Countdown to Cyriss - Week 9

Today DC gave us a look at an absolutely ridiculous warcaster from Convergence of Cyriss - Iron Mother Directrix. Listing each spoiler and discussing it worked well enough last time, so let's see if we can recreate success.

• Focus 8. Wow, a 16" control area is huge by any standards, but this will really let her spread out the warjacks. Not only that, but being FOC 8 plays perfectly well with her feat...
• Mathematical Perfection. This feat makes her Mat/Rat equal to her FOC for one turn. And remember that Cyriss warjacks share her Mat/Rat... so you're working with a field full of 8/8 warjacks spread across 16", creating a huge range of threats that, quite simply, won't be missing their attacks. This has the potential to be one of the most brutal feats I've ever seen. Yes it requires a bit of luck on several dice rolls, but with all the synergy, support models, and 8 FOC spread across all your jacks (plus the one they can all share), you are going to rip apart anything you want.
• She's a Warcaster unit, starting the game with 2 Exponent Servitors and popping one out each turn she has less than 2. These things have a 10" beam that gives you +2 damage to all damage rolls made against the target. Creating one every turn means you can leave one out in front to block charge lanes.
• She's a construct, which means she can be repaired. They hint that she has "quite a few damage boxes," so chewing through her health is going to take some work from your opponent.
• Field Marshal [Arc Node] gives all her warjacks the Arc Node advantage, meaning she can threaten any scenario area, or just harass your opponent with some of her amazing spells.
• Backlash is a debuff upkeep spell that targets warjacks. When that warjack suffers damage, its controller takes 1 damage point. Stick this on a colossal and get to work!
• Domination takes control of a non-character warjack with a functioning cortex. Use this to create an opening to your opponent's warcaster.
• She also has some adequate infantry-clearing attacks. Her melee is a POW 11 with reach and thresher, and her ranged attack shoots 11" and hits with a POW 15 AOE 4 attack. 

Her fear turn is going to decimate the unprepared opponent. If you can sweep your opponent's armor cracking off the board, your warjacks are free to control the board unmolested. You can also clear out a scenario zone, soften up several heavies, or clear a bunch of infantry with any jack that has an AOE. Directrix takes Cyriss's synergy, turns it up 10 notches and then rips the knob off. Assuming her Mat/Rat aren't pitiful outside her feat turn, I think a smart player will be able to create a situation that the opponent just can't come back from.

And that's saying nothing about the amazing concept art. I mean where else can you see a sword cloak?

I'm so excited about this army's release. I don't know that they'll become a main army for me unless they get clockwork Shifting Stones, but I'm planning to sell my budding Cygnar army to fund the initial Cyriss releases. They're just too fun not to try!

See you tomorrow!