Countdown to Cyriss - Week 11

It's the moment we've all been waiting for... Cyriss's colossal, aka the Prime Axiom! For as much as colossals are capable of, DC didn't spoil too much this week. However, he made up for it with a terrific sketch!



Before we move on, do so you see that rock? I hope that's included so that I don't have to pin his spider legs to the base. That being said, let's take a look at what we learned today:

• Not something new, but I had forgotten that this is considered a warjack and is therefore affected by battlegroup spells!
• It has drag, allowing it to grab a model from range and pull it in B2B contact. And as you can see from the sketch, it gets to do this twice. Like the Galleon, Axiom gets a free drill vice attack (likely its generic melee attack) on targets it Drags, followed by the ability to purchase more melee attacks. Nothing super special here, but it does let you keep Axiom back, rather than forcing you to charge closer to your opponent's models.
• In addition to drill vice, it has an attack called "accelespiker." Cheesiness aside, we get no word on what this actually is, nor can I really tell where the attack might come from. It has a circle of spikes on its forehead, so that's the best guess unless his drill hands are multi-functional like other Cyriss weapons. I want to hazard a guess that these will be armor piercing, but that might be overkill.
• For stats we have DEF 7 ARM 20. It's one of the better ARM stats for these big fellas, and it's not like anyone really cares about a colossal's DEF anyway. With the sheer amount of support you can pack in a 50 point list, this thing is going to take an opponent's full army to take it down, or it will need to have a bunch of units fed to it to keep tied up and away from the action. It's just too bad about that tow cable!
• Now let's get to the juicy bits... Launch Servitor. If you have been around long enough, you'll remember that in Week 4 I covered a number of servitors. You can guess where this is going... Prime Axiom can place any servitor model within 2" of its base. Once per turn you get to whip out your Swiss Army Knife and respond to any situation your opponent throws at you. You can repair, handle high DEF, high ARM, swarms of models... basically, your opponent will never truly be safe when near your model.
  
  The best part? The servitor activates that turn! That means that you can blow a hole in your opponent's infantry, finish off a Dragged target, or just move forward 6" and block a charge lane. While servitors aren't overly powerful for their 1 point price tag, it does give you greater flexibility in the middle of a game, and also frees up several points for other models. Even if this is Axiom's only ability, it's darn good and will make this model a terror on the table.

So that's it. Nothing too groundbreaking, but the artwork and Launch Servitor are all I needed. It's going to be hard to spend so many points on a single warjack when Cyriss has so much support for the others, but I think this thing will carry its weight with the proper support.

It's hard to believe that we are 11 weeks in and still have much more to see. This is certainly not the shallow release I anticipated, and I think Privateer Press is making a very solid, one shot army. I certainly can't wait to get mine!

See you tomorrow!


Remember to follow me on Facebook. I'm doing a blog post every single day for 2013, and Facebook is a great way to stay up-to-date as well as take part in my monthly giveaways!

Countdown to Cyriss - Week 10

We've made it to double digits on this series! To celebrate, DC gave us a wonderful look at Father Lucant, Divinity Architect.

While many Cyriss warcasters have been about hard-hitting models combined with synergy, Lucant shows how well the faction can play the ranged game as well.

• Clockwork Reinforcement. This feat gives friendly faction models in his 14" control area +4 ARM. In addition, repair skill checks automatically succeed. The first part of this feat is just amazing; +4 ARM to everything is going to do a lot to blunt an opponent's alpha strike, or to let the army dig in and hold an objective. Automatically passing Repair checks may be wasted on an alpha strike, but repairing your warjacks and giving them +4 ARM can practically set your opponent back a turn!
• Field Marshal [Shield Guard] Like all Cyriss warcasters, he grants his entire battlegroup an ability. Shield Guard allows warjacks to be automatically hit by a ranged attack that directly hit a model within 2". While limited in its use, the fact that you can protect key models by placing them near one of your many warjacks further increases your chances of getting key pieces up the table. This is a great way to protect those servitors that have limited range and really want to be near the frontlines!
• Spells: Lucant has Purification that will basically remove all spell effects in his control area. This spell is incredibly powerful, allowing you to wreak havoc on an enemy that was relying on his upkeeps or animi to save him. True it removes yours too, but that's life.
  
  He also has Deceleration to give a DEF/ARM bonus vs. ranged attacks, letting you use shield guard with impunity. Finally, DC mentioned that his spell Positive Charge combines with his MAT 6 to make his warjacks and troops very accurate. I take a few points from this. 1) He's likely a melee caster, which fill let you field melee jacks to better take advantage of his feat. 2) "very accurate" to me says that you can make your jacks MAT 8 or 9. Yummy. 3) he's not selfish with his buffs, and makes his units as potent as his warjacks

Compared to previous spoilers, I feel like we didn't get much here. But it's awesome to see and consider all the different ways to play Cyriss, despite their limited releases!

See you tomorrow!

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!

Countdown to Cyriss - Week 8

Welcome back to another installment of Countdown to Cyriss where I try to breakdown Privateer Press's Wednesday spoilers and give my evolving thoughts on the army. We got a shorter spoiler this week, but wow is it a good one!

Cyriss is all about clockwork and math, so it should be no surprise that positioning is key when it comes to the Transfinite Emergence Projector (TEP), Cyriss's battle engine that is guaranteed to bring the hurt! At first glance it seems painfully lackluster - two 10" POW 10 sprays is nothing to make you throw up your hands in jubilation. But then Dave "DC" Carl, who is taking over the Cyriss blog, gave us the TEP's special rule Firing Formulae:

When this model makes a ranged attack with this weapon during its activation, determine the position of the Permutation Servitors this model put into play. For each completely within its left firing arc, this model gains an additional die on its attack rolls. For each completely within its right firing arc, this model gains an additional die on its damage rolls. For each completely within its back arc, this model makes an additional Auto Fire attack.

A few things immediately stand out to me here.

• It creates Permutation Servitors, it doesn't just come with them. That means that it isn't like the Witch Coven where you are at max power until people shoot your resources.
• It gains "an additional die" on attack or damage rolls. That means boosting is still a thing!
• It can make an additional Auto Fire Attack that doesn't require you to buy it (Auto Fire ignore ROF)
• It gets these bonuses for each model in a particular arc. That means 3 servitors (which I assume is its max number) on its left gives it 5d6+RAT. Take THAT Winter Guard Death Star!
• Being a spray means that these bonuses apply to all attacks. If this thing gets within 10" of an opponent's warcaster the only thing they can hide behind is a large piece of blocking terrain. 
• Finally, multiple servitors allows you to mix and match what you need for a particular situation. If you have a lot of DEF 14 infantry to take care of, 1 or 2 servitors on the left will boost the attack well enough, allowing you to put the rest in the back arc to grant additional attacks. 

And while TEP (likely) won't receive the battlegroup bonuses, the rest of the army still has plenty of utility to get even more out of this thing. I don't think we saw all that TEP has to offer, but even if this is as good as it gets... it's really really good. I can see this being a must-have in any 50 point list, even if it means leaving a warjack in your bag. Cyriss reveals have been lacking ways to handle infantry, instead showing how well they can focus-fire a target to shreds. TEP looks to serve as the perfect way to balance any part of SAID the rest of a list can't answer.

So... there's a moderate-to-high chance I'm back to my "I must have this!" stance. I'm finally getting over the fact that PP won't be supporting this army - looking at my loaded painting tray that may even be a blessing. What I'm looking at is "could I have fun making this my main, secondary, or tertiary army? I have most of what I want for Khador, I'm quite satisfied with my Circle collection... why not have an army I can easily complete, paint, and be done with?

See you tomorrow for the giveaway results!

Justifying Expensive Models

In a pseudo follow-up of my post talking about Quality vs. Quantity, I find myself in a bit of a mind regarding the purchase of a single expensive model. With the release of Colossals and Gargantuans, the game of Warmachine has finally started moving towards "big things smashing other big things" that everyone wants it to be. But with that comes a cost, and it can be a hefty one.

Take the colossal for Khador, for example. At 19 points, it costs as much as two average warjacks. It comes with a huge damage grid, ranged and melee threats, and a big fat base to put it all on. The thing is also intimidating to look at, and from the work I've seen people do it seems like a blast to paint. I really want a great big robot, but acquiring it will hit me for about $135 MSRP. As a comparison, for a few bucks more I could get a Battle Foam bag to carry my entire army in.



But it's not just the price that is off-putting, it's the use I'd get out of each dollar spent. If I spent $135 on models I could get a mixture of units, solos, warcasters and warjacks. While I'd still be growing my army, I'd be breaking that money up in to 3-5 choices (or more!), with at least 1 purchase easily sliding in to any future list. The Conquest, while a decent warjack, is a full-blown 19 points in a game where the highest level I'll play at is 50 points.

Investing nearly 40% of my points in a single model means my other choices are limited, and he becomes virtually unplayable at 25 or 35 point games. And with the exception of a few armies, many huge-base models have a lot of competition from lower-cost models. What's worse, an army's best heavy jack/beast can mostly accomplish what the more expensive model does for 6-8 points cheaper! And let's not forget I can buy a Convergence of Cyriss starting army for the same price.

When comparing the cost of a colossal vs. Battlefoam, it's important to point out that I would be buying the colossal for $95 from DiscountGamesInc. So $95 for one model vs. $155 (+ shipping) for a foam bag is a bit less painful. But if I were to buy from KR Multicase again (an upcoming review will explain why I may not), I can carry the same amount of troops as the Battlefoam bag for about $130 with free shipping.

Maybe it's because I've only been gaming for over a year, but it's so hard to look at the more efficient ways to spend my hobby money and then put it in to a single warjack+. But when I look at the Conquest... I really want one. It's not something I need, but I am often tempted to forego foam and other units and just buy a big hunk of metal and plastic. This has been my conundrum since their release - can I justify spending so much money on a single, amazing model?

So how do you guys justify spending so much money on a single model? Have you regretted it? Or if you haven't yet, what keeps you from buying one?

See you tomorrow, which is the very last day to enter my Warmachine/Hordes faction dice giveaway! Tell your friends!

Countdown to Cyriss - Week 7

This week... heavy infantry!


Will Shick gave us a wonderful look at Cyriss's infantry, which is something I said needs to be good enough to support the army. And in a continuing show of Swiss Army-style mechanics, we get some weapons and abilities that will serve as wonderful filler for gaps left from a list's battlegroup. I suggest opening the link in a new tab if only to look at their concept art.

First are the Reciprocators. If you've played against a unit of Man O War Shocktroopers from Khador, you know what to expect. ARM 16 with shieldwall, making them an effective ARM 20 at all time unless something goes awry. While their medium bases won't screen the heavy jacks, they do look like they'll serve as an adequate unit for catching the alpha strike or plugging up an area. The fact that an opponent will have to dedicate 2 or 3 models to take one down means that the opponent will need to sacrifice a unit's activation trying to get rid of them, or trying to ignore them entirely. If only it were that simple!

As I mentioned in a previous article, PP is designing many of Cyriss's weapons to have 2 abilities. In the case of the Reciprocators, they can get Set Defense and get 14 DEF against a charge (meaning several alpha-strike attacks will miss), or Empowered Attack to get +2 on damage, making them P+S 14 and nearly impossible to safely ignore. This lets the Reciprocators do something that many units cannot - serve a role in both early and late game. A unit may be able to catch the alpha strike, but once they're engaged there's a good chance they'll pillow-fist their way through the opponent for a few turns. Otherwise a unit is good at hitting hard, but they don't like being hit back. Being a utility unit able to operate at ARM 20, DEF 14 vs charges, P+S 14 is ridiculous.

Next he discussed the Eradicators. I would be excited for these if only because they represent the first Cyriss name that doesn't make my math-hating brain angry. But that's not all! When moving up the field you can make them ARM 17 - respectable, but you'll need to choose your targets carefully. Once you close the distance, you'll be swinging with a MAT 9, which is enough to easily rip apart all but the highest DEF targets out there. While they don't say how many attacks these guys have, the fact that their dual-bucklers turn in to blades and the ability Side Step leads me to believe they have at least 2. So say hello to your infantry sweepers!

Finally are the Perforators, which are apparently one of Cyriss's few ranged units (a sad thought for me and my love affair with Widowmakers). Shick doesn't give any hard-and-fast numbers, but it looks like these guys are RAT 5, POW 6, RNG 6, SPD 5 with Assault and Armor Piercing. They have the ability to use Snipe to boost their RNG by 4", or Empowered Attack for +2 POW. Out of the box these guys already make effective "armor crackers," charging Khador jacks with 2d6-2, not to mention whatever their melee attack is after the Assault. Shick then pointed out that with Cyriss's plentiful support options, these guys could threaten up to 20" and hit at 7 RAT, making them a serious threat to an exposed warcaster. In what world does heavy infantry become an assassination threat? The world of the Clockwork Goddess, that's where!

I've said it before, but I love the idea of this army. Everything has a trick, and your opponent has a lot of variables to consider with every move. In a game that's already thick with strategy, Cyriss is bringing it to a new level. I love that their infantry is good from beginning to end, and I think they serve as perfect complements to the battlegroup. I once saw that the key to building an effective list is bringing an answer to 4 questions:
Can you handle...

• Stealth
• Armor
• Infantry swarm
• Defense

"Your list needs to be prepared for anything" "That's what she SAID!" That's how I remember it and now it's ingrained in your brain forever. You're welcome.

With everything we've seen of Cyriss so far, it doesn't seem hard to answer or ignore those 4 questions in a standard list. Depending on how Flare behaves, stealth may be the only mild frustration this melee army will face, but no one can be perfect. I'd like to see this army have a bit more in the DEF department, especially since everyone in the competitive scene will already be packing armor cracking to deal with colossals and gargantuans. But even if the army only released with what we've seen so far, I think it has enough going for it to make it competitive.

So where are you guys at in terms of "must buy"? I'm pretty sure this army is a must buy for me, but I don't think I will be dropping money on it this summer. I really want to paint some of these models, but my painting tray is truly overflowing with my own stuff while I try getting caught up with commissions. Still... this army is going to be amazing, regardless of the skeletal releases they may get in the future.

See you tomorrow! There's about 1 week until my Warmachine/Hordes faction dice giveaway, so make sure you enter!

Countdown to Cyriss - Week 6

Today we get to look at Cyriss's other living warcaster, Aurora. Alongside her Clockwork Angels, I think this is one of the reasons people will want to play Cyriss.

Shick gave us a lot of stats, so I'll break them down:

• Spd 7
• Flight
• Transference lets warrior models use her focus to boost attack and damage rolls. Assuming she's a FOC 7 caster, that's going to be awesome. 
• True Path grants warrior models/units +2" movement and Pathfinder, making Angels charge 12" and (fingers crossed) attack with a Reach weapon. Even if they don't have a reach weapon, they can out-threaten your average gunline. And with their +2 DEF against ranged attacks, these things can cause chaos on the opponent's flank and back line. 
• Elite Cadre [Clockwork Angels] gives them CMA. With only 3 of them, and the ability to use Transference, it's a negligible benefit. But it does guarantee that any solo is going to die.
• Flank [Clockwork Angels] means she wants to be with her unit and ripping things apart.
• Flashing Blade (spell) is a Thresher-like ability. Combined with Flank, this will make her a terror against high DEF infantry. 
• Eleventh Hour (feat) grants friendly faction models Refuge, letting them make a full advance (ignoring free strikes) if they hit an enemy this turn. With this feat, I picture the scene from Batman Begins where Ra's al Ghul attacks Bruce, then disappears in to a cloud of shifting ninjas.

Overall, Aurora seems like a fun caster. She lets her warjacks handle the big boys while she and her unit of Clockwork Angels flit around the battlefield destroying all the squishy targets. I like her, and if I get Cyriss this will definitely be a caster I put on the field. She has the shenanigans of Circle, but her jacks still possess the hitting power needed to address high ARM targets. And since her MAT has to be at least 7, warjacks are going to be hitting rather well.

So now that we've had two warcasters spoiled, I must say that Cyriss continues to make it difficult to say no. We've had a caster who wants to play like Khador, and one who wants to be Circle. There's little question that they're versatile, if only Privateer Press would give us more concrete details on how often we can expect new toys for these guys!

I think I need a spoiler of something completely new, but just as versatile as what we've seen, before I will return to my "definitely probably" purchase decision. What about you guys? Is there anything you're waiting on before you'll consider buying in? Has the recent confirmation that Cyriss will be a one-time release affected your interest in the army? Let me know, because I'm curious to see where everyone else is on this decision.

See you tomorrow!

Countdown to Cyriss: Week 5

This week we get to take a look at some models whose names will be nigh impossible to remember: the Optifex Directive and the Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex.

But enough of that, let's get in to the good stuff! The Optifex Directive is a group of three mechanics that makes all other Iron Kingdoms mechanics weep in to their oil rags. In addition Repair [8], they get two nifty abilities that prove once again that this army is all about utility:

• All Terrain: Grants a friendly faction construct (not just warjack) Pathfinder.
• Weapon Modulation: Gives a B2B faction construct the Magical Weapon advantage.

All Terrain is just another way of improving a battlegroup that has average speed, making difficult terrain something to scoff at. I don't know if this will be a "target friendly model/unit" ability, or if units will suffer slightly. Regardless, walking across the battlefield unimpeded is always a welcome ability!

Weapon Modulation makes me happy as a Khador player. Opponents with incorporeal were always a nightmare for me, but now Cyriss can continue to act like a Swiss army knife and bring the right tool to the right job. As with All Terrain this ability is situational, but when you need it you'll be glad you have it!

All in all, the Optifex Directive sounds like a must-have for an army that focuses on the battlegroup. Being able to repair or enhance a 10 point model is fantastic, and it seems like the army is slowly working its way toward rewarding careful list construction.

The other model we get to see is the solo Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex (ADO). At 1 point, this guy is essentially a walking arc node as long as he's within 5" of a vector. I love this model for one reason - maneuverability. As a budding Skorne player, one warlock I really want to run is Rasheth because of his ability to turn any warrior model in to an arc node.

The ADO fills a similar role, letting you get your spells out almost anywhere without paying the cost of having an arc node on a 'jack. Depending on your warcaster, you can look at fielding 1-4 of these guys and use them for anything from harassment to spell assassination. Unlike a warjack that eats up several of your army points, fielding these means that you aren't too hurt when you lose one, and there may be plenty more elsewhere on the battlefield.

I'm noticing that Cyriss doesn't put all their eggs in one basket. Your warjacks are obviously crucial, but I wonder if we can make them all equally good, or create one "super jack" with all the buffs the army seems to throw out. I guess we shall see.

An interesting blurb that Shick ended with teases that units dying doesn't mean they're done being useful. It indicates that we might be able to revive them, or perhaps they can fuel warjacks in some weird Menoth-meets-Cryx mashup.

I'm still a bit bummed after learning that this is basically a one-time release. Still... I dig the faction and its intricacies, I'm just waiting to be completely blown away before becoming a day one purchase.

See you tomorrow!

Countdown to Cyriss Week 4 pt 2 - The Bummer Edition

For the first time in over a year, Privateer Press has disappointed me.

Today PPS_Simon, an official representative of Privateer Press, said this in a forum post:

"Right now we don't plan for the Convergence of Cyriss to be added to the regular rotation of updated armies in our WARMACHINE anthology books (Cygnar, Khador, the Protectorate of Menoth, Cryx, and the Retribution of Scyrah), but we will likely add new models to their ranks from time to time."

Needless to say, my excitement is a bit deflated. Apparently this had already been announced, but I'm not sure enough people caught it whenever it was said. Now however, I find myself evaluating whether I'm buying in to the faction. They already have Mercs and Minions that aren't fully supported and (without the Galleon) can struggle to be competitive, and I'm hesitant to buy something that is essentially unsupported from day 1.

I realize that sounds a bit petulant, but let me explain. I love buying shiny new things (or shiny used things on Bartertown). I enjoy playing the models I have and then looking through my faction book and expansion books and saying "alright, it's time to shake things up a bit and buy this one." If you know how tired I am of my Khador, then you'll be surprised to know that I'm tempted to pick them up again once I buy some cavalry units (helloooooo Fenris!).

It's probably silly, but that's just how I operate. I don't like knowing that there are unexplored options for something I'm playing. I'm not a specialist by any means - I like the option to continually experience new facets of something. And with Cyriss, I worry that if I buy most of the army, I'll get bored with it because I don't have anything new to try.

This also bums me out because of how Privateer Press handles releases. When a faction gets a good release, it really shakes things up in the game. Cygnar got Stormwall, Skorne is getting the Mammoth, Circle got eMorvana and Gallows Grove... things that really improved the faction and gave them a whole new way to play. Even Retribution, which started off a bit like Cyriss seems to, has gotten releases every expansion to help address problems and help them adapt to the changing game.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to strip down and run around downtown with a giant sign declaring the oncoming apocalypse. It is what it is, and Privateer Press likely knows what they're doing. It's just disappointing for how I play games, because I'll know that what I see on the MiniatureMarket catalog is basically what I'll have to choose from for quite awhile.

Is it deal breaking? Probably not, because they'll hopefully release with enough options that I'll still be able to look at the faction book and say "aha, I want THAT next!" for awhile. And let's face it, the army's gameplay mechanics are still pretty boss. However, my excitement has been toned down a touch and I'm back on that "day 1 purchase?" fence.

For those who need a bit of a pick-me-up, don't forget that today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a $10 gift certificate to Miniature Market! As always, just comment on the video and like my Facebook page.

See you tomorrow with the results!

Countdown to Cyriss: Week 4

This week we get a peak at how Cyriss will support its battlegroup, and I'm in love with what I see!

As I said when looking at the warjacks, Cyriss will need some real support to fill any gaps. After seeing three 1 point solos, I'm pretty sure they'll be just fine in that regard. The solos covered today are exactly what I've wanted in Warmachine - a way to customize your army with single abilities rather than just using synergistic models, much like how 40k allows you to customize each squad with different equipment.

Although the solos can still be destroyed and have their abilities removed from the game, it's still very exciting to see how a few spare points in a list can be used as a toolbox. These servitors will likely cost a single point, and they essentially support your battlegroup in its weaknesses or boosting its strength. But will these things be worthwhile 1-point investments like the Wardog or Bellows Crew?

The first solo we see is the Accretion Servitor, which is just a floating repairbot for constructs. "Huh, cool" was my first response, but then Will Shick reminds us that many units are also considered to be constructs. That means that planting this guy behind a wall of high-ARM troops can give you an extra round of having that wall while you prepare to burst through with your battlegroup, or allows them to better hold an objective with minimal support. And just for some added function in the late game, Accretion Servitors can also deal 1 point of damage to your column of choice on an enemy warjack.

Next up is the Elimination Servitor. 

• This model has a "short range gun," which I'd guess to be 6". 
• It "stalks" the battlefield, which I assume means it has stealth or prowl.
• It has Puncture, which automatically deals 1 damage on a hit. 

Basically, this thing is the perfect harasser. At 1 point it won't be a target if your opponent has more immediate concerns, allowing you to take down a few high ARM, single-wound models. It also gets at things like Choir of Menoth who want to hide behind a wall of models tat the Elimination Servitor can quickly circumvent. Depending on the RAT this thing will probably be a hunter of sorts, picking out a target on the battlefield to kill before being destroyed itself. Should it live past its ability to really kill anything worthwhile, its Pathfinder will let it block off a charge lane or contest an objective decently enough.

The Attunement Servitors will do what Eliminations can't. While the previous servitor will be used on low DEF, high ARM, the Attunement Servitors will be going after those pesky high-DEF models that you need help hitting. They have a 4" AOE Flare that gives (enemy?) models under it -2 DEF (and may remove stealth), which means that even if you deviate the flare, you'll still have a good chance of affecting several models. I don't like how close Shick hints that this thing will need to be, but if spending 1 point gives me a better chance at hitting a unit of Kayazy Assassins or Nyss Hunters before they hit me first, I'll take it.

Reflex Servitor! I may be sold on the faction solely based on fielding a swarm of these. They are floating mines with Counter Charge, and explode with a POW 14 AOE 4 blast. That means medium ARM models will be hurt or killed, and low ARM troops will be annihilated under the POW 7. So clump your troops tight against Cyriss, because these guys want to ruin your day. They also have Dig In which gives them cover vs. ranged and immunity to blast damage. So if you want to cross the minefield, you need to engage them right away (to prevent Counter Charge) or you'll decorate the battlefield with gore.

As long as the troops aren't awful, I think I'm sold on getting a 50 point list when Cyriss releases. Being able to finally play lots of robots is exciting and the whole reason many of us got in to Warmachine, and there seem to be enough tricks to this army that it won't suffer from shallow, straightforward gameplay. What do you guys think? If you're still on the fence, what does Cyriss need to offer to convince you to follow the Clockwork Goddess?

See you tomorrow! And don't forget my giveaway in 3 days!