Mechanithralls

Template:Cryxbox3 This model is playable only in an Unlimited format.

Soldiers who survive an engagement may well experience the horror of seeing their fallen friends among the next wave of attackers. The lifeless eyes of their former companions stare from behind rotting flesh, while steam-powered pistons promise an impending and brutal death.

Literally fearless and all but mindless, brute thralls march ahead of scores of mechanithralls as they wade into combat.

Soldiers assailed by a skarlock commander and its thralls are tormented by the sight of their comrades brutally slaughtered, only to have their souls used as fuel to power the commander’s dark magic.

Basic Info

Mechanithralls

Abilities

• Template:Undead

Weapons

• Steamfist (x2) - 0.5" reach, P+S 10 melee weapons
  • Template:Combo Strike

Brute Thrall

Abilities

• The Brute has a different statline
• Template:Undead
• Template:Shield Guard

Weapons

• Heavy Steamfist (x2) - 1" reach, P+S 14 melee weapons
  • Template:Combo Strike

Template:CLEAR

Skarlock Commander

Abilities

• Template:Undead
• Template:Officer
• Template:Battle Wizard
• Template:Magic Ability
• Template:Soul Cage
  • Template:Invigorate
  • Template:Strength of Death
• Template:Tactics

Weapons

• Fell Spear - 2" reach, P+S 10 melee weapon.
  • Template:Magical Damage

Spells

{{Category: Template:Dark Fire AttackTemplate:Disbinding Spell }}[[Category: Template:Dark Fire AttackTemplate:Disbinding Spell ]]

Theme Forces

• Cryx
  • Template:Black Industries. Up to one unit of Mechanithralls can have Ambush in this theme.

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this model/unit in the Template:Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Mortenebra is leading the army.
  • Mercenary and Convergence players can use this unit in the Template:Strange Bedfellows theme.

Thoughts on Mechanithralls

Mechanithralls in a Nutshell

Mechanithralls are cheap and disposable infantry. Victim stats mean that it's a rare occasion that they survive a hit. Low MAT means they struggle to hit anything with good defensive stats until you buff them up. They are not without their strengths, however. High model count and multiple attacks mean that you are going to be relying on statistics to get things done; roll enough dice and you should eventually get lucky. Combo strike allows for them to actually pose a threat to armor in larger numbers. They're faster than Bane infantry and much cheaper. Given their cheap price, it's not hard to just swarm enemy models with thralls and jam them up, allowing Brutes and other harder-hitting models to do your dirty work.

The important thing to remember is you don't actually take them to kill the enemy, you take them so they can die in great numbers for you (while the important parts of your army survive). A Necrosurgeon vastly increases their ability to remain on the battlefield. Rely on recursion to force your opponent to waste precious time trying to kill these guys. If a Dawnguard or a Gun Mage wastes a precious attack trying to kill one of these humble zombies, they are earning their keep.

If they do have to kill something, it is not out of the question. Remember that you are playing Cryx, the debuff faction. So with lots of rolls and strong debuffs they do pose a threat to the enemy.

Thoughts on adding the WA

Brute Thralls are larger, tougher, and more dangerous versions of Mechanithralls. They come with better MAT, POW, armor, and hit points. The most important thing they bring to your army is shield guard at a cost of two points per model. With hit points and armor to potentially survive a decently powered gun, they can vastly increase the survivability of not only the Mechanithralls, but your whole army. You can use the shield guard to absorb potentially devastating blasts on your thralls or high powered cannons aimed at your more important models like warjacks and solos.

In Strange Bedfellows especially the Brute Thrall has a lot of value vs high power guns as killing him will trigger Swift Vengeance on the solos in the army .

Thoughts on adding the CA

Probably the biggest boon for the thrall units is the extended command range which allows the unit to spread out further on the board. It makes a full unit of them far more survivable against AOEs. Disbinding might be useful when going up against upkeep-heavy armies, but out of this context he doesn't bring much to the table. Grants advanced deployments which is a very powerful tool. Allows you to choose a favorable match up for the thralls. Deploy them across from enemies who will struggle to produce the quantity of attacks needed to kill them. Invigorate is a great bonus for them, putting them at MAT 6 for the normal Thralls and MAT 7 for the Brutes.

Combos & Synergies

• Necrosurgeon has awesome synergy, by regrowing the unit. Nothing says "tarpit" like a unit that grows as fast as you kill it.
• Similarly, they have an awesome synergy with the Sepulcher colossal which has the same regrow ability.
• Given how vulnerable Cryx warjacks are to even moderately powered gunfire, Mechanithralls may be worth taking solely for the cheap shield guards. Twelve points (6 for a minimum unit 6 for the Brutes) can provide you with a very effective way keeping important models alive against ranged attacks.
• If you use the de-buff tools of Cryx, these guys will become a force to be reckoned with. Just a few examples:
  • Asphyxious4 - Dark Shroud effectively gives them +2 POW; casters with Scything Touch can also provide this.
  • Warwitch Deneghra - She's chock-full of de-buff spells, and her feat makes the thralls truly shine.
  • Skarre1 and Skarre2 - A select few models can have an awesome STR buff from the prime incarnation, and a key target will get a massive DEF debuff from the epic version's feat.
• Lich Lord Terminus can provide them tough, a very powerful bonus given how many there are. This can potentially make them extremely difficult to kill efficiently. He also enjoys the presence of cheap Sacrificial Pawn targets.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• They have stats to match their points cost. Their accuracy and durability is quite poor.
• They're just cannon fodder without the Necrosurgeon.
• Lots of figures to move, and lots of attacks to be rolled - you can easily run out of time, if death clock is in use
• Unforgiving - your activation order must be spot on to make the most out of them.
• Low command means that the squad of low armored models have to clump together rendering them particularly vulnerable to blast damage.
• Susceptible to remove from play effects that will prevent recursion.

Tricks & Tips

• Know when to use combo-strike against single wound targets (it doesn't matter whether you deal 1 damage or 10). These are my personal recommendations.
  • Against armor 16 and lower use multi-attack.
  • Against armor 17 and higher use combo-strike.
• Know when to use combo strike against multi wound target (the amount of damage matters)
  • Multi-attacks against armor 13 and lower.
  • Combo-strike against armor 14 and higher.
• They are fast, very cheap, and have low defense making them great "targeting beacons". Feel free to shoot them with good AoEs whiles after they run next to important enemies who can't normally be targeted.

Other

Trivia

File:BruteThrallFemme.jpg

Brute Thrall Femme Fatale. Con-exclusive model

• The unit (without CA or WA) was released way back in Warmachine: Prime (2003)
• The Brute Thrall WA was released in Warmachine: Superiority (2006)
• The Skarlock CA was released in the Warmachine: Vengeance expansion (2014)
• Sculptor: Will Hannah
• Nickname(s): McThralls
• The Brute Thrall Femme Fatale can be substituted for the stock Brute Thrall model.