Stormwall

Perhaps Nemo’s greatest creation, the Stormwall towers over Cygnar’s enemies with all the majesty and menace of a looming cloudburst. From the thunder of its guns to the blinding cracks of arcing electricity from its lightning pods, the Stormwall is the mechanikal embodiment of the tempest. Powered by both steam and surging voltaic energy, it riddles the enemy lines with cannon shells and hails of bullets before smashing survivors with its electrified fists.

Basic Info

Stormwall

Abilities

• Template:Construct
• Template:Lightning Immunity
• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Activate Lightning Pod

Weapons

Big Gun (×2)
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW			LOCATION
		14			1			Template:-			15			Left + Right one each
Chain Cannon (×2)
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW			LOCATION
		10			d3			Template:-			10			Left + Right one each
Template:Sustained Fire
Voltaic Fist (×2)
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S				LOCATION
		2				3				20				Left + Right one each
Template:Open Fist Template:Electro Leap

Lightning Pod

The Lightning Pod is a solo put into play by the Stormwall. Template:Infobox-Model

Abilities

• Template:Construct
• Template:Lightning Immunity
• Template:Conductor
• Template:Created
• Template:Immobile

Weapons

• Template:Unarmed

Theme Forces

• Cygnar
  • Template:Flames in the Darkness
  • Template:Gravediggers
  • Template:Heavy Metal
  • Template:Sons of the Tempest
  • Template:Storm Division

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use it in Hearts of Darkness, but only if Sloan is leading the army. It gains Accumulator [Soulless] in this theme.
  • Mercenary and Khador players can use it Flame in the Darkness
  • Mercenary and Convergence players can use it by putting it under the control of Nemo4 in various themes.

Thoughts on the Stormwall

Stormwall in a nutshell

The Stormwall is a powerful weapons platform with the main guns from a pair of Defenders and a pair of Sentinels, better melee than a Stormclad, and almost the toughness of two heavies. A big centrepiece to your army, with good board control tools.

Combos & Synergies

• ARM 19 is fair, but not exactly exceptional. With such a large points investment, you want to be casting Arcane Shield on the Stormwall to keep it in the game as long as possible.
  • So if that's not available to your Warcaster, it really is a good idea to include a Journeyman Warcaster.
  • Stryker1's feat can put its resilience on the double figuratively, while Darius's feat on the double quite literally.
• Captain Arlan Strangewayes can relieve the focus burden or just keep it in the fight for even longer using Repair.
• The Stormwall is not the first choice to either the Sons of the Tempest or the Gravediggers theme force, but if you do, they both offer excellent RAT fixing solutions for your main guns in the form of Gun Mage Captain Adepts and Rangers.
• Trencher Warcaster Lieutenant - If you're not shied away from putting a colossal under the care of a DEF14/ARM14 model, and happen to have a warcaster with Snipe, the Stormwall's guns can reach enormous distances with Fire Group. The big guns' 20" stationary threat distance completes nicely the two covering fire templates, which can be deployed up to 16" away, forcing many light infantries to choose an alternate route instead of just running forward unobstructed.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• The more jacks you have, the more Power Up focus you have access to. With two Defenders, you can have two fully boosted (i.e. hit and damage rolls) Heavy Barrel shots. With the same two focus applied to a Stormwall, you can only fully boost one Big Gun shot and either boost the attack roll or damage roll for the 2nd.
  • This is what makes a Stormwall a worthwhile option with Caine2 - Fire for Effect means you fully boost one Big Gun, allocate one focus to boost the attack roll of the second and use the Power Up focus to boost the damage roll.
• Its MAT and RAT are decidedly average for Cygnar. In particular, its MAT is lower than anything on the Ironclad chassis, so it can be a risk to commit it to melee against models with even a slightly above average DEF.
• On the more expensive side for a colossal, and it's questionable whether it deserves to be.

Tricks & Tips

• If you give up your normal Movement to aim, you can't activate a pod.
• Outside of zapping enemies, Lightning pods are ubiquitous tools. Use them for zone contesting, score on flags, block charge lanes, or just jam the advance of enemy heavy hitters which rely on slams or charges - especially other, huge based models. They are also good beacons to call down AoEs near the enemy (like the lightning AoEs of the Reliant), as even while in melee, their DEF is a manageable 9 - lowering to 7, if you shoot from behind. Due to their immobile nature they're also good at keeping other models of yours in place, if you expect them to be pushed.
• 2 Sustained Fire template can secure you a 9" wide zone. If have Gun mages around, use the same trick, as with the Cyclone, and push enemies into it with Thunderbolt rounds.
• Place Sustained Fire template on enemies, which are engaging your own troops - especially cheap, jamming models with poor ARM. They either have to walk out of it, receiving a free strike, or fight your troops, and getting hit by the template by the end of their activation. Don't play this trick against models with access to Reposition though.
• Lightning pods don't have to be in LOS for the Stormwall - you can drop it behind of your colossal, if it helps Surge / Triangulation, or fry models / solos sneaking up from behind to your lines.
• Things that forbid you to make ranged attacks forbid you to use Sustained Fire too, as you must be able to make ranged attacks, to be able to "do something instead of the attack".

Other

Trivia

• Released in Warmachine: Colossals (2012)