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Threat and Counter-Threat

by Endrick

I just picked up a Golden Orb Myrmydon last night and marveled at his stats. He’s got that excellent 7” charge, 12 attack, 4 damage, and a click deep in ability. 86 pts, not bad. Why doesn’t anyone use him? With his 7” charge he makes the perfect bodyguard for anyone out there. That’s when I realized that Orb can’t be the bodyguard because he then becomes the target. Once Orb (or any charging unique) is the target then there isn’t any point in using them.

What Makes a Good Target?

A target is the one thing that threatens you—it’s the first and foremost target you have because if you don’t deal with it, it will destroy you right back. A target is also by its very nature the biggest point cost on the battlefield because of its abilities and the point cost it would mean to you to have it.

What do you do to a target? You make sure that it can’t do its job effectively:

• If it has range or charge, you harass
• If you can’t harass, you block it with something that’s beneath it to shoot at
• If it’s a melee figure, you beat on it till it dies FIRST

This is why bigger figures attract harassment like flies. It is NOT difficult to harass them.

Backing Up This Point

Against a good player:

• How many times have you been able to fire at three targets using Stormy?
• When was the last time you got the opportunity to fire at a large group with an Amotep Gunner?
• How many times has Techun actually been able to shoot at something worthwhile?

These guys pose a threat, and typically that threat is dealt with by harassing the attacker. If that one threat is worth a lot of points and doesn’t have any bodyguards, then you can effectively eliminate the threat for an expenditure of very few points.

The Evolution of Army Building

Once you apply this, it explains a great deal about the way we play:

Newbie armies create a threat. This is your typical all-unique army because they are the most threatening things out there. A newbie quickly (or not quickly) realizes that their army needs a counter-threat as their first opponents harass the few uniques presented and annihilate them with their threat. Later, armies try to create a counter-threat by creating ways to deal with the harassers their opponents are sending at them effectively, so that the big threat may have a chance.

A good player’s army includes 3 elements:

1. Threat
2. Counter-threat
3. Counter-counter-threat

When one of these pieces is missing or under-represented, the army usually collapses.

Why Big Figures Struggle

When you use a high-point threat, your opponent’s first thought is that they need to hinder your threat to them. If you’ve spent 1/2 your army on your threat, then you are left with 1/2 your points to deal with harassment.

This is why Amotep Gunners are so potent—it’s not because when they fire they break up formations, it’s because they can threaten to do so for very few points.

Why Certain Strategies Work

Magic Blast: People drift toward it because it’s a means of dealing with a threat indirectly as well as creating a threat. You’re also creating a threat that is hard to eliminate.

Healing Support Uniques: These are a problem because they make everyone around them a threat, so again, they become the target. Given the opportunity to shoot at a Boomer or the Eldritch enhancing him, you’re going to aim at the Eldritch to eliminate the threat. It’s a more effective threat in some cases because it can do so indirectly.

Charging and Close Combat Uniques: You’re putting yourself right where the opponent wants you to be—right where he can deal with you. If they are prepared for anti-harassment duties, then they are prepared for dealing with your big harassers as well as the little ones.

This is why I will never use Vladd as anything other than a giant imp that can hurt people. Charge is your ability to deal with harassment, but if your charger is the target and considered the threat, then it fails in its job.

What Can You Do About This?

Realize that whatever the biggest threat you put on the board is going to be what your opponent drifts toward. Unless you are using multiple smaller threats as a team, you are going to have to support your threat in some manner.

The Bottom Line

The strategy and army building needs to change to fit this picture:

• If you have a big threat, never expect it to actually be used. Chances are it won’t get the shot.
• If you can create a situation where you can use your threat, you will likely win. This means you need to build the rest of the army to handle what your opponent sends at your threat.
• If you’re using Techun, expect to be harassed. Send in a charger or 3 for anti-harassment. Once they can no longer harass you, then you can use Techun for what you put him in for—but not before.
• Watch out for the abilities you find in your figures. If you expected to use it for something, it can always be stopped if your opponent deems it a threat.

Your Golden Orb Myrmidon isn’t going to be protecting your Amotep Gunner—it’s going to be fighting for its life instead while the Amotep is left looking for targets.

The Real Use for Bigger Figures

The real use for bigger figures isn’t to go out and wreak havoc. Chances are your opponent will stop you from using it effectively.

The best use for a large unique is to protect them effectively, thus making your opponent spend more and more points and actions trying to deal with your big threat:

• If they don’t deal with it, then it can wreak havoc anyway
• If they do deal with it, be prepared for it

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—Endrick