M2E+Komainu

Spirit, Construct
 * Komainu, Ten Thunders Minion**

=__Overview__= //Taking a more active role than their historical counterparts, these stone guardian statues, often taking the form of a dog, can be found defending Ten Thunders interests throughout Malifaux. Although they firmly believe that the best form of defense is a good offense, tearing apart the soul of anyone they deem a threat to their charges!//

The Komainu provide the Ten Thunders with a lowish cost melee beater with a couple of ways to tank, a few push shenanigans and a way to attack annoying spell casters. At 5 Soulstones, they're competing with the Rail Wo rkers who fill a similar role. They synergize very well with ancestor models, so if you're playing Yan Lo, or are just taking Toshiro, Izamu, Yin, or Chiaki, then the Komainu are well worth considering. Being Constructs, they also have some synergy with Mei Feng.

=__Mobility__= Komainu have an average walk of 5 but their charge is a little lacking at 5 as well, so charging ain't going to get them any further up the field. They're made of stone remember!

To make up for this they have a **(0) Spirit Scent** that allows them to be placed into base contact with a target (so needs LoS) enemy model within 3". This can allow the Komainu a total move of 13" + the base size of the target. It also provides amazing flexibility as it can both be used aggressively or defensively. As a plus, it also costs absolutely nothing so there's no reason not to use it.

A couple of uses for **Spirit Scent**:
 * Charge a model, and then if they are blocking any other chargers, move them out the way.
 * Walk close to a model, place into base so you can attack another model out of range.
 * If engaged with a model that the Komainu can't handle, place into base contact with another enemy to get out of combat.
 * Position to engage as many models as possible to tie them up & prevent them from interacting.
 * Position to get the best use out of auras, pulses, blasts and any other effects other models have.
 * Place next to the enemy Leader to Deliver an unexpected Message.

=__Offense__= Komainu only have one Melee attack **(1) Rend the Soul** with a stellar Ml of 6 a not too shabby damage track for a 5ss melee model. The big thing here is that attacks Wp, not Df. This means no Defensive triggers and **Defensive Stance** won't help at all! In a faction where nearly every Master, Henchman, and Enforcer attacks Defense, this is kind of big and can make or break the selling point of the model. If you feel your opponent is going to play a master like Lilith, then access to a few Wp attacks can be a life saver. If they pull out Zoraida, on the other hand, go for something else! It also combos very well with Yin. If she can put Gnawing Fears on the target, then suddenly they have - to Wp Flips!


 * Rend the Soul** has 2 triggers; both occur after damage and trigger off a Tomes which isn't native in the stat. However, they handily have an ability **Guard** that gives their attack a Tome if they are within 3" of one or more friendly **Ancestor** models.
 * **Spirit Leach** gives the target **S****low.**
 * **Fires of the Aether** gives the target **Burning +1**. Unfortunately this doesn't improve with the number of Tomes in the total.

In 2nd Edition, actions tend to be pretty critical, so **Spirit Leach** is generally going to be the go-to trigger, especially if you can put it on a Master, Henchman, or any other big beater. This can also be used defensively as they'll be swinging back at you one less time which will allow the dog to tie them up for longer. On the other hand, if you can stack Burning on the target, it could take them out of action permanently. This adds to their synergy with Mei Fang as she can jump in afterwards to gain + to damage off her Tiger Claws, as well as Rail Worker's Shovel Faster. Also if the target has **Hard to Kill**, then Burning is a great way to take out that last wound. Just remember that this doesn't count as killing the model for certain Strategies and Schemes.

=__Resilience__= Komainu have an average 6 Wd for their cost, with a pretty rubbish Df4 and average Wp5. However, They also have **Armor +1** and **Hard to Kill** making them pretty sturdy. Unless the opponent flips severe damage on the first attack, it's highly unlikely the Komainu is going to go down in less than 3 hits.

On the downside, with their bad stats, it's likely that any big baddie will be able to cheat high enough to get that severe, so don't bite off more than they can chew. Although if a Master takes their whole activation killing one of these guys, it could be worth it.

=__Tactics and Tips__= Run solo, Komainu are pretty straight forward with only **Spirit Scent** for any real tricks. However they have lots of synergies with other models. If you include these models, then 2 (or 3 in 50ss games) Komainu in a pack is not excessive.

Any **Ancestor** within 3" gives them Tomes to their Ml Actions. This includes Yan Lo, Toshiro, Izamu, Yin, and Chiaki. Three of these give additional benefits too.


 * Toshiro**: Gives all Minions + to attack flips and **War Fan** & **Daimyo's Price** combo nicely with these dogs. In addition, give him **Command the Graves** upgrade and he can summon new ones at half health off a Scrap Counter with a 9+ Tomes. This gives a slight defensive boost as the dogs drop Scrap Counters themselves so an opponent might not want to kill one just to see a new one rise up.


 * Yin**: **Gnawing Fears** gives an enemy model - to all Wp duals making Komainu's attacks much more likely to hit. Models will need to spend a **Soulstone** just to be on a straight flip!


 * Chiaki**: Chiaki's **Memories Past** action can remove conditions and with the oddly named **Cleansing Death** trigger healing 2Wds with a Rams. This is especially useful for when Toshiro summons a new Komainu, removing slow & potentially healing its 5wds!

As they can give Burning, they combo well with many of the **Foundry** models.


 * Mei Feng**: Mei's **Tiger Claws** attack gains + to damage any target that has the **Burning** condition that Komainu can hand out through **Fires of the Aether**. Also, being Constructs, they make good **Rail Walking** points as they're a bit faster than most of the other choices and can be placed in just the right spot with **Spirit Scent** to allow Mei to swoop in to the right target. When they die, the Scrap Counters they drop can still be used for **Rail Walking** too.


 * Rail Workers**: Anything giving **Burning** to people makes **Shovel Faster** that much better.

=__Playing Against Komainu__= Komainu are fairly straight forward: they are most effective in melee, so shoot them at range if you can. If you have anything that ignores **Armor** or **Hard to Kill**, then that'll make life that much easier. **Joss** can kill one in 2 hits without a doubt! Failing that, their defensive stats are really nothing special, so hit them enough and they'll die! If you can, try to do 5 damage (after **Armor** on that first hit), that way anything that gives **P****oison** or **Burning** will always be good enough to get around **Hard to Kill**.

Unless otherwise stated, all names and images on this site are property of Wyrd Miniatures, LLC. ([|Link]) Image courtesy of Komainu, Japanese Gate Guards by chipboles
 * __Ownership__ **

http://chipboles.deviantart.com/art/Komainu-Japanese-Gate-Guards-257242340