Cankerworm

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

Cankerworm attacks with a breed of cunning and sense of self-preservation that makes mockery of life. The 'jack's unprecedented ability to manipulate even the most sophisticated and complex mechanikal devices makes Cankerworm a versatile and vicious tool. It waits for the mightiest of warjacks to suffer crippling damage and springs to attack the vulnerable machine. After the final strike, Cankerworm harvests weapons and other useful machinery from the fallen construct and turns them against their former masters.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Construct
• Template:Stealth
• Template:Parry
• Template:Advanced Deployment
• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Salvage
• Template:Bond (Template:Reposition 5-alt)

Weapons

Bite
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		0.5				3				11
Template:Armor Piercing Attack
Replicator
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		0.5				5				13
Template:Adapt

Theme Forces

• When taken by Asphyxious (1), (2), or (3)
  • Template:Black Industries
  • Template:Dark Host
  • Template:The Ghost Fleet
  • Template:Scourge of the Broken Coast. Cankerworm gains Gang Fighter in this theme.

• When taken by Asphyxious4
  • Asphyxious4 can take Cankerworm in a plethora of Cryx, Convergence, and Mercenary theme forces.

• When taken by anyone else
  • Template:Black Industries

Thoughts on Cankerworm

Cankerworm in a nutshell

File:IronLichAsphyxious.jpg

Asphyxious1

Cankerworm is effectively everything you would want in a light combat jack at a moderate price. Offensively speaking, his bite will break heavies apart, the more armor the better. Average rolls give him approximately a 50% chance of breaking a system on a Khador Juggernaut chassis, the gold standard of heavy jacks. Cankerworm is going to hurt them badly, he's going to require help to kill the target he's going for. Pathfinder give this little guy a very good chance of reaching his target in time.

Defensively speaking, stealth keeps him from being shot at. His defense is strong enough to justify a boost, and his armor isn't bad. Perhaps one of his greatest defensive strengths is his unique damage grid requires at least 12 damage to destroy a system, a Slayer stands at 10.66 (mitigated by a little more armor). Parry allows Cankerworm get stuck deep into enemy lines. When using the reposition bond from Gaspy, you get to see just how silppery this snake can be.

Put it together and you get a powerful anti-armor support piece.

Combos & Synergies

File:Asphyxious2.png

Asphyxious2

• Cankerworm is fine with his armor piercing bite, but don't ignore the salvage ability altogether. It can be very advantageous in the right situation. While having Cankerworm kill targets and stealing their weapons is great, keep an eye on your own warjacks near their demise. Bring some jacks with the idea of possibly replicating their weapons in mind.
  • While the Kraken has the largest gun in the Cryx arsenal, don't discount the chain weapon Harvesters.
  • Harrowers have reach thresher weapons. If your opponents is using large group of infantry, let Cankerworm adapt to the field by keeping your Harrower nearby.
  • In an odd twist of fate, if Cankerworm picks up a weapon with Chain Attack, it cannot use it (because it requires two initial attacks with that weapon to trigger the ability), but the Combo Strike weapon ability has no such wording. Therefore, if a Slayer dies next to Cankerworm, taking the Death Claw 'only' gives it +1 POW over the Replicator, but Cankerworm can use Combo Strike for a nice POW 20 attack before debuffs. Not bad for a little light, especially if the head gets crippled.
  • If you like running the Inflictor, keep a lookout if it dies near Cankerworm. DEF 14 ARM 16 with 24 boxes is annoying. DEF 14 ARM 16 with a SHIELD is infuriating on a light warjack.
• Karchev & Deathjack - Unyielding makes the worm even more annoying to take down.

Drawbacks & Downsides

File:Asphyxious3.jpg

Asphyxious3

• The armor piercing attack is a special attack
  • You cannot use focus to buy extra special attacks.
  • Anything that shuts down special attacks will leave Cankerworm with only its mediocre basic attacks.
• The Slayer is a 1 pt uograde to this jack - if brute force is more of a focus than versatility, there are few scenarios where a Slayer with all its initials/combo strikes/chain attacks won't do as much work as Cankerworm.

Tricks & Tips

File:Asphyxious4.jpg

Asphyxious4

• Cankerworm normally only needs at most 2 focus. One to charge, and maybe one to boost the attack roll on its armor-piercing attack (depending on the target's DEF). Giving it a third focus to buy a non-armor-piercing attack is normally a waste.
• If you adapt a 2" reach or Chain Strike weapon then your melee range increases and that also increases your Salvage range.
• Know what rules are on a warjack's weapons, and what rules are on the warjack itself. Taking the Scavenger's Snapping jaws will grant Cankerworm the Assimilation ability, it will NOT grant the Scavenger's Finisher ability.
  • This is in your favor if you're ever playing against enemies with the Field Dependent ability, since that's a rule on the model, not the weapon. Cankerworm's just better at optimizing systems than Retribution scientists, it seems.

Other

Trivia

• Originally released in Warmachine: Legends (2008)
• Sculptor: Steve Saunders