View source for Major Markus ‘Siege’ Brisbane

{{Cygbox|{{Cygnar}} [[Warcaster]] }} [[Category: Model]]
{{4U}}

''A professional soldier with more field experience than virtually any other warcaster in the Cygnaran Army, Major Markus Brisbane is famous among Cygnaran troops for his ability to lead from the front and infamous among his enemies for his ability to triumph. It has been said there is no strategic obstacle the man cannot overcome, nor is there any wall in western Immoren that can stand against him.''

=Basic Info=
{{Infobox-Model
| name  = [[Siege|Brisbane1 (aka Siege1)]]
| image = Siege.jpg
| base  = Small
| spd   = 5
| str   = 7
| mat   = 7
| rat   = 6
| def   = 14
| arm   = 17
| cmd   = 9
| focus = 6
| hp    = 18
| wjp   = +28
}}

{{Warcaster}}

===Feat - Breach===
# Remove all [[wall]] templates currently in Siege’s {{CTRL}} range.
# Additionally, the next time each enemy model suffers a damage roll while in Siege's {{CTRL}} range, halve its base ARM when calculating damage. 
: Breach lasts for one turn. 

===Abilities===
* {{Tough}}
* {{Combat Engineer}}
 
===Weapons === 
{| class="wikitable"
{{Ranged|Rocket Cannon|14|14|
* {{Ground Pounder}} }}
{{Melee|Havoc|1|7|14| 
* {{Magical Weapon}}
* {{Critical Smite}} }}
|}

===Spells=== 
{{Spellbox|
{{Explosivo}}
{{Force Hammer}}
{{Foxhole}}
{{Mage Sight}}
{{Rift}}
}}

===Theme Forces===
* {{si|Flame in the Darkness}}
* {{Gravediggers}}
* {{Heavy Metal}}
* {{Sons of the Tempest}}
* {{Storm Division}}.


=Thoughts on Siege1=
[[File: Siege1 classic.jpg|thumb|Classic sculpt]]
===Siege1 in a nutshell===
Brisbane is a resilient, one-man-artillery, offensive caster who likes to be near the front. He lives up to his name and fluff by being a tough combatant and capable of tearing down even the mightiest defences. He has an excellent ranged game and assassination potential thanks to his Rocket Cannon (specifically Ground Pounder) coupled with his armor-breaking feat.

===Feat thoughts===
Being among the strongest offensive feats in the game it is all about having the caster in the right place at the right time and having an army nearby who can capitalize on your opponent's reduced ARM. The ARM de-buff only works on the first damage roll against every target, so you want to make it count. Don't get too greedy! Sometimes catching a few heavies in the radius is better than getting the whole enemy force within your CTRL area, which might leave you exposed for the counter-attack. If you took the enemy's heavies out of the equation, it is likely they don't have much left to counter yours. Make no mistake, this feat is every bit as deadly at range as is in close combat; just make sure you have enough fast, hard-hitting units who can charge the enemy once Breach is used. The first half of the feat does not look too appealing, but it can open up charge lanes by clearing roadblocks and taking away enemy cover or covering fire. Wall templates are things like [[Razor Wall]], the covering fire of the [[Manticore]] or the Trencher Chaingun, and the [[Rock Wall]]s from Gorten, Baldur, or Gunnbjorn.

* If your melee damage is higher than your Assault shots, don't use them on the feat turn against tough foes. Also, watch out for electro leaps (especially Lightning Arcs) as they can trigger the damage roll on models you wanted to hit later with something deadlier.

===Spell thoughts===
'''[[Explosivo]] 

Think of this spell as having two effects: 1.) the AOE (which is useful vs troop spam) and 2.) remove from play (which is useful vs soul/corpse collectors, return to play models, and stuff like [[Take Up]]). Using this against recurring troop spam armies (like certain Cryx and Convergence lists) is a godsend. This spell can cause a '''"Clusterbomb"''' effect, which is when you put the spell on a weapon that can directly hit multiple models because then every kill will trigger more AOEs. This can catch models that the original attack AOE missed. A normal AOE weapon doesn't cause a clusterbomb (it only ''directly'' hits one model). You need a spray weapon or something like [[Thunderhead]]'s energy pulse, or Siege's Ground Pounder attack. Thus, Siege is an excellent target for his own Explosivo spell. Otherwise, your next-best target for this spell is a model with multiple ranged attacks, like a [[Stormwall]]. [[Triumph]] gets special mention, because he gets to attack twice with one gun. You can also spell cycle it on to two models per turn.
 
'''[[Force Hammer]] 
* Incredibly expensive for his focus pool, so you're best to use it only if you want to knock down something for assassination. The damage is also nothing to write home about.

'''[[Rift]] 
* Another fairly expensive spell with a relatively short range. It puts a medium AOE of rough terrain onto the field, but its short range can be as much hindrance for you as for your enemy.  

'''[[Foxhole]] 
* This spell can be used "offensively", i.e. if you can guess where your opponent wants to put his LOS-blocking models, you can put the Foxhole there first and stop them blocking LOS.
* Normally, though, it is used purely defensively to protect squishy models and/or give Siege somewhere safe to command from.
* The Foxhole template's diameter is 7 mm wider than a huge base, so you can walk a colossal/battle engine into the Foxhole and have it no longer block LOS. This is one of the few ways to shoot through huge-based models. This tactic does require some precise model/template placement (3.5mm tolerance each side), so explain your intent to your opponent before you start and make sure they concur with your accuracy.
** Huge bases can't get the cover bonus from Foxhole. All other models gain cover.

'''[[Mage Sight]] 
* Your number one tool in the faction to remove [[Stealth]] on enemy units. Only your battlegroup can benefit from this effect, but that is usually more than enough for the job. Like Foxhole, it can also be used for board control.
* Mage Sight's Stealth removal works both ways - a model losing Stealth blocks LOS. Remember this if you want to target something beyond the stealthy model(s).

===Drawbacks & Downsides===
* Damage support is mainly from his feat turn - outside that he offers little else to bolster your army's damage output.
* He must be close to the enemy to make the most out of his feat. Thus, you can easily leave him exposed for assassinations and counter-attacks.
* He is focus-strapped unless you take Caine0 for Fire for Effect. At that point he can quite happily be sitting on 4 or more Focus.
* All his support spells are upkeeps, making him vulnerable to [[Lamentation]] and [[Purification]]. On the brighter side, two of the spells are AOEs, so units in it won't be harmed by [[Purgation]] attacks' extra die, and cannot be cancelled by [[Dispel]].
* Speed de-buffs and rough terrain can hinder him and his army.  
* He is quite punishing to new players who may struggle with activation order. However, the learning curve is relatively shallow. Once you're aware of where to position him for an upcoming Feat turn and leave a space, he is remarkably straightforward to use.

===Tricks & Tips===
* Ground Pounder
** Ground Pounder does stack with Explosivo, and it is exactly as awesome as you imagine. Refer to the Spell Thoughts section for more details.
** Since his bazooka isn't an AOE natively, it is always better to do a Ground Pounder than a regular attack, except for two situations:
**# You've put Explosivo on Siege, and you want to use blast damage to kill a high-DEF model standing near a low-DEF model.
**# You need to target a model that is in the Mage Sight template but out of your normal LOS. (Ground Pounder can't target a spot out of LOS, even if Mage Sight is there).
** Placing the template:
*** The LOS requirements for placing the template are a bit counterintuitive and the explanation is longwinded. See the Rules Clarifications section for details.
*** One of the useful tricks of this counterintuitive-ness is how you can "shoot around corners" because only ''part'' of the template needs to be in LOS, not the whole thing. (In fact it's impossible to have it entirely in LOS, because as soon as it overlaps a model the overlapped area is out of LOS.)
*** A second useful trick is "shooting the back of a cloud/forest" where you place the near edge of the AOE as deep in the cloud/forest as possible, and the far edge overlapping models ''behind'' the cloud/forest.
**: This is particularly useful vs models that like to create cloud walls then Reposition out of them.
* Ground Pounder is a ranged attack, thus shield guards can be used against it. It won't move the template like it does with other AoEs, but the shield guard is still being hit instead of the model from which you allocated the hit.

=List Building Advice=
===Strategy===
Breach is pretty suitable for assassination, but that somewhat hard to pull off against experienced players. Instead, you can swing the balance to your favour and win by attrition after removing the enemy's key heavy hitters with ease. The army you select should be made with the feat in mind. In other words your 'jacks and troops must hit hard and be rather self-sufficient. Then, when the time is right, Brisbane's feat allows you to deliver the deathblow. In summary, Siege can perform well in all the current theme forces, but shines the most in [[Gravediggers]] due to the self-sufficient nature of [[Trenchers]].

===Theme Thoughts===
{{Header|Support models - Various themes}}

Siege likes these Cygnar solos, which can be taken in multiple themes.
* [[Captain Arlan Strangewayes]] – A good repair option, and Empower is great for Siege's jacks because he wants to camp as much focus as possible.. Explosivo with sprays is also a nasty combo against low ARM targets.
* [[Journeyman Warcaster]] – Put Arcane Shield on a key jack or your warcaster. Park Siege inside his Foxhole to give him a better DEF than Caine and with this spell he'll have the same ARM as a Khador 'jack.
* [[Journeyman Lieutenant Allister Caine]] - Provides Fire for Effect which makes Ground Pounder devestating. He's also an excellent solo hunter on his own and can bring his character jack [[Ace]] if needed.

{{Header|[[Heavy Metal]]}}

* [[Storm Strider]] - Siege really appreciates boostable guns the most on his feat turn and the Storm Strider delivers this in spades thanks to its power token mechanic.
* [[Long Gunner Infantry]] – Their superior range lets them stay out of harm's way while they fill the enemy with holes. With their high volume of fire and Explosivo they can clear out tightly packed infantries. In you can, put them in the Foxhole. Finally, their [[CRA]] under feat turn can be devastating - a minimum unit hits as hard as a Defender, while a full unit will likely cripple a heavy warjack. They can also scale their CRA according to your needs. On Feat turn, a minimum unit with Dual Shot 2-person [[CRA]] can remove a max unit of [[Iron Fang Uhlans]] under Iron Flesh and Wall of Steel.
* [[Precursor Knights]] – Decent tar pit unit and with the mini feat from the Command Attachment can do heavy damage under feat.
** Since they're [[Partisan]]s, these guys can be taken in the other themes (but use up your "Up to one Mercenary unit" slot).
* [[Sword Knights]] [[flank]]ers under his feat can leave quite a dent on your enemy.

{{Header|[[Sons of the Tempest]]}}

* [[Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Pistoleers|ATGM]] – Ground Pounder requires LOS, so they can knock away/off targets from Brisbane's path. Their UA is also ideal for marshalling jacks with Snipe bullets and can occasionally help you out with stealth hunting.
* [[Black 13th]] – They are pretty efficient in removing stealthy models if your battlegroup has more important targets to deal with. The concentrated fire special rule can be exploited by firing upon targets which were already hit by another unit under your feat and shoot a max-powered brutal damage shot into a yet untouched target. They also gain superb DEF from foxhole (though not Stealth).
* [[Tempest Blazers]] - Their Electro-Leap makes them a huge danger on Feat turn.
* [[Gun Mage Captain Adept]] - Your toolbox solo and yet another source for Brutal Damage during feat turn.
* [[Lieutenant Bastian Falk]] - Explosivo hands out magical damage, Falk adds +2 to the damage roll via Rune Marked.

{{Header|[[Gravediggers]]}}

* [[Trenchers]] - Each and every trencher from rank-and-file infantries to artillery pieces get better under Brisbane and not only by his feat. Explosivo makes them bane of other infantry units, especially the Commandos with their scatterguns.
* [[Trencher Long Gunners]] - With their UA you can deliver surgical strikes into jacks and beasts to cripple their most important systems and aspects under your feat.
* [[Rangers]] – Foxhole gives cover and makes them immune to blast damage. If you can put them in some concealment, the Rangers become extremely hard to kill. Mark Target, combined with Ground Pounder gives Siege a better than average RAT that ignores many defensive buffs.
* [[Trencher Express Team]] - Can do heavy damage themselves and can tag something with [[Grievous Wounds]] to prevent healing.
** [[Trencher Master Gunner]] - Lets weapon crews models shoot twice with Battery Fire.
* [[Trench Buster]]- [[Flank]] on feat turn can be absolutely devastating and they got [[Shield Guard]] to boot.

{{Header|[[Storm Division]]}}

* [[Storm Lances]] - They hit like a ton of bricks, even before the feat, and can deliver a charge from afar. When not in feat turn, use Explosivo to cause havoc among infantry units.

{{Header|Mercenaries}}

Support models, like [[Ragman]], [[Gorman]], [[Hutchuk]] and either version of [[Eiryss]] are all useful for him as well. Do not forget to activate them before you use your feat to get the most out of their abilities.

* [[Lynus Wesselbaum & Edrea Lloryrr]] - Siege is all about doing heavy damage on feat turn. Sometimes that is not enough to one-shot something. With Applied Knowledge you can carve out certain aspects in order to cripple heavies.
** Use something with Grievous Wounds so the damage sticks.
* [[Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord|Rhupert]] - All of his given abilities are a gift from Morrow to Brisbane's forces.
* [[Horgenhold Artillery]] - Even without the possibility to add Murdoch, this unit will leave a mark under your feat.
* [[Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator|Reinholdt]]  OR [[Squire]] - Choosing between these attachments is very difficult. With Reload and Lucky Charm Reinhold gives a lot in terms of personal offensive output. Spyglass on a single stealthy target can also spare focus on Mage Sight. The Squire, on the other hand, provides him much-needed extra focus, increases the control area for his feat and can prove occasionally useful rerolls for Force Hammer or Rift attacks. The increased control range from the Squire means that models affected by his feat are in his Rocket Cannon range too. With any other attachment you have to be 2" closer for him to be shooting models affected by Breach.
* [[Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters]] – Their CRA can devastate your opponent on feat turn and then they can fight in melee later giving some much needed melee ability to what will generally be a ranged list. They deal with terrain well, something Siege cannot help with and a thing his lists often lack.
* [[Alexia Ciannor & the Risen]] - The Alexia "torpedo" synergizes fantastically with sieges feat because a Pow 10 charging weapon master can cause some horrific damage on a heavy under his feat.

===Battlegroup===
[[File:Triumph.jpg|thumb|[[Triumph]] is Siege's pet warjack that he can take in any theme.]]
Siege lacks movement buffs (Pathfinder and +SPD), meaning he must plan careful with low mobility Jacks like the Hammersmith. 

* [[Charger]] –  It's cheap, and the Dual Cannon can do serious damage on Brisbane's feat turn.
* [[Minuteman]] - Jumping behind a shield walled enemy unit and activating Flak Field is usually the end-game for most infantry formations. Under his feat, even elite infantries can be evaporated with well placed blasts.
* [[Hunter]] - Though its armour piercing shot does not stack with Breach, you'll need something to soften up enemies before your feat and keep on hammering them if they somehow managed to survive. In Foxhole they get an absurd level of DEF for a warjack and with native Pathfinder they navigate rough terrain with ease.
** They also allow you to push Siege's activation back later into the turn, which is especially important when you want to use the feat. Since Hunters don't care about the feat, they can start doing work independently of Siege.
* [[Ironclad]] - You want your Breach shots and blows to be telling, so you want to bring at least one heavy melee 'jack. Jacks that can knock your target down make clean up even easier. The [[Avenger]] can also knock down at range, though its speed can be an issue.
* [[Lancer]] - Excellent for arcing a patch of rough terrain with Rift. 
* [[Defender]] – Boosting the damage roll on Brisbane's feat turn can inflict insane amounts of damage to even particularly tough casters and 'jacks. On average it knocks out at least two damage columns of a [[Khador]] heavy.
* [[Stormwall]] and [[Hurricane]] - Both sport deadly, long range weaponry which can make the most out of the feat. They are also resilient enough to stay alive until Brisbane drops Breach. The Hurricane is suitable for Rift arcing too.
* [[Triumph]] - His character 'jack, which gets boosted damage rolls due to his bond. Its maintenance phase shot can soften up targets before feat (and the damage is still boosted). Shield guard is a nice addition and its only two points more than [[Defender]] makes it an auto-include.
* [[Stormclad]] - Outside Colossals, no other jack hits harder in close combat than this one.
*[[Centurion]] - Although slow, it's a great 'jack for holding zones and its P+S 18 spear can be devastating on feat turn.

===Starting a 25 point Brawl list===
Written by Phillip Melvin, the accompanying strategy article can be found on the [https://www.loswarmachine.com/brawlmachine/2020/9/5/brawlmachine-list-building-cygnar main LOS site]. This list has the correct points cost as of 2022.01. 

'''[[Theme - Heavy Metal]]

: '''[[Major Markus ‘Siege’ Brisbane|Siege1]]''': [+28 WJP]
:* [[Squire]]: [4 pts]
:* [[Triumph]]: [16 pts]
:* [[Charger]]: [9 pts]
:* [[Lancer]]: [8 pts]

: [[Journeyman Lieutenant Allister Caine|Caine0]]: [Free] {{grey|(4 pts)}}
:* [[Minuteman]]: [8 pts]

: [[Alexia Ciannor & The Risen|Alexia1]]: [10 pts]


Written by Jaden Iwassa, the accompanying strategy article can be found on the [https://www.loswarmachine.com/brawlmachine/2020/9/5/brawlmachine-list-building-cygnar main LOS site]. Note that this list uses old points costs.

'''[[Theme - Heavy Metal]]

: '''Major Markus ‘Siege’ Brisbane''': [+28 WJP]
:* [[Triumph]]: [18 pts]
:* [[Lancer]]: [10 pts]
:* [[Squire]]: [Free] {{grey|(5 pts)}}

: [[Journeyman Lieutenant Allister Caine|Caine0]]: [5 pts]
:* [[Ace]]: [10 pts]

: [[Alexia Ciannor & The Risen|Alexia1]]: [10 pts]

Total RRP: USD $197 (based on PP's online store prices 2021.05)


{{Brawl}}

=Other=
===Trivia===
* Released in [[Warmachine: Apotheosis]] (2005)
* Rescuplted 2014-ish

===Other Cygnar models===
{{Index Cygnar}}

===Video Battle Reports ===
* [https://youtu.be/ndYLOxOQSvw 2019.03 Feat Fetish], vs [[Thagrosh1]]
* [https://youtu.be/tPMvECsFwO8 2018.11 Arcane Assist], vs [[Sorscha3]]
* [https://youtu.be/x9NaIKHG1lI 2018.09 Not Snakes Gaming], vs [[Durst1]]
* {{VBR}}

===Rules Clarifications===
{{RC Ground Pounder}} 
{{RC Magical Weapon}}
{{RC Critical Smite}}
 
{{RC Warcaster}}
{{RC Tough}}
{{RC Combat Engineer}}
 
{{RC Explosivo}}
{{RC Force Hammer}}
{{RC Foxhole}}
{{RC Mage Sight}}
{{RC Rift}}