7. Vyros, and Hydras, and Spam Lists, Oh My!

Welcome back everyone!  In proper form with my chaotic blend of topics, I wanted to try out a buzz article featuring a hot new topic some folks are getting excited about:  The AiTC lists!  Ret being the most represented faction is super fantastic and I hope our faction has a strong showing!

The lists can be found here: https://conflictchamber.com/?event=12

I have precious few Retribution players in my local meta, so there are only a few folks I get to bounce ideas off of and get mirror games in with.  It’s always neat to see what other communities come up with and what combinations they are trying.  Until very recently I’ve always felt like list building was one of my weaker points, but Mk3 has been much easier for me.

The one list that has been generating the most discussion from what I’ve seen has been Vyros1- Forges of War with 6 Hydras!!  I’m told it’s very op and impossible to hide from all the Hydra guns.  You just shoot their warcaster or warlock until they're dead and everything is fine.  While I agree that Hydras are sweet and would love to see them on the table more, I’m not sure this is the right avenue to explore them.  I have to assume that this list came about from some early success on the tabletop, but I really need to call into question the quality of opponents that are losing to it.

My main concern is that Vyros1 just doesn’t actually do anything to support Hydras or to improve their performance.  Yes, Mobility lets them walk and shoot 23 inches and Bird’s Eye lets you ignore most things for LoS, but then what happens?  Rolling 10s against a Def 15 Warcaster/Warlock is pretty scary when you’re going all in on an assassination run and ignoring the rest of their army.  

What if they have stealth?  

What if there’s a building on the table?  

What if they stand on a hill?  

What if they have a spell that increases their DEF?

What if they gain cover/concealment?

What if they have 3 Shield Guards?

What if they’re base DEF 16?

What exactly are we dropping this list into?

Some strong words of caution to players thinking about buying models for this list.  I think the scope of targets is incredibly narrow, and the Forges of War theme doesn’t give you the infantry options you need to make a functioning Vyros1 list.

Since we mentioned Forges of War…..  What’s the deal guys?  That tier list was dead on arrival and it always surprises me to see people trying to breathe life back into it.  You could add almost any infantry option to that list and I’ll probably love it, but as printed it misses an important keystone to tie the myrmidon heavy approach together.  This theme could really benefit a rework that brings it closer to our Mk2 Fires from on High tier that allowed Stormfall Archers and Houseguard Halberdiers into the party.

On the positive side, I did quite like a few Kaelyssa lists built into Defenders of Ios.  Most (all?) of them included two Arcantrik Force Generators.  The Battle Engine Booster errata still feels like a dirty cash grab, but it made me a little happy on the inside to imagine what a pain those two things are going to be on the table.  They’ve been such a pain to remove and having two of them in the theme might be a module that gets us away from all the Halberdiers forever in an otherwise rigid list.

I wish all of the Ret players the best of luck and will be following their progress in the event as best I can.  Special shout out to team Kill All Humans! for taking a full Retribution lineup.  You guys have a good warcaster spread and it would be the friggin best to see you take down the tournament!!!

 I always enjoy list discussion, so please feel free to step forward to tell me why I’m wrong about your builds that I don’t like and rub it in my face when you win with them!