M2E+Nurse+Heartsbane


 * Nurse Heartsbane, Guild Enforcer**

=__Overview__=

Emily Heartsbane is that rarest of things - a Guild control model. She is all about pushing other models around and locking down the enemy. And as a Mercenary, she can be hired by other factions keen to benefit from her expertise with an electroshock paddle and a strait jacket.toc

=__Mobility__=

Walk 5 and Charge 7 are plenty quick. The stats are also high enough that she can be hauled around by a Mounted Guard.

That mobility is increased by her Right Behind You, Dear 0-action. For an 8 of any suit she can immediately push 4" in any direction. That's such a versatile action as she can almost decide when she wants to be engaged and when not, and can also push towards models to bring them within range.

If you decide you do want to get stuck in then there's a trigger on Right Behind You, Dear. Flipping or cheating an 8 of masks or higher will allow Nurse Heartsbane to take a 1AP Attack action after pushing. This looks great and situationally will be, but this model is very hungry for suits anyway so be careful!

=__Offense__=

Nurse Heartsbane's main attack is her Electroshock. Ml6 and 1" range doing 2/4/6 damage. This combines with her front-of-card ability that lets her draw then discard 1 card if she kills an enemy model. That's not too shabby by itself, but this gets so much better with the right triggers.

A Crow triggers Convulsions. After damaging, push the target 3". The target's controller can choose to discard a card - if they don't, the model gets pushed another 3". You can use this on enemy models to push them around, out of scoring positions or in front of one of your big hitters. Or you can use it on your own models to give them a boost upfield. Just be careful using it on your models - the author has managed to one-shot kill his own 'normal' Nurse trying to shove her up into position with Heartsbane!

The other trigger is on a Mask, Put the Restraints On, and means the enemy model can't take Attack actions until the end of turn. This is all kinds of evil, particularly used on a big beater model - those traditionally have a low defence, so if Heartbane's player has a high Mask in hand, they can probably force this through.

Her other Attack action is Hold Still, Dear, which is Ca6 against Wp with a 10" range. It requires a Tome which isn't built in, but if successful means a model can't make Walk or Charge actions. She has quite a reach on this - if you absolutely have to stop a scheme runner for a turn, Heartsbane can walk 10", 0 push another 4" and then hit that Mask trigger to cast Hold Still, Dear at a model that was up to 24" away from her when she started.

In a nutshell, Heartsbane can do damage if she wants to, and if that's the case then her triggers are a bonus if they come up. But she is definitely a model that you'll want to save particular cards for, as she can make such a difference by effectively negating enemy models.

The only weakness is down to Heartsbane's status as an Enforcer - she likes particular suits but can't use Soulstones to get them.

=__Resilience__=

Definitely not Heartsbane's greatest suit, at least on paper. Df6 and Wp5 are good but not ground-breaking. Her best option by far is locking down targets so they can't hit her back!

She does have some resilience, and can heal back 1 damage at the end of every activation.

Her defence trigger (requires her to win the duel with a Mask) is another suit-hungry but useful trick. The attacker has to discard 2 cards or end their activation.

=__Upgrades__=

Heartsbane doesn't have her own specific upgrade, and doesn't need any of the frankly weak Guild general upgrades.

She runs very well as she is on the card.

=__Tactics and Tips__=

Nurse Heartsbane is at her best just behind the front line, as she can use her speed to get to either flank to tie up scheme runners or concentrate on keeping a key enemy locked up for as much of the game as possible.

In Guild, she brings an element of control to a faction that doesn't have many other options. She can pin models in no-man's-land, lock up big hitters and do a good job finishing off models herself with her healthy damage track.

There isn't a master who wouldn't benefit from having her along. She doesn't have to rely on anyone to help her out and can always do a job. Just watch her suit requirements.

=__Playing Against Nurse Heartsbane__=

Ultimately Heartsbane standing next to a model will ask you one question - how important is this model to your plans? Can you afford to lose it or have it shut down, and is it better that she's standing there instead of threatening someone else in your crew?

Having contingency plans is always a good idea anyway - if I lose this Terror Tot, do I have another model than can lay down these markers - but these become a requirement if Heartsbane is on the table with her ability to throw a spanner in the works.

If you absolutely have to kill her then make sure to do so in one go, and watch her Df trigger. She has an after-activation Regenerate which could stack up quickly with other healing.

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