Malifaux+Raptor

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 * Malifaux Raptor, Arcanist Minion**

= toc =__Overview__= Raptors are awesome. Malifaux is awesome. So you can only imagine the sheer awesomeness of the Malifaux Raptor! Seriously, the Malifaux Raptor is pretty much what you'd expect for a bird of prey - very fast, fragile if hit and very cheap, coming in at just 2SS.

While available to any crew containing Marcus, Zoraida or a Guild Austringer, the Malifaux Raptor is very rarely found outside a Marcus crew, in which synergises well with the Beast-specific talents and spells available. The +1SS cost for hiring out of faction models generally prevents other crews from considering the Raptor (it is, after all, a 50% jump in cost). That said, it does offer a few key advantages that might make them worth including in some cases.

=__Mobility__= With a Wk of 8 and Flight, the Malifaux Raptor is more than capable of getting around the table very quickly. Diving Charge only adds to the Raptor's mobility, enabling it to charge any model it wants irrespective of LoS.

=__Offense__= In this section, I will describe the many ways in which the Malifaux Raptor has no effective damage output.

Melee
With a Cb of just 4 and 1/2/3 damage, the Malifaux Raptor really isn't cut out for killing enemy models. At best, you might be able to use it to scrape the last wound off an enemy model but don't expect them to do anything more than that - this is not a model you select for it's melee output.

Diving Attack
Yes, it can charge without requiring LoS. This might make it easier to strip a wound off a key model but it still again, with it's poor melee stats this is of very limited benefit for the Raptor in terms of actually dealing damage.

Flock
As a kind of compulsory companion, Flock will let you activate, move and attack with your Malifaux Raptors //en masse//. Still, even 4 Raptors attacking at once doesn't make up for it's poor melee output.

=__Resilience__= With just 4 wounds and Easy to Wound 1, the Malifaux Raptor is unlikely to survive more than one hit against any model with a half decent attack. It's low Wp and Ca don't help either, making the Raptor equally vulnerable to spells and attacks that target those stats. This leaves it's high mobility and a Df of 6 as the primary way in which a Raptor will survive the attention of your opponent's crew. However it's also worth remembering that as an insignificant, low damage model, your opponent will probably consider the Malifaux Raptor to be a low priority target and simply ignore it anyway.

Defensive Stance
If you want to improve the survivability of a Malifaux Raptor, your best option (aside from staying outside LoS) is to use the Defensive Stance action. The double positive twist to Df flips will either force your opponent to flip a high card if he wants win combat, or discourage them from wasting the AP on an attack altogether. Using Defensive as your first action will limit the Raptor to making a single 6" Wk, interact or melee attack that turn, but it's well worth it if you know your opponent is set on killing your Raptor.

=__Tips and Tricks__=

Enrage
Outside of a Marcus crew, this trigger is of no benefit. But along side Marcus, the ability to turn other models into Beasts offers alot of synergy for his crew. This trigger works on both friendly and enemy models, so it's actually quite easy to cheat down the Tome to turn some of your non-beast models into beasts.

Distraction
The Malifaux Raptor's second is actually shared by the Austringer. If you flip a Mask and you know that the top three cards of your opponent's discard pile are low, then there's certainly no reason not to activate the trigger. Unfortunately there's no easy way to Companion the Malifaux Raptor with another model (aside from another Malifaux Raptor). So unlike the Austringer, who can then Deliver Orders to another friendly model and really punish your opponent on the next few duels, you instead have to settle for your opponent deciding what duels they want to flip low on when they activate their next model.

Claiming Objectives

Distraction (for real!) Placing Blasts Corpse Counters

=__Master-Specific Tips__= The Raptor can only be hired by Marcus, Zoraida or a crew containing Austringers. Marcus will probably get the most use out of the model as he triggers off of things being Beasts. Friendly models with the //Enrage// Trigger can be healed by the //Primal Flame//, activated after him, or given a willpower bonus from his //Howl//. They can also be used with his //Defend Me// Trigger. Enemy models turned into a Beast can be //Stare Downed//, //Alpha//'d or killed to help him with his Scheme. Obviously, your opponent can discard cards to remove the Beast characteristic, but it's only when it activates, so it is possible you can repeatedly cast //Alpha// on it over several turns to stop your opponent from making use of their own model.

Marcus Sonnia Cridd Zoraida

=__Minion-Specific Tips__= Myranda is able to cast the spells of any friendly Beast within 6". If you hit one of your own models and activate the //Enrage// Trigger, you can turn them into a Beast for the whole game. This allows Myranda access to a lot more spells. If you want to be able to do this in a game without Marcus (say you want her to be able to cast all of Rasputina's (1) spells), then she can transform herself into a Raptor, attack and activate the //Enraged// Trigger and turn back. She can then even use //Primal Flame// to heal the model.

=__Playing Against Malifaux Raptor__= The Malifaux Raptor has a low threat level. If your opponent has a flock of them, then reducing the flock to two models will prevent them being Significant. It can help Marcus make use of //Alpha//, and if you think this is likely, then killing them before they //Enrage// your forces should be a priority; this is fairly easy to do.

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