Sonnia+Criid

include page="inc_1.5rules" **Sonnia Criid, Guild Master**

//"Burn Baby Burn..." - the Trammps (Disco Inferno)// toc

=Overview= The Guild's answer to the Arcanists is Sonnia Criid (and thats two "n's", two "i's"). She is the anti-mage, focusing on using abilities that disrupt, destroy, and even recreate mages. She is predominately a Master to be used at range, using powerful blasting spells to weaken opponents while keep their spells from being effective. Just like Justice and Undead or Perdita and Neverborn, Sonnia wreaks havoc on constructs. She has a high cast and willpower to support her.

She is helped usually by her second in command, Samael Hopkins, and three Witchling Stalkers. She can produce more Witchling Stalkers via one of her spells. Her pieces focus on reducing magic damage and hunting down mages.

While Sonnia is recognized as a known Guild Master, she is a bit more complex than her two female counter-parts. Indeed the range of her abilities are overshadowed and come as unexpected given many foes expect Guild Masters to be upfront and straightforward in their assignments. Many an inventor expects her to come to the table bringing fire, only to be taken off guard as she draws her side-arm and **"Disassembles"** their creations with a single bullet each.

=Mobility= Sonnia is not know for her speed, but she isn't slow by any means. She's a human. She walks 4", she charges 6", and has no tricks to get her around the battlefield faster, though with her range and blast separation abilities, she doesn't have a reason to get too close.

=Offense= Sonnia Criid can deal some serious damage over wide areas. She usually prefers to stay in the back, but if things get too rough, she can move in with her sword to lay some up-close mage beat downs.

__Ranged__
Sonnia will more often than not employ her spells to incinerate the opposition as they do far more damage than the Peacekeeper she carries (a symbol of her employment with the guild). However, she can use her sidearm to **"Disassemble"** constructs at range (an auto-kill against constructs when the attack is flipped/cheated with a Tome suit) which can be far more effective than igniting an enemy.

__Melee__
Even though her Magic overshadows her other attacks, Sonnia is no pushover in Melee. Her //"Runed Blade"// deals 2/3/5 in damage (average) and has a decent Cb of 5 (above average). It's also **Magical,** meaning it will do full damage when facing Spirits, and it prevents any models wounded by the blade from casting spells until the End Close Phase. Should this Blade be used on an enemy with a Ca of 6+ it gets a +1 Card flip when determining damage - making it very useful for dealing severe damage to Casters and preventing them from acting at their full effectiveness.

The Blade also comes with two triggers - **"Disassemble"** (like her pistol, it allows her to 'auto-kill' constructs) and **"Absorb Magic"** (forces the victim to discard 1-2 Control Cards, while Sonnia draws a Card and heals 1 Wound). This is Sonnia's only 'self-heal' option and, while not powerful, each wound regained is another wound away from falling to a foe.

__Spells__
This is where Sonnia shines - glowing in the light of her flames. As a casting specialist, it's only natural she comes with "**(+1) Casting Expert**" meaning she will be setting something alight or extinguishing magic almost any turn. She is also somewhat Tome dependant, but overcomes this issue with her **"(0) Confiscated Lore"** which lets her exchange a Soulstone to gain a **"Tome"** and a +1 to her Ca until the end of the round.

Sonnia is renown as a bane of magic users everywhere as she can target any subject with a Ca of 7+ even if she doesn't have a clear LoS to the target (they need only be in range) thanks to her **Magic Seeker**. With this training, Sonnia's spells become even more potent and she is able to effectively destroy entire forces with relative ease.

This spell does require a 7+ card to cast, but encourages everyone to move away from her and discourages an enemy from ending near her in Melee. Reason being, once the Inferno has begun all models within 3" of Sonnia (friend or foe) will receive 3 damage at the start of closing phase. However, should a model be foolish or cocky enough and take her down after she has activated this, the damage occurs immediately and is doubled to 6 damage caused to all models within 3" of Sonnia.
 * (0) Inferno **

**(1) Flame Burst** Sonnia's primary spell. It requires a 7+ Tome card to use (or a 6+ suitless card if Sonnia has employed **"(0) Confiscated Lore"**) that produces a massive explosion of flames. Should it result in dealing Severe damage to the original target (dealing 5 damage to them), the spell will produce three (yes you read that right - THREE) blast markers from the target that will deal 3 damage to any other target hit.

Should the original target be damaged with a Tome flip/cheat, Sonnia can place her blasts 2" from her target or each other blast through her **"Explosive Burst"** Trigger - furthering the range of her demolition. This spell is also only a (1) Action, meaning Sonnia is able to potentially cast this spell three times in one activation! Any crew foolish enough to cluster together will not last long under her burning blasts.

**(1) Violation of Magic** A powerful spell that is somewhat expensive to cast (//requiring a 10+ Tome Suit, or a 9+ card without any suit//), but is a deadly rote that punishes its victims the more powerful a caster they are. The victim of the spell suffers 1 Wound PLUS 1 additional Wound for each point of Ca over Ca 5 (//Ramos for example, with a CA of 8, will suffer 4 Wounds from this, the base of 1 plus 3 since his Ca is 3 over Ca of 5, if he doesn't resist it//). Furthermore, any target killed by this spell will summon one of Sonnia's Witchling Stalker before it dies. This extra model is more quirky than anything, but to gain a 4-ss Model while executing an enemy unit is certainly noteworthy.

=Resilience= For all her damage dealing and spell reduction, Sonnia is not a very resilient model. Her Df of 4 is average, as is her Wd of 10 (average for a Master). She has some added resilience against magic being **"Magic Resistant 2"** which reduces all damage Sonnia takes from spells by 2 (to a minimum of 1) which includes her own fireballs produced from **"Flame Burst"** - allowing her to take the after-blast of her flames at Severe strength and walk away with only a 1 wound loss.

More aggressive is her **'Advanced Counter Spell'** which, by discarding either 2 Control cards (and suit) or 1 Tome Control card from her hand, will cancel any spell cast at her or any model within 3" of herself as it is cast. As long as Sonnia has cards in hard, she is a walking "magic-dead-spot" and few opponent will bother to go at her with their main spells when she can counter them on a whim.

This spell is one of Sonnia's three (0) action options - the other two being her aggressive (0) Inferno, and supportive (0) Confiscated Lore. This action is for her defense and makes it tougher for all enemies within 6" of her to cast effectively, giving them a negative 2 twists on cast duels. As it is an Aura it remains active for the turn it is employed and moves with Sonnia if pushed away or otherwise moved around.
 * (0) Nullify Magic **

**DF/WP Trigger - Reflect Magic** Should a foe be foolish enough to try to cast a spell directly at Sonnia (she may have her defenses deactivated or seem vulnerable enough), they run a risk of being burnt by their own effects. Provided Sonnia resists the attacking spell with a Tome flip/cheat, the spell that was originally cast at her turns and hits the ORIGINAL CASTER. If all her other defenses weren't enough to discourage opponents from blasting her with mystical power, this trigger alone should force Sonnia's enemies to rethink their actions. You really don't want to try and tackle the anti-mage on her home turf specialty.

**(1) Flame Wall** It is instinctual that all living creatures fear fire, and when fueled correctly flames are not just a brief explosion but can last. (1) Flame Wall is one of the few "terrain creating" spells in the game and gives Sonnia and her crew some cover to use while progressing up the field. It effectively produces two pillars of fire that are height 5" and Hazardous (3 Damage to any who cross through them). They only last a turn, and Sonnia can only maintain one wall of fire at a time, but they provide decent cover from Ranged attacks and discourage enemies charging Sonnia's crew.

As they can't be cast on a target (must be cast 1" away from any model) they aren't an offensive option, but they do hurt if someone is stupid enough to walk or charge through them.

=Soulstones= Sonnia has a cache of 4 soulstones. She will definitely want as many Soulstones as she can get. It is not uncommon for her to use two, three, four or more soulstones in a single activation. She needs tomes, and discarding 1 Soulstone at the start of her activation is most cost effective. And of course she might want to cheat her casting flip up for those ever-important blast tokens. With Sonnia's low resilience, sometimes one of those stones may need to go towards a healing flip.

In summation, she needs a lot of Soulstones, and when she decides to use them, she has to make them count. Cheating for high damage, tomes, and more blasts should be her priorities.

=Tricks and Tips=

Witchling Stalker Refresh

 * "Violation of Magic"** may be intended to destroy enemy mages, but it also has great merit to help Sonnia maintain a full force of Witchling Stalkers. Should one of her Witchling Stalker ends up in melee (which is best for them) they will obviously take some hits. If any of them drops to 1 wound, use **"Violation of magic"** on it to kill it. As the stalker dies, it will employ Immolating Demise and 2 damage to everything withing 2" inches of itself, before being replaced with a fresh Witchling Stalker from **"Violation of Magic"**.

This trick also works with the Desperate Mercenary. Send him ahead to Sonnia to absorb the hits, "Violate the Mercenary", Create a stalker, and give a friendly model within 4" a healing flip.

See Through Walls
Never forget that Sonnia ignores LoS on models with 7 or more cast. It makes her a master assassin. There are 13 Masters and Henchmen that have this level of Casting power, so she may target them regardless of how much cover they may have. Also, several other masters, henchmen, and other models can, with either terrain effects or skills, can also reach that 7 cast. Should you hear "My Ca is now 7+", be sure to smile and take the shot when you get the chance.

This is an especially effective way to get around The Dreamer's Shadowy Form. The current clarification for that ability states that "Enemy models cannot target the Dreamer with Actions if there is a friendly Nightmare within 3" of the Dreamer that could be a l__egal target__ of the Action". If you position Sonnia so she does not have LOS to any Nightmares that are within 3" of The Dreamer she can target him (assuming he is in range) all day since he is the only legal target.

=Strategies and Schemes for Sonnia= Sonnia is typically good at schemes and strategies that involve killing units, protecting an area, and targeting specific pieces. With many high damage pieces as well as a large threat range, these schemes let her do what she does best. As far as movement schemes go, she suffers from the same weaknesses the other Guild masters tend to have. She doesn't really have any fast pieces, so these are a struggle.

Strategies
This objective is tougher to complete, though she can use her Violation of Magic on units near a dynamite marker (provided they are sufficiently weakened) to produce a Witchling Stalker to deny them not only the opportunity to disarm the dynamite, but also to gain a protector by the dynamite. Flame walls between the enemy and the dynamite may help, too. Shared A Line in the Sand is a little easier, depending on what Sonnia gets. It might be easiest to pick defend and wait for an enemy to approach the dynamite and either begin arming it or prepare to arm it. Sonnia, with her fire burst and blast trigger, can wipe out many of the attacking pieces, leaving an easy disarming mop-up job for Sonnia.
 * A Line in the Sand [Easy to Moderate] **
 * Shared/Against Note [Easy to Moderate] **

**Claim Jump [Moderate]** This objective requires Sonnia to get her units to the claim marker. If your opponent is attempting a denial strategy by hoarding their pieces by the marker, Sonnia's job is easy: boom boom blasting. Very few opponents are going to do that, however. The best way to handle it is to protect you stalker's advances/claim marker grouping with flame wall. **Shared/Against Note [Easy]** Use flames walls to prevent your opponent from getting to the marker, or just flame burst your way to victory, letting them group first. Mop up and move in for the VP.

Remember the discussion on Sonnia's Magic Seeker ability? With most Masters or Henchman having 7+ cast, Sonnia can easily gain full VP for the kills. Sonnia is squishy, so she can be easily killed if you're not careful. Just remember: flame wall will obscure Sonnia, but Sonnia can probably Magic Seeker through the flame wall and still get an easy kill.
 * Contain Power [Easy] **
 * Shared/Against Note [Easy to Moderate] **

Sonnia's pieces are, by and large, squishy. This makes this strategy difficult to take. One option available for Sonnia to attempt, however, is turning one of your opponents pieces, preferably one close to the Master, into a stalker, and then having that piece deliver the message. This likely requires Sonnia to get a bit close, however, and the new stalker may very well die before the message is delivered anyway. If everyone is trying to deliver messages, Sonnia can easily deny your enemy their points. Sonnia can flame wall to keep her opponents from ever getting within 2 inches, and Samael can run interception with his hunting trap to prevent movement.
 * Deliver a Message [Moderate to Difficult] **
 * Shared/Against Notes [Easy to Moderate] **

This one isn't especially difficult, nor is it especially easy. Just be careful, advance units in pairs, and look for easy chances to turn a piece into a stalker to finish the job for you. Usually, entrenchment schemes are easier, but this one requires both Masters to advance. Sonnia can only flame wall once per turn, so she can't even effectively block enemy units that way. She can still go for an entrench/mop up strategy, however, with decent success.
 * Destroy the Evidence [Moderate] **
 * Shared/Against Notes [Moderate] **

This is a denial Strategy, plain and simple. Sonnia excels at this; better yet, since it involves your opponent's leader attempting to get into your deployment zone, you can easily gain assassinate with magic seeker. While Sonnia can deny this strategy like no one's business, she can't really advance all that well. Go for VP denial and gain VP elsewhere.
 * Distract [Easy] **
 * Shared/Against Note [Moderate] **

Violating your own stalkers is key to victory here. You still gain points if a new model is summoned, provided it came from sacrificing or killing a friendly model. Just get Sonnia away from the deployment zone, throw up a flame wall, and entrench to victory. This may be a good opportunity to try out Sonnia's sword if you are trying to learn how to use it. Don't forget; if you make a stalker from your opponent's piece and that stalker dies, it does NOT count against you. This strategy is easy to deny your opponent and gain models that can be used as sacrificial lambs. Just don't play aggressively and you should be fine.
 * Escape and Survive [Easy to Moderate] **
 * Shared/Against Note [Easy] **

Another get-your-pieces-into-their-deployment-zone-strategy. Sonnia doesn't like these ones very much. Again, try to violate an enemy pieces that's close to their deployment zone or on their half of the field. If you can do that, it gets a bit easier. Again, deny and distract with flame walls. Violate whenever you can and try for some other method of VP if you can.
 * Plant Evidence [Moderate to Difficult] **
 * Shared/Against Note [Easy to Moderate] **

Sonnia doesn't like this one at all. It requires her to go on the offensive and separate her units. On the plus side, she can violate her own stalkers as they get near death to push them the extra few inches needed to get into a new zone (as per the 6 inch summon rule) and to keep a fresh supply on hand. Expect to have an uphill battle. At least here you opponent is trying to be in the same place as you and is spread out. Flame bursts might trigger far enough away to be effective, but you should bank on closing into melee with a stalker. That way, if they kill it, they might die from the resulting explosion.
 * Reconnoiter [Moderate to Difficult] **
 * Shared/Against Notes [Moderate] **

Sonnia just has to kill things. This is what she was born to do; either they bunch up and get flame bursted or they separate and get removed by stalkers and Samael in one-on-one fights. Her pieces are squishy, but at least she can violate them to deny her opponent the VP. Just don't let the enemy kill or damage too many stalkers in one turn and you should be fine.
 * Slaughter [Easy] **
 * Shared/Against Note [Easy] **

Sonnia can keep a stalker by the wagon pretty much all the time, as well as throwing down a flame wall far enough ahead so as to not impede its progress. She does have to keep advancing, though, and she's not great at that. She should deny her opponent the chance to move the wagon with one of two methods: wall it off each turn with flame wall (the only person better at this is Rasputina, because her walls don't disappear) or using Samael to trap an opponent in front of the wagon so that it can't move forward.
 * Supply Wagon [Moderate] **
 * Shared/Against Note [Easy] **

Sonnia doesn't have any really great models to move quickly and grab the treasure, nor does she have any really great carrying models. Her main technique for prolonging the life of a model kills it, so it drops the treasure. Sonnia does have killing power, so killing the treasure-bearing enemy shouldn't be too difficult. In addition, flame walls will slow their approach and retreat. Recovering the treasure is the tricky part. One tactic could be to violate their current carrier, making them drop it, and creating your own potential carrier. If the stalker lasts that long, that is.
 * Treasure Hunt [Moderate to Difficult] **
 * Shared/Against Note [Moderate] **

Advancing is hard, but defending is easy. Sonnia should focus on keeping her opponent from getting too many pieces on her half the table-she needs to be aggressive to do this. Remember to violate their models and your models to keep a decent number on their side of the field. Just like the above, but with more VP denial through killing off enemy units. For added fun, violate any models that do break through and then send them back over to their side.
 * Turf War [Easy to Moderate] **
 * Shared/Against Note [Easy to Moderate] **

Schemes
**Assassinate** This one is typically pretty easy for Sonnia as it involves killing high Cast models-her specialty. Sonnia is very squishy, but during entrenchment strategies, it isn't too risky. Use with caution. This is a movement based scheme. Taking it is very difficult for Sonnia, so use with caution. **Extermination** If your opponent is using lots of the same type of piece, this one is relatively easy. It can be obtained, with some planning, with one flame burst if you are lucky. Keeping the "within 1 model" rule is tricky, but if she gets too far behind, she can violate pretty easily. If she has a killing-oriented plan (which she probably should) this will make it hard for you. Use with caution. With her difficulty advancing units up the field, Sonnia probably should avoid this scheme. It involves letting a unit die-one that could likely have been violated to greater effect. It is however, very strong with Deliver a Message. This scheme requires a melee kill from Sonnia. That is not always very likely, though it can sometimes happen. Use carefully. This scheme works brilliantly with a few of the above strategies, and advancement denial is one of Sonnia's best traits. A bit easier than Assassinate. Worth taking if they have a big, non-sacrificial piece at their disposal that's not too tough to kill. This is another advancement scheme. Take it if you want to win big and don't mind losing big, by the same token. Use with care. Not a bad selection with Deliver Message. Stalkers actually have a decent enough Wp to make this possible. You're not likely to get the bonus for keeping that model in play, however. Destroying all minions is easy for Sonnia. Pairs well with Slaughter and Extermination. Having more non-totem minions in play than your opponent is almost as easy as Round Up, especially if you go for the violation advantage. This scheme MUST be announced, and oh, is that not a problem at all. All she has to do is violate two enemy pieces. She can do that with ease, especially against high Cast average crew.
 * Bodyguard **
 * Breakthrough **
 * Eye for and Eye **
 * Frame for Murder **
 * Grudge **
 * Hold Out **
 * Kill Protegee **
 * Stake a Claim **
 * Steal Relic **
 * Round Up (Guild Only) **
 * Raid! (Guild Only) **
 * Subjugate (Sonnia Only) **

=Sonnia in Brawls= Sonnia works well in brawls with a few Masters. As an attack mage, she can add some firepower to any situation. She works well as a wide-area weakening model with her blasts, leaving her partner to do mop-up work. With a faster partner, Sonnia can cover her main weakness, making a very well-rounded crew that can handle almost any strategy. She will have difficulty sharing, however, so keep a close eye on that Soulstone cache!

**With Perdita** Perdita is fast and has lots of models that work well for mop-up. Nino and Santiago have already been highlighted as good matches with Sonnia, so why not bring the rest of the family? With her speed and mop-up power, as well as her non-reliance on Soulstones, Perdita is an excellent choice with Sonnia.

Is your opponent using the Ressurectionists? Well, try throwing Lady Justice in with Sonnia. Together, they can deny any Ressurectionists master the use of corpse counter by either violating heavily damaged undead into stalkers or through Lady Justice's many anti-Resser techniques. In addition, against one of Lady Justice's harder match-ups, Kirai, Sonnia's reliance on magic damage and magic weapons removes Kirai's spirit damage reduction advantage.
 * With Lady Justice **

Fed up of spending all your Soulstones on Forbidden Lore? Bring along a Mobile Toolkit and you won't have to worry about it anymore. Other than that Sonnia and Hoffman don't get along as well as Sonnia and the others. Hoffman does best with lots of constructs, and Sonnia really doesn't synergize with him. The pair can work together, but don't expect too much interplay. One way to work with the pair is to use Hoffman as a tank with the peacekeeper to absorb as much damage as he can, keeping your opponent off of the squishy Sonnia. Sonnia can add some powerful damage to the situation, so the pair aren't completely at a lost of what to do with each other. Also remember, Hoffman has Dampening: it prevents any blast marker from being placed within 3 inches of him. So, bear that in mind if you partner these two up.
 * With C. Hoffman **

Lucius and Sonnia are yet another pair that don't really work well with each other directly, but they can shore up some of each other's weaknesses. Bringing Guild Guardsmen into play can give Sonnia some much needed protection, and Sonnia's damage can win the day for Lucius, as he has very low damage output himself. Sonnia will lower his effectiveness over time, however, if she violates too many Guardsmen, so be careful with that.
 * With Lucius **

This is probably not the best choice for Sonnia, as the Viktorias bring no cache and a reduction in Soulstones. Sonnia is not so Mercenary dependent that she needs to get them cheaper, and her damage is high enough that the Viks aren't really necessary. The Viks themselves are also quite Soulstone hungry, so they will fight with Sonnia for the stones. While they could be used, it is not really recommended.
 * With The Viktorias **

=Building a Crew= Sonnia is able to use many pieces effectively, as she doesn't require synergy to be effective on her own. This allows you to utilize specialist models well, or bring in new synergies that won't dilute your crew.

Totems
It is not uncommon to not use totems with Sonnia. She has some available to her, but typically her avatar is a much better choice for 2 spare SS. Her personal totem (Purifying Flame) looks very nice but has not real value in picking it up. Sonnia's spells require tomes, so the Gov. Proxy is only partially useful. The Student of Conflict may be good by handing out Fast, but if spending 4 points in a Sonnia crew, a Witchling Stalker or Death Marshal will fit better.

Guild Models
Sonnia can work wonders with many different Guild members, especially those with a high number of wounds, such as the Executioner. Sonnia can, if she so desires, use her own pieces to ping blasts off of. For example, use the Executioner to blast a few minions down, then activate the Executioner and have him finish units off. This will heal him, allowing Sonnia to repeat the process if needed. She works very well with the Ortega family, as they can pinpoint those weakened models from a distance to finish them off. A Watcher construct may also be of benefit, as its deck control skills may allow to reduce Soulstone use by finding high Tome cards for casting with.

Sam comes with Sonnia's box set and appears at a high level to synergise well with her. Unfortunately this does not often turn out to be the case. He does not really add much to her crew. Even his Mage killing abilities (Arcane Hunter) don't actually help Sonnia out. Sonnia can already handle the high cast opponents models, its recommend to leave Sam at home.
 * //Sam Hopkins//**

Fire Gamin are a fun choice that can help aSonnia out with adding burning tokens on the board. They are not a competitive list choice for a Sonnia crew, but more of a "fun game" choice. They do not really add much to a Master Sonnia crew, usually performing below a Death Marshal or a Witchling Stalker.
 * //Fire Gamin//**

Possibly the best 4 point minion in the game. Witchling Stalkers are amazing in melee combat with a CB 6 sword that automatically triggers critical strike. Add to that their ability to slow down casting with their sword. What am I talking about? > **Weapon, Shattered Runed Blade**: Magical. Models > wounded by this weapon must discard a Control Card > when declaring the target of a spell until the end of > their next activation or the Action immediately ends. This is a really good ability and comes automatically on their sword, although it is often forgotten. Add to that their aura of "I hate Magic" and they are an excellent model. It is important to mention the other ability that Stalkers bring to the table, an ability that makes them invaluable to any guild crew. That is the spell "Dispel Magic". With this spell they can remove effects from both friendly and enemy models. This is a very handy utilitarian spell to have on the board to remove such things as Paralyzed, slow, poison tokens, etc.
 * //Witchling Stalkers//**

The Handler is a book 3 model that augments the Witchling Stalkers. She works very well in Sonnia lists, specifically with at least 2 stalkers on the board during the game. The Handler has a nice aura to block triggers and hamper casting spells. She also has a great sword to swing that negatively impacts spell casting. The largest boon to adding a Handler is two-fold. First, with her ability Word Written she can push a witchling stalker 4 inches toward the closest enemy. This is very cool since it does not require LOS to the Stalker and has no range (basically covers the whole board). Her second ability comes in having Stalkers close by her. When she and a Stalker both engage the same model, she gets bonus's to her attack. When a stalker is near her it gets bonuses to its Wp and Df. This is a reason to keep at least 1 stalker near her at all times.
 * //Witchling Handler//**

Santiago beings some very reliable shooting to a Sonnia crew. In addition, when paired with a Guardian he becomes a great model to leave within 3 inches of Sonnia's 3 inch pulse from Inferno. Sitting in this pulse will bring him most of the way down to triggering his "Is that All you Got" ability, raising his CB on his pistols along with giving him a free walk. Santiago's trigger happy trigger is very good for a mid-range gunfight and a great addition to Sonnia's crew.
 * //Santiago//**

When facing undead or spirits, the Exorcist should find its way into your list every time. While most of Sonnia's crew does not need the magical weapons the Exorcist can hand out, his Magical Crossbow and his "Head-shot-like" trigger on his spell are very helpful. He also has a great spell in "Turn Undead" which can push an undead or spirit crew out of position and open then up for charges or ranged attacks from the rest of Sonnia's crew.
 * //Exorcist//**

Utility in a robot, the guardian fits well with Sonnia's crews.While you can protect Sonnia with the Guardian, it can often be more effective to protect either Santiago or the Exorcist. With the Exorcist the guardian allows for the "Driven by Purpose" by soaking up the 1 wd. When tied to Santiago, the guardian does a great job of catching wounds once Santiago drops to his Hard to Wound level. In both cases, if the guardian does not need to heal up, he can also put up a "I hate magic" bubble similar to the Stalkers, which can be a great help.
 * //Guardian//**

Guild is a fairly slow faction overall, and thus needs its hounds. Guild Hounds are critical in any game where you strategy requires movement. Strategies that fit this are those like Destroy the Evidence, Line in the Sand, and Treasure Hunt. Guild Hounds are a basic requirement for crews performing these strategies. Its recommend to take 3 of them, as it is very easy to kill off 1 hound (turning them insignificant if there are only 2). Hounds can also be useful to bury scrap and corpse counters when facing crews that use these.
 * //Guild Hounds//**

Mercenaries
Sonnia may sometimes need to turn to those outside the Guild for assistance. Specifically, the Freikorps can bring a lot of additional firepower, albeit at a high price. The Freikorps Librarian can add positive twists to Sonnia's casts and channels as well as provide some additional healing. The Freikorps Specialist allows Sonnia to bring even more fiery death from blast tokens. Desperate Mercenaries are also a good choice, as they provide cheap, effective models with potential to be transformed into Stalkers.

Its a basic recipe, where Sonnia will pop up inferno and the Mercenaries will stand nearby to soak up the flame for 3 damage at the end of the turn. This brings them to 1 wound which not only improves their CB, but also primed them for the 1 dg from Violation of Magic.
 * //Desperate Mercenaries//**

=Starting Sonnia= Sonnia is not a very difficult master to learn to play, though she can be difficult to learn to play effectively. She is squishy, which can make her a tough first master to learn, and she has to use her Soulstones more carefully.

Her starting box comes with: Samael Hopkins, Unique, 8 SS Three Witchling Stalkers, 4 SS each This totals out to 20 SS worth of models, plus her 4 SS cache. You may notice this is 1 SS over the cache cap of 8. I recommend saving it for a possible strategy reflip if necessary.

Any one of the Ortegas, especially Nino or Santiago, work well with Sonnia. It is also semi-common to see people integrating a Freikorps Trapper or specialist into the crew, to either add more long-range suppression or blasts to the crew. Desperate Mercenary can fit into her crew at almost any size; even with just her box set, the addition of a Desperate Mercenary only reduces the cache to 7, and he can easily be converted into a Stalker with a healing flip-that's a 2 SS profit in models and 1 SS you didn't need to use to heal. A blister of Fire Gamin for use withe avatar is also a good addition.

=Playing Against Sonnia= Sonnia can be challenging to go against, particularly if you are using a Master with high Cast. There are a few ways to shut her down, however.

Sonnia Criid: Sonnia is, thankfully for her opponents, fragile. If you can attack her with pretty much anything but a spell, she's gonna feel it. Attacking her at range is best, especially if you can do it from outside of her range. This will keep her from retaliating. If you do engage her in melee, which can make it tough for her to cast her spells, be wary of her Runed Blade; it's better than it looks. Just be careful when she starts throwing blasts around. If you're using the Freikorps, she's in trouble, since they all have magic resistance, armor, and blast immunity.

Samael Hopkins: Samael is a damage dealing beast. While he doesn't really do anything specific to line up with Sonnia, he shares many of her traits. He has an easier time hitting high Cast models, gaining +2 Cb and +1 Dmg against Cast 6 or higher models. If he can gain LoS with a model, it's likely to be shot down. He is a touch squishy though, even more so than Sonnia, so if you focus him, he'll die quickly.

Stalkers: Kill these little guys at a range. They deal damage when they die to everything within 2 inches. Outside of that, they are pretty much what you'd expect from Sonnia's grunts; high damage, magic resilient, but kinda squishy. They don't have too many tricks, though. The biggest threat is leaving one at 1 Wd, because Sonnia can use her refreshing trick.

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