M2E+Rasputina

Ice Golem **Rasputina, Arcanist Master**

=__Overview__= The 'True' Caster of Malifaux. Rasputina is the 'All-out Caster' and the embodiment of an Avalanche - taking her time to move slowly and get herself and her crew into position before bringing the full weight of her magic on her enemies; freezing them into submission and slowing them down.

Though slow and fragile, Rasputina can make an excellent master for someone who likes the idea of a magic user. Like any Malifaux master, there are elements of finesse which can make her more effective, but overall, it's very easy to get the hang of her basic mechanics, set the pieces down on a table, and start having some fun.

She is the leader of the December Cult which is a part of the Arcanist faction. Her closest equivalent is Sonnia Criid from the Guild faction with the difference that Sonnia is better in close combat, fire themed, and has better defensive qualities.

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=__Mobility__= With a slow Wk 3" and no inherent movement tricks, Rasputina stands as one of the slowest Masters in the game. You shouldn't expect her to get even halfway across the table in an average game unless you burn lots of AP in order to do so. Thankfully, due to **Ice Mirror**, she can channel her spells through her crew and instead relies on them to do the running around for her.

=__Offense__=
 * (1) Freeze Over** - TN requires an 8, only has a range of Sh 6", but paralyzes the target and all non-leader models in base to base, however the target can be a leader. ‍‍This can be used for both protecting yourself from things that are getting too close, as setup for another models **Devour**, or just to limit the opponent's AP availability.‍‍


 * (1) Decembers Curse** - This is typically the go to damage spell. A good Sh 12 range, with a decent 2/4B/5BB damage track. With the //Overpower// trigger, requiring a mask, it can potentially be cast a second time for free! With the //Surge// trigger, requiring another tome, you draw a card after succeeding.


 * (0) Biting Chill** - A short ranged, Rg 2, spell attack with a low 1/2/2 damage spread but can be triggered with a Mask to repeat again. It is also a (0) action spell so when you can use it, it doesn't need the sacrificing of another ability.

=__Resilience__=
 * C**** o **** unterspell ** - Makes enemy casting unreliable by stripping out the built in suits on enemy CA actions, potentially making some triggers unobtainable.


 * Frozen Heart** - This makes Rasputina immune to Horror Duels and the **Paralyzed** condition.


 * Df (Tomes) Sub-Zero** - Defensive trigger that ends the attacking model's activation after damaging Rasputina with an Ml action. With a soulstone or a tome in hand, this means that anyone closing in will only get 1 attack on you.


 * (1) December's Touch** - Grants the Frozen heart ability to something (doesn't necessarily have to be an ally) and also **Armor**. Very useful on some of the more 'squishy' Arcanist things like beasts or December Acolytes.

=__Upgrades__= Imbued Protection Imbued Energies The Philosophers Stone Arcane Reservoir Recharge Soulstone


 * December's Pawn 2SS** - An Upgrade that may only be taken by Rasputina. Treats the Black Joker as the Red Joker; Whether or not you purchase this obviously depends on how much you feel getting screwed by the Black Joker is worth. Taking it does mean that if you have it in your control hand you can use it to cheat beneficially‍‍.


 * Cold Nights 1SS** - An Upgrade that may only be taken by Rasputina. This 'restores' one of Rasputina's old tricks - the ice pillars. While not quite as nasty as last edition where they were permanent and could be cast every turn, this time they only last until Rasputina's next activation or if she is removed from play. Range 12 and easy to cast, requiring a 3, makes them useful. These are the thinking Master's tools - you can use them as summonable LoS blocking cover to advance your mirrors or to block the enemy and bottleneck them. In addition Rasputina gains the **Ice Shield** ability which discards the upgrade to give her +4 Df when declared as the target of an Attack action; the downside is that it's after the attack is declared on Rasputina, so even if the enemy fails you lose the Upgrade. That said, you could cast **(1) Ice Pillars** in your own activation then defend afterwards. All in all, a lot of options for a 1ss upgrade.


 * Child of December 1SS** - An Upgrade that may only be taken by Rasputina. Provides an attack action to be used specifically against a **Paralyzed** model. It requires a 3 or better to cast and has a Rg 10. The target suffers two negative twists on all duels for the remainder of the turn. If the //Splinter// trigger is declared, requiring a ram, it does 4 damage to the target. If the //Demolish// trigger is declared, requiring a mask, the target suffers 3 damage for each Upgrade attached to it. The Upgrade also supplies **Bearskin Armor** to Rasputina which allows her to ignore damage from blast and pulse effects.


 * Shattered Heart 3SS** - A Limited Upgrade that may only be taken by Rasputina. Basically upgrades the **Ice Mirror** to __not__ have the -1 CA penalty and __allows__ triggers at a -2 CA. A very powerful ability and probably worth taking on the 'out of the box' Rasputina crew since this is how she tends to operate with so many **Frozen Heart** constructs. Since this is a limited upgrade it cannot be used with other limited upgrades, like Armor of December.


 * Armor of December 1SS** - A Limited, Rare 2 upgrade which may be taken by anyone with **Frozen Heart**. Gives the model a (1) action that provides a 3" push, then gives it **Armor +1** for the rest of the turn. Not a bad option for Rasputina. Since the move is a push it can be used to get Rasputina out of engagement range without provoking disengaging strikes. Since this is a limited upgrade it cannot be used with other limited upgrades, like Shattered Heart.


 * Sub Zero 1SS** - A Rare 1 upgrade which may be taken by anyone with **Frozen Heart**. The Upgrade allows gives her //Sub Zero// defensive trigger to all **Frozen Heart** minions in range. That means that if the enemy damages the minion in melee they end their activation. This ups the resilience of the low cost **Ice Mirror** targets. Typically, this upgrade would not be placed on Rasputina, but on a Henchman or Enforcer, as you tend to want the ice mirrors closer to the 10" mirror range, so you would normally need the Aura to be further across the board.

=__Tactics and Tips__= (Combos, tricks, and it's best role in-game )

Don't be afraid to cast **December's Curse** into a combat that contains Ice Gamin. If the Ice Gamin are at full health, they can take 2 max damage hits from **December's Curse** thanks to their **Armor +1**. If you hit the opponent, okay. If you hit your Gamin, even better as you can cheat the duel total down to get a straight damage flip and then cheat the damage flip up to pass out the blasts. Then, if you kill the Gamin, it shatters causing another 2 damage. This gives the potential of 10 damage over 2 AP with no chance for the opponent to resist at the cost of an Ice Gamin.

=__Leading a Crew__= (With subheadings, usually referencing specific spells, abilities and important combos)
 * Frozen Heart** models are immune to the **Paralyzed** condition, so it doesn't matter if they get hit by your **Freeze Over** spell. When you are moving them into melee, try and get them to touch as many enemy models as possible, so that you can paralyze as many models as you can. The spell will be randomized in combat, but if you are in base contact you don't really mind who gets hit, as both results end up with your opponent being paralyzed, and you not.

Strategies and Schemes
(General overview, then maybe specifics on what strategies/schemes are good and bad)

Building a Crew
Generally speaking, when building a crew for Rasputina, you will want to surround her with as many models with **Frozen Heart** as possible, as her **Ice Mirror** ability requires models with **Frozen Heart**. The obvious choices here are the Ice Gamin and Ice Golem. The problem with these models is that like Rasputina, they aren't very fast, so if you're looking at reaching the other side of the table, you're going to have a bad time. With that said however, the Ice Golem can toss nearby Ice Gamin, pushing them out 10", potentially giving you the ability to cast **December's Curse** on a speedy or poorly placed model on turn 1. By creating a semi-circle of **Frozen Heart** models that can advance up the field at the same speed, Rasputina can have huge board control.

The December Acolyte is another excellent addition to the crew. With **From The Shadows** you can place him on the board close to an objective and give another potential turn 1 **Ice Mirror** point of origin. Additionally, the Acolyte's harpoon gun has a trigger that will allow you to drag opposing models out from behind cover or just into LoS of Rasputina or another one of your offensive weapons.

If you are running a construct heavy crew (which, is very possible, given Rasputina's love of her Gamin), Joss isn't a terrible choice as a "bodyguard" of sorts for Rasputina. He's quicker than most of the **Frozen Heart** models and hits quite hard. He also has an upgrade that allows him to grant the **Regenerate +1** ability to constructs within an aura of him. If you play him as a linebacker for the line of **Frozen Heart** models, he is a decent option if you want to add something a little different to your crew.

The Wendigo also can make a decent bodyguard for Rasputina. If an enemy model is getting too close for comfort, **Freeze Over** the model, then send the Wendigo in to **Devour** it.

Rasputina's biggest weakness is her low mobility. She also loses her ability to cast her more effective spells once she is engaged. Taking models that can push her can help mitigate this weakness. Snowstorm is the most common model taken to help mobilize the crew, as the duo has the **(0)December's Command** which will allow you to place into base contact with this model. The Captain with his **(1)** **Airburst** ability allows you to push models 5" giving Rasputina increased mobility and a way to get out of engagement.

=__Playing Against Rasputina__= As Rasputina and most of the models she will bring with her will have **Frozen Heart**, be wary of bringing forces that rely on using Horror and/or Paralyzed, as you'll be facing a number of models that will be immune to those tricks. Also, Rasputina deals damage with her **December's Curse** blasts - so avoid bunching up and force her to take models out one by one. Most of the time, her **Ice Mirror** requires models to not be engaged - so if you can, you'll want to get up into the face of her Ice Gamin. At worst, you'll force Rasputina to attack the engagement herself and possibly deal damage to her own model to get to you.

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