Alchemists Spotlight - Midas Striker Team

Last week, I decided to trade in some Magic cards on a whim. Apparently, I had some cards that were worth some decent coin! With my spoils, I picked up the remaining two models of the Hunter's team (Seenah and Chaska) that I was missing, and the entirety of the Alchemist faction, minus Katalyst. I also got to pick up Decimate and Mist, so I can use them in my Mason's lineups.

After playing so much Butcher's, I thought I would like to play a Striker team, but not so obvious like the Fishermen. But, after looking at the cards of the Alchemists, combined with some Union model help, I thought it was very realistic to make a fast-paced, high-octane Alchemist team that could threaten the goal from multiple threat vectors.

I also happen to like the idea of playing super-solos that can do a lot themselves (I'm a fan of this playstyle in many games), so I thought the obvious choice would be 'King' Midas himself. The hobbyist side of me wanted to make my model look like he was actually performing some kind of field alchemy, so I took my regular cork bases and made something that was very Full Metal Alchemist-esque. If you don't know what that is, you owe it to yourself to watch that series! It's probably my favourite anime series of all time.

Back on topic: Midas is amazing. The whole GB community probably already knows that. He can be a beater if he needs to be, but I think his comfort zone is being zippy and scoring goals. If you can steal 'Where'd They Go?', then you are in for some amazing times. He is just so mobile, and he has so much defensive tech built in, he feels almost unstoppable. His only weakness is that he can only activate once a turn, really.

   So, with all this Midas threat that is always on the table, I knew I needed to add some more strikers to make it a Striker team. Vitriol is the obvious choice. A very mobile, accurate Striker, who also happens to be able to beat face if need be. Also, she happens to be debated among the community as a contender for "best Striker, non-captain" on the forums.

   I think under most circumstances, having a double striker list is probably enough to be considered a goal-oriented team, however I prefer threat saturation when we are going for skews. So, let's add a third Striker! Mist was the top candidate. Although they tend to have great kick stats across the board, the remaining Alchemists don't quite have the mobility to be true Strikers. Mist having Where'd They Go just gives him that extra mobility to get into good scoring positions, or get into a spot where a snap-kick is possible. While he is excellent, the lack of a momentous tackle generally means he can't be the first activation in a turn to score a goal. So beware!

   Rounding out the rest of the team, I put in Flask as the mascot based on community feedback, but Naja could work. After a first-turn cloud to help Vitriol, I just tend to leave the mascot by the goal to help act as a ghetto goaltender. Compound, I feel is an easy-include in any Alchemist list, just because he generates 2 Influence and can act most turns without any INF. Just having the Rush-keeper stops certain goal runs, and controls a large table area. The sixth spot is what is currently the slot I have yet to finalize. Decimate seems to be the natural choice with her good kick stat and mobility, plus her ability to generate momentum easily if required.

   When I play with this list, it just feels like I can play recklessly, make mistakes and bad trades, and still come out on top at the end of the game due to the high capability to score goals from multiple models on the team. It doesn't matter if you give your opponent 10 VPs because you aren't defending well, or accidentally give a way easy take-outs. As long as you get 12 VPs, you still win! If you are an alchemist player already and haven't tried playing this way, try it out! If you aren't an alchemist player, but are looking for a new team, I'd say this is a solid choice. I know it's not any news to say that Midas is awesome. But for those who have never played as Alchemists, you don't realize how FUN a list like this is to play until you try it!