is worth noting again that Sparks and Lenny play nicely together if you'r prepared to sacrifice a Bayou Gremlin. A perfect Turn 1 set up with these models is to have Lenny whack the Bayou Gremlin with his Upgrade attack and cards for triggers. This lets you place a Piglet assuming you did weak damage, then the Gremlin can declare Drunk and Reckless, killing itself so it places a Scrap Token for Sparks, and you're up 2 soul stones.

More generally, Bayou Gremlins are a good source of Scrap Tokens, as they come with built in 'auto destruct' with Drunk and Reckless. It's not optimal, but suicidal tactics is the Gremlin way!

He also synergises naturally with the Mechanical Pork Chop, as it is a Construct and so can be Wound Up without prior set-up. It'll also drop a Scrap Token if it dies. This is also true of our artillery piece- hello, Fast Pigapult. Four shots? Not bad at all.

Thanks to his Foundry characteristic, Sparks can also join a Mei Feng crew under either Arcanists or Ten Thunders, and can be a very effective addition. There are usually plenty of Constructs in a Mei Feng crew, and Sparks can take advantage of those (by **Winding 'em Up**) and/or make more (via **Metal Platin'...**) to extend Mei Feng's Railwalker range. **Metal Platin'...** placed on enemy models also gives everyone near Kang a bonus flip to hit and damage against them, and if a Foundry model is carrying the **Hard Worker** Upgrade, friendly Foundry models can even discard a card to ignore the Armor that **Metal Platin'...** gives the opponent. Finally, **My Beatin' Wrench** has a trigger that gives the target Burning, providing yet more synergy with Mei Feng and her crew. Anyone going down this road may want to consider adding some Mechanized Porkchops as well.

=__Leading a Crew__= (With subheadings, usually referencing specific spells, abilities and important combos)

Strategies and Schemes
Sparks can excel at strategies that require a mobile strategy, such as Deliver a Message, thanks to the Fast, push, options he has. He also likes anything that has Scrap Tokens in play, obviously.

Building a Crew
(What sort of minions might or might not work well with the Henchman, overall advice.

=__Playing Against [Henchman]__= (How best to deal with the Henchman (whether as a leader or not), things to watch out for, etc.)

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 * __Ownership__ **